Chapter 9
"Get up, you little shit!"
Tony tried to move, but he couldn't get his body to obey. Someone was holding him down, not letting go.
"Bones, enough," a gruff voice ordered.
A moment later he was hauled to his feet and pushed into a chair, his hands cuffed behind his back. A bright flash caught his eye, and he watched in horror as a man wielding a long-bladed knife came closer, a menacing smile twisting his crooked mouth.
"We want Agent Gibbs," he said. "You're gonna call him right now and get him down here."
Tony groaned as the one called Bones removed the cuffs. Pain shot through his cramping shoulders and he moved them around a little, trying to alleviate the throbbing. Gibbs? They wanted Gibbs? He couldn't. He had to keep Gibbs safe, no matter what. An impotent rage welled up inside him.
"No," Tony yelled. "I won't. I'd rather die before I call Gibbs."
A moment later he found himself lying stretched out on a wooden table, his arms tied over his head. His father came into his field of vision, looking annoyed. "Why can't you ever do what's expected of you, Tony. You're such a disappointment to me and your mother. A glorified cop, that's all you are. You think that badge will make people respect you? That's not the measure of a man. What have you ever amounted to? No wife, no family." His father disappeared, only to be replaced by the man with the knife again.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Tony cried out in pain as the unknown man cut him across his chest. Blood trickled slowly down his side and he was suddenly lying in a hospital bed, his hands in restraints. A bright light flashed in the room and a man dressed in a silvery uniform appeared by his side.
"I'm Commander Tomalak of the Romulan vessel Valdore," he announced. "Gibbs is to stand before the High Council, to answer for his crimes against the Romulan Praetor Colious."
"What? No, this is not making any sense! Gibbs would never…" Tony closed his eyes for a moment, needing to clear his head. Think, DiNozzo. What would Gibbs do? He was jolted out of his thoughts by a cool cloth on his forehead. Thomas Magnum was leaning against the bed, wringing out a washcloth as he studied their surroundings.
"What's your ingenious plan, Tony? How're you gonna save Gibbs, huh? Should I call TC, see if he can fly us out of here?"
"Unbuckle me now, before they return!" Tony ordered, struggling to get free. The restraints fell away and he swung his legs off the table.
"Not so fast, Agent DiNozzo." Tony whirled around. There was a man sitting in a chair by the window, his face shrouded in the shadows. A white cat was sleeping in his lap and he stroked its fur absently.
"Gibbs is still alive and Domino is not yet in our possession. I've negotiated with the Romulans for its return, settled a price and S.P.E.C.T.R.E always delivers what it promises. The survival of our organization depends on us delivering." He paused as the cat stretched leisurely and jumped down on the floor.
"You can't have Gibbs!" Tony screamed.
"Is that so, Agent DiNozzo. Two minutes. You either give us Gibbs or you will die."
"Kill me now, then," Tony said intently, "I'll NEVER betray Gibbs."
"Really? What do you call me then?" Jeanne stepped into the room, holding the white cat in her arms. "I will have my revenge, Tony. Your punishment will be living out the rest of your life, knowing you failed Gibbs, sent him to his death. The only person you've ever loved will be dead, Tony, by your hand."
A door opened and two men walked in, dragging a man between them. Tony couldn't see his face, but that didn't matter. Gibbs. They had Gibbs. The front of his shirt was covered in blood and his left leg was hanging at an awkward angle. They stopped in front of Tony and Jeanne grabbed Gibbs' hair, pulling back his head. A gun had appeared in her hand, pointed at Gibbs.
"Who's gonna save you now, Tony?" Jeanne asked before pulling the trigger. A warm spray of blood hit his face and he could feel his knees buckling.
"No!" he wailed, before everything went dark.
********
A pained whimper roused Gibbs from his light slumber. His back objected loudly as he straightened in his seat, trying to wake up without jostling Tony too much. He'd slumped against Gibbs in his sleep, and was plastered up against his left side. Tony had a pained expression on his face, and he was moving about restlessly, mumbling in his sleep.
"You can't have Gibbs!" Tony suddenly cried out, his hand gripping Gibbs' thigh, digging in. Tony was clearly having a nightmare, one involving him by the sounds of it.
"Tony, it's ok. It's only a dream, you're safe. We're all safe," Gibbs said calmly, leaning in close. He reached out and stroked Tony's arm soothingly.
Tony stopped thrashing around for a few moments, his hold on Gibbs letting up slightly. He looked confused and scared, making Gibbs wonder if Tony was dreaming about his beating. Things had gone smoothly after the attack, too smoothly. He should have made Tony talk about it; instead he'd wasted his chance, attacking Tony when he should have been supporting him. Tony tensed up again, a look of abject horror on his face.
"No!" he screamed, sitting up abruptly. His eyes were wild as they scanned the room. Tony became aware of Gibbs and a look of relief flitted across his face. He reached out, cupped his hand around Gibbs' neck and drew him close. For a dizzying moment Gibbs thought Tony was going to kiss him, but instead he just leaned in, resting his forehead against Gibbs' and held still. Gibbs felt relief and an unexpected sense of disappointment.
"I thought I'd lost you," Tony whispered. Gibbs could feel him tremble, shivers running through his body. He felt cold and clammy, and Gibbs tried to pull away to find a blanket for Tony.
"Lie back, I'll get you a blanket."
Tony tightened his grip on Gibbs, took a couple of shaky breaths and finally released him. When Gibbs returned with an afghan, he seemed to have regained some of his composure.
"I'm sorry; Boss. That was stupid of me, reacting like that. It just felt so real, even though it made no sense at all."
"Don’t apologise, Gibbs said firmly, "I've had my share of nightmares, Tony; I know what it's like." He carefully draped the blanket around Tony, making sure not to hurt his leg.
"I'll never watch another movie again," Tony said wryly.
"Why?" Gibbs asked, wondering where that came from.
"My nightmare," Tony answered. "An impressive parade of movie villains, with an added dash of personal failures and you, the one they all wanted."
"Me? Who did I piss off?" Gibbs said, smiling as he sat back down.
"I'm not sure, something about the Romulans."
"Who?" The name meant nothing to Gibbs.
"Star Trek, a sci fi series," Tony explained.
"Ah," Gibbs replied, not really any wiser. "Want something to drink?"
"Beer?" Tony said hopefully, smiling innocently at Gibbs.
Gibbs laughed out loud. "You think that smile's gonna work on me?"
"Fine, a Coke, then," Tony replied, sounding none too happy about it.
Gibbs smiled fondly and walked into the kitchen. Spotting his cell phone on the kitchen counter, he glanced at the time. Ducky would be home and enjoying a whiskey by the fire by now. He just needed to a quick word about Tony's dream.
Ducky offered his reassurances and after getting a promise of a house call the following morning, Gibbs grabbed a Coke for Tony and more coffee for himself before returning to the living room. He made a beeline for the stereo, where he searched through the stack of CDs he'd picked up at Tony's apartment, found one he recognized and put it on.
"Johnny Cash? You like his music, Boss?"
"We're off the clock now, Tony, you can call me Jethro." Tony glanced at him, then just smiled and closed his eyes, looking more relaxed than Gibbs had seen him for a long time. Gibbs hadn't meant to say anything, but suddenly it felt important to let Tony know they weren't just boss and second in command here. They were…..Gibbs paused as he thought about their relationship. He remembered what Ducky had said, that he should look anew on his relationship with Tony, get to know him on a different level. He didn't exactly know what Tony meant to him, but he had to admit that his reaction when Tony had been injured suggested he had grown close to him. He wasn't ready to examine just how close he felt to Tony. Gibbs relaxed back into the couch, allowing the music to wash over him.
They sat quietly, not needing to talk or even think much. Gibbs found himself in the mellow, easy mood he often seemed to be in when alone with Tony. It was effortless and comfortable.
A few hours later he helped Tony to bed, making sure he had all he needed for the night. After placing a glass of water and the painkillers within easy reach, Gibbs placed an extra pillow behind Tony's head. He glanced up at Gibbs and smiled, as if Tony couldn't quite believe Gibbs cared this much.
The open, happy smile struck a cord in Gibbs, one long buried, forgotten during years in the service. It shot right through his defenses, struck him hard and unexpected, a once silent need flaring brightly deep within.
He couldn't do this. He could not be falling for Tony. There was no way. Gibbs nodded goodnight and made his way upstairs. As soon as he walked into his bathroom, he stripped out of his clothes, throwing them in the hamper as he undressed. Stepping into the shower, he turned on the water, adjusting the temperature to his liking. Bracing his arms against the wall he let the water pummel down on his back, feeling his muscles slowly relax. He refused to think about his, well, Ducky would probably refer to it as an epiphany, while Abby would probably squeal a lot, before going "aaaaw!"
He grabbed a bar of soap and started washing efficiently, as he always did. As he slid his hands across his chest his mind filled with the image of Tony, sitting naked in his shower, water rivuleting down his back, almost caressing his body as it made its way down to his ass. Remembering how that firm ass had looked as Tony stepped into the shower made his dick twitch and it filled out and lengthened.
"Traitor," he mumbled, as he looked down at his semi erect dick.
Unable to resist any longer, Gibbs filled his right hand with liquid soap and reached down to drag his slick fist slowly down the hardening length of his erection. He moaned quietly as he allowed himself to give in to the needs of his body and the images in his mind. Gibbs felt his cock pulse in his grip and a little spurt of pre-come oozed out of the tip as he remembered what it felt like to let his hands slide over Tony's body. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the shower wall, wondering what it would feel like to hold Tony close, to feel a warm body against his own, to kiss those full lips, hear Tony moan against his mouth as they moved against each other.
Gibbs' hand was moving constantly over his cock now â€" jacking himself almost desperately as the fantasy seeped into the present, becoming something he yearned, something that was within his reach. Gibbs could see Tony clearly now in his mind's eye. Stripped of his clothes, smiling mischievously at Gibbs, the thought made Gibbs tighten the grip on his cock as he pictured a chest with strong muscles and whorls/twirls of dark hair. Gibbs brought up his free hand to trail it over his own chest.
He teased his right nipple first, twisting it lightly with his fingers before dragging his nails over the nub. Moaning quietly, he moved over and treated his other nipple to the same procedure, his hips jerking forward into his fist as a jolt of pure pleasure shot from his nipples straight down to his cock. In his mind, the hands on his body were Tony's, wanting him, needing him as much as he needed Tony right now.
Gibbs let his head rest against the cool tiles of the shower as pleasure continued to mount. He could feel the burning coil of ecstasy curling tighter and tighter with each stroke. His hand slid over the throbbing shaft, gripping tightly, twisting on each down stroke and smearing his length with the pre-come which was seeping copiously from the head of his cock. Gibbs reached down, rolling his balls in his hand as he slowed things down. He wanted this to last; it had been too long since he'd done this, focusing on his body's needs instead of his work. Gibbs was just stroking himself lazily now, focusing on the sensations cursing/rushing through his body. If he was going to let himself indulge in a fantasy about Tony, he was at least going to make absolutely sure he could enjoy it as long as possible.
Dropping his head and letting his eyes drift closed once more, images of Tony began to dance through his mind. Tony sprawled out on his bed, naked and wanton, legs wide as he jacked his cock, watching Gibbs trough dark lashes. Tony on his hands and knees, his head resting on his arms, his hard dick bobbing as he spread his legs, getting ready for Gibbs to sink inside him.
At the thought of fucking Tony, Gibbs was panting hard, teetering on the brink of his orgasm, trying his best to hold on and prolong his pleasure for a few more moments. He tightened his fist, his hand jerking down fast and hard. In his mind it was Tony touching him, Tony's labored breathing and moans. His body clenched hard one final time and he shot all over the shower wall, gasping and groaning as everything went white and his knees gave out.
Gibbs slid down to the floor, shuddering in the aftermath of his orgasm. He let his head hang down as he focused on getting his breathing back under control. A few moments later he got up, grimacing as his knee protested loudly, before turning off the now lukewarm water. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and quickly dried off. Wrapping the towel around his waist, Gibbs wiped his hand across the steamed up mirror and was faced by his reflection. His face was flushed and his eyes dark from his recent orgasm, but he now felt conflicted as the rush of endorphins gradually receded. Gazing at his own reflection for a while longer, he slowly came to the conclusion that this was futile. Tony would never go for someone like Gibbs. He realized he had absolutely no idea if Tony even found men attractive. He knew Tony sometimes flirted with him, but flirting to Tony was like breathing, second nature done without conscious thought.
Sighing deeply, Gibbs looked at himself one last time before reaching back and slapping himself firmly at the back of his head.
"Idiot," he cursed, firmly putting Tony out of his mind.
Chapter End Notes:
A big hug and thanks to TaylorGibbs for the excellent beta :)