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”If I didn’t know better I’d say you were scared.” Ziva scratched the pitbull’s chin, making the dog's eyes close to slits as his whole body relaxed.
Tony scoffed. "I'm not afraid of dogs." And despite having some unpleasant run-ins, that was actually true. The average dog was great, even the Chihuahua his neighbors had bought was fun, once it stopped barking.
"Aren't you the cutest," Ziva said in an uncharacteristic voice.
She looked up at Tony from her kneeling position next to the dog. "Prove it then, pet him." Ziva focused all her love and attention on the dog again. "Look at that goofy face, you deserve all the scratches, yes you do."
He watched her kiss the dog on the head, and shuddered.
"Pretty sure there shouldn't be any dogs in the lab, unless they're evidence."
Ziva stood up and walked closer to him. "Why are you so...sullen?"
He glanced at her, then back at the smiling pitbull. "I'm concerned about contaminating evidence with dog hair, excuse me for trying do my job."
The dog walked right up to him, expectant look in his eyes, and nudged Tony's leg with his nose.
Tony twitched and made a face.
"You've seen how sweet he is, what are you afraid of?" Ziva asked exasperatedly.
"It's not the dog, Ziva, it's the tarantulas sewn onto the costume." He scrunched up his face. "Why did Abby have to make them so life-like, every time the dog moves the spiders seem to come to life."
"You're afraid of spiders?" She asked with genuine curiosity.
"If they're that big, and that many...I am definitely not putting my hand anywhere near them."
He looked at her, feeling a bit silly, these particular spiders weren't real after all. "Hey, if Indiana Jones can be afraid of snakes, I get to be afraid of spiders."
She nodded, lifted her hand an stroked his hair.
Completely forgetting about the spider covered dog demanding his attention, Tony asked, "What are you doing?"
Ziva half-shrugged. "It helped the dog relax, I thought it might work on you, too."