Heya :) Thanks again for the messages, reviews, hints etc. I hate to sound like a broken record, but they really brighten my day ^^ And I do believe this is the best idea I've ever had lol, par Tony's entertainment ;)
When they got home for the night, Tony was surprisingly happy and hyper, fiddling around with his bear in the car and jabbering away to himself. Gibbs smiled as the kid started to chew his bear's ear in what was obviously an affectionate gesture. They were soon home, and Gibbs stuck Tony down on the floor, as he was fidgeting like mad,
"If I find out that someone gave you sugar there'll be hell to pay." Gibbs muttered as he managed to take the excitable child's cardigan off. He pinched the bridge of his nose as Tony immediately ran off, that nap he'd had after his adventure obviously working far too well. It would be so much easier if the kid wasn't 'Tony Junior' right now.
"DiNozzo!" He barked, the happy chirping as the child played ceasing immediately, making Gibbs feel guilty. He heard him get to his feet and toddle out of the room, stopping near Gibbs' legs and hanging on them, looking up and saying,
"Yeah Boss?" Gibbs thought for a moment. He didn't really have a valid explanation as to why he'd called the baby out of the room, so he just said,
"You still hungry?"
"Starving!" The ex-marine thought again. He couldn't be bothered cooking, so it wouldn't be that bad if he called takeout would it?
"What d'you say to pizza kiddo?" Tony's eyes shone brightly and he beamed up,
"I haven't had that in ages! Really?" Gibbs laughed at his excitement and picked him up, ruffling his hair slightly,
"Really. Now, I'll call this is in, only if you go play somewhere quietly while I work on the boat." Tony scowled for a moment,
"I don't have to play Gibbs, I'm not that childish." He looked quite angry, making Gibbs almost do a double take. However, he just shook his head and said,
"Well I can't take you into the basement again, you know what happened last time," Tony blushed and looked down, "So how about you amuse yourself upstairs?" Tony's eyes lit up. He'd never really been upstairs properly in the Boss' house, only using the room he was in now to sleep. He tried not to look too eager and agreed.
"Alright, but what can I do?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something kid. Off you go." He put Tony on the floor and went in the direction of the basement, taking with him the phone and a baby monitor, the twin of it probably in one of the rooms upstairs. Tony rolled his eyes but glanced up the stairs, gulping slightly. That was quite a long way up. But his legs were stronger now, he'd ran around NCIS that afternoon and had only fallen over once, and that was bumping into someone.
He slowly climbed the stairs, not really sure how he was going to get down, but he'd think of a way. Getting to the top, he glanced around, not sure where to go first. An open door beckoned him in, and when he got in he gazed about in delight. This was Gibbs' room. It was quite plain, tidy, and didn't look like it was used much, so it was a bit of a disappointment, but Tony nosed around anyway, carefully opening drawers and boxes, making sure he didn't knock over a picture of Gibbs, a red haired woman and a pretty young girl.
Then, Tony found something much better to look at. He opened a box in the corner to see that it was filled with his Boss' old marine clothes. Beaming wildly and unable to contain himself, he reached in...
--
Gibbs stopped sanding for a moment, hearing the doorbell go. After being handed the pizza and paying the guy, Gibbs set it down at the table. Now, he just had to find Tony. Hoping the kid hadn't just found a comfy corner somewhere and gone to sleep, he climbed the stairs, marine senses on alert, waiting to hear a noise.
He didn't have to wait very long to hear a small giggle and Tony mumbling something to himself. Grinning, and guessing the kid had gone 'Tony Junior' on him, Gibbs went in the direction of the noise. He frowned and paused as he reached his room. He scowled to himself. He knew he should have closed the door properly, he had all sorts in there, hidden weapons (Just in case), photos he didn't want to be asked questions about, all sorts.
Opening the door, he was bowled over by the sight that met his eyes. Tony was stood in front of the long mirror near his wardrobe, admiring his new attire. He'd pulled clothes out of one of the boxes in his room that was obviously his old marine gear. For lack of something better to do, he'd put it on, including the hat, and was trying to stumble back to the box, seeing what else he could find. Gibbs couldn't help chuckling. The kid was swamped. The jumper was way too big and fell down to the floor, and the hat was sliding down over his eyes.
He obviously hadn't been able to fit any other pieces of clothing on, but looked proud of himself nonetheless. Then, Gibbs noticed something odd. Tony hadn't realised that Gibbs was there yet, but when you listened, he was clearly talking usually to himself, he wasn't Tony Junior at all. Gibbs bit back a laugh, and quietly reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. This was too cute to resist, Abby would probably frame it or something.
McGee had recently taught him how to use the camera on his phone, so using that, he quickly took the picture, grinning as it showed Tony looking happily in the mirror, pulling at the jumper, trying to pull it up.
"Playing dress-up kiddo?" He asked softly, not wanting the kid to feel intimated or teased. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. Tony stumbled backwards, stuttering slightly and turning red,
"Gibbs!" He cried out, just stopping himself falling into the box, "I'm sorry! I'll put it all back! I just... you didn't say that - you didn't say your room was out of bounds, so I just..." Gibbs shook his head, an amused smile on his face,
"It's alright kid, I expected you to do something," He paused, studying the baby, "Looks like we got ourselves a very small marine here huh?" Tony grinned slightly and asked, quietly,
"Do you think I'm a good marine?" He looked into Gibbs' eyes, hoping he wouldn't let Gibbs down. The older man smiled at him, picking him up and righting the hat on his head,
"I think," He said, "You're an amazing marine Tony. I'd tell you to join them if you weren't such a good NCIS agent." Tony's eyes glowed and his smile dazzled Gibbs,
"Come on," He added, pulling that hat off the kid's head, "Pizza's here." Tony beamed again and started to pull at the jumper, trying to get it off. Chuckling, Gibbs pulled it off for him, stowing it carefully in the box before glancing down at Tony and saying, in a mock stern voice,
"Hope you didn't make that jumper wet Gunny." Tony blushed as he was bore away to the changing table.
--
Gibbs sat Tony down in the highchair, and pulled the bib round his neck,
"Think you can feed yourself tonight kiddo?" Tony blushed and nodded, grabbing the small slice of pizza that Gibbs had made sure was cooled before giving it to him. He started to chew it, and eventually finished, but it looked like a chore.
"Tony?" Gibbs asked, seeing his face, "You ok?"
In truth, Tony didn't feel ok at all. He felt quite warm, and his nose seemed to be running uncontrollably. He sniffed, hoping it was just one of those childhood things. Nearly every kid he saw had a snotty nose, so he just ignored it. However, his mouth was hurting quite a bit, and he rubbed his cheek self-consciously.
"What's wrong?" Tony looked up to see Gibbs staring at him, knowing something was up. Smiling brightly, not wanting to ruin their evening, Tony shook his head, and said,
"Nothing, nothing's wrong." He turned back to his second slice, but was unable to eat it. Gibbs still glanced at him, watching worriedly as Tony continued to rub at his cheek and was starting to drool.
They were silent for a while longer, before Tony started to cough. Gibbs threw down his napkin as Tony glanced up, embarrassed,
"Tony, something's wrong, tell me what it is." Tony didn't dare lie under that harsh marine glare, so he said softly,
"I haven't been feeling very well since we left work, and it's just kinda...gotten worse. I'm too warm, my gums really hurt, and my nose is all runny. And I suppose I'm coughing as well." Gibbs sighed, getting up and pulling Tony out of the high chair. After giving his face a quick rub so he was clean, Gibbs went to sit on the sofa, cradling Tony, who snuggled into him desperately, suddenly needing the attention,
"I don't feel too well." He whined helplessly, somehow feeling more emotional from the hold. Gibbs rocked him slightly and kissed his head, stroking the thick, dark hair,
"It's ok Tony, I think you're just teething." Tony let out a small sob, and buried his head into Gibbs' shoulder, getting snot on his jumper. Gibbs shook his head fondly and continued to rock Tony, until he was no longer grizzling and whimpering,
"How do you know?" Tony sounded pathetic, and clutched at Gibbs' sleeve. The older man smiled slightly and asked,
"Would you like me to call Ducky?" There was a shake somewhere near his chest, but even if Tony didn't want Ducky to check him, Gibbs certainly did. He reached over towards the phone, and Tony just clutched on to him tighter,
"Does it hurt anywhere else?" Gibbs asked gently, scared the baby might have something serious. Thankfully, Tony shook his head and whispered,
"I don't like it." Gibbs' heart almost broke in two, but he typed the numbers into the phone with a steady hand and his voice didn't waver when he said,
"Ducky?"
"Aah, Jethro, what can I do for you?"
"Duck, Tony doesn't feel well. I think it could be teething, but I just want to double check." He could feel Ducky nodding down the phone,
"I'll come down now dear boy, just give me a moment and I'll be there faster than you can say..." Gibbs put the phone down and stood up, bouncing Tony up and down and pacing about, hoping the movement would help calm Tony down. He did eventually, but started to whine again when the doorbell went,
"It's open Duck!" Gibbs yelled from where he'd been sat for the past five minutes. Ducky peeped through the door and smiled gently at the sight, as Gibbs was almost getting Tony to sleep, although he seemed to be trying to fight it.
"Hello Anthony. Jethro says you don't feel well?" He said softly, bending down so he could look Tony in the eyes. He got a shake, and asked quietly,
"And what doesn't feel nice?" Tony sniffed miserably and said,
"My gums hurt, and I've been drooling alot, and my nose is runny."
"He's really warm as well Duck." Gibbs pointed out, rubbing Tony's back soothingly. Ducky nodded and studied Tony for a moment before saying,
"Now just open up a bit... there's a lad, let's just see..." He looked into Tony's mouth, and gently touched the top gum, rubbing it slightly. Tony didn't seem to appreciate that, and brought his mouth to a close, bringing what few teeth he had around Ducky's finger,
"Tony!" Gibbs yelled, bouncing him up a bit on his lap, "Apologise!"
"It's quite alright Jethro," Ducky said, merely wiping his finger on a handkerchief he had on him, "He's probably going to do that, teething infants can be quite irritable. Yes, his canines are coming in, so he may be cranky for a while, I wouldn't advise that little outing you have tomorrow. When babies teethe, they become quite clingy, wanting more attention, so maybe sending him out for the day with Caitlin isn't the best option, he's rather attached to you. I'd also advise some Tylenol and something for him to chew on, that may make him more tolerable."
Gibbs chuckled and nodded, not bothering telling Ducky he already knew it all. He ran his fingers through Tony's hair and felt the boy rest against him, tired out but still fidgeting. Ducky bid them both goodnight and left, letting Gibbs go into the kitchen and rummage in the cupboard, glad he'd bought some children's strength Tylenol.
"Open wide Tony." He whispered, gently giving him a spoonful, plus a cup of juice to wash it down with. While he was drinking, Gibbs left the room and found the teething ring he'd bought. Not having been gone for even three minutes, he could already hear Tony's whines, calling him back, needing affection. He happily gave it to the kid, scooping him up and jiggling about slightly, calming the baby as he chewed the ring, drooling all over it but calmer now than he had been half an hour ago.
"I think you should have an early night Tony, you look shattered." Tony shook his head firmly, but was already being taken upstairs, and changed into his pyjamas. However, Gibbs sighed some more as he'd forgotten the other symptoms of teething. Diarrhoea . It wasn't that bad, but it was bad enough to put the poor kid into discomfort and he start whining all over again. Knuckling his forehead Gibbs breathed out slowly. He promised himself not to loose his temper, it definitely wasn't Tony's fault, and it was 10 times worse for him than the older man. Gibbs had only just realised how much work Shannon had done with Kelly. He'd taken his fair share, certainly, but it never seemed like much if there was someone there to help you.
"Sssh, Tony, I know... I know, shh, it's ok, it'll be better in the morning." Gibbs whispered in Tony's ear as he held him tight, next to his chest, patting the baby's back and stroking his head. Soon, he'd calmed down enough to be put in the crib, immediately chewing the toy Gibbs had given him. Gibbs smiled sadly and turned the light off, turning the baby monitor on as he went out the room, towards the basement.
--
Gibbs was shattered. He'd been up and down the stairs more times than he could count. Forever soothing the baby and changing him, whispering comforting words into his ears and wiping his face with a cold flannel when he got too hot. Now, it was six in the morning, and Gibbs had come to terms with the fact that he wouldn't be able to spend any time on his boat, opting to instead sit next to the crib on a wicker chair. He'd stayed alert all night, and went to the side of the cot in a flash, but now he was tired and had fallen into a gentle snooze, his mouth open slightly.
Tony once again awoke from an uncomfortable sleep, hands wrapped around the bars, still too hot. The pain in his mouth had subsided slightly, but now he still had to put up with the snotty nose, diarrhoea and he still felt really scared whenever there wasn't someone near him,
"Gibbs?" He asked softly, seeing the man through the bars. He grunted slightly and woke up, his eyes opening slowly until he registered where he was and was right next to the baby again,
"Yeah? What's wrong?"
"I'm too hot," He whimpered, "And my nose is still runny, and my backside's really sore..." He stopped, guessing Gibbs got the message. It was incredible really. The man didn't even complain, and gave Tony a genuine smile as he lifted the baby out, over to the changing table. He felt Gibbs run a hand through his hair and say to him,
"Looks like we've got a touch of diaper rash here kiddo, I need some cream for that." Tony nodded miserably, watching as Gibbs ducked down for a second, popping up a second later with a tub,
"Kate bought all sorts." He said, in response to Tony's expression. He gently rubbed it on, stopping when he sensed it hurt the baby, continuing when the pain subsided. Finally he'd finished, and with a fresh diaper on, and no longer wearing a sleeping suit, Tony felt ready to face the world.
"Can I wear something thin?" He asked, "I mean, something that isn't as stuffy as that suit." Gibbs brought him over to the wardrobe and admonished,
"You should have said Tony, I'd have found something else for you to wear."
"I didn't want to be a bother." He answered quietly, still clutching at Gibbs who was searching the cupboard, feeling the need for physical contact. Gibbs stopped and turned around, having deposited Tony on the floor beforehand. Crouching down, Gibbs said,
"Tony. You aren't a bother. You got that? I don't mind, whatever happens, as long as you're ok."
"You sure?" Tony asked softly, hardly daring to believe it. Gibbs nodded and gave him a small chuck under the chin before saying,
"I found quite a thin white top, I think it's cotton, and those red dungarees, they're thin, and they work like shorts, so you'll be cooler."
"Find any different underwear?" Tony asked drily, prodding at the diaper, "This is really doesn't let my body breathe." Gibbs smiled at him, but didn't say anything as he started to dress Tony. When he was done, he took the baby downstairs, saying,
"Breakfast?"
--
Gibbs ground his teeth, tapping his spoon off the table, trying to get rid of his anger. He knew Tony wasn't doing it on purpose, but it was so irritating. At first the kid had asked for cornflakes, and when he was given them, he pushed them around the bowl a bit with his spoon, not feeling like eating much. Gibbs had even tried to feed him, eventually resorting to making plane noises, but still Tony had stood firm, and whined whenever the spoon came near him, not opening his mouth and covering his eyes, resting his elbows on the tray.
It was with a certain amount of desperation that he picked his phone up, and pressed speed dial,
"You're on the air!"
"Hey Abbs."
"Gibbs! How're you? And little Tony?"
"Tony's a bit... under the weather. I got Ducky round last night and he confirmed that the kid was teething."
"Ugh, oh god I hated it when my little brother was teething. He got the diarrhoea yet?"
"Yup, and the fever, and the clinginess, and the being stubborn. He's refusing to eat."
"Aww, poor baby! Have you tried giving him a cold flannel to chew? Always worked for me." Gibbs shook his head and answered,
"I didn't try that. I'll try it later. Do me a favour and tell Kate to cancel her date."
"Are you not coming in today?" Gibbs shrugged and replied,
"We'll see how he goes." He hung up and went back upstairs, heart wrenching as he heard Tony whimpering on his own in the kitchen. He grabbed the flannel that he'd used to cool the kid down and ran cold water over it again, wringing it out and going back downstairs.
"Here you go kiddo, chew on that for a while." Tony looked at him uncertainly but took it, putting it in his mouth. He perked up a tiny bit after a while and even smiled a bit,
"You want to try and eat something?" Tony shook his head, and said,
"I'll try if we go into work." Gibbs rolled his eyes,
"It depends how you feel. If you feel better in... two hours, we might go in." Tony smiled and continued to chew his flannel, the coldness dowsing the flames in his mouth. Gibbs tried to feed him again, this time with results, as Tony ate a few spoonfuls, before holding his arms up, demanding to be let out. Gibbs raised his eyebrows at this but took him, sitting on the sofa as he had the day before. Although Tony felt a bit better, he still curled up on Gibbs' lap, holding a piece of the older man's jumper in his small hand, snuggling into his body.
Soon, he was asleep, although Gibbs doubted he'd sleep for very long. He made a pact that if the kid stayed asleep for longer than an hour, they'd go into work. He passed the time merely watching Tony, stroking his hair and rubbing his back, and was soon almost asleep himself before the kid soon woke back up, yawning and saying,
"Can I have my flannel?" Gibbs grinned at him, and went to get it, taking Tony with him as the baby didn't want to be parted from him. Glancing at the clock, it appeared nearly two hours had gone by, so keeping his promise to Tony, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, taking the baby and his flannel with him.
Special thanks to Crying Cowgirl for the help with the teething thing ^^ (Hope it sounds believable-ish ;)) Review? I'm quite proud of the length of this chapter ^^ xx