Hour two into their surveillance, and Deeks had started to get a little antsy. He was used to camping out for hours at a time on surveillance duty, but usually he had the wonderful distraction of Kensi, and his back wasn't burning like he was being bitten by an army of fire ants.

He tried to discreetly rub against the car seat, as he watched for Tom Nelson, a suspect linked with the suspicious death of a former marine. Right now, he could use something a little more hands on to keep his mind off his worries, and the relentless discomfort of his healing burns.

"So be real with me, when did you really grow your hair out?" Sam asked unexpectedly, his upper lip lifted in a smirk that shows his dimples. "Because there's no way you served as a public defender or made it through the police academy with that." He pointed at Deeks' hair, curled slightly around his ears and over his forehead.

Sam had been making an effort to keep the conversation going, which Deeks appreciated.

"Hate to disappoint you man, but I did," Deeks said with an answering smirk. He shrugged. "When I interviewed with the LA court of law, they were willing to overlook my…eccentricities given my excellent academic record and their desperate need for public defenders. For the academy I trimmed it up a little, but I figured out how to slick it back enough that I could squeeze by. Then I moved into undercover work pretty quickly, where these kinds of looks are viewed as an asset and not a hindrance."

Sam snorted, shaking his head. "Only you, Deeks."

"You think Kilbride would like me better if I cut my hair?" he mused. He shared a glance with Sam, who looked doubtful. "Yeah, didn't think so," Deeks sighed.

"Like I said before, it'll come with time. Kilbride just has to see you for who you really are."

"Eh, well I wasn't really counting on it."

The bitterness returned in full force as he turned back to focus on the empty street before them. The talk about his hair had brought up memories of every other time he'd been mistreated because he didn't fit with someone's expectations. This situation was different in a way because Kensi was involved and Kilbride was accusing them of misconduct.

He was drawn from his thoughts by the arrival of a rickety gray sedan.

"Hey, I see some movement," he said, sitting up as the car pulled up to the opposite curb. A short man with sandy brown hair emerged. "Yep, that's our guy."

Together, he and Sam slid out of the car, pulling their badges as they approached Nelson.

"NCIS," Sam announced when they were a few feet in front of him. Nelson froze for a second in panic, and Deeks saw him the decision in his eyes a moment before he ran.

"Idiot," Sam muttered as they took off after Nelson, Deeks following him down a tight alleyway while Sam cut to the left. As they emerged on the other side, Deeks leapt into the air, landing on Nelson's back. They rolled several times over the rough gravel, Nelson struggling to grasp a gun at his waist as they came to a stop.

"I wouldn't do that," Sam called out, his shadow appearing over them a moment before he came into view, gun aimed directly at Nelson's head. Growling under his breath, Nelson stilled, and Deeks cuffed him.

Sam helped pull the man to his feet, informing him of his rights as they

dragged him to the Challenger and secured him inside.

As he started to walk back to the passenger side, Sam stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder, his brows furrowed. "Deeks, your back is bleeding."

A/N: Deeks angst and whump is my favorite flavor. Is that a weird thing to say?