Title: like a house on fire
Fandom: NCIS/Chuck
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: at some indeterminate time during Chuck
Pairings: Gibbs/Tony, Tony/Tim, Ziva/Tony, Tim/Abby, and pre-Bryce/Tim
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 435
Point of view: third
Prompt: NCIS/Chuck, Tim/Bryce, Bryce fights like Ziva and teases like Tony and somehow seems to like Tim as much as Tim likes him
Gibbs' newest probie is named Bryce Larkin. He's as smart as Abby, flirts up a storm like Tony, and fights better than Ziva (which, honestly, Tim hadn't believed possible).
And he looks back at Tim when Tim stares at him. Tim ducked his head the first time he noticed Bryce watching him, but now it's as normal as Ziva messing up idioms, Abby being manic on caffeine, and Tony's attempts to embarrass Tim (oh, sorry, 'toughen up his sweet lil'probie hide').
Tim never made a move on Tony. He barely worked up the courage to ask Abby out, and that turned into a disaster, so he decided to not tempt fate with Tony. Even if he has been fantasizing about what could have been for years, it's better to wonder than to be the reason Team Gibbs fell apart.
Which it would, since even if Tony said yes and they had a good time, he's crazy-in-love with Gibbs and has this weird thing with Ziva, and—no. Even Abby would probably choose Tony over Tim, and Gibbs might very well rip Tim into pieces and scatter him in various spots. (Not that he'll ever make a move on Tony either. For whatever insane reason. Sometimes Tim wonders why Ducky hasn't smacked Gibbs upside the head and directed him towards Tony, but it's not Tim's place to ever say anything. Damnit.)
So, yeah. He never made a move on Tony. But Bryce Larkin is new. They all like him, and he's awesome to have on your side in your fight. And he won't be on the team for much longer, so Tim could squeeze under Rule 12.
And best of all? He not only doesn't mock Tim for being a geek, he's a geek, too. And he actually knows Klingon.
"You know," Bryce says as they're all packing up to go home. He sits on the edge of Tim's desk and grins at him. "If you let me take you out to dinner, Tim, I could teach you a few grammar rules for Klingon. Some vocab, too."
Tim expects something out of Tony for that, a 'geek' cough or a smartass remark, but instead he's quiet. Tim glances over quickly, and there's something sad on Tony's face before he wipes it away for a grin as bright as Bryce's.
"You have intentions on Timmy's virtue?" he asks. "Better talk to Abby first."
But Bryce just keeps looking at Tim. "I asked Tim," he says calmly.
And Tim says, "Okay, yeah, great."
It's the best night of his life so far, and he can't wait till their next date.