Kensi leaned over Callen's shoulder to see the report he was looking so intensely at. Her hair tickled his neck as she did so and her shoulders brushed his. He caught a whiff of something. Callen frowned. Something that wasn't quite Kensi but still familiar. He took what he hoped was an unobtrusive sniff of her.

"Uh, Callen? Are you OK?" came Kensi's voice breaking through his thoughts.

Dammit, he must have spaced out.

"Yeah, all good," he said vaguely.

"You sure? You went kind of spacey there," she said in a concerned tone.

"Just thinking," Callen brushed off.

"Oh-kay then," said Kensi, thankfully deciding not to peruse her line of questioning and returning to her own desk.

The smell lingered, there was something familiar about it. It was very fresh, with a hint of citrus. Like one of Sam's health drinks, maybe?

"Did you change your shampoo?" he asked abruptly, turning to squint at her.

She gave him a suspicious look and slowly replied, "No?"

"You sure?"

"I always get the same one."

Derailed slightly, Callen asked incredulously, "Really?"

He didn't know people did that. He just grabbed the handiest one. No bother or searching about that.

Kensi rolled her eyes and tutted, "You are such a guy."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you don't know the agony of trying to find a shampoo that helps clean your hair type and leaves it looking lush and sitting nice," she looked him up and down before somewhat snarkily adding, "Not that your hair could be described as lush."

Callen ran his fingers across the top of his head and jokingly put on an insulted face, "I think my hair is perfectly lush."

Kensi just rolled her eyes at him and started rummaging through her desk for something, leaving Callen to his thoughts. What was that smell?

Suddenly, it clicked.

"You used Deeks' shampoo!" Callen loudly accused her.

His younger teammate didn't even look concerned at this proclamation. She just shrugged at him.

"Had to use his for my hair," Kensi replied dismissively, holding a form up. "When did we have the McMasters case?"

"Two weeks ago, and what do you mean you had to use it?"

"I mean my hair needed washed at his place and funnily enough I used his shampoo."

Callen frowned at her, something niggling the back of his mind. It wasn't just Deeks' shampoo she smelt of. He did know what that smelt like and there was something else...

He leaned over her and took a deep sniff much to her amusement and annoyance.

"Why is your partner sniffing mine?" Deeks asked Sam in a fake whisper as the two entered the bull pen.

"This ought to be good," Sam said, eyebrow raised as he sat down. "Want to explain G?"

"Kensi smells like Deeks," Callen informed his partner.

"I explained why," Kensi said exasperatedly.

"None of my shampoo is at Deeks' place."

"It's not just shampoo," Callen reiterated and then realised something, turning back to Kensi. "Your clothes smell like him too!"

"Got anything to defend yourself there Deeks?" Sam semi-teased, folding his arms.

The man in question just shrugged and exchanged a look with Kensi. She rolled her eyes and shrugged back.

"We ended up sleeping next to each other after last night," he explained.

"And we drove in together," Kensi added. "Much quicker."

The whole team had requested an urgent summons due to their current case which was basically wrapped up now but had been incredibly time and politically sensitive. Not something any of them liked but it had happened and they'd gotten it done. Jist about.

"Surely if you showered at Deeks' place you would just smell like his shampoo," Sam said, giving her a protective look.

Kensi huffed in annoyance and glared at both of them. Callen raised his arms in surrender.

"Oh, don't give me that," she snapped. "I washed my hair soon after I arrived because of the mess it was after the case before last and then we watched a movie."

"Good one too," Deeks interjected helpfully.

"And don't give me that suspicious look, Callen," Kensi informed her team lead. "You have partner movie nights all the time."

"We don't end up smelling like each other," Callen muttered under his breath.

"Do I smell like Kensi?" Deeks asked curiously, sniffing at his arm.

"Not as much as she smells like you," Sam explained. "Slightly of her shampoo, lavender I think, and also of-"

"Gunpowder," Deeks finished knowingly.

"Well, I wouldn't quite say that."

"Kensi smells like gunpowder," Deeks said gunpowder. "And sunshine."

"What does that even mean?" Callen asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

Deeks always said that but never elaborated. How do you smell of sunshine?

"You know, sunshine!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Sam, help me out here."

"I don't know G. It kind of does."

"In what world?"

As the two older partners bickered in a familiar pattern, Kensi shot Deeks a smile across their desks. Last night had been good. Personally, she couldn't remember much of the movie, she must have fallen asleep pretty quickly next to him and she thought Deeks had as well. They had both been so tired and he was so comfortable and easy to curl up around on that couch of his.

"You can so smell like the sea," Sam protested loudly. "Deeks can attest to that."

"He does smell like that," Kensi affirmed.

"And you do too," added Deeks happily. "Now you completely smell like the beach."

"Doesn't mean you can smell like sunshine!" Callen complained. "You just can't. The sun doesn't have a scent."

"Kensi is proof that you can," Deeks decided to chip in. "What else would you say she smelt like?"

"Exactly," said Sam, nodding his head in agreement. "Deeks had always said so."

"One, I don't go around sniffing my co-workers and two, Deeks says a lot of things."

"Hey!"