A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the kind reviews on the first chapter! This was originally just going to be a one shot, but I have come up with a way to extend it. I am SO excited for this story… it really is a blast to write! :)
- Hazel
Yeah, she's starting to like him.
Kensi can't pinpoint exactly what it is, as the boy still tries to drive her crazy half the time. He'll sit behind her in class just so he can randomly pull her hair hair whenever he pleases, or he'll steal her car keys from her backpack so she has no choice other than to let him drive her home from school.
They're still just friends, or at least pretend to be. But there is always heat.
It's delivered in small, shy doses- like the way Kensi catches him staring at her as she tries to decipher a complex calculus problem, or how his eyes will light up when he sees her approaching.
She has made other friends too, but nobody compares to him, honestly. Every single girl that Kensi hangs out with is constantly elbowing her in the side when he's around.
They all know.
She'll punch him in the arm and tease him incessantly about his scent- which consistently smells of salt-water, but it doesn't make any sort of a difference in the way other people perceive their relationship.
Everyone knows that they're practically mad for each other.
The guy is different, and she loves it. He wears a gleaming smile wherever he goes, and is always on her side. He gives her crap about a lot of things, sure, but he'll always defend her whenever it's required.
He's just… Marty Deeks.
But on that particular day, he seems different. Distant, almost cold.
"You okay?" She asks as they walk towards their separate third period classes.
His eyes are droopy as if he hasn't slept, and the concern for his well being is slowly becoming overwhelming.
"I'm fine," he mutters, gaze sharp and hard.
She gives him a knowing look. They both fully understand what that word means- the total and complete opposition of what it suggests.
"Come on, Deeks."
He sighs. There's no way he can hide anything from her, and Deeks knows it all too well.
"It's… my dad," he admits finally, his voice quiet and small.
That's bad, and she knows it.
Kensi has only met the man once, in passing when she'd gotten her mother to drive Deeks home from school after his car broke down a couple of weeks prior. She was taken aback by his bluntness and rude nature, as his father really was nothing like hers.
Deeks had apologized profusely for his dad's behavior, feeling terrible that she'd been exposed to somebody like that.
Kensi wasn't worried about herself, though. She was worried about him.
And based on the way he's acting today, she still has a good reason to be.
"What's going on?"
It takes Deeks a moment to actually turn and face her, but she gasps when he finally does. There's a descent sized black and blue bruise on his jawline, one that he's trying incredibly hard to cover up.
"Deeks…" She stops walking, grabbing his arm and forcing him to stay beside her. "What the hell happened?"
He inhales sharply, ruffling his mop of wavy blond hair.
"He hit me. It's okay, though. It happens a lot. I'm used to it."
Deeks tries to make a run for it, but Kensi grabs his muscular forearm once again before he can slip away.
"It's not okay and you know it."
He shrugs. "There's not much I can do about it, Kens."
There it is- that other side of him that nobody seems to see except her. Suddenly the handsome cool teenager everyone knows becomes the shy, withdrawn student that nobody pays attention to.
Fine then, she tells herself. To hell with everyone else.
She's gonna listen, and she's gonna look after him. Someone has to do it.
"Deeks, just-"
The bell rang. Her class was to the left, his was to the right.
"Er... lunch in the courtyard?" she asks, slowly moving away as the halls become overcrowded with students.
He nods, smiling faintly. "Sounds good."
She turns, her back facing him as she walks into her next class. Deeks sneaks a quick peek in Kensi's direction before disappearing completely out of sight, only to find that she's doing the exact same.
He smiles, looking up and down the now empty hallways. Deeks is definitely going to be the last person to class, but he could care less.
This girl might just be the best thing that's ever happened to him.
They usually sit with their mutual group of friends at lunch, sure.
But whenever something is going wrong, Kensi and Deeks have a particular spot they like to eat lunch at. Outside in the courtyard, just a couple of feet away from the fern she tripped over on the very first day they met.
Deeks smiles as Kensi approaches. He's sitting on the top of a table, both feet planted on the bench. His hair sparkles in the sun, the gleaming light showing off the flaxen highlights in his hair.
He looks sly, cool and absolutely gorgeous.
"Hey," she says, dropping her tray of food down to the table. Kensi pushes it aside, hopping up to sit down beside him.
"Hey."
Glancing at their surroundings, Kensi doesn't find a single trace of food.
"You not eating lunch?"
He shrugs, resting both elbows on his knees as he just stares out at the grass.
"I'm not hungry."
Kensi studies his features for a moment, still only able to see half his face. The bruise is fully exposed to her now, and it almost looks worse outside, without all the florescent lights beating down on it.
"Here," she says, handing him an apple from her lunch tray. "You should really eat something."
Deeks grins toothlessly at her concern, and accepts the little offering without any protest.
"Thanks."
He tosses it in the air once before taking a quick bite. He's trying to be so cool around her, and she knows it.
That doesn't mean she minds it, though. Quite the contrary.
Kensi clears her throat, knowing that it's necessary to bring up the unfortunate topic of discussion at some point.
"Look, Deeks, about your dad... there's gotta be something you can do."
He finishes chewing before speaking. "Aside from kill the guy... no."
Her eyes widen, her breathing growing shallow.
"Deeks, you're not-'
"No." He shakes his head. "I've thought about it, yeah. But no."
"Good."
She bites her lower lip, looking for the right words. They're good enough friends now that she assumes it's alright to ask the question sitting on the tip of her tongue.
"What about your mom?"
He takes another bite. "What about her?"
"Is she... nice?"
Deeks nods slowly, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. She's pretty cool."
Kensi's eyes light up for a moment, but she's shot back down rather quickly.
"It doesn't matter though. He beats her up too."
Kensi wants to hold his hand, just to try and comfort him, but she knows how suggestive that would seem.
Instead, she just settles for using words.
"You can still fight back," she says quietly. "You're strong and tough. I know you are."
He smiles just the tiniest bit, fidgeting with the tie on his hoodie.
"Thanks."
"I mean it."
His smile fades as he lifts his eyes to meet hers. "I just… I wanna walk away from it. All of it."
"Then we'll make today a good day, okay? Let this be your… escape."
Deeks smiles. "Okay."
She nods, returning the gesture. "Okay."
They both grin small, shy smiles at one another, and although she hates to do it Kensi finds it within herself to change the subject.
"We have PE next. That's your favorite, isn't it?"
He chuckles, raising one eyebrow. "And yours as well."
"Maybe."
"You just like seeing me sweaty and shirtless, that's all."
Kensi instantly blushes, but tries her best to cover it up.
"That's not at all true. Maybe it's the other way around."
He moves in closer. Good god he's attractive.
"Maybe."
Kensi swallows hard just as the bell rings. That damn thing never seems to get the timing right, honestly.
"What's on the schedule for today?" Deeks asks, clearing his throat as he hops up from the table.
She does the exact same, grabbing her tray of practically untouched food. If he doesn't have an appetite, than neither does she.
"Um... dodgeball, I assume. That's what we've been doing all week."
He only pauses for a short moment.
"I'm gonna kick your ass, Blye."
She takes a step forward, playfully narrowing her eyes.
"In your dreams."
Deeks tilts his head to one shoulder, a cheeky grin tugging at one corner of his mouth.
"Well, that's usually what my dreams consist of, so…"
Kensi doesn't hesitate to punch him the shoulder, but tries to keep the force of the blow light. She doesn't want to injure the poor guy any further.
"You're so on."
He's not even trying to hide his overly enthusiastic reaction. "You're gonna be in my dreams now? I don't know how you'd do that, aside from some weird mind-ception thingy, but I'm more than willing to be your test subject if you-"
"Shut up." Kensi takes another step towards him, fully aware of the fact that their faces are a mere three inches apart. "I'm talking about dodgeball, Deeks."
He winks. "I'm sure you are."