Title: Little Talks
Pairing: Gibbs/Ducky
Note: I still, grievously, do not own.
When DiNozzo had first let it slip around him that McGee had turned Ducky onto online dating, he had let it go. If Ducky had wanted him to know, hell, the good doctor would have told him himself. He didn't really see it as any of his business whether or not the older man was on a dating site. Or rather, he tried to tell himself that. And after a bit, he kind of believed it.
That is, until he saw Ducky with that woman.
The pair of them was sitting on a park bench, enjoying some coffee and a bit of conversation. And everything clicked. Suddenly, the fact that his Duck was online dating sunk in, became frighteningly real. And he didn't really like it. Though Duck had done his part, introduced him to that woman, and then tried to explain it all away like it was no big deal. But it was. It was a huge deal. But he had nodded, smiled, told his Duck it was great, and walked away.
Because sometimes, walking away is better than assaulting someone. Because sometimes, it's better to go in under the radar instead of from the front. Because he knew it was far from over and at the end of it all, Ducky would scarcely remember that woman's name.
It took remarkably little snooping to figure out which dating site Ducky used, and even less to boot up the ancient computer at his house and make a profile. He chose to not upload a picture or fix his profile, and instead went in search of Ducky.
Like him, Ducky's profile lacked a picture, but it did have an extensive bio. He skimmed it quickly, feeling the corners of his mouth curl up just barely. He sent Ducky a small note.
To: TheGoodDoctor
From: SilverFox
I stumbled across your profile on here. Seems you've done a lot of living. I bet you have tons of great stories to tell. I'd love to chat some time :]
He sent the message and sat back, staring at the screen and wondering just what in God's name he was doing. It was like opening the biggest can of worms imaginable. He was a Marine, a lady-killer. He shouldn't even be entertaining thoughts of…pursuing his best friend. But seeing Duck talking with that lady, smiling and laughing like nothing else in the world mattered had wounded him. It had dug a deep furrow in his heart.
The machine made a soft ping sound, and he clicked on his inbox.
To: SilverFox
From: TheGoodDoctor
Well thank you :] though I must admit, my coworkers tend to tire of my stories. I wish I could say the same about your profile, though it seems to be a bit lacking. Are you hiding from someone?
He laughed. Of course Duck would be suspicious. He hit the reply button.
To: TheGoodDoctor
From: SilverFox
I guess you could say that. I just…I didn't want people looking at me and judging me. I want someone to want me by getting to know me, not by some excerpt they read or a picture they see.
Another ping alerted him. But when he looked for a message, he didn't find one. Instead, a small box had opened at the bottom of his screen. Across the top was TheGoodDoctor in slowly flashing letters. He clicked on it, opening the instant message.
TheGoodDoctor: I figured this would be quicker and easier. I hope that's all right?
SilverFox: Perfectly alright. Tell me about yourself?
And that was how it started. He made a pact with the unknowing Ducky early on that they would never use their real names, that no photos would be exchanged, no phone calls would occur. He figured that when he was ready to tell Ducky who he was, he'd do it in person. Until then, he didn't want Duck to know.
Slowly, they fell into a routine. At about 8PM, after Mrs. Mallard and her pack of corgis had been put to bed, Ducky would sign on and he would already be waiting for the older man. They never spoke about work and rarely touched on the experiences of their lives. Instead they spoke about what they liked, what they didn't like. They asked and answered questions. And before he knew it, a few months had passed, and he was finding himself falling in love with Duck. Or rather deeper in love.
By way of chat or messages, he told Duck things he had never told anyone, things he had always wanted to tell someone. Of course, Ducky was the person he had always felt compelled to tell things to. And in return, Ducky shared some of his darker stories with him, telling him of unimagined hurts his sweet doctor had faced. Stories that made him want to march right over to the Reston house and bang on the door until Duck let him in so he could take the doctor in his arms and promise to never let go.
And when it was time, he knew it.
SilverFox: Are you there? I know it's a bit early but I just couldn't wait anymore.
He waited a few moments.
SilverFox: I know you don't know what I look like or my name, but you know ME. That's more than I can say for most people. Talking to you, I feel complete. Like I've spent my entire life looking for you. And…I want to meet.
SilverFox: If that's alright, I mean. If you don't want to, then I understand.
TheGoodDoctor: No! I do want to meet. I must confess that I've been dreaming of meeting you for a while now.
TheGoodDoctor: And I know what you mean about the completeness. I feel like I know you, like I've known you forever. When would you like to meet?
SilverFox: The Reflection Pool, tomorrow. Say around noon?
TheGoodDoctor: Sounds perfect, the cherry trees are blooming. Did you pick it specifically for that reason? How charmingly romantic ;]
SilverFox: Only for you.
TheGoodDoctor: How will I know it's you?
He froze. Of course he'd know who he was meeting. He was going there with the full insight of the situation. He had forgotten that Duck was going in blind.
SilverFox: I hadn't really thought about that…
TheGoodDoctor: No matter. I'll be the older gentleman wearing a dark blue shirt and powder blue bowtie.
His heart skipped a beat. The dark blue shirt had always been his favorite because of the way it offset Ducky's eyes. He smiled at the computer screen, returning his fingers to the keys.
SilverFox: Sounds perfect. I bet you'll be the best looking man there.
TheGoodDoctor: Next to you, I'm sure.
SilverFox: Well…I'm going to go ahead and get off here. Big day tomorrow after all :]
His fingertips tapped on the keys briskly, I love you, appeared in the chat box but instead of enter he hit delete until all the letters had disappeared. Instead, he wrote goodnight, and when Ducky had replied, he signed off and went to bed.
He lay in bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. Slowly, he curled on his side and forced his eyes to close, and willed the night away. He was anxious for tomorrow.
The next morning, he paid careful attention to his clothes, making sure to wear clean clothes. He shaved perfectly, checked and double checked, before finishing his morning routine.
In the office, he sat at his desk and was distracted. He prayed to God that no dead sailors would disrupt his plans. He watched the clock tick closer and closer to noon, before he bolted with 15 minutes still to go. He drove quickly through the crowded DC streets. Somehow he managed to find a parking spot relatively close to the Reflection Pool. And he waited.
5 minutes til noon and he spotted Ducky's distinctive Morgan, watched his friend park and get out of the car. He watched, a smile toying at his lips, as Ducky smoothed back his heavy hair, polished his glasses, and straightened his bowtie. Watching his friend stride toward the Reflection Pool, he nearly lost his nerve. Though he had to admit that Ducky formed a pretty picture.
It seemed that all of the tourists had left the area for lunch, so it was just Ducky standing at the end of the Reflection Pool, surrounded by pink and white blossoms, in his gray slacks and blue silk shirt. The wind ruffled his heavy gray hair, and he smiled before stepping out of his car.
Ducky was, seemingly, lost in his own world, with his back facing outward.
He stepped up right next to him.
"Whatcha doin' Duck?"
Ducky canted his head toward him, "Oh Jethro! I thought you were someone else." He chuckled softly, "Oh?" Duck nodded, "Yes. I'm meeting someone here." He knew that, right then, he was staring at his last opportunity to bail on telling Ducky. But he didn't want to disappoint. And he was tired of hiding behind a screen. He wanted to be able to hold Ducky, his Duck, whenever he damn well pleased.
"Yeah, I know." He could feel Ducky giving him a curious look. So he turned to face his oldest, dearest friend and gave the older man a soft smile. "Me. You're waiting on me."
He watched a myriad of emotions flash across Ducky's expressive face, ranging from shock to elation and somehow winding up at upset. "This is not a funny joke, Special Agent Gibbs." Ducky started to turn away from him, but he caught him, pulling him close with an arm around his back, and sealed his lips against Ducky's mouth.
That mouth was just as soft as he had always imagined.
He felt Ducky relax into him, surrendering to the kiss. Slowly, he pulled back and stared hard into those confused blue eyes. "Does that seem like a joke to you, doctor?" Duck shook his head, his mouth opened to retort as his brow furrowed. "But…Jethro…"
"Seeing you with that woman drove me crazy. I mean, crazy. I've never felt like that before. And I knew that I'd always seen you as mine. I'd always wanted you as mine. So…I took it upon myself to find you on that damn site, to get to know you, to hopefully make you fall as deeply in love with me as I was with you."
Ducky's lips curved up in a sweet smile that took his breath away. He felt those strong hands smooth over his chest. "I've always loved you." And he let Ducky tug him back down for another kiss, as he tightened his grip around his doctor, holding him as close to his body as physically possible.
When they broke apart, it wasn't very far, and he could still feel Ducky's breath on his lips. "Ya know, that's my favorite shirt on you." Ducky smiled impishly, "Well. I'll have to wear it more often then."
He pressed his forehead against Ducky's and stared into those dark blue eyes. "Good. Can we delete our dating profiles now?" Ducky laughed softly, his cheeks bunching with his wide smile, and he was struck again by how beautiful his doctor was. "Of course, my dear Jethro."