Author's note: I do not own NCIS:LA or its characters
Devin groaned and looked at his watch. He'd been trying to figure out how to ask Fatima out for a few weeks now, and he was getting antsy. He knew she would be going on vacation the next day, so he figured he should ask now, so if it went bad, they had a whole week apart.
"Hey, um, Deeks, can I get some advice?" he asked after a few awkwardly silent minutes in the car.
"Of course, man. What can I do for you?" Deeks asked. Rountree hesitated.
"Let's say I really like someone that I'm close with. How do I try to be more than friends without ruining everything?" he asked. Deeks grinned and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
"Ahh. Dating advice. That I can do for you. I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about," he replied. Devin's eyes widened and he looked over.
"Please don't say anything?" he begged.
"I won't, man. Breathe. It's not my place to say something to her," Deeks reassured him. Devin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "You're thinking you want to talk to her today?" he asked.
"Yeah. She has vacation tomorrow, so I figured it would be good to have a week away from each other if it goes bad," Devin replied. Deeks nodded.
"Okay. Ask her to dinner tonight. But, be honest with her. Don't hide your true intentions, ever. That's how you lose her trust, and that's the last thing you want. I promise, she'll appreciate you showing your true intentions. Plus, you won't accidentally trick her into something she's not okay with," Deeks said gently. Devin nodded.
"I think I can do that," Devin said softly.
"You don't have to make it a big show, especially since you have no idea if she'll say yes. Just go up and talk to her. If she says yes, get some flowers on your way to pick her up. Nothing especially fancy, just something small and simple. And one thing Kens taught me is, if she asks where you're going, tell her the truth. Don't tell her it's a surprise, she might get uncomfortable. Okay?" he said gently. Devin smiled.
"I can do this," he responded.
Devin walked over to the stairs and looked at the desks. He'd just spent thirty minutes in the locker room, changing into a nicer shirt and jeans, giving his hair a quick comb, and using a splash of cologne. He took a deep breath and walked over to where Fatima was packing her things up.
"You're looking rather fancy, Mister Rountree, you got a hot date or something?" Fatima teased gently. Devin blushed.
"I, um, I really hope so," he said softly. Fatima looked up at him, confused. "Fatima, um, would you maybe want to go get dinner with me? As a date?" he asked shyly. Fatima's eyes widened. She felt the blush creeping up on her cheeks and she grinned.
"That sounds pretty damn awesome," she replied. Devin grinned. He wanted to jump up and down and squeal like a little boy, then twirl her around the room and kiss her in front of everyone, but he resisted and instead, he gently took her hand in his and smiled. "Where are we going?" she asked as they walked out, hand in hand. Devin smiled softly.
"I was thinking I'd take you to one of those normal places without apostrophes in the name, where you just show up and get a good plate of food," he teased gently. Fatima blushed and grinned.
"That sounds perfect, but I'd really like to know exactly how good I need to look," she replied.
"Fatima, you always look like a supermodel. I mean it. But, I was thinking I'd take you to Nobu?" he offered. Fatima immediately felt sick to her stomach. "Woah, you okay? You don't look so good all the sudden. Hey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't really like sushi that much. It makes me feel weird," she said quietly. "We can still go, if you want. I'll be okay," she said, panicking.
"Absolutely not. We will find something you like, okay?" he said gently. "Hey, hey. Did you really think I'd make you eat something you don't like on our first date? Come on, sweetie." Fatima felt immediately reassured and she smiled.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Of course. How about something like Cheesecake Factory? It's simple, but nice enough so that I don't feel bad taking you there as a first date. And, there's plenty for you to choose from," he said gently. Fatima grinned.
"That sounds perfect. Thank you," she whispered. Devin leaned in just a little. Fatima backed up, nearly stepping directly in front of a car.
"No!" he cried out, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her out of the way. Fatima got up and took several steps back as she processed what had just happened. "Fatima, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but a car was coming, I didn't-" he rambled.
"It's okay. I'm not ready to kiss you yet, okay? But, thank you, Devin. You saved me," she said softly.
"Of course. And, I'm so sorry," he said gently.
"You're forgiven," she whispered. Devin smiled and slowly tangled their fingers together and walked her to her car.
"I'll pick you up from your place in an hour and a half, alright?" he asked softly. Fatima grinned and nodded. "Text me when you get in your apartment safe, okay?" he said, putting his hand on the door.
"I always do," she replied, She buckled her seatbelt, then reached over to close the door. Their fingers touched for a moment, then Devin closed the door and moved out of the way. Fatima squealed once the door was closed, and she smiled the whole drive home. She shot him a quick text saying that she was home, then quickly ditched her clothes and hopped in the shower. Once she was out, she wrapped a towel around herself and went to her closet. She looked through her clothes, hoping something would jump out at her. She looked at her phone to see that she only had about forty-five minutes until he was there to pick her up, and he was usually early. "Shit," she muttered as she pulled out a thin black turtleneck shirt with three-quarter sleeves out of the closet and tossed it to the bed. She found a pair of dark blue jeans and smiled as she set them neatly on her bed. She then realized that she needed a longer-sleeved jacket to go over her shirt. She found a cream colored one in the back and smiled. "Perfect," she said to herself. She quickly dressed herself and looked in the mirror. She decided she needed three more things: a hijab, shoes, and some jewelry. She opened her hijab drawer and looked through the many scarves. She decided on a blue one with tiny purple butterflies all over it. She wrestled with the material for a few moments, until she had it styled neatly. She decided to let the extra material fall over her shoulder instead of wrapping it. Then, she pulled out a pair of black and red socks, and pulled them on. She picked out her favorite black boots that went halfway to her knee, then smiled at her reaction. She had a brief moment of panic, wondering if she was overdoing her outfit. She knew she'd be embarrassed if Devin showed up wearing jeans and a regular tee shirt. She found a pair of hoop earrings and slid them in, wincing at the pain since it had been a while since she'd worn any. "You look good," she purred to herself in the mirror. She turned a bit to examine other angles, then realized she'd forgotten to put on makeup. She groaned as she put some moisturizer on her face, then she darted out of the room and started picking up as much clutter as she could fit in her arms. She tossed it onto her bed, then ran back and put the dishes in the sink. She hated how little she'd cared to clean recently. She checked her phone again, and cursed when she realized she only had twenty minutes to be ready, probably less since Devin was always early. She groaned and tried to tidy up a bit more. She ran back into the bathroom and begun applying her makeup. She heard a knock at the door and slammed her hand against the counter. "I'm almost ready, hang on," she called out. She finished up, then sprayed a small amount of perfume on herself. She hurried to the door and opened it to see a woman standing at the door.
Meanwhile, Devin jumped in the shower and rinsed off the day, then dug through his closet to look for decent clothes. He eventually decided on a black button-down shirt and dark jeans. He combed his hair and gave himself a quick shave. He grinned and made sure he was happy with how he looked. He put on a pair of dress shoes, then walked out. He drove to the closest grocery store and picked up a bouquet of red roses. He smiled as he paid, then checked his watch. He had promised to be at Fatima's place in half an hour, so he got in his car and drove to Fatima's place. He pulled into the parking lot next to her car and got out. He made his way up to her door and frowned. There was a woman standing outside, knocking incessantly.
"Hey, can I help you?" he asked. The woman turned around and huffed.
"She promised to babysit my angel! She slammed the door in my face!" the woman whined.
"It took you long enough to answer the door," she replied snottily. Fatima was surprised by the attitude but didn't let it bother her.
"Um. I'm sorry, I was in the middle of something. How can I help you?" she replied. The woman rolled her eyes.
"Why are you dressed so nice?" she asked. Fatima raised an eyebrow.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I have a date," she replied.
"Well, you'll have to cancel. I need you to watch my son," the woman said snottily.
"Excuse you? I'm not canceling anything. I'm sorry, but I can't watch your kid tonight," she said. Fatima was stunned by the audacity of this woman.
"Well, take him with you. I need some me time," the woman said. Fatima raised an eyebrow again.
"Why would I do that?" she asked. "Look, ma'am, I need to finish getting ready. My date will be here any minute," she replied. She closed the door and locked it, then went back to her bedroom. She could hear the incessant knocking of the woman as she picked up a thick black belt with a silver buckle shaped like a heart, then slipped it around her waist. She grabbed her black purse and did a final review of her look. Just then, her phone dinged with a text. It was Devin, and read, "Hey, I'm here. There's a woman knocking at your door that says you promised to babysit her kid. Do you need to reschedule tonight?" Fatima groaned and flicked the light off. She went to the door. "I don't need to reschedule. I never promised anything," she said. The woman gasped.
"How dare you?!" she screamed. She looked around and grabbed the first thing she saw, which turned out to be the bouquet of roses Devin was holding for her. The woman threw them on the floor and stomped on them. Fatima and Rountree were in shock. "Good luck with your date, honey, nobody will ever stick around with you if you keep that thing on your head," she snarled at Fatima. Fatima felt tears forming in her eyes as Devin grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her away. Fatima locked her door quickly and followed him away, with the woman screaming and following them the whole time. Devin got Fatima into his car safely, then turned around to face the woman.
"You will never say that to her or anyone else ever again, do you understand me? You're lucky I'm not arresting you for harassment right now," he snarled, showing his badge. The woman paled and ran away. Devin groaned and got into the driver's seat. He could see Fatima was trying not to cry, so he reached over and put a hand on her knee. "Hey," he said gently. Fatima wiped her eyes, then sniffled and straightened her posture.
"I'm okay," she said. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's go have fun," she said softly. Devin nodded. He could tell that she was still trying not to cry, so he reached over and gently caressed her shoulder.
"You're okay. Just ignore that bitch, and if it ever happens again, tell me and we'll go to the cops," he said gently. Fatima nodded.
"Thank you, Devin," she said gently. Devin smiled.
"Of course. Tell you what, we'll pick up some more flowers for you on the way home, alright? And, I didn't get to tell you earlier, but you look absolutely stunning," he said softly. Fatima smiled softly.
"You look pretty damn good yourself," she said softly. "And, thank you. For everything," she whispered. Devin smiled.
"Of course. Hey, it's okay now," he said gently. Fatima nodded a little. "You ready to go?" he asked. Fatima nodded a little. Devin pulled out and drove them to the Cheesecake Factory. They got inside and saw that there was a line of people outside. Fatima felt deflated when she saw just how long the line was. "Hey, don't worry. I got us reservations. Only the best for my girl," he said sweetly. Fatima felt butterflies in her stomach and she bounced on her toes a little, grinning like an idiot. Devin smiled softly. He loved seeing Fatima happy. He tangled their fingers together and led her inside.
"I, um, I get really happy like this. Sorry," she said softly. Devin turned to face her.
"Hey. Don't be sorry, it's adorable. You're so cute, especially when you're happy. And I love your smile so much," he whispered. Fatima grinned even wider and blushed, feeling the butterflies all over again. She bounced on her toes a little, and he put an arm around her as they walked to their table. There was a small fake candle on the table, flickering softly. Devin pulled out her chair for her, and Fatima grinned and sat down, setting her purse next to her. Devin sat down across from her and smiled softly. They looked over the menus for a bit. Devin smiled at her and reached across the table. He gently put his hand on hers and smiled, taking it in his. He grinned at her and took it in his, then ran his thumb over the top of her hand. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly.
"I was thinking the five cheese pasta with a side salad, um, if that's okay?" she asked.
"Fatima, you don't need my approval to eat anything. You understand? I have no interest in controlling you," he said firmly. Fatima grinned.
"Thank you," she whispered. "What were you thinking?" Devin paused for a moment.
"How severe is your avocado allergy? Would it be okay if I had an avocado burger across from you? Be honest, okay?" he asked softly. Fatima hesitated.
"I don't know. It was always understood that, like, nobody at the table orders something with avocado. So, I never found out," she said quietly. "I'm sorry," she said shyly.
"Don't be. It's not the end of the world. There's plenty of other good things on this menu, Fatima. I'm not about to risk your health and safety for a burger. You're too special for that," he said gently. Fatima smiled and took a small sip of her ice water. The butterflies were making their way back as his hand found its way to hers. He stared into her dark brown eyes and smiled. "Do you have any clue just how insanely beautiful you are?" he asked. Fatima grinned even wider and the butterflies seemed to be getting stronger.
"You're pretty good looking yourself," she replied sweetly.
"Mm-hmm. I get the feeling that you're nervous," he said softly.
"Honestly, I was insanely nervous at first. I wanted to make sure I looked perfect, acted perfect, everything. But, honestly, I think the fact that it's you was like, insanely calming. I mean, we've been friends for years, and yeah, I want this to go perfectly, but at the same time, I haven't used my fork to check my lipstick because I know it's not that big of a deal with you. I know that with you, it's okay if I have a little lipstick on my teeth, or if I drop a little food on the table, because I trust you," she said softly.
"You can absolutely trust me," he whispered. Fatima smiled softly.
"Remember when we stole that Oregon Trail game from Deeks and played in ops until almost midnight?" she asked softly. Devin laughed out loud.
"And then we were trying to sneak out but your leg was asleep and you could barely walk," he added, laughing. Fatima grinned.
"And we got to the stairs and I joked that you would have to carry me," she said, giggling a little at the memory.
"And even though you were joking I did anyway," he said softly. "Because even though we were just being silly, you needed my help, and I wasn't going to let you down," he said softly.
"Except that you literally took me down. Also, I'm pretty sure I peed my pants a little when you did that," she admitted sheepishly. Devin laughed.
"I took you through a drive through and we picked up burgers and watched movies at my place afterwards," he said softly. "And that was the night I fell for my partner," he said softly. Fatima blushed and smiled.
"That was an amazing night. We were so tired in the morning, and we showed up to work wearing the same clothes as the night before and everyone thought we'd slept together," she said softly. "Hey, um, just, for the record, I'm not there yet," she said softly.
"What do you mean?" Devin asked.
"I'm not ready for us to sleep together. I might be one day, maybe soon, but not today," she said softly.
"Hey. No. I don't do that on first dates, no matter how close we are. I've never even tried to kiss anyone but you on the first date," he said gently. Fatima smiled softly. Once they finished eating, Devin pulled out his wallet.
"What are you doing?" she asked when he put his card in the little folder.
"Paying," he replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I thought we were gonna split it," she replied, pulling her wallet out of her purse.
"Nope. I asked, I'll pay. I mean it," he said gently.
"It feels wrong. Let me at least cover what I ordered," she said softly. "I don't like using dates to get free food." Devin frowned.
"You didn't. I asked you out. You said yes. I paid. No problems," he said gently. "Fatima. Relax. Let me treat my girl," he said gently. Fatima nodded a little and hesitated.
"Wait. You don't expect me to sleep with you since you paid, right? I've seen it happen, I-" she blurted out.
"Hey. Absolutely not, Fatima Namazi. I have no intentions of using dinner as an excuse to pressure you to sleep with me. To be completely truthful, I'm not ready for that. I will be one day, but not today," he reassured her. Fatima nodded a little. "How about we take some cheesecake back to your place and put on a movie?" he asked. Fatima smiled.
"Sounds good. Just to clarify, nothing sexual?" she responded. Devin reached over and took her hand in his.
"Nothing sexual. I promise. And, I promise I will always be honest about my intentions. If I want to take you back to my place and have sex with you, I'll tell you straight up. That way, you can give me an informed yes or no. I promise that's how it will always be. No underlying intentions, baby girl. So, how about taking some cheesecake back to your place? We can cuddle on the couch with some movies, and afterwards, I can either spend the night on your couch, or I can go home." He looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Okay. Cheesecake and a movie, my place. Nothing sexual, and you leave afterwards," she decided. Devin nodded.
Soon, they were curled up on her couch together.
"You know, this is the first time I've felt safe bringing my date back to my place," she said softly. Devin grinned.
"I'm glad you feel safe with me, sweetheart," he said softly. Once the movie ended, Fatima stood up. "I know, I know. Time for me to get out. Okay if I use your bathroom first?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied sleepily. She picked up the to-go box and took it to the kitchen. She dumped it in the trash can, then looked at the pile of dishes in her sink. She groaned and stretched, deciding it was a problem for a different day. Devin came out of the bathroom and smiled softly.
"Can I have a hug?" he asked. Fatima smiled softly. She walked him outside and smiled softly.
"I had fun tonight," she whispered. "And I'd really like a second date, Mr. Rountree." Devin laughed and took her hand in his.
"How about this Friday?" he murmured in her ear. Fatima grinned and wrapped her arms around him.
"That sounds perfect. This should last you until then," she whispered. She put one hand on his face and pulled him down a little. She brought her lips to his and kissed him softly and sweetly. Devin felt like his brain had short-circuited. He was kissing Fatima?!
"I can't wait," he murmured when they pulled apart. Fatima smiled softly.
"Text me when you get home safe," she said gently.
"I always do," he replied as he got in his car. He started it, but didn't pull away until he saw that Fatima was safely inside her apartment.