Chapter Text
5x01 - Tim’s Perspective
Lucy/Juicy/Sava sauntered over towards him, carrying glasses of champagne. She did it with grace and sass - as if she had been living this criminally confident lifestyle her whole life. She looked like Lucy, but didn’t. Thick lashes, dangerously straight hair, lots of make-up… It was tempting to pretend that this sexy minx wasn’t actually his colleague. His subordinate.
Tim as Dim/Jake allowed himself to look at Lucy with appreciation. After all, wouldn’t Jake be free to enjoy and ogle his significant other whenever he wanted to? He was just being in character.
“Nice guns,” she told the replacement in a flirty voice, amused by her double entendre. He watched her lay her hand gently on the man’s generous bicep. He felt his nostrils flare. He recognized his feeling as jealousy, something he knew he had no right to feel. And worse, it was irrational.
“Your friends are so grumpy,” she told Lyon.
“Ain’t no one here to have fun,” Tim responded. He hoped he sounded convincing. Undercover wasn’t his thing.
There was a seat across the aisle from him, but Lucy…Juicy…made a move to sit on his armrest. It felt like the most natural thing in the world for him to extend his arm and help settle her. He tried to hold on to her so she wouldn’t fall; he extended his hand, belatedly realizing that his hand rested on Lucy Chen’s thigh. Her THIGH. He wasn’t sure if Lucy noticed, but he felt her fingers interlace with his and comfortingly stroked his hand.
He always felt anxiety whenever Lucy went undercover. She was his rookie. It was natural that he would care about her safety — undercover work was far from safe. He was glad that he was at least with her this time; so he can be there to protect her.
…
Nabbing both Hajek and putting a dent through Roman Krupka’s operations would be big. Tim’s mind had been racing with all they would have to do once they landed. He noticed Lyon’s excitement over something on his phone.
“Rosalind Dyer just escaped,” Lyon declared when Tim asked what he was so excited about.
Lucy, who had been nonchalantly draped on the armrest beside him, suddenly stiffened and withdrew her hand. Damn, not now, he thought to himself. Don’t lose focus, Lucy. He knew the power Rosalind had over her. The power Rosalind had over both of them; even though Lucy bore the brunt of the scars and the trauma, he himself hadn’t escaped unscathed. He could still remember the cold terror he felt when they uncovered the barrel and found Lucy’s limp lifeless form.
He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to take her deeper into his arms and reassure her; let her know that he would never let Rosalind hurt her ever again. Instead, all he could do was cover Lucy’s hand with his own. He hoped she felt reassurance from the warmth and gentle pressure of his hand.
He had to get her out of there.
“How long do we land?” he asked.
“Fifteen minutes,” Lyon replied.
He stood up. “Plenty of time!”
“For what?” Lyon’s associate asked, annoyed. Tim didn’t really care.
“Mile High Club, baby!”
Lucy batted her eyelashes. Tim knew she was reeling from the news, but he was proud how well she kept her composure and stayed in character. “I never thought you’d ask.”
Tim wasn’t sure they bought it, but he needed to check in with Lucy.
When they were safely ensconced in the spacious bathroom, Lucy’s calm demeanour faltered. He knew then that he had made the right decision to get her out of there and help her process Rosalind’s escape.
He tried to gauge if she was still okay to continue the operation. She insisted she was. He watched her take a deep breath and manage control of her emotions. There’s no quit in Chen. She said she wanted to continue. He saw her resolve and he just had to trust that.
The knock came and they were about to head out of the bathroom when Lucy stopped him. “Wait, we’re supposed to be making out in here.” He looked at her in confusion and, before he knew it, for a second time, she took him completely by surprise.
There was no stopping his reaction. It was visceral. She kissed him deeply and he kissed her back with as much vigour. His hands roamed, touching her everywhere. He was consumed. He had never felt this much intensity before. Not even with Isabel.
He felt Lucy’s hot breath and the taste of strawberries and champagne.
And just as quickly, it was all over. Lucy smeared the lipstick that rubbed on his lips and made her way to the door.
He already knew this after their first kiss, but this cemented it — he was in trouble.