AN: This is a sort of sequel to 'Chocoholic' but can be read as a standalone.
"Easter's great, isn't it?" Deeks said conversationally, leaning back on his seat.
What? He was bored. Doing something was always good when you were bored, as long as that something wasn't writing a report. And they didn't have an active case at the moment (wonders would never cease) which left talking. Unfortunately, the only person around was the least likely to just chatter away but Deeks knew he could talk enough for the both of them.
Callen just raised an eyebrow and said nothing. See? The least chatty member of the team. Even Sam would have at least made a scathing comment of some sort. Callen simply didn't say anything. Not that that was going to stop Deeks. Few things did.
"Lots of candy and chocolate available," the younger man continued as if Callen had asked why the holiday was so great. "No expectations of gift giving or anything..."
It really was the perfect holiday now that he thought properly about it. Seriously. The least stressful of all of them.
"Do you still celebrate the holidays the day after?" Callen asked in amusement.
"Of course," Deeks said in a mock offended tone. "That's the best time to celebrate them."
"Pretty sure the best celebrate them is on the actual days that are assigned to them."
"Details," Deeks dismissed. "Though, I would like to say that technically, I always celebrate the holiday on the right day. I just buy all the treats the day after."
"Which most normal people would count as a part of celebrating said holiday."
"Eh," Deeks dismissed. "This way's much better. Trust me. You get at least twice the amount of candy for the same price."
"He even has this whole strategy about which stores to hit so he can get the best deals," Kensi said with a long-suffering sigh, choosing this moment to return from the gym with Sam.
Why was it when you started talking about a person that they suddenly appeared?
Anyway, her comment was completely unfair considering that she really liked the result of all this planning. Hello, he was not the sugar fiend of this relationship.
"You have to have a strategy," he said, nodding.
That was the most important part. You didn't just go out there and start grabbing at all the half-priced chocolate you could find. That was just silly.
"Pretty sure that isn't how everyone else does it." Callen said.
"Well, I'm not everyone else, am I?"
Sam snorted. "You can say that again."
"It is kind of sweet," Kensi said slowly. "Both literally and figuratively.
"You're just saying that because you benefit from his candy buying."
"I am going to go and buy clearance chocolate bunnies and chicks tomorrow. I know what stores there going to be in and everything," Deeks said in agreement - he knew that they were her favourite.
"You are just encouraging her chocolate obsession, you know." Sam said, nodding at Kensi.
"This is Kensi Blye, we're talking about. I don't think anything can discourage it."
"Fair point."
"Hey!"
"Everyone knows that you have a chocolate obsession," Callen said with a smirk look straight at Deeks who was making a cutting motion with his hands. "It's not like it's a secret."
"I don't have a chocolate obsession."
Everyone gave her incredulous looks, making her pout. She really was adorable when she pouted like that. Unfortunately, he didn't think that pointing this out would help him win this argument
"Well, sugar obsession then," Deeks amended.
"It's not an obsession."
More incredulous looks. Deeks thought that she was supposed to be good at this lying business. Didn't her life and the team's lives depend on it? That wasn't a very good sign.
"I like sugar. I enjoy eating it," she allowed herself to admit, much to Deeks' delight. "But that doesn't mean that I'm addicted to it!"
"True, addictions are far worse," Deeks mused which earned him a slap on the arm. "Hey! Violence isn't exactly helping your case here!"
"Stop calling it an addiction! My relationship with sugar is completely fine."
"Yes, because that's how people without a problem speak," said Callen, shaking his head.
"I know you have a bag of junk food of some sort in your gym bag," Deeks said knowingly.
"No one is going to take you up on that bet," Sam said, shaking his head.
He didn't even give Kensi a disapproving look like he would to him or Callen! Even Sam Hanna, health nut extraordinaire knew that Kensi was a lost cause when it came to her sugar habit. There was no point in wasting time trying to persuade her otherwise. He still held out hope for his partner.
"I do not have a problem!"
Kensi crossed her arms and stamped her foot for emphasis and glared at all of them. It would have been more intimidating if she didn't look like a petulant child while doing so.
"Then show us," Deeks waved his hand at her gym bag, which was right by her feet. "Prove that you don't have some sort of junk food in there."
"I don't need to prove anything to you!"
All that got her were three sets of raised eyebrows in return. With a grumbled she pulled it towards her.
Kensi rummaged around her bag, pointedly ignoring the knowing looks the three men were exchanging.
In hindsight, maybe one of them should have checked. Kensi might try and make whatever she had in there disappear before any of them realised it.
But it was too late for that now and they could only wait for what Deeks was convinced was going to be a little haul of junk food.
He was partially right. A packet of chips came out of it, along with three more empty packets, a bar of chocolate, some more unidentifiable wrappers.
"Are there even any gym clothes in there?" Callen asked in a stage whisper.
Kensi paused in her rummaging to glare at him.
"I'll take that as a no, then."
He was about to either get a snide retort or a threat in response but luckily, she got distracted by something she found.
"Oh! Jelly beans!"
"I never want to see another jelly bean again," Kensi groaned, curled up on her couch, clutching her stomach.
"I told you not to hog that whole packet to yourself," Deeks scolded her but that was somewhat offset by the fact he was hovering around her with a bottle of medicine in his hand.
God, she loved him. She really did.
"You could have shared," he said, pouring the disturbingly bright orange liquid into a spoon and handing it to her. "But no, you just had to eat them all."
"You don't share jelly beans," she protested, taking the spoon off him.
"It might have been a good idea to do that this time."
Kensi frowned at that thought and took her medicine so she didn't have to reply. The taste hit her tongue and she tried not to gag. Eurgh, why couldn't medicine taste good?
"I don't even want to look at them never mind share them."
She was pretty sure that even smelling them would make her throw up. Her stomach rolled at the thought of it.
She reached for the bottle of medicine, looking to take more but he snatched it away.
"Hey!"
"You've already had your dose of this."
"Well, I need another. I still feel awful."
"More of this isn't going to make you feel better," he said. "Well, not until you're due for the next dose."
Kensi gave him a look of horror. An actual look of horror. It would have been amusing if she - oh, who was he kidding? It was hilarious. But he was careful not to let it show because she might be feeling awful and ready to throw up at a moment's notice but he knew that she was still fully capable of kicking his ass.
"But that's like four hours away!"
Turning the bottle around, Deeks read the back of the label.
"Actually, it's more like three for this one."
"Three hours!"
"Hey, it's better than four."
Kensi grumbled and fell back against the sofa, slouching and poking out her bottom lip.
"It isn't fair."
Deeks chuckled and sat next to her.
"No, what isn't fair is that you didn't share any of your jelly beams and now karma is out to get you."
"I'm sick," she complained. "That means you're supposed to be nice to me."
"I am being nice to you. I'm playing nurse."
"Doesn't count without the costume," she said cheekily, a bit of spark returning to her.
He wagged his eyebrows. "Oh, I'm definitely down for that."
She gave a short laugh and then groaned; hands gingerly on her stomach again. It looked like even that movement hurt her.
"When you're better," he amended.
"When I'm better. Water?"
"This is probably good for you in the long run," Deeks mused, handing her a glass of water which she gulped down gratefully.
"Tell that to my stomach," she groaned, lying back.
He leaned over her and tapped her stomach playfully.
"Hear that, Kensi's stomach?" He said teasing. "You're going to learn something from this."
It actually rumbled at him for that.
"Even that hurts," Kensi complained.