All We Are
Author's Note: I usually write Star Trek Voyager, but NCIS has been tugging at me lately. This story isn't finished yet, so read at your own risk! To be honest, I'm not sure where it's going – but it must be going somewhere because it keeps pulling…
The door swung open, and there was Gibbs, one hand on the door and the other clutching the surrounding wooden frame. He was out of breath and the front of his shirt was soaked with water. "Hey, I couldn't get here. Tony's in the bath. Come on in." He moved back, letting Ziva and Tim step into the entry area.
"We are probably too early," Ziva said, even though she knew they weren't.
"No. You're fine. We're just...running behind. Ducky and Abby should be here any minute. Just...make yourselves at home. There's beer in the fridge, and food, and-"
"Hi, guys."
Gibbs froze at the voice behind him, and even before he turned around, he knew by the look on Ziva's face, and her quickly averted gaze, that Tony was standing there - he turned and looked - completely naked. "Tony. Bathroom. Now." His voice was firm.
The expression on Tony's face fell immediately. "Just came to say hi." And just as suddenly, he brightened again. "Hi, Tim. Hi, Ziva."
Tim nodded his head. "It's good to see you, Tony." He ignored the elbow Ziva dug into his side.
"Come on." Gibbs tightened a firm hand on Tony's shoulder and turned him back toward the hallway. "You're dripping all over the floor."
The sound of Tony's wet feet slapping down the hall and his plaintive declaration of being cold caused Ziva to lose it, and she laughed out loud.
Tim looked at her. "I guess there's more to Tony than meets the eye."
Ziva tried to control her laughter. "And probably even more if he were not cold."
"Now that's just cruel," Tim started, but he couldn't hold back the grin on his face.
Ziva just smiled and headed for the kitchen in search of paper towels to mop up the small puddle of escaped bath water.
~vVv~
"Tony, ya' can't do that."
Tony hung his head, realizing that Boss wasn't smiling. Not even his voice was smiling. That meant he'd really done something bad.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, not looking up. He scrunched his toes in the damp bath mat, studying the imprints left behind by his feet. Big feet, Boss always said. Bigger than Boss's. "I just wanted to see Ziva and Tim."
"I know." Gibbs took a towel and began to dry Tony's body. "But you can't go running around the house without clothes."
"I got the towels," Tony reminded him.
And Gibbs sighed. He was right. Before his bath, he'd sent him to the laundry room to get the stack of clean towels off the dryer. Tony had already undressed, but Gibbs was busy filling the bath, regulating the water temperature, and trying to keep Tony from adding too many bath toys and bubbles. And so, he'd killed two birds with one stone - he'd sent a naked Tony to get fresh towels and he'd gotten a chance to prepare Tony's bath without him.
"You're right. You did. But that's different."
Tony blinked. "Why?"
"Because...we were the only ones here. And...you're a guy, and I'm a guy, and-"
"Tim's a guy."
"That's right." Gibbs latched on to Tony's reasoning. "And Ziva's not. Ziva's a girl."
"But you always say that Ziva's just one of the guys."
"Well, she's not… really." Gibbs threw the damp towel over the top of the shower bar to dry, and he grabbed Tony's arm, pulling him out the door and down the hall to his bedroom.
"Boss, I don't got no clothes on," Tony giggled, realizing that he was again walking through the house naked.
And Gibbs couldn't help but grin at Tony's observation and the irony of the situation. He stopped in the open door of Tony's bedroom. "But there's no one in the hall but just us guys, and you're about to get dressed." He dropped his hand from Tony's arm and gave him a gentle push into the room. "You're clothes are laid out on your bed. You call for me if you need any help."
"Don't need help, Boss," Tony assured him. "I can even tie my shoes now."
Gibbs leaned against the wall and sighed. "I know, Buddy. I know."
And he did know. Tying his shoelaces had been the greatest accomplishment of the week, and Tony's shoes were off more than they were on just so he could show Gibbs how he could tie. He suspected that a demonstration of his tying techniques would be the highlight of their evening. Ducky and Tim might actually find it interesting.
~vVv~
"See, ya' make two ears, and ya' loop this piece around and push it through here and then… pull." Tony tightened the laces and stuck his foot out farther for his audience to see.
"Very good, Anthony," Ducky smiled, reaching down and patting Tony on the shoulder. "You've been learning a lot lately."
Tony nodded his head. "Yeah." He looked up at Gibbs who was standing in front of the grill on the opposite side of the deck. "Boss said he was proud of me."
"He has reason to be. Tying shoes is not an easy task. I remember once when-"
"I been workin' on my writing, too," Tony interrupted.
"He's got your number, Duck," Gibbs called over his shoulder. "I don't think he's forgotten your stories. Tony, it's rude to interrupt Ducky when he's talking. What do you say?"
Tony ducked his head in embarrassment. "Sorry," he murmured.
"Oh, that's quite all right, Anthony. It wasn't a very interesting story anyway. I'd much rather hear about your writing."
The bowed head bobbed up quickly and Tony continued where he'd left off. "I can write my name and Boss's name. All five of 'em."
"Five?" Tim questioned catching the last bit of the conversation as he came out onto the deck carrying a large bowl of salad.
"Um-um," Tony hummed, scrabbling to his feet and following Tim to the table, peering over his arm into the bowl. "Tony, Boss, Leroy, Jethro, Gibbs."
"I suppose DiNozzo has too many z's," Tim grinned.
"It does when he writes it," Gibbs agreed.
Tony didn't seem to notice the good-natured teasing. Instead he was busy poking his finger into the salad, pushing the cherry tomatoes to one side. "Don't like those red things. Boss doesn't put 'em in our salads, do ya' Boss?"
"Well, I think Ziva and Abby like them," Tim explained.
"And you don't have to eat them, Tony, but keep your fingers out of the bowl," Gibbs reprimanded him lightly.
"You do not like cherry tomatoes, Tony?" Ziva asked as she joined them, setting another bowl of potato salad on the table.
Abby followed her with a pitcher of iced tea. "Cherry tomatoes are awesome, Tony. You just have to give 'em a try."
Tony shook his head. "I like cherries, but not… to-tomatoes."
"Well, I will eat the tomatoes," Ziva promised, "and you do not have to have any."
"Good, cuz' I don't want none."
"Don't want any, Anthony," Ducky corrected, walking over and taking a seat at the table.
"You don't want none either?"
Ducky sighed in exasperation. "Really, Jethro, you must work with him more on his English."
"That's why we've got you," Gibbs said joining them at the table with a platter of grilled chicken in his hands. Ziva cleared a place in the center of the table, and he set the platter down. "I don't want no cherry tomatoes either," he grinned.
Tim, Ziva, and Abby laughed, and Tony joined in, which made Gibbs laugh, something he rarely did, and Ducky was awfully glad that Ziva had put tomatoes in the salad.
~vVv~