…I’ll Wait

Title: …I’ll Wait
Series: For You…
Series Order: 2
Fandom: NCIS
Relationship(s): Tony DiNozzo/Ethan Moore (OMC)
Content Rating: R
Warnings: Mentions of events around 9/11 and subsequent war, discussion of homophobia and racism. Semi-explicit sex.
Author Notes: Please see main series page for notes about timeline and canon backstory changes.
Word Count: ~7,340
Summary: Tony is reassigned overseas after the events of 9/11. In DC, Ethan has to wait and hope their budding relationship will survive.

Cast page and additional series information can be found on the main series page.

– – – –

24 May 2002

Ethan opened the door to his family home in Virginia, glad to have a few days away from the Capital, from security, from the craziness that had descended on his life in the wake of 9/11.

“Ethan,” his mother greeted, coming in for a big hug the minute he’d put his stuff down. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Hi, Mama.” He held her tighter, relishing the comfort she provided.

She pulled away and smiled up at him. “Dinner’s almost ready. You’ve got just enough time get changed.” She waved him toward the stairs.

He felt even more of the tension bleed away as he shed his suit an changed into casual clothes, letting the persona of Senator Moore bleed away. He grabbed both cell phones and headed downstairs.

“Ethan baby, is there something you forgot to tell me?” his mother asked from where she stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. At his blank look, she added, “About the men with guns strolling around my backyard?”

He rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Mama. One of my aides was supposed to brief you about that, and I forgot to followup.”

His mother’s expression shifted to one of grief, resonating with Ethan’s own grief over losing Lydia Mallory on 9/11. She’d been Ethan’s rock through all of his political career, and her death weighed heavily on him every day. He had new aides, but it was a process getting comfortable with each other, and things in Washington had been insane since the attack in September.

“Secret Service has temporarily taken over my protection detail, which means 24/7 rather than me leaving them behind in DC like I had done with the Capitol Police.”

His mother’s expression shifted to one of concern. “What in the world?”

“It happened a while ago, and it’s just until things calm down.”

“You need 24/7 protection, Ethan? Even here at home?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s just been more than anyone could have expected. It’ll die down.” The events of 9/11 had put Ethan in the role of hero in the eyes of many, drawing more attention than he’d have otherwise. The increased visibility had also brought more attention from those who hated gays. Racists were also rearing their ugly heads. The whole thing had resulted in Ethan being besieged wherever he went. His usual security detail was determined to be insufficient after a fight had broken out between what he could only call fans and a group of anti-gay protesters bolstered by skinheads.

“It’s been nine months already.”

“I know. While the public fan service has diminished, the various hate groups with an interest in me seem to have increased and the decision was to keep the Secret Service on my protection for the time being.”

His mother’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Come to dinner.”

Once they were seated at the table, his mother said grace, holding more tightly to his hand than usual. Then she eyed the cell phone he’d left on the table. “Ethan…” She never approved of distractions at the dinner table.

“It’s in case Tony calls.”

Her expression softened. She knew how desperate he was to hear from Tony on any given day. “Is that a new phone? It looks…” She was obviously hesitant to say the word cheap.

“It’s just an extra phone. We’re trying to stay off anyone’s radar as long as possible. He can’t hide his outgoing calls in any way, so having them come to any phone number associated with me would be a giveaway.”

“I see.” She took a few bites of her meal, watching him closely. “Can you tell me anything about where he is?”

Ethan hadn’t told his mother about Tony’s assignment, just that he had been temporarily assigned overseas. They’d thought it would only be for six months, but it was dragging on. “He’s in Afghanistan.”

Evelyn dropped her fork. “Oh, Ethan. Why is he there?”

“I told you how his partner used helping out the New York office as a cover for getting Tony to New York?”

“Yes.” She smiled faintly. “My only solace during those days was that he was with you.”

“But even when I had to leave, Tony had to stay behind because he had actually been assigned temporarily to the New York office. It came to people’s attention that he’s particularly gifted with intelligence analysis. He was asked to join the NCIS team assigned to Afghanistan to help with mission plans and intelligence analysis for the Marines on the ground. I believe he’s also working with the Naval intelligence for the SEAL teams working in theater.”

“Is he…” She swallowed heavily, looking as if she were trying to figure out what to ask. “Is he in danger?”

“Well, he’s not safe.” It was killing Ethan to not know how Tony was from moment to moment. “But he’s not on the front lines.” He shrugged one shoulder. “He’s at a military base, and that’s about all I know.” At Tony’s behest, Ethan had taken on the duty of keeping Sarah up to date as much as possible, but there was so little he could tell her, and he knew she was worried sick. He knew Tony emailed when he could, but it wasn’t easy, and he was under a lot of scrutiny.

Evelyn reached out and squeezed his hand. “How about a change of subject? Or, rather, a return to the prior subject. You said the fan service had diminished…”

“In a way, yes. There’s still a lot happening online. But, overall, there’s less chaos when I’m going out, but if there’s a known protest about my deviant ways, equal rights groups will show up too. Someone attacked a member of my security detail with the Capitol Police. It was after that incident that it was decided Secret Service would take over in the short-term.” His freedom of movement had been severely curtailed. He was working all the time, so it wasn’t that much of a problem, but he couldn’t say he was fond of the situation.

“Well, I’m glad they’re taking your safety so seriously. Where are they staying?”

“My condo downtown. I’m not going to put a burden on the taxpayers to pay for their lodging when I have a perfectly serviceable condo sitting unused.”

She shot him a look. “Your aides usually stay there.”

“I left most of them in DC. Only Charlotte DeFranco came with me this time.”

“Have her come to the house.”

“Mama…”

“No, Ethan. The only way to get comfortable with her and build bonds is to spend time with her. You can’t keep avoiding making connections with your staff.”

He knew she was right, but he didn’t have to like it. He stabbed a Brussels sprout with a bit too much vigor and it bounced off the plate. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“You miss Tony,” his mother observed.

“Yeah.” He huffed a little. “It’s not even rational. We were barely even together before he left for Manas Air Base.”

“You two have a very long history, Ethan. A history where neither ever stopped loving the other. That you had only reconciled for a brief period before being separated doesn’t nullify how you feel—how you felt for years.”

Ethan nodded, not really sure what else to say. He wanted Tony back home. They had spent as much time together in New York as they could, but Ethan couldn’t stay long. He wouldn’t dream of sharing it with his mother, but they hadn’t even had sex since their reconciliation. Ethan had been too sore in the wake of the attack—the aches and pains intensifying over the few days they had together—and then Tony had to work. He’d been able to make it back to New York once to see Tony for an hour before Tony was shipped out. That was when Tony gave him what he called a “burner phone.” Told him not to tell anyone about it or give them the number, and that he’d call when he could.

Ethan kept the phone on him always. He even took it in a plastic bag into the shower to make sure he didn’t miss a call. Somehow, Tony managed to not call when the Senate was in session, but Ethan would happily slip out of another pointless argument to talk to Tony if the phone he kept in his pocket at all times should happen to vibrate.

They were through with dinner and sipping wine, when Ethan’s phone rang. The phone only Tony had the number to.

“Go.” Evelyn waved him from the table. “Tell him I said hi.”

He answered as he was walking toward his study. “Hello?”

“Hey,” Tony’s voice came over the line, unmistakable despite the static.

“Tony,” he breathed. “How are you?”

“Tired. Hot.”

“It’s the middle of the night for you.”

“Still hot as hell, and this is the best time for me to call lately.” It wasn’t his first call from Tony in the middle of the night in Afghanistan. Occasionally, Tony had to call in the wee hours US time, and Tony had fretted about waking Ethan up, but Ethan wanted to hear from Tony so desperately that he didn’t even care. He’d encouraged Tony to call whenever he could because contact was already too rare to put any other restrictions on it.

“I don’t care when you call as long as you do. How are you?”

“I miss you.”

Ethan pressed his hand to his forehead, fighting the stinging in his eyes. “I miss you too. I worry about you.”

“I’m being careful. I have something really important to come home to.”

“Yeah, you do.” He cleared his throat. “Any word?”

“I’d guess three more months. It was supposed to be a six-month assignment, and I agreed to a briefextension that’s now turned into nearly three more months. They’re going to find a way, and I’ll agree, to make it a full second rotation.”

“And if they ask again?”

“I already told Morrow that I wasn’t doing a third. I think he knows how far he can push, and he realizes that we’re almost at the line. But I know all about me and there’s not much more I’m allowed to say. Tell me about you.”

“I’m in Richmond, visiting Mom. Secret Service is roaming around the property and I think she’s torn between glaring at them and making them tea.”

There was a long pause. “Secret Service? There something you need to tell me?”

He gave Tony a quick rundown on the situation in DC.

“Well, I’m glad they’re taking the threats seriously. I’ve seen a lot of the online chatter about you… I wasn’t sure how much that was bleeding over into tangible issues.”

“More than anyone would like. I just keep hoping it’ll all die down. Republicans are actively trying to be nice to me when we’re in the public eye. It’s messing with my head.”

Tony laughed. “That definitely won’t last. Too many of them are going to hate you just for being hotter and smarter than they are. Not to mention the other things that really get their back up even if they can’t admit to it openly.” Being gay and black was a shoo-in for certain people hating his guts.

Ethan had dealt with bigotry because of his skin color his entire life. The prejudice over who he chose to fuck came from the same people as those who hated him for being black. He’d been almost amused when he’d realized. He’d thought being openly gay would open him up for more hate, but it was mostly the same folks who just had a new thing to add to their list of reasons to be horrible people. Though, truth be told, it was more socially acceptable to be hateful to gays. People were obviously biased against other races, but it generally wasn’t okay to admit it. Society seemed to tolerate open hatred for gays more readily as some threat to family values, while racism was a more covert proposition in many ways.

Ethan had found the dual hatred from the same people to be helpful in ways he didn’t expect. He now tended to assume that the openly homophobic were also closet racists.

“For all that I tried to hide being gay for so long, it’s amazingly liberating to rub it in their faces at every opportunity. Their pinched expressions are the highlight of my day.”

“Enjoy the fuck out of that. Having to live with all that bigotry…you gotta enjoy the small things.” Tony hesitated. “I wish I could do something to make it better, though.”

“Just knowing you’re coming home to me is all I need.”

“For now maybe.” Tony blew out a breath. “I know we can’t hide forever.”

“But it’s better that we do it for as long as we‘re able.”

“Ethan, this isn’t even about my career anymore. Yeah, when we were first talking about getting back together, the issues of my job were on my mind because I didn’t know if we were going to work out, but that changed. I don’t care about working undercover anymore. I think we should ride out the secrecy as long as we can because you don’t need any more chaos. But if the secrecy is getting in the way of us being together, we stop, okay?”

Ethan felt some of the tension he’d had about their relationship drop away like a deadweight. “Yeah. That’s a good plan, babe. We’ll keep it quiet as long as we can and then just see what happens. Because when you finally are back, I don’t want to never be able to see you.”

“We’ll figure it out, I promise. I’m gonna lose satellite signal in about three minutes. Talk to me…I just want to hear you. But I’ll say it now in case the call suddenly ends…I love you.”

“I love you too.” Ethan talked about mundane things, trying to focus on the lighthearted.

Tony was laughing when the line suddenly went dead.

Ethan stared at the cellphone, worried in advance for the next four months, hoping and praying that Tony wouldn’t wind up in the line of fire while he was in a literal war zone. He turned the cell phone over in his hands, wondering what the future was going to bring. He felt like he’d been living in limbo since 9/11. It wasn’t just about Tony being gone—the country was traumatized in ways they had no precedent for, Ethan had lost a good friend, and his lover had shipped off to war. It was like he was frozen emotionally in that horrible moment in time despite life moving on.

He pulled out his regular phone and hit one of the presets.

“Yes, Senator?” Charlotte DeFranco answered on the second ring.

“My mother has invited you to stay here at the family home.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“I’m inviting you as well. I’ve kept you at more than arms length…”

“I completely understand why, sir.”

“I appreciate that, but you’ve done good work for me over the last six months, and I’d like to broaden your responsibility base. We’re going to need to be more comfortable with one another. Besides, leaving you in the company of the Secret Service isn’t necessary. My mother is much more entertaining, and she’s an exceptional cook.”

There was a brief pause. “I can’t say that wouldn’t be welcome. I’m fairly certain I could manage a hard boiled egg.”

“So I’ve heard,” he said dryly. DeFranco’s recent kitchen fire has been the source of gossip in his offices lately.

“You heard about that?”

“I try to stay abreast of the goings on in my office.”

She huffed a little. “I’ll pack my bags and be over shortly.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. I was pondering a dubious box of Cheerios in your cabinet. Don’t you close the bag, sir?”

“How a man handles his cereal box closure is his own business, Charlotte. In any case, I’m fairly sure those were opened more than six months ago. There are plenty of leftovers. Just get over here.”

They hung up a few moments later. He went to tell his protective detail about the new arrival and let his mother know that he’d done as commanded.

– – – –

August 2002

“Senator?” Charlotte called from the doorway to his office. She had become more relaxed around him over the last few months, and their working relationship had improved as a result.

“Yes?”

“The head of the appropriations committee asked for a few minutes.”

He gestured to the guest chair while trying not to make a face. She closed the door and sat. “Any idea what he wants?”

“Scuttlebutt is that he’s looking for someone to replace Senator Messer on the committee.” Senator Messer got caught with his pants down, literally, with an underage boy about a month ago. Messer had resigned, but now the Republican party was trying to ride out the scandal while Florida was arranging for a special election. The gubernatorial appointed replacement was an obvious case of cronyism and was a damned idiot that no one wanted on committee.

“And you really think he’s going to ask me?” The senator in charge of the appropriations committee was not a fan of Ethan’s—for all the prejudiced reasons one might suspect, not to mention that Ethan was almost as far left as even existed in the Senate while Hudec was far to the right.

“It’s good politics. Frankly, sir, Senator Hudec’s reelection bid is questionable. He’s from a fairly liberal state and squeaked by in the most recent election. Playing nice with the country’s golden boy is good optics. He needs to position himself as being more centrist if he hopes to win in November.”

Ethan rubbed his hand over his forehead. “Sometimes, I really hate politics.”

“You chose an odd profession, then, sir,” she said dryly.

“I regret all my life choices.” He sighed. “I can’t afford to turn down a seat on the appropriations committee.” But he really didn’t want to play nicely with some of those old farts.

“No one could.”

He sighed. “When can I meet with him?”

“I can clear your five o’clock appointment fairly easily.”

“All right.” He wasn’t prepared to run right over, but putting the man off more than a couple of hours wasn’t a good idea. His cellphone vibrated in his pocket. His mother’s name displayed on the screen. “Thank you, Charlotte. If you could shut the door on your way out, I need to take this.” He usually left the door to his office open unless he was in a meeting.

“Your call with the lawyer from the 9/11 relief fund is in ten minutes,” she reminded as she pulled the door shut.

“Hello, Mother,” he answered.

“Hello, dearest. I’m in DC.”

He sat up straighter. “Why?”

“I’m thinking of getting a condo here.”

“You’re what now?” He stared at the wall, blinking stupidly.

“I want the option to be closer to you, and you’ve done nothing to sort out your living situation.”

“Mom, is this about your living situation or are you trying to find me a condo.”

She sniffed. “It seems to me that it works out the same either way.”

“Not really.” His mother gardened like it was a religion, with the floppy hat, ugly shoes, and flowered gloves being her vestments. “Where are you going to find dirt for you to putter in if you’re living in a condo?”

“If you don’t want to be seen as living with your mother, then I suggest you consider purchasing the condominium yourself.” She completely ignored his gardening question. “And then you’ll have a lovely guest room for your dear mother when she wants to visit. Because you know how I feel about hotel rooms.”

“Yes, I know, Mother; they’re filthy. I sometimes wish you had never seen that episode of Dateline.”

She sniffed delicately. “Are you available to meet me for dinner and then we can meet with your friend and have a look at what he has to offer?”

“My friend?” he echoed. “What friend?”

“That charming Mr. Douglas.”

“Mom…” Ethan sighed, recognizing this as a lost cause. “Of course I’ll meet you for dinner. Although, last I heard, Steve had sold almost every unit in his real estate baby.”

“He assured me that he has a suitable unit available for you.”

He made note of where he was meeting his mother for dinner then fired off a snotty text to Steve for not giving him a heads up about this.

He was five minutes into his call with the charity lawyer when he got a reply from Steve.

Steve: If you think I’m going against a directive from your mother, you’re out of your damn mind. Man up, Senator.

With a huff, Ethan shoved his phone back into his pocket.

– – – –

“I don’t understand why you keep putting this off, Ethan,” Evelyn remarked as she took her last bite of salmon. “You act like buying a home is torture.”

He sighed, trailing his finger over the rim of his wineglass. Dinner had been pleasant, though conversation in a public setting was somewhat stilted. He’d have dearly loved to have some real privacy so he could tell her about how he was actually being romanced to join the appropriations committee. That was beyond surreal, and the meeting had wrapped just before he’d left to meet her.

The maître d’ had given them a fairly secluded table, although things had calmed down with his public appearances in recent weeks, so he wasn’t usually a risking a standoff with protestors just to go out to dinner. He was back under the protection of the Capitol Police, who were less obtrusive than the Secret Service and gave him a lot more latitude in his movements. His current detail was waiting in an SUV in front of the restaurant.

“At first,” he began hesitantly, “I was convinced I wouldn’t be reelected and I didn’t want to commit to buying a home here.”

“And now your reelection is fairly assured,” his mother remarked. His approval ratings had gone through the roof after 9/11. He actually hated that he’d likely get reelected on the back of popularity earned due to such a tragedy.

“I’ve known for a while that I should, but I just hate to make any decisions about where to live without…” he trailed off. Even though it seemed like he had privacy here, it wasn’t assured, and he’d never use Tony’s name without due caution.

“You wanted to consider other interested parties?”

“Yes. And it’s pressure I didn’t want to put on him considering the circumstances.”

“Do you think that’s fast? Because I assume you’re referring to the two of you living together…?”

“Hmm…” He stared at the table, thinking about it. “It doesn’t feel fast, but I guess it would be fast if it were happening right now. I just don’t want to make permanent decisions without his input. Plus, he already owns a home in DC.”

“That’s sweet, Ethan, but you can’t put your life on hold forever.”

“I’ll wait as long as I have to,” he said firmly.

“You know he wouldn’t ask for you to wait on anything.” She sighed. “Son, listen to me. People wonder why you’re still living in what amounts to temporary housing. You need to be seen as having settled down—to commit to being here. It’s been noted that you rent a small, furnished apartment. Your staff live in nicer places.”

“It crazy that people care where I live.”

“Well, there’s also no room for your dear mother to visit without her having to check herself into a hotel, which she finds most objectionable.”

“It’s more than a little disturbing when you talk about yourself in the third person.”

She sniffed and took another sip of her wine. “I’m not trying to force you, Son, but I ask that you be open to the idea. And if you hate the place, well, I just might love it. I do want to see you more, Ethan.”

“I know, Mama.” He reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll try to keep an open mind.”

– – – –

He looked up at the building Steve had recently opened, thinking it looked as nice in person as it had online. The officer on duty for his protection kept back and was unobtrusive, but Ethan knew he’d be accompanying them inside since it was a residential complex and hundreds of people lived here.

Steve came out the front door, smiling widely and offering his hand. “It’s good to see you, Ethan. Introduce me to your lovely companion.”

Ethan shook his hand. “Do not flirt with my mother.”

Evelyn nudged Ethan out of the way and offered her hand to Steve. “Ignore my son and flirt all you like. Evelyn Moore.”

Steve kissed the back of her hand. “I plan to flirt outrageously.”

She smiled happily and offered the pastry box she’d asked for at the restaurant. “I brought dessert for us to share.”

“Wonderful. I have a bottle of wine upstairs. We can all have dessert and wine after the tour.” He offered his arm and they led the way while Ethan rolled his eyes at their backs.

Steve went slowly, pointing out security features and introducing them to the doorman and security guard on duty. Both of whom seemed excited to meet Ethan. He’d gotten used to people being eager to meet him, but it still struck him as being somewhat surreal at times.

Inside the elevator, Steve pulled out an access key. “A few of the floors have higher security than the rest. You have to have a keycard to access any of the top five floors. The card will only take you to the floor or floors noted in your security profile.”

“Will that access list be available to the Capitol Police?” the officer asked.

Steve nodded. “Certainly. We have a couple of other people in the building with security concerns. We’ve made sure people signed privacy waivers as part of their residential agreement in regards to visitors and security access lists. Especially for the top five floors. There’s a lot of complicated legalese in the condo association agreement related to guest privacy; you can review it at your leisure.”

Steve punched the button for the top floor and then passed his card over the reader.

“The penthouse?” Ethan asked incredulously.

“The building is full, Ethan. An investment group bought the entirety of the top two floor while we were still under construction. There are three penthouses on the top floor—a master penthouse and two junior penthouses. The next floor down has six deluxe condos. The investors determined what they need and decided to sell one of the penthouses and two of the deluxe condos. However, they’ll have to give final approval on who occupies those spaces due to those aforementioned security concerns.” He gave Ethan a quick grin. “I don’t see them having any concerns about you, and they certainly won’t object to you, Evelyn.”

“Then why aren’t we looking at the deluxe condos? Even with an office and a guestroom for Mom, I don’t need a penthouse.”

Steve waved his hand. “I have several people interested in the deluxe units.”

Ethan pressed his lips together, wondering why Steve was pushing the penthouse. The Moore family had money, but he tried not to flash it around to the degree that this penthouse would represent. He’d wait and see what was up, but if Steve thought Ethan would buy a penthouse just because, he was in a for a rude awakening.

There was something like a mini lobby just off the elevators with sofas and chairs, along with a bar carrying a selection of waters, teas, coffees, and juices.

Ethan shot Steve a questioning look.

“We anticipated that there might be private security for some of the residents of the upper floors. Each floor has a common area like this. I imagine it will mostly go unused, but we wanted to provide for the comfort of any security or protection detail.” He went on to point out the security cameras and went over the schedule for security patrols.

Ethan’s detail did a quick tour of the empty condo first then agreed to wait in the lounge area, which Ethan found to be a relief. It was hard to relax with someone constantly watching you.

His first impression of the condo was that it was beautiful. It had a huge, open floor plan with floor-to-ceiling windows. The staging was minimal, but it still conveyed elegance while being comfortable.

Steve led his mother through the space with Ethan following behind, looking around with more interest than he expected. “The master penthouse on this floor takes up almost half the floor.  Then there are the two junior penthouses. The stairs, elevator, and floor reception area are cut into the half of the building with the big penthouse. The junior penthouses are identical, just mirror floorplans of each other.”

“I assume this is one of the junior penthouses?”

“Yes. Four bedroom suites with full baths. There’s one additional large half bath off the living room near the entrance, and another small full bath near what could be a study, den, or library.” He led them into a room with a lot of lovely built-in bookcases and pointed to the door, indicating the smallest full bath, which was still spacious but with just a shower stall rather than a tub.

“Oh, Ethan.” His mother squeezed his arm. “This would be a lovely home office.”

“It’s very nice.” He really liked the space, but he didn’t need four bedrooms. “This is a lot of space for me. Even accounting for you visiting, Mom.”

“But you’d have more privacy and security here, honey.”

“Mom…”

“There is another feature of the junior penthouses that might be a selling point…” Steve gestured toward the door. “Let me show you the master bedroom.”

Ethan shot Steve a look. “All right, but then I want to see one of the deluxe condos downstairs.”

“Spoilsport,” Steve said with a grin.

The master bedroom was ridiculously large. While most of the bedrooms were more toward the interior of the unit, the master bedroom along with the common living areas were all along the windows. The master had a view of the Washington Monument. It was breathtaking.

“Wow,” Evelyn breathed. “If people knew this unit was on the market…”

“It’d be snapped up in a hot minute,” Steve supplied. “But the seller is very specific about who can buy it, so I’ve been screening carefully.”

Ethan shot Steve a look. “You’re handling selling all the units yourself?”

“Not hardly. Just a few that require interaction with the investment group who owns these floors. They saved my bacon during the development when one of my investors bailed, so I try to accommodate them. I want to work with them on other projects, so I have a vested interest in staying on their good side.”

“Well, we’re grateful,” Evelyn murmured, standing near the window. “This is so lovely, Ethan. You simply have to take it.”

“I’m not sure the view is lovely enough to warrant whatever this place is going for considering that it’s much more home than I need!”

“That’s not the selling point I was referring to.” Steve walked toward the bathroom. There was a hallway with the bathroom on one side and the enormous walk-in closet on the other. There was a door between the two at what the thought was the joining wall to the other junior penthouse.

Steve removed a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Ethan’s eyebrows shot up as the door swung open to reveal what looked like another closet. Maybe a coat closet or something, but nothing particularly noteworthy that deserved a lock. Steve disappeared inside and tapped on the wall then exited, gesturing Ethan inside. “Have fun.”

Ethan was already confused by Steve’s behavior, but his mother’s murmured, “Enjoy your time, dearest,” had him completely bewildered. He felt her small hand on his back as she gave him a none-too-gentle shove into the closet.

“Mother—” his protest died in his throat as a door on the inside of the closet swung open, revealing… “Tony,” he gasped.

“Hi.” Tony smiled. “I’m home.”

Ethan wasn’t even aware of moving, but he had Tony in his arms—safe and sound. He felt a little thinner, but he was so solid and real. Ethan remembered to breathe, taking in a deep lungful of air that sounded more like a sob.

Tony was clinging to him. “I missed you so much.”

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Ethan whispered.

“I’m here.”

“For how long?”

“I’m home for good.”

Ethen held on tighter.

Eventually, they pulled apart, and Ethan took stock of his surroundings. This was clearly the master bedroom in the other junior penthouse, but this was much more furnished. The not-closet door was shut. “What in the world…? How did you do this?”

“Uncle Clive owns all this. He invested in the project with Steve, and I asked him to keep the top couple floors very selective.” Tony shrugged. “Just in case.”

Ethan’s mouth was hanging open and he snapped it shut. “You live here?”

“I could. So could you.”

Ethan couldn’t stop the smile if he wanted to. “You worked out a way for us to be together.”

Tony glanced away. “When you want…”

“I want.” Ethan yanked Tony back into his arms, sealing their mouths together. He licked into Tony’s mouth, feeling the heat rise between them. Tony groaned, grabbing onto Ethan, holding him tighter.

He forced himself to gentle the kiss, eventually breaking away and framing Tony’s face with his hands. “You’re really here.”

“Yeah.” Tony smiled, and Ethan ran his thumb over Tony’s lower lip.

“I want to be with you every damn day, Tony, but I also don’t want to rush you.”

“From the moment we decided to try again, it seems like it’s been one thing after another. I thought this might clear some obstacles so that we at least had some chance of being in the same space at the same time.”

“I love it.” He huffed out a laugh. “But really? We’re going to occupy two million dollars penthouses?”

“Million and a half,” Tony replied with a grin.

Ethan pressed a kiss to Tony’s cheek then one to his forehead, ending up on those luscious lips once again. “I don’t even care how much.”

“And that doesn’t even count that my official residence in the unit below this.”

Ethan blinked. “What?”

“Yeah, I will officially own one of the three-bedroom units on the floor below. This technically belongs to Uncle Clive. We were able to put a staircase between that unit and this one, and then the connecting door between the two penthouses.”

“That’s some serious spy-novel shenanigans so that we could have a place to be together,” Ethan said with a grin. Live together, he mentally corrected himself.

“Yeah, well, I figured I’d preserve our privacy as long as possible. And if we’re driving each other crazy, we’ve got three whole condos of space.”

“It feels…decadent.” It felt wasteful and overly indulgent, but Ethan couldn’t be bothered to care in the moment.

“We deserve decadent.” Tony pressed a kiss to Ethan’s jaw. “And it won’t be forever. When we can live together openly, we can sell. Even move into the big penthouse if you want, which also belongs to Uncle Clive for when he’s in the States, but he’s already said he’d be willing to swap with me. Or we could move into the townhouse in Georgetown.”

He filed all that away. “My mom knows you’re here?”

“I arranged this through Steve and he got in touch with her. She and I spoke once to arrange the timing.”

Ethan felt like things were finally right, and leaned in to kiss Tony again. They wound up with him pressing Tony into the wall as they kissed and touched and felt. He pressed kisses along the line of Tony’s throat. “This would be like one of my dreams, but it feels so very…real.”

“It’s real.” Tony’s arms tightened, and Ethan let himself be held.

“You’re here permanently?” Ethan confirmed, needing the reassurance even though Tony had already said he was back for good.

“Yeah, I’m home for good.”

He couldn’t stop himself from going in for another kiss. “I want to take you to bed.”

Tony held on tighter. “We’ve got at least an hour. Evelyn and Steve are going to have wine and dessert. They figured we’d need time to talk out our next steps and reconnect.”

Ethan blinked.

Tony took a few steps backward, pulling Ethan with him. “We can talk, we can kiss, we can hold each other. Or…” Tony raised a brow in question.

Part of him wondered if it was too soon—it it was all happening too fast.

But then Tony said, “I think we’ve learned that we’re never guaranteed time, Ethan. What do you want?”

“I just want you.”

“You can have me. Whether that means living together now or waiting. Sex now or later. Just…” Tony suddenly looked exhausted. “I don’t want our relationship to be defined by fears of the future. Make the choice from what will make you happy. Please.”

“Being with you makes me happy.” Ethan had a blinding moment of clarity. “It always has.” He took Tony’s hand and pulled him closer. “Be with me. Now, later…live here in this ridiculous three condo, spy setup. That will make me happy.”

“Yes.” Tony gave a delighted laugh. “Let’s James Bond the fuck out of it.”

Ethan reeled Tony in tightly. The kiss started slow and stayed that way for a long time. They were almost swaying together. He sucked Tony’s plump lower lip into his mouth, relishing the contact in a way he’d been too desperate to appreciate when he’d first seen Tony standing beyond that closet door.

The slide of Tony’s tongue made him feel shaky with need.

They were close to the bed already and it was barely any effort to move them those last few steps. He finally broke the kiss to press Tony down on the soft mattress. Tony refused to let go and pulled Ethan on top of him.

“God, you feel good,” Tony murmured as his hands slid up Ethan’s back. “The weight of you over me…better than I remember.”

Ethan nudged Tony’s chin up so he could lavish attention on the long line of Tony’s sensitive throat. “I’ve dreamt of this for years. You were always my only one, Tony.”

“Ethan.” Tony swallowed heavily.

“There was always so much to be afraid of, but then it just ceased to matter. But it was too late, and I’d messed up.” He sucked at Tony’s earlobe. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

Tony’s hands ghosted up his back. “No one was ever…you. We go forward together. Whatever the job or the house—none of that really matters. You and me, okay? That’s what’s important.”

He pressed his lips lightly against Tony’s and whispered, “I swear.”

Long moments passed with deep, drugging kisses and soft touches as they stripped out of their clothes. Tony was leaner than he probably should be, and Ethan spared a passing thought to what had happened over the last year, but those questions could wait.

The man Tony was today far exceeded the college kid of Ethan’s memories. He was stronger, broader, and something about his very presence made Ethan feel safe and loved.

Like a flip had been switched, their kisses when from languid to frantic. There were things Ethan wanted to do, things he’d only ever trusted Tony with, but that was a conversation for another day. They were both too desperate to stop and talk and figure out what their sex life would look like.

Tony managed a packet of lube from the pocket of his jeans. Just enough to slick them both up so the rubbing of their cocks against one another was a sweet, pleasurable glide.

Ethan straddled Tony’s hips, bracing his weight on his arms and stared down at his lover—now his partner in life. He rocked his hips, causing their cocks to slide together in a lightning rush.

“Fuck!” Tony’s neck arched, exposing the line of his throat, which Ethan took as an invitation. Tony clutched at him, thrusting up to meet Ethan, both of them moving fast, chasing the pleasure.

There was a tight coil of heat forming low in his gut, and he claimed Tony’s mouth again. Their bodies moved together until the heat exploded out, pleasure shooting up Ethan’s spine.

A bare second after Ethan came, Tony found his release, spilling between them. They continued to rock together slowly, chasing every last bit of pleasure.

Then they were still, foreheads pressed together, breath mingling as they panted through the aftermath.

“You,” Ethan breathed, “unsettle me in the best possible way. You shake me down to my core. I feel seen when I’m with you.”

Tony’s hands framed his face. “I do see you. You never have to hide from me, Ethan.”

Ethan pressed their mouths together, the softness belying the desperation he felt.

They still had a little time, so they took care of cleaning up, then curled back up in bed together with an alarm set in case they fell asleep.

“It’s going to be hard to go back to my apartment tonight.” He wrapped himself tighter around Tony. “And then it’ll be at least a month before I can move in.”

“Nah. We’ll work out some clause where you can take possession before closing. The lawyers can figure it out. It won’t be more than a couple of days.” Tony hesitated. “I’m going to have to tell Morrow about you.” He sounded hesitant.

“That’s fine with me, Tony. I don’t actually care who know just so long as I’m aware so I can manage the PR aspects as they become an issue.”

“Just Morrow. I need him to understand why I’m insisting on staying in DC, and I also want him to know to call you if I’m ever injured on the job.”

Ethan squeezed his eyes shut. “Please don’t get hurt.” The last year had been a stressful nightmare of wondering if Tony was actually closer to the action than Ethan knew.

“I can’t make promises, but I’ll always try to be as safe as possible. I have a lot to come home to.”

Ethan pressed his lips to Tony’s temple. “I’ll talk to Charlotte. Get a plan in place in case something leaks or if there’s an emergency with your work.” There were more soft kisses and touches. “So, we’re agreed? We keep it quiet as long as it serves us, but the minute the secrecy is a problem, it’s over.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Okay.” Ethan levered himself up so his weight was more on Tony than not. Tony seemed to relax even more into the mattress. “I love you.”

Tony’s answering smile was one of Ethan’s favorite. Soft, bright, and almost shy. “I love you too.”

“Welcome home, Tony.”

The End