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"Gibbs."
Tony barely glances up from his desk when their team leader's phone rings and the silver haired man answers gruffly. He has already opened his desk drawer and retrieved his badge when Gibbs orders the team to grab their gear.
"What do we got, Boss?" Tony smiles at the way McGee asks the question. The young man has come so far, from green Probie to inadvertently imitating their fearless team leader. Apparently McGee has noticed Tony's smile because he quirks one eyebrow and silently asks what's funny now, but Gibbs interrupts them.
"Possible intruder at Quantico."
Ziva frowns as they step into the elevator. "How did he get on base?"
Gibbs shrugs. "MP's couldn't tell me much at this point. Seems like he hid in a car to pass control." Tony nods. A moment later, the elevator doors open and they walk into the garage. Tony spurts towards the van, yelling "Shotguuuun!", leaving his team members rolling their eyes. Gibbs can't suppress a snort and smirks as he taps Tony's window.
"Hey, Ziva!", he calls out as he grins at his Second in Command, "you drive!" Tony's look changes from curious to shocked in an instant and Gibbs can't resist winking at the younger man as he walks off to sit in the back of the van with McGee, who's trying not to stare at Gibbs who just winked. At Tony.
Half an hour and two upset stomachs later, they arrive at the base. Tony peels his hands off the handle on the door and flexes his fingers to regain some feeling in his digits. McGee is almost as green as he was when he first joined the team, only now literally. Ziva whistles as she slams the door closed and Gibbs jumps out of the van, energized as if he's just had a relaxing day at a spa. Tim and Tony stare at them as their two colleagues walk away to meet with the MP's and they catch up as quickly as their stomachs allow them to.
After they've all been introduced, they're brought up to speed. Gibbs' playful side is gone and the man is all business. Tony quickly averts his eyes and focuses on the information to keep from ogling his man.
"Is he still on base?"
"We think so, sir. One house is broken into and he hasn't come out. He may be armed."
"Did you see a weapon?"
"No, but many families keep a gun in their home so it's possible."
Gibbs nods and as the MP's take the team to the house where the intruder was last seen, Gibbs starts pointing the others in different directions to surround the house. On his sign, he and McGee take the front door and Tony and Ziva enter through the backdoor.
Tony counts to three and him and Ziva split up, going in different directions. He swiftly moves around the corner into another room and finds it empty. He checks the adjoining room and then comes out in the hallway.
He spots Gibbs moving in his direction, about to go into another room. The silver haired man has his gun trained at the room, he's silent and effective. Gibbs looks around the room. Empty. He walks further and is just about to turn around when he hears the floorboards creak. He's too late however, and when a hard object is swung against his temple, he's soon enveloped by darkness.
Tony turns around and Ziva walks up to him.
"Did you find him?"
Tony shakes his head and is just about to answer when McGee approaches them in the hallway.
"Didn't see anything, you?"
"No, we did not see him either."
"Hey Tim", Tony interrupts them, "where's Gibbs?"
The junior agent glances around him. "He was coming your way."
"I know, I saw him enter that room but he didn't come out – oh fuck!" Tony barges into the room and he feels his heart skip a beat at the sight of Gibbs, unconscious with blood dripping out of a small head wound. He carefully clears the room and spots the open window. He hears Ziva gasp behind him.
"Ziva, find the son of a bitch. McGee, ambulance." His tone doesn't leave any room for argument and they blindly follow his orders.
Ziva runs out of the house and Tony can hear McGee talk to dispatch but he feels so lost he has no clue what's happening. He gently shakes Gibbs to see if he can wake him up and he finds himself praying that the man will be okay.
"Boss… Gibbs?" he softly taps Gibbs' cheek, shakes his shoulder and speaks in his ear to make him open his eyes.
When he doesn't get any reaction, he gives up on being gentle.
"Please, Jethro. Wake up!" he calls out desperately. He softly wipes a stray hair out of Gibbs' eyes and checks any other wounds beside the obvious head trauma.
McGee frowns as he watches them but doesn't say anything. It feels like he's intruding on something personal. He briefly recalls Gibbs' wink at the Navy Yard. Finally, help arrives and Gibbs is strapped onto a gurney and carried out of the house into an ambulance.
Tony knows Gibbs would expect him to take charge and go after the bastard but in that moment, he doesn't give a damn about the case. He wants to ride along with the ambulance, wants to hold Gibbs' hands, wants to… No. Now is not the time to lose focus.
Tony looks up from his musings and finds McGee still there, looking rather awkwardly at him, as if trying to come up with a way to approach him.
"Let's go, Tim." His voice is steady and doesn't betray his inner turmoil. They walk out of the house together and find Ziva there, talking to Ducky who is just loading a body bag into his van.
Tony frowns at the sight and Ziva explains before he can get a chance to ask.
"I chased him but he pulled a gun. I did not have a choice."
Only now, Tony notices the distraught expression on her face. He approaches her and gently squeezes her shoulder.
"Hey, you did good. You too, Tim. Let's get back to the Yard."
The following hour is spent in silence at their desks. Ziva and Tim seem to be engrossed in paperwork but Tony has already read the same sentence ten times. This won't work, he can't concentrate without knowing Gibbs' status. He sighs loudly and cracks his knuckles before getting up from his desk and pulling his coat with him.
"I'm going to the hospital. Just leave your reports on my desk, okay?"
Ziva smiles softly. "Will you let us know how he's doing, Tony?"
The man nods distractedly and McGee frowns again. Tony seems to handle this worse than he'd expected. Gibbs' wound didn't look that bad, did it? The elevator dings and Tony swirls around, trying to suppress a sigh when Abby comes running out.
"Tony Tony Tony!"
"Abby?"
"Oh my god! I can't believe you didn't tell me about Gibbs! Is he okay – have you heard from the doctor –"
Tony can't muster the energy to have a discussion with her at this point and he simply lays a finger on her lips, relieved when she gets the hint and stops talking. The obvious hurt in her eyes however tugs at his heart and he pulls her into a hug, which she gladly reciprocates.
"I'm going over there now, Abs. Haven't heard much. I'll let you guys know as soon as I know."
"Wait, let me get my things, I'm going with you!" Abby turns around to get into the elevator but Tony holds her back.
"Not yet, Abs."
"But-"
"Abby. I'll let you know how he's doing."
He walks past her into the elevator and quickly glances away when he sees her perplexed stare. He can't handle her worrying and hovering over Gibbs, not now. He briefly thinks back to the steamy cooking-session from the night before and rubs a hand over his tired face. It feels like it's been ages since then.
He drives over to the hospital with a speed that would make both Ziva and Gibbs proud and parks the car in the first available spot. The flirty nurse at the desk pays more attention to him than to her search for Gibbs' room and Tony has to keep himself from pushing her chair away and looking it up himself. He takes a deep breath and releases it through his nostrils. Apparently the nurse takes the hint because her smile falters and she focuses on her screen. As soon as the room number rolls over her lips, Tony is out of sight and jogging towards the stairwell. Now he's almost there, he doesn't even have time to wait for the elevator anymore and he takes the stairs two steps at a time. He breathes in deeply one more time to keep from barging into the room and startling Gibbs into a heart attack.
He gently pushes open the door and his steps falter. Gibbs looks so vulnerable. His eyes are closed but Tony doesn't know if he's sleeping. Suddenly he wants to just stand there, in the doorway. He's afraid to come closer and discover that Gibbs isn't breathing, he looks so peaceful. The creases in his forehead have softened and he looks several years younger. Tony's eyes travel over to the large bandage covering the older man's right temple and he finally comes closer. His fingers run through the other man's short silver strands and when Gibbs' eyes flutter open slowly, Tony nearly starts crying in relief.
He strokes Gibbs' cheek and leans down to press a soft kiss against his forehead.
"Hey.", the man in the bed whispers.
"Hey yourself", Tony breathes, as he blindly reaches out for the cup of water, afraid that the older man will fall asleep if he takes his eyes off of him for only a second. Gibbs takes a few sips and sighs contentedly as he reaches out for Tony's hand. The Italian intertwines their fingers and squeezes gently, forgetting everything around him for a second as his eyes meet electric blue ones.
Suddenly, a knock at the door startles him out of the moment and he jerks his head in the direction of the sound. A doctor is standing there, smiling apologetically.
"I'm sorry to disturb you. You must be DiNozzo. I'm doctor Massey."
"Uhm, yes?" Tony stretches out his arm and shakes the doctor's hand, who's still smiling.
"Special Agent Gibbs kept mumbling your name. We had to give him a light sedative for the pain."
Tony glances at Gibbs for a moment before he looks back at the doctor.
"So, how is he?"
The doctor walks over to the bed and glances over the chart for a moment before answering.
"His vitals are fine. He's got a concussion but fortunately not a severe one. We took him for a CT scan and it appears there isn't any further damage to his brain. The most important thing right now is bed rest and someone who checks up on him every hour. Do you know who takes care of him in these kinds of situations?"
"He's coming home with me."
Tony doesn't leave much room for argument and doctor Massey smiles politely.
"Very well, Special Agent DiNozzo. If his vitals are still good after tonight, I can discharge him tomorrow morning." The doctor checks the bandage, smiles at them and then walks out of the room, softly closing the door on his way out.
Tony focuses back on Gibbs.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, there was all this paper work and I had to talk to Ducky about the autopsy and – "
Gibbs cups the back of his neck and pulls him down with surprising strength after having lied in a hospital bed all day, something that shouldn't surprise Tony. Their lips brush and the silver haired man instantly deepens it, kissing Tony thoroughly as if trying to reassure him of his wellbeing. Tony sighs deeply and presses their lips together again. He tentatively licks at Gibbs' bottom lip and bites it softly, earning a breathy chuckle from the older man. Tony backs away a little and raises an eyebrow.
"Are you trying to injure me further?" Gibbs grins.
Tony thinks about it for a second and then smirks in return. "Maybe, so I can be your nurse." He wiggles his eyebrows and kisses Jethro again. Suddenly he gasps and pulls away.
"Fuck. I told the team I'd keep them informed." He takes out his phone and quickly dials McGee's cell.
"Hey, Tim. He's fine, concussion, needs rest… probably in the morning… Yeah, I know, right?" he laughs and then seems to sober up because of something McGee says. "I know, I know. I'll make it up to her… Bye." He sighs loudly as he puts his phone away and rubs his temples. Gibbs raises an eyebrow and Tony shrugs.
"I may have made Abby stay at the Yard…" he nervously bites his bottom lip. When Gibbs laughs, he frowns and looks up. The older man shrugs in return.
"Yeah well, it'd probably be a bit weird to make out in front of her."
Tony laughs too and takes it as an opportunity to kiss the man again. He sighs happily when Jethro cups his cheeks and their tongues meet. Tony can feel himself getting hard and he forces the thoughts away, willing himself to keep the kiss soft. A good decision, apparently, because a few seconds later a nurse knocks on the door and comes into the room.
"Mister DiNozzo? I'm sorry but visiting hours are over."
Tony resists the urge to pout and smiles at Gibbs.
"I'll pick you up tomorrow, Boss. Try not to escape in the meantime." Gibbs smirks and reaches out to softly tap the back of his Agent's head.
As Tony leaves the hospital and drives home to his apartment, it feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. The older man is probably just as stubborn as him and simply refuses to allow any brain damage. Tony smiles at the thought and he's still smiling as he walks the short distance from his car to the door. His steps falter when he sees someone sitting at the door. He recognizes McGee and grins when the younger man holds up a six pack in answer.
Tony lets him in and waves in the general direction of the couch as he walks into the kitchen to search a pizza menu. He watches McGee settle and put on the TV as he places an order and joins him a few minutes later.
"Everything okay?" he asks when his colleague doesn't say anything.
"Yeah, I just came to check up on you."
Tony lays a hand over his chest and grins. "Aww, Probie! I didn't know you cared."
"I'm serious."
Tony frowns as he takes a beer and twists the cap off.
"Yeah, I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" he takes a big gulp and waits for Tim to say something but the man seems lost in thought while he stares at him. Apparently he decides to say whatever he's thinking and he takes a deep breath.
"It's not easy to see Gibbs get hurt. Especially…" a moment of hesitation and then he says the words as if it's the most obvious fact in the world. "Especially when you're in love with him."
McGee still stared at him and at first there's some sign of doubt in his eyes but that's all gone as soon as Tony spits out his beer and coughs loudly. The Italian doubles over and coughs again, trying to get the beer out of his trachea and nostrils. When he finally looks up at McGee again, he's got tears in his eyes and all the doubt has been erased from the younger man's face. He doesn't seem to be freaked out or anything, he just… sits there.
Tony is trying to come up with something to say, anything really, when they're interrupted – saved – by a loud knock on his door. He quickly pays the pizza delivery guy and ignores the way the boy frowns at him, probably trying to decide whether he needs CPR or not.
As he puts the box on the table and takes out a slice, he briefly wonders how Tim would react if he'd just ignore the whole affair and start eating.
"Listen, McOveractiveImagination, I don't know what you're talking about." Really?
McGee laughs loudly and takes a slice too. "Yeah, that might've worked if you hadn't spit out your beer like a fire hose." Tony stays silent and McGee throws up his hands in defeat.
"Okay, we're obviously not gonna talk about this. I hope it's at least mutual."
Tony nods numbly. "Yeah… yeah it is." Nothing could have stopped the smile that spreads on his face as he realizes that he's probably never been happier than he is in this exact moment. He suddenly feels the ridiculous urge to open a window and loudly declare his feelings for Gibbs to everyone within hearing distance.
Tony frowns at McGee. "How did you know?"
McGee shrugs as he takes another slice of pizza out of the box.
"Because no one with boobs has been able to make you smile like that for years."
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