2. Aftermath
*****
A week later...
*It must be really bad, in the city...* Tony's thought touched him. *There must be thousands of people sick*
*Or worse*
Gibbs frowned. The moment that he had thought of D.C. he had become aware of an unpleasant, dark cloud at the fringes of his consciousness. Part of this strange new perception he possessed. He *knew* that he was *feeling* the city. The pain and madness of its inhabitants. With a shiver, he pushed the feeling away, and felt the warmth of Tony's mind once more surround him.
*Wow! You can sense them, can't you?* Tony's wonder washed over him. The young man's enthusiasm reminded Gibbs of a puppy bouncing around, wagging its tail, running circles round him. He should find it irritating, but then, he had always liked dogs.
Neither of them would be running anywhere for a while. Hanging onto each other - which Gibbs found more than a little humiliating - they could, at best, manage a drunken stagger to the kitchen or porch. Fortunately, this place was well-stocked, with enough food and supplies to feed a battleship. Not to mention the joys of the rich guy's wardrobe, which had given Tony hours of pleasure, mostly in expressive insults and inventive criticism. A few days ago Tony had decided to raid the guy's wardrobe in search of cleaner clothes.
The guy must be an asshole - who the hell brought suits to a cabin. And as for the colourful sweaters... Gibbs swore that if he ever met the guy, it would be a toss up to decide whether to thank the guy for the use of his cabin or just slap him silly. Tony was however, (incomprehensibly, in Gibbs' opinion) deliriously happy with the Hawaiian shirts.
At least neither of them were desperately sick now. Gibbs' memories of the last week were distinctly hazy in places. He guessed that he had been out of his mind with fever for at least some of that time because all he could recall were a series of disjointed images...
Tony's face above him as he burned with fever heat; the younger man's expression worried as he wiped Gibbs' face with something blissfully cool...
Clinging to Dinozzo, whimpering, as his head ached unbearably. Feeling Tony's hands gently stroking his forehead, trying to soothe him, his own young face pale and wan, obviously sick himself...
Out of his head, fighting to get out of the bed while Tony tried to hold him down, screaming at the younger man that he had to catch a killer and where was the damned car because if he didn't get his ass in gear, he was going to be looking for a job...
Blood trickling from Tony's right nostril, as he held a cup of water to Gibbs' lips. Drinking with desperate thirst. Shaking so much that most of it spilled...
Shivering with cold, despite the fact that the younger man had somehow built a roaring fire, and he had wrapped Gibbs in five layers of blankets...
Tony had saved his life, at no small cost to himself. The young agent looked ten years older, and he moved like an old man, painfully slow, shuffling unsteadily around the cabin in those few rare moments when he could stand unaided. Gibbs had felt the edge of pain *echoing* from DiNozzo's aching head more than once over the past few days as he had spent his already lowered reserves of energy looking after his boss.
Since Gibbs had come out of his fever, there had been a gradual reduction in the number and frequency of the (shared) headaches that both men still suffered. They were both still pretty weak though, and their individual balance centres seemed to be shot to hell. Standing up made the world swirl round Gibbs like a carousel.
Maybe part of it was because they were in each others' heads. At first, it was hard to tell whether he was standing or sitting, his brain dizzily trying to process the inputs from his own body and DiNozzo's at the same time. Unable to tell self from other. It took time to adapt to their situation.
Yeah, he could remember better weeks. Clinging to DiNozzo with his eyes closed and his head pressed against the younger man's shoulder, desperately wanting the world to stop spinning, trying not to puke... Now that was a memory he had no desire to revisit.
Not that it was all bad. Their link was stronger than ever, letting each man support the other, and at least Tony was a good choice of companion to have in an emergency. The younger man was entertaining company. Perhaps too, they were both desperately trying not to think about the probable brain damage that they had both suffered, not that they could do anything about it right now.
At the moment, Tony seemed to be fascinated with their newly developed psychic abilities. And trying to get Gibbs into Magnum's shirt.
"I can't see as well with my mind as you can, boss." Tony grinned cheerfully. "But I can do something else!" A puzzled Gibbs sensed the younger man focus intently on something, his concentration absolute. Then an empty bottle of gatorade began to rise into the air on its own, and hung there, in mid air, suspended by the power of the young agent's mind.
Gibbs realised his mouth was hanging open and closed it with an audible snap.
*Definitely not Al Qaeda then, boss*
The bottle swooped at Gibbs, then bopped him lightly on the back of the head.
He glared at the younger man, who was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat. That was the trouble with DiNozzo. He could never stay serious for very long. Trust him to find a way to use his new abilities for practical jokes.
Tony's smile faded, and he frowned at Gibbs instead. Their link had allowed him to pick up the essence of Gibbs' complaint. Damn. He still wasn't used to this telepathy crap, and he had a tendency to leak things that he would rather keep private. Living in each others' heads...
*You're missing the point, boss. Suppose you were a terrorist and I dropped a big weight on your head. Or if it was a gun I was pulling out of your hand! Don't you see how useful this could be, if I can control it properly*
Gibbs could have slapped himself at the flicker of hurt in Tony's mind. He should have known that Tony had a serious point to make; it had been all too easy to dismiss the younger agent's ideas in the past, despite the fact that he had proved his competence on numerous occasions. Not that he had meant to share his thoughts with DiNozzo. He sent a wordless apology along the Link.
*I'm used to you, boss* Tony said softly inside his head. "Anyway, isn't apologising a sign of weakness?"
"It still wasn't right!" Gibbs said angrily. Tony's lips twitched.
"Are you a pod person who's replacd my boss?" Tony smirked, his natural sense of humour reasserting itself. "Because if you are, let me tell you, he always wears Hawaiian shirts..."
Gibbs gently smacked his head.
"Thank you boss. One more thing. If even a small number of people exposed to that light get psychic abilities, then we're all in deep shit. Some of them at least will be potential criminals with superpowers..."
"... and their victims!" Gibbs said. Tony looked worried as he caught the drift of Gibbs thoughts.
"You think they're safe? The team, that is..."
"I don't employ fools, DiNozzo. Our people are going to get through this!" He frowned, staring at the shirt Tony held up. "Or maybe I do. If you think I'm going to wear that..."
"C'mon boss. It's not like anyone will see. This is a collector's item. It's worth about $800!" Tony advanced towards Gibbs with a purple and mustard coloured monstrosity. That was when disaster struck. Still unsteady on his feet, the young agent tripped on the rug which lay on the bedroom floor.
With a yelp, Tony found himself falling forward, his feet tangled in the stupid rug. With his sense of balance still hopelessly compromised, he had no chance of saving himself and arms windmilling, he fell towards Gibbs. The older man's reflexes were far better than Tony's, but even he couldn't react fast enough to stop Tony colliding with him, knocking both of them backwards onto the bed. The young agent found himself sprawled on top of Gibbs, face to face. For a moment, winded, he couldn't speak. Those piercing blue eyes, inches from his, took Tony's breath away anyway. He knew he should get up; sprawling on top of Gibbs was wrong, for so many reasons, most of them disturbingly intimate. Yet he couldn't seem to move.
Did he imagine that those steely blue eyes softened just a fraction.
*I know*
Did Gibbs whisper that inside his head, or was it just his imagination? Then, he was gently rolled to the side and Gibbs was moving away from him. A big hand softly cuffed the back of his head.
"Careful, DiNozzo. You'll break your neck!"
Now what was that all about?
*****
Later...
Tony sighed as he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. At least he could shave now without his hands shaking so much he nearly cut his own throat. He had looked better though, even after that time when he had thrown up for three days in a row, on Spring Break. At least he wasn't coughing his lungs out.
He looked gaunt and hollow cheeked, his face too pale and with the dark shadows of exhaustion under his eyes. Like death warmed up, which pretty much described how he felt, too. No wonder Gibbs kept looking at him so protectively. Tony closed his eyes briefly. The trouble was, he liked Gibbs in guardian mode; his own silver haired defender. His refuge. When the older man had been sick, Tony had hated seeing his always-strong boss helpless and hurting. Gibbs didn't suit weak and vulnerable; Gibbs the strong and pushy bastard, on the other hand, was magnificent.
Tony blushed, closing down the Link as best he could. At least he was learning to shield his thoughts from Gibbs, although they could still feel each others' emotions. He had a problem and it was about time he faced up to it. This morning's incident had helped bring it into focus. Every night since the Pulse had been spent curled up next to Gibbs, holding onto him, needing the older man's reassuring presence, even when he was no longer sick.
Ever since he had been infected with the plague, the one thing that had scared Tony was dying alone. If he admitted the truth to himself, that's why he had first grabbed hold of Gibbs when the sickness had invaded their bodies. That and the memory of wiping Kate's blood off his face.
Yeah. and now he was nearly well, why was he still creeping into Gibbs' bed - which on one level was just a bit hinkey. And yet Gibbs had allowed it - which Tony found just as astonishing - though a couple of times Tony had sensed him wondering exactly how they had ended up sleeping next to each other when the cabin had several available rooms. Tony knew the older man had his own needs, not least of which was that desolate loneliness that Tony had been briefly allowed to glimpse.
How was it that now that he was beginning to recover, he still felt the need to snuggle up to his boss? And it was a need. When he was away from Gibbs, an empty, aching place seemed to awake inside him that only seemed to ease when he physically touched Gibbs. It was especially bad at night.
Technically, Tony supposed, they were sleeping together. He felt himself blush. He was straight. Men had never held any appeal for him. Never.
But straight men didn't cuddle up to their bosses, did they? Especially if they were federal agents with big guns.
Yeah well, tonight Tony decided, he was going to sleep in his own damn bed. Time to stop being stupid and needy and pathetic.
He shivered, glared back at his own reflection, and headed out of the door, slamming it behind him.
*****
Gibbs looked up in surprise as Tony stomped into the kitchen. Plainly, he had something on his mind, though the effect was spoiled a little because the younger man still couldn't walk without clinging to something to stay upright; they both became desperately dizzy when they tried to walk any distance.
What was different was that Tony's mind was tightly shuttered against him, their shared Link closed down tightly. Gibbs knew that if he had wanted to, he could have brushed aside Tony's barriers easily - their experimentation had shown that he was far stronger than Tony when it came to telepathy. But they both knew he wouldn't invade Tony's privacy. It was one of those unspoken rules that both men had adopted to retain their sanity in the face of chaos.
There were some details of Gibbs' thoughts that he preferred to keep to himself. Some secrets that it would be dangerous for Tony to know, and some memories that were just too painful to think about. Nor, to be honest, did he have any desire to find out all about DiNozzo's many female conquests. Or eight seasons of Magnum.
Between them they had worked on a way to shield their innermost thoughts from each other. In the end, it had been easy. Just imagining a wall around part of his mind and holding on to the idea with all his determination. Now it was pretty much instinctive. At least they weren't driving each other to distraction every minute of the day. Though it wasn't perfect, their control improved a little every day.
Even with their barriers in place though, he could still feel Tony's emotions and even sense his frustrations. Strong emotions leaked past their makeshift barriers all too easily. Also, if he closed his eyes, he could instinctively point to wherever the younger man was, knowing unerringly where he was located. It wasn't a perfect situation - they were literally feeling their way - but it would have to do.
Something was bothering the younger man a lot, right now. Gibbs could feel his increasing agitation.
"Coffee?" Gibbs asked. Tony took the proffered mug and took a long swig. He seemed to be gathering his courage before asking something particularly stressful. Gibbs felt a flash of amusement; he was used to keeping his agents off balance and it had always been easy to unsettle Tony.
"I need to know why you let me sleep with you last night?"
"What!" Gibbs nearly choked on his mouthful of coffee and stared at the younger man.
"You know. Bed. Us. Together..."
"Interesting choice of words. Not subtle, are you?" Gibbs said, amused. "You tell me DiNozzo. You started it."
"You let me. Don't tell me you couldn't have kicked me out of bed last night. Why didn't you?
Gibbs scowled at Tony, irritated by the tone of voice he was using."Wait a minute! Are you trying to have a feelings conversation? With me? I don't do counselling, DiNozzo!"
"Please. I have to know!"
"You needed to. That's all." He saw Tony frown. "I know what you're feeling most of the time, DiNozzo," He hesitated. "I could feel how scared you were, Tony." he said gently.
The younger man flushed in embarrassment, hating the fact that it was true.
"When did you ever give a damn?" he snapped, Gibbs scowled. "Well I won't be in your bed tonight! I wouldn't want to give the wrong impression."
Tony couldn't stop his retort, despite the fact that he had felt how protective Gibbs was towards him. He knew he was being unjust. It was just that... God, why did he feel so confused about this shit? He hated the way that lately he seemed to instinctively need Gibbs to touch him. Even those ridiculous, endearing, mock-stern pats to the back of his head, when Gibbs adopted his bastard persona.
"I don't need you!" Tony snapped, clamping down on his emotions so that Gibbs couldn't feel the lie. Yeah right. Gibbs' eyes narrowed and a scowl appeared on his face.
"Fine!"
Now he had definitely pissed the older man off - the atmosphere turned distinctly frosty and for the rest of the day, they didn't speak to each other.
****
Well, he had done it. Cut the apron strings. Annoyed Gibbs and pretty much ensured that he was lying alone in a cold bed tonight.
That was good, wasn't it? He had decisively demonstrated that he wasn't gay - that he wasn't cuddling up to Gibbs because he liked the feel of another man's arms around him. Though he now realised that nothing had really been settled - not in his own mind, and not between him and his boss.
What did Gibbs really think of him, when they were together? Tony knew what he sensed through their Link - that sense of support and strength that Gibbs offered him. Protective. Uplifting. Far too addictive.
Tony tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Maybe that was the problem. He was going through Gibbs-withdrawal. The bed was cold and empty, as he had known it would be. He was pining for his boss, damn it. Gibbs could probably sense it too. How humiliating was that. How stupid.
Eventually he drifted into an uneasy sleep, filled with dreams of being lost in the woods in the dark, trying to find his way back to the cabin. To Gibbs and the warm security of his arms. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to find the path, and the trees crowded closer around him. The woods were filled with strange unearthly noises, and poison ivy wound its way up every tree, burning him as he brushed past it.
He could hear a faint crackling behind him, and he gradually became aware that something was following him, getting closer and closer. The sense of approaching evil was almost overwhelming. Tony found himself running, instinctively filled with terror. Whatever was coming, it hated humans and life and light. And it wanted him. Then suddenly, he was teetering on the edge of a precipice with nowhere left to run to.
He swung round, and found himself face to face with Kate, her eyes wide with shock as the bullet took her in the centre of her forehead. Then once more, her blood was all over him, splattering over his face as the back of her head blew out.
Then he was in autopsy, staring at her lifeless body. Yet even as he watched, her face changed, decaying before his eyes. He couldn't turn away, even as he realised something was terribly wrong. Her corpse was moving, her head turning towards him, death-clouded eyes seeking him out. She smiled and there was a depth of evil desire in her expression that was nothing like the Kate he had known.
Tony began to scream...
He awoke sobbing in terror, his heart hammering in his chest, shivering with cold. The moment he had been trying not to remember. Why did it have to come back and haunt him now? The moment that had scarred the whole team and that had devastated them all in different ways. The thing that had made him wake, screaming, for weeks after her death.
He remembered how long he had scrubbed at his hands and face afterwards. But she had never returned to his dreams as a reanimated corpse before...
"Tony?" He heard Gibbs call his name from the next room, his voice filled with concern. He could feel the genuine worry behind the enquiry. Gibbs cared. He was about as uncommunicative as a guy could get, verbally, but Tony could feel his anxiety through the Link.
Why had he ever thought Gibbs was a cold hearted bastard? He knew differently, now that he could *feel* Gibbs. Shivering, the young agent stumbled to his feet and headed instinctively for the sound of Gibbs' voice. He was an idiot. He needed Gibbs. Even his own psyche was trying to tell him that.
****
Damn. His bed was warm and comfortable. So why did Gibbs feel so cold tonight? So on edge?
He was lying to himself. He knew exactly why he couldn't sleep. Because Tony DiNozzo wasn't pressed up against his side, arms round him, a comfortable warm presence in the dark of the night. Safe in his arms, for Gibbs would protect him at all costs. Somehow it had turned into a need rather than just an indulgence. And the night was too quiet without the soft sounds of the sleeping man next to him.
What the hell was the matter with him? He shouldn't be feeling like this. Not for his subordinate. It felt like exploitation, taking advantage of the younger man's insecurities to ease his own loneliness. No matter how much Tony wanted it. The trouble was, Tony was as scared of their growing closeness as he was.
He liked it. Too much. Perhaps he had been alone too long. Since that first moment they had linked, he had felt the strangest of needs, almost a craving:- to hold the young agent close to him and sink deep into their Link. He couldn't explain why he needed it, except that joining with Tony made him feel whole. Was it a part of their new abilities - this need to be close to Tony? He wished that he knew.
Even Tony had recognised that something was changing between them and that maybe it was better to get some distance, before it went too far. Whatever it was. It was just that... Part of him didn't want this to end; he liked being needed.
After a while, his strange new telepathic senses told him that Tony was asleep. Lucky for him.
Gibbs tried not to think about the young man and walled off that part of his mind that could sense Tony. It worked, more or less. But he still couldn't sleep. Every time he tried, he found himself tossing to and fro, restlessly. Then after a couple of hours, he began to feel increasingly uneasy. Finally, feeling a mixture of both annoyance and concern, he gave way to the feeling and reached out towards the young agent with his mind.
He felt the younger man's sleeping mind become more and more agitated, then he felt Tony awake with a burst of terror. Though Tony was tightly controlling his end of their Link, Gibbs knew that he was awake now and he tried to project his care for the other man towards Tony.
"Tony?" Gibbs called softly. He could sense the younger man's distress.
The door swung open and Gibbs saw the young agent standing on the threshold, his eyes haunted. Tentatively, Gibbs reached for the Link, opening his mind a fraction, He could feel Tony's agitation - anguish and desolation shimmering towards him via the Link. Gibbs projected the only thing he could think of.
*Warmth/care/welcome*
Tony stood there, the look in his eyes haunted and far too vulnerable. Gibbs knew what he needed, and just as certainly, knew that Tony wasn't going to ask for it. Not after the way he had tried to distance himself from Gibbs this morning. Not that Gibbs didn't understand Tony's confusion - he felt the same way himself.
So why did he do the stupidest thing possible in the circumstances? Reach his hand out and lift the bedcovers, inviting the younger man into his bed. He didn't say anything. He wouldn't have known what to say. Then it was too late, because Tony was moving forward, slipping under the covers, his arms going round the other man, sighing deeply as he rested his head on Gibbs' chest. Coming home. The older man wrapped his arms tightly around Tony, one hand settling naturally into the curve of his neck. After long moments, the terror faded from the younger man's mind as Gibbs held him.
They touched their foreheads together. In the midst of all the misery and weirdness of the past few days, this at least gave them hope. Then the Link flared between them, more intense than Gibbs had ever felt it before. The bodily contact between them reinforced and intensified their telepathy. Then he felt the barriers between them dissolve, and with it went all their anxiety and unhappiness and doubt.
This was right. This was where Tony belonged - in Gibbs arms and in his mind. Nothing else could come close to the perfection of the Link between them. How could they have forgotten how good it could be. The Link was pure life. Gibbs felt it spill through him the moment their minds joined fully. He felt as if it were filling him up - like he was coming alive again after a spell in the desert. Which was true, in an emotional sense.
He felt as if he couldn't contain so much energy. The two of them were filled to the brim with the simple pleasure of being alive and together and merged. Then suddenly, as if a door opened in his mind - because together they were so much *more* than when they were apart - he was floating above the bed, staring down at his own body and Tony's. Tony was there with him, mind tangled with and joined to his, purring with contentment...
The previous fear and anxiety were gone from the young agent's mind, replaced by wonder. Then somehow they were rising, getting higher and higher, no longer in the cabin, but soaring into the night sky, until they were miles above the Earth, their joint strength amplifying Gibbs' farseeing ability. Distantly, Tony could see the lights of DC and even as he realised what the glow of light was, they were swooping towards the city. Unerringly, Gibbs headed towards the NCIS headquarters - Tony with him, mind tangled with his, united in their goal. They had to know that the rest of the team were safe.
Gibbs could sense that there were a lot of people on the naval base. If they had any sense, they would have closed off and guarded the base; brought in as many dependants as they could from the city. There were enough residential units on the base to house hundreds of people.
There were signs that this place had been through hell. Bullet holes. Scorch marks. Nameless debris. Gibbs hovered, indecisive for once. It was Tony who made the choice for them.
*Abby first. Then Ducky*
Gibbs felt the younger man project reassurance towards him.
*McGee would look after them, boss. He wouldn't let anything hurt them*
Their minds drifted down towards the basement. It was obvious that many of the NCIS personnel were camping out in the building, too wary of the chaos in the city to risk the streets. At least they would be protected within he confines of the naval base.
*They're here!* Tony's voice was filled with relief, though it was obvious that things weren't fine. Ducky looked old and deathly tired. McGee was trying to get him to drink something which looked like soup. The young agent's face was bruised, and he had one arm bandaged. He was openly wearing his gun in a shoulder holster.
*Probie looks tough. Kinda macho* Tony's voice sounded approving in Gibbs' mind.
Abby looked pale and ill. Gibbs felt a surge of worry for her. Even as he watched, she pulled a square of cloth from her pocket and pressed it to her bleeding nose.
*She has the same symptoms as us* Gibbs said. *She must have been caught by the light*
*Maybe she can hear us* Tony sent.
Hesitantly, Gibbs reached out with his mind.
*Abby?*
Her head jerked up, and she stared around her in astonishment.
*Boss?*
*You can hear me?*
*Uh huh.* A burst of joy and welcome and relief. *You're alive, boss!*
*We're alright. We're stuck in a cabin but we're safe enough*
*We've been sick, but we're getting better* Tony added. Abby tilted her head to one side and looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes widened.
*Wow boss. You and Tony are really er... close*
Gibbs wondered exactly what she saw in her mind. But their strength was fading. She shimmered and began to fade.
*A lot has happened...* Gibbs started to say. Then with no warning, the link between Gibbs and Abby snapped and they were back in their own bodies, curled up together in the bed, totally exhausted.
"You sure know how to give a guy a good time," Tony murmured softly and Gibbs could hear the laughter in his voice, then with a small, satisfied sound, Tony snuggled in against him. Gibbs wondered that he didn't find the whole situation absurd, but perhaps part of him wanted to accept DiNozzo in his bed and in his mind right now. A short time later, the young agent was asleep. Within moments, lulled by the comfortable sound of Tony's breathing and the soothing effect of his sleeping mind, Gibbs had followed his example.
*****
Gibbs gradually woke, as an unfamiliar, soft hissing noise intruded into his consciousness. his eyes opened and flickered towards the window. Snow. The first this season. He could see the white flakes, occasionally mixed with light hail, falling past the glass. Automatically, his arm tightened around Tony, drawing the younger man closer to him, delighting, against all better judgement, in the cosy nest of warmth that formed their present refuge. Tony murmured something softly but didn't wake. His head rested against Gibbs' chest, and he lay half on top of his boss, one leg hooked untidily over Gibbs' legs.
Gibbs sighed. He felt as if he had fallen into the Twilight Zone, and the worst thing was that he was beginning to like the idea.
Last night, standing there, Tony had looked lost, pitiable, green eyes filled with longing and confusion. There had been a haunting beauty to his features, too. Dark, tousled hair and full lips, half-naked, with the borrowed pyjama bottoms that he wore low-slung across his hips, he could have stepped out of a porn fantasy. Just not the sort that Gibbs usually watched.
Damn. That was just the sort of thought that he didn't need to have. The reason why he should distance himself from Tony. The part of himself that he didn't want to face; that he had buried deeply for years. The long suppressed part of himself that Tony was beginning to waken, that made his cock stir in arousal before he ruthlessly forced the thought away.
The younger man moaned softly in his sleep, leaning into Gibbs. That was when the older man realised that the link between them was still wide open, and he had been thinking about Tony and porn in pretty much the same thought. He shut it down, hoping that nothing had leaked into the other man's mind. It had just been a stray thought. He really didn't think of Tony in a sexual way. Beyond a little experimentation in his youth, he had never been into men. He had never allowed that part of him free rein. He didn't plan to change that.
Tell it to the marines.
*****
Tony was dreaming again, but this time the dream was a good one. He was wearing a blindfold, in one of those delightful Spring Break party games, and he had to guess who was kissing him. He felt his chin gripped firmly, then the mystery kisser leaned forward to kiss him. The mouth that covered his tasted good, and whoever it was kissed like an expert - demanding and confident. He opened his mouth, and felt his mouth being plundered by the other, who knew exactly what Tony needed.
He was being kissed by a man. It should have felt wrong, but instead it was incredible. He could feel his body reacting to the man, heat surging within him. He leaned into the kiss; his silver haired companion really knew how to make a guy weak at the knees. And then Tony came awake abruptly.
He was in Gibbs' bed, thoroughly tangled up with him, and he could feel that the older man was awake. Gibbs' mind was closed this morning, which was probably just as well. Tony had no desire to revisit the embarrassment of last night - creeping into Gibbs' bed after all his stupid protests yesterday.
It was then that he realised why Gibbs' mind was so shuttered against him today. The older man was too still.
Tony realised that he was achingly hard with a morning hard-on. That last dream had affected him in the worst possible way. And there was no way that Gibbs couldn't know about it; Tony was practically humping his hip! Even if Gibbs hadn't noticed the young agent's physical condition, their Link would have told him that Tony was aroused. Just like it told him that Tony was awake now. He froze, indecisive.
"It happens." Gibbs' voice close to his ear. "Don't worry about it." He moved away from Tony and off the bed, leaving the younger man sprawled across the sheets. For once, Tony couldn't tell what Gibbs was feeling; his mind was so tightly controlled. Tony was sure he must be feeling revulsion.
Tony cringed. His nameless fears had finally been realised. The only way this could have been worse was...
Actually, there was no way it could have been worse.
****
Gibbs hated himself, right now. He had done that to Tony. The leaking thoughts from his mind had a sexual overtone that had aroused the younger man.
Exactly when had he started to desire the young agent?
He couldn't get out of there fast enough. Before what he was feeling leaked out and embarrassed the hell out of both of them. Irresistibly, the memory of Tony's green eyes rose in his mind, dark with need. Even after he fled the room, he could almost feel the heat of the younger man's skin against his; the scent of him. And the memory of those brief moments before Tony woke fully, when he had moaned and moved closer to Gibbs, instinctively needing him.
Heat flared along their link;-
*sliding his hand along his cock, slow and sensual; knowing fingers finding those secret places that sent pleasurable shocks up his nerve endings*
Gibbs moaned, his hand finding his own newly hardened erection. He knew that it was a stupid thing to do, but he wasn't exactly thinking straight at the moment. Just reacting to what he could feel leaking down their shared Link, despite every barrier they could devise. As if sexuality connected them on so fundamental a level that it crept beneath those barriers, unhindered.
Momentarily, he tried to halt his traitorous hand; to block out DiNozzo's pleasure, but the strength of it overwhelmed him. Perhaps he didn't really want it to stop.
He was unconscious of the fact that his hand was moving in an exact imitation of Tony's hand on his cock. Long, slow, thoroughly satisfying strokes that were made with the ease of long practice. Apparently the young agent's favoured method of getting himself off. Gibbs was embarrassed because he really shouldn't know such intimate details about his subordinate. But it was so very good... Then Tony's hand quickened its rhythm, and Gibbs felt the younger man's orgasm start at the base of his spine, then wash over him in an unstoppable tide.
Gibbs whimpered, as the other man's climax rolled over him, glorious, His mind, in that instant, seemed to reach out towards Tony. For a single, radiant moment, he was looking out of wide green eyes, arching upwards, seeing the hot creamy spurts exploding from his cock, and then he was back in his own body. A rush of emotions that weren't his, and aftershocks of pleasure that finally sent him over the edge.
That did it! His own orgasm carried him away in a rush of incandescent pleasure, leaving him draped bonelessly across the couch. He stumbled to his feet and fled to the bathroom to clean himself up. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, all he could think of for a second, was that the tousled, blissed-out-slut look suited him.
*****
Tony couldn't believe he was doing this with Gibbs in the next room. The older man's presence, not to mention the embarrassment of the situation should have made Tony's erection droop in five seconds flat, but actually the reverse was true. Crazy though it was, his hand crept irresistibly to cover his erection, and he was startled by the momentary temptation to frantically jerk off to the memory of blue eyes and the heat of Gibbs' body against his own. He dragged his hand reluctantly away. No. That wasn't what he wanted at all. He wasn't gay. He liked breasts, and soft, smooth skin, not the hard angularity of a male body, with stubble and the smell of sawdust. That's what he kept telling himself; it was just that some part of him kept whispering rebellious little messages to his cock.
Lying on his back, he reached forward, and grasped the velvet thickness of his erection in his fist, taking refuge in sensation.. He began to slide his hand along it in a slow, seductive rhythm, just tightening his grip enough to send a burst of sensation along his nerve endings, up his spine, as the action milked his cock.
It was so good. Since puberty, he had taken pride in satisfying himself well and often. The longest he had ever gone without had been eleven days. That was pretty much the record, until now. Two weeks abstinence, admittedly because of illness, but still... Tony was really on edge today.
He could already feel his orgasm approaching, the pressure building within him, and squeezed just below the head of his cock, circling the sensitive glans, knowing that fluid droplets were gathering there. A wave of pleasure rolled over him and he cried out hoarsely as his hips jerked forward reflexively, as the pearly semen spattered across his chest and abdomen.
He sagged back, with a sigh of contentment with the utter relaxation of the sated. His green eyes closed. Then fire seemed to ignite inside him, rolling in waves up his spine, melting his body into heat and light and sensation. He flung his head back and screamed, his body arching, hands clutching convulsively at the sheets as the hot, sweet surge washed over him. After it released him, he sagged bonelessly backwards, panting. It was a long while before he could find the strength to move.
What the hell was that? That second, wild climax, moments after his first orgasm, incredibly intense, glorious; almost like an echo, except that it was better than the first time... Like he was feeling someone else...
"Oh shit!"
He lay there for a while, not really wanting to move. Not just because the sex had been good, but also because he had a fair idea what had just happened and for once his courage failed him. That had been Gibbs. And if he had felt Gibbs, then it was likely that Gibbs had felt him first. Maybe Tony had even caused Gibbs to come?
So much for the older man's famous rule 12 - no relationships between NCIS team members. Tony quailed. How the hell was he going to look his boss in the eye again after this. What a disaster of a morning. He had developed a hard on for his boss, then he had probably made him come. Gloriously.
He waited for as long as he could, giving the older man time to get his act together. To make it easier to pretend that nothing had happened.
He couldn't put it off any longer. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed and fled to the bathroom to clean himself up. He dressed quickly, pulling on a gorgeous blue and red Magnum shirt which hung loosely over his pants, then headed for the kitchen. Predictably enough, Gibbs sat next to the coffee machine. Tony's one small consolation was that there was barely any dizziness in his head when he walked this morning.
The moment Gibbs saw him, Tony realised that Gibbs was radiating tension. His uptight, ex-marine boss was hunched over his coffee, gripping the mug tightly with both hands. Then Gibbs lifted his head and his blue eyes met Tony's. His face visibly flushed. Blue eyes lifted to Tony's and the younger man realised that Gibbs looked as guilty as hell.
"Boss," Tony faltered. We need to talk!"
"You think?" Gibbs closed his eyes for a moment. "I felt everything you did, Tony. Every damn touch.. I tried to shut you out, I swear, but I couldn't." He wouldn't meet Tony's eyes.
"I felt you too, at the end," Tony said softly. "Didn't I?"
"Oh yeah." The older man moved over to the window, staring out at the snow. Tony knew that Gibbs was still trying to avoid looking at him. "It comes as a bit of a shock at my age, to have my sexual orientation challenged."
"I'm sorry, boss" Tony said. Then hesitantly, he offered the other man an excuse, if he wanted it. "It wasn't really proper sex though. Not if there was no bodily contact between us..."
"What have I told you about apologising?" Gibbs turned and aimed a swat at Tony's head. "It's not your fault. Call it the downside of being telepathic. We'll just have to cope with it, that's all. I suppose it could have been worse." He gave a wry half-smile. "I nearly picked McGee to drive, the day of the explosion!"
Tony gave a snort of laughter, imagining McGee in bed with Gibbs.
"I would pay money to see that, boss. You and McGee..." He smirked. "Or you and Ziva..." Tony chuckled, prudently moving out of swatting range as he spoke.
Gibbs' expression became serious.
"Tomorrow, I want to try hiking out of here," he said. "We're both well enough now to try, and the longer we stay here, the greater the danger is of bad weather trapping us here for weeks." His eyes flickered towards the windows, and the light dusting of snow Tony could see outdoors. "We're needed back home, Tony." His lips curved in a crooked smile. "And things are getting just a little too cosy around here."
Understatement of the century. Gibbs considered that to be a neat diversion. Tony wasn't thinking about their inadvertent sexual encounter any more, which suited Gibbs just fine. There were some things it was already so hard to hide from his young subordinate. Like the way he had enjoyed their impromptu "not proper sex" way too much for comfort. He wasn't going to think about Tony and how good it felt to have him so close. Thoughts like that were too dangerous now that the younger man could pick up on his emotions so easily, even when he put up barriers in his mind.
*****
End of part 2.
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