It had been a non-stop whirlwind the last three days and Tom was more than ready to be home. It was late, Agnes would be asleep already, and there was a good chance that Liz would be as well. All he wanted at that point was to go in, throw his bags down, hop through the shower, and climb into bed next to his wife. It was a reminder that not everything in his life was drenched in chaos. They had worked very hard to make sure their home was their safe haven even if their jobs could push them to their limits.
He slipped the key into the lock and frowned at the bits of blood and dirt still marking the skin over his knuckles, showing the traces of the fight he'd been in just before the op wrapped up. A shower was definitely needed.
Tom was surprised to find the lights on when he opened the door. He blinked hard, letting his eyes adjust, and as he stepped a little further in he saw his wife bent over, either pushing or pulling the coffee table, but he couldn't quite tell which. "Are we redecorating?" he asked and Liz looked up as if she hadn't even heard him come in.
"Hey," she greeted, straightening. "I'm trying to put it all back. Agnes was determined she needed a fort after dinner and before bed."
"She didn't want to keep it up?" Tom asked as he shrugged the bag he was carrying off his shoulder and started toeing off his boots. He glanced over when he heard the very soft sound of music from the phone Liz had set in the counter. It was quiet enough not to wake their daughter, but as he moved further into the livingroom the song became clearer.
"Apparently Mommy's forts are not as good as Daddy's," his wife huffed and Tom broke into a grin.
"Well, I took a couple days off since I ran two out-of-town ops back to back, so what do you say I have dinner cooked by the time you get home from work tomorrow and Agnes and I can teach you how to build a fort her way?"
Liz cracked a smile at that. "Only if you help me move this stuff back tonight."
Tom's smile didn't fade as he stood on the outer edge of the room, his eyes gaze on her. She was beautiful, with her dark hair pulled back, loose strands framing her face, and dressed in sleeping shorts and one of his old t-shirts as if this was the last thing on her agenda that night before bed. This woman that he loved, this woman that could take on the world and chase away their daughter's nightmares with just a few words of comfort, was more beautiful than he came close to deserving. Kinder, better, and more amazing than she would ever give herself credit as to being.
He didn't realize she had noticed him staring until she spoke. "You okay over there?"
Somehow his smile grew and he padded across the space between them and reached for her hand, pulling her gently into the middle of the now-empty room. She followed, but her expression was curious and and a little amused with a teasing tone to her voice when she spoke. "What?"
"I've missed you," he murmured, pulling her close and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "You know that you and I haven't actually danced since our first wedding?"
Liz snorted a laugh as she wrapped her arms around his middle and his went around her shoulders. "You're such a dork. Smooth, but a dork."
He chuckled as she leaned into him, both swaying ever so slightly to the music playing on the phone. He could feel her fingers toying with the back of his jacket that he had yet to pull off and she gave a short laugh with her cheek pressed against his chest. "How was the trip?"
A low groan escaped him. "Can we talk about anything but work?"
"You got paired with Solomon, didn't you?"
"I hate him so much," Tom grumbled by way of affirming the question. "Anything else? Please?"
His wife laughed softly at him and he felt himself relax in her arms, the music soft and steady as they moved together easily. It was still strange, sometimes, when he realized how little his work meant next to what he had to come home to. It was a welcomed change from his life before her.
"You're better at this than I remember."
"I was really nervous at our wedding."
"Really?"
He hummed a soft affirmation. "Yeah. I spent most of it waiting for a sniper shot to take me out. Reddington was not happy about the whole thing."
"Not much has changed," Liz murmured lightly. "You'd already switched sides, hadn't you?"
"I had, but that wouldn't have stopped him from shooting me at the altar before we said I do."
"Well, I'm glad he didn't."
Tom grinned and leaned down. She met him in the kiss and he could feel her smiling against his lips. Liz readjusted her grip on him, her arms moving around his neck and he sank deeper into the kiss, feeling the desperation of just how much he'd missed her washing over them both.
"Agnes is asleep," she murmured suggestively.
"Yeah?" he chuckled, kissing her again. He felt her arms tighten around him as he picked her up and moved in towards their room. She pulled him down with her onto the bed once they were close enough and he felt her hands working expertly at his jacket and then his shirt. She tossed them both aside and then stopped, her gaze catching his and they were both a little out of breath. When she moved again her touch was gentle against his face and he felt a smile take hold as she pressed another kiss to his lips, holding him there as her fingers found his against the sheets of their bed. "Careful, Mrs Keen, or I'll think you missed me," he murmured as his finger traced her jawline.
"You may be right," she answered breathlessly and he found himself on his back, Liz's touch everything he needed to push aside anything and everything else. She made things simple, even in the complicated world they lived in. He loved her. She was his peace and he was hers. Amidst the danger and the job, they had each other, and it was their own odd little version of normal.
Notes: I've been doing a lot of future fics lately, I feel like, but that may be because I'm absurdly excited for the new season to start. This little bit spun off from a song that I heard called Out of the Woods (not sure who originally sang it, but the version I heard was by Tyler Ward), and there was this lovely bit that goes We were built to fall apart/ and fall back together/ Your necklace hanging from my neck/ The night we couldn't quite forget/ And we decided/ to move the furniture so we could dance / Baby like we still have a chance/ two paper airplanes flying
The lyrics just screamed Keen2 and then this little scene happened lol
This may be the last story I post for a bit because I am (I hope) going on a two week vacation starting Friday and while I'll have access to my computer, it'll be spotty. I did start poking at another future fic that centers around what would happen if Gina, trying to run St Regis, was failing terribly and Tom gets pulled into the increasingly dangerous situation. Lots of good Team Keen moments so far. If you're on Tumblr, I posted a bit of the first scene today for fun. I probably won't start posting that until I get back, though, because I don't want to have a two week gap in there.
Hope you guys enjoyed this little piece of uber fluff. I know I did :D
