Prompt: Can you do a fanfic (set during the early seasons) where one by one during different missions or situations, Deeks finally gains the respect and admiration of the whole team since it took them all a really long time to see what was what in front of them all along.

Eric

Eric doesn't have the same strong negative reaction to Detective Marty Deeks as the rest of the team. Once they figure out that he isn't a killer, or a drug dealer, Eric has to completely reevaluate everything he's assumed he knew about Deeks.

On the surface, Deeks appears to be excellent at undercover work, but not so much at making friends with some of his LAPD colleagues. It surprised Eric to find out he has a law degree, and even more so when he saw the list of criminals Deeks had brought in under his various aliases.

The closed juvenile case he found during his deep dive he didn't even think of touching. Hetty hadn't asked, so he wasn't looking. Even if she did hire Deeks, Eric couldn't find a good reason why a case that hadn't stopped him from becoming a lawyer and detective should be relevant.

The first few weeks (actually months), were rough for the newly appointed liaison. Eric found himself wincing internally when he heard Kensi, Sam, or Callen's jibes and general dislike. He'd faced their "good-natured" teasing; being the unlikely replacement none of them seemed to want had to be hell.

Still, Eric reserves judgment. As friendly and smart as Marty Deeks seems, none of them really know him. It gets harder though, the longer he stays.

It isn't a single, defining moment that convinces Eric Deeks is just as good as he seemed on paper. It's a dozen, small, but equally significant moments.

"Hey, Beale!" Deeks crows as he steps into OPS, a coffee cup in hand.

"Hey Deeks. You're here early." Eric looks up briefly from his computer to offer Deeks a smile. He's known Deeks for approximately a month now, and he's still getting used to his lack of predictability.

Some days he arrives just before a debriefing starts, others he's the first in.

"Yeah, I stopped for coffee and a donut, and figured I'd bring some for everyone." He gives the cup in his hand a little shake. "Vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso."

"No one ever gets that right," Eric comments, automatically taking the coffee when Deeks offers it to him with a tempting smile. He pops the lid off, inhaling deeply. He sighs regretfully. "But you know there's no food or drinks in OPS."

"Hetty's in a meeting and no one else is here," Deeks assures him in a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't worry, I'll be your look out."

So Eric enjoys his coffee, and a chocolate glazed crueler, while Deeks monitors the camera covering the stairs. It's oddly nice, and Eric learns that Deeks worked at a coffee shop one of his years at college.

The call comes while Eric is busy running a search, sorting through endless photos on the slim chance he finds a man with a lizard tattoo on his hand, and trying to repair a fried hard drive all before he's had his morning dose of caffeine.

So his greeting is a little less friendly than normal. "What do you want, Deeks?"

"Hey Eric, can you find out if Dominic's wife had any interaction with his boss?" Deeks asks. Eric hears Kensi say something in the background that doesn't quite make it across the phone.

"Do you want me to do that before or after I rebuild this completely destroyed piece of tech?" Eric snaps before he can help himself. He inhales sharply, the silence over the phone so loud. "Sorry. I'm just a little busy right now."

"That's ok. I know you'll get there. You always do."

It's just a few words, but Eric immediately feels his anger deflate.

"I will. Just give me a little time."

"You got it. I appreciate it, man," Deeks says before he hangs up. As he turns back to the hard drive, Eric finds himself smiling.

Eric almost does a double take when Deeks walks into the bullpen one day, dressed in shorts and a damp t-shirt. The office of OPS is pretty casual as far as teams go, but aside from Eric, they cut the line at showing calves and chest.

"Woah, you better not let Hetty catch you like that," Eric warns him, as Deeks marches in.

He offers a nod in greeting and shakes the duffle bag in his hand. "Just headed to change."

"Do I want to know what you were up to this morning?" Eric asks, implication in his voice. "You look a little windblown. And sandy."

"I was surfing and lost track of time," Deeks explains. "Usually I wait for the weekend, but it was too perfect out there to resist. You surf, right?"

"I have been known to catch a wave or two. I actually won a small competition when I was younger."

"Well then you should join me sometime." While he's talking Deeks quickly swaps out his wet shirt for a dry one. "I usually go with a couple buddies of mine, but we're always happy to have a bigger group."

"Oh, wow, sure. That would be great," Eric responds, thrown off guard by the suggestion. Outside of team outings, which usually take place at a bar, he's pretty certain no one else has invited him to anything. "Thanks."

"Of course." Deeks glanced at Eric and then down at his shorts, pulling a face. "I'm just gonna go change these." He gestures in the general direction of the locker room.

"That's probably a good idea," Eric agrees with a chuckle. As Deeks walks away, Eric smiles to himself.

Marty Deeks is a pretty good guy.

Callen

"You know, you don't have to come with," Callen says quietly to Deeks, while Kensi and Sam gather supplies from Sam's house. They'd all just resigned, well aside from Deeks, but Callen hadn't missed his comment to Vance.

"I'm part of this team, right?" Deeks asks casually, but the look he flashes Callen is deliberate and serious.

"You could destroy your career if you do this, and all for an agency that doesn't claim you. Or, worse." Callen has his doubts that they'll come out of this unsanctioned mission alive.

"Well, that does make me feel all warm and fuzzy," Deeks drawls.

"I'm serious, Deeks."

"So am I." Deeks gives him another look, no give in the expression. "I'm not leaving Kensi without a partner. Or Hetty to die in another country over some generations long feud."

Callen has watched Deeks put his life on the like for each of them dozens of times since he joined the team. Even Callen has to admit he was a skilled operator, but this is different.

This isn't merely duty to the job or colleague. This is dedication. And Callen can't help but respect it.

"Ok then," Callen says, seeing Deeks through new eyes.

Sam

"Back off, give him a minute!" Sam shouts with as much force as he can muster. His voice sounds strained and it makes his lungs and chest hurt, but he's prepared to physically get up if necessary. Fortunately, the doctors and nurses ease up slightly.

Kensi tries to reason with Deeks, to get him to cooperate for the doctors, but Granger draws her away. There's still work to do. Then it's just the two of them and he's staring into Deeks' wide eyed, horrified eyes for an agonizing five seconds.

Then Deeks turns his head again, legs writhing and twitching aimlessly on the gurney. He spits out another mouthful of blood, eyes connecting with Sam's briefly again before he releases a shuddering breath.

One of the doctors moves back in, and Deeks starts to clench his jaw again.

"Hey Deeks, it's going to be ok. I'm gonna be here the whole time. They just want to help you, ok?" Sam tells him, speaking like they're the only two in the room. He sees Deeks still again, his body still tight, protective though. He can only imagine where his mind is right now.

It's amazing that Deeks was able to hold it together at all to pull off the final piece of their charade and protect Michelle one more time.

"That's good, man. You let them look at your mouth. I know it's going to hurt, but they'll give you something for that." One of the nurses gives him a grateful nod.

It's the least he can do. He owes Deeks his life. Michelle's. Sam closes his eyes briefly, overwhelmed by the thought; how different this all might be if Deeks wasn't so damned strong.

After several seconds, where Sam sees Deeks inhaling shallowly through his nose, Deek opens his mouth just enough for the doctor to fit a camera and dental mirror inside. Deeks whimpers, but makes no other sound, though his fists clench in the thin coverings.

The next 10 minutes are awful as the exam continues, and the doctor rattles off a growing list of injuries. Decimated molars, damage to the gums, fractured jaw and cheek bone. Sam tallies it all. He's barely aware of the tests performed on his own behalf, his focus on Deeks.

It feels like seeing him for the first time; past the long hair that he let annoy him for so long, past the irreverent attitude, the jokes, that didn't fit into his orderly world view. Underneath all that, he saw a man who was talented, brave, and unceasingly loyal.

A man he owes everything.

He keeps watching, even after Deeks finally gives in to the pain and passes out.

"I got your back too, brother," he promises.

Kensi

The bad guys are either dead or in custody, they're all alive, and all Kensi really wants is a shower. Her bones ache more than after any training exercise or the marathons she's run.

She twists her head to the side, more of a flop given her current energy levels. For once, she's relinquished control of the keys, and Deeks is driving, his hands firm and sure on the steering wheel.

He'd come out of their adventure with a nice bump on the back of his head, but was ultimately cleared from a hospital visit.

God, she owes him so much.

"That was really smart, thinking of the laser trigger," she says, and he grins, perhaps anticipating a joke about his intelligence. Not today, though.

"I do have my moments," he replies when she doesn't say anything else. It's so dismissive, making his plan commonplace, like any other day. Suddenly she needs him to know it's not.

"I'm serious, Deeks. You came along at just the right moment, because I was so close to giving in." She presses her lips together, remembering the utter exhaustion from hours upon hours of standing without being able to fidget or stretch for fear of interrupting one of time beams. The way her legs had trembled near the end. "I never would have thought of anything besides the bomb squad."

She thinks of his gentle reassurance when she'd begged him to help her. She'd asked him to put his life in danger, for her, and he didn't even hesitate a moment.

Over the course of their relatively short partnership, Kensi has come to appreciate his ingenuity and skills when it comes to their job. She's just now letting herself recognize it.

Deeks shakes his head, seeming overwhelmed by her appreciation. "God, you know I had no idea if it was going to work. Especially that last part. That was just…pure insanity."

"Yeah, but it did. And you never left my side," Kensi says. She touches the back of his hand, just a mere brush of her fingertips over his knuckles. Nothing that could be even considered actual handholding. "Thank you."

Deeks stills, his mouth opening and then closing before he settles on a simple, "You're welcome. I'd do it all over again if I had to."

A/N: I tried to think of key moments for each of the original cast which would correlate with them treating Deeks differently. Obviously, Deeks still was treated differently or teased after these points, but he wasn't just an outsider anymore. Eric's was a little bit difficult because I think he was fairly welcoming to Deeks from the beginning. And of course, I had to go with Descent/Ascent for Sam, even though it occurs four seasons in. I'm also coming at this from the perspective that the team knew Deeks was worthy teammate, but they hadn't admitted that to themselves yet.