Callen stood at Nell's apartment door, toolbox in hand, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"So, let me get this straight," he said as Nell let him in. "You, the woman who can hack into nearly anything and probably build a drone from scratch, need my help assembling a simple shelf?"

Nell folded her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. "First of all, don't mock me. Second of all, I could do it myself. But someone..."she shot him a pointed look, "...told me I should stop being stubborn and actually ask for help when I need it."

Callen chuckled, stepping inside and setting the toolbox down near the partially assembled bookshelf. "And here I thought you never actually listened to me."

"Rarely," Nell teased, leading him toward the mess of wooden panels and screws scattered across the floor. "But, in this case, you might have had a point."

Callen crouched down, inspecting the progress, or lack thereof. "Okay, tell me you at least followed the instructions?"

Nell huffed, plopping down onto the floor beside him. "I tried, but they're basically hieroglyphics. And the tiny cartoon guy in the manual is no help."

Callen smirked, picking up the instruction booklet and flipped through it. "Well, lucky for you, I happen to be fluent in IKEA."

"Lucky me," Nell muttered, rolling her eyes but unable to suppress a small smile.

They started working together, Callen tightening screws while Nell held pieces in place. Occasionally, their hands would brush, but neither commented on it.

"You know," Callen said, breaking the silence, "I meant what I said. You don't have to do everything alone, Nell."

Nell paused, pressing her lips together. "I know. It's just… hard sometimes. Asking for help feels like admitting I can't handle things."

Callen glanced up at her, his blue eyes steady. "That's not weakness. That's knowing when to let people in."

She exhaled slowly, looking away for a moment before nodding. "I guess I'm still learning how to do that."

Callen tightened another screw, his voice softer. "Yeah, well… you don't have to figure it out alone either."

For a moment, Nell just looked at him, something warm and unreadable in her eyes. Then, she cleared her throat and reached for another piece of the shelf. "Alright, IKEA whisperer, what's next?"

Callen smirked. "Hand me the long screws."

"That's what she said," Nell muttered under her breath.

Callen burst out laughing. "Wow. You just made that joke?"

Nell grinned mischievously. "I think I've been spending too much time around Deeks."

They continued assembling the shelf, their banter easy, their movements in sync. By the time they were screwing in the last piece, Callen was sitting close enough to Nell that their shoulders brushed.

"Not bad," he said, giving the finished product an approving nod.

Nell tilted her head, inspecting it. "I mean, it's standing. That's an improvement."

Callen shot her a look. "You seriously doubted my craftsmanship?"

"I doubted your patience," Nell corrected, smiling.

Callen smirked. "Fair enough." He pushed himself up and offered her a hand. Nell took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She didn't let go right away, though, and neither did he.

"Thanks for helping," she said quietly.

Callen's fingers tightened slightly around hers. "Anytime."

For a moment, they just stood there, something unspoken lingering between them. Then Nell cleared her throat, breaking the spell. "Now, how do I bribe you into helping me fill it with books?"

Callen grinned. "Beer and takeout should do it."

Nell smirked. "Deal."