Author's Note: I'm using this for the shipwrecked square on my hurt/comfort bingo board, just not in the traditional sense. defines shipwreck as 'destruction or ruin' so we're going with that definition. It's a stretch but I like stretchy things. :P
The story has three parts. It's finished and parts two and three will be posted tomorrow and Thursday.
Undercover Christmas
Part I
It was rare that Jethro found himself feeling overwhelmed. The Corps had trained him well and taught him what to do with those feelings and what the Corps hadn't taught him, Mike Frank's and NCIS had. Marines and federal agents didn't have the luxury of being overwhelmed.
No amount of time in the Corps or investigating cases with NCIS could've prepared him for his current assignment though and it was one he'd agreed to himself, without an ounce of hesitation. There was really only one word that could accurately describe his situation.
Stupid.
Not only was it the stupidest thing he'd ever done in his life, it was most likely the stupidest thing he would ever do in the years to come but he'd agreed to it for good reason, for the only reason that mattered. He was doing it for Tony.
The truth was he'd do anything for Tony and that sometimes got him in trouble. This time it had gotten him into trouble in quite a spectacular way. He thought back to a couple nights prior when Tony had showed up in his basement and requested his help.
"You want me to do what?" he'd asked in shock. "Why can't you just tell your dad the truth?"
"Dad's—well, Dad's complicated," Tony had replied sheepishly. "It'll be just like an undercover op. We do it all the time."
"An undercover op is spying on a drug dealer or finding a serial killer's dumping ground, Tony! Not pretending to be your gay lover in front of your father!" Jethro had said incredulously.
His heart had gone out to Tony though. He knew Tony well enough to know that the only reason the man had told his father he was gay, was to get out of spending Christmas with him. He'd probably guessed Senior would slam the phone down on him and never contact him again but that had backfired on him in a way that had the two of them flying to New York City together to spend Christmas with the elder DiNozzo, pretending to be lovers.
But really, how bad could it be?
"You ready, Gibbs?" Tony called from the entranceway of his house. "There's traffic backups all over the city. I don't wanna miss our flight." He paused and thought for a moment before adding, "or maybe I do," under his breath.
"Yeah," Jethro hollered from the kitchen. "My bag's by the door."
"Coffee for the road?" Tony guessed as he followed the sound of Jethro's voice to the kitchen.
"Something like that."
One whiff of the man's breath and Tony realized it wasn't coffee that he'd been drinking. He stepped closer, reached for the cabinet next to Jethro and pulled out the bottle of bourbon.
"I'm not driving," Jethro commented dismissively when he saw the look Tony was giving him.
A grin spread across Tony's face as he twisted the lid off of the bottle and poured a couple fingers for himself into the coffee mug Jethro had emptied moments before his arrival. "I can't think of a better way to start this vacation," he said, shivering as the alcohol burned all the way down his throat and into his stomach.
Tony silently willed his leg to stop shaking as the driver his father had sent for them navigated the congested downtown streets. He'd spent the short plane ride getting into character, pretending to be his longtime crush's lover but the closer they got to their final destination, the more Tony was beginning to realize that pretending in his head on an airplane for his own personal enjoyment—and boy had he enjoyed it!—was completely different than pretending for real in front of his family.
The bourbon had long since worn off, leaving nothing in his system to numb the effect of the insanity that was about to ensue. He glanced over at Jethro as their driver signaled and pulled the car to a stop in front of a tall building that hadn't changed much since Tony's childhood. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or a bit angry to find his friend sitting there as cool as a cucumber when he felt so much inner turmoil.
"I'm sorry for whatever's about to happen in there," Tony mumbled, clearly already embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it," Jethro replied nonchalantly.
Either he was putting up a damn good front or he really didn't have a care in the world. Tony didn't have time to figure it out before the doorman opened their car door and greeted them.
A light, glittery snow fell all around them, illuminated by old-timey lampposts festively decorated with wreaths and red bows. It was a sight you wouldn't find if you walked a couple miles in any direction but that made it even more magical. The unexpected sight gave the big city a small town feel and brought a smile to Jethro's face as he took a moment to stop and watch the snow fall. A gentle hand on his forearm reminded him where he was and what he was doing.
"Getting cold feet already?" Tony asked. "I understand if you wanna back out." It wouldn't have taken any convincing at all to get him back into the car and headed back towards the airport.
"No," Jethro said, "it's just…" He paused, searching for a more manly word but couldn't find one. "It's beautiful. I wasn't expecting it."
Tony took a moment to glance up and take in the scene Jethro had been admiring and a smile crossed his face too. "Yeah," he said, "I guess it is, isn't it?"
The shared moment brought a sense of calm that began to fade almost as soon as they stepped through the double glass doors into the building. After insisting on hauling their own luggage up, the two endured a quiet elevator ride to the penthouse suite.
"It's not too late to take a cab back to LaGuardia," Tony said, only half joking.
"You know, neither of us would be here if you hadn't lied to your dad," Jethro teased.
"That wasn't really an option. I told you, my dad's complicated."
"I get that," Jethro said, shooting a reassuring look Tony's way.
"Why did you agree to come?"
With a shrug Jethro answered, "I've never been one to shy away from a new adventure."
"You might get more than you bargained for with this one," Tony told the man as he knocked on the door.
Both men could hear Senior's excited rambling as the man got closer and closer to the door. Tony cringed inwardly as memories from the past came rushing back and he did his best to brace himself when the door swung open.
"Junior!" the man greeted cheerfully. "You made it! Did you have any trouble finding the driver I sent for you?"
"No, Dad. We found Alexander. Thank you."
"Well quit stalling, Son. Introduce me to your friend."
"This is Gibbs, my boyfriend," Tony said, stepping aside as Jethro extended his arm for a handshake.
"Gibbs?" Senior repeated. "You call your boyfriend by his last name?"
"Jethro," Jethro corrected. "I keep telling Tony not to call me Gibbs outside the office but sometimes he forgets." He winked at Tony, trying to cover the slip up in a way that wouldn't alert Senior.
"Welcome to my home, Jethro," Senior replied warmly. "I do hope you'll be comfortable here. We're so excited you and Junior could make it up for the holidays."
"We appreciate the invitation and the plane tickets. That would've been a long drive after working all day."
"It was my pleasure; anything to get you guys here sooner so we could have more time with you."
"Well now that we're here, do you think you could let us in the house, Dad?" Tony asked.
"Oh, of course," Senior replied. "Where are my manners? There's just one thing first, Son." The elder DiNozzo grinned and glanced up, causing both Jethro and Tony to look up as well.
"Please tell me that's holly," Tony groaned.
"You don't want to kiss your honey?" Senior seemed genuinely confused.
"Oh, it's just that I um, I had garlic for lunch and I haven't had a chance to brush my teeth," Tony lied.
"Holidays are for kissing, Anthony," Senior explained, "and there can never be too many excuses to kiss your lover. Am I right, Jethro?"
"Dad, I don't think—"
Before Tony could finish his sentence, Jethro's work-roughened hand was on his cheek, turning his head and then the man's lips were pressed against his, interrupting Tony's nervous objections with a kiss so tender and passionate that it stirred something deep inside of Tony. Tony tensed slightly at the feeling of Jethro's five o'clock shadow tickling his face. That was something he'd never experienced before but the sensation of the man's lips pressed to his was addicting and left him aching for more as the man pulled away.
"Nice to see you've found someone who can still sweep you off your feet after all this time," Senior said, and it wasn't until then that Tony realized the kiss had ended. "How long have you guys been together?"
"Oh, what has it been, Tony? 'bout five months now," Jethro lied effortlessly.
"Five months and it feels like it's only been about five hours," Tony joked.
"A love like that is refreshing and a once in a lifetime find," Senior said. "Trust me."
Jethro and Tony shared a look behind the older DiNozzo's back as the man led the way into his home.
"And there's no need to be shy, Son," Senior continued, speaking over his shoulder as they entered the thoughtfully decorated, multiple level penthouse. "You should never be shy about sharing a kiss with your sweetheart."
"Dad!" Tony grumbled but his protests were cut off by a good looking woman who appeared to be around his father's age.
"Are they here?" she asked excitedly.
"Just got here," Senior replied, slipping an arm around the woman's waist. "This is my son, Junior and his boyfriend, Jethro. Guys, this is my wife, Patty."
"Welcome," the woman greeted warmly. She gave both of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek before ushering them into the living room where a woman around Tony's age was sitting on the couch in comfortable looking pajamas, drinking hot cocoa and reading a book. "Lynn, they're here! Tony, Jethro, this is my daughter, Lynn. Lynn, this is Tony and his boyfriend Jethro."
"Welcome, guys!" Lynn popped up off the couch and dragged them both into a hug, just like her mother had done. It was warm and inviting and, somehow, it didn't feel awkward at all. "'bout time you two made it. Now the party can really start!"
"It's nice to meet you," Tony said, taken aback by the warmth, love and automatic acceptance. All the memories he had from his childhood were of a cold and distant father with stepmothers that could only be described as evil, at best. This was the exact opposite.
"Where's the Christmas tree?" Tony asked, looking around the living room.
"We don't get the tree until Christmas Eve, Junior," Senior said. "You know that."
"Oh, yes," Tony snarked. "How could I forget?"
"C'mon, I'll give you guys a tour of the place and show you to your room," Lynn said with an amused chuckle.
"There's chicken and waffles waiting for you two in the kitchen," Senior added. "Whenever you're ready the chef will whip them up."
"Such great hospitality," Jethro commented just loud enough for Tony to hear.
"You're telling me," Tony mumbled back.
A handful of hours later, they'd toured both floors of the two story penthouse, devoured a ridiculously large stack of waffles and some fried chicken that surely could've been sold in any one of the numerous five star restaurants nearby and enjoyed a lot of conversation and laughter as they got to know each other before finding themselves alone in the bedroom that had been made up for them.
Tony stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, looking around like he was lost while Jethro searched his duffle for the sweatpants he'd packed to sleep in without a care in the world.
"You alright?" Jethro asked without even looking up.
"I'm just realizing that I didn't think this whole thing through entirely before I dragged you all the way up here. I'm so sorry, Boss. I'll grab some extra blankets and make myself a bed on the floor."
"No need to sleep on the floor, Tony. That bed is huge and we're both adults here. You need to relax."
Tony rolled his eyes as Jethro disappeared into the bathroom attached to their room. So he was a little uptight? Anyone in his position would be! He couldn't figure out how Gibbs was so calm. Sure, nothing ever fazed the man but they'd kissed in the hallway. It may have been for Senior's benefit but they'd kissed, on the lips. How could Gibbs act so nonchalant about the whole thing?
"Relax, he says, right before crawling into bed together," Tony muttered to himself. "Sure, no problem."
"It is what it is, Tony," Jethro called from the bathroom.
"How do you do that?" Tony asked, not expecting an answer. He rubbed his hands roughly over his face, doing his best to slip into the role he was playing, as if he truly were on an undercover assignment. It would've been easier if the feelings he was battling weren't so real and deep and personal but he'd have to let that go and just get through the next few days. He could pick up the pieces when he returned to DC. "It is what it is," he told himself.
After his turn in the bathroom, Tony found himself standing next to the king size bed with the luxury linens and expensive down pillows, staring at Jethro who had already stretched out and made himself comfortable and was even flipping channels on the TV in their room.
"Are you sure you don't want me to sleep on the floor?" Tony asked cautiously. "It's really no trouble at all."
"Get in the bed, Anthony," Jethro said.
Tony instinctively shot to attention at the order. "Getting in the bed, Boss," he barked as if he were a soldier responding to a drill sergeant. He pulled the blankets back and slipped in next to his partner, being careful to stay on his side of the bed.
"Your family's different than I thought they would be," Jethro commented as he continued mindlessly flipping channels without really paying attention to any of them.
"Ha! My family's different than I thought they would be," Tony joked.
Jethro glanced over at Tony, his head resting comfortably on the thick, downy pillow.
Tony chuckled as he reached over and snatched the remote out of Jethro's hand. "You're flipping channels and you're not even looking at the TV."
"Yeah? So?" Jethro asked, a twinkle in his eye as he continued to stare at Tony. "Is this not what you were expecting from your dad?"
Tony turned the TV off and put the remote on the nightstand before turning on his side, facing Jethro. "I don't know who that guy that greeted us at the door was," he confided. "The dad I knew was distant and disconnected," he paused and laughed cynically before continuing, "drunk."
"How long has it been since you've seen him?" Jethro asked.
"Decades," Tony answered. "I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop; for the dad I know to make an appearance."
"People change, Tony," Jethro said, "especially over decades. Give him a chance. Maybe he'll surprise you."
"Yeah, maybe," Tony replied half-heartedly. "I'm just afraid he's gonna hurt me again. I can't help but feel like I need to protect myself."
"I get that." Jethro reached out and tapped Tony under the chin before turning the lamp off, sliding down in the bed and settling in to get some much needed sleep.
"Don't take this the wrong way or anything but that was the best first kiss I've ever had," Tony said from the safety of the darkness, "even if it wasn't real." He automatically regretted giving voice to the thought that most definitely should've stayed in his head but he hadn't expected a kiss at all and definitely hadn't expected one that possessed him so wholly, a kiss that reached the deepest parts of his innermost being. It had been on his mind all night.
Jethro decided against the, 'felt real to me,' comment. "I don't do anything half-assed, Tony," he stated matter-of-factly. "You knew that before you suckered me into this. You, on the other hand, might wanna step it up if you're planning on selling this to your family."
"Are you telling me to not be shy?"
"I'm giving you permission," Jethro mumbled tiredly as he started to drift off.
Tony hummed in acknowledgment and listened as Jethro's breathing deepened and evened out. He envied the man's ability to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. He knew he was in for a long night of contemplating his poor past choices and freaking out about what may or may not happen during their vacation.
Or maybe he could spend the night pretending they were lovers for real instead, just like he'd done on the plane. The warm, fuzzy feeling those thoughts gave him may even help him fall asleep.
The sun slowly brought about life in the penthouse condo situated near the middle of Manhattan. Despite spending half the night up getting reacquainted with his family and the other half both reveling and freaking out about the fact that he was not only sharing a room but a bed with the man who'd been consuming his thoughts since the first day he'd laid eyes on him, Tony opened his eyes when he heard Jethro whistling softly and found the man buttoning up his flannel shirt.
"Mornin'," Jethro greeted.
The grumpy expression on Tony's face didn't waver despite the happiness oozing from his partner. "Why are you so happy?" he grumbled tiredly.
"I'm a happy guy," Jethro responded cheerfully. "Why are you so grumpy?"
"I guess I'm a grumpy guy."
"Uh-huh," Jethro hummed skeptically. "C'mon, get up. Let's go get some breakfast."
Tony groaned inwardly. "Get up? I just fell asleep."
"I know."
Despite being muttered, the comment not only got Tony's attention, it sparked his curiosity. He realized the parts of himself he could go home and hide from the world couldn't be hidden when he was sharing a room with someone, especially when that someone was Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
"That's right," Jethro replied smugly, "I know. Now, are you coming to breakfast or should I head down without you?"
"Leave you alone with my family? Ha! Let me hit the head and I'll be ready."
"You don't trust me? I'm hurt."
"It's really them that I don't trust, more than it's you, if that helps any," Tony called from the bathroom as he emptied his bladder with the door only partially closed.
"I can handle myself."
"Okay, I don't trust any of you," Tony admitted, "and I'm just paranoid enough to have a nervous breakdown at the mere thought of you and my family spending time alone together without me."
The two left their room and headed through the quiet house towards the kitchen.
"You gonna spend the whole vacation babysitting me?" Jethro asked.
"Maybe not the whole vacation. I mean, you probably won't need a babysitter while you're sleeping..." He let his sentence trail off and shot a fun, playful look over at Jethro. The remark earned him a swift kick in the ass as the two stepped into the dining room.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Senior's personal chef immediately started fussing over them. A cup of strong, black coffee appeared in front of Jethro and a frilly cup of hazelnut coffee landed in front of Tony with a promise of food to come.
And boy did it come.
A pot of fragrant, apple cinnamon oatmeal was placed in the center of the table and was quickly surrounded with eggs and breakfast meats, fruits, muffins and bagels and an array of other breakfast goodies. Tony filled a bowl with the irresistible oatmeal while Jethro put a sausage patty between two halves of a buttermilk biscuit and then doused the whole thing in sausage gravy.
They'd just started eating when Lynn appeared, the sleep still poking at her eyes and her hair sticking up in every direction imaginable, and joined them at the table.
"Mornin'," both Jethro and Tony greeted in unison.
Lynn froze in place, staring at them momentarily. "Wow," she commented, "in unison. That's cute."
The chef appeared with Lynn's coffee as the woman scooped some scrambled eggs onto her plate and ladled a healthy portion of the sausage gravy over them before putting a few pieces of bacon on the edge of the plate.
"You guys must've been tired last night," she said.
"Huh?" Tony asked around a mouthful of oatmeal.
"My room's right next to yours," Lynn explained nonchalantly, "and you guys were awfully quiet last night. I would've thought with all that testosterone I would've heard all kinds of interesting noises."
Tony immediately started coughing, trying to dislodge the apple cinnamon oatmeal that had somehow gotten stuck in his throat.
Jethro watched Tony for a moment before roughly patting the man's back and turning his attention back to Tony's stepsister. "Yesterday was a long day," he explained with the same air of nonchalance Lynn seemed to have.
Lynn watched curiously as Tony finally managed to clear his throat and get air to his lungs again. "You alright there, Tony?"
"Yeah," Tony managed to get out before taking a sip of his coffee. "You're not shy, are you?"
"We're all family here," Lynn replied with a shrug. "There's no need to be shy, is there?"
"I guess not," Tony replied, ducking his head to hide his reddened cheeks. Maybe he should've stayed in bed after all.
It wasn't long before Senior and Patty joined the group at the breakfast table. Both were as well put together as they'd been the night before and just as boisterous and cheerful. They added endless conversation to the meal that was thankfully not about the noises coming from Jethro and Tony's bedroom the previous night.
"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Lynn asked as the meal wrapped up.
"I thought we could take a walk through Macy's Santaland and then maybe do a little window shopping," Senior answered. "It's a bit touristy but everyone should experience an authentic New York City Christmas at least once in their lifetime."
Tony's spoon slipped from his fingers and the loud clanging drew everyone's attention.
"Is everything okay, Junior?"
"Santaland and window shopping," Tony repeated in a near whisper. "That's what Mom and I used to do."
"I thought it might bring back some fond memories for you, Son, but if you'd rather not, I understand," Senior replied with genuine concern.
Tony looked around the table and realized everyone had stopped eating and was staring at him and they all had concerned looks on their faces. It wasn't until Jethro's strong fingers curled around his bicep and his thumb rubbed comfortingly over the tense muscle that Tony found his words. "Yeah, of course. That, uh, that sounds like fun."
Jethro had always thought his mother made the absolute best hot chocolate and the cup Senior had purchased for him at the street side stand, as thick, rich and chocolatey as it was, didn't change his mind but it did make him curious about why a beverage that was relaxing him and putting him in the holiday spirit seemed to be having the opposite effect on Tony.
The others may not have noticed but it was plainly obvious to Jethro how hard Tony had tried to hide behind his smile and jokes as they strolled through Santaland and things weren't getting much better as they strolled along the crowded sidewalks, peering into the windows of some of the most expensive stores in the nation.
Jethro bumped shoulders with Tony in an attempt to engage the man but he hardly seemed to notice. Tony was completely zoned out and Jethro had a feeling it was only a matter of time before all the tension and building angst came to an explosive conclusion. He just wished he knew what was bothering the man so he could help.
"Hey," he whispered quietly enough that only Tony would be able to hear him.
Nothing.
"Tony."
Still nothing.
"Junior, do you remember the elaborate train display they used to set up in this window?" Senior asked jovially, seemingly unaware of Tony's inner turmoil.
As soon as Tony stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the busy sidewalk and whipped his head around in his father's direction, Jethro knew things were going to get bad but all he could do was stand back and watch and be there to help Tony pick up the pieces when it was all over.
"Do you, Dad?" Tony snapped. "Do you remember it?"
Senior was taken aback by the sharp outburst and looked truly lost. "Junior?"
"What are we doing?" Tony continued angrily. "What are you doing?" His father had never taken an interest in Christmas before; not when his mother had been alive or after she'd passed and it had been the source of a lot of hurt for Tony. Why was he being Mr. Holly and Jolly now? What was he up to?
Jethro wondered if he was the only one who could see past the anger and hear the true desperation in Tony's voice. Judging by the look on his father's face, the man was completely clueless.
"Well, I—I just thought we could do a little window shopping," Senior stuttered, "get in the holiday spirit but if you're not enjoying yourself, we can head back to the house."
"Don't you put this on me, Dad!" Tony replied sharply before turning and marching off to continue window shopping at stores they'd never actually be able to afford to purchase anything at.
Jethro looked at the group sympathetically before turning and hurrying off after Tony. He fell into line next to him, glanced over and saw the man's eyes set firmly in determination and his lips pursed in a thin, straight line. He knew better than to try to talk to Tony in front of everyone so instead he cautiously reached out and latched his pinky onto Tony's in a show of support. They were supposed to be lovers, after all, and what better way to keep up the façade? Besides, Tony had always been very responsive to his touch.
As they continued walking along the busy sidewalks, bumping elbows with hundreds of strangers, Senior's loud, lively voice faded into the crowd and Tony willed himself to calm down while the others pretended nothing had happened, hoping to make it home without another outburst. Tony could see the concern in Jethro's eyes and instantly felt guilty for putting it there while Senior pondered what might be going on with his son that had caused such a scene.
The awkwardness continued when they made it back to the house and Tony immediately disappeared to their bedroom. Jethro followed behind after politely excusing both of them to Tony's still confused family. He stepped into the bedroom and found Tony frantically pacing and muttering softly to himself.
"Hey," Jethro said.
When Tony didn't seem to register his presence, Jethro stepped into the man's path and rested his hands on Tony's shoulders, stopping his pacing.
"What's going on?" he asked when Tony's eyes finally met his.
"What're you talking about? Nothing's going on."
Jethro looked more amused than angry but there was no way he was letting Tony get away with that lie. "So your family outings always end up with someone making a scene in the middle of Fifth Avenue, in front of hundreds of strangers?"
Tony looked up at Jethro again and for the first time seemed to register who he was talking to. He backed out of the man's grasp, walked over to the bed that someone had made while they'd been out and sat down on the foot of it. Staying with Senior was like staying in a hotel and Tony didn't like the pretentiousness of it. "It's bad enough I dragged you up here to pretend to be my gay boyfriend," he said. "I won't drag you into my family drama too."
Jethro walked over to the bed and sat down with his back resting against the headboard, silently conveying the message that he wasn't going anywhere. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to be dragged into the drama, Tony. Tell me."
Jethro continued to ask and Tony continued to avoid answering but what had started out as a curiosity and need to help turned into a playful game of who was going to cave first. When Tony flopped back against the bed with an exacerbated sigh after Jethro asked what had to be the tenth time, Jethro playfully rubbed his socked foot up against Tony's face, just to get a smile out of him.
"I guess I'll just have to torture it out of you instead," Jethro joked.
Smiles and teasing turned to tickling and then a never before seen form of modified wrestling that ended in a somewhat awkward leg hold with Tony face first in Jethro's crotch. The touching and playfulness had certainly awakened other parts of Tony's anatomy and gotten his mind moving in that direction but he never would've admitted it.
The laughing stopped as soon as the two realized what had happened and Tony found himself scrambling out of the bed only to reveal the fullness in the front of his pants and of course when he looked down at it to see how obvious it was, Jethro's eyes followed.
"I, um, I should, I gotta—" The stuttering continued as Tony backed up towards the door before he disappeared into the hallway, quite possibly to never be seen again. Maybe he'd gotten lucky and Jethro hadn't noticed.
Jethro rubbed his hands over his face and dropped bonelessly against the bed then started chuckling to himself again at the whole situation. Once he had his body under control, he got up and headed off to find Tony. After peeking in several rooms, he finally found the man in the library, sitting in a fancy armchair with one leg over the arm of the chair and his head in his hands.
"Tell me to stop," Jethro said, standing right in front of Tony.
Tony looked up at the man, his cheeks still tinted a light shade of red. Despite knowing what was probably the wise, correct answer, he whispered the opposite. "No."
Jethro raised his eyebrows at Tony in approval. "Okay then."
Tony watched as Jethro turned and headed towards the door. Suddenly the issues he had with his father were no longer important. He was much more interested in whatever was going on between him and Jethro and curious if the other man felt the same shift he was experiencing.
"And from what I saw, you've got nothing to be ashamed of," Jethro said before he disappeared, leaving Tony alone once again.
"Ugh!" Tony groaned. Jethro had noticed. Of course he'd noticed. He was Jethro Gibbs and Jethro Gibbs noticed everything. Everything. Not only that, Jethro's approving tone was causing a similar reaction as the wrestling had. "You behave," he said firmly, pointing at his crotch.
It was almost an hour later when Tony left the safety of the library and found Jethro and Lynn in the dining room, drinking coffee and chatting.
"Get everything under control?" Lynn asked.
Tony instantly shot Jethro a horrified look.
"What?" Jethro asked. "I didn't say anything."
Lynn, who had initially been referring to Tony's emotional outburst that morning, almost instantly realized that something else had happened between the two men. "Oh!" she exclaimed knowingly. "Is that what's been causing all of this? I knew your room was too quiet last night and then you were all frustrated this morning. You two get that all taken care of?"
"Shut up," Tony said, horrified by the turn in conversation. "That's not what's going on."
"Relax, Tony," Jethro said, playfully pinching at the man's side, hoping to help him calm down. "She's just poking fun."
Tony dropped into the chair next to Jethro and grabbed the man's coffee. The shy smile on his face told the other two that he knew it was all good natured fun. He could only hope Jethro didn't see the embarrassment caused by wishing their pretend relationship was anything but. "I know," he said.
"I got Tony in a cock sucking leg hold and he's being a poor sport about it," Jethro explained, winking at Tony.
Tony could not have looked any more shocked if he'd tried as he processed what Jethro had said. "You so do not play fair!" he exclaimed when he finally managed to speak again. "That's the only way you got me in that hold. Might even be the reason you didn't get your cock sucked," he taunted.
Footsteps alerted the group to Senior and Patty's presence and the group had quieted down by the time the parents stepped into the dining room.
"What are we talking about?" Senior asked.
"Blow jobs," Lynn answered with no apology.
"Lynn!" Patty scolded.
"Anthony!" Senior reprimanded.
"Jethro started it!" Tony and Lynn protested at the same time.
"What?" Jethro asked innocently when all eyes turned to him.
"Anyways," Senior said, changing the topic as quickly as he could, "Patty and I have my office Christmas party tonight. Are you guys sure you don't want to come with us?"
"We're sure," Tony and Lynn answered.
Senior pulled his wallet out and thumbed through a couple bills before dropping a generous amount onto the table in the middle of the group. "In that case, you kids order yourselves some takeout and enjoy your evening. We'll probably be home late."
"You do realize we all have jobs and can afford our own dinner," Lynn said, staring at the money.
"You guys save your money," Senior said, dismissing the idea without giving it any thought. "Dinner's on us." The elder DiNozzo wrapped his arm around his wife and smiled from ear to ear at the three adults he considered to be his children.
"Thanks, Dad," Tony said.
"Thank you," Jethro and Lynn mimicked.
Every single cupboard door in the kitchen was hanging open as Tony stood back and studied the contents inside. Lynn was in the walk-in pantry, taking stock of the ingredients in there while Jethro was leaned up against the kitchen island, watching them. It was getting late but they'd been talking about Christmas cookies and had decided they had to have some. With Senior and Patty still at their party and the chef off for the night, it was up to them to make the cookies themselves.
"Calling for backup?" Jethro asked when Tony pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.
"Something like that," Tony said. "I'm Googling a recipe."
"And is there a reason all the cabinet doors are open?" Jethro asked curiously.
"So we don't have to spend all night searching for ingredients and tools," Lynn answered for Tony as she stepped out of the pantry. "It's easier this way."
Tony looked over at his stepsister in surprise. "Wow," he said, "maybe we really are related."
"You know, we could find an all-night cookie shop and buy some," Jethro suggested.
"You were the one telling stories about baking cookies with your mom," Tony said. "Buying cookies is cheating."
"That's the second time today Tony's accused you of cheating or not playing fair," Lynn pointed out.
"Ugh, don't even go there again!" Tony groaned as a smile spread across Jethro's face.
"Alright," Jethro said, rolling the sleeves of his flannel shirt halfway up his forearms, "Lynn, you grab the ingredients. I'll get the mixing bowls and stuff. Tony, you're in charge of a recipe."
"Grandma's Christmas cutouts," Tony announced happily. "If it's got Grandma's name on it, it's gotta be delicious, right?"
"Makes sense to me," Lynn answered.
In no time at all Tony had figured out how to print the recipe from his phone to his father's printer and Jethro and Lynn had everything they needed to make the fairly simple recipe conveniently lined up on the counter. Sugar and butter were creamed together while the group got to know each other even better. Flour, eggs and a handful of other ingredients were added to the mix as the conversation continued.
"So you're a paralegal from Connecticut," Tony said. "That means we're in a similar line of work. Well, unless... You don't work for a defense attorney, do you?"
"No," Lynn answered with a laugh. "I work mostly in corporate law. It's kind of boring compared to criminal law but I don't have serial killers stalking me or anything like that so I'm okay with it."
"I don't think I'd know what to do if it weren't for serial killer stalkers and other such thugs," Tony joked. "They make life interesting."
While the dough was setting in the freezer, the group worked on cleaning up the kitchen but not without making more of a mess first. Jethro clapped a handful of flour on Tony's head and Tony got him back by exploding an entire bag of flour over his head.
"Oh my gosh, you guys!" Lynn said in shock.
"Shit, Tony," Jethro added with a laugh. "I think you take payback a little too seriously."
Tony could barely stop laughing long enough to answer. "That was kind of an accident. I didn't mean to get you quite so covered but I gotta say, this is pretty much the greatest thing ever." He grabbed his phone and pointed it at Jethro as he spoke. "I need a picture." Before Jethro could protest, Tony was snapping pictures amid fits of giggles.
"Let me get one with both of you," Lynn said, grabbing Tony's phone.
She'd just snapped a picture when a voice behind them interrupted the fun.
"Is everything okay in here?"
Jethro, Tony and Lynn turned to see Senior's housekeeper in her pajamas and robe, standing in the doorway to the kitchen looking at the mess in horror.
"Oh, yeah, um, everything's fine," Tony said moving between the woman and mess, hoping to block her view.
"We'll get this all cleaned up," Jethro assured her as he escorted her out of the kitchen. "We didn't mean to wake you. We'll quiet down. Don't worry about anything."
"I can clean it up," the woman offered.
"No, no," Lynn insisted. "We'll clean it up. You enjoy your evening. We're sorry we disturbed you."
"If you guys change your minds," the woman said, pointing towards her room.
"Thank you," Jethro said. "G'night."
The housekeeper closed the door to her bedroom and the snickering started all over again. Jethro turned and chased Tony and Lynn back into the kitchen, shaking flour off of himself at them. The quieted down squeals didn't stop until Jethro had shaken all the flour he could from himself onto the others and they were all liberally covered in white.
"Did you and your mom have this much fun making cookies?" Tony asked as they started cleaning again.
"Well, she never exploded a bag of flour on my head," Jethro teased, "but yeah. I looked forward to it every year."
"What about you, Lynn?"
"My mom isn't much of a baker," Lynn said before pausing and giggling. "Who am I kidding? My mom can't bake at all!"
"My mom wasn't much of a baker either," Tony said, "but there was this mother and son who would sell homemade sugar cookies in Central Park every year and they were the best cookies I've ever had. I think my mom paid double for them and I'm not sure but I don't think the mom and son were very well off.
"Sounds like you and your mom had some fun adventures," Jethro said.
"We did and Christmas was her favorite time of year. The decorations, the holiday cheer and goodwill towards men, she couldn't get enough of it." Tony reached for the freezer door but paused for a moment and looked back at Jethro and Lynn. "Maybe that's why my dad wouldn't do anything Christmasy with me after she died. Maybe he missed her too much."
"Maybe," Jethro agreed, getting his first clue about why Tony wasn't big on Christmas and what might've been bothering him earlier that day. "Maybe you should talk to him about it."
"Nah," Tony said with a dismissive shake of his head. "We're DiNozzos and DiNozzos don't talk about their feelings or anything like that."
He opened the freezer door and pulled their cookie dough out, his mouth watering already. After pinching off a chunk of raw dough to sample, he put a much larger portion on the floured countertop for Lynn who was waiting to roll it out. While the two rolled the dough and used cookie cutters to cut it into holiday shapes, Jethro got the oven warmed up and readied a couple cookie sheets to bake the cookies on.
Fifteen minutes later they were pulling their first batch out of the oven and staring at the pans in amusement.
"Mom and Dad are gonna think we did this on purpose," Lynn commented.
"Especially after they caught Jethro talking about blow jobs earlier," Tony added.
"They look," Jethro hesitated, swallowing hard as he stared at the cookies on the tray, "they look perfectly innocent to me."
"Seriously?" Lynn asked, raising an eyebrow at the man.
"Santa's got giant Christmas tree ornaments for balls and it looks like Donner and Blitzen are humping," Tony pointed out.
"And don't forget the elf with a dick the size of a, well, a candy cane," Lynn added.
"So we baked the cookies a little too close together," Jethro said with a shrug. "I doubt anyone will even notice."
"Abby will!" Tony said, grabbing his phone to take a picture. "We work with Abby," he explained to Lynn. "She loves shit like this."
"Take your picture and then we better eat these before anyone else sees them," Lynn said. "At least the obscene ones."
"Dibs on the elf with the candy cane dick," Tony called.
"Sounds like you coulda had the real thing earlier if you weren't such a poor sport," Lynn goaded.
"Really?" Tony said incredulously. "Are we really gonna go there again?"
"You're never gonna live that one down," Lynn informed the man. "At least not until I find something better to tease you about."
"Jethro, you're never allowed to talk to Lynn again."
"Hey, I wasn't the one who blew that one," Jethro reminded Tony. "That was all you, Skippy."
"Shit," Tony grumbled. "Note to self, remember to never talk to Lynn again."
"Don't forget my room is right next door to yours," Lynn said, "and I'm part private investigator. I don't need you to tell me things!" she taunted playfully.
"My life is over," Tony groaned dramatically. "I don't know why I ever wanted a sibling growing up."
"Well now you have one and you're stuck with me."
The teasing continued while the group finished baking the rest of the cookies and got their mess cleaned up then they said goodnight and headed off to their rooms.
"It's almost 4:00," Tony pointed out in shock. "I can't remember the last time I stayed up this late, other than working a case, of course."
"Maybe it'll keep your stepsister from inquiring about our sex life at breakfast," Jethro joked.
"Seems like you enjoyed talking about our sex life with her."
"I already told you, Tony, that was all you. I didn't say anything to her."
"Except that you wrestled me into a cock sucking position," Tony reminded the man.
"I was just trying to cover your slip up," Jethro countered.
"Whatever. I could always knock the headboard against the wall or bang a chair against the floor," Tony offered. "Have you ever seen Everybody Loves Raymond? Robbie's trying to convince Marie that they're a happy, intimate couple but he and Amy are fighting so he just bangs a chair against the floor repeatedly so his mom thinks they're doing the nasty."
"I don't think we need to go to those extremes," Jethro said, "but I'm gonna hop in the shower so you do whatever you feel is necessary. Just makes us look good if you decide to do something like that." He winked at the man and then disappeared into the bathroom to wash the flour off of himself.
After both had showered and settled in bed, Tony found himself turning towards Jethro slightly, inhaling the man's strong, clean, masculine scent as if it were the air he needed to stay alive.
"Tonight was fun," Tony said tiredly.
"Yeah," Jethro agreed, "it was." He paused and when Tony didn't continue, he spoke again. "You gonna sleep tonight?"
"I hope so," Tony answered honestly.
"Just relax, Tony," Jethro told him softly. "Don't overthink things and you'll sleep just fine."
"What if I want to overthink things?" Tony asked without even thinking.
"Then you're probably gonna be too tired to enjoy the things that are happening outside of your fantasies."
"Well, I would hate for that to happen." Tony inhaled deeply again, determined to remember the moment for the rest of his life, then closed his eyes.
"G'night, Tony."
"Goodnight, Jethro."