Work Text:
Moving with his usual stealth, Jethro Gibbs stood quietly off to one side of the bull pen where he could quietly and seemingly unobtrusively observe his Senior Field Agent. Special Agent Tony DiNozzo had been absent from their ranks for the last three days as he been testifying in an old case from his days on the Peoria PD. Even from a distance, Jethro could make out the faint signs of exhaustion and stress that Tony had obviously worked very hard to cover. While he never spoke in depth of his days in Peoria, Jethro was more than aware of his reason for leaving that department as well as the Philadelphia PD. A truly good officer didn't leave a police force unless there were extenuating circumstances. Tony was an exceptional officer and detective. Too bad his close-minded counterparts had only chosen to focus on the fact that Tony was gay and not on the fact that he was a good cop. So good in fact, they had to call him back for assistance on the case. Jethro knew the last few days had been more than stressful for the younger man. Old memories and old time lines did that to people. Well, he was going to make sure that Tony was here to stay. After all, today was a very special day.
Jethro smiled inwardly. Today, after five years of denying himself what he truly wanted, Jethro was going to take the first step toward what he hoped was a bright and happy future. If he had anything to say about it, those obvious signs of stress in Tony's demeanor would be a thing of the past. After all of his careful planning, there was only one variable that he couldn't pin down 100% and that was Tony himself. And that scared him the most.
Hearing movement behind him, Jethro knew it was time to put his plan into action. Setting his usual brisk pace, he strolled into the bull pen and headed for his desk. "About damn time you got back, DiNozzo," he all but growled as he secured his weapon in his desk. "Next time, you tell the Peoria PD to straighten out their own messes."
Tony looks up from the papers in his hands. "I missed you too, boss," he says with a genuine smile. "We pick up any cases while I was gone?"
Gibbs shakes his head. "It's been quiet. McGee spent the better part of yesterday and Wednesday in court and Abby's been tied up getting some of her equipment fixed." He begins to sort through the morning mail on his desk.
"We catch anything today?" Tony asks hopefully.
"Day's still young, DiNozzo," Jethro says with a small smile. "Why you have a hot date?"
Tony pushes back from his desk. "No, I need to go down to Human Resources, boss. They screwed up my check. From the looks of things they changed my classification and bumped me two pay grades." He holds his pay stub in his hands.
Jethro holds out his hand for the offending piece of paper. He gives it a cursory glance. "I'm aware of it, Tony. I've already talked to HR. You and I will ..."
Gibbs is cut off by the shrilling of his phone. He quickly writes down the information and looks at Tony as he hangs up the phone. "We've got a case. Kid just walked into his homeroom with a bomb strapped to his chest. We're headed to Alexandria."
=======
Tony stares sightlessly at the After-Action Report on his laptop. He's read it so many times that he nearly has it memorized. Every time he closes his eyes, every moment of the day floods back over him. Ziva telling him Gibbs was headed to the classroom to become a hostage. Gibbs calling him boss through the closed classroom door. Listening as Gibbs was searched for weapons and bugs. Hearing the squeal of the mic as it was shattered under someone's shoe. Watching the webcam video of Gibbs. Dealing with the father. The SRT captain calling for a head shot. Handing Gibbs a cup of coffee as soon as he cleared the classroom as they headed toward the van. Over and over, like some demented movie loop. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get the images out of his head.
He is rudely shaken from his reverie but an unexpected slap to the back of his head.
"Snap out of it, DiNozzo," Gibbs growls as he circles Tony's sofa. "And get your feet off the furniture."
Tony rubs the back of his head. "Um, it is my house boss," he says, blinking his eyes and trying to clear the cobwebs. "I think I can put my feet on my furniture if I want."
"Not when I want to sit where your feet are," Gibbs says, giving said feet a pointed look.
Tony swings his feet off of the sofa and places his laptop on the coffee table. "You want to tell me what you are doing in my apartment at 3:30 on a Saturday morning? And just how did you get into my apartment anyway?"
"I knocked for a good five minutes and when I didn't get an answer, I let myself in," Jethro admits as he sits on the sofa, flashing his lock pick. He makes himself comfortable on the sofa.
"And the answer to the first part of my question is?" Tony asks, senses instantly on alert as he realizes his boss is settling in as if he is planning on staying for quite some time.
"We were supposed to have a talk today about your paycheck. I also knew you'd be brooding over the case," Jethro says before taking a sip of his ever present coffee.
Tony nods to the coffee cup. "The headache gone yet?" he asks.
Jethro grins after taking a sip of the caffeine laced beverage. "I think I set new personal record today for the longest time between cups of coffee," he admits ruefully. "I would say I normally only go that long when sleeping but I don't remember the last time I got more than a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep."
"Maybe if you slept in your bed instead of under your boat. Just a suggestion, boss," Tony says, his own grin mischievous.
Jethro waves off the suggestion. "Bed's too old, too lumpy, too full, and too empty."
"You could buy a new one," Tony suggests.
"I guess I just need the right incentive," Jethro says, looking pointedly at Tony.
Knowing that the cobwebs must be thicker than he thought, Tony suddenly stands. "Think I could use some of that coffee myself," he says. "I'll be right back."
Tony makes a beeline for the kitchen, hitting the start button on his coffee maker as he heads for the sink. Turning the water on full cold, he leans over the sink to splash the icy water over his face as he tries to calm his racing heart. Turning the water off, he continues to lean over the sink, trying to sort out his conflicting emotions.
Jethro holds a dish towel for Tony, being sure to put in it his line of sight. "Damn good idea you had today about the video feed," he says confidently. "Which movie did you get that from?"
Tony's shoulders slump as he stares morosely at the bottom of his sink. "Speed with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves." He voice laced with guilt instead of enthusiasm.
"A truly great leader takes into account any and all sources of information, ideas, theories, and knowledge then applies them to the situation at hand," Jethro comments. "How you came by the knowledge isn't important. That you were able to adapt it to the situation at hand is what counts. You saved a lot of lives today, Tony."
"Just doing my job, boss," Tony says as he finally takes the towel from Jethro's hand and wipes his face.
"And doing it damn well," Jethro concurs. "You are a natural born leader, Tony. You did the right thing today. Even Abby and McGee, our technical experts, were two steps behind. You got the job done, got everyone out safely, and managed to bring down a couple of key players in a drug cartel. I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to do the job."
Tony braces himself on the sink. "Why do I get the feeling that there is a lot more that you aren't saying?"
"Grab that ridiculously small coffee pot, a cup of cups, and let's go into the living room," Jethro says. "We've got a lot to talk about."
Tony watches as Gibbs settles in on the couch, again closer than normal but doesn't comment. He knows Gibbs will speak up when he's ready.
Jethro turns toward Tony on the couch so that they are facing each other somewhat. "How was Peoria?" he asks casually.
"Nothing much has changed there," Tony admits with an off-hand shrug of his shoulders. "Made it out of town without a broken wrist and my ribs intact this time."
"Never should have been an issue the first time," Gibbs snarls. "Homophobic sons of bitches."
Again Tony shrugs. "No big deal, boss," he says, striving for a nonchalant tone and almost succeeding in pulling it off. "I know you know I swing both ways. Never been an issue between us. Besides I doubt you are sitting in my living room at four in the morning just to talk about my sexual orientation."
"Actually, I'm here to talk about my sexual orientation," Jethro admits. "I'm gay, Tony."
Tony is caught totally off-guard by his boss' revelation. "Ooo kay?" he says, unsure of what to say exactly. "And this middle of the night confession was brought on by..."
"Your pay stub."
Tony closes his eyes as he tries to figure out exactly where his boss is going. He can feel the other man's eyes on him. "Human Resources or Accounting screws up my pay and you think you need to come out of the closet to me to make amends?"
Jethro shakes his head. "The promotion and the pay raise are legit, Tony," he says. "On Monday, you take over as interim team leader and in roughly two weeks, the team is all yours."
Tony feels the panic setting in. "And where the hell will you be?' he all but whispers.
"I'm a Marine, Tony," Jethro explains. "Don't ask, don't tell is just some stupid way around a regulation that makes homosexuality illegal in the Corps. I won't lie to myself or the Corps any longer. Starting on Monday, I'm taking terminal leave. I'll be gone for two weeks while they process me out."
"But you love the Corps," Tony says, still very much confused. "Obviously this is something that you've known for quite some time. Why leave now?"
"I've known I was gay for about five years, Tony," Jethro says. "Had my eyes opened during a case with the Baltimore PD a while back. Even though I accepted the fact that I was gay, I've never acted on those feelings. Never dated a man, never kissed a man, never had sex with a man, never told anyone how I really felt until tonight. To do that, I would betray the trust placed in me by the Corps. I couldn't do that. I found the man that I love and I want to make a lifetime for us."
"Okay boss, I can accept that. You are the most honorable man I know. But why leave NCIS? They can't discriminate against you because you are gay," Tony reminds him, thinking of his own situation. "You built this team. You are this team."
"We built this team, Tony," Jethro softly corrects him. "You and I did it together. You are just as much responsible for our success as I am."
"But that still doesn't explain why you have to leave NCIS," Tony says, not truly accepting the compliment. "Heck, we've got gay agents all over the place. Even Madame Director goes both ways. There certainly aren't any rules against it. If there were, we'd lose at least a third of our workforce world wide."
"But there are rules against supervisor and subordinates being involved," Jethro reminds him.
Tony's eyes close once again as he tries to assimilate the information Gibbs is throwing at him. Feeling as if a bomb just shattered his world, he looks up at his boss through shining eyes. "I'm very happy for you and Probie... er... McGee."
The slap to the back of his head catches him totally off-guard. "What the hell was that for?" he demands.
"I'm not in love with McGee," Jethro explains. "I'm in love with you, you idiot."
Tony bolts from the couch and begins to pace between the coffee table and the big screen TV. "Me? You love me? Have you lost your mind?"
Jethro reads the waves of panic bouncing off Tony. "Yes, I love you," he says softly. "Have for quite some time. I thought you felt the same."
Tony continues to pace back and forth. "Yes, I love you," he admits hurriedly, "but that isn't the point. You can't love me. You can't."
Gibbs extends his hand to Tony, inviting him back to the couch. "Come sit with me," he urges quietly. "Talk to me. Why can't I love you?"
Tony shakes his head, feeling as if the walls are closing in on him. "You can't love me. You can't." Eyes wide with panic, he glances around the room. When his gaze finally lands on the front door, he bolts for it.
Knowing that Tony would bolt for the door, Gibbs is right behind him, gently snagging him by the shoulder and turning him around. Tony's eyes are so large they seem to take up his entire face. The look of complete sadness mirrored there breaks Jethro's heart. "I do love you, Tony. Is that a bad thing?"
Tony feels his back pressed up against the front door. "You don't understand."
"Explain it to me," Jethro urges softly, pressing forward slightly with his body, invading Tony's personal space.
"I can't," Tony nearly sobs, his breath and the will to fight leaving him in a rush.
Jethro uses the weight of his body to support Tony against the door as he reaches up to brush the hair back from Tony's face. "Is it because no one has ever said the words to you before, not even your parents?"
"Tony DiNozzo is good for a good time, boss. He's not a keeper. He's certainly not worth giving up a career for."
"You most certainly are, Tony," Jethro promises him. 'If you let me, I'm going to spend a lifetime showing you just how valuable and precious you are. You are very much a keeper."
"Boss, you've been married and divorced three times," Tony reminds him. "I don't think you'd know a keeper if it bit you on the ass."
"My ex-wives weren't you and they were mistakes," Jethro tells him. "I never felt a tenth for them what I feel for you. I've been in love with you longer than I was married to those ex-wives combined. You most definitely are a keeper. I love you, Tony DiNozzo. Do you love me?"
Tony's head clunks heavily against the solid wood of the door. "Every time I've let myself feel something for someone they've been taken away from me or they've thrown me out like so much garbage. I don't think I can survive that again, boss."
"I have no intention of letting you go, Tony," Jethro promises. "I'm in this for the long haul. I've loved you for five years. I'm going to keep loving you for the next fifty-five. Love, honor, and cherish till death do us part."
"Why now, boss?" Tony asks the one question that he still doesn't understand. "Why wait until today to do this? The pay stub says you've had this planned for some time. Why wait?"
"Because as of yesterday, you completed your five years with NCIS and became eligible to be a Team Leader," Jethro tells him honestly. "I don't trust anyone else with our team and I trust you to watch my back."
"But you are quitting NCIS," Tony reminds him. "Right?"
"My resignation is all typed and will go to the Director's inbox on Monday along with a memo from Secretary Sheffield informing Director Sheppard of my new position as a consultant to NCIS," Jethro explains.
"So the promotion isn't for real," Tony says.
"It's real, Tony," Jethro tells him. "You are now the team leader for the best team in NCIS. Your team is the first team in line for any and all DC based cases that involve espionage or terrorism. You are the boss now."
"And you are going to sit home and knit doilies?" Tony asks skeptically.
"Nope," Jethro says. "I'm available as a resource to your team primarily. You have first say in the cases that require my assistance. You can use me as much or as little as you see fit. When not helping with cases, I'm going to be revising some of the outdated policies and procedures as well as training other agents. I'll still be at NCIS everyday. Just not as an employee. It's more of a lateral move to the civilian sector."
For the first time in what feels like a very long time, Tony smiles. "Since you will be part of the civilian sector, does that mean you have to take up golf?"
"Bite your tongue," Jethro says with a shudder.
"Rather you did it for me," Tony all but purrs as he finally begins to relax.
"In two weeks, I intend to," Jethro promises. "Can you wait for me for two weeks?"
"I've got a lifetime for you. I love you, Jethro."