Two Masters: 8. Part Eight

 

Gibbs set his internal body clock to wake him in two hours – this was a trick he’d somehow acquired in the Corps. As a sniper, he’d often found himself holed up behind enemy lines, grabbing sleep on the run. It wasn’t safe to set his watch alarm – any kind of noise could give his position away – so he’d learned to wake himself, on cue, at the appointed time.

 

He woke after two hours to find Tony had moved in his sleep and was now lying, in a foetal position, on his own side of the bed. Gibbs pulled back the blankets and smacked his sub’s ass lightly – once on each butt cheek.

 

Tony made a startled noise and turned, blinking blearily. “Whaaaa?”

 

“What’s my name?” Gibbs demanded, leaning over his sub.

 

“Uh…” Tony gazed at him blankly. “Your name? Your name is ‘Boss’, Boss,” he mumbled. Gibbs rolled his eyes and slapped his ass again. “Oh…uh…Leroy Jethro Gibbs,” Tony said hurriedly, snapping into wakefulness.

 

Gibbs fired off a couple more basic questions, which Tony answered promptly and correctly. His sub looked tired, but his eyes were focussed and alert.

 

“I’m fine…can we go back to sleep now?” Tony asked, his eyelids drooping. He moved towards Gibbs and snuggled against him.

 

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Gibbs asked, holding up four.

 

Tony didn’t open his eyes. “Three,” he muttered.

 

Gibbs smacked his ass harder than before, four times. “How many swats was that?”

 

“Ow. Four.” Tony nuzzled into his neck, making it impossible to remain remotely annoyed with him. Gibbs settled back down beside him. “You gonna fuck me now?” Tony muttered sleepily.

 

“What?” Gibbs asked incredulously. “You’re thinking about sex after taking a beating like that a few hours ago?”

 

“Mmmm.” Tony’s lips found his in the darkness. “Been a week, Boss. Didn’t come all week. Horny.” He pressed himself against Gibbs. “Missed being in this bed. Missed you inside me. Missed you.”

 

“You didn’t come all week?” Gibbs queried, surprised.

 

“Nope. Wanted to stick to the rules, even though I walked out and left the collar behind, Boss. Can’t come ‘less you’re inside me. Want you inside me, Boss.”

 

Gibbs gave a startled hiss as Tony’s hand found his cock and began to stroke. Gibbs grabbed his hand and pushed it away.

 

“Ya need sleep more than sex. Oh don’t worry,” he added, as Tony began a bleary protest, “I’ll fuck you in the morning. I’ll be riding your ass hard for the next few days, boy.”

 

“Mmmm…good,” Tony muttered and within seconds he was fast asleep again. Gibbs grinned and pulled his sub close, holding his sleeping body tight.

 

“Missed you too, Tony,” he whispered, dropping a kiss on Tony’s hair.

 

 

~*~

 

 

It seemed to Tony like every time he dropped off to sleep, he was woken up by Gibbs smacking his ass and shouting questions at him. This seemed to go on all night.

 

Then it was morning, and Gibbs was sliding his lubed fingers into him, stretching him gently. They were soon replaced by the sweet, arousing glide of his dom’s cock. God it felt good! It had been a week since Gibbs had last fucked him, and he’d missed it. He lay there, blinking drowsily, enjoying the sensation of that hard, throbbing cock sinking into his hole. Gibbs held his hips loosely and thrust into him lazily. Tony sighed happily and slid his hand down towards his own hardening cock. Gibbs pushed it away.

 

“You’re on punishment detail, so there’s no chance of you coming any time soon,” Gibbs told him firmly. “Subs who are being punished don’t get to come.”

 

Tony gave a little whimper, but he moved his hand away from his cock obediently. He felt content. He was back in Gibbs’s bed, and Gibbs was making it clear who was in charge. All he had to do was accept. It was actually kind of relaxing.

 

Gibbs fucked him slowly, taking his time, and Tony found it fascinating to just lie there, taking it, knowing there was no chance that he’d get off himself. It made him focus on other things. He was acutely aware of Gibbs’s warm breath on the back of his neck, of Gibbs’s thumb, pressed into his thigh, and of Gibbs’s mouth, which occasionally ghosted kisses on his shoulder. Most of all, he was aware of the long, slow glide of Gibbs’s large cock as it thrust into his body and then pulled back out, snagging his prostate with each lazy thrust. He could feel the heavy slap of Gibbs’s balls against his butt and smell the scent of his dom’s arousal.

 

Gibbs came with a little growl of pleasure and then lay there, panting. Tony closed his eyes, enjoying the intimacy of lying here, with Gibbs’s come in his ass, and Gibbs’s spent cock still lodged inside him. He didn’t want the day to start. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to like today very much. Gibbs pulled out and got up.

 

“Up and in the shower, Tony.”

 

Tony went into the bathroom and then stopped short, gazing at himself in the mirror. He looked like a monster. His face was swollen, his left eye was puffy and badly bruised, and he had a split lip. There were cuts and bruises all over his jaw and several nasty bruises on his torso. He gazed at himself in absolute shock. Gibbs appeared in the mirror behind him.

 

“Now d’you see why I was so pissed off last night, DiNozzo?” Gibbs asked quietly.

 

“Didn’t realise I looked this bad,” Tony muttered in reply. “Surprised you could bear to fuck me, Boss.”

 

“Nothing wrong with your ass,” Gibbs grinned, pinching it. Tony managed a faint smile at that.

 

Gibbs removed his collar, but only so that they could take a shower. Afterwards, he fastened it back on again – along with wrist and ankle cuffs.

 

“No clothes today,” Gibbs told him. “Hell, not much of anything today.”

 

“Yeah. I figured,” Tony said quietly. Seeing himself in the mirror had brought him up short. His earlier elation at being back in his dom’s bed faded as he realised the enormity of what he’d done, and what he’d be facing in the next few days. Injured or not, there was no way Gibbs would go easy on him.

 

He was right. Gibbs took him downstairs and made him kneel in the kitchen. He fastened Tony’s leash to the hook in the wall, tying him securely into place. Then he added a blindfold. Tony accepted the darkness – in fact he welcomed it, settling down into himself.

 

He heard Gibbs making breakfast, then heard his dom sit down and the scrape of cutlery on plate as he ate. Tony suddenly felt ravenous – he hadn’t eaten anything the previous evening, and the smell of the eggs and bacon Gibbs was eating made his mouth water.

 

Gibbs finished his meal, and then he unfastened Tony and made him kneel beside him at the table, still blindfolded.

 

“Open up,” Gibbs instructed, and Tony felt a fork press against his lips. He opened his mouth eagerly, expecting to taste the eggs and bacon he’d smelled…and nearly choked as he found himself chewing on a piece of raw carrot instead.

 

“Boss?” He nearly spat the food out.

 

“Basic rations, Tony. Raw fruit and vegetables, and bread and cheese. That’s it.”

 

“No donuts then?” Tony asked around his mouthful of carrot.

 

Gibbs laughed. “Definitely no donuts, boy,” he replied, pressing a piece of apple into his sub’s mouth. “No takeout, no pizza and no TV either, in addition to the no coming. This is a punishment detail, DiNozzo. You don’t get to do any fun stuff.”

 

“No, Boss.” Tony sighed and settled back on his heels as he crunched slowly on the apple.

 

“What’s rule number five, Tony?” Gibbs asked unexpectedly.

 

“Nobody touches me but you, Boss.”

 

“Yeah. That’s right.” Tony felt his dom’s fingers trailing gently over his bruised face. “Don’t ever let someone hurt you like this again, boy. Understand me?”

 

“Yes, Boss.”

 

“This body belongs to me – and the only marks I want to see on it are mine.”

 

“Yes, Boss,” Tony agreed, as Gibbs pressed some bread into his mouth.

 

“And I will never, ever put these kinds of marks on you, Tony,” Gibbs said softly, his fingers spidering over Tony’s puffy cheekbone. “I’ll never beat you with my fists, or kick you. I will never do that to you. Do you understand that?”

 

“I guess.” Tony sat back on his heels, his shoulders hunched.

 

“But someone did,” Gibbs said. “Someone kicked you around, and made you think that was okay. Maybe they made you think you deserved it, or maybe you already felt like you deserved it. Either way, someone put the idea into your head that you could be punched and kicked around and it didn’t matter. Who was it?”

 

The bread tasted like cardboard. Tony swallowed it down.

 

“Tony?” Gibbs’s tone was insistent.

 

“Magnum,” Tony said hoarsely.

 

“Okay.” Gibbs caressed his hair gently. “We’ll try again later.”

 

He pressed a glass of water to Tony’s mouth, and Tony drank obediently.

 

“I miss coffee, Boss,” he sighed mournfully afterwards.

 

“Yeah, I figured you would,” Gibbs chuckled. He gave Tony a couple more painkillers, and then he led him into the living room. He made him kneel on a cushion and tied him to a hook in the wall.

 

“I’m gonna work. This is a modified punishment detail because of your physical condition. So it’s one hour kneeling followed by one hour resting,” Gibbs explained. “Blindfold stays on. Any time you wanna talk, go ahead. Any time you need to use the bathroom, or you want something to eat or drink, then ask. I’m gonna spank you every hour. I’ll keep it light, but you’ll feel it.”

 

The cushion was comfortable and the room was pleasantly warm. Gibbs sat down on the couch beside him, and Tony heard him rustling around, getting out files. There was a long silence.

 

The painkillers took the edge off the throbbing in his face. Tony leaned against Gibbs’s thigh, wondering if that was allowed. Gibbs didn’t push him back or move away, so he guessed it was. It felt good. Tony closed his eyes behind the blindfold and drifted off. Gibbs’s brand of tough love should have felt restrictive, demeaning and uncomfortable, but instead it just made him feel safe and content. He nestled in even closer and rested his chin on Gibbs’s thigh, and his dom’s hand came to rest on his head, stroking gently.

 

Tony supposed an hour must have passed, although it felt like just a few minutes. Then Gibbs got up and guided Tony so that he was face down on the couch.

 

Tony buried his face in the cushions and braced himself. Gibbs laid a couple of swats on his ass with his hand – it was barely more than a light tap, but Tony liked the way it gently warmed his butt. Mostly he just liked that Gibbs was spanking him again. He’d missed it.

 

As the day wore on, the tension of the past few weeks seemed to fade. Tony zoned out in the hourly spankings, the blindfold, and the basic rations. He lost himself in the bondage and in sitting beside his dom, with his chin resting on Gibbs’s knee, doing nothing except dozing while Gibbs worked. He relished every single light slap on his ass and every gentle stroke of fingers through his hair. His tight muscles started to relax, and he felt better than he had since Abby’s accident.

 

“It was all going so well up ’til then,” he muttered, and then he knelt up straight, surprised by the fact that he’d said that out loud.

 

“Til when?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Abby.”

 

“Well, yeah. It was, DiNozzo.” He heard Gibbs sit back on the couch and the popping sound as his dom moved his shoulders and stretched. “But you screwed up, I screwed up, and she screwed up. Accept it and move on.”

 

“Yes, Boss.” Suddenly, it really did seem that simple. “Christ, I’ve been such an idiot!”

 

Gibbs’s hand came to rest on his hair. “Yeah, well, the accident reminded you of what happened with your mom, Tony. Nobody could have expected you to react well to that. Just wish I’d known so I could’a handled it better at the time.”

 

Tony leaned forward and rested his chin on Gibbs’s knee again.

 

“What happened after you went home, Tony?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Nothin’. I drank a lot,” Tony muttered. “Oh, and I picked up my suit from the dry cleaner. You know – the shiny grey Armani…Ow!” He sat up as Gibbs slapped the back of his head.

 

“Not when you went back to your apartment last week. When you went home as a kid. After the accident.”

 

Tony leaned against his dom again.

 

“I was in the hospital for a few days. I hated it in there. Everyone felt sorry for me, and I couldn’t sleep at night. I wanted my mom. Dad visited a couple of times, but he never had much to say. We just used to stare at each other. Then they let me out. Dad came to pick me up.”

 

The blindfold seemed to make it easier to talk. Deprived of any other visual stimulation, he could see the memory vividly in his mind’s eye.

 

His father hadn’t said a word to him all the way home. When they got there, Tony couldn’t believe it was the same place. How could it look the same and smell the same now that his mom was dead? Hadn’t that changed everything?

 

“It’s late. Go to your room,” his father said. “I’ll come up and see you before you go to bed.”

 

He walked slowly upstairs to his room. It was dark outside, but he didn’t want to turn on the light. He didn’t want to see his room looking just the same as it had when he’d last been here – when she’d still been alive.

 

He sat down on the side of the bed and let the darkness swallow him whole. It felt restful. He didn’t have to face himself in the dark. He didn’t have to see himself in mirrors and windows. He didn’t have to look himself in the eye and see his own guilt reflected back. He could be anonymous in the dark.

 

He was aware of the house all around him. It felt so big and silent. Usually she made it come alive, with her laughter and sense of fun. Now he saw that her death *had* changed everything. The house might look the same, but it no longer had a heart. He had wanted to come home so much while he’d been at boarding school, and now he wanted nothing more than to go back to the dormitory he’d shared with all those other boys. He wanted to forget this hollow house, with its empty, echoing hallways. He didn’t belong here any more.

 

His father didn’t come up. When it got late, Tony went to bed. He missed the way his mom used to come into his room at bedtime and sit down beside him. She’d tell him all about her day, laughing as she sipped her dry martini. She used to mimic all her friends – she had an amazing ear for mimicry and would have him in fits of laughter. Then she’d lean over and kiss his cheek, and he’d smell her familiar perfume.

 

He had never once gone to bed in this house without her visiting him to say goodnight. It had always been his favourite part of the day, lying in bed, chatting to her, and laughing. They used to laugh so much. She would be in her element, dressed for dinner – usually there were guests, so she’d be wearing a beautiful gown that showed off her elegant figure. She’d linger with him, reluctant to go down to dinner because he was making her laugh so much. But eventually she’d tear herself away, scolding him for keeping her from her guests.

 

Tony spent half the night staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep any better at home than he had at the hospital. Eventually, at around two a.m., he gave up. He pulled on his bathrobe and tip-toed down the stairs to his father’s study. He stood outside for ages, hesitating. Finally, he took his life in his hands and pushed open the door.

 

His father was lying slumped on the stiffly upholstered brown couch by the big fireplace. There was an empty bottle of brandy at his feet. He was so drunk that he’d passed out and was snoring loudly.

 

Tony stood there for a long time. Then he tiptoed over to the couch and sat down beside his father. His father stank of liquor and was muttering to himself in his sleep, but he didn’t wake up. Tony edged closer and closer until he was nestled up beside him. Then he took hold of his father’s arm and pulled it so that it was around his own shoulders.

 

Then, finally, he fell asleep. In the morning, he woke up to find that his father was still lying there – still drunk and still dead to the world.

 

Tony crept out of the study and went back upstairs to his room. His father never even knew he’d been there.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Gibbs was glad that Tony was blindfolded, so his sub couldn’t see the expression on his face as Tony falteringly told him his story. He thought of the nights Tony had hesitantly insinuated himself onto his lap to be held and suddenly saw that endearing little habit in a whole new light. He rubbed a hand over his stubbled chin, wishing that he’d known all this a long time ago.

 

He wondered whether now was the time to push for more, or whether to leave it and allow Tony to get there in his own time. Only he wasn’t sure Tony would, without prompting. Hell, Tony had spent his entire life avoiding this particular issue. He was only talking about it now because Gibbs had stripped away all his defences and taken him down. There was still more though. Gibbs was pretty sure he knew what it was, but he needed Tony to tell him.

 

He put aside the file that was open on his lap and then turned back to his kneeling sub. He gently touched Tony’s bruised face with his fingertips. Christ, this all made total sense now.

 

“So tell me, Tony,” he said softly. “When did your father start using you as a punching bag?”

 

There was silence. He knew that if Tony hadn’t been wearing the blindfold he’d have freaked out. The blindfold, and the strict disciplinary regime Gibbs had imposed, were working to make him feel safe right now. It might seem restrictive – maybe even cruel – to an outsider. However, Gibbs had no doubt that it was giving Tony the peace of mind he’d been unable to achieve ever since Abby’s accident.

 

Gibbs waited, wondering whether Tony would say his safe word. He watched Tony struggle with himself as he knelt there, naked, chained, collared and blindfolded. He watched as Tony tried to deny the truth he’d been hiding for so long – and failed.

 

Tony swallowed hard and lowered his head. “It wasn’t like that,” he whispered.

 

“What was it like?” Gibbs asked, keeping in constant physical contact with his sub to reassure him, his knee pressed against Tony’s chest, his hand stroking Tony’s hair.

 

Tony was silent for a long time, frozen into place. Gibbs could be a patient man though, when he tried. He might bark orders at work and send his team scurrying to do his bidding, but he had once been a sniper. He knew how to wait, silently, for hours on end if need be.

 

He needed those skills now. Time ticked by as Gibbs waited. He didn’t want to rush this. It had been a long time coming – it was never going to trip out easily.

 

When Tony did eventually start to talk, it came out of the blue, almost taking him by surprise.

 

“Dad’s business was failing. He worked all hours to save it. When he came home, he was tired and stressed out. He…you have to understand how much he loved my mom. She was beautiful, funny, and smart – she was special.”

 

“Just like her son,” Gibbs thought to himself.

 

“Dad was inconsolable. He missed her so much, and he was working so hard. I had his drink ready for him every night when he came home. I knew he blamed me for her death and…”

 

“How do you know that?” Gibbs asked quietly.

 

“Because he told me.”

 

“When?”

 

“Every night.” Tony shrugged. “He used to drink for a few hours in his study, and then he’d come up to my room in the middle of the night and tell me that he was ashamed of me. I’d been a bad son before the accident, but he disowned me completely now I’d killed my mom. He said I shouldn’t ever count on him for anything – he had to feed and house me by law, but that was it. He was done with me. He wished every day that it’d been me who died in that accident and not her. They’d have had more kids if I’d died. She was irreplaceable; I was not.”

 

Gibbs fought down the growing sense of anger. So many things about Tony’s personality suddenly slotted effortlessly into place. Tony was silent for a moment.

 

“Go on,” Gibbs urged softly. “What else happened, Tony?”

 

“If I stayed quiet, he usually just yelled at me for awhile and then went away again.”

 

“And if you didn’t stay quiet?”

 

“Then he hit me.” Tony shrugged. “But you know me – when have I ever managed to stay quiet?” Tony gave a strained, unconvincing version of his usual bright, shiny Tony grin. Gibbs waited. Tony’s grin faded. “It was okay. It was just a few slaps.”

 

“No, it wasn’t,” Gibbs said tersely. “He didn’t just slap you. He punched you and kicked you. He beat up on you, didn’t he?”

 

There was silence. Tony’s body was stiff. His head was angled upwards, as if he was gazing into space behind the blindfold. He held himself that way for a long time, and then, finally, he bowed his head.

 

“Yes.”

 

Gibbs looked down on his sub sadly. There – at last – was the truth. He put a gentle hand on Tony’s head and stroked his hair. Tony just knelt there, swaying a little. He looked lost. They were silent for a long time, before Tony spoke again.

 

“He needed it, Gibbs. He was in a bad way. He needed to let it out. I was there. I could do that for him. It was the least I could do after…after what I’d done.”

 

“So you felt you deserved it?”

 

Tony hesitated, and then he nodded. “Yes.”

 

“Which brings us to your recurring need to take one for the team.”

 

Tony looked up again. “The team’s my family, Gibbs. Can’t lose any one of you because of something I did or didn’t do. Not again.”

 

“And it’s always your responsibility, huh?”

 

Gibbs already knew the answer. Tony had been blamed for his mom’s death, every night, night after night, by his alcoholic father. It was hardly surprising he blamed himself, and on some level considered his own wellbeing less important than those around him.

 

“You don’t understand! My dad loved my mom so much. You don’t understand what it was like for him to lose her.”

 

“Bullshit!” Gibbs said forcefully. “I lost my wife too, Tony, and trust me, if Kelly had survived I’d have been *grateful* that I hadn’t lost them both. I wouldn’t have gone to her room every night to beat the shit out of her for not being her mom. I would have held her close and thanked God that she was still with me.”

 

Tony didn’t seem to have an answer for that. He just knelt there, still swaying, looking totally shattered. He had spent his life trying to atone for one terrible event. But what could ever be enough to atone for the loss of such a beautiful, vibrant, much-loved person? In Tony’s mind, Gibbs was pretty damn sure that nothing ever could.

 

“I could tell you that it wasn’t your fault, but you wouldn’t believe me, would you?” Gibbs asked quietly.

 

Tony shook his head.

 

“Then all I can do is tell you that you’re mine, and that whatever you once did, or whatever you think about yourself, I don’t blame you. Not for your mother’s death, or what happened to Jenny, or Abby’s accident. I think you’ve been punished enough.”

 

Tony didn’t reply. His head was raised, as if he was staring off into space behind the blindfold. He was trembling slightly, but Gibbs didn’t think that was because he was cold.

 

“And you promised me, when you took that collar, that I was in charge of your punishments – and you wouldn’t punish yourself any more. Now I’m calling you on that. Can you do it, Tony?”

 

“Hardest thing you ever asked me, Boss,” Tony muttered.

 

“I know. Just give it up to me though, Tony. Like you’ve given everything else up to me since I took you as my sub. Think you can do that? Think you can let me take it on, so you can leave it behind?”

 

“Don’t know how that works, Boss.” Tony was trembling in earnest now.

 

Gibbs leaned forward. “Oh it’s easy,” he growled into Tony’s ear. “You’re mine, boy, and I’m giving you an order. Give it up to me, Tony. Give it all up to me. I’ll take care of it.”

 

“How?” Tony’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

 

“You don’t need to know. You just need to accept.”

 

He ran his hands over Tony’s trembling body, keeping his caress firm, as if he was gentling a frightened horse.

 

“You want to obey me, don’t you, boy?” Gibbs asked, working his hands on Tony’s skin with expert precision. This wasn’t about sex – this was about ownership. Tony’s muscles felt taut, and he soothed them firmly, insisting that they relax.

 

“I don’t know that I can,” Tony said hoarsely.

 

“You can,” Gibbs insisted. “You just have to do one thing.”

 

“What?” Tony shivered.

 

Gibbs leaned forward again. “Trust me,” he said simply.

 

There was silence. Gibbs knew this issue had been between them all along. Trust. It was the one thing Tony found so hard – and, after hearing his story, Gibbs wasn’t surprised.

 

“Want to,” Tony whispered.

 

“Then do it,” Gibbs said firmly. “You’re mine, Tony. I’ll never give up on you. Easier if you just surrender now, give in and trust me. You want to. You’ve wanted someone to trust ever since you lost your mom and found your dad wasn’t there for you. That’s why you’ve hung around at NCIS so long instead of moving on. You want to believe in someone. You want to believe in me.”

 

Tony gave a little grin. “Reminds me of something Mulder said to me, weeks ago, when I was trying to decide whether to become your sub or not. Always comes back to that, huh?”

 

“Always does, Tony. Can’t promise to make it easy for ya, just like this isn’t easy – but if you trust me, I’ll walk with you out of the darkness. I’ll bring you home – and you’ve been looking for a home for a long time, haven’t you, Tony?”

 

A visible sweat broke out on Tony’s body. He was tempted – Gibbs could see that – but could he do it?

 

“Yeah, I want it,” Tony said, and there was a note of intense yearning in his voice.

 

“Home’s right here, waiting for ya,” Gibbs told him. “You’re so close to it, Tony.”

 

He tipped Tony’s head back and lowered his mouth to claim his sub’s lips in a sweet, loving kiss. Tony made a little sound in the back of his throat, but Gibbs ignored him. He kissed Tony persuasively, holding his face tight the entire time.

 

Then it happened. He felt the exact moment when Tony finally broke. He felt all the resistance leave Tony’s body, and felt his sub – his beautiful, troubled sub – surrender totally and without reserve to his will.

 

He had won. He had fought Tony for possession of his own soul and emerged victorious. Now he had to take care never to abuse this trust that had been so incredibly hard won.

 

He released his hold on his sub’s face and placed his fingers on Tony’s blindfold.

 

“Time to face the world again,” he said quietly. “Ready, Tony?”

 

Tony nodded, and Gibbs carefully untied the blindfold and removed it. Tony blinked as he came back to himself after the intensity of the day.

 

Gibbs wasn’t sure what his sub was going to do now that he wasn’t able to hide behind the blindfold any more. He was taken by surprise when Tony moved onto the couch beside him and lay down. Then, with much greater confidence than he’d ever shown before, he nestled in close, resting his head on Gibbs’s lap like it belonged there.

 

Gibbs moved his hand so that it came to rest on his sub’s hair.

 

“Welcome home, Tony.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tony wasn’t sure if punishment detail was over, because although Gibbs still fed him by hand, he allowed him take out instead of the boring food he’d made him eat all day.

 

After they were done eating, Tony lay with his head on Gibbs’s lap while Gibbs read out loud to him again. He was surprised to find he didn’t miss the TV or his extensive DVD collection. This was much more restful, and God knows he needed the rest.

 

Later, they went upstairs, and Tony hesitated again.

 

“Did I do enough to win back the mattress, pillow and blanket?” he asked, thinking back over the day’s events. He thought he’d done pretty much everything Gibbs had asked, although there were only so many raw carrots a guy could eat, so he’d baulked a little there.

 

“You won’t ever be sleeping on the floor again,” Gibbs told him firmly.

 

“Have you changed the rules?” Tony asked blankly.

 

Gibbs pulled him close and kissed him. “Yeah, DiNozzo, I changed the rules.”

 

“Why?”

 

“‘Cause before, I didn’t know you so well. Now I do. I still own your ass, but making you sleep anywhere ‘cept in the bed would make me more of a bastard than I ever wanna be.”

 

“You’re still a bastard though, right?” Tony grinned.

 

“Hell yeah!” Gibbs grinned back. “Also, I want you next to me, so that I can roll over and fuck you whenever I’m in the mood.”

 

“You in the mood now?” Tony grinned lasciviously at him. “I think you are.” He pressed up against Gibbs, feeling his dom’s cock hardening through his sweatpants.

 

“Oh yeah. I’m in the mood.”

 

Gibbs pulled him even closer, and his lips roved over Tony’s face, leaving little kisses wherever they paused. He slid his hands down Tony’s arms and then held them behind Tony’s back while he continued to trail wet kisses over his sub’s skin. Tony hung there, immobilised. He always enjoyed the feel of Gibbs’s fully clothed body against his own when he was naked. He liked how it felt to be this available for his dom. Gibbs owned him, body, heart, mind and soul. Tony had never fully surrendered to him on all those levels before – but he did now.

 

He could feel Gibbs’s warm, aroused breath on his naked skin as his dom pushed him down on the bed. He gasped as his dom’s blunt fingertips roved over his body with total confidence, claiming him.

 

Gibbs straddled him, and Tony pushed at his dom’s tee shirt urgently, wanting to touch bare skin. Gibbs slapped his fingers away and removed the tee shirt himself, then threw it onto the floor. Tony gazed up at his dom hungrily. Gibbs’s body was a source of endless fascination for Tony. His dom had a washboard stomach, and his chest was covered in a light smattering of salt and pepper coloured curls of hair.

 

Gibbs grinned down on him. He took hold of Tony’s arms and pushed them above his head, pressing his sub down into the pillows, and then he kissed him again.

 

Tony opened up. He had never before felt his submission as deeply as he did right now. He was mesmerised by his top, entranced by him, and totally within his thrall. He belonged to this man here and always would. It was such a relief to have a place where he could finally be himself, and where he didn’t have to hide. Gibbs had taken away all his hiding places but not without offering him something else in return – something much better.

 

The moment felt hazy and unreal. Tony was aware of Gibbs touching his body, always firm but strangely gentle too, taking care of his bruised skin. Gibbs was never hesitant or unsure where Tony’s body was concerned; it belonged to him, and he knew how to make good use of it.

 

Gibbs slid off his sweatpants, releasing his beautiful, hard cock, and then straddled his sub again.

 

“Suck me,” he ordered, pressing the head of his cock against Tony’s lips. Tony opened up eagerly, longing to feel that hard flesh in his mouth. “Slowly,” Gibbs warned. “Don’t want you opening up that cut in your lip.”

 

Tony slowed down as ordered and enjoyed the long, easy glide of Gibbs’s cock between his lips. He felt so completely and lovingly dominated. He liked the feel of Gibbs’s fingers pressing his wrists into the mattress, and Gibbs’s cock lazily fucking his mouth. His dom withdrew, and Tony moaned his protest.

 

Gibbs chuckled. “Want to come in your ass, boy, not down your throat – not this time.”

 

He moved down, kissing and sucking Tony’s skin along the way. There was a pause, and then he pushed open Tony’s legs and slipped his lubed fingers into his hole. It didn’t take long to prep him; he was already relaxed and welcoming.

 

Gibbs pulled his buttocks apart gently and pressed his cock against Tony’s hole. He went in easily, gliding right in, up to the hilt, in one effortless thrust. Gibbs lowered his weight down, so that he was almost resting on Tony’s chest, and looked into his sub’s eyes as he moved his hips back and then forward again. Tony couldn’t look away. He could only look up as he surrendered to his dom, pinned into place by the force of that blue-eyed gaze.

 

Gibbs didn’t touch his sub’s cock, and Tony made no move to reach for it, either. He wasn’t interested in his own arousal – he just wanted to offer himself up to Gibbs, for his pleasure.

 

Gibbs held Tony still beneath him, as he slowly but forcefully took what he wanted from his sub. Tony could feel his prostate being stimulated with each inward stroke, and his own arousal built inside him, but still he didn’t move.

 

Tony wasn’t sure how long his dom made love to him in this way, fucking him so slowly, looking into his eyes as he moved inside him, taking his time. It felt so intimate and loving – and he was more aware of his own submission and Gibbs’s dominance than at any other point in their relationship. Then, at last, Gibbs moved the pace along, thrusting more forcefully, and his body convulsed as he came with a loud growl.

 

He hung there for a moment, blinking, still looking down on his sub, then sank down onto Tony’s body and kissed his sub tenderly. Tony wrapped his arms around Gibbs’s back, holding him there, enjoying the connection.

 

After several minutes Gibbs withdrew – and then, without warning, he moved down and took his sub’s cock into his mouth. Tony gasped, his fingers scrabbling at the sheets in surprise. Gibbs worked his lips over Tony’s hard flesh, sucking expertly, and before long Tony was coming in his dom’s mouth. He watched, blinking incredulously, as Gibbs swallowed every single drop. Then Gibbs wiped his hand over his mouth and returned to Tony’s side. He dropped down beside Tony, grinning at his sub as he pulled him into his arms.

 

“You let me come!” Tony exclaimed.

 

Gibbs laughed out loud. “Well yeah, DiNozzo. I noticed.” He licked his lips in a way that was positively obscene.

 

“But…why?” Tony asked, in a befuddled, post-orgasmic haze.

 

“‘Cause you didn’t ask, or try to get yourself off. And because you gave me everything today, Tony – and I know how hard that was for you. And because you gave me everything in bed tonight too – and making love to you has never been sweeter than it was just now. And also – ’cause you’re mine – and I want to keep you well fucked and happy.”

 

“That’s a lot of reasons,” Tony grinned, rolling onto his side and resting his chin on Gibbs’s shoulder. “Mmm, well fucked and happy,” he muttered, and within seconds he was fast asleep.
~*~

 

Gibbs woke in the middle of the night to a soft, whimpering sound. He looked around blearily, wondering what it was – it sounded like a trapped animal. Then he realised it was Tony. His sub had never had nightmares before, but maybe after what he’d been through over the past couple of days, and what Gibbs had asked him to face yesterday, it was hardly surprising.

 

Tony was trembling. He was mumbling something incomprehensible – his voice steadily growing higher in pitch until it ended in a helpless whine. Gibbs reached out, put a hand on his sub’s shoulder, and pulled him in close. The effect was immediate. Tony curled up against him, chin coming to rest on his shoulder. Gibbs stroked him and the shaking slowly stopped.

 

Tony didn’t wake up. Gibbs watched as his sub slumbered on, more peacefully this time. He was looking a little better. The swelling on his face had gone down, and his skin had lost its pallor. Gibbs thought he was on the road to recovery. It might take a while, but he’d get there. Gibbs would see to that.

 

Gibbs couldn’t get back to sleep. Having his sub show this degree of trust in him was humbling – but it was also a responsibility, and Gibbs didn’t take his responsibilities lightly. He lay there, thinking about what he had to do next. When he’d told Tony to give up his guilt to him so he could take care of it, he’d meant it. He had a pretty good idea where to start.

 

He spent the rest of the night stroking his sub’s warm skin and occasionally pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek or his hair. When morning came, he fucked Tony gently awake, and then they spent the day much like the previous one. Gibbs kept Tony in bondage, fed him healthy food and forced him to rest. The one thing he couldn’t bring himself to do was spank him. After what he’d heard about Tony’s childhood, he didn’t feel comfortable with it. Tony’s punishment issues were complex, and Gibbs needed some time to get his head around them.

 

As the day wore on, Tony started to look more and more like his old self, and by the evening, Gibbs thought they were done. “Punishment detail’s over,” he told his sub.

 

“Really? Wasn’t that bad.” Tony grinned at him. “Okay, the carrots were bad – don’t ever do that to me again, Boss!”

 

“I will if you need it, Tony. But now, we need to talk about tomorrow.”

 

“Okay, but I’m well enough to go back to work. Eye’s doing fine. I can see again!” Tony pointed to his eye. The swelling around it was greatly reduced, and the eye, although bloodshot, was unharmed. His face was covered in an array of bruises in a variety of different colours, but he was making good progress.

 

“You’re not going back to work tomorrow, DiNozzo,” Gibbs told him firmly.

 

“Why not? I don’t want to sit around here on my own all day. I told you, Gibbs, I’ll be fine…”

 

“Neither of us is going to work tomorrow,” Gibbs interrupted him. “Or the rest of the week.”
He leaned forward and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Tony,” he said. They were hard words to get out, and he wasn’t used to saying them.

 

Tony gazed at him in disbelief. “Uh…did you just say you’re sorry?” He looked around as if waiting for a drum roll. “Did Leroy Jethro Gibbs actually say the ‘s’ word?” He laughed out loud. “Oh man, this is good! Damn it, I wish I had it taped; McGee will never believe me.”

 

Gibbs glared at him.

 

“Uh…and I won’t tell him! I promise!” Tony grinned. “Hang on – why are you sorry, Boss? I mean, what are you sorry for? What did you do? You didn’t go and get yourself beaten up by some Neanderthal, did you, ’cause I have to tell you – not a good idea. Hurts like hell.”

 

“You gonna shut up, or do I have to gag you?” Gibbs asked impassively.

 

“Uh…shutting up, Boss,” Tony said cheerfully. Gibbs couldn’t help grinning all the same. God, it was good to have the old Tony back.

 

“I’m sorry because I screwed up when I first took you as my sub. I just picked you up one Saturday night, brought ya home with me, and then we went back to work on Monday like nothin’ happened. Should’a taken the week off then and got to know my sub properly. If I had – well, maybe things would have turned out differently.”

 

He gazed at Tony’s bruised face meaningfully.

 

“Not necessarily,” Tony sighed. “I’m a stubborn shit, Gibbs. I was holding out on you all this time. Took that chain of events to bring me to where we are now. I don’t think it would have happened any sooner even if we’d given it more time that first week.”

 

“Well, we’ll never know. Should have done it anyway.” Gibbs shrugged.

 

“So we have the week off?”

 

“Yeah. I figure we need the time to get really comfortable with who and what we are to each other before we go back to work.”

 

“And have lots of sex?” Tony suggested.

 

Gibbs rolled his eyes. “Yeah. That too.”

 

“A sex vacation! I like it!”

 

“Idiot.” Gibbs slapped his sub’s thigh. “I can see I’m gonna have to find ways of keeping you under control during the next week, DiNozzo. I’ll happily deploy that gag if necessary.”

 

Tony grinned at him cheerfully. “You can gag me if you want, Boss, I don’t mind. Hell, I kinda like it – although I like it more when you…

 

Gibbs rolled his eyes as his sub rambled on, but he was delighted by the sense of ease that now existed between them. They needed this – they needed time to be sub and dom, time to just be lovers, without any of the pressures of work and the outside world. They had some challenges to face in the coming week, but Gibbs wasn’t about to tell Tony that.

 

For now, he just rolled on top of his sub and kissed him until Tony – finally! – shut up.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tony was surprised when Gibbs threw some clothes at him the following morning.

 

“You’re allowing me to get dressed?” He held up the black jeans and green shirt. “And in nice clothes too?” He raised an eyebrow. “Usually you don’t like me wearing this kinda stuff in case other guys ogle my ass.”

 

Gibbs slapped the back of his head.

 

“Yes, Boss. Thank you, Boss. So – why the clothes?” Tony asked, as he got dressed.

 

“‘Cause you have a visitor, DiNozzo.”

 

“A visitor?” Tony frowned. “Who?”

 

“Someone you need to see.”

 

“Can’t be Ziva or McGee then,” Tony mused. “‘Cause, you know, much as I love them, I really don’t need to see ’em during my week’s sex vacation.” Gibbs slapped his head again and then gently tousled his hair, and Tony grinned happily. “Is it Ducky? Is he coming around to check the eye is okay?” He pointed at his left eye, which was now fine – if you discounted all the bruising around it. He started buttoning up his shirt.

 

“It isn’t Ducky,” Gibbs told him.

 

Tony looked up, his fingers suddenly faltering. “It’s Abby, isn’t it?” he asked softly.

 

“Yes, Tony. It’s Abby.” Gibbs finished buttoning up his shirt for him while Tony stood there, feeling winded. “Have to see her some time,” Gibbs said sensibly. “And she really wants to see you. I’ve been holding her at arm’s length for the past few days.”

 

“Uh…I dunno,” Tony muttered, looking at the floor.

 

Gibbs put a finger under his chin and lifted his face. “Mine now, DiNozzo. You gave it up to me, remember?”

 

“Okay.” Tony swallowed hard, recognising that this would be a test of the promise he’d made to his dom.

 

There was a knock on the door at 11 a.m. Tony got to his feet nervously as Gibbs went to answer it. He rubbed the palms of his hands together, feeling them prickling with sweat. Christ, this was Abby! He shouldn’t feel anxious about seeing her again, but he couldn’t get their last meeting out of his mind. Seeing her sitting in that hospital bed with that big white bandage around her head…

 

A second later, a blur of excited motion burst into the room. Abby ran over to him, took one look at him, uttered a disapproving, “Oh, Tony!” at the sight of his bruises, and then enveloped him in a big bear hug.

 

His arms went around her, and it felt so good to hug her again. He hadn’t realised how much he’d missed his Abby-hugs.

 

It was only when she finally released him that he got a good look at her. He was dreading it – but she actually looked really good. Her hair was growing back in, soft and…blonde?

 

“Hey, goldilocks!” he teased, running his fingers through the short golden strands. She laughed – and blushed.

 

“You like it?”

 

“Yeah. Wow…who’da thought our Goth girl was secretly a blonde, huh?”

 

He examined the hair in more detail. There wasn’t much of it yet, and her scar was still visible underneath, but somehow the extremely short hair lent her a sophisticated quality that was very appealing. It brought out the colour of her eyes, making them seem particularly luminous. She’d always been pretty, but without the Goth make-up and ultra-dark hair, the natural beauty of her face shone through even more.

 

“Well, don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been dying my hair black since I was thirteen.” She grinned.

 

“And I thought that particular shade of raven was natural.” He grinned back at her. He wasn’t sure where Gibbs was – the man seemed to have disappeared.

 

“Nah – it’s always been blonde, but who wants to be a blonde, huh?” she said, sitting down on the couch and pulling on his hand to make him sit down beside her. “I mean…just the blonde jokes alone…” she shuddered.

 

“So – you gonna dye it again?”

 

“No.” She shook her head. “Um, don’t tell anyone this, Tony, but I’m 32. Kinda old to still be doing that teen rebellion stuff. So…I’m gonna own up to being a blonde and to hell with the consequences! I figure it’s time. These past couple of weeks have given me time to think a few things through…”

 

“You’re not leaving NCIS are you?” Tony asked in alarm. “Don’t do that. Gibbs would be torture to live with.”

 

“Aw, I think you kinda like it when Gibbs is in a torturing mood.” She winked at him.

 

He laughed out loud. “You could be right. But that guy they sent to replace you is useless – Gibbs can’t even be in the same room as him without exploding. I’ve spent the past two weeks running up and down between your lab and the squad room with messages just to avoid a bloodbath. I’m exhausted.” He clutched his chest, panting dramatically. “So, please, please tell me you aren’t leaving.”

 

“Idiot.” She punched his arm. “No way, Mister! We’re family – you don’t get rid of me that easily. I just meant that there’s more to me than the clothes and hair and all that stuff.”

 

“You’re not gonna start wearing your court suit to work every day are you?” Tony shuddered.

 

She grinned. “Hell no! But…it might be time to explore some other parts of Abby – y’know?”

 

“Yeah. I do. I came to the same conclusion a few months ago and…well, it wasn’t easy at first, but it’s pretty damn good now.”

 

She looked at him searchingly, her gaze lingering on his bruised face. “Gibbs wouldn’t tell me what happened, but you’ve been kind of an idiot, haven’t you?” she asked quietly.

 

“Kinda. Yeah.” He shrugged.

 

“Bet Gibbs gave you a hard time about those bruises.”

 

“You have no idea!” Tony grimaced. “Yeah, he’s been tough on me, Abs.”

 

“And that makes you feel loved,” Abby grinned. “I guess because someone cares enough to bother?”

 

He looked down and then up again, straight at her. “Yeah. I guess.”

 

She leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. “He’s not the only one who cares, Tony.” Then she drew back. “Okay, tell me what’s been happening at NCIS,” she demanded. “I want all the gossip! Are my babies all okay? Major Mass Spec, and Bert and all the gang? Is this new guy treating them properly? Oh – and is Ziva still seeing her mystery boyfriend? I want to hear it all!” She settled in beside him.

 

He put his arm around her and pulled her in close. She was fine. She was better than fine – she was good. Maybe she was telling him what he wanted to hear about her hair, but, knowing Abby, he suspected she was genuinely able to be that positive about it.

 

He grinned down on her. “Okay…well, Vance is missing you like crazy, obviously…”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Gibbs pulled the living room door shut with a smile. At least that was one situation resolved, although it had been relatively easy compared to his next task.

 

He went down into the basement and called the NCIS HR department to get the number he wanted. He’d almost called this number once before, several years ago, when Tony had been infected with the plague. Things hadn’t looked good for awhile back then…but something in his gut had stopped him making the call. He was glad about that now, knowing what he did.

 

This time it was different. This time he *did* have to make the call. He dialled the number and waited.

 

A young, female voice answered: “DiNozzo Holdings, good morning, how may I help?”

 

 

~*~

 

 

The following day Gibbs woke Tony early, and then surprised him by throwing clothes at him again, for the second day running.

 

“Is it my birthday or something?” Tony grinned, holding up the jeans and his favourite blue sweater. “I get to run around without my ass hanging out for two days in a row?”

 

Gibbs fondled said ass on his way to the bathroom. “I like your ass hanging out – makes it available for whatever I wanna do to it.”

 

“So why the clothes?” Tony called after him.

 

“‘Cause you have more visitors, DiNozzo,” Gibbs replied.

 

Tony had no idea who to expect this time, but half an hour later two old friends arrived.

 

Mulder walked into the living room, took one look at Tony’s multi-hued face, and grinned. “You’ve been an idiot,” he said.

 

Tony made a face at him. “I wish people would stop saying that.”

 

“It’s true though,” Gibbs grunted.

 

Walter stepped over to him and looked at him searchingly for a few moments. Tony wilted under that solemn, brown-eyed gaze.

 

“You *have* been an idiot,” Walter said sternly.

 

“Yeah. I know,” Tony muttered.

 

“But Jethro’s taken care of it.” Walter pulled Tony into an unexpected hug. Then he released him and shot a grin at Mulder. “Reminds me of the old days – taking care of you after you did something stupid. You were a full-time job back then. Still are sometimes, although I think I’ve managed to spank some sense into you.”

 

Mulder rolled his eyes. “There’s no reason to bring up the bad old days, Master. C’mon, Tony – let’s get moving before Walter starts reminiscing, or we’ll be here all day.”

 

“We’re going somewhere?” Tony asked, startled, as Walter put an arm around him and began ushering him towards the door. Tony looked back over his shoulder at his dom. He suddenly noticed that Gibbs was wearing a suit – and Gibbs never wore a suit unless he was due in court or in a meeting with Secnav. “You coming with us, Boss?”

 

“Nope.” Gibbs shook his head. “I have someplace else to be today, Tony. Rest of the week is all yours though,” he added quickly. “Trust me?”

 

Tony bit on his lip and then nodded. “Yes, Boss. So…” He turned back to Walter and Mulder. “Where are we going?”

 

“Shopping,” Walter announced. “Clothes, shoes – I know this great tailor I want to introduce you to, Tony. I figure you’re the kind of guy who appreciates the finer things in life.”

 

“Really? Cool!” Tony was delighted. “Jethro avoids shopping like the plague – although if he’d ever actually *had* the plague, he might realise that shopping isn’t so bad in comparison.”

 

“I’m with Gibbs on this,” Mulder said. “I can’t believe there’s someone else in the world who likes going to see a tailor as much as Walter does. It’s insane.”

 

“I’ll see you later, Tony.” Gibbs took hold of his face and dropped a light kiss on his mouth. “Have a good day.”

 

Tony watched his dom disappear out of the front door. “Could we buy some stuff for him?” he asked Walter mournfully. “I mean, he’s a great guy, don’t get me wrong, but did you see the cut of that suit?”

 

Walter laughed out loud. “You’re a man after my own heart, Tony,” he said, ushering Tony out of the door.

 

“When we’re finished with the shopping – which can’t be a moment too soon as far as I’m concerned,” Mulder said with a shudder. “Walter is taking us to the Hoover Building to look at this case he’s overseeing.”

 

“A case?” Tony looked up, surprised.

 

“Yeah – I could use some ‘outside the box’ type thinking on this one, and…” Walter paused, and gazed at the two subs with a glint in his dark eyes. “Well, they don’t come much more outside the box than you two.”

 

Tony grinned; this was shaping up to be an extremely good day. Good company, good shopping, and people he didn’t have to pretend with. The only downside was that he wouldn’t see Gibbs all day – and he had absolutely no idea where his dom had gone.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Gibbs sat in the lobby at DiNozzo Holdings, pretending to read his newspaper. At 1 p.m. sharp, he saw the owner of the company emerge from the elevator, deep in conversation with two men.

 

Gibbs studied DiNozzo senior over the top of his newspaper. If he hadn’t had McGee pull up some photographs, he wouldn’t have known this man was Tony’s father. He couldn’t see much of his sub in this big man with the crop of thinning white hair and the wide, bullish jaw.

 

Gibbs got up, leaving his newspaper behind on his seat, and followed his quarry out into the street. He caught up with the three men a block away from the office and moved up alongside them. Then he reached out and gripped DiNozzo’s arm – hard. He turned, a startled look on his face.

 

“Mr. DiNozzo? I’m Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS,” Gibbs said pleasantly, with just a hint of steel in his voice.

 

DiNozzo looked surprised. “Agent Gibbs? NCIS? Is this about my son?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Is he okay?”

 

Gibbs searched for a sign of genuine concern in the man’s eyes, and thought he saw it, but with a big, bluff businessman like DiNozzo Snr, it was hard to tell. At least the man had asked the right question.

 

“He will be if I have anything to do with it,” Gibbs responded curtly. “I believe you have a reservation at an Italian restaurant on the next block?”

 

“How do you know that?” DiNozzo demanded.

 

“I’m an investigator, Mr. DiNozzo. It’s what I do.” Gibbs gave a deceptive smile. He gestured at his suit. “I hope we’re eating at Marcello’s because I dressed for somewhere classy.”

 

DiNozzo looked confused. “You’re having lunch with us?”

 

“No. I’m having lunch with you. The flunkies can disappear.” Gibbs glared at the two men with Tony’s father. DiNozzo senior bristled angrily at his tone.

 

“The hell they can! Look, Agent Gibbs, if you want a meeting with me, then you can damn well make an appointment like anyone else!”

 

“I tried – yesterday,” Gibbs replied. “Apparently your calendar is full for the next three months. I asked to be put through to you, but your secretary guards you closely, Mr. DiNozzo. And this wasn’t something I wanted to leave a message about.”

 

“Do you want us to call office security, sir?” one of the flunkies asked, looking at Gibbs nervously.

 

“Go ahead.” Gibbs grinned at them. “I just want a quiet word with you about some injuries your son sustained as a child, Mr. DiNozzo. But if that’s a conversation you’d prefer to have in public, that’s fine by me.”

 

All the blood drained instantly from DiNozzo’s face. “I’ll answer your questions, Agent Gibbs,” he said quietly. “Go back to the office,” he ordered his people. The flunkies didn’t need telling twice, and they melted away without a word.

 

Gibbs kept his tight grip on DiNozzo’s arm as they walked the rest of the way to the restaurant in a grim silence. Gibbs almost hoped the man would try and make a run for it – he’d enjoy chasing after him and landing a punch or two.

 

DiNozzo didn’t make a move though. They were greeted at the restaurant by the Maitre’d, who was clearly expecting him.

 

“A table for three, wasn’t it, Senor DiNozzo?”

 

“Just two now,” DiNozzo growled. “And make it somewhere private, Mario.”

 

They were ushered into the back of the restaurant. Gibbs sat down and watched DiNozzo take his seat. The man was big – he hated the thought of him towering over a young Tony, punching and kicking him in a haze of drunken abuse. Gibbs clenched his fists and reeled himself back in.

 

DiNozzo ordered a brandy; Gibbs just ordered mineral water. The brandy arrived, and DiNozzo downed it all in one gulp and then ordered another.

 

“What’s this about, Agent Gibbs?” he demanded. “Has something happened to Tony?”

 

“Yeah – he got beat up pretty bad a few days ago.”

 

He saw something he hadn’t expected in the other man’s eyes – concern maybe?

 

“You said he’d be okay?” DiNozzo asked. The replacement brandy arrived, and he took a substantial gulp.

 

“Yeah. He will. He always bounces back after a beating – but I figure you know that already.”

 

DiNozzo winced. He finished the second brandy and looked at Gibbs, his eyes dark.

 

“Okay, Agent Gibbs, you can stop toying with me. What do you want from me? Does Tony know you’re here? Did he send you?”

 

“No, Tony doesn’t know I’m here, and he sure as hell didn’t send me. I’m here to try and figure out what to do about you. See, I have a thing about justice. It’s why I joined NCIS. I don’t like to see people walk away from their crimes unpunished.”

 

“That’s what you think I did? Walk away unpunished?”

 

“Didn’t you?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “Do you deny what you did to Tony after his mom died?”

 

DiNozzo drew out a handkerchief and wiped it over his forehead. “You’re talking about…”

 

“I’m talking about you using him as punching bag, yeah,” Gibbs growled. “Christ, he was just a child! How the hell could you do that to your own son?”

 

DiNozzo’s eyes flashed. “You don’t know anything about it.”

 

“You’re wrong – I know everything. Tony kept your nasty little secret for a long time, but he finally spilled to me. He told me how you used to get drunk and then go yell at him and beat up on him night after night for months on end.”

 

DiNozzo mopped his brow again, with shaking hands. “It was the drink. I was drinking far too much back then.”

 

“Still are,” Gibbs retorted, jerking his head meaningfully at the empty glass on the table.

 

DiNozzo shook his head. “No – I drink hard, all the men in my family do, but it’s not the same. I was never sober back then. It was a dark time. I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Nobody could. I’d just lost my wife, and…”

 

“Before you go any further – *you* have to understand this.” Gibbs leaned forward. “I lost my wife in a car wreck too, so don’t try and bullshit me. I *will* see through you.”

 

DiNozzo gave him a startled look. “I didn’t know that. Tony never said. I’m sorry. Look, I deserve the way you’re looking at me right now, Agent Gibbs, but you have to understand how it was.”

 

“I do understand how it was. Tony had been in a serious car accident – he had a broken arm, and he’d just lost his mom. He was in shock, he was grieving, and he was just a kid. He’d only just turned eleven years old for Christ’s sake! And instead of being there for him, to help him through all that, you turned around and beat up on him instead. That part I’ll never be able to understand, DiNozzo.”

 

The other man’s hands were trembling where they were still clutching his handkerchief. “I know, I know. I can understand your anger, Gibbs. The truth is that I blamed Tony for his mother’s death.”

 

“Yeah, he told me. And hey – guess what? He blames himself too.”

 

“He still does? After all this time?” DiNozzo looked surprised.

 

“Did you ever tell him any different?”

 

“No.” DiNozzo shook his head. “I didn’t want to bring up that time – that terrible time. Tony seemed to get over it. He…well, you know what he’s like, always joking around. He’s so like his mom.” His voice broke a little as he said that, and he grabbed Gibbs’s glass of water and took a gulp.

 

“I took a look at the police report of your wife’s accident,” Gibbs said, leaning forward. “The brake pads on the car were in poor condition. Business wasn’t going so well for you back then, so the car hadn’t been serviced in a while.”

 

DiNozzo sat there, as if he’d been turned into stone. “The police report? How the hell did you…?”

 

Gibbs gave a dismissive jerk of his head. “NCIS. I can get hold of things like that.”

 

DiNozzo nodded. “You’re right. We were struggling financially. We could only afford to keep Tony in that damn school because his aunt paid for it.”

 

“You never told Tony about the brakes on the car?” Gibbs asked.

 

DiNozzo took another gulp of the water.

 

“You didn’t, did you?” Gibbs slammed his hand angrily on the table, making the man jump.

 

“No! No, I didn’t.”

 

“You let that poor kid blame himself,” Gibbs growled. “All those years, you let him blame himself, even though it wasn’t his fault.”

 

“I told you – I didn’t want to bring the subject up again. I thought it was better if we put it behind us and moved on.”

 

“Better for who? You or him?” Gibbs sat back, a derisive sneer on his lips.

 

“You think you know how it was, but you don’t,” DiNozzo snapped, clearly stung by the accusation. “Tony and I weren’t close before the accident. I loved him very much, but he and his mom were like an exclusive little club, and I wasn’t part of it.”

 

“You were jealous of your own son?” Gibbs asked, in disbelief.

 

“No! But he was turning into a mommy’s boy. I used to worry that he might grow up…not one of us. Y’know? Thought he might turn out queer.”

 

Gibbs laughed out loud at that.

 

“Back in those days it wasn’t as accepted as it is now,” DiNozzo hissed, in an agonised tone. “I wanted the best for the boy, but he didn’t need me – he only ever wanted his mother.”

 

“You’re his father!” Gibbs leaned forward, feeling angrier than ever. “Of course he damn well needed you. Do you know that he used to go down to your study when you were drunk, sit down on the couch beside you, and put your arm around his shoulder to pretend you were giving him some affection?”

 

“He…he told you that? He did that?” DiNozzo crumpled, visibly, taking Gibbs by surprise. “I didn’t know,” he whispered hoarsely.

 

“You were too damn drunk to know.”

 

“Yes.” DiNozzo nodded. “I don’t deny it. After my wife died, I was constantly drunk for six months.”

 

“Do you even remember beating up on Tony?”

 

DiNozzo gazed down at the table.

 

“Or were you too drunk to remember?” Gibbs demanded.

 

DiNozzo raised his head, his eyes dark with shame. “I saw the bruises on him, but I didn’t want to admit that it was me who had put them there. I told myself he’d hurt himself playing around – you know, the way kids do. Climbing trees – he spent a lot of time doing that. Probably to get away from me. I’m horrified by what I did, Gibbs, you have to believe that.”

 

Gibbs sat back in his chair and surveyed DiNozzo thoughtfully. He had been negligent, abusive and weak, but he knew what he’d done, and he was ashamed of it. That at least answered one of his questions about the man.

 

“I kept him out of school. Pretended he was being home-schooled – but in reality he just ran wild during those six months. So there was nobody to see the bruises on him – nobody except me.”

 

DiNozzo ran a shaky hand through his hair again. “And I did see them, Agent Gibbs…and one day I woke up, and found he had a black eye and a split lip. That’s when I couldn’t keep pretending any more. I sobered up pretty damn quick.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

“I sent him away. Made some calls, got him into a military academy.”

 

“You damn coward,” Gibbs said coldly.

 

“I thought I was doing the right thing!” DiNozzo protested. “I was trying to protect him. I thought I was keeping him safe, getting him out of harm’s way.”

 

“You beat up on him every night for months on end, called him names, told him he was the cause of his mom’s death, and then one day you just sent him away? And you think that was the right thing? The right thing would have been to man up and take some responsibility. The right thing would have been for you to sit down and apologise to the kid and try to make amends. The right thing would have been to not let him go through his life thinking he killed his mom. Christ, you’re a piece of work.”

 

So much of Tony’s personality made total sense now. Gibbs wished he could grab his sub, hold him close, and never let him go.

 

DiNozzo’s jaw tightened – Gibbs guessed he wasn’t used to being challenged.

 

“Those are hard words, Agent Gibbs.”

 

“Do you deny them?”

 

“I thought I was doing it for the best. I couldn’t trust myself to be around him. He looks so much like his mom – he was a constant reminder of what I’d lost.

 

“Sending him away might have got him out of the reach of your fists, but he just thought you’d rejected him.”

 

“I tried to make it up to him! I spoiled him later – gave him far too much money for awhile, until it became clear it was having a bad effect on him. I offered him a place in the business when he was older, but he wasn’t interested. He didn’t get along with my second wife – there were blazing arguments. He wasn’t an easy teenager, Gibbs.”

 

“I’m not surprised,” Gibbs grunted. “So you thought disowning him would bring him back into line?”

 

“He was spending my money like it was water. All he thought about were girls, parties and cars. I didn’t want him turning into a spoilt brat.”

 

“Maybe he was trying to get your attention?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “Or get back at you for how you’d treated him? Did you ever think of that? How did you respond?”

 

DiNozzo’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “I sent him away to stay with his mom’s family in England.”

 

Gibbs gave a bitter bark of laughter. “Ah. So he learned that if he screwed up, he either got kicked around or sent away?” Tony’s two dead-end options suddenly came into focus with stark clarity.

 

“He was heading towards the gutter! I tried to pull him around before it was too late! How would raking up the past, talking about his mom’s death, and opening up any of those old wounds have helped him?” DiNozzo snapped.

 

“They never damn well healed!” Gibbs slammed his fist down on the table again, making DiNozzo blink in surprise. “Those old wounds never healed. They’re still there.”

 

“What do you want me to do about it?” DiNozzo demanded. “I tried to help him, but he made his choices. He rejected me and the business. He went his own way.”

 

“Do you blame him?”

 

DiNozzo’s jaw clicked angrily. They were silent for awhile.

 

“So what are you going to do?” DiNozzo asked eventually. “I’m a wealthy man. There’s some mileage in this if you wanted to go public with it.”

 

“How the hell would that help Tony?” Gibbs growled.

 

“Does Tony need any help?” DiNozzo looked surprised. “He sounds fine when I talk to him. He loves his job – he talks about you all the time when he calls.”

 

“He does?” It was Gibbs’s turn to be surprised.

 

“Hell yes. It’s all ‘Gibbs this’ and ‘Gibbs that’. He has a serious case of hero worship.” There was a note of bitterness in his voice.

 

“Yeah, well, I guess his dad wasn’t much of a role model.” Gibbs intended the barb to hit home, and it did. DiNozzo’s eyes flashed angrily again.

 

“Look, I pulled myself around, Agent Gibbs. I went through a bad patch, and I did some things that I regret. But I cut back on the drinking, I got Tony out of harm’s way, and I made my company a big success. I give myself credit for that.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you give yourself credit,” Gibbs told him coldly. “Now give your son some credit for surviving the many ways in which you fucked him up.”

 

“What do you want from me? You want me to make amends somehow? Is that why you’re here?”

 

“You think you can?” Gibbs leaned forward. “Because Tony needs to hear something from you that he won’t hear from me. Think you can do it?”

 

“I’m not the coward you think I am!”

 

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, and DiNozzo looked like he wanted to slap him.

 

“Do you even have it in you to be humble, DiNozzo?” Gibbs demanded. “Can you forget that Tony is a disappointment to you, that you disapprove of the choices he’s made in his life, and that you resent that he’s never given you the respect you think you deserve? Can you put all that aside and remember the child you punched and kicked and yelled abuse at for six long months? Can you do that? Can you talk to that child and not the adult son who pisses you off so much in so many different ways?”

 

DiNozzo glared at him.

 

“You admit you did wrong. Now – are you man enough to do something about it?” Gibbs asked. “You think about it. If you think you can do it – if you think you can put aside all the other crap and just tell him what he needs to hear, then call me.” He threw his card down on the table. “In the meantime, if you try and contact Tony you’ll answer to me – and trust me, you won’t like that very much. We’re done here. You enjoy your lunch.”

 

And with that, he got up and stalked out of the restaurant. He went to a nearby park and banged his hand against a tree a couple of times until he started to feel less like throttling someone. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

 

“Hey, Boss,” Tony’s cheerful voice answered. “Nice timing. We’re buying shoes. What size are you again?”

 

Gibbs laughed out loud. God, it was good to hear his sub’s voice.

 

“Thought Walter was going to get your help on a case?”

 

“Yeah – he is. We kind of got side-tracked by the shoes. Mulder’s leaning against the wall looking like he’d rather be mauled by tigers. It’s the same expression you always get when I mention going shopping, Boss – although obviously in your case it’s the tigers who end up getting mauled. Hey – where are you, Boss? What you doing?”

 

“I’m on my way home,” Gibbs told him firmly. “I’ll pick you up at the Hoover building later.”

 

He closed the cell phone with a smile. Talking to Tony was guaranteed to soothe him out of a bad mood.

 

He called Tony again when he got back to DC, but Tony was having a great time at the Hoover Building so he left him there and went into the office for a couple of hours to check on how much of a mess McGee was making of things in his absence.

 

He was just thinking of leaving when his cell phone rang.

 

“Gibbs?” He recognised the voice immediately. He hadn’t expected to hear from Tony’s father so soon, and he stiffened, wondering what the man had to say. “I’ve been thinking about everything you said,” DiNozzo continued. “And I have an answer for you.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Gibbs seemed to be in a serious mood when he picked Tony up. He was distracted, like there was something on his mind. Tony was used to his dom being a man of few words but this seemed like more than that. He wondered where the hell Gibbs had been all day.

 

Tony threw his bags into the trunk of the car and got in beside Gibbs.

 

“Hey – you’ll like this – I saw Fornell while I was at the FBI this afternoon,” Tony said, trying to get a reaction out of his dom.

 

Gibbs frowned. “Aw, hell, Walter promised me he’d keep you two apart. You didn’t piss Fornell off, did you?”

 

“Moi? Of course I damn well did, Jethro! No fun in being the guest of the Deputy Director of the FBI if I couldn’t make some mileage out of taunting poor old Tobias.”

 

“What did you do?”

 

Tony grinned. “I told him that Walter had *personally* asked for my help on this case, because his own people were making such a crap job of it. As Fornell is heading up the investigation, he wasn’t too happy about that.”

 

“Ya think, DiNozzo?” Gibbs turned to glare at him.

 

“Fornell will probably be calling you at some point. Uh…he might want to make a complaint about me.”

 

“I’m used to it,” Gibbs sighed.

 

“So – how was your day?” Tony asked cautiously.

 

“It was fine. What the hell is in all those bags you threw in the trunk, Tony? ‘Cause we’re running out of closet space.”

 

“Yeah, but I figure one of the perks of having a dom who can make boats and, uh, *certain* items of furniture, is that he can also build us a new closet if we need one.” Tony winked.

 

They arrived home, and Gibbs helped him take the bags upstairs.

 

“You gotta see this stuff…” Tony began opening up one of the bags. “Look at these!” He pulled out a pair of glossy, honey-coloured shoes. Gibbs caught the price tag.

 

“$695? You paid nearly seven hundred bucks for a pair of shoes, DiNozzo?”

 

“Not just ANY shoes, Gibbs! These are a pair of Tanino Crisci originals! Did you know that Crisci only makes 25,000 pairs of shoes a year? And they only retail in ten stores around the world?”

 

“How did you get hold of this pair then?”

 

“Ah,” Tony tapped his nose infuriatingly. “Walter’s tailor, Elliott, is *really* good. He knows people who know people.”

 

Gibbs was staring at him as if he’d grown another head.

 

“Moving on then…” Tony pulled a pair of black leather pants out of another bag. “What do you think?” He held them up.

 

“Waste of money.” Gibbs shrugged.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because you’re not wearing pants like that out in public.”

 

“Oh – they’re not for me.” Tony grinned.

 

Gibbs glowered at him. “DiNozzo, do I have to check you for concussion again? ‘Cause if you think I’m going out to some club dressed in those…”

 

“Not any club – Murray’s. Saturday night. It’s Walter’s birthday, and he’s having a party there. No theme. Just, you know, regular fetish wear. We’re invited.”

 

“No.” Gibbs shook his head firmly.

 

“You’d look good. All the subby boys will fall at your feet and kiss your boots.”

 

“I’ve already got one to do that, and Christ knows, one’s enough.” Gibbs grinned.

 

“I bought a shirt to go with the pants. Okay, when I say ‘shirt’, it’s really more of a harness thing, but…”

 

“No.”

 

Gibbs sat down on the bed, and Tony was aware of his dom watching him, an amused, fond look in his eyes. There was something different about him, something that Tony couldn’t place. He was looking at Tony in a way that was both protective and predatory.

 

“How about this then? Thought you could use a new work shirt.” Tony held up the deep purple shirt.

 

“Purple?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “People will look at me like I’ve gone nuts.

 

“Hah! No – people will look at you like they want to jump your bones – which is how most people look at you anyway, although I doubt you’ve noticed. How about this?” Tony pulled another shirt out of the bag, in a more acceptable shade of navy blue.

 

“Hmmm.”

 

Gibbs was still looking at him in that intent way. Tony unpacked an array of shirts, pants, jackets, ties, and shoes, holding them all up for inspection. Gibbs barely seemed to look at any of them. He just made a muttered ‘uh-huh’ kind of sound as Tony held up each garment. He kept his gaze directed at Tony, and there was always that strange look in his eyes.

 

“I don’t want you to think I just got stuff for myself – and you.” Tony grinned. “I bought presents for Walter and Mulder too. They’ve been really good friends to us since all this – you, me – started. They were so cool today.”

 

“What did you buy them?”

 

“Got a money clip for Walter, saying ‘World’s Best Dad’, which is kind of an in-joke between us, ‘cause when we first met I thought he looked like Daddy Warbucks from the movie ‘Annie’, and you know how he’s always trying to take care of people, like he’s everyone’s dad,” Tony babbled. He was a little freaked out by the expression on Gibbs’s face. He was looking at him like he could see into Tony’s soul and knew every little demon that lurked inside.

 

“And that’s what dads do, is it? Take good care of you?” Gibbs’s raised eyebrow was uncompromising.

 

Tony put down the bag he was holding. “Not always, no,” he replied quietly. “Just…in my head, that’s the way it should be.”

 

“Yeah. I know. C’mere,” Gibbs said suddenly, holding out his hand.

 

Tony took the hand, and Gibbs pulled him onto his lap. It felt weird to be sitting in his dom’s lap like this, two grown men, but Gibbs pulled his face down and kissed him gently on the lips, and Tony relaxed into the embrace. If this was how his dom wanted him, that was fine by him.

 

“Everything okay, Boss?” Tony asked.

 

Gibbs rested his forehead against his sub’s. “Everything’s fine. I just wanna…” He pushed Tony off his lap and onto the bed. “Just wanna play with my sub’s body,” he murmured, looking down on Tony.

 

Tony gazed up at him. He’d never seen Gibbs in such an unguarded moment before, and he was stunned by the depth of love and affection he saw in his dom’s eyes. Gibbs brushed Tony’s hair off his forehead, and then he ran a gentle finger down Tony’s face, ending up at his lips. Tony sucked the finger into his mouth, never taking his eyes off Gibbs, fascinated by the expression in his eyes. He’d had girlfriends who proclaimed to love him before, but none of them had ever looked at him like *this*. Gibbs had never said the actual words to him, but Tony was beginning to understand that with Gibbs, actions always spoke louder than words.

 

Gibbs withdrew the finger and began unbuttoning Tony’s shirt.

 

“You sure you’re okay?” Tony asked.

 

“Ssh.” Gibbs undressed him slowly, like he was some kind of precious parcel. This wasn’t like Gibbs, who usually barked out a terse “strip!” whenever he wanted his sub naked. Tony lay there, looking up at his dom, puzzled. Gibbs opened his shirt to reveal his torso. He dipped his head and sucked gently at Tony’s nipples until they stood up in two aroused points.

 

Gibbs unzipped Tony’s jeans and released his hardening cock. He eased Tony out of the rest of his clothes, kissing and caressing him gently as he went. When he was done, he removed his own clothes, quickly, and then turned back to his sub’s naked body.

 

He made love to Tony like he’d never made love to him before. There was a look of such sweetness in his eyes, combined with an expression of such loving intent that it made Tony shiver. Gibbs’s mouth, his tongue, and his fingertips went everywhere, roving over Tony’s body with a loving ease.

 

He teased Tony for what felt like hours, nipping his skin, sucking on it and licking it. He blew little caresses over the surface of Tony’s body and tickled him with the very tips of his fingernails, making Tony laugh and squirm and sigh.

 

“Am I allowed to use my safe word for tickling?” Tony gurgled, wriggling as Gibbs pitter-pattered out a staccato rhythm on his belly.

 

“If you want…” Gibbs sucked a line from Tony’s navel to his groin and then blew on the wet surface of his flesh. It felt sublime.

 

Tony sighed. “No…I don’t want…but that’s…ohhh…”

 

It was amazing. It felt like Gibbs was making love to every inch of his body. He didn’t leave any part of it un-tasted, un-kissed, or un-touched. Tony lost himself in the tenderness, in the incredible sensations, and, most of all, in his dom’s expression of total love as he worked on his sub.

 

When Gibbs finally sank his cock into Tony’s body Tony cried out in pleasure, and he came in time to the feel of his dom’s slick hand on his cock, and his dom’s long, slow, loving thrusts into his body.

 

Afterwards they lay there, entwined in each other’s arms, sweat cooling on their bodies.

 

“How long…?” Tony paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “Uh…how long did we just spend uh, doing that? Whatever that was?”

 

“Hours. Good?” Gibbs caressed his face lightly.

 

“Good? It was amazing. Nobody has ever…” He didn’t know the words to describe it. Nobody had ever made love to him like that before, as if they really *meant* it. Suddenly he understood why it was called ‘making love’, because it felt like that was what Gibbs had just done to him, for hours on end. “Why?” he asked quietly.

 

Gibbs turned and gazed at him. “Want ya to know how I feel about you. Not always good with the words. Thought I’d show you instead.”

 

Usually Tony would make a smart-assed remark to deflect from any intense emotional situation, but that didn’t seem appropriate right now.

 

“Love you too, Jethro,” Tony said softly.

 

Gibbs gave him a smile so breathtakingly intimate that it made Tony’s heart skip a beat.

 

“So what did you buy for Mulder?” Gibbs asked, resting his hand on Tony’s ass. Tony raised a tired eyebrow. “You said you got a gift for Walter *and* Mulder?”

 

“Oh…right…yeah! I got him a belt. Okay, so technically I bought the belt for Walter – it was sleek black leather, really nice quality, with this shiny silver buckle…but I really bought it for Mulder – thought he might enjoy how it felt on his bare butt.” He grinned at his dom conspiratorially as he said that. “Talking of which…” He hesitated. He didn’t want this to come out the wrong way.

 

“Mmm?” Gibbs stroked his ass cheek lightly.

 

“You haven’t spanked me since I told you about what happened with Dad,” Tony said quietly. “You said it was part of punishment detail, and you spanked me on Saturday, but after I told you…you stopped. And you haven’t done it since.”

 

He looked into Gibbs’s eyes, to find them dark and thoughtful.

 

“It’s not the same, y’know,” Tony said. “I like the spanking, Jethro. I liked it when you slapped my head all these years too. I like how it makes me feel. Damn it, I can’t believe I’m trying to talk myself into more spankings.” He grinned at Gibbs, but Gibbs didn’t smile back.

 

“You like it because it feels like punishment?” Gibbs asked.

 

“No,” Tony said honestly. “I like it because it makes me go kinda tingly inside. I like how it feels to know you can do that to me. I like it when you throw me over your knee and slowly warm my ass with your hand.”

 

“You like the paddle, the strap, the whip and the cane the same way?”

 

Tony shook his head. “No. Some are harder to take than others. I like the marks the cane gives me, and I like the way you can make me fly with the whip. I don’t say I understand it, but I like taking the things you hand out. It arouses me…it’s different to that night in the spare room, when you strapped me because I asked you to. That was about slaying the demons…but the other stuff – that’s about sex, Jethro. That’s about what makes you and me us – what makes it work. Even when I don’t like the actual spanking, I like how it makes me feel inside. The act of surrendering to it, even though it’s hard sometimes, turns me on. I don’t know how to explain it better than that.”

 

“Okay.” Gibbs leaned over and kissed him.

 

“You gonna start up again?”

 

“When I’m ready.”

 

“You need a safe word?” Tony grinned. “Hey, what would you choose as your safe word? I’m thinking something personal – like ‘semper fi’.”

 

“That’s two words.”

 

“Or ‘sniper’.”

 

“That’s just dumb.”

 

“So where *did* you go today?” Tony thought he’d timed that just right. He’d seen Gibbs run enough interrogations to know you slipped in the sucker punch when your opponent was least expecting it.

 

Gibbs wasn’t a rookie though, to be lured into that kind of trap. He looked at Tony steadily, his hand resting firmly on Tony’s ass, his thumb stroking gently over the bare skin.

 

“I went to see your father,” he said.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tony stiffened beside him. Gibbs kept his hand where it was, stroking Tony’s ass the entire time.

 

“I said I’d take care of it, Tony. You had to know I’d do something.”

 

“Yeah. I know what you’re like. What did you say to him?” Tony looked resigned rather than angry, as if knew this was necessary, even though he wasn’t happy to be facing the reality of it.

 

“I wanted to find out what kind of man he was. Not your view of him – my own.”

 

“Bet he fucking loved you.” Tony sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

 

“Yeah – you could say we locked horns.”

 

Tony managed a faint grin. “I am totally seeing that mental image.”

 

Gibbs sat up too. He watched as Tony ran his hands through his hair, clearly struggling to deal with this news.

 

“So, you talked about me?”

 

“Well, yeah, DiNozzo. That was kind of the point.”

 

“And about *it*?”

 

“Yes.” Gibbs nodded.

 

“And?” Tony looked at him sideways.

 

“He wants to see you.”

 

“No,” Tony said immediately.

 

“Yes,” Gibbs said implacably. “You’re mine now, remember, Tony, and so is this. You gave it up to me.”

 

“I don’t…I can’t…”

 

“There’s something he needs to say to you – and something you need to hear. I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I wasn’t very sure about what it is he wants to say.”

 

“You don’t understand. We have never, ever talked about it. Not even when it happened. He used to look at me some mornings like he was *surprised* I was covered in bruises, but he never once said a word to me about them.”

 

“Maybe he was too drunk to remember giving them to you.”

 

Tony gazed at his own hands moodily. “Then one day he just sent me away. No warning – just told me I was going to military academy the following day so to pack my stuff. It never happened again after that, but I always wondered if it might. I thought that maybe if I annoyed him enough he’d take a swing at me again, and as I got older I even wanted him to so I could punch him back. But he never did.”

 

“Bet you had some fun trying to bait him into it though,” Gibbs grunted.

 

“Yeah.” Tony gave a little grin. “I was a nightmare. Must have driven him insane. I’ve taken a perverse kind of pleasure in being a disappointment to him all these years.”

 

“You want to hurt him, the way he hurt you.”

 

“Probably.” Tony shrugged. “It’s a complicated, fucked up relationship, Gibbs. I don’t think one meeting is gonna mend it.”

 

“It isn’t,” Gibbs agreed. “I don’t know that you and he can ever be close – or if you’d want to be. This isn’t about giving you a relationship with him that you’ve never had. This is about one thing and one thing only.”

 

“What?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

 

“Forgiveness.”

 

“What the hell makes you think I can *ever* forgive him?” Tony asked bitterly.

 

“Not you forgiving him – I don’t give a damn about him,” Gibbs growled. “No, this is about you forgiving yourself.”

 

Tony stared at him blankly, his green eyes glassy. Gibbs leaned forward and squeezed his shoulder.

 

“I’ll come with you. I’ll be there. You won’t be doing this alone.”

 

Tony gazed at him for a long time, and Gibbs knew he was struggling with the trust issue again. He sat there, still squeezing firmly on Tony’s shoulder, waiting for his sub to finish freaking out and come back to him. It took a few minutes, but then, finally, it happened. Tony released a long sigh and nodded.

 

“Where and when?” he asked quietly.

 

“Tomorrow. Lunchtime. He’s coming to DC – said we’d meet him at the Mayflower restaurant at 1 p.m.”

 

“Does he know about us?” Tony asked curiously. “Does he know that you tie up his son and fuck his brains out on a daily basis?”

 

“Hell no! This isn’t about us, Tony. It’s about you and him. If you wanna tell him about us another time then fine. That’s your choice. But not tomorrow.”

 

“He won’t like it. He hates queers.” Tony hunched his shoulders.

 

“I don’t give a damn what he likes or hates,” Gibbs growled. “He’s a man who regularly beat up on his kid. I don’t give a flying fuck about his opinion on our sex life. That’s not an issue tomorrow anyway. Just hear what he has to say.”

 

“Okay.” Tony nodded. Then he gave Gibbs a little grin. “Would’a loved to be a fly on a wall when you met him today.”

 

“Yeah…I bet you would.” Gibbs put his hand in Tony’s hair, pulled his sub towards him, and kissed him.

 

“Come back to bed. It’s late.”

 

Tony lay down beside him, and Gibbs pulled him close and slung an arm over him to keep him there. Tony rested his chin on Gibbs’s shoulder and they both lay there, eyes wide open.

 

Somehow, Gibbs didn’t think they’d be getting much sleep tonight.

 

 

~*~

 

 

 

 

Tony played with his cufflinks. He wasn’t sure if he was nervous, or angry, or sad, or what the hell he was feeling. Gibbs was a solid presence by his side, as they walked into the restaurant, but that wasn’t much comfort.

 

Tony wasn’t sure what he expected of this meeting Gibbs had arranged. He and his father weren’t estranged – he still saw the man every so often. Once a year usually – Thanksgiving or Christmas. That was mainly because his father’s third wife had a soft spot for him and talked him into it. He and his father exchanged small talk and, if Tony was in a mood for a fight, he’d start one just for the sake of it. He knew it was childish, and he’d never really known what he was trying to achieve by it. It was just something he did. This meeting would be different. It would be honest if nothing else – and DiNozzo men preferred avoidance to honesty any day, so they’d both be out of their comfort zone. It wasn’t a happy prospect.

 

They were early, and his father hadn’t arrived yet, so they waited at the bar.

 

“I’ll have a whisky,” Tony growled.

 

“Two mineral waters,” Gibbs told the barman.

 

Tony glared at him. “It’s not like you have a great track record where liquor is concerned,” he snapped. “Amount of times you’ve mainlined bourbon while working on that boat of yours.”

 

Gibbs turned and gave him the death glare.

 

“Wish you’d let me wear my collar,” Tony muttered, pulling at his shirt. He didn’t like the feel of his neck without the comforting reassurance of the collar. They’d had an argument about it before they left the house, but Gibbs had insisted that Tony wear the key on the thong instead of the collar, just in case the collar showed. Gibbs didn’t want any distractions from whatever the hell it was he expected Tony and his father to talk about.

 

“If I’m gonna go through with this, then I’d at least like to know it’s because I’m your collared sub and haven’t got a damn choice,” Tony added petulantly.

 

“There’s always a choice, Tony,” Gibbs told him blandly. “You can safe word your way out of this if you want.”

 

Tony glared at him. “Yeah. Right. You know I won’t do that. Bastard.”

 

“Guilty as charged.” Gibbs glanced at his watch. “It’s early. Your dad won’t show for another half an hour. With me,” he ordered.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

Gibbs didn’t answer, so Tony had no choice but to follow his dom into the restaurant’s men’s room, wondering what the hell Gibbs had planned. The men’s room was empty. Gibbs shoved him into a stall and locked the door behind them.

 

“Suck me,” he said.

 

“WHAT?”

 

“You heard. Do it.” Gibbs put his hands on Tony’s shoulders and pushed him down. Tony checked the floor but it was spotless, so he went down onto his knees.

 

“I can’t believe you’re making me do this NOW,” he grumbled.

 

“You might not be wearing my collar, but you’re still my damn sub, and I want you to suck me. So do it,” Gibbs ordered.

 

Tony glared up at his dom in mute rebellion, but then gave in and opened Gibbs’s fly.

 

“It isn’t normal for anyone to be this horny,” Tony complained, as Gibbs’s semi-erect cock sprang out. “You already fucked me this morning and now…unmph…”

 

Gibbs took hold of Tony’s head and slid his cock into his mouth, effectively shutting him up. Tony continued glaring at him, but that wasn’t easy when he was having his mouth so comprehensively fucked. In the end he surrendered, and started to relax at the familiar sensation of taking his dom’s big, smooth cock in his mouth. He closed his eyes and sucked down, enjoying the way Gibbs was exercising his authority. He had no idea why he found it such a turn on, but he did.

 

He forgot about the imminent meeting with his father, forgot about everything except the feel of his dom’s large cock sliding between his lips. It seemed to soothe him, and before long he’d zoned out to the rhythmic thrusts of Gibbs’s hips against his face. Gibbs took his time, and when he finally came Tony enjoyed the taste of his warm come. He swallowed it down and then cleaned up Gibbs’s cock with little laps of his tongue. Then he tucked Gibbs’s cock back into his pants and zipped him up.

 

Gibbs looked down on him, one hand stroking his hair. “Better now?” He arched an eyebrow.

 

“Mmmm,” Tony said softly. “Yeah. Sorry about earlier. I was…”

 

“I know.” Gibbs pulled him to his feet and took Tony’s chin firmly between his fingers, making him look at him. “But you’ll do fine. I want you to know that I’m damn proud of ya, Tony.”

 

Tony rested his head on his dom’s shoulder, feeling that warm, happy sensation he always got whenever Gibbs praised him. Fuck his father! This man here had given him more than his father ever had. Gibbs loved him for who he was, including all his failings. He’d filled up all those aching holes in Tony’s soul and made him feel at peace with himself.

 

“Love you, Boss,” Tony muttered.

 

“I know. Now let’s get out there and do this, Tony.”

 

They walked back into the restaurant a few minutes later, side by side, moving completely in synch with each other. Tony glanced around – and his heart skipped a beat. There, coming towards him, was a familiar figure. He took a deep breath and stepped forwards.

 

It was time to finally face this.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Gibbs watched as DiNozzo set eyes on his son. He saw the way the older man flinched at the sight of the bruises on Tony’s face – he guessed they were all too vivid reminders of why he was here.

 

He was surprised when Tony’s father kissed him on both cheeks. Somehow, he’d imagined a formal handshake would be more his style, but it was clear there was some degree of familiarity and affection here, however strained.

 

“Dad. Good journey?” Tony asked, making small talk as they were ushered to their table.

 

“Fine, fine. But you…son…Gibbs told me you’d been hurt, but it looks bad. That job of yours…”

 

“Yeah, I know…if only I’d taken that office job you offered me then I wouldn’t get shot, beaten up, and infected with the plague on a regular basis, huh?” Tony managed a faint grin. “Didn’t get the bruises because of work though, Dad.”

 

“Then how did you get them?” DiNozzo looked like he didn’t really want to know but had to ask anyhow.

 

“I was an idiot.” Tony grinned, glancing at Gibbs. Gibbs gave a wry grunt.

 

“When Gibbs told me you’d been hurt, I wasn’t sure what to expect. How did it happen?”

 

“I was chasing demons,” Tony replied bluntly. “From the past. I got hurt. I think that was kind of the point.”

 

Gibbs was proud of him for taking the bull by the horns so early in the conversation. DiNozzo reached for his napkin, and Gibbs noticed that his hand was trembling.

 

“So that’s why we’re here,” DiNozzo said quietly. “That’s why you told Gibbs…”

 

“About our dirty laundry? Yeah. That’s why. The boss here is a master at interrogations. I couldn’t hold out for long.” Tony glanced at Gibbs who gave him a rueful grin in return.

 

DiNozzo cleared his throat. “We never talked about what happened after your mom died, Tony.”

 

“No, Dad. We never did.”

 

They stared at each other for a moment. Then DiNozzo’s gaze flickered towards Gibbs; he seemed flustered by Gibbs’s presence.

 

“You want me here for this, Tony?” Gibbs asked. “I could go sit by the bar if you want some privacy.”

 

“No. I want you to stay,” Tony told him firmly.

 

Gibbs nodded and sat back in his chair. He didn’t intend to say anything unless necessary. He was just here as a support for Tony. He didn’t give a damn what Tony’s father wanted.

 

“I’ve been rehearsing this speech for the entire journey, but now I’m here…” DiNozzo’s eyes glittered. “And seeing you…like that…” he gestured towards Tony’s bruised face. “I forget what I was going to say.” He hesitated, looking completely out of his depth. Gibbs guessed he wasn’t used to baring his soul or apologising to anyone. “I can only tell you of a father’s deep shame and remorse,” he continued, in a hoarse but sincere tone of voice.

 

Tony was playing with his napkin, folding it into squares. He wasn’t even looking at his father. He looked pale and tense – Gibbs couldn’t begin to guess what he was feeling.

 

“I could blame the drink,” his father continued. “But that would be the easy way out, and I want to prove to your boss that I’m not the coward he thinks I am. I take responsibility for my actions, Tony. You didn’t deserve what I did to you during those terrible months after… You weren’t to blame. It wasn’t your fault.”

 

Tony looked up for the first time. “Mom…”

 

“You weren’t to blame,” DiNozzo repeated. “It was an accident.”

 

“If I hadn’t got myself expelled just to get your attention, if I hadn’t argued with her in the car, if…”

 

DiNozzo sighed. “We all have our ‘what ifs’, Tony. Do you think I don’t? I used to ask myself why *I* didn’t go and collect you from school that day. And what if we hadn’t both neglected you while you were at boarding school? We could have visited more…written more…But it’s too late. We are who we are, and we made the mistakes we made.” DiNozzo gave a fatalistic little shrug. “There’s more…something I’m not sure you know…I don’t know if Gibbs told you.”

 

Tony frowned. “Told me what?”

 

“The car hadn’t been serviced in a long time – we were struggling financially. It was easier to put it off until another day. The brakes weren’t in good working order…”

 

“Wait.” Tony put up his hand. “Are you telling me…Mom died because of faulty brakes?” He looked at Gibbs for confirmation.

 

“It was in the police report.” Gibbs shrugged. “Might not have caused the accident, but it was probably contributory.”

 

“All these years, you let me believe it was my damn fault, and it turns out it was the fucking brakes?” Tony’s voice had become raised, and he stared at his father in angry confusion.

 

“I didn’t know you blamed yourself until Gibbs told me,” his father replied. “I didn’t want to reopen old wounds by bringing it all up.”

 

“Then Gibbs is right – you are a fucking coward, Dad,” Tony said bitterly. “Christ…all these years…” He ran his hands through his hair.

 

“I didn’t know!” his father said vehemently. “Your mom took care of all those things while I ran the business. She took care of the household bills, the car…”

 

“So now it’s Mom’s fucking fault?” Tony demanded incredulously.

 

“No.” Gibbs cut through the emotional intensity of the conversation. “It was an accident, Tony. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

 

“You bullied me, Dad,” Tony said, his face white. “You bullied me, and I fucking let you because I was so damn scared of losing you too…” Tony broke off. “All my life, all I wanted was for you to give a shit about me…for you to give one fucking sign that you love me…”

 

“I did. I do,” his father said hoarsely. “We might not see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I do love you, Tony. You’re my son.”

 

“Yeah. Well.” Tony looked nonplussed. He glanced at Gibbs. “Then why does it mean more to me when *he* says he’s proud of me, than it ever would if you did, Dad? Not that you ever have.”

 

DiNozzo looked as if someone had stabbed a knife in his gut. Gibbs winced; that had to have hurt.

 

“I didn’t come here to talk about your life, Tony, or the choices you’ve made. I came here to apologise for that one thing…that one thing I did that was inexcusable. I understand your anger, but I won’t apologise for anything else. I did my best for you even when you were behaving like a spoilt brat. You never gave an inch. You were so damn stubborn.”

 

“Yeah, well, I guess in that, at least, I take after my father,” Tony replied with a sardonic grin.

 

“You think I should have given you a free pass because of what happened after your mom died?” his father demanded. “You think I should have stood by and let you party your life away and fritter my money down the drain just because of that?”

 

“No, but some support for my chosen career would have been nice,” Tony said bitterly.

 

“I was never convinced you wanted to be a cop for any other reason than the guns and the car chases. I blame it on those stupid police shows you used to watch. That one about the private eye that you were so obsessed with – what was it called?”

 

“Magnum,” Tony said, and then he glanced at Gibbs with a tight little grin. “Yeah. Magnum. I think that’s the right word for now.”

 

“Your call,” Gibbs said. “Whatever you decide, I’m with you, Tony.”

 

Tony threw his napkin onto the table and got up. “I think we’re done here, Dad.”

 

“Tony!” DiNozzo got to his feet too. Gibbs watched as the man struggled – visibly – with his pride. DiNozzo stood there, looking at Tony, and then, suddenly, his expression changed as his gaze lingered on the many multi-coloured bruises on Tony’s face.

 

Gibbs remembered asking him if he’d be able to see the child he’d once hurt so badly, and not the grown-up son who had disappointed him so much. Now, for the first time, he thought that DiNozzo was doing just that.

 

DiNozzo reached out, blindly, and put his shaking hands on either side of Tony’s face. Tony didn’t move.

 

“I’m sorry, son,” DiNozzo said in a choked voice. He gently stroked the bruise by Tony’s left eye with his thumb. “I am so, so sorry.”

 

Something in Tony seemed to break. He gave a nod, his eyes glistening. Then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss on each of his father’s cheeks, Italian style.

 

“I’ll call,” he said hoarsely. “Give me a few weeks, but I’ll call. I promise.”

 

His father didn’t seem to have any words left, and neither, Gibbs suspected, did Tony. Gibbs put a hand on Tony’s shoulder and steered his sub towards the door. As he left, he glanced over his shoulder, saw Tony’s father watching them, and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. The man had done what he’d promised he’d do, and for that, at least, Gibbs gave him some respect. There were no magic wands, but this, maybe, was as good as it got.

 

It was a start.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tony strode out into the parking lot, Gibbs beside him, hand still on his shoulder.

 

“How ya doing, Tony?”

 

Tony turned to face him. He put his arms on his hips and gazed around the parking lot.

 

“How am I doing? I have no idea. I’m angry, and sad, and fucking furious, and kind of okay too…and…Christ, my father freaking well apologised! You have no idea what that means. He’s like you – he never, ever apologises. For anything. Not to me anyway!”

 

Gibbs leaned against the car, watching him.

 

“It didn’t fix anything. I’m not sure it changed anything, but maybe it moved something that was stuck. I dunno. It got it out there – this silent *thing* between us. This thing that happened that we never, ever talk about. Y’know, sometimes I even used to wonder if it DID actually happen the way I remembered it. Maybe I was delusional. The fact that he never mentioned it, and I never dared…”

 

Tony turned around wildly. All the tension of the past few hours had broken, leaving him with a wild surge of excess energy.

 

“Christ, I wanna run, or fuck, or *do* something,” he growled. Then, without warning, he slammed the palm of his hand onto the side of the car, so hard it made it rock. “The brakes? The fucking brakes?” he asked incredulously. “After all these years of thinking…and him letting me think…and the damn brakes didn’t work properly? Shit!” He hit the car again. Gibbs just watched him, impassively.

 

Tony stood there, his chest heaving, looking at the ground. “He said he loved me.”

 

“Yeah. He did.”

 

“And I didn’t *feel* anything.” Tony looked up. “Why didn’t I feel anything, Gibbs?”

 

“Too many other things to feel?” Gibbs suggested. “It’ll take some time for this to all settle down in your head, Tony. Maybe you won’t know how you feel about it for awhile. But at least it’s done. At least you faced it – both of you.”

 

“I guess.” Tony hugged his arms around his body. “And you have no idea what a miracle that is. We’re DiNozzo men – avoidance is our speciality.”

 

“Not any more,” Gibbs grunted. “C’mon – I’m starving, and we didn’t eat anything back there. Let’s go get some food.”

 

“Pizza?” Tony raised a hopeful eyebrow. Gibbs grinned.

 

They bought take out and took it home with them. Tony talked the entire way back in the car and continued talking as they sat down on the couch with the pizza.

 

He felt strangely light-headed, as if some great weight had been lifted from him. He didn’t want to think about the meeting with his father in too much detail right now, because Gibbs was right, it’d take a while for it all to sink in.

 

“Dad was right about one thing – I did want to be a cop because of Magnum,” he said as he chewed on a slice of pepperoni pizza. “Well…he was partly right.” He grinned. “The car chases, the guns, the hot women – they were definitely a big part of the appeal. But you wanna know the biggest one?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“Tom Selleck.” Tony grinned. “I might not have admitted to myself that I was bisexual until I met you, but, man, that was one hot guy. Not many guys can carry off a moustache like that, either…uh, present company excepted, Boss, although I really prefer you without it, but…” He paused. “What was I talking about?”

 

“Damned if I know,” Gibbs grunted. “I’m just letting you ramble on. I figure you’ll run out of steam sometime soon.”

 

“Perhaps I should grow a moustache,” Tony mused, barely listening to him.

 

“No,” Gibbs said firmly.

 

“Or a beard…I’d like to look different, like someone else.”

 

“Still be you.”

 

“Yeah…but sometimes, I wonder what it’d be like to be free of all the shit in my brain for awhile. To pretend to be someone else…Like when we go undercover, y’know? I love going undercover – well, except that crazy, mixed-up shit with Jeanne. But the regular stuff – the one-off things – those are cool. You should let me go undercover more often, Boss. I’m good at it.”

 

“I know.” Gibbs took another slice of pizza. He gave Tony a thoughtful look. “But I have a better idea.”

 

“You do?” Tony looked up.

 

“Oh yeah. I didn’t have anything planned for the rest of the day – wasn’t sure how you’d feel after that meeting. But you have some excess energy to burn and after the few days you’ve had you could do with some R&R.”

 

“What did you have in mind?” Tony asked, intrigued.

 

“Well, as you’re lookin’ and feeling better – I think it’s time to play.”

 

“Playing sounds good. It is our sex vacation after all,” Tony agreed with a lascivious grin. “Did you have a certain game in mind, Jethro?”

 

Gibbs grinned. “Oh yeah. You ready for this though, Tony? ‘Cause I play to win…”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Several hours later, Gibbs walked into the bar and looked around. He’d given Tony his head – told him he could be whoever he wanted, but to do it properly, as if he was going undercover; name, clothes, back story – all of it.

 

Then he’d left him to it. The only stipulation was that Tony be in this particular gay bar tonight, at 8 p.m. Gibbs couldn’t see him, so he figured he’d got here first. He went over to the bar and ordered a drink, glancing around to make sure he hadn’t missed his sub.

 

There was a sound over by the door, and Gibbs glanced up, looked away – and then looked back again, his jaw hanging open.

 

He almost laughed out loud. Only Tony…

 

His sub – his beautiful, wilful, strong, independent, irritating, stubborn, complicated, fucked up, funny, sexy, infuriating sub – was standing there, dressed in full service dress whites. Every detail of his enlisted sailor’s jumper whites was correct, from the bell-bottom pants to the tar flap collar, black silk neckerchief, and the Dixie cup hat.

 

Gibbs was used to seeing every variety of naval uniform during the course of his job, but nothing prepared him for the sight of his sub in this particular outfit. The white looked good on Tony, but there was something so inherently sexual about the way he moved that made him look like a caricature of a sailor. Gibbs suspected that if Tony walked onto an actual ship looking like that, he’d either be thrown overboard or find himself ensconced as the Captain’s cabin boy pretty damn quick.

 

Gibbs sat back in his chair and watched everyone else in the bar watching Tony as he walked confidently across to the bar and ordered a drink. Tony was too tall, too broad, and too good-looking to go unnoticed in a gay bar wearing that outfit. Gibbs fought back a possessive growl as the denizens of the bar gaped at him.

 

Tony gazed around the room, looking nonchalant, although he was obviously totally aware of the effect he was having on everyone. His gaze fell on Gibbs, lingered there for a second, moved on…then came back in an obvious double take. Gibbs gave a little grin – Tony wasn’t the only one who’d dressed up tonight.

 

The barman brought Tony’s drink, and Gibbs moved fast. He walked over to where Tony was perched on a bar stool and opened his wallet, revealing the huge wad of cash he’d brought with him this evening.

 

“This one’s on me,” he said, sliding the money across the bar.

 

Tony looked him up and down as if he’d only just seen him. “No thanks. I buy my own drinks,” he said in a cool, dismissive tone.

 

Gibbs fought down an urge to slap him. Trust Tony to make this difficult. Of course his sub would insist on playing him. Gibbs didn’t mind – he knew how to handle Tony, and he wanted this to be a good evening for them both. They needed some fun after all they’d been through lately.

 

“Not in my bar,” he said.

 

Tony raised an eyebrow. “You own this bar?”

 

“Hell, I own half the city,” Gibbs told him, leaving his wallet open so that Tony could see the cash inside.

 

“And the people in it?” Tony asked.

 

“If they’re for sale.” Gibbs looked him up and down. “You for sale, kid?” Two could play at this game.

 

“Kid?” Tony glared at him in outrage, almost breaking character.

 

Gibbs bit back a laugh and shrugged. “Ya look like a little boy lost in that uniform, sonny.” He leaned in and spoke directly into Tony’s ear. “Like a kid playing dress up.”

 

“Some people find the uniform sexy,” Tony replied icily.

 

Gibbs grinned. “Oh you look good in it, kid. Bet you look even better out of it.”

 

Tony leaned back on the bar. He picked up his bottle of beer and sucked on the rim suggestively, looking at Gibbs the entire time, a sexy gleam in his eyes. Gibbs bit down a groan as the gesture went straight to his cock.

 

“Oh I do.” Tony put his head back and drank from the bottle, his adam’s apple bobbing enticingly. His throat was exposed against the crisp white uniform, and Gibbs wanted nothing more than to suck on it. Damn Tony for turning up here looking like *that* and then playing hard to get. He’d make him pay for it later, but for now, he had to admit that it was turning him on beyond belief.

 

“And how much does it cost to get you out of it?” Gibbs asked.

 

The barman shot him a look of disbelief, rolling his eyes silently, and then went to serve another customer.

 

“What makes you think I’m for sale?” Tony challenged.

 

Gibbs gave him a predatory grin. “Everyone’s for sale – if the price is right.” He flicked through the contents of his wallet ostentatiously.

 

He saw Tony’s eyes glitter in excitement as he watched the gesture. He knew Tony was remembering that time in the elevator, what felt like a lifetime ago, when he’d confessed his rent boy fantasy to Gibbs. Gibbs wanted to give him that fantasy, and he wanted it to be good –Tony deserved it.

 

“I’m expensive,” Tony told him.

 

“But worth every dime,” Gibbs replied, looking Tony up and down like he was mentally undressing him. He saw the bulge in Tony’s pants get a little more prominent and knew this was turning his sub on. “Kid like you…I figure you know some pretty good tricks.”

 

Tony was looking at him like he wanted to tear Gibbs out of the fancy, expensive suit he was wearing and do the deed on the bar-room floor.

 

“You figure right,” Tony murmured throatily. He pressed the cold beer bottle against his throat, leaving behind little droplets that Gibbs wanted to lick away.

 

“You got a name?” Gibbs asked.

 

“Gus,” Tony replied, a cheeky look in his eyes. Gibbs could have throttled him – he was daring Gibbs to break character by using the name he’d chosen in a previous undercover op. Gibbs bit back his bark of laughter and gave him a hard stare.

 

“Gus? Suits you,” he said.

 

Tony narrowed his eyes, clearly disappointed that he’d failed to trip Gibbs with his choice of name. But Gibbs was a veteran of many an undercover op, and he knew exactly how to play them. True, he’d never been on one this sexually charged, but there was no way he was letting Tony win this game. It only ended one way as far as Gibbs was concerned. If anyone broke character tonight, it wasn’t going to be Gibbs.

 

“You?” Tony asked.

 

“Shane,” Gibbs told him.

 

Gibbs could see Tony struggling not to burst out laughing on the spot.

 

“S…hane?” he queried, jaw twitching furiously. “Like in the movie? Alan Ladd?”

 

“Yup. My folks loved that movie – they went to see it on their first date,” Gibbs said smoothly. He’d prepared for this well – but he’d had no idea it’d be *this* much fun.

 

“Shane. Okay – could have been worse, I guess,” Tony said, nodding thoughtfully. “Your folks could have called you Leroy. Or Jethro. Or something like that.”

 

Oh, he was just asking for trouble. Gibbs moved fast; he grabbed the bottle out of Tony’s hand and slammed it down on the bar, pushing Tony’s legs apart at the same time. Then he moved in close, his groin pressing against Tony’s. He could feel the heat of his sub’s arousal through the cool fabric of his uniform.

 

“Enough small talk. We’ve already established that you’re for sale – name your price and let’s get on with this, Gus.”

 

“Easy there, Shane.” Tony put a hand on his shoulder, but Gibbs refused to be pushed back.

 

“You want some up front? That it?” Gibbs took a couple of crisp fifties from his wallet. He waved them under Tony’s nose, then folded them, and slid them provocatively down the front of Tony’s pants. Tony gulped. “That enough of a down payment on your no doubt very expensive services?” Gibbs asked dangerously.

 

“Uh…yeah,” Tony said feebly. “That’ll do for starters.”

 

“Then let’s go.” Gibbs drew back, replacing his wallet in his jacket pocket.

 

“Where?” Tony asked.

 

Gibbs grinned. “Your place.”

 

He didn’t want them doing this back at his house – it was too familiar. He wanted somewhere they’d never made love before – and Tony’s apartment was the ideal venue. Tony seemed to think so too, as his eyes lit up at the prospect.

 

“I’ll follow you there,” Gibbs said, striding out of the bar.

 

He had a raging erection all the way there. Just the thought of Tony in that white uniform, *teasing* him that way in the bar…

 

He got out of his car in the parking lot and followed Tony up some stairs, his eyes fixed on Tony’s ass in those tight white pants. God, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on his sub and *peel* him out of that uniform.

 

Tony let them into the apartment, and Gibbs slammed the door shut behind them and immediately got hold of Tony and shoved him against the nearest wall, nearly knocking off his hat in the process.

 

He pressed his hands against that crisp white uniform, enjoying the heat of Tony’s skin through the cool fabric. He kissed Tony hard, keeping him pinned up against the wall. When finally he released him, Tony was gazing at him in shock.

 

“You charge extra for kissing?” Gibbs smirked, getting out his wallet. “Here.” He stuffed another fifty down Tony’s pants. “Now…let me see what my money’s bought me.” He sat down on the couch, legs wide open, and released his aching cock from the tight confines of his suit pants. “C’mere, Gus.”

 

Tony came towards him, grinning at the sight of Gibbs’s massive erection.

 

“Not bad,” he said. “Seen bigger though.”

 

“The hell you have,” Gibbs snorted.

 

Tony laughed. “Okay. You got me. Nobody’s bigger than that. So, Shane, what kind of things do you like?”

 

“Come here, and you’ll find out.”

 

Gibbs beckoned him close, and, when he was within reach, he grabbed hold of Tony’s wrist and pulled him between his open legs. He undid Tony’s uniform pants and pulled them down, releasing Tony’s own impressive erection. Like him, Tony wasn’t wearing any underwear.

 

“I want you to ride me, sailor,” Gibbs told him gruffly, his voice thick with lust. He pulled a tube of lubricant out of his pocket and spread some on his own fingers, then handed the tube to Tony. “Lube yourself. I want to watch.”

 

He sat back and slid the lube over his cock, coating it completely. He played with his cock, watching intently as Tony slid slippery fingers into his own ass. When Tony was done, Gibbs took hold of his arm and pulled him towards him.

 

“You want me to undress?” Tony asked.

 

“Hell no! I paid for a sailor, and that’s who I wanna fuck. Now get your ass on my cock, Gus.”

 

He pulled Tony onto his lap, adjusting him so that he was poised over his cock. They’d never done this position before, and Gibbs was incredibly aroused by it; he could see Tony was too. Tony lowered himself onto Gibbs’s cock, guiding its tip into his hole. Gibbs put his hands on Tony’s hips and tugged him down – hard. Tony gave a squeak as Gibbs entered him, pulling Tony down so that he was fully sheathed in one smooth move. It felt sublime. Gibbs blinked at the intensity of the sensation.

 

He gave a groan as Tony moved his hips sinfully, sliding up and down on Gibbs’s cock. Gibbs ran his hands over Tony’s uniformed body, inhaling the scent of starch combined with the heady smell of Tony’s arousal.

 

“Ride me,” he panted. “That’s it, Gus…ride me…make it good…”

 

He sat back and watched as Tony did just that, moving up and down on his lap, riding his cock hard, milking him for all that he was worth. Tony was still wearing the Dixie cup hat, and although his pants had been discarded, the rest of his uniform was intact, from the black silk neckerchief down to the shiny leather shoes.

 

He looked so incredibly sexy in that uniform, as he rocked up and down on Gibbs’s hard cock. Gibbs couldn’t hold on – he came with an explosive shout, shooting up into Tony’s warm body. Tony sank down on him one last time and came to rest there, with Gibbs’s softening cock still inside his ass. The hat finally fell off as Tony rested his forehead against his dom’s, both of them panting hard.

 

“Shit that was good,” Tony moaned. “The angle…we have to do this again, Boss.”

 

Gibbs gave a little shout of victory. “You broke character first, Tony, so I win.”

 

“Damn it!”

 

“Those were the rules,” Gibbs said smugly.

 

“What is it with you and rules anyway?” Tony gathered up the wad of notes Gibbs had given him and handed them back to him. “There you go. Your winnings. And I worked so hard for them too.” He gave a mournful little sigh.

 

“If we’d actually been undercover, that slip-up could have got you killed, Tony,” Gibbs told him cheerfully.

 

“Hate to point it out to you, Boss, but we never go on undercover missions that require us to have hot sex. Anyway, you already pretty much did kill me in case you hadn’t noticed. Shane!” he snorted. “What the hell…?”

 

“Gus?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

 

Tony laughed. “I thought you’d enjoy that.” He slowly rose up from Gibbs’s lap. “Did you like the uniform?” he asked, gesturing to the service dress whites.

 

“Oh yeah. Hell yeah.” Gibbs nodded appreciatively.

 

“And you wore the suit I bought for you!” Tony fingered the sleek fabric appreciatively. “And the navy blue shirt – looks damn sexy, Boss.”

 

“Thought the clothes went with the wealthy businessman persona.” Gibbs grinned.

 

“You look all shiny and scrubbed up. Even your hair looks different.” Tony ran his fingers through it suspiciously. “Gel, right? You’re wearing gel?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“So…” Tony glanced down at his still proudly erect cock. “Do I get to come tonight, or does the winner really take it all?”

 

“Oh, I think I can afford to be generous.” Gibbs opened his legs wide, pulled Tony so that he was standing between them, and enveloped his cock in his mouth with one smooth motion of his head. Tony gave a startled shout and gripped onto his shoulders.

 

Gibbs deep-throated him expertly for a short amount of time – which was all it took before Tony came explosively, moaning and whimpering in pleasure, his body convulsing. Gibbs swallowed his come and then released him, and Tony threw himself down on the couch beside his dom.

 

“Wow, who’d have thought, a few months ago, that I’d end up having such amazing sex on this couch with you,” he muttered wearily, leaning against his dom’s shoulder.

 

“Miss the place? Wanna spend the night here?” Gibbs asked.

 

Tony looked around the room. “Nah,” he said softly. “I’d like to go home, Jethro.”

 

Home. There was something about the way he said it that made Gibbs feel warm inside. Tony clearly didn’t view this place as his home any more.

 

They’d come a long way these past couple of months, and there had been times, God knows, when Gibbs had wondered if they’d make it this far. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without Tony in it – and he knew that Tony felt the same way. Gibbs leaned over and kissed his sub’s mouth.

 

“Sure, Tony. Let’s go home.”

 

 

~*~

 

 

Tony stood on the landing at Murray’s Bar, gazing down at the heaving throng of people below. He could hardly believe that it had only been a couple of months since he’d first stood here, wondering what the hell he was doing – and what the hell he wanted. So much had happened since then, and his life had changed beyond all recognition.

 

He fingered the collar around his neck. Now he was owned. He belonged to someone – no, not just *someone*. He belonged to Gibbs; that made all the difference.

 

This place was where it had all begun – and yet it might so easily not have happened. He went cold as he thought of what might have been if Brad Yates hadn’t conveniently died, and if he hadn’t, just as conveniently, had that private members’ card in his wallet for Tony to find.

 

“Thank you, Commander Yates!” Tony made a little salute into the air. He liked to think that the ghost of the dead commander was smiling down on him. The guy had been a dom after all, and Tony liked to think he had a soft spot for subs like himself.

 

But if he’d bottled out that night – if he hadn’t come here, used the card to get in, and if Hammer hadn’t called Walter…Tony shivered. It didn’t bear thinking about.

 

“Hey – Tony!” He saw Walter bounding up the stairs towards him, and then he was pulled into a warm bear hug.

 

“Happy Birthday!” Tony pressed a little box into Walter’s hand. “Dad,” Tony added with a grin. Walter cuffed the back of his head affectionately.

 

“Jethro not with you?” Walter asked, looking around.

 

“Nah. You know him – he hates these scene things,” Tony said with a shrug. “There’s something weird about a guy that prefers sanding down a lump of wood to a good party, but you know what he’s like.”

 

“Yeah. He’s an anti-social bastard,” Walter agreed. “And I wouldn’t change him for the world.”

 

“Me neither.” Tony grinned.

 

Walter opened the present Tony had given him and looked at the beautiful gold cuff links nestled inside with genuine pleasure.

 

“Thank you, Tony. They’re exquisite.”

 

“They’re from both of us,” Tony pointed out.

 

“Yeah – but you chose them, right?” Walter raised an amused eyebrow.

 

“Hell yeah! Like I’d let Gibbs loose in a store by himself!”

 

Tony looked Walter up and down. The big man was wearing an outfit very similar to the one he’d worn for that pirate theme night. Tony glanced down at his own more conservative outfit of jeans and his favourite clubbing shirt. The soft black collar around his neck was the only remotely kinky thing he was wearing.

 

“I’m not dressed right for this,” he said mournfully, looking down at the people below, who all seemed to be clad in a variety of rubber, leather, or fantasy outfits.

 

“You look fine. It’s my party – there’s no dress code. Jethro wouldn’t let you out in anything more revealing, huh?” Walter grinned.

 

“Nah,” Tony sighed. “I don’t mind. I’m not really that comfortable being on display for anyone but him. Makes me feel weird.”

 

“You’re a sensualist – not an exhibitionist,” Walter told him, patting his arm. “I gotta go mingle. Fox is around somewhere – go find him – he’ll want to catch up with you.”

 

“Sure. Okay.” Tony nodded. “Hey Walter?” Walter turned back. “Uh…” Tony flushed. “I…uh, just wanted to say thanks. For taking me under your wing. For helping get me and Gibbs together. I know Gibbs was your friend first – but you’ve been a good friend to me too.”

 

Walter came back over to him and put his hands on Tony’s shoulders. “Well you’re a good kid, Tony. I could see that the minute I first met you. Fucked up as all hell, but you’ve got a good heart. I liked you then, and I like you even more now. And don’t thank me – seeing you here now, looking so damn happy – that’s all the thanks I need, son.”

 

He kissed Tony’s cheek affectionately and then disappeared back down the stairs and into the throng below.

 

Tony stayed where he was, leaning on the rail, gazing down into the bar.

 

He remembered standing down below, in a pair of too-tight leather pants, his stomach flipping in fear and excited anticipation as he took his place at the whipping post. He remembered that dom, whose name he’d forgotten, taking up position behind him…that had been all kinds of wrong. Thank God Gibbs had shown up when he did. He remembered the smooth caress of Gibbs’s whip on his back – and how he’d known, even back then, that he was now in the hands of a master. His master. The only master he’d ever acknowledge or submit to. The only master he’d ever wanted. It might not be the name he called Gibbs, but it was what Gibbs was to him, in his heart.

 

That whipping had been amazing. He’d never known that something like that could be so nuanced. Gibbs knew just how to stoke his endorphins, gradually building the pace so that Tony was hardly aware of it hurting – it just felt so intensely *good*. He hoped he could experience that feeling again, but Gibbs hadn’t so much as slapped his ass for nearly a week now.

 

“Hey – penny for them,” a voice said, and he jumped, startled, to see Mulder standing next to him.

 

“Oh. Hey. I was just thinking that I miss being spanked.”

 

Mulder raised an eyebrow. “Gibbs doesn’t spank you? Seriously? ‘Cause if ever a man looked like he handed out regular spankings, it’s him.”

 

“Yeah, well, I think he got freaked out by my punishment issues, and I don’t blame him. He doesn’t want me screwed up any more than I already am.”

 

“You told him that you like being spanked though, right?” Mulder rested his elbows on the rail.

 

“Yeah. I think so. It’s a hard thing to explain. I mean, sometimes I love it, and sometimes I hate it – but even when I’m hating it, I always love that he’s doing it. I love submitting to him, even when it’s really hard – maybe especially when it’s really hard. Is that weird?”

 

“Nah. I totally get it.” Mulder grinned at him. “Don’t worry about it. Gibbs will start spanking you again soon.”

 

“How d’you know that?” Tony glanced at him sideways.

 

“Because he owns the most exasperating sub in the entire world.” Mulder winked. “No way he’ll be able to resist turning you over his knee again sometime soon, Tony!”

 

“Gee, thanks!”

 

“You’re welcome.” Mulder patted his arm. “C’mon, let’s go down and mingle.”

 

The party was in full swing when they got down there. Tony ordered a coke as he was driving. He talked easily to the complete strangers Mulder introduced him to – he wasn’t shy and never had a problem talking to people.

 

“This is a good friend of mine – Ian,” Mulder said, introducing him to a guy with an open, friendly face. “His partner, Perry, is here somewhere. And you already know Elliott.” He waved his hand at an older man, dressed with impeccable elegance. He was the tailor Tony had met on their shopping expedition. Tony also recognised Elliott’s much younger assistant, Donald, who was busy bustling around after Elliott, getting him drinks and generally hovering. Tony had known instantly that they were a couple.

 

“Yeah, Elliott is my dealer for expensive Italian shoes.” Tony grinned. Elliott made a little moue with his mouth but smiled indulgently at Tony. As well he should considering how much Tony had spent at his establishment earlier in the week.

 

There was a sudden lull in the conversation, a collective intake of breath, and Tony looked up to see what was going on. His gaze went to the landing above, where someone was standing, unmoving, surveying the scene below. Someone wearing a pair of tight black leather pants that seemed to stretch forever along a pair of long, slim legs. Someone with the kind of dominant energy that made everyone’s heads turn, just for a second, creating the momentary hush in the room. Someone wearing a deep purple shirt…

 

“Oh. My. God.” Tony put down his coke on a nearby table, left the little group of people he was talking to, and ran across the room. People turned back to their conversations as Tony sprinted up the stairs towards his dom, taking them two at a time. When he got there, he dropped to his knees in front of Gibbs and bestowed a little kiss on each of his dom’s shiny boots. Then he looked up, with a grin.

 

“Idiot.” Gibbs rolled his eyes.

 

“Well, I told you that subby boys would fall to their knees and kiss your boots if you ever wore those pants!” Tony told him with an appreciative leer. “You came, Boss! And wearing…” Tony waved an impressed hand at Gibbs’s outfit. “In the pants! And the shirt!”

 

“I drew the line at that ridiculous harness thing you bought to go with the pants. The shirt’s okay though – I’d never wear it to work, but here?” Gibbs glanced down at the crowd of people below, in all their many and varied outfits. “Here, it seems to blend in.”

 

Tony got to his feet. “But you hate parties – and dressing up and the whole fetish scene thing.”

 

“Yeah. I do. But I figure…my sub’s had to do some things he hasn’t liked much, either, lately – so the least I could do was show up here. It’s not such a big deal. And I wanted you to know that I can bend sometimes too, Tony.”

 

“Thank you, Jethro.” Tony kissed his dom on the lips.

 

Gibbs removed something from his pocket, and Tony gave a grin of pure delight as his dom clipped a leash to the ‘D’ ring on the front of his collar.

 

“Now, this is *literally* a short leash,” Gibbs told him, wrapping his fist firmly in the leather strap and pulling.

 

Now Tony felt he was dressed appropriately for the event. He got a distinct glow of subby pleasure at being on the end of his dom’s leash for all to see. He liked the feeling of belonging. Gibbs owned him – visibly – and he was pretty sure that most of the other subs in the room were envying him right now. Gibbs looked so incredibly hot in those pants and that shirt, and Tony was the sub who got to wear his collar and leash.

 

“Gunny! You’re actually admitting to being another year older? Just how old are you anyway, old man?” Gibbs asked with a sly grin as Walter came over to him.

 

“Never too old to warm your ass with my belt, Private Gibbs.” Walter grinned in reply, enveloping Gibbs in a hug.

 

“Hey, Tony – come and meet Elaine and her sub David,” Mulder said, tugging on his arm.
Gibbs nodded his permission and allowed the leash to drop so Tony could go mingle while he talked to Walter.

 

Tony turned to see a buxom woman with dark golden hair and twinkling blue eyes. There was a tall, dark, lanky man on her arm, who clearly worshipped his mistress.

 

“So, this is the new submissive that Walter and Fox have been mentoring,” Elaine said, looking Tony up and down. “I’m delighted to finally meet the sub who has been causing so much havoc for the past couple of months – or at least that’s what I’ve heard!”

 

Tony flushed. “I’m not *that* bad,” he told her, taking her offered hand with a bashful grin. She was one of those effortlessly sexy women, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. He liked her immediately.

 

“Don’t believe him. He really is,” Mulder said.

 

“You can talk,” she snorted. “You should have known Fox back when Walter first enslaved him,” she confided to Tony. “The trouble he got into! I’m amazed Walter didn’t just set him free and boot him out of the door.”

 

“Oh really?” Tony grinned at Mulder. “And he just told me *I’m* the most exasperating sub in the world! Tell me more, Elaine!”

 

All Walter’s friends were easy to talk to, and Tony felt at home here. He mingled freely, chatting to groups of people, enjoying the party.

 

Later in the evening, a familiar looking whipping post was brought out and a few people started to play.

 

“Bring back memories?” Fox asked, as Tony leaned against the wall, watching.

 

“Yeah. Best night of my life. The night Gibbs first took me as his sub,” Tony replied with a smile. “And you told me you envied me the journey, and I can see what you meant now. It’s been kind of a rollercoaster, but I’m so damn glad I got on the ride in the first place. Is Walter gonna take you flying tonight?” He nodded his head at the whipping post.

 

Mulder shook his head. “Nah. It’s his birthday, not mine! He’s got too many people to talk to tonight. But…maybe tomorrow.” He grinned. “At home. In the playroom.” He leaned in close and gave Tony one of his disconcerting looks. “It’s over, isn’t it?” he said. “Whatever was going on – the phone calls, the weird shit in your head, the guilt, the avoidance…you’ve got it all figured it out now, haven’t you?”

 

Tony thought about that for a moment. His relationship with his father would be different going forward – hopefully better, but he didn’t know that for sure.

 

His relationship with Gibbs was another matter – Tony was much more optimistic about that. That was rock solid and always would be. He was certain of that. They’d been through so much together and come out the other side.

 

And his relationship with himself? Well, that was evolving. He’d been stuck in a holding pattern of guilt and atonement for a very long time, but he thought he was finally learning to let some of that go.

 

“All figured out? No. But I’m getting there,” he replied. “You were right.”

 

“Right about what exactly?” Fox asked.

 

“Pretty much everything you said to me. That Gibbs would strip me bare and lay me open. That I wouldn’t be able to hide from him – although God knows, I tried. That I wanted to be punished – and that it doesn’t work that way. And that I wanted to belong to someone,” he added softly.

 

“Yeah, well, I went through it all myself once, Tony.” Fox gave a rueful little smile. “But I guess nobody can really ever tell you – you have to figure it out for yourself.”

 

Tony looked across the room, past the whipping post, to where Gibbs was talking to Walter. They were laughing at something and that made Tony smile. Gibbs wasn’t a man who laughed easily or often, and it was good to watch him enjoying himself here and letting go a little.

 

“Nice to see our two masters having fun,” Fox said, as if guessing his thoughts.”Gibbs actually looks like he’s having a good time. You’ll have to persuade him to get out more often.”

 

“Yeah. I will. I can be very persuasive when I try.” Tony grinned.

 

Gibbs looked up and caught Tony looking at him. There was something fierce, loving and proudly possessive in his eyes as he gazed at his sub. It wasn’t an expression Tony had ever seen on his dom’s face when he looked at anyone else. He remembered once envying Fox the expression of love in Walter’s eyes, and now the person he’d loved so devotedly for eight years was looking at him the same way. Tony didn’t think he could be any happier.

 

He glanced at the whipping post with a raised eyebrow. Gibbs shook his head. Tony sighed.

 

“He won’t go for it, huh?” Fox asked.

 

“Nah – I knew he wouldn’t. He doesn’t like performing for a crowd – and he sure as hell wouldn’t like me taking off my shirt in front of all these people. Also – there’s the whole spanking embargo thing he seems to have going at the moment.”

 

“Well, I told you my views on that already,” Fox said, with a smug smirk. “Excuse me, Tony – I’m gonna go get another drink.”

 

“Hey – Tony isn’t it?” A tall, dark-haired man approached him as Fox disappeared in the direction of the bar. “Blake,” the man said, pointing to himself. “You and I almost had a thing together.” He nodded in the direction of the whipping post. Ah – Blake – that was the guy’s name.

 

“No, we really didn’t,” Tony replied. “But hey – it’s good to see you again, Blake.”

 

They made polite small talk for awhile. Tony knew he could never have gone down on his knees for this man here – for any of these men – not even Walter. He belonged to Gibbs and had from the minute he first met the man. Thank God Gibbs had shown up that night! He’d saved them all the trials and tribulations of Tony finding out that he couldn’t submit to anyone but him.

 

A hand slid around his waist. “Is my sub flirting with another dom?” a low, throaty voice purred in his ear. His heart skipped a beat.

 

“No, I was just…” He turned to glance at Gibbs and saw the amused gleam in his eye. Tony laughed, recognising that Gibbs was giving him an opportunity to play. “Maybe,” he admitted, looking at his dom through his eyelashes. “This is Blake – you remember him. He’s the guy who was whipping me that night when…”

 

The gleam in Gibbs’s eye hardened into something much more threatening. “Yeah, I remember,” he grunted. He grabbed hold of the leash around Tony’s neck and pulled him in close. “He’s mine,” he snapped, giving Blake the death glare. The poor guy melted away into the crowd instantly.

 

“Aw – you scared him, Boss!”

 

“I don’t like him. He touched you once,” Gibbs growled.

 

“Well technically, he didn’t actually touch me – he flogged me – but…” Tony paused, seeing the expression in Gibbs’s eyes. “Yes, Boss,” he said quickly.

 

“I think you need reminding who you belong to,” Gibbs whispered in his ear, in a tone that went straight to Tony’s cock.

 

Tony grinned. “I haven’t forgotten! I belong to you, Boss.”

 

“Then clearly that’s a message I haven’t been hitting home often enough lately,” Gibbs said, sliding a hand down the back of Tony’s pants. He squeezed Tony’s ass meaningfully.

 

“No, Boss,” Tony said huskily. “Uh…I mean yes, Boss. Oh, I don’t know what the hell I mean,” he moaned as Gibbs squeezed again.

 

“Home,” Gibbs ordered.

 

Tony didn’t need telling twice. They said a hasty farewell to Walter and Fox, and then Gibbs wrapped his hand in Tony’s leash and strode towards the stairs. His dom was going so fast that Tony had to trot to keep up.

 

Gibbs only released him when they got to the parking lot. “See you back home – don’t stop off anywhere on the way,” he commanded.

 

As if! Tony’s entire body was quivering in anticipation. He couldn’t wait to get back home to find out exactly what his dom wanted to do to him.

 

Gibbs’s car was already in the driveway when he drew up, which wasn’t surprising considering the way Gibbs drove. Tony scrambled out of his car, ran into the house, and then paused, frowning. The place was in darkness, so he had no idea if his dom was in the basement, the bedroom, or somewhere else.

 

In the end, he headed for the living room – and was waylaid by a pair of strong arms the second he stepped inside. His leash was grabbed, and he was pulled sideways and then pushed forcefully against the wall, face first. He went, easily, allowing Gibbs to manhandle him, loving how it felt to surrender to his dom.

 

“So…” Gibbs placed his hands on either side of Tony’s head, his groin pressing against Tony’s ass. Tony could feel the promising hardness of his dom’s cock through his leather pants. “You need to remember who owns you,” Gibbs growled into his ear.

 

“Yes, Boss,” Tony agreed happily.

 

Gibbs nipped the back of his neck, just beneath the collar, then sucked down on his skin, making Tony shiver in anticipation. “I saw the way you were looking at that whipping post earlier. I think it’s been too long since I spanked you, boy,”

 

Tony’s heart skipped a beat. “If you say so, Boss,” he gulped. Oh thank God!

 

“Oh, I do, Tony. I do.”

 

Gibbs turned him effortlessly. He hauled Tony over to the couch, unfastened his sub’s jeans, yanked them down to his ankles, and then flipped Tony over his knee.

 

Tony went with a strangled yelp, surprised by how fast that had happened. He felt cool air on his ass – and cool leather under his thighs. Then Gibbs’s arm went around his waist, holding him in place, and he found himself face down and completely helpless over his dom’s knee.

 

Gibbs stroked a hand over Tony’s bare ass, and Tony felt himself begin to tingle.

 

“I’ve kept you on a long leash for the past few days. Now it’s time to reel you in, ready to go back to work next week,” Gibbs said, still stroking Tony’s ass. “I’m gonna spank this lily-white ass hard, boy. I want you to feel the imprint of my hand when you’re sitting at your desk next week.”

 

Tony was so aroused by that thought that he could hardly keep still. He didn’t have a choice about that though, as Gibbs had him secured firmly in place. Tony knew from experience that once Gibbs had put him over his knee, there was no escape.

 

“Who do you belong to, Tony?” Gibbs demanded.

 

“You, Boss! I belong to you!”

 

“You sure as hell do. And *this* will help you keep that in mind.”

 

And with that, Gibbs began slapping his ass. He wasn’t in a hurry, and he went slowly at first, covering every single inch of Tony’s bottom with firm, even slaps. Tony sighed and stretched out his body, relaxing into the spanking, intending to enjoy every single second of it.

 

This was pleasure, pure and simple. Gibbs knew just how to warm Tony’s skin with his hard, flat hand. He knew just how long to concentrate on one spot before it became unbearable, and then he moved on to the next. Tony wriggled sensuously; God, he’d missed this! Gibbs seemed to be totally over his freak-out, if that’s what it had been, because he was relentless. He held Tony ruthlessly in place as he lovingly spanked his ass until it was glowing like a beacon and felt warm enough to toast marshmallows on.

 

Surrendering to Gibbs’s will was easy for him, and Tony went happily into his sub space, panting and moaning as his dom spanked him mercilessly for several long minutes.

 

Then the pace slowed, and Gibbs resumed stroking his sub’s now thoroughly hot ass. Tony sighed, floating blissfully on a cloud of endorphins. Gibbs finally released him, and Tony slid off his lap and onto the couch. He nestled against his dom, the way he always did, resting his head in Gibbs’s lap. Gibbs’s hand came to rest, automatically, on his hair.

 

“Thank you, Jethro,” Tony murmured hazily. “Thought you were never gonna spank me again. Missed it.”

 

“I’ll remind you of that next time you try to talk your way out of one.” Gibbs grinned, looking down on him.

 

“Mmmm…maybe next week – when we’re back at work? ‘Cause you mentioned the back of the van, and over your desk, and Autopsy…and I want to know what it’s like to be spanked in all of those places. Or fucked. Or both,” Tony said sleepily.

 

He was okay with going back to work. He’d be fine. They’d be fine. He was sure there would be dramas and crises, but he was equally sure that nothing could shake what they had together. Not after all they’d been through these past few weeks. Gibbs accepted him. He knew everything Tony was and everything he’d ever done, and Tony could be himself around him. He didn’t have to hide any more.

 

“You look totally hot in these pants.” Tony moved his head and sniffed the leather appreciatively. “And that shade of purple is a good colour on you. You should think about wearing that whole outfit to work one day. Abby would love it! You’d scare the probie to death though so maybe not.”

 

Gibbs rolled his eyes. “You’re talking crap now, Tony.”

 

“Yeah. I know. It was that fantastic spanking. I’m floating…”

 

Tony snuggled in close, feeling lazy and content. He was a 24/7 sub. He was lying here, with a glowing red ass, wrapped up in his dom’s arms – and that was exactly where he belonged.
And he was loved. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt. It didn’t get any better than this.

 

“C’mon – let’s go up to bed, or you’ll fall asleep before I have a chance to fuck you,” Gibbs said, carding his fingers through Tony’s hair. “And there’s no way I’m gonna let a well-spanked ass like that go to waste, trust me.”

 

Tony smiled up at him.

 

“Oh, I do, Jethro,” he murmured peacefully. “I do.”

 

The End