"No, No, It's My Treat." - NCIS

[the_no_name_system]

Title: "No, No, It's My Treat."
Fandom: NCIS
Rating: G
Pairing: Timothy McGee/Nick Torres
Warnings: None

Disclaimer: NCIS and the characters herein are owned by CBS. This is a non-for-profit, personal use of their setting and characters.

"Mm, that was good," Torres said around the last bites of his burger for lunch. "How much do I owe you?" he asked McGee.

"Hm? Oh, no, no, it's my treat," McGee said, sipping at his soda.

"Come on, man. This place isn't exactly McDonald's," Torres said.

"Yeah, but it's not a five-star restaurant either," McGee shot back. "It's fifteen bucks. That won't kill me. And you can pick up the tab next time if you feel so bad about it."

"You have to promise me you'll let me pick up the next tab if you pick up this one," Torres said, pointing. "Because you've picked up the last three."

McGee laughed. "Well, I do make a little more than you, being SFA and all."

"Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" Torres asked with a laugh. "Showing off your money when the girls aren't around to call you out on it?"

McGee rolled his eyes. "No, I'm just saying that I can afford to go out more than most people, and because I drag you along to have someone to talk to, I'll make sure you don't have to worry about the cost."

"Oh," Torres said, considering this new information. "Well, I guess that's okay. But next time, I'm picking up the tab."

"Yeah, if you insist," McGee said, pulling out his wallet.

"It is nice to get away from the girls sometimes. Like, don't get me wrong, I love them to death, but they can be a bit..."

"...Enthusiastic?" McGee supplied, arching an eyebrow.

"Something like that," Torres agreed. "You're not like that most of the time. You're more laid back."

"Thanks, I think," McGee said, chuckling. He put the needed money on the table and stood, soda in hand. "Ready to get back to the enthusiasm?"

"Not quite yet," Torres groaned. "Don't you think that we could take the long way back?"

"Sure, if you want Gibbs to kill us," McGee said.

Torres groaned again as they got in McGee's car. "I could use a vacation," he grumbled. "This job is exhausting."

"Exhausting? Yeah. But also rewarding, don't you think?" McGee asked.

"Well, yeah," Torres reluctantly agreed. "It's nice to be able to stop the bad apples before they ruin the whole bunch. But working a desk is more tiring than being deep undercover for literal years."

McGee laughed. "I would argue it's the other way around. At least if you're riding a desk you can be yourself, right? You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not."

"I know. It's exhausting," Torres said with a shudder.

McGee put a hand on his shoulder. "You know you don't have to pretend to be anything you're not at the office, right?" he asked.

"Sure," Torres said, looking out the window at the road.

"I mean it, Torres. No one at the office would mind you being yourself, provided you're not, like, a completely irredeemable character," McGee said. "Just be yourself, for once."

"I'll try," Nick reluctantly agreed.