A/N: This is definitely one of my favorites. I remember being so stuck on this lyric. I mean, it had to be Gibbs- *cough cough* the coffee. But, the whole 'calling me sugar' had me stuck. I mean, because of the sugar, you had to have Tony? And the sugar-name-calling would be awkward, right?

Wrong. ^_^


"There you are, sitting in the garden, clutching my coffee, calling me sugar. You called me sugar."

- Glitter in the Air by P!nk


Sugar (Life Philosophy)

Gibbs sighed as he picked up the two steaming cups of coffee. He knew when Tony had come to him this time that it was bad. He didn't need nor want to know what it was that was bothering the younger man. He just needed to be there when Tony decided to talk about it, in his round-about way.

As he walked out the back door and onto the patio, he got the first good look he had gotten at his agent. Tony was a mess. His normally meticulous appearance was . . . conspicuously absent. His hair was in disorder. Instead of rising and falling in all the right places, thanks to his ever present hair gel, it was raised up in cowlicks and falling flat in all the places it shouldn't. His normally olive-toned face was pale, dark circles underlining dull green eyes. Gibbs surrendered one of the coffee cups to Tony and watched as his hands shook, just slightly.

Gibbs sat down next to him, stretching his long legs out and silently sipping his coffee. Tony simply wrapped his long fingers around the warm coffee cup, letting the steam bathe his face. Gibbs just sat, waiting for Tony to make the first move. They sat in silence, watching as the first rays of sunlight peaked over the hills, their fingertips straining to touch all the corners of the sky.

Just as the clouds began to change color, Tony broke the silence.

"You know," he murmured as he poured some sugar into his coffee and stirred it with one long finger, "Abby says that to see or eat sugar in your dream implies that you are prohibiting yourself from experiencing joy, happiness, and satisfaction." He paused and stared up at the yawning sky thoughtfully, "She says that sometimes you should just be impulsive and not worry about the results."

"Are you calling yourself sugar?" He looked up at Gibbs' question, his finger still stirring.

"Are you calling me sugar?" There was silence again as Gibbs pondered his question and it's hidden meaning. There always seemed to be a hidden meaning with DiNozzo. Not that Gibbs minded; hidden meanings were how he operated too, but more vague.

"Nope. Never lied to you; not gonna start now."

Tony smiled faintly, some of his own humor springing to life in his eyes, "You know what Abby also said, Boss?"

"What did Abby say?"

He straightened up and cleared his throat, "To see a sugar cube in your dream indicates that you should enjoy life rather than being too strict."

Gibbs snorted, setting his coffee cup down before he dropped it. "Good thing I don't like sugar."

Tony nodded thoughtfully, bringing his coffee cup up to his lips, "Sugar as a life philosophy. Definitely hinky."

Gibbs nodded in agreement, picking his coffee cup back up and taking a sip, watching as Tony finally relaxed and began to watch the sunrise, his eyes lighting up like the sky.


A/N: There it is! Weighing in at a whopping 668 words! So, who called Tony sugar, you ask? Me. :P Or maybe his conscience.