Tony looked up at the sound of the interview room door being opened, then quickly averted his eyes. The sight of the hated leather strap in Gibbs's hand made his stomach flip over. But it was the look on his face that he couldn't bear to see.

'Boss... I...'

'What the hell were you thinking, Tony?'

'I dunno, Boss. We were just bored, and getting on each other's nerves, and then he didn't get the food order right and he was acting really obnoxious and...'

'Are you seriously trying to justify why you two were fighting?!'

'No! Just... maybe... explain? I think we both just kinda snapped and needed to let off a bit of steam. And it wasn't a big deal... if you hadn't seen that video...'

'You would have gotten away with it?'

'That's not what I meant! But it wasn't really a 'fight' fight. It's not like we actually hurt each other or anything.'

'That's not good enough, Tony. If you don't want to find yourself transferred to another team, knock off this crap that's going on between you and McGee. You can't work together, like this. Not with our jobs.'

'Boss, you know I'd never let him get hurt! I...'

'And if you try to push him out of the way of something, and he pushes back because he thinks you're just being a smartass?'

Tony's bluster evaporated.

'I'm not taking that chance, Tony.'

'And, of course, you'd keep McGee,' Tony said quietly, trying not to show how hurt he was by the idea that his boss considered him the more dispensable member of the team.

'No, I'd transfer both of you to new teams. If nothing I try is gonna convince you two to act like field agents rather than middle schoolers, then maybe someone else will be able to get through to you better. I'll do what I have to, to avoid losing you entirely... even if it means losing you from my team.'

Tony hung his head, stung by the comment about his childish behaviour but unable to protest the validity of that characterisation. He couldn't even begin to process how he felt about the rest of Gibbs's declaration.

'It won't happen again, Boss.'

'It damn well better not!'

Gibbs gestured towards the table in the centre of the room, and Tony moved hesitantly towards it.

'Tony, you're my senior field agent. I need to be able to rely on you. When I'm not in the room, you should be taking the lead, taking responsibility, not taking advantage of the situation.'

'I know, Boss...'

'And you should be looking out for McGee, not looking for ways to drop him in it.'

'C'mon, Boss... it's not like I was trying to get him in trouble. I'm not exactly in the clear, here.'

'Yeah? Did you even think about how big a deal this is gonna be for him?' Gibbs asked, gesturing with the strap. 'Pants down.'

Tony paled, realising that Gibbs was right. He wasn't looking forward to this. It was going to hurt like hell, but he'd been on the receiving end of Gibbs's strap often enough before. And he wasn't exactly thrilled about having to bare his ass for it, but, compared to being spanked over Gibbs's knee, dropping his pants wasn't particularly distressing. For Tim, novelty would make the strap even more terrifying, and he'd feel the emotional effects of such absolute submission to their boss's authority very deeply.

'Now, Tony.'

Tony spoke impulsively, suddenly very aware that he'd gotten Tim into this.

'Boss... let me take responsibility for this. As you said, I was in charge. Tim...'

Gibbs's expression didn't change.

'Don't make me tell you again.'

Tony recognised the futility of further argument. His hands moved to his belt, and he fumbled with it for a moment before pushing his jeans and boxers to his knees and bending over. He held on tightly to the edges of the table, resting his forehead on its battered surface.

Even though he was expecting it, the pain from the first lash tore a gasp of pain from him. He barely had time to suck in a panicked breath before he felt the next hard stroke. He was surprised how much more painful the strap was on bare skin; he hadn't thought his clothing provided much protection at all, considering how much it usually hurt, but this was worse than he'd ever imagined. He sobbed and yelped his way through four more lashes and was panting heavily when Gibbs paused after the sixth blaze of pain.

Without warning, he felt the strap against the back of his thighs. Gibbs had never done that before, and the scorching lash caught him completely by surprise. He pulled away from the table, turning his head to look over his shoulder in shock. Gibbs just arched one eyebrow, and Tony reluctantly got back into position. The second stroke on his burning thighs made him cry out loudly enough that he expected half the agency to barge in, guns drawn. He tried to brace himself, knowing that no amount of preparation would make the next lash any more bearable.

Instead, he felt Gibbs's hand carding through his hair, brushing it gently away from his face.

'Tim doesn't need you to cover for him, Tony. He needs you to act like his partner.'

Tony nodded, still gasping in pain and trying to catch his breath. A moment later he heard the door shut quietly behind Gibbs.