Author's note: I do not own NCIS:LA or its characters
These were going to be three separate stories but I combined them. Hope you enjoy!
"Are you okay?" Rountree asked, putting his hand on her arm.
"I'm good. Let's go," she said.
"Hey." Rountree gently tugged her arm, pulling her back to him.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"You owe me a Danger Bar. And dinner," he murmured in her ear. Fatima winked and led him inside. Rountree was trying to focus on his job, nut he couldn't think past the last thirty minutes. He wanted to rip the so-called cyborg's antennae out of his head and shove it where the sun didn't shine. He clenched his fist and tried to breathe.
As they were heading out of ops for the day, Rountree pulled Fatima aside.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked.
"Yes. I promise," she said softly.
"You scared me," he murmured. Fatima blushed and moved closer to him.
"Sorry," she purred. Rountree pulled her against him.
"Now I know it's not my place to tell you how to dress, but-" he started.
"So why are you?" she asked, leaning against the wall. Rountree bit his lip.
"Right," he muttered. He backed up and put his hands in the air in hopes she would feel more comfortable.
"I'm teasing. What?" she asked.
"Your outfit to that lab looks pretty damn good on you," he said softly. Fatima blushed and grinned.
"They're not mine," she said softly. "Not the shirt, at least."
"That's okay. You know, you do look absolutely stunning in everything," he said softly. Fatima blushed.
"If you're trying to say something else just say it," she said softly. Rountree smiled and gently pushed her against the wall.
"The moment you feel uncomfortable, we stop. You just have to tell me," he murmured. Fatima nodded, so he put one hand on her left shoulder and the other on her right hip. He leaned in and his lips found hers effortlessly. He kissed her over and over again until they heard the door open. They immediately separated and tried to make their actions look innocent, but it was too late. Deeks flashed them a smile and walked past them.
"Mulberry's then your place?" Fatima asked. Rountree grinned and took her hand in his. He walked her to the passenger side and opened the door for her, but before she got in she hugged him again.
"I was scared," she said softly.
"What? What scared you?" he asked, running his hand up and down her arm.
"When he told me to take off my hijab," she said quietly. Rountree softened and gently squeezed her hand.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"It's like, even though in my head I knew I could handle it, there was something in me that just got so scared. It was like how I felt the first time I wore it in public and..." Her voice trailed off and she closed her eyes. "And this little girl pointed at me and asked why I was wearing it. I got so scared, her mom just gave me weird vibes. I didn't even think, I just left my cart in the middle of the aisle and I went to cry in the bathroom and as much as I hate to admit it now, I, um-"
Rountree interrupted her by gently tracing her cheek. "You are strong. You are amazing, and it doesn't matter what anyone else says because I love you," he said softly. Fatima's cheeks turned bright red and she smiled softly.
"You're sweet. I love you too," she murmured. "I took it off and I shoved it in my purse. I left, got another cart and did the whole thing over again. And it hurts so much thinking back, remembering how weak I was-"
"Not weak. Adjusting. Learning to be the tough, amazing, strong woman I get the privilege of working with every single day and that I've come to admire and look up to," he said softly. Fatima smiled and climbed into the car.
"You're not too shabby yourself," she said sweetly. Rountree scoffed and pretended to be offended, but he closed the door and got in on the driver side.
"You still want Mulberry's?" he asked.
"Sure. Unless you want something else," she said, buckling her seat belt.
"Nah. Pizza's good," he said, pulling out of his parking spot.
They had a quick dinner and Fatima paid, then they headed back towards Rountree's apartment.
"Is that one of those escape rooms?" she asked.
"Yeah. They're still open if you want to go," he offered. Fatima grinned and nodded, bouncing in her seat a little.
When they pulled into the parking space, Fatima was out of the car in seconds and she was running for the door. Rountree laughed and opened the back door and grabbed her purse. He took it to her and she took it sheepishly.
"Sorry," she said softly.
"No biggie. Put it in one of those lockers and I'll get us checked in," he said. Fatima nodded and popped a quarter into the little machine, then went over to Rountree. She was bouncing on her toes with excitement. She was immediately poking around the room while Rountree watched and laughed with amusement. "You're cute," he said softly. Fatima blushed. She had a strong urge to push Rountree onto the bed and kiss him, but she was pretty sure the escape room operators would frown upon it. She finally found what appeared to be a key.
Forty-nine minutes later, they got the door unlocked and came out. Fatima was bouncing up and down, and hugged Rountree in excitement. He laughed and hugged her back. It started as a happy moment, but the feeling of Devin's strong arms around her made her feel so safe and content. She hugged him tight and smiled.
"You scared me when he said you're a fed," he whispered.
"He scared me too. But Tree, I really just want to have a happy night if that's okay," she whispered. Rountree kissed her lips.
"That's absolutely okay, pretty girl. Hey, I have a question," he murmured.
"What's up?" she asked. Rountree took a deep breath and traced her cheek.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked in Farsi. Fatima blushed and grinned. She giggled a little and looked him in the eye.
"Absolutely I will," she replied in the same language. Rountree stared blankly. "Yes," she said in English. Rountree grinned and pulled her against him. "You forgot to learn yes and no, didn't you?" she murmured. Rountree blushed.
"Maybe," he said sheepishly. Fatima laughed out loud as they walked to his car.
"Let's do something to celebrate," she said as they pulled up to a red light.
"Like what?
'Let's jump in the pool fully clothed," she said.
"You do that anyway," he teased. When he saw the look on her face, he immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, that is so not how I meant it," he said nervously.
"It's fine," she said quietly.
"Obviously it's not or you'd be smiling," he said softly. "Baby girl, I'm truly so sorry. You know I love you and you know I don't have a problem with your modesty," he whispered. Fatima nodded.
"I know. It's fine. Promise," she said softly. Once they got to his apartment, he took her hand and lead her to the pool.
"Phone and all other electronics in your bag," he reminded her. Fatima tucked her phone into her bag, pulled her socks and shoes off, then jumped into the pool. Rountree was right behind her. They splashed each other for a while, but quickly got very cold. They jumped out and ran to his apartment, then dropped their bags and shoes by the door and ran for the shower. They didn't take their clothes off, but turned the water temperature up until the room was steamy. Fatima hugged Devin and smiled.
"You forgot to learn yes and no," she teased.
"That's mean," he whined. "I was trying really hard to make it special for you," he whispered.
"It was so special. Doesn't mean you didn't give me the perfect opportunity to tease you."
Once they were warmed up, they jumped out. They then realized that they had a bit of an issue to solve. Either one of them could run across the apartment to the bathroom in Devin's bedroom, or they could strip in front of each other. Fatima was starting to get nervous.
"You go behind the curtain and I'll get you towels. Stay behind the curtain and I'll bring you some clothes from your drawer," he said.
"What about you?" she asked.
"Once you get behind the curtain, I'm gonna strip down and use a towel to cover the important bits. You don't need to see that," he murmured. Fatima nodded and got behind the shower curtain. She peeled her wet clothes off and wrapped the towel around her body. Rountree came back with a basket of clothes for her, and left his wet clothes in the sink. Fatima got dressed, brushed and dried her hair, then came outside. She was wearing her favorite gray sweatpants and Rountree's black shirt over a reddish purple long sleeve shirt and a dark blue hijab. She met him on the couch and sat down.
"Come kiss me," she said, pulling him against her by his baby blue shirt.