Title: Broken Arrow - Quality Time
by rose_malmaison
Rating: FRM
Genre: Slash
Pairing: DiNozzo/Gibbs
Warnings: language, sex
Disclaimer: Borrowing the characters for further exploration.
Spoilers: 8x7 Broken Arrow
Summary: Gibbs helps Tony recover from his father's visit.
Length: 9000 words, 3 chapters, complete
A/N: I appreciate feedback, comments and critiques.
Chapter 1
Gibbs was surprised when he arrived home to find his house dark. Tony should have been home long since. That afternoon Gibbs had ordered his team to leave work as soon as they tied up the loose ends in the Royce case. Vance had required his presence in MTAC and Gibbs had known he'd be occupied with Admiral Chase and his cronies at the Pentagon for hours, so he'd left his agents to dot the i's and cross the t's.
He could only hope Tony had gone to talk things out with his friends after work, and was not driving around aimlessly in an attempt to get his head straight. His lead agent had been off his game the entire time his father had been visiting, though he had pulled himself together when he was on the job. Now Senior DiNozzo was gone, Tony would regain his equilibrium. It might take some time, but Tony always bounced back.
Gibbs knew he shouldn't be so anxious - Tony was a grown man and a gun-bearing federal agent, after all - but he worried about him nonetheless. If you loved someone, you were concerned about his wellbeing, and as far as love went, Leroy Jethro Gibbs had it bad.
***–***
When Tony returned to NCIS early that afternoon, after taking his father to the airport, he barely nodded in Gibbs' direction. Ignoring the openly curious looks his teammates were sending his way, he buckled down to deal with his share of the case paperwork. Tony's agitated behavior appeared to have dissipated as soon as his father departed DC, but with Tony being too quiet was also a cause for concern.
They hadn't had a chance to talk this out yet. After the case was wrapped up last night, they had wearily made their way home around 0300, too zonked out to do more than fall into bed and sleep.
This morning Gibbs had headed in to work early and Tony had gone directly to the Adams House Hotel to pick up his father and then brought him to NCIS to say good-bye to 'the girls,' as Senior called them. The way Ziva and Abby had been fawning over DiNozzo Sr., and the way the older man had preened in response to the feminine attention had set Gibbs on edge. Even now, just thinking about it caused his blood to boil. The grinding of his teeth could probably be heard over in the next bullpen.
Gibbs was about to take Tony aside, just to make sure he was all right, when a call came in from Vance, summoning him to MTAC. On his way up, he stopped in front of Tony's desk. Tony's head was lowered in concentration as he compared a nautical chart with intel on his computer. Gibbs observed fondly that several strands of hair on the back of Tony's head had escaped being tamed by his hair gel. He made a slight noise in the back of his throat and the younger man looked up, apparently surprised to see his boss standing there. "Boss?"
"Everything go okay?" Gibbs could feel Ziva's eyes boring into his back like a red laser dot emanating from a rifle's scope. At least Tim, working diligently on his computer, had the courtesy to pretend he wasn't listening in on their conversation.
Tony's eyes flitted in the direction of his teammates and then back to Gibbs. "Uh, yeah. Fine. Got Dad to Reagan and to the President's Club Lounge. He took it from there, was right at home. He is now The Donald's new best friend." Tony gave a small, tight smile. "Everything's fine. We even had what might be construed as a conversation, which, you'll agree if you know anything at all about the DiNozzos, is a minor miracle." Gibbs nodded but didn't move away from the desk so Tony raised his eyebrows and asked, "Something on your mind, Boss?"
Damn right there was something on his mind, but this was not the time or place to get into it. Gibbs was barely able to contain his irritation with Anthony DiNozzo Sr. and all the turmoil that followed in the bastard's wake. He placed his hands on the desk and leaned over, close enough to speak privately in Tony's ear. "We will talk later." Tony stared blankly at Gibbs as if he didn't have any idea what they had to talk about.
Gibbs bit back a response to Tony's clueless look. He knew Tony was pretending that everything was back to normal. Hell, he'd probably convinced himself that a few choice words from his father erased years of wrong. Gibbs, for one, would never forgive Senior for all the damage he'd bestowed upon his only child over the years, and he sure as hell wasn't about to let Tony delude himself that anything about their relationship was normal, or that it was ever likely to be so.
What Gibbs really wanted to say was not appropriate for such a public place, so he strode off towards MTAC, scowling. Any NCIS personnel who crossed Gibbs' path moved quickly out of his way.
As he made his way up the open staircase, Gibbs heard Ziva commenting, too casually, "Senior proved himself to be handy, did he not?" She smiled fondly at the memory of the man. "He is so suave, so confident."
McGee responded, "At least my Dad knows enough to keep his hands to himself. He wouldn't grope an agent undercover."
Ziva looked Tim up and down as if she found him wanting. "Like father like son, McGee? Tony is not so much like his father, is he?"
Reaching the balcony, Gibbs looked down to see Tony still hunched over his computer, apparently not taking the bait his teammates were dangling so temptingly. Once Tony got home he was likely to release the emotions he was bottling up. All Gibbs could do when Tony crashed was be there for him and help him as best he could. He might not be great in the talking department but one thing Gibbs was good at was providing a strong shoulder to lean upon.
***–***
It was late when Gibbs arrived home. An hour later and there was still no sign of Tony, which concerned Gibbs more than he would like to admit. When he couldn't stand it any longer he called Tony's cell, feeling like an woman checking up on her husband.
Tony picked up on the first ring. "Hey."
"You okay?"
"I'm in the car. Won't be long."
After a too-long silence when Gibbs waited in vain for more information, he said, "I'll make us some dinner then."
More silence and then Tony said, sounding far away, "Be there in twenty."
***–***
He decided that a good hot meal and some booze would help ease the situation a little, once Tony turned up. Gibbs started dinner and it wasn't much later when the front door opened and closed quietly, signaling that Tony was finally home.
Gibbs didn't turn away from stirring the stew he'd thrown together from the ingredients he found in the cupboard and fridge. "I opened some red wine," he called casually over his shoulder when he heard Tony walk into the kitchen behind him. But when Tony didn't say anything and didn't approach, Gibbs turned his head to see how bad it was. Yup, it was bad all right. Still wearing his overcoat, Tony stood there, obviously drained both mentally and physically. His shoulders were slumped, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, but it was the lost and uncertain look on his face that got to Gibbs.
Things had been tough on both of them the past couple of days, what with Tony getting so bent out of shape due to his father's presence. He'd been on edge in a way that Gibbs had never seen before. The first night that DiNozzo Sr. had been in DC, Gibbs had lectured a jittery Tony about how he needed to calm down and to stop letting his old man jerk him around. In retrospect Gibbs knew that he'd been too harsh with Tony, but Senior had cancelled dinner with his son and Tony had not reacted well, which pissed Gibbs off even more.
"Shit, Gibbs! He left me a lame excuse on my voicemail! How the hell am I supposed to meet him halfway when he never even shows up? I'm not letting him jerk me around - he just does it out of habit. Always has. He never changes, Jethro. Never will! Damn it!"
Tony wouldn't talk to Gibbs that night and he'd made it clear he wanted to be left alone. He stayed in front of the TV, and was still watching old movies when Gibbs had emerged from the basement near midnight, where he'd been working on his boat.
Gibbs had tried to entice Tony to come to bed, but he'd been rebuffed, which wasn't like Tony at all. Gibbs could deal with a worried Tony, an anxious Tony, and even a scared Tony, but a cool Tony who wouldn't respond? Who didn't want to be touched? Fixing the problem was beyond Gibbs' limited communication skills. So he'd gone to bed but hadn't been able to get any rest. It was hours later that Tony had come up, crawled under the covers and curled up way over on his own side.
"Tony," Gibbs had said. "Don't do this."
The barely audible response, "Leave me alone…just…please," was just about enough to break Gibbs' heart.
***–***
They'd gone to work the next morning in separate cars, Tony looking tired, still aloof. Later they had kept busy with the case and arranging entry into the summit reception at the Royce mansion. The mission was a success and they wrapped it up without anyone getting hurt. There had been some tense moments when DiNozzo Senior and Ziva had taken Royce's two men down in the foyer, but Gibbs felt his team had done a good job and he was proud of them. He said so with a look, if not any actual words.
The head count of arms dealers caught in their net was a significant coup and even Vance was inordinately pleased. Gibbs thought that being able to stick it to Admiral Chase had a good deal to do with Vance's good humor that night.
***–***
Now it was over, DiNozzo Sr. was gone, and Tony stood in the middle of their kitchen looking like he was lost. Gibbs held out one arm, beckoning. "Come here," he said gently.
Tony didn't need any more of an invitation. He took the few steps to Gibbs's side and melted into his arms, leaning his solid weight into him and burying his face in his shoulder. Gibbs rubbed Tony's back with both hands, using long, comforting strokes. Tony's breath was hot on Gibbs' neck, his body still and lax, content to merely be held. Eventually Gibbs asked gently, "You okay?" He felt as though he'd asked that a dozen times over the past few days, the answer usually being an unconvincing 'yes'.
This time Tony mumbled, "No." But he quickly followed that up with a laugh, the sound muffled in Gibbs' shoulder. "Man, I'm being a girl. Two days in his company and I'm a mess." After a minute Tony said quietly, "I'm sorry. Sorry about giving you the cold shoulder, Jethro. I didn't…I just couldn't…"
Gibbs kissed Tony's temple since his lover wouldn't raise his face from where it was buried in his shoulder, forgiving him for rebuffing the offer of a helping hand. After a few more minutes of enveloping him tenderly in his strong arms, Gibbs patted Tony's rear end to indicate he should get a move on. "C'mon. Get cleaned up. Dinner'll be ready when you come back." He waited until Tony stepped back a bit, and watched his expression carefully. Tony seemed a little more collected but Gibbs asked anyway, "Better?"
"Yeah." Tony ran a hand over his face and looked around as if he was wondering what he was doing there, standing in the middle of the kitchen. He took a deep breath, sighed out, and made an attempt at a smile in Gibbs' direction. It didn't quite reach his eyes. "I won't be long."
***–***
Tony looked better when he returned and sat down to eat. He appeared weary but not quite so adrift. His hair was damp and he'd changed into comfortable clothes, a sweater and old jeans. But there, half-hidden behind his smile he harbored a look that suggested someone had let him down badly.
Gibbs wasn't about to push. Not yet. It would all come out in time, probably when they were sitting close to each other on the couch, or perhaps later when they were lying together in bed. One thing was certain, Gibbs refused to allow DiNozzo Sr., and all the baggage that came with the man, entry into their bedroom. If Tony didn't start the ball rolling soon and get whatever was bothering him out in the open, Gibbs was going to have to prompt him.
They'd eaten most of their dinner before Tony said anything. He had pulled himself together, enough to appear back to normal, though Gibbs knew he was far from all right.
Tony asked conversationally, "You spent all afternoon with Vance?" He offered his boss a sympathetic look.
With a grunt, Gibbs acknowledged, "MTAC and then in conference with Admiral Chase at the Pentagon. They're practiced at covering their asses." He rose smoothly, went to the fridge and pulled out a cold beer. He raised a second bottle of beer but Tony shook his head and instead refilled his wine glass. Seated once again at the table, Gibbs asked, "You?"
Tony pushed the remains of his dinner around on the plate then dropped his fork. It clattered noisily in the quiet kitchen. He studied his plate for a minute and then took a deep breath. "I finished the paperwork and got the case reports together, got everything electronically filed. The usual. Oh, and I printed an extra copy of everything and sent it up to Vance."
Gibbs grunted. Vance could print it up himself, or have his assistant do it, but he preferred a tangible printout, signed by the agent in charge, delivered right into his hand. Vance called it keeping his finger on the pulse of NCIS but Gibbs knew it was his way of ensuring the people in the bullpen remembered who was in charge.
"I had a word with Ziva," Tony said, his voice deepening with displeasure. "About not taking immediate action when given an order." His mouth tensed. "I told her I'd write her up if she ever does it again."
Gibbs nodded, well aware of what had occurred. To be fair, when Tony had first ordered Ziva to get his father out of the house, afraid for his old man's safety, she had believed it was still necessary to plant the bug. It irked Gibbs that Ziva had been slow to obey Tony's direct order yet she'd jumped when his name was invoked. He was also ticked off that they hadn't caught all of the arms dealers in the ensuing raid. "We know yet how the Turk identified her?"
Tony shook his head. "No, she didn't know him by sight and now Bayar has gone to ground. I've given her orders to work with McGee on tracking him tomorrow." He shrugged. "She's eager to get on the job."
Gibbs and Abby had reviewed the video of the undercover op from Ziva's camera. Abby had been able to read Bayar's lips well enough to cause them to wonder how the man knew so much about Ziva. "I read his jacket. He's going to be slippery. They can work on it but just until we catch another case." Gibbs didn't want to talk about work, or about Ziva, so he turned the conversation in the right direction. "Where'd you go after work?" He hadn't meant to let concern creep into his voice but from Tony's expression apparently it had.
Tony sat back and eyed him, a slight smile revealing he liked that Gibbs worried about him. "I had cocktails with Abby and Tim, and then Abby took me back to her place to talk." Tony shifted in his chair and fiddled with the stem of his wine glass. "Abby seems to think that my piss-poor relationship with my father is somehow my fault. I'm well aware that I'm part of the problem but she kept on at me about how I was being too judgmental, and how I should get closer to him…that I should forgive him. Apparently she has issues because she missed an opportunity to forgive her own father before he died."
Gibbs didn't respond directly about Abby; he knew about her father but wasn't about to discuss it with anyone, not even with Tony. "You have your reasons, Tony, and you don't need to explain them to anybody." He looked Tony in the eye and said carefully, "I've never seen you on that kind of roller coaster before. I've been worried."
"I know I was acting like a nervous junkie, Boss, but you gotta understand how…Look, he just gets to me, okay? It's impossible to ignore all the problems, the shit we've had between us for…for how long now? For thirty fucking years! I'm doing my best, I really am. I think he's trying, too, but I know he'll never change, no matter what he says." Tony ran his fingers through his hair with a near-vicious swipe. "Damn it, when he walks in the room it's like I'm ten again. Something comes over me and I hate it."
"I understand, Tony." Gibbs placed his hand over Tony's and gently rubbed his thumb across his knuckles. "Not easy to be an adult when your parent's treating you like a kid." His relationship with his own father had only improved once he'd faced that they'd both made mistakes and it was time to get over it. Remaining angry after all these years wasn't doing either of them any good. Gibbs was fond of his dad, and vice versa, even if he and Jack rubbed the other the wrong way more often than not. "They always have power over you in some form or other, Tony. You just have to find a way to deal with it."
~~~end chapter 1~~~
