Introductions 5
by
Angelise
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Jethro tossed his duffle bag into the bushes bordering the front of Jack’s house. He figured the luggage would not only be safely hidden from any one walking by, but would also be readily accessible in the event that Jack threw him out on his ass.
“Here goes nothing.”
Drying his sweaty palms, Jethro made his way up the short walk and stared at the door that, hopefully, would welcome him into a future with the man inside. Of course knowing the man inside, Jethro wouldn’t be surprised if said door was slammed in his face the second its owner got a look at who was requesting admittance.
“Damn, I can’t believe how fucking nervous I am.”
A beagle puppy appeared out of nowhere and sat itself down beside Jethro’s feet. The NCIS agent spared another glance at the door before confessing to the small dog, “Haven’t been this nervous since the first time I proposed marriage, and we all know how well that turned out.”
An enthusiastic tail-wagging confirmed the truth of his last statement, and Jethro couldn’t help but smile. “Got any insight on how I should handle your master?”
The puppy seemed to examine Jethro rather closely for a few seconds before plopping down on his tummy. With a toothy grin, he then rolled over on his back and waved all four legs in the air.
Jethro considered the dog’s antics with a raised eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I go belly up? Be the bottom to his top dog? Beg for forgiveness? Shit like that?”
He was answered not only with a tail that wagged brisk enough to create a mini-hurricane, but a loud, yappy bark of agreement was thrown in as well.
“I was a first-class bastard to him,” Jethro confessed. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to grovel a bit. Especially if it’ll get my ass nailed to the floor.”
Shifting his gaze from his canine counselor to the open windows beside the door, Jethro glimpsed Jack walking into view. The sight of the man’s bare chest and his denim cut-offs had Jethro considering the option of greeting Jack on his bony knees. Not only would he be able to beg forgiveness from that position, but it would also put him in perfect alignment with Jack’s---
The ringing of a phone interrupted Jethro’s lascivious thoughts, and he shamelessly listened in on the conversation.
“Jonas, I appreciate the offer, but I’m just not interested,” Jack said.
Jethro could plainly see the look of frustration on Jack’s face and wondered about the person on the other end of the line. Whatever was being said definitely did not meet with Jack’s approval.
“Look, Jonas, the military has a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, and the information you’re requesting falls under that category.”
Jethro grinned when he saw Jack bang the cordless against his forehead.
“Yes, Dr. Jackson and I were friends,” Jack admitted. “Friends, Jonas, that’s all.”
Something about the wistful way Jack glanced at a picture frame hanging on the wall beside him had Jethro thinking that Jack wasn’t the only one with a yearning for things that could have been.
“Jonas, I gotta go. Pizza guy’s banging on my door, and if I don’t go pay him, he’ll leave and take my deep dish Super Combo with him.”
Jethro caught himself checking over his shoulder and grinned when he realized the ridiculousness of it. Hell, he was human after all, despite what those at NCIS headquarters thought to the contrary.
“Pizza would be nice, though,” he said aside to the beagle at his feet. “Think we can convince Jack to spring for one later on?”
Glancing back through the window, Jethro saw that Jack was still on the phone, and straight away figured the unknown Jonas must be from another planet. Didn’t the moron know pizza joints weren’t open this early in the morning and that Jack was lying through his teeth?
“Not a smart cookie, if you ask me,” Jethro noted, sharing his assessment with his steadfast companion.
“Yes, Jonas,” Jack replied, punctuating his statement with a very loud and drawn out sigh that clearly indicated he was reaching the end of his patience. “Teal’c is not a member of our military, and no, I don’t know if he is. Maybe that’s a question you should be asking him instead of me. Yeah, well, whatever floats your boat. Right. I understand. See ya on base.”
The noise of a car passing down the street kept Jethro from making out the name Jack called Jonas once he hung up the phone. Whatever it was, it had sounded foreign, foreign and extremely derogatory. Jethro grinned. Jonas, no doubt, was in for a major dressing down the next time he met up with Jack.
Lifting his hand to knock on the door, Jethro noticed Jack was back on the phone, and once again, he eavesdropped.
“Teal’c buddy! Jonas just called, and it looks like he’s trying to score some ass. Hate to say it, but you’re next on his list. Excuse me? It is not my fault you were his second choice.” Smiling, Jack scratched at a patch of hair on his chest. “Jonas is a smart guy. He knows quality when he sees it.”
Jethro’s own smile widened when he saw the indignant pose Jack took, placing one hand on his hip and glaring at another picture frame that was hanging on the wall. “I resent that, Teal’c. Older men are sexy.” Jack’s glare softened, replaced by an evil grin. “I want video of that. Can you imagine the look on Jonas’ face when you whip out your---”
Jack turned suddenly, and from the shocked expression on his face, Jethro knew he had been made. The man’s gaze turned lethal, causing Jethro to instinctively take a step back. Unfortunately, this put him in the direct path of his canine companion and the caterpillar he was now following across the stoop.
“Oh shit!”
Jethro ended up flat on his back in the grass with his now floppy-eared nurse conferring upon him a slobbery dose of TLC. “Cut it out, will ya?” he groused good-naturedly.
A large shadow slid over Jethro and blocked out the morning sun. Its presence warned him that his imminent future was about to be decided, and he almost didn’t look up. Finally he did, and blazing brown eyes pinned him in place, their intensity stealing his breath and kicking his heart into overdrive.
“Don’t you think it’s a little bit late to be throwing yourself at my feet, Special Agent Gibbs?” Jack asked sarcastically.
Wisely keeping his mouth shut, Jethro looked his fill of the handsome Air Force Colonel. He felt a stirring, not in his groin as was to be expected, but in his heart and again cursed himself for rejecting Jack’s offer of love.
Jethro took a deep breath, and after wiping the dog slobber from his face, grinned at the older man. “Personally, I’d rather throw myself in your bed, but you’ve got to let me through the front door first.”
“And just why should I do that?”
Jethro held up a hand in an attempt to keep the first layer of skin intact on his right cheek.
“Go home, Samson,” Jack instructed the beagle and nudged him away from Jethro with his foot.
The puppy playfully nipped at Jack’s bare toes but quickly changed his mind about disobeying when Jethro swatted his behind. With a wounded glance at both men, Samson took off as ordered.
“Thanks,” Jethro said. “His kisses were getting a little too wet for my taste.”
Jack stared down at him for a full five seconds before asking, “And just what kind of kisses do you like?”
Jethro didn’t hesitate one iota. “Yours.”
“Yeah, right. Tell me another one, Gibbs.”
Jack turned and walked back inside, leaving the front door wide open. Jethro took that as a good sign and scrambled to his feet. Sparing a moment to verify Samson had safely made his way home, Jethro then cautiously entered the open door. He stood on the threshold examining the collection of fishing magazines thrown haphazardly across the top of a wooden bookcase. It wasn’t until Jack passed by him on his way to the living room that Jethro moved further inside. Following after his reluctant host, Jethro found Jack lounging on the couch with two beers sitting on the coffee table in front of him.
Looking across at the matching chairs that faced the couch, Jethro considered sitting in one of them. It would provide him with an unobstructed view of Jack’s muscular chest, and who in their right mind wouldn’t want to gaze at that? Jethro took a step in the direction of the chairs but then glanced down and saw how Jack was sprawled on the cushions with his left hand resting beside him palm side up. He was immediately struck with the ludicrous notion of holding hands with the man, and that thought alone decided his mind for him.
“Right,” he murmured.
Taking a seat on the couch beside Jack, Jethro dropped his right hand so that it landed next to Jack’s left. He sat there, silently staring out the windows across from him. Every few seconds he would arbitrarily brush a finger against Jack’s hand, but other than that, he kept absolutely still. No use antagonizing Jack any more than necessary.
Several minutes of complete silence had passed before Jethro felt it safe enough to talk. His assessment of the situation was furthered strengthened by the fact that his ass was still planted on the couch and not making nice with the freshly mown lawn outside. A frown briefly appeared on his face. Knowing his recent run of luck, all of that could change the second he opened his mouth.
‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ Jethro thought ironically, and after taking another deep breath, quietly announced, “Melissa kicked me out of the house last night.”
“Good for her.” Jack reached for one of the two beers and handed it to Jethro. “Finally, a Gibbs with good sense.”
Jethro ignored the sarcasm but not the fingers that lingered on his a second longer than acceptable. His breath hitched, and he had to swallow hard in order to speak. “It . . . um, it seems she took offense to me calling her by someone else’s name when we made love.”
“Ya think?” Jack collected the remaining bottle of beer and took a healthy swallow. “Must have been hell for her.”
“I beg your pardon. There have never been any complaints in that department,” Jethro testily answered in his defense. He saw Jack cut his eyes sideways at him while raising a quizzical eyebrow. Jethro retracted his last statement with a wry grin, “Okay, okay. At least not until recently,”
Another silence took hold, and this time Jethro took advantage of the quiet by grabbing a short cat nap while Jack contemplated the remains of his beer.
He was dog tired, having been on the go from the moment he had left his home with a sleepy Ducky in tow. His friend had not only volunteered Jack’s home address, but had also gone as far as to take care of the travel arrangements while Jethro was busy securing time off.
The second that Jethro had clicked off his cellphone, Ducky handed him the printed confirmations for both his flight and the rental car he would need to navigate the city of Cheyenne, Colorado. After a quick shower, shave and change of clothes, Jethro was out the door. The only time he had stopped and actually considered the wisdom of showing up on Jack’s doorstep unannounced was when he was sipping from a large, steaming cup of coffee while waiting for his connecting flight to be called.
Jethro had weighed the pros and cons of his rash decision and found he really didn’t care that the cons outnumbered the pros. His heart said ‘go,’ and it went without saying that his body was in complete agreement.
In Jack’s bed, in his arms and in his ass was where Jethro wanted to be, and only a planetary invasion by aliens would keep him from accomplishing that task. Come sundown, Jethro Leroy Gibbs would either be fucking or being fucked by the one and only Jack O’Neill.
Jethro cracked one eye open and checked the position of the shadows chasing across the backyard he could glimpse through the windows. Assured that there was still plenty of time before he needed to put his plan into action, he finished off his beer and snuggled further down in the cushions.
The act of someone plucking the bottle from his lax grip woke Jethro, and he yawned before casting his eyes in Jack’s direction. He found the gray-haired man exactly as he was before going asleep, sprawled comfortably in the corner of the couch. There was one difference though, Jethro noted upon further examination. Jack’s narrowed gaze appeared to be focused on the area when their hands lay side by side and just to be sure, Jethro hooked Jack’s pinky finger with his own. The swift intake of air from the man beside him verified his assumption.
‘Now this I could grow to like.’ Closing his eyes, Jethro left their fingers connected and drifted back to sleep.
The next time he woke, Jack’s backyard was almost completely taken over by shadows. “Time to test the waters,” he thought.
Turning his head slightly to the side, Jethro gazed at Jack and surprisingly, found him asleep. Their fingers were still entwined, and the emotions that discovery evoked warmed Jethro’s heart immensely. ‘So far, so good.’
Jethro let his gaze roam lazily over Jack’s body, and he couldn’t help but moan when his eyes located the frayed spot on Jack’s cut-offs. It was located to the left of the zipper’s base and was held together with only two thick threads of denim. Jethro swore he saw naked flesh and not underwear material through the hole, and the thought of Jack going commando had Jethro’s dick coming up fast and hard.
Tempted as all get out, Jethro was actually contemplating an investigation of the area when Jack unexpectedly spoke up.
“You plan on telling me whose name you’ve been hollering during those make-out sessions with your wife?”
Jethro tore his eyes away from the growing bulge in Jack’s shorts and lifted them to stare at the side of its owner’s face. “I thought you were smarter than that, O’Neill. Do I really need to say the name out loud?”
“Hell, yes,” Jack replied without looking at him. “I want to hear you say it. I want to hear the name of the person you want more than your wife. I want to hear the name of the person you should have been fucking all these months. I want to hear the name of the person you need more than anybody else in this world.”
Jack turned his head and looked straight at Jethro. “Say it, Gibbs. Say the name.”
Jethro let go of Jack’s hand and proceeded to clamber across him, straddling his narrow hips while reaching up to pinch at both his nipples. “You asshole,” he muttered.
Lowering his head, Jethro whispered in the man’s left ear. “Jack. The name I’ve yelled, whispered and moaned was . . . Jack.”
Jethro sank his teeth into the stubble-covered jaw closest to him. “Jack, Jack, Jack,” he murmured between bites.
His hair was grabbed hard and his head forced back, pulling him away from the mouth he so badly wanted to consume. Jethro yelped in pain. “What the fu---”
“Tell me this isn’t a one time deal, Gibbs, ‘cause if you’re just satisfying an itch, your ass is out of here.” Jack stood abruptly and dumped Jethro on the coffee table behind him.
Jethro quickly jumped to his feet when his butt took immediate offense to the unyielding wood surface it was resting upon. “By now my wife has no doubt called her lawyer and arranged for a speedy divorce.”
Having no qualms whatsoever about invading Jack’s personal space, Jethro moved so that they were standing nose to nose. “Instead of trying to reconcile with Melissa,” he continued coolly, “I’m standing here with you, thinking of nothing else but you and how much I need you to fuck me. What does that say?”
“It tells me your ass wants dick. That’s all.”
Jethro was shoved aside, and this time his backside connected with the soft cushions of the couch. He watched as Jack stormed across to the windows that looked out over the backyard. The man lifted his arms and slapped his hands against the glass, glaring at something Jethro couldn’t see. Seconds passed before Jack spoke again.
“I’m not going back inside the closet for you, Gibbs. If you come to my bed, you come as a man who’s accepted he’s gay and is willing to live openly as one. I lived the lie too long, and it cost me a relationship that could have been it for me. So, Special Agent Jethro Gibbs, I’ll ask you one more time. Is this a one time deal or are you in it for the long haul?”
Needy brown eyes zeroed in on Jethro, begging him to offer up the right answer.
There was no hesitation in Jethro’s mind. He knew the answer, his heart knew the answer, and he was ready to commit to the lonely man standing before him.
Rising to his feet, Jethro methodically stripped off his clothes. He then walked toward Jack, the freedom of truly accepting who he was nearly making him feel as if he was walking on air. The sway of his genitals, the contraction and relaxation of the muscles in his legs, the breeze from the ceiling fan above caressing his hardening nipples -- all of it was fucking liberating, and Jethro savored each step that brought him closer to the one he loved.
“This is not a one time deal,” he announced in a strong voice that dared the man listening to the dangers of contradicting him. “Although you may, after a while, wished it had been,” Jethro declared with a small smile of irony. “I am, after all, a hardnosed bastard who is quite set in his ways. Not exactly the easiest person to live with or so I’ve been told.”
Jack turned and faced Jethro. “I think I can deal with that. It’s not like I haven’t had firsthand knowledge of such a person.”
Jethro chuckled. “Good to hear.”
His eyes never wavering from the blazing gaze devouring his nakedness, Jethro knelt before Jack and kissed the arrow of dark hair that disappeared into the low-riding cut-offs.
“Love me, Jack,” he pleaded. “Love me until the day they bury my sorry ass in the ground at Arlington.”
End of chapter 5
Author's Chapter Notes:
Jethro takes a trip to Colorado.