A/N. This chapter has hints of underage/abuse; nothing detailed or in-present, but just tread carefully if you need to.
"Alright, I'm going to find my father, say a quick goodnight, and then we can leave. Feel like watching a movie?" Tony was walking through the house back towards the party as he spoke.
"Sure," Gibbs replied, easily keeping up with Tony's rushed movements.
He stopped when Tony did and stepped to the side to see what had curtailed the younger man.
"Well would you look at that," a female voice with no warmth at all spoke. Gibbs looked down at the floor, instinctively knowing this woman wasn't a friend that he could be himself around.
"We were just leaving," came Tony's forced reply.
"So soon? I haven't even had a chance to meet your new pet."
"You don't need to meet," Tony sounded irritated now. "You don't need to be anywhere near me or mine."
"Now now, Tony; is that any way to talk to your-"
"You're not my anything."
"Really?" there was venom in her voice as she spoke. Gibbs sensed her taking a step forward and his body tensed, ready to defend Tony and himself if it came to it. "So all those nights you spent kneeling at my feet were just…"
"A mistake. Biggest one of my life."
"Is that why you picked yourself a tough one?" She laughed. "Want someone new to put you in your place?"
"If you had any idea how to handle a… someone like me, then you wouldn't need to buy your toys. This one looks a little old for you."
Gibbs resisted the urge to look up as the woman hissed in disapproval of Tony's retort. Tony pressed on, taking a step back as he did.
"Why don't you get out of my face before I decide to tell my father exactly how old I was when you got involved with me."
The exhale she gave was angry but also scared, she turned away and Gibbs looked up to see her go. Tony stepped close to her half-dressed slave as he moved to follow her. "Learn to cry," Tony whispered. "She'll be done faster." The slave gave an imperceptible nod and hurried after his Owner.
When she was out of sight, Tony sighed heavily and took a step back towards Gibbs. He was expecting Gibbs to start asking questions, but Gibbs could see how tired Tony looked, and so he stepped closer to the younger man with a soft smile.
"Let's get outta here," he kept his voice low so nobody nearby would hear. Tony nodded his agreement and turned to lead them up the stairs and away from the party.
(~*~)
As soon as the bedroom door closed behind them, Tony closed his eyes. He looked exhausted and stressed, and Gibbs didn't resist the urge to go to him. Tony opened his eyes and raised his head to look at Gibbs when they were toe-to-toe. Without a word, Gibbs reached forward and undid Tony's tie. Tony smiled up at Gibbs, making no move to stop the older man or to begin undressing himself. Gibbs got Tony's tie loose and slipped off his jacket before stepping back.
"Pick a movie while I change," Gibbs' voice was soft, but his words were quite clearly an order. Tony took a second to catch up, but nodded and moved to the bookcase that held his DVD collection. Gibbs quickly changed into sleepwear while Tony's back was turned. A moment later Tony turned around with a movie in his hand. Gibbs didn't even ask what it was, he just smiled at Tony. "Get out of that suit, put the movie on. I'll be right back." Gibbs went into the bathroom, giving Tony the privacy to change. When he came back a few minutes later, his brow creased upon seeing Tony attempting to pull out the futon. "What are you doing?"
"I want to get comfortable before we hit play," Tony explained, a tired slur to his words. With another tender smile, Gibbs approached Tony and pulled him away from the futon.
"Get into bed, Tony. You won't be able to see the screen from there."
Tony looked surprised, but a quick look to the TV made him see the truth to the words. Gibbs was just being sensible. Tony nodded again, trying to hide his disappointment that Gibbs' invitation was purely practical, and got into the bed. Gibbs slid in beside Tony and fluffed his pillow before settling back. Tony hit 'play' on the remote and got himself comfortable too. The movie began to play, and Tony tried to pay attention, but the distance between them on the bed was distracting him. More than anything, Tony wanted to shuffle sideways and hug Gibbs. The older man had been so understanding tonight, even to the point of telling Tony what to do when it was clear the younger man was too unsure of himself. Tony wanted to lace their fingers together and tell Gibbs how much better his life was now, but even as tired and desperate as he was, Tony knew that would be a mistake. Gibbs was only staying with him in order to be free. He wasn't going to get attached to someone who would leave as soon as he was given the chance, and he didn't want Gibbs to think he owed Tony anything; least of all physical affection. It would only hurt more when that affection was taken away.
"That woman," Gibbs broke into Tony's thoughts. Tony looked at Gibbs, but the older man was still looking at the screen. "If you ever wanted to talk about it..." Gibbs left his sentence there, eyes flicking over to Tony and back to the TV. Tony continued to look at Gibbs, an awestruck look on his face. Gibbs turned his head to look at Tony when he felt a hand slip into his. Tony had entwined their fingers and was smiling at Gibbs. Silence reigned for a moment as the movie was forgotten in the background.
"Maybe someday," Tony whispered his response. Gibbs offered a single nod and the half-smile Tony was quickly becoming enamoured with, before turning back to face the TV. He kept hold of Tony's hand but didn't press for any further conversation. After a moment, Tony shuffled sideways and laid his head on Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs rubbed his thumb along Tony's in acceptance, but otherwise stayed still.