Work Text:
Tony winced as the front door closed, but he didn’t look away from his laptop. He couldn’t; he was addicted to this website. It took every effort to wrench his eyes away and pull up his email program, to cloak what he’d been looking at. He wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed, but he also wasn’t ready to discuss his newfound interest with Gibbs. Yet.
Tony’s concentration was broken for the moment. He cocked his head, listening to the slither of a jacket going onto the coat rack, the comforting steps as Gibbs strode confidently into the kitchen, the clink of bottles and the close of the refrigerator door as Gibbs withdrew something—beer most likely, two bottles. One for him, and one for Tony. No food—not yet. They’d left work early for a change and wouldn’t be ready to order a pizza or grill a steak for a couple of hours yet. Tony didn’t mind; it was a Friday afternoon and he wanted to unwind.
Tony looked over his shoulder as Gibbs walked into the living room, giving his lover a small smile. Gibbs grabbed a paperback on the coffee table and flicked on a light, settling on the couch with one of those thrillers he loved. Tony cocked his head, reading the title. The Amber Room by Steve Berry. Tony had flipped through the book earlier in the week. When Gibbs was done with it, he might give it a try.
Gibbs lowered his chin in his version of a mini-nod and leaned over, handing Tony a beer with a small smirk. Tony nodded his thanks, twisting off the cap and taking a long pull of the brew. They didn’t need to talk much at home, and he wasn’t interested in ruining the comfortable mood. Soon the sounds of him and Gibbs drinking, the click of computer keys, and the quiet rasp of pages turning were the only things that broke the comfortable silence every so often.
Tony rolled his head from side to side, feeling the tension melt away. Work had been tense this week, and it was nice to have a three-day weekend when they weren’t on call, weren’t expected in the office for any reason at all. McGee was off doing some gaming tournament, Ziva was taking a trip with her new husband—Damon Werth, Abby’s mom was in town, and Jimmy and Ducky had talked about taking in one of the IMAX movies at the new Air and Space Museum Annex. Everyone was cared for, and Tony could relax in that knowledge and take time for himself. And Gibbs.
Tony finished reading his personal email, putting everything in the trash. He had no desire to party hard with his frat brothers, not when he had the Silver Fox taking up his attention. Maybe he was growing away from that. Or maybe he was growing up. Tony wasn’t sure it mattered, but he knew he didn’t want to be any place but here, in Gibbs’ living room.
He turned his attention back to the website that had grabbed his attention so thoroughly—
www.silvertales.com. As he navigated around the website, Tony found his concentration deepening. He wasn’t much of an art guy, but he knew what he liked, and this artist had a deft hand. He loved her way with sketches and the elaborate marker and watercolors. Some of the pictures showed a love of anime, something Tony only had a passing acquaintance with. But that didn’t matter; the detail and coloration in the prints was amazing. Some of the artwork was available as reprints of the original and yet others were the originals. When there was a choice, Tony always went for the original, and he earmarked a few items, hoping they’d still be available when he had the extra cash to buy them.
He was aware that he was breathing harder, his yearning and longing welling up inside him. He loved this artist and wanted her to do some work of Gibbs—or him and Gibbs. Maybe Gibbs standing beside a silver fox—an arctic fox. And Tony with a noble wolf as a pet, both of them following their pack leader and his pet.
“What’s that, Tony?” The soft voice in his ear made every nerve ending in Tony’s body jump up and sing, and he had to reach for the computer before it tumbled off his lap. Gibbs had put his book aside at some point, but Tony was so absorbed in the website that he hadn’t noticed.
“Just an artist,” Tony said, swallowing hard. “I don’t know where I discovered her art—probably McGee. But that doesn’t matter. She’s awesome. I hope she knows that.”
Gibbs leaned over, moving his finger over the touchpad and clicking through some of the images. He hummed approvingly, nodding and clicking the “add to cart” option for a few works. He picked a few of Tony’s favorites, and Tony could only swallow hard in shock. He fumbled in his pocket, withdrawing his wallet, wondering all the while how he was going to pay for this.
“My treat,” Gibbs said, his voice a comforting rumble in Tony’s ear. “Think this artist does commissions?”
“Yeah, she does,” Tony said, trying to sound casual and keep the surprise out of his voice. It was one thing that he was considering having a custom piece done, but to think that Gibbs wanted something—or maybe a few somethings—that was another thing entirely.
“Gonna get something of you and me,” Gibbs replied with a smirk. “You in lace-up leather pants, low riding. Tight…” There was a needy sound in Gibbs’ voice that made Tony start to shake. “Shirt open at the throat, a collar showing.”
Tony let out a squeak at that, feeling that all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. “Where…where will you be?”
“Behind you and off to the side,” Gibbs replied, licking Tony’s earlobe. “A chain in my hand. Think that is too kinky for her?”
“W-we can ask,” Tony replied. Hand shaking, he opened up his email again. Finding the author’s email address, he typed in the subject line “You Are Awesome.”
“Not the only one,” Gibbs replied with a chuckle, his hand running through Tony’s hair. “Start typing.”
“On it, Boss!”