Fic: A Slow but Speedy Breakdown (aka The Next Day)
Title: A Slow but Speedy Breakdown (aka The Next Day)
Pairing: Jethro Gibbs/Tony DiNozzo of course. Is there any other kind?
Rating: NC17
Warning/s: Slash (rather explicit slash at that), foul language and disturbing mental images (Ducky).
Disclaimer: I wish. This could be cannon otherwise!
Word count: Around 5000 words.
Summary: Gibbs and Tony face their very first day at work as a mated couple. With it comes the terrible task of informing their friends and team members of their relationship. Naturally, it doesn’t quite go according to plan.
Authors Note: I caved. Rather thoroughly at that. So here you go, all my faithful readers. At last (a full year after the original) you have it: an actual sequel. I really, REALLY recommend you read the others first. Otherwise this might not make much sense. They are, in order, ‘A Small But Precious Thing’ followed by ‘A Strong and Steady Whisper’ and, last of all (really, really last of all. You get that? This is IT!), this little fic. You now have three fics belonging to this universe (which I’m starting to think requires a name...). I hope this makes you all happy and now you can stop pestering me. :P
IMPORTANT: Here be Vampires. Oh, and the point of view switches back and forth. I was going to write the entire story twice but I got lazy.
Of all the things that matter
(The sky, the clouds, the sun)
Their ignorant opinion
Simply isn’t one
A Slow but Speedy Breakdown
a.k.a
The Next Day
Tony awoke to a mouth wrapped around his cock.
Shuddering with surprise, he went from dreaming to conscious so quickly that he was dizzy with it. Gasping, he grasped a hand downwards, grabbing a handful of silver hair and clinging on for dear life.
“Jesus Christ,” he swore fervently. It was too early in the morning for this: his brain was mush as it was. Now, Tony would be very surprised if he’d be able to string more than two words together all day.
Then Gibbs removed his mouth and Tony proved himself wrong with a long steady stream of protestations.
Gibbs silenced him with a gentle kiss, his hands flowing up to Tony’s thighs and encouraging them to part. Obligingly spreading his legs, Tony wrapped them around Gibbs’ waist and pulled him even closer. Taking that as his cue, Gibbs eased himself inside Tony in a single, powerful stroke.
Tony arched in a puzzled combination of pleasure and pain. Though he was loose from the night before, it still hurt like hell to be entered without preparation. Catching his mewls deftly, Gibbs stilled, giving him the moment he needed to adjust. Then he began to move.
Despite remembering exactly how intense their lovemaking had been, the connection between them still managed to catch Tony off guard. Perhaps because last night had been about care and love and forever. Right now was more about lust.
“Beautiful,” Gibbs breathed against his ear, “And mine. All mine.”
“Yours,” Tony agreed dazedly, reaching up a hand and brushing Gibbs’ hair out of his face to better meet his eyes, “Love you.”
Gibbs ducked his head, nuzzling at his newly made claiming mark. Feeling Gibbs’ tongue swipe across it caused such a strong reaction that Tony cried with it, losing control so quickly that it served to be slightly embarrassing.
“Love you,” Gibbs panted, wiping away that insecurity in a millisecond, “Love you, love you, love you. Your mine now. Mine forever. Always mine.”
“Yes,” Tony echoed back, sated and so filled with contentment he felt liable to explode with it, “Yes.”
He had a mate. Gibbs was his mate. Gibbs. Gibbs, who Tony knew like he knew his own self. Gibbs, who would never let him suffer alone again. Gibbs, who never did anything he didn’t mean.
Who loved him.
As though he could sense Tony’s thoughts, Gibbs gasped and came to a shuddering halt. So closely attuned were they that Tony actually felt his lover come inside him and he shivered with the echo of that pleasure.
Gibbs, rather than move, seemed happy to stay where he was. Slowly catching his breath back, he gifted Tony with kiss after kiss, each one long and slow and sweet. Tony felt aglow with them.
“I could get used to this,” Tony admitted cheekily, unable to help it. Gibbs huffed out a laugh, finally pulling himself free and pressing one last kiss to Tony’s lips.
“Come on,” he encouraged, playfully giving Tony a little smack, “I’ll make you breakfast.”
“Shouldn’t I be doing that?” Tony wondered, watching as his mate climbed out of bed and began to throw on some clothes.
“I want to spoil you,” Gibbs returned easily, “We’ll talk about the rules of our dynamic another day. Until then, I plan to make damn sure you don’t regret your decision.”
“Not going to happen,” Tony said and it wasn’t a reassurance. It was a mere statement of fact.
“Keep that frame of mind,” Gibbs retorted, grinning, “Today might test it.”
Tony grimaced slightly. Despite his teasing the night before, Tony would be just as under siege today as Gibbs would be. On the bright side, while Gibbs would allow himself to be volleyed with questions he’d rend anyone who went near Tony to pieces.
“Pancakes would help,” Tony hinted, reluctantly shoving the covers down and climbing out of bed. He made to pick up his clothes only to hesitate when he caught the appreciative look on Gibbs’ face as the man took in his naked body. After that, he couldn’t help but show off: dressing as slowly as he could and making sure to bend down as provocatively as possible.
By the time he was dressed, Gibbs looked very much like he wanted nothing more than to rip all his clothes back off. Tony wouldn’t mind that himself, but they had work and nosy co-workers to deal with.
“Pancakes?” Tony prompted, pressing a quick peck to Gibbs’ lips.
Gibbs nodded even as he drew Tony close, nosing his way into Tony’s neck and drawing a deep breath in. Hugging the man back, Tony let himself enjoy the moment. There was nothing sexual about the embrace and, somehow, that made it even sweeter.
“Pancakes,” Gibbs sighed at last, pulling away but refusing to relinquish Tony’s hand as he led him downstairs.
He urged Tony into a seat and then began to bustle around the kitchen, quickly whipping up the requested pancakes. Tony watched him with curious eyes, unable to do anything but take utter delight in being so thoroughly taken care of.
“Very nice,” Tony approved as Gibbs dished it out, “I scored me a sugar daddy.”
Gibbs gave him a soft head slap but tempered it by following it up with another kiss. Tony was half convinced that he could live off Gibbs’ kisses alone... but it was probably best to eat the pancakes anyway. Just in case.
“Did you really fall for me the day we met?” Tony asked as he ate. The question had been niggling at him.
“Yep,” Gibbs agreed easily, handing Tony the maple syrup.
“I had no idea,” Tony admitted, “I’m impressed by your patience.”
“I wanted to take my time,” Gibbs shrugged before smiling wryly, “And then you had to go and remove your collar.”
“Fucked you up good, huh?” Tony grinned, “I have a tendency to do that.”
“I’ve noticed,” Gibbs said dryly but he was eyeing Tony’s claiming mark as he said as much and Tony got the impression that all he was feeling right then was smug.
“I’ll have to sell my apartment...” Tony mused, half questioning.
“Damn right you will,” Gibbs put in fiercely, nipping that particular worry in the bud, “I’ll help you move in this weekend.”
Tony hid a smile, ridiculously pleased since that was really only the first of a hundred thousand other questions.
“We’ll work it out,” Gibbs assured him easily, “Let’s just take it one thing at a time. We’ll start with the pile of paperwork HR will no doubt sic on us.”
“They’re going to love this,” Tony predicted, laughing.
And really, watching Vance’s reaction, no matter how much Tony was dreading it, was bound to be a hell of a lot of fun.
*~*~*~Vance~*~*~*
Walking through security as Gibbs’ claimed sub was a hell of a rush. The look on the security guard’s face as he took in the mark on his neck and the possessive arm wrapped around his waist was to die for.
Throwing the guy a cocky wink, Tony stuck to his dom’s side as the two of them swept their way through to the elevator. Gibbs shot him an amused smirk as soon as the doors slid to a close and, seeing no reason to resist, Tony pressed a brief kiss to the man’s jaw, prompting Gibbs to tighten his hold even further.
The bullpen was practically empty this early in the morning and the few people littered around didn’t take any notice of them as they made their way up to Vance’s office.
“He in?” Gibbs shot at Wendy as they entered and, starting, the woman nodded nervously.
Not bothering to reply, Gibbs drew Tony closer still and barged right in.
Vance looked up at once, his eyes abandoning the paperwork piled before him. He took the both of them in with a puzzled frown, noting immediately the arm that Gibbs had wrapped around Tony.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded.
“I’ve claimed Tony as mine,” Gibbs told him briskly, getting straight to the point, “Thought you should know.”
Vance opened his mouth to reply only to close it again. Tony had never seen the man so utterly thrown before. It wasn’t a good look for him.
“You’re shitting me,” Vance managed at last, eyes bouncing between them doubtfully.
Rather than reply, Gibbs reached over to tilt Tony’s head, baring his claiming mark for Vance’s perusal. Vance gaped, clearly floundering for a moment before he recovered.
“Never can do things the easy way, huh?” he asked rhetorically, sighing, “He force you into this?”
Gibbs growled dangerously and Vance held up his hands in surrender.
“I have to ask,” he argued, turning his gaze to Tony.
“I was more than willing,” Tony assured him.
“I’ll alert HR,” Vance grumbled, rubbing at his temples, “And if I see any change in your team performance I’ll split you up so fast your heads will spin.”
The look in Gibbs’ eyes said quite clearly that he wouldn’t allow that to happen. No doubt seeing it, Vance swept a hand over his face and glanced quickly upwards, as though asking for strength.
“Get the hell out of my office,” he ordered.
Rather than obey, Gibbs ducked his head to pull Tony into a fierce kiss. Only when Tony’s head was nicely fuzzy did the other man pull away and begin to drag Tony out of the office, utterly ignoring Vance’s spluttering.
“Bastard,” Tony muttered darkly as he went.
Gibbs merely grinned.
*~*~*~Ducky~*~*~*
Absolute self-satisfaction throbbed through him like a second heartbeat.
Leaning bodily against the wall of the halted elevator, Gibbs took a moment just to enjoy it. He hadn’t felt his dominance so strongly for such a long time. Riding that wave now was pure ecstasy.
And it all led back to Tony.
His sub was perfection. Gibbs had woken that morning with the bond already beginning to establish itself in the back of his mind. He’d woken and he’d looked down at his mate and he’d realized, all at once, that there was nothing at all to stop him from touching the other man.
And touch he had, running exploratory fingers over every inch of Tony’s skin, coaxing the sleeping man slowly to hardness and, when that wasn’t enough, engulfing the man’s arousal and tasting his bittersweet seed.
Gibbs felt his groin tighten now just thinking on it. Best of all, he now had access to Tony wherever and whenever he wished. He’d left his submissive at his desk to start trawling through his share of the paperwork and he’d looked at his erotic pout and known that he could have thrown Tony down on the desk and taken him right there and then if he had so desired it.
And Tony would have let him, would have begged for more, would have submitted utterly to his will.
Of course, he’d managed to restrain himself in time. Though Tony would have done as he asked, Gibbs had no desire for the other man to be the least bit naked in front of anyone. Such a sight was now reserved for Gibbs alone.
And besides, it would have been a very abrupt way to inform McGee and Ziva of their new relationship. Having them walk in on them having sex was probably not the best strategy to take.
As it was, Gibbs had made a bargain with Tony: he would tell Ducky and Abby about their new status as a mated couple if Tony would tell McGee and Ziva. Considering how volatile Gibbs expected Ducky and Abby to be, Tony had by far gotten the better end of the deal. The cocky brat knew it too. He’d agreed at once... though by the look in his eyes, Gibbs knew he was wishing he could be a fly on the wall for those two interactions.
If Gibbs were being entirely honest, he was slightly curious as to how the encounters would go himself. While Abby was easy to predict with some accuracy, Ducky was a preverbal wild card. Out of everyone Gibbs knew, Ducky could probably read him best (though Tony gave the man a run for his money) and so he would either already be aware of Gibbs’s feelings or would have somehow misread the situation entirely. No matter how good Ducky was at divining his feelings, Gibbs was that much better at hiding them.
Either way, he’d have to explain why he’d chosen to mark Tony so quickly. Whatever Ducky suspected, he could not picture the man approving of that.
Gritting his teeth momentarily, Gibbs flipped the elevator’s switch, jerking the device back into motion. It came to a stop mere moments later, the doors sliding open smoothly.
Ducky was, as per usual, bent over a prone body and chatting amicably to Palmer. Gibbs wondered idly whose case he was working on before dismissing the thought as irrelevant.
“Jethro, this is a surprise,” the man greeted cheerfully.
“Not here for work, Ducky,” Gibbs admitted, “You got a minute?”
“I’m just wrapping this up,” Ducky allowed, scribbling something down, “Be a lad and go give this to Abby.”
Palmer took the offered paperwork, nodding and leaving without so much as speaking a word. Only when he heard the elevator doors ding to a close did Ducky turn enquiring eyes onto Gibbs. For a moment, Gibbs remained silent, trying to decide how to broach the subject. Ducky wasn’t Vance.
“I want to talk about Tony,” Gibbs began at last.
“I hope Anthony is alright?” Ducky asked at once, frowning.
“He’s fine,” Gibbs assured instantly.
“This must be about his recently discarded collar then,” Ducky surmised, “I thought that would bother you.”
Gibbs instantly felt better. Perhaps Ducky already knew what he felt for his newly claimed submissive.
“I am,” he agreed, happy things seemed to be going his way, “How long have you known?”
“Jethro, really,” Ducky scolded, “Anyone with eyes can see you care for young Anthony. But I think it’s high time you let the boy make his own mistakes. You can’t shelter him from anything. And discarding his collar is an important step for the lad.”
“I care for Tony on a deeper level than Ziva or McGee,” Gibbs put in cautiously, suddenly not feeling at all as certain.
“Have you thought to tell Anthony as such?” Ducky asked mildly
“I did,” Gibbs assured him, “I told him exactly how I felt.”
Ducky, for the first time, looked visibly taken aback.
“You didn’t think I would?” Gibbs wondered, frowning, “I could hardly act without telling him. How would he be able to trust my intentions otherwise?”
‘I’m afraid you’ve lost me,” Ducky admitted, blinking.
“I think we’re on different wavelengths here,” Gibbs agreed, puzzled, “What has you so confused?”
“You’ve been feeling paternal feelings for Tony for years now,” Ducky said, “Why are you only telling him now?”
“He wasn’t ready -” Gibbs began only to cut himself off as he registered Ducky’s words, “Wait. Did you say paternal? I don’t think of Tony as my son!”
Ducky gave him a chastising look and Gibbs blanched. Considering he’d held Tony down and fucked him raw this morning, his feelings were anything but fatherly. No father had any rights thinking of his son in such a way.
“Tony has a father,” Gibbs pointed out, not bothering to hide his distaste, “Despite what a poor father that man makes, I’m not looking to be a replacement.”
“Come, Jethro,” Ducky urged, “Why else would you be upset that Tony removed his collar? You’re worried that your boy will trapeze right into danger.”
“I wasn’t angry because I was feeling paternal and protective,” Gibbs returned firmly, “I was furious from jealousy.”
“Jealousy?” Ducky echoed, pausing.
“I’d wanted Tony for ten years and he just waltzes in without his collar. Leaving himself bare for any two-bit vampire to claim him. Nathan bloody Reynolds tried to make a move while I watched.” Gibbs was angry all over again just thinking about it, “But I wasn’t hopelessly in love with Tony for ten fucking years just to let him go.”
Ducky blinked, clearly taken aback.
“Jethro,” He began slowly, clearly realizing that there was more to this story that Gibbs was divulging, “What did you do?”
“I took him home, fucked him through the mattress and put my mark on his throat,” Gibbs shot back, flashing his fangs at his friend, “And I assure you, there was nothing paternal about it.”
Ducky actually grabbed the metal autopsy table to brace himself, so shocked was he by the declaration. Then he blinked and his expression darkened.
“Tony was perfectly willing,” Gibbs interrupted swiftly, “He loves me.”
“The problem is that he loves you,” Ducky snarled, catching Gibbs off guard, “The boy would do anything for you.”
“He wouldn’t pimp himself out to me!” Gibbs protested, getting right in Ducky’s face, “Not if his feelings weren’t genuine. And nor would the claiming mark have taken properly. It’s already healed, Ducky. Already silver. Even now I can feel a stirring at the back of my head. We’ll get a telepathic connection out of this, probably tomorrow or the day after. That’s how strong our bond is.”
Ducky stilled, taking that information in.
“I love him, Ducky,” Gibbs told him frankly, more gently now, “From the second I met him I have loved him. As much as I once loved Shannon. My heart called to him the second he shot me that cocky smile. All this waiting, all my previous snarling... that was me waiting for him to be ready. Waiting for the moment where I could court him properly.”
“But then he removed his collar,” Ducky realized, something clearly clicking into place.
“But then he removed his collar,” Gibbs agreed wryly.
Ducky thought this over and looked slightly mollified, though he was still frowning at Gibbs darkly.
“You still should have waited,” he rebuked, “And not claimed him overnight.”
“It wasn’t overnight, not really,” Gibbs argued, “We’ve been dancing around each other for ten years. And, to be honest, I found myself unable to wait. Something I don’t regret. Tony is mine now.”
“How did I not see this?” Ducky marvelled, more to himself than to Gibbs.
“I was good at hiding it,” Gibbs allowed, “I just didn’t factor in what other conclusions you could come to in order to explain why I cared for him so much.”
“I would have appreciated a heads up,” Ducky grumbled darkly, “Some warning would have been nice. I feel a bit blindsided.”
“You’ll have all the time you need to get used to it now,” Gibbs pointed out, “And feel free to talk to Tony. That should calm any lingering uncertainties you have.”
“I’ll do that,” Ducky promised, “And if you hurt him then, dear friend or not, I shall tie you down on one of my tables and drain you dry.”
“Would expect nothing less, Ducky,” Gibbs assured, taking that as his cue to sweep out of the room and back to the safety of the elevator.
“Yeah,” he sighed aloud once the door slid shut behind him, “That went well.”
Hopefully Abby would be easier to deal with. Making a face, he decided making a stop for some Cafpow would probably be a good idea.
He wondered if Tony was having more luck.
*~*~*~McGee and Ziva~*~*~*
Paperwork was evil.
Tony had been working at it for a while now and it seemed he’d barely made a dent. He felt a brief stab of malicious pleasure knowing that Gibbs’ stack was larger (since he was, after all, Tony’s superior) but no doubt Gibbs would breeze through it in a moment flat. Or force McGee to do it.
The only thing that was stopping him from giving up and moving on to playing games on his computer was the quiet but steady anticipation flowing through him as he waited for his teammates to arrive. Because at least the paperwork required all his attention.
The elevator dinged and Tony looked up automatically but it was only Fred, who worked on the other side of the room. Tony cursed, since that had happened consistently all morning as more and more people started to flow in.
Finally, after what felt like eons but was in reality only moments, the elevator dinged and McGee stepped out, going at once to his desk. He was in the process of settling in when the ding sounded again and Ziva arrived. Both of them looked a little strained and it was a moment before Tony remembered just how awful the case they’d had yesterday had been. The horror of it had been rather powerfully eclipsed by Gibbs’ rather thorough claiming.
“Hey guys,” Tony greeted, tilting his head to better show off his mark. Better to get this over with, “Good night?”
“Not really,” McGee sighed tiredly, turning to look at him only to almost fall out of his chair, “Fuck!”
Tony jerked at the language (Timmy rarely swore) and Ziva did likewise, turning to Tony in confusion only to let out a rough stream of Hebrew as she took in his neck.
“What did you do?” She demanded furiously, stalking over to his desk and glaring down at him.
“I was claimed,” Tony returned simply, “Rather thoroughly at that.”
“Please tell me it wasn’t Nathan Reynolds,” McGee begged, joining Ziva, “I know your easy Tony but, Jesus Christ. This is a claiming mark.”
“I’m not easy,” Tony protested weakly, “And it wasn’t Nathan Reynolds. Not that there’s anything wrong with Nathan Reynolds.”
“What happened to ‘I’m not some stupid sub that will let a dom claim me the first time we have sex’?” McGee demanded furiously, “Explain to me what the hell you were thinking!”
“You were uncollared a day, Tony,” Ziva put in, not to be outdone, “A day. Who could you allow to claim you in less than twenty-four hours?”
“Gibbs,” Tony answered simply.
“God-damn-it Tony, this isn’t the time for jokes! This is serious. This is your life were talking about. You can’t just go give it away to the first sweet face that comes along.” McGee spat.
“I didn’t,” Tony reiterated patiently, “I gave it to Gibbs.”
“Do you know how painful it is to break a claiming bond?” Ziva asked him, voice hard, “I don’t envy you at all.”
“I’m not breaking the bond,” Tony returned firmly, flinching at the very thought. “Though I would like to see you try to convince Gibbs to do so.”
“Gibbs will kill you,” McGee told him, “So I guess it’s not really an issue.”
“Gibbs is the one who claimed me,” Tony repeated again, “It’s his claiming mark. Am I speaking Spanish?”
“Stop it,” Ziva implored, “Can’t you at least tell us who really claimed you? We can at least do a background check.”
“Gibbs claimed me,” Tony sighed, feeling much like a broken record, “Really and truly. Ask Vance. Or Ducky for that matter. I’m sure Gibbs has told him by now.”
McGee hesitated at that, looking at Tony shrewdly.
“Honest,” Tony added, responding to the look. “He loves me.”
Now it was Ziva who paused to consider that.
“I was not aware you were dating?” She asked carefully and Tony fidgeted slightly.
“We weren’t,” He’s forced to admit.
“And yet you claim that he marked you?” Ziva persisted, “Gibbs, the most careful man in existence.”
“What can I say?” Tony shrugged, feeling a trifle smug despite himself, “He couldn’t resist me.”
His teammates exchanged a disbelieving look and Tony resisted the very strong temptation to bang his head against the table. Repeatedly.
“I’m not making this up,” he insisted, “Not that it matters if you believe me or not. The second Gibbs walks in here he’ll prove me right.”
Since that was true, they relented. Though Tony could tell they still didn’t buy it (which, now that Tony thought about it, was actually slightly insulting) they ceased pestering him with questions and instead moved on to pestering him with long, disappointed looks. Ignoring them, Tony turned his attention back to his paperwork.
He hoped Gibbs was having better luck.
*~*~*~Abby~*~*~*
Gibbs heard the music first.
How Abby managed to get any work done was beyond him. While he could appreciate a good song, what Abby seemed to enjoy was more comparable to nails scratching down a blackboard than music. Thus, Gibbs took no small amount of joy from waltzing right in and turning it off.
“Oi!” Abby complained at once, before she turned around, “Gibbs!”
She threw herself at him and Gibbs endured it though he couldn’t quite resist rolling his eyes. Going off Abby’s reaction, one would think they hadn’t seen each other in months.
“You don’t have a case,” she noted, pulling back and taking his offered CafPow with a frown, “What gives?”
“I claimed Tony as my submissive last night,” he told her bluntly, not wanting another misunderstanding, “Thought you’d want to know.”
Abby stared at him, her face utterly blank, the giant beverage hanging limp in her hand.
“Abby?” Gibbs prompted warily.
The goth remained completely motionless. For a brief second, Gibbs entertained the utterly ridiculous notion that he’d broken her. Then she blinked and Gibbs relaxed.
“Wait... what?”
“Tony,” Gibbs repeated patiently, “I’ve claimed him.”
“But,” Abby tried, her arms moving jerkily, “But you weren’t even dating.”
“Nope,” Gibbs agreed, “But we’ve been dancing around each other for ages now. I’ve been in love with him since the moment I saw him.”
All of a sudden her eyes narrowed.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t even tell Tony,” Gibbs shot back, “He deserved to know first I would think.”
“But I didn’t even suspect!” Abby cried, jabbing him with an irritated finger, “How on earth could you keep that secret?”
“I’m telling you now,” Gibbs tried tentatively.
Abby glared darkly but the very next moment she blinked and the glare faded.
“Oh... my... god,” she managed, wide-eyed, “You and Tony! I can’t believe this! You really declared your love and claimed him in a single night?”
“Yep,” Gibbs agreed easily, grinning.
“This is amazing!” she burst out, all but jumping up and down, “Oh my god! Are you going to marry him?!”
“I... hadn’t really thought about it,” Gibbs admitted, though he did now and couldn’t help but consider it. Something inside him approved of tying Tony to him as thoroughly as possible. Still, he didn’t have to decide and propose right now. Tony was claimed as his, after all. He had all the time he needed.
“You totally are!!” She all but screamed, and, yep, here came the explosion Gibbs had predicted, “Where’s Tony? Is he upstairs? I have to go hug him!”
With that, she shot off, leaving a faint whirlwind in her wake. More sedately, Gibbs followed her.
He entered the bullpen to see Abby all but strewn in his mate’s lap and talking so rapidly that Gibbs couldn’t make heads or tails of it and, by the look of him, neither could Tony.
“Guess you told her?” Tony hazarded dryly as Abby clung to his neck like a limpet.
“She took it well,” Gibbs shot back, grinning, “Abby. Off my mate.”
Abby obeyed, hovering by Tony’s desk and all but vibrating with energy. Tony was flushed pink with pleasure, smiling gently as he watched her. He looked good enough to eat just then and, seeing no reason to restrain himself, Gibbs leaned forward to pull the man into a long kiss.
He heard sounds behind him as he did so. One was likely Abby self combusting but the other two sounded more like McGee and Ziva. Ignoring all three, Gibbs focused on more important things. Like devouring the lips beneath him.
Tony let out a heated moan and taking that as his cue to draw away (least he do something the both of them would later regret) he turned to face the others.
“Holy shit, it’s true,” McGee blurted and then promptly turned very red. Gibbs raised a brow.
“They didn’t believe me,” Tony explained, pouting slightly. Gibbs resisted the temptation to kiss it off him. He wasn’t sure he could stop himself again.
“They do now,” Gibbs returned with certainty, “And besides, you should have seen Ducky. He thought our relationship a paternal one.”
“Ew,” Tony said at once, scrunching his nose up in disgust, “So not a kink of mine.”
“Hey speaking of, what did your fathers say?” Abby asked curiously, popping herself onto McGee’s desk and making herself comfortable, “How’d they take the news?”
Gibbs threw Tony a slightly disconcerted look and found his mate returning it with interest.
“Fuck,” Tony swore, summing up Gibbs thoughts on the situation quite nicely.
Still, they could worry about crossing that particular bridge later. Right now, Gibbs settled himself next to Tony and set about enduring the many questions his friends and co-workers proceeded to throw at them.
~*~*~The End~*~*~
Pairing: Jethro Gibbs/Tony DiNozzo of course. Is there any other kind?
Rating: NC17
Warning/s: Slash (rather explicit slash at that), foul language and disturbing mental images (Ducky).
Disclaimer: I wish. This could be cannon otherwise!
Word count: Around 5000 words.
Summary: Gibbs and Tony face their very first day at work as a mated couple. With it comes the terrible task of informing their friends and team members of their relationship. Naturally, it doesn’t quite go according to plan.
Authors Note: I caved. Rather thoroughly at that. So here you go, all my faithful readers. At last (a full year after the original) you have it: an actual sequel. I really, REALLY recommend you read the others first. Otherwise this might not make much sense. They are, in order, ‘A Small But Precious Thing’ followed by ‘A Strong and Steady Whisper’ and, last of all (really, really last of all. You get that? This is IT!), this little fic. You now have three fics belonging to this universe (which I’m starting to think requires a name...). I hope this makes you all happy and now you can stop pestering me. :P
IMPORTANT: Here be Vampires. Oh, and the point of view switches back and forth. I was going to write the entire story twice but I got lazy.
Of all the things that matter
(The sky, the clouds, the sun)
Their ignorant opinion
Simply isn’t one
A Slow but Speedy Breakdown
a.k.a
The Next Day
Tony awoke to a mouth wrapped around his cock.
Shuddering with surprise, he went from dreaming to conscious so quickly that he was dizzy with it. Gasping, he grasped a hand downwards, grabbing a handful of silver hair and clinging on for dear life.
“Jesus Christ,” he swore fervently. It was too early in the morning for this: his brain was mush as it was. Now, Tony would be very surprised if he’d be able to string more than two words together all day.
Then Gibbs removed his mouth and Tony proved himself wrong with a long steady stream of protestations.
Gibbs silenced him with a gentle kiss, his hands flowing up to Tony’s thighs and encouraging them to part. Obligingly spreading his legs, Tony wrapped them around Gibbs’ waist and pulled him even closer. Taking that as his cue, Gibbs eased himself inside Tony in a single, powerful stroke.
Tony arched in a puzzled combination of pleasure and pain. Though he was loose from the night before, it still hurt like hell to be entered without preparation. Catching his mewls deftly, Gibbs stilled, giving him the moment he needed to adjust. Then he began to move.
Despite remembering exactly how intense their lovemaking had been, the connection between them still managed to catch Tony off guard. Perhaps because last night had been about care and love and forever. Right now was more about lust.
“Beautiful,” Gibbs breathed against his ear, “And mine. All mine.”
“Yours,” Tony agreed dazedly, reaching up a hand and brushing Gibbs’ hair out of his face to better meet his eyes, “Love you.”
Gibbs ducked his head, nuzzling at his newly made claiming mark. Feeling Gibbs’ tongue swipe across it caused such a strong reaction that Tony cried with it, losing control so quickly that it served to be slightly embarrassing.
“Love you,” Gibbs panted, wiping away that insecurity in a millisecond, “Love you, love you, love you. Your mine now. Mine forever. Always mine.”
“Yes,” Tony echoed back, sated and so filled with contentment he felt liable to explode with it, “Yes.”
He had a mate. Gibbs was his mate. Gibbs. Gibbs, who Tony knew like he knew his own self. Gibbs, who would never let him suffer alone again. Gibbs, who never did anything he didn’t mean.
Who loved him.
As though he could sense Tony’s thoughts, Gibbs gasped and came to a shuddering halt. So closely attuned were they that Tony actually felt his lover come inside him and he shivered with the echo of that pleasure.
Gibbs, rather than move, seemed happy to stay where he was. Slowly catching his breath back, he gifted Tony with kiss after kiss, each one long and slow and sweet. Tony felt aglow with them.
“I could get used to this,” Tony admitted cheekily, unable to help it. Gibbs huffed out a laugh, finally pulling himself free and pressing one last kiss to Tony’s lips.
“Come on,” he encouraged, playfully giving Tony a little smack, “I’ll make you breakfast.”
“Shouldn’t I be doing that?” Tony wondered, watching as his mate climbed out of bed and began to throw on some clothes.
“I want to spoil you,” Gibbs returned easily, “We’ll talk about the rules of our dynamic another day. Until then, I plan to make damn sure you don’t regret your decision.”
“Not going to happen,” Tony said and it wasn’t a reassurance. It was a mere statement of fact.
“Keep that frame of mind,” Gibbs retorted, grinning, “Today might test it.”
Tony grimaced slightly. Despite his teasing the night before, Tony would be just as under siege today as Gibbs would be. On the bright side, while Gibbs would allow himself to be volleyed with questions he’d rend anyone who went near Tony to pieces.
“Pancakes would help,” Tony hinted, reluctantly shoving the covers down and climbing out of bed. He made to pick up his clothes only to hesitate when he caught the appreciative look on Gibbs’ face as the man took in his naked body. After that, he couldn’t help but show off: dressing as slowly as he could and making sure to bend down as provocatively as possible.
By the time he was dressed, Gibbs looked very much like he wanted nothing more than to rip all his clothes back off. Tony wouldn’t mind that himself, but they had work and nosy co-workers to deal with.
“Pancakes?” Tony prompted, pressing a quick peck to Gibbs’ lips.
Gibbs nodded even as he drew Tony close, nosing his way into Tony’s neck and drawing a deep breath in. Hugging the man back, Tony let himself enjoy the moment. There was nothing sexual about the embrace and, somehow, that made it even sweeter.
“Pancakes,” Gibbs sighed at last, pulling away but refusing to relinquish Tony’s hand as he led him downstairs.
He urged Tony into a seat and then began to bustle around the kitchen, quickly whipping up the requested pancakes. Tony watched him with curious eyes, unable to do anything but take utter delight in being so thoroughly taken care of.
“Very nice,” Tony approved as Gibbs dished it out, “I scored me a sugar daddy.”
Gibbs gave him a soft head slap but tempered it by following it up with another kiss. Tony was half convinced that he could live off Gibbs’ kisses alone... but it was probably best to eat the pancakes anyway. Just in case.
“Did you really fall for me the day we met?” Tony asked as he ate. The question had been niggling at him.
“Yep,” Gibbs agreed easily, handing Tony the maple syrup.
“I had no idea,” Tony admitted, “I’m impressed by your patience.”
“I wanted to take my time,” Gibbs shrugged before smiling wryly, “And then you had to go and remove your collar.”
“Fucked you up good, huh?” Tony grinned, “I have a tendency to do that.”
“I’ve noticed,” Gibbs said dryly but he was eyeing Tony’s claiming mark as he said as much and Tony got the impression that all he was feeling right then was smug.
“I’ll have to sell my apartment...” Tony mused, half questioning.
“Damn right you will,” Gibbs put in fiercely, nipping that particular worry in the bud, “I’ll help you move in this weekend.”
Tony hid a smile, ridiculously pleased since that was really only the first of a hundred thousand other questions.
“We’ll work it out,” Gibbs assured him easily, “Let’s just take it one thing at a time. We’ll start with the pile of paperwork HR will no doubt sic on us.”
“They’re going to love this,” Tony predicted, laughing.
And really, watching Vance’s reaction, no matter how much Tony was dreading it, was bound to be a hell of a lot of fun.
*~*~*~Vance~*~*~*
Walking through security as Gibbs’ claimed sub was a hell of a rush. The look on the security guard’s face as he took in the mark on his neck and the possessive arm wrapped around his waist was to die for.
Throwing the guy a cocky wink, Tony stuck to his dom’s side as the two of them swept their way through to the elevator. Gibbs shot him an amused smirk as soon as the doors slid to a close and, seeing no reason to resist, Tony pressed a brief kiss to the man’s jaw, prompting Gibbs to tighten his hold even further.
The bullpen was practically empty this early in the morning and the few people littered around didn’t take any notice of them as they made their way up to Vance’s office.
“He in?” Gibbs shot at Wendy as they entered and, starting, the woman nodded nervously.
Not bothering to reply, Gibbs drew Tony closer still and barged right in.
Vance looked up at once, his eyes abandoning the paperwork piled before him. He took the both of them in with a puzzled frown, noting immediately the arm that Gibbs had wrapped around Tony.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded.
“I’ve claimed Tony as mine,” Gibbs told him briskly, getting straight to the point, “Thought you should know.”
Vance opened his mouth to reply only to close it again. Tony had never seen the man so utterly thrown before. It wasn’t a good look for him.
“You’re shitting me,” Vance managed at last, eyes bouncing between them doubtfully.
Rather than reply, Gibbs reached over to tilt Tony’s head, baring his claiming mark for Vance’s perusal. Vance gaped, clearly floundering for a moment before he recovered.
“Never can do things the easy way, huh?” he asked rhetorically, sighing, “He force you into this?”
Gibbs growled dangerously and Vance held up his hands in surrender.
“I have to ask,” he argued, turning his gaze to Tony.
“I was more than willing,” Tony assured him.
“I’ll alert HR,” Vance grumbled, rubbing at his temples, “And if I see any change in your team performance I’ll split you up so fast your heads will spin.”
The look in Gibbs’ eyes said quite clearly that he wouldn’t allow that to happen. No doubt seeing it, Vance swept a hand over his face and glanced quickly upwards, as though asking for strength.
“Get the hell out of my office,” he ordered.
Rather than obey, Gibbs ducked his head to pull Tony into a fierce kiss. Only when Tony’s head was nicely fuzzy did the other man pull away and begin to drag Tony out of the office, utterly ignoring Vance’s spluttering.
“Bastard,” Tony muttered darkly as he went.
Gibbs merely grinned.
*~*~*~Ducky~*~*~*
Absolute self-satisfaction throbbed through him like a second heartbeat.
Leaning bodily against the wall of the halted elevator, Gibbs took a moment just to enjoy it. He hadn’t felt his dominance so strongly for such a long time. Riding that wave now was pure ecstasy.
And it all led back to Tony.
His sub was perfection. Gibbs had woken that morning with the bond already beginning to establish itself in the back of his mind. He’d woken and he’d looked down at his mate and he’d realized, all at once, that there was nothing at all to stop him from touching the other man.
And touch he had, running exploratory fingers over every inch of Tony’s skin, coaxing the sleeping man slowly to hardness and, when that wasn’t enough, engulfing the man’s arousal and tasting his bittersweet seed.
Gibbs felt his groin tighten now just thinking on it. Best of all, he now had access to Tony wherever and whenever he wished. He’d left his submissive at his desk to start trawling through his share of the paperwork and he’d looked at his erotic pout and known that he could have thrown Tony down on the desk and taken him right there and then if he had so desired it.
And Tony would have let him, would have begged for more, would have submitted utterly to his will.
Of course, he’d managed to restrain himself in time. Though Tony would have done as he asked, Gibbs had no desire for the other man to be the least bit naked in front of anyone. Such a sight was now reserved for Gibbs alone.
And besides, it would have been a very abrupt way to inform McGee and Ziva of their new relationship. Having them walk in on them having sex was probably not the best strategy to take.
As it was, Gibbs had made a bargain with Tony: he would tell Ducky and Abby about their new status as a mated couple if Tony would tell McGee and Ziva. Considering how volatile Gibbs expected Ducky and Abby to be, Tony had by far gotten the better end of the deal. The cocky brat knew it too. He’d agreed at once... though by the look in his eyes, Gibbs knew he was wishing he could be a fly on the wall for those two interactions.
If Gibbs were being entirely honest, he was slightly curious as to how the encounters would go himself. While Abby was easy to predict with some accuracy, Ducky was a preverbal wild card. Out of everyone Gibbs knew, Ducky could probably read him best (though Tony gave the man a run for his money) and so he would either already be aware of Gibbs’s feelings or would have somehow misread the situation entirely. No matter how good Ducky was at divining his feelings, Gibbs was that much better at hiding them.
Either way, he’d have to explain why he’d chosen to mark Tony so quickly. Whatever Ducky suspected, he could not picture the man approving of that.
Gritting his teeth momentarily, Gibbs flipped the elevator’s switch, jerking the device back into motion. It came to a stop mere moments later, the doors sliding open smoothly.
Ducky was, as per usual, bent over a prone body and chatting amicably to Palmer. Gibbs wondered idly whose case he was working on before dismissing the thought as irrelevant.
“Jethro, this is a surprise,” the man greeted cheerfully.
“Not here for work, Ducky,” Gibbs admitted, “You got a minute?”
“I’m just wrapping this up,” Ducky allowed, scribbling something down, “Be a lad and go give this to Abby.”
Palmer took the offered paperwork, nodding and leaving without so much as speaking a word. Only when he heard the elevator doors ding to a close did Ducky turn enquiring eyes onto Gibbs. For a moment, Gibbs remained silent, trying to decide how to broach the subject. Ducky wasn’t Vance.
“I want to talk about Tony,” Gibbs began at last.
“I hope Anthony is alright?” Ducky asked at once, frowning.
“He’s fine,” Gibbs assured instantly.
“This must be about his recently discarded collar then,” Ducky surmised, “I thought that would bother you.”
Gibbs instantly felt better. Perhaps Ducky already knew what he felt for his newly claimed submissive.
“I am,” he agreed, happy things seemed to be going his way, “How long have you known?”
“Jethro, really,” Ducky scolded, “Anyone with eyes can see you care for young Anthony. But I think it’s high time you let the boy make his own mistakes. You can’t shelter him from anything. And discarding his collar is an important step for the lad.”
“I care for Tony on a deeper level than Ziva or McGee,” Gibbs put in cautiously, suddenly not feeling at all as certain.
“Have you thought to tell Anthony as such?” Ducky asked mildly
“I did,” Gibbs assured him, “I told him exactly how I felt.”
Ducky, for the first time, looked visibly taken aback.
“You didn’t think I would?” Gibbs wondered, frowning, “I could hardly act without telling him. How would he be able to trust my intentions otherwise?”
‘I’m afraid you’ve lost me,” Ducky admitted, blinking.
“I think we’re on different wavelengths here,” Gibbs agreed, puzzled, “What has you so confused?”
“You’ve been feeling paternal feelings for Tony for years now,” Ducky said, “Why are you only telling him now?”
“He wasn’t ready -” Gibbs began only to cut himself off as he registered Ducky’s words, “Wait. Did you say paternal? I don’t think of Tony as my son!”
Ducky gave him a chastising look and Gibbs blanched. Considering he’d held Tony down and fucked him raw this morning, his feelings were anything but fatherly. No father had any rights thinking of his son in such a way.
“Tony has a father,” Gibbs pointed out, not bothering to hide his distaste, “Despite what a poor father that man makes, I’m not looking to be a replacement.”
“Come, Jethro,” Ducky urged, “Why else would you be upset that Tony removed his collar? You’re worried that your boy will trapeze right into danger.”
“I wasn’t angry because I was feeling paternal and protective,” Gibbs returned firmly, “I was furious from jealousy.”
“Jealousy?” Ducky echoed, pausing.
“I’d wanted Tony for ten years and he just waltzes in without his collar. Leaving himself bare for any two-bit vampire to claim him. Nathan bloody Reynolds tried to make a move while I watched.” Gibbs was angry all over again just thinking about it, “But I wasn’t hopelessly in love with Tony for ten fucking years just to let him go.”
Ducky blinked, clearly taken aback.
“Jethro,” He began slowly, clearly realizing that there was more to this story that Gibbs was divulging, “What did you do?”
“I took him home, fucked him through the mattress and put my mark on his throat,” Gibbs shot back, flashing his fangs at his friend, “And I assure you, there was nothing paternal about it.”
Ducky actually grabbed the metal autopsy table to brace himself, so shocked was he by the declaration. Then he blinked and his expression darkened.
“Tony was perfectly willing,” Gibbs interrupted swiftly, “He loves me.”
“The problem is that he loves you,” Ducky snarled, catching Gibbs off guard, “The boy would do anything for you.”
“He wouldn’t pimp himself out to me!” Gibbs protested, getting right in Ducky’s face, “Not if his feelings weren’t genuine. And nor would the claiming mark have taken properly. It’s already healed, Ducky. Already silver. Even now I can feel a stirring at the back of my head. We’ll get a telepathic connection out of this, probably tomorrow or the day after. That’s how strong our bond is.”
Ducky stilled, taking that information in.
“I love him, Ducky,” Gibbs told him frankly, more gently now, “From the second I met him I have loved him. As much as I once loved Shannon. My heart called to him the second he shot me that cocky smile. All this waiting, all my previous snarling... that was me waiting for him to be ready. Waiting for the moment where I could court him properly.”
“But then he removed his collar,” Ducky realized, something clearly clicking into place.
“But then he removed his collar,” Gibbs agreed wryly.
Ducky thought this over and looked slightly mollified, though he was still frowning at Gibbs darkly.
“You still should have waited,” he rebuked, “And not claimed him overnight.”
“It wasn’t overnight, not really,” Gibbs argued, “We’ve been dancing around each other for ten years. And, to be honest, I found myself unable to wait. Something I don’t regret. Tony is mine now.”
“How did I not see this?” Ducky marvelled, more to himself than to Gibbs.
“I was good at hiding it,” Gibbs allowed, “I just didn’t factor in what other conclusions you could come to in order to explain why I cared for him so much.”
“I would have appreciated a heads up,” Ducky grumbled darkly, “Some warning would have been nice. I feel a bit blindsided.”
“You’ll have all the time you need to get used to it now,” Gibbs pointed out, “And feel free to talk to Tony. That should calm any lingering uncertainties you have.”
“I’ll do that,” Ducky promised, “And if you hurt him then, dear friend or not, I shall tie you down on one of my tables and drain you dry.”
“Would expect nothing less, Ducky,” Gibbs assured, taking that as his cue to sweep out of the room and back to the safety of the elevator.
“Yeah,” he sighed aloud once the door slid shut behind him, “That went well.”
Hopefully Abby would be easier to deal with. Making a face, he decided making a stop for some Cafpow would probably be a good idea.
He wondered if Tony was having more luck.
*~*~*~McGee and Ziva~*~*~*
Paperwork was evil.
Tony had been working at it for a while now and it seemed he’d barely made a dent. He felt a brief stab of malicious pleasure knowing that Gibbs’ stack was larger (since he was, after all, Tony’s superior) but no doubt Gibbs would breeze through it in a moment flat. Or force McGee to do it.
The only thing that was stopping him from giving up and moving on to playing games on his computer was the quiet but steady anticipation flowing through him as he waited for his teammates to arrive. Because at least the paperwork required all his attention.
The elevator dinged and Tony looked up automatically but it was only Fred, who worked on the other side of the room. Tony cursed, since that had happened consistently all morning as more and more people started to flow in.
Finally, after what felt like eons but was in reality only moments, the elevator dinged and McGee stepped out, going at once to his desk. He was in the process of settling in when the ding sounded again and Ziva arrived. Both of them looked a little strained and it was a moment before Tony remembered just how awful the case they’d had yesterday had been. The horror of it had been rather powerfully eclipsed by Gibbs’ rather thorough claiming.
“Hey guys,” Tony greeted, tilting his head to better show off his mark. Better to get this over with, “Good night?”
“Not really,” McGee sighed tiredly, turning to look at him only to almost fall out of his chair, “Fuck!”
Tony jerked at the language (Timmy rarely swore) and Ziva did likewise, turning to Tony in confusion only to let out a rough stream of Hebrew as she took in his neck.
“What did you do?” She demanded furiously, stalking over to his desk and glaring down at him.
“I was claimed,” Tony returned simply, “Rather thoroughly at that.”
“Please tell me it wasn’t Nathan Reynolds,” McGee begged, joining Ziva, “I know your easy Tony but, Jesus Christ. This is a claiming mark.”
“I’m not easy,” Tony protested weakly, “And it wasn’t Nathan Reynolds. Not that there’s anything wrong with Nathan Reynolds.”
“What happened to ‘I’m not some stupid sub that will let a dom claim me the first time we have sex’?” McGee demanded furiously, “Explain to me what the hell you were thinking!”
“You were uncollared a day, Tony,” Ziva put in, not to be outdone, “A day. Who could you allow to claim you in less than twenty-four hours?”
“Gibbs,” Tony answered simply.
“God-damn-it Tony, this isn’t the time for jokes! This is serious. This is your life were talking about. You can’t just go give it away to the first sweet face that comes along.” McGee spat.
“I didn’t,” Tony reiterated patiently, “I gave it to Gibbs.”
“Do you know how painful it is to break a claiming bond?” Ziva asked him, voice hard, “I don’t envy you at all.”
“I’m not breaking the bond,” Tony returned firmly, flinching at the very thought. “Though I would like to see you try to convince Gibbs to do so.”
“Gibbs will kill you,” McGee told him, “So I guess it’s not really an issue.”
“Gibbs is the one who claimed me,” Tony repeated again, “It’s his claiming mark. Am I speaking Spanish?”
“Stop it,” Ziva implored, “Can’t you at least tell us who really claimed you? We can at least do a background check.”
“Gibbs claimed me,” Tony sighed, feeling much like a broken record, “Really and truly. Ask Vance. Or Ducky for that matter. I’m sure Gibbs has told him by now.”
McGee hesitated at that, looking at Tony shrewdly.
“Honest,” Tony added, responding to the look. “He loves me.”
Now it was Ziva who paused to consider that.
“I was not aware you were dating?” She asked carefully and Tony fidgeted slightly.
“We weren’t,” He’s forced to admit.
“And yet you claim that he marked you?” Ziva persisted, “Gibbs, the most careful man in existence.”
“What can I say?” Tony shrugged, feeling a trifle smug despite himself, “He couldn’t resist me.”
His teammates exchanged a disbelieving look and Tony resisted the very strong temptation to bang his head against the table. Repeatedly.
“I’m not making this up,” he insisted, “Not that it matters if you believe me or not. The second Gibbs walks in here he’ll prove me right.”
Since that was true, they relented. Though Tony could tell they still didn’t buy it (which, now that Tony thought about it, was actually slightly insulting) they ceased pestering him with questions and instead moved on to pestering him with long, disappointed looks. Ignoring them, Tony turned his attention back to his paperwork.
He hoped Gibbs was having better luck.
*~*~*~Abby~*~*~*
Gibbs heard the music first.
How Abby managed to get any work done was beyond him. While he could appreciate a good song, what Abby seemed to enjoy was more comparable to nails scratching down a blackboard than music. Thus, Gibbs took no small amount of joy from waltzing right in and turning it off.
“Oi!” Abby complained at once, before she turned around, “Gibbs!”
She threw herself at him and Gibbs endured it though he couldn’t quite resist rolling his eyes. Going off Abby’s reaction, one would think they hadn’t seen each other in months.
“You don’t have a case,” she noted, pulling back and taking his offered CafPow with a frown, “What gives?”
“I claimed Tony as my submissive last night,” he told her bluntly, not wanting another misunderstanding, “Thought you’d want to know.”
Abby stared at him, her face utterly blank, the giant beverage hanging limp in her hand.
“Abby?” Gibbs prompted warily.
The goth remained completely motionless. For a brief second, Gibbs entertained the utterly ridiculous notion that he’d broken her. Then she blinked and Gibbs relaxed.
“Wait... what?”
“Tony,” Gibbs repeated patiently, “I’ve claimed him.”
“But,” Abby tried, her arms moving jerkily, “But you weren’t even dating.”
“Nope,” Gibbs agreed, “But we’ve been dancing around each other for ages now. I’ve been in love with him since the moment I saw him.”
All of a sudden her eyes narrowed.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t even tell Tony,” Gibbs shot back, “He deserved to know first I would think.”
“But I didn’t even suspect!” Abby cried, jabbing him with an irritated finger, “How on earth could you keep that secret?”
“I’m telling you now,” Gibbs tried tentatively.
Abby glared darkly but the very next moment she blinked and the glare faded.
“Oh... my... god,” she managed, wide-eyed, “You and Tony! I can’t believe this! You really declared your love and claimed him in a single night?”
“Yep,” Gibbs agreed easily, grinning.
“This is amazing!” she burst out, all but jumping up and down, “Oh my god! Are you going to marry him?!”
“I... hadn’t really thought about it,” Gibbs admitted, though he did now and couldn’t help but consider it. Something inside him approved of tying Tony to him as thoroughly as possible. Still, he didn’t have to decide and propose right now. Tony was claimed as his, after all. He had all the time he needed.
“You totally are!!” She all but screamed, and, yep, here came the explosion Gibbs had predicted, “Where’s Tony? Is he upstairs? I have to go hug him!”
With that, she shot off, leaving a faint whirlwind in her wake. More sedately, Gibbs followed her.
He entered the bullpen to see Abby all but strewn in his mate’s lap and talking so rapidly that Gibbs couldn’t make heads or tails of it and, by the look of him, neither could Tony.
“Guess you told her?” Tony hazarded dryly as Abby clung to his neck like a limpet.
“She took it well,” Gibbs shot back, grinning, “Abby. Off my mate.”
Abby obeyed, hovering by Tony’s desk and all but vibrating with energy. Tony was flushed pink with pleasure, smiling gently as he watched her. He looked good enough to eat just then and, seeing no reason to restrain himself, Gibbs leaned forward to pull the man into a long kiss.
He heard sounds behind him as he did so. One was likely Abby self combusting but the other two sounded more like McGee and Ziva. Ignoring all three, Gibbs focused on more important things. Like devouring the lips beneath him.
Tony let out a heated moan and taking that as his cue to draw away (least he do something the both of them would later regret) he turned to face the others.
“Holy shit, it’s true,” McGee blurted and then promptly turned very red. Gibbs raised a brow.
“They didn’t believe me,” Tony explained, pouting slightly. Gibbs resisted the temptation to kiss it off him. He wasn’t sure he could stop himself again.
“They do now,” Gibbs returned with certainty, “And besides, you should have seen Ducky. He thought our relationship a paternal one.”
“Ew,” Tony said at once, scrunching his nose up in disgust, “So not a kink of mine.”
“Hey speaking of, what did your fathers say?” Abby asked curiously, popping herself onto McGee’s desk and making herself comfortable, “How’d they take the news?”
Gibbs threw Tony a slightly disconcerted look and found his mate returning it with interest.
“Fuck,” Tony swore, summing up Gibbs thoughts on the situation quite nicely.
Still, they could worry about crossing that particular bridge later. Right now, Gibbs settled himself next to Tony and set about enduring the many questions his friends and co-workers proceeded to throw at them.
~*~*~The End~*~*~