Sleep Tight - A humorous Densi one-shot. Set in the early days of their partnership when they're still sizing up each other.
Sleep Tight
"I'll be right with you, sir," said the harried clerk between answering customer questions and fielding phone calls. "Have you made your selection?"
"Not yet."
"Feel free to try out each mattress."
Deeks nodded. "Sure thing." He looked around. There were several couples testing the softness or firmness of each mattress on display. Deeks moved away from them and began his systematic sampling. He stretched out on the first mattress.
Too soft. He moved to the next one. Still too soft. Down the row he went.
Firmer, but not quite right.
Too firm.
Yikes, hard as a rock.
Finally, when he laid down on the sixth one, he knew he'd found nirvana. "Ah, just right," he sighed. "Like Goldilocks." He smiled to himself and let his eyes close. Around him, he heard couples comparing notes and kids bouncing up and down with squeals of delight until parents made them behave.
Maybe I'll spend the night here. He folded his hands over his abdomen.
"Does this one meet your needs, sir?"
Deeks opened his eyes and sat up. An anxious young clerk hovered over him. "I believe it does," he confirmed.
"Will your, uh – the clerk worked his mouth – partner, spouse, or significant other be testing it with you tonight?" He rushed out the words, not sure how to frame the question and still be politically correct.
My partner. My work partner. Now wouldn't that be interesting? Oh, the possibilities!
Before Deeks could answer, he got a shock. Beyond the clerk, over in the furniture department, he spied none other than the beautiful and lethal Kensi. His work partner. She was examining throw pillows.
That's the last thing she needs. One morning when her car was in the shop, Deeks went to pick her up for work. The brief glimpse he got of her living room was scary. He couldn't even see the couch beneath her heaps of stuff.
She'll have to pass this way to exit the store, he thought gleefully. Time to push her buttons.
"Yes. Yes, she will. She should be here in a few minutes." Deeks wore his goofy grin.
"Very good, sir. Please, continue your little nap there."
The clerk floated away to assist other customers. Deeks resumed his position and waited. He was good at waiting. He did a lot of that when he was undercover with the LAPD.
Yeah, I'd like to do some 'under the covers' work with my new partner! They'd only been NCIS partners for a couple months. But from the beginning, there was that buzz of attraction, that question in the back of his mind as to whether Kensi might become more than simply a woman he worked with. And he sensed that she wondered, too. Sometimes they stared at each other, the sexual tension vibrating between them. It seemed each one was waiting for the other to make a move.
Deeks relaxed and considered how he'd spin out this little encounter. Suddenly, a finger jabbed this leg and a small voice piped up. "Are you dead, mister?"
He opened one eye. A little boy in a soccer uniform stood there.
"I don't think so. I'm breathing."
"You look dead."
A woman rushed over and grabbed the boy's hand. "Timmy, don't bother the man." She looked at Deeks. "I'm sorry. He's too inquisitive for his own good. His great-aunt died last week."
"Hey, no problem."
Timmy was dragged away by his embarrassed mom and reprimanded. Deeks chuckled. In his peripheral vision he saw Kensi heading in his direction. He was sure she had not noticed him yet. He closed his eyes and waited.
Maybe three minutes passed. He heard boots clicking on the tiled floor. Well, that could have been anybody, but the whiff of perfume he caught identified the walker as Kensi. He sensed she'd stopped beside him.
Wait for it, wait for it!
She sighed. "Deeks . . . what are you doing?"
He glanced up and was greeted by a scowl on her face. "Hey, Kens. I'm mattress shopping." He didn't bother to sit up, but flashed her a sexy grin.
"Sure you're not imitating a homeless person?"
"Hilarious. My mattress got ruined the other night when we had that big storm."
"How? Was your bed out in the parking lot?"
"If you recall, I was helping LAPD that evening. When I got home at 3:30 a.m., a large branch had fallen and poked a hole in the roof. Water poured in and soaked my mattress."
Kensi was trying to decide if she believed his story, although there had been a big downpour recently. "Guess your girlfriend got soaked, too."
Deeks folded his hands behind his head. Uh huh, fishing for information.
"Nah, she was at her place. Sleeping soundly, I'm sure." In fact, Deeks had broken up with his last girlfriend shortly before joining NCIS. She couldn't handle his undercover work and she wanted a commitment he wasn't emotionally ready to give. But Kensi didn't know any of that.
"You've always been shaggy, now you're soggy, too!" She snorted with laughter at her own joke.
A look of surprise crossed Deeks' face. The first time he heard Kensi's honking laugh, it was bizarre. Now he found it oddly adorable and he wanted to hear it more often.
"Aren't you at least glad your partner wasn't home when that branch fell? I could have been maimed or killed."
"Your head's pretty hard. You would have survived," said Kensi.
Deeks put a hand over his heart. "Thank goodness I have such a concerned partner."
Kensi rolled her eyes. "Well, nice chatting with you. Gotta go." She turned to leave.
Deeks swung his legs over the side and quickly sat up. "What's your hurry, Kens?" He grabbed her hand. Shock flashed through her. She stared at their joined hands and tried to jerk away, but Deeks held fast.
"Well, I need to . . ."
He cut her off. "What's in the bag?"
She remembered the shopping bag in her other hand. "New towels."
"I hope you got some in my favorite color – blue. The color of my eyes, you know," he grinned.
"Why would I bother with that?" She finally tore her hand away from him and frowned. It was only because he let her; his grip was really strong.
"Sometime I might be at your apartment and need a fluffy new towel."
"Can't imagine a situation like that," Kensi huffed.
"Imagine harder."
There it was again. The staring contest. Deeks bet they both could imagine some steamy situations involving the two of them, with and without towel coverage. He laughed.
With narrowed eyes Kensi asked, "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. So let me see your new towels."
She held the bag behind her back. "They're nothing special. Just towels." But there another, smaller bag in there, too. She didn't want Deeks to see its contents.
He looked around her and tried to reach the bag.
"Deeks, really. What is the matter with you?"
He glanced over her shoulder. "Oh wow. Is that Hetty?"
"What?" Kensi's head whipped around and in that instant, Deeks got the shopping bag.
She turned back with pursed lips. "Why you sneaky, conniving . . ."
Deeks began pawing through the bag. "Would you look at this? A blue towel right on top, then pink, yellow, green."
"That's seafoam," she corrected him.
"Whatever. I'm claiming this blue one right now." He beamed with satisfaction. Then he saw the other bag. "Hold on. What do we have here?" He pulled it out. "Malibu Swimwear." He regarded her with raised eyebrows.
"Deeks, please."
"One-piece, two-piece, or one of those tankini things?" he speculated. "You're definitely a bikini kind of girl."
Kensi tried to project a nonchalant attitude. "Does it matter? It's not like you'll ever see me in it."
Deeks laughed so loudly that other shoppers turned their way. "Don't bet the ranch on it, Kensalina."
"Kensalina? Is that the best you can do, Deeks?"
He emptied the bag on the mattress. A vividly hued, flowered bikini fell out. "Seriously? That's sizzling. I like it," he said. Tonight his dreams would feature Kensi wearing that, her hair down, lying beside him on a beach towel.
Kensi wanted to be angry, but secretly his comment sent a thrill of pleasure through her. "Put it back. I need to go."
He fingered it reverently, then replaced it in the bag. Their eyes held.
"Okay, but I need your opinion on something before you go."
Kensi sighed heavily. "What?"
Deeks sat down on the mattress and patted it. "This mattress. It's perfect for me, but I want to know what you think."
"Why? If you like it, that's all that matters."
"Come on, just humor me, Kens," he pleaded.
"If you like the damn mattress, then buy it, Deeks. Why don't you bring your girlfriend here and ask her?" She turned to go. Deeks seemed to get under her skin on many different levels and she didn't always know how to categorize him. Was he only her partner at work? Was he an acquaintance or friend off the job?
I guess time will tell.
"Kensi, please?"
She turned around. "Fine." She was about to sit down beside him when Deeks hopped up and pulled her down. She shrieked and landed on top of him. The shopping bag flew out of her hands.
Her long, brunette tresses fell around her face. Deeks looked up at her and grinned. How he wanted to kiss those tempting lips right now!
"For the record, I'm currently single," he said.
"For the record, why would I care?" she threw back. Her eyes flashed with defiance.
"Oh, you care all right. You've been trying to find out my status since we met."
"You are so full of crap," she said.
"Is everything okay?" inquired the anxious clerk.
Again Kensi shrieked. She rolled off Deeks and plopped onto her back, breathing heavily.
"We're all good," said Deeks smoothly. He turned his head slightly. "So what do you think, Kensi?"
She felt her cheeks growing warm. Under her breath, she hissed. "I think I'm gonna kill you." Then louder to the clerk, "It's good. Firm. I like firm."
"Okay, we'll take it," said Deeks. He sat up and drew Kensi up with him.
The clerk beamed. "Excellent choice. You can't go wrong with this brand. You'll have many years of restful sleep."
"You hear that, Kens? We can have many years of restful sleep . . . together."
"If you think you're getting me into bed, think again," she challenged. "We work together. End of discussion."
He studied her for a moment. "Keep telling yourself that."
Kensi thought she could escape while Deeks signed the credit card slip and made arrangements for the mattress delivery. But she was wrong. He slid his left arm around her waist, effectively anchoring her to his side.
What's the deal with him tonight? He's so handsy.
This was one of those levels that confused her. She should be upset, but she kinda enjoyed the attention and flirting. But she could not, under any circumstance, let Deeks know that. She had to maintain the upper hand in this little, well, whatever it was.
She squirmed a little, but he responded by tightening his grip. Then he smiled. She had to admit he had a killer smile. Probably how he picked up yoga bunnies.
"Thank you, Mr. Deeks, Mrs. Deeks," said the clerk as he handed Deeks his credit card and receipt. "We appreciate your business."
The look on Kensi's face would have frozen lesser men to the spot and caused their testicles to shrink to the size of marbles, but Deeks laughed at her. "See, Kensalina, people already think we're together."
She made a gagging sound.
"How about a beer?" asked Deeks as they reached the parking lot. The sun was almost down, but the temperature was still high.
"Will you let go of me?" demanded Kensi. "I'm going home."
"I hope you're not going to model that bikini for some other guy tonight, Mrs. Deeks."
"I won't even dignify that with a reply. Goodnight, Deeks." Kensi walked purposefully to the right without a backward glance.
"Sleep tight, Kensalina."
Mrs. Deeks. I like that, thought Deeks as he headed to his car.
An hour later, he got a text and selfie from Kensi. Not the one he was hoping for, but it still brought a smile to his face.
The text read: Guess what's under this towel?
Kensi was wrapped in a blue towel, presumably the new one. The straps of her new bikini were visible above the towel.
Deeks texted back: U take perverse pleasure in torturing me, don't u?
Kensi: U deserve it.
Deeks: Drop the towel.
Kensi: We don't know each well enough for that.
Deeks: One day we will.
Kensi: Sleep tight, Deeks.
Had this idea and had to run with it! Hope you enjoy it. Now I'll get back to "Indisposed."
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