Tony: Everyone deserves their privacy. Even Leroy Jethro Gibbs.


Gibbs hovered at Tony's desk the next morning, cup of coffee in hand.

"Morning boss…" He looked up slightly confused. After all, Gibbs only hovered under extreme circumstances. "Everything alright?"

No reply came.

It was then; Tony went for the lighthearted approach. "Wanna just hit the back of my head and skip the pep talk?"

"Feeling guilty DiNozzo?"

"Usually," he said under his breath, knowing full well Gibbs had heard him. "If this is about the wedding invitation, I never opened it…even ask Ziva, she caught me in the shower."

"With clothes on." Ziva spoke quickly in her own defense.

Gibbs didn't acknowledge her outburst and continued his downward glare at Tony.

"Is this about me obsessing? Because I really think I've gotten a lot better. I mean sure, I'm a bit fascinated by you boss, but only in those most respectful kind of way…"

It was then the head slap came. And Tony seemed to relish in it.

"Thank you boss."

It was the last few seconds of the glare that legitimately scared Tony. Later that night, he made a point to follow up on them.

"You're hovering." Gibbs spoke into the near empty bull pen.

"More like you by the minute…" Tony replied, making his way over to Gibbs desk. "Listen boss."

"Spare me DiNozzo. What you do in your personal life is just that, personal."

"So you didn't hit me because of the wedding thing?" He knew the answer before he asked it. "What do you want me to do?"

Gibbs smirked up at him. "You know the answer to that question too."

"I like her," he said simply. "Sure, it's complicated, but…"

"Nothing is ever simple with you DiNozzo."

"More like you by the minute," he repeated himself then thought for a long minute. "I could have been her, you know?"

Gibbs stood up and only gestured for him to continue.

"You don't know?" Tony questioned him. "Of course you do, you know everything…even what happens in the womens showers…"

"Not until just now," Gibbs moved around his desk and met him face to face. "Rules are there for a reason."

"You ever feel like the rules don't apply to you?" He caught his glare, slightly more intense than that mornings had been. "Of course you don't. Forget I asked."

"I can't tell you what to do DiNozzo."

"You do it all the time."

"Not about this."

Tony understood. "So the head slap?"

"So you know that I know."

It was then Gibbs left without another word, leaving Tony to contemplate the conversation, He glanced over the partition at the empty desk behind it and ran a hand over his face.

Maybe some rules don't apply to him after all.