"I'm getting flashbacks to Gym Class," Deeks announced, staring upwards at the tiles on the ceiling.
Or, more accurately, at what was attached to the tiles on said ceiling. Which was a rope. A thick rope. The type you climbed up or, more accurately, pulled yourself up. Really only designed for one thing, in Sam's opinion, and that was showing off. What was a rope doing hanging from the ceiling in the NCIS Gym? He was pretty sure that it wasn't proper workout equipment - it only really being something to torture high school students with.
"Have we always had one of these or is it new?" Kensi asked.
"I don't know," Callen responded, reaching out to give it a tug.
It swayed slightly in response, the metal holding it to the ceiling creaking slightly. Surely that wasn't a good sign?
"Is it safe to use?"
"I don't know."
Sam rolled his eyes at his partner's predictable responses.
"You really think that Hetty would have unsafe equipment in the gym?" He asked them with a raised eyebrow.
"She did say that she didn't like damaging assets," replied Deeks, giving the rope a tentative wiggle.
"I think you're the pain in the asset she was talking about," Sam retorted.
"Guys, the rope?" Kensi interrupted them.
"It's probably not just a rope, knowing Hetty," said Deeks.
"What on earth could she do to a rope?" Kensi asked sceptically.
"It's Hetty. I'm sure she could think of something."
Sam was very pointedly not looking at the rope. This was one piece of gym equipment that he did not mind ignoring.
"Not want a go?" Callen teased him.
Sam glared at his partner. He knew he was this scrawny kid until he started lifting weights. His dad wouldn't let him do that until he was sixteen so the first two years of high school was not as easy as the last two. Especially the stupid rope task that he had to do every semester to get a good grade in gym. Which was stupid.
Deeks was giving him a far too curious a look. One with that stupid smile on his face that meant he was going to say something that Sam was bound to find antagonising.
"Not like ropes, Sam?" he asked in an innocent tone.
"I'm not scared of them," he snapped back.
"Hey, you brought being scared up."
Damn it. Why did he always let Deeks draw him in like this? He always ended up letting something slip. Always something inconsequential but enough for Deeks to tease him mercifully with.
"I just don't like what it stands for," Sam huffed, looking up the rope with a frown.
"Which is...?" Deeks trailed off. "Upper body strength?"
"Exactly. Or the lack of it," Sam explained. "And the encouragement of people to watch and cheer the climber on."
"That's called moral support, dude. Hardly a bad thing."
"It's never moral support. It's always jeers and taunts as people try to climb."
High-school survival at its finest.
Deeks thought for a moment and nodded.
"Fair enough. I remember kids making fun of everyone who went up. Didn't matter how far up you got. If you didn't hit the top, you were rubbish."
"Or people wiggled the rope while you were on it," Kensi added.
See? Nothing good came of the rope.
"Does anyone ever get to the top of those things?" Callen asked. "I don't think I ever have."
"I got to the top," Kensi said.
"Every time?" Sam asked, eyebrow raised.
"Yes."
"Of course, she did!" Deeks backed her up. "This is Kensi we're talking about."
Kensi flushed in a way that Sam knew meant she was pleased and embarrassed about Deeks' praise.
"It's easier for her," Callen said to Sam.
Sam nodded. That was true.
"Excuse me?"
Callen and Sam looked at each other, each silently trying to urge the other to respond to a peeved off Kensi. Deeks was smirking safely behind her, glad not to be the one in trouble for once.
Sam lost the argument as soon as Callen folded his arms. That was his sign that he wasn't going to say anything. Great.
"You're lighter than any of us," Sam explained after taking a deep breath. "Makes it easier to you to haul yourself up."
He was actually pretty jealous. He had to wait until he had muscles which added even more weight for him to haul up.
"Oh, really?"
Callen coughed in an attempt to hide a laugh as Kensi folded her arms. That was never a good sign.
"Still takes some skill," Sam tried to save himself. "Girls don't normally put in the effort to improve their muscles. Not like guys anyway."
Not in high school anyway. Most of them were too concerned about their weight and their clothes than developing a proper workout that helped everything. Even now it was obvious that he put more work in developing his upper body strength than Kensi did.
"Hmpf," came the unimpressed noise from Kensi.
"The rope is all about muscles," Sam explained. "Nothing else. The more you have, the faster and easier you can get up it."
It was just common sense really. He probably would have been okay leaving it there but the stupid rope was stirring up all sorts of stupid gym class memories. Which, of course, meant he said something Deeks-like. Aka, stupid.
"Men will always be better at it than women," he said, regretting the words almost as soon as they came out of his mouth.
Callen and Deeks sharply drew in breath in perfect synchronisation. Deeks even winced in sympathy. Surprisingly, Kensi didn't look too angry, not that that challenging look on her face was much better.
"Prove it," Kensi challenged. "Let's both climb it and see who's the fastest."
Sam narrowed his eyes at her.
"Ladies first," he said in acceptance, gesturing at the rope.
"I'll just hold it steady for you," Deeks suggested with a smirk, going over to the rope as well.
Or tried to. Sam stopped him from doing so by yanking him back by the elbow.
"Oh no you don't."
He did not need to watch Deeks gape at Kensi's ass as she climbed it. No. No thank you. The looks they gave each other was bad enough without this.
"Got a timer ready?" Kensi asked as she hauled herself onto the rope.
"Right here," Callen answered, waving one of the stopwatches that were always in here. "Ready?"
"Oh yeah."