mashmaiden

[mashmaiden]

Mythbusters is great because Adam Savage will be like “Could Sir Arthur have built a surface to air missile with Middle Ages technology? Probably not. Anyway here’s how to make a bomb.” And Jamie will be like “If all goes well this will not blow up instantly and kill us.” And the three other guys are trying to see if you could kill a person by throwing an egg really fast.

[mashmaiden]

A/N: It’s hard to pinpoint when Kensi and Deeks truly started dating. Was it when they first kissed after Deeks’ not-date date? Maybe this dialogue drabble will supply some answers.

***

*shortly after Kensi and Deeks are dating and everyone knows. The team are all out for drinks and are feeling pretty relaxed*

Nell: So, how long have you guys been dating?

Sam: Oh, why you gotta ruin a good time like that Jones?

Callen: I’m gonna go with four years ago?

Deeks: That’s a good question. *he scratches his jaw* I mean, we were kind of flirting for at least a year.

Kensi: Excuse me, you were the one doing the flirting.

Deeks, eyebrow raised: What do you call smacking me on the butt.

Kensi, flustered: I was being playful. And what about all the times you wanted to pretend we were dating or married?

Deeks: Uh-huh, you had me answer questions to a bridal magazine quiz.

Sam: You did what now?

Nell, raising her hand: Oh yeah, I walked in on that. Deeks asked Kensi if she wanted to have his babies. She didn’t say no.

Kensi, glaring at her: Thanks, Nell. And it was a partner survey.

Eric, speaking up for the first time: Yeah, we took that quiz too. It definitely wasn’t

Callen, once again stirring the pot: What about that time you sued a cover as an excuse to hug and kiss Deeks?

Deeks: Oh yeah. I was extremely confused, but had zero complaints.

Kensi, primly: You know what, I think this conversation can be over.

Nell: I guess what we’ve learned tonight is that you’ve spent the majority of your partnership flirting.

[mashmaiden]

Hi. Oh, wow. What are we doing here?

Bonus: live Callen & Sam reaction

[mashmaiden]

One Wrong Move, Part 9

***

Over the next several days, Deeks slowly improved. He had a few small temperature spikes, but he didn’t have any more seizures or new symptoms. Every day that passed without signs or symptoms of disease, Kensi breathed a little more easily.

The doctors still wanted to keep Deeks for monitoring until the period of possible contraction completely passed, so the hospital would be their home for at least a couple more weeks. It would still be a long haul, and Deeks would likely be on medical leave for sometime after he was released, but finally there was light at the end of the tunnel.

One morning, Kensi came back from grabbing a snack to find Deeks unhooked from all but one IV and sitting up in a chair. When he saw Kensi, he grinned at nearly full force, his obvious delight at being free infectious.

“Hey, look, I’m almost human again,” he said, presenting his tube free arm.

“Oh my god,” Kensi said, rushing towards him. “I would have stayed if I knew they were going to take them out.”

“Eh, it was fine. Apparently my numbers look good enough the doctor wants to see how I do with less intervention. Though now they’re going to go back to giving some of the medication by injection.” He made a face.

“I’ll hold your hand through every shot,” she promised and Deeks smiled more gently.

“Best wife ever.”

“Do you need anything? I saw some soup downstairs.”

“I’ll pass on the soup, but maybe you could help me wash my hair?” he requested, picking at a few matted curls. “It’s almost worse than Artie level.”

“It’s not quite that bad,” Kensi disagreed, remembering the time Deeks had added some kind of concoction to his hair to add an authentic smell and look. “Though we’re probably in the danger zone. Do you want to walk to the bathroom or ride?”

“Walk,” Deeks said firmly. With Kensi standing by just in case, they made it to the bathroom and she set up a chair by the sink so he could lean back.

Kensi spent the next fifteen minutes thoroughly cleaning and conditioning Deeks’, enjoying the intimacy of the act. She then dried his hair as best she could with one of the hospital issue towels. He looked much more like himself with clean, slightly damp curls around his temples and forehead.

“Thanks,” he murmured as Kensi helped him back to the chair. He sat down with a heavy sigh, the ordeal having clearly exhausted him.

“I will clean your hair anytime,” she promised. “Though hopefully the next time, we’re in a shower together and there are fewer doctors around.”

He chuckled breathily, taking her hand and lightly holding it against his chest.

“That sounds amazing.”

Nodding, Kensi covered a huge yawn, suddenly pretty tired herself.

“Hey, why don’t you go home for a little bit?” Deeks suggested.

“Deeks, I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“Kens, I will be fine,” he insisted, bringing her hand up to his mouth as if he was about to kiss it, but stopping just short of contact. “I’m probably just going to sleep for the rest of the day. Please go home and get some rest in a real bed, take a shower, eat food that doesn’t come in a package or a warming tray.

“A shower. Are you trying to tell me we’re past the danger point?” Kensi joked. She had been making do with clothes from her go-bag and washing up in a sink the staff let her use.

“Well, now that you mention it…” Deeks trailed off with a grin. “I’ll be ok on my own for a few hours.”

“Ok, but you text me the second anything changes.” She held up a finger in warning and Deeks used his free hand to cross his heart.

“Absolutely.”

[mashmaiden]

While I am now watching the Rookie weekly with you guys, my obsession remains strong with NCIS LA, so I feel the need to keep everyone remembering! 😜

That moment where @ejzah references a guest star character from NCIS: LA in her conversation with me without realizing who played her! 😜😜😜

[mashmaiden]

In S10-11, she was an NCIS agent, but she was a somewhat recent recruit, cuz in 8x3 she was actually our sorta "baddie of the week" (and she was actually the same character in all of this, cuz she was I guess somehow exonerated for doing what she did and then Sam and Callen recruited her to NCIS).

But this picture just makes me imagine a collaborative world where these two both work for the same LAPD...

That moment where @ejzah references a guest star character from NCIS: LA in her conversation with me without realizing who played her! 😜😜😜

[mashmaiden]

That was from 10x24, but she was also in 8x3 and 11x1

That moment where @ejzah references a guest star character from NCIS: LA in her conversation with me without realizing who played her! 😜😜😜

[mashmaiden]

"I don't mind"

TIM.

[mashmaiden]

That moment where @ejzah references a guest star character from NCIS: LA in her conversation with me without realizing who played her! 😜😜😜

[mashmaiden]

"Everytime I think I"m badass, Bailey shows up and says 'hold my beer'"

That was a good line. lol

[mashmaiden]

I'm not obsessed yet, or fully shipping anything at this point, but I have been watching live and lurking on everyone's messages for the past month-ish of episodes....😂

So, Speed was actually on TV Sunday night while in I was in LA, (and of course I watched the whole thing, cuz it's one of my favorites) and I gotta say, that movie feels a bit different after spending most of the day driving around LA freeways! 😂😂

But it'll be interesting to see what the show does with the concept!

[mashmaiden]

So, Speed was actually on TV Sunday night while in I was in LA, (and of course I watched the whole thing, cuz it's one of my favorites) and I gotta say, that movie feels a bit different after spending most of the day driving around LA freeways! 😂😂

But it'll be interesting to see what the show does with the concept!

[mashmaiden]

Your friends watching something for the first time and getting to that scene VS you, the knower.

[mashmaiden]

Asking him on a date without asking him on a date!

I just realized, Kensi finagles herself into a date with Deeks. After he loses the target training bet, Kensi tells him he’s taking her to a restaurant and he can’t wear sneakers or jeans and needs to wear a jacket. Very sneaky, Kensi.

[mashmaiden]

A/N: A little Deeks and Rosa drabble.

***

Deeks, clicking through to the last slide on his presentation: That’s it for today. Does anyone have ant questions? *A girl in the front immediately raises her hand* Renee?

Renee: Do we have any homework assigned over break?

Deeks: No, absolutely not. We’ll go through a few more cases when we come back on Monday and review chapter eight that Wednesday, but this is your break.

A male student in the back: Mr. Deeks, when’s the next paper due?

Deeks, wryly: Still on April 15th, Jake. Just like it says in the syllabus. And the last slide.

*the rest of the class chuckles but Jake doesn’t seem bothered. Another girl raises her hand*

Deeks: Yes, Esther?

Esther, playfully: Where are you going for break, Mr. Deeks.

Deeks: Some place where none of you can find me. *a couple students fake disappointment* Alright, we’re out of time, so have a great break, get some rest, and please try really hard not to do anything illegal.

Jake: No promises!

*Deeks gathers up his materials while the students file out with a chorus of goodbyes and chatter about their plans. Rosa comes in when the room is mostly empty*

Rosa, teasingly: Good afternoon, Mr. Deeks.

Deeks, warningly: Don’t start. It’s weird enough having them call me that. You’re here early. I thought I was picking you up.

Rosa: Professor Whitman decided to cancel class. We just have to write a post on blackboard and respond to three other posts.

Deeks: Sweet. I need to enter some grades, but after that, you want to grab ice cream?

Rosa: Of course! Oh, but Kensi will be sad.

Deeks, pondering this dilemma for a moment: We’ll get a cooler and some dry ice. *he noticed Rosa biting back a smile* What?

Rosa: Nothing. It’s just kind of cool I get to have my dad at school with me.

[mashmaiden]

A/N: While Deeks is at FLETC, Kensi struggles without him.

***

Missing You

It’s week four sans Deeks and Kensi’s starting to feel the strain. It starts when she wakes up in the morning to an empty bed, continues on the drive to work where she either relies on a too-short video call with or the radio to fill the silence. At first, work had been a welcome distraction and she’d even enjoyed the chance to work with agents from other agencies.

The novelty is wearing thin now, and she’s keenly aware of Deeks absence as she stands in their usual spot in OPS. She misses his insights, and jokes,

“You want to come question the witness with me, Kens?” Callen asks.

Of course, because she doesn’t have a permanent partner, she’s either stuck going solo or takes turns pairing up with someone else for a few days. It reminds her a little too much of her first year or so with NCIS, when she was always the third wheel to Sam and Callen’s veteran partnership. Even though they don’t complain, she’s starting to feel like a burden.

“Sure. Though this time, I’m driving,” she insists.

“Ok, but only if you clean it first,” Callen agrees as they walk out the door. She groans, playing into it because that’s what’s expected of her.

Once she’s driving, her thoughts drift. This is hardly the first time she’s been without a partner, but it’s been the longest in recent years, and it makes her realize how much she relies on Deeks knowing her and anticipating her quirks and needs the way no one else can.

Sam’s extremely particular about certain aspects of the job. He doesn’t keep an extra candy bar in the glove compartment, or think of stopping for a donut when she starts getting cranky on long shifts. She also knows he’s not going to take her up on an offer to stop for tacos on the way back to the mission. He would if she asks, but it’s not the same.

When they’re stopped at a backed up red light, she checks her phone and finds a missed call from Deeks. Damn it. If she doesn’t call him back in the next twenty minutes, she probably won’t get another opportunity until tonight.

“Was that Deeks?”

Shoving her phone back in her pocket, she covers her disappointment with a shrug. “Yeah, we usually talk before work, but Deeks has an off-campus training today, so his schedule is a little different.”

“Is he doing ok?” Callen asks politely. Or at least that’s how she reads it. Maybe he’s just trying to tiptoe around what’s been a tenuous situation.

“He’s good. It’s FLETC, you know, so it’s not exactly fun,” she answers, recalling Deeks’ descriptions of the long runs cadets had every morning and afternoon. She’d mostly blocked that detail out of her memory since her own FLETC days. “Especially since he’s stuck with a bunch of 23 year olds. Not that that’s a problem. You know Deeks is a people person and is in amazing shape. It’s just not what you want to be doing in your forties.” She presses her lips together to hold back further rambling.

Callen didn’t need to know about the mild hazing Deeks received at the hands of the less kind instructors the first couple of weeks. Or the expectations that came with Deeks’ years of experience, as well as the unexpected notoriety that came with their more infamous cases. Finding out that FLETC instructors not only used Deeks and Sam’s abduction by Sidorov as case study had come as an extremely unpleasant and jarring surprise.

“Yeah, that’s to be expected,” Callen comments neutrally. Something about it irritates her. At least Sam would offer some sage advice. He’d remind her that Deeks was strong and intelligent and they both would make it through the next couple months.

Callen’s more matter-of-fact for any of that, which is pretty damn infuriating when it feel as if her life might implode at any second. An awkward silence rises and goes on until they reach their destination and Callen tentatively breaches the tension.

“Are you ok?”

This time he sounds more uncertain, even concerned, and for some reason, it instantly makes her eyes burn with the beginnings of tears. She also feels bad for her uncharitable thoughts.

“Yeah, I just miss him,” she admits. She doesn’t add that there’s a lot riding on Deeks successfully completing FLETC. That she might be looking for a new partner even if he does.

“Why don’t you call Deeks back? I’ll give you a few minutes to catch up.

“Thanks, Callen.”

He acknowledges that with a nod, gets out of the SUV, and paces a few yards away. She quickly calls Deeks back, and he picks up after the second ring.

“Kensi,” he answers, his voice instantly soothing her.

“Hi baby,” she murmurs back, briefly closing her eyes. She wants to tell him how hard this is. That she misses him. That she needs him here. Instead, she forces a smile into her voice. “How was your run?”

Leaning back in her seat, she closes her eyes as he talks, and for a few minutes, pretends he’s right beside her.

***

A/N: This story involves a number of my personal head canons and references several stories and the backstory I’ve written in my FLETC series (all posted to my ff.net page). So, most of this is not actually canon.

[mashmaiden]

Blunt Force, Part 14

“Kensi, I need you.”

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she prompted, already sliding out of bed and throwing on a jacket one handed and then searching for her keys and a pair of shoes.

“I don’t know. I’m just—it’s too much. I can’t—I can’t,” he gasped out, his words halting and disjointed enough Kensi gave up on the jacket and ran out the door.

“Ok, I’m on my way. Don’t—” she stopped herself before she could finish the warning. “Just stay there, ok?”

“Kay.” Deeks hung up then and she started the SUV, pulling out of her parking spot fast enough for the tires to screech.

Kensi had heard Deeks when he was worried, nervous, sad, and even scared over the years. She’d never heard Deeks sound like this, and that worried her the most. He’d sounded…desperate and so lost. More so than directly after leaving the shooting range.

He wouldn’t do something foolish and drastic, Kensi told herself. He wasn’t himself though. This version of Deeks had fewer barriers, was less prone to use jokes as armor. She couldn’t predict how he’d react and that made him more vulnerable.

With that in mind, she pressed the gas pedal as far as it would go, tearing through stop signs. Deeks needed her.

***

Kensi knocked on Deeks’ front door, getting no response. After the second time, she tried the doorknob, surprised when it actually opened. Her knee-jerk reaction was to berate Deeks about safety and crime rates, but she batted that instinct down, instead hoping it meant he had the presence of mind to unlock it for her.

She walked in to dim lighting; all the curtains had been drawn and the only light filtered out from the kitchen. Moving farther into the room, she saw Deeks sitting on the couch, face cradled in his hands between his parted knees.

Without thinking about it, she moved to stand in front of him, and rested her hand on his shoulder. He didn’t startle at her at all, which made her think he’d noticed her come in.

“Hey,” he mumbled into his hand, slowly lifting his head. He reached over to turn on another light. His eyes were hazy and a little puffy. Clearly whatever sleep he’d gotten hadn’t been restful.

“Hey, what happened? Are you ok?”

“Ah, you know, just freaking out, like usual,” he explained, not making eye contact. “I had this…dream and it was really disconcerting.” He caught her eye long enough to smile humorously. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“No, it’s ok. You can always call me. Anytime,” she insisted, sitting next to him, her hand automatically moving to rest on his back. “What was your dream about?”

“All kinds of things.” His shoulder lifted under hand. “I kept bouncing between different scenes and moments. I don’t know what parts are real, if any, or what my screwed up brain invented.”

“Tell me what there are and maybe I can help you figure out if any of it’s real.” It was an impulsive offer, one that might come back to bite her depending on what Deeks’ dreams contained.

“You sure?” Deeks asked, so hopefully Kensi knew she’d probably grant him anything in this moment if it would help him.

“Yeah.”

Rubbing both hand up over his face and through his hair, he stared across the room for a few seconds before speaking.

“At first, I was about to beat or maybe shoot this guy. I don’t know why. But I was so angry at this guy. You stopped me.” He glanced at her, clearly looking for reassurance.

“I’m pretty sure that was real,” she confirmed and he sighed.

“Fantastic. What about lasers? I keep dreaming about us playing laser tag, but then it either turns into guys with real guns. This time you were stuck and I think I was about to pull you out. That didn’t happen, right?” he asked, sounding completely bewildered.

“Kind of,” Kensi said with a grimace and he just gave her a look. She could only imagine how confusing dreams would be when he had an entire six years worth of memories missing. “I think it might be inspired by this time I was taken by some Russians and they trapped me in a web of lasers. You had to pull me out in the end.” She hesitated, then added, “It was kind of a big moment.”

“Well, yeah not every day you get stuck in lasers,” he replied sarcastically.

“No, I mean for us. For me. That was during out first year as partners and we still didn’t quite trust each other. I didn’t know if I fully trusted you.”

Deeks perked up a little at that, some of his distress fading, and she licked her bottom lip, suddenly nervous. They were drifting into territory that still made her uncomfortable to talk about.

Licking his bottom lip, Deeks shook his slightly. “What did I do that made you think you couldn’t trust me?”

“Nothing. I mean, nothing unusual. We were both hesitant to trust each other. You’d had some bad partners in the past and I didn’t trust many people beyond Callen and Sam. Even then, they didn’t know a lot,” she tried to explain. It was hard to go back to the those early days when Deeks was used to working alone and she was afraid of losing another partner. Based on the groove between his eyebrows, she hadn’t done a very good job.

“I told you it took us a while to figure things out,” she added.

“Yeah, no, I remember,” he said. “It’s just, sometimes, it feels like you know more about me than I do. It’s a really bizarre feeling. It’s disconcerting, and isolating, and sometimes I wonder who I am and what I’m going to do.” His voice shook a little, and he exhaled sharply. “Because right now I sure as hell can’t imagine going out into the world and shooting a gun or, or any of that. And that terrifies me because I’ve always relied on having a plan, on working and having a purpose and I don’t know what that is anymore.” He stopped abruptly, swallowing visibly.

Kensi’s stomach flipped, both in sympathy but also unease at the thought of losing Deeks. It was completely selfish, but she’d been dreading this since Deeks woke up and didn’t recognize her. Maybe she’d decided to push him to use his service weapon for that very reason.

Pushing down her own fears, she cupped her hands around Deeks’. His eyes flicked down to their linked fingers, and she resisted the urge to pull away. She focused on the familiar warmth and strength of his hold. For all their physical contact, they rarely held hands. Not like this.

“Deeks, that’s ok. Don’t get me wrong, I want you back as my partner

more than anything,” she told him, working hard to modulate her voice. “Not at the risk of your happiness or health. That’s more important than anything else.”

“Yeah, and what about my beyond Swiss cheese memory?” he asked, his voice impossibly soft. “These flashbacks or whatever they are. What do I do? Cause I’m going to be honest, it kind of feels like I’m going crazy.”

“You tell me about them,” Kensi said.

“For how long?”

“As long as you’ll have me.”

His head lifted slightly at that, and he gave her a questioning look. She held his gaze, not backtracking. Not running this time. Deeks glanced back down at their folded hands, his grip tightening on hers.

“Are you sure it isn’t the other way around? You might get tired of me,” he joked. She didn’t take the bait.

“I won’t,” she promised.

She retrieved one hand to brush his hair out of his eyes and hoped the gesture relayed what she couldn’t put into words. Deeks didn’t say anything either, instead wrapping his arms around her in a loose hug, and Kensi settled her hands on his back. He pressed his face against her shoulder, and for a second, Kensi thought he might kiss. Instead, she felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek.

“Thank you, Kens.”

“Always.”