30 day challenge notes: quantity over quality, limited editing, stand-alone/unrelated stories unless specifically stated otherwise, not always tiva, chronologically randomly set in whatever pre-s11 season seems to fit
Ziva catches Tony daydreaming in the bullpen
Prompt: Jars of fresh jam
The sudden thud on his desk woke Tony from his early morning daydream—a more PG continuation of his midnight dream. He glanced at the jar on top of the file he hadn't been reading, then at Ziva's far too cheerful face for eight AM on a Monday morning, then at the four other jars she was holding.
Tony held up the jar with a frown and read the neatly handwritten label.
"I made strawberry jam yesterday," Ziva said with a cheerfulness well-suited for fresh homemade jam, but not for eight in the morning on any day, least of all a Monday.
He pursed his lips. "You know how to make jam?"
"Yes, my grandmother taught me when I was little."
"How domestic of you," he deadpanned, trying to process this new kernel of information.
"If you don't want it," she said and reached for the jar he was holding, sounding faintly offended.
"Uh-uh!" Tony clasped the jar to his chest, and locked eyes with her. A sly smile crept on his lips as he tried to come up with ways to incorporate this side of Ziva into his daydream.
She frowned, and as his smile grew wider, rolled her eyes and moved on to place a jar on McGee's desk.
His gaze followed her as she placed the second to last jar on Gibbs' desk, and then sat down at her own. As visions of Ziva doing domestic chores replaced more thrilling bedroom visions of her, his roguish smile made place for a softness that reached his eyes.
Ziva leaned forward on her desk at his change in demeanor. "What are you thinking about?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just trying to make this Monday morning less dreary."
Ziva looked out the window, followed a shaft of sunlight straight back to Tony, where it seemed to light up a twinkle in his eye. A slow smile spread on her lips. "Is the sun not bright enough for you?"
With a playful smile, he opened the jar and dipped his finger in the jam to get a taste. He hummed in approval and watched her face light up. "It is now."