Work Text:
Marty's POV
If you were to ask me when I started to crush on G my answer would be simple. You see the first time I ever saw him smirk I could have sworn the entire world froze in place and that the only thing that mattered to me at that point in time was that I just had to see it again, and again, and again. I started to fool around a little bit more from time to time, when it was mostly appropriate, to see what it took for that particular smirk to grace his face again. Turns out the most common way to get it was to wind up Sam or Kenzie. The smirk was always a balance of fond amusement and ‘careful, you're toeing the line’, and I just couldn’t get enough. Sometimes it took everything in me to not run over and kiss that smirk off of his face, it was a never-ending battle of 'I want to see that smirk' and 'If I see that smirk again I am going to in so much trouble.
Then I got the privilege of seeing him genuinely smile for the first time, and I thought I was going to melt into a puddle of goo. It’s not often that I get a genuine smile directed at me, but when I do I take a mental snapshot of it so I will always remember what it was like. I could be having the gloomiest of days, but once he smiled at me the dark, gloomy clouds would dissipate and suddenly I would be filled with a warmth that only comes from the sun otherwise.
One night it was just the two of us left in the office, I was busy writing my reports for the LAPD when G came over and perched on the edge of my desk. When I looked up at him I found a small, shy smile gracing his face and I could safely say I had never seen that smile before. He asked me if I wanted to go out for burgers, and who would I have been to pass up on such an opportunity? I prided myself in making him laugh without making a total fool of myself for days afterward and felt like I was floating on cloud nine.
Then I was shot, repeatedly. They attempted, and failed, to stage it as a robbery, which was something to laugh at later of course. When G came to relieve Kenzie from playing bodyguard and I was so happy to see him again. Even if I had to endure a “you’re an idiot, you cannot be so predictable in our line of work” speech again– as if I hadn’t gotten it from Sam, Kenzie, and Hetty. The difference was that his voice was laced with a hint of affection that I had never heard before. I just hoped that in my drugged-up state, I wouldn’t reveal my crush to him, or do anything else particularly embarrassing. Especially when he helped me keep my bandages cleaned and checked over when I was finally released from the hospital. Considering that nothing more came from it than a higher sense of camaraderie I assumed I kept it under wraps.
Then one night we were burning the midnight oil and I had forgotten to eat, and it would have continued to go unnoticed if G hadn’t come into the bullpen with my favorite burger that he picked up from the diner down the street when he went out for coffee. I felt like I was having chest palpitations and I couldn’t tell you if it was because he knew which burger was my favorite or if it was because he noticed that I hadn’t eaten and all but demanded me to take a break with him to eat it. It took every ounce of self restraint I had left to refrain from kissing him on the cheek in thanks, no matter just how much I wanted too.
Another time I returned the favor, he had rolled his car during a high-speed chase and I knew he was going to be sore and miserable so I picked up some cream with lidocaine in it and his favorite pizza and headed to his house. He was surprised to see me but so very grateful for the pain relief cream that he I helped him apply without being too weird about it. It was late and we were both exhausted and we passed out in his king-sized bed together at his insistence. I did my part and half-heartedly protested that I should leave, but when he asked me to stay, his voice weak with exhaustion I happily fulfilled his wish. Even if I was slightly disappointed to wake up alone the next day as if I had any right to.
The most recent thing that happened, besides tonight's thing. Was when I and I quote, ‘recklessly endangered myself’. The thing is I knew he wasn’t exaggerating and I tried my hardest to remember that he was in fact right when I noticed that he was fighting to keep the scowl on his face as he lectured me. If it wasn’t for the amusement coupled with something that looked akin to relief in his eyes I would have thought that he was genuinely mad and that I fucked up whatever this thing is in between us. But then he puts his hand on my should and gently squeezes as he whispers, just loud enough for me to hear, “You scared me today, and I would like to avoid reliving that fear, so can you please just take a second to think first before you do anything stupid, again. Even if it is just to humor me?” and who am I to deny such a sweet request.
Tonight everyone else bailed on going out for drinks with us so it was G and I at his house, and I was enjoying being at the center of his attention. We were talking about anything and everything ranging from stupid criminals to G asking if I had considered going to FLETC to become a full-fledged NCIS agent yet amongst other things. The conversation came to a natural pause and we were sitting there in comfortable silence for a while, until I heard G ask “Has anyone ever told you that you have nice lips?”
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G’s POV
“Has anyone ever told you that you have nice lips?” I questioned, failing at first to not only realize that I said that out loud, but that Marty had heard the question as well. I know I have no excuse, sure I had been drinking with him but I had been overtly careful about how much I consumed because drunk me over shares. It’s how Hetty learned that I had a crush on Marty, and ever since then he has been fighting to keep that quiet.
“Why would you say that?” Marty whispered, clearly perplexed.
He has drank more than I have, maybe I can spin this in my favor. But before I can find a valid excuse or a good cover Marty speaks up again.
“You- you said I have nice lips!! Who just says that?” Marty loudly exclaims while jabbing a finger at my chest. I have never been more glad that it's just the two of us having drinks in my own home, because if anyone else were here or if we were anywhere public everyone would have heard him, and I am not aiming to cause either of us embarrassment or give Sam anything else to lord over me just because I cannot keep my mouth shut.
Crap, play it cool, maybe we can still save the night. “I got your attention, didn’t I?” I reason, hoping that Marty would just leave it be. I should have known better, but apparently my mouth wants to run before I actually think about what I want to say, and that is why I have fallen into this mess.
“Of course it did, but why, why would you say that?” Marty demands from me as he gets up from the couch and starts pacing.
“Do you want the whole truth?” I ask, hoping that he will give me an out.
“Of course, I would! What type of question is that?”
“Just don’t hit me, ok?” I request somewhat fearfully
“You’re gonna have to get to the point G, because all you're doing is worrying me at this point. Don’t beat around the bush, and I won’t hit you no matter what, okay? Just please explain for both of our sakes”
Since I don’t know how to just tell him that I have had a crush on him for a while now I begin to ramble while staring at my empty beer bottle on the floor.
“You want to know why I refrain from drinking heavily around you? It’s because even just a single beer makes it almost impossible for me to not act on my overwhelming desire to kiss you. When you start to nervously ramble about things I sometimes find myself wondering how effective it would be to kiss you to make you take a breath and realize that you are just being silly about it. When you are deep in thought, like you are trying to work out a puzzle in that beautiful brain of yours I have to stop myself from brushing your hair aside and kissing your forehead. When you endangered yourself at work the other day I couldn’t decide what I would have wanted more, would I have wanted to kiss you stupid? Or wrap you in the biggest bear hug making it slightly difficult for you to breathe? Granted neither were appropriate so I will never know.” I pause to take a deep breath before I continue. I look up, but directly past him instead of at him because I am absolutely terrified of his reaction still.
“Do you even know how adorable you are? Your smile provides enough warmth that I could have sworn that there are two suns shining on me when you direct it at me. Your cheeky little smile when you pull something over on Kenzie or Sam is something that I love to see. Your laugh is just the most beautiful thing that I have ever heard. Lord, here I am talking the most I have in a while, waxing poetically about how much I adore you while you have a thing for Kenzie, which I try so hard to respect you know. I–” and suddenly Marty’s got a hand on the side of my face and his lips are on mine and his lips are softer than I could have ever imagined and it’s the perfect mix of chaste and passionate and suddenly I finally feel like I have come home. Everything feels so utterly perfect and it's overall way too soon but Marty doesn’t give me a chance to panic or look away as he keeps his hand on the side of my face. I find myself leaning into his touch, wanting to savor every last minute in case this is both the first and last time I can ever experience this.
Marty is looking at me oh so fondly with a big cheesy grin on his face “I adore you too, and I never had a thing for Kenzie, or Sam in case you were worried. I antagonize them so I can see that amused smirk of yours that you always have on your face when I taunt them. The first time I actually looked at you I seen that smirk, and I knew then that I was in trouble because I was determined to do everything in my power to keep seeing it. Do you remember that night that you brought me my favorite burger? I had to refrain from kissing your cheek in thanks even though I was dying to. Every time you helped me get my bandages changed after I was shot I had to remind myself to keep it professional because I was terrified of losing your friendship, and I was far too fond of you to risk losing you to my own stupidity. It sounds like we have both been pining for far too long. So I propose no more pining and only acting upon it from now on, starting with more kisses of course.” Marty declares while maintaining eye contact, his eyes reveal just how truthful he is being so I have no other choice but to happily accept these conditions.
“Please kiss me, Marty”
“Happily baby”
The end