Today's prompt: Sports

Tony and Ziva banter with Tiva undertones. (Wasn't going to write today, ended up ignoring myself like I know I shouldn't, so, meh)


The basketball thumped on the ground, his right hand bouncing it in one spot, his left arm keeping one of the other three men on the court from reaching for it.

"Come on, DiNozzo," a guy in a striped shirt yelled.

He barely paid the man any attention, still shielding the ball from the guy breathing down his neck. She could see beads of sweat pearling down his face, hair sticking up oddly—she smiled despite herself—his sports shirt drenched. She questioned his sanity for playing sports in the hot midday sun.

Gibbs would chew her out for taking so long to find him, but the scene playing out before her was too stimulating to interrupt. Narrowing her eyes she focused on how his muscles strained with effort, how his strong yet slender hand expertly handled the basketball. She licked her lips and bit her bottom lip; she had fantasized plenty about his hands, now was not the time to get into that, though.

With a speed and agility she rarely got to witness—but always managed to make her heart thump—he broke away from the guy trying to steal the ball, and scored. He caught the ball on its way out of the hoop, and bounced it from one hand to the other with ease, smiling widely.

She clapped, finally getting his attention, and his smile widened even more.

"Ziva?"

He walked up to her dribbling the ball.

"That's your partner?" The man in the red shirt said, then whistled.

Tony turned and shot the ball at him with more force than necessary.

"We have a case," she said apologetically. "You were not answering your phone so Gibbs sent me."

"Yeah, the guys dumped my phone in a bucket of water before the game."

The three men were staring at her still, and she decided to stare right back. "Are these your frat brothers?"

He glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, we haven't gotten together in forever."

The guy in the red shirt looked away uncomfortably, the one in the striped shirt started fidgeting with the hem of his shorts.

Tony turned his attention to her. "Stop scaring my buddies, Ziva."

She glanced at him, his teeth shone in the bright sunlight, his eyes danced with mirth. She snorted, then said, "I am sorry to break up your game."

He shrugged. "That last point put us in the lead, and I was about to keel over from the heat, anyway."

Wiping his brow with the hem of his shirt, her eyes drifted to his exposed stomach. He caught her staring, and smirked.

"Should probably shower first," he said when she finally met his eyes.

"You should." She looked him up and down slowly. "You are sweating like a sinner in church."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Where did you pick up that phrase?"

"I will wait for you in the car," she said with an enigmatic smile before walking away.

"Are you speaking from experience? Ziva?"

She resisted the urge to turn and look at him, chuckling lightly.

"Does it have to do with what you did in that weapons carrier?" He added teasingly.

She slapped her butt and kept walking, his laughter spreading warmth through her body like the sun never could. Perhaps working on a Saturday wasn't going to be that bad after all.