A/N: This one is for mashmaiden. Kensi taking care of Deeks after he saves her from the lasers in Deliverance.

"Deeks, what are you doing all alone here in the dark?" Kensi asked, surprised to find him sitting at his desk with head resting on the surface. She came closer and saw he his palms pressed over his eyes.

"Dying," he groaned, peeking through his fingers. "No, please don't turn on the light!" he added as she reached for his desk lamp.

"What's wrong?" He looked miserable, even in the poor lighting.

"Remember how I hit my head when you landed on me?" Kensi winced, vividly remembering the crack his skull had made on impact. "I might have a tiny concussion."

"You said you were fine and didn't need to go to the hospital," Kensi reminded him, her concern manifesting as annoyance. She'd been amazed when it seemed they'd both come away from the blast with just a few cuts and scrapes from debris. But of course her partner had to be an idiot and ignore a possible head injury.

"I guess I lied," he said. He gingerly uncovered one eye, squinting up at her. "I guess with all the adrenaline, the pain didn't really register and then once it did, I thought it wouldn't be that bad."

Kensi sighed heavily. So much for her dreams of soaking in a nice bath with some Moose Tracks and a beer.

"Well c'mon, I better get you to the hospital."

"I don't need a hospital," Deeks insisted. "But I'm not sure I should drive home right now."

"Fine, then I'll take you home," Kensi said, even though it was against her better judgment. Deeks slowly stood, clumsily swinging his messenger bag over his shoulder. He took a single step and immediately swayed to the side, grasping on to the edge of his desk for support.

Without thinking, Kensi wrapped a supportive arm around his back as he breathed unevenly.

"Deeks, are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" she asked quietly. He took several more deep breaths and gave a barely noticeable shake of his head.

"No, I'm ok. Just don't drive too fast."

"Ow," Deeks groaned as Kensi helped him through his front door and onto the couch. He slumped forward, clasping the sides of his head.

"What do you need?" Kensi asked, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. She was a person of action; caring for people didn't come naturally.

"Decapitation," he suggested unhelpfully.

Sighing, she left the room in search of first aid supplies. Hopefully Deeks' medicine cabinet was better stocked than most men she knew. Or her own.

Resisting the urge to snoop, she found a bottle of ibuprofen in his bathroom and then headed to the kitchen. Kensi returned a few minutes later with the pain medication, a squished ice pack, and a bottle of Gatorade.

Deeks was still in the same position as when she'd left him.

"Here," she said, prying one of his hands from his face and dropping two tablets into his palm. Deeks tossed them into his mouth, eyes still shut, and swallowed them with a mouthful of strawberry flavored liquid.

"God, I forgot how much concussions hurt," he complained.

"You've had one before?" she asked, surprised. She didn't know that much about his past, but she would've expected to hear all about prior injuries in grandiose a Deeks fashion.

"Two." He held up the appropriate number of fingers. "The first happened when I was 8. The second two months after I joined LAPD."

"Well, that explains a lot about your IQ."

"Aren't there rules about making fun of people who are sick?" he asked, somehow managing to pout. Kensi rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see it. She tossed the melting ice pack on the coffee table and then sat on the edge in front of him.

"Fine, let me take a look," Kensi said with a sigh. She tugged his other hand away from his head and gently began probing the back of his skull. His hair was soft, if a little dirty, beneath her fingers.

Deeks stifled a pained yelp as her fingers brushed the very back of his head. She couldn't see from there so she moved beside him on the couch. Carefully, she parted the strands of hair and found a giant goose egg.

"Mm, when I said I liked pain, this wasn't what I was talking about," he hissed, glaring malevolently at Kensi.

"Shut up." Even though her tone was severe, she kept her touch light. "You've got a pretty big bump, but I don't see any bleeding. On the outside at least."

"So you think I'll live, Nurse Blye?" he teased and she pinched his side. He yelped again. Even if it was annoying, she was glad he was joking. It seemed to be a good indicator of general health for him.

"You won't be for long if you refer to me as "Nurse Blye" again," she warned.

"Noted." He nodded, looking contemplative. "What about Doctor Blye?"

"You are such an idiot." Absentmindedly, she began massaging his temples.

"And you love me for it," Deeks murmured, grinning up at her again. Apparently the pain meds were kicking in at least a little bit. She realized she was still rubbing Deeks head and she abruptly dropped her hands, not sure what to do with them now.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not even a little bit." He half shifted onto his side, slumping into an uncomfortable looking position. Kensi grabbed a pillow from the other end of the couch and rearranged it under his head. "Mm, I always wanted to be tucked in by a federal agent." His voice was suddenly drowsy.

"I am not tucking you in," Kensi said firmly, dropping the blanket she'd been about to lay over him. She sat down across from him, watching as his eyes started to shut.

"What are you doing?" he asked sleepily.

"Making sure your brain doesn't bleed out while you sleep. I'll wake you up every couple hours."

"I knew you loved me, Fern." The left side of his mouth twitched briefly and then he was asleep. Shaking her head, Kensi pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her Facebook feed. A couple minutes later Deeks twitched in his sleep, a shiver rolling through his body. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the blanket again and draped it over him.

It meant absolutely nothing, she told herself firmly. It was what any partner would do.