DiNozzo had opened all of his gifts, and was shocked to find that they were actual gifts for once, thoughtful gifts, not subscriptions to 'Girls Gone Wild' or edible boxers (although those had turned out to be kinda fun). After he was finished with the last one, a beautiful criterion director's cut of "To Catch A Thief" from McGee, another box appeared in front of him. He looked up to see Gibbs standing beside him - his boss had plopped a small box in front of him, a simple black square that looked oddly like a jewelry box. It was bizarre enough that Gibbs had made an appearance at his birthday gathering at Abby's, much less bearing a gift. He glanced at the box then back up at Gibbs. His heart did a funny flip at the unusually warm look in the Boss's blue eyes.
"It's too small to be dangerous, DiNozzo", he quipped.
"That is not entirely accurate", Ziva said mysteriously.
"Open it, Tony!" Abby demanded. "It's from the Bossman. It HAS to be cool!"
"Or deadly", said Ziva. "Very, very deadly."
Tony feigned amusement at their byplay but was slightly anxious. His less-than-official feelings for Gibbs were a not-so-well-kept secret amongst his co-workers, and he lived in fear of scuttlebutt getting back to the boss. He had never fancied a career as a postal worker, but that's just where he might find himself if Gibbs ever suspected that he saw his boss as much more than his supervisor.
"DiNozzo, ya gonna open it?" Gibbs asked. "Or wait for it to open itself? 'Cause even I can't make that happen," he said drily. But he sounded a little - off. Nervous, almost? Was this going to be the 'gag' gift? Not really Bossman's style, but that's why it would be the perfect set-up.
Tony laughed shakily and popped open the lid of the unwrapped black box. Inside were cufflinks - beautiful, burnished gold cufflinks, obviously expensive. He lifted one and looked at it closely - it was engraved with the Marine Corps logo, with the words Semper Fi below it. They were amazing - he swallowed, hard. "Boss? They're beautiful, but - but I wasn't a Marine." He looked up at Gibbs, and the look in his eyes took his breath away.
"Ya think, DiNozzo?" he said gruffly, but with a sweet uncertainty in his eyes that was out of place and very - then there was a sudden soft "Ohhh..." from Abby, and Tony got it.
"Oh," Tony said, then again - "Ohh. I - oh," then realized he sounded like an idiot. "I - I mean you - OH."
"Yep," Gibbs said, narrowing his eyes at DiNozzo. "I thought you might - I - I wanted you to know that - "
Tony was on his feet facing Gibbs in two seconds. Not gonna let the Boss stumble over his words or look bad in front of the team. That's what he was there for - to take the fall.
"Boss?" he said with uncharacteristic force.
"DiNozzo?"
"Shut up." Tony DiNozzo might not have any idea how this was going to play out, or how to make sense of this thing between them, but he knew how to do this part. Seduction was his forte. He took his Boss's face in one hand, and pulled him forward for a patented, spine-tingling, panty-dropping DiNozzo kiss. Gibbs might punch him, or fire him, but he wouldn't forget him.
He let his eyes smolder at Gibbs, then kept them open and locked on his boss's startled blue ones, and firmly covered his lips with his own. He stroked the older man's bottom lip softly with his tongue, sucked it into his mouth, teasing it, nibbling delicately, then licked his boss's lips apart with his tongue. Gibbs eyes slid closed, and a tightness in his chest released. He felt rather than heard Gibbs' quick intake of breath, and then his boss's mouth opened underneath his and his tongue slipped forward. Tony felt his chest ache and his eyes closed of their own accord as Leroy Jethro Gibbs not only allowed this kiss but kissed him back. He sucked gently on his boss's tongue and curled his own around it, then thrust his tongue fiercely into Gibbs' waiting mouth in long, slow, provocative strokes. He shifted his hips slightly, not a full-out grind, just an adjustment, and discovered that yes, indeed, there was a hard, pounding heat against his own
erection. He grinned into his Boss's mouth.
Tony felt a very warm, very male hand on the back of his head, fingers curling around the spot that he usually smacked, and realized that he could die right now. It could all end and he would be okay with that - he had this moment.
He softly, slowly pulled his lips from Gibbs, then brushed them again, gently, and brushed a soft promise of a kiss on his cheek. "Later", he murmured. "Not in front of the kids".
Gibbs squeezed the back of his neck and said hoarsely "Yeah, later".
Tony took one step back, and grinned casually, pretending he had not just kissed his boss into a puddle. "Hey, thanks for the cufflinks, Boss. They're - " his sentence was interrupted by an armful of Abby as she flung herself at both of her favorite guys.
"OH my god!I love you both so much! I am so happy now!Are you happy?! How could you NOT be happy?!"
Gibbs still looked slightly stunned - Tony hoped it was a good sort of stunned and not a "DiNozzo, you are so dead" sort of stunned. Tony glanced at him and let their eyes meet, and while Gibbs might have blushed slightly (oh so adorable!) he smiled and didn't look away. Or punch him in the face. Thank god.
"McGee, is that money changing hands?" Gibbs asked. Tony turned to see Ziva and Tim both handing cash to a very smug Dr. Mallard. "Ducky? You too?"
"Yes, my boy, me too. I couldn't resist a sure thing."
"Apparently Tony couldn't, either," said Gibbs dryly, and as everyone around burst into surprised laughter, Tony grinned a huge, satisfied, couldn't-stop-smiling-if-I-tried grin, and knew everything was going to be just fine. Better than fine, actually.
"Happy birthday to me," he quipped with a smirk, and Gibbs stepped closer to him and took his arm, pulling him in.
"Does that mean it's almost time for your birthday spanking?" Gibbs practically purred in his ear, just loud enough for Abby to overhear. Tony felt his face get hot and every ounce of blood in his body rush to his groin. He may have even whimpered. Gibbs grinned. "Payback's a bitch, DiNozzo."
The End...
