Semi-AU. Mexico happened, but Deeks left NCIS after to focus on the bar. Sorry for not cutting, posting from mobile tumblr.
Heās cleaning up after the doors have shut for the night, his sleeves rolled up just past his elbows as he wipes down the bar, another successful evening in the books. Itās been only a couple of months, but both of them shared the surprise at how well his bar venture had taken off. Deeks has already built quite the regular clientele, a mix of surfer types, old buddies from LAPD, and more than the occasional pretty girl.
Kensi doesnāt mind the latter; he only has eyes for one pretty girl.
She nurses her martini, gazing at him over the top of her glass. Itās not her favorite, but she likes to order something different every night, just to keep Deeks on his toes. After all, he wanted to play bartender, and Kensi is anything but the predictable āIāll have the usualā kind of person.
As she watches him, Kensi can tell thereās something on his mind. She can tell by the stiffness in his body as he moves about the bar; she can sense it on him. He can be guarded when he wants, but right now heās an open book to her.
It doesnāt take long before he clues her in to whatās bothering him (though sheād had an idea already). āI hear you had an interesting day,ā he drawls, situating the bottles along the back of the wall. āAnd by interesting, I mean dangerous.ā
Kensi fights back the urge to roll her eyes. Thereās no anger, no annoyance in Deeksā voice though; itās a simple fact heās stating. āNo more than usual,ā she answers with a nonchalant shrug.
āSam said you had a gun at your head today.ā
Kensi bristles. āIt wasnāt pressed to my head,ā she protests. āAnd you need to stop making Sam report back to you.ā
When Deeks replies, Kensi canāt help but admit that itās true - Samās always been like a protective older brother. āHeād still do it anyway.ā
āDoesnāt mean he has to.ā There are some things that happen in the field that Kensi admittedly would rather Deeks not find out about, given the fights theyāve had over the job. Of course itās a dangerous line of work; of course sometimes Kensi finds herself in a dicey situation, like today. She knows Deeks is going to worry regardless; sheād just rather he worry less than he does.
āYou know I just want you safe,ā Deeks says, a twinge of pain apparent in his voice. āI knew it would be hard, but I just didnāt realize how hard itād be to trust you to another partner.ā
āYou can always come back,ā Kensi replies softly. Sheās caught in the middle though - part of her wishes he would come back, but the other part is relieved heās safely out of the field.
She canāt resist. āDo you miss it?ā
Deeks bites the inside of his jaw, lost in his thoughts for a moment. āSometimes,ā he admits. āMostly I miss spending all day every day with you.ā
Heat tickles her cheeks, and Kensi ducks her head, taking another sip of her drink. Sheād be lying if she tried to say she didnāt miss that too.
The subject is still a bit of a sore spot for both of them - hell, it had briefly ended their relationship. He was done; she couldnāt quite walk away, so sheād walked away from him instead. But the events of Mexico had made her realize on a deeper level what sheād already realized - she canāt live without him. She needs him, and a life without him would be meaningless.
Sheās sure he still harbors a bit of resentment at her choice to stay in the game, but he hadnāt fought her over it - his only stipulation was that she still marry him. Lying there in his hospital bed, heād re-proposed to her, getting the last word after all.
His nightly cleaning complete, Deeks studies the line of bottles behind the bar before wrapping his fingers around the neck of one. Deftly he pours a bit into a glass, gently swirling the dark liquid as he joins Kensi across the bar. āYour mom stopped by today,ā he says, changing the subject. āI think sheās getting a bit antsy; she wanted to know if we had a date yet.ā
āWhy is my mom asking you?ā
āBecause she gets free wine here?ā Deeks grins. āWe actually chatted for about an hour, about lots of things. When youāre going to pick your dress, who your bridesmaids are, when the bridal shower is, what kind of cake weāre going withā¦ā
His grin widens. āSheās so excited that she was practically bouncing on her barstool.ā
Kensi chuckles, shaking her head. āWell next time, tell her to chill out because we havenāt even figured all that out yet.ā
āShe canāt help it - her only daughter is getting married to the most charming man in all of LA.ā His smile stretches from ear to ear. āItās adorable.ā
Kensi shakes her head slightly. āYou know, thereās so much to do, I donāt even know where to start,ā she admits, furrowing her brow.
Deeks reaches across, gently touching her hand. āWell, the beauty of it is that we donāt have to figure it all out in one night. Besides, thatās why you delegate some of it - to your mom, to my mom, to your friends. I know Kat is dying to plan your bridal shower.ā
āYou talk to her too?ā
Deeks smirks. āShe gets free mojitos.ā
āYou know, if you give away free drinks to everyone, youāre going to lose money instead of making it.ā
Deeks cocks his head toward the glass in front of her. āOkay. Pay up, then,ā he teases.
Kensi snorts. āYeah right. For putting up with you, my drinks are free for life.ā
He just laughs. Thereās silence for a moment as he empties his glass, setting it back atop the bar. āWhat do you say we get out of here?ā He suggests, coming around to Kensiās side of the bar. āItās way past closing time, after all.ā
She grins. āAre you trying to pick up a girl at the bar?ā She asks, fluttering her lashes.
Deeks extends a hand to her, helping her down from her barstool. āIām picking up my girl at the bar,ā he replies smoothly.
Damn, if the way he says that doesnāt drive shivers down Kensiās spine. āWhere do you suggest we go?ā
He smirks. āI know a place.ā
2087
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