Dinner Theater for Two
Dinner Theater for Two
Tiva - movie night - Season 6:2 Spoilers - AU Fluff
*All characters belong to CBS
He knocked on the door lightly, holding a plastic bag in his other hand. She opened it with a smile and ushered him in out of the cold.
“Hey,” Tony greeted, closing the door behind him. “I brought the movies.”
“Good,” Ziva replied, walking back into her apartment. “I thought pasta would be good for dinner?” She called over her shoulder. He set down the bag of movies on the coffee table in her livingroom and hung up his coat by the door. He took out the bottle of wine from his coat pocket and set it on the table as well. Taking a deep breath, he grinned at the sweet smell of garlic wafting out from the kitchen. Deciding to follow his nose, he found his way into the kitchen. She stood there in a simple blue cotton dress that hung loosely to her curves. Tony gave himself a moment to admire her backside as she leaned over the stove.
“Smells great,” he commented, startling her. She hadn’t been aware that he had followed her and was suddenly self-conscious about her appearance as she saw his eyes rake over her figure. She hoped her dress wasn’t too fancy for their impromptu movie night. She still couldn’t believe she had said yes to his invitation that very afternoon.
“I am glad that case is solved.” Ziva remarked, filing away a homicide case in the cabinet next to Tony’s desk.
“Me too,” he replied. “That means we can actually leave on time tonight.”
“Do you have a date?” she asked curiously, perching herself on the edge of his desk. Ever since he had gotten back from his Agent Afloat job, he had been sweeter to her. She could still tell he beat himself up over Jenny’s death, but hoped her presence made a difference to him.
“No, I just thought I could have a little movie night,” he replied, looking up at her.
“Sounds like fun,” she observed.
“You’re welcome to join me…” Tony offered with a small smile. Ziva considered it for a moment before agreeing. It seemed like a worthwhile way to spend her evening.
“Alright, but I get to cook for you.” She responded, already coming up with something to make for him. She figured he would enjoy Italian food because of his heritage and the fact that he ate almost anything put in front of him.
“Really? I finally get treated to dinner by our dangerous Mossad agent?” Tony teased, referencing the fact that she had cooked for almost every other agent, even Palmer. ”Just promise me you won’t try to off me with arsenic.”
“We will just have to wait and see,” she replied with a grin.
“Thank you,” she replied, turning off the stove and draining the pasta in the sink. “Will you grab two bowls from that cabinet over there?” she indicated the correct drawer with her free hand. Tony opened up the cabinet door to find bowls and plates of many different sizes and a large knife leaning conspicuously against the side. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the dishes and set them next to the stove.
“You know, you have more knives than anyone I know,” he teased lightly.
“Is there something wrong with that?” Ziva questioned, fixing their plates with pasta and slices of garlic bread. Tony’s stomach rumbled and they shared a laugh.
“No, just pointing it out,” he replied, following her back to the livingroom.
“So, what movies did you bring?” she asked, noticing the bottle of wine for the first time. “You didn’t have to do that,” she pointed out.
“It’s no big deal.” Tony shrugged, sitting on the couch next to her. He picked up the bag of movies as she returned to the kitchen to grab glasses for the wine. He snuck another look at her backside as she walked away, loving the way her dress swished behind her. He shook his head at the thoughts that came along with thinking about Ziva’s rear end. She returned moments later, setting the glass flutes on the table and sitting down again.
“Good Fellas, Fight Club, Good Will Hunting, and The Notebook.” He read, scrunching up his nose at the last option.
“The Notebook? What is that?” she asked curiously, leaning over to examine the case.
“It’s a chick-flick; I just thought you might wanna watch it instead of all the guy movies…” Tony explained.
“Chick-flick?” she pronounced the words slowly, trying to understand what it meant.
“A girly movie, often emotionally charged, the main objective is making women cry.” Tony explained like he was reading it out of the dictionary. “You’ve honestly never heard of it?”
“Nope,” Ziva replied, shrugging. “Can we watch it?” she asked hesitantly, not wanting to ruin his fun if he wasn’t interested. She poured the wine into their glasses and took a sip.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” he mumbled, getting up to put the movie in the player. He returned to the couch, grabbing his bowl of pasta. Taking a tentative first bite, he cast a surprised glance at her. “Wow, this is really good!”
“You cannot even taste the arsenic,” she teased with a smirk. He immediately stopped chewing, his eyes widening. “I’m kidding, Tony.” She laughed and started eating her own food. He grumbled quietly, feeling stupid for believing that she would do that to him. He knew he got on her nerves sometimes, but didn’t think she was homicidal.
The movie started then, quieting their banter. They ate quietly, taking in the film.
“Why will she not just go out with him?” Ziva remarked, watching the over-zealous teenagers fall in love. “They would be a very cute couple.”
“Shhh…” Tony chastised. “Just watch the movie.”
“I simply do not understand why it has to be so difficult.” She put down her empty bowl, looking thoughtfully at his last slice of garlic bread.
“Love is complicated.” He replied, casting a glance her way. He followed her eyes to the bread, grinning slightly. “What?”
“Can I have your last slice?” she asked, reaching for it. He slapped her hand away lightly.
“Not so fast, little lady. We can share.” He reached for the bread, intending to simply rip it in half. Before he could do that however, Ziva was holding a knife for him. “Again with the knives?” He rolled his eyes and cut the bread as perfectly as he could before handing half to her.
“Thank you.” She smiled, turning back to the movie. When the movie was wrapping up, Tony snuck another glance at Ziva, surprised to find tears rolling down her cheeks. Finding this endearing, he handed her a tissue from one of the end tables. She blushed as she realized he had noticed she was crying. “If you tell anyone, I will be forced to use one of these knives to cut more than bread,” she threatened nonchalantly. He laughed, knowing she wouldn’t follow through on that warning.
They finished the movie and cleared their dishes from the table. Tony could see she was getting tired, but put in another movie anyway. He was enjoying spending time with her outside of the office. Before she came back into the room, he found a blanket and pillow on a nearby chair and set it on the couch.
“Did you like it?” he asked.
“Yeah, it was cute.” She answered, with a small smile. Watching the heartwarming movie made her realize how fleeting life was. She wanted to take advantage of every opportunity she was given.
“Good,” Tony smiled, relaxing with his feet on the table.
“One more?” Ziva asked, coming back to the couch and noticing what he had moved. Once Tony had settled down, she set the pillow on his lap and laid her head down. He gave her a curious look, but didn’t comment.
“I put in Good Will Hunting, is that okay?” He asked, and she could feel the rumbling of his voice through the pillow.
“Sure,” she replied, covering herself with the blanket. The film began and Ziva was quickly lulled to sleep by the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Before the movie was even halfway over she had dozed off. Trying to make as little movement as possible, he stopped the movie. Tony sat quietly for a moment just watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful and happy. It was a stark contrast to the way she looked at work and he couldn’t help but stare. He was glad he got to be there to see her this way. Without thinking about it, he ran a gentle hand through her hair. His fingers were tingling as a small smile appeared on her lips from his touch.
Slowly, Tony removed himself from under her head and stood up. Knowing she would be uncomfortable on the couch, and knowing she might follow through on her threat at what he was about to do, he placed one arm under her back and another under her knees as he lifted her off the sofa. Walking down the small hallway he accidentally found a closet and the bathroom before opening the door to her bedroom. It was neat and tidy, the same way Ziva kept her desk at work, and painted in soft beige. He carefully laid her on the bed, pulling the covers out from under her to tuck her in. He figured she would kill him if he took off her dress and snuck one last look at the blue garment before laying the covers gently on top of her.
“Tony?” Ziva murmured tiredly, her eyes fluttering open briefly.
“Shhh, just go to sleep.” He whispered, unable to stop himself from running his fingers across her cheek.
“Did I miss the movie?” she asked groggily.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, we’ll do this again sometime.” He assured intent on keeping his promise. He quietly left the room to clean up the little mess they had made before returning to say goodbye.
“Ziva,” he called quietly. “Do you need anything? Want me to bring you one of your knives?” he teased. Without a word, her arm extended to the bedside table, opening the drawer which contained at least two knives.
“I’m good,” she replied, opening her eyes briefly.
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony laughed and crept silently out her bedroom door, closing it softly behind him.
“Tony?” He heard her call. He re-opened the door just a crack. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” he echoed, closing the door and letting himself out. He couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face the whole ride home.
{End}
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