#happy birthday martin atticus deeks!

[ejzah]

A/N: Once again, thanks to @mashmaiden for reminding me Deeks’ birthday was closer than I realized. Happy birthday Martin Atticus Deeks!

***

Once in a Lifetime

Mid-November 2024

Nell watched Kensi prep a bottle of milk, hands currently occupied with Caleb. Sophia was still sleeping in their room, but Kensi figured she wouldn’t be for long.

“Alright, this is ready to go,” Kensi said, holding out the bottle to Nell. “Do you want to feed him?”

“Absolutely,” Nell said eagerly, following Kensi to the living room to sit down with Caleb. “Give me.”

Kensi snorted as Nell made a grabby hand and settled in to feed Caleb.

“Ok, so what are we doing today while Deeks is at his meeting? Hit up some mommy and me groups? Check out the hot dads at the park?”

“No to the first one. I tried some of those groups during the first couple of months, and hated it. To the second, the only hot dad I need is Deeks,” Kensi retorted, then immediately winced. “That sounds wrong. Moving on. I actually thought maybe you could help me plan Deeks’ birthday. I want to do something kind of big.”

“Ooh, I do love party planning. Though I would have thought forty-five made more sense for a milestone birthday bash,” Nell commented.

“Yeah, well last year we had three week old twins on our hands on Deeks’ last birthday. We were lucky we had fresh clothes on and didn’t spend the whole day in bed,” Kensi reminded her archly.

“That is an excellent point.” Nell leaned back against the couch cushions, drawing her legs up under her as Caleb happily sucked away at the bottle. “Ok, so what are we doing for my brother from another mother. The Shaggy to my Velma.”

Kensi gave her an amused look. She’d been thinking about this a lot for the past few months. She knew Deeks truly appreciated any recognition of his birthday, but he deserved to be celebrated. This time in extravagant fashion if she had any say in it.

Folding her hands together, Kensi turned to face Nell fill-on, feeling unaccountably nervous.

“Last time we visited you and Eric, Deeks really loved that sushi restaurant we went to. So, here’s where I have a really massive, request and I fully recognize that it’s taking advantage of our friendship and—”

“You’d like us to arrange a trip for you and Deeks to Tokyo?” Nell interrupted gently.

“Kind of,” Kensi said sheepishly. “Is that a ridiculous thing to even think about?”

“Of course not. You know we’d fly you over in a heartbeat. When you have access to a private jet and lots of money, it’s what you do for the people you love.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Kensi joked. “Thank you, Nell.”

“Anytime.”

Caleb chose that moment to take his mostly empty bottle and hand it to Nell, and started fussing, babbling “Mama” in between a bunch of unintelligible babble.

“Here, I’ll take him. He usually gets like this when he’s still sleepy.” Tucking Caleb under her chin, Kensi shared, “I’m going to see if Roberta can watch them, with Rosa supervising when she can.”

“What do you think about me and Eric coming here and watching them instead?” Nell suggested. “We can babysit and take Rosa on some adventures.”

“We couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not, I’m offering. You know we’re always looking for any opportunity for quality kid time.” Nell wiggled Caleb’s foot. “Right? Your aunt and uncle need a chance to teach you about all the wonderful weird things out there.”

“That would be great. Just as long as the adventures don’t include anything like that steampunk casino with the feather dancing you took us to last time.”

Nell tilted her consideringly. “We’ll take them to a science museum,” she said. “No feather dancing in sight.”

“Hey ladies. Who’s doing a feather dance?” Deeks inquired, coming in from the back. He set his shoulder bag to the side, coming over to kiss Kensi and then Caleb.

“Oh, we were just reminiscing,” Nell said with a forced laugh that made Deeks raise a questioning eyebrow.

“Alright then.” He reached for Caleb, tucking him in the crook of his arm with ease, Caleb curling up against him immediately. “Hey, where’s your sister, Mr. Doughnut? Let’s go find her. See if she wants to play while mommy and Auntie Nell tell super secret stories.”

As he walked away, Nell leaned towards Kensi with a delighted expression. “This is going to be fun,” she whispered.

***

January 6th, 2025

“The beach.”

“Nope.”

“An amusement park?”

“Still no,” Kensi replied, calmly driving on as Deeks sat beside her, a sleep mask over his eyes and his hands folded in his lap. She’d made him put the mask on about thirty minutes ago when she thought he might get suspicious about the route to the private airport Nell and Eric had arranged for them to fly out from.

Kensi had asked Deeks to take a few days off without asking questions and packed for him, so they could leave a couple days before his birthday. He’d taken the strange requests in stride, but now he was starting to get a little antsy.

“Ok, normally I would love the idea of you giving me a blindfold, but it’s starting to feel a little like a hostage situation.”

“You can take it off in a couple minutes,” Kensi assured him, reaching over to squeeze his thigh before turning into the airport parking lot.

“My next guess would be a sex dungeon, but I don’t think I’m dressed for it,” Deeks continued. He tilted his head to the side. “Wait, are we at an airport? Wow, that’s a whole host of other charges.”

“How did you figure that out?” Kensi demanded, and he sat back with a satisfied smile.

“I’m highly observant. Where are you taking me?”

“Just give me like five minutes and I’ll tell you.”

Deeks spent the next five minutes making increasingly ridiculous giggles until Kensi was fully laughing by the time she pulled up in front of the “small” jet Nell had described. A security guard stopped them a few hundred yards away and Kensi flashed her ID, slowly driving the last bit when he waved her on.

She helped Deeks out of the car and up the stairs, her excitement and nervousness mounting the closer they got to the interior. Hopefully Deeks would actually enjoy the surprise.

“Ok, you can take it off,” she told him when they were standing in the middle of the luxurious jet.

Deeks tugged the mask over his head with a dramatic flick of his wrist, smoothing his hair back down before he took a real look around.

“Holy crap, you either won the lottery or sold a whole lot of something illegal,” he said, and Kensi rolled her eyes affectionately.

“We’re borrowing it from Eric and Nell.”

“Right, that makes a lot more sense.”

Taking his hand, she led him to one of the eight seats spread throughout the space.

“Early happy birthday,” she said, handing him a packet containing their itinerary for the next four days.

Deeks pulled out a paper with their hotel details (once again, set up with Nell’s help), several dinner reservations, and passes to a few attractions they’d thought Deeks would enjoy.

“You’re taking me to Tokyo?” he asked, his voice going soft and slightly uncertain.

“I kind of missed the last one, so I figured this would make up for it.” She shrugged, a little shy in the face of his amazement. “I hope you like it.”

“Baby, like it…this is amazing.” He grinned in obvious delight, then frowned. “Wait, I thought we were only taking a day trip. Who’s watching the twins?”

“Eric and Nell,” Kensi replied and he sighed in relief.

“Thank god. Mama would probably end up reporting us missing or something.” Shaking his head, he looked over the documents one more before carefully replacing them in the envelope. “Thank you so much, baby.” He kissed her softly. “This is an amazing gift.”

They took a quick trip around the plane check out all the amenities, some of which were completely ridiculous and completely in keeping with Eric and Nell’s eccentricities.

“Do you think Nell and Eric have cameras on this plane?” Deeks wondered as they closed up a little compartment with a gaming system.

“Why?”

He wrapped his arm around her waist, dragging her to his chest. “Because this might be our chance to join a certain club.”

“It is your birthday,” Kensi said, trailing her fingers down from his jaw.

[ryan9098]

Happy 43rd birthday Martin Atticus Deeks! 🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂🥳🎂

[ejzah]

A/N: Once again, thanks to @mashmaiden for reminding me that today is Deeks’ birthday. I swear I just don’t have a brain anymore. In any case, happy 45th birthday to Martin Atticus Deeks.

***

The Best Birthday

“Shhh, you’re going to wake him up.”

“I’m being as quiet as I can. Can you grab the syrup?”

“Let me put the flowers down first.”

Deeks cracked one eye open, first registering the twins cradled in either arm. He vaguely recalled going to change them last night in a haze of sleep. He turned his head to the side where Kensi and Rosa were still whispering, bent over something on the side table. He heard the distinctive click of a lighter.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t get wax on the—”

“Do I wanna know what’s going on over there,” Deeks croaked, not bothering to lift his head. Kensi and Rosa spun around simultaneously, Rosa hurrying to block his view of the table.

“Baby, you’re supposed to be sleeping still,” Kensi lamented, moving over to the bed and leaning to kiss him.

“And you’re supposed to be taking it easy,” he reminded her. “Cause of these gremlins.” He lifted his shoulders in the direction of the oblivious twins.

“I think I can handle carrying a lighter upstairs,” she countered as Rosa stepped forward with a tray, laden with an omelet, fruit, coffee, and thick pancakes topped with lit candles.

“Happy Birthday, Marty,” Rosa wished him, waving her hand over the spread with a flourish.

He shifted himself higher against the pillows while keeping Caleb and Sophia cradled in his arms. “This is amazing, but I didn’t expect anything this year with everything going on.”

“It’s a very important day,” Kensi said with a fond smile. “One that I’m never, ever going to miss again. She kissed him again, sliding onto the bed next to him, and reached to take Sophia.

“Hey, I can still eat and hold them at the same time,” he protested, scooping both babies a little tighter on his chest.

“I know, but you don’t have to. I promise I’ll give them back as soon as you’re done.”

Kensi scooped up Caleb and Sophia, settling beside him, and Rosa set the tray over his lap.

Deeks gingerly blew out the candle stuck in the center of the pancake stack, putting it to the side. He was about to dig in when Rosa crawled up next to him. Something about that, maybe combined with the lack of sleep, made his heart squeeze with sudden affection, and the odd urge to cry.

“What’s wrong? Did we forget something?” Kensi asked, making Deeks realize he’d been sitting there with an empty fork for a while. He glanced between Rosa, the twins, and finally Kensi. His family.

“No. No, this is absolutely perfect,” he assured her, brushing a couple tears back. “Thank you, baby.”

“Happy Birthday, Deeks. We love you.”

***

A/N: I just love writing Deeks as the happiest dad.

[ejzah]

A/N: Thanks @mashmaiden for reminding me about Deeks’ birthday. I’m as bad as Kensi.

Happy 44th birthday Marty Deeks! May you have many cronuts and sushi.

***

The One With the Surprise Party

“So, I hear it’s someone’s very special birthday coming up,” Kensi murmured, wrapping her arms around Deeks from behind as he sat at the dining table. She pressed a smacking kiss to his cheek, then more gently kissed behind his ear. Tipping his chin up, he pulled a face.

“Oh yeah, that thing.”

“Yeah that thing. We’re three weeks out.”

“Thanks for rubbing it in,” he joked. Kensi playfully tugged at the the longer bit of beard on his chin, speckled with a little gray.

“Seriously though, what do you want for your birthday?”

“I’ve got everything I want right here,” he replied, testing his neck enough to see her. “Well, one part is currently at book club, but the point still stands.”

Kensi could tell he meant it, but ever since that awful birthday years ago when she’d gotten the dates mixed up, she couldn’t let the day go without some form of celebration.

“Baby,” she wheedled, twining her fingers through his curls. “We finally aren’t running around like crazy trying to get the house in shape, or worried about money. Let’s celebrate in style.”

“I appreciate it, Kens, but all I really want is to spend time with my family.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Yep.” He stretched up to kiss her, smiling against her lips. “Just family and some good food. That’s all I need.”

“Ok,” Kensi agreed, leaving him to his work. She started scheming a few minutes later.

***

“This has been the perfect morning,” Deeks sighed, leaning back with a satisfied smile. The remnants of an omelet and French toast spread out in front of him. His hair was still just the slightest bit damp from their morning surfing, and was naturally starting to curl around his ears.

“Well, you said you wanted spend the day with family, so you’re stuck with us all day long,” Kensi said, popping a bite of syrup soaked pancake into her mouth. “No take backs.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He nodded to Rosa, who was making her way through a waffle. “So, what did you think of your first winter surf?”

“It wasn’t as cold as I expected. It was nice that there weren’t as many people around,” Rosa answered. “I think I am finally getting more comfortable and not like I might fall over every single time.”

“Uh, you killed it out there, Rose,” Deeks told her with enough enthusiasm to earn a grin from Rosa. “In a few more months, you’ll be better than me.”

“You see, he never gives me these kinds of compliments,” Kensi joked, nudging Deeks’ shoulder. He immediately turned with a would-be sincerity.

“Babe, your surfing is amazing, and I would watch you surf every day for the rest of my life. But you also try to knock me off my board at least once every time we go out.”

“It’s tradition,” she defended herself. “And we know how much you love tradition.”

“Uh-huh. I feel so loved.”

“I promise I won’t knock you over next time we surf,” Rosa offered, thought her giant grin took something away from the sentiment.

“I appreciate that, Rosa.” He grabbed the receipt their waiter had left on the table a few minutes ago, and made to stand. “I’ll go pay the bill—”

“Ah-ah-ah, the birthday boy does not pay for his own breakfast,” Kensi interrupted, snatching the slip of paper out of his hand. “I’ll pay this, and then we’re going shopping, because you my dear hubby, have not bought any new clothes in way too long.

She shared a smile with Rosa over Deeks’ head, pleased with how well things were coming together.

***

Deeks went along with Kensi and Rosa’s makeover with minimal complaint. It wasn’t that he hated dressing up per se, it was just easier, and a lot more comfortable to wear jeans and t-shirt.

Of course, those didn’t inspire the special gleam that tailored pants and a dress shirt did.

“You know, I don’t think I really need a tie with this,” he said as Kensi pulled into their driveway.

“But that blue one you have would look perfect,” Kensi insisted again.

“The sushi place has seen me in flip flops and three-day hoodie. I don’t think they’ll care if I show a bit of collar bone.”

“I have to get my purse anyway,” Rosa added, and between them they chivvied him up to the door. He had just enough time to notice that the curtains were drawn with light peeking through when Kensi swung the door open, and he was greeted with a chorus of,

“Happy Birthday!”

Deeks jerked back ever so slightly, stunned by the dozen or so people crowded in their living room.

“Get in here, man,” Sam said, tugging Deeks into the melee.

20 minutes later, he was loaded down with a plate of his favorite food, and surrounded by Kensi, Rosa, Callen, and Sam. Large shiny balloons decorated one of the walls, spelling out “Happy 44th Birthday”.

Everyone had given their well-wishes, hugs, and so forth. Across the room, he saw his mom holding court with Julia, Rountree, and Fatima. He’d bet his brand new shirt that she was currently telling every embarrassing story she could recall.

“Ok, how exactly did you pull this off?” he asked, wrapping his free arm around Kensi’s waist.

“It wasn’t easy,” Kensi said. “Planning a surprise birthday party is a

lot harder than you make it look. But Rosa is a pretty good coconspirator. She picked up supplies with Roberta and invited most of the guests.”

“It was fun,” Rosa said with a shrug. “I kind of like the…cloak and dagger?”

“I’m both impressed and concerned.” Deeks held up a Swedish meatball on his fork. “What I want to know is when you found time to do all—” he used the meatball to gesture at the decorations, which were pretty extensive—“this? And spend all day with me.”

“We have our ways,” Kensi said mysteriously.

“Does Kip’s somewhat sudden offer to catch up and play basketball with his old team yesterday have anything to do with?”

“Hey, we needed you out of the house for a solid 8 hours, and Kip was more than happy to help his good friend, Marty-Mar out.”

“We cooked everything at Roberta’s house so you wouldn’t get any ideas.”

“Your mother’s insane, Deeks,” Sam added, shaking his head. “Made me shred 8 chickens. You know how long that takes?”

“Wait, my mom had you guys cooking too?” Deeks started laughing, imagining his mom ordering Sam Hanna around her kitchen.

“Oh no, I was on balloon duty,” Callen said. “It takes a long time to blow them all up. A special technique.”

“I’m sure it does.” Sam glowered at him briefly, then allowed a tiny smile. “It was worth it for a friend. Just don’t ask me to do anything else with chickens.”

“Fair enough. Thanks for all of this.” Deeks dropped his gaze momentarily, suddenly embarrassed. “I truly did not expect any of it.”

“Hey, there’s only one Marty Deeks,” Callen said, raising his beer. “Long may he live.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Sam muttered, but took a drink along with the rest of the group.

“Ooh, I’m going to get your present.” Rosa jumped up from the table, hurrying off to her room.

“You know, I just have one question.” Deeks lowered his voice so only Kensi could hear. “If we were just coming home, why did I need a makeover?”

“Oh, that was all for me,” Kensi informed him with a sly grin. “And, it plays into your present from me. Which you’ll get after everybody’s gone.”

“Happy birthday to me,” Deeks said, leaning over to kiss Kensi, and tuning out the sound of Sam and Callen’s combined groans.

***

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this fluffy little piece.

[ejzah]

A/N: A little fic in honor of Martin Atticus Deeks’ birthday. Thanks to mashmaiden for reminding because I am a horrible fangirl and nearly forgot.

We’ve got a little bit of Densi adult content here, some team banter, and some fluff. Hope you enjoy!

***

The Best is Yet to Come

Deeks bent his head, spitting out a mouthful of toothpaste. As he straightened up, a pair of arms slid around his waist, crossing over his chest.

“Good Morning,” Kensi murmured into his back. She kissed his neck, her torso rubbing against him as she stretched to reach his cheek. Deeks hastily wiped his mouth before turning around. Kensi loosened her embrace just enough for him to move and then resettled with her arms looped around his neck.

She smiled up at him, her hair still tousled from sleep, the most beautiful sight Deeks had ever seen. Deeks cupped her hips as she leaned against his chest, their weight supported by the sink, and kissed him, tongue teasing at his lips until they parted.

“Wow,” he breathed out a couple minutes, wearing what was most likely a completely ridiculous grin. “What was that for?”

“It’s a very important day,” Kensi replied, sliding her hands down his neck to rest on his shoulders. She smiled affectionately. “Happy 43rd Birthday, Martin Atticus Deeks.”

“Ah, thanks for that reminder.” He grimaced and Kensi rolled her eyes playfully, letting her gaze sweep down the visible part of his body. She gently tugged at the patch of gray in his beard.

“You don’t look a day over 39, Babe.”

“I appreciate that,” he said dryly.

Easing back just far enough that she could fit her hands between them, Kensi caressed his chest, lingering on his pecs for a few extra seconds before moving lower. She gave him an appreciative look as her fingers traveled over his abs, making his jerk slightly in response.

“Hottest forty-three year old I’ve ever seen,” she decided. Deeks shivered as she kissed the corner of his mouth with the lightest of touches and dragged her lips across his skin. She paused in the curve between his neck and collar bone, paying special to the spot.

Sighing, Deeks closed his eyes and dropped his head back, gently cupping Kensi’s skull as she kissed and licked a path down his sternum. His stomach was quivering by the time she reached his belly button.

“Deeks, look at me,” Kensi whispered. He squeezed his eyes open, a flash of heat running through him when he found Kensi staring up at him as she kneeled on the floor. With a devious gleam in her eyes, she kissed just above the waistband of his boxers.

“Oh my god, you’re such a tease,” he groaned. Kensi laughed, kissing a random patch of skin slightly higher on his stomach. She squeezed his hip and rose to her feet, still completely in his space. Not that he minded at all.

“That’s just a taste of what’s to come.” She raised her eyebrows mischievously. “No pun intended. Unfortunately, I don’t think we have time before we have to be at work.”

“Damn,” he sighed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “I guess that’ll just give me something to look forward to all day.” He kept his hands braced on her lower back though, reluctant to end the moment.

“You can shower first,” Kensi suggested, quickly adding when Deeks gave her a hopeful look, “Alone. Otherwise we’ll never get to work on time.”

Giving him a final kiss, Kensi slid out of his grasp, and sashayed from the room. Oh yeah, today was going to be rough.

***

Somehow, they managed to get to work on time, despite a few more distractions-mostly by Deeks. He’d chosen a pair of particularly fitted jeans and a dark blue button down shirt he knew Kensi favored, figuring that if he was going to be tortured all day, she might as well be too. Based on her expression when he came downstairs, he was right.

“Hey, maybe we can grab sushi for dinner,” Deeks said as they walked through the tunnel towards the bullpen. “Then we can stop for some-”he yelped and jumped, raising his hands defensively as they turned into the bullpen and a shrill noise split the air.

He blinked several times, belatedly realizing that the entire team, minus Kilbride, stood in a group. His eyes traveled up to the multicolored banner hung above them that read “Happy Birthday” in bold letters.

“Happy Birthday Deeks!” Rountree called out cheerfully, sticking some kind of party favor in his mouth and giving it a blast. Sam shot him a vaguely irritated look while Callen stood with a hand tucked in one pocket, a half smirk tugging at his upper lip.

“Geez, I was not expecting this,” Deeks commented honestly.

“Well, when we found out that you guys really never celebrate birthdays, we decided it was time to change that,” Fatima explained. “Yours is the first one where we’re all actually in the same place for once.”

“Well, that’s really nice, guys.” Deeks was honestly touched, if a little surprised that Callen and Sam had agreed to participate. He glanced at Kensi, arching an eyebrow in question.

“Hey, I had nothing to do with it,” Kensi promised, raising her hands. “No one told me anything.”

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Fatima continued excitedly. “If we don’t get called out on anything too terrible, we made reservations at your favorite restaurant Deeks and cake. The noisemakers were all Trees idea though.”

“Hey, it’s not a party if it’s not festive,” he insisted, hastily moving on before Fatima could retort. “And of course, presents.” He held up a small box and gave it a shake.

“Happy Birthday,” Callen said, handing him a square package. “It’s a shirt,” he offered. Sam rolled his eyes, knocking his partner’s shoulder.

“You’re horrible at giving presents,” he sighed, turning his attention back to Deeks. “Mine is still on its way since these knuckleheads didn’t give me enough of a heads up.” He jerked his thumb in Fatima and Rountree’s direction.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Deeks opened his presents while everyone watched. Fatima and Rountree gave him a certificate for a local surf shop and a pair of cufflinks-which they explained were intended to go with The shirt from Callen.

“Thanks everyone,” Deeks said gratefully, making his way around the group to give hugs. “I truly appreciate it.”

“And we appreciate you,” Sam said.

“So, we thought after dinner we could catch a movie together or go for drinks,” Rountree suggested. Deeks turned to Kensi with a slightly desperate look in his eyes but she put a calming hand on his arm, clearly seeing where his mind had turned.

“It’s ok, Babe, we’ll have plenty of time after drinks for the rest of your present,” she assured him. Leaning a little closer, she added in a whisper, “And I may or may not have bought something lacy for the occasion.”

“Ok, I definitely didn’t need to hear that,” Fatima commented. “Maybe we’ll just let you to go after dinner.”

“When you say the rest of his present-?”

“Don’t asks questions, Devin.” Grabbing his arm, Fatima hastily tugged him away while shaking her head.

“Well, I’d say enjoy yourself,” Callen said with a smirk. “But that might be crossing a line.”

“Oh, I definitely intend to,” Deeks commented, his attention fully on Kensi. It was definitely going to be a good birthday.

[ejzah]

A/N: @mashmaiden not only kindly reminded me that today is Marty Atticus Deeks’ birthday, but also supplied the scenario.

***

Mailed With Love

“Ooh, Deeks got mail!” Charlie called across the common room as Deeks sat down with a small mound of packages he’d picked up from the main lobby. He peered over his shoulder as Deeks slid the ribbon off a small white box with a blue label on the top. The words had been partially obscured so all he could read was, “Nut Con”.

Hopefully it wasn’t a gag gift from Eric. He’d already sent Deeks a Star Wars themed email card-something he hadn’t realized still existed. It was a lucky thing no one had been around at the time to hear the blaring John Williams’ theme. Deeks appreciated the intent, if not the actual card.

“If it’s anything edible, you have to share,” Jake added, joining Charlie to crowd around Deeks. “Homemade desserts are the best.”

“Ok, I’m pretty sure you just made that up,” Deeks said, shaking his head, oddly amused. He’d been prepared to mope around for his birthday, but his classmates hadn’t allowed that. Just like every day since he’d been at FLETC, they sought him out for a variety of reasons. Sometimes for help, sometimes to chat, and often just to hang out.

“It’s a well established rule. It’s just plain rude not to share.”

“You sound remarkably like my wife.” Deeks flicked a gaze at Jake. “But don’t get your hopes up because baking is not her hobby of choice and my mom doesn’t have this address. Thank god, cause that would be a disaster.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Omar said, but couldn’t seem to stop himself from joining the little group.

He pulled opened the box finally, raising an eyebrow at the single, sugar dusted cronut inside, laying on a nest of tissue paper. There was a small card tucked inside and he plucked it out with his thumb and index finger.

“Happy Birthday, Babe. Enjoy your pastry baby. Love, Kensi,” was written in a elegant script. He looked back down at the fried pastry, feeling his throat tighten a little.

“Huh, I was expecting something a little more substantial,” Jake commented.

“Oh man, you shoulda told us it was your birthday,” Charlie said ignoring Jake and knocking Deeks’ shoulder. “We would have bought you a cake.”

“It’s really not a big deal,” Deeks insisted.

“Sure it is. All birthdays are important. How old are you again?”

“Definitely not answering that question.”

“How else are we going to know how many candles to put on the cake?” Jake asked reasonably.

“Eh, I’m pretty sure at Deeks’ age they stop counting and just use those number ones.” Deeks laughed despite himself.

“You guys are hilarious,” he said, shaking his head. “Still not telling you.”

“I bet with enough time we can get it out of you,” Charlie decided, trying to look menacing. His slight baby face, despite his valiant effort to grow some facial hair, made it all the more ridiculous.

“I think you’re forgetting that I’m married to a woman who has made marines cry and the rest of my team is just as insane. I will not break.”

“I thought we were friends man,” Jake said, shaking his head in apparent disappointment.

“I just need to know, what’s a pastry baby?” Omar asked with a raised eyebrow, looking vaguely disturbed.

“Mm, it’s part of a love story,” Deeks murmured with a smile. He slipped the card back into the box and carefully closed it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” Deeks grinned.

“I got a call to make.”

[anonkp]

This is perfect.

A/N: @mashmaiden not only kindly reminded me that today is Marty Atticus Deeks’ birthday, but also supplied the scenario.

***

Mailed With Love

“Ooh, Deeks got mail!” Charlie called across the common room as Deeks sat down with a small mound of packages he’d picked up from the main lobby. He peered over his shoulder as Deeks slid the ribbon off a small white box with a blue label on the top. The words had been partially obscured so all he could read was, “Nut Con”.

Hopefully it wasn’t a gag gift from Eric. He’d already sent Deeks a Star Wars themed email card-something he hadn’t realized still existed. It was a lucky thing no one had been around at the time to hear the blaring John Williams’ theme. Deeks appreciated the intent, if not the actual card.

“If it’s anything edible, you have to share,” Jake added, joining Charlie to crowd around Deeks. “Homemade desserts are the best.”

“Ok, I’m pretty sure you just made that up,” Deeks said, shaking his head, oddly amused. He’d been prepared to mope around for his birthday, but his classmates hadn’t allowed that. Just like every day since he’d been at FLETC, they sought him out for a variety of reasons. Sometimes for help, sometimes to chat, and often just to hang out.

“It’s a well established rule. It’s just plain rude not to share.”

“You sound remarkably like my wife.” Deeks flicked a gaze at Jake. “But don’t get your hopes up because baking is not her hobby of choice and my mom doesn’t have this address. Thank god, cause that would be a disaster.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Omar said, but couldn’t seem to stop himself from joining the little group.

He pulled opened the box finally, raising an eyebrow at the single, sugar dusted cronut inside, laying on a nest of tissue paper. There was a small card tucked inside and he plucked it out with his thumb and index finger.

“Happy Birthday, Babe. Enjoy your pastry baby. Love, Kensi,” was written in a elegant script. He looked back down at the fried pastry, feeling his throat tighten a little.

“Huh, I was expecting something a little more substantial,” Jake commented.

“Oh man, you shoulda told us it was your birthday,” Charlie said ignoring Jake and knocking Deeks’ shoulder. “We would have bought you a cake.”

“It’s really not a big deal,” Deeks insisted.

“Sure it is. All birthdays are important. How old are you again?”

“Definitely not answering that question.”

“How else are we going to know how many candles to put on the cake?” Jake asked reasonably.

“Eh, I’m pretty sure at Deeks’ age they stop counting and just use those number ones.” Deeks laughed despite himself.

“You guys are hilarious,” he said, shaking his head. “Still not telling you.”

“I bet with enough time we can get it out of you,” Charlie decided, trying to look menacing. His slight baby face, despite his valiant effort to grow some facial hair, made it all the more ridiculous.

“I think you’re forgetting that I’m married to a woman who has made marines cry and the rest of my team is just as insane. I will not break.”

“I thought we were friends man,” Jake said, shaking his head in apparent disappointment.

“I just need to know, what’s a pastry baby?” Omar asked with a raised eyebrow, looking vaguely disturbed.

“Mm, it’s part of a love story,” Deeks murmured with a smile. He slipped the card back into the box and carefully closed it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Where are you going?” Deeks grinned.

“I got a call to make.”