Title: Silent Strength
Author: lawnmowerelf
Pairing: Tony/Gibbs
Rating: PG
Summary: After an accident, Gibbs sees just how strong Tony really is.
Silent Strength
"I told you I would, Boss." Tony's voice was ringing with triumph and his grin nearly covered his entire face, despite the visible strain and the sweat dampening his hair. His entire body trembled faintly from the effort of remaining on his feet, but he didn't seem to care.
Gibbs grinned back as he reached forward to very lightly tap the back of the younger man's head, fingers remaining for a moment to run through Tony's hair. "I never doubted you, DiNozzo. Not even for a minute."
And he hadn't. Not even at the beginning before Tony had even regained consciousness, when the doctors were telling them that the accident had most likely left Tony paralyzed. Gibbs had simply taken a deep breath and put the prediction out of his mind completely. After all, the easiest way to get Tony to do something was to tell him that he couldn't. He knew that the infamous DiNozzo stubbornness would force him to learn to walk again, if only to prove the doctors wrong.
And he had been proven right. The doctor had tried to break the news to Tony gently, which had gone over with DiNozzo about as well as a lead balloon. His eyes had gone flinty and his jaw had tightened, signaling to anyone who knew him that DiNozzo was mentally digging in his heels for a long fight. It was an expression that Gibbs had smiled to see.
The physical therapy had been extremely long, and so strenuous that it put Gibbs in mind of boot camp. But despite the obvious pain that Tony was in, and the incredible frustration when his body refused to work the way he wanted it to, he rarely complained. He simply gritted his teeth and pushed himself that much harder.
But what had humbled Gibbs the most was what Tony had asked him shortly after he had regained consciousness. He had waited until Gibbs was sitting in the chair by his bed and locked his hand tightly around the older man's wrist until Gibbs had met his eyes.
"I don't care what the docs say, Boss, I am gonna walk again. But I'm gonna need you to help keep me in line. Think of it as a mix of work and the Marines." The grin that had curled his lips faded slightly into a soft smile. "I know I can do this, but I need you to make sure I don't try to give up."
Gibbs had gently loosened the grip on his wrist so that he could run his fingers through Tony's hair. "I promise. By the time you get back on your feet you'll be sick and tired of my riding your ass, DiNozzo."
And Gibbs had kept his promise. Whenever it was necessary he had let Tony yell and curse at him, and then calmly told him to get back to work on his recovery. A few times he had even let Tony cry on his shoulder, and then did his best to keep the younger man from becoming too embarrassed afterwards.
In the end, it had all been worth it. They had both known from the beginning that Tony would never be doing field work again, but in the grand scheme of things that didn't seem all that important. Neither did the fact that Tony's therapy was far from over. What did matter was that he had beaten the odds. He had fought with everything that was in him, and he was walking.
Gibbs was pulled out of his memories by a pair of warm lips pressing chastely against his. He blinked, smiling as he laid a hand against Tony's cheek. "I knew you could do it, DiNozzo."
"I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you, Boss." He leaned forward for another kiss. "Thank you, Jethro."
Gibbs just shook his head. Tony might believe that, but he knew better. And he would never curse DiNozzo's stubborn streak again.