A/N: I might have accidentally written a sequel. I hope it's okay.
Thank you for reading and for your kind words in twitter, on FF, A03, via text. Thank you all including Myshame7, katupnorth, kinkykorner, dharmamonkey, megamom2, DiNozzos probie, Cam, Fluffybird, Duxe, AmyH, FlyingPiglet, JETHROluvsTONY, tibbslash, craftyjhawk, gibblette, sailor silvimoon, shadocat, Cindy, 4depthoflove, Charle, sdani, maryhell, rigger42, kbor, gibbsandtonysbabe, josgotglock, possumblossom, bubbie0809, Athena13, Jillebeth, annem, tonysmel, faithinbones, cackymn, and everyone who favorited and left kudos (I kind of love the kudos machine that A03 has going.) In the story, there is an asterisk that is an easter egg to one of cackymn's fics in case you are looking for a challenge. I am, of course, also writing a bunch of stuff for work and moving children from one place to another etc, so while I have read it as many times as I can stand, it was written in a wild rush so please let me know via PM if you see things that need to be fixed.
Squares 7/15/14
Four months later
"Hold the elevator."
Tony slammed his hand against the "door open" button the instant he heard Gibbs start to speak. It was automatic and Tony felt the same mix of rebellion at the programming and illicit pleasure at what felt like submission. He was not a submissive man, but no one knew better than he the rewards of giving up control you so zealously guarded.
5:15 on a Friday afternoon. Tony was usually out like a shot but today he had a few things to finish before going. And he always liked to be around a little longer than everyone else, in case Gibbs noticed, or needed something.
Gibbs joined him in the elevator, glancing over at the number pad and settling against the back.
"Got plans for the weekend?"
Tony turned to look at his boss. "Nothing special. You?"
"Gonna help a friend build a surprise for his wife."
"Really? What kind of surprise do you build? A boat?"
"No a building, a studio, out back of his house. He's got her out of the house tomorrow and Sunday, so it's all hands on deck."
Tony was impressed, intrigued despite himself. "I didn't know…you can do that? Just build a whole building in two days?"
"Oh yeah. I mean, he'll have to do all the finish work inside but we can get it framed and roofed, do enough to keep the weather out. Doesn't take a lot of skill, just a couple people who know what they are doing and some people willing to work."
The doors opened on the parking garage and the two men exited.
"Well...have…fun?" Tony grinned as he cut off toward the right. Gibbs must have left the Yard some time during the day because he was headed for auxiliary parking. He didn't even realize the other man hadn't answered him until Gibbs' called out his name. Tony looked back. Gibbs had stopped and turned, suit jacket in his hand held loosely.
"You want to come?"
Surprise and pleasure at being asked… He didn't have anything planned he couldn't miss. "I don't actually know how to build a barn, Gibbs, you know that right?"
Gibbs smiled, easy, and broader than Tony usually saw. "Nothing to it. Pick you up at 5 tomorrow? Can you be ready that early?"
Tony smiled back. "Nothing to it."
LJG&TD
Despite his best intentions, Tony didn't go to bed until after midnight. He scrambled out of bed ten minutes before Gibbs was due to arrive, threw on clothes and didn't bother to shave. Good thing he had packed the night before. He slammed the door shut behind him and was halfway down the hall when he remembered he forgot something and had to go back for it. He threw himself into the truck, biting his tongue to keep from apologizing—his usual "won't happen again, Boss" substitute for an apology didn't seem appropriate given the circumstances. And then, to make things worse, he fell asleep before Gibbs' truck was probably more than two blocks from his apartment. He woke up two hours later with a crick in his neck, mouth wide open, and alone in a quiet truck. He rolled his neck and blinked his sticky eyes, swallowed, trying to get moisture back in his mouth. They were in the parking lot of a gas station attached to a diner. Tony figured Gibbs stopped for coffee. His stomach rumbled and Tony wondered if Gibbs was going to be mad enough to keep him from eating breakfast.
Tony climbed down from the cab of the truck and stretched, rubbing his hands over his face, trying to wake up. He felt a hell of a lot better, though. Maybe he could make it up to Gibbs by being especially entertaining the rest of the way. Where the hell were they going anyway?
Tony pushed open the door to the diner and peered in, smiling despite himself. The place was bustling and cheerful, steamy windows and all, the air redolent with the smell of fried meat and toast and coffee. Just the kind of place Gibbs loved. Maybe he would have a little help putting the man in a good mood. Tony slid into the booth across from Gibbs and met his eyes, letting embarrassment and apology show. Gibbs laughed.
"What?"
"You look like you got caught sneaking a smoke behind the school."
"Well, I haven't exactly been good company so far."
Gibbs shrugged. "Don't need you to entertain me, Tony. You were beat. Although…" And now he looked serious, "you snore like a god-damned freight train."
Tony's head dropped down to the table with a thud of mortification.
"Coffee?" The waitress standing by the table when Tony reared back gave him a smile. "What'd you do?"
"Snored, on the way up."
She gave a belly laugh. "Well, there are worse things."
Gibbs was smiling, if you could call that Gibbsy Mona Lisa uptick to his lips a smile, and the waitress brought him a breakfast sandwich, and Tony was going to build a building. Shaping up to be a pretty good day so far.
LJG&TD
Turned out they were only half an hour from where Gibbs' friend lived. Back in the car, Tony asked all the questions he realized he hadn't asked yet. He figured Gibbs' friend was probably some Marine buddy of his. Instead, Lonnie turned out to be a little younger than Gibbs, probably mid-40s, and someone Gibbs had met out on the water, through the marina where Gibbs sometimes kept a boat. They fished together some but the reason for the easy friendship, in Tony's mind, was summed up when Gibbs warned him that Lonnie "didn't talk much." He had an artist wife, Joannie, who did some sort of work with fabric, and for their fifth wedding anniversary, he wanted to build her a studio of her own on some of the land surrounding their house, a house that perched on the side of a mountain.
For a guy who didn't talk much, Lonnie had a lot of friends, most of whom talked a lot and while there didn't happen to be any women in evidence this weekend, there were 10 of them altogether, ready to take direction from Lonnie and Gibbs on building the ambitious studio space. It was going to be two stories tall although only one floor, with a small loft and a lot of windows. Tony hoped he'd see it done sometime. Lonnie, it turned out, was a well-known craftsman in musical circles, making instruments to spec. Between he and Gibbs, they seemed to have the building all planned out: Gibbs directing the overall structural design and Lonnie making sure they left room for the fiddly bits.*
It was sunny and hot and surprisingly fun. Hard work, but the most experienced men helped give direction and those directions were unambiguous and not a matter of life or death for a change. Tony mostly provided a lot of manual labor. He hauled supplies, braced and held beams and did what constituted, in his mind, Miscellaneous Manly and Constructiony Business. Eventually he was allowed to cut lengths of wood once Gibbs showed him how to use the power saw. For some reason, probably as a result of some Magnum episode or another, he felt the pinnacle of success in this building stuff would be nailing shit together. He couldn't help but grin when, in the late afternoon, Gibbs handed him a hammer. Gibbs' eye roll said that he knew just what Tony was thinking but Tony saw that little smile touch his lips before Gibbs turned away. They built walls on the ground and then pushed them up to form the frame of the house. At around 2, they stopped for sandwiches but pressed on until 6:30, about an hour before sunset. It already looked like a house. A house that Wonder Woman would live in, but still, a house.
LJG&TD
That night, Lonnie had a ballgame on the big screen in the den of what Tony persisted in calling the Big House and guys had claimed sleeping spaces all over the house, tossing their gear in the guest rooms and on couches. Tony had had a great time at dinner and watching the game. Gibbs seemed to be having a good time too but despite the fact that Tony wasn't with him all the time, and probably out of habit, he noticed when he saw Gibbs slip outside. He excused himself and followed.
Pushing open the screen door, he called after the older man, "Where are you going?"
With even a 30 second headstart, the man was already just a dark shape in the gloom, moon just coming up, but a flash of white revealed his face when he turned. "I'm going to sleep outside. Thought I'd grab my gear, get set up."
Glad, really glad, that he had anticipated this and borrowed camping equipment last night from a friend, Tony said, "You mind company?"
If he expected surprise, he was disappointed, but he could just barely make out Gibbs' shrug. "Suit yourself. You have a sleeping bag? Lonnie's probably got an extra."
"I brought some stuff with me."
"Okay. I thought I'd set up by the studio. It's dry up there, and far enough from the house so you can see the stars. Come on up when you are ready."
Tony went back in and watched the end of the ballgame. He used the bathroom, grabbed a six pack, said goodnight, and went after Gibbs.
LJG&TD
"You alright? Different kind of work from what we're used to."
Tony rolled his shoulders, his right one in particular twinged at the unfamiliar strain on it. "Yeah. I'm good." He smiled where he sat at the small fire Gibbs had made. Tony had noticed Gibbs piling rocks off to the side of the new studio just after lunch, when guys were just starting to get organized again. He saw now that he was building a small fire pit for Lonnie and his wife. He and Gibbs sat on one side of it, just far enough apart that they could face each other comfortably.
"You did good. You'd think you've done this before."
"Nope. Hopefully my side of the house won't fall down." He laughed.
"Nah. You did good. Thanks for coming. Appreciate the help."
"No problem. I'll put it on my resume. And Lonnie's a good guy. I'm glad to help."
They fell into a comfortable silence broken by equally comfortable small talk about work. Tony found himself yawning after just one beer. Gibbs hadn't fed the fire in a while and it was getting smaller. Tony shivered and realized that while it wasn't even ten yet, he wanted nothing more than to crawl into his sleeping bag.
As if he could read Tony's mind, Gibbs rose and rolled out a waterproof tarp, a mat, and his sleeping bag. "Tarp's big, Tony. If you put your bag over here, it'll keep the damp out."
So Tony put both his mats (he borrowed everything Dorney had, hoping it'd help him sleep on the ground) and the extra heavy sleeping bag on the tarp with Gibbs. The tarp was big enough that there was still a foot or more space between them. Still, Tony was too tired to deny, in the privacy of his own head, that he was glad to be close, to be here with the other man.
Tony kicked off his shoes but left his socks on. It was early fall, wouldn't get too cold at night but Tony didn't want to chance it. He hated having cold feet. He watched Gibbs carefully and when the other man dropped his jeans and slid into his own sleeping bag with just boxers on, Tony took the cue and did the same. It didn't take long, really, before they were both on their backs, looking up at the stars. Tony stretched and despite the fact that the ground had never felt harder, he could feel sleep pressing at the edges of his consciousness. He groaned a little as he got comfortable.
"You're gonna be sore tomorrow." Gibbs commented.
"Yeah, but Joannie'll have a barn."
Gibbs laughed. "It's funny you keep calling it a barn."
"It's a barn-raising, Gibbs. It's a barn. Has to be. Aren't you sore?"
"A little. Not too bad. I do stuff like this more often than you."
"So maybe you should give me a massage." Tony joked, eyes closed.
"I don't know how."
"That's the great part about massages. They are great when you get someone who really knows what they are doing, like me," Tony wondered if Gibbs was smiling at his boast, but didn't feel like opening his eyes to check, "but they are pretty much great no matter who is giving them."
Tony was half asleep before Gibbs spoke again.
"Never said thank you."
"Still haven't." Tony mumbled sleepily, not alert enough to pretend not to know what Gibbs was talking about.
A little snort from Gibbs. Another long silence. Tony fought sleep now, though, wondering if there would be more, and decided to push a little.
"Not going to, are you? You just can't do it." He made sure his voice was soft, teasing.
"Felt good, Tony. I felt good for days. You did a good job."
"How long did it last?" Tony had wanted to ask before now but didn't want to bring it up if Gibbs didn't want him to.
"I noticed that my knees were better for a while, at least a week. And of course, we got the Reynosas. I was glad to have my head on straight for that. You helped."
Tony figured it was as close to a thank you as he was going to get. He couldn't think of a way to ask but he wanted to know how it had been for the other man, but given the way it ended—not the usual way he concluded massages—he was afraid to go there.
"Surprised me."
"What did?"
"The things that felt good. You know, like ears and ankles and knees. I didn't know that there were so many nerves there or whatever. Felt good. Real good."
Tony knew he was showing his insecurity but it was dark and no one could see, so he let his relief and pleasure come through in his voice. "I'm glad. I was glad that you let me do that for you. Amazed really, that you trusted me that much. You didn't fight me at all."
"Well, I have been trusting you a long time now."
"I trust you too, Boss. I probably should have said that sooner."
"Jethro." Gibbs corrected.
Tony didn't ask what he meant by that. "Jethro." He risked a little more. "What felt the best?"
"Besides the obvious?" Jesus, the man just went there. And, in typical Gibbs fashion, kept right on going, as if he hadn't just dropped a bombshell. "My ears. My hands and feet. I guess that I should have expected that, working with them the way I do. Just surprised me how you rubbing my hands and feet made my whole body relax."
"There's a difference between what feels the best in the moment and what feels the best over time, what lasts the longest. Hands and feet are great for relaxation, but because you immediately start walking around and picking things up, they don't really stay relaxed. Working the muscles in your neck and back and legs are better for that."
"Makes sense."
Tony was almost asleep again when Gibbs added, "Not what stayed with me the longest though. Not what I think about first, when I think about it."
"Mmmm?"
"You pretty much touched every part of my body, one way or another." Gibbs voice was low, almost like he was talking to himself. Maybe he counted on Tony being mostly asleep, not remembering this tomorrow. "I could…feel them all, your hands on all those places, the next day, the day after that, but some things stayed longer."
Tony pitched his voice low, tried not to interrupt the flow of words. "Where?"
"I…" Gibbs cleared his throat. Gibbs was trying to tell him something, that he was affected by something in particular. Tony waited but he swore he could feel the moment when Gibbs decided not to say the words, decided to say something else instead. "What I told you before really."
Tony shifted up, rolled to his side, propped his head on his hand braced against his pillow. He felt as much as saw Gibbs turn his head to look at him in the dark. With his free arm, Tony leaned over and reached out and touched Gibbs' hand, stroked across his fingers like he was playing a harp. Paused, in question.
Gibbs answered. "Yeah."
Tony had to lean down a little more to gently graze Gibbs knee where it made a small bump in the sleeping bag.
Gibbs didn't answer, but Tony knew he was being watched and there was enough of a moon, enough ambient light, that he could see the gleam of Gibbs' eyes in the dark, see the way Gibbs had folded his arms behind his head to rest against. Gibbs looked relaxed but Tony could signs of the tension in the stillness of body next to his.
"And not the obvious, huh? So…" Tony murmured this to let Gibbs know he wouldn't be making the moves on him, but then reached out and touched first one ear, and then the other. Despite some light, it was mostly dark so he couldn't help it if the back of his fingers and hand grazed the other man's cheek.
Gibbs smiled at this touch. Ears. "Yeah." He acknowledged.
"Did I get them all?"
When Gibbs didn't answer, Tony knew there was something else, could tell that he didn't answer because he couldn't. He wanted to. But he couldn't.
"Can I guess?"
Another long pause. Tony reached out and touched the older man's eye, the lid closing automatically and Tony's finger slid across gently. When his eyes opened to catch Tony's, there was humor there. Tony made a face that Gibbs could see even in the dark. "No? Hmmm." He didn't feel like moving. "Feet?" Damn, he wished he could see more of Gibbs' expression. He wanted to turn the fucking light on, dammit. He could see enough though, and intuit the rest. Gibbs was partly hoping he'd guess, partly hoping he wouldn't; both unable to say and on the verge of shutting this down but curious enough to let Tony have his way a little longer. "One more try…"
Tony remembered the way Gibbs' body responded to the line he drew down the man's throat, sternum. He reached out and lay a hand on Gibbs' chest, near his heart, felt the not-so-slow thrum beneath his palm and through the t-shirt Gibbs was wearing, despite the cool night air. He felt the air leave Gibbs' body. Not in a rush, not like he was holding his breath, but in release. Disappointed and relieved.
"Not right, huh? Well, I'll just to have to keep guessing. Or," Tony lay back down, slipped his arms under the down sleeping bag and turned on his side to face Gibbs, "Or you could just tell me."
Gibbs mouth quirked a little but otherwise he didn't move. Tony thought that Gibbs might stay awake all night, laying there, looking up at the stars.
"Night, Tony. Glad you came."
"Night, Jethro. Me too."
Tony closed his eyes and willed his body to relax. He was keyed up now, wondering what it was that plagued Gibbs, held a place in his memory. And it wasn't the obvious. Huh.
LJG&TD
"Tony. Wake up."
Anyone else would've had to poke and prod him, call his name twenty times. At Gibbs' voice, Tony's eyes snapped open and he sat up, wide awake. Sort of. "What is it, Boss? You get a call?"
"No, but it's about an hour to sunrise."
"Really? That's…interesting. Why is that interesting, Jethro?" Tony ran a hand through his hair, pressed the button on his watch that lit the dial up. 5:52 am. Tony lay back with a thud, shivering at how the cold air had already seeped into his sleeping bag.
"I'm going swimming. I wanted to check to see if you wanted to come." Tony could hear the certainty in Gibbs' voice that he would not want to come.
"You just woke me up to torture me." Tony moaned into his pillow and rolled over away from the other man, pulling the down covers up over his shoulders. "No one goes swimming in the dark and cold at dawn in September."
The throaty laughter reminded Tony that he liked the other man.
He could hear Gibbs moving around behind him and snarled. "I can hear you, you know…gathering up birch branches, swigging castor oil. Probably getting ready to eat kale." The laugh came again.
"I'm not going because it's good for me, Tony." The other man was entirely too cheerful this fucking early in the morning. But despite himself, Gibbs' laughter, his pleasure at teasing Tony because that was what this was, teasing. He woke Tony up on purpose. Just for the fun of it. Tony pressed his face deeper into the pillow, to hide his smile, stifle his own laughter. Fuck.
"Fine!" He threw the covers off and jumped up to stand, in t-shirt, boxers, and socks, hoping to surprise the other man. He'd never know because he couldn't see a damn thing. No light, no fire, moon long set, sun not yet up. "Jesus, Gibbs. Where the hell are you? And it is freezing. We're going swimming? Now?"
Suddenly, Tony could sense the man, right up close, felt the warm brush of words on his face. "Trust me?"
Tony shivered, once. The soft murmur wasn't a request. It was a dare. He swallowed, gathered his wits, his bravado. "Just this once."
Another laugh from Gibbs, another shiver from Tony. Gibbs reached out and gripped Tony's wrist firmly. "Hold on to my shoulders if you need to. It isn't far, but we have to walk down a path in the dark.
Now that Tony's eyes were adjusting, he could make out the major shapes of trees and…well, more trees, but he still ended up with his hands clamped on Gibbs' shoulders, following him into the dark. The trail sloped downward and ended at smooth wooden planks that Tony felt before he saw them, even through his socks.
"If you take your socks and shirt off, Skippy, they'll be dry for you when you get out."
"Bo- Jethro, we don't have any towels."
"Don't worry, Tony. I've got it covered." And with that, Tony felt the boards shudder below his feet as Gibbs paced away from him and then heard the splash as Gibbs jumped or dove into the…pond? Lake?
"Gibbs?"
"Just walk out to the end, Tony." Disembodied and all too distant as it was, the voice was still warmth in the night.
Slowly, feeling his way with his feet, socks still reassuringly in place, Tony made it to the end of the small dock. He sat down, took off his socks, and hung his legs over the edge until his heels touched water. "Ah-ah-ah-ah….Gibbs! It's cold."
"Don't be such a baby. C'mon." Gibbs didn't bother to encourage him beyond that and waited patiently, and silently, while Tony took off his shirt then inched his way into the mystery body of water.
"Gibbs…what is this anyway? A lake? A pond? Does it have fish in it? Does it…oh shit that's cold…fuck, my knees…does it have eels? God, I hate eels….I don't actually know anything about eels but they don't seem…ah! What was that?…something slippery…ew…an eel?…no, wait…okay, it's a leaf…oh shit, the moment of truth…this is the worst part…ah-ah-ah-ah…"
"Tony for Chrissakes just get in already. You are making it so much worse."
"Easy for you to say!" But he went ahead and dropped the last foot, plunging into the frigid water up to his neck, and moaning. "Oh, shit that is cold."
Gibbs voice was suddenly close. "Why is it easy for me to say?"
"Cause you are already in, dammit. Don't expect me to make sense!"
Gibbs laughed out loud now, and the sky must have been getting lighter because Tony could see him fall backwards to float on his back in the water. Tony was treading, attention split between Gibbs and bloodsucking eels. Were those even real? His cousin used to threaten him with them. Maybe that was two things. Trying to push those thoughts away, Tony gingerly leaned back himself, eventually floating on the marginally warmer surface of the…lake. Yeah, we'll call it a lake. That's better than a pond. Not as good as a swimming pool, but better than a pond.
"Why is a lake better than a pond?" Shit, he must have said that out loud.
"Uh…I'm not sure."
"Here." Tony almost drowned himself in fright when he felt the touch of the other man's hand on his own, but once he recovered from thinking an eel was about to swallow and bite him—nevermind that didn't make any sense—he grabbed on to the other man's hand without any self-consciousness at all.
Finally, finally, Tony felt his body relax. The warmth and strength in Gibbs' hand around his was more reassuring that it would have been normally even. He floated, kicking occasionally, trying to enjoy this, trying to stay quiet. His hair floated around his head. He was cold, but once he accepted that, he…almost…enjoyed the silky feel of water on his bare chest and stomach.
Gibbs broke the silence with a sigh. "Go ahead, Tony."
"Is this a lake?"
"Lonnie calls it a pond. I don't think it has any outlet."
"Are there fish in it?"
"Little ones. Nothing worth fishing for…or worrying about."
"Frogs?"
He could hear the smile in the other man's voice. "Just a few. They like it near the edge anyway."
Gibbs was lying to him and Tony didn't even mind.
"Uh…what about…eels?"
"Never seen one here. Used to catch em with traps in a lake back home. Bottom feeders so don't worry about it. Plus freshwater eels are small and don't have any teeth or anything." Tony resolved not to put his feet down. "That it?"
"For now."
"Can you relax? I promise, you'll be glad you did this."
"Because it's good for the soul, get in touch with nature, all of that?"
"Yeah, that. And maybe another reason."
Tony took a deep breath, felt his body float upwards a little, and let it out, sink back down. Gibbs had shifted his hand so their fingers were woven together, and Tony knew he was holding on hard enough to hurt. Tony noticed color at the horizon, tried to relax his hand. "S'nice."
As if that was his cue, Gibbs tugged. "C'mon. With me."
Tony managed to get back to the dock and pull himself out of the water, all without touching the bottom of the pond. He didn't bother to put his socks on, he had a hard enough time wrestling his shirt onto his wet body and Gibbs had not brought towels, and he was sorry about the socks because he felt every stick and pine needle on the unexpectedly steep path back up to the campsite . They didn't end up at their sleeping bags, though. Instead, Tony could see the back of the house about a 200 yards ahead and here, at the bottom of the slope, overlooking the pond, facing the sunrise, probably only a few minutes away now, was something that Tony recognized. A hot tub. A huge, woodburning hot tub.
"I think I love you."
Gibbs laughed again, let go of his hand to go add wood to the fire. "I started it before I woke you up. I think the others will join us at some point but for now it's all ours and the water," He reached down, "should be just right."
Tony could confirm this assessment, because he was already settling into a seat. He hadn't even bothered to take his shirt off and he pulled it off now, soaking wet, and tossed it over the edge to land on the grass. "Oh damn. This feels sooooo good." Tony moaned. Gibbs was right, damn him. After the cold of the lake, the heat of the water now felt incredible. He sensed the other man settling across from him, felt the brush of his legs as they settled.
Tony's head was tipped back against the side, eyes closed, but then he remembered, snapped his head up to check. "Gibbs, the sun is almost up."
From across the tub, Gibbs rolled his head to face Tony and opened his eyes lazily. "Happens every day, Tony."
Tony smiled and stopped trying to hide how happy he was to be here, with Gibbs. He didn't know what this was, what was happening, what started that night in Gibbs' basement, but it felt too good to stop. "Yeah, but this is special." He met the bright blue eyes with his own. "Don't you think?"
No trace of a smile on his face now, Gibbs answered. "Yeah. I do."
Tony let himself slide down into the water and pop back up, hair slicked back and heat permeating every pore of his being. Did it again, this time sinking to the bottom and bringing Gibbs' foot back up with him. He settled back into the seat with the other man's foot in his lap.
Gibbs didn't question him, just relaxed, stretched out and closed his eyes. Tony moved his hands over Gibbs' foot, pressing in a way that had already become familiar. He knew that Gibbs had some scar tissue built up on this foot from some sort of surgery and he worked his thumbs around it, and then pressed and stretched the other man's arch before rubbing the base of each toe. Gibbs groaned and now he slipped beneath the water. Tony grinned, feeling like he had won the lottery.
Gibbs settled again and met his eyes. "Feels good, Tony."
"Give me the other one too."
Gibbs complied, letting both feet sit in Tony's lap.
And then Gibbs face turned, as if at a sound, to catch the first rays of sunlight. Tony wanted to see too but couldn't look away from Gibbs. Jethro's face, with its strong, almost aesthetic edges, was lined, much more so than when Tony first worked for him, but relaxed like this, happy like this, they were much less pronounced. The older man turned back to Tony. His brows drew together slightly and his chin jerked.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just…I have never seen you so obedient."
"You keep doing that and I'll do anything you want."
Tony knew he didn't mean anything. But what if it was true? As Tony watched, Jethro closed his eyes firmly, as if to end the conversation. But his feet didn't move.
Tony knew what he couldn't stop thinking about, when he thought about that night in Gibbs basement. And, like Gibbs, it wasn't the obvious. He wondered…maybe they both couldn't forget the same thing...
Gibbs was still Gibbs, though, and his feet were firmly on the floor of the hot tub before Tony registered the voices coming down the hill. "Jethro! I knew there was a reason I invited you." Practically a speech, for Lonnie, and the warmth and affection in his voice made Tony smile. Gibbs smiled too, moving over for the two newcomers to join them.
Once Tony's alone time with Gibbs was over, he didn't stay in the hot tub long.
Gibbs asked, as Tony rose, steam coming off his wet shoulders in the cooler air, "You done?"
Tony smiled back at him as he grabbed one of the towels that Gibbs had put near the fire. "You sit. I'm going to go take a shower."
He thought that maybe he felt Gibbs' eyes follow him back to the house.
LJG&TD
They left in mid-afternoon to drive back to the city. The studio was mostly together—roof, walls, floor—and Tony was pretty pleased with himself for his involvement. He offered to drive back, let Jethro sleep, but the other man just shook his head and climbed behind the wheel. Lonnie had invited him back to see it when it was finished and Tony accepted with pleasure, shaking Lonnie's hand and waving to the others as he joined Jethro in the truck.
"We'll be back by six. You gonna sleep again?"
"Hey! I can stay awake. We can talk about…stuff. And things." Tony looked out the window as they drove through town and despite himself, stretched and yawned.
Jethro shot him an amused look and flicked the radio on, turning the knob until he found a baseball game. "Go to sleep, DiNozzo."
Tony tried to think about how he could position himself so he didn't snore and drool. He turned to the side, facing Gibbs, and let the sound and feel of the road lull him to sleep.
He woke about fifteen minutes from home, having slept through a stop for gasoline and a brief thundershower. He opened his eyes, in the same position he was in when he fell asleep. From the stiffness in his muscles and the fact that his left arm was partly numb, he hadn't moved. Gibbs glanced over, "Feel better? You were out cold." The other man checked the rearview mirror, changed lanes, turned his attention back to Tony. "You didn't even snore."
Tony sat up, smiling a little, and stretched. "I was tired."
Gibbs just smiled.
"'M'hungry." Stretched again.
"A simple man."
Tony turned to look at the other man, flashed the charm smile. "That's right. You want to get dinner?"
At the brief hesitation, Tony nodded. "Just drop me at my place, Jethro. I'll see if Abby wants to meet for dinner. She is not going to believe I built a house." He pulled out his phone and was texting as he spoke.
"Tony…"
Tony looked over and answered, careful. "Jethro. It's fine. I just had two hours in dreamland. You need basement time. Not a problem." He thought about thanking him for the weekend, wanted to, but it seemed awkward, somehow, as if it would make a bigger deal of something than he wanted.
The buzz of his phone caught his attention. "Oooh, she's in a bowling tournament. Ziva and McGee are going too. If you can drop me home, that would be great."
Gibbs swung into the parking lot behind Tony's apartment, taking up two spaces and shutting the engine off. The two men climbed out and went around back. The smell of ozone and wet asphalt was strong, but golden strands of late afternoon sun made everything shiny. The engine ticked and the sound of traffic was muted by the buildings. Gibbs dug out Tony's duffel out of the back of the truck and Tony grabbed his sleeping bag and the mats, piling everything on the side by the back door.
Before he could chicken out, Tony followed Gibbs—Jethro—back around the truck to the driver's side and before the other man could open the door, Tony crowded close behind him, placing a hand on the back of his neck, on the strip of bare skin above his t-shirt. Gibbs' body went still, but he didn't turn or speak.
"I have another guess. Jethro."
The other man's head tipped back slightly. Listening.
Tony's hand tightened, squeezing then releasing; his thumb made small circles against the tanned skin, slightly gritty from sweat. Tony lifted his hand, touched Jethro's earlobe and then let his hand drift down Jethro's shoulder, arm, elbow, to cover the older man's hand, slipping his fingers through the other man's lightly. He shifted slightly closer, his chest brushing Jethro's back.
"Not your ears. Not your hands or feet. Your chest. Your neck." Close as he was, he saw goosebumps raised on the back of Jethro's neck. "Turn around and let me guess again."
Jethro turned around.
His face was impassive; they might as well be in the middle of the bullpen. But his eyes were not. They were not calm, not anything Tony had seen before. The thought flitted through his mind that there was a reason the man had four wives. But instead of feeling daunted, Tony thrilled to the challenge. Not exactly inexperienced at desire himself.
Tony's hand had stayed on the back of Jethro's neck when he had turned, and now he used that hand to draw the other man toward him. Without dropping his eyes or giving any indication of what he was going to do, Tony pressed his mouth to Jethro's. And whether he had expected it, known, or just was hoping, Jethro's mouth was open, hot, and accepting under Tony's. And yes, they were equals in this, and yes, Gibbs was Gibbs and therefore knew what people were going to do before they did, but now, now, Jethro's eyes closed helplessly and his head tipped back as Tony slid his hand up to cup the older man's face, slide his lips over Jethro's, drawing passion up and through the submission, Jethro giving up control as sweetly and easily as he had slipped into water at sunrise.