Fic: Two Masters - 10/22

[xanthefic]

Two Masters
By Xanthe
Part Ten

Tony sat in the corner of the bar, nursing his glass of coke. He liked this place. It was a dirty, seedy dive, but it was the kind of place where nobody would try to pick you up, talk to you, or start a fight with you. Nobody made eye contact. Nobody asked you any questions. Nobody was even friendly. You just got left alone to sit and think - and sitting and thinking was precisely what he was doing right now. He'd gone to his apartment after leaving Gibbs's house initially, but there were too many distractions there – his jazz CDs, his massive DVD collection - and his right hand and newly free and available cock.

Okay, so he *could* jerk off, and Gibbs wouldn't know - hell, right now it was none of Gibbs's business – but he didn't want to. He felt like he'd entered into some kind of agreement with Gibbs, and until he had given the man his definitive answer he wasn't going to break his side of the bargain. He wasn't sure why that was important – he just knew that it was.

He stared into his coke blankly, trying to figure out what to do. He'd deliberately steered clear of alcohol – that wouldn't help. He might as well be back at his apartment watching a movie if he wanted to practise avoidance. He didn't. He just wanted to be sure that he'd given this his best shot. He had to be clear on what he wanted, and why, and why this wouldn't work. Gibbs deserved that. The guy had been completely honest about what *he* wanted from the minute he first stepped into Murray's Bar last Saturday night. Tony was the one who was struggling with it.

Someone slid into the booth opposite him, and he looked up, annoyed at the intrusion.

"Hey," Mulder said, in his usual monotone.

"How the hell did you know where to find me?" Tony demanded.

"I spent years searching for my sister. I tracked down countless monsters, aliens, super-soldiers, and conspiracies in the process. You, my friend, were child's play by comparison. I barely had to try," Mulder shrugged.

"Did Walter send you?" Tony asked. "Is Gibbs okay?" he added anxiously. “Did something happen to him?”

"Not as far as I know. And no, Walter didn't send me. I just thought it was time that you and I had a little talk."

"Well, I don't want to talk," Tony snapped, glaring at him. “I just want to sit here and have a quiet drink.”

Mulder glanced at his glass, and then, ignoring Tony’s protest, picked it up and took a sip. "Coke?” he grinned, putting the glass back down. “You really are living dangerously tonight, Tony."

"I'm trying to think. Trying to figure out what to do."

"Nah. You're not. Not really. You already know what you want to do – you're just too scared to do it, so you're trying to find reasons not to."

"What the hell would you know about it?"

"I know." Mulder sat back in his seat and surveyed Tony with that strangely disconcerting gaze of his.

"You ever find them?" Tony asked.

Mulder frowned. "Who?"

"The monsters? The aliens? You ever find any of those?"

Mulder laughed. "Hey, Tony – it's me, Mulder! That misdirection shit might work on other people - hell, it might even work on Gibbs for all I know - but it won't work on me."

Tony stared at him. He'd never met anyone like Mulder. Nobody ever called him on the tricks he played the way Mulder did. Gibbs sometimes recognised them and slapped his head to snap him out of it, but even he rarely called him on them in such a direct way.

"First week of my slavery was the hardest," Mulder told him, in a casual tone. "I kept trying to play Walter, and he wouldn't be played. I remember one time I packed my stuff and sat waiting for him to come home so I could tell him I was leaving."

"Really? Why?" Tony found himself sucked into the story despite himself. He took a sip of his coke.

"Why was I leaving?" Mulder frowned. "Y'know, I can't remember. I think it was something to do with Wanda leaving dirty paw prints on the clean laundry."

"What?" Tony spluttered out his mouthful of coke.

Mulder laughed and spread his hands in a gesture of amusement. "I know. I was an idiot back then."

"Why did you decide to stay?"

"Maybe I wasn't a *complete* idiot," Mulder grinned. Then he leaned forward and gazed at Tony earnestly across the table. "Want to know what my life's motto was back then, Tony?"

"Not really, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway."

Mulder inclined his head. "I mentioned it to you once before - my motto was 'Trust No-one', and I really didn't. I didn't trust a damn person, not even my best friend, Dana. But, thing is, I had another motto too, and those two mottos were kind of mutually exclusive and just kept on colliding. I can tell that you're just dying to know what the other one was."

"Oh yeah. Killing myself here waiting for it," Tony muttered into his coke.

"It was 'I Want to Believe'. And I did. I wanted to believe in someone. Never had, my entire life. Never really believed that anyone would be there for me and catch me when I fell. I didn't trust Walter in those early days, but I so wanted to. I wanted to believe in him."

"You think this is what I'm going through with Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"Is it?" Mulder quirked up an eyebrow.

"No. It's like I said to you on Saturday in that playroom of yours - I'm just in this for the kinky sex. I thought that's what this was all about – but it's not. It's about other stuff – stuff that I'm not good at. It's about love, and commitment, and all that shit, and I don't honestly know that I can give him that."

"Don't lie to yourself, Tony." Mulder's gaze was intense, and it was freaking him out.

"I'm not…" he began.

"Bullshit. You are. When Walter picked you up in that bar on Friday night, you were wasted. You'd stolen a dead guy's ID to get in there, and you couldn't stop babbling to Walter about Gibbs and what you wanted to be to him. You're in love with him, Tony, and you've been in love with him for years. So don't tell me you're not any good at love. You're a fucking marathon runner where love is concerned – you can do it tirelessly, for years on end, without any hint of respite, and without ever once demanding anything in return."

"That's different," Tony said with a shrug. "That's easy."

"No, it damn well isn't," Mulder riposted. "Loving someone with that degree of constancy and devotion is hard. I'm shit at it. Walter had to pretty much teach me how to do it. When Walter enslaved me, I just viewed him as someone I could manipulate into giving me what I wanted – it took me a long time to learn how to really love him, the way he deserves. That's not how it is for you with Gibbs."

"How the hell do you know?"

"I know." Mulder leaned back, an infuriatingly smug look on his face. “I understand you, Tony.”

"Look, I'm not you," Tony pointed out bluntly. "Your issues aren't mine, Mulder."

"True." Mulder nodded. "Let me lay yours out for you then, Tony. You've been in love with this guy for years, and now you finally have a chance with him it's scaring you shitless. Not because you're not good at love, or commitment, or any of that crap – but because the closer you get to him the harder it'll be for you to hide from him. You are terrified that at some point you'll screw up, and he'll see who you really are, and then he'll reject you. And you don't think you can handle him rejecting you. In fact, you already know you can't by the way you reacted when he stopped slapping your head. You'd rather keep yourself safe than risk that happening."

Tony drank down the remains of the coke, slowly, hiding behind the glass. When he finished, he had composed himself enough to paint on his best and most deflective smile.

"Thanks, Mulder. Appreciate the pep-talk."

Mulder laughed out loud again. "The happy, shiny Tony face doesn't work with me, either, Tony."

Tony's grin faded, and he stopped pretending altogether. He leaned forward. "Don't try and fuck with my head, Mulder. I don't like it, and I might not be so polite if you don't shut the fuck up."

"Ah. Okay." Mulder leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. "At least that's honest."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's late, and tonight's a school night." Tony got up to leave.

"What did you do, Tony?" Mulder asked.

"What?" Tony stiffened.

"What did you do that's so bad you think you can't ever be forgiven? Is it really that bad, or do you just think it is?"

Tony felt as if someone had taken an axe to his legs and chopped them out from under him. He sat back down again with a thud.

"I’m not talking to you about it," he hissed.

"And I'm not the one who needs to know. Why don't you tell Gibbs – let him judge how bad it is?"

"I can't."

"But you don't think you can hide it, either. Not in a close relationship – not in the kind of relationship you're headed for if you don't pull back before it's too late."

Tony gazed blankly at the empty glass on the table in front of him.

"You've been in love with the guy for eight years - can't you trust him enough to know he won't reject you? I mean, whatever you might have once done, he knows you. He knows the person you are now, Tony."

"He knows as much as I want him to know." Tony gave a shaky kind of laugh.

"Ah. I get it. I don't think it’s about him not forgiving you." Mulder leaned forward again. "I think it's about you not being able to forgive yourself."

Tony shook his head, continuing to gaze resolutely at the glass on the table. "You don't know. I can't. I just can't."

"Look, I know all about guilt. When my sister was taken…"

"You didn't do that! You didn't take her!" Tony said, in a heated tone. Then he glanced around with a grimace as some of the other people in the bar turned to look at him. "You didn't do anything," Tony said, in a quieter voice. "You just felt guilty because you couldn't stop it happening – but you didn't actually DO it. You didn't cause it to happen, Mulder."

Mulder sat back, nodding thoughtfully. "Okay. I understand. In the playroom, you said there was something you wanted to be punished for, and I said it didn't work that way. Did you find that out this week, Tony? Did you find the things Gibbs did to you were good, in a way you hadn't expected? Even when they hurt, you got turned on, didn’t you? Maybe it didn't feel enough like punishment – maybe it felt too good for that, huh?"

Tony looked up sharply, wishing this man sitting in front of him wasn't so damn perceptive.

"Yes, it felt good," he agreed. "Hell, I loved every single second of it – even when it was painful, or just damn difficult. He knew just how to play me, Mulder. It felt so *right*. Didn't feel like punishment at all."

"Did you ask him for that? Did you ask him for punishment?"

"Yeah. He refused," Tony shrugged. "Said it was his choice, not mine, and he's right. If I'm his sub, then he's right." He gazed at Mulder for a few seconds and then couldn't help himself. He had to ask. "Did Walter give you a safe word when you and he first got together, Mulder?"

Mulder looked slightly surprised by the question. "No." He shook his head.

Tony felt a surge of anger. "Gibbs did. Why did he do that, Mulder? Why does he think I need some kind of get out of jail free card? Does he think I can't take it? Does he think I can't handle being his sub?"

"Hey – you have to remember that Walter and I were both experienced players when we first hooked up," Mulder explained. "Hell, Walter was the most famous dom in the entire city. He knew what he was doing, and he'd done his research on me. But he had good reason not to give me a safe word. He knew that if he did, I'd have used it to try and manipulate him, to gain power over him, to use him the way I'd used all the other tops I'd played with – to mould him into what I wanted him to be and then move on when I'd used him up. That's what I did back then. I was kind of a shit."

Tony had a feeling that if Walter was here he'd dispute that, but then he also had a feeling that Mulder was pretty hard on himself.

"You're a newbie, Tony – and Gibbs hasn't played in a long time. He's just trying to make sure he gets it right. That doesn't mean he's giving you a get out of jail free card, or whatever weird way you're looking at it. He just doesn't want to hurt you."

"Well, I don't want it." Tony stared at his empty glass moodily.

"Because you want it to feel real? Edgy? Because you want to know that you have no control over any of it?" Mulder queried. "Or because you want him to go too far and really hurt you – so that you can get that punishment you want so much?"

"I don't know. I just know I don't want it."

"Walter did give me a safe word once," Mulder mused. Tony looked up again. "I'd forgotten – but once, when we were playing around with a rape fantasy – he gave me one then. We were role-playing, so it was different to usual, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to judge my reactions as accurately because of that. He was just being a responsible top – the way Gibbs is. Gibbs is a good man. You should trust him."

Ah, there it was, the 't' word again. Tony ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know what to do, Mulder," he admitted. "He's been very clear about what he wants - he wants a 24/7 sub – and he's shown me a taste of what it'll be like, so I can decide if that's what I want to be to him. I have until the end of tomorrow to decide - but I don't know what the hell to do."

"Sure you do." Mulder grinned at him. Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're overcomplicating things here, Tony. He's only asked you to be sure about what you want – he hasn't asked you to be perfect, or not to have made mistakes in the past. He hasn't even asked you not to make any mistakes going forward because you will – because we all do, because we're human. All he's asking you, right now, is this: Do you want to be his 24/7 sub? Do you, Tony? Do you want to be his? Do you want to belong to him?"

Yes. Oh God yes.

Tony gazed at Mulder helplessly. Could it really be that simple?

"Don't think about tomorrow, or next week, or about him finding out whatever it is you're hiding, Tony. Don't think about what you think you deserve, or what you think Gibbs deserves. Do what you want to do – in here." Mulder reached across the table and patted Tony's chest, above his heart. "Think 'I Want to Believe' instead of 'Trust No-One'." He gave a self-deprecating little grin. "It sure as hell worked for me!"

He stood up and looked down on Tony.

"I've gotta get home. I can't tell you what your decision should be, Tony. I'll just say this - if you don't do this, you'll always wonder what might have been – and I think you'll kick yourself for the rest of your life."

"Great. You've been no help at all," Tony told him sourly. Mulder shot him a broad grin.

"You mean I didn't say the things you wanted to hear? That if this is too big and scary then you shouldn't do it? That if you have any doubts it's best to stick to what's safe?" He gave a wry little laugh. "Hell, that's not me, Tony. When I want something, I go for it. That's what I did with Walter, and I've never regretted it for even a second. You never know how long it'll be around, or when it'll get taken away from you – so you gotta grab it while it's there and enjoy it while you can. And if, one day, it all goes wrong – well, at least you'll know you gave it your best shot."

He patted Tony on the shoulder, and then he turned and left the bar. Tony gazed after him. He made it sound so damn easy, but it wasn’t.

With a sigh, he went back over to the bar and ordered another coke.

~*~

Gibbs woke the next morning with a pounding headache and a tongue that felt like it was covered in a thick layer of fur. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand: 6 a.m. No matter what time he went to bed, his internal body clock always woke him around 6. He sat up, remembered the events of last night – hazily – and groaned.

There was no sign of Walter, but then he assumed his old gunny had let himself out after putting him to bed. He went to relieve his aching bladder, glanced at himself in the mirror, and winced. He looked like shit. There were dark shadows under his eyes that reminded him of those terrible months after Shannon and Kelly had been killed. This didn't compare to that, but he was surprised that anything could make him feel even halfway as bad again.

Gibbs was a Marine through and through, and he knew there was nothing to be done but suck it up and get on with life, the way he'd done so often before. He took a shower, shaved, scrubbed his mouth with a toothbrush for several minutes until it felt clean again, and then got dressed and went to work.

He grabbed two coffees on the way in, drank one of them before he hit his desk and then started in on the other immediately. By the time he was through his second cup he felt halfway human again. Not that his subordinates would have known that, as he stomped around the squad room handing out assignments and glaring at anyone who came within spitting distance of his desk.

When Tony arrived, twenty minutes late, Gibbs shot him a baleful glare.

"Keeping officers' hours now, DiNozzo?" he growled.

"Sorry, Boss…I didn't realise the time," Tony replied with an apologetic shrug.

“Late night last night?” Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

Tony winced. “Kind of. Yeah.”

Gibbs continued glaring at him. Tony looked tired, but he didn't look as if he'd spent the night getting drunk under a boat. Gibbs wasn't sure what he'd expected; Tony had always been glib and extremely adept at hiding whatever he might be thinking or feeling. Gibbs was the opposite – he might not talk about what he was feeling, but if he was in a bad mood he damn well let it show.

"Maybe a time management class will help you. There's one starting in five minutes in the conference room – if ya think you can get there on time."

"Uh…I'm not down to take that class, Boss!" Tony protested.

“You are now.”

"I mean…I thought…it's just that usually you fix it so that none of us have to take them."

"Well, I didn't think any of you needed ‘em before, but clearly I was wrong," Gibbs snapped.

"Yeah, but you usually say that they're a complete waste of time. And then you kind of chuckle to yourself because it's a joke – you know, time management, waste of time? Yeah, we never think it’s that funny, either. Uh, but you always say that the guy running them is a complete idiot, and you'd like to time how long it takes him to find his ass and pull his own head out from it."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and treated Tony to his full death glare.

"Time Management class - on it, Boss," Tony sighed, disappearing in the direction of the conference room.

Gibbs turned back to his work, but he couldn't help the little grin that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Tony might never be his sub, but he would always be the smart ass who made him smile. Partly, it was his complete disregard of the trouble he was in – and his willingness to just keep on digging a hole until he was up to his neck in it.

He got a call a couple of hours later – the medical tests they'd had done a few days before had come back clean. Gibbs put the phone down with an ironic little smile. So, the good news was that he could fuck Tony without having to use a condom. The bad news was that he wasn't going to get the chance to fuck Tony at all, so it didn't damn well matter.

Tony returned in the early afternoon, looking like he'd spent several hours being horribly tortured. "Please don't ever do that to me again, Boss," he said as he took his seat.

"Get here on time, and I won't have to," Gibbs retorted.

"It was a living hell."

"No – it wasn't, but I promise you that I can make your life just that if you don't get on with some work. You've already wasted half the day."

"*I* wasted it? You sent me in there!" Tony protested.

"And now you're behind – so catch up," Gibbs told him firmly, getting up to go to Vance's office for a meeting.

He could feel Tony glaring after him, but Gibbs had no intention of allowing his emotions to interfere with his job. He wasn't punishing Tony for their conversation the previous evening. He would have had the same exchange of words with Tony if this had happened any other day – but he had to admit that he was glad that he hadn't had to sit opposite Tony all morning. Feeling as he did right now, that really would have been a kind of torture.

Gibbs left the meeting an hour later and paused at the top of the stairs, looking down on Tony working at his desk below. He wondered if Tony would seek him out to confirm the decision they both knew he’d already made, or whether they'd just avoid the issue, like the crap-at-communicating men they both were. He suspected the latter. Neither of them would ever mention it again. Perhaps that was for the best. They’d tried it, and it hadn’t worked. There wasn’t really anything else to say.

Gibbs returned to his desk and spent the rest of the afternoon working in silence. His team, sensing his mood, all did the same. Every so often, Gibbs glanced over at Tony, but Tony looked exactly the same as usual. There was no sign that today meant anything to him, and Gibbs didn’t catch him shooting any glances in his direction.

Gibbs went into another meeting early in the evening, and it was late by the time he returned – to find that all his team had left for the day. He stood beside Tony’s desk, gazing at it broodingly for a moment. So that was it. Tony had made his decision. Fair enough. He could handle that. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen it coming.

Gibbs finished up his paperwork and only when there was nothing else that could conceivably occupy his time, did he finally give up for the night and go home.

The house was in darkness when he got in, and he headed for the stairs to get changed into sweats and go work on the boat for a few hours. He was determined to at least not get drunk this evening. Maybe he’d call Walter and arrange to meet him for a few beers tomorrow night, but not tonight. Tonight he wanted to lick his wounds alone and in silence, the way he always did. He was still a lone wolf at heart. That never changed.

He was halfway up the stairs when he saw the light flickering under the door in the living room. He frowned and walked slowly back down again, wondering what the hell it was. It was too dim to be the overhead light. The flickering made him wonder if the place was on fire, but he couldn’t smell burning.

He put his hand on the living room door, opened it cautiously, and then stood there, with his mouth half open. It took a hell of a lot to shock Leroy Jethro Gibbs into speechlessness, but the tableau in front of him did just that.

The room was lit with dozens of candles, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. His gaze was drawn immediately to the naked man kneeling in the middle of the room, his oiled skin glistening in the candlelight. In front of him, on one of the cushions from the couch, was the collar Gibbs had recently bought.

Tony looked up, straight at him. “The answer’s yes,” he said.

~*~

Tony held his breath as Gibbs walked towards him. He'd jerked the guy around enough over the past few days, and he wasn't entirely sure that Gibbs would forgive him for that.

Gibbs stopped in front of him, looking down on him, his expression unreadable.

"One question," he said. Tony tensed, waiting for it. "What the hell are all the candles for?"

Tony grinned, relaxing immediately. "It's a big, dramatic, romantic gesture, Gibbs – entirely in keeping with the importance of the moment."

Now it was Gibbs's turn to grin. "And the being naked and oiled thing?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Just making sure I got your attention. You should get used to that if I'm gonna be your sub."

"Aw hell, Tony, you definitely have my attention right now." Gibbs's sharp-eyed gaze raked over his body, turning Tony on. That gaze lingered on Tony's now semi-erect cock. "You shaved?"

"Yeah. Good? Or not?"

Gibbs's tongue darted out and licked his lower lip as he surveyed Tony's smooth, hairless genitals. Tony's cock hardened even more. Gibbs looked like he was anticipating a good meal.

"It'll do," Gibbs grunted, which Tony guessed was as much of a sign of approval as he was going to get.

Tony shifted back so that his ass was almost resting on the soles of his feet. He picked up the cushion, with the collar resting on top, and held it up for Gibbs.

"Collar me," he said softly. "Please."

Gibbs removed the collar from the cushion, and Tony let the cushion drop to the floor and knelt forward eagerly. Gibbs caressed the collar thoughtfully as he gazed down on Tony.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

Tony's heart skipped a beat. "Yes. I know I've screwed up – a lot - these past few days, but that's because I was having trouble figuring this out. I want this, Gibbs. I want this so much. You have to believe that."

Gibbs continued to gaze at him, the collar hanging from his fingers.

"Look, I can't promise you that I'll get it right, or even that I'll be any good at it," Tony continued desperately. "I can't tell you I won't screw up going forward. I can only tell you that I want this – you – more than anything I've ever wanted."

He tried to pour every single ounce of sincerity into his words, needing Gibbs to see just how much he meant it.

Gibbs reached out, wrapped his hand loosely around Tony's neck, and stroked his thumb over the oiled skin.

"The minute I put this collar on you, everything changes. You'll become mine then, Tony – completely mine. I won't hold back, the way I've been doing all week. You ready for that? You think you can handle that?"

"Yes." Tony nodded. "Hell, I've been handling you and your hard-wired dominance issues for years. This'll just be the payoff."

Gibbs quirked up an eyebrow. Tony grinned. "I've been your unrewarded sub all this time, Gibbs, with no hot sex to offset the constant demands. Now I get to experience the good stuff."

Gibbs smiled, still stroking his thumb rhythmically over Tony's neck. "If you have any doubts, then you should say so now."

"No doubts," Tony said firmly.

Gibbs gazed at him, his blue eyes boring holes into Tony's soul. Then, finally, he seemed convinced of Tony's sincerity, and he removed his hand from Tony's throat and began opening up the collar. Tony reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Gibbs looked down at him, a question in his eyes.

"No doubts – none at all - about being your 24/7 sub. Plenty of other doubts – or fears, or whatever - about a lot of other shit," Tony said quietly.

Gibbs nodded slowly. "Understood. We'll figure it out, Tony. Together. Now - you ready?"

Tony swallowed hard. "Ready."

Gibbs opened up the collar and reached out towards him, and then Tony felt the soft lining of the collar against his neck. Gibbs flipped the leather tongue through the buckle and spent a moment figuring out the right place to fasten it so that it wasn't too tight or too loose. Finally, he pulled the leather collar shut around Tony's neck and buckled it.

Tony knelt there, wondering why this felt like such a huge deal. The collar was warm and snug, loose enough to be comfortable but tight enough to make its presence constantly felt – he knew he'd never forget it was there. It felt right - as if it belonged there.

Gibbs took a half-step back and gazed down on him again. Tony was surprised by the depth of emotion he saw in his dom's eyes.

"Christ, Tony…that looks so damn good on you," he said in a hoarse tone of voice.

He swept forwards, took Tony's head between his hands, raised his face upwards – and then leaned down and kissed him on the mouth.

If their first kiss in this room, several days ago, had been a statement of intent, then this was Gibbs sealing the deal. His lips were hungry and urgent as he devoured Tony's mouth with his own. He was forceful and passionate, but also tightly controlled, every inch the dom kissing his collared sub for the first time.

Tony tried to stay upright, tried to respond and stay in the kiss, but Gibbs didn’t seem satisfied with that. He wasn't requesting Tony's surrender – he was demanding it. Tony struggled, trying to maintain some semblance of independence and control, but Gibbs fought him for it. Gibbs plundered his mouth ruthlessly with his tongue, making him his own. Then, finally, Tony realised what was going on, what Gibbs was asking of him, and he gave in with a tiny, breathless moan. Gibbs pressed home his advantage, continuing to kiss him until Tony's body relaxed, and Tony stopped thinking and became what he knew he wanted to be: Gibbs's willing sub.

Gibbs kissed him for a little longer, and only when he seemed sure that Tony had submitted to him did he release him. Tony gazed up at him, shocked by how decisively Gibbs had dominated him with just one kiss.

Gibbs gave a tight little grin, and then he leaned forward and spoke directly into Tony's ear, in barely more than a growl.

"Upstairs, boy. First I'm gonna show you what true submission is, and then I'm gonna fuck you so hard you'll see stars."

He helped a still dazed Tony to his feet, and then he glanced around the candlelit room with a devious little grin on his face.

"These were a great idea, Tony," he said, grabbing one of the candles from a shelf. "I know the perfect thing to do with it."

Tony wasn't sure that he liked the sound of that. He watched as Gibbs blew out all the other candles except the one he was holding. Then Gibbs returned to his side, fastened a firm hand around his wrist, and pulled him out of the room and up the stairs. Tony’s heart was racing, and he was acutely aware of the collar around his neck and the hungry press of Gibbs's body beside him. Gibbs had always been a dangerous man, but right now Tony felt like he was in the presence of a deadly predator – and he was the prey.

Gibbs pulled him into the bedroom, pushed him against the wall, and kissed him again. His clothes were rough against Tony's naked skin, and Tony felt his cock start to harden once more as Gibbs held his arms by his sides and kissed him without mercy. Tony didn't struggle this time. He just surrendered and allowed Gibbs to claim him with another dizzying kiss.

Gibbs drew away, leaving Tony hanging there, moaning softly to himself. Gibbs put the candle down on the nightstand, grabbed a bag from his closet, and then turned back to Tony.

"Hands," he said. Tony blinked, confused. "Hands," Gibbs repeated in an irritated tone, holding up a leather cuff.

Tony breathed in sharply and quickly held out both his hands. Gibbs fastened a black leather cuff to each of his wrists and then knelt down and repeated the exercise with his ankles. Tony wondered just what the hell was going to happen to him next. Gibbs seemed to read his thoughts.

"Ssh." He took hold of Tony's face between his hands again and forced Tony to look at him.

"Ummm…" Tony hung there anxiously.

"Ssh," Gibbs said again. "You’re wearing my collar now." He said it in a fierce tone of pride. "What's your safe word?" he demanded.

"Magnum."

"Use it if you need to."

Tony nodded, still feeling dazed.

"Bed." Gibbs nodded his head in the direction of the bed. "On your back," he added.

Tony stumbled the few steps over there and collapsed onto it – which was a relief as he wasn't sure his legs would hold him up for much longer.

Gibbs pulled a few more items from his bag and put them on the nightstand. He returned to the bed and got on it, straddling Tony's body.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

"Gibbs!" Tony protested. "You said I could see. I want to see…" He moved his hands in the direction of Gibbs's belt, pulling on it, wanting to finally get a chance to see the big, pulsing cock he'd already had in his mouth several times.

"Later," Gibbs ordered brusquely. He grabbed Tony's wrists firmly in his hands and pushed them over Tony's head. "Is this obedience? Is it submission?" he demanded roughly.

"Sorry…I…"

"You're wearing my collar," Gibbs growled. "You're not a probie any more. You know what I want – I've spent all week teaching you. Tell me what you've learned."

"Uh…" Tony wished he could think clearly, but all he could think about was being naked and totally powerless in Gibbs's grasp. Gibbs had always been highly dominant, but now Tony was aware just how much he'd been reining it in.

"Uh…" Gibbs forced his wrists down into the pillows and leaned over him, forcing him to focus. "Right…uh…rule number one – always obey you. Rule number two – don’t lie to you. Rule number three - don’t keep you waiting. Rule number four - no attitude. Rule number five…" His voice broke. Gibbs was looking down at him like he was about to tear him open with just his teeth and swallow him whole.

"Rule number five…nobody can touch me except you," Tony said hoarsely. "Rule number six – no wheedling."

"And the cardinal rule?"

"The cardinal rule - I belong…I belong to you." He blinked, the realisation suddenly seeping into his consciousness and settling in his stomach, warm and comforting. "I belong to you," he repeated. "I belong – to you." He couldn't keep the note of wonder out of his voice.

"Remember them," Gibbs growled. "Now close your eyes."

Tony did so, immediately and without question this time. Gibbs could do whatever he liked to him. He belonged to Gibbs. Finally, he *belonged*.

He felt Gibbs fastening the blindfold over his eyes, taking him down into blackness. Then he felt Gibbs's hands on his wrists. He couldn't see what Gibbs was doing exactly, but he heard a clinking sound, felt a tugging sensation on the D ring of one of the cuffs, and then his left arm was immobilised above his head. He guessed it had been fastened to the iron bedpost with some kind of chain. The same thing happened to his right arm.

Next, Gibbs pulled Tony's legs so that they were wide apart, and then they too were tied fast. Now he was staked out, totally immobile. Tony tried tugging on his bonds, but Gibbs had been his usual efficient self and there was no chance of escape. Tony wasn't sure if he was scared or reassured by that.

"Submit," a voice whispered in his ear, and he jumped.

"Trying," he muttered feebly.

"You'll submit," Gibbs told him confidently. "I'm gonna take you right down, Tony, break you in, make you give everything up to me. And *then* I'm gonna fuck you. Remember - you can come when my cock is in your ass, but only then. So if you don't get off during that time, too late. Come before then, and I'll punish you - hard. Your body belongs to me now, and it'll do what I want when I want - and it only gets off when I give it permission. Understood?"

"Yes, Boss," Tony whimpered. His cock was now rock hard.

"What's your safe word?"

"Magnum."

"Good. Another time I'll gag you, but not tonight. Tonight I want you to focus on the fact your body belongs to me now, so I'm gonna remove another distraction.

Tony felt something being pulled over his head – and then everything went silent. He was aware of some kind of padded material against his ears, cutting out all sound.

His world was transformed. He couldn't see or hear anything, and his arms and legs were securely fastened so that he couldn't move, either.

He was naked, bound, blindfolded, and helpless - and entirely at Gibbs's mercy.

~*~

Gibbs took a step back and surveyed his sub. Christ, Tony looked so damn good like this. His oiled body was glistening in the candlelight, long limbs tied to all four corners of the bed. Gibbs took a moment to just enjoy the sight, drinking in the dappled golden brown tones of Tony's skin, and the thick covering of hair on his upper chest, narrowing down to a point leading to his groin…which was completely smooth. Tony's hard cock was standing up, stiff and ready, and his balls were pink and ripe beneath.

Gibbs took a couple of deep breaths. He longed to go down and take Tony's cock in his mouth, but that would have to wait. He wanted to take his time over this.

He undressed slowly, giving his sub plenty of time to get used to his newly helpless state. He wanted Tony to go into himself and really experience his own submission. He finished undressing and stood there, naked, his own cock as hard as Tony's. Then he went over to the nightstand and quietly arranged all the equipment he wanted to use. Finally, he turned back to Tony and surveyed him again.

God, it had been so long since he'd had a sub to play with like this – and he'd never had one tied up naked to his own bed. He'd never allowed it to happen before. Now he had his own collared submissive, willing and trussed up, waiting for him.

His gaze raked over the black leather collar around Tony's throat, and the sight turned him on so much he decided that before anything else he had to fuck Tony's mouth, just to relieve the tension. He was sure that he'd be able to come again later on this evening, while riding Tony's tight ass. He might not be a horny teenager any more, but he had no doubt at all that the presence of his newly collared sub in his bed would be enough to keep his libido ignited all night long. Besides, he needed to concentrate, and he didn't think he'd be able to while he was this hard and turned on.

He knelt on the bed, straddled his sub, and took Tony's face firmly in his hands. Tony jumped, like a startled animal, and Gibbs stroked his hair for a few seconds, gentling him. He wasn't surprised that Tony was jittery. This was all new to him, and he wasn't used to the sensory deprivation or the sense of helplessness that it created. He would take Tony slowly down, until his sub accepted that Gibbs was in charge now, and his own body was no longer within his control.

Gibbs raised Tony's head by placing several pillows under his neck and shoulders, and then he leaned over him, opened Tony's mouth with his thumb, and slid his hard cock between his sub's lips. Tony made a muffled little sound and tried to suck down, but Gibbs didn't want that tonight. He made it clear that he didn't expect Tony to serve him in any other way than by keeping his mouth open and taking what he was given.

Gibbs rocked his thighs back and forth, thrusting forcefully into Tony's mouth. It felt so warm and good around his cock, and the situation was so arousing that Gibbs was soon ready to come. He sank his hand into Tony's hair and thrust faster and harder, his balls pounding against Tony's chin, his cock hitting the back of Tony's throat, making him splutter occasionally.

Gibbs withdrew just before he came, and instead of spurting his come down Tony's throat, he deliberately ejaculated onto his sub's chin and chest instead. The thick, pearly liquid splashed onto Tony's naked body, making Gibbs grin. He'd already marked Tony's neck with his bites and his ass with his cane – now he had marked his body with his come. He'd leave it on his sub all evening – he was sure the lesson wouldn't be lost on Tony.

Tony was the territory he was marking.

~*~

Tony lay there, shocked, unable to move as his dom’s warm come cooled on his body. He had no doubt that the move was deliberate on Gibbs's part. It shouldn't be such a turn on, but it was, damn it!

Tony’s breathing was coming in fast, shallow pants, nervy and over-excited. He wasn’t sure where Gibbs was, and he started to panic, thinking that his top might have left the room. He pulled on the cuffs desperately, a handful of work cases coming to mind: a mechanic, tied to the bed by his girlfriend while she went to work on a prototype robotic jeep – and was murdered, never to return. The girl tied to the bed in a hotel room, found by the maid, her boyfriend killed in an accident. It had been her false accusation of rape that had caused Tony to end up at Bethesda with the pneumonic plague. He gave an involuntary cough as he remembered that and pulled frantically on the cuffs, his fears of abandonment spiralling out of control.

"Boss…you there? Boss!"

He felt a steady hand on his hair, stroking firmly. Then the wadding around his right ear was lifted.

“I will never leave you alone when you’re in bondage – understand?” Gibbs said, directly into his ear. Tony shivered, suddenly back in that hospital bed at Bethesda, his breath rasping in his aching lungs. Gibbs was saying something to him. Something important. Tony felt a sharp tap to his head, snapping him out of it. “Do you understand, Tony?” Gibbs repeated imperatively.

“Yes, Boss,” he replied, feeling a sense of peace settle into the pit of his belly, the way it had at Bethesda four years ago. Gibbs was here. He was fine. He was always fine when Gibbs was here. Gibbs wouldn’t leave him – not when he was in bondage.

“What’s your safe word?” Gibbs asked, his warm breath tickling Tony’s ear.

“Magnum.”

“And if you can’t speak?” Gibbs prompted.

“I knock my hand three times, Boss."

“Show me.”

Tony moved his wrist – the chains were tight but there was a little leeway. He could feel the wall behind him, and he knocked on it three times.

“Remember it.”

Tony nodded, trying to slow his anxious, aroused breathing.

“Ssh.” He felt a hand come to rest, flat, on his chest, over his heart. “Deep breaths. Slower, Tony…that’s it – listen to your own heartbeat…ssh…ssh…ssh…”

Gibbs was speaking in time to the rhythm of Tony’s thudding heart. Tony’s breathing slowed, and he started to feel calmer. He was Gibbs’s sub, tied to Gibbs’s bed – this was his wet dream, and he wanted to enjoy every single second of it. Gibbs’s hand remained there for a little while, until his anxiety waned.

“Good. Ready for more?” Gibbs asked.

“Yes, Boss,” Tony replied. “Please,” he added, trying to keep the pathetic begging tone out of his voice.

“Okay. You get distressed again then use your safe word – that’s what it’s for,” Gibbs told him firmly.

“Got it, Boss.”

A second later, the wadding was replaced over his ear and silence reigned once more.

Tony concentrated on his own heartbeat, the way Gibbs had just taught him. It was the only thing he could hear, and it filled his whole being.

Thud-thud-thud…what would happen next? Thud-thud-thud…where was Gibbs right now? In the room somewhere - he’d promised that – but where? Tony strained every nerve in his body trying to get a fix on his top, but he had no idea where he was. Gibbs could sneak up on him completely soundlessly even when he wasn’t blindfolded, handcuffed and deaf, so there was absolutely no chance that Tony would get a fix on him in this condition.

Tony took a deep breath and concentrated on his heartbeat again. Thud-thud-thud. He was lying here, naked, helpless and totally at Gibbs’s mercy - what was Gibbs going to do to him next?

Something warm fixed itself around his left nipple, and he cried out and almost jumped off the bed. Strong hands stroked his body, calming him, gentling him, and then he felt Gibbs’s lips sucking on his nipple again. It felt so good. Gibbs sucked and licked for awhile and then pulled his warm mouth away. Tony whimpered at the loss. A second later that mouth was sucking his other nipple, sending little tidal waves of arousal straight to Tony’s cock.

“Can’t come…can’t come…” he chanted out loud. He knew Gibbs was able to hear him, but he didn’t care.

Gibbs’s mouth trailed wetly down his body in the direction of his groin.

“Can’t come…can’t come…” Tony repeated, his voice rising in pitch as Gibbs made his way inexorably down towards his genitals. “Can’t…can’t…CAN’T!”

His dom's lips slid over his hard cock, making him scream.

“No…please…please…” Tony whimpered, pulling on his bonds helplessly. He wanted to push Gibbs away, wanted that tormenting mouth to leave his cock alone because he wasn’t sure he could hold on. It felt so good.

“Please, Gibbs…please,” he said hoarsely. “Please, please, please…”

Gibbs’s mouth expertly caressed his aroused flesh, and Tony realised, with a little spike of surprise, that he’d done this before.

Stan.

If anything was designed to distract him from his own orgasm, it was thoughts of his predecessor. Tony relaxed into the mattress. At least Stan was good for something.

He tried to just lie there and take it, but it was so hard. Gibbs was so good at this. Gibbs’s lips continued their evil work, sending Tony’s arousal soaring again, and Tony clenched his hands into fists.

“Bastard,” he hissed, as Gibbs swallowed him whole into his warm mouth. “Bastard, bastard, bastard…”

Gibbs drew back and lapped at the tip of Tony’s cock with his tongue. Tony wished he wasn’t blindfolded – the thought of actually *seeing* Gibbs giving him head was such an incredible turn on.

Then, thankfully, Gibbs’s mouth was gone. Tony lay there, shaking in the aftermath of his struggle not to come.

“Bastard!” he yelled again at the room. He had a suspicion that he could hear Gibbs laughing even through the wadding over his ears, but that might just have been his imagination.

A second later, something very hot landed on his belly.

“SHIT!” he screamed, shocked by the sudden spike of sensation.

He felt the candle wax drying on his skin and wriggled desperately, wondering where the next drop would fall. Where was Gibbs? If he could figure that out, then maybe he could turn his body to at least protect his most vulnerable areas…

Another droplet fell on his lower abdomen, and he gave a hoarse yell, twisting on the bed. Before he’d had a chance to recover, another fell on his thigh, and then another – this time on his chest.

“No…no, please no more…” he begged. “Please, please…”

He would have given anything for the torment to stop – and anything for it to continue. He was poised along the fault-line of his own opposing needs, each of them as strong as the other. He hated this – and he loved it.

He whimpered pathetically, feeling the sweat break out on his body as he fought his own internal battle. Gibbs seemed to sense his dilemma because he stepped up the pace, showing Tony no mercy. Then again, Tony was dimly aware that the last person you’d ever expect mercy from was Gibbs.

Now those droplets of wax rained down on him – they splattered onto his arms, his legs, and his torso, coming faster and faster, and then…one touched his hard cock, and then another, and another, and he was screaming in earnest now, bucking up off the bed as much as his bonds would allow.

He was panting and pleading, the sweat pouring off him in rivulets… Christ, how could anything hurt so bad and feel so damn good at the same time?

Time slowed, and Tony felt himself going deeper and deeper into his sub space. There was just him and Gibbs. He was Gibbs’s sub – his body was Gibbs’s plaything, and if this was how Gibbs wanted to play with him, then Tony had no choice but to accept.

The fiery torture suddenly stopped. A cool washcloth soothed his skin, wiping off the worst of the wax. He felt one of those firm hands smooth his hair back from his sweaty forehead, and the washcloth was wiped there too. He leaned into the caress, turning his face so that he could touch Gibbs’s hand with his lips and bestow a kiss on it.

Tony felt an overwhelming mix of emotions: gratitude, pleasure, fear, awe…they were all jumbled up together. He had never experienced anything so intense in his life.

He was being played by a master.

~*~

Gibbs looked down on his sub with a sense of astonishment. Stan had been a very satisfying sub to play with, and Jenny had been turbulent and exciting – but Tony - he was in a different league entirely. His body was so responsive, and his struggle to surrender so enticing. Playing with him for the past half hour had been exhilarating – but it was that little kiss on his hand that took it beyond playing and touched something deep inside Gibbs.

He left his hand there, and Tony kissed it again. It was such a beautifully submissive gesture.
Unable to help himself, he leaned in and touched his lips to Tony’s, kissing him gently. Tony opened his mouth eagerly, and Gibbs slid his tongue inside. Then he moved his hand, and, without warning, just when Tony was deeply into the kiss, Gibbs squeezed down – hard – on his right nipple. Tony yelled into the kiss, the way he’d done when Gibbs had made him wear his clamps. It felt so good to make him take it – to kiss him hard and pinch his nipple hard at the same time, swallowing his screams.

Gibbs made it count, kissing and pinching for a long time, releasing his hold momentarily only to squeeze down hard again a second later. Tony’s body trembled beneath him in a way that satisfied some deeply dominant instinct in Gibbs.

He drew back and looked down on his sub. Tony’s body was covered in a mixture of oil, sweat, wax, water and semen. His flanks were heaving, and his breath was coming in hard gasps. Gibbs had worked him hard, getting him used to the feel of his new shackles and the fact that he was now owned. He was breaking him in, slowly but surely, but they weren’t there yet.

He ran a finger down Tony’s hairy chest, enjoying the way Tony’s breathing hitched in anticipation as he inched down towards his groin. Tony’s cock had remained hard throughout – even when having hot wax dripped on it. Gibbs was impressed – and pleased that his techniques were working so well.

He liked the mixture of pleasure and pain; soft and hard; good cop and bad cop both wrapped up together in one package. The combination certainly seemed to work on Tony – always had, now that he thought about it.

He squeezed some lube into the palm of his hand and lay down on the bed beside his sub. Tony’s breathing hitched again as he felt the mattress give, and Gibbs soothed him with a kiss to the side of his face.

Then he palmed Tony's hard cock. Tony gave another of those little strangled shouts. Gibbs let him enjoy the pleasure of it for a few seconds, and then he dipped his head and took Tony’s nearest nipple between his teeth and pulled back hard. Tony yelled and thrashed around on the bed while Gibbs worked his cock relentlessly in his hand, tormenting Tony’s nipple at the same time. He bit down harder, making it really count, while giving Tony the best hand job of his life. His sub was now quivering all over with the combination of pleasure and pain, his reactions open and honest. This, at least, was the real Tony – the part of himself that he couldn’t hide, even if he wanted to.

Gibbs continued biting down, listening to Tony whimper, and then he released the tortured nub of flesh and licked it gently instead, warming, soothing and arousing. Tony moaned, his body loosening as the torture ended – and at that point Gibbs moved his hand off his sub’s cock, took hold of his balls, and pulled down hard.

Tony screamed again, his body almost leaving the bed before his bonds yanked him back down. Gibbs kept up the two sensations – the gentle, erotic sucking on Tony’s engorged nipples, combined with the harsh squeezing and tugging on his balls. He continued until he was sure that Tony understood that he couldn’t have one sensation without the other. The pleasure and the pain went together – and Gibbs was the one who got to hand them both out. All Tony had to do was accept.

They were so nearly there now – Tony was so close to true surrender that Gibbs could taste it. Tony was standing on the edge, and Gibbs just needed to tip him over into total submission.

He wouldn’t do that by more sexual torture – Tony had endured enough of that for one evening. No, he’d stand by the paddock fence and lure him over with a carrot instead.

Gibbs unclipped the chains attached to Tony's cuffs, freeing his hands and legs. Then he removed the ear muffs, but not the blindfold.

“Onto your stomach,” he ordered. Tony moved immediately, rolling over onto his belly. “Lift your hips.”

Gibbs pushed a couple of pillows under Tony’s groin. Then he parted Tony’s legs – wide – exposing his asshole. Gibbs sat down on the bed, lubricated his finger, and then put a hand on Tony’s buttocks. Tony was quivering again in anticipation.

Not yet, Gibbs thought to himself. Nearly – but not yet. He slid his finger into Tony’s hole. It was tighter than it had been, but he suspected that was nerves. He stroked his free hand over Tony’s ripe, taut, buttocks. The skin was a pale golden colour, and he could just about make out the faded lines from Tony’s encounter with the cane. Gibbs stroked him gently, stretching his hole with his fingers.

Just when he felt that Tony was starting to bliss out from the sensation, he moved forward, and, without warning, he sank his teeth into Tony’s ass cheek.

Tony clenched the sheets in his hands, whimpering beneath the bite. Gibbs continued to work his fingers into Tony’s hole while he bit down hard on his butt. Then, finally, he drew back and surveyed his handiwork.

“Very nice.” He stroked his fingers over the red indentation. “My marks look good on you, Tony. Now – are you ready for me?”

Tony nodded blearily; Gibbs could see that he was deeply in his sub space.

“Who do you belong to?” Gibbs demanded, one hand continuing to caress the bite mark, the other still buried deep inside Tony’s ass.

“You, Boss,” Tony replied immediately.

“Good. I want you to lie there and think about this hole…” Gibbs wiggled his fingers inside it. “And the fact that it’s mine. When I think you’re ready, I’m gonna fuck you hard. Think you can take me?”

“Yes, Boss. Please,” Tony said, in a voice barely more than a whimper.

“Just lie there and think about the fact that you’re my sub, and your body belongs to me,” Gibbs said, in a low growl. “Think about this hole…” he moved his fingers again. “And about how I’m gonna use it the way it should be used, because it belongs to me now. Understood?”

“Yes, Boss. Yours. Got it.”

“Good.” Gibbs removed his fingers and got up. He was so close. So incredibly close. He felt the blood in his body thrumming with satisfaction. He was deeply in his dominant headspace, and here, lying naked and wanton on his bed, was his sub. His 24/7 sub. The man he’d wanted for eight years and was now, finally, on the verge of making his own, once and for all. His cock got hard again just from thinking about it.

Tony looked magnificent in the dappled candlelight. His legs were stretched out, his ass raised high, his body trembling as he awaited his fate. Gibbs enjoyed the sight, his cock swelling in anticipation as his gaze fell on Tony’s ripe, round, marked buttocks, and the dark, inviting hole between them.

As he looked, Tony lifted his ass up in invitation. This was the moment Gibbs had been waiting for. This was the time of Tony’s total surrender. He was standing in the field, head down, flanks heaving, saddle on his back, waiting to be ridden. And Gibbs sure as hell intended to ride him – and ride him hard.

End of part ten
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Two Masters - Part Eleven