Title: Pushing His Buttons

Author: Tearsofamiko

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Nope. (But I want them, Mother. I really do.)

Spoilers: No, not really. But it's set shortly after The Curse.

Summary: What happens when a line is crossed?

"Gibbs! Why does he always get away with stuff like that! I mean, come on!"

It had been a long day and, as Tony just grinned at her, she huffed and debated throwing her stapler at him. Instead, she glared at him. It didn't seem to faze Tony, who just leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head, and Gibbs didn't even look up from the file he was reviewing.

"Come on, Kate," Tony teased. "Can't take the heat?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at him. Even working with the Secret Service, she'd never met anyone who pushed her buttons quite like DiNozzo. And the apparent lack of evidence for why the playboy was Senior Field Agent, coupled with his incessant questions, innuendoes, and jokes, really grated on her.

"At least I don't bank on being teacher's pet," she sniped back. "I actually work, you know. Take the initiative?"

"Enough, Kate." She glanced over to see Gibbs watching DiNozzo with an unreadable expression. Curious, she glanced back at Tony.

Something about him had changed. The easy smile he'd been wearing was frozen now, his eyes harder and colder than she'd ever seen them, and lines of tension had risen along his jaw. Of a sudden, he was completely alien to her and the difference scared her. As he slowly rose, all annoyance drained out of her and, slightly nervous, she leaned back in her chair. Never once taking his eyes off her, he stepped around his desk.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said quietly, a warning in his low, almost dangerous voice. Kate vaguely registered that Gibbs had stood and planted his hands on his desk as she watched her partner. "Go see if Ducky has anything else for us."

Tony hesitated at Gibbs' command, a flicker of something dangerous showing in his eyes as a muscle flexed in his cheek, then swept past Kate's desk, headed for the elevators. Kate looked at Gibbs, completely confused and concerned about DiNozzo. Their eyes met before Gibbs moved to follow his field agent.

"You crossed the line, Kate," he threw over his shoulder as she stared into the silence left in their wake.

Sweeping through the doors into Autopsy, Gibbs caught sight of his field agent. On the floor against the wall, elbows resting on his knees, glaring at the opposite wall, Tony gave no indication he knew his boss was there. Gibbs looked at Ducky, an eyebrow raised, and the ME motioned for them to step into the hallway. Gibbs leveled one last look at the silent agent, then followed the ME.

"He say anything, Duck?"

"No, Jethro," the ME replied. "He simply walked in and sat down. What happened?"

"The usual, but Kate pushed him too far."

"Ah. His father?"

"She basically said he doesn't do anything."

"Oh, dear. Yes, I can see why that would bother him." Ducky sighed. "For all her training, dear Caitlin can be quite oblivious."

"You think, Duck?"

"Give her time, Jethro. It's only been a month."

Gibbs slanted Ducky a narrow-eyed look, then turned and walked back into Autopsy. Abruptly, he turned around, almost running into Ducky as he headed to the elevator. Confused, the ME glanced into the room, then shook his head.

"Don't be too hard on the boy, Jethro," he said to the empty room.

"Abs, have you seen DiNozzo?"

"No, but Gibbs –"

"Later, Abby."

As the elevator doors slid shut behind him again, Gibbs' cell phone rang. With a sigh, he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the Caller ID. Frowning he flipped open the phone and answered it.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"He's in the gym, Gibbs."

"Abby..."

"You only asked if I'd seen him. He called. Actually he texted me. You know, sent a little email with his phone? Yeah, really little, like a very short message. I mean, I know that texts are supposed to be short but –"

"Abby! Do you know where he is?"

"Oh! In the gym."

Gibbs closed the phone and dropped it back into his pocket. The elevator ascended a few more levels, then opened its doors to reveal the squad room. Glancing around as he walked over to the stairwell, he saw Kate still sitting at her desk, her head bent over as she worked on something. He nodded to himself, almost relieved that DiNozzo hadn't come back to confront her. Reaching the doorway to the stairs, Gibbs jogged down a few levels to the Agency's gym.

To his surprise, Gibbs found his senior field agent flat on his back on the mats. Instinct forced a survey of the room and the emptiness revealed boded well for the coming conversation but not for Tony's position on the floor. Careful of the mood in the room, Gibbs walked in and leaned against the wall nearest the prone agent. Silence reigned, both men content to wait until the other broke the stillness.

"You know, my father used to say the same things," Tony muttered, as much to himself as Gibbs, as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He was completely exhausted; chasing renegade sailors through crowded shopping malls did tend to have that effect. And Kate's words in the bullpen had slipped past his barriers, pressing buttons that were amazingly sensitive after being the one to finally catch up with the bad guy in the end. "Yeah, to him, I was lazy, mostly because I cared more about my sports than school. Not that I didn't care about school. It's just easier to see the results of your efforts when you're playing a game, you know."

Gibbs just watched him speak. He offered no other encouragement than his presence and it seemed to be enough to DiNozzo. With the tough case they were working, a chance for DiNozzo to vent now seemed the best way to handle things. Besides, what happened in the bullpen didn't need to happen again; working it out now was better for everyone. So Gibbs listened. And learned a little more about his agent.

"You know, I don't think anything I ever did made him happy? My grades weren't high enough, I didn't have the right friends. I looked like his dead wife. I didn't want to go to an Ivy League school. And the real kicker? I wanted to be in 'law enforcement.' Ha!" Tony's voice became more bitter with each failure, until the last words fairly dripped with it, a venom born of a father's denial and a child's abandonment. He trailed off, scowling at the floor, and the two sat in silence for a time. "And I'm still a failure, right? The teacher's pet that relies on charm more than brains?! I just sit on my butt till I'm told what's doin', right Katie?!" The words cracked with a dark edge that stood Gibbs' hair on end.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs' firm tone cut through DiNozzo's tirade, brought the younger agent back from whatever edge he'd teetered on. Tired, wary green eyes swung to meet Gibbs' blue ones in the ringing silence. "You got my six?"

Something flickered in those green eyes and the harsh lines of tension relaxed. Tony nodded once, his eyes still locked with Gibbs'. Gibbs inclined his head in response, then pushed off the wall and offered the younger agent a hand. A genuine grin filled Tony's face, one not meant to charm or entice, and he accepted the assistance to his feet. With that simple question, Gibbs had given Tony what he desperately needed when the demons broke free: reassurance that he had a purpose and a value to someone. Side by side, the two agents walked back up the stairs to the bullpen to finish their paperwork.

Halfway to the squad room, Gibbs' hand connected firmly with the back of DiNozzo's head.

"Ah!" Tony flinched, then looked at Gibbs. "What was that for?"

Gibbs just smirked and shook his head, jogging ahead into the bullpen. As he settled into his chair, he finally answered the question.

"Pushing buttons, DiNozzo."