Realising that the ex-marine wasn't going to take no for an answer DiNozzo did the only thing he could and fell into line. As he quickly packed up the few personal belongings lying around the room, Gibbs began shifting the pile of boxes down into the trunk of his car. Once his three bags were packed, Tony turned reluctantly to look at the one remaining box. His Boss had already made half a dozen trips up and down, the least he could do was help him with the final run. Flexing his fingers, he took a step forward, eying the box warily as if it was some kind of serpent.

"You even think about touching that and I'll cut off your fingers." Gibbs'voice froze him in place.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Boss." He quickly back tracked.

Gibbs gave him something of an old-fashioned look, which suggested he didn't buy that for a second. Tony braced himself for a head slap, even going so far as to half close his eyes against the blow, so the almost affectionate way that Gibbs nudged him out of the way with his hip, caused him to blink with surprise. Tracking the movements of his Boss as he bent over to pick up the box and turned around to move towards the door, Tony could swear he caught the glimmer of a smile. Although, there was no hint of amusement in his voice as he made his way out the door.

"I mean it, DiNozzo, you stay put and don't touch anything."

For once, Tony was pretty much happy to do as he was told. He remembered the effort it had taken to lug those boxes up from the parking lot when he had checked in. Right now, his back muscles felt stiff and sore and he wasn't at all sure he could lift that kind of weight. Especially, not with Gibbs watching his every move, the man always seemed to notice the smallest of details. Tony supposed that was made him such a skilled investigator, but it had also made keeping up appearances these last few days far harder than usual. On reflection, it was only Gibbs being such a bastard that had allowed him to catch a break, if he hadn't had the chance to get away from that piercing gaze every once in a while ..

Oh crap.

The sudden realisation made his throat go dry and his legs turn to water beneath him, as he sat down abruptly on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes tight. Stupid, stupid, stupid, why the hell hadn't he thought this through? Now he would be working and living with Gibbs, subject to that intense scrutiny 24/7, and he just knew the man would see through all his defences. Every unguarded look, every hollow laugh, each time he woke drenched in a cold sweat, the tears leaking down his face after a nightmare. And hadn't he being having a lot of those fun times lately? Tony supposed he could always try and convince the ex-marine that it was some kind of cop thing. The Gibson case had to be in his file and it wasn't like it hadn't caused him its own share of nightmares over the years. Except, he had never actually lied to Gibbs and if the ex-marine's reaction to his omissions over the Matthews' case was any indication, he would rather resign than incur that level of disappointment.

He was so preoccupied he didn't hear Gibbs' soft footfalls on the stairs. Even the smell of coffee and sawdust didn't alert him to the man's presence. So, his Boss was able to stand in the doorway for several moments, observing him without being noticed. That alone was enough to alert Gibbs to the fact that something was wrong. Seeing the usually resilient and overly exuberant young man looking so utterly dejected only served to fuel his concern, unconsciously pitching his voice to a level he usually reserved for frightened kids he asked softly.

"Tony, you okay?"

Both men were surprised by the way Tony jumped sharply, his head snapping up, eyes wide and surprised. As DiNozzo met his gaze Gibbs noted the dark blush that spread across the younger man's face as he shifted uncomfortably to see the soft concern he had heard in the man's voice reflected in that steady gaze. Blinking rapidly, Tony desperately racked his brain for something for his mouth to say that would make this moment appear less awkward, or at least convince Gibbs he hadn't hired a nut job, an Agent who was going to fall apart every time one of the bad guys touched a raw nerve.

"Geez, Gibbs, do you have to sneak up on people like that?" He took refuge in being snarky. "You're going to give me a heart attack."

"You're heart's fine," Gibbs dismissed that. "Your hearing is above average, you have a heightened sense of smell, your vision is 20/10 and you didn't answer my question."

"You look in my medical file?" Tony asked sharply, his eyes narrowing to think slits as he came close to genuine insubordination. "Are you even allowed to do that?"

"Came up in your background checks," Gibbs soothed blandly. He didn't usually allow his people such leeway. However, was the second time DiNozzo had reacted so badly to the suggestion that he had been digging around in his past. It made him wonder what he wasn't finding. And why the hell he wasn't finding it. He had been looking hard enough. Stepping forward to pick up one of the bags, he kept his expression carefully neutral. "Your former CO's kept telling me about how you could see license plates from impossible distances or track a killer by his cologne. Made you sound like some kind of dammed bloodhound."

"A bloodhound? Aren't they those big ugly dogs with the soulful eyes and the huge ears?" Tony's expression of mock outrage didn't fool Gibbs. DiNozzo was trying to cover his tracks. "I've always thought of myself as more of a Labrador. Alert, Intelligent, Bred to sniff things out .."

"Prone to putting on weight," Gibbs added dryly, hiding his grin as DiNozzo bristled, the friendly banter achieving its objective of getting the kid to relax. "You about ready to go?"

Tony hesitated. If he was honest with himself he really wanted to spend more time around Gibbs. Not only was the man a brilliant investigator but he really enjoyed his company, most people underestimated him, they were too easily taken in by his carefully cultivated frat boy image, it was refreshing to come up against somebody who was apparently prepared to look beneath the surface and who wasn't about to put his with his crap. For the first time in a long time, Tony genuinely believed his CO had his best interests at heart.

Which was exactly why he also knew that this was a very bad idea, Tony didn't think for a moment that Gibbs had simply forgotten the fact that he hadn't answered his question. This man was tenacious, a fact which both terrified and thrilled him. All his life all he had ever wanted was to be the centre of somebody's attention. But now that he had it, he was afraid of what Gibbs would see and even more terrified that he wouldn't measure up.

"Look Boss, maybe this isn't really isn't such a good idea," He forced a bright smile. "You marine types tend to like things all squared away and, in case, you hadn't noticed, I'm a kinda a slob. I drop my towels on the bathroom floor, I use all the hot water, I drink milk out of the carton .."

"So don't." Gibbs suggested, as he also picked up the other heavier bag, leaving DiNozzo with just the lighter holdall.

"Right," Tony nodded, mostly to himself, still not entirely convinced, but somewhat at a loss as to how to change Gibbs' mind. Especially, as the man was already out the door and halfway down the hallway carrying half his life with him. "It's that simple, huh?"

"You coming?"

The familiar call was enough to jolt him into action. Snatching up the light holdall, he did a quick scan of the room to ensure he hadn't missed anything, before gratefully turning his back on the cold, soulless existence. For a self confessed grade 'A' bastard Gibbs was actually a pretty nice guy. Maybe, this wouldn't be such a disaster.

"On your six, Boss."