Spoilers: None that I can think of.
Summary: A little bonding after a difficult case.
Author's Note: I am so glad people are either still enjoying or just now finding this story (and enjoying it) and I want to thank you all for the feedback, whether it's a review or favourite/alert! I know that last piece was super short, but to make up for it I've (unintentionally) written a pretty good-sized installment this time around. I hope you enjoy this one too!
Ice (Pack)
"Come on! Could you move any slower?"
"Yes, actually. I probably could. Just for that, I think I will."
"I'm the one with the concussion and broken foot over here! I need some relief. Will you hurry? Pleeeaaaaaasssssseeeee?"
"And I am the one who got shot. I would say my injury chumps yours, yes?"
"In the arm, a minor flesh wound! And it's trumps, by the way."
"Whatever. Just be quiet; I will be there in a second."
A thump and some shuffling could be heard as Ziva appeared in the doorway and tossed the requested ice pack, which elicited an oof from Tony as it landed on his stomach. She made to throw the beer bottle and Tony tried to scramble up from the couch before she pulled the bottle back with a smirk and a snicker.
"That's low, David. Scaring a poor, defenseless , handsome, injured man like that. Some might call that abuse, you know. Would've been a waste of a perfectly good beer, too."
"I don't know about 'handsome,' but the rest of that description certainly fits."
Tony made a face as he opened Ziva's beer and handed it back, opting to use his as a second ice pack.
"See? Abuse. I don't know why I put up with you."
"You could not live without me," Ziva scoffed.
"So, what's on the agenda this evening? I have to stay up all night and we're both on medical leave."
"I never said I would stay up with you!"
"Come on," Tony dragged out the last word, "you don't want me falling into a coma and never waking up, do you? If you aren't going to stay up with me, what the hell are you here for?"
"To torment you and steal your alcohol, of course," she laughed.
"So, TV then?" he tried reaching for the remote, to no avail. "Ziva, can you get the remote? It's too far…."
"It's even farther for me!"
An hour later found Tony and Ziva watching a random reality program on mute, making up their own dialogue as they pleased.
"Right now she's telling him she won't sleep with him because she's about to have a hot lesbian tryst. But then she said he could watch if he wanted."
"She did not!" Ziva yelled indignantly as she smacked his torso.
"Ziva, using your lip-reading skills defeats the purpose of this game! And would you quit doing that? You're lucky I don't have broken ribs!"
"I think it is more accurate to state that you are lucky you don't have broken ribs."
"Technicality. But I honestly think she could have been saying that. I mean, sure, they aren't gonna show the lesbian tryst, but it could happen off-screen!"
"I do not understand the male fascination with lesbian actions; it isn't like they will ask him to join in!"
Tony now sported a far-off look, "Ah, but a man can dream…."
"You are disgusting. You will end up with broken ribs if you do not be quiet." She raised her hand again, only to have Tony catch her mid-swing.
"You wouldn't dare."
Her challenging side-glance clearly said otherwise.
"Okay, fine, you probably would," he lamented with a grimace, "but just imagine what Gibbs would do to you if you break his favourite senior field agent."
"Are you not the only senior field agent on our team?" She asked, amused.
"Exactly! No competition." He declared with a cheeky grin. And with that, Tony turned back to the screen.
Hours later and the pair had moved on to playing Scrabble, arguing at almost every turn about which words were considered "legal."
"That's not even a word!"
"Yes, it is!"
"Maybe. But it certainly is not English."
"So? Neither are half of your 'words' and you still get to use them!"
"That is because I am smarter than you. And capable of bringing you to your knees with my pinky alone."
"While that is most likely very true, I don't think that's a good enough reason for you to be allowed to cheat," Tony grumbled.
"And just because they aren't English doesn't mean they aren't words."
"But I thought the point of this game is using your tiles to spell out English words? Ichor is a perfectly acceptable word. Even the dictionary says so!" he exclaimed, holding up the book.
She looked at him with skepticism for a moment before relenting, allowing him to keep his tiles on the board, "Fine. But this is the only time. Be grateful for my generosity."
Tony snorted dryly, "Generosity? Really? I'm pretty sure the only reason you 'let me' have that one was the fact that I showed you proof! We deal with evidence all the time, and this, my friend," he held up the book, "is hard evidence!" he finished with a smug grin as he threw the book down.
The end of the game found Ziva with a smirk of her own.
"Hey! How can you challenge ichor, but you can use 'qi'? You have got to be kidding me!"
Ziva shrugged, "I can use it on Words With Friends."
Tony sputtered for a moment, throwing his hands in the air in frustration and seriously considering wiping the board off his coffee table. But that would prove him a sore loser, and despite the fact that he typically was, he couldn't have her knowing that. (She already did anyway.)
TV turned on once again, the two settled down to watch a movie (something obscure that Ziva had little interest in considering the hour). Halfway through, Ziva's snores permeated the relatively quiet apartment, startling Tony enough that he turned his head in her direction. She slept peacefully (minus the deafening snores), curled up against her corner of the couch with her face against the armrest.
Despite her being the picture of innocence in that moment, he couldn't resist the temptation to get her back for their Scrabble game and the threat of using her ninja skills against him…..
Morning brought a visit from McGee, checking in on Tony to make sure Ziva hadn't killed him during the night. As Tony had finally been allowed to fall asleep a few hours earlier, he was still out cold when McGee arrived.
"Good morning, McGee."
He glanced over at her and paused before speaking, "Um… Ziva? Have you looked in a mirror this morning?"
She looked back at him suspiciously, "Not yet, no. Why…?"
"Haaah, you might want to go do that." He said with a small snicker.
The glare he received in response silenced him as she walked into the bathroom.
"TONY!"
Tony started awake, looking around his apartment in confusion and alarm for a moment before smiling to himself, "You called?"
Ziva stormed out of the bathroom looking quite murderous before coming to a halt in front of Tony.
"You…." She accused, pointing her finger at him.
"Me?" he questioned innocently.
"I know it wasn't McGee! And unless you have some ghostly visitor or a roommate I do not know about, you are the only one left. "
"You know, I wouldn't rule the ghost thing out, Ziva. There have been some weird things going on lately," he said, gesturing to her.
"Really, Tony? A Fu Manchu? On only half my face?" she yelled, her hand moving up and down as she spoke, "either finish it or don't do it at all! Don't half-ass it!"
"Well, you were sleeping on the armrest; that was the only side I could get to," he said as though it was the most logical thing. "Also, I'm really surprised you know what Fu Manchu is. You astound me more and more every day."
She remained silent as she got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, rummaging around in the freezer.
"What are you doing, Ziva? McGee, what's she doing? You're not fashioning some kind of ice dagger to kill me with, are you? Oh, God, she probably is."
Ziva walked back into the room looking completely serene. Tony would have laughed at the sight of a half-moustached, serene Ziva David if he weren't scared shitless at that moment. He looked at McGee with terror written on his face.
McGee held up his hands, "You're on your own, Tony. I am not going to be the one that gets in between you two when she's mad."
Ziva approached him, pulling an ice pack from behind her.
"What's that for?" he asked with a grimace.
"For the ribs I am going to break." She said simply.
He tried to scoot as far away as possible, given his current condition, and stopped as his body pushed up against the armrest, "Oh, come on, it was just a joke…. I'm going to die, aren't I?"
She smirked and lightly added, "Just kidding. It's for your foot."
As Ziva finished speaking she slapped the ice pack down on his injured foot, causing him to whine in pain.
"I hope you learned your lesson."
"Yeah; next time I'm using permanent marker." He replied with a wince.
Author's Note #2: Okay, I think this one got a little out of hand. And quite possibly 100% improbable. Buuuut when I started writing, my muse just ran with the idea and I ended up with this. I know I make it seem like Ziva has all the power in their relationship, but I don't truly view it that way. I think sometimes Tony prefers to let her believe she's always in charge. ;) Regardless of the likelihood of this situation, I do hope you enjoyed reading and that this wasn't too cliché or awful to read! As always, feedback is much appreciated!
Oh, and in case any of you are curious:
Ichor is, according to Greek Mythology, the rare fluid that supposedly flows through the veins of gods.