Chapter Text
Abby called up just before Tony arrived in the bullpen. She was babbling so I couldn't be completely certain but I thought I caught accident and Tony.
Judging by the fact that Tony emerged from the elevator scowling and soaked I take it she meant she set off the fire sprinklers.
Ziva began to tease him about it but before she could get ten words out the wet shirt hit her in the face. I was about to try and break it up when I was caught by the sight of a tattoo on Tony’s back.
Finding out Tony has a tattoo wasn’t really all that surprising. That it’s recent wasn’t all that much of a shock either.
No, the surprise was that it wasn’t some girl’s name or a movie quote.
Tony has “Semper Fi” tattooed on his left hip.
And I really wanted to ask him why but I know Tony well enough to know he’d turn it into some innuendo about me looking at his ass.
“What happened, Tony?”
He turned to me and out the corner of my eye I could see Ziva noticing it. “Chemical reaction set off the fire sprinklers in Abby’s lab.”
“When did you acquire a tattoo Tony?”
Tony pulled his fresh clothes out of the filing cabinet and shrugged like he wasn’t sure, “Seven months, I think.”
“And is there some reason you have the Marine Corp motto permanently etched in your skin?”
“Of course there is,” was Tony’s only response as he left to get changed.
Ziva asked questions for a week or so but Tony never gave anything more than that away. With the debated exception of the question “Are you dating a Marine?” Tony had stiffened but not said a word, Ziva thought it was meaningful, I didn’t.
It got to the point where I forgot about it for the most part.
It wasn’t until Abby discovered it that it came up again.
It was the middle of July after three hard cases in a row, two of which involved kids, and Abbs insisted on a team barbeque. Gibbs offered (or was bullied into offering) his house and grill and it was a done deal.
Abby even brought games. After two disastrous attempts at Frisbee we were all sweating and panting, aside from Gibbs and Ducky who wisely volunteered to take care of the food.
Tony tossed his shirt on the porch railing and flopped into a chair in the shade but not before Abby spotted the tatt.
“You didn’t tell me you got a tattoo!” Abby declared in clear outrage.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” Tony returned innocently.
Abby stomped her foot, “Well let’s see it.”
Tony groaned as he got out of his chair and presented his back to her.
She raised an eyebrow and murmured “Really Tony?”
“I didn’t pick it,” Tony defended.
That drew the attention of not only Abby and myself but also Ziva and Palmer.
Abby of course just went for the jugular, “Who did then?”
I can’t be sure but I think Tony blushed, “The person I went with. They picked mine and I picked theirs.”
“That sounds serious.” I’m glad she said it, as it appeared I was incapable of speech at that moment.
“I guess it is,” Tony said like it didn’t occur to him before he let someone else permanently mark his body.
“And what did you pick for them?” I heard my own voice asking.
That seemed to startle Tony, “I think I’ve indulged the collective curiosity enough for one day.”
Ziva was giving me a look that very clearly said “I told you so” and I shrugged at her.
Gibbs called out “Burgers are ready,” just in time to keep either of us from antagonizing Tony.
He sat himself at Gibbs’ right hand and pouted theatrically, “Not cowboy style steaks?”
“Not when I’m grilling for seven,” Gibbs retorted easily.
Unlike Ziva and I, Abby didn’t let it drop. She asked Tony, us, Ducky, even Gibbs, any question she could think of to try and puzzle out who Tony’s Marine was.