Love of My Life - Chapter 3
Do you guys need all that title stuff again? It's only being posted on my journal right now, but if it's protocal, I will edit...
He didn’t know how long social manners demanded he wait before calling Gibbs and admitting his “date” wasn’t going to happen but he was beside himself with anticipation. He was almost sure there wasn’t a statue for a scenario like this though he didn’t want to seem too anxious at the same time. If he called too soon, Gibbs might think he was fabricating a story (though he was), and he didn’t want to wait too long in case the other man had made plans. It was nauseating, frustrating, and completely exciting.
He waited another 30 minutes and then made the call.
“Hey Gibbs. You still up for that car show you mentioned earlier?”
“Yeah, well, something came up. She said something about a girlfriend breaking up with her boyfriend - I don’t know. At any rate, she is headed for Virginia Beach right now. But I understand if you have other pla..”
“Gotta it, Boss. OK. Yeah - 1300 hours is fine.”
Tony stared at the end call screen and grinned as he shook his head. Gibbs never had had any phone etiquette. It was going to be a long three hours.
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
He couldn’t believe he was spending more than a minute deciding what to wear. He hadn’t done that since he had made his mind to court his last wife and seriously wanted to make an effort to win her over. After Diane, he had casual hook ups, but before he could ascertain whether they were marriage material, the relationship dissipated. Now Gibbs stood in front of his closet with a blank stare not knowing what was appropriate and what wasn’t. It was just a car show for God’s sake, it shouldn’t be difficult. But it was and even though he wouldn’t admit it under extreme torture, it was because the person he was courting was always on top of the fashion grid - had the right shirt, tie, shoes, belt. He couldn’t compete and he was on the verge of calling a halt to the outing when he realized he was putting more into it than necessary. He was the fall back guy - Tony’s date didn’t work out and he was just a means to fill time. He didn’t know why he had gotten himself so worked up; his feelings were one sided - just because he had that dream...
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
For whatever reason, Tony felt he should knock on the door and so he did.
“It’s open”, Gibbs called out, making his way down the stairs.
Tony opened the door as Gibbs made his way to the stairway landing. Tony’s sharp intake of breath didn’t go unnoticed; a small smile crept on Gibbs’ face. “You clean up nice, Boss.” Tony grinned. Gibbs finally chose a plain white button down shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows and dark blue jeans.
“Not so bad yourself, DiNozzo.” Gibbs said while he took in the emerald green pin striped dress shirt and boot cut jeans. The leather jacket was hooked by a finger, slung on his back, sunglasses tucked into the V of shirt. “You ready?”
“Yeah, Boss. Are you?”
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
They stopped at a roadside diner for lunch that proclaimed the best pulled pork north of the Carolinas and were not disappointed. The conversation was easy and the moments of silence were compatible. Though Tony liked to talk, he rarely felt the need when he was with Gibbs. He had nothing to cover with chatter - Gibbs knew him, he was comfortable just being.
They arrived just after 1530 hours. The town was very small and the car show wasn’t what they expected - just a handful of enthusiasts brought their late models to show off to the surrounding locals. Most of the members were more intrigued with Gibbs’ Charger though it was not entered in any of their contests.
They sat together at a picnic bench away from most of the people, sipping water and taking in the sights. “Sorry, Tony. I thought this would be more than it turned out to be.”
Tony looked at Gibbs startled. “Wait - did you just apologize? Repeat that again, please.” He pulled out his phone and hit ‘record’. “September 21st, 2013 - Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo with Special Agent in Charge, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Special Agent Gibbs, please repeat your last sentence.” The request was met with a completely expected headslap. Laughing out loud, Tony pressed stop on any recording and made to put his phone away. The smile on Gibbs’ face was brilliant and if he snapped a picture before the phone was pocketed, he was sure a jury of his peers would stand with him if he were to be brought up on charges.
“We still have three hours to kill before the movie. We could make our way back home or stay. What do you want to do?” Gibbs asked.
“It’s kinda nice here. Relaxing. Let’s check out the local hotels and if they are decent, would you mind staying the night? We don’t have to of course…”
Gibbs was going to let Tony take the reins and he shrugged. “No, that sounds good. Might as well check it out.”
They found a Holiday Inn Express just off of I-81 that had two king rooms available and with their government discount were only $89 a piece. Considering this was their peak fall season, they booked the rooms immediately. As was habit, they got two keys per room and exchanged them on the elevator ride up so they each had a key to the other’s room. “Meet in the lobby at 1900 to get back for the movie, Boss?”
“Sure. Unless you want to go earlier. There are some historic places in Winchester that might be interesting.”
“OK - give me 30 minutes to clean up and settle. Just come in when you are ready.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
“What? I don’t want to be in a car with you for two hours smelling like…I was in a car with you for two hours…Oh never mind!”
Gibbs smirked and opened his hotel room door. “30 minutes.” and with that, he disappeared inside.
He threw the privacy bar once inside and tossed his bag on the table. DiNozzo was going to test him tonight, he was sure of it. Whether the man would do it purposefully or not was an entirely different scenario but Gibbs knew he had to figure it out quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
Giving a courtesy knock, Gibbs used his key and entered Tony’s room. Tony leaned out from the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, toothbrush in hand. “Hey Gibbs”, he said around a mouthful of toothpaste. “Have a seat. Give me a second.”
Gibbs nodded and sat as directed but soon noticed the mirrored closet doors were angled so they captured everything that happened at the sink area in the bathroom. He watched as Tony finished brushing his teeth and wiped his face. “Running a little behind. Guess I got caught up in the view. It’s gorgeous!”
Tony whipped off his towel and stepped into his jeans sans underwear. “Mmm, hmm. Yes it is.” Gibbs agreed, not looking out the window.
Snagging his Ohio State tee from the bed, he pulled it over his head and grabbed his keys and wallet.
“Ready?”
He didn’t know how long social manners demanded he wait before calling Gibbs and admitting his “date” wasn’t going to happen but he was beside himself with anticipation. He was almost sure there wasn’t a statue for a scenario like this though he didn’t want to seem too anxious at the same time. If he called too soon, Gibbs might think he was fabricating a story (though he was), and he didn’t want to wait too long in case the other man had made plans. It was nauseating, frustrating, and completely exciting.
He waited another 30 minutes and then made the call.
“Hey Gibbs. You still up for that car show you mentioned earlier?”
“Yeah, well, something came up. She said something about a girlfriend breaking up with her boyfriend - I don’t know. At any rate, she is headed for Virginia Beach right now. But I understand if you have other pla..”
“Gotta it, Boss. OK. Yeah - 1300 hours is fine.”
Tony stared at the end call screen and grinned as he shook his head. Gibbs never had had any phone etiquette. It was going to be a long three hours.
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
He couldn’t believe he was spending more than a minute deciding what to wear. He hadn’t done that since he had made his mind to court his last wife and seriously wanted to make an effort to win her over. After Diane, he had casual hook ups, but before he could ascertain whether they were marriage material, the relationship dissipated. Now Gibbs stood in front of his closet with a blank stare not knowing what was appropriate and what wasn’t. It was just a car show for God’s sake, it shouldn’t be difficult. But it was and even though he wouldn’t admit it under extreme torture, it was because the person he was courting was always on top of the fashion grid - had the right shirt, tie, shoes, belt. He couldn’t compete and he was on the verge of calling a halt to the outing when he realized he was putting more into it than necessary. He was the fall back guy - Tony’s date didn’t work out and he was just a means to fill time. He didn’t know why he had gotten himself so worked up; his feelings were one sided - just because he had that dream...
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
For whatever reason, Tony felt he should knock on the door and so he did.
“It’s open”, Gibbs called out, making his way down the stairs.
Tony opened the door as Gibbs made his way to the stairway landing. Tony’s sharp intake of breath didn’t go unnoticed; a small smile crept on Gibbs’ face. “You clean up nice, Boss.” Tony grinned. Gibbs finally chose a plain white button down shirt, rolling the sleeves up to his elbows and dark blue jeans.
“Not so bad yourself, DiNozzo.” Gibbs said while he took in the emerald green pin striped dress shirt and boot cut jeans. The leather jacket was hooked by a finger, slung on his back, sunglasses tucked into the V of shirt. “You ready?”
“Yeah, Boss. Are you?”
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
They stopped at a roadside diner for lunch that proclaimed the best pulled pork north of the Carolinas and were not disappointed. The conversation was easy and the moments of silence were compatible. Though Tony liked to talk, he rarely felt the need when he was with Gibbs. He had nothing to cover with chatter - Gibbs knew him, he was comfortable just being.
They arrived just after 1530 hours. The town was very small and the car show wasn’t what they expected - just a handful of enthusiasts brought their late models to show off to the surrounding locals. Most of the members were more intrigued with Gibbs’ Charger though it was not entered in any of their contests.
They sat together at a picnic bench away from most of the people, sipping water and taking in the sights. “Sorry, Tony. I thought this would be more than it turned out to be.”
Tony looked at Gibbs startled. “Wait - did you just apologize? Repeat that again, please.” He pulled out his phone and hit ‘record’. “September 21st, 2013 - Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo with Special Agent in Charge, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Special Agent Gibbs, please repeat your last sentence.” The request was met with a completely expected headslap. Laughing out loud, Tony pressed stop on any recording and made to put his phone away. The smile on Gibbs’ face was brilliant and if he snapped a picture before the phone was pocketed, he was sure a jury of his peers would stand with him if he were to be brought up on charges.
“We still have three hours to kill before the movie. We could make our way back home or stay. What do you want to do?” Gibbs asked.
“It’s kinda nice here. Relaxing. Let’s check out the local hotels and if they are decent, would you mind staying the night? We don’t have to of course…”
Gibbs was going to let Tony take the reins and he shrugged. “No, that sounds good. Might as well check it out.”
They found a Holiday Inn Express just off of I-81 that had two king rooms available and with their government discount were only $89 a piece. Considering this was their peak fall season, they booked the rooms immediately. As was habit, they got two keys per room and exchanged them on the elevator ride up so they each had a key to the other’s room. “Meet in the lobby at 1900 to get back for the movie, Boss?”
“Sure. Unless you want to go earlier. There are some historic places in Winchester that might be interesting.”
“OK - give me 30 minutes to clean up and settle. Just come in when you are ready.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
“What? I don’t want to be in a car with you for two hours smelling like…I was in a car with you for two hours…Oh never mind!”
Gibbs smirked and opened his hotel room door. “30 minutes.” and with that, he disappeared inside.
He threw the privacy bar once inside and tossed his bag on the table. DiNozzo was going to test him tonight, he was sure of it. Whether the man would do it purposefully or not was an entirely different scenario but Gibbs knew he had to figure it out quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~
Giving a courtesy knock, Gibbs used his key and entered Tony’s room. Tony leaned out from the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, toothbrush in hand. “Hey Gibbs”, he said around a mouthful of toothpaste. “Have a seat. Give me a second.”
Gibbs nodded and sat as directed but soon noticed the mirrored closet doors were angled so they captured everything that happened at the sink area in the bathroom. He watched as Tony finished brushing his teeth and wiped his face. “Running a little behind. Guess I got caught up in the view. It’s gorgeous!”
Tony whipped off his towel and stepped into his jeans sans underwear. “Mmm, hmm. Yes it is.” Gibbs agreed, not looking out the window.
Snagging his Ohio State tee from the bed, he pulled it over his head and grabbed his keys and wallet.
“Ready?”