Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters associated with "24".
A/N: Hey everyone. This is just a one-shot fic but this one is definitely a lot fluffier than my other one. I enjoyed writing T/M in a very simple situation for once, since this is supposed to take place before the drama peaks (Pre-season 3). It's just for fun but reviews are greatly appreciated as always! My goal was to make it seem believable with their characters since it took them FOREVER to say it on the show! So I hope I achieved that at least…
I have another larger story I've just started working on now (I'll work on posting that when I finish "Winding Down"). I'm trying to get as much done before summer ends as possible since I'll be back at school in the fall…anyways enough blabbing on my part! Hope you enjoy it!
"I Love You"
Tony tossed his keys tiredly on the hall table and stumbled towards the kitchen. Michelle followed him inside, slamming the door behind her. She kicked off her heels and flopped down on the couch, stretching across practically the whole thing, and closed her eyes. Tony stood in the doorway, eyeing his obviously exhausted girlfriend that lay in front of him. He frowned, though he knew Michelle couldn't see him.
"C'mon woman you can't take up the whole couch! I've had just as busy of a day as you have…"
Michelle opened an eye. "You didn't even go to CTU today." She reminded him. "You were at District sitting around listening to people talk. I did all the dirty work." There was a teasing tone to her voice. Tony chuckled.
"I spent a full day locked in a room with Chappelle and Hammond listening to them drone on and on for 8 hours…"
Michelle whipped open her other eye and smirked. "Fair enough." She pulled her knees into her chest leaving half the couch for Tony. "Satisfied?" she raised an eyebrow as Tony sat down on his end of the couch. He matched her expression.
"No." he said slowly and allowed her face to contort into a slightly puzzled look before throwing himself on top of her and tickling her relentlessly.
"Tony! Stop!" she cried squirming underneath him, but laughing at the same time.
"You always lose at this game." He reminded her, laughing.
Tony finally stopped the torture. He slid in between the couch and Michelle and pulled her up against him. Michelle hesitated, clearly searching for any ulterior motive, before conceding to Tony's grasp. She pressed her back snugly against his chest and linked fingers with the hand that was resting gently on her waist. Tony kissed her slightly exposed shoulder.
"See." He whispered in her ear. "This is all I wanted."
Michelle smiled and twisted her body slightly so she could face him. Tony pressed his lips gently against hers.
"I missed you today." He said when he broke the kiss.
Michelle rubbed his cheek gently. "I missed you too. And not only because there's less work to do when you're around…"
"I'm flattered." Tony groaned sarcastically.
Closing her eyes Michelle nestled her mouth into Tony's chest and let out a small sigh. Tony wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her forehead.
"Long day…" he commented. Michelle didn't respond. After a few minutes of blissful silence Tony shifted his weight.
"Hungry?"
"I guess so."
"Come on then." Tony smacked the back of her leg tenderly and sat the both of them up. He stood and made his way back into the kitchen while Michelle sat on the couch, obviously not wanting to be involved in the preparation. Tony would call her in eventually and give her some insignificant task that he knew she wouldn't be able to screw up.
Michelle couldn't help but grin uncontrollably. She loved Tony so much it was almost painful. It was incomprehensible how she fell so hard, so fast. Michelle knew she would never be the stereotypical, perfect girlfriend and that was just fine by her. Love wasn't something she took lightly and she'd resided herself to the fact that maybe she just wasn't cut out for it. Maybe her job would prevent her from ever being able to really have a long term relationship. It always seemed to get in the way. Late nights and cancelled plans didn't cut it when it came to boyfriends. Michelle had essentially concluded that maybe she was just never meant to fall in love with a "soul mate" and spend the rest of her life with them. Friends and family found this concept unbearably melancholic but in truth, Michelle was almost relieved by it. She was happy with her job, happy with her life, and just fine being by herself with the occasional relationship here or there. She got enough drama in everything else and had yet to find someone worthy of adding another layer to it all. Or that was to say, she hadn't found someone…until she started seeing Tony. He had been so untrusting and guarded for the first few weeks. Knowing it was because of Nina, Michelle had been patient; making countless little gestures in an attempt to prove she was trustworthy. And gradually, Tony had come around.
After a few weeks it suddenly had clicked that Michelle really did love him. Michelle had invested so much into their relationship because she couldn't stand the thought of screwing it up. She knew that theirs had never been just a "relationship". The feelings delved far deeper than that.
Saying "I love you" was unthinkable at this point. It was like admitting defeat. Admitting that she'd been wrong when insisting she was just fine on her own. Speaking those three little words were like a declaration of dependence. Michelle wasn't ready to be dependant yet. Or at least, she didn't think she was. It was easy enough to rationalize when she wasn't near Tony. But when he was standing beside her, touching her, kissing her…being dependant seemed like a small price to pay. Some people had drugs. Tony was her drug. It was what gave her enough of a lift to get through the worst day possible. If Michelle couldn't be with him anymore…
Just like clockwork Tony's voice echoed in from the kitchen.
"Get in here Michelle, you can stir the noodles."
Michelle groaned and mused at his pathetic attempt to include her. Tony could've easily done everything himself but no…he would find some reason for her to help. Even if it was merely so he'd have some company while he cooked. It was irritatingly patronizing and yet Michelle couldn't bring herself to be aggravated by this. She'd stir the damn noodles for Tony and cherish the few precious moments when they wouldn't have to talk or think about work.
"Never in a million years would I have thought there was something you couldn't do." Tony stated when she finally entered the kitchen.
Michelle made her way to the stove and stirred the noodles exactly twice before answering.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Tony opened the oven and stuck in a couple of pieces of recently seasoned chicken.
"It means…" he said making his way over to her. "That I can count on you all the time for absolutely everything…except cooking…" he kissed the tip of her nose and Michelle laughed.
"I'm allowed to be brutal at something."
Tony laughed and nodded his agreement.
Michelle propped herself up on the counter, dangling her legs indolently. Tony reached out a hand and played with the ends of her shirt.
"I like that."
"My shirt?"
"Yeah. I don't remember it." his hands gently traced the buttons all the way up to her neck.
"I just picked it up." She explained, and then finished blandly: "It's just a black shirt."
Tony shook his head and played with the collar some more. "Honey nothing is 'just a black shirt' on you." His hand rubbed her neck soothingly.
Michelle blushed. She always did. Her brain worked fast to think up some sort of witty retort.
"Yeah…" she began as Tony turned back to the forgotten noodles. "Jason in IT seemed to be thinking along the same lines..."
The open mouthed expression Tony turned to face her with said it all. Michelle grinned mischievously and tugged gently at the front of his own shirt as she hopped off the counter.
"Where was I?" he asked with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.
"Having your incredibly hard day at District…" she said sarcastically.
Tony's opened his eyes a little wider. He knew what she was doing. It was enormously transparent…but he'd give her this much. He'd let Michelle think she'd gotten to him so she'd continue her playfulness and gentle repartee. Tony was convinced he would never get enough of seeing Michelle this way. Relaxed, joking, and superbly sweet...
"And you…" she continued to tease. "Always lose at this game." She reached out and pulled Tony towards her, kissing his still open mouth.
Wrapping both arms tightly around her waist Tony pulled her in for a deeper kiss. The timer on the oven interrupted them and Michelle groaned as Tony moved to take out their food.
A few minutes later Tony handed Michelle a plate loaded with chicken and pasta. She dove in hungrily without saying another word. They barely looked up from their plates until they were completely empty.
Tony had been contemplating telling Michelle how much he loved her for a while now. Since their second date to be exact. Anyone who knew Tony and Michelle as individuals, and then as a couple, could see why this relationship was so significant for each of them. It was not about being selfish anymore…about working someone else into their lives. That someone else just happened to fit in flawlessly and allow them they independence and freedom they both needed to be happy. In contrast, it just so happened that they chose to be with each other whenever possible; because for once a relationship wasn't strained. They understood each other; they respected each other and their dedication to their jobs because it was the same for both of them. It was the perfect fusing of two personalities into one existence. It just…fit.
"Thanks for dinner." Michelle said as Tony began clearing the plates away. They loaded the dishwasher together and left a few pots soaking in the sink as they made their way back to the den.
"You want a shower?" Tony stopped Michelle before she sat down. She shook her head.
"You can go first."
When Tony had exited the room Michelle began flipping channels with the remote. Nothing was very appealing so she turned off the TV and made her way to the stereo, putting in a favourite CD. She lay back on the couch and let out a deep breath. The music drummed softly in the background and Michelle found it delightfully soothing.
Time passed without Michelle really knowing it. She'd closed her eyes and was starting to doze when Tony returned with his hair still slightly damp decked out in track pants and a baggy old t-shirt. The song changed and Michelle felt Tony approach the couch, hovering over her. When he grabbed her hand Michelle opened her eyes. Tony pulled her off the couch and wrapped both arms around her waist.
"Dance with me." he said softly.
Michelle smiled and placed her arms around his neck. As they swayed gently to the music an overwhelming feeling of emotion overcame Michelle. She couldn't help it any longer.
"I love you." she spat out, immediately regretting it. Her heart sunk when Tony stopped moving. He drew back and eyed her seriously. Michelle was chewing her lip nervously which caused Tony to grin widely.
"I love you too."
Michelle felt the tension leave her body and she smiled back. Tony leaned in and kissed her sweetly which gave Michelle the irrefutable urge to squeeze him even more tightly. Tony lifted her off the ground and Michelle kicked her feet behind her a little, never breaking the embrace.
A few hours later Michelle awoke to the feeling of soft kisses being planted all over her face and chest. She giggled a little and brought Tony's mouth back to hers.
"We have work tomorrow…" She ran her fingers through his hair delicately.
"That's okay…you go back to sleep…" he kept kissing her.
Michelle laughed. "I can't sleep with you doing that!"
Tony's disappointment was apparent. "Alright." He conceded dully before pressing his lips against her collarbone one final time. He pulled Michelle's naked body closer to his own and began running his finger tips up and down her side gently.
"How about like this?"
"Mhm." Michelle responded tiredly. "This I can do."
"Night, sweetheart."
"Night."
"I love you."
Michelle grinned against Tony's chest. It seemed the awkwardness surrounding that simple phrase had already passed. Now any sort of silent lull in conversation that had occurred in the past few hours had been filled with it. Tony had made sure of that. Michelle was relieved she'd received such a positive response. The affect the man lying next to her seemed to have on any sort of self restraint was remarkable. Asking someone out and initiating their first kiss was not something Michelle would've normally been gutsy enough to try (at least not that closely together) …but she'd done it. And now she'd started the "I love yous". She bit back a laugh. If marriage was on the horizon, (which Michelle kept telling herself she shouldn't even be thinking about yet), Tony would have to be the one to propose. She couldn't take everything away from him.
"I love you too honey."
The smile didn't leave her face as she thought back to those few minutes when the words still hung fresh in the air. The kissing had grown serious and somehow they'd made it to the bed without knocking anything over. They'd made love several times before finally falling asleep still entwined in each other. Memories of every touch, caress, and sensation played through both their minds as the pair finally fell asleep.