Tony hastily tried to smooth down his hair while he was stopped. They'd been working nearly around the clock for two days now and Gibbs had given them a four hour reprieve for "showerin' and sleepin' and that's it"
He'd done the sleeping (oversleeping, more like), leaving less than ten minutes for a shower and trip for coffee before needing to speed back to the Navy Yard. He was definitely going to be late, but the coffee was more than necessary in order to face any more time with Gibbs. So, Tony inched his car through the drive-through window and rubbed tiredly at his eyes.
There'd barely been time for him to say hi to Ziva and Tali before he had to run out the door. He missed his wife and kid. Ziva had been running out the door right behind him so she could drop Tali at school and head to work herself. He'd kissed them both quickly and made a promise to be home for dinner, a promise he really hoped he'd be able to keep.
"Venti triple hazelnut espresso with extra whip," he mumbled into the box when prompted for his order.
"Thank you, please drive up to the next window to pay for your order," the bored teenage voice instructed him. Tony complied and rolled his car forward, slowly. He was still three cars away from the payment window, so he chanced a look at his phone.
Text from Ellie.
Text from McGee.
Text from Ziva.
He ignored the first two and clicked open the third. A picture greeted him and he grinned, laughing a little to himself before typing out a quick reply.
A gentle honk from the car behind him jolted Tony into action and he pulled his car forward.
"Morning," the teenager at the window greeted him. She held out his drink and Tony took it carefully. "That'll be $4.24, sir."
Tony nodded and handed over his credit car. "Thanks. Hey, I'm gonna pay for the drinks in the order behind me, okay?"
"Sure," she replied, used to people "paying it forward" and covering the tab for the people in line behind them. It was usually a sweet gesture.
"There's just one more thing..." Tony grinned.
"Remember, Ducky will be picking you up today," Ziva said as she pulled her car forward.
Tali kicked the back of the seat and grinned. "It's 'cause me and Victoria are gonna go to ballet, right?"
"Right," Ziva laughed. "I have left a note for Mrs. Mulvaney in your folder. Please do not forget to give it to her, my love."
"Okay, Ima. I won't forget," Tali promised and Ziva knew she could trust the kindergartener. The little girl was unusually perceptive and detail oriented. It always made Ziva laugh when Tali remembered something Tony didn't.
Ziva pulled the car up to the payment window and smiled at the teenage girl working the register. "Hello!" she greeted the girl with a smile, ready to hand over her credit card.
"Oh, no," the girl smiled a little uneasily, "the man in the car in front of you paid already."
"Oh really?" Ziva replied, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"Yep," the girl nodded. Then she hesitated before speaking again, "Um, I don't know if I should say this, but he also said some other stuff."
Laughing, Ziva nodded, "I am sure he did. What was it that he said?" She took the offered drinks from the girl and passed the strawberry smoothie back to Tali. The kindergartener squealed in excitement and immediately began sipping on the drink.
"Um, he asked that I tell you that he thinks you're hot and he'd love to take you out," she wrinkled her nose and held up a slip of paper. "He left his number."
"Oh, what a flirt," Ziva mumbled to herself, a smile gracing her lips. To the teenager, she shook her head and held out her hand for the slip of a paper. "That was my husband. He is a character."
"Oh thank god," the girl visibly relaxed. She even smiled. "I was really worried that he was, like, a creep or something."
Ziva shook her head. "No, not a creep. A pain in my ass, yes. But he is sweet."
"And handsome!" the girl said, almost involuntarily. She blushed and told Ziva to have a good day. Ziva drove off with a nod and a wave and Tali grinned at the girl behind the counter, one hand wrapped securely around her smoothie.
a date, huh? i do not think my husband would appreciate that
we don't have to tell him
i do not keep secrets from my husband
dirty little secrets can be fun
mmm...meet me tonight in my bedroom
i knew you'd fall for my charms ;)
A/N: Happy New Year! This one is based on that viral tweet where the guy pays for his wife's drink in the drive-though behind him and tells the barista to tell her that he thinks she's hot. It screamed Tony and Ziva to me so I had to fic it!
Drop me a review and let me know what you think :)