Shower Scene 3/3

TITLE: Shower Scene 3/3
AUTHOR: linaerys
FANDOM, PAIRING: NCIS, Gibbs/DiNozzo
RATING: PG-13
WORDS: 2501
SUMMARY: Abby sticks her nose in. Gibbs and Tony talk.
DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Not making money.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part 1, Part 2 is here. I recommend readng them first.


"God, Tony, what is with you lately?" Abby asked when Tony came in. He wore the slightly hang-dog expression he'd been sporting for the past two weeks.

"What's with 'lately' lately?" asked Tony.

"Tell me, do watch Empire Records for the adorable dialogue or for Renee Zellweger in that tiny little apron? Anyway, the quote is 'what's with "today" today?'"

"I know, I was paraphrasing," said Tony, with a condescending grin. Abby grimaced back. "I like Liv Tyler, actually. Short skirts and combat boots have always been a winning combination."

"Tony! I didn't know you looked!" Abby smiled and spun around in her short skirt and massive platform boots, ending with a little curtsey. "You can't just charm your way out of answering the question, Mister."

"It's nothing. Gibbs just sent me in here for the lab results on the Marconi case."

"Nothing, huh?" Abby pursed her lips. "I didn't know we were reopening that case."

"You know, we review cold cases every so often. It's Marconi's turn. Again."

"Why aren't you out with Ziva checking into that private's murder?"

"She asked for McGee," said Tony into his hand, then he shrugged. "Gibbs told her to pick one of us. Anyway, there was an eyewitness who says the husband did it, and they're just bringing him in. Open and shut."

"You don't have a crush on her, do you?" Abby asked.

"Who, Ziva? God, no!" said Tony. He shuddered theatrically.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much, Tony, but I'll choose to believe you anyway. Especially since I know your heart is given elsewhere." She fluttered her hand over her chest amd brought her other hand up to her forehead in a mock swoon.

"Abby," said Tony through gritted teeth, "you promised not to mention it. Not that you even know anything," he added under his breath.

"A locked box full of Gibbs's medals? Tony, that was the nail in the proverbial coffin. You can't fool me. The only question is when are you going to do something about it?" She looked up at Tony just then. He had a tense smile on his face, when she looked he spread his hands out and shrugged evocatively. Abby stomped around to the other side of her lab bench and smacked him in the shoulder.

"I can't believe you weren't going to tell me! Tony, aren't we friends?"

"I don't know," said Tony, "do you hit your friends?"

"Well, the people I really like, I handcuff," she said with a shake of her pigtails as she walked back to her desk.

"The thing I don't understand, Abs, is it was just a scratch," said Tony, "I've been shot, put in prison, infected with a deadly disease. Why now?"

"Well, you haven't given me any details, so what am I supposed to say?"

"I'm not going to give you any details," said Tony flatly.

"Let me guess then," she said. "He's berating you for getting yourself locked in a container, and a slap on the head turns into a hot, steamy make out session?" Abby twirled around in her chair. "That's how I've always imagined it."

"You've been fantasizing about--never mind, I really don't want to know."

"And the last two weeks?"

"You've seen him. He's barely smacked me on the head, hasn't talked to me, I dunno." Tony looked down at the ground.

"Who initiated it?" Tony gave her a look. "Come on, Tony! I want to help. You have to give me something."

"It was pretty mutual," said Tony with a grin he couldn't completely hide.

"So? Gibbs is probably just weirded out about kissing a guy."

Tony hid his smile behind his hand this time. "No, I don't think that's it." His thoughts slipped happily back to that night for a moment. It had ended painfully, but nothing could take away the feeling of Gibbs's hands all over him, his face above Tony's, his dark eyes full of lust.

"Tony!" said Abby again, shaking him out of his reverie. "I swear to God, I'm going to kill you if you don't give me a little more to go on."

Tony bit his lower lip. "Abby, I really can't," he said seriously. If he talked about it, Gibbs would somehow find a way to magically overhear, and worse, it wouldn't be just his any more. If that night was all he was ever going to get, he wanted guard it jealously.

"It was more than just a kiss, wasn't it?" she said. "Tony, you dog."

"I need those lab results, Abby," said Tony as he stood up. "If you don't have them right now, can you dig them up and leave them on my desk? I'm going to go workout for an hour."

"I thought you went after work," she said.

"I used to."

---

"I don't understand, Gibbs. Tony's been hurt before. Shot, put in prison, infected by a deadly disease, why now?" Abby sucked on her CafPow and looked at him over the top of the lid. Gibbs had come in to see her, ostensibly for the same lab results Tony had been after, but Abby knew he wanted to talk, even if Gibbs didn't know it himself.

"DiNozzo told you?" Gibbs's scowl could peel paint.

"He didn't. I guessed. I'm a pretty good investigator, Gibbs." Gibbs sighed.

"You are. You're also good at keeping secrets. Right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Well, that's why. All that stuff. A lot's happened, and each time . . ." Gibbs rubbed his forehead.

"It got worse." Abby nodded. "I understand. I guess there's only so many times you can send someone you love out into the line of fire."

"Hang on a sec," Gibbs said, glaring. "Who said that?"

Abby smiled sweetly. "Gibbs, you can pretend with everyone else, and withhold all the information you want, but I've been working for you a long time now. And you're . . . not . . . fooling . . . me." She walked closer on every word. Her patent leather platform boots creaked with every step, and on the final word, she leaned over and kissed Gibbs on the cheek. "You've been a kind of a sourpuss to him for two weeks, but you can make up for it." Gibbs opened his mouth, but Abby held up her hand. Today she wore fingerless fishnet gloves, and the black nail polish on her fingernails was chipped. "You can probably get away without apologizing, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes again, and swiped the CafPow from her hand. She pouted. "You know I'm right, which is why you're not saying anything right now. Go away, Gibbs, and give me caffeine back. I already put the tests on Tony's desk."

Gibbs walked up to her and put the caffeine cup in her hand without letting go of it. "I'm his boss, Abby."

"Not for long," she said, pulling on the cup.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that you should have seen him. He put on a brave face, but he looked like he was going to cry. Gibbs, you could lose him over this."

"You mean NCIS could lose him."

"I mean you could lose him! Now give me my caffeine, Gibbs, I'm not kidding!" Gibbs let go, and Abby turned back to her work.

---

It had been nothing more than a burnt scratch, although caused by a bullet, and now, two weeks later, Tony was back in fine form at the gym. He couldn't bench quite as much as before, and his pull-up count was a little low, but he could get that back in a few weeks.

The gym was fairly empty in the middle of the afternoon, which suited Tony just fine. After some weight lifting he went to hit the heavy bag. I don't know how much longer this can go on, he thought as he pounded away. Bad enough, seeing Gibbs every day and wondering what it would be like to kiss him, to cup his ass with his hands, to be in bed with him, but knowing was so much worse--knowing how good it could be, and never would be again.

"I think he's had enough, Di Nozzo," said Gibbs's voice behind him. Tony stopped and pulled off the gloves, before feeling a little light-headed and resting his arms on his knees. "Easy there, you don't want to re-injure yourself."

"Just trying to get back in fighting trim, Boss." Tony shook out his arms and stood up. He looked at Gibbs, who wore a dark blue a suit and silver tie. "I'd ask you to run with me, Boss, but you're not quite dressed for it."

"Abby said you're thinking of leaving," said Gibbs without preamble.

"I didn't say that." Tony smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes.

"Our Abby's a smart girl. She reads between the lines."

"A little too smart."

Gibbs shook his head ruefully. "Yeah, she is. I'll go running with you after work. Meet me at my place at 1900 hours."

---

By 7:00pm, the sun had been down for two hours, and the frost lined the stray leaves on Gibbs's front porch, where Tony waited in his warm-ups. "I nearly froze to death once this winter, Boss. Don't really want to do it again," said Tony when Gibbs came walking up the stairs at 7:01.

"If you're not recovered enough to go for a run with me, just say so," said Gibbs. "I need to change." He didn't wait for an answer.

Tony waited downstairs and looked around the first floor of Gibbs's house. He lingered for a moment on the wall Gibbs had pressed him up against. He'd been so cocky that night, so sure everything was finally going right.

Gibbs came down the stairs wearing track pants, a USMC sweatshirt and a stocking cap. Tony smiled at the cap. "I've got an extra," Gibbs said when he noticed Tony's grin. "Keep your ears warm."

"I'm okay, Boss."

They ran along the sidewalks of Gibbs's neighborhood. Gibbs set a good pace--a little faster than Tony was used to, but it felt good to push himself. Gibbs didn't seem inclined to talk so Tony let the endorphin rush of running fill his limbs. It was a clean and pure kind of pleasure, satisfying in its way, and seemed to exorcise some of the ache in his chest. He'd be damned if he was going to speak first, not after the way that night had ended.

"Tony, about what happened . . ." said Gibbs after they passed the three mile mark. He slowed to a walk. "I'm your boss."

"You said that before. If you just asked me out here to dump me again . . ." Tony's throat tightened, but he forced his voice to stay even.

"I just want you to understand," said Gibbs.

"What happened to 'never apologize, never explain.'?" Tony asked, suddenly letting all his hurt and anger come up to the surface. "The infallible Gibbs. You know what's right for everyone, don't you?"

Gibbs gave Tony an inscrutable look, before he said angrily: "I know you! You have a different woman every week. Getting involved with you would be stupid on every level there is!"

"You don't know me that well if you think they've all been women," said DiNozzo. He tried to keep his voice down, but it seemed to echo down the winter street.

"Obviously not!" said Gibbs. "I thought you were smarter than to confuse whatever kind of hero worship it is you have for me with, well, anything else!" Gibbs's breath made clouds in the air, and Tony could see his nose turning red in the cold.

"What's the real problem, Gibbs?" asked Tony. "Yeah, my track record sucks, but guess what? The whole time you've known me, I haven't even been free to fall for someone else."

"And that's my fault?"

"No, that's not what I meant," said Tony. His anger was starting to drain out of him. So this was how it would end. He'd give Gibbs his resignation tomorrow, and go start a new life in yet another new city. Maybe, New York this time, and try to fall in love with someone available. "Just tell me one thing, Boss," he said quietly, "if you knew what a bad idea it was, if you 'knew' that all I felt was hero worship, why'd you do it?"

Gibbs looked away. "God, DiNozzo, you have to ask?"

"Yeah, I do. Please tell me, and then I'll go, I'll leave you alone. I promise."

"Because every time I send you out, it could be the last, and I had to know, okay?"

"So, it really was just a one night stand. What did you find out?"

"I really am sorry, Tony," said Gibbs. "And you know how I don't apologize. Are you happy now?" Tony reached out and touched Gibbs's cheek.

"No, but I'll leave NCIS, if that's what you want. If you really want me to go. Tell me it wasn't fantastic. Tell me you don't want another night like that." Gibbs looked at him finally, and smiled that sideways smile Tony loved.

"You know I can't do that," he said, putting his hand up to Tony's.

"Your track record isn't the best, either," said Tony. "But I'm willing to give you a chance. Can't you do the same for me?" Gibbs smiled again.

"I don't know," he said, "but if you beat me home, I'll try to answer you." He sprang off in a sprint back down the sidewalk, with Tony hot on his heels. Tony was just a hand's breadth behind when the reached Gibbs's front steps.

"You won," said Tony. "God, it's fucking freezing out here. Can I at least come in and warm up?" He put a little extra pleading into his eyes.

"Yeah, you can come in for a little while," said Gibbs.

Inside, Gibbs put on some tea and sent Tony up to shower. "Be careful, heat it up slowly. You don't want to go into shock," he called out as Tony went up the stairs.

He heard Gibbs puttering around in the kitchen as he got undressed in the master bathroom--Gibbs hadn't said which shower to use. He was soaping his hair under the steaming water when he felt hands coming around his waist. He turned within the circle of those arms to find Gibbs looking back at him.

"Tony, look at me, I'm an old guy with three divorces. I can't promise anything, really. But I promise you can spend the night," Gibbs said.

Tony swallowed with some difficulty. The bone-deep physical exhaustion from his punishing workout, and the emotional exhaustion from the day were starting to catch up with him. "Whatever you say, Boss. We can work on the other stuff later."

His lips found Gibbs's under the hot spray of the shower, and he closed his eyes and relaxed into Gibbs's arms. It felt like coming home.