Written for the tumblr Densi proposal challenge. I take creative liberties with these things, sorry.
"We're getting married."
The words played like a song in her head, over and over again until she ran out of tunes. By then, she simply felt them written deep in her soul.
Kensi didn't do jealousy, especially not over her two coworkers announcing their intention to become husband and husband. She was ecstatic for them. It had to be shock on her part that sent her on this emotional spiral. It was, after all, only a year ago that she thought of Sam and Callen as just roommates and partners. Well, the partner thing was right. She hated when she realized how naive and blind she could be. Her own partner (not the same kind) thought she belonged in another world, or another time, where her hope wouldn't be ruined by the reality they currently lived in.
She sighed. He'd find her soon enough. After tight hugs and congratulations, she'd quietly snuck away from the group, driving until she found a spot to clear her mind. The beach still existed in this shit hole of a city, a reminder that some beauties couldn't be oppressed. And yet, so few came to enjoy it. Beauty inspired thoughts that often ended in disappointment.
In another time, she imagined herself on this beach. The sand was cleaner, the sun brighter. And she wasn't alone. Her hair was shorter, his was longer and even shaggier. And he had a beard, because she always said his face needed hair. After seeing this image before her, two lovers on the beach, she realized how...hot they looked together.
The imaginary couple laughed, like they loved the foreplay of mockery and teasing. She pushed him, hard, and he stumbled into the ocean. Her laughter stopped once she noted his panic as he patted his pockets and splashed in the water, desperately searching for something he'd lost. She waded in, running her hands through the waves to help, her voice now soothing instead of playful. This wasn't part of the plan, Kensi thought, but she smiled to herself when the woman found the tiny blue box in the water and dove into his arms so forcefully that they both sunk under the waves.
They arose from the blue a little older and wiser, and with more company. The boy looked like her, the girl like him. They were beautiful, this little family in their own world where nothing could harm them. The sparkle in the couple's eyes remained, even with a sleepy little boy and overly hyper daughter. The wife said something to her husband, and this time he shoved her into the water. Kensi laughed - she probably deserved it.
The laugh turned to a contented sigh. The couple was alone again, and much older. The brunette's hair had turned to gunmetal gray, while the blond's hair aged gracefully to silver white. They walked slowly but with purpose, and in silence until they reached the spot where she had shoved him into the water so many years ago. He took her hand in his and squeezed, allowing her to lead him to the water's edge. The waves lapped at their ankles, then thighs, and Kensi pulled her knees to her chest and dipped her head when the water reached their stomachs. She couldn't bear to watch anymore.
A familiar presence made himself known, kneeling behind her in the sand. "Why did they walk into the ocean?"
They, not we, Deeks said. Kensi had left her thoughts open and vulnerable, but he didn't register the couple in her mind as them. Why would he? There was a distinctive difference - the man was human. She cleared her throat and raised her head, making no attempt to hide her bloodshot eyes. "Where one goes, the other follows," she answered.
He nodded, settling into the sand. Wrapping his legs around hers, he pulled her to his chest. An intimate, but innocent and comforting, gesture. "Unwavering devotion."
"Love."
"Synonyms," he responded. "I wish I could prevent you from being sad."
"Wistful," she corrected again.
"Do you have a fucking thesaurus in your hoodie or something?"
That garnered a snort. Kensi looked at the ocean again, but there were no humans, real or imaginary, to be seen. They were gone, and she was back to reality. Maybe in a previous life she'd had the kind of love she allowed herself to fantasize about on occasion. What she has now is not the same, but it would be foolish to discredit the devotion just because they didn't call it love. Life wasn't a fairy tale - it was cruel yet amazing and unexpected. It was real.
She smiled. "Do they have a wedding date yet?"
"No, but they want me to be the ring bearer." Kensi laughed. "You think that's funny? You're the flower girl."
That was funny, too. Well, she had always wanted to be in a wedding. The dreams of it being her own were beyond her grasp, so far gone now that she was almost ready to let them be swept away. "Perfect."