Title: The Way to a Man's Heart
Author: Trowa B
Rating: FRT
Notes: For myinkyfingers over at comment_fic
Summary: As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...
*****
Gibbs stared down at the two men lying on the floor of the warehouse. There was blood - toomuchblood - in a spreading puddle under and around them, DiNozzo lying far too still under the perp. Far too still, far too pale.
He was crouching to check for a pulse, check breathing, something - anything - when Kate and McGee loudly finished clearing the area and Tony's eyes flicked open.
Gibbs relaxed as he helped his senior field agent move the body over. DiNozzo wrinkled his nose as he looked down at what had been clean clothes only an hour previously.
"Guess it's true what they say, boss," he quipped. "The way to a man's heart really is through his stomach."
Stifling the smirk which tried to escape, Gibbs administered a headslap, knowing Tony would read the right things into it – you worried me; I love you; don't do that again – as Kate called across to him with a gesture at the knife: "You need to sharpen this, Tony. Then you can try for the back."