It wasn't until they were clearing away the breakfast dishes that Gibbs realized Mike was a very capable interrogator. Under the guise of pleasant conversation, light banter, polite give and take, Mike had extracted information and details from the former Marine that he hadn't willingly shared in years. Mike knew when Gibbs bought his home, about the boat in the basement, his ex-wives and the reasons for the different divorces. He even managed to find out what Gibbs' favorite food was, what he liked to read and his preferred way of working out.
Gibbs shook his head. "I should offer you a job."
Mike grinned. "Already got one, thanks."
"Don't be too impressed, Boss." Tony chuckled, waggling his eyebrows. "He's had a lot of practice."
Gibbs cocked his head, eyeing Mike. He really had no idea what the other man did. Somehow that hadn't come up in their conversation. He gave Mike more points for drawing out so much while giving away so little.
"He cut his teeth on the first girl Sammy brought home." Tony snickered. "Didn't get really good at looking all fierce and intimidating, much less the fine art of interrogation, until Zeke started bringing home his boyfriends."
"Like you would know." Mike rolled his eyes. "You weren't even there."
"Might not have seen Sammy's, but I heard all about it." Tony laughed softly as he started to wash the dishes. "And Gabe taped the others."
Mike's eyes widened. "He did what??!"
Tony gave him a fey smile as he rinsed the dish he'd just scrubbed clean. "Got him one of the micro cams. One like I use when I'm wired for the job. Picture and sound."
Mike sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Please tell me you didn't steal that stuff."
"I...borrowed it the first time." Tony sounded only vaguely repentant. "Bought him a set of his own later on."
Mike glared at him. "Why in the hell would--"
"Gabe asked me to." Tony shrugged one shoulder, not looking particularly apologetic.
"You are such a pushover." Mike sighed heavily. "One of these days you have got to learn to say no to him."
"But it's so fun saying yes." Tony grinned, eyes bright with mischief.
"I swear you two are the same age."
"You say that like it is a bad thing."
"Juvenile delinquent." Mike rolled his eyes. "Both of you."
Tony snorted and gave Mike a sly look. "You were all for it when he suggested tailing Sammy and scaring the hell out of him when he was necking with that cheerleader in the back of the car."
Mike blushed. "That was different."
"Natch." Tony laughed. "That's 'cause it was you, oh enforcer of the rules, Pappa Mike. That and Sammy still doesn't know it was your idea to use an air horn."
"Shaddup." Mike lightly swatted Tony's arm.
"Pappa Mike?" Gibbs raised both eyebrows, amused by their antics.
"It's what Gabe and Zeke call me." Mike answered casually, clearly not bothered by the moniker. He set more dirty dishes on the counter within easy reach for Tony to wash. "Was more father than older brother to them after Dad died."
It was on the tip of Gibbs' tongue to apologize, fearing he'd overstepped his bounds, but Mike waved a hand, letting him know it was alright. "Dad died when I was seventeen. So I took over being the man of the house and looking out for my brothers."
Gibbs nodded. He did the math in his head, figuring out the respective ages based on what Tony had told him earlier. Gabe would have been around four, Zeke would have been close to seven and Sammy would have been eleven or twelve when their father died. Mike helping to take care of children that age certainly explained the protective attitude toward his family. It also explained why being confronted by Mike earlier had felt so much like meeting Shannon's father.
"You guys got plans for the day?"
Tony shook his head. "Not really. Just playing it by ear. You need something done?"
"Was just going to run a few errands in town." Mike started to dry the clean dishes Tony had put in the rack near the sink. "Didn't know if you wanted to go along or if you needed me to pick up anything."
Tony glanced over at Gibbs, question clear in his eyes. Gibbs knew it was selfish, but he wanted more time alone with Tony. He wanted to have the chance to deepen the growing connection between them before having to back to face the ?real world'. Tony smiled gently, obviously understanding all that was being said without words.
"We'll pass, Mike." Tony bumped his friend's shoulder with his own. "Thanks for the offer though."
"You going to want dinner?"
"We could take you out for dinner," Gibbs offered. It didn't seem fair to expect Mike to cook for them all the time. And it wouldn't hurt to make a few points with the other man. He didn't want to be thought of as stingy or worse, a mooch.
"Not tonight." Mike gave Tony a smug look. "I got another date with Heather."
"You dog!" Tony gloated, laughing with delight. "This means you at least got a kiss."
"I'm not telling you anything."
"The blush you're sporting tells me everything," Tony countered, grinning brightly. "That and she said yes to a second date."
"Shaddup."
Tony chuckled. "Has that ever worked?"
"First time for everything." Mike sighed, clearly not upset with Tony. He was obviously used to being teased, comfortable with it, welcoming even.
Gibbs realized with sudden insight that Tony didn't tease people he didn't like. He was open and friendly, unfailingly so, but Gibbs was conscious of a distinction existing between how Tony dealt with friends and those clearly labeled as ?not friends'. A memory surfaced of the how Tony had been after returning from taking a week of sick leave. His eyes narrowed as he pondered what could have happened that made Tony re-label his teammates.
Was it related to why Tony had taken the week off? It seemed to be, but Gibbs still didn't have all the details. From what little Tony had said, Gibbs never had them all. Had it been that bad, that painful? It couldn't have been insignificant. The reaction was too extreme for it to be classified as nothing. But whatever it was, the effect hadn't last long. Things were back to normal in a few days. In some ways better than normal since that incident triggered Gibbs' own insight into his own feelings and motives with regard to Tony.
"Boss?"
Tony was giving him a concerned look when Gibbs blinked and focused on him. The dishes were done, letting Gibbs know he'd more than a few minutes while caught up in his thoughts. Tony had likely called his name more than once.
"Jethro?" Tony stepped over toward him, eyes searching.
"I'm here." Gibbs kept his voice calm and even. He didn't want to upset Tony more than he had already by spacing out.
"You okay?"
"Little tired." Gibbs thought it better not to admit to where his thoughts had strayed, at least not yet. It hadn't garnered a positive response in the past. And he was tired. He could run on caffeine for days at a time but even he needed to recharge his batteries once in a while. "Didn't get enough sleep."
Tony winced, looking guilty. "You should have--"
"Was a good trade." Gibbs caught Tony's hand. "Losing a little sleep was worth getting where we ended up."
Tony smiled sweetly, eyes dropping as color rose in his cheeks. Mike arched an eyebrow, obviously curious about just where they'd ended up. Gibbs sent him a challenging look, daring the other man to ask.
Mike just smiled back, unperturbed. He said something to Tony, once more using the Italian dialect they'd spoken to each other with earlier. Mike's tone was light and teasing. Tony looked up and laughed softly. He pointed a finger at Mike, clearly trying for stern and failing as he responded to what ever Mike said.
Mike held up both hands, palms out, grinning. "You asked me that?"
Tony shrugged. "That's different."
"Right." Mike snickered. "Because it's you."
"Hello pot, I'm kettle." Tony held out his hand. Mike took it, pulling him into a hug.
Mike said something else Gibbs didn't quite catch. The timbre of his voice was familiar though. Gibbs remembered sounding the same way when he spoke to Kelly.
"There are leftovers in the fridge if you want dinner tonight." Mike said as he released Tony, patting him on the back.
"Grazie."
Mike waved off Tony's thanks. "Momma would hand me my head if I let you starve."
Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm in no danger of starving."
"None of us are." Mike chuckled. "But that hasn't kept her from trying to fatten up the rest of us." Mike's expression sobered as he gave Tony the once over. "You loose weight far too easily, Tony."
"Most people wouldn't consider that a problem." Tony laughed, dismissing Mike's concern.
Gibbs had realized not long after hiring Tony that the younger man seemed to eat constantly. He was always snacking on something, yet never seemed to gain any weight. Gibbs gaze narrowed as he considered how long it had taken the younger man to regain the pounds he lost after his exposure to Y. Pestis. Maybe Mike's concern was not as misplaced as Tony seemed to think.
"So where are you taking Heather tonight?"
"We're going to the movies."
"Nice." Tony grinned.
Gibbs made a mental note Tony considered going to the movies to be a good date choice. Although, in hind sight he should have realized that a long time ago, Tony's movie collection was huge. It sometimes seemed if it had been filmed, Tony had seen it. He made at least one movie reference a day, usually more.
"What are you going to see?"
"X-Men three."
"She like the comics?"
"Yeah," Mike smiled ruefully. "Not a hard core fan, so I think the draw is really Hugh Jackman."
"He's not bad as Wolverine." Tony nodded. "Not exactly true to the character but a lot closer than some of the others."
Gibbs eyebrows rose. He didn't have a clue who or what they were talking about. Some days he really hated being out of the loop with regard to pop culture.
"Hallie Berry is a lousy Storm."
"Yeah." Tony agreed. "Iman would have made a great Storm. That woman exudes dignity. Has the right accent too."
"Shame she was too old for the part."
"At least Hallie is one hot momma." Tony shrugged. "Little eye candy for both you and Heather."
Only Tony would consider that a win/win situation. Although, Gibbs had to agree that a movie with something for everyone was usually a winner. He'd shelled out for enough chick flicks in his day that were the most boring things he'd ever had the misfortune to sit through.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Mike asked. Even though it was a question, there was an undercurrent of an expectation of a positive answer.
"You are a mother hen."
"And a damn good one," Mike accepted the title without hesitation. "Answer the question."
"Yeah, we'll be down for breakfast."
"Good." Mike leaned in and gave Tony a quick kiss on each cheek. "Take some goodies with you. I know the cabin isn't stocked with any snacks."
"Cuts down on the critters moving in when I'm not there." Tony smirked. He returned the kisses, one on each cheek.
Tony often invaded other people's physical space, occasionally using his height to intimidate, or his personable nature to encourage people to trust him. But Gibbs wasn't used to seeing him be so familiar with another man. This was definitely something he'd have to ask about. He wasn't jealous of Mike...not really, now that he knew the other man wasn't competition. But he was looking forward to having Tony be just as casually affectionate with him as he was with Mike.
He watched as Tony pulled some things from the cupboard and place them in a bag. Gibbs spotted a box of granola bars, an apple or two, and couple of candy bars. Tony grinned in delight when he dug into the cookie jar.
"Chocolate chip cookies." Tony sounded down right reverent as he pulled out a handful of them and placed them in another bag.
"If you'd have come a few days earlier you could have had caramel brownies."
"Damn." Tony cursed softly, genuine regret coloring his voice and expression. "You should call me when you make those."
"I'll send you some from the next batch."
"Knew you loved me." Tony grinned.
"And you can show your affection by sending me something in return." Mike's eyes sparkled. "Godiva chocolate is a favorite of Heather's."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Dark or milk?"
"Dark."
"Nice." Tony nodded. "She might be a keeper after all." He smiled. "I'll send you a box of their truffles when I get back." They bumped fisted knuckles as though they'd just made a pact.
"You ready to head back?" Tony asked Gibbs.
"Yeah." Gibbs was hoping the walk back proved to be as informative as the walk to Mike's house had been. For the first time in a long time, Gibbs found himself looking forward to conversation, to just taking time to get to know another person. He'd forgotten how fun the discovery period could be. With Shannon it had lasted from the moment he met her. Gibbs suspected he'd still be learning things about Tony until the day he died.
He nodded to Mike. "Thank you for breakfast."
"Was my pleasure." Mike smiled.
A faint hint of the feral nature Mike had shown when confronting Gibbs earlier appeared. It was subtle, but he was definitely letting the former Marine know he still wasn't completely trusted. With someone as precious as Tony clearly was to Mike, as precious as Tony was rapidly becoming to Gibbs, the older man couldn't blame Mike for that attitude. Gibbs resisted the urge to salute, and judging by the twinkle in Mike's eye he knew just how close Gibbs had come to doing it. He had a feeling meeting the rest of the family might be every bit as challenging as Mike implied. Gibbs was looking forward to it.
Author's Chapter Notes:
More of Gibbs and Tony with Mike.