Chapter 3: If you can, help others. If you cannot do that, at least do not harm them (Dalai Lama)

Tony DiNozzo was not really sure what woke him. For the first time in oh so long he felt comfortable, not thinking about being abandoned on a ship in the middle of nowhere because someone though it was his fault that Jennifer Shepard had committed suicide by using a criminal coming after her.

He didn't feel the dreadful metal casket move, didn't have to convince himself to fall asleep because he needed to be rested enough to survive yet another day on this unsteady thing… it was not his fault that most probably all the sailors had an underdeveloped equilibrium sense… no, he felt comfortable, and warm, and… hmmmm…

It was his own throaty moan that really woke him, finally realizing the firm body spooning him, hot lips nibbling on his neck, wiry facial hair tickling what little skin that was not covered by the t-shirt he was wearing in bed. That and the hand disappearing in his boxers, fingers loosely closed around his very interested cock, giving it another tug that made him groan.

It was dark in the room, what little light coming from the alarm clock not really enough to see anything. Tony Stark let out a breathy laugh, never removing his lips from the other man's neck.

"'Took you long enough. You've been undulating against me for the past 10 minutes", the engineer grinned against the other man's neck, pushing his own erection against the agent's backside.

"'s too early for such big words", Dino mumbled, moving against the hand circling him. He hadn't really been in the mood in the past days. Okay, weeks… to be honest, he didn't really remember when…

A thumb swiping over the head, dipping right into the slit made him moan again, his hips jerking involuntarily as his bed-companion tightened his grip and moved his hand back down on his shaft.

"Are you really complaining?" Stark grinned against his neck, giving him another tug, another expert roll of his wrist, another swipe over the tip that had the other man shudder.

"Nooope…" DiNozzo sighed as he lazily thrust against the hand and then moved back against his friend again, making the engineer moan in turn. Nuzzling closer, T started licking Dino's earlobe, the muscles in his arm that had served as the agent's pillow flexing, his hand grabbing the bedsheet to pull himself closer.

"T… please… I want…" Dino could not really finish his sentence as he lost the words somewhere along the way. It was unfair how his best friend was so dexterous with only one hand, managing to pull his boxers down and free his cock for better availability.

He would forever deny the needy sound that escaped him as T continued with his ministrations, the ambidextrous bastard moving even closer to be able to bend the elbow of the arm trapped under Dino's head and his hand disappeared under his shirt, flattening somewhere on his chest, fingernails slightly digging into the skin.

Stark by now was shamelessly humping his backside, growling as he hid his nose between the shoulder blades of the other man to keep from marking him at places where everybody would see a love bite.

"This will be embarrassingly short", the engineer groaned against Dino's back, moving his hand in the same rhythm as he was pushing his own, still boxers-clad erection against the agent's firm ass.

Dino's answer was a rather inarticulate sound as he finally untangled his hands that had been fisting the bedsheets until now to join both of T's hands, entwining his fingers with the one on his chest, joining the rhythm of the one that was pleasuring him.

"Really short", Stark growled as Dino went rigid in his arms, his head thrown back, moaning a quiet "I don't care…"

DiNozzo came quietly, knowing very well that the walls were thin and both of their voices might have carried too far and to the wrong ears if they were not careful. T kept stroking him through his climax, letting him ride it out against his hand, and then stopped his movements, panting against his friend's neck.

"It's… been a while since we did something like that…" T stated after a while, still not moving a muscle, still embracing his friend.

Dino answered with another monosyllabic Mmmh, that made Stark free the arm under the other man's head, let go off this nether regions while secretly wiping his hand off on Dino's boxers, before pushing himself up to his elbow.

"Hey, you ok?"

When DiNozzo did not reply right away the engineer got worried, seeking around in the dark until he was finally touching his shoulder as the other man tightened his hands in the bedsheet.

"Dino?"

"I'm fine…" was the subdued answer, muffled against the lumpy pillow.

"Sure doesn't sound like it", T curled his fingers in the shirt Dino wore, pulling a bit on it until the agent turned to his back, releasing a belly-deep sigh.

"You know… this is something I always wanted", he quietly said into the darkness, oblivious to the confused glance his best friend was sending him.

"Waking up with my hand down you boxers and ending up all sticky?" was the smug retort that caused Dino to swat in the other man's general direction.

"Waking up with someone. Not just being tolerated, but loved. A companion. I thought I'd found it with Wendy, been making plans for a house, white picket fence, a kid or two… I still don't know what I did wrong, back then. But I don't even know why my colleagues hate me, so I'm not very bright, I guess…"

He hoped for T to dig out his insensitive side, make a crack or five about his white picket fence illusions, because it would've made it easier to deny even having voiced those thoughts.

What his friend did was lower himself to the mattress, tugging at him until he turned to his side to face each other, and wrapping his arms around him.

"You're one of the brightest people I know, Dino. Screw them. All of them. They don't deserve you. If I didn't know that you don't want the publicity I'd suggest to play your boyfriend for a while, and show certain people what they're missing…"

Dino simply snuggled closer, briefly contemplating pulling up his boxers, but then he would have had to let go off T, so he decided against it.

"The lovely Miss Potts would not allow that", he then answered. Stark sighed deeply.

"She'd insist on the real thing. How long did it take us to convince her that we weren't a secret couple after the first time she walked in on us?" T laughed at that memory. They had both been single back then (but when was he not? His longest and most stable relationship was with Dino, after all), and at some point so confused by Pepper's insistence that they were together even if they kept vehemently denying it, that they were not so sure anymore, either.

"I… I don't think I want to play boyfriends, T", Dino said after a while, pushing his nose against his bed-companion's neck. T was warm. It was comfortable in his embrace… maybe, if he just kept breathing in his scent, this mix of motor oil, expensive soap and coconut, he might be able to fall back asleep.

T's hand left the place between his shoulder blades to caress over his cheek before moving to stroke over his hair, burying his fingers in the soft, easily tamed strands.

"What does that mean, Dino?" Stark moved his head closer, his lips touching the other man's forehead. What did this mean? Did Dino want to go for the real thing? Screw all the others who did not want them and be happy together? Stay the way they were? Did he even dare asking?

The other man sighed.

"I don't know. I just know that I don't want to be alone anymore…"

Stark pulled his friend closer after that revelation.

"Oh, Dino…" He would not admit that he had similar thoughts. Being alone sucked. Having the person you wanted right in front of your nose without noticing you sucked even more.

It was T who started fidgeting after a while, making Dino who was just falling asleep again grumble against his shoulder.

"What's it now? Sleep, dammit!"

"I'm sticky. I need a shower!" T growled back, letting out an annoyed huff when Dino's arms closed around him even tighter.

"You can shower with me in the morning. Now get rid of your fucking pants and sleep!"

After some shuffling T finally managed to do just this, all with a Dino who was still refusing to let go off him.

"You'll be a bossy boyfriend, huh?"

It got the engineer another sigh.

"You'll be a dead boyfriend if you don't shut up now. Good night." He was warm, he was comfortable, and the ship had stopped moving. He would sleep now, no matter what.

Stark just grinned, keeping his lips against his best friend's forehead. They would talk about the whole boyfriend thing again, most probably agreeing that it was a stupid idea. But they for sure would also come up with a few things to make both of their lives easier… not so empty.

"You know that I love you, Dino, right?"

He did not get an answer, but the way his best friend refused to let go off him was enough in the moment.

Tony Stark was used to pull all-nighters for days in a row.

Tony DiNozzo hadn't had a restful night of sleep for the past five months.

It just fortified his decision to stay a few days.