title: Rule #12
fandom: NCIS
characters/pairings: Tony/OMC
word count: 531
a/n: written for chandniwrc. Like always: sorry for all my mistakes.
RULE #12
"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Tony asks, leaving the lift.
That wasn't something he expected when he left in the morning or a little later than the morning.
"Sorry, hold on a second, Miss David." Daniel stops his talk with Ziva for a second, and turns round to DiNozzo. "Nice to see you, Tony."
"You too, Major." Tony smiles at him, and Ziva thinks that Tony never, never, grins like that, and so honest; like he's never been as happy as now in his whole life.
"Actually, it's Colonel now." Daniel smiles at him too.
"Well, well. I mean. Wow. Colonel, then. You could've called that you've been promoted. Or you could write, ya know?" Tony says. "I haven't had any news from you for a long time."
"I could have" Daniel's sadder now. "But…" He starts.
"This was easier, wasn't it?" Tony knows what he wanted to tell him.
Daniel smiles a little, like he wants to say: You know me too well.
"So about the question I asked you… What are you doing here, Daniel?" Tony asks a moment later.
"Maybe I've just been around and came here to see an old friend." Daniel says.
"Yeah, of course, Jones. You've pretty much been avoiding me for a few years, so sorry, but I really don't believe you. You've been avoiding me since… ya know what." Tony says.
Yeah, Daniel knows since what he's been avoiding Tony.
For a moment they're silent, just looking at each other.
From his vantage point, Tony sees Ziva and McGee, who are staring at each other. He really doesn't want to know what they're thinking now. But he can imagine.
"So you gonna tell me what are ya doing here?"
"DADT was repealed." Daniel says very quietly; he whispers.
"Yeah, months ago." Tony notes in a sad tone.
"I know. Sorry. I was in Afghanistan. I've just come back." Daniel explains.
"You know that I've never…" Tony starts. I've never come out of the closet. He doesn't say this, but he really doesn't have to.
"I know that." Daniel smiles at him a little. "That's why I'm here, or, at least, it's one of the reasons."
Tony smiles at him too, and Daniel grins even more.
Ziva looks at them with suspicion, McGee too. Tony's pretty sure that they're listening in. He knows that they're – eventually – gonna put the pieces together. He isn't sure if he'd mind; no longer.
He looks at Daniel, and he's about to say something, when Gibbs arrives.
"Good morning, Boss." He just says eventually.
"DiNozzo." Gibbs only nods at him. "Colonel Jones." He says to Daniel.
Tony makes a really silly face. You know each other? From where?
"Colonel Jones is going along to reserve immediately, and he's gonna be helping NCIS for some time." Gibbs replies to Tony's unasked question. "And, DiNozzo, hold on a second, and don't infringe the rule number twelve right away."
Tony isn't sure, who has a more silly face right now – he, Ziva or McGee. Obviously they haven't put the pieces together yet. But Gibbs knows everything, of course, he knows.
"What is the rule number twelve?" Daniel asks a moment later.