drabble; prompt: we could start here
pairing: rafael barba/olivia benson
word count: 383 words
prompt from alloftheprompts [tumblr]; prompt set #763

begin

He watches her as she sits across from him, frowning over a file, her hair in a messy knot and her glasses perched on her nose.

"You know, Liv...we should go out." He says in an offhanded tone, tossing his binder on the table, still looking at her intently.

"What, are you hungry? Or do you need another coffee?" She responds in an absent-minded tone, her eyes not leaving the papers in her hand, her pen making incessant scribbles across the paper.

He sighs, and reaches across her to pick the sheaf of papers out of her hand. "No, Liv. I meant that we should go out." He says, making sure that his emphasis is clear.

Liv takes off her glasses and stares at him for half a minute. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"This is getting to be so high-school." He mutters under his breath, pushing a hand through his hair. Somehow, the scenario that was playing in his head had him a lot more smooth and suave than what he is now.

Liv laughs now, the sound light and airy. "Rafael Barba...are you asking me out on a date?"

He shrugs, and smirks. "If you want to call it that."

She leans forward, tapping her teeth with her pen. "I thought you like things uncomplicated and straightforward."

He leans forward, too, closer to her. "I do. But I know you. You know me. You, in fact, know me better than anyone that isn't my mother. There's nothing complicated about this."

"Nothing complicated?" She raises an eyebrow. "Let's see...there's the matter of you being the prosecuting ADA for my squad, there's the requirement of professionalism at work, the fact that fraternising among NYPD and the DA's office is frowned upon...Noah..." Her voice trails as she looks at him. "I mean, where do we even start?"

"We could start here." He angles his head, and then presses his lips against hers. She kisses him back without any hesitation, and it just feels natural. It feels right.

When they pull apart after a while, Liv knows that the look in his eyes reflects the look in hers. She smiles, and picks up his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

"Yeah...I think we should go out."

Barba laughs, and kisses her again.

end