Hey, it's me, Ley (you wouldn't have guessed, right?). With another McNozzo story. Yeah, I do love these. Anyway, here's the Prequel to None of your business, I dunno if anybody will even bother to read this, but oh well, I wrote it anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of NCIS in any shape or form, because that would pretty much be the apocalypse. Really.

It started out harmlessly: Super-glue on the keyboard again after ages. Tim McGee sighed and started peeling the sticky substance from his fingers. "Thank you very much, DiNozzo.", he told the older agent AKA annoying prankster AKA his secret crush sarcastically. He recieved his reply in form of a snicker.

"Tony, what is so funny about putting glue on McGee's keyboard?", Ziva wanted to know.

"Oh, I don't know, Ziva, maybe it's his face."

"I do not understand what is funny about McGee's face, he looks simply annoyed."

"No, not simply annoyed, my dear Agent David, he looks the McGee kind of annoyed, the kind of annoyed that looks nerdy enough to be funny."

Ow. That was one low punch. McGee frowned and looked up from his fingers to glance at Tony. This was... unusual. This was barely funny and kind of low, even for DiNozzo standards.

He didn't know it was only the beginning.

McGee cursed when a boot connected with his most sensitive parts. He doubled over, fighting for breath, and the suspect ran, only to be stopped by DiNozzo.

"You should leave the field work to people who are fit for it, Probie. Why don't you just go back to your computers?"

What was wrong with DiNozzo lately? He wasn't the probie anymore and he had proven himself as a field agents enough times, hadn't he?

"I am a field agent, Tony."

"Yeah, well, Gibbs was married, doesn't mean it was a good choice."

Tim looked at Tony, slowly straightening his back. "Are you saying I shouldn't be field agent?"

"Am I speaking chinese?"

"You gotta be kidding me, DiNozzo."

Tony looked at him with something akin to disgust in his eyes. "Yeah, right, 'cause nerds make great agents."

"What's wrong with you, DiNozzo?"

"Nothing, I just happen to recognise an agent when I see one.", the older man replied and left, the handcuffed suspect in tow.

Tim McGee hesitated. DiNozzo was wrong. He was a field agent, and a good one too, right?

Right?

"Faster, Probie."

"The programme's already as fast as it can be."

"Well, it's not fast enough. Make it faster."

"Weren't you listening? I can't!"

"I thought you were supposed to be a computer geek? Even the cybercrime guys could make this thing go faster."

"I highly doubt that. Why don't you make it better?"

"I don't need to be good with computers, I'm good in the field."

"I'm good in the field too."

Tony looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. Did Santa Claus tell you that?"

"DiNozzo, what is wrong with you lately?"

"Wrong? With me? The only wrong I see here is you. I mean, look at yourself: You're a geek. You're not cut for the field work. In Somalia, where were you? Lying around unconcious. When Kate died? Safe behind a car. Did you ever catch a suspect? No, you get kicked in the balls instead. Admit it, Probie, you're not a Field Agent."

McGee raised an eyebrow at that and gave Tony a "Sure thing, bro."-look before turning back to his computer, seemingly uncaring, but that was only the outside. On the inside, Tim was hurt. Maybe... Maybe, if he had been shot, Ari wouldn't have killed Kate? Would have thought losing one member of Team Gibbs would be enough for the time being?

That thought kept him awake all night.

"You're not a field agent."

Why?

"You'll always just be the probie."

Why did he say those things?

"Why don't you just let the big boys do this?"

Why?

"Little kids would make better agents than you."

Why did he keep saying that?

"Oh, you wanted to eat that Nutter Butter? They make you fat and you don't look like you could need some extra fat."

Why did he do that?

"Shut up, Probie."

When did he become "Probie" again?

"Nobody's listening, Probie."

Why didn't he respect him anymore?

"Well observed, McObvious."

Was it something he did?

"Wow, did you figure that out all by yourself?"

Was it something he said?

"Aw, poor Timmy got hurt?"

And why couldn't he stop loving the bastard?

Why?

It hurt. It jurt so bad that Tim would just lie awake in bed all night, unable to sleep because DiNozzo's mocking voice kept haunting him, telling him how pathetic he was. How he would never be a real field agent. How he was a nobody.

How Tony would never love him back.

And slowly, Tim started agreeing to all the things the voice said. But if he had thought that this was hell, he'd been wrong.

"Probie, if I, in any way, cared what you thought, I'd tell you."

That was hell.

Liked? Hated? Way too OOC? Tell me, please? I love reviews as much as the next FF-author and, as you know, every FF-author !loves! them.