Chapter Three
Tobias gave Gibbs a curious look as he walked back over to their table, Tony in tow. Gibbs knew he had to have reddened when Tony started….flirting was the only word Gibbs could come up with. He couldn’t quite figure it out. What about DiNozzo had changed with the dye job and new hairstyle? And how the hell could Gibbs regain his balance and handle this?
He needed to be in control. Tobias was a top-notch investigator and he’d be able to read anything. Body language, non-verbal clues, Tobias would jump on any of it and expects answers later. And Gibbs did not want there to be a turf war between Tobias and DiNozzo. In any capacity. And he sure as hell didn’t want to be the center of it. Tobias knew more than any other friend did, with the possible exception of Mike, and even so, neither of them knew that he was attracted to DiNozzo.
That damned red hair had haunted his fantasies since he’d seen it. Gibbs couldn’t help the fact that red hair was the color he found most attractive, and with DiNozzo’s green eyes and muscular body…he had no idea how amazing he looked. And how much Gibbs wanted him.
“Tobias, you know Tony. He’s joining us and will be buying drinks tonight. Drink as much as you want.”
“Why’s that?” Tobias said, his gaze sharpening. “He marry Diane too?” Gibbs had expected the jealousy or territorialism to come up and just rolled his eyes, hoping DiNozzo could hold his own. If not, it was going to be an uncomfortable night.
“Not the marrying kind, Fornell,” Tony said with a laugh, standing as a chair and place setting was created for him. “Got bored, the game is a washout. Just wandered down here and saw Boss and you, thought I’d send over drinks…for Bossman…”
Every time Tony said that word, his voice dipped into that low range that made Gibbs’ mind wander and his blood pressure rise. He pulled in a deep breath and a gulp of bourbon before he answered, watching every movement at the front of Tony’s pants as he sat down.
“Not Boss, tonight, Tony. Remember?”
“Sure, Fu"errr Gibbs.” He hadn’t really been about to say “fucked”, had he? Gibbs knew he never should have let that word slip out, never should have let on how rattled he was, but DiNozzo had him so off balance.
“Tony, don’t make me…” Gibbs only had to lift his hand in warning before Tony understood.
“Shutting up, Gibbs,” Tony said, bright smile on his face. “I know, save that for later.”
“Later?” Tobias said, coughing on his bourbon. “You two have plans?” He gave Gibbs a look that was part concerned, part annoyed, and Gibbs understood. This was their Diane bashing night and from Tobias’ point of view, Tony didn’t belong. Thing was, Gibbs wasn’t as concerned with Toby’s viewpoint as he was his own. And he was having Tony here. Tony wasn’t leaving until Gibbs was ready to send him away.
“None,” Gibbs said firmly. “Order dinner, Tony.” It wasn’t a request but an order.
Gibbs wouldn’t meet either man’s eyes, just toyed with his bourbon and finished his shrimp cocktail in silence. As he wiped his hand on his napkin, he found slim and soft fingers gliding over his palm, a stroke that was over before it began. It could only be DiNozzo and Gibbs needed answers. Now.
“You. Outside. Toby, order another round of drinks. The expensive stuff.”
Tobias gave him a mock salute and a knowing smirk. Gibbs sensed rather than heard Tony falling into step behind him. When they were outside, Gibbs leaned on the railing at the dock, looking out at the Potomac, Tony standing beside him.
“This a game to you, DiNozzo?”
“No, Boss,” Tony said quietly, seriously.
Gibbs turned his head, studying Tony’s profile. “What is it then? Red hair, you showing up here. Flirting.What do you want? This some jok--”
Tony met Gibbs’ eyes and Gibbs couldn’t even finish the word he’d been saying, his mouth working a little before he swallowed hard. There was a look on Tony’s face that Gibbs had never seen before and he studied it, memorizing it, marking it in his mind.
“What’s this about, Tony?” he asked in a whisper. He thought he could read the look, but he couldn’t be sure, and in order to take the next step, he had to be absolutely certain. There was so damned much on the line.
“Don’t think I can put it out there, Boss. Saying the words…changes everything.”
Hell yeah it did. If it was what Gibbs was sure he knew, everything was different now. But he wasn’t the guy who could bluntly ask it. Not that question.
“Why’d you dye the hair red?”
“Didn’t. Abbs dyed it.”
“Why?” Gibbs asked, his voice sharpening, his frustration growing.
“Because I had to see…” Tony replied, sounding vulnerable in a way Gibbs had never heard before.
“See what?”
Tony chewed his lip slowly before he answered. “If I could catch your eye, Boss.”
“Why?” Gibbs asked, turning to look at the younger man as he walked Tony through this just like he walked suspects through an interrogation.
“Because then I’d know if I had a shot. And if not, I could stop daydreaming and hoping. But if so…” He shrugged, clasping the railing in a tight grip. “Yeah.”
“Why would a guy like you want to catch my eye? I’m older…your boss…a man.”
“You know,” Tony replied, his patience gone. “Why are you playing dumb, Boss? You know I’m attracted. You know…you have to know… Why are you making me go through it like I’m a suspect you have to pump for information?”
That thread of vulnerability in Tony’s voice caused Gibbs’ stomach to clench.
“Have to know for sure, Tony. Not easy. Dangerous.”
“So are our jobs. So is living.” Tony broke away and looked out into the night. “And you knowing changes everything, Boss. What if…”
“You’re thinking too hard. Get inside and let me buy ya dinner, Tony.”
Tony blinked a few times, shaken and rattled. Was that a date? Was Gibbs phrasing that like a date? This whole situation confused the hell out of Tony. First he’d been making all the moves, flirting, pushing Gibbs hard, but in a way that Gibbs could ignore. Gibbs had three exes; he knew how to brush off the signals if he wasn’t interested. Gibbs hadn’t exactly responded strongly to Tony, but there had been a vibe there, a sexual tension.
But this conversation outside threw Tony for a loop. Gibbs had effectively controlled and led it so much that Tony had spilled things he hadn’t expected to. And now this teasing, kinda flirtatious voice, knocked Tony around a little more.
He stood still, cocking his head and wishing he could read Gibbs as well as the other man read him. At the very least, he could try to get Gibbs back off balance.
“Dinner,” Tony repeated.
“Yeah, dinner,” Gibbs said, moving into Tony’s personal space. “No footsie, no touching under or over the table. We drink, you listen to Diane horror stories, and we eat. And you stop looking at me like I’m dessert and you’re starving.”
“Always had a wicked sweet tooth.”
Gibbs shook his head, but his smile was completely amused. “Can’t figure out your game, DiNozzo.”
“You playing?”
“Maybe, if the stakes aren’t too high. But DiNozzo, I play to win.”
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