"Deeks!"

"Kensi, what's going on?" Callen asked as Kensi kept the phone next to her ear, and gestured to Eric.

"Someone's shooting at Deeks. Can you make sure that LAPD is notified?" she said, waiting for Eric to give a nod of confirmation as she turned towards the sliding doors. All she could hear now where the faintest of shouts and static, making her think that Deeks had dropped his phone.

"Kensi, wait, where are you going?" Callen put a hand on her arm, not using any force, but stopping her in her tracks.

"It sounded like he was in some kind of altercation and then I heard gunfire," Kensi reported, going into agent mode automatically.

"Ok, well I'm sure if anything did happen, LAFD has it under control," he told Kensi.

"I'm not waiting to find out." She gave him an incredulous look. "He could be in serious danger." Or seriously injured, her brain added helpfully.

"Relax, we're not going to let your lover boy get hurt," Sam assured her. "Let's go save Kensi's firefighter."

Kensi was just worried enough not to protest at his teasing.

Kensi's heart pounded, stomach crawling with nerves the entire drive. She thought she might be sick when she saw the row of police cars lined up outside the burned-out building.

Callen flashed his badge at the officer guarding the entrance. "NCIS," he said.

"Officer Dan Perez. Damn, you guys are serious about this case. We just arrived a few minutes ago," he commented.

"Agent Blye," he gestured to Kensi. "was on the phone with one a member of LAFD, Lieutenant Deeks, when she heard shots fired."

"Oh, I see." The officer's eyes drifted over Kensi.

The lack of urgency annoyed her, but it did calm her nerves slightly.

"Can you tell us what happened?" she asked. "Is the Lieutenant alright?

"Well, you can ask him yourself," Perez offered, hooking his thumb behind him. "He's getting patched up an giving his statement."

Kensi sighed in relief, narrowly resisting the urge to hug the man. Patching up meant Deeks was alive.

"Thank you!" she said, rushing past him. It wasn't hard to find the sole ambulance parked to the side, and even in the darkness, Deeks' halo of blonde curls was like a beacon.

He has his head turned towards the EMT working on his arm, one hand raised to his head.

"Deeks," she exclaimed in relief. His head swiveled, surprise crossing his features, followed by a wince. She realized now that he held an ice pack to his forehead, opposite the gash he'd received earlier that night.

"Kensi, what are you—oh my god," he tipped his back, squeezing his eyes tight as he groaned. "The phone call. I'm sorry, I completely forgot about that."

"No, it's ok," Kensi told him. At the moment, she was willing to forgive him anything. "Are you ok? I heard the shots—"

"Yeah, no, it looks worse than it is."

"Bullet graze to the right bicep, mild concussion with superficial damage to the temple, and lots of bruises," the EMT listed off calmly without pausing in her ministrations.

"Thanks, Tina," Deeks said tightly. "Do you think we could have a minute?"

"Sure. But don't even think about running off without letting me finish wrapping that or I will come and find you," Tina threatened.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Once she was out of immediate sight, Kensi stepped closer, immediately examining beneath the partially applied bandage. Her brows furrowed at the torn line of flesh along his bicep, still bleeding steadily.

"Oh my god," she murmured. "This looks awful."

"I know, it's totally gonna mess up my tan," Deeks joked. "Of course, I hear that some women really dig scars, so there's that."

"That's not funny," Kensi said sharply, drawing yet another surprised glance from him. She felt bad for it almost immediately, especially with the way his shoulders slumped. He looked tired and hurt, and probably should be at a hospital, not a grimy crime scene.

She rubbed her thumb over her bottom lip, forcing down her instinct to lash out instead of voicing her feelings. "I'm sorry. I was worried about you," she admitted.

"Extremely worried," Callen added from behind her, and she almost groaned as he and Sam came to stand on either side of her. Deeks dropped his hand, revealing the bruised and gashed skin of his temple for the first time as he glanced between the two men curiously.

"I'm Agent Sam Hanna and this my partner, Agent Callen," Sam introduced them. "We're Kensi's colleagues."

"Marty Deeks, LAFD. How you doing?" Deeks asked, somehow managing to bring out a modicum of charm despite his downtrodden appearance.

"Well, based on how you look, pretty good in comparison," Callen said, drawing a breathy laugh from Deeks.

"Yeah, I've had better nights."

"Your captain said you might have seen the arsonist. Are you able to give us a statement?" Callen asked, getting back to business.

Deeks nodded. "Yeah, of course. I was near the east wing of the building, where there's the least damage. We'd found some evidence of multiple incendiary devices, which is when I called Kensi. As I was walking out, I saw someone lurking around, dressed in dark clothes, picking something off the ground." He sighed heavily, brushing at his matted bangs with his thumbnail. "He ran, so I pursued, and tackled him.

"What made you realize he wasn't just some nosy civilian?" Sam asked.

"Gut instinct," Deeks answered without hesitation or smugness. "And the gun he pulled on me was kind of another big clue. He clocked pretty good with it, which is how he got loose. Then he just started firing aimlessly. Could have hit anyone."

Kensi's stomach clenched again at the image he created.

"One of the bullets ricocheted off of something and grazed my arm while I was calling for back up."

"You took a pretty big risk going after this guy without any kind weapon," Sam commented, maybe a little admonishment in his tone.

"I didn't do it for the bragging rights, Agent Hanna." Deeks faced him unflinchingly. "This arsonist has caused significant damage, wasted countless resources, and most importantly with this most recent fire, taken a life. In the moment, it seemed like a good idea to try and stop him," he explained.

"Well, I can't argue with that. Did you get a good look at the suspect?"

"Uh, yeah. He was roughly 5'10, pretty slim build. I didn't get a look at his face, but I did pull it off when I tackled him. He has light brown or blonde hair and at the time, wore a black hat and shirt, black pants, and dark shoes," Deeks rattled off.

"Good. Nell and Eric should be able to do something with that," Callen said.

"Our tech people," Kensi explained to Deeks.

"Mm." Deeks winced again, energy clearing flagging.

"Are you sure you don't want someone to take you to the hospital?" She couldn't keep the concern from her voice.

"Nah, I'll get one of the guys to drive me home after and I'll pop a couple ibuprofen," he said with a shrug.

"I'm sure Agent Blye will kiss it better for you," Sam said in a whisper loud enough to carry a few feet away.

"Sam!" Kensi hissed, glaring at him.

"Now that sounds like the perfect cure," Deeks murmured with a wink and a crooked grin. The thought seemed to liven him up a little.

"You, and you." Kensi pointed to Sam and then Callen. "Go wait for me by the car."

"Yes mom," Sam grinned, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he turned towards where they'd parked the Challenger.

"Save the making out for after we solve the case!" Callen called after them.

Kensi groaned, covering her eyes. "Oh my god, I am so sorry about them."

"Don't worry about it. They seem like fun," Deeks decided with obvious amusement.

"Sure, until they gang up on you." She sobered a little, unable to joke freely with Deeks bloody and hurt right in front of her. "I'm glad you're ok," she added. Deeks held out his hand, and she hesitantly placed her hand in his. Folding his fingers around her palm, he raised her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles.

"Thanks for worrying about me." He glanced around them, at the flashing lights, crumbled building, and sighed regretfully. "I think it's going to be a while before we get to make up for that date."

"It's ok," Kensi said. "I can wait." She stretched up on her toes, brushing his hair back from his cheek so she could whisper in his ear. "And it's going to be so worth the wait."

She heard Deeks' breath hitch and pulled back with a satisfied smile. "Get better fast, Lieutenant."

A/N: This story is still 90% Kensi and Deeks flirting. I hope you enjoyed the little bit of whump.