The Handyman's Dream
Chapter 2 - The Proposition
Tony stood in the upstairs hallway with feet clad on heavy wool socks, wearing overcoat, corduroy trousers and two layers of sweaters. He peered into Gibbs' bedroom. One bedside lamp was alight, casting a warm glow across the large bed. Sheets, blankets and an old quilt were in a jumble, a sign of Gibbs' hurried exit earlier when he'd heard Tony entering his house uninvited. Tony leaned forward but couldn’t catch a glimpse of the older man. He must have gone into the bathroom.
The door to the smaller bedroom opposite was open so Tony meandered in, flipping on the light switch. The single bed looked cold and uninviting and, indeed, the temperature of the room was much cooler than the rest of the house. Tony removed his overcoat, glad in a way that his dick was also reacting to the cold because the last thing he wanted was for Gibbs to find out how attracted he was to him. It was nothing new.
Tony sighed. It seemed that he was forever covering up his wayward dick, like a teenage McStiffie toting around a big notebook for a shield. The knapsack he carried to the crime scenes had come in handy three times in this week alone. The colder the weather became the hotter Gibbs seemed to get.
He dropped his shoes by the door next to a couple of cardboard boxes and Gibbs' large red metal toolbox. It appeared that the room was being used for storage space. Leaving the door to the hall open, Tony removed his overcoat and prepared for bed. He might have to keep his remaining clothes on if he couldn't set the heat a little higher. His nose was already freezing. What was Gibbs thinking of, keeping the guest room so damned cold? At this rate the pipes would freeze. There was a thermostat on the wall but it was set at 60 so that wasn't the problem. Tony inspected the radiator and saw the valve wasn't fully open, discovered it was too stiff to open by hand. He went to the toolbox, removed the top tray and rummaged around in the lower section where the bigger tools were kept. He found a wrench that he hoped would do the trick. Tony had just crouched down to adjust the valve when the door opened.
"What, are you now…my handyman?" Gibbs asked with displeasure dripping from his every word.
"Look, boss, I've been cold for hours and all I want is a little bit of warmth, all right? I'm not asking for too much, am I?" Shoot, that came out all wrong. "Is this radiator broken or something?" Tony looked from the radiator over to Gibbs and found the glare being leveled at him disconcerting, as always. But there was something else there. Speculation? Gibbs' eyes dropped and Tony was taken aback. Gibbs never backed down.
Gibbs stared at the open toolbox. "Yeah, the radiator's broken. You can't fix it so leave it alone, DiNozzo, before you make it worse."
Tony stood slowly, wrench in his hand, and tried to decipher what the hell was going on. "I've worked on the heating in my own place, you know. If I didn't I'd be an icicle by now," he said lightly. Gibbs' expression now revealed nothing other than a cool look that matched the weather. Tony lifted the top tray of the toolbox and replaced the wrench in the lower compartment alongside a hammer, various screwdrivers and other tools. Gibbs reached down at the same time to close the toolbox but between them they jostled it and the shallow top tray upended its contents on the wooden floor. Gibbs quickly scooped up washers and screws and various unidentifiable bits and pieces and dropped them back in the toolbox. The metal lid closed with a firm clank.
Tony glanced over at Gibbs' and was surprised to see his cheeks were flushed. If he hadn't known better he would have thought the man was nervous. Then the toolbox was latched and shoved back and out of the way with Gibbs saying, "Didn't know I was going to have a guest. In here," he ordered with a jerk of his thumb.
Tony shrugged and followed Gibbs across the hall and into the master bedroom. It took a moment for it to sink in that Gibbs was indicating he should get into the big bed. Tony gulped - he was being invited to sleep in Gibbs' bed. Gibbs got in first on the near side, pillows propped up behind his head, and watched with barely disguised interest as his visitor undressed. Feeling awkward under the scrutiny, Tony slowly removed his bulky hand-knit angora sweater to reveal another lightweight one in a green that matched his eyes, which he left on. He slipped his cords off but kept on his long silk underwear, aware that his boss was looking him over as if he was weighing him up. Still cold, Tony left his socks on.
"Light heavyweight," Tony quipped about his weight. "Not that I box much, as you know. I've thought of joining a fight club, though, to take out my frustrations in bare-knuckle street fights. Like Tyler Durden said, 'Fight Club was the beginning, now it's moved out of the basement, it's called Project Mayhem.' Considering all the crap that's gone wrong in my apartment, maybe that's what I'll name it. What do you think?"
"I think I you don't shut up and get into bed there's gonna be mayhem right here and now, Tony."
Tony clambered over Gibbs' legs and got under the covers. He pulled the quilt up to his chest and smiled. "Ahhh, you kept the bed warm for me. Thanks."
Gibbs snorted and turned off his bedside lamp. He'd left a nightlight on in the connecting bathroom so after a while, when his eyes had adjusted, Tony could see quite well.
Tony felt every bounce of the mattress as the man beside him shifted his weight and settled down to sleep facing away. Inhaling deeply, Tony smiled. The smell was all Gibbs, a warm, musky scent with an overlay of fresh pine wood shavings, a little sweat and a hint of his pasta dinner and some beer. After-dinner coffee, too.
Tony lay there indulging in a little fantasy that involved Gibbs wearing a big fuzzy sweater and nothing else until he was interrupted by the feeling that he was being watched. Cracking open one eye Tony was startled to find that Gibbs had rolled onto his back, and was looking intently at him. Tony wondered if he'd been making noises or something to disturb his boss. Not knowing what to say, Tony settled for a simple, "Night." He expected Gibbs to turn away but instead the older man shifted onto his hip and faced him.
Gibbs asked considerately, "You're warm now?"
"Mmm. Nice." Tony yawned.
"You were dreaming?"
His eyes opened wider at that. "I wasn't asleep."
"Day-dreaming, then."
As if he was going to tell Gibbs that he was prominently featured in all of his dreams lately. "It's cold tonight," Tony said, making a big show of pulling the covers higher over his shoulder.
"Going down to five below, they say."
With a shudder, Tony said, "Good time to wear big fuzzy sweaters. I'd like to see you in one." Shit, now what made him say that aloud?
Gibbs was quiet for a moment then he slipped out of bed and came back with Tony's discarded heavyweight angora sweater in his hand. "Like this one?" At Tony's nod, Gibbs sat on his side of the bed and stripped off his t-shirt, exposing a chest covered in gray hair. Tony caught a glimpse of dark nipples perking up in the cold air before Gibbs pulled the sweater over his head.
Tony closed his mouth and feasted his eyes on the view of his fantasy-in-the-making. God, the man was hot and he was wearing his fuzzy sweater! At that moment Tony vowed he would never get that sweater cleaned, not ever again. When he wore it, maybe to bed, it would be like wearing Gibbs. Something touched his foot under the covers and he realized it was Gibbs' bare foot, exploring.
Gibbs pulled the covers up to his waist, leaving plenty of sweater-clad chest visible. "You've got socks on?"
His feet had finally warmed up but Tony wondered where the hell this was leading. "I can take them off now."
"No…I like the feel of them." As if to prove his point Gibbs dragged his toes along Tony's instep and up his ankle, pulling a shiver out of him.
When Gibbs' foot stroked up the back of his calf Tony made a purring sound. "My sweater looks good on you, boss." Normally in this kind of situation he'd be about to have sex with the man he was playing footsie with in bed, but this was Gibbs, after all. What was this leading to, if anything?
The corner of Gibbs' mouth pulled up in a small smile and his eyes twinkled. "Is this what you were imagining earlier?"
Tony looked away and picked at the quilt. "Sort of."
"Sort of? Have I got it wrong?"
Gibbs was looking at him so intently that Tony could barely meet his eyes. After a moment Tony mumbled, "In my dream you were wearing only the sweater."
"Ah." Gibbs nodded, then sat up and fumbled around under the covers. The mattress bounced a bit and when he withdrew his hand he was holding his bunched-up pajama bottoms aloft. "Done." He tossed them onto the floor and sat there, all warm and fuzzy from waist up and naked below the covers. "Is that better?"
Tony's heart sped up. Oh my God. Gibbs was wearing his sex-kitten sweater like it was the most natural thing in the world. Tony knew his eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was hanging open but he couldn't figure out why this was happening. What on earth had made Gibbs become so accommodating? Was he truly being receptive or was this a trap of some sort? He couldn’t possibly be reading the signals wrong. Tony swallowed hard. "B…boss?"
"Gibbs. Or Jethro," he instructed with an inviting smile.
"Okaaay…Jethro," Tony said cautiously.
Gibbs leaned over Tony's reclining form, framing his body with his arms. The older man's smile faded and his brows drew together. He studied Tony intently. "Are you all flirt and no action, Tony? 'Cause if I got the wrong idea here, we can just go to sleep and forget about this. It'll end here and we'll never mention it again. Do you want this or not?"
"No…I mean yes! And no, I don't want to sleep." He had a close-up view of Gibbs mouth and without meaning to he licked his own lips in anticipation. Then a thought struck him. "Wait a minute, when did I flirt?"
Gibbs' head went back as he laughed loudly. "Oh, Tony, you're one big come-on. All day long. You flirt with every woman that walks by and half the men, too. You toss out smiles and play around with everyone but so far you've had a free ride. Nobody's taken you seriously, made you work for it, have they?" He grew serious and moved his mouth within an inch of Tony's. "Well now your time's up, Tony. It's payday and I'm here to collect." Gibbs' naked thigh pressed insistently against Tony's leg under the mound of sheets and blankets.
Tony slid his hand up Gibbs' arm, enjoying the feeling of the hard muscle and bone underneath the soft angora sweater. He met those all-too-blue eyes, taking in the offer, the promise of things to come. Tony's gaze slipped down to the man's mouth, his own lips opening slightly in invitation, and then he was crushed in an embrace from which he hoped he would never break free.
** end chapter 2**
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