Drabble of the Week: Take the Good with the Bad

“Never a dull moment,” Deeks huffed, slipping down into the booth beside his ladybird, Kat, Mindy, Mandy, and both Tiffanies having disappeared for one small moment, leaving the dimly lit restaurant a thousand times quieter.

“Not with the Tiffanies in town,” she smirked, arching her neck to her temple on his shoulder, almost concealing a yawn from his gaze, but he was a little too finely tuned to her demons and hindrances now, and God, each one concerned him more than the last, when every night he could feel her eyes on him as he drifted off, when every day the exhaustion was evident in her features and yet no amount of it would put her to sleep.

“For the record I’m all for the train up the coast, ignoring work calls weekend, I just think your friends probably would have killed me if they showed up in L.A. and we were gone.”

Rolling her eyes, Kensi sniffed, tilting her head to meet his eyes. “You’re just awful with surprises, I always find out what your gifts to me are before my birthday and Christmas.”

“Not this last Christmas.”

“I wasn’t around to interrogate you last winter.”

Answering her with a kiss pressed to her temple, Deeks squeezed his eyes shut, desperately needing this moment of quiet, closeness, desperately needing her, in every possible way, desperately needing to wipe away every lingering nightmare and bad day she had left, because God, she deserved better, deserved better than what she’d been dealt and better than subconscious fears keeping her awake into the darkest hours of the night.

“You just wait-“

“Why?”

“Maybe I’d be better at surprising you if you didn’t hate surprises so much.”

“I don’t-“

Not bothering to hold back an amused smile over her affronted, utterly defensive, ridiculously adorable expression, he fit a palm to her jaw, kissing her hard enough that she jolted just a bit beside him before easing, melting into it, ignoring the impending suggestive smiles of the Cupcake Girls when they eventually stumbled upon this embrace and barely holding in a laugh when he pulled back just a fraction of an inch, lips brushing hers when he spoke.

“How’s that for a surprise?”