Chapter 7

They didn't need to find a cab tonight, either. Mark went and got a dark sedan while Rudy stood just behind Tony and to the side, like a good bodyguard. When Mark pulled up, Rudy opened the rear door of the car for them and they slid in together. Rudy got in the front. Recalling the way Sullivan's eyes had barely left him all evening, Tony swallowed convulsively. He could handle it, though. If he had to be bait, he'd just have to deal with it.

Gibbs put an arm around him and drew him close, ruffling his hair. "Good job, Tony," he said, and Tony felt the familiar flush of pleasure that always followed the rare compliment from his boss. He knew this one had been given at least in part because of their cover, but he'd like to believe that it, like Gibbs' tale about how they'd met, had at least a grain of truth in it.

The arrangements at the hotel were not to Gibbs' or Tony's liking. Mark and Rudy came in with them and opened the connecting door. Evidently they'd already been in their room and opened it on that side. Neither man spoke, but Mark went into the other room and brought Rudy a newspaper and a book of crossword puzzles, then left again. Rudy settled down on the sofa and began to read the paper.

"Let's take a shower, Tony," Gibbs said, and Rudy glanced up with a grin but didn't move. No window in the bathroom meant no exit, hence the guards could stay outside. It made tomorrow sound a great deal more bearable. Tony grabbed a pair of pajama pants and Gibbs ushered him in, then locked the door behind them.

"Turn on the water," Gibbs said, moving towards the toilet. Tony politely averted his eyes and started the shower, selecting a very noisy massage setting and stripping down. He felt filthy even if he'd only had eyes on him, and it would be painfully obvious to any listener if the water was just hitting the wall.

Gibbs watched Tony getting undressed. "What are you doing?" he asked in a low voice. The sound might carry, but the words wouldn't.

"Water makes a different sound hitting a body," Tony pointed out, but Gibbs suspected he had another reason for getting under the spray. Not much he could do about it, though, and Tony wasn't wrong. Too long of the water simply hitting the wall, and Rudy might get curious and the lock wouldn't be difficult to defeat.

Gibbs pulled out his phone and sat down on the toilet. He didn't have much to report. Morrow and the others had heard everything that had happened during the meeting. He gave the information that both he and Tony were satisfied that things were progressing according to plan, Morrow replied in kind and that was it. He waited a while, contemplating the next steps he needed to take on his boat, then when he thought DiNozzo'd had enough, he stripped off and tapped at the curtain.

DiNozzo looked out. "Yeah Boss?" He took in Gibbs' state of undress and blinked. "Um, Boss . . . what . . ."

"You've been in there long enough," Gibbs said. "My turn. We'd both better be wet when we get out there."

DiNozzo nodded, did a final rinse and came out. Gibbs looked at the sheer number of bottles and tubes and rolled his eyes. What on earth did Tony need beyond shampoo and soap, for pity's sake? When he was clean, he pulled the curtain open. Tony had pulled on his pajama pants and was drawing pictures in the steam on the mirror.

"Tony?" Tony jumped and turned around, eyes wide. Gibbs beckoned him over. "Play it cool tomorrow. This is a test."

"Yeah, Boss."

Gibbs noticed a red spot on Tony's neck. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing with his chin.

"A failed attempt to fake a hickey," Tony said.

"You want me to give you a hickey?" Gibbs asked quietly. It would certainly fit the cover. DiNozzo's eyes widened and he stared at him. "I know how."

"Don't ask me that question when you're naked, Boss," Tony hissed, and Gibbs rolled his eyes.

He walked over to the door and grabbed the fancy towel the hotel had provided and wrapped it around himself. Then he returned to DiNozzo's side. "Do you want me to give you a hickey?"

"Do you want me to give you a knuckle sandwich?"

Gibbs snorted. "Do we need to sneak a girl in here?" he asked.

"I'm not that easy," Tony snapped.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Kate?"

Tony's eyes got an amused, faraway look. "Sure, but only if I get to watch when you ask her."

"Guys?" It was Abby's voice in his ear. "You know this is being recorded, right?"

Gibbs looked towards the mirror. "Abby? Is this being recorded?" he asked.

"No, of course not," she said, and he knew what that meant. What happened when they were alone wouldn't be saved unless something pertinent happened. "I wish I was there, I could help, but you really should give him a hickey, Gibbs. In fact, he should probably have several, but I'm guessing we can pretend that the others are where they can't be seen."

Tony looked slightly taken aback by that remark, and Gibbs shook his head. "Maybe I don't do hickeys," he said.

"Come on, Gibbs. You don't do piercings, you have to lay your claim somehow. Darn, I should have marked him up good before you guys left."

"Promises promises," Tony muttered.

"Gibbs, you have to give him a hickey. I'm guessing that Sullivan was doing the whole devouring him with his eyes thing."

"So what?" Gibbs asked.

"So, you're dominant. Another man was after your property. You want to make that claim plain for anyone to see, and we already know he likes to see Tony topless. It's kind of like when we planted a flag on the moon, though that's always seemed kind of silly to me. A flag won't flap without wind, so it's just gotta be hanging there lifeless and hard to read. We should have done something more like an obelisk or a pylon. A flag in vacuum is just silly."

"The point, Abby?"

"You need to place a claim marker on him. Sullivan clearly thinks he's up for grabs, you need to play the part. You need to stake your claim."

"I'm not a gold strike, Abby," Tony protested.

"I agree," Morrow put in unexpectedly. Both Gibbs and Tony stiffened at the sound of the director's voice. "Agent Gibbs, you said you could carry this through, and Miss Sciuto is right."

Gibbs met Tony's startled eyes and said, "Is that an order, sir?"

"It is, unless Agent DiNozzo categorically refuses."

Tony let out a deep sigh. "I'd like to go on record that I'm only doing this for the mission," he said. "And euew. I'd like that in the record too. Euew."

"This is being recorded, DiNozzo," Gibbs pointed out.

"Right." He nodded curtly. "Okay. Do it here, Boss," he said, pointing to the join between his neck and shoulder. Gibbs looked at the spot with distaste. "From behind. You'd have done it while you were nailing me to the wall in the shower."

"Nailing you to the wall?"

DiNozzo ignored the incredulity in his tone. "Don't break the skin, but –"

"I've given a hickey before, Di – Tony." Gibbs caught himself that time.

"To women, I'm assuming?"

"There's a difference?"

"Guys are rougher."

"How much experience do you have, Tony?"

"I worked Vice, Gibbs, for two years."

Gibbs considered that for a moment. "Undercover?"

"Occasionally," DiNozzo said. "Now, don't break the skin, but leave teeth marks." He then turned around, leaned against the wall and waited. Gibbs blinked in surprise and then started psyching himself up. Pretending DiNozzo was a woman wouldn't do it, not if he had to be rougher than he would be with a woman. Damn. After several moments, he stepped forward and gave it a go.

Afterwards DiNozzo rinsed his neck off, looking at the mark critically. "Not bad, Boss. I . . ."

Gibbs didn't listen. He was busy brushing his teeth.

"I taste that bad, huh?" Tony said when he was done and Gibbs glowered at him. "You ready to go out and cuddle?"

"Sure." He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and hung the robe up. DiNozzo walked out of the bathroom ahead of him, strutting, and Gibbs watched with a small smile as he followed. DiNozzo was practically bragging at Rudy about having been screwed in the shower, all without saying a word. Gibbs called the front desk and set a wake up call.

"I could have woke you," Rudy said. Gibbs just snorted and ignored him. Tony gave him a big grin. "What?" Rudy demanded.

"Don't touch the Boss when he's asleep," he advised with a malicious grin. "Not if you know what's good for you."

Rudy shook his head and went back to his crossword, but Gibbs noticed him shoot a curious glance his way over the top of the book. Gibbs and Tony climbed into bed from either side and there was a moment of awkwardness as Gibbs rolled over and put an arm across Tony's chest. Then Tony snuggled in and sighed.

Gibbs wasn't usually the sort to ask people how they felt, but he'd really like to ask DiNozzo how he was coping with this situation. The younger man had an extraordinary game face, and he generally didn't let on when something bugged him, but Gibbs wasn't honestly sure how much of his reactions to Sullivan earlier had been acting and how much had been entirely real. There was no doubting that Sullivan wanted to add DiNozzo to his list of those who had been broken and reshaped, and Gibbs knew DiNozzo had to be pretty damned creeped out about it. He couldn't ask, though. He wasn't even sure he'd have been able to ask if they'd been alone and unrecorded. It just wasn't his style to talk about those things – or Tony's for that matter.

He fell asleep reminding himself that Tony was Vellucci and he was Gibson Howe. It would not do to wake up and use the wrong names.