Incentive
Holy hell, he was bored. And restless. And bored. Which would explain why he was here on a Friday night, waiting for the Elf Lord to get out of the shower so they could meet up with Abby. They hadn’t exactly planned a wild night out, just dinner. Maybe a movie.
Tony sighed deeply and looked around the room again. Nothing much, plenty of geek-stuff. A shit load of gadgets Tony didn’t even bother to examine.
His mind kept roaming. Images just wouldn’t stop popping up in his head. He banged his head against the wall, trying to rid himself of his favorite fantasy; Gibbs in the shower. Water cascading down his body as he slowly lathered up. He would look up, see Tony watching him and pull him under the hot spray...
Tony shifted around on the couch, painfully aware of the bulge in his pants. He tried to think of something else. Cold showers. Nope. Cold showers with McGee. Yeah, that did the trick.
He regretted agreeing to this night out, but anything was better than sitting at home, pining for a man he’d never have a chance in hell of hooking up with. Tony knew his feelings for Gibbs wouldn’t be ignored much longer. He’d locked them away for years, more than he’d care to think about. Tony got up from Tim’s couch and started roaming the room. Nothing much to see, really.
He popped his head around the door to the hall, making sure the shower was still running. An old typewriter was sitting on a desk. Maybe Tim had started writing another novel? Suddenly Tony got very curious. The last time around, Tim had used them all in his book.
“I wonder what that handsome and highly sophisticated Agent Tommy is up to this time?” he muttered, quickly scanning the desk for evidence of a new manuscript. Nada. Nothing to see. Glancing towards the door again, Tony decided it was still safe, and undertook a more thorough search of his surroundings. A couple of bookshelves functioned as room dividers. He eyed them sceptically, not really expecting to find anything salacious. They looked as neat as the guy himself, he smirked.
Some crumpled sheets in McGee’s wastebasket caught his attention. Reading the first few lines, he quickly bunched up a couple more sheets and replaced them with the one’s he’d stolen.
A few seconds later they were safely tucked away in his jacket and he was sitting on the couch, looking very innocent when Tim returned.
Tim took one glance at him. “What did you do? I swear, Tony, if you’ve filled my hard drive with gay porn again, I’ll have your ass for breakfast.”
“Ah, you wound me. You know I don’t put out on the first date, Timmy, I’m just not that kind of boy,” Tony grinned, stretching his legs in front of him.
McGee just snorted. Tony took a closer look at the other agent. He’d obviously dressed in a hurry. His shirt was buttoned all wrong and he wasn’t even wearing socks. Tony tried to hide a smile as he noticed McGee kept sending furtive glances around the room, probably to see if anything was missing.
“Listen, you were gone for all of 8 minutes. Even a techno wizard like myself would need more time to do serious damage. Let’s go, Abby’s waiting!”
McGee opened his mouth to reply, but disappeared into the bedroom and got ready, meeting Tony by his car in no time.
They hooked up with Abby at Murphy’s, an Irish pub in Alexandria. They all enjoyed the ambiance of the place, the live music and good food. A few minutes later they were nursing a cold beer, while waiting for their food to arrive; Murphy burgers for the boys and fried shrimp for Abby.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight, Tony,” Abby said, eying him curiously.
“Yeah, just tired, that’s all.” He shifted a bit on his seat, trying to get comfortable.
“Too many young, hot dates?” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Right, yeah,” he said unconvincingly, not quite managing to keep up the carefree smile he’d plastered on his face.
“Something wrong, Tony? You haven’t seemed yourself lately,” McGee began, but closed his mouth firmly when Tony shot him his most convincing impression of a Gibbs-glare.
“Hey!” Abby poked him hard in the arm. “Don’t you dare bite our heads off for seeing something’s hinky. You pry into our lives every time you’re bored or curious, Tony.”
He looked at his two friends, and considered telling them about his feelings for their very male and very straight boss.
“I’m sorry,” was all he came up with. “Rough week.”
Abby looked openly skeptical. “Fine,” she said. “I can wait.”
Tony sighed inwardly. He needed to get a grip, this was getting out of hand. Another couple of weeks like this, and he would be ready to share his feelings for Gibbs with, well, Palmer.
A waitress appeared by their table, plates in hand, giving Tony a much-needed break. They all ate in silence for a while, enjoying their first real meal in a couple of days. He went to remove his jacket when he suddenly remembered the papers he’d stolen from McGee. Excusing himself from the table, Tony went to the men’s restroom, seeking a bit of privacy. Safely inside a stall, he pulled the crumpled sheets out of his pocket and started reading.
Agent Tommy rubbed his tired eyes and looked across the squad room. It was 1 am, and the place was deserted. The team had finally managed to bring down Petty Officer Martin’s killer. McGregor had cracked the case open when he managed to hack into the suspect’s laptop, finding the photos he’d taken while he tortured her.
The killer, Jonathan Nelson, was in custody, and they could all get some well-deserved rest. His reports were all written up and just needed Tibbs’ sign of approval. Their boss was thumbing through his latest draft, making notes in the margin. Not a good sign, Tommy sighed, resting his head on his arms.
McGregor had left a few hours ago. A young blonde had waited for him, kissing his cheek as he pressed the button for the elevator.
Tony snorted. “Wishful thinking, Probie,” he muttered. The rest of the page was crossed out. He stuffed the first page into his pocket again and started reading the other.
A light slap to the back of his head woke him up. Tibbs was leaning over him, his hand still resting on the nape of his neck, squeezing lightly. “Time to go home, Tommy,” he said quietly. The younger agent stirred, sat up and looked into his boss’ face. A smile was slowly spreading across Tommy’s face.
“Yeah, it’s time,” Tommy replied, closing the distance between them as he pressed his lips against Tibbs’.
“Holy shit,” Tony yelped.
“Are you okay in there?” McGee tapped lightly on the door.
“What?”
“You’ve been gone a long time, Abby is getting worried,” he explained.
“Oh, yeah…no, I’m fine. Give a guy some privacy, will ya?” Tony exclaimed, annoyance and exasperation seeping into his voice.
“Uhn, sorry…Tony, I…” McGee stuttered and left the restroom.
Tibbs’ mouth tasted faintly of coffee. A strong arm pulled him up and suddenly he was pushed up against the filing cabinet close to his desk.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish, Tommy.”
Tony turned the page, desperate to find out what happened next. Nothing. What did this mean? Had McGee picked up on his attraction towards Gibbs or was this just his way of getting back at Tony for all the times he’d pulled a practical joke on him?
He had to think about this in the morning, after a good night’s sleep. Tucking the rest of the manuscript safely back in his pocket, Tony returned to the table, only to find Abby and McGee looking worried.
“Look, I’m sorry. I just need to take it easy this weekend, that’s all. I didn’t mean to snap at you, Tim, I’m just tired.”
“You sure, Tony?” Abby held his hand gently.
He gave her a quick kiss and got up. “I’m sure. Listen, I think I’ll take a rain check on that movie. I need to get home, get some sleep. Abby, you’ll give Tim a ride, yes?”
“Yeah, sure. Call me if ya want some company, ok?” Abby held onto his hand.
“Thanks, Abby, I’ll do that.”
He’d just reached his car when his phone rang. He flipped it open without looking at the called ID.
“Listen, Abby, I’ll be fine!”
“Glad to hear it, Tony, now get your ass over here.”
Gibbs. Shit. “You need me to come into the office, Boss? We have a case?”
“No case. My house. Now.”
The line went dead, leaving Tony staring at his phone for a moment. “He really, really needs to work on his phone manners,” he muttered, before getting in to his car.
Arriving outside Gibbs’ house he saw light blazing from every window in the house. As he walked up the driveway he noticed the door was ajar. Light streaming out fell on an overturned flowerpot on the front porch. Frowning, Tony walked into the hallway, wondering what the hell was going on.
“Gibbs?” he called, taking a couple more steps towards the living room. He froze, stunned by the sight in front of him. Shards of glass glittered everywhere. Someone had smashed the photos that usually hung on the wall, along with a couple of windowpanes in the French doors. Black rose petals were scattered all over the floor, trailing into the hall and even up the stairs.
Tony hand went for his gun when he heard a sound from the kitchen. A moment later Gibbs appeared, carrying a broom and a dustpan.
“What the hell happened here?” he exclaimed. “You ok?”
“Do I look fine, DiNozzo?” Gibbs snapped, brushing by him.
“Actually, Boss, you look like your grumpy old usual self.” Tony was too worn out to care right now.
Gibbs stopped and turned to look at him. “I’m sorry, Tony,” he said quietly. “Yeah, I’m fine, just need to fix this, that’s all.” His shoulders slumped slightly and he sat down on the couch.
“No, I’m not fine, Tony. I know who did this, that’s all.”
“Have you called the police, yet?” Tony asked, knowing the answer already.
“No…” he trailed off. “It’s my first ex-wife.”
“The one with the golf club?”
“Yeah…” Gibbs sent him a crooked smile. “That’s the one. She’s done things before, but…” he trailed off.
“It’s escalating?” Tony finished the sentence for him.
Gibbs just nodded. “She usually just calls or comes around on our anniversary to…”
“I thought that was ex-wife number three?” Tony interrupted.
Gibbs just glared at him.
“They both…oh…got it.”
Tony took a last look around the room and made up his mind. “I’m staying. Let me just get my overnight bag from the car, ok?”
“You don’t have to, you know.”
“I want to, Jethro,” Tony replied, wincing slightly at the use of his boss’ first name.
Gibbs glanced at him, giving him another smile. “I know, Tony, I know.”
Story Notes:
Hugs and thanks to TaylorGibbs for the prompts :)
Author's Chapter Notes:
Gibbs' first ex-wife is stalking him, and Tony is on protection detail the entire weekend.
Chapter End Notes:
Hugs and thanks to TaylorGibbs for the prompts :)