Prompt: Different anon, but could you write a second part to your Callen and Deeks undercover story? I could use some comfort to go with the hurt.
A/N: If I didn't mention it before, this takes place before Kensi and Deeks are together.
"Eric, I need an ambulance to our cover location," Callen ordered tersely, packing Deeks into the passenger seat with a little less care than his battered torso appreciated. He ran around to the other side, sliding into the driver's seat, and starting the ignition.
"No, I'm fine," Deeks insisted, cutting in before Eric could respond.
"Deeks, you need to be in a hospital." In the dark, Deeks could see Callen's mingled concern and anger. He'd lost his Russian accent sometime during the trip from the warehouse to their car. It made it harder for Deeks to pretend that this was all part of the plan. "I felt at least one of your ribs crack."
Deeks winced, not appreciating the reminder. Callen had beat him for what felt like hours until Parham lazily told him to stop. Then they'd negotiated while Deeks lay in a semi-incoherent heap. It was only partially an act; Deeks heard some potentially useful information from Parham's men while they thought he was unconscious, but honestly, he probably wouldn't have gotten up under his own power anyway.
"I know." His words were blunt as he stared at Callen from under his sweaty, dirty hair. "But you know how suspicious it will look if an ambulance shows up anywhere around us or if I go to the hospital. We're not the type of guys who seek out that kind of help."
"Deeks," Kensi breathed over comms.
"No, he's right," Callen agreed reluctantly. He sighed deeply, eyes distant as he thought. "Meet us at the cover house, but make sure no one sees you go in."
"They should be here by now," Kensi said, worrying at her thumb between her teeth. She hadn't been able to stop moving since Callen delivered the first blow to Deeks. She'd wanted to intervene then, but Sam held her back. Sam didn't say anything now, just giving her a dark and measured look.
He said nothing now, his tense, grave expression doing nothing to alleviate her concern. They'd had no visual, but Kensi winced at the sound of flesh meeting flesh. She could only hope that Callen managed to pull some of his punches.
"They just pulled up," Sam announced urgently, pulling Kensi out of her thoughts. She rushed over to the window, but couldn't see anything other than the back of the black sedan Deeks and Callen were using for the op.
After another three minutes, which Kensi silently counted down, there was the sound of the front door unlocking and it swung open. Callen had Deeks' left arm slung over his shoulders and stumbled through the door. Kensi took a step back, momentarily horrified into inaction by the sight of Deeks slumped against Callen, most of his body weight supported by the other man, head hanging low between his shoulders.
"Help me get him to the bed," Callen said gruffly and Sam grabbed Deeks' other arm, nearly carrying him to the single bedroom in the small apartment.
Despite Sam's obvious attempt to be gentle as he laid him down, Deeks hissed loudly, lashing out defensively when his back hit the bed. He managed to inch away a few inches and then his face went slack, all the fight leaving his body.
"Oh my god," Kensi murmured, nausea rising as his face became fully visible. Blood coated the right side, from temple to chin, beneath that a wealth of bruises and swelling. She brushed past Callen and Sam and crouched in front of Deeks, carefully easing his shirt up his torso.
Dark bruises covered the majority of his stomach and she swallowed harshly. It looked bad. Really bad.
"Can one of you get me a first aid kit?"
"Sure thing," Sam said, his voice quiet. She heard him whisper something and belatedly realized that Callen was standing behind them. She spared him a half glance, seeing the concerned look he shot Deeks before leaving the room.
His guilt, or whatever he was feeling, would have to wait. For now, her main concern was ensuring that Deeks wasn't about die from a punctured lung or something. Deeks was still worryingly limp, although his chest moved at regular intervals. That was a good sign at least.
Bracing herself, Kensi placed her hands on his sides, just above his hips where the bruising was lightest. She applied pressure, firm enough to feel if anything seemed too out of place or swollen. His skin was a little warm, but nothing to unusual. She worked steadily, systematically shifting across his stomach and towards his chest
"Agh!" Deeks shouted suddenly when she just barely pressed against his fourth rib.
"Deeks?" She shifted over him, relieved when he turned his head, and squinted at her while grimacing.
"Why are you trying to kill me?" he whispered, voice cracking.
"Oh my god, you are such an idiot," Kensi said, laughing hoarsely in relief. She cupped the very edge of his jaw, the only part of him that wasn't injured. "I'm trying to make sure you don't have internal bleeding."
"I don't." He squinted again, nostrils flaring as he pressed his arm over his torso. He breathed slowly for a few seconds while Kensi waited, instinctively brushing her thumbs across his jaw.
There was more blood matted in his beard and hair, which stuck to his skin. Kensi eased a piece back, taking a moment to assess the extent of his facial injuries. The main source of the blood seemed to come from a long cut just above his eyebrow. That was somewhat of a relief.
"Here's the kit," Callen offered, silently appearing by her side and interrupting her examination.
"Thanks."
He paused again, unusually hesitant, hands twitching a little as he stared down at Deeks.
"You gonna say something?" Deeks asked unexpectedly, squeezing one eye open. Even that looked fairly painful. Callen smirked, though it didn't quite reach his eyes and gestured to Deeks' battered face.
"I'm sorry. I should have figured out a different way to deal with Parham," he said earnestly. His fingers clenched again as though he were remembering the violence they caused.
"Don't sweat it, Man." Deeks shrugged, or as much as he could without hurting himself more. "I've had a lot worse, believe it or not. And I'll take getting beat up by a friend over a bullet in my head any day."
"The only reason that didn't happen is because of you," Callen insisted. "There aren't a lot of guys who could withstand what you did and make it look convincing. Parham wouldn't have agreed to go forward otherwise."
"Thanks," Deeks said. Callen hesitated again, then reached down to squeeze his shoulder. In that moment, he seemed to share something unspoken with Deeks, who nodded once, his expression silently offering forgiveness.
"Let me know if you need anything, Kens." He nudged her shoulder as he walked back out.
"Ok, well, let's see if I can clean you up a little," Kensi said with forced brightness. Callen's reminder of what Deeks had endured had her on edge and oddly emotional again.
Avoiding Deeks' gaze, she examined the supplies Callen brought, which included a few damp towels, the first aid kit, and a few additional rolls of bandages. She grabbed one of the towels and set to wiping away the blood covering his face.
Some of it had already started to dry, which meant Kensi needed to scrub a little more firmly than she intended. She noticed Deeks' hands ball into tense fists, but he didn't complain.
As she suspected, there were more injuries hiding beneath the blood and grime. His right eye was swollen and dark, the puffiness extending out towards his cheekbone. She prodded it gently, relieved when she didn't find any signs of fracture. There were also a few more, less serious scratches here and there.
Kensi winced in sympathy as she cleaned the blood away from his mouth. His full bottom lip was split straight down the middle.
"So, what's the verdict, Nurse Blye?" he asked a few minutes later. He sounded drowsy and his eyes were glazed, even though he hadn't taken any kind of pain medication.
"I still think you need a doctor," Kensi started tersely, tossing the towel to the side. She grabbed a large butterfly bandage to apply to his cut. "It's a good thing your hair is ridiculously long because you'll probably have a scar, and if you're thinking about me in a slutty nurse costume, I'll punch you in the ribs."
She managed to keep her voice calm as she smoothed the bandage down. There was still some blood that crusted around his hairline. For some reason that made her hands tremble slightly and she quickly grabbed a role of bandages for his ribs.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Here, we need to get your shirt off."
"Now that's definitely how several of my fantasies started," Deeks commented as she started tugging at his shirt again. "Though you might have to wait until I can stand again without passing out."
Something about his joking comment made tears spring to her eyes and Kensi hastily turned away from him, pressing her fist to her mouth.
"Kens." He sounded worried now and she heard the bed shift.
"Don't sit up, you idiot," Kensi told him, pushing him back down. Unfortunately that also meant he got a clear view of the tears running down her cheeks.
"Kensi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…do whatever I did," he said. Kensi heaved a wet, heavy sigh.
"When Callen started hitting you, I…I wanted to help you. I should have been there, but all I could do was listen to you get be tortured. She wiped furiously under her eyes. "I was terrified, Deeks."
"Hey." Deeks voice was unbelievably soft and his hand cupped her wrists, easily encircling it. His touch was soothing, instantly calming some of the fear running through her. "Look at me Kens." She did reluctantly, finding only concern and tenderness in his eyes. "I'm ok," he repeated firmly, emphasizing each word. "I hurt like hell, but I promise I'm not dying."
"You better not," Kensi whispered, twisting her hand to curl her fingers around wrist so they were firmly entangled. "Cause I need my partner."
"Always."
Squeezing his hand even more tightly, Kensi pressed her lips together. Deeks' upper lip was quirked with a hint of a smile, his eyes half-shut with exhaustion, and suddenly she was overwhelmed with intense affection for him.
Ignoring the voice of caution in her head, Kensi leaned forward, and kissed the small patch of his forehead that wasn't bruised or cut.
"You can rest now, Deeks." She brushed her free hand through his hair, still firmly clutching his wrist with her other. "I'll be here the whole time."
Deeks' smile widened a hint and his eyes slipped closed as she watched over him.