Back Door

Summary: Why, exactly, was Kensi wearing the same shirt the next morning? And how did she come in from the opposite direction of Sam and Callen? Featuring a short Densi scavenger hunt before work and some insight on Nell and Kensi's friendship.

Author's Note: For my first published NCIS LA fic and my first bit of completed writing in some time, I decided it would be fun to write a little about what happened the morning after the scene in the restaurant. Prelude to 5x10, Written for the NCIS: LA Virtual Secret Santa. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, inbothworlds!

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS: LA or any of its characters.

"Good morning, sunshine," Deeks greeted as Kensi stirred awake. He stroked her hair and she snuggled closer to him. She tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

"Good morning," she replied. She tried to stretch out her limbs, but realized her movements were limited. Sometime during the night, their legs had become tangled up in each other's. She stretched her arm across his chest as they detangled. He turned onto his side and propped up on his elbow. She grabbed the blankets with her now-free arm and clutched them closer to her chest, taking a moment to look around the room.

"I know it's not much," Deeks admitted, referring to the sparsely decorated space, "but it does the trick."

"I just didn't get a chance to look around last night," Kensi explained. Deeks smirked, causing a small grin to spread across Kensi's face in response.

"We were a little busy," he pointed out. She blushed, much to his surprise. He looked past her head to a clock hanging on the opposite wall. "As much as I would love to spend the day in bed with you, making you blush more, we need to get up now if we want to make it to work on time." Kensi's smile was replaced by a look of panic as she followed his gaze to the clock. Based on the amount of time they would need to get to work, accounting for traffic, there was no chance they could also stop at her apartment for an extra change of clothes. She cursed under her breath, sitting up. "What?" he asked, worried by her sudden change in mood.

"I'm going to have no choice but to wear the same clothes I had on yesterday." He fought back the urge to laugh at her misfortune, knowing that the other agents with whom they worked would notice immediately. She scowled at him, which only released his laughter. When she smacked his bare chest in response, his quick reflexes caught her hand and pulled her down to him, their lips crashing passionately. She pushed off of him, wrapping herself in the blanket and dragging it with her as she retrieved her clothes from their various locations, tracing a path to his back door, where they had entered. He groaned before reaching down and retrieving his boxers to cover himself. His fingers brushed against silk, and when he lifted his hand, it carried her bra as well as the item he had set out to find.

Deeks dressed quickly in his bathroom while Kensi searched frantically for the item he had confiscated. She knew she had still been wearing it when they collapsed onto his bed and had expected to find it somewhere on his floor. She pulled on the clothing she had already discovered, leaving her shirt open so that she could remove it more easily once she found her bra. When Deeks emerged, he found her on all fours on the bed, reminding him of the position she had been in the previous night. He watched as she pushed back onto her heels and realized her intent.

"Need some help with that reenactment?" he asked. She jumped slightly and her hands immediately moved to her shirt, pulling it closed over her exposed chest. He moved across the room to sit on the bed beside her. "Nothing I haven't seen before," he pointed out, covering her hands with his own.

"Deeks," she warned. "We need to get to work, remember?" Their eyes locked, and she won the silent battle in which they engaged.

"Fine," he sighed. "I guess that means you'll need this." He pulled her bra out from his back pocket. She grabbed for it, but he held it out of her reach. However, after their experiences the previous evening, she knew she could take a different approach. She latched her lips onto his and grabbed the waist of his pants with one hand. Shocked, he instinctively moved his hands to grip her, changing the location of her bra so that it was close enough for her to take. As soon as she had it secured, she pulled away from him and escaped to the bathroom to finish getting ready for the day.

"You know, it's not fair to tease people," he called after her.

"Who knows, maybe the third time will be the charm?" she smirked; her words were clear before she closed the door, and their implied meaning was easy to detect. Deeks groaned. This was going to be a long day at work.

"Drop me around the corner?" Kensi requested as she climbed into the passenger seat of his car.

"Why around the corner?" he asked, starting the car and pulling onto the street.

"Because entering together, combined with what I'm wearing, will tell the entire parking lot about our night. As if the rest of the team figuring it out isn't enough," she snapped.

"Are you ashamed?" Deeks asked. "Of us, of me?" Kensi was shocked. After months of jokes and skirting around the issues, she had trouble with him suddenly communicating clearly. She shook her head.

"I'm just not ready for that yet."

"I'll see you inside," Deeks promised as Kensi climbed out of his car. The rest of their ride had been relatively quiet as they both contemplated the impact their actions would have on the rest of the team. She nodded.

"Hey Deeks?" she asked, turning to close the door.

"Yeah?"

"Try to act normal?" she requested, though her tone revealed disbelief that this was possible. He chuckled.

"I'm the king of normal," he boasted. She closed the door and he pulled away. Kensi pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text message to Nell, who met her at the building's back door when she arrived minutes later.

"You didn't," Nell gawked when she saw Kensi's clothes.

"Except I did," Kensi admitted. A blush spread over her cheeks for the second time that morning. "Please don't tell anyone? You owe me after I saw you and Eric-"

"Wouldn't dream of it. My lips are sealed," Nell promised. She pushed the door open further, and Kensi slipped through. "You know, of course, that you have to tell me how it went."

"It was...incredible." Nell looped her arm through Kensi's as the taller woman recounted the events of her evening and morning. They stopped just before the bullpen came into sight.

"I'm going to go check on Eric and make sure he doesn't make any remarks he shouldn't when you come in," Nell mentioned. "Good luck with the guys."

"I'm going to need it," Kensi agreed, turning the corner. "And Nell?" the smaller woman turned. "Thanks."