It had been ... well, too long actually ... since he'd woken to the warmth of another body in his bed.

Particularly one that snuggled as much as DiNozzo apparently did.

Gibbs tried to untangle himself from the body that seemed to be all limbs. Tony was softly snoring face down, one arm and a leg wrapped securely around the older man as if he thought, in his sleep, Gibbs might try to get away. The other arm was curled under Tony's chin and he was twisted so that the other leg pressed a knee firmly against Gibbs' hip.

Failing at unwrapping himself, Gibbs fell back against his pillow with a sigh.

"Tony." He gently shook the nearest shoulder. "Yo, DiNozzo."

"Hmmm?" muttered his bed-partner right before he wriggled to get more comfortable, entangling Gibbs even more.

Sighing, Gibbs looked at the glowing digits on the alarm clock. He'd gone on two hours sleep many times but DiNozzo didn't need the stress of barely adequate rest – even if it was for a good cause.

Hell, a great cause as far as Gibbs was concerned.

Leaning down, Gibbs planted a kiss on the bare back.

"Let me up," he instructed.

Tony groaned but laboriously pushed himself upright. "It can't be time to get up."

"Not for you, it isn't," ordered Gibbs, pecking another kiss under the fringe of bangs falling over Tony's forehead. "That sick day you never used? You're using it."

"Hey, no," Tony protested. "I'm okay. I'm ..."

"Staying in bed," finished Gibbs, sliding out of the sheets. "That's an order."

Tony buried his face in Gibbs' abandoned pillow. "We're in bed. You're not the boss of me."

"No, you're in bed and, as it's officially six a.m., yes, I am the boss of you. You're staying."

Gibbs knew Tony was tired or he never would have acquiesced, even with a laugh.

"Gibbs? Where's Tony?"

"Yeah," added Abby, both women crossing their arms and looking all too much like a divorce decree would shortly be requiring his signature.

"Why do you say that like I've done something?" Gibbs demanded, knowing from long practice it was better to take the offense in situations like these.

He got up, scooped up a file folder and tried to beat a retreat only to have his way blocked by one seriously scowling lab technician.

"I mean it Gibbs. If you did do something ..."

"He's asleep."

Kate raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"That's all," he reiterated irritably. "The last few days have been a little stressful. His doctor told him to take it easy so he's taking a sick day."

"You're sure you didn't say anything?" interrogated Kate.

Raising placating hands Gibbs backed behind his desk. "Take it easy, ladies. I promise DiNozzo is fine."

"Yeah, well ..." Abby was still scowling. "We're keeping our eyes on you."

Gibbs gestured toward his phone. "You can call him if you want."

"No," declined Kate, "we ...believe you."

"Good. Then if you're finished being DiNozzo's big sisters, could we all go back to work?"

"And where, may I ask, is Anthony?"

Gibbs groaned and lowered his head with his thud against the desk.

"It was merely a question," stated the amused ME. "When I walked by, I noticed his computer hadn't been turned on."

Gibbs looked up cautiously. "I've already been grilled by the interrogation team of Todd and Sciuto. DiNozzo's taking a sick day. But," he hastily amended, "he's fine. He's just a little tired after yesterday."

"Ah," said Ducky knowingly. "May I ask if you and he had a conversation?"

"He told me." Gibbs' voice was flat.

"It is not ... unexpected. His symptoms have proven both chronic and progressive. With luck, he may reach a plateau, but--"

"I told him to tell the doctor to go screw –"

"Jethro," admonished Ducky sternly. "You didn't."

Gibbs shrugged. "I did. Christ, Duck, just the thought of it was destroying him."

"You may be able to temporarily soothe his psyche, but you cannot prevent his physical decline."

"Give me a shot," said Gibbs.

"Tony is not you, Jethro. He has many redeeming qualities. Your adherence to discipline, however, is not among them."

"Give him a chance. You might be surprised."

The ME looked unconvinced. "Do I need to go check on him?"

"Ducky ..." began Gibbs irritably, only to stop when he saw the genuine concern on the other man's face. "Fine. I'll go check on him. Will that satisfy you? And would you try to spread the word to the other two members of the DiNozzo Protection League that I'm taking good care of their coworker?"

Ducky stepped out of the Gibbs' path, recognizing the mission-bent look of the agent.

"I will do my best," he murmured as Gibbs swept by, then he chuckled at the half-wave of thanks Gibbs belatedly threw in his direction.

"Hey."

Tony rolled over and blinked sleepily up at the shadow blocking the windows' noonday light. "Hey," he returned. "Weren't you just here?"

"It's lunchtime."

"Mmm." Tony murmured contentedly.

"Thought I'd come make sure you were alive before your concerned coworkers lynch me."

One eye reopened. "Lynch you?"

"They're convinced I've done something nefarious to you."

"If they only knew," mused Tony with a grin.

He threw back the sheet, revealing an enticing expanse of fair skin. Gibbs took his reaching hand and helped him pull up so he sat gloriously naked on the edge of the mattress.

He reached up to scratch his spiked hair into place. "So what's for lunch?"

Gibbs knelt down and leaned in to capture the tempting mouth. "I'm thinking ... you."

Gibbs backed up, almost right back into the elevator. "I checked on him!"

"And he's okay?" Kate pressed for verification.

"He's fine. He'll be back tomorrow. I promise."

"It's not that we don't trust you," disclaimed Kate.

"It's just that we know you," put in Abby.

Gibbs fished his cell phone from his belt. "Call him."

When neither of his tormentors reached out for it, he flipped it open and dialed the number, pointing it in Abby's direction. "Go ahead, call him."

The lab tech took the cell gingerly, smiling when a familiar voice answered "'lo."

"Tony?"

Whatever DiNozzo was saying was too low for Gibbs' hearing, but Abby was laughing, so that was a good sign.

"Yeah, well, it's just that we weren't quite sure, you know." Abby nodded into the phone. "Yeah, will do. I'll tell him. Yeah, Kate, too." She looked up, narrowing her eyes at Gibbs. "Yeah, yeah. We'll play nicely, I promise."

She handed the open line back to Gibbs. "Here, bossman. He wants to talk to you."

Gibbs took the phone cautiously, overcome by the sudden vision of Tony as he'd left him, rumpled and sated in the tangled sheets of his bed. "Yes, DiNozzo?"

They hadn't discussed it, how they were going to handle having two suddenly incompatible versions of their relationship, and maybe they should have, before he was standing there, holding a decidedly unsecured cell phone within hearing distance of two inquisitive colleagues.

But Tony was appropriately all business. "Any breakthroughs on the case?"

Which meant, what he'd been doing – probably since Gibbs left him – was plotting to return to a certain bar.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he found himself saying irritably, finding it, thankfully, all too easy to fall back into managerial mode. "Tomorrow, DiNozzo. Just ... take it easy today, will you?"

He noticed that the protective duo had drifted back to McGee's desk, satisfied that Tony was all right and that this was the Gibbs they all knew and ... tolerated.

Which was just fine with him, he'd leave being loved to DiNozzo.

(tbc)

Thanks to the tenth muse once again for the improvements.