The bullpen was already buzzing with morning energy when Nell walked in, lugging an extra-large hold-all over her shoulder and, surprisingly, carrying a potted plant in her other hand.

Callen, seated at his desk, arched an eyebrow as she passed. "Planning to redecorate, Nell?"

Sam, who had just been taking a sip of his coffee, paused and glanced at her bag. "You moving in?"

Kensi and Deeks had just entered from the armory and immediately honed in on the unusual sight. Kensi tilted her head. "Okay, I have so many questions."

Deeks grinned. "Oh, please tell me you've been secretly living in the office this whole time like some kind of quirky tech gremlin."

Nell sighed, dropping the bag onto an empty chair with an audible thud. "Very funny. No, I'm not moving in. My apartment is being fumigated for a couple of days, so I need to crash somewhere else."

Callen smirked. "Cockroaches?"

"Cockroaches," she confirmed, wrinkling her nose. "Huge ones. And I do not cohabitate with things that scurry."

Kensi gave a dramatic shudder. "Ugh. Hard pass."

Sam shook his head. "Where are you staying?"

Nell hesitated for half a second, glancing at her phone. "I, uh… haven't actually sorted that part out yet."

Deeks looked horrified. "You voluntarily left your apartment without securing a place to stay? Who does that?"

"Someone who values not being eaten alive in their sleep?" Nell shot back.

Callen leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, giving her a knowing look. "You really don't have a plan?"

Nell gave a sheepish shrug. "I thought I did. A friend was supposed to let me crash, but she bailed last minute." She lifted the plant slightly. "So now it's just me and Gerald."

"Gerald?" Kensi asked.

"My aloe plant," Nell explained matter-of-factly. "He's not staying behind to get poisoned."

Deeks blinked. "This is… wow. I don't even know where to begin."

Callen sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "Well, you're not sleeping in your car."

Nell scoffed. "I wasn't going to."

He smirked. "You sure? Because you're giving off strong 'I'll figure it out as I go' vibes right now."

Before Nell could argue, Sam cut in, amused. "Alright, somebody just offer her a couch before she does end up camping out in the break room."

There was a brief pause before Callen sighed. "Fine. You can crash at my place."

Nell blinked in surprise. "What?"

Deeks let out an exaggerated gasp. "What?"

Callen rolled his eyes. "You need somewhere to stay, I have a guest room. Simple solution."

Nell hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Okay. Yeah. That'd actually be great. Thanks, Callen."

Deeks leaned toward Kensi. "Is this the start of a sitcom? Because I'd watch that."

Kensi smirked. "I'd pay to watch that."

Callen shot them both a warning look, but Nell just smiled, hugging Gerald a little closer. Maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad after all.