(A/N: I'm sorry it's been a couple of days since I last updated this - I've been away and it's been hard to find time to write this - let alone write it well - in the run up to Christmas. I apologise for how much this chapter sucks - I tried to find a way of making it more dramatic and emotional and failed miserably. Sorry, everyone. Ooh, and Happy Christmas for tomorrow!
This is a Gibbs/ Tony-ish chapter, mostly from Gibbs' point of view. DiNozzo-lovers, there'll be a Tony-centric chapter coming up soon. If you don't like slash, don't read this fanfic! Anyway... here goes nothing.)

The morning after the Winter Celebration party, everyone woke up decidedly the worse for wear and devoutly thankful that it was a Saturday so they could laze around and sleep off their hangovers- Tony DiNozzo especially, having been one of the most smashed members of NCIS present by the end of the evening. He awoke at almost noon on Saturday feeling as if he had been clubbed over the head. The sunlight was too bright, the room was too cold, and... Was that his phone going off, or just his ears ringing? Managing to reluctantly open one eye, he leaned over and fumbled around on his bedside cabinet, managing to pick up his phone and answer it.

"Tony DiNozzo..." he groaned.
"DiNozzo". Gibbs' distinctive voice made Tony open his eyes. Please, God, he thought, don't let there be a case that I have to drag my ass into work for.
"On it, Boss" Tony replied groggily. He thought he heard Gibbs chuckle.
"On what, DiNozzo?" he asked. Tony paused, confused.
"Never mind..." Gibbs sighed, but Tony could tell from his voice that he wasn't really mad at him. Not yet, at least.
"Do I have to go into work now?" Tony mumbled down the phone.
"No."
"But I don't want to go... " Tony whined.
"I said no, DiNozzo," Gibbs reiterated. Tony considered this.
"Oh. Okay. Um... I don't mean to sound rude, Boss, but... why are you calling me"
"Because I'm on my way to yours. Got something for you" was Gibbs' reply. At this, Tony sat bolt upright, then wished he hadn't when the room began revolving. Steadying himself with one hand, his stomach turning over as if he was on a switchback, Tony replied:
"Sorry, Boss... for a second there I thought you said you were on your way to my place"
"I did. I'll be there in ten minutes," replied the other man. Then, there was a beep that told Tony that Gibbs had ended the call. Processing the information he had just heard, he realised that his boss would be at his apartment in ten minutes and he, Tony, was hungover, currently half-in, half-out of bed, and naked. Swearing under his breath, he closed his eyes and stood up slowly, opening them only when he was sure he wasn't going to fall over; before tugging the bedclothes into place - he doubted he had ever been more grateful for his maid than he felt at that moment- and making his way to his bathroom.

Twenty minutes, a shower and two aspirin later and DiNozzo emerged from the bathroom feeling a hell of a lot better than he had when he went in. His headache dissipating, he now became aware of another person in the room with him. His hand going to his waist, instinctively looking for a gun, he looked properly at the intruder - before realising that it was, in fact, Gibbs, sitting on Tony's sofa looking amused at the younger man's reaction. "Boss..." Tony said weakly. "How did you get in"
"I'm more than capable of picking a lock, DiNozzo" Gibbs answered nonchalantly. "You could have just knocked" Tony replied defensively.
"I did. You were in the shower. And it's well into minus temperatures outside" Gibbs remarked. Then, he glanced at Tony's attire - or lack of it, given that he was wearing nothing but a small, fluffy towel. "I'll just go and put some clothes on..." he muttered, blushing, as he went back to his bedroom.

Gibbs watched the younger agent retreat to the privacy of his bedroom with an amused smile, but as Tony's door closed, he sighed. The gifts he had so carefully wrapped for Tony were behind him, on the sofa which he had been leaning on since he had - more or less - broken into Tony's apartment... and despite being married thrice since, he had realised as he wrote the gift tag that this was probably the most time and effort he had spent wrapping a gift; neatly and meticulously folding the bright paper and carefully taping it into place, since his first marriage. It was a shame that it would all be wasted when Tony knocked him back, perhaps even laughed in his face at the gesture- but after the events of the evening; or, more accurately, seeing Tony dance with McGee so closely and intimately, Gibbs was ready for it. He knew what he had to do. For now, he occupied himself with gazing around Tony's apartment, amazed at how tidy it was despite being inhabited by Tony DiNozzo, until he heard the bedroom door open and saw Tony emerge, the blush now gone from his cheeks and fully dressed in a clean, striped shirt and a pair of dark trousers. He smiled, a little awkwardly, when he met Gibbs' eyes.

"Sorry about that, Boss... I'm not used to having company this early in the morning" he told him.
"It's past midday" Gibbs replied, pointing at the small clock on Tony's wall. Tony glanced at it, and laughed.
"Far too early to be up and about after a night like last one... How much did I drink?"
"Much too much" Gibbs answered. "Remember much of anything?"
"Well, I think the image of you doing a Britney up on the stage is a memory that will stay with everyone for a long time..." Tony chuckled, then coughed and stopped laughing immediately when he saw the look on Gibbs' face. "Um... other than... no, not really" he admitted finally.
Gibbs nodded, a small smile playing around his lips. "I guessed as much. Well... before I remind you of anything..." - here, he picked up the present that had been concealed on the sofa while the two of them had been speaking. Taking a deep breath, he held it out towards Tony. "Happy Christmas, DiNozzo" he said quietly.
Tony looked stunned. "Are you serious? Aw, Boss... you shouldn't have... I didn't get you anything!"
"You didn't have to, DiNozzo. I... wanted to give you this." Gibbs answered slowly. Tony looked surprised, but very pleased. Would his face still have the same jovial expression when he opened the gift and understood how Gibbs felt? He highly doubted it. Hearing the sofa creak slightly as Tony sat down, and the rip of wrapping paper as Tony tore it open, Gibbs turned round, staring at the floor with his back to DiNozzo, as Tony opened his gift. When the sounds of paper crumpling and ripping ceased, the only sound was the soft noise of Tony's breathing in the silent room. Gibbs bit his lip, waiting for his reaction. Some reaction. Anything at all...

"Boss...?" Tony said, after a long pause.
Slowly, Gibbs turned round. Tony was sitting, the shirt and the Magnum box set unwrapped on his knee, He was holding half of the wrapping paper in each of his hands, and staring in bewildered surprise at his gift. He looked up at Gibbs, confusion etched in every curve and crevice of his handsome face.
"The... Boss, it's an amazing present. Thank you so much" he managed.
"You're welcome, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied, trying to keep his tone light and even. Tony opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, before finally saying:
"Why?"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow questioningly, though inside he knew exactly what the younger man was asking.
"Why, what?"
Tony seemed to be struggling, between his utter puzzlement and the hangover suppressed by analgesics but by no means gone.
"Why'd you do this?"
"Do what?" asked Gibbs, forcing himself to keep looking at Tony, keep staring expressionlessly back into those deep blue eyes that showed every emotion filtering through Tony's mind, no matter how he tried to hide them - surprise, confusion, a hint of suspicion; and by this point, exasperation.
"Do this. Give me this stuff... I'm sorry, I sound like an ungrateful bastard. They're brilliant... but I don't see why you got them for me. I've done nothing to deserve them - I didn't even get you a Christmas card!" he replied.
Gibbs sighed. Here was the moment he had been preparing himself for since before he had bought Tony's present. "Do you really want to know, Tony?" he asked gently.
Tony blinked, registering the use of his Christian name, before nodding. "Yeah... wait. Boss, you're not sick, or... leaving or anything, are you?" The look of concern on Tony's face touched Gibbs' heart, as he forced a laugh and shook his head.
"No, Tony. I'm not going anywhere. But... Mind if I sit down?" Seeing Tony shake his head, Gibbs nodded his thanks and sat slowly down on the younger man's sofa, before taking a deep breath.

"Tony, I love you".

Tony's eyes widened. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was about to laugh. "You... you're not serious..."
Gibbs looked up at Tony, unsmiling, unblinking, his blue opts like two lasers as he gazed at the other man; confirming without words that he had meant what he said. Tony's smile dropped, his eyes darkening with comprehension.
"I... I don't know what to say, Boss. I"
"You can call me Jethro, if you like, Tony", Gibbs said quietly, looking away- and, when Tony looked suddenly awkward, he added: "It's just a name, Tony. It doesn't change anything between us - unless you want it to, and I can see that you don't"
At this, Tony blushed, staring intently at his new shirt and Magnum box set.
"I never said I didn't, Boss - sorry, Jethro. It's just - a lot to take in..."
Gibbs sighed. "You don't have to let me down gently, Tony. I knew you didn't feel the same, and I probably shouldn't have told you. But - I kind of felt like I had to. Call it my famous gut again" he said, and was relieved to see Tony smile. Then, he looked right at Tony, and hoped the almost overwhelming sadness he felt inwardly wasn't projecting itself onto his face. "There are a whole lot of reasons why I can't act on what I feel - I shouldn't even have told you, really. It's not fair on you to jump you with stuff like that. I just thought it'd be more unfair to keep on hiding this - if I ever treat you differently than I do the others, it's better that you know why I do it. I don't like it, but it's going to be awkward enough for a while after telling you, so I'd rather not have the whole team know how I feel about you"
Tony nodded. "I understand. And I'm glad you told me - I appreciate it, even though it's all a bit of a shock"
The silver-haired man inclined his head. Then, he added, before he could change his mind: "...And even if you felt the same, I wouldn't do that to McGee".

Tony's forehead furrowed as he looked at Gibbs, nonplussed again. "What... what's Probie got to do with anything?"
Gibbs closed his eyes and laughed quietly. "He's got everything to do with it, Tony. I'm not the only one who's been hiding how they feel... about you"
At this, Tony's jaw dropped, his grip on the shirt Gibbs had bought him slackening as it slipped out of his hand onto the floor. He ignored it. If it had been any other situation, Gibbs thought, he would have found Tony's expression hilarious. But not now.
"McGee... McGee's in love with - with me?..."
Gibbs nodded. "He always has been, Tony. If you don't see that, just how you got to be an NCIS investigator is beyond me."
Tony breathed out slowly, making a low whistling noise in the quiet room. "...Are you sure?"
"He never takes his eyes off you. Do you remember dancing with him yesterday?"
The other man groaned, bringing his free hand up to his face. "God, don't tell me we joined you onstage after 'Hit Me Baby...' ?"
Gibbs rolled his eyes, ignoring the jibe for the time being.
"Guess again. Slow dance. I'm guessing you were as drunk as you looked?" Gibbs asked, seeing Tony's stunned appearance.
"McGee and I... slow dancing? Are you sure you saw this right?" he asked incredulously.
"Ask anyone else who was there. And do you know something else? McGee looked devastated when you left him. It was like seeing a kid being given a toy they'd always wanted and then watching someone snatch it away. -I know you didn't mean to make him feel like that," he added quickly, seeing Tony's handsome face fall, "because if you didn't pick up on it when you were sober, there wasn't a chance in hell you'd notice when you were that pissed. But it's true, Tony. McGee loves you. And from what I've seen, at the very least, a part of you loves him too." He tilted his head slightly to look at the other man. "Am I right?"
Tony stared into space, utterly absorbed in his thoughts as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing.
"I... I haven't thought about it. Much" he admitted, as an afterthought. "It took me years to get my head round the fact that I liked men, B- Jethro. And finding out... first you, now McGee... it's a bit much"
"I just thought I'd better tell you about McGee, because it's the main reason I haven't made a move on you, and don't intend to" Gibbs replied. Tony looked up quizzically, and he elaborated.

"The second 'B' in Gibbs may stand for Bastard, but it's obvious that McGee adores you - and, if you let him, he'll bring you more happiness than I ever could. It'd break his heart, if you were with somebody he had to interact with every day. Keeping his feelings secret is torture for him, I can see it every time he looks away from you- but he's too damn scared to tell you. And I know my input counts for sweet fuck all, but my advice would be to do something that's good for you, just for a change. I wanted to tell you how I feel because you don't deserve to be lied to. To hell with Rule 12. You deserve to be happy - and if you give McGee a chance and he turns out can make you happy, then I'm not going to be the one to stand between you and the happiness you both deserve. So┘ think on it, Tony. And whatever you choose to do, I know that you'll choose right. There's method in your madness, Tony" he added, with a small smile. Tony, who had been watching Gibbs silently as he spoke, nodded.
"I don't know what to do, but - I'll think about it. All of it. I owe McGee that," he said, thoughtfully. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry."
"For what, Tony?" Gibbs asked, raising one eyebrow. And for once, sitting opposite Gibbs in his living room with a Magnum box set in his hand, fast-talking Tony DiNozzo was completely lost for words. Standing up, Gibbs tentatively reached out as if to stroke his face, before clapping the other agent on the shoulder. His face was set in a relaxed half-smile, but his blue eyes were shining with an indescribable cocktail of emotion that made Tony feel like a vice was being clamped around his heart.
"Don't apologise for being honest about how you feel, Tony," Gibbs told Tony. His hand still resting on the other man's shoulder, he added, "I'm not. And it really doesn't suit you."
Tony managed a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."
Nodding his head slowly, Gibbs retracted his hand from Tony's shoulder and stepped past Tony, heading towards the door. As he opened the door, he paused without turning around, before saying:
"Take care, Tony. And Happy Christmas."

The door swung shut behind him as he departed; but, left on the latch, ricocheted back off the frame, blown back by a gust of freezing December air. Swallowing, Tony glanced at the door, before reaching down to pick up the shirt he had dropped shortly before. Gazing at the garment, so carefully chosen by Gibbs, the reason why just beginning to sink in along with the revelation that Gibbs wasn't the only one who had been hiding their feelings concerning him; Tony said softly:
"Merry Christmas... Jethro."
But he was already long gone, leaving Tony alone with too much to think about and only a Magnum box set for company.

(In my opinion, this story gets more clichéd and all-round terrible the more I write... but I'm going to carry on with it. Anyone think... well, anything at all, really? Reviews are always appreciated. And sorry to those who wanted Gibbs/ Tony in this fanfic... please don't hate me!)