There's not too much I can say up here besides thank you! The story is getting rather interesting now, so I'm going to try and continue updating daily.
Please review as always! :)
-Hazel
After just standing there, wrapped up in his arms for another ten minutes or so, Deeks invites her inside.
She turns him down.
If Julia discovers that Kensi snuck out to go see him, she's absolutely certain that metal bars will be placed over her bedroom windows, and any previously felt sense of freedom will be gone completely.
So she shakes her head, muttering a quiet "I can't."
Deeks nods in understanding, looking more than a little disappointed. He'd envisioned just sitting on the couch beside her, enjoying a bit of late night TV as she drifted off to sleep. Nothing more, nothing less.
Kensi watches as his face falls and he scratches the scruff on his chin- simply acting like the lanky, awkward teenage boy she loves. That side of him only seems to come out around her, though. Nobody else really cares to notice that his life isn't perfect.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she offers, trying to sound optimistic.
Again, he nods. It doesn't seem like a typical Marty Deeks mannerism, so she tries to compensate for his lack of enthusiasm. Kensi closes the gap between them, kissing him for what seems like half a second.
It's simple yet perfect, not at all frantic and hardly even romantic. But there's a smile on her face, and Deeks can't help but smile right back.
"Okay," he says softly as she begins to back away. "Tomorrow."
Kensi slips back into bed without making a peep and just stares up at the ceiling, unable to consider the possibility of sleep. Her heart is still thumbing, her mind racing.
She loves Deeks, and he loves her. Not even Julia's disdain for him or their actions can make those feelings subside.
A tumultuous combination of thoughts are floating around in her mind, some happy and some sad. She wants to scream, but another part of her wants to laugh.
Is this what being in love feels like? She's never been in love before, so it's hard to know. Aggravated by her own inability to know how she's supposed to be feeling, Kensi buries her face in a pillow, letting out a muffled scream.
In just two weeks, her dad will be here. Hopefully he'll bring some clarity home with him.
Walking inside, Deeks quietly presses the door shut. His eyes are glued to the floor, the lower half of his jaw hanging slightly ajar.
"Who was out there?"
Ray is standing in front of him, clad in a tee shirt and pair of sweatpants. He wipes his eyes with one hand, eyebrows furrowed as he yawns. Waking up his roommate up wasn't a part of the plan, but it seems that Deeks has already done it so there's no going back.
"Uh... Kensi."
His eyes widen just a hilt. "Oh, your girlfriend?"
He's never heard anyone refer to her as that before, and Deeks can't help but smile. He wishes that the term was being used under different circumstances, but that's beyond his control.
"Yeah. My girlfriend."
The words come across as flat and deflated.
"In the middle of the night?"
"Yup."
"Anything else I should know?" he presses. It's clear that Deeks is leaving out some information.
"Things are just..." He trails off, glancing to the floor. "Rocky."
Ray cocks his head to one side, quickly finding a way to awaken his sleepy mind.
"With the two of you?"
"More or less."
He walks over to the couch, changing the volume of the television to mute.
"Well... that's unexpected."
Deeks sighs, following behind his friend.
"How do you figure?"
"I dunno. You seem different with her. I didn't expect it all to fall apart so quickly."
He sits up tall. Somehow, in the middle of the night, his friend becomes even more blunt than usual.
"It's not falling apart! We're just..."
"Trying to figure it out?" Ray offers, knowing that he's just struck a nerve.
"Yes," Deeks states firmly, nodding profusely. "We're just trying to figure it all out. And we will."
"How do you know?"
He pauses, but it's fleeting and his next sentence easily makes up for the hesitation.
"Because I love her."
"You love her?"
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
He purses his lips, thinking. "I just... I just know."
"But how?"
Deeks can't exactly tell what Ray's looking for, so he offers up the only explanation that seems plausible. The truth.
"Not sure. I just have a feeling about her."
"Okay. That's... good." Ray nods in understanding, looking satisfied. "But if that really is the case, then you can't let her go."
"I won't. Don't think I'd ever be able to do it."
"Ever?"
"I mean..." Deeks' cheeks turn red. "Come on, dude. Don't do that."
Ray laughs. "Do what?"
"Twist my words around."
"I'm not."
"We've only been together for a week."
"And you already claim that you're in love with her."
"I am!"
"That's good. I believe you."
He narrows his eyes, gaze sharp and tone accusatory.
"Then what's your point?"
Ray shrugs. "It doesn't really seem like puppy-love to me, that's all."
Deeks doesn't need the clarification, but appreciates it nonetheless.
"I already know that. It's real."
He nods. "Good. But... I've never met the girl. I'm only going off of what you've told me."
"Okay."
Silence. Ray is fishing, and he has no idea what the guy's looking for.
"Do you wanna meet her, or something?"
His face lights up. "That would be great."
Deeks chuckles, standing up from the couch as he starts towards the room that's practically become his own.
"You could've just asked to see her."
Ray smiles. "Where's the fun in that?"
Kensi's never been this early for school.
By five thirty, her bag is packed and her breakfast has been devoured. She runs outside two hours before the bus is scheduled to pick her up, but doesn't stop in the usual pick-up zone.
Instead, Kensi keeps walking for about three more blocks before finally coming to a halt, dropping her backpack to the ground. She leans her shoulder against a wooden street sign, checking her watch.
Hmm. About another minute.
Calmly she takes in her surroundings, watching as the leaves of the trees sway in the breeze and the sky begins to change from navy to baby blue.
Then, like clockwork, he appears. Deeks is moving towards her at a rapid pace, his blond locks bouncing as he runs. The white tee shirt he adorns is soaked with sweat, and his eyebrows immediately furrow as he catches sight of her about thirty feet ahead.
"Kens?"
She grins toothlessly. "Hey."
Deeks stops just in front of her, ruffling his hair.
"Hey," he responds, completely breathless and thoroughly confused. "What are you doing here?"
Kensi shrugs. "Interrupting your morning run."
"You know my route?" He cocks his head to one side, giving her a crooked smile. "Cheeky."
She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, only because you told me."
"Whatever. It's still cheeky."
"Okay."
"Ooooh. So you think it's cheeky too?"
She sighs, but a grin pierces through it. "Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm here?"
"I assumed you just wanted to see me," he says while leaning forward, lifting the hem of his tee shirt to wipe the sweat off his face. Kensi's eyes catch on his sculpted abs and for a moment she completely loses her train of thought.
"Kens?"
Her head snaps up. "Hm?"
Deeks follows her line of sight and chuckles, but doesn't address her loss of focus.
"Was I right? Did you just want to see me?"
She shrugs yet again, regaining her composure. "Sorta. I couldn't sleep, and thought that this-" Kensi motions between the two of them. "-sounded better than waiting two more hours for the bus."
"Aw," he states flatly, tight lipped. "I'm flattered."
Clearly, he's not.
"I didn't mean it like that, ya know, you- erm, don't have to be insulted, I just thought that it would be nice to see you before everything at school, and, well..."
She trails off as he begins to smirk.
"Wow."
"What?"
"No matter how early in the morning it is, I can always count on you being an ass."
"You're a lucky gal."
Kensi snorts. "Apparently."
His eyes light up when she didn't protest his statement.
"Grab your bag," he says, pointing towards the pavement. "I'm gonna go home and take a shower. You can wait there, and then I'll take us to school."
Kensi lifts her eyebrows, but does as she's told and retrieves her bag. "You will?"
"Yes, I will."
"That's breaking quite a few rules, don't you think?"
Deeks tosses an arm over Kensi's shoulders, leisurely leading her back towards the house.
"Why stop now?"
Kensi twiddles her thumbs as she sits in the center of his couch, both elbows resting against her kneecaps.
He's getting ready, and she's just waiting.
Not that it's a bad thing- Kensi really doesn't mind. But this isn't exactly his house, so the idea of kicking off her shoes and taking a little snooze while she waits for him to reappear seems odd.
Instead, she sits.
"Um, Deeks? There's a girl..."
Kensi turns around to find a guy staring her down- wide eyed but clearly still half asleep. She shoots up from her seat, smiling and running over to meet him.
"Hi! Sorry if I startled you- I'm Kensi," she says, extending a hand out and trying not to appear as awkward as she feels.
The stunned expression drops from his features, a toothy smile moving in to fill the voice. Her name obviously sparked something.
"Oh, wow. Deeks' girl. Nice to finally meet you."
Finally.
It sounds exaggerated to Kensi, as her and Deeks have only really been together for a week. But they've also been friends for months, so it seems fitting that Deeks has taken the time to discuss the topic of 'Kensi' with his roommate.
"I'm Ray," he adds, as if she didn't already know.
Kensi nods as he turns around, entering the kitchen and pulling a coffee mug out from one of the cabinets. She feels a bit more comfortable with her surroundings now, and slips into one of the bar stools adjacent to the kitchen island.
"So... what do you know about me?" She asks with a small smile. "What's he told you?"
Ray shrugs, his back facing her. "A decent amount."
"Really?"
Kensi's sure that the word comes across far more eager that she intends for it to.
"Yeah."
There's a pause as he scoops coffee grounds into a filter.
"You don't talk much, do you?"
All she gets is a teasing smirk and one lifted eyebrow. He's obviously trying to mess with her.
"Depends on who I'm speaking to."
"You're speaking to Kensi. Anything come to mind?"
"Wow. You're sassy."
"That's what he tells me," she says, nodding in the general direction of Deeks' bedroom.
"Does he now?"
"Sometimes."
"Huh. Okay."
He stares her down, his eyes dancing across her face. Kensi would do just about anything to know what's running through his mind, because she's certain that every thought has been molded by something that came straight from Deeks' mouth.
"So you're really not gonna tell me anything? Just stare at me creepily?"
"Was I being creepy? Sorry about that. It's really early," he says, pouring coffee into a mug the second it finishes brewing. His sarcasm isn't lost on her. "You want a cup?"
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Are you mad at me now?"
"I don't think I know you well enough to say."
"I'm gonna take that as a yes."
It's strange how much this guy reminds her of Deeks, and she's beginning to view him as his less-attractive, kind-of-annoying older brother.
"Deeks likes you," she adds.
"On occasion. He does live with me, so that's saying something."
"Does he have a choice?"
"Ouch, Fern." Ray smirks, his use of her nickname proving that he really has heard quite a bit about her. "You know, in my mind you were less of a spitfire. Deeks makes you sound so sweet, adorable and caring."
She smiles. Finally, they're getting somewhere.
"I can be all of those things."
"But only with him? That's precious."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
She leans forward onto the counter, arms crossed but her expression still bemused.
"Come on, Ray. You've gotta give me a little something, before he comes out."
"I'm sure you're already well aware of everything he's told me. It would probably be rather repetitive."
"That's fine. I'll pretend to be engaged."
"Your sense of humor needs some work."
"Deeks tells me that, too."
Ray leans his back against the fridge, deciding that he'll share some information with her.
"Honestly, Kensi- every single time he talks about you, I've only ever really discovered one thing."
She sits up tall in anticipation. "Which is...?"
"That boy loves you," Ray says, taking a sip of coffee. "He loves you a lot."