Eros (romantic, passionate love)

There was absolutely no point in denying it. Mainly because they didn't want to but also because everyone, absolutely everyone, noticed it as soon as they saw them. And if it wasn't when they saw them, it was definitely when they saw them interact with each other. And then hearing them talk to each other just confirmed it.

It was the tension, the undercurrent running through them. That feeling that the two of them were drawn to each other and they couldn't be prized apart. The feeling that if you got between them in any way that you were interrupting something. No one was exac5ly sure what they were interrupting but it was definitely something.

Yes, Tony and Ziva were extremely aware that they had an instant connection when they first met each other. Like it was said before, there was no point in denying it. And no, it wasn't those "fall in love at first sight, 'I'm going to marry her" sort of first connection. Ha. The Tony and Ziva of two thousand and five? As if. Neither of them believed in such nonsense. Still didn't, in fact. No. That didn't happen. No matter how much wishful thinking other people did (Abby).

Love was definitely not the first thought when they first met. Or the second or the third. It was teasing and flirting and trying to figure each other out. Trying to find out what made the other tick. The base attraction. The appreciation of the other's body. The other's wit.

"Like what you see?" Ziva would ask as she caught Tony raking his eyes over her.

"Didn't think ninjas wore perfume," Tony would say as he leaned over her.

No, it wasn't something starry eyed and gooey like love. Obviously not. It was something much more primal, much more immediate than that. It was what made their eyes trail up and down the other person's body and smirks given when caught doing that. It was inappropriate comments, lingering touches just because they could and because they knew it would make heart rates rise. It was the lack of personal space, needing to be close to each other as well as wanting to rile the other up. Tease and taunt. Give and take.

Ziva would glare at Tony when they bumped elbows, not realising how close they were to each other.

Tony would yelp as he turned around and she was right there. Inches away.

There were the comments that got them head slaps. The comments that made McGee flee.

"I'm going down to Abby's," was something they heard often as he packed his work away.

Not that either of them minded. In fact, they didn't really notice it most of the time. Because they were too involved with what the other was doing.

Yes, it was sexual attraction pure and simple. It had been there from the very start. When he had been confused yet automatically drawn to her. When she had been intrigued by the profile that she'd made of him before coming to America, which hadn't resolved itself when they met. Normally men were easy to figure out but Tony wasn't. He had intrigued her. Of course, it also helped that he was very attractive. Something Tony also thought of Ziva as well.

Like what was said before, primal. Instinctive. It couldn't be helped. And the following years just seemed to fan the flames, set off sparks.

They got too much fun out of it as well. Because it was fun to flirt and tease and wind each other up like that. To push and push and see how far they could go. Not to mention the reactions of other people around them which, quite frankly, could be hilarious.

Tony rover his eyes up and down Ziva's body, making a lewd remark. You could almost hear the surrounding people (who were pretending not to pay any attention to then) take a sharp intake of breath, expecting Ziva to go all ninja on him. Except she didn't. She rarely did. She let her eyes flick up and down his body and let a smirk appear on her face. Or sometimes it was a flirty look. Or an inappropriate comment thinly veiled. Sometimes they didn't even bother to try and hide it, much to McGee's second-hand embarrassment and annoyance.

Poor McGee though, he was thoroughly fed up with them. No one even questioned him fleeing the bullpen to his own little haven down in Abby's Lab any more. The rest of the building sympathized with him, felt sorry for him. Did that make Tony and Ziva stop? Of course not. If anything, it encouraged the pair. Most of the time anyway.

And, okay, maybe some of this was them dancing around each other, not wanting to get any closer than flirting. Flirting they could deal with, no matter what else was there. Flirting was easy, it was fun. It allowed them to tease and poke and push and pull away. Whatever was needed at the time but with no real intimacy. Intimacy was never something either of them dealt with well. Because intimacy tended to lead to commitment and, although they wouldn't say it, that frightened them. It was very permanent sounding word. So, they didn't. They kept their distance at the same time drawing closer to each other. They couldn't help it. Didn't want to.

But they didn't put labels on it. Because labels meant something permanent. Something that stayed. Permanency wasn't something either of them were familiar with. They didn't know how to deal with the concept. So, they didn't. Hence the dancing around each other.

Dancing wasn't always enough though. Sometimes the flames between them got too hot, too bright, too tempting and they had to try to touch them. Try to push the boundaries.

Nearly every single time it was too overwhelming. Too hot. They had timed it wrong. It was too intense. Sure, they pulled themselves back before they could get burned but there was always that rush of adrenaline. That burning energy that engulfed them without fizzling out.