December 23, 2012
He gets invited to a Christmas party as a teenager. He's not sure what has him agreeing – lies, he's just not admitting it – but his foster parents all but push him out the door. They're encouraging when it comes to anything appropriately social or extracurricular. He gets it. He's not a bad kid and he's seen the books around the house.
So, with his mandatory five-dollar gift in hand, he knocks. He doesn't personally know the teenager that answers the door, and he'd bet that it isn't even his place, but that doesn't matter to either of them. They exchange manly nods of greeting.
"Bar's in the kitchen; presents in the living room."
Then he leaves Callen to close the door.
The party's in full swing, loud and he does kind of have to shove his way through to the enormous tree that utterly dominates the living room. But then he slides through the crowd. No one even glances his way until he hits the kitchen.
Alcohol flows freely, as it does when parents are away and the kids are left to play. The room is full of his classmates, many of whom he knows, none of whom he's genuinely friends with. Of course, he's become a pro at 'not making' friends.
"G?"
He spins, shocked. He's kept to himself so who the hell- Oh. Karen.
"Hi," he manages. Karen. She looks pretty.
"Thanks," she says with a bright red blush. He's said it aloud. She tucks her hair behind her ear. "I'm glad you came."
He spends a lot of time watching people, and yeah, he agreed to go to the winter formal with her, but in his experience he's never seen her looks o coy or so shy.
"Um. Drink?"
Callen shakes his head. He's not a goody-goody or anything, isn't deliberately avoiding alcohol, he's just not a fan of a blurred head. He never has been, really. He's cautious, is what he is.
"Okay, um, pizza?"
His mouth twitches. "I ate at home."
"Oh."
She doesn't look adorable, he tells himself. The way she sinks her teeth into her lip, quite obviously puzzled as to what to do next. She glances around, quite obviously casting about for something when she gets ambushed.
"Karen!"
It's Mindy. The Mindy who told Karen it was pointless to ask him to winter formal. She's a blur of red hair, peppy, bubbly. Exactly the type of person he takes great pains to avoid in the halls. And yet here he is, watching the not-adorable girl that had the balls to ask him to winter formal, who is quite obviously Mindy's best friend.
"Karen, did you see? Did you see him?"
"Who?"
Mindy's eyes are bright, intoxicated. It makes Callen smile.
"Dean," Mindy says. "Dean Covart. He talked to me, Karen. He knows who I am."
Callen bites his lip against the grin threatening. Karen actually glances his way and he can see the 'help me' in her gaze. Normally, date to winter formal or not, he would most definitely have stepped back, let her figure her way out of it. It's not a vindictive thing, he just has that image to uphold. He will not have attachments when he leaves in June.
Thing is, Mindy follows Karen's gaze his way. "Oh. Oh."
And he's in trouble.
"Callen, right? We have biology or chemistry together."
"Politics actually," he says, sliding his hands into his pockets.
"Politics. Ugh. Such a pain, isn't it?" She's already turning back to Mindy and he knows he's not meant to answer. "Are you guys, like, a thing?"
Oh. Dear. God.
Callen keeps his mouth shut. He's not an idiot. He's not biting on that bait. Not a chance in hell. He'll leave it to Karen, who's already shaking her head.
"No, not-" She looks at him. "Not a thing."
He won't contradict her. Okay, yeah, they've been kind of studying together in the library more often and she turns to him first when they're assigned group work in English, but it's not that big of a deal. It's not. It can't be. He won't let it be. Out without attachments.
Mindy looks between them and nods, as if she's figured out some big secret. The odd, vaguely uncomfortable feeling in his stomach makes him wonder if maybe she has. "Right. Well. Okay. I'm just going to-"
She doesn't finish, just starts weaving away leaving Callen and a blushing Karen behind.
"Um. Wow. So, that's Mindy."
"I know Mindy."
"Right. Class."
Finally he laughs and takes pity on her. "Come on."
What's interesting about the whole thing after that is that they're inseparable. He finds it easy, to a certain degree, to talk to her, to tell her things. He doesn't tell her details, of course. He's well-rehersed in bypassing pointed questions, and doesn't give her details. He doesn't tell her he's a foster kid, doesn't tell her he just wants out. She smiles and laughs, looks like she's having fun, and he won't ruin the illusion for her.
He's good at those. Illusions.
She even manages at one point to get him up, ready to dance. They get funny looks for that, because he's such a bloody loner and she's so incredibly sweet, but Callen ignores them, if only to make the discomfort disappear from her pretty eyes.
At the end of the night, just as the party's winding down and everyone's leaving, she looks up at him shyly and tucks her hair behind her ear. He doesn't realize what's happening until her lips brush against his.
"Merry Christmas, G Callen."
"Come over."
She shivers when his hand slides down her arm, like he can't help but touch her. She likes this new side of him she's seeing. She likes it a lot. But she also has something she needs to do tomorrow, and she's not exactly at the point where she's willing to share. Even with Callen. Her hand comes to his chest, because she most definitely doesn't want him to think that this is her changing her mind.
"Not tonight," she says. Her voice is low and quiet, the voice they both know she uses when she's letting people down easy. Well, that and the last thing either of them wants is to be overheard. The OSP party is probably not the best place to be having this conversation. "I have something to do tomorrow."
His face shuts down and she sighs, fisting her hand in his shirt. She has no idea she does it, she just knows she wants him close, doesn't want him to take it the wrong way.
"Tomorrow," she says. "After."
His face dissolves into confusion. "After?"
"Yeah. After my 'something'."
"Oh."
She chuckles a little. "I have one tradition I just… Don't share. With anyone, Callen. And I'm not ready to yet."
She's not begging him, she's telling him. It's just- This one is too close. Much too close.
"Kens-"
She pats his chest, almost awkwardly tentative. "Please, Callen. I'll call when I'm home. Or text. Something."
"Kensi! Kens! Where'd you disappear to? You promised to be my partner for the Minute to Win it challenges!"
Kensi rolls her eyes, but there's a smile at the corners of her mouth. Deeks has been a bit odd over the last couple of days and she's been feeling a bit like she has something to make up for. Plus, she and Callen are surrounded by colleagues and Hetty. Not exactly the right time or place to be, well, canoodling. Or whatever.
Still, she reaches out, gets a hold of his wrist and squeezes gently. "Tomorrow," she says. "I promise."
He knows she's good for it so he watches her leave until a throat clears behind him. Hetty's there, glass of scotch in hand – "It's a party, Mr. Deeks, of course there's scotch," Callen had heard her say early in the evening – and that look of expectation on her face.
"It seems, Mister Callen, the custodial staff made an interesting discovery in our hacienda. Apparently someone has filled a room on the second floor with fake snow. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Chapter that's kind of not really a chapter but needed to happen because of the next chapter! Yay!
I know this one's frustrating. I'm mostly done 24, so hopefully it'll be up within the next 24. I'm actually really hoping for it. I'm off to work on it now. No promises, as per usual, but like I said, it's mostly done.
And this is mostly done! It'll be super bittersweet because MAN has this given me trouble, but at the same time it's been such an awesome ride.
