Chapter Text
This is going pretty well so far.
The guy Lucy's brought home is almost exactly her type and his hands are currently settled on her hips, slowly inching under her jacket and up her back. He's asked twice if she's sure about this before he stepped into her apartment and now he's almost at that spot on her neck like he knows exactly where she'd like him to be.
At least it has been going pretty well until that moment Lucy hears the front door click open and she groans against the guy's hair.
And then there it is. Again.
"What the hell is going on?" Tim's voice booms through their hallway, forcing the two shadowy figures to jump apart and to focus on him instead.
On seeing his annoyed frown standing in the open door, leather jacket guy jerks his hand from under her jacket like something bit him and it might as well have. His gaze skitters from Tim to Lucy pressing her palm against her forehead, then back to him, not catching the way her eyebrows have drawn together and her lips have formed a tight line.
"Come on!" She mutters almost in a quiet whine while leather jacket guy nervously runs his fingers through his hair, backing away until he almost hits the wall covered in post cards and concert ticket stubs.
Tim puts a lot of effort into this next part of his act and gestures broadly at both of them, stepping closer, his face flush with anger. "I can't believe I'm seeing this! Again! What the hell are you doing?"
"You know - I - I do have this other thing today, and - you clearly have shit to work out tonight between you two," the guy stammers and inches towards Tim, then squeezes past his unmoving form quickly. Maybe he doesn't want to be the other man. Which would really be a plus for him.
"I'll text you!" He mouths at her before disappearing out the front door.
Maybe not a plus then. Still a loss. The constant intervening in her love life is robbing her of her last pinches of patience.
Lucy stalks past Tim with a cold expression while he takes off his coat like nothing happened. She slams the door shut behind him to remind him that something did.
"For fuck's sake, Tim, what was the issue now?"
He waves her comment off and wanders into the kitchen, his agitated roommate close on his heels. "Don't bother with him. I've seen him around, I've heard him talk, he's an idiot."
"He didn't seem like an idiot," she pouts and starts unzipping the dress.
Tim rolls his eyes and takes two glasses out from the cabinet. "You know he thinks that stripper down at the place where Dave had his bachelor party just really likes him as a person."
"That's just kind of naive and endearing. He could - "
"- he still believes Marilyn Manson had a few ribs removed so he could suck himself off!"
"Oh," she breathes and freezes in her movement, her finger still tugging on the small zipper holding the tight black dress together. It's such a nice dress and what a waste on a guy like him.
"I know," Tim nods, oddly proud he managed to get the point across with a snippet of a conversation he'd overheard during trivia night at the bar a few weeks ago.
He searches for the wine bottle while Lucy grumbles something unintelligible and disappears into her bedroom.
It takes a few minutes. It always does.
Enough time for him to start his search for a few takeout menus and the right wine. Then she stomps out again just when his ass is about to hit the couch and Dr. Ian Malcom on TV starts talking. He hits Pause to look over at Lucy standing there in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. She's taken off the uncomfortable looking dress and exchanged it for a hoodie (his, he notes). The sleeves are too long on her, hiding her fingers clawing into her arms.
"This sucks," she suddenly complains with that adorable tilt of her head, like any of this is his fault.
It's not, but he's going to make it up to her anyway. His peace offering comes in the form of some Chinese takeout he usually insists they can't afford and that's always reserved for more special occasions.
Lucy changes the channel while he gets the door and looks up at him with questioning eyes when he returns with their food. Her eyes are so expressive that he thinks he can read what she's thinking by just looking at them sometimes and it's not only when she wants something. Although that works fairly well, too.
She shuffles around to get up on her knees on their couch and takes two of the boxes from his arms. "You know it doesn't really matter if he's an idiot; maybe he's still decent at the stuff I wanted him for," is what nonchalantly comes out of her mouth and it's not entirely what he had expected.
Leather jacket guy had been a pretty good kisser, from what she can tell. And that usually translates somewhat, or at least it seems like it should. Her experience is limited, to be fair, but she isn't sure Tim knows that. He doesn't seem like he does and it's not like they've really talked much about it before.
All he tends to do is barge in at the wrong times, but usually he makes it look more of an accident. Coming home early and hollering too loudly to ask what she'd like for dinner or if she'd like to watch a movie later. Acting like a jealous gorilla hadn't been on the menu yet.
Tim doesn't react to her comment. His eyes have gone a bit wider, but other than that he seems to have swallowed his tongue, so she's tempted to just continue while he takes his time to remember how his legs move. "I have needs and they aren't being met and nothing has happened since I moved in here."
His legs move towards the couch slowly, where Lucy has turned to opening the takeout boxes and shifting them around until she's happy with what they can reach. The couch is small; he'd picked it up ages ago from a friend and it was barely intended for two people. His thigh brushes against her when he sits down next to her and she changes the channel back to his movie wordlessly.
Tim picks up one of the boxes and takes a bite before he decides that the talk isn't really over. He can't focus back on the movie either. "A lot of things have happened since you moved in with me, for the record," he says with a careful smile, "we just went to see Misery the other night I had off."
That had been a decent night out and they'd both agreed they didn't get enough of them. She's constantly too busy with settling in college and his second job appears to be eating him alive. They're out of synch, in the most annoying way, and then she has to go and spend the nights they have both off finding a guy to - well.
Her voice is so quiet he barely hears it over the helicopter sounds from his speakers. "This still sucks."
"I know," he shrugs and runs a hand up her back, "but please remember I'm just looking out for you."
Lucy picks a spring roll from the box he holds in his hand and he narrows his eyes at her. She chews thoughtfully and nudges his shoulder. "I don't recall asking for that."
"No, not you. But your parents asked me to protect you a little if you were to live here."
"From bad sex?"
Tim chokes out this noise that's half-laugh and half-cough and covers it all by taking an incredibly long sip from his oversized water bottle he keeps by the couch instead of from the wine. Health nut, she thinks.