Disclaimer: y'all know the drill
Note: thank you to all the people who commented, favorite, and/or followed this story. I was really hesitant to post it because I thought no one would like or understand it. So to say I was pleasantly surprised about the number of favorites and follows and comments I got would be an understatement. Thank you again!
PS: I do not own Uno's or make a profit by mentioning it.
PPS: sorry this one is short. But it's got the beginnings of some Tibbs cuteness so I hope that makes up for it! Enjoy! (:
~~~~~NCIS~~~~~
The ride to the airport had been uneventful. Gibbs managed to make the normally twenty minute drive, maybe thirty with traffic, to the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in ten minutes also managing to avoid the morning traffic. They had decided that they would find a place to eat inside the airport, so they quickly found a parking lot and got on their way. They dropped off their suitcases, went through all the security stuff, and continued on to find their terminal. Tony ran off like a child when he saw a Dunkin Donuts, leaving Gibbs to watch him amusedly from behind. Tony returned to him carrying two coffees and a bag of food.
Gibbs smirked over at him as they found their terminal and a place to sit, "You know, donuts really aren't breakfast."
"Well then it's a good thing I didn't get just donuts," Tony stuck his tongue out, causing Gibbs to have the sudden, not unusual urge to grab it between his teeth and pull it into his mouth. Gibbs took a deep breath to control himself as Tony started rummaging through the white paper bag. "I got a bacon and egg sandwich for you." He handed it to Gibbs who half-smiled gratefully. "I got one of those breakfast burritos for me. And some hashbrowns for us to share. THEN we can eat the donuts," Tony chuckled as he leaned back in their chair and started unwrapping his burrito. Gibbs just rolled his eyes and mimicked Tony's actions. They ate in silence, listening to the voice of the loud speaker call for other terminals and the people bustling through the airport. As he finished eating, Tony checked his watch. "It's only 08:00. We've still got an hour and a half to kill before they start boarding," he noted, sounding bored. He looked up at Gibbs and asked innocently, "Mind if I go check out the shops?"
Gibbs shook his head.
"Alright! But since you didn't bring anything, you want a book or my iPod or something?" Tony asked as he stood and stretched.
Gibbs just shrugged, "What books d'you got?"
Tony opened his carry-on and rummaged through it until pulled out two books. The first was clearly about some old, famous movie star that Gibbs had never heard of. The second was Tim's newest addition to the Deep Six series. Gibbs looked at Tony, puzzled; he thought he hated Tim's books. Tony shrugged guiltily, "I think I was more pissed off by the fact that he didn't tell us he even wrote the book in the first place and that he lied to our faces that the characters weren't based off of us. Oh! And I was kind of pissed about the whole Tommy and Lisa thing because, really, that was just uncalled for."
Gibbs lifted an eyebrow.
"You know I love Ziva Boss. But more in like the sisterly kind of way. I know we flirt and stuff, but it's all in good fun! I know because Ziva and I talked about it years ago, and we decided that the flirting was nothing more than sport, and, even if we each think the other is sexy, there's nothing between us. But instead of asking us about it, Tim just went and put that our characters were secretly in love, which implied that me and Ziva are secretly in love, and we're not."
Gibbs had always wondered about the two of them himself. Even before he read Tim's books, he picked up on the way Ziva and Tony interacted. It was one of the many reasons why Gibbs hid his feelings for Tony. He would've been sad and angry, of course, if his two agents had hooked up; he wanted Tony for himself. But, like many other people, he thought that Tony and Ziva were in love, the kind of love that cuts deep and doesn't go away. In their case, he would've made an exception to Rule 12. He knew how pointless it was to stand in the way of the kind of love he thought Tony and Ziva had. But now that Tony was saying there was nothing between them, he felt happy.
"Anyway," Tony continued, "Once we, Ziva and I, reamed his ass for that, I actually started to like the books. It's a good story, and McGemcity is a good writer. Plus, this third one is really exciting."
Gibbs took McGee's book and half smiled at Tony. He smiled back then waved his goodbye as he went to the stores. He had to admit, McGee was a good writer. He remembered how amused he had been when Gibbs' character, 'Tibbs', had been paired with Hollis Mann's character. Because, in McGee's book, he had gotten their whole relationship wrong; he never really felt anything more than a mild attraction to Hollis. He was with her to get his mind of his feelings for Tony. He and Abby were probably the only ones who weren't mad about the books. He read for about an hour until Tony came back. Then they started boarding people. Another hour and they were finally taking off. Gibbs let Tony have the window seat so the younger man could watch as they lifted from the ground and left D.C. behind. Gibbs would never cease to be amused by how child-like Tony could act when he wasn't on the job. Tony leaned right up against the glass to look, talking about how the shrinking people, cars, and buildings looked like toys or ants. Then he relaxed and put his headphones on to listen to his iPod while he napped for the three-ish-hour-long flight while Gibbs continued to read McGee's book.
Somewhere along the way, Tony's head fell down on to Gibbs' shoulder. The older man looked down into the snoozing man's face. He looked cute while he slept; his features smooth and relaxed, a slight smile on his face. Gibbs had to push away the urge to kiss the head of brown hair and rest his own head on it. Instead, he just smiled affectionately and waited.
~~~~~NCIS~~~~~
It was nearly dinner time by the time they finally checked into their room. It was the only room available; right before Tony had booked it the couple had cancelled. Both the staff and Tony were happy he managed to get it. It was a rather large room. Upon walking through the door they were greeted by a small hallway that, on the left, branched off into the kitchen and, on the right, their large bedroom. The bedroom housed a king-sized bed, a bedside table, a closet, a dresser and was complete with its very own bathroom. Straight back from the door was a lounging area with a sofa, a loveseat, and a coffee table across from a decent-sized flat screen TV. In between the kitchen and the lounging area was a bar-counter-top with stool chairs, a wine rack, and a phone. Behind that was a sliding glass door that led to the balcony.
"This is pretty nice huh Boss?" Tony mused as he walked through it.
Gibbs just grunted in agreement, tempted to just toss his stuff on the floor and collapse in the bed. It looked really comfy, and he was feeling both hungry and jetlagged. Tony seemed to sense this so he gave Gibbs a smile and held up a finger. Gibbs waited to see what he was doing as Tony walked towards the phone at the counter. He looked at the directory to see what number to call for the front desk before he pressed the dials. It rang once before a pleasant male voice answered, "Hello room 1301. What can I do for you?"
Tony chuckled, remembering the voice as the man who had given them their room keys, "Woah now. My name is Tony, so none of this 1301 stuff. Makes me sound like a spy, ya know? Like James Bond is 007?"
The man chuckled awkwardly.
Tony continued, "Anyway, I was wondering if you know of any good restaurants that serve fries and burgers and beer that are close by with a more quiet atmosphere."
"Well, there's a few good ones close by sir. Um, I mean Tony. The choices are a little bit more limited with it being Mardi Gras month. The people take it very seriously; they started partying two weeks ago!" Both the men and Tony laughed before he continued, "I would suggest either Rosebud's or Uno's. Rosebud's is more expensive, but I think they would both be good candidates for you and your partner. Shall I call a taxi for you?"
Tony froze for a second at the word partner. Yes, Gibbs was Tony's partner when they were in the field as agents, and he was Tony's partner-in-crime at times, like when they'd worked together to escape Abby. But the man couldn't possibly know they were NCIS agents, therefore he must mean the other kind of partner. The kind when two men were together romantically. Had they given off that vibe? The thought puzzled Tony, but then he quickly remembered he was on the phone. Choosing to ignore the partner thing, Tony said, "Thank you. That would be great!"
"Okay! I'll call right away. It should be here within ten minutes."
"Thank you." Then Tony hung up. Gibbs had walked to stand on the other side of the counter so he could get a glass of water. He had noticed the moment that Tony had tensed slightly and wondered what had caused it. When Tony turned to ask him which one he would rather go to, Gibbs chose to let the matter go. He shrugged, "Doesn't matter as long as there's food."
Tony laughed, "Would you still say that if I offered to go to Mars?"
Gibbs just smiled and nodded in response. Then he sobered slightly, "So who wants the couch?"
Tony turned to look at the sofa. It looked comfortable enough, but he didn't particularly want to sleep there. "Does it pull out into a bed?"
"Don't know. Guess I'll figure that out."
Tony turned back to Gibbs, "Boss. You don't have to sleep there."
Gibbs shrugged and looked away, "Used to sleepin' on couches DiNozzo. Plus, I won't have to hear you complain about your back hurting." He had wanted to tell Tony he'd rather sleep in the bed with him. But he knew that couldn't happen. He wouldn't make Tony feel awkward like that.
Tony looked unsure as he tilted his head and asked, "You sure? I really don't mind sleeping there. Even though, you are right; we both know how sensitive my back is when it's most inconvenient."
Gibbs half-smiled, "Naahh. Now go freshen up so we can leave."
Tony did as told and went to go brush his teeth and hair and splash some water on his face.
They'd chosen Uno's because the taxi driver had raved about how good their pasta and desserts were. The word desserts had sold Tony immediately, and he practically shouted at the driver to take them there. Luckily, it wasn't too crowded and they were able to be seated immediately. They perused the menus, ordered beers and appetizers, then ordered meals. They talked animatedly as they ate, talking about anything from Gibbs' latest wood project to the "McAbby" wedding. At this Gibbs looked at Tony confused, "McAbby?"
Tony smiled, "Yah. The 'cute couple's contraction'. There's one for everyone. McGee plus Abby equals McAbby. You and Jenny were Jibbs," Gibbs' eye widened at that and he chuckled as Tony continued, "Breena and Jimmy can be Brimmy or maybe Jeema. For those unwise enough to believe I'm with Ziva, they call us Tiva. It's really quite odd but can work with any two names. Or even three sometimes when there's like a threesome or a love triangle going on."
By now, they were almost done their plates and had had just enough beer to make their filters lack control. Before Gibbs could even think, he blurted, "I get it. Like you and I could be Tibbs."
The meaning of what Gibbs said went over Tony's head as he just laughed and said, "By George, I think you've got it!"
Gibbs chuckled, relieved Toy didn't understand the underlying message to his words. He would have to be more careful about what he said. They laughed for a few more moments before the waiter came back and asked if they wanted anything else. Tony immediately shouted, "Yes! Dessert!"
Both Gibbs and the waiter shared an amused look while Tony grabbed the dessert menu. After a moment he said, "This giant cookie sundae thing sounds delicious. Can we get one of those?"
The waiter smiled, "Sure! It'll be out momentarily." He refilled their beers and collected their empty plates before walking away.
Gibbs leaned back and patted his stomach, "Not sure how much more I can fit in here Tony."
"Don't worry Gibbs," Tony smiled, "I'll probably eat the whole thing by myself."
Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Oh. I see how it is. Too good to share with me are ya?"
"Of course not! I'll even feed it to you if you want," Tony winked, not realizing he was flirting.
"And what if I do want?" Gibbs dared, leaning closer to Tony, eyes bright with mischief and joy. He on the other hand knew he was flirting; he just couldn't help himself.
Tony leaned forward too until their faces were not even a foot apart, "Then I guess I'll just have to do your bidding."
They stared into each other's eye for a moment before their waiter came back and cleared his throat. He was smirking knowingly as he placed the huge chocolate chip cookie on the table. It was huge and inviting looking, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. Two long spoons were laid on the side. Tony licked his lips as the smell reached his nose. "As delicious as it looks, it's hot," the waiter warned, "So you might wanna give it a minute. Enjoy."
Without waiting, Tony grabbed a spoon and started to scoop up the cookie. Gibbs watched, amused, as Tony blew on the spoonful before putting it in his mouth. As he started to chew, he moaned and nodded his head in approval. "Holy crap Gibbs! You have to try some," Tony gushed. Before Gibbs could reach for his own spoon though, Tony was already scooping some more into his spoon. Gibbs was enchanted by Tony leaning over the table, a sultry look on his face, as he held the spoon out to Gibbs. Gibbs swallowed slowly before leaning forward, blowing on the cookie, making sure to also blow air across Tony's hand, and took it in his mouth. Blue eyes never left green as Gibbs slowly pulled his mouth off the spoon. He started to chew and after a moment said quietly, "This IS really good Tony."
Tony smiled and slowly looked away from Gibbs' eyes to continue eating the cookie. After his brain recovered, Gibbs reached for his own spoon and started eating more too, wishing Tony would feed him again.
~~~~~NCIS~~~~
On the taxi ride back to the hotel, Tony and Gibbs were sitting in comfortable silence when Tony groaned and face-palmed himself. "We forgot to call the team and tell em we landed and settled in."
Gibbs cringed. Abby was gonna kill them. He immediately pulled out his phone to dial Ziva, while Tony pulled out his phone to dial Abby. They were both relieved to hear from them, though Abby ranted about how worried she was when they didn't call earlier. Gibbs didn't envy Tony for dealing with Abby. Ziva really was much calmer and simpler. Like father like daughter, Gibbs guessed. Ziva had more in common with Gibbs than she ever did with her biological father, including the fact that she too is a Crusnik. Gibbs was in every sense of the word, except blood, Ziva's father. One day, they both hoped that Gibbs would walk Ziva down the aisle to give her away too.
Soon they were back in their room, shedding their clothes and pulling on PJs. As Gibbs exited the bathroom, he saw Tony unmaking the bed to get in it. Still feeling un-Gibbish for the time being, Gibbs said quietly, "I had fun at dinner Tony. We should make a habit of that."
Tony looked at Gibbs with a huge smile, hearing the genuine truth in Gibbs' words, "I had fun too Gibbs. And definitely!"
Gibbs smiled back, "Wellp. Goodnight."
"Night."
With that Gibbs, left Tony to the bedroom to go out and unfold the sofa-bed. Soon, he was in it and comfortable enough to fall right to sleep. Tony however, was awake for hours after Gibbs. He had suddenly remembered the front-desk man calling Tony and Gibbs "partners". His mind replayed the more intimate moments between him and Gibbs. The tickling in the car, him resting his head on Gibbs' shoulder while he slept on the plane, talking comfortably over dinner and sharing food. Finally, Tony replayed the flirting and feeding Gibbs the cookie. He suddenly realized that that's exactly what had happened. Flirting! Tony was beyond confused. Sure, he thought Gibbs was rather good-looking, incredibly attractive even; he cared about Gibbs a lot, liked being with him, being close to him, watching his six. But he had always just accounted that to the unique bond they shared. But suddenly, Tony wasn't so sure. The last thought that crossed his mind before he finally fell into darkness was, 'Do I have actually feelings for Gibbs?'
