Author's note: I do not own NCIS:LA or its characters
A/N part 2: sorry if any of the information is incorrect about what's halal, I Googled it to the best of my abilities.
"You excited for your date tonight?" Rountree asked as they packed up their bags.
"I actually canceled it," Fatima replied, tucking her laptop into her bag.
"How come? Was it the neck tattoo?" he asked teasingly. Fatima laughed.
"Mostly," she said.
"Told you to watch out for guys with neck tattoos," he teased. Fatima laughed again.
"You want to go get dinner or something? I heard that new mini golf place in the mall is fun," she said, tossing her backpack over her shoulder. Devin grinned.
"Fatima Namazi. Are you asking me on a date right after you canceled your last one?" he asked. Fatima snickered.
"I am offended that you would suggest such a thing!" she retorted. "You wanna go or not, Tree?"
"Of course. Is this an official date? Do I need to go home and change?" he asked.
"Nah. Let's just go," she said, gently punching his shoulder as they walked out. Rountree grinned. Fatima slid into the drivers' seat and started the car.
Before they could even get to the mall, they came across a small popup carnival.
"You wanna check that out?" Rountree asked, pointing out the window. Fatima agreed and pulled into the parking lot. She pulled off her jacket, knowing she'd be much more comfortable in her loose baby blue long sleeve tee shirt.
"Let me change my hijab first. This thing is gonna fly off the second we start whipping around," she said, opening the trunk.
"You need a wall?" he asked.
"Please," Fatima replied. Rountree grabbed a towel and held it over her as best he could. He shut his eyes tight, knowing she'd kill him if he dared sneak a peek. "Done," she said. "I even used some extra bobby pins just in case," she said proudly. Rountree grinned and tossed the towel back into the trunk, then closed it as they walked towards the entrance. He paid for both their tickets, despite Fatima's protests, and helped put her wristband on. They walked around for a bit first, seeing what there was, then eventually deciding on the Tilt-A-Whirl to begin with. They climbed into the smallish purple car together, then closed the bar over their laps. Fatima moved against Rountree, knowing the ride would push them together anyway. Rountree slowly slipped his arm around her and held onto the bar. Fatima looked up at him and batted her eyelashes at him.
"Pretty girl," he said softly. He watched as she blushed furiously. Just then, the ride began, and they started moving around the tracks. Fatima screamed as she was thrown against Rountree. He pulled her closer as the cart lurched forward.
They rode various rides for a bit, until they were both too hungry to do anything else. They came across a food vendor and looked at the menus.
"Excuse me sir, are your turkey legs halal?" Fatima asked.
"Yes, ma'am," the man replied. Fatima smiled.
"Okay. Two of those, please, and two waters," she said.
"You got it, ma'am. That'll be twenty even," he said. Fatima reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She handed it to the man, then walked over to Rountree. They sat down at a picnic table together and smiled. A woman brought over the two turkey legs and waters and set them on the tables.
"Enjoy," she said.
"Thank you," Rountree said. They ate in relative quiet, too busy devouring the food to talk. The turkey legs both came with corn and a fruit cup. Fatima poked at the fruit, unsure of the tajin seasoning.
"It's good, try a little," Devin said. Fatima took a tiny bit on her finger and licked it. She immediately gagged and grabbed her water bottle. Devin laughed and took the small foam cup from her. He scooped a little corn from his plate to hers. Fatima smiled gratefully. After they ate, they decided to walk around for a bit to settle their stomachs.
"Let's go in the mirror maze," she suggested. Rountree chuckled and followed her up the steps. within minutes, they were laughing as they bumped into the glass and each other. They made it to the other side, went up the steps together, then went down the slide together. They crossed over to the bumper cars and got in line. As soon as they were in the cars, they were trying to drive into each other. Fatima laughed as Devin repeatedly rammed her into the wall. She laughed and squealed.
"Beg for mercy!" he said, laughing as she fought against him. Just then, a young boy drove over and slammed against his car, giving Fatima the perfect opportunity to escape. She teamed up with the young boy, mercilessly pinning him against the wall. They laughed as the cars were turned off and they got out. They walked around for a bit, looking for another tame ride. They eventually decided that it would be okay to go on a rollercoaster, and got in line. They got into a car in the middle, and immediately buckled in.
A few hours later, they decided to make the Ferris Wheel the last ride of the night. They rode up to the top in silence, but slowly made their way closer to each other.
"Stand up," he said in a low husky voice. Fatima obeyed without thinking about it. He leaned in and kissed her passionately. She grinned into the kiss and opened her mouth as he gently pulled her closer. They felt the cart begin to sway and Fatima immediately panicked. They spaced out a little, and Rountree squeezed her hands. "It's okay, it's just the wind," he reassured her.
"Uh-uh," Fatima mumbled, tears forming in her eyes.
"Fatima, look at me," he said softly. Just then, they heard a loud crash and the cart began to swing much more violently. Fatima screamed. Rountree grabbed her and held her against him. "Fatima, princess, it's okay. We're gonna be fine," he whispered, hating how scared he was becoming himself. "Princess, it's basically a cage. You're not gonna fall out," he whispered.
"What's happening?" she managed to get out between whimpers. Devin looked out of the cart and sighed.
"Looks like a power outage. We're stuck up here, but we're safe. Just breathe," he whispered. Fatima nodded.
"Why are the carts swinging so bad then?" she asked.
"Probably something controlling the swing went out. Stay calm, don't panic," he reassured her. She nodded.
"Um," she said nervously.
"It's okay," he whispered.
"I have to pee really bad," she said quietly. Rountree sighed. He couldn't get mad at her. It wasn't her fault. He took a deep breath.
"Try to wait. I don't plan on us being up here for long," he said softly. She nodded a tiny bit. Then, a male voice came on the intercom confirming everything they already knew.
Nearly an hour later, the power was back. They were finally released from the ride, and Fatima sprinted to the bathroom. Rountree followed her and waited outside. She came out a few minutes later, still visibly upset but much calmer.
"Ready to get out of here?" he asked. Fatima nodded and they walked to the car together.
They returned to Fatima's apartment around midnight. They went in and changed into pajamas quickly, then decided to make the couch into a bed. They crawled in together, and Rountree immediately pulled Fatima against him. He thought that they would spend the night making out, but he was plenty happy to lay there and cuddle with her instead. He brushed a kiss against the top of her head as she buried her face in her pillow.
"Good night, love," he murmured. She mumbled something inaudible in response.
