Of Coffee and Caf-Pow
Jen
She goes from hating black coffee to drinking it almost religiously, and it's all because of him. It's always that specific Jamaican blend, no cream or sugar, bitter on her tongue; it's warm enough that it doesn't scald her mouth, and there's a pleasant burn as it slides down her throat. It starts off with him leaving his coffee for her, but it escalates. She's caught herself taking his coffee and leaving him to buy another. Before she even realizes it, he's started buying her cups too.
She's sure his team has noticed, but they've chosen not to say anything, either for fear of their jobs or because of Jethro. If she's honest, it's probably more because of Jethro.
The sugary substance coats her tongue, sticky and ungodly sweet. Compared to the bitterness she normally drank, the Caf-Pow was nearly unbearable, but still she smiled, pulling her lips off the straw, swallowing the concoction. She looks into bright, hopeful emerald eyes as she hands the drink back. Red lips stretch into a grin, already reading her facial expression. And she knows Abby's just waiting for the right opportunity to tease her, her lips already closing around the straw to taste the caffeinated drink.
Red lips glimmer with the sugary drink as the scientist finally sets it down, her tongue coming out to lick the at the liquid. Her heart rate speeds up, and she digs her nails into the palms of her hands because as much as she's not a fan of the drink, she wants nothing else but to kiss the residue away.
Jethro
He's always had a love of black coffee. There was nothing like the first cup of the day, warming him up on cold mornings and helping him start summer days right. He was never a fan of it with cream or sugar, even though Shannon had loved it. He'd tried it once, to make her happy. He'd managed to swallow a mouthful but had given the rest to her. Once she had died, he never tried it again.
His coffee was as much a part of him as his gun and shield were. Jen always had an affinity for it even before he had started leaving her his cups, but she developed a love of the darker, bitterer kind because of him.
The first time he tastes Abby's Caf-Pow, it's because she hands him her cup. He drinks it without thinking about it, and the pure sweetness of it has him opening the lid to spit it back in. Thinking about it later that night, he knows that the reaction had been because he'd associated any overtly-sweet drink with Shannon. He knows Abby didn't take offence to his reaction, but he sure as hell felt guilty. The following day at work, he took her out for lunch, and though he was sure she didn't know his reasoning behind it, he knew she appreciated it.
Abby
She was a creature of habit, and she'd always had a sweet tooth. Lollipops, chocolate, it didn't matter what. When she'd discovered coffee, the bitterness initially turned her off. And then she came upon the realization that she could add sugar and cream to her coffee and hadn't looked back since. Even if she was drinking decaf, a rarity in itself, she found the cream and sugar. The sweetness was perfect.
There were days, though, whether it's a lazy Sunday in bed or a night after a party that she'd allow Gibbs to brew a strong cup that she'd happily consume, bitterness and all.
When she'd discovered Caf-Pow, it was like she hit the caffeine mother lode. It was everything she wanted in a caffeinated drink, and it was perfect for when she needed to stay up late for a case. Then again, she was usually always up late, preferring night to day. It was generally cheaper than coffee, and she didn't need to add anything to make it sweet. And it was more delicious than soda pop ever could be.
Gibbs would use them sometimes to bribe her to work faster, and the team quickly caught on to that, bringing her some when they needed something quick. Other times, her silver-haired fox would bring them down for no other reason that because she was nearly done with her first couple. Jen only brought her the drink a few times during work, usually late at night if she planned on staying for an all-nighter to work on cases; the one time Jen had brought her one during the day, she'd barely managed a couple sips before Gibbs had thrown it in the trash and given her the one he brought. She would mourn for the loss after he'd left, contemplating how bad her caffeine addiction was if she wanted to get it from the trash.
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