Work Text:
"What are these!"
"Oh nothing, just-" Luke tried to gather away the pile of photo frames and folders as she descended on them.
"Is this baby you?" Penelope grabbed up a bifold frame with a picture of his mom coming home from the hospital, and another holding him at his christening.
"Ya, ya. My ma sent them. Got here last night. She wanted me to get them digitally scanned for her."
"You're such a good son. I can totally help you with that, you know, plus I would get to see all these precious memories! I really hope you had an awkward stage at some point."
"Doesn't everyone?" Luke shrugged, a little sheepish, and very glad that his mom hadn't made it to sorting the pictures from seventh through tenth grade yet.
"Oh my god, look at that little chubby face." Penelope grinned back at him, holding up a picture of him at six months, stuffed into a winter hat and stringed mittens.
"I was a very....round baby, okay?" Luke admitted, gently pulling the frame from her and putting it back on the table.
"Round? Your rolls had rolls! And that grin, even with no teeth." She touched the frame of another picture, a boy with a gapped smile and a crisp white uniform shirt.
"I know I know, what happened, right?" Luke mumbled, turning and moving in towards the kitchen.
He occupied himself turning on the electric kettle and pulling mugs out from the cupboard.
Garcia was quiet for a moment, not even shuffling through the rest of the images. The floor creaked a little under a shift of her weight.
Luke fiddled with the tins on the counter, like he didn't already know which one Penelope would want coming in from the fall chill.
The sound of her shoes retreating into the hall, clicking down beside each other near the door and the pad of feet returning behind him started to ease the tension in his neck and hands. He added loose tea into her strainer, and a regular bag into his own. He listened to the soft snap of her hair clip releasing and being placed on the counter.
"Tea should be ready in a minute."
"Mhhhhmm." Her intonation was laden and Luke knew that she wasn't about to let his little slip up pass by. "Thank you. Now come here please."
Penelope's hands pressed against his hips, turning him to lean back against the counter. Luke raised a brow as she stared him down for a moment, before laying her palms flat against his shirt front. Her smile was bright, but her gaze was gentle.
"Garcia, don't-"
"You are beautiful. " She interrupted.
"Pen, you don't have to-" Penelope pushed a palm over his mouth, and spoke again.
"You are sweet, and smart, and goofy. " Luke dodged away from her hand to protest.
"Goofy?"
She pinched his cheeks together gently, quieting the protest.
"Yes. Goofy. And beautiful, and I'm pretty sure I don't tell you any of these things enough. Old habits I guess."
"Chica," Luke sighed, letting his hands rest on her waist. "I don't want you to feel like you have to-"
"I love you. I love you Luke. And you deserve someone who reminds you of how obnoxiously wonderful you are, so don't you dare try to stop me, alright?"
"Pen," Her eyes blurred slightly at the softness of her name in his mouth. Luke's hands rose up to cup her face and he leaned in to kiss her, a sigh easing from his chest. "Come here." Penelope tucked herself into him as he wrapped his arms around her. Luke let his mouth rest against her hair. "I love you, yeah? I love you too."
She squeezed him tighter, and Penelope could feel the draw of his grin against her hair as she murmured 'you better'.