Ziva yawned widely as Tony stretched his arms away from her.
"Stay the night," he suggested. "You're enough of a danger on the road without throwing tiredness into the mix.
Ziva half heartedly glared at him before biting her lip, it was true. There was no way she could drive home in her exhausted state but did she really want to be around someone as she slept? Or rather, stayed alertly awake after horrible nightmares. She knew the team was somewhat aware of them, she couldn't exactly hide it from them, but she never wanted them to know the extent of them. She shuddered as the memories crept into her consciousness.
Tell me all you know of NCIS
Another yawn overcame her, forcing Ziva to agree unwillingly. Her partner was far too overprotective, it was a battle not worth fighting.
"Okay, Tony. I will stay, thank you."
Tony sent her a dazzling smile. "Great!"
That smile still sent her heart into a flutter. Oh, how she had missed it these past few months.
"Let me get my overnight stuff in my car," she said, slowly stand up.
Tony walked with her to the door, opening it with a dramatic bow. Ziva couldn't help but smile herself and roll her eyes as they made their way down the stairs. She tried to avoid closed spaces when she could. It was an unspoken fear that, thankfully, no one had made her explain.
A gust of air helped her open the door forcefully. It banged against the wall. Tony's apartment manager really needed to get one of those door stopping things. She was sure that bang had woken someone up.
"You are not going out in that," Tony told her firmly as they both stared out into the sudden summer storm. The rain lashed straight down in curtains, dancing off the ground. To Tony it sounded as if there were mini tribal drums pounding along to an invisible war.
"It will take me less than a minute to run and retrieve my items." Ziva pointed out.
"You'll get drenched, so, no," Tony said firmly.
"I need my night clothes." Ziva argued half-heartedly.
She really didn't want to go out in that.
Tony gently guided her away from the door and back upstairs. "You can use one of my old shirts."
Ziva gave up arguing, realising it was a lost cause when she found herself back in his apartment.
A rustling sound from his bedroom told Ziva that Tony was searching for something suitable for her to wear. She hadn't even heard him leave her side. Glancing briefly around a room that was as familiar as her own apartment she saw evidence of their most recent movie night. There were bowls with crumbs of chips and popcorn placed haphazardly on the table, most paired with a can of soda or beer. An indentation on the sofa showed where they had curled up together. She wasn't convinced that it would ever return to it's original shape.
Something covered her eyes when her back turned to the door, Ziva whirled around in panic. What was that?
"Catch!" Tony called cheekily, a moment too late
Ziva took a deep calming breath and removed the shirt from her head, it smelled like Tony.
"You okay?" Tony asked, when she didn't respond like she usually did (threatening his life or organs that provided life).
Ziva glared and swept herself into his bathroom to change.
