Title: Perfect man
Author: thousand-miles
Disclaimer: these characters are not mine. I just like to play with them.
Rating: T
Spoilers: None really.
Summary: Lizzie and Meera are watching a TV show about a guy who wants to have the perfect body for the cover photo of a fitness magazine. They appreciate the end result which makes Red unsure of himself and his relationship with Lizzie.
A/N: I saw this TV show and after the final episode I thought about Red. Then I thought I wouldn't want Red any other way. He looks mighty fine as he is. But what if Red saw Lizzie appreciating more fit and muscular men. Would that make him a bit insecure about his relationship with her? Also I brought Meera back because I always liked the idea of Meera and Lizzie being friends. And I just wanted to write some fluff because I don't write fluff enough. I hope you like it. Reviews would be appreciated.
Perfect man
"Can't wait to see how he's going to look after six months of exercising." Meera said as she settled down on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand.
"Yeah, me too." Lizzie sat down on the couch too. She had Meera had been watching a new TV show. It was a kind of reality show where the male presenter would undergo six months of extensive exercise to see if he could get a muscular body so he would get on the cover of a well known fitness magazine. Meera had told her about the show and though at first she was reluctant to watch it, it was a nice show to watch. Besides, looking at all those muscular men on the show certainly was anything but a punishment. She smiled, thinking about her own man. She and Raymond, Red, Reddington had just started dating. He was wonderful. He was sweet, caring and so sexy. She wondered how muscular he was. He hid his body all too well beneath all those layers. She wanted him, but whenever they got passionate he pushed her away. He made sure she didn't feel rejected, but there was something holding him back.
"Stop dreaming about your man." Meera teased. She'd seen that look on her friend a lot lately. Ever since she'd started dating Red. She smiled. Lizzie deserved happiness and clearly Red was making her happy.
"I'm sorry." Lizzie blushed. She couldn't help herself. Raymond made her happy. She was brought out of her musings by the man who occupied them calling her.
"Sweetheart." Red greeted his girl warmly. He hadn't seen her the entire day and she'd asked him to give her her evening with Meera. He would always give her what she wanted, but that didn't mean he didn't miss her. That's why he'd called.
"Hi Red." She almost giggled. She loved it when he called her sweetheart. It made her feel so cherished.
"Just wanted to know if everything's okay and if there's anything I can do for you."
She smiled at him even though he couldn't see it. Her bigger than life criminal was such a sweetheart. "We're fine. Thank you."
"Okay. You ready for your show?"
"Yes we are."
"I don't understand what's so special about it."
"It's just fun to watch."
"But why? And why don't you want to watch it with me?"
"It's a girl thing, okay."
He'd done some research on the show since she was such a fan of it. "You and Meera like looking at all those muscular bodies."
"It's an added bonus." She admitted.
He laughed at her answer. "Sure, Lizzie. I'll let you go now so you and Meera can go ogle men."
"We do not ogle." She exclaimed.
Meera, who had been quiet the entire time, decided to butt in. "Yeah we do." She yelled.
Red was silent for a moment. He loved Lizzie and being with her was all he wanted and had wished for. But part of him was insecure. She was much younger and he was afraid that their age gap would in time bother her and she would seek out someone younger, someone more fit. He looked at himself for a moment. It wasn't that he was out of shape. His body wasn't very muscular or lean, nor did he have a deeply chiselled set of abs. "I'll… " He hesitated. His train of thought left him unsure.
"Red?" She asked. She heard his hesitance. "You okay?"
He cleared his throat. "Yes. I'm fine. Have a good evening sweetheart. Have fun with Meera and I'll see you tomorrow."
He wanted to end the call too fast. He might think he could fool her, but he couldn't. "Why don't you come over later tonight?"
"Are you sure? I don't want to bother you two." She'd requested him to give her this evening with Meera and he would do so.
"Yes. Please. I missed you, Raymond." She said softly.
His heart skipped a beat whenever she called him Raymond. "I missed you too, Lizzie. I'll come by later."
She said her goodbye to him and put her phone away. She looked at Meera who looked at her with a big smile on her face. "What?"
"You are so totally, head over heels, in love."
She blushed again. "I am." She admitted.
"It looks good on you." Meera turned to the TV. "Ready to see how he turned out?"
Long after the show and after Meera and Lizzie had extensively evaluated the show, there was a knock on the front door. Excited to see Red again, Lizzie jumped up to quickly open the door and let him in. "Hi." She whispered. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him softly.
Red hummed his pleasure at the soft kiss and pulled her into his arms. With his hand on hair he nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent. "I missed you."
Reluctantly she pulled out of his arms because she didn't want to keep standing at her door. She grabbed his hand and pulled him further inside her home.
"Good evening, Meera." Red greeted the agent.
"Hi, Red." Meera put the iPad she was looking at down and looked at the happy couple. "I'll leave you two alone."
"Don't leave on my account." Red immediately said. He let go of Lizzie's hand and put his coat and fedora away.
"I'm not. I was going to go anyway." She stood up and Lizzie joined her to walk her friend out, leaving Red alone in the living room.
Returning a few minutes later Lizzie found Red on the couch, looking at the iPad Meera had previously looked at. She joined him on the couch sitting on her knees, leaning against him and she put her arm on the back of the couch. She kissed his temple before she put her head on his shoulder. He was looking at the pictures she and Meera had been looking at; the pictures of the presenter's body after his six months of exercise.
"I see you and Meera had enough to ogle at." He said as he slid his finger across the screen to move to another photo.
She ran her hand over his arm to his hand. "With all the effort he put in he has a lot to be proud of and to be looked at."
Red worked his jaw, unsure if he should ask his question. He looked at another photo of the guy doing push ups.
She felt Red tense under her arms and wondered why. "What's wrong?" She asked him.
"Is this what you want?" He asked her.
"What do you mean?"
Red leaned forward and put the iPad back on the coffee table. He didn't lean back again on the couch. He put his elbows on his knees and leaned his head on his hands. "Is that what you find attractive? What you want in a man?"
"Red." She laughed at his silly words. "Are you serious?" When he stayed quiet she knew he was indeed serious. She pulled him back onto the couch and immediately straddled his legs. She cupped his jaw in her hands and made him look at her. For the first time since she knew him, she saw insecurity in his eyes. "No, that's not what I find attractive." She still saw the doubt in his eyes. "Raymond." She whispered his name before kissing him softly. "If we were in a room full of men looking like that, I would still only have eyes for you."
"You say that now. But what if…"
She didn't let him finish his sentence and kissed him deeply. If he wasn't going to believe her words, maybe he would believe her actions. She felt and heard his low moan and when he bit her bottom lip gently to get her to open her mouth, she knew he was with her completely. Eagerly she opened her mouth for him and soon his tongue invaded her and entangled passionately with hers. Reluctantly she pulled away from him and leaned her head against his. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. "Do you believe me now when I tell you I find you extremely attractive and sexy as hell." She licked her lips slowly and saw his eyes darken.
He tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her against him. They kissed again. This time gentler as he kept the kiss slow and sweet. He ended the kiss with a few soft brushes before he drew back. He looked into her bright blue eyes and saw her love for him. "I want what's best for you. I don't ever want to be someone to hold you back. I love you too much."
"What I want and what I need, is you." She softly ran her hand over his head and smiled softly when he closed his eyes. "Only you." She whispered in his ear. "I love you, Raymond. I love you so much." She cuddled closer, put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. This is where she wanted to be. Here, in his arms, safe and loved with the man she loved more than life itself.
The End
