Chapter Twelve: Before The Storm
McGee wandered into the bedroom and frowned, seeing his lover sprawled out on their bed, rubbing his ever-growing stomach. The older man groaned, rolling over onto his side and burping loudly as his stomach audibly rumbled. "Sorry." Tony apologized, seeing the flash of sympathy that crossed McGee's face.
"It's fine, T." He said, moving toward the bed and sitting next to the Italian. "What's the matter? Not feeling well?"
Tony groaned again, rolling back against the pillow he had propped up behind him. "'M fine, just a little indigestion. Shouldn't have eaten that burrito earlier."
McGee leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tony's forehead, smiling against his skin. "I told you," He said teasingly as he pulled away, his grin still in place.
"Glad you find my discomfort so amusing," he frowned, attempting to stifle another burp. "Ugh. Last time I'm eating a burrito."
"Uh huh. You said that last time."
"Well I really mean it this time."
"We'll see."
Another quiet groan escaped Tony as he dropped his head back against the pillows, his hand resting against his belly. "Wouldn't be so bad if he'd quit moving around in there," he complained.
Reaching over, McGee rested his hand beside his lover's, grinning when he felt the fluttering against his hand. "I don't know, T. I think it's pretty cool."
Tony pushed his hand away with a huff before turning so his back was to the younger man. "Yeah, it's cool to you because you don't have him playing kickball with your bladder at three thirty in the morning or acting like he's gonna climb out of your stomach like something from Alien!"
"Tony..." McGee sighed softly as he reached out, resting a hand on his back. "You know if I could do this for you, I would in a heartbeat."
"Yeah well you cant," Tony muttered bitterly as he pulled away from his lover's touch.
McGee ignored his angry tone as he shifted on the bed, laying down beside him. Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around him, pulling him back against his chest as he rubbed his stomach gently.
"You know what'll make you feel better?" He asked quietly, grinning as he felt Tony relaxing beside him.
"What?"
"If we go out and get some fresh air. We can go catch a movie or something."
"I don't want to," Tony responded stubbornly. "I want to stay in bed."
"Come on T," McGee pleaded, his arm tightening around his lover. "We never go out anywhere! You can't just lay in bed all weekend."
The older man snorted, though he didn't pull away. "Watch me."
"Please?" He tried again as he leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Come on, Tony. I'll even watch Magnum with you when we get back if we can just go out for a little while."
Tony pulled away with an irritated sigh. "You aren't going to leave me alone until I get up, are you?"
"Probably not," McGee conceded, barely able to contain his grin.
"Fine. Whatever. But one movie, McGee, and then we're coming back home. And I get to pick."
"Deal," McGee said, leaning over to peck the older man's cheek before he pushed himself off the bed. "You'd probably feel a little better after a quick shower," he suggested, offering his hand.
Tony groaned again as he took his lover's hand and climbed out of the bed, resting a hand on his lower back as the baby kicked again. "I'm not convinced that he likes me very much."
McGee frowned, rubbing his back gently. "Go jump in the shower. I'll pick out some clothes for you and we'll go."
"Okay," Tony grumbled, peeling off his shirt as he walked into the bathroom.
Sinking down onto the bed when he closed the door behind him, McGee released a sigh and ran a tired hand over his face.
Tony had become increasingly moodier over the course of his pregnancy, and really, McGee couldn't blame him. The weight gain alone, hadn't been easy on the usually fit older man, and being confined to desk duty hadn't helped.
He walked over to the closet and sifted through the ridiculous amount of clothes that hung there, trying to find an outfit for his lover. After several minutes of internal debates, he finally settled on a green button up dress shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans, hoping Tony would approve.
Clothes in hand, he made his way over to the bathroom and pushed the door open slowly, grinning when he saw his lover standing at the sink, a towel wrapped around him.
"See? Aren't you feeling better?"
"No," the older man replied stubbornly as he brushed his teeth, his face set in a frown. "This is stupid. I don't wanna go out."
It was all McGee could do to keep from groaning out loud as he stepped into the room, laying the clothes on the counter. "We won't stay out long," he promised. "Just a quick movie, okay?"
"Those stupid theater chairs are going to make my back hurt!" He complained, dropping the towel to the floor.
Stepping closer, McGee rested his hand on his lover's back, grinning as a he pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. "I'll give you a back rub when we get home," he promised.
"Yeah, you'd better give me more than a massage," he muttered. With a loud sigh, Tony dropped his tooth brush back into the holder and snatched the clothes off the counter. He pulled the jeans on quickly, grunting in irritation as he barely managed to snap them. "Guess I'm not getting much more use out of these."
Snatching the shirt up, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What the hell? I'm not wearing this."
"It looks good on you."
"It makes me look like a fat ass! I'm not wearing it."
"Tony," McGee sighed, trying desperately to keep his voice neutral. "Please, please don't do this. It doesn't make you look fat. It looks nice. Please just put it on."
"I don't WANT to!"
"You're acting like a five year old again," the younger man pointed out as he leaned against the counter, watching as his lover's frown deepened before he threw the shirt at him and stalked out of the bathroom.
"Fine! I'm not going then! You go watch your stupid movie by yourself!"
Dropping his head to his chest, McGee mentally kicked himself. "Tony!" He groaned as he followed after him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it!"
"You wouldn't have said it if you didn't mean it!" Tony spat as he sank down onto the mattress, his back to his partner.
"Tony..."
"Just... shut up! You don't... you have no idea how much this sucks! None of my stupid clothes fit! My back is always hurting! I have to pee fifty million times in one day! I have random people--people who I don't even talk to!-- always coming up and touching my stomach because he never stops kicking!"
"Tony, I--"
"I'm tired, Tim! I'm tired, and I don't feel good and I might be acting like a five year old, but right now, I really don't give a shit."
McGee didn't say anything as he rounded the bed and sank down onto the mattress beside him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulder, tugging him closer before he pressed a gentle kiss to his shoulder again. "I'm sorry, okay? Really, I am. I know this isn't easy on you, T. I just thought that maybe if we went out for a little awhile, you might be able to take your mind off of all that other stuff for awhile, you know? I didn't mean to upset you."
"I know," he sighed as he rested his head against McGee's shoulder, closing his eyes as he began to relax against his touch.
"Are we good now?" McGee asked as he reached up, raking his fingers through his lover's hair.
"Yeah. We're good," Tony said as he pulled away, pushing himself to his feet slowly. "But I'm still not wearing that shirt."
OoOoOoOoO
"Why are we stopping here?" Tony asked, unable to keep the whine out of his voice as McGee pulled up in front of Ziva's apartment building.
"We're only staying for a second," McGee promised, as he leaned over, pressing a kiss to his lover's cheek. "I promised her I'd stop by and take a look at her computer."
"Well fine," Tony huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll sit out here and wait then."
"Come on Tony. It's chilly outside. Just come in for a minute, okay? I promise I won't be long."
"I don't want to go in! I want to go see this stupid movie and then go home!"
McGee dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He'd known, from the minute Ziva and Abby had brought up the whole 'baby shower' thing, that it was going to be a bad idea. "Tony..." he tried again, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep his temper in check.
Sure, he knew how difficult this whole thing was on his partner, but Jesus God, it was starting to become difficult for him too!
"I'm not going in!"
"Fine," McGee snorted as he unlatched his seatbelt. "Fine. Sit out here then. See if I care!" He turned the car off and snatched the key from the ignition before he climbed out, slamming the door with a little more force than necessary.
He had tried being patient and understanding, but apparently, Tony wasn't willing to be reasonable. Fine. He could be unreasonable too.
Tony watched in surprise as his lover rounded the front of the car before making his way up to the entrance, never even glancing back.
"Asshole," he muttered under his breath as he unhooked his seatbelt and pushed the car door open, climbing out slowly with a groan. "Stupid midget cars!"
Tony stepped up to the door behind McGee just as he was ringing the doorbell, slightly out of breath from trying to catch up to the younger man.
"Thought you weren't coming." He mumbled, not making eye contact with his lover.
The Italian frowned, looking down at his hands. "Yeah, well, you know...it was hot in the car."
McGee scoffed, looking over at the slightly taller man. "You coulda rolled the windows down."
"You took the keys."
"Hm," McGee mused, barely able to keep the smirk off of his face. "I guess I did, huh?"
Tony didn't even bother to try to hide his scowl, though he quickly schooled his face into a casual grin as Ziva pulled the door open.
"I cannot thank you enough for stopping by, McGee," the Israeli greeted before she turned to Tony, offering him a kind smile. "Hello Tony."
"Zee-vah," he greeted with a slight nod of his head as he pushed past his lover to follow her in.
McGee didn't bother to contain his sigh as he followed after the pair, silently praying that Tony's bad mood wouldn't ruin Abby and Ziva's surprise.
----
Tony glared back at his lover as they finally reached the third floor before he followed Ziva out of the stairwell, attempting to keep his breathing under control.
"I am sorry," Ziva apologized, her face set in a frown as she touched Tony's shoulder gently. "I do not take the elevator so I was unaware that it was broken."
"Hey, no problem!" Tony managed. "I could... Use the exercise."
"Well..." she started, though she stopped when she saw McGee shake his head. "I uh.. I am still sorry."
The older man leaned against the wall as Ziva made a show of unlocking the door.
"Thank you so much for coming, McGee," Ziva said again, her voice carrying loudly in the empty hallway.
"No need to shout," Tony said, cocking an eyebrow as she finally turned the key, shoving the door open. Pushing himself off the wall, he followed after the Israeli into the dark apartment. "We're standing--"
"SURPRISE!"
Tony stood in the doorway, surprised to see everyone standing in Ziva's living room, blue and green streamers covering the ceiling and walls. "Jesus." He hissed, turning to McGee. "You knew?"
"Yeah, I did. It's a nice gesture, huh?" The younger man beamed, wrapping his arm around his lover's waist and leading him into the living room.
Tony forced a smile. "Oh yeah. You guys didn't have to do all this."
"Of course we did! We're your friends, and it's about time we gave this baby a proper celebration!" Abby gushed, running over and giving Tony a hug.
"Wow..." He said, patting Abby's back awkwardly. "T...Thanks guys."
Pulling away, the Goth reached for his hand and tugged him further into the room.
Tony spotted his boss sitting somewhat uncomfortably on Ziva's couch, his face set in a grimace. He made a move towards the couch, frowning when Abby pulled him in the direction of the hard backed wooden chair in the middle of the floor.
"Abby, I don't--"
"Don't be silly, T. Sit!"
Grabbing him by the shoulders, she guided her pregnant friend into the chair, offering him a bright smile.
"Abs, really I--" Glancing past her shoulder, he shot McGee a helpless look, silently praying that he would rescue him.
"Sit! You want something to drink? I bet you're hungry, huh?" She asked as she rested her hand against his stomach, grinning when the baby kicked against her hand. "I can't believe how big you're getting!"
"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, grinning at the dark haired agent. "Kinda looks like a beer gut, even though you can't drink," he teased.
McGee watched, slightly horrified, as Tony's face fell, his green eyes narrowing as he pushed himself out of the chair with a little difficulty, brushing Abby's hand away.
"Tony..." McGee warned as the older man took a step towards the medical assistant.
"I'm sorry Timmy. I couldn't quite hear Palmer from where I was sitting. What was that, J--"
"DiNozzo."
Stopping at the sound of his boss' voice, Tony turned, his face set in a scowl. "What?"
The older man cocked an eyebrow at his Senior Agent as he pushed himself to his feet. "With me."
It was all Tony could do to keep from stomping his foot as he followed Gibbs into the kitchen, missing the pointed stare that his boss threw to the over excited Goth.
"Sit." Gibbs said, pointing to one of the stools sitting at the bar.
Tony did as he was told, scowling at his boss. "I didn't do anything wrong, Boss. Everyone's on my case--"
"I know." The silver-haired man spoke quietly, leaning against the counter. "Look, Tony. I know you don't wanna be here."
The younger man chuckled darkly. "You got that right." He spat, crossing his arms over his chest.
Gibbs shot him a harsh look from across the small room and he immediately got the hint. "Sorry Boss."
"Don't be sorry. Abby worked her butt off doin' this for you." He crossed the kitchen and leaned close to Tony, resting his hands on the countertop. "Do I really need to tell you what'll happen if you ruin this for her?"
The Senior Agent dropped his gaze to the countertop, playing with his fingers. "No, I know. I'll never hear the end of it, I'm sure."
The older man cracked a half-smile and shook his head. "Ah." He said. "You do know her then."
"I've been on the receiving end of more than one of Abby's disappointments, Gibbs. I know what she's capable of."
"Good. Then how 'bout we both try to stay off her shit list, hmm?"
----
Despite the fact that the evening had gotten off to such a terrible start, McGee was pleased to see his lover truly making an effort to enjoy himself, at least for Abby and Ziva's benefit.
"And this," Ziva announced proudly as she handed Tony the last wrapped package, "is from me."
McGee watched as Tony shifted uncomfortably in the wooden chair, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "You guys really didn't have to this... But thank you," he said as he tore the package open.
"C'mon T!" Abby urged impatiently from where she was perched on Gibbs' knee. "Rip that sucker open!"
Cocking an eyebrow at his raven haired friend, Tony ripped off the remaining paper, his eyes widening at the package in his hands.
"Is this...?"
"Do you like it?" Ziva asked, smiling hopefully at her friend. "It is never too early to start a knife collection."
"Wow," McGee said, forcing a smile as he plucked the small box from his lover's hand. "This... Wow. This knife is great. Thanks, Ziva!"
The party guests all fell into an uncomfortable silence until Jimmy spoke up.
"Who buys a baby a knife?"
Ziva's face fell slightly. "You do not like it," she said quietly. "I am sorry. I just thought that perhaps--"
"Uh... Don't be stupid," Tony said, glaring at the young medical assistant. "We love it. He'll love it too, I'm sure. He'll definitely be the uh... Most dangerous baby on the playground."
"Well," McGee said, forcing a smile as he dropped a hand onto his lover's shoulder. "You guys... Really outdid yourselves. Seriously. Thank you so much."
Launching herself off of Gibbs' lap, Abby crossed the room and threw her arms around Tony's neck, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You swear you had fun?" She asked.
"Of course, Abs. You and Ziva are the best. Thank you," he said as he pecked her cheek.
"Are you sure that the present is okay?" Ziva asked worriedly. "I can take it back and get something a little more...juvenile."
Patting Abby's hip gently, Tony waited until the Goth climbed off his lap before he pushed himself to his feet slowly, biting back a groan at the painful twinge in his back.
"Nope. I love it, Zee-vah," he assured her as he wrapped her up in a hug, before pressing a kiss to her cheek as well. "Thank you for the baby shower."
"It was not a problem, Tony. We enjoyed doing it, yes?" Ziva said,
glancing at Abby who was nodding.
McGee hugged both of the women. "It means a lot to us. Thanks."
Reaching over to Tony, he took his lover's hand and smiled. "Ready to
go, T?"
"Sure am." He said, plastering his most convincing smile of the
evening on his face as McGee picked up the bag full of gifts and
headed to the door. "See you guys tomorrow!"
The couple walked down the stairs to the parking lot at Ziva's
apartment and climbed into the car.
"Ready for your back massage, baby?" The younger man asked, a sly grin on his face.
Tony rubbed his rounded stomach and smiled at his lover. "You betcha.
And you owe me...double because you tricked me!"
OoOoOoO
Stepping into the bedroom, McGee offered his lover a sympathetic smile as he crossed the room and sank down onto the mattress behind him.
"Long evening, huh?" He asked, resting a hand on the other man's back.
"Mmhm," Tony agreed, closing his eyes as he sighed softly.
"You feeling any better?"
"Mmm. Stomach does. Back hurts though."
Leaning down, McGee pressed a gentle kiss to his shoulder, nudging him gently. "You ready for that massage? If you can turn over a little more, I'll take care of you."
Not needing to be told twice, Tony shifted as much as possible on the bed, hugging a pillow to his chest.
A quiet moan escaped him as he felt McGee's hands massaged his aching back.
"Oh God that feels good," he moaned.
McGee couldn't help but grin as he pressed another kiss to his lover's shoulder.
"You like that, T?"
"Yes," he mumbled, gripping the pillow a little tighter as McGee's hands moved lower.
Tony could feel himself growing hard as his lover's lips attacked his neck, the younger man pressing their bodies close together.
"Mmm," McGee moaned quietly as he draped an arm around Tony's expanding waist, holding him in place. "I want you."
Shifting in McGee's arms, Tony kissed him hard, moaning against his lips. "Need you. Now," he ordered, his words muffled against his lover's lips.
"How?"
"You on top. It'll probably be easier."
"You sure about that?"
"Think of it this way...'Least we don't have to worry about me gettin' any more pregnant."
Chapter End Notes:
A/n: Hello! Did you guys miss me?! :) Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. I'm finishing up with this story now (I know, sad face, huh? :() and because of that, I'm having a hard time writing! It's so hard to say goodbye! Anyway, you shouldn't feel too sad because I have something awesome in mind after this story is finished :)
Thank you, as always to my bffl Kelley for helping me get this chapter out of my head and for encouraging me to write *cough*HEADSLAP*cough* when I wanted to slack. And thank you to everyone who took five seconds out to send me a review after they finished reading. I can't even BEGIN to tell you how happy it makes me when I open my little inbox up and see a review there! Keep 'em coming! They really do inspire me to write faster! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and remember: Tony loves reviews more than back massages and McGee :)
Thank you, as always to my bffl Kelley for helping me get this chapter out of my head and for encouraging me to write *cough*HEADSLAP*cough* when I wanted to slack. And thank you to everyone who took five seconds out to send me a review after they finished reading. I can't even BEGIN to tell you how happy it makes me when I open my little inbox up and see a review there! Keep 'em coming! They really do inspire me to write faster! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and remember: Tony loves reviews more than back massages and McGee :)