Title: Father's Day Weekend Blues (series) - Friday (part 1/4)
Author: clarahow // agentroxylancelots // charleybradburies (will be posted after challenge)
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Tony DiNozzo (POV), Ellie Bishop, Tim McGee, Ducky Mallard, Jimmy Palmer, Abby Sciuto, Amira
Pairing: Team, implicit Tony/Ziva, mention of Jimmy/Breena, Abby & Ellie, Ellie & Tim & Tony
Length: 500w
Rating: T
Notes: My nutritionist introduced me to the food mentioned herein, and I'm pretty sure I'll never be over it.
For: FFW Challenge #89: Family + ncis_drabble Challenge #442: Court

"Well, that was exhausting," Bishop huffs as they all are finally setting down their things, then reaches back across her desk with a grunt and pushes open a drawer,">"Well, that was exhausting," Bishop huffs as they all are finally setting down their things, then reaches back across her desk with a grunt and pushes open a drawer, out of which she pulls a Tupperware container full of...strange-looking pasta, multi-tool poised at the ready in her other hand.

"You're telling me," Tony agrees. "I almost fell asleep like, four times."

McGee groans, leaning back in his seat.

"Yeah, on top of me. Which was decidedly not cool, by the way," he grumbles as he stretches one arm forward to turn his computer on.

What a geek. He was probably going to check his work email before they got the go-ahead to leave.

"I mean, we were literally in court. To testify."

"All's well that ends well, Timmy."

Bishop ignores them, stuffing a forkful of her weird pasta in her mouth, closing her eyes, and absentmindedly moaning in pleasure.

It'll be his last chance to bug her for the day, so Tony makes the effort to keep a confused, disapproving expression in her direction until she reopens her eyes and glances across the bullpen.

"Spaghetti squash, want some?" Bishop extends the arm holding the Tupperware container in Tony's direction.

"Spaghetti...squash?" McGee asks, pausing in his typing. Naturally, that's the moment that the remainder of their current team makes it back to base camp.

"Have you boys never had any?" inquires Ducky.

"Why, if Agent Bishop is offering you certainly should try some," he adds, gesturing to Bishop, who raises her eyebrows in repeat of the offer, but both Tony and McGee shake their heads in decline. Bishop and Abby both laugh.

"You two are not adventurous at all," says Abby teasingly, pushing gently past Ducky and seating herself upon Bishop's desk, and the pair takes the friendly approach whereby Bishop forks a bunch of it into Abby's open mouth.

Like birds. Mother birds and their babies. (With the notable gustatory difference that was weird pasta instead of worms, thank God.)

"So, is anyone doing anything exciting this weekend?" Palmer asks, and the whole team just about rolls their eyes at him.

"What are you doing for your very first Dad Day, Daddy Autopsy Gremlin?" says Tony.

"I don't actually know yet. Breena won't tell me."

"Can't wait to hear about it on Monday," cheers Abby.

"Me neither," chimes Bishop before directing the question at her partners. They almost get away with shrugging - their only plans at the moment are phone calls to family and Tony's charades night.

Two years Tony'd hoped he'd be celebrating Father's Day by now, but only the sentiment remained, not the possibility, or even the person with whom he'd hoped he'd be celebrating such holidays someday...a dream he still couldn't give up on, probably for the worse.

"Jethro, are you doing anything for Father's Day?" poses Ducky, who reluctantly accepts Gibbs' consequent head-shaking. before propping his hat upon his head and excusing himself for the weekend.

Ducky's presence is survived by an uncomfortable silence.