TITLE: Aftershocks
E-MAIL: eli @ popullus.net
RATING: R
POSTED: June 16, 2004
SUMMARY: They didn't die.
NOTES: This was written for Celli -- 85 characters at a time, which is why it looks like this -- while trying to distract her from a local American Legion baseball game. It...sort of got away from me. Takes place after 1.10.
DISCLAIMER: Read

---

The door *was* unlocked; the front one, not the one that led directly to Gibbs' boat.

Shedding the blanket on the floor, his shoes in the hall, Tony limped to the shower.

When steam instantly rose from the tap, fogging the mirror's edges, he almost wept.

Bless the plumbers, the welders, the...makers of central, even-Gibbs-loves-it heat.

Tony didn't bother with the door. The rest of his clothes were soon a stinky pile.

(The temptation to step under the water, clothes and all, wouldn't've been worth it.

A stray shoe wasn't a problem, but puddles? Tony shuddered. Never doing that again.)

The sting of the water, needles of heat driving through muscle and skin, was heaven.

He knew how close he'd come to something else flying through him...all of them.

Water dripping into his eyes, he examined the sliver of soap in the dish. Well, crap.

A glance at his watch (Navy was good for several things). Five more minutes. Maybe.

He shrugged and snagged the shampoo. Rinse, lather, repeat, repeat, repeat. Oh yeah.

Lather, though, got in your ears. So the curtain ripping open was a surprise.

Gibbs didn't yell. His eyes were tired-dark, deep lines growing deeper as he grinned.

He didn't talk, either, just started to strip, laughing when Tony demanded more soap.

The water was only the beginning, Tony knew. Cleansers could only clean so much.

His eyes closed, a sigh escaping when Gibbs' hands slid down, rubbing out tension.

Bracing his hands the on tile, Tony arched back into the pressure and Gibbs' lips.

The burn of Gibbs' breath was greater than the water, searing into Tony's shoulder.

He gasped, heard Kate's name emerge, felt the brush of Gibbs' nose as his head shook.

It was hard to worry through the buzz in every limb, so the non-answer was a relief.

Not that he doubted Gibbs would be elsewhere if Kate really needed a hand to hold.

But, y'know, that was not- Oh! Gibbs' chuckle sent a stronger buzz down Tony's spine.

His hands slipped as his knees buckled, and he clawed at the hard and slick tile.

A harsh sound, and Gibbs' hand wrapped around Tony's arm and he was pulled around.

Tony blinked at the stark *need* on Gibbs' face, the almost-hard eyes locked on his.

The hand ran up his arm, squeezing briefly on his neck before diving into his hair.

It clenched there, holding them close, so close, oh god, not hard, Gibbs' eyes were-

A spark. Tony was pulled forward into the spray, no chance for a last gasp for air.

As it was, he barely got his eyes shut against the sudsy water that washed over them.

Gibbs' mouth was firm on his, helping, but still, give a guy a chance to breathe.

Another hand, a yank, a tug, and their bodies came together, skin on oh so hot skin.

Yes. Tony swayed forward and lost all the air he had left when their dicks collided.

Jesus. The water was still flowing, running everywhere, chasing shivers through him.

Gibbs angled their heads and Tony almost drowned, except it wasn't the water because-

Oh. Opening. Where'd all his words go? There, into Gibbs' mouth where air, life was.

Tony's hands were sliding against hard muscle now -- up, down, everywhere reachable.

A groan rumbled through them. Tony didn't think it came from him. He moaned. Nope.

Those sounds, that vibration, the sharpsweet friction as they rocked closer, tighter.

Suddenly, air. Water rushed in after and Tony breathed it before choking, clutching.

But then- His name. *Tony*. Echoing against everything, including him. That did it.

His lungs filled and his body burst under the pressure, shattered pieces of color.

They were on the floor. No, tubs didn't have floors. They had...bottoms. Okay.

His name again, a hand on his chest. He worked up a smile before he opened his eyes.

Better? The half-smile he got in return said, Yeah, better.

Even so, no more getting blown up, they agreed.

##

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