• so many signs •

[n/a: Hey guys! So, this is my first finished chenford fanfic and I'm a little nervous about it. But since everyone in this fandom has been so incredibly supportive, I decided to post it and I really hope it was worth the wait.

It happens mostly after the events from episode 4x22, so don't read it if you haven't watched it, unless you're okay with spoilers.

The idea for this story came from a prompt Victoria (@girlintotv) came up with on twitter, so kudos to her for that, and for allowing me to write it. I'll talk more about this in the end.

This was also published in ao3, btw, so if you happened to have read it there, don't worry, I didn't steal anyone's work but my own hahah! I just decided to publish it here as well. That's it, I hope you guys have fun reading it and enjoy the ride!]

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It's impressive how the human mind has the ability to adapt and get used to almost every situation.

Tim may not have a major in psychology like Lucy, but he had gone through a traumatizing childhood and more than one round at war, not to mention the many years in patrol. He was able to see, first hand, the crazy things people could normalize in their heads and actually get used to. Some of them, although horrible, get stuck with you to the point where you can never fully go back.

He was now learning that the same could happen to not-at-all-horrible stuff as well.

Like kissing Lucy Chen, for example.

Two weeks ago, he had been sent on an undercover assignment with her, much to his desperation. Not that he would think any other cop was more suited or capable than her, and in other circumstances there probably wouldn't have been anyone he would rather have as his partner, but things had been... Complicated lately, to say the least.

Bradford didn't know when it had started, but he knew their lines had been blurry for a while now. Even when he was still her T.O. and said lines should have been as clear as it gets, they had audiobooks and postponed promotions and just the kind of relationship that definitely went beyond superior and subordinate. Coworkers, friends, something else – he didn't think there was a word that summed them up, but he knew she was important to him. Probably more than she should be.

But he tried not to worry much, because this was Lucy. She had this way of just creeping up into people's lives and suddenly every corner had a little bit of the woman. And he knew he wasn't the only one who fell into her charms, for she had also won over Angela, Harper, Nolan and, hell, even Grey had a soft spot for her. But he also knew it was different between them, it just took him too long to figure out why. And, again, he didn't know when it had started, but he knew exactly when it got out of control.

The first time she went undercover all by herself for a big op, she was gone for two weeks. He still remembered the day she came to say her goodbyes.

"Try not to miss me too much"

"I won't." lying liar who lies. "Just... take care"

"I will" she had smiled softly, and Tim had no idea how much that smile would haunt him.

The first week was already hard enough. He realized that ever since she became his rookie, they had never been apart for more than a few days, and even then they usually texted. Not hearing from her was more challenging than he thought, and he caught himself missing her too damn much, to the point of listening to the old audiobooks she had recorded him to study for the sergeant's exam. Just so he could hear the teasing tone in which she read certain sentences, her snarky comments here and there and, well, her voice. He always complained about her non-stop talking, but he really missed listening to her voice.