* i am unwilling to let fear make me do something ... i'll be ashamed of in the light of day.
independent + private sergeant tim bradford from abc's the rookie. crossover verses are available. please read rules before interacting. i ask you to ... follow at your own discretion. minors and personals do not interact. trigger warnings on this blog include: cops, guns, crime, blood, trauma, and more. rules under the cut. despite tim being a cop ... i do not support what's going on with the current situations, and those things will not be used as a plot point on this blog.
nav: carrd. memes. first responder multi. connor. kelly. kim.
affiliated with: @oncalls. tim is single ship with kt's lucy.
this is a blog that is high dynamics driven - i will prioritize dynamics that i have plotted, or talked about ooc. this means i'm always willing to yap about our characters. i don't need every thread to be plotted out, i'm a big fan of vibes, but i love knowing your character(s), especially when i write them with mine.
expectations: if you follow me and i follow you, i expect interaction - ic or ooc. i want to write here, and i followed you, it's because i would love to write with you. i'm a big fan of ooc communication too, on dash, in dms. if we've been mutuals a while - and we don't interact? i will softblock you. i'm not here to hoard followers, but to create new writing partners.
i will not follow blogs: i will not follow blogs who do not have: age, alias, the character they write and usually not someone who doesn't have rules either. do not keep refollowing, that will get you hardblocked on the spot. i most likely will not follow first; considering i have cops on the multi and i don't know if that is your vibe.
trigger warnings: i will try and be as mindful as i can, but i will not tagging main things from the character's show. i will tag any visuals, but send me a message if there's a trigger you need me to tag.
do not interact ( character version ): i will not write with any hank voight, sylvie brett or christopher herrmann.
i will not accept: any form of fetishizing. i am all for writing queer characters. i love them. but if you change every male you write into a gay man just to ship them with more men? i'm sorry, but that's fetishizing and i will not be here for it. i also won't be writing any 15+ years age gaps.
a note: i've seen around that some people don't think you should write a minority if you don't belong there yourself, and i couldn't disagree more. i'm all for writing an array of characters, and not everyone's sexuality, race or backstory will fit with mine. it's my responsibility to look into what i'm writing and do it justice. but i think it's only complimentary - when we branch out and try to understand people who aren't like ourselves. if this isn't for you, this blog won't be for you either.
a slow and shaky exhale, like the way a building settles long after the tremors of an earthquake have passed. the vehicle around them is a womb of stillness, and yet inside his chest, war still drums its battle hymn. tim’s words pierce gently, a blade wrapped in gauze. eddie hears them like thunder over sand: truth softer but not diluted. he wants to recoil, but the warmth of tim's hand on him grounds him with a weight that feels wholly undeserving in its patience. fingers twitch in his lap, and a brittle thing inside him shifts, then it cracks, but doesn’t yet break. the name of his fallen brother still echoes in the harrowing compartments of his organized mind, still festers, but his best friends voice is balm ⸻ coarse and unrelenting, but there, present. christopher has a parent still.
the silence lingers before he answers. not because he doesn’t want to, but because the words sit gratingly like a lump in his throat.
“ i used to think it made me strong, not remembering, ” his voice is a rasp worn down by too many unshed confessions. “ turns out forgetting just puts it all away until it bursts out of you in ways you don't want. ” truth lands between them with the heft of a weapon laid down. tim's gaze is unmet, but he feels the other's eyes on him, steady and unwavering, a hand extended across a battlefield. like his own hand had once been. outside, the leaves rustle with cruel ease that shouldn't be, sunlight dappling across the dashboard like it hasn’t been tasked with lighting horrors. eddie’s fingers flex once. then again. until they move ⸻ not to shield or flee, but to reach.
the fireman leans in slowly, like a man stepping into fire and finding it warm instead of consuming and fully involved. shoulder brushes tim's as he lets his frame tip into the hug offered ⸻ not in surrender, but in quiet recognition of a lifeline held steady. the contact's simple and brief yet seismic in its tenderness. his breath shudders once, and it's held tight in his chest like a live round. but his eyes remain open, fixed on the blurred green of the park ahead, and he doesn’t pull away. “ thanks, man, ” he says quietly yet earnest just the same. “ really. ” the word falls like an olive branch on scorched earth, a tentative offering from a soldier still learning that safety isn’t always a lie.
the world was still standing. even if eddie felt like it was on uneven ground, that things were unsteady - seconds away from collapsing. they weren't ... they wouldn't. but tim knew those feelings. some nights he'd still wake up feeling an anvil like weight crushing his chest, making him feel like his ribs were bending inwards - about seconds from taking out his heart. or whatever was left of it. lucy had quieted that. lucy had made all the bad things fade away ... the nightmares were back, but they were no longer in desserts with landmines and guns going off. they were right there in los angeles. eddie's current one wasn't.
"you're not there," he reminds, a gentle squeeze of his shoulder, before he pulls him into a tight embrace.
the grasp he offers his friend is one tighter than he usually would offer - more like a squeeze. but sometimes, men like eddie and tim, soldiers whose minds were still at war, sometimes they needed to be held by someone who was unafraid. needed someone to shoulder the world for them for a while - just until it was safe to breathe again. so tim holds, and he doesn't let go until eddie pulls back himself. sometimes you just need someone to hold you.
nodding to the car, silently asking: are you ready to go? before tim gets into his truck himself ... driving him and eddie off to a place he likes to go on his own ( with kojo ) when the world gets too loud. a place without too many people - it wasn't busy, and no one could hear it if you needed to punch a tree, kick some stupid rocks or just ... scream. he'd gone there after ending things with lucy. he'd done a lot of things in his life, a lot of them that he wasn't awfully proud of, but ending things with his best friend like that? that was the one that hurt the most, and tim knows time won't heal this one. so he started therapy ... but not to move on from lucy, to understand how he'd gotten to the point of no return. and how to get back to a point where he'd be able to return. so he could come home, he just wants to come home.
"what time are you picking up chris today? he's with buck, right?" tilting his head with a small nod, trying to remind eddie that he still has so much to live for. he has his people; people who need him, but also love him without terms and conditions. they would always be there for him - tim included.
𝑴𝑨𝑴𝑴𝑨 𝑴𝑰𝑨 ! ( lyric / sentence starters originating from the 2008 film “ mamma mia ! ” & its origins in the “ GOLD ” album by ABBA . feel free to change pronouns as needed ! )
❛ i have a secret … and i can’t tell anyone else . ❜
❛ i always kind of accepted that that’s all i’d ever know . ❜
❛ [ name’s ] the one . i know he is . ❜
❛ god , stop growing ! ❜
❛ you sound like you’re having fun already . ❜
❛ i used to have fun . ❜
❛ ‘mother’ ? we’re the same age ! ❜
❛ you make me sound so unromantic . ❜
❛ [ name’s ] gonna absolutely kill you when she finds out . ❜
❛ i feel like there’s a part of me missing . ❜
❛ you look like an old hippie ! ❜
❛ i bet you don’t remember me . ❜
❛ you haven’t changed at all ! ❜
❛ oh , please ! i’m getting married , not joining a convent ! ❜
❛ there never seems to be a single penny left for me . ❜
❛ don’t sit down there ! it’s broken . ❜
❛ all the things i would do if i had a little money … ❜
❛ it’s a rich man’s world . ❜
❛ come on , let’s go have fun . ❜
❛ do you wear it or floss with it ? ❜
❛ that’s the price you have to pay if you want to drink before eleven o’clock in the morning ! ❜
❛ god , i’m just whining , you know me . ❜
❛ are you being taken care of ? ❜
❛ are you getting any ? ❜
❛ i’m so glad that whole part of my life is over . ❜
❛ it’s an adventure , [ name ] , it’s good for you . ❜
❛ please stay . ❜
❛ i made up my mind , it must come to an end . ❜
❛ will i ever learn ? ❜
❛ why did i ever let you go ? ❜
❛ i can’t count all the times i’ve cried over you . ❜
❛ you always did know how to make an entrance . ❜
❛ you don’t know each other ? ❜
❛ why are you here ? ❜
❛ it’s good to see you . ❜
❛ i’m a shoulder you can cry on . ❜
❛ you were always sure of yourself . ❜
❛ why didn’t you tell us ?? ❜
❛ i can still recall our last summer . ❜
❛ no one’s seen you . ❜
❛ i just … lost track of time . ❜
❛ you’ll never leave me , right ? ❜
❛ you’ve turned my world upside down . ❜
❛ i wasn’t jealous before we met . ❜
❛ i still don’t know what you’ve done with me . ❜
❛ is that really your dream ? ❜
❛ well , now , that takes me back … ❜
❛ are you okay ? ❜
❛ how old are you ? ❜
❛ will you excuse me a minute - ❜
❛ i can’t breathe ! ❜
❛ give her some space ! ❜
❛ i’ve been tossing & turning all night … ❜
❛ last night i discovered something wonderful … ❜
❛ you didn’t even … SUSPECT that you were … ? ❜
❛ it’s absolutely hush - hush for now . ❜
❛ tell me what’s wrong . ❜
❛ i don’t know what to do . ❜
❛ you know what to do . ❜
❛ you don’t have to do anything . ❜
❛ that’s what YOU want ! ❜
❛ i don’t know why you’re going off on me now . ❜
❛ what are you doing here , [ name ] ? ❜
❛ this is my reality . ❜
❛ i can deal my own disasters . ❜
❛ i didn’t think it was any of your business . ❜
❛ i love being on my own . ❜
❛ what ever happened to our love ? ❜
❛ you made me feel alive , but something died . ❜
❛ let’s pick up where we left off last night . ❜
❛ last night never happened . i’ve drawn a veil over last night . ❜
❛ i can read in your face that your feelings are driving you wild . ❜
❛ does your mother know that you’re out ? ❜
❛ there’s no plan , god knows there’s no plan . ❜
❛ what … is this ?? ❜
❛ i can’t accept this . ❜
❛ no , you’ll have to catch me first . ❜
❛ you have to help me . ❜
❛ baby ? [ name ] ?! ❜
❛ you don’t know if you love me ? ❜
❛ of course i love you , i just wish you’d told me . ❜
❛ don’t do this now . i can’t hear this now . ❜
❛ i don’t want to talk about things we’ve gone through . ❜
❛ the winner takes it all . ❜
❛ i was a fool playing by the rules . ❜
❛ you know i miss you . ❜
❛ what can i say ? the rules must be obeyed . ❜
❛ this gives me an excuse to come here much more often . ❜
❛ i’m not entirely sure what’s happening right now … ❜
❛ it’s only the rest of your life . ❜
❛ you love me & you know it . ❜
❛ if you change your mind … ❜
❛ take a chance on me . ❜
❛ if you need me , let me know . ❜
❛ speech ! i’m gonna make a speech , everybody . ❜
❛ i’ve got so much that i wanna do when i dream i’m alone with you . ❜
❛ i think you know that i can’t let go . ❜
❛ i’m gonna do my very best . ❜
🐝 * ― 𝑵𝑶𝑵-𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑺𝑻 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺. ( some triggering content ahead. add " + " to reverse the action. )
[ wipe ] sender wipes away receiver's tears
[ hurt ] sender hurts receiver with words
[ lonely ] sender finds receiver alone in a dark room
[ wounded ] sender patches up receiver's wounds
[ crying ] sender finds receiver crying
[ help ] sender runs to receiver when they scream for help
[ nightmare ] sender wakes receiver up from a nightmare
[ dying breath ] sender talks to receiver before dying
[ hold on ] sender pulls receiver into their arms
[ anger ] sender takes their anger out on receiver
[ argue ] sender gets into a heated argument with receiver
[ scared ] sender scares receiver
[ sick ] sender cares for receiver while they are sick
[ palm ] sender places a hand on receiver to stop them from doing something
[ fight ] sender gets into a physical fight with receiver
[ comfort ] sender tries to comfort receiver
[ blood ] sender notices that receiver is bleeding
[ collapse ] sender collapses into receiver's arms
[ pressure ] sender puts pressure on receiver's wound
[ slap ] sender slaps receiver in the face
[ panic ] sender helps receiver through a panic attack
[ lie ] sender catches receiver in a lie
[ sobs ] sender sobs uncontrollably while receiver holds them
[ hiding ] sender finds out that receiver has hidden an injury from them
[ death ] sender just died, receiver finds out
[ chin up ] sender lifts receiver's chin to stop them from hiding their tears
[ fears ] sender talks to receiver about their fears
[ scream ] sender screams at receiver
[ coping ] sender teaches receiver some coping mechanisms
[ loss ] sender is there for receiver after they've lost someone important to them
[ needs ] sender asks receiver what they need
[ bullet ] sender takes a bullet for receiver
[ bruises ] sender finds bruises of unknown origin on receiver
[ rainfall ] sender finds receiver out alone in the rain
[ hospital ] sender wakes up in a hospital bed and finds receiver sitting by their bedside
[ intrude ] sender walks in on receiver treating their wounds
[ calming ] sender tries to calm down receiver
[ inspection ] sender holds receiver's face while inspecting an injury they got
[ rescue ] sender carries receiver to safety
[ clean ] sender cleans blood off of receiver's body
"wait ... we have grandkids now?" tim laughs, it's a soft and carefree laugh, one that tastes like hope and freedom, one filled with love that pours out along with the sound. "well, i would think we'd need to plan out the kids first, don't you? like how many? what age gaps are we going for? big sister tamara.." he smiles more with the last three words. tamara didn't have any blood relatives left she could count on - but she's had lucy for a few years now ... and now she had tim too. and everyone that came along in that family. ( of course there was diego too, and tim has a feeling he might be tamara's favorite ) but he'd love to make more family to love her.
"alright ... i'd like at least three little lucys, including the one we already have." even if tamara wasn't so little anymore. she looks like a mix of the two of them, people had said so ... and none of the three ever corrected them. tim remembers the first ice cream date he had with his girls - a woman had walked up to him and said, 'what a beautiful family you have' and tim? he nodded, because they are his family, and it's the best family there's ever been. the memory, one of his favorites, makes him lean over and kiss the top of her head. "and yes ... they're little lucys no matter the gender. i just want tiny yous running around us - teach them how to play sports, how to ride a bike, i want to ..." i want to hold them and love something so precious that's part me. but he doesn't dare say those words, yet his eyes try to communicate them with the tender look he gives her.
imagine fumbling lucy chen. she wasn't wrong ... he just didn't expect to be called out like that. at a damn breakfast for the first responders. blinking once, twice, thrice. "i um," he usually wasn't a man of many words. but he didn't freaking stutter either. usually tamara was the one to get him speechless - but samira's words don't even come with an honorary 'joke!' following them. shaking his head once, because she was right. twice, because she is right. he fumbled.. ( what does that even mean? ) his future. the one he was going to spend forever with.
"doctor mohan, have you tried the breakfast mimosas yet?" maybe she was off duty. maybe she was tipsy - this seems, out of pocket for someone so polite ... someone who bleeds empathy daily. but maybe he deserved it. ( he knows he does ) and maybe he's actually happy for it. happy that lucy has a friend who would come to honors in the middle of a damn breakfast.
cooper was more of a brother ... than he'd ever be a friend. which apparently made him feel like he could tell tim anything ( he could ) and that tim would always listen ( he would ) so there they are. in a bar, late one night - where cooper tells tim about the love of his life. bailey nune, superhero of the lafd. or well, bailey dawson ... if you're to believe cooper. he even met her kid. on the first date. but tim can't help it, he smiles even though he's getting a belly ache from listening to this. he misses lucy ... he misses lucy's kid - who happens to be bailey's son's girlfriend. the world was too small, yet it was entirely too big when tim went home alone to an empty bed.
"so, do i have to be the one to tell you that you can't marry a woman you just met? - or did baby bex get ahead of me on that one?" tilting his head at the mention of cooper's baby sister. even if becca dawson was a combination of sister and daughter, biologically a sister - but in all the ways that mattered? a daughter, and one of their best friends. "i'm glad you're both back," he admits, grabbing the beer in front of him. the same one he's been nursing for an hour. "new york was too far away." but they all had their demons to outrun, right? or sisters they had to follow? whatever the dawsons reasons were. tim is just selfishly glad to have his family back with him. sure he has some biological family, but nothing quite felt the same like coop and bex, they had been his safe place throughout his childhood. their mom would work a lot, but no one were mad there. no punches, no yelling - there was always food, even if they had to cook it themselves. it was home away from home. it was tim's favorite place growing up. now his favorite place was lucy's apartment, but he doesn't know if he'll ever be welcome there again.
