This one turned out to be a lot fluffier and mushier than I was planning. But most of you lovely people that are still reading (not many these days, I know) seem to enjoy fluff. So sue me. Hope you enjoy.
''I better not have a crying baby behind me. Or in front of me. Or anywhere within hearing distance.''
Ziva sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. ''That is beyond our control.''
He didn't seem to be listening, and all she received in acknowledgment was a small grunt before he kept thinking out loud. ''I can just see it now.'' He was using that special tone of his that made it unclear whether he was being serious or not. ''It's going to be like a damn family fun day on this plane. I'll have screaming toddlers attacking me from all angles and an overweight, stinky stranger blocking my access to the aisle and trapping me for all eternity in this hellish—''
''Tony!'' she cut in impatiently, thankful that her sharper tone ended his rambling. Temporarily, at least. If the entire day before then was anything to go by, it would be back with a vengeance soon. ''Right now, the only whining toddler is the giant one at my side. Please, please, please just stop before I lose my temper!''
''I think you just did,'' he unhelpfully pointed out.
A quick glance up at his face was enough to tell her that at least a small part of him was, in fact, trying to deliberately wind her up. A ghost of a smile formed under his twinkling eyes and she felt herself rolling her eyes at the flight attendant as she handed her passport and boarding pass over. The young woman, who was fresh-faced and wearing a bit too much make up, held her polite smile in place. Ziva didn't particularly like the judgemental look that threatened to creep its way into her eyes, though.
Ziva gestured at Tony with a flick of her head. ''Is there a special man-child compartment I can lock him in?''
The woman's smile grew slightly. ''The overhead lockers are pretty big.''
''Noted,'' Ziva said with a quick raise of her eyebrows.
She stepped past the desk and span around to wait for the man-child in question, who seemed about as hurt as he ever did when she made a dig at him. He flashed that charming smile at the pretty, young thing and flicked his eyes at Ziva momentarily. ''She loves me really,'' he said after being handed back his passport.
''Oh, I have no doubt,'' the attendant responded as he stepped away from her desk and towards Ziva.
Although the statement was true, and she'd openly let him know that on numerous occasions, Ziva turned away with a huff and began walking down the corridor at speed. She was thankful for the raised walkway leading them straight to the plane's front doors. The icy winds outside would have cut right through them had they been forced to walk outside across the asphalt. Tony's footsteps grew louder and faster as he scurried up alongside her.
''Hey! Wait up, Miss Crab-apple.''
''We are getting on the same plane, Tony.''
He adjusted the carry-on bag held by his shoulder. ''You should never leave a man-child unattended.''
The smile on her own face was there before she knew it.
''Besides,'' he added, the humour clear in his voice. ''I might get lost without you.''
She gave him a dubious look. ''Down a straight hallway?''
''Stranger things have happened.''
Like the earlier smile, her chuckle came out of nowhere. Maybe it was just him. ''What, like you being quiet for more than 30 seconds?''
''Ziva David, I'm starting to think you only invited me along to carry your bags.''
They rounded the corner and he let her go ahead as they entered the doorway onto the plane itself. ''This trip was your idea, remember?'' She reminded him, before spinning around leaning up towards his face, inches away. ''Besides, I need someone to shield me from the fat, stinky strangers.''
He looked like he wanted to kiss her—Ziva knew that face well—but she had span away again before he had the chance. From over her shoulder, she heard a small hmph of disapproval. ''The things I do for you, sweetcheeks. I must love you or something.''
Such a declaration, albeit one made in a tone such as that, never failed to spread warmth through her chest. There was nothing unexpected or unwelcome about the smile that pulled at her lips this time. Nothing forced. It was simply out of affection. She suspected that he could feel it from behind her even if he couldn't see it. That was just the way her man-child was.
...
A short while later, after the safety presentations and 'commercial crap', as Tony called it, they were both strapped into their seats as the plane was being taxied to the runway. Ziva could tell her companion's mood had improved significantly since they'd boarded, and she was also very much aware of why. There were no toddlers within sight, no questionable smells, no noisy neighbours and—perhaps most importantly—the seat between Tony and the aisle remained empty. It left the two of them in their own little bubble next to the window, which Ziva had to admit was a far more pleasant outcome than she had been expecting when they'd agreed to give first class a skip.
By the time the plane was in the air and seatbelt signs went dark, Ziva was already feeling far more relaxed than she had done in months. Tony had been right about a vacation being a good idea. It was nice to put D.C to one side for a little while. She turned to the man next to her, who was busy unbuckling his seatbelt and shrugging off his jacket, and leaned towards him slightly.
''This is not so bad,'' she told him, her voice dropping to a quiet level that seemed more appropriate in their little bubble.
He looked around and gave her a nod. ''It looks like my prayers were answered for once.''
''I did not think you ever prayed.''
That earned her a smile. ''Maybe I should.''
Ziva released a low chuckle and leaned over to kiss him. That seemed to relax him even more. ''I am the only gift from God you will ever need,'' she murmured.
He hummed down at her. ''Don't I know it.''
She patted his cheek and leaned back again. ''Thank you for this.''
''You're welcome. But for what?''
''For the vacation,'' she said obviously.
''Oh. That.''
She nodded. ''It was a good idea. I think we both needed it.''
He let out a groan signifying just how much he was looking forward to it. ''White sand beaches and a crystal-clear ocean.''
She closed her eyes and indulged. ''Warm sun and fruity cocktails.''
''Not to mention the bikinis,'' he added, causing Ziva to open her eyes and shoot him a raised eyebrow. He seemed momentarily panicked, but managed to recover. ''Assuming, of course, that you brought more than one. Because I'm only interested in seeing you half-naked and no one else.''
Look at that, he'd forced another smirk out of her. ''Only half-naked?''
''With the optional extra of getting you fully naked whenever we're not in public.''
She scoffed. ''I charge extra for that.''
He smiled himself this time, before lifting her hand and kissing it softly. ''I'm looking forward to some us time. You know? No work, no worries. Just… us.''
There it was again, that warmth. That tingle. The way he seemed to be able to make her feel all soft and gooey with a few simple words. And he was right, really, because it had felt like their jobs had kept them away from each other for weeks. Sure, they lived together and shared a bed, but it had been too long since they'd had a chance to simply relax and enjoy some time in each other's presence without 3am phone calls and sleepless cases. It didn't help that they were no longer on the same team, and Ziva had to admit she missed him like a limb at times. But he was a busy team leader and she was still part of Gibbs' trusted unit, so it went without saying that their personal lives were suffering slightly.
Yet here they were. Ziva tried to soak it all in.
''Don't you think?'' Tony asked, successfully bringing her back to him.
''Yes,'' she agreed softly.
He met her halfway for a cosy kiss. ''Out of curiosity,'' he murmured afterwards, ''how many bikinis did you bring?''
She nearly snorted. ''Tony, why do you have to ruin every nice moment?''
''Sorry. But I've got the image in my head now and it's giving me some naughty fantasies.''
She tilted her as she considered how to respond. It was always fun to tease him, so she went with that. ''Well, let's just say I have one bikini for every fantasy of yours that I plan on making a reality,'' she all-but purred, reaching over to stroke his chest as she did so. Tony visibly swallowed, and an intense darkness clouded his eyes. Oh, yes, it truly was fun to tease this man.
''It's suddenly feeling very hot on this plane.''
''Is it?''
He nodded as his eyes flicked down to her mouth. ''And I'm kind of hoping the whole damn suitcase is full of nothing but bikinis.''
A burst of laughter escaped her throat as she left his personal space again. ''That would not be practical.''
He scoffed, and loosened the collar of his shirt as she chuckled to herself. ''You sure do know how to play dirty, David.''
''Yes. And that bodes well for you.''
He groaned again and closed his eyes. ''Stop it.''
...
A few hours later, Tony had grown quieter and quieter to the point where he had eventually fallen asleep on Ziva's shoulder. As comforting as she had found this at first, it had proven a little bit sore after a while. Not to mention the fact that she had run out of magazines to read. She had brought a book for this exact situation, but it was zipped up in her bag in the overhead locker. She sighed to herself and gently nudged Tony with her shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. All she got was a slight moan.
''Tony?''
He murmured something incoherent.
''Tony, wake up.''
''aaahh teleporter…'' he slurred.
She frowned down at him. ''What?''
He jolted awake with a start. ''Son of a—I knew he got it out of that basement somehow!'' When his squinting eyes had checked his surroundings and eventually settled on her, he finally seemed to realise he was awake. ''mmmm,'' he hummed as he burrowed back into her shoulder. ''You're a nice face to wake up to. And a quite a good pillow.''
''Um, thank you…''
''What's with the rise and shine? We about to land?''
She felt momentarily guilty for waking him up. ''I need to get up for a second.''
''But you're my pillow.''
She smiled and kissed the top of his head. ''Yes. That is the problem.''
Reluctantly, he sat upright and stretched out his arms as she got up and shuffled over his legs towards the aisle. She enjoyed the free feeling of not being sat down and trapped in a corner for a few seconds before she opened the locker and began searching through the bag for her book. She had just got her hands on it when Tony called up to her.
''Ziva?'' She looked past her upstretched arm and down to him. ''Could you put my jacket up there?''
She reached down and took it from him. ''You would feel more secure with it in here?'' she teased.
To her surprise, though, he seemed surprisingly serious as he turned back and looked out the window. ''Something like that.''
Ziva frowned to herself momentarily but thought little of it.
That was until a small box fell out of his jacket pocket as she stuffed it in the locker. Her heart was slamming and her stomach was flipping even before she could confirm what it was. She glanced down at Tony to make sure he was still trying to see the ocean below them, before picking up the box—oh God, it was a ring box—and keeping it at eye level as she inspected it. It was almost surreal, almost inconceivable to her, and yet it made perfect sense at the same time. She'd suspected he'd had something planned for a while, something bigger than a sunny holiday. And now he had revealed what it was. Well, she had accidentally found it out, anyway, and she suspected that his surprise was now ruined. As awful as she felt about that, it wasn't the guilt that had her pulse racing and her throat feeling impossibly tight.
But, to Ziva's relief, it wasn't nerves either. She felt more than ready to take this step with him. She was already adamant that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with this brilliant, caring, funny man, and she was already pretty certain said man felt the same way about her. This ring box made it abundantly clear that he was, and something about that fact made her feel impossibly lucky. Because, if she was honest with herself, she gave up on a happily ever after a long time ago. Tony had filled her life with hope from the moment she had met him, and now her life was immeasurably happier because of it.
Before she knew what she was doing, and as if she was in some sort of trance, she was opening the box. It was open a crack—yes, that was definitely a ring—before she came to her senses and slammed it shut it again. It wasn't fair on Tony that she'd found the box in the first place, and it would be even more unfair if she saw the jewellery itself as well. She wiped at her suddenly moist eyes and returned the box to his jacket pocket. She looked back down at Tony and felt a million butterflies in her stomach.
''Tony?'' Her voice was quite weak, but it was loud enough for him to turn back to her with a soft look in his eyes. It only intensified the feeling of her bones melting.
''What's up?''
Ziva wasn't sure what to say. Should she just be honest and admit she'd ruined his surprise? Should she just say yes there and then? Should she be careful not to work off the assumption that he was actually planning on proposing in the first place, just in case he wasn't? In the end, she decided that she had to say something, at least, to avoid worrying him.
She cleared her throat. ''Did you want your gummy bears?'' she settled on asking, before taking them out of the bag and holding them out for him.
''Oh yeah,'' he said as he took them from her. ''Forgot about those. Thanks.''
''You're welcome.''
''I was just starting to feel snacky.''
She smiled to herself. ''That is a first.''
After Ziva had taken a few more moments to compose herself, she took her book and closed the locker. Tony hadn't opened the Gummy Bears yet, and the window still seemed to be holding the majority of his attention. She ducked down and moved in to lean her hand on his shoulder. He looked back up at her, and the butterflies were back again. Along with the tingles and the chest-warmth and general feeling of happiness.
Only her man-child.
''Sorry,'' he whispered, moving his legs to the side so she could get past.
''Never apologise,'' she whispered back.
Her right hand remained on his shoulder, and her left hand moved up to caress his stubbly cheek as she leaned down and gave him the warmest, most loving kiss she'd ever given anyone. She poured all her love and appreciation into it, and his initial surprise made way for and equal return of warmth within a split second. This was her saying yes, even before he'd asked her the question. This was her devoting herself to the man she loved. Incidentally, that was another idea she had given up on a few times in her life before Tony.
She pulled away after a few moments and rested her forehead against Tony's. His eyes remained closed as he spoke quietly up to her. ''What was that for?''
''I am not sure. I must love you or something.''
His intimate, private smile stretched over his cheeks. ''Isn't that a coincidence.''
She hummed against him. ''There is no such thing.'' She gave him another quick kiss. ''Now move over. You can have the window seat.''
The smile made way for a look of scepticism as she stood back up from him. ''Really?''
''Sharing is caring, yes?''
And the smile was back. ''So the saying goes.'' He got up for a second to lift his butt over the armrest and place it down on the window seat. ''But if you think I'm sharing my Gummy Bears then you've got another thing coming.''
She sat down on his warm seat and picked her book up. ''I'm sure I will get over it.''
Tony let out a content sigh as he looked back out the window. ''Now I've got something pretty on my right and my left.'' He spun his head back to Ziva with what she could sense was a DiNozzo grin.
''You are a lucky man,'' she drawled.
''God really is smiling down on me today.''
As they flew closer and closer to what Ziva was sure would prove to be the most important vacation of her life—and the best, for that matter—she couldn't help but feel the same way.
Fluff city. Thanks for reading, guys. Not sure how often I'll be posting from now on, but you may see me from time to time. I'll at least try to get 'Automobiles' done.
