Title: On the Outside
Fandom: NCIS
Author: Alidiabin
Words: 818
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warnings/Spoilers/Rating: none | Pre Series | Teen
Parings: Ziva/Malachi
Summary: Malachi will always be on the outside. A big thank you to hagar_972.
On the Outside
When Ziva and Malachi had sex, they did not usually do it in Ziva's apartment, Malachi did not know why but it was almost always at his place. But his apartment building was being fumigated; so her apartment was better than paying for a hotel room or risking getting caught in the act in the office, as their 'relationship' raised more than a few eyebrows among Mossad staff.
Malachi got dressed while Ziva was in the shower. He did not understand why her place was seldom an option. It was bigger than his and far cleaner. There were no embarrassing childhood relics or items that Malachi could see. There were almost no personal items; the only one he could see was a photograph of Ziva and her sister as children.
Malachi was almost completely dressed when he realized he only had one shoe. He and Ziva had been in a rush, when they'd entered her apartment, an hour before hand, so neither had noticed where clothes and shoes had ended up.
He tried to think logically about where the missing shoe could have ended up. After checking behind the door and scanning the floor, he decided to delve under the bed, in the hope his misplaced shoe would be there.
The always pragmatic Ziva did not waste the space under her bed. Malachi found a few boxes under the wooden bed frame. Malachi scanned the empty spaces and found his other boot. He reached across to grab it and hit the back of his head on a bed slat. He swore in his native tongue. As he reached up to rub his head, his hand grazed on something that felt like a piece of paper.
He turned over and saw a plain piece of paper stuffed between the bed slats. Malachi stared at it for a second. He was curious about it, but he also knew his boundaries with Ziva. Touching her stuff would be outside the boundaries. Curiosity got the better of him. He carefully teased the piece of paper from the bed slat and slid out from under the bed.
The piece of paper was a photograph of Ziva and another man, who appeared to be a few years older than her, but most of Ziva's acquaintances were older, she had joined Mossad much younger than anyone else. Malachi noticed the close proximity of Ziva and the man. He turned the photograph over and saw an address for a Parisian apartment written, there was also a drawing of lion as some sort of signature.
"What are you doing?" Ziva shouted. Malachi turned to face her. She was wearing only a towel and her wet hair stuck to her back.
"I was looking for my shoe," Malachi replied. He was not expecting her to be so angry and was not going to worsen it by lying to her.
"And you ended up going through my stuff," Ziva responded. She snatched the photograph from his hands.
"Who is this man?" Malachi asked. Despite how he came off, he was curious not jealous. Mossad had taught them to keep pushing for answers and that was what Malachi was doing.
"It is none of your business?" Ziva replied.
"Am I sharing you?" Malachi asked. Ziva was surprised; she had not pegged Malachi for the jealous type. "I don't mind sharing you; I just need to know if I am."
"Sharing," Ziva replied raising he eyebrows. She didn't like the terminology.
"I'd tell you," Malachi replied, he had told her about his other conquests many times, which had confirmed to Ziva that Malachi did not have a type. Not that she cared, they always used condoms.
"He is dead," she lied, cutting Malachi off. "Do not mention this again or to anyone."
Malachi nodded and put his shoe on and walked out. Her secret, which he had not been fully read into, was safe with him.
Ziva sighed as she sat on her bed. She knew she should have burnt the photograph as per Ari's instructions. But she had not seen her brother since his mother's death. According to her father, Ari was on a mission and it would break his cover if he were to get special treatment to come to Tel Aviv to see her and it was not safe for her to go to Gaza to see him. They had organized a meeting in Paris, so Ziva could see her brother and give her father an update on the mission.
She felt only slightly bad for lying to Malachi. She told herself Malachi would do the same thing to her. It was hardly like she could disclose that she had a half-Palestinian half-brother. She could not ask Malachi to keep such a secret. It would spell doom to both her and her father's careers. Telling Malachi would also put Ari at risk.
She could not lose Ari too.
A/N: Ari's name means lion, hence the signature.