"Deeks," Kensi said warningly.

"What?" He asked innocently.

Far too innocently. Kensi knew her partner, her boyfriend. Why he thought that would work on her anymore (if it ever really did) she didn't know. He probably thought it didn't hurt to try or something.

"Ouch!" He rubbed his arm where she pinched it.

Unfortunately for him, it did hurt to try. Literally. He was pretty sure that that was going to leave a bruise.

"Just, stop. Okay?"

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything. You're the one who pinched me!"

"Because you keep going on and on and on!"

"I was just talking about ice skating," he said woth wide eyes. "Because, you know, that's where we're going."

He waved his hand towards the outdoor rink they were walking towards to prove his point.

"I am well aware of that," Kensi said through gritted teeth and then muttered, "Unfortunately."

Deeks hadn't quite caught what she had said, however.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she said brightly.

"You said something."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Nope."

He narrowed his eyes at her but she just gave him an innocent look. Which just made him even more suspicious.

"So," she said, aping her hands in an effort to distract him. "Ice-skating."

"Yes, ice-skating," he repeated.

"Are we doing it or what?"

"Oh, we're doing it."

Because it was fun and yes, maybe he wanted to show off a bit, but mainly because it was fun. He then noticed that Kensi was giving him that weird, forced smile of hers and she was looking warily at the ice that they were approaching. A couple of speed-skaters whizzed past, forcing people on the ice to scatter. Kensi flinched at the movement and frowned briefly.

"Exicted?" He asked because he definitely was.

Deeks loved ice-skating. It was fun. It was exhilarating.

"Yeah, sure."

Which Deeks didn't believe for a minute. Kensi looked vaguely uncomfortable, though she was trying to hide it but he knew her too well.

But why was she uncomfortable? There was nothing to be uncomfortable about. There was just ice-skating to do.

Kensi had hoped that he wouldn't pick up on her slight nervousness. And it was only slight. But, of course, he knew her too well. Far too well.

"Have I finally found something that the great Kensi Blye can't do?" Deeks asked incredulously and far too loudly, in her opinion.

"Keep it down," she hissed.

Why did her partner have to be so loud? Did he have no volume control at all? Deeks just grinned at her in response. She hated when he grinned like that at her because it meant he thought that he had got something over her. Which he didn't!

"Kensi doesn't know how to skate," he said in a sing-song voice.

She lunged at him but he also knew her far too well and saw it coming, dodging it easily.

"You are infuriating," she informed him with a glare. He just smiled at her. That stupid charming smile of his. "And I can skate thank you very much," she added with a sniff. "I skated that time you dragged me onto the ice with Callen and Joelle and Sam and his kids, remember?"

"I do," Deeks said, still with that stupid, smug smile on his face. "And I remember skating circles around you."

"You." She poked him in tbe chest. "Were showing off."

"I was just skating. I can't help it if I'm so good that it looks like showing off to those who I obviously outshine."

Kensi rolled her eyes at his bragging.

"Well, at least I skate better than Sam," she said petulantly.

"True," Deeks agreed. "He can't even get on the ice."

And then he looked around them quickly, making sure the big guy himself didn't suddenly appear. Kensi couldn't help herself.

"Hi, Sam," she said, waving.

Deeks spun around, a look of absolute horror on his face. It was pricessless.

"Not funny," he pouted once he realised that Sam wasn't there.

It wasn't right to do that to a person. His heart was still pounding.

"I thought it was."

"Well, you know what I find funny?" Deeks asked, folding his arms.

Kensi suddenly had a sense of dread come over her.

"You being afraid of ice skating."

"I am not afraid of ice skating!" She said indignantly.

"Sure you aren't."

"I'm not!"

"Really?" He asked sceptically.

"I'm telling you, I'm not!" She said stomping her feet.

"I don't belieeeeeve, you."

She glared at him again but he seemed unfazed by it. Since when had her glares stopped working on him?

"Oh, give me those," she snapped, snatching the ice skates out of his hands.

Ha! He knew that he would be able to get her to do it. She couldn't resist him. Or, sometimes, couldn't stand him. But hey, whatever worked, right?

"Can't believe it... not scared... can do it... not stupid..." Kensi was muttering angrily as she pulled the skates on.

It was quite funny (and more than a little adorable) to watch her huffing and puffing her annoyance as she got the skates on and tied the laces. Just in case he managed to make her change her mind, Deeks decided that he wouldn't say anything. They were so close and he didn't want to jinx it. So much so that he didn't even look at her.

"Right," she said in that detemrined voice of hers. The voice that meant she was going to be successful at something no matter what. He liked that voice. It was hot. "I'm ready."

Deeks turned back to her woth a grin that quickly turned into a laugh. Which he immediately stifled because he quite liked remaining uninjured.

"Um, Kensi?"

"What?"

Deeks cleared his throat and pointed to her feet. "One of those are mine."

Kensi looked down and groaned. Roght there on her left foot was a man's ice skate. She hadn't even realised in her annoyance.

She growled at tugged it off. It slipped off her foot easily, despite being tied. How had she not noticed that?

"Here," she thrust it at him. "Take it."