content warning: just thatcher talking trash about himself per usual
summary: you always found it difficult spending the night at someone else's place
This hadn’t been planned.
It started with coffee and a walk in the park and now it was late and you were standing in the middle of Tim’s bedroom. Morning felt like it had only just faded when the moon began to rise and the sky began to darken.
“I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me?” He had asked you over the phone, a mere few days ago,
You heard him collapse onto his couch with a sigh as he waited for your response. After three months together you had thought he might stop being so formal in the way he approached taking you out but he continued all the same.
“Hmm… where to?” You had asked.
“Wherever you want.” He responded, a smile echoing through the receiver.
“When?”
“Whenever you want.”
You laughed.
“So if I said in an hour I want to get on a flight to Tokyo you’d do that?”
Tim let out a gruff chuckle of his own. It was a sound you relished hearing because it was a sound you didn’t hear often.
“Whatever you want.” He chimed.
“God, you give me too much power.” You shook your head. “How about Saturday? We’ll go into town and see where that takes us.”
“That’s hardly Tokyo.” He had teased.
But you didn’t want Tokyo. You wanted Tim’s gloved hand wrapped around your mittens. You wanted to kiss the tip of his nose as it became red from the cold. You wanted just to be next to him. Nothing more and nothing less.
So he met you at the public parking lot and when you suggested getting coffee first he had hardly declined. You were both desperate for something to keep your bodies warm in spite of the freezing temperatures. He paid for yours with a wink and a smile. You teased him for only ever carrying cash as he stuck a couple of bills in the tip jar and he stole a sip from your paper cup.
He guided you to the park, his arm firmly wrapped around your waist.
“How were your holidays?” You had asked.
He shrugged, explaining how he had enjoyed seeing his family but had been desperate to get home. You asked him why that was.
“So I could call you and ask you on this date.” He grinned.
You rolled your eyes, pretending to gag at the sappiness of his words.
“I mean it!” He laughed, his voice growing in volume as it always did when he got excited.
“Just to see me?”
He nodded almost bashfully.
“Well I was excited to see you too.” You murmured, equally as shy as the man you were talking to.
“Nah.” He brushed your words off. “You’re just saying that.”
“I am not!” You insisted.
“No one is rushing their holidays just to see this ugly mug.”
His words were spoken with a sort of humor attached to them, as though he were accustomed to talking down to himself. They made you stop in your tracks.
“What in the world makes you think you’re ugly, Tim?”
“The nose, the teeth. You know. All of this.” He circled his finger around his face.
You stared at him for a moment before smiling. On your tip toes, you reached up, kissing his nose before trailing down to his lips.
“Well, I don’t think you’re ugly. I, for one, love your crooked nose. I love your chipped tooth.”
The sun had already begun to fall in the sky and the golden light had begun to cut through the shade of the trees, casting fractal shapes over Tim’s face. He looked away from you but you could see a tiny grin beginning to shift his cheeks. It was the prettiest smile you had seen in the longest time.
“You just say things.”
“You think I’m just here? In the freezing cold? To pay you lip service?”
He studied you for a second before curling a finger under your chin and raising your lips back to his.
“I think you’re too nice.” He whispered as he parted.
You only shook your head, taking him by the hand and marching forward. His fingers fit perfectly between yours as you pulled him along. Had you turned your head you would’ve seen the way Tim was beaming as he watched you walk ahead.
The sun dropped past the horizon and it became dark. He held you close as you sat on a park bench, keeping you warm, warding off shivers and chattering teeth.
“Want to stop by mine for a bit? It’s getting cold.”
You deliberated before nodding quickly.
“I could’ve said anything if it meant you’d be warm, huh?” Tim asked.
You nodded again.
“Want me to drive you? Or do you want to follow me?” He continued, his chin tucked against the crown of your head.
“I’ll follow you. I don’t want to leave my car here.”
He agreed and you parted ways for only a moment. Your car found his and you followed him back to his apartment. It was small enough but it was cozy. He waited for you at the front door, keys in hand. When he unlocked it you were greeted with a wave of warm air that seemed to melt the frost from your bones.
He helped you out of your jacket and your shoes. He made you tea and popped popcorn and you curled up on his couch, immediately treating yourself to a blanket that rested on one of the arms. There were two small pillows on either side of you and both looked like they had probably been pilfered from a grandmother’s house. You didn’t understand how he could possibly find anything resembling comfort while resting here.
All the same, when he came to sit beside you, he offered you the second pillow.
So you flipped through the television channels, one hand on the remote and one hand wrapped up in his. Snow began to fall as you nestled your head into the crook of his neck. You weren’t paying attention to the way it accumulated on the window sill. You weren’t paying attention to the roads freezing outside or the temperature dropping on the little digital thermometer Tim kept propped up on the television stand. Instead, you focused your attention on Tim’s knee brushing yours and the warmth radiating off of his skin. You focused on how you had only known him for a few months but somehow it felt like a few years.
“You gonna be okay to drive home?” Tim asked, nudging you as you began to drift off.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“You can stay here.”
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re only a few minutes away from my place.”
“C’mon. Let’s get you on the road before the weather gets too bad.” He murmured into your hair.
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“I enjoyed today’s date a lot. I’d like to have many more and, in order to do that, I need you to get home safe tonight.”
You spared a look up to him but you knew he was right. Time had passed quickly while you had relaxed by his side. So, you stood and stretched and he found his feet beside you. His hand met your hip and you smiled to yourself.
He helped you back into your jacket and shoes and walked you to the door.
Then you walked outside and you saw the snow.
And it certainly was beautiful. But it was beautiful in the “five inches of snow has suddenly accumulated” sort of way. A plow was running somewhere in the distance, the yellow hazard lights reflecting off the winter weather, but you and Tim pretended not to hear it.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to back my car out.” You gestured to your beat up sedan, barely capable of front wheel drive let alone all wheel drive.
“Yeah. I’d shovel you out but I’m not sure what good that’d do.”
“I guess I could just stay here for the night. I’m sure the snow will be dealt with in the morning.”
“Yeah.” Tim responded a little too quickly. “Let’s head back inside.”
You walked back to the comfort of Tim’s apartment and, once again, removed your shoes and jacket. Tim offered you a pair of his sweats and a worn out punk band’s t-shirt. When he saw the goosebumps rise on your arms he offered you a sweatshirt in addition. And he made sure to give you space to change in private while he found you a toothbrush.
You were worried about how the night would go. You were never good at sleeping in another person’s bed. You were prepared for an evening of tossing and turning and questioning every strange sound that might emanate from his fridge or his vents or the joints of the house.
But Tim brought you the pillows and the blanket from the couch, seemingly trying to mitigate the fact that he had just one pillow on the entire queen sized bed. You thanked him and he offered you a glass of water, a pair of socks, anything to ensure you were comfortable.
“I’m fine. I think I’m just going to go to sleep.” You smiled.
“I’ll get you a glass of water just in case.”
You couldn’t say no. He was halfway to filling up a glass before the words finished falling free of his mouth. You grinned as you found your way under the duvet. In your presence, he transformed from a serious, almost scary enigma to a doting caretaker and it was the sweetest thing you’d ever witnessed.
He returned with the glass and put it on the nightstand beside your head.
“Thank you.” You chirped.
He kissed your forehead in response.
Soon, he too was ready for bed, crawling under the covers beside you. You felt your heart rate increase. You felt his hand lingering near yours. You felt him laying impossibly still. You felt him roll towards you, his eyes scanning your face in the dark.
“If you need anything you can wake me up.” He yawned.
“I don’t think I want to know what you’re like at three in the morning.” You murmured.
“If it’s your face I’m waking up to, I'll be on my best behavior.”
You laughed quietly, as though you were at a sleepover and were scared to be overheard.
“Get some rest, hon.” He spoke as he leaned towards you, kissing your cheek for just a second.
You leaned into the affection. When he pulled away you pulled closer, resting your head on his chest, draping your arm over his body. He chuckled softly, wrapping a strong arm around you.
The room was dark, save for the glow of a streetlight shining through the window. A branch, laden with ice and snow occasionally brushed the glass but you weren’t scared. His fridge ran a bit loud and the vents groaned from time to time but you hardly noticed.
And then it was morning.
What you had expected to be a restless night became one of the most peaceful sleeps you had had in a very long time. You woke to the smell of breakfast being cooked and coffee being brewed and the sounds of music playing from a phone’s speaker in the kitchen.
You walked to find Tim busy over a stove, hardly paying attention to your emergence.
“Having fun?” You teased.
Startled, he turned towards you, a blush rising over his cheeks.
“Sleep well?” He asked, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
You smiled.
This hadn’t been planned.
Not by any means.
But the next time you went back to his place he had more pillows on the couch and bed. He had gotten more blankets and placed them in a basket for you to choose from at will. He had picked up your favorite coffee at the grocery store and a bottle of the face wash you told him you liked to use.
It was only a few days later when you ended up back in his bed, back in his arms.
Summary: Should have been a honeymoon to remember but things never go as he plans.
Pairings: Timothy Thatcher, female reader
Warnings: language?
* Inspired by the song Beer Can’t Fix by Thomas Rhett *
The sigh that slipped out was drowned out by the rain pelting against the window. Dreary grey weather outside. Miserable weather, nothing like how it should have been. It should have been sunny and bright. Hot and humid, the kind of heat that brought sweaty skin coated in beach sand.
Not a single thing had gone as he planned and everything wrong was completely out of his control. All he wanted to be able to do was give her constant sunshine. For those golden rays of sunlight to kiss her skin and light her up like the goddess he believed her to be. Instead, nothing but rain, then again maybe it was he himself that brought the rain.
She didn't have any family left in her life so when he'd finally proposed it wasn't a big deal to either of them in having a large wedding. Both content to head off to the courthouse and stand before a judge and a single witness. She was good to him like that, not much for making a big spectacle of things.
A large wedding and all that extravagance that came with it wasn't their thing, but his mind had been made up about the honeymoon. That would be different, he was set on that and he'd give her what he thought she deserved. It was only fair that he'd try to give her what she'd given him since stepping foot in his life. That damned smile of hers was like the sun itself and the way her arms felt snuggly around him.
She kept telling him that a honeymoon wasn't necessary, that just being with him was enough but he scrimped and saved everything he could. From the moment she said 'yes', he put every penny, nickel, every dollar he had towards the vacation destination of her dreams.
A secluded bungalow on a private beach in Bali. Sandy beaches and turquoise-colored water. Water so clear you could see fish and shells on the sandy floor. The constant stream of thoughts, of him and her letting the sun shine on every inch of them. Of bare skin and coconut oil, sand stuck in places it shouldn't be, and salty ocean kisses.
Sitting at the edge of their bed in the picture-perfect bungalow staring out at the storm he felt like utter shit. This whole romanticized honeymoon he had planned out for her had gone down the drain the second they got off the airplane. Rain. Non-stop for the past 24 hours and going strong with no signs of letting up.
He wasn't the most openly romantic sort of man, but this was supposed to be his way of showing her that he loved her. That he was sorry for all the time away, for all the missed holidays and birthdays. The canceled flights home that left him stuck in airports between shows. It was supposed to show her that she deserved the world and everything under the sun for allowing a grump like him to love her.
Brought out of his thoughts, of wallowing in the miserable honeymoon he'd inflicted upon her. The sounds of clinking bottles and her voice humming an upbeat sort of tune. The tell-tale click of the kitchenette radio clicking on, music wafting in from the next room.
Wearing a smile that only she could, managing to summon a light within that burst through the gloom outside. Her hand outstretched with a beer as she sat beside him, leaning her temple against his shoulder sipping her beer.
"Why so glum?"
All he could do was raise a brow, an expression that held a dozen thoughts. Glancing towards the storm outside scoffing an annoyed huff.
"This is beautiful," she sighed tucking her arm around his.
"Are you kidding?!" Grumbling, the vibrations buzzing in his chest making her smile. "This is a disaster!"
"You think so?" Eyeing him unbothered.
Sipping her beer smiling at nature's theater deep into the second act of its show. To her, the storm was like music. The beat of the rain hitting the roof, the swish, and the sway of the tropical plants and trees. The smell of the ocean, salty and warm.
"Doll look out the window. This is the Universe's way of punishing me for trying to be something I'm not."
His negativity made her laugh. For someone who claimed to not understand romantic gestures, he sure got worked up and flustered when they weren't as perfect as he tried to make them. Timothy was more romantic than he'd ever know, and he was quite fantastic at it too.
Every year they'd been together he'd tried to recreate their first date, complete with the awkward first kiss. The kiss he was so sure that ruined his chances of a second date. He'd meant to kiss her cheek but she turned. Hesitant lips dancing over one another, he'd sworn her body tensed. He pulled away ready to profusely apologize but just smiled widely and told him to 'do it again'.
His romantic gestures were never on the grand scale, no his were tiny. Small things that most people wouldn't have thought about, but she did. He made sure her coffee pot was ready with her favorite blend so all she had to do was turn it on in the morning.
He'd take the book from her hands after she'd fallen asleep in bed, marking the spot with a special bookmark. It wasn't the normal sort of bookmark either, but a laminated strip of pictures from a photo booth from their second date.
Timothy could still smell the popcorn and the sickly sweet carnival treats looking at those photos. Felt the strength of her hand in his tugging him towards the photo booth. It kind of became a tradition between them after that. Each time they came across a photo booth a new 'bookmark' was created.
He hated having a cell phone, but he needed it for work. Hers was the only number he never screened, he'd pick it up as soon as he saw it was her. All other calls went to voicemail to be dealt with later. She was the only one he willingly texted except Tommaso.
Grand gestures definitely weren't his thing, they called attention to himself, and he was content being lost in the crowd, but even the smallest thing he did spoke the loudest in her eyes. His hand on her back as they maneuvered through a crowded room. How quickly he'd step between her and something he perceived as a threat.
When he was home between bouts, he'd make sure her phone was charged before heading to bed. He'd put a tumbler of water on her nightstand so she wouldn't have to stumble tired down the stairs to the kitchen in the middle of the night. He fed her sweet tooth without judgment, always bringing home something sweet from his travels.
"It was supposed to be me and you on the beach under the sun, smelling like coconut oil and drinking ice-cold beer." Kissing her temple, trying not to let his frustrations show.
"I always smell like coconut," she chuckled clinking her bottle to his. "And the beers mighty cold."
"Not the same doll. I wanted you to remember this forever."
"Trust me, I will." Standing up tugging on his hand. "Come on."
"For What?"
"All we're missing in the sandy beach." Grinning motioning her head towards the door.
"It's practically a monsoon out there!" He'd never realize how cute he looked or how close he was to pouting at that moment.
"Suit yourself then."
He stood in awe watching her heading out into that storm. Drenched the moment she set foot in the sand. Laughing and smiling as she spun around in circles. Arms stretched outward, grinning face tilted up at the storm above. She was the light in the dark and he still couldn't fathom what in the hell he did right to deserve that woman to grace his life.
Timothy was outside in a heartbeat in the midst of the rain pouring down around them. Pulling her in close, slow dancing in the rain.
"Told you it was beautiful." She was grinning ear to ear watching the tension slip away from him.
