"You wanna grab dinner?" Kensi asks, grabbing her backpack from the top of her desk.

Deeks shrugs, a smile overpowering his features. "After today, I definitely need a beer."

She bites her lower lip, a smirk showing through. "I assume you'd be pretty tired. That cover was... wow. I wonder how Granger ever came up with it."

He winks. "Being a sex addict can be pretty exhausting, Kensalina."

"I know."

She throws her bag over her shoulder, strolling away from the clump of desks.

Both of Deeks' brows shoot up, his eyes widening as he catches up to her side.

"Wait... um, you do?"

Kensi's smile just expands. "I can guess."

She bumps one shoulder into his, her sights set on the double doors leading out to the parking lot.

Yeah, it's gonna be a good night.


"I can see your taste in restaurants has vastly improved since our last outing," Deeks mutters as he moves towards the table, reaching forward to pull out Kensi's chair.

"You know, Deeks, bulgogi is great if you just give it a-"

Kensi doesn't seem to notice that he's making the gentlemanly gesture, and she immediately stops speaking as their hands brush, her fingers absentmindedly wrapping over top of his.

"Oh, sorry," he mutters, taking an awkward step away from the table.

Kensi extends one hand out as she slowly lowers herself down into the chair.

"It's fine, er, I mean if you wanna-"

He waves her off. "But I probably should've asked-"

"Well, it's totally normal, to, um-"

"No, but, ya know-"

"Yeah, I mean, we're, um, together, so-"

"We're together?"

Her face turns ashen at his question.

Dammit. That wasn't supposed to slip out.

"No, no- I don't mean together, together, I just mean, ya know... we're partners."

"We're partners?"

"Yeah, we're partners."

"Right."

"Uh-huh. And friends, and stuff, and-"

"You're still talking."

She swallows hard, sitting up straight. "Yeah, I know."

Her tone is almost defensive, forcing Deeks to smile.

"You know, huh?"

"Yeah."

He shrugs, narrowing his eyes just a hilt. "Okay."

Kensi nods. "Okay."

Deeks shakes his head. He's not settling for that vague of an answer.

"What is any of that supposed to mean?"

"Look- you've just..." She sighs, rubbing her forehead. "You've never done anything like that before."

"Like what?"

He's forcing her to say it aloud, and she knows it all too well. Still, Kensi can't make herself do anything aside from just go along with it.

"I dunno. Pulling out my chair. Something seems different."

He shrugs, a smile tugging at the corners of the mouth. "I guess things are changing."

"I guess."

A waitress suddenly appears out of nowhere, smiling over-enthusiastically as she approaches the table.

"Welcome!"

She tosses one hand up in the air, allowing it to land on the blade of Deeks' shoulder. Kensi's eyes narrow in on the peculiar placement.

No, she doesn't think it was done on accident.

"Can I get either of you something to drink?"

There's no wait for Kensi's reply, her tone sharp and her eyes narrow.

"Beer."

Deeks laughs at her bluntness briefly before cleaning his throat and throwing in his order.

"Make that two."

The girl just nods, cowering away from Kensi and quickly removing her hand from Deeks' shoulder as she turns to go.

"I was right," Deeks murmers, taking a sip from his water glass.

"About what?"

He smirks. "Things are changing."

She just snorts, hoping to divert the attention away from herself.

"Ha. Or you just wish they were changing."

Kensi can see Deeks' jaw clench up as he grimaces, and she silently wonders if the small movement still hurts him.

Her eyes narrow in on his mouth, and Deeks can't help but pick up on it.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

She swallows hard, trying to decide whether or not to ask the question that's sitting on the tip of her tongue.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Um.." Deeks blinks hard, reaching one hand up to rub the lower half of his jaw. That question isn't one he's been bracing for, but he finds a quick answer regardless.

"Well... sometimes. Certain foods can make it hurt. Chewy stuff, maybe. I dunno."

"Solid foods?"

He shrugs, the small movement reminiscent of one that a shy little boy might make.

"Sorta."

"So like a three year old?" She asks, chuckling like a smart ass.

His reply is unexpected, really. For once, Deeks is not quite as quick to tease her back.

"That's not what I said."

Kensi clears her throat, both cheeks immediately turning bright pink.

"I'm sorry."

He just brushes her off, fiddling with his napkin. "Don't worry about it."

She shakes her head furiosly. "No, Deeks. I shouldn't say stuff like that. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine. Neither one of us really knows where to draw the line here."

He's hinting at something, she knows it. Hell, he's practically screaming it.

But Kensi doesn't give in. Not yet anyways.

"I know that you don't like talking about it... I don't either." She grimaces. Torture. Not exactly a fond memory. "That whole day was just one giant mess."

"Well..." He scratches the back of his neck, eyes tracing the pattern on his dinner plate. "Not all of it was a mess."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

He shrugs, but the movement isn't quite as nonchalant as he intended for it to be. "I just kinda thought there were some good parts thrown in there."

"Like what?" She asks, her tone hushed and subdued. Kensi is fully aware of what he's referring to, but still desires the confirmation.

"Come on, Kens. You know what I'm talking about."

She runs a single hand through her hair, swallowing in the process.

"Fine, the kiss?"

He hates the way she throws it out there. Like she wants to talk about everything except the one unaddressed gesture that's still lingering above their heads.

"Yes. I mean... what else is there, really?"

She shrugs. "Not much."

There's a long pause, a staring contest of sorts. Who's gonna break first?

"So that's it?" Deeks turns his head to one side, clearly reaching for something more. "That's all you're gonna say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

He shrugs, gaze fierce. "I just want you to say something you actually mean."

Kensi swallows and exhales sharply.

She's been prepping for this. It's time.

"Fine. You kiss me, and then we go six whole months without talking about it. It's not much, but that's just about all I know at the moment. The lines are blurred now, and I can't figure out how we're supposed to go on like this anymore. So aside from that, I really don't know what you want from me, Deeks."

He gives her a slight chuckle, but there isn't even a trace of humor in it.

"I think I've made my intentions pretty damn clear. I want us. I want you."

Her chin drops, but he doesn't stop.

"I want all of it. I don't want to be sitting here at some stupid fancy restaurant, pretending like nothing ever changed between us. So you know what I want more than anything, Kens? I just wanna be at my place, right now, with you."

"What?" Kensi asks, her voice breathy and quiet. She's more than just a little taken aback, her eyes growing misty as they sit in silence.

"You heard me," Deeks spits out, defensive of his own decision to speak his mind. The choice is warranted, and more than just a little overdue.

"I... um..."

Kensi stares at the table, her mouth agape as she searches for words. Nothing's coming out though, and the silence seems pretty telling.

"Alright. So that's it?"

He pauses briefly. Kensi's face falls, her mouth opening even wider. Still, no words could escape her lips.

"Fine. That's... fine, if that it. I just kinda hoped you'd have more to say."

Deeks stands, tossing a few loose bills on the table. Both hands are clenched at his sides as he turns, heading for the door of the restaurant without so much as another word. Kensi's face remains frozen for just a moment before she swiftly pushes herself out of the seat, charging after him.

Kensi pushes through the doors, lagging behind him a good ten strides.

"Deeks!" She screeches once finally outside the confines of the restaurant, her tone pleading. "Just stop!"

He pauses, his back still turned towards her. A couple of seconds pass before Deeks actually moves, slowly rotating his body around to face her.

He tosses both hands up in the air, allowing them to fall back to hit his thighs with a quiet thud.

"What?"

His tone is gruff and harsh, something Kensi's not accustomed to hearing.

She presses her lips into a firm line, exhaling. "Y-you didn't even give me a chance to respond!"

He sticks both hands into his pockets, eyes gazing up towards the night sky.

"I gave you a minute back there. You didn't say anything."

"Well... maybe I needed more than just a minute. Maybe I was trying to think of what to say next. There's a lot at stake here."

"Why, because we're partners?"

He's speaking almost sarcastically, his tongue sticking on the last two syllables. Part-ners.

Kensi drops her tough stance, slowly shaking her head.

"No, Deeks. Not just partners."

She starts moving towards him, almost hesitantly as she progresses forward. For a moment, it's seems as if she's unsure of her own actions- both eyebrows furrowed.

Something changes as she comes closer, though.

The more steps Kensi takes towards him, the more confident her mannerisms become.

Before Deeks is completely aware of what her intentions are, (though he can make an educated guess) her lips press against his with a fierce intensity, her hands searching for his shoulders and neck.

Deeks' hands quickly find their way to her waist, pulling her hips against his.

No, he doesn't mind this at all.

Kensi pulls away, their noses just a wisp apart.

"You wanna get out of here?"

He cocks his head to one side, a grin spreading across his face.

"Sounds like a plan, Kensalina."


Damn. Deeks hadn't known what he was missing.

She's a good kisser. Far better than he'd ever expected.

Not that he'd had low expectations or anything. Just… damn.

Kensi has his back pinned against the door of his apartment, both hands tangled in his unruly blonde locks. She allows one hand to slide down his neck, pushing his lips even harder against hers.

Deeks lets out a soft chuckle at the motion. This girl is unrelenting.

He slips his hand into the back pocket of his jeans, fumbling for the house keys while simultaneously trying to keep pace with her.

"Wanna give me a second?" He asks, breathlessly pulling back.

"Nope," she replies simply, equally out of breath but still continuing on as if she isn't. Kensi isn't gonna let him go, not even for a second.

He finally manages to grasp the right key, slipping it into the lock. The door flies open at the force of their combined weight, both stumbling inside his messy apartment. Deeks kicks the door closed in one fluid motion, his foot finding uneven ground as he replants it.

Monty's squeaky toy gets stuck beneath his foot. He curses inaudibly, stumbling a few steps backwards before managing to catch himself against the wall.

"You're so suave," Kensi says, bringing her lips back to meet his once again.

He doesn't even muster up any sort of a response. Words don't seem fitting for the moment.

She pulls back, raising an eyebrow. "Ready?"

Deeks grunts, bracing for impact despite not knowing exactly what's coming. Kensi bites her bottom lip, jumping up and wrapping both legs around his waist.

He laughs, finally finding a couple of words. "Whoa there. I guess you decided to show me rather than tell me."

"Huh?" She asks, completely innocent in her delivery.

Deeks grins coyly. "Sex Addict."

"Maybe." Kensi smirks, inching her face towards his. "You'll see."