A.N. Still super late with updates to this fic and I apologize . *ran out of excuses* So here it is! Enjoy! Also, sorry for the shortness!

TWELVE.

IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE that only a few days ago everything had been relatively normal.

Now, well, things couldn't be worse. The team knew almost everything about his past life, the marshals, the wit sec, his family, Nero, and the stripping. Nothing to brag about, surely. Tony sighed, wiped the blood running from his nose with his sleeve, not caring that it wasn't exactly sanitary.

Stress had never done Tony any good, and his body's way of coping with stress was to give him nose bleeds. The only times he ever coughed blood was when the stress had mounted to levels he couldn't bare anymore.

Gibbs came up behind him and handed him a wad of tissues. "You alright?" Stupid question, Gibbs thought, even as the words came out of his mouth.

Tony looked up, surprised. He'd taken refuge in Abby's empty lab soon after the video had been shown, all the memories of Nero taking hold of him in a vice grip becoming too much. "Been better." he replied sincerely, holding the tissues up to his bloody nose.

From this angle, Tony looked much younger, Gibbs thought, as he sat down next to him.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence, Tony spoke up. "Do you hate me?"

Gibbs looked at him, so shocked by the question, he didn't reply immediately.

Taking the silence as answer enough, Tony stood up abruptly and tried to leave Abigails office, 'till he felt Gibbs tug at his shirt, and gently pull him back to him. "Tony, I don't hate you. I could never hate you." He hugged the younger man to his chest, Tonys back to him.

"Really?" Tonys voice was small.

"I love you, Tony." Gibbs rested his chin on his agents shoulder. "Nothing is going to change that."

Tony looked away. "Gibbs, I...the things I did back then-"

"You did what you thought you had to for your family. I can't imagine how awful it must have been, and I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but don't you dare think it'll make me love you any less."

"I was a fucking stripper Jethro!" he yelled suddenly, getting off his lap, pacing the room back and forth. "It was so disgusting and degrading! I couldn't hug my own kids when I got home, I felt so dirty! No matter how much I showered, the stench, their hands were still on me! I couldn't stand it!" Tony wiped a few stray tears. He'd never told anyone. And the one person who did know, always pretended everything was so fine and dandy. It was the first time ever he could openly vent about the ugly skeleton, hidden in his closet.

Gibbs took the man into his arms, even as he struggled and his chest heaved. "No, stop." he demanded, even as he melted into Jethros embrace. "Stop," he sobbed. "You should hate me." he cried. "I've lied to everyone, I'm still lying." he confessed, as he bawled his eyes out on Gibbs solid chest.

Jethro tried to comfort him as best as he knew how, holding him tight, wondering in the back of his mind what he could possibly still have up his sleeve. But that didn't seem important right now. Not nearly as important as his lovers' well-being. It was then that Abby ran into the office.

"Central Intelligence is here!" she announced, looking quite worried.

Gibbs blinked. "The CIA?" He wondered what the hell they had to do with any of this.

Tony stilled in his grasp.