Equals: Drabble 11/13/22

wikiDeeks Drabble of the Week for “Glory of the Sea”

A/N: This week’s offering is a little on the lighter side. I personally found it strange that Kensi was so determined to be the “fun parent”, so I had to write my own spin on it. 

---

“Hey, how was your day?” Deeks asked, stopping to kiss Kensi on his way to drop his bag on the kitchen table.

“Pretty exciting. We were actually looking for sunken treasure,” Kensi answered.

“You’re kidding.” Kensi shook her head as Deeks sighed in disappointment. “I can’t believe I missed out on a treasure hunt.”

“I guess that answers how your day went.”

“Eh, it wasn’t terrible,” he said with a shrug. “Mama is just being extremely indecisive and particular. Thank god she decided to visit a friend tonight cause I’m kind of tapped out.” He really hoped she would pick one of the places they looked at, so they didn’t have to go through another round of house hunting.

He sighed again, and slid onto the couch, tugging Kensi into his side. She looped her arm around his neck, kissing the top of his head, eliciting a quiet sigh from him. They cuddled for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

“Hey, what’s this?” he asked, nudging a yellow notepad covered in blue ink next to Kensi’s laptop.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t look at that.” Kensi grabbed for it, but he beat her to it, squinting an eye as he scanned the list.

“Museums, a play, and a scavenger hunt… I don’t know what this is for, but I want in. Sounds like a great weekend, if a little busy for a guy my age.”

“Deeks, they’re just some ideas I threw together for Rosa.” She gave the notepad a little tug, body language screaming that she did not want to talk about this.

“OK, but why are you making a list?” Deeks asked, confused when Kensi’s cheeks darkened a little. “Do we have a vacation coming up that I forgot about?”

“Oh my god, this is going to sound really stupid, but… I was trying to be the fun parent,” she answered reluctantly. When Deeks started to laugh, she stiffened defensively. “What, I can be fun. Maybe I’m not skydiving level fun, but I am not a boring parent.”

“Alright, let’s just take a step back here. What makes you think I’d want to take Rosa skydiving?”

“Well, Fatima brought it up and you did talk about wanting to go when you were younger.”

“Yeah, when I was a twenty-something year old idiot who had no sense of self-preservation. I definitely would never suggest that for our sixteen-year-old kid.”

“OK, but even without skydiving, you do the cool stuff. You guys have surfing and all that.”

“Yeah, and you know how to surf too. Pretty well now, not to pat myself on the back.”

“But it’s your thing. I don’t know.” Kensi shrugged, gesturing vaguely with her hand as she tried to explain. “I guess I’m afraid that I’m going to be too serious, and the one who’s always worrying or putting my foot down.”

“Kens, why do we have to pigeonhole ourselves?” Deeks asked. “Yeah, I want to have fun with Rosa, but I also know that there’ll be times when I have to make tough decisions, ones that Rosa won’t like. I mean, we’ve done that already, right? Setting boundaries for Rosa that other teens don’t normally have to deal with was definitely not fun. And let’s not even get started on my stress levels, cause hell, I worry about that kid twenty times a day. Minimum.”

Kensi acknowledged his point with a nod. She still looked uncertain though.

“I want us to be equals as parents. You know, sharing and switching roles as needed. So sometimes that’ll be you handling the advanced Spanish interpretations, and me proofreading her literature essays. Unless you think I haven’t been pulling my weight.”

He couldn’t deny that a certain amount of doubt crept into his mind as he voiced the thought. He’d always feared failing as a father, and despite the progress made on that front, that worry still lingered to a certain extent.

“Of course not,” Kensi said immediately, sounding surprised by his questions. “You’ve been a fantastic partner in all of this, baby. I guess I’m just afraid that I’ll fall back into my old ways and be too demanding with Rosa.

“Says the woman who basically planned a road trip to see Adele on the fly ’cause Rosa mentioned liking her,” Deeks teased, nudging her shoulder. She allowed a tiny smile.

“You know Rosa loves spending time with you. I mean, how often do I walk in on you two laughing over some joke you can’t even explain to me? I think you’ll be just fine without manufacturing fun moments.”

Kensi’s expression turned soft as he spoke, and she reached over to caress his cheek with her knuckles.

“How do you always manage to make me feel better? Even when I’m being an idiot.”

“You just care a lot, and that’s not a bad thing,” Deeks told her gently, kissing her cheek. “Now, c’mon, we have some oh-so fun cooking to do.”

“Ugh,” Kensi groaned, letting him pull her off the couch. “You know what’s even more fun? Ordering in.”

---

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed a slightly lighter story. Thanks for all your lovely comments and support!