#protective Kensi

[ejzah]

A/N: Just a silly little drabble where Talia is Talia and Kensi attempts to set up boundaries.

***

Energy

When Hetty announced that Talia Del Campo would be joking the team for another case, Kensi had sighed internally. She’d come to terms with Talia’s personality and over her jealous now that she and Deeks were together. Mostly. Talia’s constant need to push buttons still could be exhausting.

The case had gone surprisingly well though. For once, Talia kept her hands to herself, and in the absence of annoying behavior, Kensi found her a good partner. Not quite as good as Deeks, but a fair trade for a day.

“I could go for a beer, or ten,” Talia said as they carried their weapons back into the armory. “Maybe a margarita instead. What do you say?” Talia glanced over her shoulder at Kensi.

“As long as those drinks come with a burrito,” she agreed. “I know Deeks will be thrilled. He’s been talking about fish tacos all week.”

“Of course, we can’t for get Deeks.” Kensi saw Talia’s lip twist in a little smirk as she efficiently cleaned a Glock. “So, you and Deeks. What’s that been like?”

Not sure where this was going, Kensi shrugged. “It’s been good. We’ve figured out how to navigate working together and dating. It’s definitely a learning curve at first.”

“That’s nice, but that’s not exactly what I meant. I’m more curious about the physical aspects. I mean, I’ve always gotten a certain kind of big energy from him,” Talia explained, the innuendo heavy in her voice. Kensi’s mouth fell open and she gasped at Talia for a second. Then apparently just in case Kensi didn’t get the message, Talia dropped her gaze to Kensi’s lower body and raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“Oh my god! No, I am not talking about any of that with you,” Kensi refused. Talia already had enough trouble with boundaries as it was. She was not giving her any more fuel.

“Oh come on, I’ve been single for a while now. Help a girl out.”

“Absolutely not. You’re talking about my boyfriend. Who you have kissed before.” Talia smiled as if remembering it all fondly. “In front of me. While we were together. I am not giving you anything else. Especially not about his…”

“Manhood?” Talia offered helpfully.

“Ew, stop. I’m gonna need five drinks after this,” Kensi groaned.

“Oh Kensi, I can do so much worse than that. I thought it was fairly tasteful. Like in one of those regency romance novels where the woman has half her bodice ripped off.” Making a slashing gesture across her chest with a would-be innocent expression.

Handing her the rest of the weapons with more force than was strictly necessary, Kensi crossed her arms over her chest.

“Ok, from this day forward, we are not discussing Deeks. Especially not any part of his anatomy,” Kensi told her, making sound more like a threat than a simple boundary.

Talia sighed heavily, looking completely unfazed. “Fine. But a girl can dream.”

Before Kensi could comment on that, Deeks poked his head around the doorway. “Ah, there’s my Ladybird. You guys need any help?”

“Nope,” Kensi answered for both of them. Crossing over to him, she grabbed Deeks by his sleeve, and pushed him back through the door. “We just finished. Let’s go.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Anywhere, but here. I promise, it’s for your own protection,” Kensi said under her breath.

Deeks frowned at her, but still allowed her to tug him down the hall. She swore she heard Talia’s laugh echo after them.

[densi-mber]

Unforgettable

A/N: This takes place post season seven.

***

“So, what did your mom want?” Kensi asked, snatching an onion ring off Deeks’ plate. Knowing she’d slowly work her way through them, Deeks pushed half of the remaining portion onto her plate. At one point, it would have annoyed her that Deeks knew her so well, but now it made her love him even more.

They’d been gifted a long weekend from Hetty, so they’d decided to make the most of the time and visit a new restaurant in the neighborhood.

“Eh, she had a disagreement with her roofer and now she wants me to intercede,” Deeks answered with a roll of his eyes. “I swear she thinks I’m her personal attorney, even though I keep reminding her that I haven’t practiced in years. At least not regularly.”

“I guess you should be glad it’s not another boyfriend.”

Deeks accepted her point with a nod of his head. He didn’t look thrilled by the reminder.

“Yeah, definitely not looking forward to the next surprise double date. At least the last guy was reasonably normal. Which isn’t saying much.” He shook his head before Kensi could ask. “You don’t want to know. I already told you about the guy who tried to build a bunker in her house.”

Kensi patted his hand sympathetically. For all her own struggles with her mom, there was something to be said for Julia’s overall normalcy. Sure, Julia could be pushy and nosey when she wanted, but she didn’t have the dramatic and eccentric tendencies of Roberta.

“Alright, so no more talk about your mom,” Kensi surmised.

“I appreciate that.”

“Oh, did I tell you I heard back about that conference in August? The one on bilingualism. They asked me to present.”

“That’s amazing,” Deeks said, leaning across the table to kiss her. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. It’s going to be extra work, but I’m kind of looking forward to it. Maybe you can take a few days and come with me.”

Deeks snorted at that. “I’m sure Hetty will love that idea. Maybe I can—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his his gaze shifting, beyond her. His eyes remained focused somewhere beyond her shoulder for another second and then he blinked, shaking off whatever had distracted him.

“Babe?”

“Sorry, I just thought I saw someone I recognized,” he insisted, flashing her a quick smile. It seemed forced, not crinkling the corners of his eyes the way a genuine smile did. He almost look…unnerved. Which was unusual in and of itself.

He resumed the conversation, but she saw his eyes flick away every so often.

After the fifth time, she sighed in exasperation, and turned around, following his gaze to the corner booth. Two women sat opposite each other, one a brunette and the other a blonde. They seemed deep in conversation.

“Who is she?”

“Kens…”

Kensi turned back, frowning at Deeks as he started to wave off her question.

“Deeks, you can’t stop looking at that table, and you’re obviously nervous. She nodded to his hand which he’d just lifted to brush his bangs off his forehead. He immediately dropped it to the table, looking slightly caged in. “So why are you staring at those women?”

He sighed, dropping his head to stare at his loosely clenched fist. With the other hand, he started spinning a cardboard coaster.

“The one facing away from us is Sylvia Gray. My ex,” he answered, his voice low.

“The one you have a—?” She could hear the shock in her own voice.

“A restraining order against, yeah.” He nodded, then amended, eyes still focused on the table, “Well had. It expired last year.”

“Deeks!” Kensi murmured, vaguely horrified. She’d never known more beyond his explanation that it was a “bad breakup”, but she knew it couldn’t be a simple fight if Deeks had gone so far as to involve the police. “Why would you let it expire?”

“Kens, it’s not a big deal,” he insisted, and she wondered if he was trying to convince himself too.

“Deeks, you know what happens when people no longer have those restrictions in place.”

“Yeah, when it comes to violent, repeat offenders. But this is not that kind of situation. I haven’t even seen her since I filed the restraining order.”

Kensi shook her head in disbelief. Only Deeks would defend a person who had done him harm.

“So, you think it’s a complete coincidence that she ended up at the same place as you?” Kensi asked, and Deeks shrugged.

“Probably. It is a small world after all. Can we just enjoy the rest of our dinner? I promise I won’t get distracted again.

She didn’t like it, but it wasn’t like she could force Deeks to change his mind. He could be just as stubborn as she was. Most importantly, she needed to trust him to make the right decision. “Ok,” she agreed, squeezing his hand.

Their waiter brought their entrees a few minutes later, and they spent the next half hour enjoying the food while the discussion turned to what they should do with the extra bedroom. By the time Deeks had finished a very articulate defense for converting it to a workout room, Kensi had almost forgotten about Sylvia.

“Get me another beer,” she requested as she stood to go to the bathroom. She gave Deeks a quick kiss, snatching the last onion ring. “And a basket of fried mozzarella.”

There was a small line outside the ladies’ room, and then a young drunk girl needed help getting her strappy shirt untangled. Kensi finally escaped about ten minutes later.

As she walked back to their table, she saw Deeks was no longer alone. Sylvia sat across from him. Even without having seen her head on before, Kensi knew it was her. Her arms were crossed on the table, and from this distance, Kensi could see her lips moving rapidly though she couldn’t hear anything. Deeks sat with his back hunched, Kensi stilled, not certain if she should intrude.

This was completely unchartered territory for her; normally, she’d charge in without thought to the outcome. Somehow this felt different. Whatever Deeks had shared with Sylvia went deeper than she’d realized.

The decision was made for her a minute later, when Sylvia reached for Deeks’ hand, her voice rising sharply at the same time. Deeks’ visibly straightened, and he tugged his arm back, but Sylvia didn’t let go.

By the time Kensi reached them, several people were looking their way. Kensi glared at the closest table until the couple sitting there hastily turned away.

“Sylvia, this isn’t the place for this,” she heard Deeks say, still speaking in a hushed, private tone. To anyone else, he might have appeared completely calm and collected, but Kensi saw the tension in his body.

“You can’t make me leave,” she shot back. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. When Sylvia opened her eyes again, she looked calmer. “Marty, I just want to talk.”

The way her nails dug into Deeks’ skin said otherwise. They were so focused on each other, they didn’t notice Kensi standing a few feet away.

Up close, Sylvia looked older than Kensi had anticipated. Grayish shadows framed her eyes, and though her clothes were high quality, they hung on her thin frame. Overall, she looked kind of careworn.

“Well I don’t. I told you whatever we had was over long ago, and bringing it up again won’t change anything.”

“Maybe I want to apologize. You know, I never got that chance.” Her tone left no doubt who she blamed for missing that opportunity.

“Sylvia, what happened the last time we were together,” Deeks said, pausing for a moment. “Was not healthy. It’s not something that you can come back from, and as much as I want you to be happy, and successful, I don’t want to reestablish any form of a relationship with you.”

“Then why did you let the restraining order lapse?” she asked helplessly.

“Because I didn’t want to keep holding what happened over your head. You deserve to live your life, and so do I. I don’t want to go back to LAPD, but if you don’t leave me alone, I will,” Deeks told her bluntly.

Sylvia’s face caved, expression turning desperate. “Marty, please.”

“I think it’s time for you to go,” Kensi interceded. Sylvia jerked, eyeing Kensi with wary recognition. When Kensi dropped her eyes to where she still clung to Deeks, Sylvia hastily snatched her hand back.

“Kens, it’s ok,” Deeks said, though he looked relieved nonetheless.

Sylvia lifted her chin stubbornly, apparently not ready to give in. There was a dangerous tenacity Kensi recognized, and it made her skin crawl “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Maybe not, but I’m overprotective. You need to leave now.”

As Sylvia leaned back, clearly intimated by Kensi’s couched threat, the woman she sat with earlier came over, looking deeply uncomfortable.

“Sylvie, I told you this was a bad idea,” she hissed, glancing between Kensi and Deeks. “C’mon, let’s leave before something you can’t fix happens.”

Casting Deeks a final look, she reluctantly stood. “I really am sorry,” she murmured, letting her friend drag her away.

Deeks watched them go, not relaxing until they were actually out of the door. Then he pressed his palms over his eye sockets, exhaling unevenly.

“Are you ok?” Kensi asked, sliding her hand over his forearm. He nodded, running his hands down his face, finally facing her. He looked exhausted.

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect that.”

“I kind of got that. You want to tell me what happened with here?”

“No.” He chuckled humorously, folding his hands in front of him. His food lay forgotten, probably cold by now, and Kensi was pretty certain he wouldn’t be eating it tonight.

“I met Sylvia shortly after I decided to quit law. She was getting her Master’s in physical therapy. We met at a friend’s party, and we hit it off. The first couple of months we were casual,” Deeks paused, eyes distant. “Somewhere in there things sped up really quick. We spent all our time together, which wasn’t much since she had grad classes and I was at the academy.”

“That sounds pretty intense,” Kensi commented, and he sighed again.

“You have no idea. We’d only been dating for about 6-8 months when she started talking about moving in together,” he continued. “I kept finding excuses to put it off, or just ignored the not-so-subtle hints. I tried to keep her happy even though I knew that there as a reason I didn’t want to take the next step. I guess I didn’t feel like dealing with the fallout.”

She tried to imagine a much younger Deeks navigating a rocky relationship. How much had his experience with his father influenced his decision to stay in a relationship in which he wasn’t completely happy.

“Then one day I came home from training, it was probably one in the morning, and Sylvia was there in my apartment. She had a key, but we kind of had a rule that we wouldn’t go to each other’s places if the other one wasn’t there.” Kensi nodded, as he looked to her, maybe for reassurance. “So she’s sitting on my couch with a bunch of papers and I don’t even know what.” His expression turned almost guilty, and he dipped his head briefly. “I snapped and demanded to know what the hell she was doing.”

“And Sylvia, god bless her, snapped right back. She said she knew I’d been cheating on her with someone, one of the strippers I knew. She claimed that was why I was always gone and never had enough time for her.

“I’m not proud of it, but I told her that if she didn’t trust me, then she should just leave, and we were over,” he said.

“Deeks, you did nothing wrong,” Kensi told him, grabbing his shoulder for evidence. Deeks shrugged, looking unconvinced.

“I promised myself I would never raise my voice like that, and yet I turned right to shouting as soon as things got difficult.”

“What happened next?”

Deeks’ jaw tightened even more, his anxiety rising with her question.

“We started shouting at each other. You couldn’t even hear what we were saying. Sylvia threw everything on the table on the floor, and I was so close to losing it, I knew I needed to take a step back. I didn’t pay attention when she followed me into the kitchen, and the next thing, she’d grabbed a knife from the dish rack and started waving it around.”

Kensi barely breathed, completely transfixed. Deeks’ voice had dropped almost to a whisper, gravelly and shaky now.

“I honestly don’t think she fully realized what she was doing. She was so, so angry,” he whispered. “Of course, I was freaking out. I tried all the calming techniques I’d learned, but somehow that’s more effective when you’re not the one with the knife in your face.”

He cleared his throat. “Eventually, I told her she needed to get the hell out or I'd call LAPD. And, uh, that’s when she ran at me.” His hand ran down his bicep, almost subconsciously. “She sliced straight down my arm. Fortunately she didn’t hit anything important.”

“Oh my god, Deeks!” Kensi gasped. He’d let the woman sit a few feet away from him. He offered her a grim smile, continuing on, like he needed to get it all out without stopping.

“I blocked her the next time and got her to drop the knife. After that, she just started hitting at me. I don’t even remember most of it. But the neighbors had heard the shouting, and uh, one of them called the police. When they got there, I was bleeding, Sylvia screaming and throwing anything she could get her hands on, they arrested her and brought me in to take my testimony.”

“Like I told you before, I haven’t seen her since I filed the restraining order.” Deeks spread his hands wide, as if to ask, “what do you think?”

Kensi hugged him, needing to feel him alive and safe in her arms, as much as she wanted to provide some comfort.

“I’m so sorry that happened, Deeks,” she murmured, hugging him even tighter.

“Me too,” he said, and she knew he meant it.

Kensi pulled back, and gently grasped his chin. “It’s not your fault though. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. But I probably could have handled it better.”

“No, nothing gave her the right to attack you that way, baby.” She held his chin until he met her gaze and reluctantly nodded. “I know you’re not goin to like this, but I want to run a background check on her to make sure she hasn’t been stalking you or anything.”

“Kens…”

“Deeks, please do this. For me. I need to know that you’re safe,” she begged, not feeling to bad about the slight manipulation.

“Ok,” he relented. “But I’m not renewing the restraining order unless there’s definitive proof that she’s been trying to make contact,” he added firmly.

“Alright.”

“Can we go home now?” he requested.

“Of course.” Kensi held him a little tighter than normal as they walked to the parking lot.

[panties-on-boys]

the fact that anytime something scary happens, richie always calls out for eddie :(((( and only eddie :( god help me

how he touches eddie’s arm when he gets cut for the blood oath i’m fucking crying

eddie’s fucking blood circling richie’s ring finger like a wedding band. EDDIE’S BLOOD CIRCLING RICHIE’S RING FINGER LIKE A WEDDING BAND!!!!!!!

he’s still in there we can still help him eddie!!! EDDIE!!!

[liar-or-lawyer]

[oneforthemunny]

the girls for sure winds kensy up about santa claus just to get a rise out of her

tells her santa is going to steal mom away from dad, shes getting coal for christmas

STOOOPPPPPPP LMAO

she's bawling coming to eddie and nb bc the twins (before there was vega, there was the forces of nature sicily and sienna) told her they put in their letter to santa that kensie needed to be on the naughty list. and they 'sent' their letters off yesterday to the north pole and she is in a PANIC.

eddie is so fuckin' annoyed like??? why the fuck would they say that lmao?? it's funny but it's also got kensy in a panic, so eddie has to "write" his own letter to santa for her telling him not to listen to them.

"their's will get there first!"

"ok well i'm an adult, and santa has to listen to daddy over them."

and when they say the thing about santa kidnapping you (they watched the nightmare before christmas and were evily inspired) kensie goes running to eddie again, wailing and petrified.

"if santa tries to steal mom, i'll kick his- he won't do it. i'll protect her."

"but he's santa!"

"i can take santa. he won't, i promise. santa's a good guy anyways."

[typingtess]

Rountree saw Kensi walk up to Fatima’s parents. He moved himself to the other side of the waiting room when Mr. and Mrs. Namazi answered a surgical nurse’s questions. Fatima didn’t want him to contact her parents but he didn’t know if she had allergies or bad reactions to certain medications. He could tell the nurse she didn’t like chocolate with nuts but only because she didn’t like nuts, not because she was allergic to them.

NCIS’s personnel office sent her medical history to the hospital but he couldn’t help with specifics. Her parents could. When the surgical nurse left, Mrs. Namazi sat down, Mr. Namazi left only to return a few minutes later with coffee. They sat, sipped their coffee and held hands until Kensi arrived.

After finishing with the Namazis, Kensi made her way to him. He saw Deeks’s sling bag in her right hand as she plopped down next to him.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Better than Fatima, that’s for sure.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

“Yes it is. I should have provided better cover as she moved to the elevator.”

“No. It isn’t your fault. The men who shot her, who are all dead, it’s their fault.”

“No, my fault,” he said, shaking his head.

“There is going to be a lot of blame going around on this assignment. DC is going to look for a scapegoat. Don’t volunteer yourself for that.” Kensi opened the sling bag and passed Rountree a bottle of water and Kind protein bar. “Not your fault.”

Rountree opened the water. He figured he’d save the Kind bar for the ride home. “Were you ever shot?”

“Hit in my bulletproof vest a few times. That stings. You were pretty banged up when we found you in the supermarket back in the day.”

Taking a long sip of the water, he said, “I was fine.”

“Fine enough to join the team.”

“Not fine enough to keep Fatima and Laura Song safe.”

“The team didn’t keep Laura Song safe, not just you. And there will be an investigation into that. But the fault of what happened to Fatima clearly falls on the men who shot her.”

“If Deeks was shot…”

“Deeks was shot not all that long after we were working together. My partner before Deeks was shot and killed protecting Sam.”

“Damn.”

“This is a dangerous job. You knew that when you joined the FBI and when you joined the OSP. Fatima knew that as well.”

“One thing to know it, another thing to survive it.”

“She’ll survive it. She’ll rehab. She’ll be back in the field before you know it. Deeks bounced back pretty fast.”

“Where is he?”

“Dealing with Lily Song. We’re all good at something and Deeks is great with people.”

“Both her parents are dead…”

“Deeks was working with a guy he went to law school with to find her a soft landing. Lily is currently staying with a friend’s family. The lawyer handles wealthy clients and does pro-bono work with cops because his dad and grandfather were cops.”

“She’s going to need a lot of help. Jordyn and I always had each other.”

“Lily will be okay. So will Fatima. She has her parents, you and the rest of the team. She’s going to be fine. And you should give Deeks a call tomorrow away from the office.”

“Why’s that?”

“There will be an investigation. You’ll tell the truth but Deeks is pretty good at making the story work. Don’t tell Kilbride, Hetty or even Deeks I told you that.”

For the first time since Fatima was shot, Rountree felt a smile cross his face. “Keeping secrets from your husband?”

“I told you he was good with people, I told you he was good at crafting a story. That man’s ego is healthy enough, no need to feed it.”

The doctor came out to speak to Fatima’s parents. Kensi nudged him. “Let’s hear the good news.”

[bullet-prooflove]

Covert Affairs: Vostanik Sabatino x Reader (feat: G. Callen)

Tagging: @kmc1989 @novamariestark @words-and-seeds @thiashazzywriting @whateversomethingbruh

You’ve been with Sabatino almost two years when your relationship gets thrust into the spotlight. It’s a litany of stolen moments whenever he arrives back in LA. Whirlwind dinner dates and nights spent ruining you in the sheets of his hotel room. You hit your favourite brunch spots, ranking them with detailed notes you keep on your phone for the next time he’s in town. He gives you a tour of Hollywood, the places he used to haunt back in the day when he was playing with his band. You catch a couple of shows over pitchers of beer in a dive bar or two.

“Do you ever think about doing it again?” You ask him as you watch the band from a spot near the bar. Your back comes to rest against his chest, his arm looped around your waist, holding you close.

“Maybe one day, when I finally put down some roots.” He murmurs into your ear as he nuzzles the curve of your throat. “I miss making music.”

He fucks you in the bathroom of the bar, the pulse of the music vibrating through the walls as he goes down on you to a God-awful rendition of ‘Killer Queen’. Whenever you hear that song in the aftermath, you think of that night. His mouth on you, tongue thrust deep inside when you come for him just as Freddy hits the high note.

Sam’s away in Somalia when Nell and Eric identify a problem. Someone has been downloading classified data from the NCIS server and selling it on the black market. An investigation is opened into everyone who was working at a computer terminal during the download, and you happen to be one of them. You’d stayed late to catch up on the after-action reports after losing a bet to Callen at the shooting rage.

It’s ridiculous that a tickle in your nose just as you’re about to pull the trigger is the reason your whole life blows up.

Part of the investigation includes cloning the personal phones of the people under suspicion so they can deep dive into their lives. You make it relatively easy, leaving yours in the top drawer of your desk when you hit the gym with Kensi. Nobody really believes it’s you, you’ve been with them six years. You’ve shed blood, cried tears, saved their lives, fought their battles. For Nell and Eric, it’s simply a process of elimination, that is until they find a wealth of incriminating data.

Calls from multiple international sources they can’t verify.

An encrypted message app, hidden under the calculator icon.

A secret cache of files that are password protected.

It’s all high-level security, something you don’t need on your personal device, almost NSA level shit. Even with their tech savvy it would take hours to break into the phone and they don’t have that kind of time because you’ve just received a text from a burner cell telling you to meet at The Majestic Hotel, Room 216, later this evening.

You must be meeting the buyer.

They can’t take the risk of that information falling into the wrong hands, so it becomes an op with you as the target. It’s hastily put together, there’s no time to run prior surveillance because it’s going down just as they pull up to the hotel. They catch a glimpse of you stepping into the room before the door closes quietly behind you.

Callen, Deeks and Kensi take up residence just outside the door, allowing a few minutes for the exchange to take place before they use the keycard to gain entry.

When they burst into the room guns drawn, it’s not what anyone expected.

The first thing they see is Sabatino. He’s in a state of undress. His white button up shirt hangs open, revealing his bare chest including that messy scar etched into his flesh. There’s lipstick marks trailing down the hollow of his throat, staining his skin. It’s fire engine red, the shade you were wearing. He holds his hands up in a gesture of surrender, his body shielding you from what he perceives to be a threat.

For Callen it's an echo back to that day in Afghanistan, the one when Sabatino put himself between you and the bullet that would have ended your life.

When you step out from behind him, you’re in a similar state of disarray. Your lipstick is smeared across your mouth, your hands tugging the fabric of the black wrap dress around your body covering up the lingerie that you’re wearing.

You’re both arrested and taken to separate interrogation rooms in the Boatshed. You’re silent in the face of the accusation but Sabatino, he will not stop talking. He’s pissed on your behalf, that your team won’t give you the benefit of the doubt, that you’re being treated like a criminal. Him, he’s used to this shit, but you deserve better.

You don’t blame them for suspecting you, you know how it looks. You’d be doing the same thing in their shoes; in fact, you have.

They sweat you for a while, leave you spinning your wheels. It’s standard procedure in a case like this, let the suspect get in their own head, make them eager to talk. You know what’ll happen in that time, they’ll find evidence of your relationship with Sabatino. It’s not that that bothers you, it’s the intimate items you’d brought with you to the hotel room sitting in your overnight bag. The one that someone is now going to have to search through. It’s humiliating.

It's Callen that comes to interrogate you, you didn’t expect anything different, he is your superior after all. You know that your conversation is about to get a lot more personal because Callen has to consider the possibility that Sabatino’s been using you for intel, he wouldn’t be doing his due diligence if he didn’t.

“Your relationship with Sabatino, take me through it.”

So, you do, from that first kiss in the car to the last time he was in town. As you detail your relationship, things start to make sense to Callen, pieces he hasn’t put together until now. Sabatino’s reaction back in Afghanistan when you were taken, the fact he’d undertaken the prisoner walk instead of a member of your team. He had known that bullet was coming, that the Taliban couldn’t afford to let you go. He’d been prepared to die for you that day.

Callen thinks about earlier in the hotel room, Sabatino’s first instinct had been to get between you and whatever was coming through that door. He understands that urge, it’s reactive and primal, like a wolf protecting his mate.

There’s other things he’s noticed. Sabatino’s smile when you’re around, it brighter, more genuine. The look he gives you, there’s always a warmth in it despite the fact he’s being a smartass. The last time they’d arrested him, he’d been reserved but this time he’s irate and Callen knows that it comes from a place of love. That he’s infuriated on your behalf.

At the end of your story, you give him the passwords for your phone. Everything you need to prove the existence of your relationship resides on that device.

“See for yourself.” You tell him and he does.

Those files you’d encrypted?

Selfies.

The two of you eating ice cream on the boulevard, the sun setting in the background. Sabatino kissing your cheek as you smile into the camera at a bar in Hollywood. Him playing a guitar on the couch in your living room, a book of chords laid out in front of him. There’s more of them, documenting your relationship over the past two years. For anyone else these would be normal Instagram images but for someone who’s a covert agent they’re a death sentence.

The hidden chat app?

It’s full of voice notes filled with private, intimate things that no one else should ever be privy to.

When I look up at the sky tonight it reminds me of Afghanistan, the first night I spent with you.

You looked too beautiful to wake up this morning, I’m sorry I had to leave.

The sun’s just rising here, and all I can think about is how I wish I was waking up next to you.

The international calls?

Callen realises it’s Sabatino checking in, letting you know he’s still alive.

By all accounts he’s looking at a couple in love, one that’s been forced to keep their relationship a secret due the nature of Sabatino’s career. Callen’s worked for the CIA; he knows the risks. He also knows that this man would set the entire world on fire if anything happened to you.

“Come for a drink tonight.” Callen suggests when it’s all said and done. “I wanna get to know Sabatino a little better, you know, just in case he ends up joining the family.”

You roll your eyes as you stand in the main room of the Boatshed, gathering the few personal items that had been transported with you.

“Our very fucked up little family.” You retort.

“Neither less he’s important to you, so he’s important to us too.” Callen tells you.

You can hear the sincerity in voice. Callen doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, not to you. You’ve been lied to too many times in the past before you’d transferred to LA. Your old partner back San Diego had been corrupt, it had been a severe blow to your psyche. You’d been transferred to LA because you were deemed a problem child. Callen got that, he’d understood it. He’d made you a deal.

“If you’re upfront with me, I’ll be upfront with you, it’s a two-way street.”  

That’s the way the two of you operated and it had worked consistently over the past six years.

“Even after all of this.” You say gesturing at the monitors that oversee the interrogation rooms.

You’re talking about the fact that you’ve spent two years hiding your life with a man, he has a kinda love/hate relationship with. Out of everyone you work with Callen has the most trust issues, this should be a problem for him, but the thing is, it’s not. He understands it on both levels. You’re protecting the man you love, and Sabatino, he’s protecting you too.

“Especially after all of this.” He says firmly before he places his palms on the surface of the wooden table and tilting his head up to meet your gaze. “Look I’m not going to pretend I understand what you see in the guy, but he cares about you, hell he almost died for you, and I can’t fault him for that. Trust me I want to, but I can’t.”

There’s an edge of humour to his voice because his interactions with Sabatino have always fluctuated between irritation and respect. The man is an excellent operative, and the problem is he knows it. You find yourself smiling despite yourself, your fingertips tapping lightly on the table.

“Alright.” You agree because this how you step into the light, how the two of you move forward into the future. “But the drinks are on you guys tonight.”

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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[deluweil]

NCIS LA rewatch,

I move between S1 and S2 intervals, the almost siblings relationship between Kensi and Sam and Callen is always super sweet and fun to watch.

She teases them mercilessly and they tease her back giving her input about male moves so that she doesn't fall for any of the cheap tricks and are always protective of her all the way up to the very last season.

Sam and Callen's relationship and obvious bromance is always beautiful and super funny to watch because they tease each other and bicker and banter like partners who have been together for too long and love each other unconditionally on all their faults like brothers - I am always watching them torn between laughter and "Awww"

And Deeks baby steps in the team are always my favorite episodes, because they just lost one of their own and Deeks is not one of them yet, but you can't help but like him while being annoyed at him and trust him once he proved himself and saved each of them individually.

And Hetty!! I can make loooong loooong posts just about her and her dynamics with each of them, she's the best!!

This team is so well formed, I am going to enjoy this rewatch thoroughly!!

[deeksblye]

This is my very first time writing a fanfic and it's also my first time writing in english so please be nice :) I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This dialogue is happening after episode 15S14 "The Other Shoe"

"Family is all that matters"

As they were leaving the boxe gym Kensi called Rosa, as promised, and told her that everything was fine and they were picking her up in 30 minutes.

As the three of them were entering the house Deeks cheerfully asked what they wanted for dinner.

"Ok so which one of my famous fancy dishes you ladies want today?"

"I actually was thinking about ordering some take out. It's been a very long day, we deserve it." Kensi responded.

"That sounds amazing. What about tacos, or chinese?" Deeks paused for a bit and then added enthusiastically: "Or we could order Rosa's favourite pizza."

Kensi looked thrilled about any of the options, which wasn't a surprise, but Rosa didn't seem to care. Actually it was at that moment that they realized that she had been oddly quiet ever since they picked her up.

"Hey Rose, is everything ok?" Deeks asked in a sweeter tone.

"Oh yes don't worry, I'm fine."

Kensi looked at Deeks with concern in her eyes and then asked "Are you sure? Cause you've been quiet ever since we picked you up."

"AND you didn't show any excitement when I mentioned your favourite pizza, which is definitely an indicator that something is off with you today." Then he added carefully "Come on sweetheart, talk to us. What's going on?"

"I'm just worried. First that woman showed up here covered in blood, and then that men was at the door and Kensi sent me to my room, but I saw that you were grabbing a gun." She said this last part redirecting her attention to Kensi.

The concern and fear in her voice as she spoke were impossible to hide which filled Kensi and Deeks with concern and angst for putting Rosa in that position. After everything she went through she deserved to have a normal and happy life. That was all they wanted for her, and they were doing everything in their power to grant her that, but some days like today they felt like they failed.

Kensi tried her best to calm her down right away "Oh no Rosa, you don't have to worry about that sweetie. That woman wasn't dangerous, we've known her for a few years and she just needed our help. About the men that showed up this afternoon…" Kensi paused for a few seconds, thinking carefully about her next words. "You were never in danger bacause I would never let that men get to you Rosa. Never. You will always be safe with us sweetheart."

"We will always do everything in our power to protect you, to make sure you're safe." Deeks added, his words were filled with love and compression.

Rosa turned her back to them and sat on the couch in a failed attempt to hide the tears that had started to form in her eyes. Kensi and Deeks followed her right away and sat with her, one in each of her sides.

"What else is concerning you?" Kensi asked.

Rosa paused for a few seconds while looking down and then finally let it out. "I know I'm safe around you two. It's not just me I'm worried about, I'm scared for you. I know your job is very dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to you two." She said it all very fast trying to control her emotions but at this point that task became impossible. Rosa started to cry, big tears rolling down her cheeks. Between sobs and looking at them she finally said "You're all I have, and I've already lost everything once. I can't lose you. I just can't."

Kensi and Deeks looked horrified for a few seconds, not knowing what to do or say. Finally Kensi wrapped her arm around Rosa's shoulders while Deeks grabbed her hand and gently touched her knee.

"Rosa baby… Nothing will happen to us, we're always very careful and we know how to take care of us. Besides, we're always looking out for each other." Kensi said in a lower tone, almost whispering.

Deeks finally looked less shocked and spoke "And, in the very unlikely hypothesis that something happens to both of us, you won't be alone. There are a lot of people that love and care for you like my mom and Julia, Callen and Sam. God even admiral Kilbride likes to spend time with you, and that's a huge thing coming from him."

"Exactly sweetheart, you have a family now. Deeks and I aren't the only ones looking out for you. You'll never be alone again Rosa, never. Do you understand?"

Rosa finally calmed down and dried the tears in her face using her sleeves and said with a weak smile "Yes, I know that. Thank you for calming me down."

This was all she needed to hear, she needed to know that she wasn't alone, she never would have to be alone and scared like before ever again, and in that moment she felt at peace.

Rosa laid her head in Kensi's shoulder who responded by holding her thight. Deeks held Rosa's hand and gently rubbed her back. She squeezed his and back in response.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, no one said anything bacuse there was no need. That room was filled with love and in that moment they felt like nothing else mattered. After a while Rosa spoke in a calm voice.

"I think I deserve that pizza now." And she finally showed her beautiful smile.

Kensi and Deeks smiled at her and Kensi gently kissed Rosa's head.

This was definitely all that mattered. Family was all that mattered.

[khorren]

I want to ramble about Kensi in the Mists. These are all bigger topics I want to explore, but for now I just need to word-vomit the ideas out. She’s been on my roster forever and is a GW1 kid, but in GW2 she’s just sort of been there. So anyway. Kensi. Mostly lives in the Mists looking out for family who come to be judged after death and sort of like being “it’s okay. You’re safe. You can rest now”. The majority of them have lead good or at least okay lives so they’re not damned for eternity. Kensi can leave the Mists when she needs to, but mostly just enjoys chilling in vast nothing-ness and dealing with the occasional dead family member.

When Kyra died in season 1 stuff, Kensi made suuuuper double sure that she went straight to the Judge for her punishment. She oversaw that for a while, then after the events of HoT she decided to come back to Tyria proper. Everything going on with Ley-lines troubled her, and while she stayed mostly out of the Commander’s way she kept an eye on things, as well as catching up with history at the Priory. Occasionally offering some information about the Mists and arguing with scholars about what actually happens.

When The Departing happened. Everything got super special in the Mists. Kensi mostly focuses on the “main” Tyria, but when mist-fuckery gets involved and bleeds into it she gets involved. Again, this is all to do with protection and preservation of the family. Serenity dies and she wants to get involved but the Judge wont let her near until her task is done. Cosima’s bleeding into this Tyria from her own and Kensi can see the two of them un-knowingly interact. Cosima is stuck there for a long time, but Serenity gets out relatively quickly. Kensi follows along afterwards just to make sure Ren’s not broken or come back wrong. She doesn’t directly interfere but she does assist in getting Ren to the top of the Kodash Bazaar. With Balth dealt with she returns back to the Mists to check on the Cosima situation (she’s still stuck) but she learns that Kyra escaped. So for a while she’s bouncing back between trying to figure out what Kyra is up to, and keeping an eye on Cosima glitching between realities. When Cosima does eventually come through proper, Kensi’s her guide on getting her up to speed.

[ejzah]

A/N: This one’s a little odd. But it does take a common fic type I’ve written and flipped it a bit.

***

Assumptions

“So, when did you and Deeks get together?”

Kensi stilled at Agent Jennifer Johnson’s question. She should have expected as much since Jennifer and Deeks had hit it off shortly after she arrived to fill in while Callen was out. Kensi resisted her natural urge to become territorial when it came to Deeks and other women.

“Um, about three years,” Kensi answered.

“Wow, that’s longer than I expected,” Jennifer commented, something in her tone setting Kensi on edge.

“What do you mean?” Kensi kept her tone even, focusing on the paperwork in front of her.

“Well, I thought it was more of a friends-with-benefits deal.”

Kensi’s mouth dropped open slightly in shock, her work completely forgotten in front of her, and she couldn’t think of any way to respond for several moments.

“No, we’re definitely not,” Kensi told her firmly. Jennifer looked mildly abashed, but not enough to move on from the topic. “We live together.”

“I’m sorry if I offended you. I mean, I can see why you like him,” Jennifer continued. “Deeks is hot, and charming, but he’s not…” she waved her hand as if she couldn’t quite find the words she wanted.

If she was a little bit more aware, Jennifer might have noticed the subtle tightening of Kensi’s eyes and jaw, the anger thrumming under the surface.

“His unpredictable behavior and fast talking is good for work I suppose, but I’d think it wouldn’t make for a good relationship. You want someone you can count on. Someone who isn’t going to embarrass you in front of your friends.”

“For your information, Deeks is one of the most dependable, intelligent, and caring people I know,” Kensi said her voice trembling slightly with the effort to control it, and Jennifer leaned back, eyes widening. “You don’t know either of us, certainly not Deeks, and you definitely don’t know our relationship.”

“Kensi, I didn’t—” Jennifer murmured, embarrassment mixing with her shock.

“No, I think we’re done here,” Kensi interrupted. “I made some really stupid assumptions about Deeks when I first met him, but I thought you were smarter than that. Apparently I was wrong.”

Then before Kensi could say or do anything that she would absolutely regret, she stood, and walked away. She had the sudden need to find Deeks and kiss him until she felt less like punching Jennifer Johnson in the face.

[densi-mber]

We’ll Save Each Other

A/N: This is set post 6x03.

***

She’s fine. It’s ok. Nothing’s wrong. Maybe if Kensi repeats it enough, she’ll start to believe it herself. The truth is, she’s kind of a disaster right now.

Ever since the DOJ questioned her, it’s like she just returned from Afghanistan. Before that, she’d almost gotten a handle on the nightmares and other symptoms. Or at least enough to function as an agent, and put on a good face for everyone.

Now, it almost feels like she was at square one again.

“Hey, you want to grab some dinner?” Deeks asks. She’s so deep in her own thoughts, caught up in another place and time, that she jerks, jamming her knee into her desk. Kensi inwardly curses her overreaction.

“Geez Kens, are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” she insists, almost reflexively. “I just thought everyone had already gone home by now.

“I was waiting for you,” Deeks explains. Of course he was. She glances up; sees Deeks with his thumbs tucked into his front pockets, and realizes he’s expecting a response.

“Uh, I think I’m just going to go home tonight. It’s been a long couple of days, you know.”

“Yeah.” He’s quiet for a few seconds, making her think that he’s given up on dinner. She’d be horrible company anyway. “Kens, how are you doing? Really. I know the DOJ brought up some unpleasant things the other day.”

“I can handle an interview, Deeks,” she retorts, more harshly than she intended. Deeks doesn’t back down though. He’s spent enough time around her that he’s not fazed by her prickliness.

“I know you can,” he agrees softly, gentle. “But no one would fault you if talking about what happened to you in Afghanistan was difficult.”

He pauses again, taking a few steps forward until he’s standing right in front of her. There’s no place to hide now.

“I can tell you haven’t been sleeping well,” he adds, and for some reason that tips her over the precipice she’s clung to so hard.

Her eyes fill up with tears, and her throat closes with an unvoiced sob. Deeks pulls her into his arms, just like he had last time, his arms warm, comforting, solid. She pressed her face into his shoulder, to hide the tears trickling down her cheeks.

“It’s ok,” he murmurs, stroking his hands from the base of her neck to down her back. “I’ve got you.”

“I keep dreaming that I’m in that cave again,” she admits. With the confession, she feels a unexpected release, and the words start to come faster, almost beyond her control. “I just want to go back to normal, but I can’t. I can’t sleep, or stop remembering what it was like to be trapped like that.”

“It’s going to be rough for a while. I know that’s not super helpful right now, but it’ll start to get better eventually.” His hand keeps stroking her back in a soft and even rhythm. Slowly, the tears and pain start to ease a little. “The memories will feel less vibrant, and you won’t jump at every loud noise.”

Kensi stills, realizing that he’s speaking from his own experience.

“Oh god, Deeks, I didn’t even think. I’m complaining about this after what you went through,” she says, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

“Kensi, don’t you dare apologize,” Deeks tells her. “You were the one who told me we can’t compare trauma, so don’t underplay yours. We both went through really horrific experiences.”

“How do I stop feeling like I’ll never be the same?” she asks.

“I wish I had the answer.” Deeks sighs, gently stroking her cheek. “I know that’s not the answer you wanted, but it will get better.”

“Promise you won’t leave me.” She hears how helpless, how completely vulnerable she sounds. For once she doesn’t care though.

“I promise I’ll be here with you every step of the way. If you can’t sleep, or you just need to talk, I’m there. You just have to ask,” he promises.

“Ok” she murmurs, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I got you.” He holds her tightly, blocking out everything else, and for once, she believes it might be alright.

[pumpkin-spice-whump]

yellow! its me again!! its much earlier now than the last time i messaged here😗 (though it is still admittedly late🤡) i think i am going to sleep soon but i wanted to tell you that i had begun reading your story for Kensington!

i am currently at Bonfire (i think that was the name? im sorry if i butchered or mistaken it for other fics i have been reading😖) and like your stories for Jesse, Kensington's story is also incredibly painful to read😭

i think its the fact that unlike Jesse, Kesi has (arguably) even less dignity as his status as an ouright slave rather than at least a pet or boxboy coupled by the fact he also has (definitively? at least in my interpretation) much much less external reason/s to continue struggling and living (i guess there is Miss Ashley🥺 but Jesse at least got to spend so much more time with the three sweet Bakeman daughters)(i dont want to spoil much to not ruin the others' experience)

i know the two squishy whumpees arent exact copies of each other but i still find it so deliciously heartwrenching that Jesse is much more submissive mostly in part because of the bbu brainwashing or mind/memory wiping (i think this is common in bbu whump so i think its okey for me to mention it explicitly?) while Kensi who (i understand/interpret) was born and raised and lived his whole life as a slave is much more stubborn and defiant.

again i apologize if im missing or misinterpreting something also i know i cant or at least maybe shouldnt draw direct parallels between the two because theyre from two similar but still different worldbuildings with their own set of messed up rules and hiarchies.🤸‍♂️💔

again again it is late and i hope to fix my sleep schedule soon so i can read your works and message you when my braincells can organize my brain goop into something more coherent. i really hope you understand that all this word vomit is laced with love🤕💗

-💌

When i tell you that yesterday and today's asks both made my crappy days instantly better --

First of all thank you so much for reading both of my boys' stories and I'm so glad you like them

Yes, Jesse is extremely submissive in part because of the brainwashing WRU does, but also because Joshua was like that too. His dad passing away when he was younger gave him pretty severe OCD and anxiety that made Josh an unassuming, nervous boy, so his already quiet disposition was only worsened when coupled with the torture he had to face. One thing that always stuck with him though is his protectiveness over those he cares about. WRU did not give that to him, that was just Jesse.

Kensington's story takes place in a different universe where they do have a slavery system where slaves are born and raised that way. I like that you mentioned that Kensi is more stubborn and jaded, because that was not how I meant for him to turn out originally! I meant for him to be more submissive like Jesse, but the more I wrote the angrier Kensington got until I really came to a head in his story (can't wait for you to read the next few parts!)

Never apologize for analyzing my characters! I live for it, and I actually appreciate you drawing parallels between these two. They may be from different worlds, but they both come from me and I enjoy seeing them compared to one another actually! We're to a point in both stories that I have been very excited to come to and this gave me the motivation to keep writing!

(Sorry if my response doesn't make sense or isn't what you were looking for!)

[leotanaka]

i really, really liked this episode.

i know there are people who are going to complain that callen was ooc or he would never behave that way but honestly, callen will always prioritise annoying the hell out of sam over everything else and he was clearly enjoying it too until sam had enough and went into "i'm going to make us both suffer" mode and even then, they had to be dramatic about it which, sallen drama especially funny sallen drama is always wonderful to watch.

also, the focus on parents was done really, really well. i think @typingtess mentioned something about this already but i just love the way they showcased different aspects of it.

you had deeks, whether he was joking or serious, making comments which demonstrated how extreme over protective parents can be while kensi was more relaxed about rosa's activities.

britney's mother who has been waiting 20 years to find out what happened to her daughter and grieving.

jack who was over protective and so extreme he literally committed murder so his son's life wouldn't be ruined, despite it being his own fault and jack shown to have pushed his son into this kind of life because of his own expectations.

and then you had kilbride, who for many seasons now the show has made a point of the fact that he always put work and his job first. that even when his son needed him, he wasn't there and this time, he had the opportunity to continue doing what he's always done and instead, turned around and went back and is finally placing his son first. making alex a priority for him.

i do think it would've made sense given the context to reference sam (both in terms of coming from a military family and passing that on, his relationship with his father struggling because he didn't want to follow in his footsteps and how overprotective sam can be) but at the same time, he's really grown and changed so it wasn't really necessary for this story.

i do wonder if the whole deeks & jack parallel was to show that while deeks is going a bit overboard (more than likely to annoy kensi as it was definitely an episode for annoying your SO), there are fathers that do that and more. kind of like showing it's a slippery slope.

the cold case aspect of the episode was already good. i always love these types of stories and it made me wonder if perhaps one of the team might end up joining ncis cold case by the end of the season.

[oneforthemunny]

I think sephy's flower is a peony cause to in order to thrive you need to plant just correctly at the right time and if that isn't persephone idk what is lol (although this applies to more of indoor peonies)

Meanwhile I think kensy's flower is a Gardenia cause they need lots and lots of water to grow and maintain lol

Zahra's flower is a balck-eyed susan in this I'd like to think eddie helped np picking her flower cause he liked the name idk lol and it represents endurance, justice, and protection and I think it fits her

Thats as far as I gotten lmao ✌️

Persephone as a peony does make sense to me too. i feel like for the first they wouldn’t know how many they’d have and want something pretty so nb picks peony.

gardenia is so funny💀