Fair Warning by DebC
You should stay away from me, DiNozzo. You know that, though, don t you?
Gibbs hadn t looked up from the part of the boat he was sanding with meticulous care and focus. He didn t have to to know whose footsteps he heard on the basement stairs. He didn t have to look up to know that Tony had come to a complete stop on the last step when he d spoken, frozen at the sound of his words of warning. He didn t have to look to see the younger man s expression, a mixture of confusion and yearning, much like a puppy dog who doesn t understand the tone in his master s voice.
Not that Gibbs was in any way Anthony DiNozzo s master. His boss at work, sure, but not outside the office.
And yet, Tony did bear one other striking resemblance to the puppy in question. He didn t understand the depth of the nuances in Gibbs voice when he d delivered that cryptic warning. Getting involved with anyone was dangerous in this crazy mixed up world, but getting involved with him? An immortal man who d buried more people he cared about than he cared to remember for several lifetimes? It was sheer insanity, and probably part of the reason Gibbs last few marriages hadn t worked out. Because he was too stubborn to change for people he wasn t going to spend but a breath of time with in the first place.
Or maybe, it was the ex-wives. He really ought to ask Fornell one of these days. If anyone would know
but Tony did not know. He didn t know about any of it, except that Gibbs was his boss, his friend, and possibly something more, if only one of them would let it go that far.
Why s that, Boss? Tony asked, and the smirk in his tone finally coaxed Gibbs eyes away from the framework of wood and towards the stairs where Tony was now leaning casually against the dusty wall. He was dressed in denim jeans too dark and too stiff to be anything but new, a loose cotton shirt in a shade of blue that made his eyes stand out all the more, and a black jacket similar to the ones they wore at work, but without the NCIS insignia on the front. Over all, it was a sight that Gibbs took way too long to look away from, and not before seeing the smirk on Tony s face broaden into something else entirely.
Because you don t know what you re asking for, DiNozzo, was his gruff reply, and he made an attempt at sanding the boat some more before looking up to find Tony still there, still staring at him just as intently.
Tony shook his head. Uhuh, Boss, the younger man said, taking the last step off the stairs and maneuvering his way around the skeleton of the boat until he was standing right next to Gibbs. I think I do.
Gibbs laughed at the boldness. He hadn t quite expected that of Tony. The younger man was an incorrigible flirt, for sure, but he was also cautious when it came to his heart. He didn t know, and not knowing would break that heart he guarded so well, if they weren t careful. No, it was better for Tony, and better for Gibbs, if they didn t go down this road. Go home, DiNozzo. You don t really want to pursue this.
You don t want to pursue it, you mean? Tony asked, somehow managing to move closer into Gibbs personal space. Except, you know what? I think you really do, Boss. You want me just as much as I want you. Have wanted you, almost from the moment we first met.
That long? Abby had hinted as much, in all of her attempts at hooking them up, but Gibbs had been insistent that she was wrong about that. Reading it wrong. Reading Tony, and to a large extent, himself, wrong as all. Except Abby wasn t wrong at all and they all knew it.
You seem surprised, commented Tony.
Maybe I am, Gibbs answered, though he was reluctant to let Tony think he d gotten to him at all. He remembered the case where he and Tony first met, the death of a sailor on leave in Baltimore having led him to discovering the cocky young cop. It had been a tough case, and Tony s superiors were bollixing it pretty royally by the time Gibbs arrived, but rather than give it over graciously, they pushed the issue and finally assigned Tony to shadow the NCIS agent. Gibbs imagined Tony was supposed to be a hindrance, so Gibbs wouldn t get anywhere either, but somehow somehow, they d clicked almost right away. Tony was eager to solve the case as Gibbs was, and what he lacked in overall experience, he made up for in enthusiasm and willingness to do what it took. Gibbs had been surprised and yet not surprised at all when Tony s name had shown up on an application several months later.
Maybe ? Tony started to lean in closer, the expression on his face foretelling an attempted kiss and Gibbs blocked it, placing a hand on Tony s chest.
I said maybe. Maybe it surprises me, Tony, but it doesn t change things. This can t work between us.
You say that, but your eyes say something entirely different. You know how good it could be how well it really could work.
As he spoke, Tony placed a hand over Gibbs own, pressing it close so Gibbs could feel the heartbeat beneath his blue cotton shirt. It quickened under his touch, and Gibbs could feel his own speed up in response.
You should go, DiNozzo, he rasped, his voice hoarse with a sudden rush of desire from the simple contact.
You can t make me, Boss, Tony said in his rough voice. His hand wrapped around Gibbs wrist, pushing aside that last roadblock between them as he leaned in to initiate the first kiss of many. As kisses go, it was every bit a conundrum as Anthony DiNozzo himself: eager and somewhat innocent, brass and unexpected, soft and full of force. And so totally hot. The ones which followed were more of the same, even better, leaving his boat all but forgotten as Gibbs retaliated by pushing Tony up against the wall with such force that it shook the tools hanging from the walls.
Gibbs knew that Tony was right. He couldn t make him go; he didn t want to make him go. Would it have been better if he had? Probably. Rule 12 existed for days like this, in more ways than one. Now that Gibbs resolve had been broken along with the rule, they would have to be careful that no one got hurt. Because Tony wasn t leaving, and Gibbs was done pushing him away.