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There were days that Jethro Gibbs questioned his choices. It never occurred to him that he would ever date another man, but here he was, playing the jealous boyfriend standing outside of Tony DiNozzo’s apartment. And not only was Tony his boyfriend, but they also worked together at NCIS where he was the lead agent and Tony was his second in command.
Because they worked together, Gibbs was well aware of everything Tony did for work and Tony also kept him apprised of scheduled appointments. He'd had a key to Tony’s apartment for years. And likewise, Tony had a key to his house, although Gibbs rarely bothered to lock the door. The keys were for emergencies, not for jealous fits of anger and he knew that.
The whole issue tonight was that Tony wouldn’t see him and wouldn’t tell him why. And Gibbs found that unreasonable. He was certain that either his status as a boss or boyfriend entitled him to know what Tony was up to at any point of any given day. But he also knew his hesitation was because… even Tony deserved a modicum of privacy.
And that’s what brought Gibbs to Tony’s door, standing there alone and uncertain of what he should do next. He lingered next to the door longer than he should have. Two neighbors had already walked by him in the hallway.
At times, he could hear Tony moving around and muttering to himself. There were sounds of the table being set. However, Gibbs had been unable to discern whether anyone else was in the apartment. Could Tony’s father be visiting? Or did Tony find a woman he couldn’t resist asking out? Why was he being so secretive about what he was up to tonight?
Finally, Gibbs knocked on the door.
Tony answered with the chain still engaged. “Gibbs? What are you doing here? Did we catch a case?” he asked as he checked his cell phone.
“No. But I’d like to come in and talk to you.”
Pulling back, Tony scanned over his apartment behind him, then returned his attention to Gibbs. “It’s really not a good time.”
“Tony, take the damn chain off. You know I can kick it open in two seconds.”
With a heavy sigh, Tony dislodged the chain and stepped back.
Sniffing the air, Gibbs asked, “Dinner?”
“Yeah,” Tony admitted. “It is that time of the day.”
“Good. I know you always make extra for leftovers, so I will be happy to join you.” Before Tony could stop him, Gibbs walked briskly through the apartment to the dining room and stared at a table set for two. “You said you weren’t expecting me. Who is the other place setting for?”
It was clear he’d interrupted dinner, as there was food on both plates already. It was a simple meal of skinless chicken breasts, mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans. It was odd that one plate contained much larger servings than the other. There were flowers on the table, and a wrapped gift. Gibbs turned to Tony, who scrubbed his hand across his chin.
“It’s not what you think,” said Tony as he went into the kitchen and brought back another plate, which he set on the table for Gibbs.
“Where is your guest? I don’t believe you set out two plates for yourself.” Gibbs pressed.
Tony placed a bottle of beer down in front of Gibbs, who suddenly noticed that whoever Tony’s guest was didn’t seem to have a beverage at their place. No beer, no wine, nothing. There was only one glass of wine on the table, and it was set next to Tony’s plate.
“Tony? Are you seeing somebody else?”
“What? No. NO! I’m committed to what we have. That’s not what this is,” he replied, motioning to the table. “It’s more of a friendship thing.”
Gibbs was becoming surly. “There’s obviously someone else here. Who? Is it Fornell?”
This time Tony laughed. “No, it’s not… not a person. I assure you that we are the only two people currently in my apartment.”
“Then why the extra plate? What’s up with the romantic dinner setting?”
Returning to the table, he admitted, “This is an anniversary of sorts. I was afraid you would think it was stupid, so I didn’t tell you.”
“You can tell me anything. I can handle it.”
“Aragorn!” Tony called loudly. “Come on out buddy, dinner time.”
Almost instantaneously a sleek brown tabby appeared and jumped onto one of the chairs. He glanced at Gibbs, then focused on Tony.
“Gibbs, this is Aragorn. Aragorn, this is Gibbs.”
Gibbs pointed toward the feline. “That’s a cat.”
“Yes, he is. He’s my cat.”
“Since when do you have a cat?”
“Since a year ago when he followed me home from a run. I’d seen him in the park several times, then started bringing him treats. When he followed me home, I took him to the vet and they scanned him. He wasn’t chipped and they said he was healthy. It was starting to get cold out and I didn’t want to kick him to the curb, especially so close to the holidays.”
“So you let him stay.”
“I did let him stay. He still goes out to the park with me, but if we get separated, he returns to the building and waits for me at the door. I named him Aragorn because he’s such a great adventurer.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” asked Gibbs.
Tony nodded to the table, so they sat down and joined Aragorn in eating. Nothing was said when the cat put his two front paws on the table in order to gain better access to his plate. Tony explained that was okay, but the cat wasn’t allowed to be fully on the table. “Hind paws aren’t supposed to be on the table ever. I kept him a secret because I didn’t think I was going to let him stay. But then, I didn’t want to give him away, and he was so well-behaved. It felt like we had a special bond, so I decided to keep him.”
“But by then you’d had him a while and people would ask why you hadn’t mentioned him before,” Gibbs said.
“Yes, he’s the perfect apartment roommate for me. One of the neighbor’s daughters will keep him at their place if I’m going to be gone a while. It works. He’s happy, I’m happy.”
Lifting his beer bottle, Gibbs faced the cat and said, “Happy anniversary to you both.”
Tony took a drink of his wine and smiled at Aragorn, then faced Gibbs. “Thanks, Gibbs, we appreciate that.”
As they returned to the meal, Gibbs asked, “Does he eat at the table often?”
“Sure. He’s good company. Most days he’s even chattier than you. Isn’t that right, buddy?”
Aragorn paused his meal for a moment, to respond, “Meow!”
“I’ll translate for you, Gibbs,” Tony teased. “He said, ‘yes’.”
“Just one more question. What’s in the box?” asked Gibbs.
With a broad smile, Tony said, “My little dude seems to be addicted to catnip mice.”
Gibbs chuckled and said, “I’m sure he can stop any time.”
“Now that you know about him, is it okay if I bring him over to your house and out to the cabin?”
“Sure. And he may even find a real mouse to play with at some point, so he can earn his keep.”
Stretching as far across the table as he could while keeping his hind legs on the chair, Aragorn managed to snag the small gift and brought it closer. He began purring loudly and rubbed his cheek against the box.
Tony walked around the table, opened the box, and tossed the toy into the living room. “Enjoy!”
~~~END~~~
12/26/2024
© 2024 by Jacie