A/N: Prompt 15 from the angst/fluff list: "Shouldn't you be with him/her?" I'll admit I struggled a little bit with this one. I interpreted early Densi to mean before they were together. So this takes somewhere in season 3 or 4.


"And the lady shoots and scores," Kensi crowed, thrusting her arms in the air and nearly whacking Deeks with the pool cue she'd just used to sink the last ball. "You owe me five bucks."

"Such a gracious winner," Deeks said, shaking his head in mild amusement. Not at all bothered by his comment, she held her hand out.

"Pay up. I have to pee."

"And so ladylike too." Deeks dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled five.

"Don't feel bad, maybe you'll win next time," she said, chuckling as she patted his arm with mocking sympathy. While she wound her way through the crowd, Deeks went to order a fresh beer.

The bartender, Stacy, didn't even bother asking he wanted, handing him a bottle of his favorite.

"Thanks," he said, throwing in a wink. "You wanna grab something to eat after your shift?" They'd gone out a couple times, but it hadn't gone any further. Deeks still enjoyed flirting all the same, and Stacy played right along.

"Mm, as tempting as that offer is, I'm gonna have to pass," she said while she measured out ingredients for a martini.

"That hurts." Deeks held a hand over the center of his chest.

"Somehow I think you'll recover." Her tone was mocking and she added, her gaze flicking to somewhere beyond him, "Besides, I don't believe in sharing."

"What?" Deeks asked, truly confused. Stacy rolled her eyes and pointed across the room.

"Shouldn't you be with her?" Deeks looked behind him, seeing Kensi third in line for the restroom.

"I think she can handle going to the bathroom by herself," he said wryly. Stacy huffed out an annoyed sound and picked up a bottle of vodka with more force than necessary.

"I know you like to tease, but I never took you for a cheater or a liar, Marty," Stacy said, sounding disappointed. As Deeks started to protest, she cut him off. "Every time you've been here in the last three months she's with you, so don't tell me you're not dating."

"We're not! We're friends, good friends, and we work together, but there's nothing romantic between us," he insisted. Stacy suddenly looked less angry and more amused.

"Really? Cause you two clearly have a thing," she insisted. Deeks chuckled uncomfortably, looking back at Kensi again before he could stop himself.

"Ok, there's definitely nothing going on between us. I mean, yeah sometimes it sounds kind of like we we're flirting, but it's just banter." Stacy crossed her arms and regarded him dubiously.

"So you're trying to tell me that you have zero interest in the woman who makes you laugh and grin like a lovesick puppy?" she asked.

"None at all. Like I said, we're just friends."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Marty," Stacy said, grinning at him. Then she gestured for him to come closer and spoke in a lower tone. "But I've seen you guys and I see how you smile when she's around. You two may not be dating, but you're definitely into her. And, I'm almost certain she feels the same.

"That is, that's ridiculous and I'm gonna go back to my table before things get even weirder," he said as Stacy continued to smile knowingly.

"Enjoy your not-date."

"It's not a date!" he shouted back. Kensi had returned from the restroom and started setting up another game of pool.

"Get over here, I need to win more of your money," she shouted at him with a giant, obnoxious grin. His stomach flipped in a not completely uncomfortable way.

"Deeks, you are in so much trouble," he muttered to himself. He just might be falling in love with his partner.