Prompt:- Kensi sees Deeks in his LAPD uniform

Some days are so busy, thought Kensi Blye, you don't even get a chance to think. Racing around Los Angeles, heart in your chest, adrenaline surging as you fought for the safety of thousands of faceless innocents.

And then there were days like this, when there were no fresh cases, and those they had outstanding had reached a dead end. It was the type of day where they'd spend much of their time in the gym, or the gun range, honing their skills. Or, if they were especially bored, clearing the mountain of paperwork that covered their desks.

Kensi leant back in her chair, eyes automatically drifting to the empty desk besides Sam before she even realised they were doing it. She sighed, glancing down at her watch. 11 AM. The seconds ticked on.

Footsteps on the staircase attracted the entire teams attention, and they glanced over, faces hopefully. But rather than Eric, come to whistle them to a new assignment, it was Nell who headed down, making her way towards Hetty's desk. Kensi watched a moment as the two women discussed something, before she turned back and let Sam and Callen's conversation wash over her.

"I'm just saying that George Lazenby is overlooked as Bond," said Callen.

"I can't listen to this," Sam said. "He was a model – A MODEL! – before he was given the role."

"You're a snob," Callen said. "Are you telling me that he didn't deserve his role just based solely on the last few minutes of On Her Majesty's Secret Service."

"Okay, maybe you got a point about that," Sam conceded. "It's just that – "

"Hey, where's Deeks?" came a voice from the side, and Nell stepped into the bullpen area. She was looking directly at Kensi, and the agent knew the question had been intended for her.

"He had a funeral to go to," she replied. "One of the guys he knew from LAPD died of cancer."

"Oh that's so sad," said Nell. "Where they close?"

Kensi shrugged. Deeks hadn't really mentioned how familiar he was with the cop.

"It doesn't matter, Nell," said Sam. "Anyone else in the same uniform as you is your brother. It's the same everywhere, cops, military. You may never have met the guy in your life, but you go to his funeral. It's a respect thing."

"Yeah," added Kensi. "When my dad was in the marines, we used to go to all the…" She trailed off, the words sticking in her throat, her eyes widening.

"All the what, Kens?" asked Callen, when it became clear no more was coming. She didn't respond, just continued to stare off towards the doors. Finally, they turned, to see what she saw; Deeks making his way into the Spanish mission. But not just normal Deeks. Gone was the grubby jeans, the T-Shirt, the messy hair. In its place, he wore his full dress uniform.

Kensi finally swallowed. He looked good. Like, real good. His shirt was a dark blue, cut to fit his wide shoulders. On his chest were a litter of medals that glistening in the bright sunlight that filtered in through the windows. He plucked his issue hat from his head, tossing it onto his desk, revealing blonde hair that had been pulled back tight into a small tail at the back of his skull, and he'd brought his stubble down to a tighter buzz. Yeah, he looked real good, and Kensi was surprised to find her heart throbbing in her chest just looking at him, and fantasies forming in her mind. But he wasn't her Deeks. Her Deeks wore hoodies or shirts or those glorious deep V Tees, wore those same God awful boots, and those jeans with the worn rips in them. Her Deeks' hair was a mess of uncontrolled excitement, much like the man who sported it.

Whoa, where did that possessive term come from?

"Kens?" Deeks drawled, voice cutting into her thoughts. "You alright?"

"What?" she squeaked, blinking furiously. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be fine, is anyone else really hot?" She blew out a long breath, feeling her cheeks turning pink.

Deeks grinned at her, that stupid lopsided grin that in no way, shape, or form haunted her dreams. "You like what you see?" he asked, gesturing down at his clothes, and giving her a little twirl. She tried not to flick her eyes down at his ass in those tight pants, but was not fully successful.

"No," she snorted, voice quivering from the lie.

"Want me to put on a little show for you, strut my stuff, give you a little runway experience?"

"No, I'm – I'm just wondering if it has tearaway legs, like the sort of thing you wore in your stripper days."

"What's that now?" said Sam, head coming up and giving the junior agents' conversation his full attention.

"Nothing," rushed Deeks. "It's nothing, she's talking crazy again." He glared at Kensi, and she pulled her lips into her mouth, giving him an apologetic shrug.

"Yeah," she said, "it's just a… a private joke, you know?"

"Right, right," continued Deeks. "Just something we joked about once, and now we – "

He didn't finish, as Callen jumped to his feet, yelling "Eric" at the top of his lungs. With Sam in tow, he hightailed it from the bullpen, taking the stairs to Ops two at a time.

Kensi watched them go, before turning back to her partner, holding her hands open in a gesture of supplication. "Sorry," she said.

Deeks shook his head at her. "That was supposed to be in the vault, Kens."

"I said I'm sorry," she replied.

Her partner sighed, reaching up into his hair and pulling free the small tail. His golden strands cascaded down his head, and Kensi felt her heart skip a beat. She turned away, sucking her lips into her mouth to stop the gasp, trying to keep the flush from her cheeks.

"I don't know if I can trust you right now," he said.

"You don't trust me?" she exclaimed, turning back to him. "You're always saying stuff about me to people."

"Yeah, alright, but never stuff you've specifically told me not to," he countered. "And only ever stuff that I think people will find cute."

"Well, maybe I find it cute that you used to be a stripper!" she said, voice loud. Several nearby agents stopped walking passed, staring at the partners. Or, more specifically, at Deeks. He closed his eyes tight, sighing.

"That was just supposed to be between me and you," he said, eventually.

She took a step closer to him, resting her palm against his arm. She could feel the solid mass of his biceps through the fabric. "How can I make this up to you?" she asked, tone gentle.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"How about I tell you something no one else in the world knows?" Deeks shrugged. She took that as acceptance, before leaning forward, her mouth close to his ear. "I like a man in uniform," she whispered, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. Then she continued, louder, "Go get changed, we've got to get upstairs before Sam and Callen find footage from your boyband days too."

She turned, heading towards the stairs to Ops, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

"Everyone knows that," she heard him call after her. "Kens, everyone knows that about you."

She didn't pause in her walk, just craned her neck over her shoulder. "I never said which man," she replied.