A/N: I'm so so so sorry for the ridiculous amount of time it's taken me to post this. Thank you all so much for being patient with me. The Densi relationship takes a pretty significant turn in this chapter, and I was trying to figure out how to handle it when the doomed finals week reared its ugly head, so I decided to take a break, but it turned into a much-too-long hiatus and for that, I am so sorry. Thanks for sticking around, and thanks to those of you who messaged me and urged me to continue. I'm not giving up, I promise!
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS: Los Angeles
"You're home late," Monica said as Kensi walked in the door. She was on the couch watching some reality show. Her laptop was perched on her knees and papers and notebooks were scattered around her. She had a highlighter in her hand and pen stuck in her bun, and her glasses—which she rarely wore— were sliding down her nose. She pushed them up as she looked at Kensi.
"Yeah, I stopped at the beach on the way. Needed to clear my head," Kensi explained. She plunked her bag down and went into the kitchen, where she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She turned to see Monica smiling at her expectantly. "What?"
Monica put her laptop on the table and hopped up, sending papers fluttering to the floor. "Are you sure you didn't stop at the beach for another reason? A certain surfer boy-related reason?" She sidled up next to Kensi and elbowed her playfully.
Kensi shoved Monica gently away, laughing. "No," she said defensively, though she could feel her cheeks reddening.
Monica wiggled her eyebrows at Kensi before turning to pull out a foil wrapped plate from the fridge. "You saw him though. You're blushing!" She unwrapped the foil, exposing chicken and rice. "Sauce?"
Kensi leaned back against the counter and took a swig of the cold water. It felt good after her afternoon on the dusty shooting range. "No, thanks. I'll put it on after. And yes, I did see him there. He was surfing."
Monica put the plate in the microwave and turned it on. She turned around and looked Kensi straight in the eye. "The fact that you two keep running into each other by accident has got to mean something. Accidents don't just happen."
Kensi raised an eyebrow. "We go to the same school, Monica. It was a matter of time before we met."
"Yeah, but you've gone three years without ever meeting the guy and now you're running into him a couple times a week? That's fate, Kensi. Don't ignore it."
"I'm not," Kensi said, trying to suppress the smile that was finding its way to her face. "We, uh, we made plans for this weekend."
Monica squealed, loudly. "Kensi! Oh, my God! A date! Finally!" She jumped up and down excitedly.
Kensi laughed at her friend's reaction. "It's not really a date," she said, though at the heart of it, she knew that was exactly what it was.
"So," Monica drew out the word as the microwave beeped. "What are you guys doing?" She turned and took the steaming plate out of the microwave. Kensi took the sauce from the fridge and nudged Monica out of the way so she could put the sauce on herself. Monica was fussy about food, even leftovers, and Kensi had learned to let Monica make the food, but she had drawn the line at condiments. Kensi preferred to do that herself.
Not looking up from the rice and chicken, Kensi said, "He's going to teach me how to surf."
"Awww. That's so cute," Monica squealed again. "Speaking of cute, did you talk to Will yet?"
Kensi hesitated. She had talked to Will. He was as nice and shy as ever, but… "Yeah, I did."
"And? What'd he say?"
Kensi grimaced and looked up at Monica, who registered Kensi's expression, her own face falling. "He has a girlfriend, Mon. I'm so sorry."
Monica looked down at the ground and Kensi wanted to reach out and hug her. She'd felt the same way when Will told her regretfully that he hadn't meant to lead Monica on and that he'd made a mistake. She'd been angry, of course, but more saddened for Monica's sake.
Monica looked up and took a breath, letting it out slowly before saying, "I had a feeling that's what was going on." Kensi tried not to look at her pityingly, but it was proving to be difficult. Monica was notorious for being able to act like nothing was wrong when it came to men, but Kensi had known her long enough to be able to tell when the cracks in her façade started to show. Now, even though her face and body were carefully controlled, Monica pressed her lips together and swallowed. Kensi could see her jaw clench as she struggled not to emote.
"Monica, I'm really sorry."
"No, you know what? I'm fine. He made a dumb decision. I'm not going to be the other woman. I have higher standards than that." She clenched her fists together and released them, shaking out her hands. Then, she smiled. This was something Monica was very good at and even Kensi sometimes had trouble discerning the real smiles from the fake ones.
"You sure?"
"Yes," Monica said decisively. "I'm good. Now, eat your dinner and go shower. You stink."
"Okay, mom," Kensi mocked, earning a genuine smile from her friend.
When Kensi got out of the shower later, the TV was still going, but the sound was low enough that she heard Monica sigh and sniffle and then a faint hiccup. When she went out into the living room, Monica looked up with a smile and patted the seat beside her. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to tell she was crying.
Saturday turned out to be perfect for surfing. The temperatures had risen all week, and the winds had died down a little, making the waves smaller and less threatening. Deeks opened up the shack that morning and was immediately swamped with early morning surfers waiting for their coffee. By the time Paul came in at 10—with Christine and her board in tow—there was a steady line of customers, and the two men barely had time to say hello to each other before they had orders to fill.
Thankfully, the shack didn't serve meals more substantial than soft pretzels, so many of the beachgoers headed down the boardwalk for lunch, leaving a few minutes' breathing time for Deeks and Paul. Christine had long since finished up her time on the water, and was laying on her towel a few hundred yards away, soaking up the sun. Paul couldn't stop staring.
"So how's it going for you two?" Deeks asked.
Paul looked at him and suppressed a smile. "Fantastic. She um…she stayed over the other night."
Deeks clapped a blushing Paul on the back. "That's great man. Have you made anything official yet?"
Paul looked out over the sand at Christine. She had sat up and was fiddling with her iPod. Once she was satisfied with whatever she had been looking for, she wound her long hair into a bun on the top of her head and laid back down. "No," he finally said. "She hasn't really given me any indication that that's what she wants to do. She seems to really like her independence, you know?"
Deeks nodded thoughtfully, noting Paul start to transform under the weight of his insecurity. Before he could slump underneath it, though, Deeks said, "Maybe you should take charge. I mean, that might be what she's waiting for."
Paul's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "She's waiting for me to bring it up?"
"It's possible." Deeks shrugged. "Communicate with her. She spent the night at your place, she's gotta be somewhat committed."
Paul looked over at Christine again and hesitated. "I guess," he said slowly. "I just don't want to scare her off."
Deeks shrugged and turned to help a customer. After he had exchanged money for a soda, he turned back to Paul, who had returned to watching Christine. "Hey, man, it's your relationship and I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I think that if you really like her, you should take that chance."
Paul bit his lip and nodded, more to himself than to what Deeks had said. Before either of them could say anything more, a family came up to the counter, effectively distracting them from the conversation for the rest of Deeks' shift.
Kensi pulled into the parking lot of the beach and rolled up her windows. She felt a wave of nerves roll over her all of sudden. She had been uncharacteristically bold when she'd asked him to teach her how to surf, and now she was rethinking that decision. The doubts were starting to make a reappearance. Doubts about this…date, or whatever it was. Doubts about getting closer to Deeks. Doubts about telling him and showing him things about herself that she knew would change his perception of her, because God knows he had a way of getting them out of her.
No. Kensi took a deep breath and pushed her car door open, determined not to drown in her grief and second thoughts. She was going to be happy today. It was about time she was allowed to be happy. She'd had a glimpse of it a few weeks ago at the party and now, she'd do anything to get that feeling back.
Kensi slipped her sunglasses over her nose and scanned the beach, her eyes coming to rest on the surf shack. She saw Paul behind the counter and Christine leaning on the other side, laughing at something he'd said. Kensi smiled to herself, pleasantly surprised to see that they were still hitting it off.
"Looking for me?" a voice said behind her. Kensi turned to see Deeks heading towards her across the parking lot, two boards propped beneath his arms, a wetsuit laying over one of them. He was wearing only a pair of board shorts and they rode low on his hips. Kensi swallowed and looked him in the eye.
"I was under the impression we had an appointment," she said stiffly, internally cringing at how formal that sounded. Jesus, Kens, pull yourself together.
Deeks' eyebrows quirked up and he smirked. "'An appointment'? This isn't the dentist," he teased.
Kensi was glad for the sunglasses covering her face, or he would have surely seen her blush. She waved her hand toward the beach. "So?"
Deeks smiled and shook his head. He walked toward her and handed her one of the boards. Before she could take it fully under her arm, and before he could let go of it, he leaned in and said softly, the smile disappearing for a moment, "Hey, relax, okay? I'm not expecting anything of you. Just fun."
Kensi nodded and blew out a breath. "Fun, it is." His smile returned. Then he led the way down to the water.
A few yards away from where the water met the sand, Deeks held up the wetsuit and dropped his board in the sand. Kensi dropped her board as well, and saw that it was much longer and rounder than his. He caught her looking at it and explained, "It's a training board. It provides a lot more stability." Kensi nodded. He held the wetsuit out to her. "I thought you might want this. Bikinis aren't really the greatest thing to wear when surfing. You don't want anything…falling out." He waved his arm vaguely at her chest.
Kensi gave him a look and said, "That's gross. But thank you." She took the wetsuit from him. She turned slightly away from him and pulled her shirt over her head, and then slid out of her shorts. She was aware that she was giving him somewhat of a show, and she could feel his gaze sliding over her. She was proud of her body, of course, but that didn't mean she was going to flaunt it. She quickly wiggled into the wetsuit, pulling up the zipper with the long cord in the back.
She turned back towards him and said, "I feel ridiculous in this."
He suppressed a laugh and said, "Everyone does their first time. Don't worry, you'll get used to it."
After Kensi wiggled around a little more, adjusting the wetsuit so it fit right, she said, "So, what's first?"
This…whatever it was—a date? A surfing lesson?—was going well, Deeks thought. Kensi was a quick learner, and she didn't whine or get frustrated like a lot of girls would, usually in order to get him to help them (read: touch them). She was determined to stand up on the board at least once before the day was over. It'd been hours, and both of them were sunburnt and tired, but she was relentless.
"Okay, this time, make sure to keep your core tight. Center your weight low over the board," Deeks instructed. They were sitting next to each other in the water, each straddling their boards. "Lucky you, your center of gravity is lower than mine." Without thinking about it, he looked her up and down.
She raised an eyebrow. "Really," she said, her tone conveying how unimpressed she was.
"What? It's science!"
"Well, keep your science to yourself," she said, smirking. It'd taken her a while to get warmed up to him, but now they were teasing each other freely, though he was still holding back on some things. There was no way he was going to ruin this day by overstepping the line.
"Fair enough," he replied, grinning. He spotted a wave swelling in the distance and said, "You wanna catch this one?"
Kensi nodded, a look of determination crossing her face. "This is the one," she said, turning the board to face the beach and looking over her shoulder as the wave approached.
"Ready?" Deeks asked as the wave grew.
"Ready," Kensi said. She started paddling just before it reached them, exactly as he had taught her.
Deeks watched as she paddled hard and rose up into a push up, tentatively standing up on the board. She stood in a crouch, finding her balance. Deeks grinned, his surfer's instinct telling him that this was definitely going to be her wave.
Kensi stood, her arms out for balance. Confidently, she straightened up, finding her place on the board and on the wave. Deeks whooped, cheering her on, and she pumped her fists, still facing forward toward the beach.
Suddenly, as if in slow motion, Kensi pitched forward, losing her balance. Her arms flailed and the board popped out from under her, one end flying up and around to hit Kensi in the head. She fell into the water along with the board, and the wave swept over both.
Deeks didn't even take a moment to be shocked. He started forward, paddling hard on his board. His chest felt tight as adrenaline surged through him. He was a few feet away from where she went under when she popped up, gasping for air. Deeks slid off of his board and swam over to her, dragging the board behind him. "Kensi! Kensi, are you okay?" He grabbed under her arms and pulled his board over for them to use as a raft.
Kensi coughed up water and gulped in air, but she seemed alert and once Deeks was sure she could hold on to the board, he let her go. "Kensi?"
"I'm fine, Deeks. Give me a second to breathe."
Deeks tried not to hover over her while she caught her breath, and the way she rolled her eyes at him made him back off a little. When she seemed to be able to breathe normally, Deeks said, "Think you can make it back to the beach?"
She nodded and Deeks propelled them back towards the shore, keeping his arm out beside her in case she lost her grip on the board.
They waded out of the water, and as soon as they were on dry sand, Deeks dropped his board to the ground and stopped her to check out the blossoming bruise on her jaw.
"I'm fine, Deeks."
"You are obviously not fine," Deeks said, still panicking even though she seemed relatively unhurt. "You hit your head. You could have a concussion."
"I seem to be doing just fine so far," she said. She crossed her arms. "That was my wave, too," she sulked.
Deeks pulled back and smiled a little. Of course she was more worried about that than nearly being knocked unconscious. "Yeah, it was. And you rocked it."
"Until I fell off."
"Nobody's perfect on the first try. Except me, of course."
She gave him a look, and he tried not to smile. She noticed his attempts and rolled her eyes. She walked up the beach towards their towels and he followed, letting his grin loose now that her back was turned.
Kensi stopped next to where they had dropped their towels earlier and grabbed hers, shaking it roughly so that it was free of sand. She wiped her face dry and then bent down to remove the strap from her foot. She straightened up quickly, her eyes wide in shock. "Your other board!" She said.
Deeks hadn't even realized they didn't bring it in to shore with them; he'd been too worried about Kensi. He followed her gaze out to the water, where the board was being rescued by a young boy, probably ten or eleven. Deeks undid his own strap and jogged down to the water line, where the kid was pulling the board in. "Hey, buddy, thanks for saving my board."
"No problem," the kid said, offering the board to Deeks, who took it. "Is your girlfriend okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be okay, thanks," he said, waving at the kid as he ran back up the beach. It wasn't until he got within in a few feet of Kensi that he realized he hadn't bothered to correct the kid and tell him Kensi wasn't his girlfriend.
Relieved, Kensi said, "I'm sorry."
Deeks waved her off. "It's no big deal. Are you sure you're okay?"
Kensi switched from relief to exasperation so quickly it nearly gave Deeks whiplash. "Yes, Deeks. How many times do I have to tell you I'm fine?"
Deeks dropped the training board to the ground and picked up his towel instead. He ran it over his face and hair before saying, "You know, a lot of people say they're fine when they're really not fine."
Kensi's face hardened. "What I'm not fine with, is that you keep asking me whether I'm okay. I'm not bleeding out over here, Deeks, so stop trying to baby me."
Surprised at the sudden turn in the conversation, Deeks held up his hands. "Whoa, calm down, okay? I just want to make sure you're alright."
"I can take care of myself," she said forcefully.
"I know you can," Deeks replied. "But don't get mad at me for making sure you don't have to go to the ER."
Kensi's lips pressed together and she looked out over the water.
"I think we should call it a day," Deeks said quietly. "Is it okay if I take you home? I'll feel better knowing you got home safely if I do it myself."
Kensi waved her hand noncommittally, but Deeks took that as a yes, and he picked up the boards and his towel and followed Kensi to the parking lot.
"We can take your car," Kensi said shortly. "Monica will bring me down to pick mine up the morning."
Deeks shrugged, scared to say anything that might set her off again. He stowed his boards in his trunk and after making sure her seatbelt was on, drove away from the beach.
His car smelled like him, only much, much stronger. It was like the seawater was embedded in the floorboards and the seats. And the smell of the dashboard as it had warmed in the sunshine mixed with the salty tang was pleasant, if a bit overwhelming.
Kensi was furious with herself more than she was with him. She felt kind of bad that she had snapped at him, but he was also trying to hover and take care of her, and she really didn't need that. It was obviously in his nature to want to make sure she was okay, but it was against everything she knew to let someone else take control, even in as small a way as tending to her after taking a spill off of a surfboard.
That was what she angry about. She'd been doing so well, and she had finally made it into a standing position when the wave bucked underneath her, toppling her from the board and surprising her so much that she hadn't even had time to think about what was happening. One second, she was firmly planted on the board and the next, she was rolling underneath the wave, unaware of which way was up and swallowing what felt like her weight in seawater.
She knew she shouldn't feel like a failure—it was her first time, after all—but Kensi was a perfectionist and even the smallest loss of control felt like the biggest disgrace. She knew Deeks couldn't possibly know that about her, so after she'd gotten control over her emotions again, she said, "I'm sorry for yelling at you back there. It wasn't fair to you."
Deek turned down the radio and said, "You don't have to apologize. I know how much it sucks to fall off the board. And besides, I was being way too clingy."
Kensi sighed and turned in her seat to look at him. "It wasn't you. It was me. I'm angry at myself."
Deeks chuckled slightly. "Are you going to give me the 'It's not you, it's me' speech? Because I don't think we're at that point in our relationship just yet."
"Ha ha," Kensi laughed tonelessly. "You think you're mister funny guy, don't you?"
Deeks shrugged, looking ahead at the road. "What's wrong with cracking a few jokes? The ladies love it."
Kensi didn't want to tell him how right he was, and she bit her lip to keep her smile to herself.
He caught her, though, and said, "See? You think I'm hilarious, but you won't admit it. I know how you work, Blye."
"You don't know anything about me," Kensi said playfully. At least, it was supposed to come out that way, but it sounded wrong: too quiet and sincere.
Deeks gave her a look that told her that he wasn't falling for it and that he did, in fact, know how she worked. It made Kensi uncomfortable that he could make her feel like that. "I know you like tequila. I know you're a forensics major. I know you're a badass." The last part made Kensi smile. Deeks took a deep breath and said, "I know you were upset the other night and you were trying to hide it. I know you're dealing with some stuff. I know you're not ready to talk about it, but I'd still like to get to know you, whether you tell me or not. If you'll let me."
Kensi swallowed. She opened her mouth, expecting something to come out, but nothing did. She took a deep breath and looked out the window. They were driving north along the coast, so his side of the car was facing the ocean. Kensi saw only homes and businesses and land, boxing her in and making her feel claustrophobic. She had a headache, and it only partly had to do with the bruise that was currently forming along her jaw. She clenched her jaw, and immediately regretted it as pain shot through it. She released it and looked over at Deeks, who was patiently waiting for a response. Suck it up, Blye. Just try. He deserves at least that.
Kensi took another deep breath and said, "Okay. But," she said, holding up a hand as Deeks' face split into a grin, "I want to know as much about you as you'll let me, too. That means one for one, okay?"
Deeks nodded seriously. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't prepared to reciprocate," he said. "That's the first thing I can tell you about me: I always give back when it's due." He looked over at Kensi with a smile. "Your turn."
"We're taking turns? What is this, 20 Questions?" Kensi asked, stalling for time.
Deeks shrugged. "Sure, if that makes it easier. Your turn," he nudged gently.
They were nearing Kensi and Monica's apartment and Kensi was grasping for something to say that wasn't too revealing. She wasn't all that comfortable telling him about where her mind had been on Tuesday; she wasn't comfortable thinking about the news of her job offer with herself. Anything regarding Jack was a definite no.
Deeks pulled onto Bayshore Drive and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. He was teasing, Kensi knew, but it was still pressure. She could lie, of course, but that didn't feel right. Not when he so desperately wanted to know her. Not when she could almost certainly admit that she liked him enough not to want to do that to him.
Deeks parked on the street in front of the apartment building and turned to Kensi. She looked over his shoulder at the ocean, the blue waves shining yellow and white in the sun. The same waves that had given her a sore jaw and a stinging ego. Then she looked at the man sitting in front of her. He hadn't quite saved her from the water—like she'd said: she didn't need saving—but he'd been there when she'd resurfaced, and he'd made every effort to make sure she was okay.
"It's been a long time since I let anyone close to me who wasn't already close before," Kensi said haltingly, looking Deeks in the eye. It was as much an admission as it was a warning, and she could tell that he registered that.
"What was 'before'?" Deeks asked quietly.
Kensi unbuckled her seatbelt and grasped the door handle. "Don't push your luck, Deeks," she said.
She opened the door and got out of his car, picking up her bag from the backseat. She looked back at him and saw the concern and confusion in his eyes at the way she'd thrown up her walls so abruptly. She looked out over the ocean again and took a deep, calming breath.
"We can finish this game over beer and a pizza," she offered nonchalantly. Truthfully, she didn't want this day to end. She wasn't done letting the warmth of his eyes fill her with a buzzing feeling, or letting his smile do funny things to her heart. She wasn't ready for him to go.
His lips quirked up into the smile and he turned the key in the ignition, quieting the car's engine. "A beer sounds great after the day we've had," he said. "And I have to make sure you're not going to pass out on me," he added.
Kensi gave him a small smile in return and shut the car door. "Pizza and beer it is." Deeks got out as well and followed her up the stairs.
They reached number 6 and Kensi unlocked the door, pushing it open with some force. "You should get that fixed," Deeks remarked, following her into the apartment and shutting the door behind him.
Kensi threw her bag on the couch and said, "We would, but that takes money. Besides, management's really picky about that kind of thing. The landlord would rather do it himself, except he doesn't do anything anyway, so you know, we're stuck with it."
Deeks shrugged and stood in the living room, looking around. It was different than the night of the party. Obviously, there were less people and it was better lit. But…there was something even more than that. Kensi and Monica had really made this place home, and it suddenly seemed like a haven. It felt safe, somehow. And open; Deeks could see the ocean out the living room window.
"I really need to take a shower. Think you can keep yourself out of trouble for a few minutes?" She smirked.
"You mean stay out of your stuff? I promise I won't read your diary," Deeks shot back, a grin lighting his face.
Kensi rolled her eyes and turned away without comment. As she walked towards her room, she said, "There's stuff to drink in the fridge. Help yourself. And you can watch TV or whatever. Monica should be home in a few minutes." Deeks heard a door close and the run of the water.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the case on top of the fridge. As he did, he noticed the pictures that were stuck to the fridge with a variety of magnets. They were mostly of Kensi and Monica, and a few of their friends. There was one of Monica wearing a graduation cap and robes in the bright red of Cleveland High. She held a piece of paper up and was flanked on either side by a tall man, and a short woman who looked exactly like Monica. There were a few younger kids in the picture, too, hugging each other in a way that filled Deeks with longing. They were all grinning proudly, squinting a little in the sun. Their happiness made Deeks smile. Graduation in Reseda was a big deal, especially for families who had a tough time. Deeks thought that Monica's family was lucky to have a good example for their younger kids. It was probably a lot of pressure on Monica, but she handled it very well.
Looking up, Deeks saw a picture of Kensi. She was also wearing graduation robes, this time in blue, and looking proudly at the camera. On one side of her was an older couple, their arms around each other's backs and smiling at the camera. There was a hand around the back of Kensi's waist from the other side, but the picture was folded over, cutting out whoever it was. Momentarily forgetting their conversation in the car due to his overwhelming curiosity, Deeks slid away the magnet. He was about to flip the picture over when his phone started to ring with a call.
Slightly disappointed and also relieved that he wouldn't be violating Kensi's trust, he answered his phone. "Hey, Paul."
"Hey, Marty. Are you near a printer?"
"Yeah, why?"
Paul sighed, "I just realized that Healy wants that annotation of the Brockman case file tonight. I'm at the shack. Do you think you could print it and bring it down to the beach for me?"
"Am I expected to work while you finish it?" Deeks asked, only slightly joking.
"No! No, Hank's here. So you'll do it? Please?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course I'll do it. How soon do you need it?"
"As soon as possible."
Deeks looked at his watch, "Uh, I'm at Kensi and Monica's right now. I can be there in about half an hour."
"Great," Paul answered, clearly relieved. "And, uh…tell them hi for me."
"No problem. See you soon, man."
"Yeah, see you soon. Thanks." And they hung up.
Deeks looked around and realized that he didn't actually know if Monica and Kensi had a printer. He hesistated, not sure what to do, before deciding that he had to ask Kensi.
He went to the door of her room and called, "Hey, Kensi?" The water was still running and it was a moment before she answered.
"Yes, Deeks?" She called back, adopting her tone of teasing impatience.
"Do you have a printer I could use? And…a laptop?"
She didn't answer for a moment. No wonder; people were protective over their computers. "What do you need it for?"
"I need to print off this case file for Paul. He forgot it was due tonight."
He could almost imagine her sighing and mulling it over. Thankfully, she didn't take too long and said, "…Okay. Can it wait a few minutes?"
"Uh…," Deeks stalled. He did not think this through. "No? I promised Paul I'd get it to him as soon as possible."
"Fine. My computer's on my bed. The printer is on the table at the end of the hall."
Deeks went into her room cautiously. There were clothes on the floor near the closet, and her textbooks were heaped on the ground beside her bed. Papers were spread all over the desk, which explained why her computer was on the bed. "Jeez, it's like an episode of 'Hoarders' in here," he called out.
"Deeks," she said warningly. Deeks chuckled to himself.
He moved aside a blanket and a sweatshirt and found her laptop underneath. He opened it up and was thankful there was no password protection. Resisting temptation to look further, he opened up the internet and logged into his email to bring up the case file. He went into the hall and plugged the computer in to the printer, pushed print, and was startled when the printer beeped loudly, alerting him that there was no paper. Deeks turned around on his heel and went back to the bedroom. The water had stopped running and he could hear drawers opening and closing in the bathroom.
"Hey, you got any paper for the printer?" He called.
"Top shelf of my closet, right in the middle."
Deeks balked at the mention of the closet, but it looked like the entire contents were spilled out on the ground anyway, so what else could he see?
He saw the package of paper right where she said it was, but as he was turning to go, Deeks saw the boxes. There were about six of them, packed neatly and taped shut, stacked in the far corner of the closet. He saw two words: "Dad" and "Jack" were written on various boxes. Not trying to think too hard about it—it was her business after all—Deeks turned and hurried down the hallway to the printer, where he refilled the paper. The printer happily churned out the case file and Deeks stapled it with the stapler that was sitting on the windowsill behind it.
Kensi came out of her room, now wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her hair hung down her back, starting to curl as it dried. He face was flushed from the hot water and the sun, and she looked clean and happy to be that way. "All good?"
"Yeah," Deeks held up the paper. "Are you?" He noticed the bruise on her jaw was becoming much more pronounced.
She noticed that he noticed and put her hand to her face. "I'm fine," she said defensively, then noticed his raised eyebrow. "I'm good," she amended, more softly. "I'm good."
Deeks smiled slightly, "Good." Kensi's lips lifted a little.
After a moment, Deeks cleared his throat and said, "I'm, uh, gonna take this down to Paul and we might have to take a rain check on the pizza. Are you all right for the night? You don't have a concussion or anything?"
"As if I'm going to give you an excuse to watch me sleep," Kensi snorted, and then winced, putting her hand to her jaw again.
Deeks raised his eyebrows, trying not to laugh. "I really am sorry."
"It's not your fault that the board hit me in the head, Deeks," she said.
"It won't happen next time," he promised.
"Next time?"
Deeks backpedaled, "I mean, if you want to keep doing lessons."
Kensi smiled wryly. "Next time, I'll have it down."
"Ok," Deeks said, grinning at her. He looked at his watch, "Ok I really need to go now."
Kensi walked him to the door and just as he had reached the top of the stairs, she said quickly, "Hey, call me, okay?"
Deeks turned, not even bothering to keep the grin off of his face. "I will." She grinned back before wincing at the pain in her jaw. She gave him a small wave and closed the door, still smiling. Deeks practically skipped down the stairs, feeling so light that he thought he could probably just fly off of one of the balcony railings and float down to his car. If he could have seen Kensi leaning against the other side of the door, smiling giddily to herself, he just might have.