A/N: Hey sorry I've not updated 'Outed' yet, but I was just watching 'Twilight' and when Gibbs made the comment "Tony, eat something" the little angsty part of my heart screamed for a little background ficlet. I normally love more obvious slash or father/son, but I thought I'd leave this one for your own interpretation. Enjoy!
Gibbs hears more than he lets on, more often than people would think. He heard the conversation in the bullpen, the gentle digging at Tony's expense, borne out of worry over him returning to work too soon.
"Turning down free food, maybe he is dying"
He wasn't eating?
Gibbs knew Tony had always had a difficult relationship with food. He would go for days without eating, Gibbs sometimes having to force some greasy takeout down his throat in the early hours of the morning if they were working a particularly tough case. Ducky had worried about his constantly fluctuating weight from the moment the young detective had joined NCIS. He was either on top form, muscular and fit, or verging on malnourished and pushing his body beyond it's limits.
He'd heard Kate throw about words like 'eating disorder' and 'manorexia' before, using them in jest usually alongside comments about Tony wanting to look good for the ladies. It wasn't quite like that, Gibbs knew better than anyone, but he never pulled her up because he knew she didn't mean it maliciously.
He had discovered, after many plying drinks with Tony in a local bar or in his basement, that his Senior Field Agent had grown up in difficult circumstances, and that his hyper-awareness of his weight was a consequence of that. His father had neglected him and comfort eating had become his coping mechanism. In a wealthy household like the Dinozzo's, good food was always easy to find and those who worked in the kitchen were willing to supply him with it - out of pity more than anything. But then the 'banishment' to RIMA had shown him a whole new world of extreme fitness and strict regimes that had turned Tony's life on its head. The teachers had been merciless and Tony had faced bullying over his weight unlike anything he had ever known.
It was from RIMA to Ohio State and his football scholarship that Tony's obsession with fitness was nurtured. His only vice at the time was drinking, but the excessive exercise and strict dieting had more than made up for it. Through his brief stints at Philadelphia PD, Peoria and Baltimore, Tony had lost control. His exercise routine was almost maniacal, but his eating was sporadic and unhealthy as he dedicated more and more time to climbing the ranks of each police department.
When he arrived at NCIS, Gibbs, Ducky and Abby had taken it upon themselves in a silent pact to make sure Tony looked after himself. None of them had ever discussed it openly, but each acknowledged the work that went into ensuring Tony took a second to look after himself. He clearly didn't know he was worth looking after.
It made Gibbs worry. He saw Tony throw himself into cases headfirst, not thinking twice about his own welfare, and it always sat in the back of his mind.
Make sure he eats.
He didn't want to be controlling or over protective, he knew that Tony would hate that, but he made an effort with small gestures.
He swiped the half-eaten box of Chinese food from McGee's hands and dropped it in front of Tony on his desk.
"Tony, eat something"
