The Prank, a ncis fanfic

The Prank

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em.

Summary: Tony goes too far with a prank against McGee and Gibbs decides there have to be consequences. Warning: spanking of adult. Don't like? Don't read!

A/N: This takes in the same 'universe'/series as The Lesson and Ice Cream and Sympathy but isn't directly a sequel (except to the extent that it is a response to all the readers who think Tony needs to be spanked more often!). It's more superficial than the previous stories - what can I say, it's the end of term, and I'm too tired for anything other than fluff. This was somewhat inspired by the corn snake incident at the beginning of Twilight, but it isn't meant as a tag to that episode and should be read as an entirely different scenario involving Tony and a snake. Tony's mischief here is a product of my imagination.

Warning: this story contains the non-sexual spanking of an adult. If you are not comfortable with that, click on that 'back' button now. You've been warned.

NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee looked wearily around the unfamiliar room. His eyes settled on the small bed – well, cot really, but he was too tired to care all that much – as he dropped his backpack onto the only chair and started toeing off his shoes.

It had been a very long day. A marine recruit had been murdered on a training base in the middle of nowhere, and the team was staying on base in a fairly primitive cabin while they conducted the investigation. Ducky and Palmer had already left with the recruit's body, but plenty of physical evidence remained to be processed and there were enough witness statements to take to keep them busy for several days. Kate was away on her annual vacation, and would probably be glad to have missed this particular assignment. Gibbs seemed perfectly at home; Tony and McGee were less than happy about the situation.

McGee finished his preparations for bed and crossed the bare wooden floor dressed in boxers and a faded MIT t-shirt. As he turned down the coarse blanket covering the bed, he felt something brush against his foot. No, make that coil around his foot. Looking down, he saw a rather large snake looking back at him. Somehow resisting the instinct to pull his leg away and dance shrieking around the room, he managed to call out in fairly calm voice.

'Boss? Uh... Boss?'

'What is it, McGee?', came Gibbs's weary reply from the next room.

'I think I need some help in here...'

'What...?' McGee heard the soft creak of the door behind him, but did not dare turn around to face the gruff older agent.

'Tim, don't move.' Gibbs's voice was suddenly soft, like he was trying not to scare him. Or the snake. Or both. But the unfamiliar tone, and the use of his first name, worried McGee even more than he already was.

'I'm not moving, Boss.'

'Hey, Probie, you scared of a little grass snake?'

Tony's voice was more boisterous than Gibbs's was, and McGee imagined him bouncing on his toes in the doorway. He started to turn his head to look over his shoulder, thinking about telling Tony to shut up, when he heard Gibbs speak again, this time with an edge in his voice.

'I said, don't move.'

McGee froze, his head now at an unnatural angle. 'Sure thing, Boss.'

'Gibbs, what's the big deal? It's just...', Tony began.

But Gibbs cut him off mid-sentence, 'That's not a grass snake, Tony'.

'Oh'.

McGee didn't hear what was said next, but he heard Tony leave the room and return moments later. His muscles were starting to stiffen with the effort not to move, and he could feel the snake moving around at his feet. Taking a deep breath and trying not to panic, he closed his eyes and tried to pretend that this wasn't happening. Time passed. He was vaguely aware of Gibbs very slowly inching across the room toward him, and thought about asking him what he was going to do, but decided that he'd rather not know.

Suddenly there was a flurry of movement and a loud thwack and McGee felt something wet splatter against his leg. Forcing one eye open, McGee looked down. Gibbs was resting on one knee, holding a snake's head in metal kitchen tongs in one hand and a small hatchet in the other. The rest of the snake was lying a few inches away. Realising he had been holding his breath, McGee slowly exhaled.

'Thanks, Boss'.

'Are you ok, McGee?' Gibbs was still unnaturally solicitous, but he was no longer calling him 'Tim' and he took that as a good sign.

'Um, yeah. Yeah, I think so.'

'You weren't bitten?'

'No.'

'You're sure?'

'Yeah, I'm sure.'

'Ok. Get some sleep.'

Gibbs deposited the snake and its head in a plastic bag and carried it and his execution equipment back into the living-room area of the cabin. He suddenly realised that Tony had disappeared after bringing him the things he'd requested, and he went looking for the younger man. He found him on the back porch, staring up at the stars twinkling far overhead.

'Is McGee ok, Boss?'

'Yeah. The snake's dead, though.' Gibbs's voice betrayed no hint of amusement but his eyes invited the younger man to lighten the moment with a crack about the reptile's fate.

'Boss, I swear I didn't know that snake was dangerous when...' Tony stopped himself before finishing the sentence.

Gibbs narrowed his eyes, giving Tony one of his famous glares. 'When what, DiNozzo?'

'Never mind.'

Tony headed for the cabin door, sidestepping around Gibbs. He almost made it.

Gibbs's hand closed around Tony's arm, stopping him in place then pulling him backwards half a step.

'When WHAT?'

Tony didn't answer him, just looked down at his shoes.

'With me.'

Gibbs strode off the small porch and down the path through the trees. It was a full moon so there was plenty of light, but he grabbed a flashlight from the railing as he passed and trained it in front of him as he walked. Tony hesitated for a moment then scrambled after his boss, puzzled. After a few minutes the narrow path dead-ended at a small wooden lean-to sheltering neatly stacked cut firewood.

'Uh, Boss? It's way too warm for a fire tonight. What are we doing here?'

'It's a woodshed, DiNozzo', Gibbs replied with a smirk.

'I can see that.'

Silence. Gibbs just looked steadily at him.

'Oh.' The reference clicked into place in Tony's brain. 'That's a nice touch, Boss. You gonna yell at me now?'

'Nope.'

'Huh?'

'You put that snake in McGee's room.' It was a statement, not a question, but Tony answered it anyway.

'Yes, Boss. It won't happen again, Boss.'

'Do you have any idea what might have happened if that snake had bitten him?'

'I didn't know! I thought it was just a grass snake!'

'Your idiotic, adolescent prank nearly got your partner killed!'

'I thought you weren't going to yell at me?'

'You think this is funny? You think you get to make jokes after a stunt like that?'

'No, Boss.' Tony finally had the sense to shut up.

Gibbs left him in silence for a few minutes, letting the younger agent stew under his glare. He could see the misery in Tony's eyes; despite his efforts to defend his behaviour, he clearly felt terrible about putting McGee in danger. He didn't need a longer lecture, but he did need Gibbs to hold him accountable for his actions.

'You have your knife with you?'

'Um, yes?' Tony was confused. Why would Gibbs want to know if he had his knife with him? He'd left his belt with the concealed knife in his room when he'd changed, but the small Swiss Army knife he'd grabbed from his desk when Gibbs had announced this trip was in his jacket pocket.

'Good. See that tree over there?'

Tony followed the extended finger with his eyes, and nodded, still not understanding.

'Go cut me a switch, about two feet long.'

Tony's head snapped around to look at Gibbs with absolute shock. 'What?! Boss...'

'You think you should just get a smack upside the head after a prank that damn near killed another agent?'

'Well, I thought...'

'No, DiNozzo, you didn't think. That's the whole problem.'

'But, Boss... you can't! I mean... not...' Tony was stuttering, unable to complete a thought. Gibbs had spanked him before, but not like this.

'Go on.'

'Gibbs... please...'

'I can't just ignore something like that, Tony. Putting your team-mate in danger is unacceptable. And you need to know that there are consequences for your behaviour.'

'I know, Boss. It's just... I mean, I just can't handle that...'

'Yes, you can.'

Tony seemed frozen in place, his expression that of a panic-stricken rabbit.

'Tony... do as I told you.' Gibbs's voice was firm and steady, almost hypnotic. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Tony started toward the tree. And returned a few minutes later, presenting Gibbs with a thin, willowy branch.

Gibbs tipped his chin up with two fingers, forcing him to meet his eyes. Steeling himself, Tony forced himself to calmly return the man's gaze.

'Ok, then. Let's get this over with.' Gibbs took him gently by the shoulder and steered him toward one of the woodpiles.

'Lose the sweats.' Gibbs gestured at the casual pants Tony had changed into as sleeping attire.

Swallowing hard, Tony pushed his sweatpants down toward his knees. He felt a moment's regret over his long-standing habit of not wearing boxers in bed; even the sweats were only added to the over-night bag he kept at the office after the iguana incident in Cuba. Wondering if he would have been allowed to keep the boxers anyway, he got himself into the familiar semi-prone position and braced himself for a new experience he would have been happy never to have. He had never felt a switch before, but it was always portrayed in the movies as extraordinarily painful. And Gibbs had never made him take down his pants before. This was going to be bad.

A second later he felt a line of fire burn across his naked ass as the switch connected for the first time. His body reacted to the sudden pain and he tried to pull away, only to find himself efficiently pinned down by the ex-Marine.

Again he felt the sting of a sharp lash. This time he yelped loudly despite himself.

Thwack!

Tony cried out loudly as Gibbs repeatedly brought the switch down on his ass, leaving thin red welts against the pale skin. Gibbs wasn't using his full strength. He'd made Tony take down his pants so he could see what he was doing, and be sure that he wasn't breaking the skin. He wanted the punishment to sting unpleasantly, not to cause any real damage.

Truth be told, the ritual of having to cut the switch himself and the humiliation of being treated like a naughty child were meant to be more of a punishment than the physical pain. It was the emotional experience of accepting responsibility and doing penance that would make the younger agent behave more responsibly in the future. But the pain would help him remember and, more importantly, help him cope with the guilt he was feeling.

He knew Tony well enough to know that drawing out his punishment would be counter-productive. If Gibbs suspended him, like the regs said he should, Tony would either wallow in self-pity and convince himself that he hadn't done anything wrong, or would let himself be consumed by his feelings of guilt and return from his two weeks of forced reflectiveness completely unable to function as part of a team. Immediate consequences that were over quickly were exactly what Tony needed.

Thwack!

Tears poured down Tony's face as he writhed in pain, struggling against the strong hand that was holding him down, desperate to escape.

Thwack!

Gibbs held him in place until he caught his breath and stopped struggling. Then he gently pulled his pants up and helped him to his feet. Again, he tipped his chin up so he met his eyes.

'You'll apologise to McGee in the morning.'

'Yuh... yes... Boss', Tony managed to say, still gasping back quiet sobs.

'And you won't ever do anything like that again.'

'No, Boss.'

'Ok. Go get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be another long day'.

Gibbs let Tony start off back to the cabin ahead of him. After about a dozen paces, the younger man turned back toward him.

'Boss?'

'Yeah, DiNozzo?'

'Thanks. For... you know...' For being the first person who ever cared enough to not let me get away with crap like that.

'I know, son. I know.'