Prompt: Got inspired after watching the early season one episode, Past Lives. Could you write a fanfic where based on previous experiences, Kensi doesn't like flowers, but finally she starts to love them again when she begins to fall in love with Deeks?


February 2011

"What the hell is this?" Kensi demanded, upon walking into the bullpen and finding a light pink rose with a fine spray of baby's-breath surrounding it.

In Kensi's opinion, gifts of flowers never meant anything good. They were for apologies. For illness and death.

The house had been filled with flowers, buckets and wreaths and vases of the things when her dad died. When she was 19, her boyfriend before she met Jack gave her flowers and then she found out he liked another girl. She'd brought them to a few friends who were sick, or colleagues injured enough to land a stay in the hospital.

Flower gardens of course were an entirely different matter. She loved the idea of growing daisies, and moss roses, dahlias, and had even attempted to grow a few of her favorites in the past with predictably disastrous results.

Being give flowers though? No, she wasn't really a fan. Especially when they were laying on her desk.

"No idea," Callen answered her, sounding amused as she gingerly picked up the little card attached to the bouquet between two fingers. "It was here when I came in." Sam just shook his head.

"The flowers are courtesy of your favorite LAPD liaison," Deeks announced grandly, coming from the direction of the stairs.

"You bought me a rose," Kensi repeated.

"Yeah, and Nell and Hetty." He tilted his head towards Callen and Sam. "Sorry, I didn't get you guys any, cause I thought you might find it weird."

"And we appreciate that," Sam said.

Kensi sighed, already over the banter. "Ok, that still doesn't answer the why. You know I hate flowers."

"Valentine's Day," Deeks answered simply, like it was perfectly obvious.

"Which was two days ago," Kensi reminded him.

"Yeah, and now everything is on clearance, flowers included. I always grab a few." Deeks grinned, leaning forward conspiratorially. "I might even share my Fannie May stash if you're nice."

"So, you just did this to be nice?" It was a foreign concept, especially when most gifts came with expectations.

"Pretty much," Deeks said. "But you don't have to keep it if you don't want to."

"No." Kensi twirled the stem of the rose between her fingers, watching the colors swirl. "It's ok. Thanks."


July 2012

It had been a sucky, sucky birthday. Their case had run late, requiring Kensi to go undercover in a slinky dress and seduce a complete ass of a guy when all she really wanted to do was go home, eat store bought cake and zone out on Top Model.

She kicked off her shoes as she walked into her apartment, one landing somewhere under the couch, and she tugged her shirt off, leaving her in jeans and a tank top. That movement tweaked her strained ribs, because of course she'd gotten into an altercation with one of the armed guards at her would-be seducee's mansion.

Thank god Deeks had been there to back her up. Instead of a bullet in the head, she'd come out with mildly bruised ribs and a sore hip. Which still seemed like a poor birthday present.

It would probably be smart to soak in a warm bath for a while, but that seemed like a lot of effort and Kensi was feeling decidedly sorry for herself. Heading straight into the kitchen, she scrounged up a personal frozen pizza—which was only a little frost burnt—a beer, and the rest of a container of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Carting all of her bounty back into the living room, she tossed it on the coffee table, turned on the TV, and scrolled through the channels. None of her go-to mindless shows were on, so she settled on some procedural that was a little slow paced and way too dramatic instead.

The doorbell rang just as she was about to take a bite of her pizza. Growling under her breath, Kensi pushed herself off the couch with a groan, intent on making the person on the other side of the door regret coming to her apartment.

She looked through the window, frowning when she found no one there, and only an unassuming brown paper bag on the top step. She opened the door cautiously, regarding the bag suspiciously until she found a little note card stapled to the top of the bag.

"Happy birthday, Kensalina. Sorry it wasn't better," it read in Deeks' familiar handwriting.

Rolling her eyes, Kensi carried the bag inside, clearing a spot on the table. She pulled out a bouquet of flowers, speckled lilies and small purple roses in the mix, a tiny stuffed koala, and underneath that, a slide of the best-looking chocolate cake she'd ever seen.

She set each item on the table and surveyed them with a smile creeping at her lips despite everything. Deeks annoyed the hell out of her sometimes, but then there were times like tonight when he seemed to know exactly what she needed.

Bypassing her now cooled pizza, she popped open the plastic container and dug into the cake.

"Oh my god," she muttered around a mouthful. Deeks would have a field day over her reaction if he were here. She savored each bite, her eyes drifting over to the bouquet several times.

Maybe flowers weren't the worst thing in the world.


April 2013

"Deeks, pay attention," Kensi snapped, nudging his shoulder, and interrupting his examination of a leather vest.

"I am," he protested in a low, unconcerned tone, casting a slow, unassuming look around the market they were casing. To anyone watching, it would hopefully look like he was scoping out which stall he'd go to next.

"You know I like to blend in. We're supposed to look like a couple enjoying an afternoon shopping." As if to prove his point, he held up a particularly garish pair of high heels. She pushed them away with an amused grimace.

He continued on his way, easily balancing checking out the wares, chatting with the vendors, and keeping an eye on their surroundings. She admired him for a few seconds, lingering on the way he rested one hand on his hip, one leg extended to the side.

Now was not the time for ogling, she reminded herself. They were on the job. And Deeks would never let her live it down if he realized she was checking him out.

Moving on, she paused in front of a sunglasses stall, fiddling with a few random pairs while she watched a man edging his way through the crowd.

"You got something?" Deeks murmured, silently coming up behind her. He looped his arm around her waist, leaning into her side.

"Just a pickpocket," Kensi replied. "We'll have to notify the local security once this is over." She should have found a reason to call pull away, but instead, she let Deeks lead her back into the main road between stalls, her hand resting on his lower back.

"Here." Deeks held up a flower with a bluish-purple hue. "It's not a fern, but it's the best I could do."

Kensi took it, taking a deep sniff. It had a light, pleasant smell.

"When did you have time to get this?"

"There's a little stall over there. The lady grows them all herself."

Kensi shook her head; of course he'd made friends with the flower lady.

"You know, we're not actually here to buy stuff," Kensi said.

"It would look weird if we didn't." Deeks eyed her briefly, something playful and definitely not professional flashing in his gaze. "Besides, it matches your top."

A small rush of pleasure that he'd notice ran through her. For a moment, she wished that they weren't in the middle of a case, and actually on a date. She pushed that thought down, passing the flower under her nose again.

"You know, flowers aren't so bad after all," she said told Deeks as they walked arm-in-arm.


A/N: Title taken from the Bruno Mars song "When I was Your Man".