Chapter 9

It was Thursday afternoon, three days before they were going to head back to DC. Gibbs had finished swimming laps and cool down stretches, and now laid out on the chaise next to the pool letting the sun and air dry him when Tony returned from the beach. He was in his shorts and t-shirt and he held a spiral-bound notebook. Gibbs had one eye opened a slit to watch Tony watch him. From the look in his eyes, Gibbs wondered if maybe he was ready to talk.

"Looking at you like that I have to remind myself that the chaise won't hold the weight of two of us."

Gibbs chuckled. "Nope."

"You're distracting, Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Not sorry about that."

Tony's lascivious smile reached his eyes. "Oh believe me, I know."

They smiled at each other for another moment and Gibbs said, "You okay?"

"I uh…would now maybe be a good time to talk…if you're ready for that conversation?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, sit at the table?"

Tony nodded once, walked up the steps, set the notebook on the table, and then went into the house.

Gibbs sat up, slipped on his swim trunks and finished drying off so he could put his shirt on.

The sun was bright that day so Gibbs turned the crank that expanded the umbrella over the table. They had started using it more this week now that they were tanned. They didn't want to get too dark lest Ducky lecture them about too much sun.

Tony returned with glasses of water and a clean, dry towel for Gibbs.

Finally, Tony sank into the chair and waited until Gibbs settled. "I've been running through everything in my head over and over again and I kept spinning in circles. Without knowing what you want, I can't decide on anything."

Tony picked up the notepad he set on the table. "I've already written out what I want. It's fairly general because I'm open to possibilities career-wise, which I will have to talk to Vance about but I'm also considering early retirement if they'll still offer it to me, and I think Ducky can persuade them."

Gibbs nodded and took a sip of water.

"I would like you to tell me what you want. If what we both want is so different, we'll talk about it and see what we can do to compromise. Nothing concrete has to be decided right now anyway. I just want an idea of what you're thinking."

"More talking," Gibbs said with a smile.

"Afraid so," Tony nodded in mock sympathy but he couldn't quite hide a smile. "If it helps, I love to listen to you."

Gibbs smiled a little shyly at that. "It does." He took a deep breath. "I'm definitely going to retire so my life is wide open."

Tony furrowed his brow in confusion.

Gibbs smiled and jerked his head slightly at him and then glanced at the notebook. "What about you?"

"Well, thinking about that early retirement. Not sure what I would do with myself if I did. Too young to stop working, but don't want to chase terrorists, and with my qualifications, that's probably what I'm going to be wanted for."

"Could go back to being a homicide detective, or even rise in the ranks."

Tony looked doubtful. "Don't want to ride a desk. That'll drive me crazy."

"If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be?"

"I don't know. I've always been a cop, then an agent."

"Could always go back to college, pursue something else."

"Thought about that…a lot."

"So do it if you want. Decide what you want to study, pick a university, any one you want. We'll move there."

Tony met his gaze in surprise. "Anywhere?"

"Well, I prefer to stay in the U.S., but yeah. Was thinking a warmer climate might be better for your lungs."

"You would really move with me?"

"Well, yeah. Of course."

"Even if it meant leaving all our friends?"

Gibbs sighed. "They have their lives. We know how hard it is to get everyone together for drinks or dinner now. People move on. There's always phone calls, and you have e-mail and all that."

"True. Tim has Delilah. Abby has Burt. When I was with Zoe, sometimes four of us, and rarely, the six of us would get together, but it wasn't often enough."

"Kind of fitting that the two loners of the group get together, in a way."

Tony stared at him a moment, thinking and finally nodded. "Yeah, it is." Tony hesitated a moment before saying, "Abby won't handle it well if you leave again."

Gibbs sighed. "This time I'm not leaving because I lost my mind. Can always invite her out to visit us wherever we go."

"Really?"

"You're my family, Tony. Have been for a long time. Pushed you away at times I shouldn't have. Not doing that again."

"I know, but this just seems so…big. I mean, you're saying you'll uproot your life for me."

"You've been wasting away on my team for a long time because you wanted to stay with me. It's time for you to do what you want to do. I'll be there as long as you want me there."

Tony's eyes glistened. Gibbs saw it a split second before Tony shot to his feet and went into the house, leaving Gibbs sitting alone, surprised and confused for a second before he followed. He closed the sliding glass doors and walked up to Tony, admiring the way his t-shirt pulled across his broad back as his shoulders hunched, braced himself against the sink, looking out the window at the ocean, as if he didn't trust his legs to hold him up.

"Tony?" Gibbs called out to him. Tony didn't move. Gibbs came closer and laid a hand on his upper back. "Hey?" he said quietly, trying to get a look at his face, but Tony turned away.

"I'm…okay," Tony said, but his voice was thick with emotion.

"Look at me?"

"No. Not…right now."

"Please?"

Tony looked over at Gibbs, his eyes watery and shocked. "You…you just said please."

Gibbs smiled but his eyes conveyed concern. "What'd I say to upset you?"

"Nothing. I…No one has ever…I mean, that was…" Tony took a ragged breath. "No one has ever been willing to do anything like that for me before. I was expected to do what they wanted, but no one wanted to do that for me. Even Wendy chose to let me go instead." Tony shook his head as if in a fog. "Are you sure you want to leave your house? I mean…Shannon and Kel-"

Gibbs held up a hand to stop him. "It's okay, Tony. They'll always be with me. I know they want me to be happy and I'll always love them. That'll never change. But I can love you too."

This time it was Tony who claimed Gibbs' lips in a deep kiss that Gibbs felt down to his toes. Love, passion, possession and warmth filled him and he poured it all back to Tony, making sure he conveyed his own feelings, said so much easier in a kiss.

When Tony released his lips, he kept a tight hold and gazed straight into his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"

Gibbs nodded. "Been thinking about it for months."

"Months?"

"Since I realized what you meant to me."

Tony kissed him again, less passionate, but no less loving. When they parted again, Gibbs could see the happiness dancing in his eyes. "This really is going to work, isn't it?"

Gibbs nodded. As far as he was concerned, there was no other outcome.

Tony's eyes were still bright, but now they were happy. "I feel like I've learned more about you in the past week or so than I have in the last fifteen years."

"I like being alone with you like this. Never realized how much I loved having you sit with me in the basement until you weren't there anymore. I hated it." Gibbs leaned in close, put his arms around him and rested his forehead against Tony's shoulder.

Tony tensed, cleared his throat. "Sometimes, it seemed like you didn't want me there."

Gibbs shook his head. "Liked listening to you."

"Even when I rambled?"

"Yeah. If you were talking, I didn't have to." Gibbs half-smiled and felt Tony relax.

"I can't promise I won't make you talk in the future."

Gibbs pulled back slightly so he could look in Tony's eyes. "Talking with you isn't so bad. I had things I needed to say, things you deserved to hear and needed to hear from me." Gibbs took a deep breath and turned his head slightly to exhale. "Just glad you still wanted to listen." Tony pulled him back into the hug, and Gibbs buried his head in Tony's neck, smelled the slight tinge of suntan oil and ocean on his skin. Slowly, he withdrew.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "Take your time, but do what you think will make you happy, alright? I'll be there." Gibbs leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and then lightly brushed his lips against his ear and whispered, "That's what I want for you."

Gibbs heard the breath catch in Tony's throat before his lips were consumed in a hungry kiss that chased all thought from his mind. He kissed him back matching the hunger, needing to show as well as tell him exactly how he felt.

"N-Need you, Jethro. God! Now I know why you don't talk much. You'd never get out of bed if you did."

Gibbs chuckled. "I never say what I don't mean."

"I…I know. And what you just said…no one has ever cared about me that much."

"Their loss, my gain," Gibbs murmured before he pulled Tony up against him…hard and took possession of his mouth, and decided that slow wasn't working for him anymore and he was going to show Tony exactly how he felt. He'd been holding back up until this point because he thought he should, but right now, that seemed stupid somehow.

Tony whimpered into the kiss and Gibbs released his mouth to let his lips and tongue trail down his neck, tasting him, marking him. Tony clung to him as he tilted his head back to offer better access and Gibbs took full advantage of it.

"Bed?" Gibbs asked, making sure it came out sounding like a question rather than an order. He needed to know Tony wanted this, wanted him.

Tony nodded, and then kissed him again before dragging him to the bedroom. Gibbs let himself be pulled along, glad they were on the same page. The need to touch was overwhelming. Tony paused only long enough to pull their shirts off, then he sat down on the edge and pulled Gibbs close. In an instant, Tony pulled down his swim trunks and Gibbs shivered at being exposed. He was half-hard just from the kissing but seeing the way Tony gazed over his body and the emotions still brimming there in his eyes, he got harder still. The logical center of his brain told him they shouldn't rush into anything, but in that moment, it felt like this had been building for fifteen - almost sixteen - years.

"Tell me what you want," Tony's voice was quiet, but his eyes were stormy with emotion and need and vulnerability.

Gibbs swore he'd never seen anything like it. He was breathtaking.

"There's not much I won't do for you or with you, but I need you to come." Tony blinked and rested his hands lightly on Gibbs' thighs and then caressed upward over his belly, torso and up almost to his shoulders before pausing. "What are you aching for, Jethro?"

"Anything you want," Gibbs gasped as Tony's fingers tweaked one of his nipples. "Do whatever feels right and comfortable. I'll never ask you to do anything you're not okay with."

"Right now, I want to do everything with you," Tony whispered, his hands still exploring along Gibbs' torso. "You said you've been alone a long time. Don't want you to be alone another minute. Give in, tell me what you're aching for. I'll give it to you."

"God, Tony, anything, just do whatever you want to do most." Tony's touch felt so good, at this point, he felt fairly sure as soon as Tony touched his cock he would come. His eyes fell closed as he reveled in being touched. God, it had been too long. Then he felt warm lips kissing his thigh and he sucked in a deep breath. Was Tony going to…?

"Oh fuck!" he cried when Tony took him all the way in his mouth, his tongue swirled around the shaft, warm, wet heat engulfing him in sensation. Gibbs' hands tightened on Tony's shoulders. He tried to keep himself from moving, letting Tony have full control over what was going on, but when Tony bobbed up and sucked only on the head, his tongue licking a pattern he couldn't identify over it, Gibbs involuntarily thrust into his mouth on pure instinct and Tony hummed, relaxing his jaw to take more in and reached around to grab Gibbs' ass and pull him deeper and nudged at Gibbs' hip, wordlessly telling him to give in to the pleasure.

"Oh fuck, Tony. Not gonna…" He gasped for breath as he felt teeth graze ever so lightly on the shaft intensifying what was already the best oral of his life. "…Last long," he managed.

Upon saying this, Tony seemed to step up the stimulation. He used his hand at the base, his fingers caressed his sac while he licked every inch of Gibbs' cock and tried different pressure variations at spots to see if he could elicit more pleasure. Gibbs' knees started to buckle at the intensity of the pleasure and the abrupt change in position caused Tony to release him in order to get a hold.

"You better lie down," Tony flipped their position and he pushed Gibbs down on the bed, and climbed over him.

"Tony, I'm so close. Are you sure you want to…?" He never finished the question as Tony sank down over him and once again, his cock was consumed in that wonderful mouth. Gibbs cried out his pleasure at the sensation. His pillow seemed to flatten under his head as his head tossed from side to side as Tony found a rhythm. He was bleary with pleasure as he tried to hang on. His body tensed as his control slipped. "Tony! I can't…I'm gonna, oh fuck, I'm coming!" He shouted, no longer able to hold it back. Tony's movements never faltered as he swallowed around the cock in his mouth and wrung out every bit of pleasure that was in him. Even after, Tony took his time, lightly licking every last drop that had escaped and humming softly as he did, like it was the best thing he ever tasted. Gibbs twitched with aftershocks and he sank into the mattress, not even having enough strength to open his eyes.

He didn't remember time passing or movement or words. Slowly, he came back to himself, first realizing his breathing was heavy and ragged. Secondly, he was aware of a hand stroking over his chest. Third, he was aware of lips lightly kissing a trail down his face. He jerked in surprise awareness and opened his eyes to see Tony smiling at him, his hands still touching.

"Hi," Tony said, keeping his voice low.

"Hi," Gibbs whispered, unable to speak any louder.

"You okay?" Tony asked before leaning in to kiss his lips lightly. For a second Gibbs tasted himself on Tony's lips. He licked his own lips, tasting the salty bitterness and mentally shrugged. It was a different bitter than his coffee and bourbon, but it wasn't as bad as he feared it would be when he thought of doing for Tony that Tony had just done for him.

"Uh huh." Gibbs smiled. This made Tony smile and he kissed him again. Gibbs clutched at him, holding him still to kiss him back properly this time. This brought a smile to Tony's lips and Tony stroked Gibbs' forehead once. "Be right back," Tony whispered, leaving him alone briefly and he heard rather than watched him walk to the bathroom as his eyes drifted closed.

It took a few minutes, but Gibbs gradually regained full awareness. In all his fantasies, he hadn't expected sex to start…well, there, but since when did Tony ever do what was expected? He grinned a little. Tony was up for surprises; well, he could do a little surprise himself. He knew exactly how he was going to wake Tony up the next morning. His grin widened just thinking about it.

No time to think further as Tony returned to the room with a small smile on his face. Gibbs couldn't call it smug because it wasn't, but definitely satisfied. Tony climbed up on the bed and scooted in close to kiss him again. He had washed his face and brushed his teeth and now he tasted like spearmint and soap and Gibbs could still smell the nuttiness from the suntan oil. Gibbs scooted up on the bed and turned toward Tony kissing him deeply. He ran one hand down his chest, over his belly and then back over his hip and thigh before turning more so Tony could stretch out on his back, his body sinking into the mattress. Gibbs' lips found his lower neck and latched on, leaving a love bite, the need to mark him seemed more important than anything else.

Tony moaned, one hand coming up to caress into Gibbs' hair, unconsciously encouraging him. "I love that," he whispered.

Gibbs withdrew just a little to look in Tony's face. Raw need was alight in Tony's face and his body was already flushed with need. "I love seeing you like this," Gibbs murmured in his ear as he licked his earlobe, causing an involuntarily shiver. He ran his hand over Tony's chest and belly and Tony seemed to push into his touch.

That was when it struck him. Tony craved physical contact. The way he kissed, the way he leaned into touch, he was starved for affection. A wave of tenderness flooded Gibbs' senses. Instead of the tease he had been planning, he climbed over him, blanketing Tony's body with his own, careful to support his weight in the places needed, but essentially laying on him. He brought his hands up to intertwine their fingers and pushed them back to the bed so that Tony lay almost helpless underneath him. Tony's eyes drifted closed and he thrust up, his cock rubbing against Gibbs' thigh and making him moan helplessly. Gibbs leaned down and kissed him deeply, his tongue possessing Tony's mouth, and Tony whimpered into the kiss. Gibbs loved the little sexy sounds he made and was determined to draw as many out of him as he could.

"Please Jet, touch me," Tony whispered.

"I am touching you," Gibbs smirked.

"More, please." Tony arced up into him, thrusting against him.

"When I'm ready, I will." He trailed more kisses along his collarbone.

"Bastard. You're doing it on purpose." There was mock indignation but no heat in Tony's words.

"Oh yeah," Gibbs agreed. "Want to hear all those sexy sounds you make when you're turned on."

"I'll do anything you want, just gotta come," Tony's voice was needy, desperate even. "So close, Jet. Just please…"

"Mmm, love to hear you beg too. Thinking I need to hear a lot more of that in the future."

"Should've known you'd be a controlling bastard in bed, too." Tony smiled.

"Oh Anthony, you haven't seen anything yet," Gibbs teased, possessing Tony with another kiss. The heat between them made them both slick with sweat and Gibbs used it to good effect, letting his body glide over Tony's, using his hands and lips to find his hot spots. Gibbs ached with a need he couldn't explain, at least not then. He could feel Tony rubbing against his thigh, seeking friction, sensation for his cock and the way his knees gripped Gibbs' thighs, clinging to him, trusting him, needing him. If Gibbs had been a younger man, he'd be hard again already, but he wasn't. Mentally, he was as turned on as he ever could be. He wanted to drag this out, make Tony beg, but the ecstasy in Tony's face just clinging to him like this was too much. He needed to see him come, needed to hear how he would sound, needed to know what he looked like when he did. He adjusted his position and gave himself room to get his hand between their bodies and he took Tony in hand. Gibbs had seen him naked practically every day for the past two weeks, knew what he looked like but feeling was an entirely different experience. Tony's cock was very hard, and when Gibbs touched him, Tony threw his head back against the pillow in ecstasy.

"God, yes!" Tony hissed.

Gibbs brought his knee up between Tony's legs and gently pressed against his sac, not too much as he wasn't sure how sensitive or not that would be, but when Tony pressed harder against his knee, Gibbs increased the pressure. The position was a little awkward with his hand there, but the look in Tony's face made it worth it. Gibbs found his own rhythm, adjusting his body and hand to draw out the most pleasure for Tony whose hips never stopped moving.

"Faster, please," Tony begged. Gibbs obliged, never taking his eyes off of him, grateful they were here together, overwhelmed by how emotional he felt just doing this for him. Tony's skin look dark and ruddy and his eyes closed hard, Gibbs watched him strain against what he knew was coming…literally. "Oh God, that's it! Jet…Jet…gonna…" His words were lost in the scream of pleasure as the orgasm drowned out everything else. Tony came all over his hand and he used it to further slick Tony's cock as he kept stroking, not letting up the speed or firmness and Tony's body shook as he rode out the intensity, not stopping his strokes until Tony reached down and stilled his hand, his breathing loud, chest heaving, and sweat dripping down his face. His chest and belly were covered with his release and even Gibbs' chest got sprayed. Slowly, Gibbs released his softening cock and used his hand to direct the dripping mess away from between his legs to avoid staining the top blanket.

It took a few minutes for Tony's breathing to calm. Gibbs smiled at him as he watched, enjoying the effect he'd had on him. Tony smiled when he opened his eyes to gaze directly into Gibbs' eyes.

"Wow!" Tony gasped, his voice a little hoarse.

"You okay?"

"Can't you tell?"

"Was worried about your breathing, that's all."

"I'm fine," Tony assured. He breathed upward to cool his damp forehead. "But I think we need a shower."

"Oh yeah," Gibbs agreed with a smirk.

They got up carefully, and satisfied they hadn't messed the bed up, took turns in the shower as it wasn't big enough for them together. Tony went first since he was messier and while he watched Tony's outline through the shower door, he decided one of those huge walk-in showers he'd seen might be something to consider.

When they were clean and dressed again, Tony kissed him lightly. "I know you wanted to take it slow but after earlier…"

"I know, Anthony. We both needed it." He pulled Tony into a hug.

"Never had sex…mean so much before," Tony confided, tightening his arms around him. "Wasn't just getting off."

"I know," Gibbs whispered.

"Never understood why they called it making love before…until now."

"That's the way it should be…and will be from now on," Gibbs added. "Not just a polite euphemism, at least not to me, not with you."

Tony chuckled. "God, how can you even use such a big word after that? I can barely think."

Gibbs chuckled back. "Told you I could talk when I needed to."

"Ass!" Tony laughed and reluctantly pulled away. "I'm thirsty. Come on, Marine, I'll make you some fresh coffee."

Gibbs grinned and followed Tony out to the kitchen.

That evening, they sat together on the couch, Gibbs rested between Tony's legs and his head rested on his chest. Tony was flipping through the channels looking for something to watch.

"Hey, will you tell me how you get the boat out of the basement?"

Gibbs smirked, and glanced upward into his eyes. "Sure."

"Really?" At Gibbs' nod, his eyes lit up like Christmas. After a moment, he tensed and excitement filled his voice. "Hey! We could build a big boat and go sailing down the coast. We could pretend to be pirates…well, except for the looting and pillaging thing."

"You'd want to do that?"

"Yeah! That'd be an awesome vacation. You, me, open sea." He paused and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Suntan oil. Oh! We could talk like pirates. Oh! Have you seen Pirates of the Caribbean? You gotta see them before we go sailing, maybe more than once. In the first one, Captain Jack…"

Tony kept talking, and Gibbs chuckled, glad to see the man's zest for life return, closer to the Tony he had grown to admire, even if it did sometimes drive him crazy. He closed his eyes and relaxed into Tony's body and let his voice wash over him.

For an instant, he saw Kelly's face again, and she was grinning ear to ear. He smiled at the image of her face. I'm going to have good days now, Kelly. I promise.