[From Hiatus 1]
......
Claire's POV:
Walking back into the bullpen I was exhausted, more mentally and emotionally than anything. Ziva was playing ice queen, Abby was hypersensitive so there was no telling if or when she would crack up about Tony and I, McGee was going all shy and timid instead of being Tony's SFA. Then Tony was a whole other problem, acting all stoic and Gibbish. He's not Gibbs and its weird seeing him try to fill those shoes to the letter. Reaching my desk I collapsed with a sigh and ran my hands over my face in attempt to calm my brain. I was praying that nothing else would go wonky today.
"Hey, I have a little problem." A nasally voice broke through the silence. I spoke too soon. Reluctantly I peeked between my fingers to see what Tony did now. I frowned, spotting what I think was McGee's tie up against his face.
"What happened?" I scanned over his face warily. Tony sighed.
"McKlutsy happened." He whined, revealing a mass of red under his nose. My eyes widened as I shot up.
"Did it break?" I asked, instantly reaching up to prod his nose. Tony winced and shied away from my fingers.
"Nah, just busted and sore." He dismissed gently. I grimaced, getting a good look at the mess on his face.
"Want to get out of here….get some coffee….clean my face off." He suggested suddenly. I quirked a brow. It was the middle of the day….and a case. Tony usually didn't wander off like this.
"Okay…..why don't we get you taken care of before we go into any social settings." I suggested, already grabbing my coat so we could leave. Tony nodded in approval and walked beside me, holding the tie back to his face. As we wandered into the elevator I peered closer at the makeshift hankie in his hands.
"Is that McGee's tie?" I asked in confusion. Tony hummed with a devious grin peeking out from underneath the fabric.
"It was the least he could do." He mumbled casually. I grinned, rolling my eyes. Of course, it was.
...
Arriving at one of the cafés nearby I watched Tony quietly out of the corner of my eye. He was standing there stoically, his eyes narrowing every so often as he thought. Again, much like Gibbs tended to do. Reaching the counter Tony smiled charmingly at the girl working behind the register, instantly causing a blush to bloom across her cheeks.
"Two coffees. One with two cream no sugar, and a black." Tony quickly ordered, already knowing what I would usually get. However, it was the second order that caught my attention. I kept quiet as she quickly put in our order and took his money. Walking towards the bar where they would be picked up I finally broke the silence.
"Since when do you drink coffee?" I inquired causally, holding back my true bafflement at this turn of events. Tony scoffed nervously, further proving my thoughts that this was not about his taste preference.
"I drink coffee." He pointed out lamely.
"Sure, very few times a year." I deadpanned. Tony shrugged, still not meeting my eyes as he tried to avoid this conversation.
"What's with the black coffee? You hate it." I continued undeterred.
"So, what's your point. Maybe I changed my mind." I snorted humorlessly.
"Tony, you are one of the most habitual people I know. You don't just 'change your mind.'" Tony pursed his lips and had the decency to smile sheepishly. At this moment, our drinks arrived and we both reached out, smiling thankfully at the barista. Tony quickly made his exit with me darting off after him. He was not getting out of this.
"This new change wouldn't have anything to do with proving something would it?" I probed. At this Tony stopped and turned to face me with a frown.
"I'm not trying to prove anything." He insisted with a pout.
"Ok, let's say that's true. Then what's with all the Gibb habits?" I pointed out, not wanting to push him too much. He jerked his head back thoughtfully.
"Like what?" he asked after a moment. My eyes wandered over him, curiously. Was he really doing this subconsciously?
"Well the disappearing without a heads up, stating lots of open ended questions, Ducky mentioned you walked out of a room posing cryptic questions. Now the black coffee in the middle of the day. Tony that's not like you. It comes across that you're trying to be Gibbs just because you're the new point on this case." I told him honestly. Tony nodded and listened as I voice my concerns.
"I don't know. I guess that's just what I think of to do. Gibbs gets the job done doing all that quirky stuff, and its done well; and now that I'm in charge…..I'm afraid no one will take me seriously. I'm not exactly the prime example of professionalism." He admitted with a shrug, so as not to look too vulnerable in public. I smiled in understanding. Glancing around I gently tugged on his arm and pulled him off to the side of one of the buildings, giving us a bit more privacy.
"Tony, you are a great leader and you are doing just fine. But if you try to be someone you're not then this won't work. Be yourself. You have been working under Gibbs longer than any of us, and he has trained you well. Just do your job and don't worry about everyone else. If they have a problem with how you handle things then they are just going to have to live with it." I assured him softly, reaching up to press my palm to his cheek comfortingly. Tony smiled a little and reached up to hold my hand there, running his thumb across the back of my hand. He nodded quietly.
"Are you ok now?" I asked leaning down to catch his eyes. He smiled, a bit more real than it had been.
"Getting there." He whispered truthfully. But at the moment that's all I wanted to hear. Instinctively I got up on my toes to press a swift kiss to his lips, earning a grin from the man.
"Well that certainly helped." He quipped, much like his usual self. I chuckled in amusement before stepping back a little.
"Alright then, I suggest we get back to work." I pointed out sternly, but still smiling at him. Tony groaned childishly before following me back down the sidewalk. He seemed a bit more relaxed as we made our way back towards the navy yard. Taking a sip of his coffee, he suddenly blanched and coughed in disgust.
"How does he drink this stuff?!" he wailed, staring at the cup as if it had bit him. I laughed outright, unable to contain my amusement. Once I had settled down a bit I simply offered up my own cup. Tony grinned, trading drinks with me. He took a sip of the new cup and twitched his lips, still not loving the taste but able to tolerate it. I grinned, and sipped my own. I didn't enjoy black coffee but it got the job done.
"If anyone asks…..this is black." Tony ordered pointedly. I nodded, just content that he was slowly getting back to his normal demeanor.