step by step

An NCIS fic collection

by mew-tsubaki

Note for all chapters: The NCIS characters belong to Donald P. Bellasario, not to me. This is a drabble/ficlet collection, as I wanted to crosspost from the parknights tumblr at the very least some of the imagines I've been creating, so that my FFN- and AO3-only audiences can enjoy some of that lovely Parknight content! (If any non-imagines such as asks or other relevant fic material comes up, I'll stuff that in here, too, dw.) -w- Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

imagine: miscellany 1—s19e20 (this post on the sideblog: 685002377278930944/ parknight-imagines-miscellany-1-s19e20)

tags: spoilers, s19e20, pre-Parknight, mutual pining

- ^-^3

side A (Knight)

It's been a long case.

Knight's a mix of emotions from the past twenty-four hours. Some of them good, a lot of them not. Some things she can blame on villains; some things she pins on herself. And, along with cycling through these assorted emotions, she reviews the past twenty-four hours in her head.

There's her irritation with McGee and Torres, teasing her over the wedding photos, insisting on reading between nonexistent lines on her and Jimmy.

There's her upset with herself, for delaying the inevitable and dragging her feet all this time in letting down Jimmy, in trying to find the kindest way to cool him off.

There are her nerves, wound tight while she and Jimmy were being chased and only relaxing now that the day's behind her.

And then…there are the myriad things Parker's made her feel, just during this case alone.

Relief, each time he was a distraction.

Gratitude, when he interrupted Jimmy asking her out at the crime scene, of all places.

And…that usual something unnameable when she catches Parker's eye or he catches hers, because they long ago fell into this little dance of watching out for, watching over the other. And, when he asked after her at the end of the case this evening, she nearly joined him and the others.

And only because Parker was the one to ask.

But Knight turns him down simply because she has to clear the air with Jimmy.

(And, she wonders…bets…there will be other opportunities with Parker.)

side B (Parker)

It's been a long case.

But he's got a sense for her now. Parker has a decent sense for each member of his team, but Knight fascinates him a little more than the others, and Parker and Knight spend a lot of time together in the field. So, really, his Knight sense is best.

That's why the past twenty-four hours have put Parker through the wringer. At the start of the case, it was curious, seeing the normally easygoing Knight angry, irritated, uncomfortable. And it's hard, watching Knight deal with high school behavior from McGee and Torres on her own as they tease her over Jimmy's obvious puppy crush.

That's why Parker decides to keep the team and their medical examiner on track with the case as best he can. …because…that's as far as it concerns him, right?

But that's what trips him up. Because the panic he experiences, knowing Knight goes missing…well, of course, Jimmy, too…but for hours on end, unreachable, with killers after them—

Parker's inner turmoil at the end of this case has him rethinking just how much he concerns himself with Knight.

(It's one thing to watch out for, to watch over each other.

It's one thing to start to open up to her…

…but that's all, right?)

With his thoughts a mess and his panic subsided, now that she (and Jimmy) are back safe and sound, Parker doesn't consider how long his eyes rove over Knight at her desk. And he doesn't think before he asks her to join him (them) in heading home.

She hesitates, mulling it over. But then she smiles and turns him down and misses the way Parker's eyes rest on her for an extra two heartbeats.

(And he heads home, but he muses, wondering when he can next have an opportunity with Knight.)

- ^-^3

Another fic collection! Since I've indulged previous fandoms (Haikyuu!, Kuroko no Basuke) on tumblr and brought those fics to FFN and to AO3, I thought I'd be remiss if I left my Parknight things solely on my parknights sideblog, so here we are! XD Expect a variety of prompts/genres with all the Parknight feels you've come to expect from me. I only ask that you drop a review when you read, pls and ty! (And feel free to submit your own imagines on the parknights blog or offer me prompts there via ask, if there's smthg you crave~ ;3)

-mew-tsubaki :D