#okay to tag with fntr c:

[le-amewzing]

Feral

More than a decade of being an LA fan, and that big xover event finally convinces me to write LA fic. ;P *Note: This is set after s14e10, "A Long Time Coming."

Fic: "Feral" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: Devin Rountree & Fatima Namazi (platonic but okay to tag as Fountree!), Marty Deeks/Kensi Blye

Rating: K+

Words: ~2,330

Additional info: friendship, hurt/comfort, light angst?, fluff, 3rd person POV

Summary: Rountree saw a different kind of action as a result of the Williams investigation. But now it's time to put the case behind him and recuperate…even if he is curious about what his team got up to…

      Being held hostage had never been something on Devin Rountree's bucket list. But it was something he now mentally added and immediately crossed off while he waited for the nurses at the hospital to come back with an update.

      His phone buzzed in his pocket as he sat with his legs hanging over the edge of his hospital bed, and he didn't wonder for a second who it could be, considering how shaken Fatima had been when the team located him at Miller's hideout earlier today. That was why he blinked in surprise when Deeks' name appeared onscreen. He winced in pain as he glanced around to check if he might disturb anyone around him by swiping right.

      "There he is!" Deeks chirped from the passenger seat in Kensi's SUV. The blond angled the phone so Rountree had both of them in view. "Hey, Rountree, that ice helping?"

      Rountree chuckled and grinned automatically—and hissed, too. It'd been hours, but it still hurt to smile. "Not much," he admitted, lowering the disposable icepack from his face.

      "Well, keep it on—even if it doesn't feel like it, ice works," Kensi instructed in that sisterly tone of hers. She let her eyes drift from the road to Deeks' phone for a split-second, to emphasize her words.

      "Will do," Rountree promised, though he returned the pack to just below his bottom lip so he could chat with them for a bit. "You guys heading home?"

      "Yep," Deeks replied. "Parker and Torres had a flight to catch back east, and Tennant and Tara lingered a bit longer. I think Tennant wasn't ready to cast her Agent Afloat back to sea quite yet." He motioned to Rountree with a jerk of his chin. "But we cleared out all the guests before locking up for the day, so no worries."

      Kensi shot her husband a look. "Hardly. Sam and Shyla were putting the finishing touches on their reports and Callen was haunting them up in ops because his phone started ringing. Pretty sure it was Arkady looking to grab a drink."

      Rountree wished he could muster a more genuine smile as the couple bickered about the post-case details and simultaneously tried to settle on a story regarding the absence of Deeks' truck for Rosa. Truly, though, he wished he had more energy to pay attention to his friends…

      His eyes wandered to the intake bracelet taped to his wrist atop his bandages. Sure, the team had gotten him an ambulance, and the initial field examinations had been good. But the EMTs as well as Kilbride had insisted Rountree follow up with the ER. He'd had a round of x-rays already, but the nurses had disappeared after he'd insisted they didn't need to cram him into an MRI machine for additional scans.

      …no, he really didn't want to be in any tight spaces, not after that smothering trick Miller had her henchman pull.

      "…ee? …tree? Rountree," Kensi said, more firmly this time.

      Her tone finally snapped him out of it. "Hmm, yeah?"

      Kensi narrowed her eyes and leaned over the console to get a good look at him. They must've been at a red light. "They are letting you go home, right? The EMTs at the scene—"

      Rountree grinned (ouch, he had to stop doing that by default!) and shook his head. "It's nothing. I think the nurses are just putting together my x-rays for my dentist, as we thought."

      Bad enough Kensi frowned at him, but even Deeks gave him some serious side eye. They already had one kid to get home to; Rountree didn't want them to make a detour on his behalf.

      "Instead, you could always fill me in on what I missed out. I'm guessing you wanna leave any gory details at the door when you see Rosa."

      They stared at Rountree and then shared a look. Kensi grumbled before Deeks conceded with a nod. "Considering we were all on a super-secret hit list, I'm kinda surprised that much of the action rather"—Deeks pantomimed making a ball of…something—"sandwiched today's events."

      "You mean 'bookended,' babe," Kensi corrected.

      "Ah, yes, that," he agreed with a snap and point of his fingers.

      Regardless, Rountree furrowed his brow. "So, what? The day's most exciting things were Fatima and me getting shot at with me taken away and then you guys coming to my rescue?"

      Deeks shrugged but nodded. "Well, Torres and I were shot at, too—who knew a big red truck could be a big red target?"

      That explained the earlier bickering. But the mention of his partner also highlighted how Kensi and Deeks hadn't mentioned Fatima in their recounting of leaving OSP today. He replayed in his mind's eye that gigantic hug from Fatima, after he'd been freed, and he pursed his lips. Fatima was always a chill, casual person…but she'd definitely been beside herself once they'd reunited.

      Would it be strange, though, to ask them how Fatima had been while he'd been missing?

      Whether she guessed where his mind had gone or it was simply the place to start her story, Kensi said, "…as Deeks stated, that ambush at the admiral's home caught us all off-guard. Despite needing rest and receiving what I thought was my best mom voice, Fatima was raring to go from the start."

      Rountree frowned. That didn't sound like anything new, since his partner could flip a switch and go from "chill" to "feisty" in no time flat. "And…?"

      Deeks squinted and cocked his head in his usual manner that prefaced telling any one of them some unflattering detail. "And Kens is being really nice when she means that Fatima spent the entire day biting everyone's heads off."

      He gaped at his fellow agents. "She what?!" Rountree froze. "Hold on—I barely interacted with our visitors, but don't tell me—"

      "No," Kensi assured him while Deeks whistled, "no, Fatima kept her blasts aimed primarily at our team and at suspects only. Tennant and the rest understood the circumstances anyway, I'm sure."

      "Wait—what happened with the suspects?!"

      Deeks pulled a face, which Kensi matched, and dodged the question. "Besides, Fatima was back to herself at the end of the day," the blond insisted with a sage stroke of his scruff. "Actually, she and Agent Tara almost seemed chummy."

      "Deeks, Kensi—what happened with the suspects?"

      Kensi turned the wheel, and the SUV rolled to a stop before she cut the engine. Then she gave him a shit-eating grin. "Rountree, honest, it was nothing that Sam and Callen can't smooth over."

      Rountree met her eyes and looked to Deeks, as well, searching for a hint. But if they really didn't want him to worry… "Please tell me that was the most outrageous thing that occurred after my abduction."

      The couple paused for thought. Deeks counted to himself on his free hand. "Not counting the covert clue delivered by one ever-elusive Henrietta Lange and one impressive headshot by one ever-horrifying Hollace Kilbride, there's one other thing, but it's hearsay."

      He'd been with this team long enough that any addition to the myth of Hetty no longer stunned him, but the detail about Kilbride saving his hide startled Rountree. Perhaps the admiral had some fondness for him after all? Nevertheless— "Hearsay?" Rountree echoed. He wouldn't be distracted by the other details, which were stories for another day.

      They both nodded, but Kensi's smile was impressed this time. "According to Lucy—Agent Tara—when she and Fatima surrounded one of Miller's men, Fatima descended on the guy from above, leaping off the leg of the plane like—and I'm quoting here—'Wolverine from X-Men.'" She stifled a snicker. "Apparently Lucy didn't have to do anything once Fatima got to blow off some steam."

      Rountree blinked. He opened his mouth and closed it. "Fatima."

      "Our Fatima, yep."

      "Like…Jackman's Wolverine?"

      "I mean, Lucy didn't specify movies versus comics, but that flying-with-claws-out attack is fairly iconic."

      Rountree brought his legs up and reclined on the hospital bed. Maybe Miller had hit him harder than he'd thought, because he definitely wasn't hearing things right…

      On their end, someone (likely their daughter) called for Kensi and Deeks. The parents gave him mirrored half smiles. "You'll heal in no time, bud," Deeks said.

      "Thanks," he mumbled.

      "And, Rountree?" Kensi waited until he met her eyes again. "Grab an Uber home soon. But feel free to take one here, too, just because."

      He appreciated that she left the "in case doctors feel you need looking after" part unsaid. "Thank you, Kensi, Deeks," he said with a bit more strength in his voice.

      "We'll catch you later," Deeks promised, and they both waved before the video call disconnected.

      While Rountree appreciated knowing some of what transpired while he'd been held hostage…he also found he couldn't quite wrap his head around it. He'd seen Fatima in a foul mood, sure. And he'd seen her kick some serious ass out in the field. But—a feral Fatima?

      "Hey."

      He jolted at the sound of her voice and dropped his phone on his stomach. The distance hadn't been far, but the device was heavy enough and his middle was tenderized enough from the day's events so his breath left him in a pained "Oof!"

      Fatima rounded the foot of his hospital bed but was wary of touching him and making things hurt more. She winced along with him. "Rountree, jeez, are you all right? I didn't mean to scare you."

      Rountree gave her a tiny smile that his lips didn't protest. "Nah, not scare. Just…surprised." He glanced at the busy hallway and noted that the staff seemed unbothered with his late-night visitor. "Hey, aren't visiting hours—?"

      Fatima shrugged with just her right shoulder and patted her jeans pocket. "I…might've used my badge to get past the reception desk."

      He quirked an eyebrow.

      "Technically, not against the rules. I am an NCIS Special Agent, checking up on her fellow NCIS Special Agent."

      Rountree stifled a laugh. "Is it a Fatima or an OSP thing, working the rules like that?" he asked, scooting to the left side of the bed so she could sit on the edge.

      Fatima took the offered seat and smirked. "Honestly? Kind of both." She paused then, taking in the sight of him patched up and bruised, and her smirk slowly faded. "So? What do the doctors say?"

      He raised both eyebrows and held her gaze. Then he answered, with some reluctance, "A lot of what the EMTs suspected was right. Bruised ribs, not fractured." He motioned in a circle to his face. "Minor fractures along my jaw, mostly around my teeth. Orbital fracture of my left eye." Rountree hesitated and folded his hands in his lap. "Abrasions on my wrists from where they bound me… The rest is superficial and the nurses already stitched me up as needed, Fatima."

      If she heard his last sentence, she didn't give any indication. Fatima zeroed in on his face with grim determination, her lips pursed so flatly she nearly frowned. But she wasn't staring him in the eye. No, it was easy to guess she was tracing over every last stitch and scratch on his face.

      So Rountree finally said what he meant to instead of enumerating his injuries. "Fatima, you didn't have to come see me tonight. You could've asked tomorrow or another time."

      Yet Fatima shook her head. "…it had to be tonight."

      Rountree studied his partner, studied the tightness in her expression, the drop of her gaze to the hospital's sterile white sheets, the curl of her fingers in his blanket, the absence of color in her knuckles the harder she squeezed, the slight movement when he realized that Fatima…feral Fatima Namazi…shook beside him.

      He recalled his own rollercoaster of emotions in that plane today, not knowing whether to trust Miller when the villain had insisted she'd captured Fatima, too. Suddenly, it seemed more plausible to him, that Fatima might be as vicious as Special Agent Tara described, much as it made sense that Fatima would be clingy upon their reunion. He, too, had run the gamut of emotions today.

      So Rountree scooted to the left once more, now pressing himself against the railing, and patted the empty stretch of bed beside him. He patted it a second time when the first motion failed to get Fatima's attention.

      And Fatima understood. It were as though they were back at the plane again, outside with Miller's body only feet away, the danger still feeling far too real. Fatima stretched out beside him and lightly draped her arm across him, letting him arrange it so she didn't press against fresh bruises. And she buried her face against his neck as she hugged him, tight.

      "Fatima…," Rountree murmured, "…I am alive. I survived. We survived. We'll be okay. I'll be okay." Of course, even as he said it, he wondered how much more convincing she would take.

      Fatima squeezed him harder, and Rountree patted her arm. He twisted his head to catch a glimpse of her face then—but another detail snared his attention, so he quickly averted his eyes: Their current embrace had shifted her pastel pink headscarf a bit, allowing some of her dark hair to peek out.

      He cleared his throat. "Um, F-Fatima. Your, uh, scarf…"

      She stiffened against him. But she simply withdrew her free arm from his chest, fixed her hijab, and returned to her previous posture. Even if the brief incident snapped her back to reality, today's happenings…they loomed larger, making reality feel like something still far out of their grasp.

      But Rountree knew otherwise. Their reality was that they'd persevered. They'd come out on the other side of today's horribleness, no worse for the wear. And if Fatima needed to hold on to the tangible evidence of that—to hold on to him—a little while longer, until it felt properly real to her…then so be it.

Done for the 5, 10, 20, 50, 70, 100 Fandoms Challenge as well as the If You Dare Challenge (for prompt #25: I'm alive) in the HPFC forum on FFN. WELL. I actually enjoyed the big xover event a lot more than I thought I would! Granted, I wish we'd had one ages ago, back when NOLA was still on (NOLA, my beloved, you are missed! ;w;), but I'm mostly satisfied with the story they did for this—plus LA on a Monday night, where it belongs?! YES, PLS AND TY! 8D Anywho! I…have been with LA from the beginning. I have old story ideas from a decade ago, even. I just…haven't written anything until now. There's been so much to love about LA, and the charries are so near and dear to my heart, but s14's "A Long Time Coming" rly smacked me in the feels when they separated Rountree and Fatima. I've adored both charries since their respective debuts, and I've always delighted in Fatima's fondness for him, hence why I'm happy with either platonic or shippy content for them. -w- But since Rountree was on his own for much of the ep, having Densi fill him in was a lot of fun (and legit the Wolverine comparison is my own—I'm a BIG X-Men {comics and movies} fan myself). Let's see… Oh, funnily enough, tho this is my first LA fic and I've done NCIS fanart before, I actually have drawn smthg before that was Fatima-inspired! (Can you tell I'm a big fan? :3c) Final remarks: For anyone who might not know, to my understanding, it's respectful to avert your eyes (esp if you're male) when someone wearing a hijab has their hair accidentally shown, and you also wouldn't fix it yourself. I included this in the story since Fatima frequently changes out her scarves btwn normal/fashion and fitted/athletic types, and I wondered how this episode's affectionate Fatima would mind it coming loose at all around someone to whom she's v close but not family/married. Plus, Rountree behaving accordingly by knowing not to touch it and risk touching her hair demonstrates respect btwn them! -w- *iz a sucker for soft friendships* Ahhhh, I just love these two a lot.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew