Tony suddenly stopped talking as he watched as McGee walk off the lift with his head down, not meeting any of their eyes.
"Here Boss" Tim quietly dropped a folded piece of paper onto Gibbs desk before turning and heading for his own desk. Tony watched with concerned eyes as Tim booted up his computer, cleared his throat and buried himself in some paperwork.
Tony clenched his jaw as once again Tim reached up and rubbed unconsciously at the large dark bruise on the side of his neck. After three days it was turning purple and green and seemed to delight in making itself as obvious as possible.
Tony hated it. He hated how it had happened and he hated the lost look Tim got in his eyes when he instinctively rubbed at it, as if he could somehow make it go away. He hated the flush of shame Tim's face wore when he watched others eyes drift across curiously to look at it.
Tim sat hunched hiding behind his computer monitor trying to make his tall frame seem as small as possible.
Tony's eyes flicked across to Gibbs desk and burned into the piece of paper as if he could magically read what it said from across the room. He glanced at Gibbs hoping for some sort of reaction but there wasn't even a flicker.
Damn it. Gibbs knew what it was without even reading it. He had been expecting it.
Tony opened his mouth to say something when Gibbs almost imperceptibly shook his head and quickly looked across at McGee before returning his gaze to Tony.
Tony shut his mouth and with a bustle of papers and some rambling segue he took Gibbs' hint loud and clear. Not now.
Tony sat at his desk and felt suddenly uncertain. What if it was Tim's resignation? They all could see he was having some trouble processing some of what happened during their undercover op. He was sad, jumpy and he had even returned to wearing some of his old yet familiar ugly suit and ties.
Leaning back in his chair Tony felt his gut churn. What if it was his fault? Should he have seen McGee's distress and just got him out of there? He wanted to comfort him but even his classic teasing and jokes and commando touches seemed inappropriate when dealing with someone who had almost been sexually assaulted.
With his trademark moves all useless Tony realized how essentially empty and shallow his interactions with Tim had been. He spent so much time covering up his attraction for him that he really hadn't let much of anything else through.
No wonder Tim didn't trust him enough to talk to him.
To hold him.
And now he was going to loose him.