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He should feel annoyed. Annoyed and irritated. Maybe even a touch of indignant. Instead he just felt sad. He supposed it could be chalked up to his own sadness over Ziva leaving, or it might just be the line of drool running down Tony's chin as he stared up at him with wide eyes. There was a certain spark missing in those eyes, it had been MIA since Tony and Gibbs had come home from Israel.
Tim sighed as he approached Tony, who was now holding out both his arms and loudly proclaiming to everyone in earshot that Tim was the best probie a man could ask for. The statement itself sent a jolt through Tim's spine, although it could have just been indigestion.
The bartender gave them a strange look as Tim asked to close his tab, handing over his platinum card and saying, "Put it on this."
The older gruff looking man shrugged and ran the card, handing it back to Tim with the receipt. His eyes widened as he looked at the amount but he took a deep breath and shoved it into his wallet. He leaned down and put his arm around Tony and said, "Come on, Tony. Time to go home."
Tony smiled up at him and said, "Oh hey McGee why're you here?"
"You called me to get you." He grunted as he helped Tony stand up.
"Oh yeah? Huh, I don't member that. Must'a been after that last tequila. Fore that mean troll said he wouldn't give me any'ore alcohol."
Tim inhaled and mumbled, "I wonder why he did that."
Tony just started humming a Frank Sinatra song as Tim practically dragged him out of the bar. It'd only been four days since they'd returned from Israel sans Ziva but it had probably been the hardest thing he'd gone through since Kate died. It didn't help that Ziva wasn't returning his emails or phone calls. Abby was a mess, Gibbs was taking his hurt in silence, and Tony was, well not good.
The walk to the car was long and slow but Tim didn't really mind, focusing on Tony took his mind off Ziva leaving, or staying, or whatever it was she did.
About ten feet away from the car Tony stopped humming and started singing, loudly. Tim just shook his head and said, "You owe me so big for this."
When they got to the car Tim opened the passenger door and pushed Tony in unceremoniously, handing him a paper bag. "Here, if you need to puke on the way."
Tony held on to the bag but kept singing, even as Tim got in the driver's side and reached over and buckled Tony's seatbelt since he wasn't going to do it himself.
To his credit, Tony held his own on the ride home. He did however, ask that Tim stop and buy a bottle of tequila on the way. Tim distracted him with the radio.
It wasn't until they were safely tucked away in Tim's apartment that Tony got serious. Tony laid on the bed while Tim filled a glass of water and gave it to him, telling him it was the tequila they bought on the way home.
He made a face as he gulped down the water and then shook his head as if it was bitter. "You know Probie; I'll never understand why she likes 'quila so much."
Tim didn't have to ask who she was, "Me neither. I always liked wine better."
Tony let out a laugh, "Norm'ly I like beer but I just thought…" He didn't finish.
Tim threw a blanket on the floor and grabbed a pillow, throwing it down too. "The bathrooms in there, I'll leave the light on in case you need it."
After he lay on the floor Tony started talking again, "You know Probie, I was just tryin ta protect 'er."
Tim closed his eyes and responded, "I know."
"I mean her dad was usin' 'er she needed someone to protect 'er. And 'm 'er senior agent, it's my job to protect ya'll."
Tim sighed, "I know Tony."
Just when he thought Tony had fallen asleep he spoke up again, "I love you McGee, and Abby I love 'er too, and the Duck man, and the gremlin, and Gibbs. And I really love Zee-va."
Tim lay awake long after Tony fell silent, staring at the ceiling and wondering if Tony really meant that. Did he love Ziva? Was he in love with Ziva? It certainly would explain a lot.
Long after Tony actually fell asleep Tim laid awake, unable to turn off his brain. When he woke the next morning it was too the smell of frying eggs and coffee. He stumbled through the living room and sat down at the table. Tony put a plate in front of him filled with scrambled eggs and toast and then placed a cup of coffee, exactly like he liked it, to the side of the plate.
Tim grunted as he ate, Tony sitting to his right and doing the same.
"You know McTakeout, you really should keep more food in your apartment. I was gonna make ya pancakes but your cupboards are empty."
"Hey, I had all the ingredients for the DiNozzo defibrillator didn't I?"
Tony smacked a hand on his back, "That you did Probie, maybe you are learning from me."
Tim shrugged and kept eating.
"So there's a double feature of James Bond films this afternoon, you in McSleepyhead?"
Tim looked over at his partner and said, "Why not?"
The next time it happened, the following Friday night, Tim had pancake mix.
Soon enough Tony stopped calling Tim to pick him up and just started dragging him along. It wasn't an arrangement Tim was particularly comfortable with, mainly because he usually picked up the check and he ended up sleeping on his own floor, but he knew Tony needed a friend so he did it.
Five weeks, and at least fifteen drunken nights later Tony suggested going to a bar near his apartment and then crashing at his place since he had an extra bed and all the ingredients for a real breakfast. Tim agreed, if only for his back's benefit.
As the weeks wore on without a word from Ziva Tim found that most of his free time was monopolized by Tony and he often wondered if Tony and Ziva had spent this much time together outside of work without his knowing it. He and Tony had gone out after work a fair number of times over the years and they were friends outside of work, but they'd never spent every weekend together before. It just served to support Tim's theory about Tony being in love with Ziva.
He thought about discussing it with Abby, but that would end one of two ways. Either with her slapping him in the back of the head and saying, "I thought you were supposed to be the investigator here, of course he's in love with her," or with her slapping him on the back of the head and saying, "Of course not, and how could you even think about that at a time like this. We have to get Ziva back."
Even with the lack of headslaps lately he wasn't sure he'd be able to take one from Abby. Especially with the hangover he'd likely have.
After three weeks Tim wondered if maybe he should start keeping a toothbrush at Tony's apartment.
They started drinking at the bar down the block from Tony's so Tim could drink too but he rarely drank more than two glasses of wine over the course of the three or four hours they'd be there. He convinced himself that Tony needed a friend and he had to be the strong one. So, it was a surprise to him, but not to Tony when, after a particularly bad day of Gibbs yelling and no new leads that Tim ordered a tequila shooter kept downing them until he couldn't stand on his own.
Tony had fun with it, picking up the bill and putting his arm under Tim's. The whole way to Tony's apartment Tim shouted out Lord of the Rings trivia at the top of his lungs. It wasn't until they were inside that Tim did his Gollum impression. The question he asked in Gollum's voice did throw him though.
"Are you in love with Ziva?" He said Ziva's name in a pale intimidation of Gollum's 'precious'.
Tony looked over in surprise as sat McGee down at the kitchen table.
"What? Of course not." He said with a smile.
"Really? You sure? Cause I thought 'bout it and it's the only thing that explains it." He said, again in Gollum's voice.
"Explains what?" He questioned, sitting a glass of water in front Tim.
"Everything, explain it," He said in a Yoda voice, obviously confusing him with Gollum.
Tony sat down next to him and sighed, "What's everything?"
Tim's head swayed, but he grabbed onto the table to steady himself, "You know why you had to protect her and all the time you spent with her, and how upset you are she hasn't called."
Tony inhaled, and then breathed out softly, "Maybe I am."
Tim barely heard the words, but he did hear them, so with a smile he went to Tony's guest room and lay down. Tony followed closely behind to make sure he made it and sat the glass of water down on the table next to his bed.
"Tony?" Tim called as the senior agent was about to close the door, "I miss 'er too."
Tony smiled bitterly and said, "I know kid, we all do. Get some sleep it's a school night."
The next day they started tracking Ziva's movements and it started eating up their time. They started staying at Tony's discussing the information they had and where to go next instead of drinking. It was a welcome change. Then they found out Ziva had been on that ship.
Abby came with them that night and they all found themselves stumbling back to Tony's in a stupor, falling into the door and sleeping on his floor. Whatever lightheartedness there had been before was now gone entirely.
Things continued in much the same way, the three of them giving each other the space of their own heads as they drank in silence, but still being there for each other in body as they sat next to each other and stumbled home in the middle of the night to fall asleep in Tony's floor.
On the fourth night, or morning, they overslept and all three woke up to a marine placing four cups of coffee on Tony's kitchen table. One was black, but the rest were like the three hungover people on the floor liked it.
Tony was the first to wake up, the smell of the coffee rousing him. He didn't question Gibbs presence, just took the offered coffee and sat at the table. Abby was second, also not questioning Gibbs presence and following in Tony's example of sitting at the table with her coffee. She would have preferred Caf-Pow but was still hungover enough that it didn't matter. Tim was the last to wake up, some five minutes later. He did a double take at Gibbs presence but then shook his head and moved to the table to drink his coffee.
No one spoke until they had finished their coffee. Once he was sure they were all awake and aware Gibbs just looked at them and said, "Take the day off and don't let it happen again."
Then with a thoughtful and empathetic look he left. The three of them looked to each other and after a moment of silence Tony stood up and smiled, "Who wants pancakes?"
Abby had a sheepish look on her face as she said, "Can mine have chocolate chips?"
"Well of course you can Abbs!" He said enthusiastically.
Tim watched with a smile and asked, "Mine too?"
"Well of course Probster, I'll even let you too put your own chocolate chips in, as many as you want."
Abby looked happier than he'd seen her in a while and Tim found himself smiling along with her. He had a feeling this wasn't over, but Tony's face didn't give away any clues as to what he was planning, so for now he was going to follow Abby's example and live in the moment.
The next day they started planning their trip to Africa.
A/N: Thanks for reading guys!