Author's Note: Sorry this took so long, guys. I've been sick off and on for the last few weeks. I went to the doctor today and got some antibiotics though so hopefully I'm on the mend. If not I might just die. Either way, I wanna get this story posted first! :P

Updates will be regular. The story's all written out. I just have to edit as I go.

Part II

Chapter Five: Fate

Approx. 6 Months Later

Fate was a fickle thing and apparently it really did determine people's courses in life. At least that was what Tony was beginning to believe. He'd returned from FLETC less than a week prior and as if his nerves from being reunited with Jethro and starting a new job weren't enough, there sat Senior, waiting for a word with not only Jethro but also with Tom Morrow. Tony wanted nothing more than to slap the sneer off the old man's face but all he could do was glare back helplessly.

His stomach dropped when Jethro retuned and summoned the elder DiNozzo to the conference room where Director Morrow would be meeting them. The reassuring smile and wink from his lover did nothing to settle him. What on earth was he doing accepting a job at NCIS? If he didn't fit in in a civilian, city department, he sure as hell didn't fit in in a federal agency, especially one that worked for the military. He was the farthest thing from a military man as one could get. A cocky, bisexual guy who didn't take orders and resisted authority? He wouldn't last two minutes in the military.

"Back to work, DiNozzo," Jethro ordered lightly before disappearing.

"Yes, Boss," Tony mumbled more to himself than to Jethro but Jethro still heard it as he led the way down a hallway that would take them to the conference room they would have their meeting in.

Morrow was pouring himself a cup of subpar coffee when the two men entered. Instead of sitting down at the table and making himself comfortable, he leaned against one of the cabinets in the room, silently telling the senior DiNozzo he wouldn't be spending long at the meeting. He hadn't even wanted to waste his time on the meeting in the first place but Senior had somehow managed to gain some influence with the Secretary of the Navy and SecNav hadn't left him much choice.

"What can we do for you, Mr. DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He knew the man was there to cause trouble but he too had been forced into humoring him and had reluctantly agreed in hopes that the man would leave Tony alone if he felt heard.

"You both look like upstanding gentlemen," Senior said, pouring on the charm. "Navy men?"

Both men ignored the question but Senior didn't seem to mind.

"I've come to save you and your agency some embarrassment," Senior continued. "My son causes problems wherever he goes. He creates drama and trouble for himself and those around him. Anthony has never been good at taking orders and I know how you military men value the chain of command so I'm sure you both understand my position."

"Your position?" Morrow interrupted. "Why are you here, Mr. DiNozzo?"

"I feel obligated to warn you about what you're getting into before it's too late."

"Warn us?" Gibbs asked, his patience faltering.

"My wife, Anthony's mother died when he was eight," Senior explained. "I did the best I could with him after that and when it became clear that I wasn't getting through to him, I sent him off to boarding school in hopes of giving him a chance at life but he got kicked out of boarding school after boarding school; five of them in less than that many years. He wasted his college years and he's been bouncing from job to job ever since."

"Sounds like all he needs is for someone to give him a break," Morrow commented.

"Well, there's more," Senior continued. He hesitated, as if he really didn't want to reveal the next part but the sparkle in his eyes gave him away. "My son is gay, gentlemen."

"And?" Gibbs asked indicating he was waiting for the issue Senior seemed to be referring to.

"He has no place in any law enforcement agency," Senior explained, "especially one that's connected to the military."

"We've been interviewing and hiring personnel for many years now, Mr. DiNozzo," Morrow informed the man. "It's not a process we take lightly and not one that allows for any special treatment. Special Agent DiNozzo earned his position here and more than that, he earned a spot on our top team. He wouldn't be here if he hadn't. Now, I don't know what kind of vindictive game you're playing with your son's life, but I don't have time for it. We deal with serious crimes here, not scheming conmen. The agent outside the door will show you out and I suggest you don't come back."

Before Senior could protest, Morrow was having him shown out so they could all get back to work, ignoring the man's protests as he was escorted out.

The movie was torture. There was no other way to put it. Jethro didn't have a clue who was who, what was going on or even what the point of it was but Tony wanted to watch it so he was watching it. Or at least trying to. He shot a sideways glance at the man, hoping Tony wouldn't notice, and took a moment to appreciate his lover's profile, the scruff on his face after a long day and the man's relaxed posture.

A smile of appreciation spread across Jethro's face. He loved that Tony felt safe and comfortable enough to relax and let his guard down, to reveal his true self and not the façade he seemed to put on for everyone else. As soon as they walked through the front door, Jethro got the real Tony and he understood enough to know what a rare gift that was.

His eyes raked down Tony's body, his bare torso, covered in a dark, neat fur and the black gym shorts he'd changed into approximately two seconds after they'd arrived home and immediately realized not all of Tony was relaxed. The man's attention may have appeared to be fully devoted to the movie playing on the TV—whatever it was called—but at least one other part of his brain was awake and focused on something else.

Jethro's tongue peeked out and wet his lips as he studied the clearly visible outline of his lover's half hard cock. He could clearly see the ridge and make out the cockhead and he wanted nothing more than to touch, to taste, to smell, to devour. Tony's body was so much more interesting than any movie playing on TV. He casually reached over and rested his hand in the man's lap, breaking Tony's focus on the movie. Tony smiled at him and rested his hand casually on Jethro's arm before turning his attention back to the TV.

"Not interested in the movie?" Tony asked as his lover's hand inched closer to his cock. He wasn't really interested in the movie either. He'd been hoping it would distract him from Senior's visit earlier that day but it wasn't helping much. Maybe the hand moving closer and closer to his dick would.

"I'm just more interested in you," Jethro answered. It wasn't a complete lie. He was and always would be more interested in Tony, no matter what was playing on TV. "Don't let me distract you, though." He turned Tony's head back towards the TV and smiled.

Tony slouched down slightly, making himself comfortable and spread his legs as Jethro began rubbing him through the comfortable shorts covering his growing length. His partial attention went back to the movie until Jethro's teeth and tongue found his nipple. His lover wanted to play and he'd never been one to deny Jethro what he wanted, just like Jethro had never denied him. He hummed his approval and ran his fingers through the short hair on the back of Jethro's head in encouragement.

"Your tongue feels so good," Tony purred. It was soft and delicate and was making more than just his nipple hard—very hard.

After getting a taste of both nipples, Jethro worked his way down Tony's abdomen with his tongue and lips, pausing at his belly button while he tugged the waistband of the man's shorts back, letting his cock flop free against his belly. Tony lifted his hips just enough to push the shorts down and out of the way, his movie long forgotten.

"Holy shit," Tony growled happily when Jethro's tongue swirled around the ridge of his cock head and up to the incredibly sensitive tip.

Jethro pulled off with a quiet but satisfying pop, moved up Tony's body and began kissing the man while he started stroking Tony's cock. The kissing continued as he collected the precum that was pooling up and began rubbing over it over Tony's ass hole. Tony drew his knees up and let his legs fall open, giving Jethro complete access.

"Are you gonna fuck me?" Tony asked, curious about why his lover was still clothed.

"Not yet," Jethro answered before nipping at Tony's chest on his way back down the man's body.

Tony's dick twitched in excitement as Jethro's mouth inched closer while the man increased the pressure he was putting on his hole. Jethro wrapped his lips around the top half of Tony's cock and sucked lightly as he eased a finger inside of him.

Tony melted into the couch and his eyes fell closed at the dual assault on his body. The sex with strangers he'd had in the past was more of an act of desperation. There was very little foreplay involved. Tony was quickly deciding he'd been missing out and that having his ass played with while Jethro sucked his cock was one of his new favorite experiences.

"Fuck!" he cried out when the man's finger found his prostate and paused there to play.

Jethro sucked harder at the additional precum leaking from Tony and continued his musings. He hummed happily as he swallowed down everything his lover offered.

A garbled mess of words came out of Tony's mouth, none of which Jethro understood with the exception of his name at the end. He pulled off of Tony and began tonguing the tip of his cock as his finger continued moving in and out of his hole, rubbing against his sweet spot with each pass.

"Jethro," Tony moaned, his desperation growing.

Jethro knew Tony was getting closer but instead of letting up, he wrapped his lips around Tony's cock and slid all the way down his shaft. Tony's breathing faltered when his cockhead made contact with the back of Jethro's throat and he knew there was no stopping what was coming next.

Jethro sucked hard and put just the right amount of pressure on his prostate until the fingers weaved through his hair tightened their grip and Tony lost what little bit of control he had left. While Tony collapsed bonelessly against the couch, Jethro sucked him dry before finally releasing him.

"Sorry I distracted you from your movie," Jethro teased with a cocky smile.

"I wasn't really watching it," Tony admitted, his eyelids hooded in blissful satisfaction.

"You weren't?" Jethro asked, the smile fading slightly from his face.

Tony shrugged and the mood in the room instantly turned heavy.

"What's wrong?" Jethro asked, sitting back and looking at Tony.

Tony tugged his shorts into place and sat tall on the couch. "I don't know," he whispered. "Just thinking about Senior showing up earlier. Why am I here, Jethro? Why did you offer me this job?"

"What?" Jethro drew back even more and the look on his face soured slightly.

"I'm not even a good cop. Are you just keeping me around because I'm a good fuck?"

"Is that what you think?" Jethro was hurt and borderline angry and his tone hid neither.

"I don't know what I think. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know where I belong."

Jethro looked at him hard as he tried to make sense of the dramatic turn of events. "That's because you've never felt like you belong anywhere before. Now that you do, now that something finally feels right," he tapped Tony's chest directly over his heart, "you don't know what to do with it."

"Damn it, stop saying all the right things!" Tony demanded.

"You're safe here, Tony. You don't have to run anymore."

Tony stood and raised his arms in frustration but he couldn't manage to get anymore words out. How could Jethro be so confident when he himself was beyond confused? Did he really belong there or had he only stuck around to play house with Jethro? What was he doing? He needed time to think. He needed to sort things out without any distractions.

"I-I have to go," he stuttered. "I'm sorry. I need to think. I need to figure out what I'm doing, why I'm here. I need—I-I don't know. I need time. I'm sorry, Jethro. I'm sorry."

"Where are you going at this time of night?" Jethro asked.

"I don't know," Tony answered, already putting his shoes on. "Maybe the Holiday Inn up the street. I'm really sorry, Jethro." He grabbed the hoodie lying haphazardly over the back of the armchair and tugged it on, not even noticing it was his lover's, grabbed his car key and wallet and hurried out of the house, leaving Jethro baffled, and silently hating the fact that Senior had won again.

Tony paced back and forth in front of the two double beds in his hotel room, tugging at his hair and huffing out his feelings of despair. Coming to a hotel room alone had been a mistake. The TV hadn't distracted him at Jethro's house and it certainly wasn't going to distract him in the hotel room. Now, not only was he upset about his father's visit, he was also dealing with the guilt of all but running out of Jethro's house with absolutely no explanation at all. He was in a downward spiral and felt powerless to stop or change it. Was it possible to have a midlife crisis in his late twenties?

A knock at the door startled him. He froze in place and stared at the closed door, contemplating ignoring it but he quickly put the thought out of his head, walked over to the door and opened it.

"We've got a case," Jethro said, all business as he entered the room and dropped a pair of Tony's jeans and one of his t-shirts onto one of the beds. "Get dressed."

"A case?" Tony asked. He wasn't expecting that. He hadn't officially worked a case for NCIS. There hadn't been any since he'd returned from FLETC earlier that week. Of course one would drop right when he was in the middle of a meltdown. He was kind of surprised Jethro had come for him after what had happened at the house earlier but there he was, standing in his hotel room, staring expectantly and Tony couldn't help but feel like he owed the man something. For what, he wasn't sure. For sucking his dick earlier? For not giving up on him? Something…

"Dead Marine on the front lawn of a house in Bethesda," Jethro reported. "Come on."

"Lemme suck your dick real quick," Tony begged.

"Huh?"

"I'm all satisfied and I totally left you hanging," Tony explained. That would take away some of the guilt at least.

"We gotta go, Tony," Jethro replied. "Come on, get dressed."

"What about road head?"

"Focus on the case, Tony," Jethro replied calmly. "Besides, you know I don't like to be rushed." He winked at his lover, letting the man know everything was okay. Tony was hurting, wounded and untrusting but Jethro refused to give up on him. They'd have to deal with their personal matters after the case though. They had a job to do.

"Okay," Tony finally agreed, slipping his shorts off and his jeans on.

"You're gonna have to stop going commando at work," Jethro joked, confirming to Tony that everything would indeed be okay.

Tony looked over at Jethro after tugging the man's hoodie off and smiled. "Why's that?"

"It's distracting."

"Distracting or easy access?" he asked, tugging his t-shirt on before pulling the hoodie on again.

"I'll let you know later," Jethro answered cryptically.

"Hey, did you ever notice on all those crime shows on TV, the investigators get the call out in the middle of the night but they never show up till daylight?" Tony asked slipping his feet into his shoes. "How come we can't enjoy such privileges?"

"Must be TV magic," Jethro replied noticing that Tony was already slipping into the character he showed everyone else.

"Except for the original CSI," Tony added. "That whole show is just dark. I don't know if that makes it more mysterious or just makes it hard to follow. CSI: Miami, on the other hand, with the Caruso and the sunglasses, the beach and all those tropical colors and skimpy bathing suits—"

"We're not in Miami, Tony," Jethro interrupted, "and we're not TV detectives who can wait till we've had our eight hours before rolling up to a crime scene. Button your pants. We gotta go."

"We could always go to Alaska instead," Tony continued. "Land of the midnight sun? It's always light there." He buttoned his pants before following Jethro out of the hotel room. "At least until it's not and then it's just dark."