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Scout seemed to have a sixth sense for her parent’s presence in a room, because Tim and Lucy never had to wait long for her to notice them when they came to pick her up in the after-school program. She would always notice them a few minutes after they came around, and her face would light up the same every time. Before, when things were still fragile, over a year ago, Scout’s face would light up when she’d see Tim in the pickup line – but because she would be surprised he came. Now, however, she would light up because she simply missed her mama and dada, and as much as she loved school, she loved them the most.
Today was no different, only Scout’s face broke into a frown when she picked up Tim’s appearance – bruise on his cheekbone, under his eye, and a split upper lip. She ran over to them but didn’t throw herself at Tim, not wanting to hurt him further. She didn’t yell out the same excited mama! dada! squeal as she came up to them, and stayed quiet, gentle.
Tim knew his baby bug enough to know when her demeanor shifts and what worried her. He didn’t hesitate to crouch down on one knee and meet her at her level when she walked over, brows furrowed, eyes scared,
“Dada,” she mumbled, reaching her tiny hands out toward his face to cup it between her tiny hands. She was careful to not touch around the bruises, her eyes roaming over the purple and red skin she wasn’t used to seeing on him, “You okay?”
“Yeah, baby bug,” he nodded, turning his head just enough to press a kiss to one of her tiny palms. She looked up at Lucy, knowing that her dada did have a habit of pretending stuff weren’t as big of a deal as they were, but she nodded, giving her a silent confirmation that he wasn’t hiding anything from her,
“What happened?”
“I had to fight a guy at work,” Tim replied simply, keeping his voice steady,
“Did you win?”
Tim’s mouth drops open and Lucy can feel the Sassford coming with dramatic pause between them,
“Wow,” he breathed, “Okay.”
“What?” Scout blinked, confused. Tim lifted one of his hands and rested it over his chest for peak dramatic effect,
“I am very hurt that you would even doubt me like that.”
Lucy made an I’m so done with you face Tim can’t see as Scout dissolved into giggles, falling into her dada’s arms, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck,
“I didn’t!”
“I can’t blame her,” Lucy spoke up, one hand resting in Tim’s hair, “She gotta keep her dada in check. Make sure he’s still got it.”
“Why do I sense an implication that I didn’t got it until today?” he sassed, looking up at Lucy with one eyebrow raised, making them both giggle. He let Scout go to grab her stuff and then they were walking out of the school, with Scout perched up high on Tim’s side whilst Lucy carried her backpack.
Tim knew that Scout was still worried about him. He could see it in the way her shoulders weren’t all the way relaxed, in the way her hands clutched at his henley. He also knew Lucy all but lost it when she saw him bloodied up, and when she told him she heard him get into the fight, she was flying out of the truck to try and find him. So, instead of the usual spiel of i'm okay, nothing's broken, nothing hurts, he decided to be dramatic. Because nothing healed quite as good as laughter did,
“Y’know, it was a very intense battle,” Tim declared, making Lucy snort and Scout perk up a little,
“Really?”
“He was bigger than me,” Tim began as Lucy held out the door for them and they stepped out of the building, “And younger too. And, from what Nyla told me, he was also some kind of army guy. But like, big guy army guy.”
Lucy smiled at the simple, goofy explanation – he could’ve explained Scout the details, but it wasn’t about that – it was about proving a point and making her giggle with his dumb explanations instead. It seemed to have worked, as little girl giggled at his very vivid description,
“But dada, you told me watch commander stays in the station,” she pointed out then, recalling their conversation from a few months back,
“True, but this was a super cool, super secret spy op that I couldn’t say no to!” he said, his voice growing into a whisper as he dramatically looked around them for peak secrecy effect, making her eyes widen,
“That’s so cool,” she whispered, matching his cautious energy perfectly. Lucy felt butterflies ramble in her stomach as she watched the exchange, something bursting in her heart at how adorable of a dad Tim is,
“Indeed,” he nodded. They reached the truck then, and Tim slowed down, shifting Scout a little closer to him. Lucy stopped too, waiting for Tim to unlock the truck, but he made a face instead. She frowned, looking at him,
“What’s up?” she asked,
“I’m too wounded to drive,” he said with the most serious expression ever. Lucy rolled her eyes, shaking her head,
“You were cleared by the medics for a concussion,” she pointed out, completely ignoring the fact that he’d been driving all day, because he wasn’t doing this to be an ass. He just wanted to stay with their baby – and she could see it too. The way Scout looked at him, still checking, still needing that closeness.
So, she didn't argue.
Instead, she played along,
“I am fragile,” he sassed, making Scout look at Lucy, eyes widening in surprise,
“You’re fragile,” she repeated flatly, trying her best to remain serious and not burst into laughter,
“Very,” he added,
“What you are is unbelievable,” Lucy sassed then, reaching to grab the keys off of Tim’s free hand and unlock the truck herself. Tim lowered Scout in the backseat and then quickly rounded the truck, pressing a peck to Lucy’s lips and murmuring a quiet thank you before sliding in the backseat with her. Scout lit up at that, immediately reaching to hold his huge hand in her tiny ones. She frowned at the cracked knuckles, but he didn’t let her spiral about it – immediately squeezing her hand and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They went to pick up Kojo, and Tim, being the diva he was, required Scout to stay with him in the truck while Lucy went to pick up their fur baby from the daycare. Lucy rolled her eyes but played along, and minutes later Kojo was in the backseat too, clearly ecstatic to have his dad and his little human in the backseat with him.
When they came home they immediately piled up on the couch, Scout perched up on Tim’s lap, Lucy’s arm wrapped around her wounded man, his head resting against her shoulder,
“What was the op about?” Scout asked, her tiny hands holding Tim's huge one again, thumbs brushing over the knuckles in the same manner she’d seen mama and dada do to each other and to her,
“Well, we can’t tell you exactly,” he began, “Super secret stuff. But… we all had code names. Like, spy names.”
“What’s those for?” she asked, clearly intrigued about the topic at hand,
“Well, it’s to make sure that if someone is listening to us, they don’t know who exactly we’re talking to. To protect our identities. It’s much harder to know who I’m talking to if I say Tinker instead of Lucy.”
“Mama’s spy name was Tinker?” Scout asked and Tim nodded, “What about you, dada?”
“His name was Tailor,” Lucy chimed in with a proud smile, and Scout knew mama was the one who came up with the idea,
“Can I have a spy name too?” Scout asked and lit up a moment later, when Lucy nodded,
“Well, our names came from a spy movie – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. So… you can be a spy!”
“Nooo I wanna be Soldier!” she said with a huge smile, bouncing a little, “Cause dada was a soldier and I wanna be just like dada! And then Kojo can be Spy!”
Tim’s breath stuttered at that, and he exchanged a look with Lucy.
How was he supposed to continue on being a dramatic diva if their own daughter managed to crack his heart open with these little things? The idea of Scout looking up to him like this always left him speechless, because it was just one of thousands of reminders of how much good he was. How different he was from his father.
Tim spent his entire life being who he is in spite of his father.
But now, Scout’s saying these things because she looks up to him, because she admired him instead of loathing him,
“This isn’t okayyyyy,” he whined, burrowing his face into Lucy’s shoulder. She laughed, pressing a kiss to his hair,
“What isn’t fair, sergeant dramatic?” she sassed and he mumbled something incoherent, making Scout giggle, “I think you made your dada malfunction, baby.”
“But why?” she asked, a smile on her face, “I just said I wanna be like dada when I grow up! I wanna be like you too, mama! I wanna be like you both!”
Tim made an over-the-top sound, like Scout’s words physically hit him in the chest, which wasn’t too far from the truth, but he definitely never reacted this dramatically to them before,
“This isn’t okayyyy,” he repeated, louder this time, burrowing further into the bare skin of Lucy’s shoulder,
“You’ve survived war zones, gunfights, undercover ops and explosions, sergeant,” Lucy pointed out, scratching his scalp lightly,
“None of that prepared me for this,” he groaned. Scout giggled, tiny hands letting go of his and reaching to grab fistfuls of his henley,
“But whyyyy?” she asked, dragging out the word in the same dramatic manner Tim did, “I just said I wanna be like you!”
“That’s the problem,” Tim mumbled, still refusing to lift his head up, “You can’t just say things like that and expect me to… survive.”
Lucy let out a soft laugh, “Oh my God.”
“I’m serious!” he insisted, turning his head to glance at Lucy, “I am actively melting. This is me wasting away!”
“You’re melting?” Scout asked, delighted at the choice of words,
“Irreversibly.”
“Irreversibly?” Lucy snorted,
“Lucy, our child just said she wants to be like me. I don’t know how to deal with that without ceasing to exist.”
Scout was giggling like crazy now, her body tilting forward and her forehead resting against his chest, still holding on to his shirt,
“Dadaaaa, you’re not gonna disappear!”
“I might,” he mumbled, “I can feel it happening.”
“Well, how about you come here and let me hold you so you don’t waste away, Bradford,” Lucy suggested then, patting her lap. Tim’s head lifted, he looked at her, then at Scout, then at Lucy again, and then he full-on slumped against the backrest of the couch, slapping his hands against his thighs like a kid,
“Welp, this is it,” he muttered, “This is how I go.”
Lucy grabbed him by the arm as Scout slid off to the side, letting her dada waste away to Lucy’s lap. She guided him sideways between her legs, his head settling against her collarbone, his legs extending on the couch, and then Scout climbed right back up into his lap, little feet curled in as she rested her head against her dada’s chest, feeling his heartbeat. One of Tim’s arms went around Lucy’s waist, and the other held Scout close,
“Oh,” Tim exhaled, “This might save me.”
“Might?” Lucy snorted,
“Yes. I’m temporarily stabilized.”
“Good,” she shook her head with a smile, “We’d hate to lose you to… compliments.”
“Those were very intense compliments, thank you very much.”
“You are insane,” Lucy pointed out, but Tim didn’t argue with it,
“I am bored,” Tim groaned then, Lucy and Scout exchanging a glance in confusion at the sudden change of topic,
“What, wasting away suddenly became not so appealing?”
“Nooo, I mean the job,” he said, turning just a little more serious, “Today was so much excitement but most days I’m stuck behind the desk. I don’t think watch commander was the right move.”
“I mean, you could always go out on the field more,” Lucy pointed out then, “Watch commander position is a field position anyway. Grey just made it stationary because that’s how it worked for him and his family. That’s not to say you’re supposed to throw yourself into danger 24/7, mister,” she added, “But going out on patrol and supervising – that can’t hurt anyone.”
She lowered to press a kiss to his lips, and then the dramatics started back up,
“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow,” he said, reaching to cover the split lip with his hand, making Lucy’s brows lift,
“What? You want me to stop?”
Tim stayed quiet for a moment, eyes closed, at complete bliss,
“Uhhh, noooo,” he all but whined, making both of his girls laugh,
“Yeah?” Lucy asked, cupping his face so she could kiss the bruise on his cheekbone, then the one under his eyes, then the hinge of his jaw,
“Seems like dada needs kissies to make it better!” Scout declared then, carefully propping herself up in Tim’s lap and pressing a bunch of exasperated kisses to his cheek, each followed with a mwah!
“Yeah, see, now we’re talking,” he said with the most shit-eating grin ever,
“You’re ridiculous,” Lucy shook her head, pressing another kiss to his cheek,
“It’s okay, dada!” Scout chimed in, “I’ll give you lots of kissies! You give them to me too when I get hurt at soccer!” she said.
“Mwah!”
“Mwah!”
“Mwah!”
Lucy watched the determination in Scout’s eyes, the way she leaned forward just enough to be able to smooch his cheeks with the attention it deserves, still careful of his bruises, but very focused on the task at hand. Tim, for his part, let out the most exaggerated, dramatic sigh in satisfaction, his head tipping sideways into Lucy as if he was absolutely overwhelmed with the amount of love he was receiving, which wasn’t far from truth,
“Okay, yeah,” he breathed, wrapping his arm around Scout and pulling her in closer, “This is exactly what I needed.”
Lucy pressed a kiss into his hair, making Tim hum contently.
Scout didn’t stop – she kept adjusting her angle a little, pressing kisses over and over, making Tim chuckle quietly as he steadied her with his arm while she continued on her mission,
“You missed a spot,” he dead-panned, pointing at the same spot she’s kissed five times already, but Scout just giggled and leaned to smooch him right there while Lucy snorted,
“Oh my God.”
“Don’t act so high and mighty, Chen,” he looked at her, “You missed plenty spots too.”
“Did I now?” Lucy teased, pressing a kiss to his forehead, Scout following seconds later with a kiss to his temple,
“Hm, I could get used to this,” he pointed out,
“You are acting as if we don’t smother you every single day,” Lucy said and Tim shrugged his shoulders,
“Never enough of being smothered,” he pointed out, making her roll her eyes. She pressed a kiss to his lips again, their noses brushing as she did so,
“Your noses are in the way,” Scout declared, making them both snort,
“Well, technically, they’re kissing too,” Lucy pointed out, making Scout’s head tilt in confusion,
“What do you mean, mama?”
“There’s a type of kiss called an Eskimo kiss,” Lucy explained, “Essentially it’s rubbing your noses together.”
“Wow, you multitask!” Scout gasped at the realization, “You kiss dada twice at the same time!”
“See, this is the kind of praise I deserve,” Lucy dead-panned, making Tim grumble and burrow further into the crook of her neck. Scout curled up after a few seconds too, more than content to keep clinging to her dada and rest her ear against his chest for a while, the house growing a little silent.
Until Scout jumped up again,
“Wait!” she exclaimed, making both Tim and Lucy lift their gazes to her, “What about uncle Penn’s spy name?”
Lucy smiled and Tim smirked,
“His name was sneakers.”
Scout stared at him for a second, as if trying to make sure he wasn’t messing with her, and then started laughing so hard she tipped forward again and butted her forehead against his chest. Her delighted laughter sent something blooming in Tim and Lucy’s chest, and they exchanged a glance, smiling widely and joining in on the giggle fest, Lucy lowering to press a kiss into Scout’s hair as Tim squeezed her closer,
“Hey, it’s a spy movie!” he called in self-defense, although he really didn’t have to defend himself here,
“Isn’t James Bond also a spy movie?” Scout asked as she looked up at him,
“Well, yes, but do we really think Penn is as cool as James Bond?” he pointed out, making both of his girls make a face at him, “What!? It’s true!”
“You wanted James Bond for yourself, you doofus,” Lucy stated, “But, unfortunately for you, you can’t say no to me.”
“Wow,” Tim gasped in mock offense, “Are you saying I’m not as cool as James Bond? Do these wounds mean nothing to you?”
“And we’re back here again,” Lucy laughed, shaking her head.
They stay in that moment for a long while – with both Lucy and Scout smothering Tim in kisses, and him being an absolute dramatic diva about how injured he was. It made him breathe a lot easier to see that his goofiness eased Scout completely, and that Lucy seemed to be doing better as well. He hated being the source of their worry and fear, and being able to be goofy with them like this meant he could at least try to give them something to laugh about and to let it become proof of some kind – that he was okay, that they didn’t have to worry about him, that he wasn’t hiding anything from them.
Scout had dozed off when the knock sounded at the door, and Tim promptly whined as Lucy maneuvered herself out of the pile of limbs somehow, Kojo on her tail as she opened the door,
“Hi, ma’am,” Penn said, lifting the bags in his hand, “Got you your delivery, as you asked.”
“Gosh, Miles, you’re my daughter’s favorite uncle. It’s Lucy off-clock,” she teased him, taking over the bags as Scout blinked awake and saw who was at the door, her face lighting up as she scrambled off of Tim’s lap and bolted to the doorway,
“UNCLE SNEAKERS!”
Penn’s jaw dropped open in offense while Lucy and Tim burst out into laughter, Lucy walking over to high-five Tim before disappearing into the kitchen,
“Due all respect, what the hell, man?!” Penn exclaimed, looking at Tim, as he lifted Scout up into his arms, settling her high on his side, “Not you too, champ!”
“It’s sooooo funny!” she pointed out, dissolving into giggles,
“Right, laughing at my misery,” he grumbled, pressing a kiss to her hair as she lowered her head to rest against his shoulders, “I got you your favorite for dinner, and this is how you pay me back?”
“Noooo,” she drew out and lifted her head back up, pressing a smooch to his cheek, “Am an expert at those now.”
“Yeah? Cheek kisses?”
“Mhm,” Scout nodded, “Dada needs lots of em cause he’s very injured.”
Lucy’s laughter spread through the air as Penn’s mouth hung open in surprise, wanting to look at his watch commander and former TO, but choosing not to because he wasn’t sure if the look he’d be met with could kill him or not, so he stayed frozen there, eyes wide, unsure what to say without it resulting in immediate termination,
“I’m…” he started, blinked once, then again, “Uh, not sure… if I should know this information, champ,” he gulped. Scout tilted her head in confusion,
“Why?”
Lucy burst into laughter in the kitchen again whilst Tim made a soft sound from the couch, his pride invertedly bruised, dragging one hand over his face,
“I just… I’m not sure what’s gonna happen to me if I learn more about the situation at hand and I very much fear for my safety.”
“Nooo, I made dada promise to not kill you! You’re safe!”
“Oh? Okay. Good. Love that for me. I feel… safer. I… I think?”
“You are safe,” Scout reassured him, patting his cheek, “I made dada promise and dada keeps all his promises.”
“Yeah, I have no doubts about that,” he nodded,
“So, dada has a real strict treatment plan right now,” Scout continued on, “And it’s lots of kissies!”
“…oh…” Penn’s eyes widened even more, because he definitely wasn’t supposed to know any of this, and the way Tim reacted and the way Lucy’s laughter echoed from the kitchen was a sign enough in on itself,
“Yea! Mama and I gave him lots! He was real insisting on that.”
“The… kisses?” Penn blinked, because seeing Tim Bradford be a softie was one thing. Not unusual by any means – he’s watched him soften over the months, as his training progressed, and as Scout’s trust with Tim grew, as he slowly built the relationship with her he has now. He was not a stranger to Tim being the dad every kid deserved – gentle, loving, kind, supportive and present in all the ways that mattered. He saw the way he carried Scout, the way he pressed kisses to her cheek, the way his voice softened whenever he talked to her, the way he was simply Tim with her, not the rough edges, no-nonsense TO he had been with him. Being able to watch everything from the sidelines truly made him appreciate Tim more with every passing day, but this right now felt like uncharted territory because he was literally sitting right there and literally held his whole future in his hands,
“Right… sounds valid. Medical necessity.”
“Stop agreeing with her!” Tim exclaimed, as if he wasn’t the one who talked about the said treatment plan minutes ago,
“I’m not agreeing!” Penn scrambled, “I’m… acknowledging the information I’m given!”
“And he kept asking for more!” she continued, Tim’s face burrowing into the couch cushion, “And mama taught me Eskimo kisses!”
“Eskimo kisses?” Penn echoed and Scout nodded,
“Yea! It’s this!” she leaned forward just enough to brush their noses together, giggling, “So fun!” then her eyes widened and she whipped her head around, “Dada! I didn’t give you Eskimo kisses!”
“His nose is intact, bug,” Lucy called from the kitchen, finally catching her breath,
“Well still!” she pointed out, turning back to look at Penn, “Oh, dada also kept saying he’s gonna waste away-“
“Scout,” Tim tried, but to no avail,
“And he was super funny when saying that! Like he was trying to go all melty!”
“That’s… interesting information.”
“You’re not helping, boot,” Tim pointed at him,
“I didn’t say anything!”
“You’re listening!”
“I can’t not listen! I love her!” he shot back, Scout and Lucy giggling at the bickering, “But I can… pretend I didn’t hear any of that. Because I enjoy being alive. Just in case.”
“Good instinct, boot.”
“Okay, but for real now, please don’t call me sneakers,” he whined, looking back at Scout, “It ruins my brand.”
“Brand? Like Nike?” Scout asked, making her parents laugh, Tim throwing his head back at the delivery while Lucy gripped the kitchen counter to try and stay upright,
“Yeah, exactly like Nike, except I don’t got the big expensive marketing team backing me up.”
“So you are Sneakers!” Scout concluded, face as serious as ever. Laughter broke through the air again, and Penn groaned,
“That’s not what I said!”
“That’s exactly what you said, boot,” Tim pointed out and Penn made a sound of misery,
“It’s okay,” Scout said then, “I won’t call you that again.”
“Thank you, champ,” he nodded,
“… uncle Sneakers.”
Lucy howled, Tim following. Penn just stood there, his face showing resignation,
“I walked right into that one didn’t I.”
“You did,” Lucy managed between laughs,
“It’s a good name!” Scout tried but Penn shook his head,
“Nothin’ about that name sounds good!” Penn argued, “Sounds like I work part-time at a corner kiosk.”
“You absolutely do,” Tim pointed at him,
“I do not.”
“You sell laces on the side,” Lucy chimed in,
“You sell laces!?” Scout lit up,
“I do not sell laces,” Penn said quickly,
“He does custom fittings too,” Tim continued, bouncing off of Lucy’s joke,
“Sir-“
“Very exclusive.”
“Sir.”
“High-end clientele.”
“Sir.”
Scout was giggling big time, clutching onto Penn’s jacket hard as she laughed,
“You got a store!”
“I do not have a store,” Penn insisted, looking utterly betrayed at how quickly this escalated,
“It’s more of a boutique,” Tim sassed from his spot,
“That’s not helping at all, sir.”
“It’s okay, uncle Sneakers,” Scout said then, “I still love you.”
“Yeah, you’re lucky you’re adorable,” he mumbled, smooching a kiss to her cheek. Lucy walked out of the kitchen with full dishes of food he brought over,
“Alright, you two goofs, time to eat,” she called gently and Tim stood up with a groan, walking over to Penn and extending his arms out. He easily lowered Scout into his hold, ruffling the little girls hair,
“Alright, I gotta go before Celina decides to join in on the fun,” he mumbled and Lucy smirked,
“Who’s to say I’ll keep this a secret from her? We even got the security camera footage for live replay.”
“Well that’s just great,” he mumbled, “Ma’am, due all respect, I’m never bringing you food ever again.”
“We love you too, Miles,” Lucy teased and he rolled his eyes, waving to Scout before walking back out the door and closing it behind himself.
Tim brought Scout over to the kitchen sink and they both washed their hands before settling at the table, Lucy’s eyes on Tim’s,
“Think you can eat on your own or do we need to feed you?”
Scout’s head snapped up at that, eyes widening as she looked at Tim, who didn’t even hesitate to begin milking this again,
“I think, given the severity of my injuries, it would be extremely irresponsible of me to attempt independent eating.”
Lucy rested her head in her hand, regretting that she ever opened her mouth to begin with, but Scout was clearly enjoying it,
“I can feed you!” she offered eagerly, “But… I’m not sure if you’re gonna eat much. Cause all this yummy food… I might steal a few bites.”
“Steal from a wounded dada?!” Tim exclaimed in mock-offense, “Unbelievable. I’ll feed myself then, thank you very much,” he mumbled, making Lucy shake her head,
“He got real protective over Chinese takeout,” she pointed out, nudging Scout’s elbow playfully, “All healed up as soon as you threatened to take his food.”
“Now you know how to get him to heal up quick,” Scout said with a smile, and as Tim’s eyes narrowed at them, laughter settled over them, full of warmth and ease. Later, when they were all showered and ready for bed, Tim pulled one final diva moment, pretending to be wasting away once again, successfully getting Scout to wiggle between her parents and burrow into his chest in their bed. She fell asleep within minutes, relaxed and at ease, and Lucy watched Tim’s sass melt into something soft,
“You did a good job, diva,” she praised and he chuckled, carefully so he didn’t jostle Scout too much,
“Yeah?” he asked, reaching to run his fingers through Scout’s hair, “I didn’t want her to worry about the bruises.”
“I know. But it’s okay if she sees you hurting too. That just proves you’re human.”
“I know. It’s not the seeing me hurt. It’s just… she worries too much for a kid her age.”
“And you want to protect her from that,” she finished for him, smiling softly as she reached to cup his cheek, “Tim… she’s always going to worry. Because she loves you.”
“Yeah… I’m still kinda getting used to that part,” he admitted softly, moving his head just enough to press a kiss into her palm, “The whole having someone who worries for me part.”
“That’s okay,” she smiled softly, brushing her thumb over the clear patch of skin, avoiding the bruises, “You’re trying your best. And we love you for trying.”