Introductions 8
by
Angelise
+++++++
"Shit."
Jethro stared at the name on the employment file lying directly in the middle of his desk. Countless minutes ticked by while he contemplated the trouble Fate had just dropped in his lap.
Trouble that was spelled with a capital ‘T.’ Capital T… O… N… Y, to be exact.
Tony from Baltimore. The very enthusiastic, the very sexy Tony DiNozzo from Baltimore.
"Shit."
Jethro sat down and slid one finger along the open edge of the folder, sliding it up and down, over and over. Of all the people in the world to apply for a position at NCIS, it had to be him. Tony with the unforgettable eyes and the even more unforgettable mouth.
Leaning back in his chair, he contemplated the ceiling. "Why? Why?" Jethro asked the tiles above him. "Just when things are going right for me." Closing his eyes, the NCIS agent counted off his list of recent accomplishments. "One, believe it or not, I’ve got my act together; I’m finally comfortable with who I am."
"Two, I’ve found a man who cares about me despite the fact that I’m a first-class bastard. Despite the fact that it’s taken me nearly forty years to get my gay ass out of the closet." Jethro straightened in his chair and pulled out his wallet. He easily liberated the picture Ducky had given him several months ago. It was a photo of a much younger Jack O’Neill. The man stood with one arm slung around Ducky's shoulders, and both were laughing.
Jethro focused his gaze on Jack’s smiling lips. Seconds passed as he remembered the last time he enjoyed the unique flavor of those particular lips. To put it honestly, Jack’s mouth was lethal. One kiss and Jethro, nine times out of ten, was hauling his lover to the nearest horizontal surface. It was almost as if he was making up for lost time, he was so sexually charged. Needless to say, Jack was always willing to assist him in this endeavor.
Jethro allowed himself a small smile.
Despite the fact that they were both Alpha males, the two of them actually meshed well together. Jack’s openness about his sexuality helped Jethro deal with his reticence. He truly appreciated the fact that Jack was comfortable with being gay. Hell, to be honest, he secretly envied the man. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in his nature, and he couldn’t even begin to explain how relieved he was to discover Jack didn’t actually visit ‘Tommy’s’ on a regular basis. The openly gay bar had been a real eye-opener for Jethro, to say the least.
‘I only go when I feel the need to get down and dirty,’ Jack had explained. ‘Yes, I’m out of the closet and yes, my closest friends know about it. But unlike you, I am still in the military, and despite evidence to the contrary, I’m not as stupid as I look or act. I definitely understand the consequences of being a gay man in a straight man’s army.’
‘Of course,’ Jack had gone on to say with a gleam of mischief in his eyes, ‘that doesn’t mean that I won’t nail your ass to the floor on those rare occasions when I do cut loose.’
Jethro conceded the issue once he had heard Jack’s explanation. He’d even accompanied him to the gay club several months earlier when the need had overwhelmed his partner. In fact, if memory served him correctly, they were just about due for another ‘outing,’ as Jack was fond of calling it. Maybe this time round he’d be the one to suggest they make a trip to ‘Tommy’s’ for some fun and relaxation.
This time Jethro did nothing to control his grin. He did so enjoy turning the tables on his lover. Jack was always encouraging him to ‘step out of the box,’ ‘to loosen up.’ Maybe it was time to do just that.
"Four days and counting, Fly Boy," Jethro promised the photo.
Shifting in his chair, he noticed the crotch of his slacks was suddenly a little too snug for comfort, and he hastily replaced Jack’s photo in his wallet. Out of sight but definitely not out of mind, Jethro silently apologized to his lover’s picture.
"Moving on. Three," he announced with gusto, "my divorce is final. I’m a free man, free to openly pursue a relationship with the one, the only, Jack O’Neill."
His smile slipped a bit when he thought of their future. His relationship with Jack was putting a strain on his wallet and his body. More often than he cared to count, it was he who was taking the red-eye to Colorado every month or so. Jack, because of his current assignment, was nearly always on-call and couldn’t just pick up and fly to D.C. whenever he wanted to visit his ‘boyfriend.’
"I swear if you ever call me ‘boyfriend’ while out in public, I’ll kick your ass clear down to Mexico." Jethro flexed the thigh muscles of his right leg in anticipation and groaned when they protested the move. The memory of why his thigh muscles were sore prompted him to groan again.
He and Jack were too damn old to be making out like teenagers, but that was exactly how the two of them were acting. No doubt the strain on his body was largely due to the fact that the majority of their time together was spent naked in bed, fucking their brains out. Jack was insatiable, and Jethro wasn’t sure his old bones could handle all the ‘O’Neill loving’ his lover was determined to lay on him.
Not only that but his job had begun to suffer and that was something Jethro could not allow to continue. Therefore, whether Jack liked it or not, the consequences of their long-distance love affair would be the hot topic of conversation the next time they got together.
Remembering the bags and dark circles under his eyes that had greeted him in the mirror the last time he’d returned home, Jethro made a mental note to include a pair of handcuffs when he packed for his upcoming trip. Serious conversations required serious measures, and he wasn’t above handcuffing Jack to a chair in order to accomplish that task.
"Of course once we finish our discussion, we can always use the handcuffs for other things."
Tucking away that particularly tempting idea, Jethro nodded good-night to fellow Agent Pacchi and resumed his conversation with Fate.
"Life is good. Why in God’s name do you want to screw with it now? Haven’t I been through enough?" The memories of Nathan’s suicide, the tragic death of his first wife and daughter and the failure of his subsequent two marriages -- all rose up to haunt him, and it took the arrival of the cleaning crew to pull him away from his gloomy meditation.
One glance at the folder beneath his hand instantly restored his good mood. Opening the file, he groaned when he saw the required photo attached to the first page. Anyone who had eyes could plainly see that the black and white image of Anthony DiNozzo screamed trouble. "Trouble with a capital ‘T’, remember?" Jethro whispered.
Shaking his head, he covered the photo with his hand. Why couldn’t the man’s employment picture be like everybody else’s, dreadfully hideous and totally boring? For a second, Jethro was tempted to steal the damn thing and keep it for himself. Not only was the young cop’s expression brazen as hell, but his lopsided grin was pure temptation, a temptation that both he and Jack had been unable to resist.
Memories that were triple x-rated slipped into place, and Jethro surrendered to their siren call. Slapping the file closed, he leaned back in his chair and recalled a certain up close and personal encounter with the talented Mr. DiNozzo.
***Three Months Earlier***
Jethro grunted when his head slammed into the wall. He should have protested the way he was haphazardly shoved through the back door of Jack’s house, but his mouth was completely occupied with the tongue burrowing its way inside.
Dropping his hands to Jack’s hips with the intention of pulling him closer, Jethro unexpectedly encountered a head instead of a hip. With a start, he realized his dick was plundering a pair of lips that in no way belonged to his lover.
Unwilling to give up the pleasure of Jack’s searing kisses, Jethro cast his eyes down and caught sight of a disheveled mop of hair. He also noticed a huge slab of black meat knocking against the head covered in brown hair. The size of the cock was mind-boggling, and Jethro nearly choked in disbelief when he saw it disappear completely between a pair of lips that were wet and swollen. Cool air assaulted his groin in the same instant, leading him to assume that the mouth that had been sucking his dick dry was now servicing the enormous shaft.
"Bed. Bed, Jethro," Jack mumbled against his lips, returning his attention to the matter at hand.
Jethro tore his mouth free and drew in the necessary air to live. Grappling with his unfastened jeans, he stumbled after Jack down the hallway and into the bedroom. He yelped when his lover shoved him down on the bed and then swiftly stripped him of his clothes. Naked and hard as a rock, Jethro planted his feet on the mattress and thrust his hips upward, fully exposing himself. His unspoken action did not go unheeded.
"Want some more, is that it?" Jack asked, tossing his shirt over his shoulder. Licking his lips, he shucked off his jeans and proudly presented his manhood to Jethro.
One look at the Mighty O’Neill, and Jethro was rolling over on his belly. It was his turn to bottom this go round, and so far it had been the ride of his life.
The tip of one blunt finger probed his hole and exerted a certain amount of pressure, coaxing him to his hands and knees. Jethro obeyed without question. He groaned when two more fingers wiggled their way inside his ass.
"You’re still fucking wet," Jack acknowledged.
Jethro looked over his shoulder at his lover. "I guess so," he wryly agreed. "You loaded my hole with a gallon of lube when you fucked me earlier."
Several moist kisses were planted on his left buttcheek. "Didn’t want to hurt this sweet ass of yours," Jack whispered between kisses.
Jethro clutched the hand pinching his tits. He kissed its palm. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Jack, but if you don’t fuck me again, I’m going to lay some serious hurt on *your* sweet ass."
Laughter greeted his threat.
More kisses made their way up his spine, followed by a swift bite to the back of his neck. "Hang on to that thought, babe," Jack instructed, "cause as soon as I’m finished fucking you senseless, I’m hoping you’ll return the favor."
Jack’s request caught Jethro by surprise. Normally they didn’t reverse their roles once established. Whoever was top topped for the entire weekend and whoever was bottom went ass up regardless.
Jethro felt his cock twitch in response. Hell, if Jack wanted to forfeit his position as top dog, then so be it. Certain parts of his anatomy were entirely happy with the prospect.
The three fingers that had been stretching him pulled out only to be replaced by the solid width of Jack’s erection. Jethro gnawed on his bottom lip until he felt his lover’s balls slap against his perineum. "God, Jack. You have no idea how good this feels."
"Better than before?"
One sweat-damp chest plastered itself to his back, pushing Jethro down. He spread his knees apart to accommodate the extra weight. "Shit!" he exclaimed when the new position allowed Jack to slide even further inside.
"I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’"
Jethro reached back and slapped Jack on the butt. "Move it, Fly Boy."
Sharp teeth took hold of his earlobe and nibbled on it for seconds on end. Jethro growled, "Jack, please."
Jack responded by gathering his balls in one hand while gripping his erection with the other. He then made a like a statue, which only served to drive Jethro insane.
"Move, you bastard. Fuck me. Jerk me off. Come on, Jack. Do something!"
"Your wish is my command," was hotly whispered in his ear.
Jack surged forward with what Jethro could only describe as frantic need and hot passion. His lover took him harder and deeper, driving him into the mattress repeatedly. Finally, in an effort to keep from being suffocated by the pillows beneath him, Jethro forcibly lifted himself back onto his hands and knees. The sudden move slammed his back into Jack’s chest, driving the air from his lover’s lungs and the semen from his dick. Jack roared his delight. Luckily for Jethro, his companion maintained control of his faculties long enough to accommodate his lover’s need. Jack grabbed hold of Jethro’s weeping cock and jerked on it until it spewed its steamy load all over the bed.
The last embers of his orgasm were burning themselves out by the time Jethro regained complete awareness of his surroundings. There was a delicious ache in his ass that was intensified by the liquid heat seeping from his hole. Both his shoulders smarted from the multiple bite marks scattered across them. His dick . . . Jethro looked down and found a limp noodle where there once was a raging hard-on.
Collapsing exhaustedly on the mattress, he turned his head to the side and grinned when he saw Jack lying beside him, blowing like a freight train. "Guess somebody, and I’m not mentioning any names, is just a little bit out of shape."
"Smartass," Jack wheezed.
Shifting out of the large wet spot he’d created, Jethro slid closer to his lover and carefully removed the used condom. He scooted away only long enough to locate a garbage can. Once the condom was disposed of, he pulled his incoherent lover into his arms and rubbed his hands over the muscles that were still trembling.
"You are definitely a man of your word, Jack," Jethro said with a chuckle.
Jack cracked one eye open and looked up at him. "I am?" he asked.
"Yep," Jethro answered.
Jack slid off to the side and looked long and hard at him. When his lover’s gaze traveled south, followed by his hands, Jethro groaned and spread his legs, welcoming the fingers that teased his overly-sensitive balls.
"You gonna tell me what the hell you’re talking about?" Jack asked a moment later.
"Huh?" Jethro felt himself harden again. ‘Impossible,’ he thought. No way could he be ready to go again.
Jethro looked down at his groin in amazement. Good Lord, he’d already shot his load twice and, to be honest, men his age rarely got it up a third time. At least not without a little help. Hell, he’d already increased his vitamin intake, not to mention upped the number of times he visited the gym. Maybe Ducky could offer some medical advice. The old geezer always seemed bright-eyed and bushy tail, despite his numerous romantic liaisons. Maybe he knew the secret to---
"Earth to Jethro?"
Jethro shifted his gaze from the flag pole rising from his groin to the fingers waving in front of his face. "Huh?" he repeated.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Listen carefully, Jarhead. Why . . . am I . . . a man of my word?"
Jethro grasped his lover’s roving hand and brought it to his chest, locking it in place. "You fucked me senseless, you bastard. Hell, it’s a wonder I’m making any sense at all."
"And that’s a bad thing?"
Jethro writhed when Jack attacked his tits with great enthusiasm. He was on the verge of returning the favor when an unfamiliar heat swallowed his dick. Confused as hell, he shoved Jack to the side.
"What the fuck!" he yelled when he discovered Tony kneeling between his legs. In his haste to get Jack inside his ass, Jethro had forgotten all about the other two men.
It was just after their first meeting that the young cop from Baltimore had somehow sweet-talked Jack into giving him his email address. Much to his lover’s dismay, Tony had proven to be quite the correspondent. Hardly a day went by, according to Jack, that he didn’t receive some sort of note from the boy. In fact it had gotten so bad that Jack had been forced to open a Yahoo account just for Tony.
His lover had sent him the address and password for the new email account, hoping he would help him with the deluge of messages. Jethro had taken pity on Jack. He answered one email in his no-nonsense manner, confident Tony would get the hint and curb his enthusiasm. It was a mistake he would regret for the rest of his life. Suddenly it he who was inundated with newsy emails, and Jack was more than happy to have him assume the job of correspondent. Jethro refused. In no uncertain terms he told both his lover and Tony that he was too busy to play on the internet.
Now, having said that, Jethro did somehow manage to find the time to slip downstairs to Abby’s lab at lunch and use her office computer to check in with ‘his men.’ He read each one of Tony’s letters and each one of Jack’s replies. To say he was royally pissed when Jack accidentally let it slip that the two of them were getting together was an understatement. Tony jumped on that tidbit like a dog with a bone and worried them constantly with his request for another weekend of foursome sex.
Thankfully Jack had had the decency to consult with him before giving Tony an answer. It didn’t take a genius to figure out his lover was more than willing to indulge the young man. Jethro had plainly heard the hunger in Jack’s voice as they discussed over the phone the advantages and disadvantages of participating in a foursome. Jethro had agreed only because he was still, to some extent, insecure about his relationship with Jack. He didn’t want to rock the boat so early in the game and have Jack resent his possessive nature.
Tony’s voice interrupted his reverie. "Uh huh. Oh yeah. Let’s get it on, Big Boy."
The head of the bed tilted suddenly, and the reason became apparently clear when Jethro refocused his attention and looked further down the mattress. Teal’c was directly behind Tony, and from the way his hips were pistoning back and forth, it was obvious that Jack’s friend was fucking the shit out of his partner.
"Look at him."
Jethro looked at Teal'c and wondered once again why the man insisted on wearing a t-shirt whenever they fucked. He seemed to remember Jack mumbling something about some weird scars on his abdomen. Having seen more than his fill of hideous scars during his military career, Jethro had muttered in response, "How weird can they be?"
He shifted his gaze to the strange tattoo Teal'c had on his forehead and couldn’t help but question its symbolism. He got so fixated on the damn thing that he almost missed the words being whispered in his ear.
"Watch Tony’s face," Jack instructed. "That boy was made for fucking."
Jethro obeyed without hesitation and frowned when an unwelcomed hunger to take Teal’c’s place punched him in the gut. "Jack, maybe this was a bad---"
Hands coaxed him into a sitting position, followed by arms that slipped beneath his own and lifted his butt off the mattress.
"Hold still."
The flared head of Jack’s cock breached his hole. Throwing back his head, Jethro scrunched his eyes shut and exclaimed, "Fuck!" His abused sphincter was not extremely happy about the unexpected invasion, and he hissed loudly in response to the burning sensation that traveled straight up his spine. The pain didn’t last long, and the hiss turned into a drawn-out sigh of pleasure the second Jack was fully sheathed inside his ass,
"Comfy?" his lover smugly asked.
Jethro wiggled his behind and grinned when he heard Jack choke back a groan. "Maybe that’s a question you should ask the rod rammed up my butt?"
Jack shared his laughter in a kiss that soon had Jethro struggling for air. So caught up in the voracious kiss, he totally ignored the hands bending his legs up. He did although murmur a slight complaint when his thighs were pushed open wide, and the position stretched muscles that weren’t nearly as flexible as they were during his youth.
"Look at him, babe," Jack said. "Look at the way he’s working your dick."
Jethro fought the temptation for all of ten seconds before looking. "Oh shit!"
Tony’s delectable lips were sealed to the base of his cock, not to mention the man was making the most obscene noises he had ever heard. Jethro felt himself harden even more when Jack added his fingers to the mix, slipping them in and out of Tony’s mouth, tracing the blood-red lips that glistened with a mixture of saliva and pre-seminal fluid.
"With a mouth like that I bet he could make you come just from kissing you," Jack predicted.
"Ya think?" Jethro felt Jack’s laughter against the side of his neck. He took a moment to capture his lover’s smirking lips with a kiss and moaned when the cock inside his ass significantly increased in size. "How ‘bout we test your theory."
"Oh yeah," Jack agreed.
His lover snagged Tony’s attention by pinching his nose. When the man jerked away, Jethro couldn’t help but groan in dismay at the way his hips involuntarily lifted off the mattress. He could deny it until he was red in the face, but his body knew the truth, knew how much he wanted Tony to suck him off.
"Come here, Sweetness," he heard Jack say through the haze of lust clouding his thoughts.
Tony obeyed, following after the fingers that were tugging on his chin. Teal’c also followed and did so with his cock firmly seated in his partner’s ass.
Much to his anxious delight, Jethro welcomed the temporary stop Tony made along the way. The younger man attacked both his nipples, and the enticing heat of his mouth along with the exquisite sharpness of his teeth did nothing to ease the unrelenting hunger taking hold of his senses.
"Kiss him, Tony," Jack demanded. "Kiss Jethro hard."
Jethro growled when both his mouth and his dick were taken hostage. He didn’t know who the hell was jerking him off, but it felt fucking good, as fucking good as the rod stroking its way in and out of his ass.
Returning his attention to the hijacker of his mouth, Jethro moaned gutturally. Tony couldn’t seem to make up his mind. One minute he was sucking on his tongue, the next his bottom lip. He fought for dominance and growled with delight when he won the battle. Soon he was working Tony’s mouth as hard and as furious as he was working the hand clutching his dick.
When Jack’s mouth and tongue replaced Tony’s, Jethro lost it. He gave himself over to his lover, allowing his kisses to stoke the fire. Within seconds his impending orgasm was announced by a howl of capitulation, and both Tony and Jack took proper notice. Tony swooped down and resumed ownership of his erupting dick while Jack bucked wildly beneath him, ramming his cock deep inside his ass with each thrust.
Scorching heat blistered his innards and the skin of his belly minutes after his own climax died down to a dull roar. Jethro forced open his eyes and watched Tony come. The look of pure bliss on the younger man’s face mesmerized him, and he was near to losing himself in Tony’s deep, coffee-colored eyes when Jack climaxed.
"Jethro!" his lover hollered. Jack’s cry was echoed by Tony, which caught Jethro completely by surprise. He reached for the handsome stranger, wanting nothing more than to pull him into his arms. His hand never made contact.
"DiNozzo, it is time," Teal’c announced.
Jethro fully expected Jack’s friend to let loose an ear-splitting roar and was somewhat disappointed when all he got was a low-pitch grunt. Tony on the other hand did not disappoint him. The handsome stranger more than made up for Teal’c’s subdued vocal response. By the time the dark-skinned giant emptied his load, Tony was a blithering idiot.
"Oh yeah. Fuck yeah. Uh huh. Hammer my ass, King Kong. Hammer hard, ham---WHOO HOOO!"
Without warning Tony was pulled into an upright kneeling position and locked tight against Teal’c’s wide chest. He immediately made like a leech and did his best to lay a serious hickey on his new lover’s neck.
Jethro found the sight unbelievably arousing, but his not so little soldier was down for the count. Damn thing didn’t even twitch when he saw the rivulets of semen running down the insides of Tony’s muscular thighs.
"Jack, next time you suggest a foursome remind me to . . . Jack?" Jethro looked over his shoulder when his human back support fell away and discovered his lover was out like a light. He turned to share his amusement with his other two companions and found them asleep on the floor, curled around each other under the mound of blankets Jack had tossed there earlier.
"Why am I the only one still awake?" he asked the ceiling above him.
Easing away from Jack’s lax body, Jethro again handled the condom disposal detail. A quick trip to the bathroom took care of the semen drying on his abdomen and seeping from his hole. Semi-clean, he returned to bed, pulled a mumbling Jack into his arms and slipped into an exhaustive sleep that would, knowing his lover, be short-lived.
***Present Time***
"Agent Gibbs? You plan on going home sometime tonight?"
Jethro opened his eyes to the friendly face of Clive Jackson, the supervisor of the nightly maintenance crew. He straightened in his chair before nodding to the man. "Got some paperwork I have to take care of first, Clive."
"How ‘bout some coffee? The wife made a fresh pot right before I left for work."
A steaming thermos was offered to him, and Jethro didn’t hesitate one second. He collected an empty cup from his bottom desk drawer and grinned when it was filled to the brim. "Thanks, Clive."
Jethro kept his eye on Tony’s folder while he and Clive shared a moment savoring the strong brew. He knew he was stalling, but it never hurt to clear away the cobwebs with a hefty dose of java. Besides, there was only one man he was willing to go to for advice nowadays, and it paid to have all his ducks in a row ahead of time.
"Gotta move on, Agent Gibbs. If you need another cup of coffee, I’ll be upstairs cleaning the Director’s office."
Jethro waved good-bye to Clive before reaching for the phone and dialing a number he knew by heart. His chest and groin tightened when he heard the drowsy voice of his lover.
"’lo?"
"Did I wake you, Jack?" Jethro squinted at the clock on his computer and felt just the tiniest bit remorseful for having called so late.
"It’s nearly midnight, Jethro. What do you think?"
Jethro hunkered down in his chair and sent in spinning slowly to the right. "It’s nearly 2 a.m. here, and I’m still awake. Why aren’t you?"
"’Cause maybe I’m not a workaholic like some people we know," Jack gruffly replied.
"I’m trying to clear my desk of paperwork, if you’re the least bit interested, you bastard." Jethro tucked the phone beneath his ear and listened to his lover move around in bed. He could easily imagine the sleep-spiked hair, the heavy-lidded gaze, the crease-lined face that greeted him every time he woke in the arms of the handsome Air Force Colonel.
"Teal’c called earlier," Jack replied, clearly ignoring Jethro’s earlier sarcasm. "Said he wants to come over the next time you’re in town. Said you owed him a ‘Star Wars’ marathon?"
A very loud yawn made its way across the phone line.
"I did? When in the hell did I agree to that?" Jethro asked.
"Uh, remember him challenging you?"
"What?" Jethro rubbed his forehead and tried to recall what his lover was referring to? "When was that?"
"That second time we all got together," Jack replied. "Remember?"
Jethro shook his head in confusion. "I still don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Well, we were pretty drunk by then," Jack said with a chuckle.
"Now the beer I remember." Jethro would never in a million years forget the hangover that had kept him on his knees in Jack’s bathroom most of the following Sunday morning.
"Do you remember what we did with the beer?" Jack asked.
Suddenly the memory of that particular incident clicked into place. Jethro shook his head again. "Shit, now I remember."
Once the four of them had recovered from their romp in Jack’s bed, they had adjourned to the living room to watch a movie. Beer had been passed around and it wasn’t long before Tony was eyeing Jethro with pure wickedness glinting in his hazel-green orbs. Jethro knew he was in trouble when the younger man, who was cuddled next to Teal’c, started whispering in the large man’s ear. Teal’c had agreed to whatever it was Tony suggested and immediately headed to the kitchen for a fresh round of beer.
Upon his return, he had stopped directly in front of Jethro and challenged him to a drinking contest. The rules were simple. Jack would suck Jethro off while Tony sucked him off. The first one to make a noise while being sucked to completion had to drink an entire bottle of beer. Every subsequent noise would require the consumption of another beer.
The memory of Tony’s gifted mouth had Jethro accepting on the spot. No way in hell could Teal’c remain silent with those skilled lips attached to his monster dick. Had he remembered just how lethal his own lover’s mouth was, Jethro might not have agreed so readily. Seven beers drunk in rapid succession had permanently refreshed his memory.
"Don’t tell me he has all six movies?" Jethro gloomily asked his lover.
"Yep," Jack answered, his voice sounding quite gleeful. "Tony sent him the complete set on their first month anniversary."
"Ah hell."
"Guess it goes without saying that you won’t want any beer bought for the movie?"
"You’re an asshole, Jack, just in case you didn’t know it," Jethro replied.
His chair came full circle, and he pinned his gaze to the file folder on his desk. "Speaking of Tony, guess who applied for a position with NCIS?"
"You’re kidding, right? Tony? Our Tony?"
Jethro opened the file and lightly caressed the attached photo. "Yes. Our Tony."
Silence took hold of the conversation for at least a full minute. Jack was finally the first to speak.
"You plan on taking him on? Make him a member of your team?"
"I’m not sure I should." Jethro stared off into the distance. "Remember those rules I told you I live by?" he asked. "Remember the one about agents fraternizing with other agents? I’d say Tony and I have definitely been fraternizing."
Laughter teased his ear.
"Is that what they’re calling it nowadays? Fraternizing?"
"You’re no help." Jethro slapped his coffee cup down on the desk.
"What do you expect at this time of the night? Sigmund Freud?"
Jethro sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees. A serious headache was taking shape, and he rubbed at his temples. "I really think he would be a good addition to my team."
"But? I’m hearing a definite but."
With a rueful grin, Jethro answered, "To be honest, I don’t think I could keep our relationship purely professional. Especially if the four of us decide to get together on a regular basis."
"Then don’t," Jack replied. "Toss out that damn rule of yours and enjoy working with the boy. Tony’s easy on the eyes and easy on the mind. To be honest, I’d love for the two of you to become friends. Not to mention it would make Teal’c one happy camper. He’s definitely smitten with the boy."
"Teal’c, smitten? Now that’s an image I just can’t wrap my brain around."
Listening to the laughter that greeted his statement, Jethro closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew what Jack wanted. His lover had done nothing to hide his interest in the Baltimore cop and frequently reminisced about the times they had gotten together with Tony and Teal’c. What Jack didn’t realize was the havoc Tony could possibly wreck upon their own relationship.
Jethro hated to admit it but, like Jack, he was seriously attracted to the gorgeous stranger, and could, if circumstances were different, easily fall in love with him.
But circumstances aren’t different, Jethro silently reprimanded himself. He was with Jack, had committed his heart to him in ways he had never done before. Hell, he’d cut the damn organ out of his chest before hurting Jack, and that’s exactly what would happen if Tony became a part of their lives.
"Are you saying you want this foursome thing to be a permanent deal?"
"Oh yeah," Jack agreed without hesitation. "That would be fucking fantastic, don’t you agree?"
"God, Jack. You’re unbelievable." Inhaling sharply, Jethro refused to give into the hunger that surged to life in his groin.
"Actually," Jack yawned, "I’m dead tired. Can we resume this conversation in the morning?"
"Sure." Jethro could see he was in for a sleepless night and had no doubt that he’d be the one yawning in the morning. How in the hell could he possibly sleep with thoughts of Tony and his incredible mouth rambling around in his head.
"Jack, I . . ."
"Yeah?"
Jethro struggled to say the words. "Jack, you know I . . . ."
"Yeah, I know. Same here, you bastard. Even more."
Suddenly the hunger was tempered by a swell of long buried emotions. Except for Shannon, Ducky and Nathan, no one had ever cared for him as much as Jack. It was still a bit overwhelming, but Jethro had no doubt the words would come with time.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Talk to you in the morning."
"Not before nine, okay?" Jack instructed. "Got to get my beauty sleep."
Jethro rolled his eyes. "Hate to tell you, Fly Boy, but it’s not working."
An indignant huff opposed his observation. "I so resent that comment," Jack replied.
For some reason his headache magically disappeared, and the vanishing pain allowed a small smile to break free. "Later, Jack."
"Much later. Night, babe."
Jethro hung up the phone and sat contemplating Tony’s file for nearly another thirty minutes. "God help us all," he muttered, and with a shake of his head, attached a post-it note to the folder. He wrote his name and the words ‘Approved for hire/Assign to my team’ across the yellow-colored square.
Finished, Jethro collected his jacket and left the office. As he exited the building and walked into the darkness, he swore he could hear the sound of Fate snickering behind him.
End of chapter 8
Author's Chapter Notes:
Fate presents Jethro with a potential problem.