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2020-11-04
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The Explanation

Summary:

Rating: FRT for language
Summary: an alternate explanation for Gibbs' presence at Ziva's little Tony-less party
Notes: Every show has an episode that just about everyone feels the need to fix, and "Boxed In" is this season's for NCIS.
Completely unbetaed, all mistakes are mine.
Submitted through the NavyNCISslash mailing list. This list can no longer approve new members posts, please join us at NavyNCISslash2

Work Text:

The Explanation
by Buffy

"DiNozzo, where the hell do you think you're going?"

Tony wasn't very surprised to hear Gibbs ask, even though there'd been no knock at the door. The man'd probably picked the locks and walked in. "Right now, I don't care. I don't stay where I'm not wanted."

"Bullshit." Gibbs' voice was flat, dismissing him.

Tony turned from the suitcase he was packing, "Oh, really Boss? So explain it to me. How else am I supposed to interpret the fact that I was the /only/ one left out of the party? Even /Jimmy/ was there. Ducky's barely been tolerating Palmer, and now he's all buddy-buddy with the guy? Don't think so, Bossman."

Whatever rebuttal he'd expected, getting knocked back and pinned to the bed wasn't it. Tony spared a moment to be grateful that Gibbs had aimed him so that he fell /beside/ the open suitcase rather than on it. "For one thing, I need you to stay because you're the best agent I've got, DiNozzo. Your instincts are good, you're intelligent, and you've got people skills. When you're undercover, you're a goddamned chameleon, and unlike the rest of them you can keep a secret. If the team's going to survive, I need you here."

"What the hell are you talking about, Boss? Tell me straight, what does the dinner last night have to do with the team?"

"Ziva's enough in my debt for how we handled Ari for me to trust her not to get any of you killed. But she's Sheppard's first. And Madame Director wants two things: me back in her bed, and our team remade in her image. And getting rid of you is step one."

"The team's got the best record of all of them for solves, convictions, the whole nine yards. Why would she want to fuck that up?"

"DiNozzo, on paper we're the A-Team or F-Troop of all the teams. We're a mix of oddballs that wouldn't survive one week on a normal team. Sheppard wants a team that will play by the rules, that will play the politics and make her look good."

"Still not seeing why I'm the key to the team sticking around."

"Dammit, DiNozzo, think. Ziva profiled all of us for Ari; she knew our weaknesses before she started. If Jen's using her to splinter the team, you're the logical first target. Look at your work history. They figure you'll cut and run if they make it hard enough for you. If you leave, we get a new field agent, one who won't guide McGee the way you have, in fact a new agent would probably drive McGee back to his computers. Once McGee's back in Geekland, Abby will probably leave rather than conform to Sheppard's "Career Barbie" dress code. Then Ducky will be forced into retirement, the director before Morrow was already thinking about it. Once they're gone, I'll tell NCIS to kiss my ass and I'll retire, because I don't do politics. And Sheppard figures once she's no longer my boss, I'll fall back into bed with her, becoming a perfect little trophy boytoy. Since I have no interest in her, I'd rather not have to lose my team."

"Ok, so I'm a lynchpin on the team. Nice to hear, but I still don't understand why you played along when Ziva was rubbing in my lack of invite."

"I needed to get the lay of the land. Ziva's a good henchwoman, though; you could barely tell she was doing it on someone's orders. Now we're set for a little undercover op of our own. Ziva's starting to go out on a limb in this, and when that bough breaks, I want her to pull Jen down with her. Think you can handle it?"

It suddenly hit Tony that Gibbs was still pinning him to the bed, as in still straddling his hips and holding his wrists pinned level with his head. "On one condition: you tell me why you have no interest in Sheppard. Get insider info from the pillow talk, and break her that way seems like a better plan than some kind of undercover op."

"I don't sleep with the enemy. Period. Not to mention that there's someone else I'd rather spend the mattress time with."

Tony froze, not sure whether to believe the insane little voice in his head shouting about who exactly Gibbs was talking about. "Anybody I know?"

Gibbs looked him steadily in the eye, "It's not a condition. You say `no', I won't hold it against you."

Tony held back hysterical laughter, "If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?"

A brain-melting kiss and a slow undulation of Gibbs' hips answered him. "That mean you're staying, DiNozzo?" Tony was pleased by the breathlessness of Gibbs' voice when he pulled back from the kiss.

"When we're about to have sex, call me Tony."

"When we're not at work, I'm Jethro."

"Fine. Sex now, you can finish filling me in on this op after." Tony freed one hand to pull Jethro down for a hard kiss.

"This isn't just about sex, Tony. I may be a bastard, but I only do meaningless sex after a divorce. We do this, then it's monogamous and serious. Think you can handle it?"

Tony pushed his hips against Jethro's and purred, "I only do meaningless with women, and I've been wanting this for years." His heart stuttered at the crooked little grin Jethro gave him, filled with humor and affection. He didn't know exactly what he'd signed on for, but it'd be one helluva ride.

end