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By the time they’re almost done with their meal, Lucy is practically falling asleep at their table. Her head resting in one hand while the other uses her fork to push the rest of her food around her plate. She’s not surprised by it, she did just work a thirty-six hour shift, but she is annoyed.
She had plans for her and Tim’s first official night together in the same house. Candles and lingerie and some much needed quality sexy time.
While they’ve been back together for a week, they haven’t had a lot of opportunities to reconnect. Between packing up her apartment and their mismatched work schedules (up until two days ago), they’ve been like two ships passing in the night. Lucy had been looking forward to spending a whole night uninterrupted with Tim and getting to drown herself in his kiss and his touch, and that unique euphoria that only he can give her.
But it seems her body has other plans, as she’s now half asleep at the table. Her lids heavy, barely able to keep them open another minute.
“Hey,” Tim’s voice, soft and sweet, has her opening her eyes. Lifting her head up as he squeezes her arm affectionately. “Take the keys, head back to the truck with Kojo. I’ll flag down the server and pay the bill.”
Lucy wants to argue, say she’s fine and wait with him, but she doesn’t even have the energy for that. She simply smiles, nods and stands up.
Ever the gentleman, he does too. An arm around her waist to steady her with a kiss to her head as he hands her Kojo’s leash and the keys.
It’s a quiet walk to the truck, the exhaustion hitting full force the moment she shuts the door and settles into the seat. Kojo happily waiting in the back, tail wagging and tongue hanging out.
She must have started to doze off again, because she jumps awake when Tim opens the driver side door, bag of their leftovers in his hand.
“Sorry.” He frowns, climbing in and placing the plastic bag by her feet.
He starts the truck, a comfortable silence taking over the cab. His hand finds her thigh as she leans her head back in her hand resting on the center console, not quite able to rest it on his shoulder but it’s close enough.
She spends the drive home — their home that they share, the thought of it still sending a thrill down her spine — thinking about the very comfortable mattress that awaits her and the soft sheets and fluffy pillow. The idea of being able to fall asleep wrapped in Tim’s arms does sound so nice, even if it wasn’t the original plan. She’s always slept better when he’s beside her.
Tim quietly shuts off the engine once they’re parked in the driveway. A quiet whisper for her to stay put while he brings Kojo in first. Once again, she wants to argue because she doesn’t need any help getting into the house — but also she’s comfortable where she is and a few more minutes in the silence and darkness of the cab is nice. He comes back quickly and opens her door softly, a sweet smile on his face when their eyes meet. She lets him help her out of the truck, grabbing the bag by her feet, walking up the front pathway hand in hand, only letting go so he can open the front door.
The quietness of the house is already lulling her to sleep.
There’s no neighbors that share walls or floors or ceilings, making all kinds of noise at all hours of the day and night. It’s just the two of them and their dog.
(A thought that had enticed her earlier for other reasons. Like not having to hold back when Tim has her pinned to the mattress and does that one thing with his tongue.)
“I’m sorry.” Lucy turns back to him as they enter the house, all but leaning her entire weight into him the moment he’s standing beside her. The guilt of ruining their first night together, again, rising back to the surface.
The first time, technically, wasn’t her fault, but still. She feels bad.
“For what?” Brows furrowed, Tim is quick to take her fully into his arms. A light tap at the back of her legs as the bag of leftovers hits her.
“I had a whole plan for our first real night together, I even went out and bought some new lingerie, but I’m too tired to do anything but sleep. I don’t even want to walk down the hallway.” She pouts again, almost whining as forehead falls against his chest.
She’s so tired her bones hurt.
“It’s okay.” He says gently, his free hand running up and down her back in a soothing motion.
“I feel bad.”
“Don’t.” He kisses her head before stepping away. Walking into the kitchen to put their leftovers in the fridge, not even bothering to take them out of the bag. “You just got off a thirty six hour shift and your body has to get used to being back on days, it’s alright.”
“I know, but I wanted our first night to be special.”
“We have our whole lives for special, Luce.” He smiles, that dopey love struck one that melts her. It’s still hard to believe sometimes that the love of her life is her former training officer and that now he looks at her like she hung the moon every time their eyes meet.
(And any other time, according to their friends.)
Tim walks back to her, still lingering in the entry way, arm wrapping around her waist. He dips his head to kiss her, and she hums happily as their lips touch.
She loves that they can do this again, that she can kiss Tim freely whenever and wherever she wants to. No worries about what message it might send or what it could mean.
They stand there for a moment, swaying softly as one kiss turns to two, then three and four. The fire in her belly slowly roaring to life as his lips slide against hers and his hands dip lower on her waist.
She’s just about to convince herself that she doesn’t need sleep after all when a yawn replaces her next breath. Tim pulls away then, his blue eyes warm with affection when he looks at her and a quiet laugh bubbling to the surface.
"Let’s get you to bed before you fall asleep standing up.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
He hums in agreement and herds her to their bedroom, that same thrill from earlier going through her tired body as she remembers it’s theirs now.
Her pictures and paintings can hang on the empty walls of the hallway, her books on the shelves next to his and all her little knickknacks littered throughout the house. They could even go out and buy paint to add some color, or get a new comforter set that they pick together. Replace his grey sheets with new ones, fancy Egyptian cotton ones.
Turn his room into their room because it’s one bed now. There’s no more her bed at her apartment and his bed at his house; it’s simply their bed at the home they share.
She pauses just inches into the bedroom, turning quickly and reaching up to kiss him again. The need for his touch suddenly as overwhelming as the fatigue in her muscles and bones.
They’ve come so far in six months, from heartbreak that felt unending to a hope for the future that warms her chest so much she thinks her heart and ribs and lungs might actually melt together.
Lucy has never known a love like this before, and having it back with a promise of forever is everything she tried to convince herself she no longer wanted but did. Desperately so.
“What was that for?” Tim whispers, pressing another kiss to her lips without hesitation, because he can. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Nothing I just,” She beams up at him, cheeks pink with joy. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He turns her back around, smiling, hands to her shoulders as they walk into the en-suite. He parks her in front of the counter, kissing the back of her head before stepping to his side.
Lucy notices that he’s already unpacked some of her things. Her facial cleanser on the counter next to her moisturizer, eye cream and makeup wipes. Toothbrush in the holder next to Tim’s. He’s even set out the terry cloth headband and wrist cuffs she uses when washing her face.
She smiles and begins her nightly routine, as Tim does the same. Something they had done a thousand times before their breakup, but like everything else it feels new again.
There’s no extra set of products she leaves at his place, or forgetting to pack certain items into her overnight bag. It’s all right here, mingled with his.
Tim catches her eye in the mirror as she’s gently placing her eye cream on, winking at her playfully. Lucy shakes her head, bumping her hip into his as she continues getting ready for bed. He finishes first, like he always has, stepping out of the bathroom.
She can hear him opening dresser drawers and talking to Kojo, no doubt getting into his pjs. A thought pops into her head, right as she finishes her nightly routine, that she has absolutely no idea if Tim has started to unpack her clothes or if they’re still in boxes.
Walking into the bedroom, Lucy opens her mouth to ask when she sees he’s already set out her favorite pajamas on the end of the bed. A pair of old sleep shorts and Tim’s very warm LAPD academy shirt.
She thanks him with a kiss before he steps out to let her change and take Kojo out one last time for the night.
Lucy slides into bed just as she hears the back sliding doors close, taking a look around her new bedroom. Wondering if he’ll let her put up some art, maybe some plants on the top of the tall dresser, how much of the closet he’s willing to give her. Where she’s going to put her jewelry box and little desk vanity. If she can put her cork board up in here above it like in her old room, and how long it’ll take Tim to notice she still has the copcake poster on display.
It excites her, more than she thought it would.
Tim comes back then and she watches him with a smile on her face as he plugs his phone into the charger. The moment he’s settled under the covers Lucy snuggles in close, her head on the pillow next to his and his arm draped around her waist.
It’s definitely not how she envisioned being in his arms before dinner, but now that they’re here in the quiet of their home, she’s not as mad as she’d been before.
Her eyes are already closed before she even whispers her soft goodnight. Lucy feels Tim kiss her head right before she falls into the best sleep she’s had in a long time, a smile on her face knowing that Tim was right, they have their whole lives for special, and this is, right now, is perfect, too.