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call-me-strega · 13 days

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Mating Dances of Moths vs. Bats - Dead on MAYn 2024

Day 1 - Sunday the 19th - Late Upload

Trope | Courting Rituals, Word | Flickering, Situation | Dinner is interrupted by a rogue/gang fight, Dialogue | “Are they gone yet?”

Ao3 Link

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Killer Moth wanted revenge. For too long he had been labeled a D-list villain who was taken out by a rookie Batgirl. For too long had he been mocked and scorned by the villain community. Well no more! With the technology he had paid someone to developed he would show them all why they should fear The Killer Moth!

Large moths the size of cows are flying through Gotham. They flit through the air latching onto buildings, shaking in strange patterns, and causing property damage. They zoomed over crowds of people causing mass panic and hysteria. And that's not to mention the falling moth excrement. Above the city, ineffectively trying to control them, stood Killer Moth.

"Come- no this way! Listen! Mothew no! No! No attacking the building I'm on! Bad moth! Arrrgh!"

In hindsight, he really should have trained the moths before he jumbo-sized them.

The Bats were quickly on the scene Red Robin, Spoiler, and Robin worked on handling the moths while Batman worked with Oracle to take down Killer Moth.

The Moth Control team was quick to get on the case. However, RR noticed a pattern in the moths' behavior. They seemed more interested in their fellow moths than in carrying out any orders given by a D-list villain. Upon sharing his observations, Robin corroborated that the behavior the moths were exhibiting seemed to be similar to a number of courtship rituals.

Now aware that the moths were still following their instincts the team hatched a plan to deal with them. Noticing that bright lights seemed to distract them from mating, they began using their Bat-flashlights and even the Bat-signal to attract them. They were able to make some progress but were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of moths wreaking havoc across the city.

As Red Robin and Robin wrangled a wriggly moth, Spoiler contacted Oracle requesting backup. Oracle reached out to Signal, whose light powers would be a great help, and Red Hood, whose long-range weapons would come in handy. Even though she was reluctant to bother them when they were currently off-duty she knew the ground team needed the help.

Jason was in the apartment he shared with his boyfriend Danny when he got a call from Oracle.

He and Danny had been prepping to make homemade chilidogs for dinner, cooking together as almost a mini date night. They were listening to music maneuvering around each other synchronized in a dance of controlled chaos. Danny ducked from where he was covering up homemade buns and resting pie dough Jason had made earlier in the day so that Jason could pull something out of the spice cabinet over his head. Jason was starting on a fruit chaat he had tried in Pakistan, while Danny prepped some seasoned fries.

Danny held up his hand and Jason took it wordlessly spinning them around, switching their positions. Danny began skillfully cutting up some strawberries and rhubarb while Jason took his place seasoning the fries. They worked in peace, matching each other's pace, content to take their time. They had put the chili in the slow cooker about an hour ago and it'd take at least 4 more hours before it was ready, giving them plenty of time to prep sides and desserts.

Suddenly, a beeping was heard over the music, snapping Jason and Danny out of their flow. Jason shot Danny an apprehensive look, knowing that that sound came from his Bat-pager and he might get called out if they were contacting him on his off hours, but his boyfriend just smiled at him reassuringly.

" Go ahead and take that, I'll wrap up the fruit chaat and get started on the pie prep."

" Thanks, babe," Jason smiled back, cleaning off his hands and pressing a kiss to his temple. He left the kitchen to go answer the call in the other room. Danny set the fries to rest since they'd cook them fresh when the chili was done and started topping the chaat with sliced dates and chopped walnuts, before sprinkling it with lemon juice. Then he moved on to the pie filling, combining strawberry and rhubarb in a large bowl. Even from the other room, he could Jason talking to someone on the phone. Then came a large groan and his boyfriend called out to him,

" Hey Danny, O called! She said she needs me to help play pest control! 'Parently Killer Moth thought he'd pull a Penguin and jumbo-size some moths to be his minions!"

Danny simply shook his head fondly and called back.

" It's okay Hun, you go handle the moths and I'll finish the prep. We can do the final steps together once your back."

" Thanks babe!"

And with that, Jason suited up to go out while Danny handled the rest of the dinner prep. He finished up the chaat and put the pie in the oven. While it baked he whipped up a batch of sweet tea and a quick coleslaw. By the time the pie was ready to come out of the oven he'd cleaned up most of the dishes as well.

Danny pulled out the pie and set it up to cool. It'd need at least three hours to cool according to the recipe and the chili would probably be done around the same time. It'd been about an hour since Jason left and he hadn't sent any texts meaning he was still occupied. A seed of worry grew in his chest. He glanced around the kitchen taking a look at the slow cooker timer before making his decision.

He could go help Jason and get home before the apartment potentially burned down.

'Everything will be fine' he thought before going ghost and taking off to find his boyfriend.

Jason was sick of these damn bugs.

After meeting up with the ground control team Jason got assigned to extermination duty since he was better suited for taking out long-range opponents with his guns. Spoiler refocused her effort to helping with civilian evac with Robin covering her back while he, Red Robin, and Signal split up and worked on attracting and taking out the moths.

'Coome oon! I've got something sweet waiting for me back home' Red Hood mentally complained as he shot down yet another moth. He was getting real sick of those things. The thought of his beautiful boyfriend waiting for him back home with a pretty pink pie and an equally pretty pink face flashed in his head, causing Hood to pause for a minute and turn a bit pink himself. That's when he heard the beat of wings an echo-y voice yelling, "Watch Out!"

Hood turned just in time to see a moth, coming at him from behind, demolished with a bright green energy blast. A frankly gross shower of moth guts rained down on him. He traced the origin of the blast to a floating figure with pale white hair and a smoking fist.

He grinned under his helmet, "Thanks babe! You here to come get me?"

Phantom rolled his eyes, bantering back, "Yeah, your exterminator gig was taking too long. I finished all the prep, baked the pie, and even had enough time to clean!"

He scoffed, continuing to pretend to scold his boyfriend as he jumped into combat with him.

"Besides it looks like you need the help. That moth would have taken you by surprise if I hadn't been there! What are you even thinking about in a battle to let yourself get distracted like that?"

" Oh~ you know, just your beautiful face babe!" He answered truthfully, albeit teasingly.

" Uh-huh, sure Hun."

And with that, they wordlessly threw themselves into the eclipse of moths.

In an echo of their synchrony from the kitchen earlier that night, the pair woven through the battle like a well-rehearsed dance. If Hood shot down two moths, Phantom covered his back and shot down a third. If Phantom herded the moths into a corner, Red Hood was there, lying in wait to take them out. If Phantom created a few glowing constructs to attract them, Hood would pick them off one by one. If Hood managed to get his hands on a flamethrower, Phantom made sure to ice any stay embers that could start a fire.

And just as it felt like they made a dent, another swarm took their place.

" MAN AM I GETTING SICK OF THESE THINGS!" Hood complained as his flamethrower ran out of juice. "There's gotta be a more efficient way to get rid of these!"

"Agreed!" Phantom nodded, shooting another moth that was latched onto a storefront. As moth guts splattered over the window, Phantom happened to catch sight of a DVD cover that sparked an idea for him.

" Hey Hood! You ever watch Wreck-it Ralph as a kid?"

" Think so! Why?"

" You remember how they took out all those creepy bug things at the end of the movie!?"

"Yeah, why!"

" I have an idea!"

" Wait!"

Jason turned franticly to see Phantom flying up above the city. He lifted his arms over his head and formed a large sustained ectoblast into the sky like the beacon in Wreck-it Ralph, basically making a giant an ecto-powered bug zapper. In Hood ear the comms crackled to life.

" ~bzzzzt - What the heck is that! - bzzt~ " Red Robin yelled out over the comms.

" Relax, it's Phantom. He came to help a while ago and he's got an idea!" Red Hood replied trying to explain. "He's turning himself into a giant bug zapper!"

" ~bzzzzt - Well it's certainly effective - bzzt~ " Spoiler chimed in, watching as droves of moths flew right into the giant glowing beacon.

Hood made his way across the rooftops, trying to get closer to Phantom, taking out any of the distracted moths he could along the way. He saw hordes of moths making their way across the city towards Phantom. He could also pick out where the other Bats were trying to thin out the crowd.

A drop of sweat rolled down Phantom's face as help kept up the constant intensity of the prolonged blast. His shoulders began to ache from keeping them in an outstretched position. His eyes began to sting from the brightness of his energy. The smell of moths disintegrating burned in his nose. He kept going.

After what felt like years, but couldn't have been more than an hour tops, a voice called out,

"It's okay! You can release it now!"

And all the exhaustion he'd been fighting back flooded his system at once. The power from his hands begins flickering before it goes out. Wearily, he floats down, wobbling and falling into the security of his lover's arms. He tilts his head up and forces a tired smile.

" Are they gone yet?"

Hood pulls him close.

" Yeah baby, they're gone now. You can rest."

" Go check on the chili," is the last thing that comes out of his mouth before he passes out.

Danny wakes up to the smell of warm spices and the sound of sizzling oil. He groans, pushing himself out of bed. He find himself back in his apartment and realizes Jason must have brought him home. Rubbing his eyes, Danny makes his way to the kitchen. He finds the table set with all the food they prepped earlier and his boyfriend grilling hotdogs for the buns he has set out. Danny blinks the remaining tiredness from his eyes and stretches.

" I'm coming from behind," he warns his boyfriend as he approaches.

" You're good, babe" comes his reply.

" Thanks hun."

And with that, Danny wraps his arms around Jason's waist, plastering himself against Jason's back. He holds him for a few minutes while Jason finishes the hotdogs, simply enjoying the contact. He hears the grill turn off, and then Jason turns to take him in his arms. He presses Danny into his chest.

" Thanks for your help babe, but you had me worried at the end there Dee."

" I was just a bit tired, but I'm sorry for worrying you Jay."

Jason pulls back to smile at him, pressing a kiss to the top of his forehead.

" Its okay Dee. Now let's enjoy this dinner we made, I'm dying to get my hands on dessert!"

Danny laughs back at him. "That'll just have to wait Jay! Let's take our time and enjoy dinner, okay?"

"Okay babe," he replies, nuzzling into his boyfriend's hair. "Let's have dinner."

Hi guys, hoped you liked this! I'm running behind on my DeadonMAYn fics but I'll try to get them out as soon as I can. This is for Day 1. I made this needlessly harder on myself by trying to use all of the prompts but I think it turned out okay? Hopefully, I can deliver with the rest of the one-shots I've got planned. I love feedback so let me know what you thought!

Also just in case anyone's interested here's the strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe.

#dc x dp #jason todd #danny fenton #danny phantom #red hood #dead on main #deadonmayn24 #killer moth #batfamily #dinner #pet names #one shot #fluff #a smidgen of angst #like it barely even counts #cooking as a love language

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thepersonnamedsam · 1 year

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Dinner for two

Picture not mine (Pinterest)

Pairing: Tim Bradford x GN!Reader

Summary: Tim had a lot on his mind when he responded to a call that day. What he hadn’t have in mind, that he was taking out the victim to dinner.

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: none, fluff, season 4 spoilers

Note: This is my second story on Tumblr and my first The Rookie story. I hope it’s bearable to read. Feedback is very welcomed!

masterlist / taglist

Tim’s first week as Sargent wasn’t as he expected. Sargent Grey has been observing his every move and he felt like a rookie all over again. Not to mention all the kids boots he is keep finding in his locker. Tim was exhausted. And now that the department hired Aaron Thorsen, the alleged killer of Patrick Hayes, his brain seemed to explode.

That’s why he didn’t see the sniper shooting coming and how the bullet graced the shoulder of a civilian, you. Tim instantly felt bad and rushed to your aid. His hands tried to stop the bleeding, but nothing seemed to help. How didn’t he see it coming? His brain went into survival mode, one of the first times not for his survival.

You were conscious and breathing, a relief for Tim, but for you it meant pain. Pain you never imagined feeling. And the stressed look of the officer above you didn’t seas your own stress. You tried to take your mind off the pain and your eyes wandered. The nametag of the helping officer read ‘Bradford’. His badge had ‘Sargent’ and ‘3483’ engraved. So, the helping officer wasn’t just an officer, he was the Sargent.

Tim saw your eyes on his badge and name tag, and he realized that he hasn’t introduced himself or asked for your name. “Ma’am, my name is Tim Bradford, you were injured, can you tell me your name?”

His words didn’t seem to arrive to you. You saw his mouth moving, but nothing came out of it.

“Ma’am? Do you understand me?” – “I can’t hear you”, you slurred. Tim’s eyes narrowed and for a split second put more pressure on the wound – you instantly moaned. Why wasn’t the ambulance on the scene yet?

“Control, where is the requested Ambulance? I have a gunshot wound to the shoulder, who won’t stop bleeding. Victim also doesn’t seem to hear clearly. I need backup, now!”

Just as he wanted to yell into the walkie-talkie again, the ambulance arrived on the scene. They rushed to you and provisionally wrapped your shoulder with a pressure gauze. They lifted you onto the stretcher, faces after faces appeared over your own and tried to talk to you, but nothing came through to you. Just as you thought you were alone, the pretty face of the Sargent appeared in front of you. Your heart started to race as his hand engulfed yours. His face softened as he spoke to you again. Broken word pieces came through to you and the bits you caught didn’t stop your heart racing.

“You’re going to make it through, no doubt. I believe in you!”

Even when you were rolled into the hospital, Sargent Bradford didn’t let go of your hand. Only when you were rolled into surgery, you missed the warmth of his hand. And when you woke up, you didn’t think you would feel the warmth again, but you did.

“Good morning, I know you don’t know me, but I couldn’t just let you alone, after all it’s my fault you got shot.”

“Wait, what? How can you be at fault for me being shot at?”

“I wasn’t in the right mindset and didn’t see it coming, I’m sorry. It shouldn’t happen, it’s all my fault.”

“Did you pull the trigger?” Your eyebrow raised your eyes bored into his.

“No?” He looked away ashamed.

“See, then you’re not at fault, everyone has a bad day, it happens.” Your voiced softened, you really didn’t think he was at fault.

“But my bad days shouldn’t affect an innocent civilian’s life.”

“I survived and I can walk away with a broken shoulder, but nothing worse happened.”

You didn’t want him to feel bad, about anything. Not just about the shooting. You wanted to hug him and hold him in your arms and tell him everything will be fine. But you couldn’t, you didn’t even know his name.

“Let’s start over. I still don’t know your name?”, you asked him.

You saw his face, it softened a bit, relieved you weren’t mad at him. “Tim Bradford.”

“Hey Tim, what’s flooding your brain today?” Your psychology degree came to use after all.

After about three hours, the Doctor came and released you. And Tim couldn’t just let you go. Good for him, you weren’t ready for that either. So, when he wanted to say goodbye, you asked him, if he could drive you home. He immediately agreed and led you to his car.

“You know, as a cop I have to remind you, not to get into a stranger’s car.”

“I’ve known you for a couple of hours, so you’re not a stranger anymore”, you smiled at him. “But you are true, even if you are a Sargent, we may want to start our first date not at my house.”

“But you’re injured!” – “True, but still”, you looked at him and had a mischievous smile on your face. “Ah, you’re trying to trick me”, his head dropped in disbelief and a small smile appeared on his face. “So, take-out at yours?”, he asked, and you immediately agreed.

You ordered Chinese, your favorite, and talked about everything. About his start as a Sargent, your job as a therapist. Your family, his family, especially his dad. It felt like you had known each other since forever. Talking to him was just so easy. Nothing felt out of place or wrong. Honestly, it felt like a dream.

So, when you woke the next morning, you weren’t actually sure, if Sargent Bradford even existed. Your pain in your shoulder distracted you from his absence, but your mind still wondered if it was all a dream. What you didn’t expect, was a cup of coffee and your painkillers waiting in your kitchen. Next to it was a note with his number on it. With a smile on your face, you saved the number on your phone with “SGT. Heartthrob <3”.

SGT. Heartthrob <3

You left early, xx

I know and I’m sorry

I had to leave for roll-call

It’s okay, you made coffee

I did, was it good?

It was perfect, thank you

You smiled and you couldn’t stop the whole day. But your day was boring, you were never off work, you always had something to do, even on your free days. So, this was your first time, since you started the job, that you had nothing to do. To say, you were surprised when Tim showed up at your house, was an understatement. He was smiling and held up a bag of takeout in his hand. “I thought, you weren’t up for cooking, so I brought takeout.”

And you had dinner again, for the second time that week. And it felt exactly the same as last night. With the exception, that Tim stayed in the morning and brought you your coffee and painkillers himself. Breakfast in bed.

#tim bradford #the rookie #the rookie x reader #the rookie x you #gender neutral reader #x reader #season 4 #john nolan #fanfic #tim bradford x reader #tim bradford x you #tim bradford x gn!reader

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mamadoc · 15 days

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SPOILER for the The Rookie 6x10

I’m sure I will have more thoughts on my rewatch.

1- I need to stop ‘prepping’ for episodes. I get so disappointed from the cast’s teasing/promos/interviews leading to pretty average scenes. I hate that feeling of disappointment.

2- I’m happy that Tim and Lucy are talking. He told her he was in therapy and it was helping. Excellent progress. He told her he would spend his life trying to repay her kindness. Very good. But I was honestly expecting a little bit more because of bullet point #1. Yet again he left the conversation without letting her have her say. Let’s stop the one-sided conversations, please.

3- Their action scene was great. Not quite as awesome as 5x22, but Lucy’s jump was epic. Her risking her life to save his is 💯 on point for their relationship.

4- That was the least dramatic cliffhanger ever. I will NOT be on the edge of my seat until January over that. But thank the heavens that it wasn’t Tim or Lucy in peril of some sort. That was my one wish that came true for this episode.

5- Still no reveal of the Big Bad Boss? They just keep introducing new characters (and killing them off) to make this complicated web of evil, and we still don’t know who the true brains behind the operation is.

6- Geeeeez. Monica is in the wind, so we’re going to have to deal with her dominating the scenes again at the beginning of season 7. 🤨🙄

7- If I were Oscar, I would TOTALLY have picked Elijah as my muscle over Jason. Elijah has muscle AND money (on the outside). What does Jason really have to offer Oscar once they’re outside? He’s just a liability.

Now I’m going to go watch it again with my husband and I may be back with more thoughts. Sending out love and virtual hugs that this is the last new episode for 8 months. 😢🫶🏻🥰

#chenford #the rookie #lucy chen #tim bradford #the rookie spoilers #the rookie 6x10

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bunnieshoneys · 1 month

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COANDA EFFECT - UPDATE

so, here's the tumblr post i promised summarising the updates for the newly published coanda effect as of 3rd may 2024! if you're planning a reread, spoilers below

The main change is that Yuuta never drove for JTR. His rookie season was at Nara in 2020, followed by a move to keicho in 2021, partnering utahime, where he won the wdc. utahime steps down at the end of 2021 to make way for yuuji, who drove previously for sengoku in his rookie season (2021).

points tallies, all the way through. tables also now have a positions changing indicator and interviews/pressers are formatted like the FIA transcripts irl!

nanami was gojo's teammate right up until 2021, from 2015 onwards. he moved to sengoku to make way for megumi to come in as a rookie. this means he was never yuuji's teammate: yuuji's teammate in his rookie season was inumaki.

just thought id add a quick little wdc summary for clarity purposes

2008 - tsukumo 2009 - choso 2010/11 - tsukumo 2012/13 - gojo 2014 - getou 2015/16/17/18 - gojo

2019 - utahime 2020 - noaya zenin (Keicho) 2021 - okkotsu

2022 onwards -??? :3

thanks 4 reading !!

#fic: coanda effect #f1 jjk au #jjk f1 au

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renegadesstuff · 18 days

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UPDATE : CHENFORD HUGS 🥺🫂🤍

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thisnightissparkling089 · 5 months

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I'm curious if you watch The Rookie, do you watch live, or the day after on Hulu? In all previous seasons, my husband and I would watch the next day on Hulu. However, we have YouTube TV at the moment for Football games and Award shows. We plan on keeping it through March for The Oscars, so I'll at least be watching the first 4-6 episodes live. I'll be sure to use tags and disclaimers on posts container any spoilers.

33 days and counting!

#chenford #the rookie

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silverflameataraxia · 4 months

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Ever since Eric posted those pictures of Tim in lock-up and saying he wasn't going to be in uniform for awhile, I suspected that Tim was going undercover.

And the latest BTS with him, Lucy, and Angela at what appears to be the Port of Los Angeles.

Not me having a HC since S4 where Tamara gets abducted by sex traffickers and Tim has to go UC to find her...

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starseneyes · 1 year

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Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 4 Ep 21 & 22

Here's another pair of episodes that have been requested together a few times, now, so I'd love to answer the call!

SPOILER ALERT: If you hate spoilers, you'll hate this. Run away. Turn around. Scroll on by. If you do choose to enter in, I'm going to write this as though I were seeing the episodes for the first time, but I will be spoiling both these episodes and reference episodes leading up to it.

If you're ready to read, I'm ready to share. Let's dive in!

Mother's Day

"Mm, yeah, that's a hard pass. Look, I'm boycotting Mother's Day, but even if I wasn't, I really don't think this is the right time to meet your parents."

Lucy Chen putting up her walls and keeping the men she dates at arms' length is completely on-brand. We haven't even heard her call a guy she was seeing "boyfriend" to date on this show.

And with everything going on with her mother and her utter lack of support for her daughter, I don't blame her for not making a big deal out of Mother's Day.

Also, Chris, honey. It will never be the right time for Lucy to meet your parents because y'all ain't gonna last. Lucy is meant to be with Tim. You saw it, once, at the world's worst double date, but you've chosen to ignore it. So, you're a moron.

"I figured you'd say that. But they've been hounding me about meeting you for weeks."

Run, Lucy. Run. Because his parents sound as clingy as he is, and you do not need that drama in your life.

Your instinct is right not to want to meet his parents... maybe you don't need to continue knowing Chris, either. Just sayin'.

"Are you really freezing your mom out?" "I mean, I bought her flowers. I'm not an anarchist." "I'm thinking we just lock in the Hyatt. They have a lazy river, what else do you need?"

Oh, look. Tim and his Blonde Bitch and Lucy and her Dead Weight Puffin have run into each other in the station.

Last time the four of them were together, it looked like Chris and Ashley were mighty jealous of Tim and Lucy's connection. I mean, if I were sitting at a semi-romantic dinner next to the love of my life, I'd be distracted, too!

"You think I'd be sick of beaches, at this point, but it's gonna be awesome."

Watch how Lucy looks at her man (and I don't have to clarify which man in the scene, because y'all know how this goes).

She's looking at Tim like he's got a second head. Because there's no way this man is going to be happy going to the beach. He doesn't. like. SAND!!

"I gotta get to work." "Me, too. I'll walk out with you."

Good. You two can take a long walk together, realize you're perfect for one another, and leave Tim and Lucy the hell alone. Everybody wins! (especially us)

"Call me if you change your mind." "I'm not going to."

Love how he touches Lucy and she physically pushes him away. Like, back off, dude. When Lucy's mind is made up, it's made up.

"Change your mind about what?" "He wants me to meet his parents. So, uh, whose idea was Hawaii?" "Mine, I guess, why?" "

Nyla's arrival interrupts the thoughts, but we all know why. Tim Bradford is Tim Bradford-ing, again, and giving too much in a relationship. He hates sand! And he's suggesting they vacation... on an island.

But there's something else needling at her about this vacation...

"Are you proposing to Ashley?"

Look. At. Her. Face. Her face right before she asks. She's building up the courage to ask him this, because big Hawaii vacation is more than he ever did with Rachel, and it screams romance, right?

"What!?"

Cackling laughing at this. This is the furthest thing from his mind, right now. Yes, he's dating this... person... and they're doing dating people things. But, he's not even thinking about marrying her.

"Of course not. We've only been dating a few months."

This suggests that Tim Bradford likes to take things slow, and isn't in a rush when dating someone. But, the "of course not" shows that he thinks it should be obvious to Lucy.

"You might not be aware of some of the signals that you're sending." "What kind of signals?" "The kind that makes her get a manicure because she's assuming she'll be sending pictures of her hand to all her friends."

Tim looks terrified. Look, we all know Ashley is a placeholder girlfriend until Tim and Lucy get their act together. But he doesn't know that.

Tim is visibly shaken. His hand is unsteady on the wheel, he's looking back at Lucy repeatedly while stumbling through answering the call. Because he really never contemplating marrying this woman. Something in him knows she isn't the one.

*hint* The gorgeous, badass gal beside you with the sunshine-y personality and compassionate heart is right there. Might wanna ask her something sometime, eh?

"My abuela taught me the perfect curse to put on him."

I have to put this line in here for context. Yes, Angela is talking about Nyla's ex. But we now know that if you need a curse, Angela's your gal.

"When did hotels get this expensive?" "Oh, that's pretty good." "Seriously?" "Yeah, I mean, it's a nice hotel."

First off, Lucy is doing all the planning for any trips they take once they get their act together. Second, this kinda hurts. It drives home how long it's been since Tim's taken a romantic vacation.

We know that Tim remained faithful to Isabelle while she was missing. We know that they were together for a long time. But when did they stop going on vacation together? How long has it been?

Tim, you deserve to go on more romantic vacations... but not with Baywatch Reject, okay?

"Oh, you're going to Hawaii. Congratulations on your engagement." "Ah, told you." "I'm not getting engaged!" "Does your girlfriend know that?" "Yes. It's not an issue."

Annnnddd... another voice echoing the romantic vibe of Hawaii that lends to the expectation of engagement. I was rolling!

"Looks like you won't be the only one getting married." "What?" "Nothing. Ignore her."

I love the look that Angela and Lucy exchange, here. Much as there have to be bets rolling around about Chenford, I'm sure there are other bets, gossip, and secrets in that station.

Angela knows Tim better than most, but even she knows that Lucy could be onto something she's not. When this all started, Tim and Lucy had to hear about each other through the rest of the Station.

Now, they've got one another on speed dial and are the first to know what's going on with the other. So... maybe Tim is proposing.

"Ashley can't possibly think I'm proposing." "Why not? I mean, you're of a certain age-"

Tim's face on that had me rolling. We can estimate he's about 10-12 years older than Lucy. And that reaction was priceless.

"She is in her prime. I mean, on paper, it's, it's like a no-brainer. Okay, be honest. Can you see yourself married to her?"

He can't. We can see in his face right there that he really can't. And as the wheels are turning, something pops into his mind that sets him on edge. He glances over at Lucy and he nearly gulps.

Now, I can't tell you what he saw. I'm a Meta writer, not the show Writer or the actor. I can postulate all I like, but I don't know the answer here. But my guess? If he thinks of the future and being married again... he sees Lucy.

Because the person for him isn't the person he's dating. I truly believe he started this relationship with Ashley as a way to distance himself from his growing feelings for Lucy. He's burying them deep down, the same way he did his trauma with his father. And like his father, it's going to take an external force to bring it all to a head.

Lucy is trying to get Tim to talk this out, the way that she talks things out. But we can feel the edge to everything, here. She's not yet fully aware of what she feels, but it's there.

It's dripping in her hesitancy at first asking him if he's proposing, in her nervousness at his response to this question. Because if he's that serious about Ashley, there will never be room for them.

And as Lucy waits for her answer, Tim realizes he can't say the truth. So, he lies.

"Yeah. I can."

The cameras purposefully focus on Lucy, here. On her disappointment. On her sadness. Because, she's not ready to admit it, but she's falling for Tim.

Yes, she is with Chris for the same reason Tim is with Ashley. They both think the other isn’t an option (though for different reasons, at this point). They're both deflecting because they can't get hung up on something that'll never happen.

It's admirable, in a way. They're trying to be happy for the other person while hoping they'll pretend themselves into believing they're happy, too.

"I'm not expecting a proposal. I would say no if you asked."

Proving that everyone got into Tim's head, he addresses the issue with Ashley directly. But I don't think he expected this. Tim isn't ready to face his feelings for Lucy, but having this door shut is unexpected.

"I have no interest in every being married or having kids. I'm just not wired that way."

First of all, there is nothing wrong with being this way. Nothing at all. Some of my closest friends never wanted to be married or have kids, and as we near 40, they've stuck to that and are quite happy.

But there is something wrong with Tim being with someone like that. Because he wants the wife and kids.

Tim didn't have the stability of a safe and loving home, and he wants so badly to break the cycle and pass on a different legacy to his own kids.

Tim spots Lucy watching from the window, and he decides to turn the situation on his head. He's been stressed the eff out all day worrying about this. Now that he knows Ashley has zero interest in marriage, he has to have some fun.

Lucy's Heart Breaks

I don't think she knows until this moment just how deep it is, how she feels about Tim. She's known for a while that something was there—something that could never be.

But watching through the glass as he gets engaged to someone else... it hits so hard she can't ignore it. She can't pretend it away. She can't bounce back.

I've seen people say this is the moment for her—the moment she realizes she's falling for Tim. I go back and forth on it. Because she's known for a long time that she has a thing for Tim.

We saw back in 4x01 that she was totally ready to sleep with him. And while Lucy's confident in her sexuality, she doesn't sleep with just anyone. We know she doesn't do one night stands. She has her standards and sticks to them.

Even earlier in this episode, she can't be completely oblivious to how she feels when he says he can see himself marrying Ashley. No, I'd argue that Lucy has known since 4x01 that there was something there.

Is this a point of no return for her in terms of pretending? Yeah, I can go with that. Because in this moment, she can't shake it loose, and she can't move on. Tim is engaged and she's heartbroken, and they were never even really a thing, right?

So, is this the moment she realizes she has feelings for him? No. I think 4x01 sealed that up because she knew she was willing to sleep with him that night. But, is this the point of no return in terms of pretending not to have said feelings? Yeah, I can roll with that.

Chris approaches, and she keeps looking back at the parking lot, because that's where her mind is stuck.

"It's a good thing you didn't come because my mom, she drove me crazy."

Lucy offers a half-laugh. But she's visibly upset. She's so distracted that even Chris, Mr-Hums-THE-Song-And-Can't-Read-A-Room picks up on it.

"What's wrong?" "Nothing. I-"

Her phone goes off to the "GOT YOU!" message and now she's pissed. Because she's now had to deal with a slew of emotions striking her all at once, only to find out it was a joke.

"Could you just wait here. I need to go find Lopez and figure out how to put a curse on someone." "Yeah, right. Oh, you're serious."

"Serious as a heart attack", as they say. Tim screwed with her emotions, and she's pissed.

Day in the Hole

AKA "Finding Your New Favorite Flavor"

"Come on. We gotta get to work." "She'll be here." "Seriously, we gotta go." "She'll be here."

Mom and Dad waiting for their daughter to show up. Come on, you see it, too! Tim's back from his vacation with the Land of Sand, and we've thankfully left Lucy's jump-scare behind us.

Hopefully the curse doesn't work too well because Lucy might want things to not fall off in the future, if you know what I mean.

Lucy is applauding like a proud mother as Tamara nearly kills a couple people. Tim's glaring like a slightly-annoyed father. I love this family.

"My car was your first car." "I mean, if we're including cars I've stolen, this is probably like my fifth." "What?" "Joke!"

Yeah, you can't joke like that around your step-dad. Tim's a bit of a hard-ass, if you hadn't noticed.

"You are gonna take it to the mechanic though, right? You never know what these cars have been through." "Yeah, Tim set me up with his guy." "What, you did?" "Yeah." "Oh, you have a heart after all."

Mom and Dad... you're flirting in front of the kid. Like, Tamara's not the kind to go "ew", but, still. You might want to chill out considering you're still dating other people.

"Relax, ok? It was purely self-interest. You would be a total drag to ride with if she died in a fireball of mangled metal on the 405."

Did you hear how Lucy gave him that motherly "tsk" in the middle of this!? I've heard it a few times since in Season 5, but this is the first time I can remember it really standing out to me in previous seasons.

"Joke!"

Not your best first attempt at a dad joke, Timothy, but since it's you, we'll let it stand.

"Previous owner of your car is Jake Butler."

Can I say I love how Tamara kept picking things up off the desk (like a kid) and Lucy played the mother role by wordlessly taking each thing away all while continuing her work? Lucy is such a natural mom!

"Let's take a look at his mugshot... But." "What? What the what?!"

This next shot is GENIUS. I have no idea who came up with this (writer/director, etc), but it's genius. We go from the two shot of them looking at the monitor to a shot of Tim approaching.

He sees something that stops him in his tracks... and then we get to see it, too.

Half the station's gathered around Lucy's monitor. And each actor is giving an amazing performance, here. I've paused and played a million times to appreciate each one. Do it. You won't be sorry.

"What's going on?"

Cue everyone looking at Tim. Except Lucy. She's about a beat behind everyone else, which draws my eye to her, every time. And the music bumps up to give us an auditory transition.

"It's even more uncanny in real life."

Through a combination of swift transitions, body doubles, and Eric Winter being in two different positions, we get the treat of meeting... Jake Butler. Tim's doppleganger.

Come on, how much fun must this have been for Eric Winter to get to play this kind of character after playing Tim for so long? And my husband especially appreciated Jake's pot belly.

Yes, while he hasn't seen this show, Matthew is fairly well-versed in Chenford and my appreciation for Melissa O'Neil and Eric Winter as performers.

We get a bit of split screen at the end (throwing me back to my Parent Trap obsession as a kid... yes the one with Haley Mills. I'm old). And I'm frankly excited at all the different techniques in use for this episode when one actor has to be two characters simultaneously.

"He really doesn't look that much like me." "The hell he doesn't." "Not the brightest bulb, though." "Oh. Oh my god. It's Tim and Dim."

The ladies get a chuckle out of that, but Tim's nonplussed.

"Yo. This is blowing my mind. It's like we're looking in a fun-house mirror of handsome." "Sit down Dim... Jake."

I died laughing the first time I saw this. Lucy really got into his head on that one. But, knowing how easily Lucy can get into his head these days, it's no surprise.

"Have we met before?" "No. That I'd remember." "Oh, you would."

Even Tim's doppleganger is flirting with his girl! Yes, I've seen the episode and know that Dim should know why Lucy looks familiar. But it's funnier this way and just plays into what a dumbass Dim is.

"You just wanna see me pretend to be Dim." "Duh." "Fine. I'll do it." "Yes! Okay, okay."

Lucy is so excited she puts both hands on Tim to stop him in his tracks as he's walking.

"So, uh, we gotta dirty you up. And then we have to slick back your hair, because, you know, that guy was, like, kinda greasy." "You are enjoying this way too much." "Oh, and tattoos! We gotta get tattoos."

Lucy, Tim Bradford isn't your Ken doll. As much as we all know you'd like to practice dressing (okay... undressing) him.

"Rescue 1 status?" "Rescue 1. We're ready in 60 seconds."

How much do I love that Lucy is heading the team to protect her man? There's no way she's going to let anyone hurt Tim, but it also gives us the chance to see some worried Lucy.

Tim's been worried about Lucy going undercover so many times, but we've not really seen her worried before. The hit man UC before was fairly safe. He wasn't in any real danger.

This is different. This is a criminal on his turf with a long drop and plenty of armed guns standing by. Lucy's worried for her man.

"Get ready to breach." "If anyone lays a hand on our UC, you put them down."

Let's be real. Lucy and Angela are two of the most important people in Tim's life at work and outside of it. And here they are getting to be his guardian angels—his wife and his best friend. I love it.

"So, I had Dim's girlfriend picked up." "Okay. Why are you being weird?" "It's easier to show you."

We need Sava to know who is going to go undercover with Tim, right? As if things weren't weird enough with Tim's doppleganger, now we've got Lucy's.

Tim is inside and already waiting for her reaction. Now he gets some payback for how much she was ragging on him and his doppleganger. Tim's smiling like an idiot.

"Guess we know who's going undercover with Dim." "Yeah, Juicy." "No." "That's Juicy." "I don't like that."

Our babies get to go undercover as a couple! They spend so much bloody time trying to run from how they feel, and now they've gotta cozy up to one another and play boyfriend/girlfriend? Sign me up! I'm so ready to see this.

We know both of them are capable in the field, though Lucy's a little more natural on the fly. But getting to see them together's gonna be fire, right?

"If we're gonna make this work, our backstory's gotta be airtight."

Oh, Lucy, honey. I didn't mean actual fire. You've lit enough candles to send a beacon to all of LA more powerful than the Bat Signal.

Lucy brings Tim a beer. And while they've shared drinks before and he's been in her apartment before, I find this particular combination so very domestic. They're brainstorming on the couch instead of at the counter, and I think all of this ambiance shows how relaxed they are around one another.

But also that Lucy's a tiny bit horny. Look, we know she's in a committed relationship with Curried Goat Boy, but subconsciously Lucy has lit a hundred candles because she wants Tim Bradford.

Now, Lucy's not a cheating person. We know this (and I go into more depth in 5x01 Meta and beyond). But, some part of her is subconsciously excited to have Tim in her home and wants the ambiance to be just right.

"Agreed. So, um, how did Dim and Juicy meet." "At a barbecue." "That's lame."

Also, are there barbecues out in LA? Like, real barbecues where you smoke meat for hours at a time? Or is Tim talking about a cook out? They really are two different things... I'm from the South, so we're kinda weird about that.

Plus, when Tim first said it, I said, "Lame." So, I take a small bit of pride in being on the same page with Lucy on this one!

"Really? You think you can do better." "Watch me! Okay, so, um, you were on the run from the cops. A bank robbery gone wrong. You ended up in my building, frantic, looking for a place to hide. And I opened the door for you. I lied to the cops for you. And, ooh, and it got me so hot that we hooked up while they were still searching the building."

Tim's mouth has fallen so far open that we're halfway to his O face.

He's imagining every bit of that. Because, after all, he remembers better when he listens, right? And Lucy just took him through one heck of a journey that will be burned into his brain for a long time.

He's imagining every bit of it... especially that last part.

It takes a second for him to recover.

"Okay. That's, that's, that's pretty good, actually." "Thank you." "Mmhmm." *giggle*

His brain's moving, now, and he's overthinking. Because, what bad guy will ever say, "Kiss your girlfriend or I'll pop a cap in your ass!"?

Also, I love Lucy's giggle. There's an episode in Season 5 where I discuss it extensively, but I love how it makes an appearance, here, considering where this scene is headed.

"So, look, we, we should, we should probably, you know, talk about the elephant in the room." "Hmm?" "You know, if we're gonna sell that we are, you know, actually boyfriend and girlfriend, then we might have to, uh, you know?"

And Lucy does know. But she's having a lot of fun fucking around with Tim. Come on, the girl is so repressed in her feelings for him that she's never gotten to really poke at him this way. And she is loving it.

"Have to, have to what?" "We might have to, to." "Okay, okay. We might have to PDA?" "You know what, forget it." "No, no! Okay, you're right."

Lucy nearly touches Tim's hand before he moves it. They're still very careful about being physical with one another, partly because of the boundaries of their job, but also the personal boundaries they've set with one another.

Remember what I said in 4x01 about proximity making it harder to deny what they feel. They're sitting as far away from each other on the couch as they can, as it is.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, if we're gonna, if we're gonna have to kiss it probably shouldn't be for the first time." "That's what I'm saying." "Right, yeah."

Because the baddies need to see you kissing, right? Like, isn't that what everyone does when they're engaged in criminal activity? Stop to make out?

Maybe James Bond does, sure, but actual baddies?

Whatever. I wanna see them kiss as much as the rest of you. So, let's see if they can get through the initial awkwardness to get the job done.

"Should we maybe, uh, should we stand?"

It cracks me up that this is so awkward for them. Just a few months earlier (show time) these two were considering the horizontal mambo in his bed, and now they can't even figure out how to get through one kiss.

When Tim makes the kissy face and she runs away, it cracks me up so much. I mean, nobody really kisses like that, first of all, and I'd probably die laughing, too.

Fishy face Tim is not his best look.

"We're professionals. Let's just get this done with." "Woah. Well that's romantic." "I'm not trying to be romantic." "Well, you're succeeding."

Tim and Lucy. Never change. Y'all are making me die laughing when normally I can't stand awkward scenes. But Tim and Lucy can be this frank with one another because neither thinks the other is an option.

Truly, that's what gives them all this freedom. They think the other person has zero interest. They each think it's all in their head. So, they can treat this little moment as something totally bizarre that they have to do for work.

Tim gives Lucy the most chaste-wouldn't-offend-my-Spanish-Catholic-grandmother kiss in the world. And he looks so damn proud of that tiny peck, too!

Lucy echoes all of our thoughts.

"I'm sorry. Is that it?" "You know what, if you're gonna criticize-"

Tired of talking, Lucy pulls him in with both her hands on his face. Their lips meet, and as soon as they do, Tim's hands instinctively go to her arms.

The kiss deepens as the camera shift around them, both of them leaning into one another as Lucy's right hand falls from Tim's face.

Their lips part briefly, the hint of a smile on Tim's lips as his hand settles on her shoulder. Lucy's left hand falls from his face.

This pause could have been the end of it. The second their lips parted, they had done the assignment. Case closed. Kiss achieved. Move on to the next thing.

But Tim and Lucy don't want to stop. Now that they're finally here, both of them want to keep going. Tim has her in his arms. She has her hands on his chest.

In this moment, they've forgotten the assignment. They've forgotten Chris and Ashley. This is the definition of "getting lost in the moment". Tim and Lucy are the moment.

Tim is a touching-foreheads kisser and a top-lip-lover. He goes for hers just as the door behind them opens.

You've. Been. Caught.

Lucy distances herself from Tim by pushing off of him with her hands. His left hand drops from her am as he literally runs to the wall to put distance between them.

"I should probably go."

I love Tamara. Like, she's not judging them in this moment, and she has absolutely no idea what is happening. But, she has to know that there's something between them just waiting to be unlocked.

"No. This is work. This is work."

Lucy spat it out the first time, but she says it again because, well, it's true. And she needs a way to explain this away. Not just to Tamara, but to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, we're, we're going undercover." "Hey, it's cool. I mean, you don't have to explain yourself. I should probably go." "No!" "No, I, I was just about to leave. You know what? No, I don't have anything."

Cackling. Dying. ROLLING the first time I heard that. Tim Bradford is so flustered he can't even remember if he brought anything in with him. And what would he be looking for, exactly? A file? Paperwork?

"I'll see you tomorrow." "Good work tonight. Ay."

Lucy. Chen. Did you really just say that? Even she can't believe she said that. But Tim is too flustered to call her out on it.

"Great work, as well. Bye."

Tim high-tails it out of there so fast. And Lucy lets him go. But why?

Because they both know what just happened wasn't some fluke. They both wanted it. They both felt it. And neither knows what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted, but both knows that because they were... it's awkward.

Like, they could barely talk about having to kiss. How are they going to talk about the fact that it felt... real?

"I'm gonna go to my room." "Yeah, me, too."

Lucy can't talk about this. Tamara just walked in on her kissing a man who isn't the man she's dating. Not just thin-lipped kissing. We're talking mouths open, bodies touching, hunger growing kind of kissing. And it was with her boss.

And who is outside reeling? Tim Bradford. I love that the writers/director gave us this space to see how Tim feels. Because it would be so easy to dismiss this as a one-sided thing where the subordinate falls for her boss.

But Tim Bradford's been on his way down for a long time. He's been able to push it down, repeatedly. Even last episode when picturing his wife, he had to push Lucy down. I firmly believe it.

But tonight he kissed Lucy Chen. And she kissed back.

I used to think this was his moment of realization, but the more I've rewatched the episodes, I still think 4x01 was a huge revelatory moment for both of them that they've been pushing down and ignoring ever since. They never discussed it and they're both running from it.

This is the episode that makes it so much harder for Tim to run. He's been completely convinced his feelings were one-sided. But this is a hint to him that, maybe, he's wrong. Maybe, just maybe, she feels it, too.

Because she wasn't kissing him like a platonic coworker. She was breathing into him as much as he was breathing into her.

She didn't want to stop anymore than he did, and when Tamara walked in, they were both flustered. She felt it, too.

Yes, Tim's reeling from how he feels because he was smacked in the face with feels tonight. But he's also reeling from the fact that freaking Lucy Chen kissed him back.

"Hey." "Hey."

He was waiting for her. He's been thinking about this since last night, as has she. And he wants to talk to her before they head in.

"Listen, about-" "We should probably-" "Go ahead." "No, you go first." "You sure?" "Mmhmm." "Uh, okay. I just wanted to say..."

His eyes are so soft, here. Look at him. He's more of a show guy, but he's trying to find his words. And Lucy Chen's looking at him so expectantly.

And he chickens out.

"We need more work on our backstory. Give it more depth. Key moments. You know?" "Yeah, we, uh, we could take the morning, you know, while we're waiting for Hajick to call." "Great." "Great."

Look, obviously it's the Season 4 finale and they needed to drag this out more. But there are also a host of obstacles between Tim and Lucy, and he's not entirely sure of how he feels.

Having the night to think has also lead to time for him to doubt. He's doubting his own memories. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe the adrenaline. Maybe it meant something to him and nothing to her.

So, he chickens out. But Lucy doesn't know that. All she knows is that Tim wanted to talk to her, but it wasn't what she'd hoped to hear... so she shoves her feeling back down.

They're both in a point of mad denial. But, I think this episode was a turning point for them because it marks the end of them being able to pretend with themselves.

Yes, they'll still pretend with one another because they care so much about each other that they want the other to be happy, no matter what.

But, within their hearts both Tim and Lucy know there's something there that cannot be ignored any longer. Tim longs for Lucy. Lucy yearns for Tim. And until they start actually talking about all this, that's where they'll stay.

As always, thank you for reading! Please keep the requests coming! It rained all day, the kids had a rainy-weather fun day indoors, Matt has a cold, and I'm still nursing the back thing. So, writing this was a great distraction.

I really appreciate y'all reading and going on this journey with me. Next one'll likely be for Tuesday night's fresh airing of 5x13. But I'll try to get to more requests on the flipside! Stay safe out there.

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #The Rookie #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #Meta

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