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A phone rang, pulling Tony’s attention away from the cold case he was reviewing. He looked up, hopeful that they would be called out and he could get away from his desk. He would never claim that solving cold cases wasn’t important, but it was mind numbingly boring to read file after file.
“Yeah, Gibbs.” His boss listened to whoever was on the other end for a moment, then hung up the phone. “Todd, go down to security. They have a visitor that needs an escort. McGee, go see Abby, she has some results we've been waiting on. DiNozzo, I want to know everything you can find about the Major. My gut says he’s dirty.” He paused and looked at the three agents. “Well. You three waiting for engraved invitations? Move!”
Tony glared at his screen, pretending he didn’t hear Kate using her flirty voice as she walked off the elevator. She had a tendency to be even more condescending than normal when she was in flirting mode and he was in no mood to deal with it right now.
“Agent Gibbs’ desk is just over here, next to mine. I'm Kate, by the way. Caitlin, actually. Special Agent Caitlin Todd. But you can call me Kate.”
Tony rolled his eyes as he mouthed the words along with her. The reply was too soft for him to hear, and he wondered if the visitor was receptive to her flirting or trying to let her down gently.
Kate tinkled out what Tony had termed her ‘you are so funny’ laugh, the one that made his skin crawl, and Tony rolled his eyes again. Whoever this visitor was, Kate was wasting no time trying to sink her claws in. He kept his eyes on his screen, well aware of how vindictive she could be when she thought she had someone to impress.
The two sets of footsteps stopped directly in front of his desk, and he quickly hid his grimace before he looked up and straight into a pair of familiar green eyes.
A raised eyebrow was the only indication of surprise on Harry’s face. “Who might we have here, then?”
Agent Todd’s voice dropped to what was clearly meant to be a conspiratorial tone. “You don’t need to worry about him, Lord Black.” Anthony’s eyebrows shot up, and Harry glanced at him guiltily, watching as he turned to the agent at the desk next to him and mouthed, “Lord?”
“Agent DiNozzo is basically the class clown around here. The class clown and a world-class womanizer. Gibbs keeps him around for a few laughs, but you don’t need to waste your time entertaining him. He wouldn’t be interested in spending time with you anyway, since you aren’t female. Agent McGee would likely be able to provide some good distraction while you wait for Gibbs. Unless, of course, I can interest you in a cup of coffee with me?”
Harry watched as Anthony’s face fell, and he knew he couldn’t let that stand. “You know, Agent Todd, you remind me quite a bit of a young lady I went to school with.”
The agent started to blush as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Harry caught Anthony’s eye and winked, hoping that once they had a chance to talk things out, the older man would understand. Before he could attempt to blow a kiss, Agent Todd looked up from under her lashes. “Really?”
Harry held back his snort. “Oh, yes. She was quite a bitch, as well. She was better at it, though. Much more subtle. As for your claims that Special Agent DiNozzo is the ‘class clown’ of the team, I can only imagine that he is the Tony that Agent Gibbs has mentioned to me?”
He turned to Anthony, waiting for a confirmation. Anthony offered a half-shrug in answer, watching Kate’s face run a gamut of emotions before she seemed to decide that Harry had been teasing her. She reached out to playfully slap his shoulder, but he moved before she could make contact.
“Kindly don’t touch me, Agent Todd. As I was saying, I can only assume that Special Agent DiNozzo is the ‘Tony’ that Agent Gibbs has talked about. He calls him the best young agent he has ever worked with and has mentioned more than once that Tony is the only one he truly trusts to have his six, I think is the term he uses? Well, besides myself, of course, but I can’t be there while he’s at work, so…” Harry trailed off, catching sight of Anthony’s shock and seeing Agent Todd imitating a fish in the corner of his eye, while on the other side, Agent McGee appeared proud.
Anthony’s voice was hoarse when he finally managed to get out, “Boss– boss calls me Tony?”
All three agents jumped when Gibbs spoke up from behind Harry. “You telling my secrets again, Harrison?”
Tony grimaced. He might be a little confused right now, but he didn’t want Harry to get in trouble with his boss. He only ended up even more confused when Harry only smirked.
“I’m only sharing the ones that need to be shared, sir. Also, you should teach your agents not to touch without permission. I almost hurt Agent Todd when she attempted to strike me.”
Tony caught the slight emphasis on the word “need,” as well as Kate’s scoff, but he just watched quietly as the two men seemed to carry on an intense but silent conversation. He was mentally counting to see how long Harry could hold out before he folded under the patented Gibbs’ stare.
To his utter amazement, Gibbs broke eye contact first. “Right.” He sighed, pinching his nose, then barked, “DiNozzo!”
Tony jerked upright, snapping his mouth closed and nearly biting his tongue. “Boss, yes, boss!”
Gibbs rolled his eyes before he locked onto Tony. “You are the Tony that I have mentioned to Harrison. There is a reason you are my SFA, DiNozzo, and it isn’t because you don’t know how to do your job.” Gibbs’ look turned considering, and he slid his eyes towards Harry. “Though this does beg the question– have we been talking about the same Anthony this entire time?”
Harry nodded without hesitation, leaving Tony wondering why Harry had been talking to his boss.
Before he could open his mouth and most likely insert his foot, Gibbs turned to Kate, his expression turning cold. “Agent Todd, if you attempt to lay a finger on my son without his invitation or permission again, I will have you brought up on charges of assault. Do I make myself clear?”
Kate’s sputtering was drowned out by Tony’s squeaky, “Son?!”
Harry met his eyes again, looking guilty. He mouthed, “Surprise?” at Tony before he pasted on a smirk and turned towards McGee, effectively cutting Kate out of the conversation. “What can I say? My mum was a redhead. Dear old dad really didn’t stand a chance once she set her sights on him. The birth announcement was a bit delayed, let’s blame it on the international post, shall we? But 28 years later, he finally found out he had a boy.”
Gibbs put a hand on Harry’s shoulder softly, a word that Tony didn’t think he had ever attributed to Gibbs before, but the affection was clear. “You don’t owe them any explanations, Harrison. You ready to go?”
Harry gave Tony a sad smile before responding to Gibbs. “I think I owe a lot of explanations, actually, Dad. Now let’s go have lunch.” He brightened his smile as he turned to McGee. “Agent McGee, it was a genuine pleasure to meet you. Dad speaks highly of your computer skills. Coming from such a Luddite, I assure you that’s a minor miracle.”
Turning to Tony next, he held his hand out, apprehension clear on his face as he waited to see if Tony would accept the gesture. Still confused but unable to leave the younger man hanging, Tony reached out to grasp the offered hand. Harry’s smile softened, becoming more intimate.
“Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. It has been a genuine pleasure to meet you today. I hope we can have a much longer conversation later. Perhaps over drinks?”
Tony recognized the olive branch for what it was and nodded, keeping silent so as not to give Kate any more ammunition.
Harry’s smile dimmed as he turned to Kate, his face becoming a neutral mask. “Agent Todd. Have a nice day.”
With no more words spoken, Tony watched as his boss walked to the elevators with the man he had been dating for the past nine months.
Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he heard Anthony’s key in the door. He knew his boyfriend was hurt, but it had just been a terrible miscommunication. Anthony had plenty to say about his coworkers and boss, but he never referred to them by name. Likewise, his dad had only good things to say about “Tony,” but Harry’s understanding was that it was a pretty common name in America.
He stopped chopping the garlic as Anthony walked into the kitchen. He quietly poured a glass of red wine for the man, pushing it gently across the countertop for him to either accept or decline. Turning quietly, he scooped the garlic into the pan and began to saute it, letting Anthony gather his thoughts.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Anthony’s voice was quiet, a sure sign that his feelings had been hurt.
Harry’s shoulders drooped, but he lowered the heat and turned to face Anthony so he could see the sincerity. “There are things I haven’t been able to tell you, Anthony, you know that. And there have been things I have avoided talking about because they aren’t pleasant. But everything I have said to you, everything I have been able to share, I swear it’s all been the truth.” He chewed on his lip for a moment before taking a step closer to Anthony. “Ask anything you want, Anthony. I won’t hold anything else back. It wasn’t intentional, but it also wasn’t fair to you.”
Anthony stood with the stem of the wine glass held loosely between his fingers, rolling it back and forth as he considered Harry. Finally making up his mind, he took a swallow of the wine before saying, “Gibbs?”
Harry sighed. It just figured the man would start with one of the hardest of the topics. “Dad didn’t know about me until I showed up on his doorstep one day. I will probably never know exactly how he and my mum got together, as my mum and stepdad were killed by a terrorist when I was 15 months old. I found out after a– DNA test when I was in my early 20’s. It took me a while to get my affairs in order and get a visa that allowed me to stay here indefinitely.” He paused, taking in his boyfriend’s body language. “He wasn’t hiding me from you, Anthony, that I am sure of. Dad cares about you.”
Anthony shifted his feet, then slowly lowered himself onto a bar stool, carefully setting the wine glass down. He raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smirk. “Lord Black?”
Harry blushed, then turned back to his pan, giving the garlic a quick stir and dumping some tomatoes in. “Potter-Black, actually,” he muttered while his back was turned.
Anthony sputtered for a moment, before he cleared his throat. “Pardon me, could you repeat that, please?”
Harry turned back, cheeks still red. “It’s Lord Potter-Black, actually. It really only carries any weight in certain circles, and obviously in America it’s only good to demand a bit of respect. My step-father and my godfather each left me a title when they died. I took them up when I was knighted at 18.”
Anthony fumbled his glass, sending red wine splashing across the counter. Harry grabbed some towels and started to mop it up before it could stain the countertops.
Anthony’s voice was high as he repeated, “Knighted?”
He waved his hand before Harry could reply. “We can come back to that later. Harrison?”
Harry’s smile was soft at that. “It’s my full name. Harry is a nickname, but it’s also a name I didn’t know I had until I was six years old. Before that, I considered myself lucky if I was called ‘Boy,’ rather than something more derogatory. Once dad heard the story– well, you never really questioned why I always call you Anthony, but it didn’t take dad long to figure out how important names are to me. Him calling me Harrison is a sign of respect, I think, a reminder that I’ll never be ‘Boy’ again.”
Anthony rose from the stool, then rounded the island and wrapped his arms around Harry. “Would it be weird if I called you Harrison, then? Anthony and Harrison?”
Harry’s smile could have lit the room. He knew now that they would be okay. It was a lesson for them to learn about communicating more clearly, and it also showed him a clear path forward. With a flick of his wrist, he had turned off the burner under the saute pan and started to pull Anthony towards the living room.
He shoved the taller man lightly onto the couch, then sat down and grabbed his hands. “Tell me, Anthony, what do you know about magic?”