Girlfriend Proposal [Tim Bradford Imagine]
Summary: After a rough shift Tim is happy to see you. He asks you to be his girlfriend.
The night had been a grind for both Tim and Y/N. The kind of shift where every call felt like it was dragging on longer than it should, and by the time they were back at the department, all they wanted was a quiet moment to themselves. They had barely spoken on the radio the entire day, both of them buried in the tasks they were assigned, but as they walked through the doors of the LAPD station, something shifted.
Tim spotted Y/N immediately, her figure standing near the bulletin board, scribbling on a notepad, her tired eyes focused on the details of her report. She didn’t notice him right away, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He was exhausted—his mind was foggy, and his body felt like it might give out any second. But seeing her standing there, the way her hair fell softly around her face, the way her posture seemed to shift into something comfortable even after the long shift... it was enough to make his heart skip a beat.
Y/N looked up just as Tim approached, and their gazes met. For a brief moment, the noise of the department, the papers rustling, and the usual chatter faded away. It was just the two of them, standing in the middle of the hectic station, but in that quiet moment, everything felt calm.
“Hey,” she said, her voice soft but genuine. Her tired smile was enough to light up the room.
“Hey,” Tim replied, his lips tugging into the rarest of smiles. It wasn’t the usual gruff Tim that everyone knew—it was something else. A soft smile, an unspoken relief at just being in her presence after such a brutal shift.
Y/N tilted her head, taking in his expression. “Long shift?”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I’m ready to crash.”
Y/N chuckled lightly, the sound soothing to his ears. “Same here. I thought I might fall asleep standing up for a minute there.”
Tim couldn’t help but laugh with her. It felt good to laugh with someone who got it, who understood the weight of the day. For a brief moment, the exhaustion was forgotten, replaced by the simple joy of just being around someone who made everything feel easier.
He studied her for a moment longer, the warmth in his chest growing as he realized how much he actually enjoyed these moments with her—how much he had come to care about her without even realizing it.
Y/N was still smiling at him, her eyes warm. “So, what now?” she asked, trying to lighten the mood even further.
Tim glanced around the department, and then back to her. There was something in the way she was looking at him, something that made his heart race just a little faster. He knew they’d always been a team, partners in the field, but this… this was different.
“Actually,” Tim started, his voice lower now, quieter, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
Y/N raised an eyebrow, a curious smile on her face. “What’s that?”
Tim took a step closer, his gaze steady but his heart suddenly beating faster. The usual walls he put up were crumbling, and he found himself leaning into the feeling of being this close to her, of knowing that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way.
“Y/N,” he said, his voice soft but serious, “I know we’ve been through a lot together, but I think we work. You and me. Not just as partners, but… more. I’d like you to be more than that. Will you be my girlfriend?”
For a moment, Y/N was quiet. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized the gravity of his words. Tim Bradford, the gruff, no-nonsense cop, was standing here asking her to be with him in a way that went beyond the job. He was asking her to be his.
Her smile grew wide, almost instinctively, as she looked up at him, her heart swelling. “I’d love to,” she replied softly, her voice warm and genuine.
Tim’s shoulders relaxed as a grin broke out on his face, the weight he hadn’t realized he was carrying suddenly lifting. He stepped a little closer, his hand reaching for hers.
“Good,” he said, his voice a little rough but full of affection. “Because I think you’re pretty damn amazing, Y/N.”
Her laughter filled the air as she pulled him in for a hug, and Tim wrapped his arms around her, feeling the exhaustion melt away in the comfort of her embrace. They stood there, in the middle of the department, holding onto each other for just a moment longer, knowing that this was only the beginning of something new. Something real.
