A Little Unsteady (Tim Bradford x Teen!Fem!Reader)
Summary: Y/N finds herself back at square one and desperate for a break. Tim has always felt like something was missing in his life and when Y/N stumbles into the police station looking for his girlfriend, he feels drawn to her, like he was called to help her.
Warnings: Mentions of abuse and death
Word Count: 3,138
Authors note: Let me know what y'all think of this, might make it into an angsty series! Send in the requests!
Shit.
“Fuck,” you whispered to yourself, your mind racing to a million thoughts. The sound of a million voices rang through your ears as you entered the building, but that was all an exaggeration, it was only a room with maybe a good thirty people.
Spending your lunch period at the police station was the last thing you wanted to do, but you were desperate and eager to find that familiar face. You knew Rachel hung around the police station when she wasn’t in her office, whether it was for work or personal, this had to be the place she was gonna be at.
Walking up to the front desk, anxiously tapping your fingers on the counter catching the lady behind the counter's attention. The lady’s eyes landed on your fingers, “Can I help you, hon?”
you clenched your fingers to your palm, “Sorry,” you gave her an apologetic smile.
She smiled, “I get it, police stations give lots of people anxiety. What can I help you with today?”
You were quick to notice police officers standing near the counter looking through files and some sitting down and typing away on a computer. “I- Um, I’m looking for Rachel Hall. She’s a social worker and sometimes she’s here.”
“Rachel Hall,” the receptionist repeated as she looked through the log-in log.
One of the officers quickly turned his head, “You’re looking for Rachel?” He asked.
You looked over at him, giving him a nod. “You know her, Officer Bradford?”
“Yeah, she’s… a friend. She’s actually here doing some paperwork.” He walked over to where you stood, “I can show you where she is.”
You gave him a hesitant nod, and he gave you a reassuring smile in return before thanking the receptionist and walking out of the room. You followed his lead, he turned to look over at you before asking, “So, how do you know Rachel?”
“She used to be my social worker before…” you trailed off, clearing your throat. “Doesn’t matter.”
Tim decided not to press on any further as he led you to a meeting room where a lot of social workers come to do wellness checks and supervised visitations, among many other things. He knew Rachel had been at the station for a supervised visitation, one that unfortunately had to be conducted within the police station for safety reasons. Thankfully, she was done with her visitation and was just finishing up on her paperwork before heading back to her office. Tim liked to believe she stayed longer just so she could see him or even catch a glimpse before she headed back out.
“Rachel!” You exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief as Rachel quickly turned her head, surprised to see who had called her name.
“Y/N?” She got up from her seat, “What are you doing here?”
You walked over to Rachel, “I needed to see you, you’re the only one who would believe me.”
Rachel glanced at Tim who just gave her a shrug, “What’s going on?”
“I can’t stay at that house anymore, there has to be something you can do.”
Rachel sighed, “Y/N, I’m not your case worker anymore. Anything I do would get me in trouble.” As much as she wanted to do something, it would be putting her job on the line and it meant she wouldn’t be able to help other kids as well. She was already at risk for making a huge mistake on a case a couple weeks back.
Tears began to well up in your eyes, “I can’t stay there.”
“Y/N, why can’t you stay there?” Tim asked.
You glanced over at Tim, remaining silent. “Y/N, what did they do to you?” You didn’t respond, you had come here for help but the words had escaped you. You didn’t know how to tell the one person who helped you escape a hellish home a few months back, a home that almost cost her, her job; that the home she thought would be safe is far from it. “Did they hurt you?” Looking back at Rachel, you gave her a nod.
Rachel let out a shaky sigh, there were times when she lost hope for the system. This was one of those times. She looked over at Tim before looking over at you, “You have to tell Sasha, Y/N.”
“I did tell her!” You said in frustration, “But she hasn’t done anything! It’s like she doesn’t even care.” Rachel didn’t want to defend her friend's behavior, but this didn’t sound like her. At least not from how she knew her.
“I-I,” she sighed, “I can’t do anything Y/N.”
With pleading eyes, you gave her an understanding nod, “I just don’t want to go back there.”
Tim hated seeing this part of the job. Seeing how the system worked and how it meant that kids within the system went to homes that didn’t even care about their existence. “What if I did a wellness check?” Tim asked, “That way, I can come in and check on you, and then your foster parents will know that someone knows about the situation?”
“Like a scaring tactic,” Rachel added.
“Exactly, It’s not the best but it could help,” Tim tried his best to be hopeful.
It wasn’t what you wanted. It was far from it, actually, but beggars can’t be choosers. “Alright.”
Tim offered you a ride back to school and you accepted. The whole car ride back, you felt defeated, given that all you had received was damage control. Nothing could be done about your situation, not yet at least.
“So, what grade are you in?” Tim asked, trying his best to distract you from your thoughts.
“I’m a freshman.”
He nodded, “any thought about college yet?”
You shook your head, “even if I did, I doubt I would even be able to go.”
“There’s always scholarships,” he said with a hopeful tone.
“Did you go to college?” You asked.
“No, actually. I went into the military then I became a cop, obviously.” You nodded, “That could also be an option too.” You didn’t say anything in response, you drew attention back to the houses you passed by on the car ride. Tim cleared his throat, he knew what it was like to be in your shoes. Wishing for someone to help you from the people that were supposed to protect you. “So, what’s your story?”
“What’s yours?” you retorted.
Tim rolled his eyes, usually, he wouldn't have played this game. But something within him felt like you needed to hear his story, maybe it would you realize that everything could turn out okay, even if everything at the moment felt a little unsteady.
“I grew up with an abusive father, I spent most of my life fighting to survive.” He gave you a quick glance before focusing back on the road, “So I know what’s it like, to wish someone would just help, for someone to just take you away from the one place you’re supposed to feel safe in.”
You remained silent for the next few minutes, Tim groaned at the sigh of the traffic ahead of him. “We’re going to be here a while,” he commented.
You sighed, “my dad died in front of me,” you spoke up.
Tim glanced over at you, “my parents were high school sweethearts apparently and when my dad passed away, my mom couldn’t handle it. I’m sure if you went down skid row, you’d find her lying on the ground somewhere with a needle stuck in her arm. I’ve been in and out of foster homes since I was eight. My mom's been in and out of rehab since then.”
“That’s not easy,” Tim commented. He had a lot of things to say about how your mother handled things but to each their own. His heart ached at the thought that you didn’t have a good structure in your life.
“Nope,” you responded. “Rachel was the only one that ever did something to take me out of my previous foster home, even if it almost cost her job.”
“And now you feel like you’ve wasted all your resources.”
“Yeah,” you said softly. “Just five more years and I’ll be out of the system's hands.”
The traffic began to move again. Minutes later, Tim pulled into the school parking lot. “Before you go,” he began as he reached into his shirt pocket, took out a card, and handed it to you. “If you ever need anything and I mean anything, you give me a call.”
You took the card, giving him a small smile, “Thank you, Officer Bradford.” you got out of the shop, closing the door behind you. Giving Tim a small wave goodbye before you snuck back into campus.
Tim made it his personal assignment to check up on you from there on out, to make sure you were all right, not just for you but for Rachel too. It was the least he could do, even though everything within him wanted to do more. He wanted to save you from your personal hell, but it was impossible for him at the moment.
When he made it back to the station, Rachel was there waiting for him, “How’d it go?”
“I gave her my card, and told her she could call me if there’s anything she needed. I’ll do a wellness check before the end of my shift,” he stated.
“Thank you.” Rachel sighed, “She was one of my first cases, so she means a lot to me.” The two of them remained quiet for a moment, the situation between the two of them has been different since Rachel got a job in New York. “Promise me something?”
Tim looked up at her, “Anything.”
“Look after her for me? While I’m gone. She could use a guardian angel.”
Tim smiled, “Of course.” Tim couldn’t help but feel a dreading sensation within him, he hated that he couldn’t do more.
The weeks to come were difficult for Tim, with Rachel leaving and all the shit that went down within the station. He felt drained but didn’t show it. Tim needed a change within his life, something to make him work harder within his life. He had his dog and he was happy with his dog, but he still felt like he was missing something.
There were times when he couldn’t help but wonder if everything hadn’t happened with Isobel if they would have had children by now. What their life would have been like. That’s all he could think about, the what-ifs.
“Look, everyone has their first puppy, it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Tim commented. Lucy, his boot, had been dealing with her first puppy as a rookie. He couldn’t help but tease her about it.
“Whatever,” Lucy brushed off.
Tim chuckled as he kept his focus on the street ahead of him. They were heading back to the station to end their shift. Tim was ready to go home and watch the game, to just relax for the next couple of days.
“Any plans for tonight?” Lucy asked.
“There’s a game on tonight.”
“Of course,” she rolled her eyes.
Once they arrived to the station, Tim was quick to do all his end-of-shift duties before clocking out. He groaned to himself as he stepped outside to be met with darkness. He hated how quick it was to get dark in the winter.
He got into his car and began his journey back home, listening to music on the way. He came to a slow stop as the light turned red, he glanced towards the sidewalk. It took him a second to process what he saw, he quickly took another look, “What the,” he muttered to himself. The light had turned green and the car behind him honked. Tim groaned and turned his signal light on before pulling off to the side.
Quickly getting out of the car, he tried his best to catch up to the person he had just seen, “Y/N!?” He asked.
You quickly turned around, “Shit,” you muttered under your breath.
“What are you doing out here?”
You held the strap to your duffle bag tighter, “Um, I-I I’m” Tim waited for you to come up with a good excuse, “I’m on my way home,” you smiled.
“Really?” You nodded, “then you wouldn’t mind if I gave you a ride?”
“Well-”
“Y/N,” he said sternly.
“Fine.”
Tim smiled, “let’s go.”
You followed Tim to his car, getting into the passenger seat as he waited until you had your seatbelt on before driving off. “How you’ve been?” He asked as he began driving in the direction he had just come from.
You sighed, “Fine.”
Tim sighed, “I know it’s been two weeks since I’ve done a wellness check.”
“I didn’t say anything about that.”
“I know, I just felt the need to apologize,” He reassured. “Have they-”
“If you’re gonna ask if they’ve hurt me, no. Not since you’ve seen me.”
“Good,” he responded.
“You can drop me off at the corner,” You commented.
“No, I’m going to drop you off in front of your house,” Tim stated. He knew what you were doing, you weren’t fooling him. You were walking the direction away from your home and you had a duffle bag. It was obvious.
He stopped in front of the house, “here you go,” he said with a smile.
You clenched your jaw, you hadn’t stepped foot in that house within a week. Going in now would be a death trap. You couldn’t do it, you couldn’t open the car door and get out of that house. Knowing that Tim would wait in his car until he saw you walk inside that house.
“Well?”
You sighed, feeling defeated. “Stop acting like you don’t know.”
“Where have you been staying?” You shrugged, “Y/N,” he said sternly.
“Under some bridge near Skid Row.”
“Near skid row!? Y/N!” He exclaimed, “do you have any idea how stupid that is?”
“I was desperate to get out!”
“This is the second house we’ve gotten you since I’ve met you, you know what Sasha said! It’s either this or the shelter.”
“And I chose neither!”
Tim pinched the bridge of his nose, “how long?”
“A week.”
Tim looked at her with wide eyes, “It rained for three days straight this past week!” He sighed, “I gave you my number so you could call me if you needed something and this is what you do.”
“I wasn’t gonna call you, so you could just have Sasha send me to another home that’ll treat me the same way.”
“What’s wrong with this one?” He asked as he sat back in his seat.
“Well, when you say it that way-”
He sighed, “I’m asking because I need to know.”
You rolled your eyes, “I caught him watching me…” you looked down at your hands.
“Watching you?”
“He watched me shower,” You hated how it made you feel, how you just felt exposed every time he would look at you, even if you had clothes on. Tim undid his seatbelt, “Please, don’t go in there.”
Tim wanted to disregard your request, but he knew the last thing you needed right now was for him to make things worse. It was an issue that would be dealt with tomorrow, for now, he needed to find you a place to stay. “You have a place to stay tonight?” You shook your head, “You do now,” he commented.
You gave him a confused look, “I have a guest bedroom, you can stay there tonight.”
“You don’t have to”
“I’m not letting you stay under some bridge near Skid Row nor am I letting you stay in that home. I’ll call Sasha in the morning, for now, you can have my guest room.”
You wanted to argue with him about how you could defend yourself, but who were you kidding. You’re only fourteen and let’s face the facts. You wanted to sleep in a warm bed.
The ride back to Tim’s place was quiet and usually, you hated it. The quiet meant you had time to be left alone with your thoughts, but for the first time in a while, your mind was at ease. The drive wasn’t long, Tim helped you carry your duffle inside his house. You heard the tapping of nails hitting the floor, and you were quickly greeted with paws on your chest and a tongue slobbering all over your cheek.
“Kojo, down!” Tim exclaimed and the dog quickly got down. “Sorry about Kojo.”
You couldn’t help but smile as you kneeled down next to the dog to give him some love, “you should’ve said you had a dog, I would’ve said yes a long time ago.”
Tim couldn’t help but smile as you giggled at Kojo’s antics, “Come on, let me show you where you’ll stay tonight.” He gestured for you to follow him.
You got up from your position next to Kojo and followed Tim down a short hallway, “Alright, the bathroom is the door at the end of the hallway, help yourself to whatever is in the fridge except for my beer. That is off limits, even if you were of age.” He placed your duffle on an ottoman that was placed at the end of the bed, “Do you need any essentials? Toothbrush, toothpas-”
“I have everything, thanks.” You took in the sight of the bedroom, out of all the rooms you had lived in, many in which you had to share with others, none compared to this one. This one felt inviting. It felt warm.
It felt different.
“Everything okay?” Tim asked.
You gave him a nod, “Yeah, perfect!”
“Alright, I’ll be in the living room watching a game that started an hour ago, if you need me. You hungry?”
“Nah, I’m good,” as if on cue, your stomach made a loud noise.
“it says otherwise,” Tim smirked, “I’ll order some pizza. I’ll let you get settled in, feel free to make yourself at home alright?”
You gave him a nod, watching as he walked out of the room. You weren’t sure what to do first, to unpack your things or take a shower. Should you unpack your things, if you were going to be sent somewhere else tomorrow? You let out a sigh, laying on the bed, you couldn’t help but wonder, What if you just stayed here instead?
No, you didn’t want to be more of burden to Tim than you already were. He had done enough for you and was already extending his kindness by letting you stay the night. No need to extend it any further. For now, you were going to allow yourself to enjoy this comfort. To enjoy the warmth of the invitation.
Taglist: @daffodil0darling
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