The clothes shop Tony wanted to visit was a half hour car ride from the house. During the drive he couldn't think of anything to say, and Gibbs seemed content in the silence. When they arrived, Tony got out of the car and waited for Gibbs to join him before walking towards the old building. Gibbs looked up and read the sign.

Marianelli & Sons Est. 1885

Tony opened the door and was immediately greeted with an excited "Antonio!"

Gibbs looked over to see a man in his late-thirties, shorter than both of them and balding.

"Hey Sal, how's the wife?"

"Busy with the newborn and complaining she don't see enough of you."

"Sorry Sal, I been busy with the last year of school, but I'm finished now so I'll try and stop by."

Sal made a hand gesture that said 'don't worry about it' and stepped closer to the pair. "So what can I do for you?"

"This is Gibbs," Tony stepped aside so that Sal could see who he was speaking about. "He needs… well, everything."

"Whole new wardrobe?" Sal asked and Tony nodded.

"Shirts, suits, the whole nine."

"We got a budget?"

Tony grinned and reached into his pocket. "We got Senior's platinum card."

Gibbs was shocked by this, and pulled Tony aside. "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

"It was his idea for me to go to that place," Tony reasoned with mischief in his eyes. "He said the whole thing was on him. Told me not to think of the cost, so I'm not."

Gibbs laughed and shook his head. "Alright then," he said as he let Tony's arm go. "But just so you know, I don't do ties."

"No ties; check."

"So are we startin' or not?" Sal asked when the men turned back to him.

"We're good to go," Tony replied. "Shirts, shoes, suits. Waistcoats but no ties. We'll also need underwear, socks, belts, and I'm probably forgetting some stuff."

"I got you covered," Sal said as he pulled out his measuring tape. Looking to Gibbs, Sal's voice became pure professional. "Sir, if you'd follow me to the fitting room."

"Don't call me sir," Gibbs replied. "Name's Gibbs."

"Alright Gibbs," Sal smiled. "I'm gonna measure you up for the suit, and then we can look at all the other bits and pieces."

Gibbs nodded shortly and turned towards Tony expectantly.

"You comin' kid?" Sal spoke for him, and Tony looked between the two men.

"I'll hang here until you're done with the fitting," Tony offered. He was sure Gibbs would want his privacy.

"Alright. You know where the coffee pot is." Sal turned towards the back room and, after one more look at Tony, Gibbs followed.

(~*~)

Gibbs stood rigid as Sal stepped around him taking various measurements.

"You a military man, Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked at Sal for a moment before speaking. "Once upon a time."

"What made you leave?"

"I got some bad news," Gibbs sighed. "Didn't react too well."

"And that reaction got you bound in chains, huh?" Gibbs looked over at Sal with shock and worry in his eyes.

"Relax," Sal continued, rolling up his sleeves to show a brand on his forearm. "I been there. Sentenced twenty years ago for, well let's call it an unfortunate incident. Lucky for me, I got a cousin with some clout who pushed through the paperwork and got me freed."

"That's not an option for me," Gibbs replied, his voice betraying no emotion.

"Why," Sal laughed. "You kill a guy?"

"Yeah."

Sal stopped laughing. "Oh. Did he deserve it?"

Gibbs smirked at this. "Oh yeah."

"Fair enough," Sal gave a shrug before going back to his task. "Does Tony know?"

Gibbs stiffened further at this question. "We haven't really talked," was his reply.

Sal stopped measuring and faced Gibbs, who returned his eye contact. With no measure of accusation in his voice, Sal spoke. "That boy is like a son to me. You best take care of him."

Not knowing how to reply to that, Gibbs gave a short nod. This seemed enough for Sal, who took the last few measurements in silence before stepping away. He didn't go far; just enough to turn his head and yell towards the other room.

"Hey, kid! Get your ass in here!"

Gibbs turned to see Tony's response, and after a few short moments the man in question came through the door with a grin on his face.

"We done?" Tony asked Sal.

"Measurin's done, now I need you to pick some fabrics and such. Figured Gibbs here wouldn't care as much as you do."

"Got that right," Gibbs added from his position behind Sal. Tony's smile softened as he looked at Gibbs. Their eyes remained locked for a moment longer, before Sal cleared his throat in a subtle nudge for Tony's attention.

"Right, fabrics." Tony smiled at Sal before looking back at Gibbs. "You wanna grab a pretzel or something across the street while we're doing this?"

Gibbs couldn't help the chuckle that escaped at this. Tony looked confused, and even more so when he turned to Sal and saw the older man was also amused.

"I can't go anywhere without you, Tony," Gibbs spoke softly as he stepped closer to Tony. "I belong to you, remember?"

Tony's face fell at this reminder. "Oh. Yeah, right, sorry. I forgot." Tony continued to look forlorn, and Gibbs couldn't stop himself stepping closer and lifting Tony's chin with his knuckle.

"I'll go make some coffee," He offered. "You two can talk patterns or whatever."

"Ok," Tony responded without moving to deter Gibbs' hand. He looked up into Gibbs' eyes with gratitude. "It shouldn't take long."

Against his better judgement, Gibbs released Tony's chin and let his hand fall to the nape of the younger man's neck. He gave one short squeeze, enough to satisfy the urge, and then let go. Without looking at either of the two men again, Gibbs left the room. Tony blew out a breath and looked up to see Sal smirking at him.

"What?" Tony asked, his tone more defensive than he'd intended.

Sal's expression softened and he gave a small shake of his head. "Just be careful, son. I know what you're like for falling too hard and too fast."

"Nobody's falling," Tony defended. "Gibbs and I have an arrangement. He's just pretending to be mine so we can both get outta this."

"It's not him being yours I'm worried about," Sal raised an eyebrow and Tony closed his eyes in response. Sal didn't need to finish the thought for Tony to understand.

"I'll be careful, alright?" Tony responded before opening his eyes again. Sal gave an approving nod before tilting his head towards the fabric samples he kept on the back wall. Tony nodded and followed him over.