Prompt:- Deeks gets another special Granger assignment, but this time he tells Kensi

Idly, Kensi toyed with the phone in her hands, not really paying much attention to it. Or anything, actually. Not the blanked TV in front of her, not the rapidly cooling carton of Thai food on the table, not the chilled bottle of beer that was forming a condensation ring at its base.

She didn't need to look at the phone to know what it said. The last message was still on the screen, but the words were seared into her mind; We need to talk.

It was overdue. There were no two ways about it. Ever since the Sidirov case had been closed, they should have talked. They should have discussed… well, not the case, not his abduction and torture at the hands of the Russian. What had happened before though, that was a different story.

Afterwards, in a way that she had to admit was so very them, neither partner had broached the subject of the kiss. When, in the middle of an argument that Kensi hadn't – at the time – fully realised the source of, Deeks had kissed her. Not just a peck on the cheek, or a brushing of lips. A full on kiss on the lips, one that had carried with it every little thing she knew her partner had trouble putting into words.

And – this was the important part – she'd let him. She'd let it happen, enjoyed it. Even now, weeks later, she would get the taste of him on her lips at sudden moments, distracting her from whatever she was doing. Or she'd find herself staring at him mouth, her mind flashing to fantasies of more kisses, of longer kisses.

The first time she'd seen him after his rescue, her heart had been in overdrive. She'd been so anxious to get him back, so desperate to see him again, but also petrified too. What would he say? What would he do? And, perhaps more importantly, what would she do? But, for some reason, the subject just hadn't come up. Deeks had been too injured at the time, and afterwards… afterwards, he'd been distant. He'd been the same Deeks on the surface, laughing, joking, dedicated to his work. But someone who knew him better, someone like Kensi Blye, could see right through his disguise. She saw the moments where he was silent, when he thought no one was watching him. Saw the sadness behind his eyes, the way he sometimes forced his grin. She'd seen it before on him, usually when he was under cover, making himself react in a way his character would. She just never through she'd see it directed at his colleagues though.

Or her.

So they hadn't had the talk they should have. Kensi supposed she could have started a discussion on one of the many times they found each other spending the evenings watching TV together. But she'd been too afraid to; what if his feelings had changed? What if he no longer looked at her the way he had before his ordeal, the same way Jack had?

The fact that she'd used her task of shadowing Michelle as a convenient excuse to run away after the kiss probably didn't help matters either.

A knock at the door dragged Kensi from her thoughts. It was time. Without even noticing the space between, she found herself pulling the door open. Her partner grinned at her, and she was pleased to note it was genuine smile this time, albeit one tinged with a hint of nerves.

You can do this Kensi, she thought, her heart belting in her chest, almost threatening to erupt. She smiled back at him, showing her teeth, before pulling the door fully and gesturing him inside. As he always did, Deeks eyes rode across the living room, taking in every discarded magazine, every pile of rumpled clothing, every empty can and bottle.

"I gave you plenty of heads up," he drawled, making his way to the couch and placing his case of beer by her forgotten dinner. "You could have tidied up for company."

"Then you'd have nothing to complain about, Deeks," she said, crossing around the back of the couch, to her side. She looked up at him, meeting his clear blue eyes. Her chest contracted, catching the air in her lungs, and the static in the space between them made her skin sing.

"So you wanted to –" she began, just as he said, "I need to tell you –"

They laughed, a giggle really. Deeks grinned his lopsided grin, scratching at the messy blond locks just behind his ear. "Why don't you go first?" he said.

"No, no," she replied. "I insist."

Deeks nodded, and just for a second, he dropped his mask and she saw the sadness in his eyes again. Her hand twitched involuntarily, and it was only by sheer force of will that she stopped herself from reach out to him. Deeks sat, gesturing to the space besides him. She sat, turning her body to face him, resting her knees on the cushions between the two. Deeks mirrored her, but kept his feet firmly on the floor.

"So, look, I need to tell you something," he began, licking his lips. Kensi tried hard not to stare at them. "And I don't really know how you're going to take it."

Wait. What? That wasn't… that wasn't what Kensi had imagined he'd say, what she hadn't dreamt and prayed he'd say. She felt like she was falling, as her heart sunk in her chest.

"See, the thing is," he continued, "I'm going away for a little while."

"Little while?" she echoed, the confusion clear on her face. "What do you mean, you're going away?"

"It's an… it's an assignment."

"LAPD are putting you under cover?"

Deeks paused, breaking eye contact, and she knew his next words before he even said them. "Not LAPD, no."

"Granger?" she pressed.

"Yeah," he replied, voice small.

"Let me guess, this is another one of his 'Let's make sure nothing makes NCIS look bad if it goes wrong' deals, like last time?"

"More or less, yeah." Deeks gave her a small smile, but Kensi's face remained neutral, despite the turmoil roiling through her.

"I don't know why you're telling me," she spat, her voice lined with venom. "You could just keep it a secret, like you did last time."

"Oh, see," he retorted, his own words heating. "This is why I'm telling you, because of how jealous you got."

Kensi snorted. "Please, if you wanna have secret assignments from your best buddy Granger, what do I have to be jealous of?"

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it."

Kensi was about to respond, about to verbally attack him again, but bit the words off; he was right, damn him. She'd been jealous as hell of his cover relationship with Monica, and she did know it. And, more to the point, so did Deeks. It had been one of the major instigators of the argument that lead to their kiss.

Her anger slipped from her, and she expelled a long sigh. Finally looking up again, she saw Deeks had cooled too. "How long?" she asked gently.

Deeks shrugged. "A week, hopefully. You know how these things go. I don't really want to be gone any longer; I feel weird not being able to watch your back."

Kensi smiled. "I managed just fine for years without you Deeks," she informed him. "Besides, what makes you think I'm thrilled at the fact that you're gonna be out there without me to watch your ass."

Deeks smiled again, a dazzling grin that let her know he'd got her deliberate choice of words. The silence extended for long moments as their gazes locked. Eventually, Deeks shifted, averting his gaze. And, unless Kensi missed her guess, blushing.

"So…" he said.

"So…" she repeated. "When do you go?"

"Tomorrow."

"Good. That means I've got a few hours in the morning to convince Hetty that my partner really needs back-up on this case."

"Granger really wants NCIS away from this," Deeks reminder her.

"Don't care," she replied. And she really didn't; she'd made her mind up, and nothing – not even a direct order from the Assistant Director himself – would get her to change it. Deeks was her partner, her best friend and… well, that was just a huge big question mark, wasn't it? "The last time I let you out unsupervised didn't end all that well."

"I dunno," he said. "It all sounds a little cliché to me."

"Cliché?"

"You know; me getting sent undercover, you worming your way into it, hijinks ensuing."

"Deeks," she warned him.

He let out a small laugh. "Okay," he said.

Kensi nodded. "Okay."

"Well," said Deeks, rising. "I need to get some sleep. I'll see you later." He turned towards the door.

"Wait," she called. "Wasn't there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

Deeks paused, before turning back to her. "It'll wait," he said. Then he headed for the door, and with a small farewell, he was gone.