Prompt: Deeks and Eric being bros.

Sig Sauer P229 - 21
Glock 19 - 7
Ruger P22 - 3
Remington 870P - 9
Colt AR15 - 15

The fact that there isn't an even number of any of their weapons bugs the hell out of Deeks. He likes nice, even numbers. Hetty likes odd and challenging, so he just accepts that uniformity will never be a part of his life at NCIS.

"Ahem." The quiet sound of a throat being cleared comes from the doorway of the armory.

"What's up?" Deeks asks without looking up from his inventory list.

"Deeeeeeeks…" Eric drawls as he slides out of the shadows.

Placing his pen down, Deeks looks up with a raised eyebrow. "Beeeeaaaaale," he mimics.

Eric smiles nervously and claps his hands together. "What's up with the Beale thing lately?"

"I dunno," Deeks says with a shrug. "It's masculine, I guess. All the guys go by our last names. Granger, Callen, Deeks-"

"Sam?"

"Sam…" He grimaces. "Right."

Eric shakes his head. "I am not calling him Hanna."

With a sigh, Deeks looks back down at his check list. There are much better things he could be doing right now than having this strange conversation. Like his partner, for example. "Is there something I can help you with, Eric?"

"Yeah, actually, I uh," Eric pauses and takes a few quick strides to come face with Deeks. He places his hands on the counter, but the .40 caliber pistol right at his fingertips makes him squirm. "You and Kensi, you went on vacation together for Christmas, right?"

Deeks narrows his eyes and clicks the magazine back in the pistol he's holding. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, the thing is…" Eric looks at the pistols again and decides to jerk his hands away from the weapons. "See, Nell asked me to go to her family's home with her for Christmas. That sounds like a big deal, right?"

Wow, Deeks thinks to himself. That's pretty bold. "Nice!"

"Not quite," Eric replies sourly. "It was going great, she was all flirty and sweet, but then it came time to go to bed. And I chickened out, and nothing happened. Nell's just kinda tough to read, ya know?"

Jesus, it's like Eric is singing to the choir. "Ha, no, I can see that."

"We work really well together, and I don't want it to be weird. Especially if…"

"She rejects you?" Deeks asks bluntly.

"Well, yeah," Eric sighs. "I don't know, and you don't have to say, what your…relationship is with Kensi outside of work. But I know that it's not against the rules as long as it doesn't affect work performance. And that really has nothing to do with this so…anyway. You know Nell pretty well. Got any advice?"

Deeks smiles and links his fingers together. Now this is a question he can answer. "Don't mince words. Say what you mean. Playing games won't get you anywhere. If you're not ready to say it, you're not ready to do it."

"Okay," he nods appreciatively. "Thanks."

"No problem," Deeks says, returning to his guns. "Not trying to get rid of you man, but I'm on gun inventory this week and I've got to finish this before I leave."

"Nah, that's cool." Eric backs away, heading towards the door. "Tell Kensi I said hey."

"Will do," Deeks mutters, counting the spare clips in front of him. It's not until he hears smug laughter that he realizes that he's unknowingly given away his evening plans. Tilting his head, he glares at the smiling analyst.

"So, does that mean-"

"Shut up, Beale."