Prompt: Can you do a fanfic from 2x23 where Kensi is under the impression Deeks is leaving NCIS after his talk with Hetty about his liaison position (unaware of the truth) and reveals her concerns to Callen and Sam.
A/N: This takes place sometime either during 2x23 or 2x24. Though I'm not sure there was time for a scene like this.
Kensi tried to concentrate on the PDF filling her computer screen, but she found herself glancing in Deeks' direction every few minutes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him scratch at his temple, head bowed as he worked.
He didn't seem anxious, or like he was keeping a massive secret himself. On the contrary, he seemed just as invested in the team as ever.
"Hey, anyone want coffee? Kens, your usual?" he asked, and Kensi managed to look away the second before he turned towards her.
"Uh, no I'm good," she answered, frowning at him. "I thought you were trying to cut down on caffeine."
"Yeah, that was before this week went absolutely insane. I'll get back on the wagon when things settle down again."
Sam made a skeptical sound. "Then you better buy stock Folgers, Deeks."
"I'll take a large black coffee and a muffin," Callen decided, winking at Sam, who once again seemed disappointed in his partner's eating habits.
Deeks flashed a quick grin, heading for the hallways. Once again, Kensi tracked his movements until he disappeared from view.
"Ok, what's going on between you and lover boy?" Sam asked, startling Kensi enough she actually jerked. She tried to cover her slip it with a look of cool indifference and vague confusion, but based on Sam's rolled eyes, he didn't believe her.
"Nothing. We're completely fine. Well as fine as I can be with a partner who insists on playing the oldies station every time we drive somewhere," Kensi scoffed.
Chuckling under his breath, Sam raised a brow, sharing a look with Callen. Callen tucked the end of his capped pen between his teeth, nodding as he smirked. God, it was so annoying when they did that.
"Give it up Kensi. You've been staring after Deeks all day like a lost puppy. So spill."
Kensi sighed deeply, smoothing her palms up her thighs, then leaned forward.
"I think Deeks is leaving," she blurted out before her better judgment could stop the impulse.
"What?" Sam said, brows furrowing as if he thought he'd misheard her. Next to her Callen's expression settled into something unreadable. Clearly, they'd expected something trivial; if she wasn't so worried, she'd feel righteously vindicated.
"Did Deeks tell you he was leaving?" Callen asked finally.
"No. But you know Hetty wanted to talk to him the other day."
"And of course you listened in."
"How often is a Hetty talk a good thing?" Callen acknowledged her comment with a nod. "I was being a good partner and making sure he wasn't in some kind of trouble."
Sam grinned at her briefly. "Uh-huh. What'd you hear?"
"Not much since they were in the burn room. I distinctly heard Deeks say something about resigning though," Kensi said, a sense of deep sadness filling her again. Her response to possibly losing Deeks had caught her by surprise. She rubbed her thumb over her thumbnail concentrating on the slightly rough surface.
"Maybe you misheard him," Callen suggested.
"Yeah, because so many things so similar to resign," Kensi retorted.
"Or, Hetty might have decided to let Deeks go," Sam added carefully, holding up a hand to stave off Kensi's instantaneous and heated reaction. "Hey, Deeks' job was never guaranteed. Maybe she decided that it would be best to fire him before she left and her replacement came in. They might not understand Deeks."
Kensi inhaled slowly to regain her composure, and shook her head. "Hetty would never do that." Kensi was sure of it. "She picked Deeks out personally, created liaison position for him, and he's actually an asset to the team."
She cleared her throat, avoiding looking directly at Sam and Callen. "When I asked him about it, Deek insisted everything was fine. He said he had some LAPD paperwork, but wouldn't tell me anything else. If Hetty fired him, he wouldn't have been so relaxed. He seemed almost…relieved."
She hated to think he felt relieved about leaving them.
"Kensi, whatever's going on, I'm sure it'll be fine," Sam told her in a tone meant to be soothing. "This is Deeks we're talking about after all."
"Woah, are my ears burning, cause I think I heard my name," Deeks called out from somewhere down the hall.
Somehow Kensi had missed him coming back. She hurriedly, opened her laptop again, smoothing her face into indifference.
"We were just wondering what was taking you so long," Sam improvised as Deeks walked back into the bullpen with a drink tray an a brown paper bag.
"I was gone for less than ten minutes and there was a group of extremely indecisive teenagers in front of me." He removed a large cup from the carrier. "One really big, possibly toxic, black coffee and a cinnamon muffin." He set both items on Callen's desk, and dug back into the bag, presenting Kensi with a smaller white paper packet. "And the last double chocolate chip muffin for Kensalina. I know you said you didn't want anything, but you tend to get a little grumpy in the afternoon without a snack."
"Thanks," Kensi said, disproportionately touched by the gesture. "It better not be stale," she added for effect.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Deeks said with a wink. She watched him saunter back to his desk with coffee in hand.
If he was planning on leaving them, abandoning her, he wouldn't be so casual. She'd seen him under pressure before. For all that he could lie his way through any situation, he struggled to keep secrets from her.
She took a small bite of her muffin, which was perfect, and found solace in the taste of chocolate.
No, Deeks wasn't leaving her.
A/N: I don't know that there's a coffee shop that close by, but we're going to pretend there is.
