Work Text:
Responsibilities of a Team Leader
by Starbucks Sue
Tony got up and limped towards the elevator with a sigh. Truth to tell he felt a little disappointed that his team leader had apparently not noticed his injuries. Despite the image he tried to portray, Gibbs usually showed both concern and sympathy when his people got hurt in the field. Also, having to go to Gibbs' house the previous evening when he'd been unable to contact his boss by telephone had brought back memories of the times when he had stayed with the older man, either due to injury or housing issues and Tony felt a little wistful as he suddenly realized how much he had missed the easy companionship of his mentor.
He had stayed with Gibbs on three occasions. The first time whilst the two were working on a joint murder investigation between NCIS and Baltimore PD, Tony's partner and a young marine had both been murdered and Gibbs had persuaded the younger man to stay with him after delivering some evidence to NCIS headquarters as they were planning to head to Norfolk the following day. Having poached the young detective from Baltimore, Tony had then stayed with him for over a month until he found an apartment of his own in DC.
On the second occasion Gibbs had taken him home after he'd been injured whilst chasing a suspect and had twisted his ankle so badly that Ducky had insisted on an x-ray, concerned it might be broken. It turned out just to be a bad sprain but Gibbs had taken the young agent back to his place until he was able to put his weight comfortably on the foot again. Tony had ended up staying for the week.
The third time had been when the heating in Tony's apartment building was on the blink, DC in the middle of January was not the place to be without central heating so Gibbs had offered the younger man the use of his guest room again.
Tony had enjoyed the time spent with his team leader. For reasons he didn't completely understand and was uncomfortable to explore further, staying with Gibbs had given him a sense of security and comfort he'd never before experienced and he had basked in the older man's attention. When they weren't working, evenings had often been spent with Tony sitting on the basement stairs whilst Gibbs worked on his latest project, sometimes talking over their current case, occasionally having more personal discussions, but often sitting in companionable silence just watching the older man work. On rare occasions he had even persuaded Gibbs to watch some of the movies from his collection.
The boat had surprised Tony. He knew Gibbs loved carpentry but when he'd stayed with his Boss previously the older man hadn't been quite so adventurous, contenting himself on small items of furniture. Gibbs made the items for pleasure and relaxation but Tony had been touched and a little overwhelmed when he'd been presented with a unit to house his DVD collection, Gibbs having obviously listened to his agent's gripes about not being able to find suitable shelving which would fit in with the rest of his furniture. Having helped Tony move in and visited the apartment several times Gibbs knew exactly what the younger man was looking for and the tasteful piece of hand crafted light oak furniture had fit in perfectly with Tony's surprisingly understated décor.
Tony was disturbed from his ruminations when he heard Gibbs' cell ring and the ominous sound of the phone hitting the desk, followed by the slamming of a drawer. He grinned to himself in amusement before wincing as, without thinking, he put too much weight on his bad ankle.
"DiNozzo?" The call came just as the elevator arrived.
"Yeah Boss?" The younger man turned, not surprised to find his team leader right behind him.
"The elevator at your apartment building working today?" Gibbs questioned as he held the doors for his injured agent.
"No. I guess getting up the stairs is going to be a challenge." Tony chuckled and ducked his head self-consciously, hitting the button for the lower level.
"You got your overnight bag in the trunk?" The marine's voice was softer than usual, concern obvious in his gaze as he looked over the young man beside him. He hadn't realised quite how bruised Tony was from his unexpected parachute jump.
"Yeah, always prepared Boss."
"Come on then." Gibbs slipped his arm around Tony's waist as the elevator arrived at the parking level, leaving Tony to wrap his arm around the older man's shoulders to help support his ankle as he walked to the car.
"In you get then, give me your keys." Gibbs opened the passenger door of his car and eased the younger man in, taking the keys so he could get Tony's overnight bag out of the Corvette.
Tony settled back into the seat and buckled himself in. Disappointment fading as he relaxed into the comfortable familiarity of his mentor's care.
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