Gibbs ran his fingers through Tony’s hair. He enjoyed the feel of the silken strands sliding through his fingers. More importantly, he liked the fact being able to do so freely meant that Tony would allow him the liberty to touch without restriction. It was a privilege Gibbs suspected Tony had granted very few people.
Tony sighed softly, and snuggled in closer. His head rested comfortably on Gibbs’ chest, arms and legs wrapped around Gibbs, holding him in a way that should have felt confining but didn’t. Tony’s breath was warm against the bare skin of Gibbs’ chest. His steady breathing was deep, slow and even. Gibbs didn’t think Tony was asleep, but he was obviously very relaxed in the wake of their bout of lovemaking.
Gibbs mentally snorted. Lovemaking sounded…girly. It was like something from one of those stupid romance novels his first ex-wife liked or that soap opera his third ex-wife had routinely watched. It shouldn’t have been a term that applied to them, given that they’d only been having sex for a day or so, but what they’d done was a hell of a lot more than just a physical reaction. He didn’t know for sure if it was love for both of them, but it was a hell of a lot more than lust, of that Gibbs was certain.
Gibbs sighed. He should probably think about getting something to eat. Room service was the best option since it was well past the time when the scheduled dinner had been due to start. They could go out, track down another restaurant in the area and eat there, but Gibbs didn’t seriously consider that choice. It meant braving the cold, and Gibbs didn’t want to do that again. It also meant getting dressed and being in public. He’d rather have time with Tony alone. Staying in their room allowed them a freedom they wouldn’t find elsewhere and Gibbs was loathe to give that up.
“Tony?”
“Hmmm?”
Gibbs felt a rush of warmth and contentment when Tony rubbed his cheek against his chest. It was such an intimate, trusting gesture.
“You want dinner?”
Tony raised his head, sleepy green eyes regarding him steadily for a moment as he processed the question. Tony blinked slowly, a small frown furrowing his brow. “I could eat.”
“You okay with room service?”
Tony raised his arm to look at his watch. His laugh was little more than a quiet puff of air. “I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.”
It wasn’t truly late, Gibbs thought. It was just well past the time they could reasonably expect to find anything worth eating at the scheduled dinner. He wasn’t interested in picking through leftovers or eating anything that had gone cold. Certainly not when they could have something hot and fresh delivered.
Gibbs didn’t regret spending several hours indulging his desire to know every bit of Tony’s body. It was worth missing a meal. Hell, it was worth a lot more than that to him. But he didn’t want Tony to go without. The younger man didn’t exactly have a lot of body fat to sustain him.
Tony sighed. “Really don’t want to brave the frozen north if we don’t have to, so I’m all for eating here.”
Gibbs nodded. Decision made. It was best to get on with it. He shifted his weight, trying to maneuver out from under Tony. Tony’s grip tightened, holding him in place.
Gibbs arched an eyebrow. “I’m just going to grab the menu, Tony. I’m not leaving.”
Tony blushed, and looked away. He released Gibbs, sliding away from him. “Sorry.”
Gibbs grabbed his arm, keeping Tony from moving too far. He put a finger under his chin, drawing his gaze upward to meet his own. “Hey, nothing to be sorry for.”
Tony’s smile was hesitant; a little shy, but genuine. “Right, Boss.”
Gibbs gave him a quick kiss and moved away, fairly certain that if he didn’t do it quick he wouldn’t be able to. He shivered when the cool air touched his skin. Without the blankets and Tony nearby he was suddenly aware of how chilly the room was. He grabbed his sweat pants, tossing Tony’s to him.
“You might want to put those on before getting out from under the covers.”
“On it, Boss.”
Gibbs pulled on a t-shirt and grabbed an old Marine Corps sweatshirt out of his bag for good measure glad he’d thought to pack it. He turned up the space heater to full power wanting as much as heat as possible. He doubted it would make much difference, but he didn’t think it would hurt to try.
He picked up the room service menu, quickly refamiliarizing himself with the limited selection. It wasn’t like anything would have changed from the last time they’d ordered room service. He didn’t really want the same thing he’d gotten before, but not much else held any appeal.
“You want anything in particular?”
“Already got what I wanted,” Tony said, his voice muffled slightly has he pulled on an OSU sweatshirt on.
Gibbs hid his smile behind the menu. “I meant to eat, DiNozzo.”
“So did I.” Tony flashed him a quicksilver grin. “Nothing wrong with having dessert first.”
Gibbs felt his face warm. He was too old to be blushing. He rolled his eyes at Tony, covering for his embarrassment. “What do you want to eat?”
“This is still on Vance’s tab, right?”
“Sure.”
Tony nodded. “I’ll have the prime rib, medium rare, mashed potatoes and a cup of soup. And the same beer I had before, if they still have it on hand.”
Gibbs picked up the phone. He got the steak as well, opting for French fries and a salad. The salad was a concession to Ducky’s repeated comments that he needed to eat better. He could genuinely claim to have gotten something green and leafy while on this trip. If Tony could eat better, there was no reason Gibbs couldn’t at least try.
He ordered a pot of coffee, opting to skip a beer in favor of a hot beverage. He wanted more than what the little pot in the bathroom would make. And while he was willing to at least try to eat a few veggies, he was not going to voluntarily cut down on his coffee intake any time soon.
Tony turned on the TV, quickly finding the news. He sat on the bed, leaning back against the headboard, feet tucked up under him in what Gibbs’ second grade teacher had called ‘Indian style’. Gibbs shook his head, wondering why Tony didn’t just pull the blankets back up. He rifled through his bag to find a pair of heavy socks for both of them. Going around bare foot wasn’t a good idea.
He tossed the socks to Tony. “Put those on.”
Tony chuckled. “You know, I have socks of my own.”
“And yet your feet are bare.” Gibbs noted dryly, sitting down next to Tony to pull on the pair he’d kept for himself.
Tony shrugged and put on Gibbs’ socks. There was something oddly satisfying about knowing Tony was wearing his clothing. He elected not to dwell on what that meant.
Tony shifted a little so he was touching Gibbs. Gibbs wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulders, pulling him in even closer. He sighed softly when Tony rested his head on Gibbs’ shoulder. This was nice.
Since Shannon and Kelly had died, it was usually only when he had sex with someone, got into a fight, or was handing out discipline that he touched or got touched in return. He’d forgotten how nice it could be to simply be next to another person, to make contact without it leading to anything more. He half expected Tony to push for more, but then Tony had been content to simply cuddle earlier. Maybe he liked this just as much as Gibbs’ did. It made Gibbs smile to think that they both liked being close.
It was probably better they didn’t start anything. Their meal was due to arrive in half an hour or less. As much as Gibbs didn’t mind a quickie now and again, he preferred to be able to take his time to really enjoy himself. Based on what he’d experienced so far, Tony felt the same way. He was one of the most responsive and attentive lovers Gibbs had ever been with.
The news wasn’t overly interesting or noteworthy. That is probably a good thing, Gibbs thought. It meant nothing had happened that warranted the press getting involved. A slow news day was something Gibbs had come to appreciate over the years.
“Anything else you want to watch?” Tony asked as the evening news wrapped up.
“Whatever you want is fine with me.” Gibbs didn’t watch enough television to talk about.
Tony started flipping through channels at a dizzying speed. Gibbs closed his eyes, and wondered if this was how Tony felt when he drove.
A knock at the door had Gibbs reaching for the gun he wasn’t wearing. He’d have been embarrassed by the reaction if Tony hadn’t done exactly the same thing.
Tony smiled sheepishly. “Old habits.”
Gibbs smiled back. “Yeah.”
“You wanna get it or you want me to?” Tony asked.
“I’ll get it.” Gibbs got up.
He checked the peephole, innate caution made him verify that the person on the other side was indeed room service before opening the door. He held the door open for the waiter to wheel in a small cart. The kid looked like he was probably still in high school or had just started college. Gibbs hated that his thinking they were always getting younger was really just another sign he was getting older. At this rate he’d be calling everyone ‘son’ like the old duffers he’d known back in Stillwater. Gibbs rolled his eyes at himself as he watched the kid efficiently set up their food on the small table. It was a little too early to label himself a ‘duffer’ just yet.
Gibbs gave the kid points for being polite but not saying any more than necessary. Clearly he got that they didn’t want or need him to do any more than bring their dinner and leave. Gibbs handed him a twenty when he left.
Gibbs glanced at the TV surprised to see Tony had settled on what looked like a nature documentary of some kind. He cocked his head when a large dinosaur showed up. He’d never figured Tony for the sort to watch Discovery.
“What is this?” Gibbs asked as he took the covers off their meal and set them aside.
“Walking with Dinosaurs.”
Gibbs blinked. “You like it?”
“I liked the first time I saw it. Of course that could have more to do with the fact that I watched the first time with Abby.” He chuckled as he sat down at the table. “She was apparently a huge fan of dinosaurs when she was a kid, and seeing them brought to life was just too cool to miss. Not to mention all the neat science stuff they included. I mean it’s not Jurassic Park with T-Rex running around and raptors trying to eat people, but I enjoyed the computer graphics and the storylines they incorporated into each installment. That’s more my speed than Paleontology or any other ology for that matter.”
Tony shrugged, giving Gibbs a self-deprecating smile. He knew Tony liked to act like a fool, but he was far from stupid. He probably was every bit as fascinated by the science as Abby, even if he didn’t completely understand it as well as she did. Even after knowing him for years, Gibbs still had no idea why Tony made such a point of hiding his intelligence or depth, but he was hoping that the more time they spent together in private the more Tony would relax and be himself.
“At the time it was made, it was probably the most expensive documentary ever produced. Computer graphics aren’t really cheap. And it’s not like this was a blockbuster that would recoup the initial outlay like The Matrix or Lord of the Rings. Avery Brooks does the narration for the US version. Kenneth Branagh did the BBC version.”
Tony shrugged again, looking sheepish. “It’s not bad background, but I can change it if you--”
“It’s fine.” Gibbs didn’t care what was on, not really. And it gave him a great conversational opening so they’d have something to talk about during dinner.
Tony was surprisingly well versed when it came to paleontology. Gibbs had thought all he knew likely came from TV or movies, but to his astonishment, Tony had read several books on the subject and gone to the Natural History Museum in NYC. Tony and Abby had even gone to the Smithsonian together. She’d wanted to show him some of the creatures the Discovery special had showcased. It amazed Gibbs to realize he was still learning things about Tony---and made him wonder if he’d still be learning things about him ten years into the future. He hoped so.
Tony pushed his plate away, and sat back in his chair. He sipped his beer; long legs crossed at the ankle and stretched out in front of him. He smiled at Gibbs.
“This is nice.”
Gibbs smiled back, instinctively knowing Tony was referring more to the act of sharing a meal and conversation than what they’d eaten or their accommodations. “Yeah, it is.”
“Shame we had to come all the way to Chicago to do it.”
“Not like we can’t do it when we get back home.”
Tony’s eyes took on a glow Gibbs couldn’t remember ever seeing before. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” Gibbs sat back, sipping his coffee. He stretched out a foot to rub his toes against Tony’s leg. He wanted some sort of contact, finding it easier to touch Tony than to look him in the eye. “This…I mean…I’ve been enjoying myself a lot.”
Gibbs realized immediately that what he said could be taken the wrong way and mentally cursed. He didn’t want Tony to think all he meant was the sex. That would just confirm Tony’s belief that he wasn’t a ‘forever kind of person’. Gibbs forced himself to look Tony in the eye.
“I mean all of it Tony. Having dinner together, the movie, meeting your old partner, even that stupid seminar was better for you being there. I want more of that. It’s not just the sex. Not that the sex hasn’t been good. Really good. Great even. Not like you couldn’t tell, or need me to say it. And I definitely wouldn’t object to doing any or all of it again. Hell I wouldn’t mind doing a lot more--”
Gibbs broke off suddenly feeling like an idiot for babbling. Tony grinned at him, amusement and affection in his expression in equal measure. Gibbs could feel himself blushing.
“You know, I almost wish I’d been able to tape that.”
“Oh shut up.”
Tony laughed softly. He leaned forward, reaching across the table to grab Gibbs’ hand. “Hey, you’ve heard me babble like an idiot for years. Kind of nice to be on the other side.”
“I meant it.” Gibbs wanted to be clear on that. He may have run off at the mouth like a nervous school girl, but he’d meant every word.
“I know.” Tony smiled gently, his thumb brushing against Gibbs’ knuckles. “You don’t say things you don’t mean.”
“This is more to me than just…” Gibbs stalled again, unable to finish and unable to maintain eye contact. His jaw clenched, his eyes on the table as he struggled to find the right words. He squeezed Tony’s hand, not wanting to lose contact, afraid Tony might just walk away. Maybe this would be easier if they were cuddled up on the bed together. He’d found the right words then.
“More than just a one night stand?”
That made Gibbs look up. “It’s a lot more than that. I care about you, Tony. A lot.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say he loved Tony. Not when he wasn’t sure Tony would believe him. Not when Tony might think he’d be expected to say it back and be unable or unwilling to. As far as Gibbs knew, Tony had never said ‘I love you’ to Paula Cassidy and it was obvious he’d felt something deep for her. And Gibbs had found out secondhand, eavesdropping on Abby, that Tony hadn’t said ‘I love you’ to Jeanne until he’d been dating her for months. Clearly they were not words Tony said often or took lightly.
“I care about you too.” Tony smiled, his expression turning wry a moment later. “Probably more than is wise.”
“No one ever accused me of being wise,” Gibbs muttered, getting a low chuckle from Tony in response.
Gibbs leaned forward, pulling their joined hands closer. He placed a soft kiss on Tony’s knuckles. “We could do something unwise together.”
Tony smiled shyly, green eyes meeting blue from under long dark lashes. “Pretty sure we already have, Jethro.”
“Good enough reason to keep right on doing it then.”
Tony laughed quietly. “Thinking there are people out there who would disagree with you.”
“Don’t give a shit about them, Tony. Only person I need to agree is right here in this room.”
Tony’s eyes were glowing again the same way they had earlier. Gibbs took that to mean he’d said the right thing.
Gibbs asked, just to be certain. “You are good with us…continuing this back in DC?”
Tony bit his lower lip. “You don’t mind breaking rule 12?”
“It’s already broken.” He sighed softly. “And I don’t mind that we broke it. You are worth changing the rules for.”
Tony stared at him, eyes searching Gibbs’ face the same way he had when they’d come back to the room. Gibbs waited, holding his breath.
Tony nodded, evidently satisfied with what he saw. “Then, yes.”
Gibbs released the breath he’d been holding and felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He grinned and stood up, pulling Tony to his feet as well. He hugged the younger man hard, holding him close, trying to find a way to express the simply joy he was feeling. He figured Tony got it when he hugged him back just as hard.
Gibbs his face against Tony’s shoulder, and breathed in deeply. No one else, not even Shannon, ever got Gibbs quite the way Tony did. He was damned glad he got his head out of his ass before losing Tony forever.
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