Hey, this is mega short. Thank you all so much for the feedback on the last chapter. I hope you enjoy, and review :)
Office Space
It was harder at work. Tony had to pretend that Ziva hadn't just left his apartment a few minutes before he had. Pretend that they hadn't spent the night before entwined in bed. Pretend that she hadn't woken up screaming at dawn or that she had sobbed into his neck until she remembered that it was just a dream.
He had to try not to touch her like he would've if they were at home. He desperately tried not to stare at her across the bullpen, or hide his concern if she snapped at someone or if she dodged a question from a co worker about how she was coping. He had to not react when she came back from a gruelling interrogation or a gnarly crime scene. He had to ignore her vacant looks as she wandered off into her head in a daydream or if her hand shook when she typed or handed him a file.
But he failed at all of this.
He did stare at her unabashedly at work. He touched her arm to try and convey his feelings, to reassure her. He touched the small of her back, leading her this way or that way. He protected her unconsciously and didn't even realise it. He talked to her quietly knowing no one else would hear. He let her drive and didn't complain about it. He tried not to hurt her feelings or push her too far in their banter. Meanwhile putting on a grand show of making fun of her and flirting with the girl who delivered the mail. He felt fake as he charmed his co workers into thinking that they had snapped back to how it was before.
But it was starting to show. Tony caught the steely glare he sometimes got from Gibbs. The bewildered one from McGee and Abby's knowing glances if he stood too close to Ziva in the lab.
Half of him was worried they would be caught. That Gibbs would invoke Rule Twelve even though nothing was going on between them. He knew that they wouldn't understand at first, that their relationship would be misconstrued and assumptions would be made. Tony knew that this would probably be worse for them overall. That Ziva would freak out at how they far they had come and revert back to the way it was before. Back to square one. And he definitely didn't want that.
Half of him didn't care. If it would help her, he would do it. He would run his hand over her shoulder to let her know that he was there. He would stand in front of her if a male suspect got too close. He would do whatever it took to make her feel safe again. Gibbs, Vance and protocol be damned.
