FIC: A Bad Day Can Only Get Worse - Willow/NCIS - tth100
Title: A Bad Day Can Only Get Worse (Willow/NCIS)
Author: Lyl (lyl_devil)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes occasionally.
Prompt table -> HERE
Prompt - 063: Computer
Words: 1655
Summary: “It's not my fault there's a heat wave and a garbage strike at the same time.”
~!~
Tony DiNozzo was having a bad day. An early call to a gruesome crime scene had only been the beginning. A series of small, irritating incidences had followed, ending with the fishing expedition Gibbs had sent both him and McGee on.
Wading through seven dumpsters worth of garbage was not his idea of a fun afternoon. Especially with McGee. At least they'd found the murder weapon, so the day hadn't been a total waste.
Arriving at his desk, he threw his backpack with more force than necessary, feeling only mildly better - he'd only had time for a quick shower, and could still feel the grime seeping into his skin.
“Please tell me that smell is worth it,” commented Kate from her desk, drawing his attention.
“What, I showered!”
“You know, there's this thing floating around called 'soap', Tony,” she said, smiling that infuriating smile of hers. “you may want to look in to it.”
“I did, Kate,” he said through clenched teeth. “it's not my fault there's a heat wave and a garbage strike at the same time.”
“Aww, poor Tony,” she cooed, making him want to throw something. A small snicker from the direction of Gibbs' desk drew his attention, almost missing Kate's next question, “did you at least find something useful?”
“Yeah, Abby's working on it now,” he replied distractedly, moving slowly so he could see who would dare to sit at Gibbs' desk, because there was no way that snicker had come from Gibbs - or anyone male.
There was a cute, young red head occupying Gibbs' territory, doing something to the Boss' computer.
His day was looking up.
“Well, hello there,” he smiled, sidling up to the desk as he turned on the charm. “what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing in a place like this?”
She seemed to freeze at that, fingers poised over the keyboard as she slowly turned her head to look at him.
“Excuse me?” she said, eyes wide in surprise.
“Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at your service,” he said, hands in his pockets, leaning against the desk separating them in a deliberate way. “I didn't catch your name.”
All he got in return were a few inarticulate sounds, before she blushed bright red.
“No one. No one important,” she said in a rush, whipping her head back to the monitor in front of her. Tony noticed that she seemed to be typing at a more frantic pace than before, her hands shaking slightly. He also thought he saw her send a desperate glance over in Kate's direction, but he couldn't be sure.
The blush was enticing, though.
“You must be new,” he said smiling widely, glimpsing the partially hidden ID card - not a visitor's pass. “because I know all the attractive women in this building.”
Her fingers faltered slightly on the keys, but that was her only tell that she'd heard him.
“Actually, should you be messing with Gibbs' computer?” he asked suddenly as the thought occurred to him.
He almost physically recoiled at the look she gave him in return, but held his ground; it was reminiscent of the ones Kate gave him, that clearly said 'You were dropped on your head as a child'.
“It's her job, Tony,” said McGee as he came up behind Tony and headed to his desk. “Hello, Willow.”
“Hello, Agent McGee,” greeted the red head - Willow.
“Probie,” Tony reprimanded, keeping his smiling face turned towards Willow. “you never told me you knew Willow, here.”
“I don't tell you a lot of things, Tony,” answered McGee, sounding slightly smug. Tony refrained from narrowing his eyes at the tone; he'd have to do something about that - later.
“As Senior Field Agent, it's my duty to know everything you do, Probie,” announced Tony, stressing the 'senior field agent' part. He really needed to start keeping a closer eye on McGee - he was getting too uppity and disrespectful.
“Willow's the summer intern for IT,” said McGee after a moment. The tone he used was of more interest to Tony than the pause, because it clearly stated 'I know something you don't know'.
That was unacceptable, but again, he'd deal with McGee later.
“Really,” Tony drawled out, making sure to smile extra wide at Willow, drawing her attention back to him, “so has anyone shown you where they sell the really good coffee, because there's this great little coffee shop around the corner that makes a fantastic latte - the perfect combination of espresso and hot milk, topped by the most exquisite foam - I could show you if you like-”
He broke off his invitation when he saw her eyes go wide and her lips part in genuine surprise - like she hadn't ever been invited to coffee. Not that 'coffee' for him was the same as 'coffee' for everyone else, but that was part of his charm.
It wasn't only her surprise that stopped him, though. He could feel Kate's glare nailing him in the side of the head, and the frown coming from McGee, off to his side.
But then he saw Willow's eyes, which had been fixed on his face, flick to some spot off to his left, and Tony felt his blood run cold, because now he could feel it.
The prickly sensation on the back of his neck, the twitch between his shoulder blades and the laser blue stare that was currently boring its way through the back of his head.
Gibbs was behind him.
“Hi, Boss,” he greeted, turning around with a forced grin. He was waiting for the slap to the back of the head, but it never came. That, combined with the fierce glare from the ex-Marine, told Tony just how badly he'd screwed up, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. He'd flirted and asked out women at work before, and Gibbs had never cared - what was it about this intern that made this time any different?
“Do you have my murder weapon, DiNozzo?” Gibbs barked out after a full sixty seconds of full-on 'Gibbs Glare'.
“Abby's running it now, Boss.” he said, trying to unobtrusively inch his way back to his desk.
“Good.” Gibbs said in that same angry voice. “The victim had a girlfriend - find her!”
The glare followed him all the way back to his desk, where he used one of his monitors as a shield between him and Gibbs, trying to ignore a smirking Kate in the desk across from him.
“So how does this work?”
For a second, Tony thought the question was directed at him, but realized that Gibbs had never used that tone of voice with him or any other agent. Chancing a glance over the top of his monitor, Tony saw he was talking to Willow. He was bent over her shoulder, watching as she pointed to something on one of the computer screens while explaining in a low voice.
A quick look from Gibbs had him back on his 'task', but half his attention was focussed on the bits of conversation he could hear from Gibbs' desk. She was apparently explaining the new software she'd installed on his system, that let him transfer information between his phone, PDA and computer. Most agents had that same software, though very few used it to its full potential.
He'd personally thought there'd be ice skating in Hell before Gibbs ever joined the rest of the tech-literate.
“Are you sure no one will be able to hack this stuff?” Tony heard Gibbs ask. It was a valid question, one most agents had when it came to their personal notes and contacts. The usual answer involved techno-babble about passwords and firewalls, with the additional comments that this system was still more secure than their handwritten notebooks had ever been.
“Agent McGee and Abby combined couldn't hack this sucker in under a day without a supercomputer and some super good luck,” That surprised Tony enough for him to risk the wrath of Gibbs again. All he saw for his efforts was a smug intern and an equally smug Gibbs. A quick look at McGee showed him a disgruntled NCIS agent whose abilities had been impugned, and Tony figured if it had been anyone else's phone, McGee would have stolen it to prove he could hack it.
“Is that it?” Gibbs asked, and Tony could see him turning the phone over in his hands.
“Umhmm,” murmured Willow, clearing off the desk of non-Gibbs litter.
“New phone.” Gibbs commented.
“Tougher construction. Should withstand even you.” confirmed Willow, and again Tony risked Gibbs' glares to see what was going on, though Kate and McGee were, too, so he didn't feel so bad.
They were staring at each other; rather, Gibbs was using his 'what did you say?!' , narrow-eyed stare. He couldn't tell what Willow was doing back, but whatever it was was a good counterpoint, because after a minute Gibbs' lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile which he held back.
“You almost done for the day?” Gibbs asked, his face relaxing as he let the matter drop.
“Give me twenty minutes?” answered Willow, moving from behind Gibbs' desk. A confirmation from Gibbs, and then she was gone, leaving a confused Tony behind.
Seeing that he was once again the focus of Gibbs' attention, Tony slumped behind his monitor, crouching low to avoid the gaze. The rapid typing of his keyboard provided good cover for him as he tried to sort out what had just happened.
A glance at McGee showed the same confusion, which soothed Tony somewhat.
However, when he glanced at Kate, he was arrested by the sight of one of the few things guaranteed to cause his blood to boil - and not in the good way.
Kate was smirking. At him.
She knew something and wasn't telling.
This meant war!
END
Author: Lyl (lyl_devil)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes occasionally.
Prompt table -> HERE
Prompt - 063: Computer
Words: 1655
Summary: “It's not my fault there's a heat wave and a garbage strike at the same time.”
~!~
Tony DiNozzo was having a bad day. An early call to a gruesome crime scene had only been the beginning. A series of small, irritating incidences had followed, ending with the fishing expedition Gibbs had sent both him and McGee on.
Wading through seven dumpsters worth of garbage was not his idea of a fun afternoon. Especially with McGee. At least they'd found the murder weapon, so the day hadn't been a total waste.
Arriving at his desk, he threw his backpack with more force than necessary, feeling only mildly better - he'd only had time for a quick shower, and could still feel the grime seeping into his skin.
“Please tell me that smell is worth it,” commented Kate from her desk, drawing his attention.
“What, I showered!”
“You know, there's this thing floating around called 'soap', Tony,” she said, smiling that infuriating smile of hers. “you may want to look in to it.”
“I did, Kate,” he said through clenched teeth. “it's not my fault there's a heat wave and a garbage strike at the same time.”
“Aww, poor Tony,” she cooed, making him want to throw something. A small snicker from the direction of Gibbs' desk drew his attention, almost missing Kate's next question, “did you at least find something useful?”
“Yeah, Abby's working on it now,” he replied distractedly, moving slowly so he could see who would dare to sit at Gibbs' desk, because there was no way that snicker had come from Gibbs - or anyone male.
There was a cute, young red head occupying Gibbs' territory, doing something to the Boss' computer.
His day was looking up.
“Well, hello there,” he smiled, sidling up to the desk as he turned on the charm. “what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing in a place like this?”
She seemed to freeze at that, fingers poised over the keyboard as she slowly turned her head to look at him.
“Excuse me?” she said, eyes wide in surprise.
“Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo at your service,” he said, hands in his pockets, leaning against the desk separating them in a deliberate way. “I didn't catch your name.”
All he got in return were a few inarticulate sounds, before she blushed bright red.
“No one. No one important,” she said in a rush, whipping her head back to the monitor in front of her. Tony noticed that she seemed to be typing at a more frantic pace than before, her hands shaking slightly. He also thought he saw her send a desperate glance over in Kate's direction, but he couldn't be sure.
The blush was enticing, though.
“You must be new,” he said smiling widely, glimpsing the partially hidden ID card - not a visitor's pass. “because I know all the attractive women in this building.”
Her fingers faltered slightly on the keys, but that was her only tell that she'd heard him.
“Actually, should you be messing with Gibbs' computer?” he asked suddenly as the thought occurred to him.
He almost physically recoiled at the look she gave him in return, but held his ground; it was reminiscent of the ones Kate gave him, that clearly said 'You were dropped on your head as a child'.
“It's her job, Tony,” said McGee as he came up behind Tony and headed to his desk. “Hello, Willow.”
“Hello, Agent McGee,” greeted the red head - Willow.
“Probie,” Tony reprimanded, keeping his smiling face turned towards Willow. “you never told me you knew Willow, here.”
“I don't tell you a lot of things, Tony,” answered McGee, sounding slightly smug. Tony refrained from narrowing his eyes at the tone; he'd have to do something about that - later.
“As Senior Field Agent, it's my duty to know everything you do, Probie,” announced Tony, stressing the 'senior field agent' part. He really needed to start keeping a closer eye on McGee - he was getting too uppity and disrespectful.
“Willow's the summer intern for IT,” said McGee after a moment. The tone he used was of more interest to Tony than the pause, because it clearly stated 'I know something you don't know'.
That was unacceptable, but again, he'd deal with McGee later.
“Really,” Tony drawled out, making sure to smile extra wide at Willow, drawing her attention back to him, “so has anyone shown you where they sell the really good coffee, because there's this great little coffee shop around the corner that makes a fantastic latte - the perfect combination of espresso and hot milk, topped by the most exquisite foam - I could show you if you like-”
He broke off his invitation when he saw her eyes go wide and her lips part in genuine surprise - like she hadn't ever been invited to coffee. Not that 'coffee' for him was the same as 'coffee' for everyone else, but that was part of his charm.
It wasn't only her surprise that stopped him, though. He could feel Kate's glare nailing him in the side of the head, and the frown coming from McGee, off to his side.
But then he saw Willow's eyes, which had been fixed on his face, flick to some spot off to his left, and Tony felt his blood run cold, because now he could feel it.
The prickly sensation on the back of his neck, the twitch between his shoulder blades and the laser blue stare that was currently boring its way through the back of his head.
Gibbs was behind him.
“Hi, Boss,” he greeted, turning around with a forced grin. He was waiting for the slap to the back of the head, but it never came. That, combined with the fierce glare from the ex-Marine, told Tony just how badly he'd screwed up, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. He'd flirted and asked out women at work before, and Gibbs had never cared - what was it about this intern that made this time any different?
“Do you have my murder weapon, DiNozzo?” Gibbs barked out after a full sixty seconds of full-on 'Gibbs Glare'.
“Abby's running it now, Boss.” he said, trying to unobtrusively inch his way back to his desk.
“Good.” Gibbs said in that same angry voice. “The victim had a girlfriend - find her!”
The glare followed him all the way back to his desk, where he used one of his monitors as a shield between him and Gibbs, trying to ignore a smirking Kate in the desk across from him.
“So how does this work?”
For a second, Tony thought the question was directed at him, but realized that Gibbs had never used that tone of voice with him or any other agent. Chancing a glance over the top of his monitor, Tony saw he was talking to Willow. He was bent over her shoulder, watching as she pointed to something on one of the computer screens while explaining in a low voice.
A quick look from Gibbs had him back on his 'task', but half his attention was focussed on the bits of conversation he could hear from Gibbs' desk. She was apparently explaining the new software she'd installed on his system, that let him transfer information between his phone, PDA and computer. Most agents had that same software, though very few used it to its full potential.
He'd personally thought there'd be ice skating in Hell before Gibbs ever joined the rest of the tech-literate.
“Are you sure no one will be able to hack this stuff?” Tony heard Gibbs ask. It was a valid question, one most agents had when it came to their personal notes and contacts. The usual answer involved techno-babble about passwords and firewalls, with the additional comments that this system was still more secure than their handwritten notebooks had ever been.
“Agent McGee and Abby combined couldn't hack this sucker in under a day without a supercomputer and some super good luck,” That surprised Tony enough for him to risk the wrath of Gibbs again. All he saw for his efforts was a smug intern and an equally smug Gibbs. A quick look at McGee showed him a disgruntled NCIS agent whose abilities had been impugned, and Tony figured if it had been anyone else's phone, McGee would have stolen it to prove he could hack it.
“Is that it?” Gibbs asked, and Tony could see him turning the phone over in his hands.
“Umhmm,” murmured Willow, clearing off the desk of non-Gibbs litter.
“New phone.” Gibbs commented.
“Tougher construction. Should withstand even you.” confirmed Willow, and again Tony risked Gibbs' glares to see what was going on, though Kate and McGee were, too, so he didn't feel so bad.
They were staring at each other; rather, Gibbs was using his 'what did you say?!' , narrow-eyed stare. He couldn't tell what Willow was doing back, but whatever it was was a good counterpoint, because after a minute Gibbs' lips twitched in the beginnings of a smile which he held back.
“You almost done for the day?” Gibbs asked, his face relaxing as he let the matter drop.
“Give me twenty minutes?” answered Willow, moving from behind Gibbs' desk. A confirmation from Gibbs, and then she was gone, leaving a confused Tony behind.
Seeing that he was once again the focus of Gibbs' attention, Tony slumped behind his monitor, crouching low to avoid the gaze. The rapid typing of his keyboard provided good cover for him as he tried to sort out what had just happened.
A glance at McGee showed the same confusion, which soothed Tony somewhat.
However, when he glanced at Kate, he was arrested by the sight of one of the few things guaranteed to cause his blood to boil - and not in the good way.
Kate was smirking. At him.
She knew something and wasn't telling.
This meant war!
END