Fic:Worthless
Title: Worthless
Rating: PG/T (minor language not directly abusive)
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Focus DiNozzo, DiNozzo/rest of team, DiNozzo/Gibbs
Spoilers: No specific spoilers, refers to some of season 5
Words: 1,509
Type: One-shot, general
Summary: Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo hadn’t been having a good day. He stood there trying to see what Timothy McGee and Ziva David had exactly meant by their remarks and secretive glances to each other. This was starting to bug him, they had been toying with him all day…
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo hadn’t been having a good day. He stood there trying to see what Timothy McGee and Ziva David had exactly meant by their remarks and secretive glances to each other. This was starting to bug him, they had been toying with him all day…and now he believed they were inferring that he was worthless? Him? He had saved countless of people’s lives, locked up hundreds of bad guys, helped clean the streets of those unfortunate souls who tried to mess up other peoples’ lives and here they were telling him he was worthless? Oh the indignity! He squared his shoulders and walked into the bullpen staring them down…well staring down McGee, Ziva would have to wait for when he felt slightly more confident in his abilities. Tony was growing more frustrated as the second passed McGee was barely glancing at him! He was ignoring Tony’s ice stare! What the hell was happening?! Tony looked around and saw that they were alone. No Gibbs. Good he thought. Then again he wasn’t too sure if it was good, Gibbs might put these two back in their places if he knew what they had been up to. He grinned momentarily. Then it fell away as he saw Ziva and McGee walking away towards the lift they took to get to Abby’s lab. They hadn’t even asked him to go with them!
But why would they he scolded himself. If they believed him worthless, why would they bother getting him? Tony knew he wasn’t worthless…hell he had even saved both Ziva and McGee’s lives on more than one occasion! But he still seemed to need reassurance that he wasn’t totally worthless. He supposed that was why he had played up to the playboy and jock stereotype so much in his past. To please the women meant that he was worth something to them and by landing the best women he showed the guys around him that he was good, the best even! Definitely not worthless! But after his undercover stint a while ago for Director Sheppard he felt as if he didn’t need to prove anyone his worth as much. But at times like these he couldn’t help but feel slightly vulnerable and question whether or not he was truly worth anything to anyone?
He was still standing there in the same spot when Gibbs walked to his desk and sat down. Gibbs looked up at Tony standing lost in thought in the middle of the bull pen.
‘Got any work DiNozzo?’ Gibbs questioned raising an eyebrow.
Tony realized he had been standing this whole time and not moved an inch. He mumbled and sat down at his desk pulling open his e-mails. He glanced up at Gibbs and was met with a strong set of eyes staring him down. He wriggled in his seat uncomfortable under Gibbs’s stare. He looked back at his computer screen trying to concentrate.
‘What is it DiNozzo?’ Gibbs prompted.
Tony looked up surprised. ‘Nothing Boss.’
‘Sure doesn’t look like nothing DiNozzo’.
Tony coughed. ‘Yeah well. It is.’
‘Tony. Just spit it out because you and I both know it’s not going to go away, you let these things eat at you. You know it. I know it.’
Tony sighed, and then looked up at Gibbs. ‘Ziva and McGee like me yeah boss? It’s just lately…they’ve been…’
Gibbs raised his eyes to meet Tony’s and realized he was being serious when he saw the resigned look on his face and put that with the fact he’d called McGee by his actual name and not something made up. ‘Tony, what the hell’s brought this on?’
Tony looked away and didn’t speak, he felt embarrassed he’d even mentioned it now.
McGee and Ziva walked back to their desks as Tony looked up again.
‘So Tony…got your transfer ready yet?’ Ziva provoked smirking.
‘Hey, yeah I heard Director has somebody from IT department lined up for your position…you know how much he likes the IT geeks.’ McGee grinned at Tony.
Tony wouldn’t let them see how much he was confused and hurting he schooled his face into a blank expression pretending to not have heard them.
‘Ziva! McGee! Gear up you’ve got a head start processing a scene out in Quantico. Freeny Field. Petty Officer and a civilian.’ As Ziva took the papers from Gibbs.
McGee and Ziva headed off but turned just before getting into the elevator. ‘You’ll be gone when we get back!’ Ziva called out.
‘Don’t worry we’ll have forgotten about you before you even know it! Who knows maybe they’ll even get your favorite frog to replace you…’ McGee grinned stepping into the elevator.
Tony was left speechless as he had stood to place a folder on McGee’s desk for him to sign when he got back.
The frog? They hate me that much? Why on earth were they taking it all out on me today? With almost no warning? I hadn’t done any practical jokes or anything on them in ages.
He stood staring at the desk but not taking it in. He heard a small noise but he felt so drained from all of today’s remarks and snide comments from what he had thought were his team mates…friends even! Something broke inside him. And he realized what he had never thought would be from anyone at NCIS.
They thought he was worthless.
His shoulders sagged at the thought. But he didn’t make an effort to stand up in fact he drooped further to the floor.
I’m hopeless…worthless…worse than a frog….what’s worse than a frog? He shook his head that wasn’t the point. He realized if he was going to be fired it would be from Director Vance not Gibbs. Never Gibbs. Gibbs wouldn’t fire him…would he? He slowly turned to face Gibb’s desk. He found it empty. He looked up at MTAC where had he gone?
Smack!
Tony felt a force on the back of his head; he knew at once it was Gibbs’s hand. But what had he meant by the slap this time? He stiffened and stood straight almost an immediate action to being head slapped. Something in Tony clicked and he felt an utter fool.
Gibbs would never let him be fired! Why had he even thought that! Gibbs thought he was worth keeping around. Hell he was his second in command!
‘I never believed it for a second Boss! You’d never fire me. I know.’
‘Really? Looked like you fell for it to me DiNozzo.’ Gibbs smirked.
‘Nah…just fooling around.’ Tony paused. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know why they were saying such a funny thing would you Boss? I mean…le good old frog! How funny was that? McGee really can pull a joke out once and awhile can’t he? Who else would I ever be replaced with if it wasn’t good old Froggie…cos we both know you love him as much as me don’t you Boss?’ Tony grinned.
Smack!
‘Ouch! Gibbs! You’re getting a little tough there…’
‘For not knowing why those two have been at you all day! Out of all the people I thought you’d know. Haven’t you been listening to the NCIS office gossip like an old lady DiNozzo?’
‘Office gossip me? No….haven’t done that in awhile…why?’
‘Maybe you should then. But not on my hours. I think they must be referring to the rumor of the NCIS double transfer promotion…you’re name is one of the five up for it word goes…’
Tony’s eyes bulged, ‘Promotion! Really?! Wow! Promotion…’ he looked wistfully away.
Smack! Smack!
Tony covered his head. ‘No more! No more Boss!’
He looked up and slowly lowered his arms.
‘For not realizing why those two were on your case. And thinking you’re leaving here. You ain’t going nowhere soon DiNozzo. I wouldn’t want one of the best off my team now would I? Anyway, Rutters and Jess Sullivan got the transfer and promotion respectively; got an email announcing it a moment ago.’
Tony seemed to brighten even more. ‘Ah well! Always another day.’ He smiled.
He turned to get a head start on his other closed case paperwork so that he could make McGee turn overtime to corroborate the cases and IT lingo he’d used during them. He grinned playfully ‘Oh he’d get them back…get them back good…’
Smack!
‘Damn it!’ he swore. His head was beginning to get a headache! What was it this time?!
He turned bracing for it.
‘For letting them make you think you’re worthless DiNozzo’, as Gibbs walked off to the stairs.
Tony sank into his seat face burning from embarrassment.
No. Gibbs would never say he was worthless.
He shook his head amused.
‘DiNozzo!’
Tony turned, facing Gibbs standing at the foot of the stairs.
‘You mightn’t be worthless…but you’re still an idiot.’ He walked up the stairs.
Tony chuckled. Yeah. Gibbs was always right.
He pulled up another folder hoping to be gone before his colleagues returned leaving them only with desks covered in paperwork. He smiled. He’d show them who was workless. He smirked.
Rating: PG/T (minor language not directly abusive)
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Focus DiNozzo, DiNozzo/rest of team, DiNozzo/Gibbs
Spoilers: No specific spoilers, refers to some of season 5
Words: 1,509
Type: One-shot, general
Summary: Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo hadn’t been having a good day. He stood there trying to see what Timothy McGee and Ziva David had exactly meant by their remarks and secretive glances to each other. This was starting to bug him, they had been toying with him all day…
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo hadn’t been having a good day. He stood there trying to see what Timothy McGee and Ziva David had exactly meant by their remarks and secretive glances to each other. This was starting to bug him, they had been toying with him all day…and now he believed they were inferring that he was worthless? Him? He had saved countless of people’s lives, locked up hundreds of bad guys, helped clean the streets of those unfortunate souls who tried to mess up other peoples’ lives and here they were telling him he was worthless? Oh the indignity! He squared his shoulders and walked into the bullpen staring them down…well staring down McGee, Ziva would have to wait for when he felt slightly more confident in his abilities. Tony was growing more frustrated as the second passed McGee was barely glancing at him! He was ignoring Tony’s ice stare! What the hell was happening?! Tony looked around and saw that they were alone. No Gibbs. Good he thought. Then again he wasn’t too sure if it was good, Gibbs might put these two back in their places if he knew what they had been up to. He grinned momentarily. Then it fell away as he saw Ziva and McGee walking away towards the lift they took to get to Abby’s lab. They hadn’t even asked him to go with them!
But why would they he scolded himself. If they believed him worthless, why would they bother getting him? Tony knew he wasn’t worthless…hell he had even saved both Ziva and McGee’s lives on more than one occasion! But he still seemed to need reassurance that he wasn’t totally worthless. He supposed that was why he had played up to the playboy and jock stereotype so much in his past. To please the women meant that he was worth something to them and by landing the best women he showed the guys around him that he was good, the best even! Definitely not worthless! But after his undercover stint a while ago for Director Sheppard he felt as if he didn’t need to prove anyone his worth as much. But at times like these he couldn’t help but feel slightly vulnerable and question whether or not he was truly worth anything to anyone?
He was still standing there in the same spot when Gibbs walked to his desk and sat down. Gibbs looked up at Tony standing lost in thought in the middle of the bull pen.
‘Got any work DiNozzo?’ Gibbs questioned raising an eyebrow.
Tony realized he had been standing this whole time and not moved an inch. He mumbled and sat down at his desk pulling open his e-mails. He glanced up at Gibbs and was met with a strong set of eyes staring him down. He wriggled in his seat uncomfortable under Gibbs’s stare. He looked back at his computer screen trying to concentrate.
‘What is it DiNozzo?’ Gibbs prompted.
Tony looked up surprised. ‘Nothing Boss.’
‘Sure doesn’t look like nothing DiNozzo’.
Tony coughed. ‘Yeah well. It is.’
‘Tony. Just spit it out because you and I both know it’s not going to go away, you let these things eat at you. You know it. I know it.’
Tony sighed, and then looked up at Gibbs. ‘Ziva and McGee like me yeah boss? It’s just lately…they’ve been…’
Gibbs raised his eyes to meet Tony’s and realized he was being serious when he saw the resigned look on his face and put that with the fact he’d called McGee by his actual name and not something made up. ‘Tony, what the hell’s brought this on?’
Tony looked away and didn’t speak, he felt embarrassed he’d even mentioned it now.
McGee and Ziva walked back to their desks as Tony looked up again.
‘So Tony…got your transfer ready yet?’ Ziva provoked smirking.
‘Hey, yeah I heard Director has somebody from IT department lined up for your position…you know how much he likes the IT geeks.’ McGee grinned at Tony.
Tony wouldn’t let them see how much he was confused and hurting he schooled his face into a blank expression pretending to not have heard them.
‘Ziva! McGee! Gear up you’ve got a head start processing a scene out in Quantico. Freeny Field. Petty Officer and a civilian.’ As Ziva took the papers from Gibbs.
McGee and Ziva headed off but turned just before getting into the elevator. ‘You’ll be gone when we get back!’ Ziva called out.
‘Don’t worry we’ll have forgotten about you before you even know it! Who knows maybe they’ll even get your favorite frog to replace you…’ McGee grinned stepping into the elevator.
Tony was left speechless as he had stood to place a folder on McGee’s desk for him to sign when he got back.
The frog? They hate me that much? Why on earth were they taking it all out on me today? With almost no warning? I hadn’t done any practical jokes or anything on them in ages.
He stood staring at the desk but not taking it in. He heard a small noise but he felt so drained from all of today’s remarks and snide comments from what he had thought were his team mates…friends even! Something broke inside him. And he realized what he had never thought would be from anyone at NCIS.
They thought he was worthless.
His shoulders sagged at the thought. But he didn’t make an effort to stand up in fact he drooped further to the floor.
I’m hopeless…worthless…worse than a frog….what’s worse than a frog? He shook his head that wasn’t the point. He realized if he was going to be fired it would be from Director Vance not Gibbs. Never Gibbs. Gibbs wouldn’t fire him…would he? He slowly turned to face Gibb’s desk. He found it empty. He looked up at MTAC where had he gone?
Smack!
Tony felt a force on the back of his head; he knew at once it was Gibbs’s hand. But what had he meant by the slap this time? He stiffened and stood straight almost an immediate action to being head slapped. Something in Tony clicked and he felt an utter fool.
Gibbs would never let him be fired! Why had he even thought that! Gibbs thought he was worth keeping around. Hell he was his second in command!
‘I never believed it for a second Boss! You’d never fire me. I know.’
‘Really? Looked like you fell for it to me DiNozzo.’ Gibbs smirked.
‘Nah…just fooling around.’ Tony paused. ‘You wouldn’t happen to know why they were saying such a funny thing would you Boss? I mean…le good old frog! How funny was that? McGee really can pull a joke out once and awhile can’t he? Who else would I ever be replaced with if it wasn’t good old Froggie…cos we both know you love him as much as me don’t you Boss?’ Tony grinned.
Smack!
‘Ouch! Gibbs! You’re getting a little tough there…’
‘For not knowing why those two have been at you all day! Out of all the people I thought you’d know. Haven’t you been listening to the NCIS office gossip like an old lady DiNozzo?’
‘Office gossip me? No….haven’t done that in awhile…why?’
‘Maybe you should then. But not on my hours. I think they must be referring to the rumor of the NCIS double transfer promotion…you’re name is one of the five up for it word goes…’
Tony’s eyes bulged, ‘Promotion! Really?! Wow! Promotion…’ he looked wistfully away.
Smack! Smack!
Tony covered his head. ‘No more! No more Boss!’
He looked up and slowly lowered his arms.
‘For not realizing why those two were on your case. And thinking you’re leaving here. You ain’t going nowhere soon DiNozzo. I wouldn’t want one of the best off my team now would I? Anyway, Rutters and Jess Sullivan got the transfer and promotion respectively; got an email announcing it a moment ago.’
Tony seemed to brighten even more. ‘Ah well! Always another day.’ He smiled.
He turned to get a head start on his other closed case paperwork so that he could make McGee turn overtime to corroborate the cases and IT lingo he’d used during them. He grinned playfully ‘Oh he’d get them back…get them back good…’
Smack!
‘Damn it!’ he swore. His head was beginning to get a headache! What was it this time?!
He turned bracing for it.
‘For letting them make you think you’re worthless DiNozzo’, as Gibbs walked off to the stairs.
Tony sank into his seat face burning from embarrassment.
No. Gibbs would never say he was worthless.
He shook his head amused.
‘DiNozzo!’
Tony turned, facing Gibbs standing at the foot of the stairs.
‘You mightn’t be worthless…but you’re still an idiot.’ He walked up the stairs.
Tony chuckled. Yeah. Gibbs was always right.
He pulled up another folder hoping to be gone before his colleagues returned leaving them only with desks covered in paperwork. He smiled. He’d show them who was workless. He smirked.