step by step

An NCIS fic collection

by mew-tsubaki

- ^-^3

imagine: whump 1—headaches (this post on the sideblog: 689440658353799168/ parknight-imagines-whump-1-headaches)

tags: established!Parknight, light whump

- ^-^3

It's business as usual, Knight thinks. A body turns up twenty miles away, local LEOs are fighting them over jurisdiction the whole way, the MCRT will work to solve this murder mystery no matter how it unravels or who tries to insert themselves into the investigation. They've been here before. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But at least the team's back together again.

That thought crops up a lot for Knight these days, ever since they got Parker back and put that Raven business to bed. Usually, the thought intrudes, whether it's convenient or not, and her eyes flicker over to Parker—at his desk, beside her in the car, to wherever he stands out in the field. There's a subconscious part of her that needs to be reassured that, yeah, he's here. He's back. That nastiness is behind them.

…well, that particular nastiness. It doesn't help that their current case drags on, threatening to push into everyone's weekend plans. And it shows: McGee hasn't cracked a smile in two days, Torres hasn't cracked a joke just the same, and even Knight herself has been snacking on her lower lip with it practically caught between her teeth nearly the whole week. And Parker? He doesn't even ask the others for aspirin anymore; he keeps a bottle beside his keyboard now.

Thankfully, the team nabs their perp early Saturday evening with a little too much gunfire and without much paperwork. They make it back to NCIS safe and sound, Vance ushers his agents home to salvage what precious little remains of their weekend, and Knight heads out last with Parker, who dawdles in the bullpen with one hand rubbing his brow and the other resting on that bottle of aspirin.

She nudges his shoulder, coaxes him to meet her eyes. Knight offers him her soft smile, the one that assures him, "Hey, the headaches are behind us now, Parker."

He holds her gaze for an extra beat (he's done that a lot these last several weeks as they make up for lost time). Then Parker nods, and they leave in her car for his place for some well-deserved rest.

But sleep…or sleeping in close to noon…is for the dead, and Parker grumbles under his breath late Sunday morning when his phone won't stop blowing up with calls and various messages. So, with a kiss pressed to Knight's shoulder, he rolls over to face the world.

The next second, they're both up and wide awake, catching up on every last desperate call and text from Parker's sister and brothers, because of course Roman went wandering without a word to his children and without his phone today of all days.

Knight checks her phone; even she has a few missed calls from the eldest Parker child, his sister, since Knight kept an eye on Roman while Parker was on the lam. It's no secret that Knight and Roman grew close, although she wonders what she's to make of being included in this Parker family crisis.

But back to the matter at hand— Knight leans in to Parker, hard, until he drags his attention from his phone. She runs a hand through his hair, smiles even as he frowns. She wants to tell him not to worry, to remind him just how fiery and capable Roman is—

Parker's phone rings. His brother grouses that Roman's fine, was out to the café up the street, and they can even hear Roman huffing about everyone's overbearing attitudes in the background before the line cuts out.

The past exciting twenty minutes abruptly halt with the silence in Parker's apartment. Parker's back to rubbing his brow even though his stressors have vanished, but Knight encourages him to eat something and hydrate before that tension turns real…

…and yet some things can't be avoided. He gets some food down, but that's to cushion the aspirin that follow. The pinched brow, the eyes shut tight, the pale sheen to his face—

Stress manages to trigger a severe headache for Parker, as it's done a few times before.

He grimaces and encourages Knight to go home, that he's not good company right now. Neither of them states there's nothing she can do to help, nor is he able to bring himself to say he doesn't want her around at the moment (he's not a great liar, least of all when he looks Knight in the eye). But he does retreat to the quiet darkness of his bedroom, and Knight has free reign of the rest of the place but relegates herself to the bright warmth of the greenhouse.

She checks on Parker a few times, but the hours of the day tick away as his headache (migraine?) exacts its toll. The day fades to evening and Knight drowses while thumbing through one of his horticultural books. But she snaps to attention when Parker emerges from his hideaway and finally shuffles out to join her.

They're in the process of missing Sunday Family Game Night…which is probably a good thing, considering today's events, Knight muses as Parker joins her on his armchair.

But it's a relief to touch him again, to be close to him again (because of headaches, yes, but especially after all that time apart this summer).

- ^-^3

Musing on the stress the team bears…but the introduction of Parker's dad was just—I love Roman so much and look forward to writing him and Parker family hcs more. XD (I deffo have more ideas, so get ready for more Roman antics! ;D Poor Alden… Deffo needs his Jess to comfort him, *lol*.)

-mew! :')