#aapi lucy chen

[no-quit-lucy]

Five Times Lucy Chen used Tiger Balm, and One Time she Used it on Tim Bradford

read on ao3 Rated M w/c: 2,349

1.

Lucy put the small jar on the bottom shelf of her locker, shutting the door and tenderly rubbing her wrist tugging down her long-sleeved uniform. Quickly, she rushed out of the room, only hobbling slightly after roughly apprehending their last two suspects. As usual, Tim had instructed her to chase after them, running three blocks and through two alleyways before finally jumping and tackling after repeated calls to stop running and surrender. While Tim drove to catch up, she had fought further but successfully controlled and cuffed both suspects.

Already fearing she was taking too long, Lucy rushed back to the shop, hoping Tim didn't chew her out for taking too long.

She got in the vehicle, frowning when she saw Tim with his elbow on the window, waiting for her return with his eyebrows drawn together. Opening the door, she quickly got in. She watched him curiously, wondering what version of TO Tim she was going to get, stern and authoritative who would chew her out for one tiny little misstep, or the approachable, dedicated teacher who would acknowledge her efforts and reinforce her confidence in the field. From the crinkle of his nose as she reached to buckle her seatbelt, she cursed to herself that her tiny little jar was too fragrant and she’d get chewed out by the former version of Tim for infecting the shop. Instead, she was met with the latter, his tone soft yet firm as he asked, “You good, Boot?”

“Yeah, I'm good. Gonna be sore tomorrow but fine,” Lucy responded, easing his fears, suddenly more concerned with her safety ever since she got stuck with a dirty needle.

She was sure he could smell the tiger balm she had used, but to her surprise, he hadn't been bothered by it and seemed to instead welcome the scent.

“Let’s get to it,” he said, pulling out of the parking lot to go back on patrol.

2.

Tim had meetings all day, so it was unexpected when he was pulled from the office at the last minute to respond to a high-profile busted party. Calling on his aide, he made Lucy drive to the hills, knowing she had a special kind of skill for navigating the identical winding neighborhoods late at night.

When they arrived on the scene, it had already relapsed into chaos, four separate fights had broken out with low-listed drugged-up Hollywood wannabes trying to flip each other over the expensive furniture in the house. Lucy jumped into the action, helping the four or five other officers subdue the scene back under control.

After getting back in the shop, Lucy’s hair was pulled from her bun, her uniform was disheveled, and she rubbed at her shoulder and neck, guessing she had pulled something in the fight. Tim had stated he was driving back, having had the pleasure of keeping his hands mostly clean due to his supervisory role. They didn’t have to transport anyone to the station, so Tim stopped at a convenience store on their way back.

Lucy went in with Tim, grabbing a water bottle and a new jar of balm while Tim got whatever he needed. She waited until they were back at the station, taking up an empty interrogation room to fill out the paperwork together to pull out the hexagonal jar from her uniform pants pocket. Picking it up and tilting it toward Tim, she asked, “You mind?” referring to using it in the enclosed space. The scent would be strong and it could distract him, if she’s sitting next to him, rubbing the balm into her skin.

“No, I don’t mind. I don’t mind it at all,” he gave her a weak smile, still cautious about being too friendly to her at work. He still had boundaries to maintain and he couldn’t let her know how much he liked the smell and how much it reminded him of her rookie days, now that things were different and he was her sergeant and she was his aide.

3.

Lucy boiled a pot of tea for herself, knowing Tim still needed to be won over by the therapeutic properties of the dual healing and calming benefits. She joined him on the couch after he insisted on following her home after she pulled a muscle getting pushed down the stairs by a suspect. She had twisted her ankle too and had to threaten him with a bad time if he tried to carry her back from the station. They hadn’t been dating long, so his getting to take care of her was still fresh and new. He wanted to hover, make sure she was okay.

She relented at letting him drive her home, which had led to her letting him invite himself up, insist he stay the night, drive her back to work the next morning, hover, hover, hover.

Lucy didn’t mind. She liked the way his protectiveness showed, how his care for her over the last two years had grown softer to a point where she could lean herself against his chest and feel like nothing could hurt her, wrapped up in his warmth and safety.

Leaning back into his arms now, as he put on the newest episode of the kitchen competition show they liked, she picked up the jar from her basket on the table behind the couch and began rubbing some tiger balm over her calf and ankle. As she massaged the ointment into her flesh, Tim ran his hand lovingly up and down her waist, wrapped comfortably around her, holding her to him.

When she finished, she relaxed more into his body, stretching herself along his length and feeling fully encompassed by his body, the smell of the tiger balm intrinsically intertwined with the scent of him. Lucy nuzzled into his chest while he leaned down to press kisses into her hair and squeeze her hip tighter to him.

4.

Lucy was staying the weekend at Tim’s house. It seemed everything was going wrong that day. First, she had been hit with a lawsuit, claiming her arrest was an abuse of force and that she was at fault for the victim’s sprained wrist. Lucy was outraged, having proof via bodycam that she didn’t touch the guy and that the same suspect that had knocked her to the ground, had also knocked down the plaintiff and caused the sprain. 

Then Smitty had eaten her lunch, her precious leftovers that she had been looking forward to all morning.

Later, she’d been thrown up on twice by a drunk college student who was caught peeing in the street, who Lucy was also sure had relieved herself in the back of her shop. Then, when she got home, she found a note on her apartment, stating the water heater was broken and wouldn’t be repaired until Monday.

Desperate, she had called upon her boyfriend, thankful that he had given her a drawer and a key weeks ago so she was free to let herself in at the late hour with a quickly packed bag of her things. Kojo jumped from the bed and scuttered from Tim’s room when Lucy arrived, greeting her quietly and ecstatic she would be spending the night.

Tim turned in the bed to face his en-suite when she walked through his bedroom door.

“Hey, sorry, I know it’s late, I just need to do my routine then I’ll turn out the light,” Lucy spoke quietly, already sorry she had woken him up with her call.

“It’s fine,” he mumbled, satisfied watching her comfortably and erratically tote about his bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth while he was still half asleep.

After she was done, she was shuffling through her toiletry bag, looking for something she forgot to pack.

“What are you looking for?” Tim asked curiously, still lying dreamily on his side observing her with a soft, domestic smile.

“My tiger balm, my shoulder is killing me,” she griped, upset, in pain, knowing she had just finished the one she usually kept in her backpack out by the front door, not yet having replaced it.

“Second drawer on your left,” Tim called from the bed.

“Huh?” Lucy asked confused, leaning quickly out the doorway before processing what he said and opening the drawer. There, she found a brand new jar of tiger balm with the plastic band still shrink-wrapped around the lid.

“You know me so well,” she hemmed with a smile, applying the balm to her shoulder after turning out the bathroom light and walking toward the bed. She placed the jar on the bedside table and spooned behind Tim, pressing kisses to his neck before turning his head and claiming his mouth in a sleepy, romantic kiss.

“Goodnight, Luce. Love you,” Tim whispered, tightening her grip around his upper body and quickly falling back to sleep.

5.

They were having a romantic evening in since Tamara was spending the night with friends and Kojo was ‘on vacation’ with Genny and her kids. Lucy had lit every candle in her apartment, making Tim twitch with the desire to call the fire department and report her for violating the code on how many open flames one can have in such a tiny, enclosed space. Surely, there had to be a limit, right? Despite the stress that the apartment could go up in flames at any moment, Lucy insisted she and Tim relax and spend some time connecting since work had been so busy lately.

They hadn’t had private time together in weeks and Lucy was craving his touch, desperate for his hands on her body. Having an idea for a mutually beneficial reward, Lucy tore off her shirt and bra and stood before Tim half-naked, much to his shock and pleasure.

He sat on her couch, watching her dark hair cascade over her shoulder as she leaned over him to grab something. Her breast brushed against his arm and instantly, he adjusted his pants and leaned a hand up to touch her irresistible bare skin. He cupped her breast, kissing her neck, figuring this was what she was aiming for by her actions.

Lucy leaned back, one knee on the couch beside his thigh, and pushed his hands away from her body.

“Will you rub this on my back, please?” She asked Tim, passing him the large tin of tiger balm.

“Absolutely,” he eagerly replied, desiring more than anything to press his digits into her muscles to release her sighs and groans.

He opened the tin as she settled to sit between his thighs, the smell overwhelming him with a rush of desire running through his body. Always and forever would he associate the scent of the balm with loving Lucy Chen.

+1

“It kind of tingles,” Tim reported as Lucy sat on the back of his thighs.

“It can feel like burning, but like a cold kind of burn,” Lucy responded, pressing her thumb into his spine and hearing Tim’s responding moan of relief. “It’ll feel really intense for a while, especially if your muscles are sore.”

“Why didn’t I let you do this sooner?” Tim drooled onto his pillow.

Lucy was sat on top of him, massaging tiger balm into his back after a harsh flare-up of his previous injuries. For years, she had made a show of using the balm on herself, singing its praises, and getting to the point where half the time, it was Tim using it on her rather than her using it on herself.

It had almost become part of their domestic routine, him putting tiger balm on her sore muscles. And finally, the tables had turned and he had practically begged her to rub the ointment over his aching lower back. 

She was incredible at giving massages, but it took Tim a lot of pain to feel vulnerable enough to request one. Had he known how much she enjoyed easing his pain, it might not have been so hard to get the words out. Communication was not their strength, but thank fuck physical touch was.

“You’re making me feel amazing,” Tim mumbled into the bed sheets, overpowered by the combined effects of a massage from Lucy and the tiger balm applied by Lucy.

Really, it was just everything Lucy did that made him feel amazing. Heat traveled from her hand to his back, gliding and smoothing over his lumbar muscles, penetrating deep into the meat of his hip and his glutes. He was fully naked, lying on his bed on his stomach. Lucy adjusted above him, scooting down on his thighs to massage more of his ass. The material of her panties and the edges of the long t-shirt she had stolen from him brushed against his bare legs and he moaned, hoping she’d finish the massage with a clichéd but very welcomed happy ending.

“Let me go wash my hands,” she announced to him, dismounting and laughing at his protesting groan.

When she came back, Tim was on his back, his dick laying long and proud resting on his belly. One hand rested low next to it daring to curl around his drawn-up ballsack, while the other reached down and adjusted it to tap once, twice, on his stomach. Lucy was right, the burning sensation felt intense, but at the same time, it felt relieving and arousing, as heat settled deep in his hips and spine.

Lucy paused watching him, still finding it so fucking hot seeing him handle himself. She didn’t think there’d ever be a time she was sick of Tim Bradford, not when he squeezed himself and pumped his cock after she had finished applying the tiger balm he had asked for all over his body. She’d never dated a guy who she’d felt comfortable enough in front of to apply the tiger balm to herself. But with Tim, not only did he often rub it into her skin, but he adopted her practice and let her rub it into his skin too. The acceptance touched her, making her fall in love with all that much more.

[summerongrand]

MELISSA O'NEIL ANSWERED MY QUESTION (with a twist). I AM NOT OKAY.

[celebratinglucychen]

What aspects of Lucy's culture would you like to see on the show?

Hi Nonnie! Thanks for your thought-provoking question!

We just want to see it, lol. UC Lucy mentioned in 6x09 that she speaks Cantonese and that was the first time in seasons that it has been acknowledged … whereas Angela’s culture has been referenced ~4 times in this season alone. We do feel that Angela’s culture did get stereotyped a bit this season (Celina’s even moreso), but that’s a different post for another time.

Last month, Melissa O’Neil shared that she wanted Lucy to wear slides around the house and she asked why Lucy didn’t have a rice cooker. Having these as silent nods to her culture would be cool. It would make Mel happy too, which is a plus. We would love a scene where Tim walks into the house with shoes on and Lucy’s like … nope … and she basically “trains” him to take his shoes off.

We’d love it too if the show used culture as a way to help Chenford grow closer together. There’s a lot about this part of Lucy’s life that Tim is unfamiliar with. 

+1: here’s what we don’t want to see … Lucy calling her grandma “nana” … excuse us but what have you done with Lucy Chen, Alexi Hawley? It is highly unlikely that someone from her culture is gonna call her grandmother “nana” 😅. What about you? What aspects of her culture would you like to see/not see? Is there anything else you'd like us to chime in on? Send us your thoughts!

[sailorscout]

Hey!! Me and @summerongrand are hosting a AAPI fan driven event over on @celebratinglucychen! Would love to see people’s contributions 🙂‍↕️

[doomedship]

I stumbled upon your other post that dissected how WOC have been treated this season and it resonated so much with me. As someone from the AAPI community, I was so happy to finally see a character whose role wasn’t just to supplement the lead. The Lucy from previous seasons was a multidimensional person and had her own compelling storylines. Now? I don’t see her anymore. The lack of consistency and development is baffling and the way she’s been written this season is truly discouraging.

Yeah, Lucy's precious to me for similar reasons to what you set out and I'm so weary and saddened to see her character be routinely chipped away until none of the things that made her a standalone hero character in her own right exist anymore.

Lucy was the bigger hero of the earlier seasons to me. She showed the most courage and ability to overcome her own struggles. She did countless brave things and stood up for what was right and took charge of her own future. She had opinions and principles and she won the respect of everyone who worked with her.

Now she doesn't actually have storylines so it's basically impossible to know what Lucy is or isn't anymore. She is played almost exclusively for humour which prevents any access to her actual emotions or ambitions, if such things still exist. She has had only a few serious lines that typically relate to someone else's arc and not her own.

As a result, we are left wondering where Lucy Chen went.

She is a shell character now, simply appearing in scenes as a prop, someone to bounce lines off but someone who's never given her own story. She has endured one traumatic event this season which was not addressed with any depth whatsoever. We remain unclear whether losing Jackson has affected her in any way because there is a blur over the top of Lucy's character in favour of spotlighting other, newer, whiter characters.

It is very upsetting to think that with Angela, Nyla and Lucy in the lineup, underutilised, we have ended up with Bailey, Genny and Ashley as a trio of regular or recurring characters to take centre stage instead.

Anyone else think it's a bit disturbing how similar the profile of these three new women is?

It is also interesting too that very few people now send me asks about Chenford or whether that's going to happen. Most are now expressing dismay about Lucy or the other female characters. I just get the strong feeling that now the state of the writing is creating a growing wave of concern among the fandom, and I think that is fully justified.

[summerongrand]

This episode had zero Bailey

90% Monica ✨✨✨✨Lucy's heritage not just seen on screen through her in every episode but actually acknowledged in THIS episode and during AAPI Month✨✨✨✨ A Chenford elevator scene that proves they are still very much in love and are 1100000% each other's person and even though Lucy is mad at Tim, she won't be mad at him forever and I am crying just thinking of that Chenford elevator scene because Lucy Chen is Tim Bradford's safe place. That was a husband/wife hug. A villain named ERIC

Gang bangers who look like my best friend's uncles

Wade/Angela/Nyla WHOOPING that weasel detective's ass

John Nolan being a badass

Twice more Smitty content than Tim

[summerongrand]

It's Lucy Chen's first Mother's Day.

In the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, Tim bustled quietly in the kitchen, his heart brimming with anticipation. Expertly eyeballing ingredients into a large bowl, he prepared a breakfast fit for a hotshot: fluffy blueberry matcha pancakes with fresh berries, and decaf chai.

As he arranged the breakfast tray with care, Tim couldn't help but reflect on the journey that had led them here. Lucy and he had weathered unimaginable losses, yet emerged stronger. And now, as they awaited the arrival of their daughter, their hearts overflowed with gratitude for the miracle of new life. Neither had really dared to entertain the idea of parenthood until now.

Lucy's choice of their daughter's first and middle name, a tribute to a resilient little girl who had touched her heart at work, and a nod to her beloved grandmother Anna, spoke symbolic volumes of the strength that she wanted to instill in her daughter.

When Tim first met Anna, it all clicked for him. He knew exactly where his Boot got her tenacity from. Over time, Lucy shared with him that Anna gave her the confidence to stand up to bullies who made fun of her for being Chinese and supported her as she became a cop even as Vanessa had hesitations. Tim was at first a little intimidated by Anna because she's tough, loves fiercely, and could've whipped Tom Bradford into shape, according to his wife. He also has an immense appreciation for Anna, for all the adversity that she had to go through and overcome, to create a better world for people like his wife and their future kids - his family.

As he made a smiley face out of strawberries and bananas for Lucy's pancake, his phone lit up with a text from Anna:

I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my great-granddaughter.

With breakfast ready and a smile tugging at his lips thanks to his grandma-in-law, Tim made his way to their bedroom, where Lucy lay snuggled under the covers, still asleep. He gently woke her with a kiss and set her breakfast tray on her nightstand.

"Happy Mother's Day, Lucy."

---

+1: here's an AI-generated photo of a Chenford baby using actual photos of Tim and Lucy.

[no-quit-lucy]

Lucy’s sick and she’s run out of tea and asks Tim to pick some up for her. He knows where her favorite tea shop is but he’s never been inside before. They’ve only been dating a few weeks and he’s still hesitant to infiltrate her life. At first, he’s overwhelmed. Lucy gave him a list but there’s so many jars and containers and most of it’s not in English, they all look and sound alike and he doesn’t want to get the wrong thing.

The shop proprietor smiles at him and can tell he’s incredibly lost. He pulls out his phone to bring up the list, a picture of him and Lucy as his Home Screen. Immediately, the owner recognizes Lucy and excitedly points to the picture and nods her head in understanding, she doesn’t speak very much English, but she knows enough to interact with the few English customers that stop by. Quickly, she’s rushing around the shop to collect Lucy’s usual order. Tim’s still flustered, grateful for Lucy’s loyalty to the shop, learns she’s been going there literally her entire life. He pays more than is due and the owner slips in a few extra herbs and good luck trinkets, winking and nudging him with a knowing smirk.

When he gets back, he boils the water for her and brings her a slightly bitter pot of tea with a warm kiss on her feverish forehead. He’ll learn the right ratio of leaves to water soon enough. He loves her so much, he’d do literally anything for her.

[celebratinglucychen]

💛 Attention Fanfic Writers! 💛

We now have a 💛 Celebrating Lucy Chen 💛 Collection on AO3. If you have or encounter fanfics that fit our theme, feel free to add them! 💛

Let's get a cool library of works going that celebrate Lucy's heritage 💛

[summerongrand]

Yellow Power Ranger Trini Kwan Lucy Chen 💛

[no-quit-lucy]

Lucy shows up at Tim’s house after elevator scene to help tend to his wounds

Read on ao3 Rated M w/c: 4,123

“Lucy?” Tim asked, pulling open his front door with his uninjured hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m trying to rack up your bill,” Lucy tried to joke though she could tell it didn’t land. “I brought food and gauze.” She pulled up the two grocery bags at her side as proof.

“You don’t have to do this, Lucy,” Tim said, repeating the same words she said to him in the elevator just a few hours ago, not stepping aside to let her in. He didn’t feel he deserved any more of her kindness. He owed her too much already.

“Do you ever think about what I want?” Lucy’s anger poked through the edges of her resolve.

She wasn’t there to fight with him. He had already proved he wasn’t willing to fight with her anymore. Exhausted, she dropped her anger and let it blow away in the breeze.

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair–” Lucy began to apologize, thinking this was a horrible idea and she should have just left it alone.

“No, Lucy. Please,” Tim begged softly, making room for her to enter his house. “I’m sorry,” he said, knowing it wouldn’t make up for the hurt he caused.

“Thanks,” she brushed past him, keeping her head down and avoiding his eyes.

Beginning to place the bags on the counter, she looked around trying to find their dog, having expected him to run up to her in greeting by now.

“Where’s Kojo?”

“I don’t know, he’s been hiding from me.”

Tim kept a respectful distance away from Lucy, still trying to size up what she was doing in his house.

“Hmm,” Lucy triumphantly hummed to herself, nodding and fighting the smile breaking on her face. Good boy, she thought.

“What— what are you doing here, Lucy?”

Lucy paused in taking out her ingredients, thoroughly disappointed. She thought he knew her better than this. Since the breakup, she kept having to correct her assumptions about Tim and what goes through his head on a daily basis. Being around him was giving her whiplash. She thought she had him nailed down, but apparently, she nailed down the wrong guy.

“I’m taking care of you. Look, you said it yourself. You didn’t have that guy. He could have killed you. Hell, he stabbed you four times, Tim. I know how you get when you’re injured. That much hasn’t changed since I met you. You’ll do the bare minimum to keep yourself from getting an infection, push yourself to be fine when you’re not, and whether you want me to or not, I still care about you and I’m not letting you suffer just because you think you deserve it.”

“Lucy,” Tim tried to protest.

As much as she thought she didn’t know him anymore, she still knew him better than most. Better than himself some days.

“Fine,” Tim relented, seeing the assortment of ingredients that went into his favorite dish. “You’re taking care of me.”

For one night, he could put his self-deprecation aside and let her take care of him. It was past time he began repaying her kindness.

“Now are you gonna go find Kojo or am I going to have to do everything for you today?” Her mouth turned up in a smile, seeing a matching one on Tim’s face.

During dinner, he admitted his legs were sore and his back hurt. Jumping into the bed of that truck had not done him any favors. The gashes on his arms stung a bit, his long sleeve under armor had done a pisspoor job of stopping the knife. Two stabs to his left leg, one to his right, and the fourth low on his waist, Tim preferred not to take the good drugs the nurse had sent him home with.

Riding only on extra-strength Tylenol, Tim had (tried to) relax on the couch and let Lucy take Kojo for his evening walk alone.

Not long after coming back from the walk, Kojo was snoring on his dog bed in the corner, and Tim was nervously flipping through channels, hoping Lucy would just go home so he didn’t have to deal with the emotions her presence was bringing to the surface. Avoidance tactics were still his go-to method for armor.

Lucy pulled out her bag of first aid supplies and walked them over to his en-suite bathroom, but only after taking a pause and a breath before entering his bedroom.

“I suggest changing the gauze in here so you can go to sleep right after. It’s getting late and you need the rest to heal,” Lucy called out into the living room where Tim was still sitting.

He closed his eyes and recalled his confession to her in the car. Despite his less-than-ideal experience, he needed to get back on the therapy horse and keep riding it until he was in a better place. 

So instead of wallowing in self-pity, he chose to shut off the TV and utilize one of the tools Dr. London had armed him with. He put a name to his feelings and acknowledged their presence without judgment.

He started with regret, for pushing Lucy away and shutting her out before he could let her talk him out of his bad decisions.

Outrage, for not appreciating her enough when he still had her.

Anger, at himself, that she was here now, being Lucy, when he knows he broke her heart.

Loss, for the person he was when he was with her.

Hope, for the future he could have, if he keeps working on himself.

Failure, for what he had robbed from Lucy, what he couldn’t give to her.

Remorse, for not getting help sooner.

Frustration, for losing his therapist and needing to find a new one.

Despair, for wanting to fix things but not knowing how.

And finally, guilt, for Lucy, being here, having his back, after all that had happened, for all that he continued to leave unsaid.

Painfully, he stood up and carefully made his way to his bedroom, shocked to see her touches reignited in the room like a beacon on a foggy day.

“Lucy,” He sighed, “What is all this?”

There was a lit candle on his dresser, a mini dehumidifier on his bedside table, the smell of some sort of root or herb in the air, and a bottle of CBD oil in the middle of the bed.

“It’s too much, you don’t have to do all this,” Tim peered around the corner of his bathroom door to find Lucy donning gloves with antiseptic wipes and fresh bandages dominating the counter space formerly occupied by her small collection of toiletries.

“Tim, I’m taking care of you,” her voice was stern, hard, and rigid. He didn’t have a choice in the matter. He could see the determination and pleading in her eyes. “Please,” she added after, softer, more forgiving.

“Okay,” Tim relented with his head down. “You’re taking care of me.”

“Good, now take off your pants, I need to see your wounds.”

“Lucy,” Tim protested weakly, hand on his hip and begging for this to not be as painful as it was.

“What? Not like it’s anything I haven’t seen before,” 

Their eyes met in a challenge, eye contact having been fleeting and rare, too hard to face and too agonizing to hold.

Tim broke away first, sighing and moving to take off his shoulder sling.

Seeing him struggle with a simple task, Lucy stepped forward to help him.

He stepped back and held up his good hand in a motion to stop.

“I need to do this on my own,” he stated, his words conveying a message deeper than just undressing himself.

Lucy turned away, busying herself with re-checking her supplies. “Fine, let me know when you’re ready.”

Hearing the grunts from his efforts, Lucy did her best to preoccupy herself with something, anything, other than rushing to his side to take away his pain. That wasn’t her privilege anymore. Being here now was already overstepping an unspoken boundary. But after the height of adrenaline, the rush of almost losing him, stepping over that boundary was a selfish but necessary move on her part. She saw that and acknowledged it, doing it anyway, knowing she’d willingly face the consequences of whatever happened tonight even if it meant ignoring her hurt and anger toward him for shutting her out– just for one night.

“Ready,” he called out after getting settled on the bed. All of his injuries were on his front, easily accessible from his seated position. Sitting was much less intimate than laying down, he thought.

He kept his underwear on, knowing the waistband covered half of one stabbing and the material on his left leg covered the mark on his upper thigh.

She got to work on cleaning the knife scratches on his forearms first, focusing on her task and mentally steeling herself that this was just a body that needed care, not Tim who needed her. The gloves helped desensitize her from the feel of his warm skin.

Finishing up with the ointment on his arms, Lucy quickly looked up at him and away, uncomfortably taking up a familiar position kneeling between his legs.

“Sorry,” Lucy whispered, accidentally knocking her elbow against his knee trying to take off the old gauze from the slash on his right leg.

Tim held his breath, tense and looking far above her head.

He missed Lucy. He fucking missed Lucy a lot. Despite his crass comment in the car earlier, their sexual chemistry had always crackled louder than a raging forest fire. Having her here now, kneeling in between his legs after saving his life, he couldn’t help but be reminded of how good she used to make him feel.

How fucking phenomenal they were together.

How fucking much he missed the comfort of her touch.

“Tim,” Lucy said, forcing him to look down at her.

Fuck, he missed her.

Fuck, he wanted her.

Fuck, he didn’t deserve her.

Not anymore. Not now. Not yet.

“I need you to lay back to get the one on your stomach. And it’ll be easier to clean up the last one on your leg with your um, underwear off.”

“Lucy–” Tim groaned, already starting a list of reasons why he could take care of the last two gashes on his own.

“Let me take care of you, Tim,” Lucy pushed again, frustration rising to the surface having foreseen his resistance.

He rolled his eyes and stood, losing his balance slightly and falling forward, reaching out to steady himself with her shoulder. She bracketed his hips, holding him in place and pushing back slightly against the gravity of his fall.

“Sorry,” he said as both of them regretfully removed their hands from each other.

“You need to drink more water,” Lucy announced, standing up from her kneeling position and practically running to the kitchen.

When she got back, Tim was supine on the mattress, his discarded underwear held over his junk to preserve a modicum of modesty while looking tense and tight and nervous.

He didn’t watch her, as she walked toward him with the water glass. He looked anywhere but at her.

“Sit up,” she instructed, leaning over him to grab the pillow from the other side of the bed to stuff under his back.

They were close enough for Tim to get a hit of pure jasmine, pure Lucy, and he held his breath again, looking up at her with wide eyes of wonderment and taking the outstretched glass.

“Relax, Tim, I won’t bite,” she soothed, resisting the urge to push back his hair like she used to, instead, picking up the ointment and gauze to finish up on the last two scrapes as quickly as possible.

Still, he hadn’t resumed his normal breathing and Lucy decided she had enough of his obsolescence.

“Do some 4-7-8 breathing before you suffocate yourself, Tim,” She snapped off her nitrile gloves and disposed of the dirty bandages, leaving him to breathe. She came back soon after, asking with her eyes if he was okay with her getting on the bed next to him.

He exhaled his breath, closed his eyes, and decided to allow it with a terse nod of his head.

Carefully, Lucy sat on the bed and picked up the bottle of CBD oil.

“What are you doing?” Tim asked, fear apparent on his face.

“I’m going to massage your legs,” she said, shaking the bottle and kneeling beside his hips.

“No, you’re not,” Tim fussed.

“After a serious trauma like you survived today, your muscles are tensing up and will only hurt more if you don’t massage the area to restore normal blood flow. You said your back and legs hurt, you said you’d let me take care of you. You need this, Tim,” her fierce protector emerged, stating her position as non-negotiable. What she didn’t say, was that she needed this too.

Tim gulped, knowing she was right. It's just… the last time he let her give him a massage, the night morning ended much differently from how he expected tonight to go, no matter what his second brain advocated for.

He took another measured breath and settled against the mountain of pillows. “Go ahead,” he consented, closing his eyes and mentally cataloging player stats from decades' worth of Dodgers games. If baseball failed him, he’d move on to football, followed by hockey, police procedure, or fucking golf if it got that bad.

At the first touch of her oil-slicked hands at his fucking knee, he knew not even golf would be enough to keep his erection at bay.

“I’m going to acknowledge the inevitability now, just to get it out of the way,” Tim said after she worked her hands up to his mid-thigh. He still covered himself with his underwear, wishing he wasn’t so damn turned on in her presence.

“What’s that?” Lucy asked, so focused on her task that all she had in her brain was a map of his jīngluò.

“I’m uh, going to, uh, react to your hands on me, um, touching me. Just— just ignore it. I’m going to do my best to pretend it’s not happening, but uh, I just, I don’t know. This is uncharted territory, I feel like I’m in over my head.”

Lucy took her hands off him, giving him a moment to gather his composure.

“It’s okay, Tim. I know what I’m getting myself into. May I?” She shifted further away from his top half, planning to use the distance to pull the energy from his hip down and out through his toes.

He nodded in approval, remembering how indulgent her touch felt.

“Your qi is really blocked, Tim,” Lucy knit her brows together in a frown.

The last time she was here, massaging him, he wasn’t half as tense as he was now. Granted, all they’d been through the last few months had been more than enough to dirty up his rivers of energy, but what Lucy was encountering now, was a serious imbalance in his homeostasis.

“I’d make a quip about what not having you with me does to me, but I don’t think we’re there yet,” there was hope in his statement. A quiet hope that made her pause. His voice was drowsy and husky, a perfect mix for a cocktail of bad decisions.

“It might not take as long as you think to get there, Tim,” Lucy started with his right leg before moving over to his left and repeating the treatment exactly, making sure to be careful around the edges of his bandages.

Her hands pressed into his thigh, sliding around the sides and using all ten of her digits to dig into the taut muscle. She spent time focusing on his calf, massaging away knots and blockages to the flow of blood and energy. Her hands moved back and forth, up and down, inside his leg and up toward his pelvis. She was achingly aware of and avoiding his crotch, only once softly brushing the back of her knuckle against his nutsack on accident. When he flinched and sucked in a breath, she apologized and focused on his outer hip instead. There, he felt himself stretched and loosened, free from the tension of a hellish fight.

Once his legs were sufficiently massaged, Lucy made another selfish decision and began to dig her thumbs into the pressure points in his feet. She had the hot spots memorized, knowing where Tim held his tension and knowing exactly how much pressure to exude to get him to release it. He was still too tense for her to feel comfortable leaving him in such a state. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself as she greedily let her hands roam his body.

When she pressed her knuckle into the sciatic nerve at his heel, she watched as Tim finally let go and rode a wave of energy release, giving in to the sensations of her touch, relaxing his palms at his side, and allowing his underwear to fall off his growing erection, too blissed out to notice or even care. She made sure to rub the inner base of his big toe, hoping to ease the tension in his neck before moving on to the space below his four other toes, targeting the trapezius muscle of his injured arm.

Lucy blushed, (and smirked), hearing the familiar gasps and groans she was eliciting from his throat. Pressing harder, she watched as his back arched and his cock thudded against his belly when his hips hit the mattress on the downfall. She had stayed silent during the massage, though in her head she was coaching him through his releases.

That’s it, Tim. Let go, feel the tension ease, feel your body relaxing. You’re safe.

She hit another pocket of deep tissue in his heel and was rewarded with a shudder and deep guttural groan followed by a whimper. He was putty in her hands, finally relaxed after months of consistent tension.

I’ve got you, Tim. You’re in good hands, let me take care of you.

His eyes snapped open at the first words spoken in over an hour, surprised at how aware he was of the sincerity of her tone and hammering of his heart and of his dick.

Lucy stopped, embarrassed she had spoken the words under her breath instead of in her head. In a room filled with his pants and moans, her whispers were a shout fallen upon desperate ears.

“Lucy,” Tim cried, distress shocking her to crawl back up the bed and kiss him.

“Tim,” Lucy gasped into his mouth. Their kiss was hungry, starving, like he’d been thinking about her every day since he shipped off on tour and he just returned home.

Grabbing his face with both hands, she kept him pressed to her, not letting him go no matter how bad of an idea this was. She needed him, needed to feel he was alive, that he was okay, that he wouldn’t leave her before she was ready to let him go.

“Luce,” Tim slipped, desperate to follow her mouth wherever she led them. With his arm that wasn’t sprained, he lifted his hand and covered one of hers on his face, grasping it like a liferaft meant to keep him afloat. He then pealed it from his cheek, moving it down to settle over his hammering heart, where it should have been the entire time.

“Let me take care of you,” Lucy asked, pressing her hand over his pec and moving it down, down, down, until she brushed past his abs, settling it low on his belly. “Let me take care of you, Tim,” she said again, barely finding the space to speak between pushing her tongue past his lips and sucking his into her mouth.

He reached up to her side, fisting the hem of her shirt in his hand and tugging, tugging her desperately over his body. She spread her legs, swinging one over his hips, and hovered above him, mindful not to settle her weight on his injured thighs. Her hand continued its journey south, finding her treasure with a familiarity only known to those who spent hours studying the map of his body.

Tim groaned into her mouth, feeling her hand close around his head. He released her shirt from his grip and replaced it with a handful of hair rooted to her skull. He held her face close, afraid of letting her go ever again.

Lucy worked her palm up and down his length, using her other hand to support herself on his chest. She couldn’t get enough of him, and as much as she wanted this to last, she knew he was close to a release, having spent the last two hours unintentionally edging him with her attention. She slowed the movement of her hand, taking a few moments to savor his bittersweet kisses while she still had the excuse to take them from him.

“Tim,” Lucy pulled back, checking in with him to see if he was okay with what was happening.

Seeing the raw anguish in his face, her lip began to quiver and she hid it from him by stealing his lips in another life-altering kiss. Throwing all caution out the window, Lucy gripped harder on his cock, moved her hand slower, and arched her back to press her chest against his. There was no stopping what was going to happen tonight. No going back, no remorse, no regret.

She sat up on her knees, still hovered above him, and as fast as she could, whipped off her shirt and threw it somewhere in the room. She leaned back down to taste more of him, arching her fingers down the root of his cock to splay over his tightened ballsack. Tim moaned into her open mouth and flexed his hips up to seek more of her touch.

Silently, Tim cursed the lack of two functioning arms, forced to sideline one and overwork the other. Tenderly, he ran it up and down her back, trying to touch as much of her as he could, not knowing if he’d ever have the chance again after tonight.

Lucy moved her hand off his dick again, earning a verbal protest in the form of a whine from Tim which was quickly withdrawn when he realized it was so she could free her breasts from her bra. Once the garment was also thrown elsewhere in the room, Tim gently used his injured arm to wedge between their chests and pinch and tug at her nipple leisurely. He wished he could do more, but he knew he was beyond lucky to be where he was at all.

“Am I hurting you?” Lucy asked, slowing in her movements.

Tim had begun to only breathe in, huffing in short breaths and barely exhaling at all. That, accompanied by his desperate nips and worried noises gave Lucy pause.

He rapidly blinked open his eyes, gazing up at her and using all his effort to complete a series of 4-7-8 breaths. Once he got himself under control, he slowly blinked his eyes at her, focused enough to respond to her question.

“You can’t possibly hurt me more than I’ve hurt you,”

“Tim,” Lucy sadly gasped, pressing her forehead to his, pulling away to pepper kisses along his face, cradling it, and living in a moment where there was no hurt between them at all.

“Lucy?” Tim asked, breaking the spell only to cast it stronger, “please take care of me,” his request was full of pain, of longing, pure desperation and need.

“Always,” Lucy promised, kissing his lips, “Tim–” She wanted to say the words so badly, I love you, but she knew she shouldn’t.

Instead, she removed the rest of her clothing and carefully mounted him, being mindful of his scars, new and old. She moved on top of him with her knees drawn up at his hips, keeping her chest low and face close to his. They kissed and kissed and kissed, kissing until his finger couldn’t jerk at her clit any longer and they were both coming with open-mouthed gasps into each other’s space. Afterward, she held him, cradled his head in her chest as he drifted to sleep.

In the morning, she was gone before he woke, her scent in the bed the only trace that she had been more than a dream, more than a mirage. A message waited for him on his phone. It was from Lucy and it read: I took Kojo for a sleepover. I’ll bring him back tomorrow evening. Thank you for letting me take care of you, Tim.

[no-quit-lucy]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Rookie (TV 2018) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen Characters: Tim Bradford, Lucy Chen (The Rookie) Additional Tags: Future Fic, Chenford, no beta we get shot like tim bradford, AAPI Lucy Chen, celebrating lucy chen, tim bradford is a major simp for lucy chen, Soft Tim Bradford, Established Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen, ignores events of season 6, Tim Bradford Loves Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen Date, Chinese Heritage, Discussions of future children, tim is still patrol sergeant though, where he should be tbh Summary:

The title translates to "Celebrate"

It's Chinese New Year, Lucy finally got a promotion at work, and Tim recently proposed. Surprises are afoot as Tim takes Lucy to a new Chinese restaurant to celebrate all the good luck in their future.

[summerongrand]

Dr. Lucy Chen is a 37-year-old psychology professor with secrets that could change everything. Her life takes an unexpected turn when LAPD Sergeant Tim Bradford enrolls in her class, using the GI Bill as a cover to surveil her. As Lucy and Tim navigate their intertwined roles, they begin to challenge their beliefs about each other and confront some difficult truths.

Psyched On U is my multichapter submission to @celebratinglucychen.

Read the first chapter here:

[summerongrand]

"Mommy, Mason laughed at me because I got a bad grade on my math test. And then he called me some mean names."

Lucy froze. She knew exactly what those mean names were. Had been called the same ones as a child. She glanced at Tim. Her second grader, her Lucy-clone as Tim called their daughter, held tightly to a crumpled up piece of paper. Lucy knew what was on it, knew she'd need to work with her daughter on fractions a bit more. But fractions weren't the issue. And neither was a bad test score. Some little snot named Mason was.

"Baby, daddy never got straight A's." Tim said as a way of bringing levity to the situation.

Their daughter rolled her eyes. "Daddy, please. You're not like me and mommy." She sassed him as her mom often did. "We're Chinese." Lucy gasped at the advanced humor coming out of her daughter's tiny body.

Tim forced back a laugh. Had his daughter just - nevermind. He gave Lucy a look as if to say your child.

Lucy glared at her husband. "Mommy didn't get straight A's either. In fact, mommy nearly got kicked out of college for failing a psych class. Your grandma was so upset." Lucy confessed to her baby. Tim raised a brow. He always chided Lucy for being a little nerdy. So this was news to him.

"But mommy's really smart." The second grader said matter-of-factly, pointing to her own temple for emphasis. "A head doctor."

"She is." Tim affirmed. "She's the smartest person I know. And the most beautiful." He kissed Lucy on the lips.

Their daughter covered her face. "Ewwwwwww. Mommy daddy kissy."

Lucy picked her seven year old up, set her on her hip, and she and Tim began attacking their daughter's baby cheeks with raspberry kisses.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Their daughter squealed in delight.

"Mommy's gonna have a chat with your principal tomorrow about stereotypes. Then mommy's gonna kick Mason's mommy's Malibu Barbie butt." Lucy tickled her daughter's belly, causing the child to shriek joyously.

"Mommy's the best!"

"Only for you, your brother, and sissy." Lucy nuzzled against her daughter's cheek that was still covered in traces of Tim's kisses.

"And daddy too!"

Lucy smiled. Leaned into Tim whose arms circled around his girls. "And daddy too."

[summerongrand]

With love 🫶

[summerongrand]

Freak in the Sheets: why I’m half willing to give Tim a pass

People have already shared why his comment can be perceived as sexist. Of the sexism takes on this topic that I’ve read, I see validity in them.

There are at least two ways it can be interpreted as racialized and I haven’t seen this angle yet so I’ll start. For racialized and sexualized reasons (and there are other racialized reasons beyond what I’m sharing), I’m half willing to not give him a pass.

One, women of Asian descent have been oversexualized and overfetishized for a really long time, especially by white men both in media and in society. Tim’s comment adds to this. I don’t think that he’s actively doing this but it’s a problematic trope that remains problematic because pop culture still does it. So I think awareness of this is key, especially for creators of a tv show with a multiethnic cast.

Two, Alexi writing this line for Tim shows lack of awareness for Lucy being Asian and what it means for a white man to say this about her.

I’m half willing to give Tim a pass because Lucy was concerned that he revealed things about her to London and that it was recorded. I think this was his way of reassuring her that she has nothing to worry about. Does Lucy deserve at minimum a straight yes or no answer to her question instead of having her sex life reduced to a punchline? Absolutely.

Tim’s joke shows that he’s still comfortable enough with Lucy to use sexualized humor towards her. His joke also gives us a peek into Lucy’s emotions. She could’ve reacted in so many different ways but she laughed it off instead. The levity in the midst of a stakeout was a break in monotony.

I’m also half willing to give him a pass because he said it to just Lucy. If this comment were made to his buddies or to Lucy in front of others, and if the dashcams were recording audio, it would be a different story.