Title: Reflections
Pairing: None.
Rating: K
Genre: Gen
Cat: Character Study, Friendship
Spoilers: Vague references to things from season 10 (Shabbat Shalom and after).
Warnings: None.
Summary: And Leon thinks that maybe, after all these years of knowing the man, he's finally beginning to crack that exterior.
Author's Note: Written for PhoenixRising for the Nepal auction on NFA. She requested something about Vance and how he sees Gibbs. It turned into a bit of a study of their relationship, but that's sort of a necessary part of understanding someone, no? Anyway. Enjoy.
He stands on the balcony outside his office, looking down on the squad room, watching over Gibbs' team as they work - dutiful employees that they are, though there are times they make his job all the more difficult for some of the stunts they pull. And most of that, he thinks, is because of their leader.
Gibbs. Leroy Jethro.
He still remembers the day they met, as clear as it happened just minutes ago. That handshake. The look in his eyes, how he said, "I'll remember." There was something about him then, something behind the Marine haircut and the firm grip of his hand in his, that told Leon this was someone he would remember, as well.
Could he have seen how things would play out? That he would end up first as deputy director, returning to D.C. to investigate Jenny Shepard and earning Gibbs' distrust, or that he would the become the new director and have to put all his trust in someone who didn't return the favor?
He hadn't seen it coming, nor had he anticipated the complete 180 their relationship would take.
The defining moment for him was that explosion, McCallister and Eli David, how he nearly died, again. He knew he had more than his own life at stake at that moment - he had his family, his wife and children, and also the whole of NCIS. And he knew then that the person he needed to rely on the most was Gibbs.
Gibbs saved his life that day, risked his own job to keep him alive, and he was aware that for Gibbs, it was never about his job safety, that all he cared about was keeping the people he cared about safe, keeping the country safe, but that day changed their relationship forever.
Things aren't always so serious between them - he knows he can crack a joke with Gibbs and he feels relaxed around him as often as they have their arguments - but the very nature of their relationship is intense. It's a different sort of connection than he's had with anyone, even his wife. And it's not just the job that's caused that intensity. He thinks that really, it's Gibbs. He's not the sort to have casual relationships with people - you're either in his life, dug in deep beneath the hard exterior, or you stay out of it, never really understanding him.
And Leon thinks that maybe, after all these years of knowing the man, he's finally beginning to crack that exterior.
They're alike in a lot of ways, he thinks - both of them quiet, private men, who now know the type of loss nobody should ever have to endure - and sometimes, that similarity leads to them butting heads, as odd as that sounds. With Gibbs, he often feels like he's looking into a mirror, seeing his own faults reflected, and he has a feeling it's something else he has in common with the man.
So those arguments, the times when they stare each other down with fire in their eyes, are really a way to berate themselves for all the mistakes they've made.
"Something on your mind, Leon?"
He had been so lost in his thoughts, he'd missed Gibbs getting up from his desk and ascending the stairs to stand next to him. He turns and looks him in the eye, wondering what he'll see in that icy blue stare, wondering if Gibbs will be able to know his thoughts just from looking at him.
As always, Gibbs gives nothing away, his expression impassive, and Leon wonders just how much he really does know about him.
"Not at all, Gibbs," he says. "Not at all."
THE END