Fic: Facing McGee
Gibbs was wrong.
DiNozzo bowed his head against the steering wheel, knowing this. "You don't have to tell McGee," Gibbs had said.
"But I should." Because he really did have to tell him. DiNozzo was well aware that there were probably things that McGee kept from him. But he had to tell him. He shared something with McGee... he had told him stuff before, even embarrassing stuff. It had been necessary then. And it was now too, even more than ever.
He wouldn't have done it back then, but he'd now catch a bullet for the man if it made him stay. And this time, it was even more than that. This time, it wasn't so much about making McGee stay as making him understand, making him... care about him enough to not say anything. Not this time.
God, he thought he finally understood what it was like for McGee for once. But, he supposed that was the point. He'd never been that guy before. Well, he had, he was just in denial about it, for years.
Maybe that was why he liked McGee so much... why no one could ever cast a shadow on him. Because deep down, they really were more alike than they seemed. I mean, DiNozzo was into classic movies... in some circles, that might even be considered... gasp, nerdy.
How dare they?
DiNozzo had always wondered why such a handsome guy like him might even have the hots for McGee. Well, that still remained left to be explored, but he was part of the way there.
"Wanna go out to eat tonight?" DiNozzo turned to McGee and asked as they finished wrapping up their case.
"Uh... yeah, sure, why not?" said McGee. After all, it couldn't be the first time they had ever met outside work.
"Great, I'm buying."
DiNozzo caught an impressed frown from McGee as he turned away. Score.
He went to his desk and grabbed up his things, turning once to see McGee bent over as he did the same, then turned back and stood up as he got his things together.
A moment before McGee followed suit, he saw Ziva mouth, "I saw that."
DiNozzo gave her an suggestive thumbs up and a wink in return. Let her sit with that.
McGee came up to his side and said, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Talking about? Nothing," answered DiNozzo cryptically.
"Tony..."
"Come on, let's go!" said DiNozzo, heaving his bag theatrically and heading for the elevator. Rolling his eyes, McGee followed.
He didn't bring it up again until DiNozzo had his mouth full.
With nachos. What were you thinking?
"So what were you and Ziva... mouthing about? Before, at the end of work." Wink, wink, thought DiNozzo.
DiNozzo bit down. And chewed. Then chewed some more.
He swallowed. Time for the speech. "She... saw me staring at your ass. She wanted to inform me of this fact."
McProbie's eyebrows shot up. "You were staring at my ass?"
"Oh yeah," he joked, "you really got it going on. Fabulous glutes. You should work it more often."
"Work my ass?"
DiNozzo smirked. "Yeah," he said, trying to pass off the honesty behind that statement.
"Seriously, Tony, what were you guys --"
"Honest!" he cried. "But you know... I didn't just ask you out here to talk about your fabulous ass."
"Oh my god, is -- is this a date?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," said DiNozzo smoothly. "No, I wanted to tell you how things turned out with... Stinky John."
"What? Why couldn't you just tell me at work?"
For a moment as DiNozzo leaned in, McGee looked like a scared puppy, but he soon got control over his features. "It never happened," he murmured, trying to make as though so no one could hear.
"You dragged me to a crowded bar to tell me that?" said McGee, matching his murmured tone. Honestly, that was more than DiNozzo had hoped for. He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Why are you smirking?" asked McGee.
DiNozzo leaned back. "No reason."
"So if it never happened, what did happen?" asked McGee, reverting back to normal tone.
DiNozzo looked around, letting his discomfort slip for the first time. "Tell you later."
"Tony, you went to all the trouble of getting me here, just tell me!" His voice raised.
DiNozzo hesitated. "I'll take you home. Then I'll tell you."
"Oh my god, this is a date!" McGee said loudly. "You're trying to..." McGee stopped himself, breathing out. "I'm not going home with you, Tony. Why can't you tell me in the bathroom?"
"No, too many people. And quickies aren't my style. Unless you can speak Italian..."
"I can't."
"Exactly."
"In the car, then," suggested McGee.
Damn. He had a point there. Maybe DiNozzo was trying to swindle McGeek into a date. That was odd.
"Deal," he said.
McGee asked him again as soon as he got the door closed. "So, what really happened?"
"Hold on! Let me get my seatbelt on and start the car."
McGee sighed. "Fine." He quickly snapped on his seatbelt.
DiNozzo made more of a show of the act, slowly clicking up and turning the ignition, as if in slow motion. He chalked it up to being sexy. He settled in his seat, eyes locked on Probie as he stretched out his arms on wheel.
"Okay, great, can you just tell me now?"
"Woah, hey, I just put on a great show, and that's all you have to say? I'm offended."
"Alright, I'm sorry, just... Can you please tell me, Tony?"
"Please tell you, who?" DiNozzo teased.
"DiNozzo?"
"Wrong answer. The correct name I was looking for was Sexy."
McGee groaned. That felt good, reminded him of sex. "Can you please tell me..." another groan, "sexy?"
"Glad you asked, McGee."
Now this was it. No more stalling. He really sighed now, and suddenly McGee looked worried. "I never hung him up by a flagpole because... he was the one," DiNozzo wasn't even looking at McGee now, "who hung me up."
Silence. Horrible, sickly, angry silence.
"Oh my god..." said McGee. His voice didn't contain any judgement. In fact, it was pained. "I can't believe that happened to you..."
DiNozzo looked. McGee's eyes were shining with worry.
"No jokes?"
McGee gaped for a second. "No... Of course not, how could I joke at a time like... You thought I would make fun of you for this? Tony, if I had done that, I'd be no better than that guy!" DiNozzo suddenly felt guilty. He'd always teased McGee before. Was this what he'd always put McGoogle through before...?
"I'm glad you think that," said DiNozzo. He had no more words than that.
"Come on," said McGee. "I think I may go to your house, after all."
DiNozzo smiled. And not because of the sexual jokes now running through his head.
DiNozzo bowed his head against the steering wheel, knowing this. "You don't have to tell McGee," Gibbs had said.
"But I should." Because he really did have to tell him. DiNozzo was well aware that there were probably things that McGee kept from him. But he had to tell him. He shared something with McGee... he had told him stuff before, even embarrassing stuff. It had been necessary then. And it was now too, even more than ever.
He wouldn't have done it back then, but he'd now catch a bullet for the man if it made him stay. And this time, it was even more than that. This time, it wasn't so much about making McGee stay as making him understand, making him... care about him enough to not say anything. Not this time.
God, he thought he finally understood what it was like for McGee for once. But, he supposed that was the point. He'd never been that guy before. Well, he had, he was just in denial about it, for years.
Maybe that was why he liked McGee so much... why no one could ever cast a shadow on him. Because deep down, they really were more alike than they seemed. I mean, DiNozzo was into classic movies... in some circles, that might even be considered... gasp, nerdy.
How dare they?
DiNozzo had always wondered why such a handsome guy like him might even have the hots for McGee. Well, that still remained left to be explored, but he was part of the way there.
"Wanna go out to eat tonight?" DiNozzo turned to McGee and asked as they finished wrapping up their case.
"Uh... yeah, sure, why not?" said McGee. After all, it couldn't be the first time they had ever met outside work.
"Great, I'm buying."
DiNozzo caught an impressed frown from McGee as he turned away. Score.
He went to his desk and grabbed up his things, turning once to see McGee bent over as he did the same, then turned back and stood up as he got his things together.
A moment before McGee followed suit, he saw Ziva mouth, "I saw that."
DiNozzo gave her an suggestive thumbs up and a wink in return. Let her sit with that.
McGee came up to his side and said, "What are you guys talking about?"
"Talking about? Nothing," answered DiNozzo cryptically.
"Tony..."
"Come on, let's go!" said DiNozzo, heaving his bag theatrically and heading for the elevator. Rolling his eyes, McGee followed.
He didn't bring it up again until DiNozzo had his mouth full.
With nachos. What were you thinking?
"So what were you and Ziva... mouthing about? Before, at the end of work." Wink, wink, thought DiNozzo.
DiNozzo bit down. And chewed. Then chewed some more.
He swallowed. Time for the speech. "She... saw me staring at your ass. She wanted to inform me of this fact."
McProbie's eyebrows shot up. "You were staring at my ass?"
"Oh yeah," he joked, "you really got it going on. Fabulous glutes. You should work it more often."
"Work my ass?"
DiNozzo smirked. "Yeah," he said, trying to pass off the honesty behind that statement.
"Seriously, Tony, what were you guys --"
"Honest!" he cried. "But you know... I didn't just ask you out here to talk about your fabulous ass."
"Oh my god, is -- is this a date?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," said DiNozzo smoothly. "No, I wanted to tell you how things turned out with... Stinky John."
"What? Why couldn't you just tell me at work?"
For a moment as DiNozzo leaned in, McGee looked like a scared puppy, but he soon got control over his features. "It never happened," he murmured, trying to make as though so no one could hear.
"You dragged me to a crowded bar to tell me that?" said McGee, matching his murmured tone. Honestly, that was more than DiNozzo had hoped for. He couldn't help but smirk at that. "Why are you smirking?" asked McGee.
DiNozzo leaned back. "No reason."
"So if it never happened, what did happen?" asked McGee, reverting back to normal tone.
DiNozzo looked around, letting his discomfort slip for the first time. "Tell you later."
"Tony, you went to all the trouble of getting me here, just tell me!" His voice raised.
DiNozzo hesitated. "I'll take you home. Then I'll tell you."
"Oh my god, this is a date!" McGee said loudly. "You're trying to..." McGee stopped himself, breathing out. "I'm not going home with you, Tony. Why can't you tell me in the bathroom?"
"No, too many people. And quickies aren't my style. Unless you can speak Italian..."
"I can't."
"Exactly."
"In the car, then," suggested McGee.
Damn. He had a point there. Maybe DiNozzo was trying to swindle McGeek into a date. That was odd.
"Deal," he said.
McGee asked him again as soon as he got the door closed. "So, what really happened?"
"Hold on! Let me get my seatbelt on and start the car."
McGee sighed. "Fine." He quickly snapped on his seatbelt.
DiNozzo made more of a show of the act, slowly clicking up and turning the ignition, as if in slow motion. He chalked it up to being sexy. He settled in his seat, eyes locked on Probie as he stretched out his arms on wheel.
"Okay, great, can you just tell me now?"
"Woah, hey, I just put on a great show, and that's all you have to say? I'm offended."
"Alright, I'm sorry, just... Can you please tell me, Tony?"
"Please tell you, who?" DiNozzo teased.
"DiNozzo?"
"Wrong answer. The correct name I was looking for was Sexy."
McGee groaned. That felt good, reminded him of sex. "Can you please tell me..." another groan, "sexy?"
"Glad you asked, McGee."
Now this was it. No more stalling. He really sighed now, and suddenly McGee looked worried. "I never hung him up by a flagpole because... he was the one," DiNozzo wasn't even looking at McGee now, "who hung me up."
Silence. Horrible, sickly, angry silence.
"Oh my god..." said McGee. His voice didn't contain any judgement. In fact, it was pained. "I can't believe that happened to you..."
DiNozzo looked. McGee's eyes were shining with worry.
"No jokes?"
McGee gaped for a second. "No... Of course not, how could I joke at a time like... You thought I would make fun of you for this? Tony, if I had done that, I'd be no better than that guy!" DiNozzo suddenly felt guilty. He'd always teased McGee before. Was this what he'd always put McGoogle through before...?
"I'm glad you think that," said DiNozzo. He had no more words than that.
"Come on," said McGee. "I think I may go to your house, after all."
DiNozzo smiled. And not because of the sexual jokes now running through his head.