I don't own NCIS
Tim walked down to his dad's basement he watched him sanding down his boat.
"Hey."
Gibbs turned to see his son standing at the bottom of the steps. "Hey what are you doing here?"
"Well I heard something about you almost getting shot. Why are you always almost getting shot?"
"It's part of the job so is Dinozzo telling tales again?"
"Of course." Tim chuckled. "Now I'm here to ask you to be safe today please no more crazy calls from your first in command telling me how his boss almost got shot
"Fine." Gibbs grumbled he wanted to yell at Tony for spilling the beans but he couldn't not without telling him about Tim. "Why has Tony taken such a shine to you anyway?
"I think he likes to talk. And I also don't think he has many friends. He could talk to Kate but ah she's a girl so it's different." Tim internally smirked thinking how different.
Tim left his father's house and headed back home. He had to get to work but he knew he should call Tony who was more than likely confused to find him gone.
"Hey where were you this morning?" Tony asked as he found himself driving back to DC from Norfolk.
"I went to talk to my dad about his near-death experience."
"So, wait you got up this morning drove to DC and now you're driving back to Norfolk so you can get to work."
"Yes, that about sums it up." Tim said.
"you're weird but I love you." Tony chuckled shaking his head.
"Thanks for that." Tim snorted. "I'll let you go talk to you tonight."
"Yeah tonight." Tony agreed as the call was disconnected.
As his son left Gibbs got himself ready for work his son's words and concern running through his mind. He knew this would be a day when he'd need two cups of coffee.
Tony found himself at work and listened into Kate's phone call. He kept his chuckle to himself as Kate slammed the receiver down on the phone.
"You know I could be your emergency contact."
"You could but I think I'll pass. Maybe I'll ask Abby."
"Yeah you could do that. You could also ask Gibbs but I don't think he has call waiting I don't think he even knows what call waiting is. I on the other had have call waiting."
"Tony leave me alone. Who is your emergency contact anyway?"
"Aw now wouldn't you like to know?"
"I would actually yes."
"It's Gibbs."
"Really?"
"Yes, not like I have any siblings or really close friends. My dad is well I don't know where my dad is so Gibbs is it."
"What about that person you said I love you too. Your cousin."
"Doesn't live in town." Tony lied of course he had a cousin but Kate wasn't talking about that she was talking about Tim not that she knew she was talking about Tim. Tim of course couldn't be his emergency contact because then Gibbs would know and if Gibbs knew that would blow the top off of their secret.
Just then as their conversation was coming to an end Gibbs walked into the bullpen
"Why is Gibbs carrying two cups of coffee?" Kate hissed.
"I don't know." Tony shrugged. Figuring it probably had something to do with Tim's early morning visit.
"We have a dead Lutenienant commander so grab your gear and let's get going."
As they processed the crime scene. Tony tried to hide his enjoyment of the fact that Sherriff Charlie was hitting on Gibbs he grabbed his phone when no one was looking.
Tony: Your dad is totally getting hit on by the Sheriff of Greyson county.
Tim: Wait what?'
Tony: Yeah, it's actually pretty awesome. He's trying to shake her off and she's like a dog with a bone the more he ignores her the more she digs in.
Tim: Oh, I wish I could see that.
Tony: Oh, your dad is coming my way I Have to go.
Tony shut his phone and slipped it into his pocket.
"Don't say anything Dinozza "Gibbs said as he came close to his senior field agent
"I wasn't going to say anything" Tony lied.
"Don't think it." Gibbs growled.
"Too late." Tony smirked getting a scowl from his boss.
As Gibbs walked away Tony grabbed his phone out of his pocket and shot off another text message.
Tony: Ready for step mommy number 4
Tim: Not funny
Tony: Really because I thought it was hilarious.
Tim: Somebody wants to sleep on the couch I see.
Tony: No, no I promise I'll be good.
Tim: Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it. Have to get back to work love you.
Tony: Love you too.
Okay Tony who are you texting now. Your secret love?" Kate teased.
"I don't have a secret love."
"I don't believe you. It actually might be sweet I just hope it's not some married woman."
"Kate if I did have a secret love believe me it wouldn't be a married woman. I may be many things but I'm not my father."
Kate took a step back at the slight bite in Tony's words. "Okay, okay I'm sorry for even suggesting it. Gibbs wants us to go check out the victim's apartment.
"Fine let's go." Tony sighed feeling slightly bad for biting Kate's head off.
They made it to the victim's residence and went into his apartment. They both stared as they looked around the bedroom. All the lunchbox's covering the walls.
"Well that sticky note with I got to many makes sense now he certainly has too many." Tony looked around again as his eyes lit up seeing a special yellow lunchbox.
"ooh Magnium PI. You know I used to have this lunch box in Elementary school anything with Tom seleck in it is awesome." He clutched the box in his hands.
"You can't keep that Tony. No don't give me those puppy dog eyes. You can't keep it are these valuable?"
"Probably why?"
Kate looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "Hmm oh I don't know because maybe we have a motive." She waved her hands around at the displays
"Really killed because of lunchbox envy now that's a new one." Tony shook his head and sadly placed the yellow plastic memory from his childhood back on the shelf.
"Though now that I think of it I know what those numbers on the computer mean."
"What?" Kate asked trailing Tony into the living room. She watched him get on the computer and input the information.
"Ebay."
"Yes, Ebay haven't you ever used it?"
"No have you?"
"A time or two." He said elusively. He had used it to buy Tim a few things in their time together. Comic books and other such things.
When he and Kate made it back to the office Tony was surprised to see a stack of messages on his desk.
"Someone is popular today, now I feel bad for your secret girlfriend."
"I don't have a secret girlfriend and these are not for me." Tony growled. "They are for Gibbs. The Sherriff."
"I thought you gave her your number." Kate queried.
"Must have forgotten to turn it on." Tony shook his head. He could see that twinkle in Gibbs eyes even if no one else could. That twinkle that was a Gibbs trait one he knew well because of Tim.
They found out there was a second victim on the county over.
"This reminds me of a case I worked. A mailman was…"
"Mail carrier." Kate cut in.
"Since when?"
"I don't think there was a specific time it just kind of evolved."
"Is this in anyway relevant." Gibbs cut off their bickering. It reminding him of Tim and Kelly at a young age.
"I still say it's mailman." Tony said almost stomping his foot." Gibbs had to hold back a chuckle.
Later Gibbs went down to see Abby. He enjoyed the banter with her. She was like a breath of fresh air. Someone he could tease who leaned on him. Someone who he could care for but who wasn't weighed down with his past the way Tim was.
It was many times he felt bad for his easy relationship with Abby when he couldn't seem to have an easy relationship with his own son.
In a way, Tony was surprised to see Charlie the Sherriff coming into the bullpen in another way he was in no way surprised by the turn of events. His fingers itched to tell Tim. He wanted so badly to grab his phone and make contact.
"Where's Jethro." Charlie asked Tony caught Kate's eyes she looked like she wanted to burst out into laughter.
"Right here." Gibbs came around the corner holding a new cup of coffee.
"Surprised to see me?" She tried to flirt.
"That's one way to say it." Gibbs was polite enough but Tony could see from the way he gripped his coffee cup that he wasn't pleased to see the woman.
"Poor Gibbs." Tim shook his head. I think that woman is crazy." Tony said as he watched her whisk Gibbs away to the cafeteria.
"As much as I hate to agree with you and man do I Hate to agree with you you're right I think that woman has a few screws lose. Desperation isn't a pretty color."
Tony wanted to see Tim everything had been crazy. He felt like his head was spinning. He made his way to Norfolk and let himself into Tim's apartment.
"Hey I wasn't expecting you or was I? I may have gotten lost in my writing again.
"No." Tony chuckled leaning down and kissing Tim. "You did not forget I just wanted to see you."
"Well that's always welcome." Tim said leaning in for another kiss. That night Tim didn't' get any more writing done. Instead he spent the rest of the night tangled up in Tony. They didn't speak they didn't need to. They just felt one another and let the love flow between them.
A third victim was found as they figured out the killer was more than likely a woman Gibbs went to talk to the third victim's best friend a best friend that uttered one sentence that stuck with Gibb. "Thin line between love and hate."
Gibbs had thought of his three ex-wives it was true that was a very thin line. One he'd toed more times then he'd ever like to admit even to himself.
Later that day he found himself down in autopsy with Ducky and his team. When Ducky revealed that he'd found sawdust in victim three's nose.
Tony: Hey boss don't you have a weird thing about women and sawdust" he earned a scowl from Gibbs for that remark, just kidding I don't think it's weird." He put that joke away later to tell Tim.
Finally, the case was tied up in a weird Twin fiasco. And Tony watched as once again NCIS didn't get the credit they were due. No once again they were shoved aside even when they did all the work. He was pissed as he got home. He opened his door to the smell of food. Real food not take out.
He came up behind Tim and wrapped his arms around him. Stake and baked potato's if I didn't already love you I'd love you in this moment."
"Well thank you I knew you only kept me around for my cooking skills."
"Yes, that's why I keep you around." Tony teased turning Tim around and capturing his lips in a hot lingering kiss. "I needed that." Tony leaned his head against Tim's I really needed that."
"I saw the press conference. That's why I figured you'd need this." Tim gestured to the food around him.
"Yes, you really do know me, and I'm thankful for that every day."
"Now I could stand here and kiss you all day but my food will be ruined so shoo shoo." Tim pushed Tony away and went around putting the food on the table. They sat down to a nice dinner just the two of them letting the worry of past cases wash away from them. Yet both knowing that more cases and more stress would come the next day with the next case that would come across Tony's desk or whatever Tim might come across on his daily rounds of Norfolk.
Tony knew this. Tim Knew this but at that moment as Tim reached across the table and held Tony's hand neither of them thought of that they just thought of being with each other in that moment.