The day had been long, hard, and extremely stressful. Stripping off her clothes had been an almost cleansing experience, as though the fabric held the very source of the tension that had permeated most of the evening. The water in the shower had been hot, too hot, but as she watched her skin turn red under the blast, the pressures had burnt away, each muscle relaxing more and more the longer she stood under the scalding spray. Eventually the water turned tepid, a fact she only noticed when she realised she was shaking, and the stray drips falling down her back from her hair were freezing cold.

Taking the time to dry her hair, Kensi sat in their bathroom, not focusing on the bruises she had failed to notice before, her thoughts elsewhere, a mix of frightening images from the past, and worry for the future more important to her than a few marks that would disappear within a couple of days. The sound of the hair dryer cut off and she sat for a moment, a few of the tensions she had felt melt away in the shower seemed to have crept back, crawling inside her and making her heart hurt and her eyes sting. Chastising herself she thought of the man in the next room and stood, eager to be near him, to be calmed in a way that only his presence could give.

The house was empty of all but the couple, and their dog, so she didn't bother to get dressed to return from the bathroom. Making her way along the narrow corridor she sidled into the already dark bedroom, and slipped under the covers. Her bare chest pressing tight against his back, one arm wrapping around and hugging him, the other awkwardly pulled up so she could run her fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes of her gentle caressing, she finally felt him relax before he turned around in her embrace, his hand falling down her back before landing on her bare ass. It was an innocent gesture, as ass grabs go, it was a touch to remind them both, 'I'm here, you're here, we are together, and we're alive.'

"Are you-"

"You good?"

They laughed as their questions hit the air at the same time, both prompted out of concern for the other.

"I'm okay." She answered first, her tone sombre, and her hand tracing the faint scar on his face left by the Russians a few years before. "It was a good day." He gave a clipped, mirthless laugh in response. "Today was the day we moved in together Deeks, I consider that a very good day."

That got a smile from him at last. It didn't stay on his face long, the crease lines around his eyes that crinkled when he laughed and made her happy to think about smoothed, a grave look taking over, a look that always made him seem older, and betrayed the easy going surfer facade for exactly that, a mask he hid behind.

"She did it again Kensi. Again." He blew out a breath of air, before pushing on. "Even if you hadn't been in danger, it's not like she just didn't have time to tell you about Jack, she refused to tell you who we were protecting when you asked."

"It's okay." God she was infuriating he thought, how she could stay so calm, Kensi the women who was known for not thinking things through. Reacting purely on her emotions was her go to response and it was 'okay'. Her response almost made him angry at her, but before he could overthink her words any further she pushed on. "It's okay. I can handle her lies, and deceit. I can cope with that because of you."

"What do you mean?" He gave her a moment to respond to his whispered question. He knew she was trying to find the words, and the tell-tale signs of anger were there, the tightening of her jaw, her dark eyes narrowed, all signs she was upset. Deeks pulled her closer, his hand trailing up and down her spine, soothing her when she couldn't do it herself.

"I'm furious Deeks." That seemed more like the answer he was expecting. "But that doesn't matter, it's okay. Do you think if I charge into her stupid raised office, like I'm requesting an audience with the Queen and then gave her a piece of my mind that it would solve anything?" She didn't give him a chance to interrupt before she ranted on further. "It wouldn't. You know what it would get us? A cave in Afghanistan, mysterious new evidence in the Boyle murder that lands you on the fourth floor in San Quentin, or at best, we get a 'mission of indefinite status.' Fucking hell Deeks, she'd probably slip something in my tea."

The last part bordered on the ridiculous but it was what was needed to start them both laughing.

"Okay, so from now on, we play nice. Report everything work related to Granger first, but act like her good foot soldiers, and don't accept any drinks?"

"Yes." She turned her body, pressing her chest into his, forcing him onto his back, her fingertips dancing up his chest. "Are you okay?"

"I've been having nightmares. I wake up screaming some nights, not often anymore, but it happens." The only thing that gave away that she'd heard his unexpected and unfiltered confession was her fingers gripping his skin a little tighter, other than that she stayed still and silent. "My weekly meeting with LAPD ended a long time ago, Bates still has it on record though, to hide my therapy sessions from 'the tea sipping Svengali'. I never meant to hide them from you, I just didn't want –"

He pushed himself up the bed and sat up against the headboard.

"You had your own stuff to deal with after Afghanistan and then you seemed to be doing great and we were doing great, and I didn't want you to hear 'PTSD' and think you were trapped looking after someone again."

"I'm not trapped, and I knew Deeks." She stared up at him from where she still lay, her hand finding his. "I knew about the PTSD, I knew about the therapy."

"How?"

"You are getting better. That doesn't happen on its own."

"How long have you known?"

"How long has it been since I said I would come with you to LAPD?" He thought about that for a moment, it had been before the case with the submarine, around the time Deeks looked for help away from Nate.

"Touché."

"Sorry I didn't tell you I knew, I didn't want to push."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay." She whispered, climbing up the bed, hooking one leg over his until she straddled him. "We're getting better at the whole 'sharing' thing though aren't we?"

"We are."

Her eyebrow arched and a smile took over her face. Leaning forward she rolled her hips, laughing at the low groan she knew would escape from Deeks lips. Pulling back she saw that look on his face, the one that scared her so much just over a year before but settled her like nothing else could now. The look that told her how much she was loved. His hands, that she had felt shaking in hers during his confession moments before were steady now as he pushed the hair framing her face behind her ears, his hands then trailed down her arms, before looping back up, his fingertips leaving a trail hotter than the scalding water from earlier across her skin, before they started caressing the side of her chest, his touch so delicate it tickled, causing a giggle to erupt.

"You're so beautiful Kens'." His words were whispered like a prayer, and he didn't know how to respond with words, instead she let her body speak for her. Her soft lips found his, there was no rush to either of their actions, just languid kisses that seemed to stretch on before she felt his hand leave her side, his finger curling around her hip bone, following its line down to where she is so desperate to feel him. He never stops the kisses, doesn't increase their pace either. The only change is the smirk she can feel from him every time her breath hitches when he gets close. Pressing her hips closer to him she snakes her arms around his neck, her hands finding the tiny hairs at the back of his neck, pulling on them, a warning to stop teasing.

Marty Deeks wasn't the kind of man to take heed of any warnings though. He was taking pleasure in teasing her, he could play at their game until he heard it.

"Deeks." Kensi whispered, lifting her hips as though trying to show him what she wanted.

But that wasn't what he wanted to hear.

He knew. She knew it.

"Marty." His name, on her lips. Her mouth was so close to his ear he felt her breath as she said his name. "Marty, please."

He was Deeks at work, occasionally Detective in front of witnesses, Shaggy when she was teasing, sometimes his name was no more than an eye roll and a shake of the head when he said something inappropriate. All of that had made his name something special between them. They were Kensi and Deeks, crime fighters. Kensi and Marty however, that is who they are when everything else was stripped back.

"Marty." It was all he needed to hear.

Kensi managed to suppress her whimpers to no more than a quiet squeak as his fingers slide down between them, finding her wet enough to slide two fingers inside, his strokes, his pressure, all a perfect balance of what he knows she loves. Her head is tossed back, chest heaving and cheeks flushed as she gives herself over to the pleasure she is feeling. The look of her, hips rising, oh so slowly, before grinding down against his hand, is enough to make him want to say 'fuck it' to the slow pace, but he fights against it, trying to keep his mind on only her.

"I read your report."

"What?" Kensi's voice gives her confusion away, they are done with the work chat, if he had to put his mouth to use, work chat is not where she wants it at the moment.

"Your report, from today. You almost died."

"Ah. Yes. I did. I'm fine. Stop talking."

She doesn't want to think about it, and doesn't want him thinking about it either. Placing a finger on his lips she gives him a look, with sad eyes that aren't all an act but work on him as she knew it would, wordlessly asking him to just shut up. Yielding at last he opens his mouth, but not to talk, he takes her slender fingers in his mouth, sucking on them, before she pulls them from his mouth, her hand moving down to take a hold of him, now slick with his saliva, stroking down his length. Before she pulls back, ignoring the ache between her legs from the lack of contact, the knowledge that it's only temporary the only thing motivating her to move.

She moves up his body, her fingers clasping around his as she slowly, bit by bit, sinks down onto him. Finally she opens her eyes, an almost shy smile taking over as the share a moment, both completely still for just a second.

One hand grips hers tighter, the other grabbing hold of her hip, his fingers so tight around her skin she knows she'll be left with more bruises than she started with but she doesn't care, to her, its bliss.

The grip of his hands against her skin, the feel of every inch of him buried deep inside her. That's paradise. From the look on his face, his jaw slackened, his eyes half closed, half breaths matching his short hip movements as she adjusts to him, he's in paradise too.

He dips his head, placing kisses around one of her pert nipples, swirling his tongue around before biting down, his hand pinching the other, eliciting a gratifying hiss from Kensi as she starts to rock her hips faster, and the familiar pull in her stomach appears, her face warm and unable to take a full gasp of air. He thrusts up hard, causing her to arch her back, her movement giving him enough room to slip a hand between them, rubbing circles before pinching down at the same time as he bites down on her neck.

The multiple sensations send her over the edge, she calls out carelessly, no words, just moans, not caring how loud she is being as the waves of pleasure take over. Her muscles pull around him, contracting at random, the pulsing is all it takes to send him over the edge after her, her name on his lips as he spills himself inside her. When they return to the land of the living she falls down with her whole weight, laughing at his exaggerated groan. The shake from the laughter causing enough friction to make her jut forward, still tender from her orgasm. It's that movement that causes Deeks to fall into giggles as his arms pull her closer.

His lips fall against her temple, her heart racing echoing what he felt in his own chest. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table he realises they only have seven hours before they have to return to the pocket of war zone in Los Angeles that is the OSP, but with Kensi in his arms he can't even feel bitter. Because as long it's those two, Kensi and Marty against the world, the world will surely go down in flames before they do.