Apologies and Arguments

Summary: Post Singled Out, Tony is woken up in the middle of the night to find someone standing on his doorstep who he isn't ready to forgive.

Rating: T, for strong language and implied sexual encounters between two consenting adults

Pairings: Implied Gibbs/DiNozzo, and DiNozzo/Surprise

Warning: This story follows Delusions and Fantasies and Memories and Deceptions, which means, yet again, this story is SLASH. That's right, implied sexual activities between two people of the male gender. And this one is a tad bit dirtier than it's former stories, however, there's nothing graphic. Sorry to disappoint anyone.

Author's Note: Well, in total, my first two stories have about sixty reviews between them, so, since people seem to like this little series so much, I have decided to post the latest one. And I apologize that it's taken me so long to get to it, I wanted it done by Sunday, but then I had to work, and then school, and I haven't really had a lot of time. But I hope you can all forgive me, and I also hope that you like this story as much as my last two!

Tony was awoken to the incessant pounding. At first, his exhausted mind didn't know what it was or what to even make of it. But as he climbed out from underneath his plush comforter and trudged his way through his apartment, he started to realize that the pounding was coming from his front door.

The small red digital clock on his cable box told him that it was 2200. He groaned. Just who in their right mind would be at his door at this hour?

"I'm coming!" He yelled when the pounding kept coming. He ripped the door open, ready to yell at whatever schmuck was causing him so much grief. Instead he just stood, wide eyed and mouth gaping. "What are you doing here?"

At first, Gibbs didn't say anything. He just stood there. If Tony didn't know any better, he'd say that the man looked guilty. But that wasn't right. Gibbs never looked guilty.

"It's too late, isn't it?" At first, Tony didn't know what he was talking about, lack of sleep and all. But then it slowly dawned on him.

"You remember." It wasn't a question.

"Everything finally clicked together when I was in Mexico." He was going to continue, but stopped when Tony started chuckling.

"And it's taken you this long to say something?" He crossed his arms over his bare chest. He hadn't even realized that he had opened the door naked. He really was tired.

But if Gibbs noticed his nudity, he didn't say anything. "I didn't know how to…" he paused. Tony silently hoped he was going to say how to apologize, or something equally unGibbs. "I didn't know what to say."

The younger man scratched his stubbled jaw. "Well, you could have started with something along the lines of 'I shouldn't have questioned your sanity.' Maybe move on from there. You know, just a thought."

Gibbs sighed heavily. He truly looked miserable about how things had turned out, but Tony just couldn't find the will to care. Gibbs broke his heart before he went off to Mexico. Even though Tony would never admit it under pain of death, he felt like the older man had taken his soul with him. And he wouldn't even bother to apologize.

Gibbs' arms were wrapped around him, guiding his hands along the boat. "Now, remember, sand with the grain of the wood." He brought their hands back down.

"So, wouldn't backwards be going against the grain?" Gibbs pulled away long enough to give him a light tap on the back of the head. Tony cringed in pain for a split second. "Huh."

"What?"

Tony shrugged. "That's the first time you smacked me outside of the office. I was starting to get worried. I mean it's not like I've stopped annoying you. If anything, I've been trying to get you to smack me—"

"Tony."

"Shutting up." He felt the older man's chuckle on his neck. It sent shivers down his spine. They picked up their rhythm again. "Gibbs, can I say something?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you invite me over tonight?" Gibbs stopped sanding the boat again, but he didn't pull away. "I mean, the reason this whole arrangement's worked is because we haven't actually been dating. Just fucking." He paused when he felt Gibbs tense behind him. He wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed of the act, or just the word. "But this seems more like a date."

Neither of them moved for a few minutes. Tony wasn't sure if he said something stupid, or if Gibbs was rethinking having him over, or what. He was mentally kicking himself for saying anything when Gibbs finally took pity on his and started moving again. "Maybe I just decided I could use another set of hands on the haul here."

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's not really all that helpful if you're guiding me the whole time." Gibbs pulled his hands off Tony's. He ran them up his arms and over his torso. Tony stopped moving and shut his eyes.

"True," Gibbs crooned in his ear. His fingers reached Tony's belt. They undid it and slipped inside his pants. Tony started breathing heavier. "But I do need your help with something else."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" His hands gripped the wood till they almost bled.

Gibbs massaged him gently. "I've decided to name this boat after my ex wife. And instead of burning her when I'm done, I've thought of another way to fuck her over. But I can't do that without you."

Tony smiled. "Let me guess, you wanna give her a metaphorical slap in the face 'cause you couldn't actually do it in real life." Gibbs squeezed. Tony sucked in a gust of air.

"Pretty much," he said directly in Tony's ear.

The younger man nodded. "I can definitely help you with that." In one swift motion that shouldn't be possible, he pulled himself away from Gibbs, swung around and took hold of the older man's mouth with his own.

Tony snapped out of the memory and stared at the intruder on his doorstep. He needed to hate this man, and he couldn't do that if he kept thinking about the good times.

"Seeing anybody knew?" Gibbs finally asked after a few moments of complete silence. Tony was almost caught off guard by it. Almost.

"Yeah," he looked down at his stoop as he said it. Then he realized that it was a sign of weakness—not making eye contact—and quickly looked back up. "Yeah I am."

Gibbs nodded. Although, it was obvious that it upset him. "Anybody I know?"

Tony was about to respond when he heard a voice coming from inside the apartment. "Tony? Tony!" The man in question tensed as Gibbs' eyebrows shot to his hairline.

He leaned back inside the doorway. "Go back to sleep, babe! I'll be there in a minute!"

"Is somebody at the door?"

Tony sighed heavily. "Yeah, don't worry, he's just about to leave." He turned back to Gibbs. The older man looked at him incredulously.

"Palmer?" Tony rolled his eyes.

"That a problem, boss?" They were silent again. Gibbs looked away from him. He was upset. Really upset. Tony almost found himself faltering again.

"This is a bad idea, Gibbs." Tony pulled out yet another shirt from his suitcase. "A really, really bad idea."

Gibbs grabbed the shirt out of his hand and put it back. "It's a great idea, now how about you help me pack here?" He grabbed the younger man and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

"The director's gonna get suspicious if we both go on vacation at the same time. And if she doesn't, you know damn well Ziva will. This is like asking for trouble!" Tony grabbed more clothes out of his suitcase and brought them back to his dresser. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Gibbs!"

"Tony!" Gibbs stopped his packing momentarily. "Will you just breathe? Jenny already knows that we're going. She doesn't know anything. We'll be fine." He started up again.

Tony didn't look convinced. "Ok, so maybe she hasn't figured it, yet, but she will! And, why the hell are we going on vacation together anyways?" He chuckled, although it was more hysterical than anything else.

"I thought you liked snowboarding!"

"I do, but vacations are things that couples do. We're not a couple, so we shouldn't be going on vacations together." He crossed his arms over his chest to signal that his answer was final.

Gibbs glared at him. That glare he uses in an interrogation to break even the scariest and toughest criminals.

Gibbs shrugged. "Maybe I want to be." Tony's jaw dropped. Gibbs smiled.

"Ah… uh… what?" Gibbs walked closer.

"I. Want. To. Be. A. Couple." Tony still barely understood him.

"What about rule #12?"

Gibbs scrunched up his face as he contemplated that. "We kinda already broke that rule DiNozzo." Tony smiled. "So, what do ya say?"

He didn't say anything at first. He watched Gibbs for a while, trying to figure out if he was for real or not. He sure looked like he was.

"Vermont, huh?"

"Just a little shocked is all." Gibbs finally looked down at his naked body. "Doin' pretty well I see."

"Yeah," Tony chuckled bitterly. "And he's a terrible liar, so, I know if he's hiding a family from me." They were silent again.

"I should have told you—"

"Yeah, you should've! You said you loved me, but you couldn't even tell me that you had a kid?! All these years, you've been lying to me! I thought you trusted me but—"

"But it was my business, and I didn't have to tell you." Tony turned away. He finally broke. After all this time, he finally snapped and yelled at Gibbs. But it didn't make him feel better. Actually, it was quite the opposite. He felt worse.

He turned back to his ex. "It's late. I'm tired." He gave the older man a glare that could rival one of his interrogation looks. "I'll see you at work tomorrow." Before Gibbs could say anything else, he shut the door in his face.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. He wasn't really all that tired anymore. Gibbs had taken care of that. Stupid old man.

Slowly, he made his way back to his bedroom. He crawled into bed beside Jimmy. The younger man was passed out on his stomach, snoring lightly. He had earphones in. Tony chuckled as he crawled in next to him.

He leaned in close so he could hear the song that was playing. From what he could tell, it was a bunch of men singing some little ditty about how they shouldn't have let some girl go. He chuckled again, only this time out of irony.

He lay on his back with his hands under his head. All he did was stare at the ceiling, thinking. There was nothing else he could do, really.

He was miserable. Things hadn't ended well with Gibbs. He hated to say it, but that upset him. He missed him. He would never admit it, but, this—what he had with Palmer—wasn't the same. Palmer could never mean to him what Gibbs did.

He looked over at his boyfriend. He wasn't even sure how this whole thing started. One second, he's down in Autopsy to see Ducky, and the next, he's at Palmer's apartment with his tongue down the younger man's throat and his hand down his pants. He couldn't say what happened in between that.

He sighed heavily and tried to fall asleep. He wasn't having much luck.

Tony slammed the coffee down on the table. His mouth was tight and his breathing heavy. He was mad, and Gibbs didn't look like he really cared. Tony slammed a mug so hard it cracked.

"Something bothering you, DiNozzo?" Tony chuckled bitterly.

"Bothering me? What could be bothering me…boss." He added the last part to say to the older man that 'yes something was bothering him, and no you're not helping.'

Gibbs sighed and walked closer to him. He gave him a look that said 'tell me.' Tony didn't say anything. He turned away and went to grab something else. Gibbs rolled his head around in frustration. "What the hell did I do?"

Tony slammed the fridge shut. "You let yourself be taken hostage by a kid wearing a damn bomb! What? Am I not supposed to be mad about that?"

"Tony, I'm fine!"

"No, you… you didn't tell anyone about this stupid plan, but you expect everyone to just go along with it!" He paused. "You expect me to just go along with it."

"I figured you could handle it." Gibbs never raised his voice above normal. That just made Tony even angrier.

"Right. So, half the time at work, all I get is crap, but then, suddenly I'm given all the responsibility!"

"Who gives you crap?"

"You do!" He almost threw something as he said it. Gibbs took a step back. "You, and everyone else, but then you go and do something stupid, and they run to me for help, when, quite frankly, I can barely think straight!" He started pacing at this point. He was losing control, he knew it. He turned to face the older man. "And you know, just so everyone's clear, I'm the one who solved this! I got you, and those kids out of there alive! And yeah, I got it from a movie, so what? I was the one who thought of it! Not Ziva, not McGee, hell, not even you!"

Gibbs moved closer and wrapped his arms around the younger man. He pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You did great today. I couldn't have been more proud of you." He hugged tighter, even though Tony wasn't hugging him back.

"You scared me today, Gibbs." It was said barely above a whisper. If he spoke any louder, Tony was sure Gibbs would be able to hear a quiver in his voice. "I thought you were gonna—"

He never got to finish. Gibbs grabbed him and kissed him passionately. When he pulled away, there was a glimmer of emotion in his eyes. "I wasn't worried. Tony, I know you. I knew you would be ok." He paused and ran a hand behind Tony's neck, securing him in place. He smiled softly. "I knew you'd save us. Save me."

Tony smiled. He thought about saying something equally sweet, but, he couldn't think of a damn thing. So instead, he said, "Were you this much of a sap with your ex-wives?" He almost expected a smack for that one.

But of course, Gibbs always managed to surprise him. He simply shook his head. "Only with you, Tony. Just." He kissed him again. "You." Tony smiled again at the older man's new favorite phrase before Gibbs yet again kissed him. Only this one turned into a hell of a lot more.

Tony shook head to clear it. It didn't work very well. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't rid himself of Gibbs. It didn't help that he had to work with him again. Starting tomorrow, he was back to being simply senior field agent. And tonight Gibbs gave him a serious mindfuck!

He rolled over and tapped Palmer's shoulder. The young man groaned and buried his head further into the pillows. "Jimmy, come on baby, wake up."

After a few more shakes, Palmer finally opened his eyes. "What?"

Tony smiled seductively and leaned in closer. "I can't sleep. I was hoping you could help tire me out." He wiggled his eyebrows.

Even in his tired state, Palmer got excited. He pushed himself up and attacked Tony's lips with his own. Tony grabbed him around the middle and pulled him on top of him, while his hand reached towards his nightstand for the lubricant and condoms.

Well, after the first two stories, you had to expect that this story isn't done. But fear not, according to my evil little brain, there's only one more story to tell for this, which will give you all the happy ending you've been waiting for. Unless, of course, you're just annoyed with me by now. Let me know, if you guys don't like it, then I won't bother taking up the space on the site. And as always, flames are welcomed! Maybe one of these days, somebody will actually give me one, lol