Chenford Tim and Lucy One shots - Requests Welcome

Chapter 23 - Scars to your Beautiful

Lucy tucked her head further into Tim's chest, frowning. She was getting fired up again during her retelling of the days events, but Tim's warm arm draped lazily across her back calmed her.

"- two prisoners, in two different cells - and one of them drunk, in for assault on his wife - talking so obsceneley in public! Like, you'd think they'd sort of keep that kind of talk to themselves, especially in max security too. How did he even get a hold of alcohol? I mean, the other prisoners must hate them..."

Lucy trailed off and glanced up at Tim, who had a lazy smile plastered his face.
The orange glow of the bedside lamp cast shadows over Tim's features; smile lines accentuated by warm shadows, thrown like dust over his face; eyes twinkling, clear blue turned dark mellow brown; eyelids crinkling affably.

He hummed. "What were they saying?"

"Oh, what they found most attractive in a woman - "oh I'd tap that" - one of them said," Lucy jumped back in, invigorated again. Tim gave her a quick squeeze and she relaxed. Her hand came up to splay on his chest, her roughened fingertips finding the five-year-old bullet scar from when Lucy had saved them both, her first day.

Her fingers continued up his neck, to two scars on his jaw and beside his lip; fainter, shallower. The light of the lamp barely caught it. You would miss it if you weren't looking for it. Fingers trailed back down to his shoulder, and Tim sighed, the stress off the day leaving him as Lucy played dot-to-dot on his body.

"What do you find most attractive in a man?" Tim inquired. Lucy's fingers paused over one large gash running down his forearm, a gorge in a smooth desert plain. Lucy imagined she could pour water in it. Maybe plants would flourish. A good tattoo idea, she thought wryly to herself.

"Scars," she murmured against his chest.

Tim hummed, questioning. Disbelief laced in the utterance.

"Really?" He questioned. She could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest.

"Yeah, I mean.. well. Scars show that a person has lived. That they've loved and lost, and tried again. They betray what a person wouldn't dare to speak aloud; they haven't hidden away - their experiences haven't crushed them. It shows their strength."

She paused, adjusted herself. Thought briefly. Continued.

"It shows that you've touched tentatively, grabbed, held on for dear life - even if it meant being wounded, no matter how badly," she tapped his bullet wound gently. "That right there is the way you relish life. No matter how, or where, or why you got them," she paused to run her fingers over nearly non- existent, paper thin cat scratches on his inner wrists, old and faded (a reminder of another, old life), "it shows you're still alive and fighting: that despite your angry pokes and prods, the universe has caressed you back. Told you you're worth ruining to keep you here."

Lucy stopped, dropping Tim's wrist. He took a deep, shaky breath, and expelled it all in one big sigh. She tilted her head up to look at Tim's face. His eyes were wet and shiny, and two tear streaks ran down his cheeks and into the corners of his mouth. She leaned up to press her lips against them. Kissed his tears away, and settled back down. She wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed him.

"God Lucy, I love you so much." He whispered, voice shaking almost imperceptibly. Lucy hugged tighter as Tim began to cry softly, burying his face in the top of her hair.

"Thank you," he whispered, rocking them back and forth.

"Thank you."

FIN

And that's that! Ive had this idea spinning round in my head for a few weeks. I hope y'all enjoy a little wholesome Chenford and vulnerable Tim. I think it's really important to give depth to characters, something I'm learning as I get back into reading after COVID ❤️

Next Soulmates and LiF chapters will be up in the coming week.

As always, vote, follow and comment.

Enjoy my lovely readers!!

Tim cries softly, he holds Lucy tighter and they go to sleep