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Christmases hadn’t lost their meaning to Tony after his mother died. It was more like a beloved friend or relative who had a life somewhere else, making other people happy. Tony was patient. And he was certain that one day the happiness and joy of his earliest Christmases would return to him one day.
It was the same when Wendy left him standing at the altar. He didn’t stop believing in love, marriage, or relationships, but he wasn’t sure it was for him. Not right now. Maybe after a few years passed, he’d be able to trust another human being again.
Then, one day, something changed in his heart. No matter how hard he tried to push and shove his feelings away. He couldn’t outrun them; there was no escape.
He and Danny were out on a case. They approached two suspects. As Tony was the more athletic one of his team, he immediately sized up Joey Peanuts and the unknown suspect in seconds, and yelled to Danny that he’d chased down the taller man, leaving Joey Peanuts for his partner to apprehend.
In college, Tony had been involved in several sports, and he still kept up his fitness by jogging and visiting the gym. He ran sprints on a regular basis to ensure he could overtake any suspect he was chasing down.
Tony caught up to his suspect in an empty, weedy lot and took him down hard. The perp landed a good punch to Tony’s jaw, but Tony had straddled the guy and pulled his weapon.
That’s when he saw it: Those eyes, searing blue with an intensity Tony had never seen before. He gulped hard and couldn’t help but notice that his cock was very interested. The perp noticed too and smirked at him. Tony half-expected the guy to make him an offer, but the suspect remained quietly smirking up at him. Tony holstered his weapon and put cuffs on the man, hauled him to his feet, and marched him back to the vehicle where Danny was waiting, having cuffed Joey Peanuts, and sitting him on the curb.
Tony wasn’t sure whether he was happy or horrified when learning the man he had tackled was an NCIS agent working undercover. One, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, confirmed by NCIS as one of their agents working undercover. Tony removed the cuffs, and the trio was ordered to work together. But it didn’t really feel like three equal partners. It seemed that Gibbs was running the show and giving Tony and Danny their assignments. Tony didn’t like it, but it worked. And somehow, Gibbs had gotten hold of the evidence, and NCIS was able to run it immediately. Baltimore PD would have been waiting weeks.
When Gibbs made Tony a job offer, he didn’t have to think about it much. He respected the man and knew he could learn a lot from him. Tony had also found out that Danny was a dirty cop and didn’t want to be caught up in that mess. Instead, he accepted a job with NCIS.
Gibbs showed him around NCIS headquarters and dropped him off at Human Resources. Then Gibbs fast-tracked Tony’s application and said he could start as soon as he wanted. When Tony pointed out he didn’t have an apartment in DC, Gibbs told him to put his stuff in storage, and he could stay in his house until Tony found a place.
They learned a lot about each other before Tony found his own place. Tony learned that Gibbs was building a boat in his basement and liked to drink bourbon. Gibbs was set in his ways. He stayed up late, but woke up early and started his day by reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.
Tony learned he couldn’t outdrink Gibbs in bourbon or coffee, and had made a fool of himself trying. He could never seem to stay up later than Gibbs or wake up earlier. Did the man ever sleep? Tony wasn’t sure. He did manage to clog the upstairs toilet to the point he couldn’t fix it and had to tell Gibbs. And he broke a cabinet door in the kitchen, but then he realized that the front door lock was broken and had been for years, so he didn’t even have a key. He wasn’t sure Gibbs had a key either. But it was okay, there were retired military neighbors who kept an eye on the house. Nothing ever seemed to go missing.
Eventually, Tony found his own place. There had been a grisly triple-homicide in an apartment. Tony flashed his badge to go see the place. The building manager let him in and shook his head, saying he didn’t know how they’d ever rent the place, having to disclose a triple homicide. Tony asked to contact the owner and made an offer. Instead of renting, he’d buy the place. It would be his problem, not theirs. They wouldn’t even have to fix or clean anything. Tony would accept it as is.
Once the sale went through, Gibbs came over looking super-sexy, wearing a crisp white T-shirt, worn jeans, and a toolbelt. Tony had a tough time focusing on anything other than the way Gibbs would pull out his tape measure, stick a pencil behind his ear, or the cute little way the tip of his tongue would poke out while he was concentrating on detail work. But Gibbs was his boss, and it would be inappropriate to throw him onto the floor and kiss him hard.
They worked well together. Tony learned a lot from Gibbs and was able to keep up. They could depend on each other in every aspect of the job. It was a good partnership.
~~~***~~~
Of course, Tony still thought Gibbs was hot as hell and was sometimes distracted, lost in thoughts of the pair being naked together, kissing, and more. Gibbs found a way to get Tony’s attention by lightly smacking the back of his head. It was a wakeup call, and Tony did his best to push his horny thoughts into the background until later.
But then there was what Tony later deemed BlizzardStake. He and Gibbs were on stakeout duty when a blizzard rolled in right around Christmas time. They had minimal supplies, and the relief team couldn’t get to them. Tony and Gibbs were snowed in. They made a quick dash to a neighborhood store before it closed and stocked up on groceries, especially coffee. No one wanted to tangle with an uncaffeinated Gibbs.
Gibbs had brought along a deck of cards, so they played cards for hours each day. Their suspect was snowed in, too, so they didn’t really need to try to watch every minute of the day. They alternated checking on the suspect, playing cards, and eating. Neither of them had plans for Christmas, so there was nobody they had to notify that they were stuck on a case.
Then the furnace broke down, and the heat went out. They couldn't order the part until the next day. The only furniture in the apartment was folding chairs and tables. The only blanket they had was the one from the emergency kit in the sedan, which Gibbs had thought to bring upstairs. And that was it. There was soap, but only a couple of hand towels. They tested the water, and apparently, the water heater was still functioning properly, so they took turns taking warm showers. Tony jokingly used his small hand towel to cover his cock as he dripped dry. Gibbs did the same, but showered, then sat in one of the chairs reading a newspaper he’d picked up.
They redressed once they were dry. Tony ate out of boredom, but Gibbs warned him they needed to make the food last, just in case the blizzard conditions lasted for days.
Finally, they couldn’t stay awake anymore. It was cold, and they were tired. There was only the one emergency blanket and their clothing available to keep them warm. The situation wasn’t ideal. And Tony preferred to sleep in the nude.
“We could use body heat,” he suggested. “All the survival experts say pressing bare skin together will help both people stay warmer by sharing heat, than if they keep apart.”
“That true?” Gibbs asked.
“Yeah.”
Somehow, that convinced his boss to get under the blanket with him naked. They were both cold, so they pressed together for warmth, and one thing led to another. Their lips met, hearts began to beat faster, cocks hardened. They didn’t discuss it, but soon they were kissing, and hands were roaming.
Over the next few days, if either of them was feeling cold, the other one would offer to warm him up. And the offer was always accepted. It was the most enjoyable stakeout Tony had been on in his life. And for years afterward, he’d find moments here and there where he could mention BlizzardStake, and Gibbs would smile. No one else got the joke, and neither Tony nor Gibbs would explain it to anyone. That was something special that belonged to them.
~~~***~~~
First Anniversary
They still never discussed their relationship, but Tony considered them together as an established couple since BlizzardStake. After that, he spent more time at Gibbs’ house, bonding over boatbuilding, bourbon drinking, and sharing steak dinners Gibbs prepared over an open flame in his fireplace.
Tony considered Christmas to be their anniversary, and he always made sure to suggest they spend Christmas Day together, often Christmas Eve, too. There was nothing better to Tony than bringing up the first time they’d slept together, naked, on the floor, using only that emergency blanket. They both laughed at the thought.
And they started a new anniversary tradition. No matter what they did on Christmas Day, it always ended with them naked, and on a thick blanket in front of a roaring fire. It once again became Tony’s favorite time of the year.
Tony had learned a lot about traditions from his mother, so for that first anniversary Christmas, he looked up and saw that the first-year gift should be paper. He thought for a long time and wound up buying Gibbs a large book with blank pages.
Gibbs appeared confused when he opened it. “It’s blank. What am I supposed to do with this?”
Tony snuggled up close beside him and flipped through the blank pages. “You fill them out. You can write on them, or maybe use it as a scrapbook. Save things like birthday cards and concert ticket stubs. It will be the story of our lives together.”
Gibbs had chuckled and tossed the book aside, moving on to the next gift. Tony never saw what Gibbs had done with that book, if he’d stashed it away in a forgotten corner, or possibly tossed it in the fire. But it didn’t matter. It was the gift that counted, and Tony thought it was a good gift for paper.
~~~***~~~
Second Anniversary
For their second anniversary, Tony found that the traditional gift was cotton. Tony bought Gibbs the finest cotton sheets, one set of flannel for winter, and a silky-soft set for summer.
Gibbs laughed merrily again, but agreed to use them.
“No tossing them in the fire,” Tony warned. “That’s not using them, Gibbs. I’m serious!” He’d added the last bit because Gibbs kept chuckling.
~~~***~~~
Third Anniversary
The third year was leather. Tony bought Gibbs a six-hundred-dollar pair of cowboy boots. They looked sharp, sexy, and were made to last.
While Gibbs didn’t wear them every day, he did wear them often and complimented Tony on the fine choice. Tony was satisfied that the gift would be treasured for years.
~~~***~~~
Fourth Anniversary
The traditional fourth anniversary gift was fruit or flowers. Tony scratched his head. Because Gibbs wasn’t really much for fruit or flowers. Tony thought about possible gifts for a while.
On Christmas Day, Tony had a basket of fruit delivered. It was expensive considering what was in it, but he’d hoped it was better quality fruits than what he could buy at the local grocery store. Along with the fruit, Tony also had a large bouquet delivered to use as a centerpiece for the table. It was beautiful and colorful. Gibbs’ eyes sparkled as he laughed about it, but he did set it on the table and cared for the flowers until they began dying.
But Tony did more than that. He’d wrapped a small gift box that contained six packets of flower seeds, one for each year they’d been together, plus the two years they’d known each other prior to that fateful night.
Gibbs even managed to remember to plant the flower seeds in the spring without Tony reminding him.
Gibbs prepared a special section of his garden near the patio and made certain that Tony knew exactly which flowers were from the packets he’d wrapped up for Christmas.
When they sat out on the back patio in nicer weather, they watched the plants sprout and later blossom. They always referred to them as The Christmas Flowers.
~~~***~~~
Fifth Anniversary
The fifth year was wood. And Gibbs was a wood guy. Tony thought this would be easy, but it wasn’t. He wound up at the lumber yard and said his boss built boats in his basement, and had built a whole cabin in the woods himself. What could the guy suggest as a good ‘wood’ gift for his boss? What kind of wood and how much?
The guy thought about it for a minute, then suggested maple or cherry wood. Saying either one would be great for making furniture or something decorative. Tony looked at both woods carefully. In the end, he purchased a few planks of cherry because they had a prettier grain pattern and a deeper color. He couldn’t afford a lot of it, but maybe Gibbs could find a small project he could create with them.
At least Gibbs didn’t laugh at this gift. Tony had put the lumber in the storage building in the back of the house and had covered it with a tarp, hoping Gibbs wouldn’t find it before Christmas. Then he’d put a note under the tree that the gift was too big to bring inside, and it was out in the shed.
Gibbs ran his hand down the top board and looked at it in admiration of its beauty. “This is nice. Look at that grain!”
Tony wondered if Gibbs got hard thinking of wood. This time, Tony was the one chuckling, but he stopped when Gibbs turned and glared at him. As soon as Tony quieted down, Gibbs went back to inspecting the boards.
“The guy at the lumber yard helped pick out the boards. I told him it was for you.”
“Which guy?”
“Randy.”
“He knows his stuff,” Gibbs admitted.
“And your tastes.”
In all honesty, Tony never paid attention to what happened to the cherry wood. He never saw what Gibbs did with it. But a few years later, Tony noticed the boards had disappeared from the shed. He looked around the basement, but never found them. And he wondered, had Gibbs used them to flavor their steaks cooked in the fireplace?
No, that couldn’t be it. It was really beautiful wood. Gibbs surely would not have burned it. Perhaps he made a gift for someone else?
~~~***~~~
Sixth Anniversary
The traditional gift for the sixth year was iron, or candy. Gibbs wasn’t much of a chocolate guy. Tony tried to think of what gifts he could find in iron.
He finally decided on a fine set of cast-iron cookware. Gibbs smiled when he opened it and commented on the fine craftsmanship. Best of all, he knew he could cook in the fireplace using cast-iron.
“These are great,” he’d said.
Tony smiled with pride, watching Gibbs get busy seasoning the pans on Christmas Day. It was definitely a better gift than even the largest box of chocolates.
~~~***~~~
Seventh Anniversary
The seventh anniversary was copper or wool. Tony was leaning toward trying to find something copper, maybe a weathervane for the cabin. He’d found an Amish-made copper weathervane that was of very good quality. It featured a sailboat. Then, just days before Christmas, a new store opened that featured high-end wool. Tony wanted to take a look even though he didn't expect to find much there that would be a suitable gift for Gibbs.
While Tony was out shopping, he found plenty of things he could buy in wool. While Gibbs wasn’t one for mittens, he could surely use a good scarf. Tony was amazed that the wool wasn’t as itchy as some. The salesperson explained that their collection of fine alpaca and llama wool was especially created not to cause itching, similar to cashmere. Tony was sold on it.
He didn’t stop with the scarf. He wound up buying two large throws that they could use for their traditional lovemaking in front of the fireplace.
When Tony explained that was what the throws were for, Gibbs suggested there really wasn’t any reason to wait to try them out.
~~~***~~~
Eighth Anniversary
The eighth anniversary was bronze. Tony had to think about this one. Gibbs wasn’t big on knick-knacks or décor, but he did enjoy westerns and liked horses.
Tony hit several stores that offered artwork and small statues. When he saw a specific set, he thought it was perfect. It was made with large, solid bases so the statues worked as décor, but could also be used as bookends. One featured a mustang running free. The other was a cowboy galloping on his horse. They were a nice set that Tony thought Gibbs would love.
And he did. They were given honored spots up on the mantel. Even though Gibbs didn’t often mention the pair, Tony would catch him sitting on the sofa with his coffee and staring at the bronze statues now and then.
~~~***~~~
Ninth Anniversary
For the ninth anniversary, Tony saw that the traditional gift was pottery. At first, he was stuck. While the bronze horse and cowboy statues were a hit, he knew he couldn’t fill Gibbs’ house with random knick-knack stuff. That would never go over well.
But Tony decided that he wanted to stick with the plan of giving traditional anniversary gifts. Even if Gibbs didn’t seem to make the connection, Tony knew. And he felt his mom would be proud of him for both being in a relationship for so long, but also keeping up with tradition. It was as much for the memory of his mother as for him or Gibbs.
Tony spent some time seeking out pottery shops in the area. The first shop he went to had just what he needed: something Gibbs would use without a doubt. There were gorgeous sets of coffee mugs. Tony chose a set that had beautiful, swirling blue designs that reminded him of the ocean. It seemed fitting for a man who enjoyed building boats. Tony bought a set of six mugs and smiled as the lady carefully wrapped and boxed them.
On Christmas Day, Gibbs opened the box and grinned with delight. The mugs were heavy, solid, and felt good in his hands. They were the perfect size and shape to hold a large quantity of coffee, and the bottoms were slightly curved, fitting his palm perfectly.
Gibbs nodded his approval, then took one of the mugs into the kitchen where he handwashed and dried it, before filling it with coffee.
~~~***~~~
Tenth Anniversary
For the tenth anniversary, Tony saw that tin or aluminum was the traditional gift. His first thought was cans of beer, but Gibbs preferred bottles. He may consider the cans to be an insult, as he hadn’t appeared to catch on to the fact that Tony was painstakingly choosing traditional anniversary gifts for him all these years. No, he wouldn’t get the meaning behind the cans, so that was off the table.
As Tony was shopping, he searched for things made of tin. And then he found a really nicely made coffee mug rack. It didn’t look cheap; it was solid, ornate, and it held six cups. Tony decided to buy two of them, along with a decorative sign that read Coffee, which was intended to be displayed above the racks.
Tony also returned to the place he’d purchased the mugs the year before. Gibbs really loved those mugs, although it was a long shot that they’d have a similar set available a year later. But it wouldn’t hurt to check.
Tony found a similar swirly design in the same style, but it was in shades of browns. No matter, they were still nice, and the shapes were a perfect match. Gibbs could use the blue ones, and Tony could use the brown ones, or vice versa. He’d never again reach for his hot chocolate only to choke on Gibbs’ strong black coffee. The more he thought about it, brown seemed to be quite suitable for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
At first, Tony was satisfied, but then it hit him. They’d been together for ten years. Not only as partners, but as lovers. Gibbs was everything to him. While the mugs and racks were nice, they didn’t seem all that special. Especially since Tony had given him the blue set just the year before.
Tony did some more checking and found that while tin or aluminum were traditional gifts, the modern tenth anniversary gift was diamonds, with a suggestion of diamond anniversary rings.
Tony set out searching through jewelry stores for stunning men’s rings that featured a diamond. Gibbs wouldn’t wear anything too flashy, but if Tony could find a fairly simple design, Gibbs would wear it, at least on special occasions. It would be expensive, but Tony wanted to ensure he was expressing his love for Gibbs and his appreciation for their ten years together.
Christmas Day came around, and Gibbs opened the mug racks with the Coffee sign and the new set of six mugs. He immediately went to find his hammer, stating that he knew the perfect spot. He chose a place on the dining room wall, nailed up the racks and the decorative sign, then stood back to admire his work, still holding the hammer.
Then he insisted they take a break from opening gifts while he washed the new brown mugs and proudly hung them on one of the new racks. He also brought out the blue mugs he’d received the year before and hung those as well.
Gibbs smiled as he stood in the dining room. “They look perfect.”
Tony stood beside him. “They stick out a little. It would be better if we got a little table or something to put underneath them. I’m afraid someone might walk too close to the wall and bang into them. I don't want anyone accidentally knocking the mugs off the hooks.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Having a little cabinet right there, underneath them, would be perfect,” Gibbs agreed.
Tony was wearing a sweater, Gibbs’ ring in a box in his pocket. He fingered it, but wanted it to be the final gift of the day. One by one, they opened gifts from the team and other friends.
As the stack of gifts dwindled and disappeared, Tony noticed he hadn’t opened a gift from Gibbs yet, and he couldn’t see anything else stuck in the tree or below it. Did he miss Gibbs’ gift? No, he was sure he always read the tags before opening the gifts. Should he mention it? Certainly, Gibbs would not have forgotten to get him something. It wasn’t possible.
They were sitting together on the sofa, Gibbs sipping coffee from a blue mug while Tony was sipping hot chocolate from the brown one. The fire was crackling in the fireplace as they enjoyed a few moments in silence.
Then Tony turned to Gibbs and could tell from the glint in his lover’s eyes that the gift hadn’t been forgotten. What was Gibbs up to?
“Is there another gift?” Tony asked. “I know I didn’t open anything from you yet, and I know you wouldn’t have forgotten me.”
Gibbs smiled and set his coffee mug down. “I have to go get it.”
“Go get it? Where the heck is it?”
“It was too big to fit under the tree. Close your eyes. I’ll tell you when you can open them.”
“Close my eyes? Why?” Tony asked.
“Because it’s too big to wrap and I don’t want you to see me carry it in. Now, if you want your gift, you’re going to have to play nice and close your eyes. And keep them closed,” Gibbs warned.
Tony sighed, but grudgingly acquiesced. “Fine.”
He was surprised when Gibbs went out the kitchen door, then returned a few minutes later. There were sounds of Gibbs setting something heavy down nearby, maybe in the dining room, and shifting it into place. Then silence. Tony imagined Gibbs was making sure the gift was in the perfect spot. But what could it be?
Finally, Gibbs returned to the sofa. “Keep your eyes closed,” he warned again as he took Tony’s hand and led him a few steps, then pointed him in a specific direction. “Okay, you can open them!”
In front of him, Tony saw a very elegant wooden cabinet with a drawer at the top and a storage area at the bottom. It fit perfectly beneath the new mug racks and now looked like an intentional little coffee/beverage center. Tony imagined they could store tea, hot chocolate, stirring spoons, and maybe even some extra mugs.
“It’s beautiful,” Tony gushed as he admired it. Reaching out, he ran his hand along the smooth top. “What kind of wood is this?”
“Cherry. I made it from the cherry planks you gave me five years ago.”
Tony smiled. “Oh! I wondered what happened to those.”
“I wanted to make you something special for our tenth anniversary—”
“You didn’t forget!” Tony exclaimed excitedly as he wrapped Gibbs in an embrace.
“Of course not,” said Gibbs as he leaned forward and opened the drawer. There was something in it that Gibbs removed and placed into Tony’s hands. It was the scrapbook Tony had given to Gibbs for their first anniversary.
“I wondered what you did with this.”
“Let’s go sit on the couch,” Gibbs suggested. While Tony carried the scrapbook to the coffee table, Gibbs refilled their beverages, then sat beside him. “Go ahead, open it.”
Tony flipped through the first pages. They were filled with photos, Gibbs' handwritten thoughts, and a few other things, like ticket stubs from concerts, movies, and sports events they’d attended together. There were stubs from boarding passes for trips they’d taken together. And other things, such as coasters or cocktail napkins from bars. There were leaves from their walks and hikes, along with small drawings Gibbs had made.
As Tony kept flipping through the scrapbook, he saw that Gibbs had dried and pressed some of the flowers from that first bouquet Tony had delivered for their fourth anniversary. Gibbs had saved enough of the floral arrangement that he placed them to look like the bouquet on the page, and had drawn the vase beneath them. Each year after that one, Gibbs had saved flowers from their garden; the flowers that were planted from the seeds Tony had given him. Those flowers were also dried and pressed.
Tony perused through the entire scrapbook that was a testament to their love over ten years. The boots he’d given Gibbs for their third anniversary were in their place near the front door. The cast iron cookware from their sixth anniversary was all ready to cook their Christmas steak dinner. The soft wool throws Tony had given to Gibbs for their seventh anniversary were already placed on the floor in front of the fireplace, ready to cuddle up and make love on later in the evening. The bronze horse and cowboy statues from their eighth anniversary were in their places on the mantle. The mugs from the previous year were hung neatly on this year’s gifted racks, except for the ones in use for coffee and hot chocolate.
“Thank you for making our tenth anniversary so wonderful,” Tony said as he hugged Gibbs and gave him a long, sensual kiss.
“There’s one more thing,” said Gibbs, as he reached into his pocket.
Tony smiled and reached for the ring box in his pocket. “Me, too. One more thing.”
They couldn’t help but laugh when they realized they’d each bought a diamond ring for the other. They didn’t match exactly, but they were each perfect in their own way.
They each slipped on their new rings and expressed their love and gratitude for having the other man in their life.
~The End~
12/25/2025
© 2025 by Jacie