A/N: Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! :)

Chapter Sixteen.

Gibbs looked at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but shake his head. He didn't know why he even cared. It wasn't like Tony would expect him to dress up as it was just a casual invite for dinner, not even a date. So why was Gibbs concerned about the fit of his jeans and why was he thinking about a button-down shirt instead of his usual polo? He ran a hand through his hair and finally dressed into his newest pair of jeans that Stephanie had bought for him not too long ago and a black button-down. With a last scrutinizing look and an approving nod, he grabbed his keys and then went out of his house to walk to Tony's apartment.

Gibbs didn't even know why he was so nervous. The difficult part of their conversation was already done, he had told the kid about Shannon and Kelly and it had felt strangely good. Gibbs wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that, but maybe Tony would be able to help him move on. He had already done it once, so maybe he would do it again. Gibbs blinked and stopped for a moment as that particular thought crossed his mind. He really wanted to move on. He wanted more out of his life than the boat, bourbon and work and he didn't want a pale imitation of Shannon. No, he wanted something else entirely. And that apparently was Tony.

Smiling to himself, he started moving again. Tony's apartment complex was already in sight and Gibbs couldn't help but feel all fuzzy inside. Tony had finally forgiven him after all these years and it had sounded like he might maybe want to start things with Gibbs again. He wasn't quite sure what it meant exactly, but he was definitely willing to find out. Although he still didn't know what it was about the kid even after more than ten years, he knew that he craved him, craved his smile, his jokes and his touch. And maybe he would finally get all of that again.

.

He took a deep breath and then knocked twice on the door to Tony's apartment.

"Come on in," the younger man's cheerful voice came through the door. "It's open."

Subtly shaking his head, Gibbs walked in, shed his coat and hung it up on the coat rack by the entrance. Tony's apartment had changed since he had last been there. He had finally unpacked completely and only now did Gibbs notice that the kid had a very classic taste in furniture. Looking around, the older man realized that he liked it and that Tony's apartment fit his style perfectly.

"Hi," Tony's voice interrupted his musings and Gibbs turned around to look at him.

He was casually leaning against the doorframe to his kitchen, wearing jeans that fit snugly and an old Ohio State hoodie. Gibbs grinned at the memory of their little game of basketball ten years ago when he had worn a shirt just like that as he walked towards him.

"You dressed up," Tony interrupted his thoughts again. "I like it."

"Yeah, well," Gibbs smirked. "Here, brought some wine."

He handed the bottle over to Tony who took it with a nodded thanks and carried it into the kitchen.

"So, what are you making?" Gibbs asked, following the younger man.

"Spaghetti. Nothing fancy, didn't have the time to go shopping, sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs deadpanned, causing Tony to let out a bark of a laugh. "And spaghetti sounds just fine."

"Good," Tony said with a smile and motioned him to sit down.

They stayed silent for a while and Gibbs was content with just watching the other man. He had an easy way around the kitchen, indicating that he was cooking quite open. Gibbs caught himself smiling again and tried to hide it quickly, but Tony had just then turned around and was looking at him with a raised eyebrow now.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," Gibbs replied gruffly. "Just didn't think you could actually cook."

"I'm a man of many hidden talents, Gibbs. You of all people should know that."

With a smirk and another raise of his eyebrow, Tony turned around. Gibbs stared at him for a second before he shook his head at the obvious innuendo, but decided to let it slide for the moment. He cleared his throat, trying to redirect his thoughts from the way Tony's naked skin had felt against his own.

"So, uh," he finally started. "How was your talk with Abby?"

"Okay, I guess," Tony said and sat down next to him, letting the sauce simmer for a while. "She was a bit mad that I hadn't told her before, but I think she was more excited to get the dirt on Marcus actually."

He blushed a bit at his last words and Gibbs forcefully relaxed his hands that had curled into fists at the thought of some other guy touching Tony. His Tony.

"Huh," he just said, trying to make eye contact with the younger man, but he was staring firmly at his hands at the moment. "What did you tell her?"

"That I was too drunk to follow through and went home," Tony replied with a hint of a smile on his lips. "Wasn't a complete lie at least."

"Guess so," Gibbs replied thoughtfully and was relieved when Tony finally looked at him again. "Why did you come to my place?" he then asked so quietly that the younger man leaned a little closer automatically.

"Not sure," Tony answered haltingly. "I mean, I knew I couldn't close the deal with Marcus because… he wasn't what I wanted. And when the cab driver came to pick me up, I gave him your address without even thinking about it. That's how I ended up at your place. I really didn't know what I wanted to say to you or anything. Figured I'll think of something when I see you. Guess it wasn't efficient last night, but well. Here we are now, right?"

"That we are," Gibbs answered and couldn't help but smile at the younger man. "So what now?"

"Now," Tony grinned and all but jumped up from the chair he had been sitting on. "We eat. And then we'll spend some time doing what you like best: talking."

Gibbs let out a laugh and felt something deep inside of him settle. This was the Tony he remembered, this was the carefree kid who would make him laugh with just a small comment, who would make him feel at ease with a simple look.

Gibbs took the offered plate and then waited for Tony to sit down next to him again before he started to eat. He took a bite and hummed in delight. The pasta was delicious, the sauce spicy, but not too spicy, just like Gibbs liked it. They ate in silence for a while, only occasionally casting a glance at each other, exchanging smiles. When he was done, Gibbs leaned back against the backrest of his chair and watched Tony wolf down the rest of the dish. He remembered having watched him just like that ten years previously at a diner they had went to one day. And with a start, he also remembered that he had felt completely comfortable around the younger man then, just like he did now. It had felt strangely right to be there and it still did ten years later.

For all that Gibbs had been brooding the last couple of months since Tony had joined his team, he suddenly realized that he wouldn't have needed to that much. He liked the kid, always had, and if Gibbs had learned one thing from his self-endangering trip ten years ago, it was that he couldn't control everything. Maybe waiting for things to happen was the right way to go now. He would hear out what Tony had to say to him. He didn't know what he wanted to talk about exactly, but it couldn't be that bad. He, himself, had already made his intensions very clear when he had last kissed him, so it was Tony's turn now.

"Move this to the living room?" Tony once again disrupted his train of thought with a smile.

"Sure," Gibbs said, grabbed both of their glasses of wine and then led the way.

He sat down on Tony's leather couch and was slightly surprised when the younger man slouched down right next to him, so that their thighs were touching. Gibbs felt a shiver run down his spine at the unexpected touch and tried hard not to let it show.

"You wanted to talk?" he finally said after clearing his throat loudly, causing Tony to chuckle right next to him.

"Sure did," the kid replied as she sat up a bit straighter, bumping his shoulder against Gibbs'. "So, uh, now that everything's out in the open, where does that leave us?"

"Don't know," Gibbs shrugged. "Already told you what I want."

"No, not really," Tony replied thoughtfully. "I mean you may have implied it back when you kissed me in front of Danny's house and all, but you never said anything."

"Like to let my actions speak."

"I noticed," Tony smirked before he turned serious again. "But what is that you want exactly? A friends-with-benefits kind of thing?"

"A what?" Gibbs replied confused, causing Tony to laugh.

"You know… like friendship with sex."

"Oh," Gibbs replied, furrowing his brow. "Where's the sense in that?"

"I don't know," Tony laughed again. "Some people like it. So, I take it, that's not what you want?"

"No," Gibbs shook his head, laughing, too. "I'm much too… possessive to do stuff like that with no strings attached."

"Yeah, I figured," Tony answered, a broad smile appearing on his face. "I like that. Okay, so, when I think there's two other options left."

"Which are?"

"One, we stay friends and continue like we did before. Well, maybe with a little bit less Bastard-Jethro and little bit less Bastard-Tony. Or," he trailed off for a moment, rubbing the back of his head. "We start something else. I mean, you just told me you're a possessive bastard and I really, really like that. And I think I'd like it if you were possessive of me. So, I'm thinking… either we decide on option one and never do this…"

He stopped himself again and looked deep into Gibbs' eyes. The older man felt his heart pick up pace and heard the pulse rush loudly through his ears as Tony leaned closer. He felt his own eyes widen for a moment before he threw all caution to the winds and closed the last remaining gap between them himself. Their lips met up with each other and after all this time, after all these months that Gibbs had been imagining this, he hadn't expected the butterflies in his stomach at the soft touch of Tony's lips. The kiss was almost shy at first, a gentle and lingering touch of their lips as if they were both hesitating to take it any further, as if they both wanted to take the time to memorize that feeling before they would break away from each other. Gibbs wasn't entirely sure how long they stayed like that before he was able to feel Tony's tongue tentatively licking his lips, begging for entrance. Gibbs did him the favor, sliding apart his lips. They battled for dominance for a while with neither of them winning or losing before Tony almost reluctantly backed away, the smile never once leaving his face.

Gibbs blinked and then continued to stare at the younger man for a while before he cleared his throat, trying to also clear his head.

"Yeah," he finally pressed out. "Definitely not going to do option one."

"Thought so," Tony grinned, leaning back against the backrest of the couch.

Gibbs let out a bark of a laugh as he settled back, too, just looking at the younger man next to him. The kiss had been everything he could have hoped for and the warm shimmer in Tony's eyes told him enough to know that his feeling was reciprocated. He was still staring into those emerald green eyes when a thought suddenly popped into his mind, causing him to sit up again.

"Ask?" Tony said, straightening himself.

"That photo you left in my basement… why did you have it with you?"

"Long story," Tony sighed, averting his glance from Gibbs to stare at his hands instead. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Tony," Gibbs answered almost softly. "I carried that other Polaroid with me wherever I went for ten years. I'm sure I won't laugh at you."

"Okay," the younger man took a deep breath before he continued. "Jamie gave it to me a couple of weeks after we parted ways. I never told anyone how we ended and all, so he gave it to me. Said that he liked you and that he'd never seen me as happy as I was that day when we were playing ball. I know it sounds horrible and all, but I think he was right about that. After my mom died," Tony sighed and finally looked at Gibbs again, his eyes slightly brighter than usual. "My dad was just… an ass. The reason I worked at that filthy bar was that he had cut me off because I didn't want to get a business degree. So I had to get through college with the help of a small scholarship and waiting tables and stuff. I didn't particularly mind because I was glad to get away from my dad, but it was a rough time back then. I hadn't realized that I wasn't exactly happy before you came along. You had something about you that made me want to… I don't know. You were so messed up at first, but then you opened up a bit, let yourself being drawn into giving up control for a couple of minutes. I mean, you were a tough guy and then you opened up to me like that. That first night when you woke up crying…"

"I thought I had woken up next to Shannon again," Gibbs shared quietly, causing Tony to take his hand and squeeze it.

"I was so scared that you were more messed up than I thought you were, but then… I don't know, something changed and you started to smile and joke and I felt grounded all of a sudden. I felt like I could take on the world, you know, just because you were there. I know it sounds stupid, but you gave me something back then. I still don't know what it was. I mean, I could see that I was able to help you get out of your funk and I suddenly didn't feel useless anymore, no matter how many times my dad told me I was. And when I tackled you in Baltimore, I couldn't believe that you were there, you know. I thought that my last impression of you had been right and I felt something shatter in me. I thought you were a fucking drug dealer or something and I was so angry at myself for believing that you were a good guy. And I always thought you were… despite the fact that you hit me and all… You have no idea how glad I was when Dispatch told me you were a cop… After that, everything just… fell into place."

"To make a really long story short," Tony continued after a few moments of silence. "I looked for the photo again in my box of memories and realized that Jamie had been right. I was happy back then. That day at the basketball court was everything I ever needed. And I also realized that I wasn't as happy with Wendy then. That's why I wanted to show you that photo… sorry if that sounds stupid."

"No, not at all," Gibbs replied quietly, squeezing the younger man's hand. "You wanted to feel like that again. Guess it was the same for me. Right before we took that picture of us in the hotel room, I was sure that things weren't as bad as they were before I met you. That's why I held on to it. I didn't want to forget what it felt like, either."

Tony nodded mutely, just looking at him. They stayed like that for a very long time, just holding hands and staring at each other. Gibbs felt sad about the tale that Tony had just told him but he knew that he had told him nothing but the truth. It had needed to be said and part of Gibbs was glad that he knew now. He despised Tony's old man for what he had done to the kid, but was proud of what Tony had managed to achieve despite it all.

"We are two messed up guys," Tony finally broke the overwhelming silence.

"That we are," Gibbs let out a bark of a laugh and relaxed ever so slightly, noticing Tony doing the same. "So… uh, fresh start?"

"Definitely," Tony smiled at him for a moment before he chanced a glance at his watch. "It's getting kind of late."

"Yeah," Gibbs replied, taking the hint and getting up from the couch. "I'll get going then. What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?"

"I don't know. Whatever you want to do."

"I like that," the older man smirked. "I'll think of something. Come round my place at around two o'clock?"

"You got it," Tony smiled before he leaned in and gave him a peck on the lips. "It's a date."

"Yup," Gibbs grinned back at him, suddenly feeling utterly happy.

He grabbed his coat and shrugged into it before he turned around to look at Tony once more.

"I'll leave the light on outside 'till you're out of here. The hallway's a bitch with all those stupid statues of whatever."

"Thanks," Gibbs replied smirking before he got serious again. "I mean it, thanks for leaving it on for me."

He looked deep into the younger man's eyes, trying to convey the message that he wasn't talking about the light in the hallway, but the fact that Tony had kept his door open to give him a second chance – to give them a second chance. He could hear Tony gulp audibly before he nodded and Gibbs felt something lock into a place inside of him that felt like it had always belonged there.

"You got it," Tony finally said and Gibbs nodded, turned around and then closed the door behind him, feeling oddly at ease and happy.

A/N: Hope you liked it!

Short warning or whatever... this was probably the second to last chapter of this story.
I really appreciated your nice and constructive reviews. However, lately I've all been bombarded by really rude and homophobic 'reviews' (I hope I managed to delete all of them as they were all 'guest reviews' (go figure)) and PMs, so that I decided that this is going to be my last fic I post here. I don't know if I'll simply move somewhere else or not, but right now, I kind of lost interest. Just wanted to let you know because I know that most of you are really, really awesome and nice and all and I met a couple of really great people here, but well... Hope you understand.

- Benny