Gibbs watched as Tony raised his fist and wondered what had brought about that sudden change and when he thought about it he knew he shouldn't have kissed him. He wasn't sure if he should avoid Tony's fist or let him take a swing and while making the decision Tony took the opportunity to hit Gibbs. Tony swung his fist and let it collide with Gibbs' jaw. Gibbs looked at Tony then brought his hand up to his jaw, then in front of him he watched as Tony let out a shaky breath and lowered his fist. Tears began streaming down his face and Gibbs was by his side without a second thought. He pulled Tony to his chest and wrapped his arms around him as he cried.
"I hate you," Tony whispered through a sob. Gibbs gently guided Tony into the living room and sat him on the couch. It took some time for Tony to settle down and the whole time Gibbs sat with Tony and held him, and let Tony cry and curse him as much as he liked.
"Are you alright now?" Gibbs asked when Tony pulled away and wiped his face clean of running tears.
"Yep… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say those things… didn't mean to hit you," Tony said.
"You were angry, it's ok, I know you didn't mean it," Gibbs said with a smile.
"I should go now," Tony said.
"I have a spare bed, it's a long drive back to your place," Gibbs said.
"No, I should go," Tony said.
"Its Saturday tomorrow, no need to worry about work," Gibbs told him.
"Ok, just for tonight," Tony gave in, he was feeling exhausted. Gibbs fixed up the spare room and made sure Tony was comfortable before they said their goodnights.
Gibbs slid into his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Questions and answers swam around in his head and he sighed knowing that none of the questions had answers and none of the answers had questions.
He looked at the clock on the bedside table, an hour had passed and he couldn't sleep. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and made his way down the hallway, supposed to head for the kitchen but instead stopped at the spare bedroom and stood in the doorway. Tony hadn't closed the curtains and the moonlight drifted across his face. Gibbs watched with all intent as Tony moved one arm above his head, the other resting on his chest, his legs on a slight angle, all in a dream. Gibbs wondered how it would feel to be lying next to Tony, how it would feel to have the other mans arms holding onto him, the tickle of soft breath on his neck. He wondered how it would feel to have Tony's weight upon him, how it would feel to trace the muscles of his arms, of his chest… He sighed and turned away, forgetting about the kitchen he returned to bed and this time he fell asleep.
XxxX
Gibbs woke to the sound of breathing, the feel of a soft tickle upon his neck and when he turned his head he found that Tony was next to him. He tried to remember last night, had they had more to drink and instead of going to bed in separate rooms they maybe ended up in his bed? While deep in thought he didn't notice Tony open his eyes.
"Morning," Tony whispered. Gibbs, never nervous, almost jumped from his skin.
"Ah, morning," Gibbs said, sitting up in bed.
"Sorry, I umm… I woke up last night and couldn't get back to sleep…" Tony said as he quickly got out of the bed. There was an awkward silence as Tony headed out of the bedroom.
"Breakfast?" Gibbs asked.
"Sure," Tony replied.
"Bacon and eggs ok?" Gibbs said as he walked to the door.
"Sounds great," Tony replied.
"Do you want to go for a shower while I cook?" Gibbs said as they walked down the hallway.
"I think I will," Tony smiled. Gibbs headed into the kitchen and began to cook breakfast. His thoughts were soon distracted and he slowly drifted away from the cooking and began wondering about Tony upstairs… Alone… In the shower…
"Shit!" he cursed as he smelt the bacon start to burn. Quickly he snapped his attention back to cooking breakfast. Fifteen minutes passed and Tony walked into the kitchen.
"Smells good," he said.
"Hope it tastes alright, I burnt the bacon a bit," Gibbs said, handing Tony a plate full of bacon, eggs and toast.
"Anything will taste alright, I'm starving," Tony said before beginning to eat. Gibbs sat down and started to eat his breakfast. Several times he stopped eating and just watched Tony. The way he buttered his toast with simple strokes, how he gripped the knife and fork, the way he rested the knife and fork on the plate and picked up a piece of bacon with his fingers not caring about his table manners. Gibbs smiled; Tony made him feel at ease in his own home, and it felt good, strange, but good.