Prompt: Have you ever seen or written a story where Deeks opens the box right away. When Kensi first gives it to him in the bullpen and it's her dads ring?
A/N: I modified the scene a little bit extra to fit my interpretation and vision.
Deeks stares down at The Box, which Kensi has just informed him is actually his box, sure this is some kind of trick.
"What's in the box?"
"Open it and find out," Kensi suggests casually. Like she really doesn't care either way. He's not sure what she's playing at, but it has him on edge. More than his false panic at finding the box on his desk.
"Listen, is this some sort of, uh, devilish trick that's payback for me snooping?"
"No, it's a present. Which you should open." She gives a nod to the box, settling back in her chair with a cup of coffee. "Or not. Thought it would be rude."
"Alright, let us know when you've finished this fascinating debate," Sam speaks up, rolling his eyes at them as he gets up. "C'mon G."
"Where do you plan on going?" Callen asks, following after him.
"Somewhere that isn't here."
"Are you going to open it now that we don't have an audience," Kensi prompts a minute later.
Deeks sets The Box back down on his desk, vaguely amused that the words appear capitalized in his mind.
"So what you're telling me is that you want me to open the infamous box that everyone from Hetty to Granger to that visiting agent we wouldn't stand knows about? I can open this box now?" he checks.
"Yes, Deeks." She watches him for a moment, then rises, reaching into her waistband. She comes back with a knife, smiling a little as she stops in front of him, and draws the blade through the plastic securing the pieces of cardboard in one swift movement. "There, got it all started for you." She inhales sharply; it wouldn't even be noticeable if she wasn't standing close, and Deeks wasn't so attuned to her.
When he glances up, his full attention shifting from the box, to her, he sees she looks slightly nervous. It's a pretty rare sight.
"Do I get any hints?" He rests his hands atop the box, fingering the edges of the flaps.
"It's something that you want more than anything else in the world," she tells him.
And isn't that a loaded answer? Cause he knows for certain what he wants more than anything, and he's pretty sure it can't be contained within any box. He flicks a final glance at Kensi before he pulls the flaps open. There's another, smaller box within, which turns out be filled with bubble wrap, rolled around a third, minute wooden box.
He raises an eyebrow at Kensi's sense of humor as he slides the final (hopefully) lid aside, dumping the contents into his palm. It's a burnished wedding band. That certainly wasn't what he expected.
"You gave me a ring?" he says, and it comes out like a question.
"Yeah. It's not just any ring though," Kensi shuffles her feet, looking down for a few seconds. It's been a while since he's seen her so uncomfortable, which makes him think that the ring he's holding has a hell of a lot more significance than he realizes. "It's my dad's," she finishes in the softest of whispers.
"Your dad—Kensi," he whispers, for once speechless. For the last three years they've danced around each other and laughed off any possible feelings, yet now she's giving him a highly significant keepsake. "What does this mean?" he finally settles on, holding up the ring so it glints in the morning light.
Kensi swallows visibly, fingers twisting together, and takes a hesitant step forward. She untwines her finger to lift her hand, moving slowly like he might run off if she goes to fast. He watches her hand clasp cover his wrist, touch softer than it's ever been before. When he lifts his head, they're just inches away from each other.
"It means I'm hoping you'll take the next step with me," she says hoarsely. And then, there in the middle of the bullpen, she lifts her chin, and kisses him. Her lips are soft, gently searching for a few moments. When she drops back down, her eyes are soft with uncertainty.
Deeks curls his fingers around the ring, using his free hand to tug Kensi closer again. He presses a kiss to her forehead and breathes in deeply.
"You're right, this is everything I wanted," he tells her.
A/N: For the record, I'm in the camp that the ring was not the original contents of the box. That being said, this was fun to write.