This was a challenge that I found in the NCIS forum. It was the first time I had ever been into a forum on and I'm glad I did as I found this great challenge. It is from Gibbswife5 and I hope she enjoys it! :D
Of course, I hope everyone else enjoys it too! :P
It's a songfic based on the song Bring It On by Trace Adkins. Words in italics are lyrics from the song. Edit: Had to remove the lyrics as the original story got deleted for infringing the rules regarding using lyrics in stories.
Mild slash. I do not own the NCIS characters (Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Anthony DiNozzo Jr.)
Bring It On
Part 1 - DiNozzo
As DiNozzo stood in front of the the door, he wondered how he had ended up here again. Tony was upset and had gone for a drive to calm himself down and had somehow ended up here; at his boss' front door. There was really no point going back now and he didn't think he was so upset that he would be too obvious so he took the risk. Grasping the door handle, the young man opened it and walked through the dark house to the basement stairs where the only light was visible. He walked slowly down the stairs, trying to be quiet but knowing that Gibbs had probably heard him as soon as his car had pulled up on his road. He could see him sanding the boat as usual and the normalcy of it made him smile a little. Though his gaze did not move from the wood in front of him, Tony knew that Gibbs was aware of his presence. No one could sneak up on Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
DiNozzo sat down when he reached the second to last step and just watched his boss work for a few minutes before finally greeting him.
"Hey Gibbs."
"DiNozzo." Gibbs replied without looking away from his sanding. "What's up?"
"Nothing much. Just thought I'd stop by." He answered in what he hoped was an indifferent and nonchalant tone that gave away none of his inner turmoil.
"I can tell when you're lying DiNozzo."
Apparently it had not worked.
It's just... my father, alright? He left a message on my answering phone; says he has money troubles and needs to borrow some again. Just brought back some bad memories..."
"Again? This happen often?" Gibbs asked, a frown on his face. He had chosen to ignore the second part for now.
"Not that often... just once or twice a year. He says he'll repay me but I know that's bullshit. He's been saying it for years but as soon as he gets any money, he blows it on luxury hotels and flights to exotic countries and then before he knows it, he's bankrupt again and calling me for help again..." Tony mumbled, not really wanting to share this information with the older man.
Finally, Gibbs ceased the steady strokes of the sanding block against the timber and looked over at his senior field agent. He could see the tension in his posture; he was sitting stiffly and fidgeting, looking ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.
He felt rage fill him at the mention of Tony's bastard of a father. He hadn't heard much about Tony's parents but from what he heard, he had decided that he did not like the man who dared to call himself Tony's father in the least.
"C'mere." Gibbs said to Tony, curling a finger in the universal 'come hither' gesture. When his agent obliged and walked over to stand in front of him, he put a hand on the small of his back and gently pushed him in the direction of the boat. Reaching over to the counter behind them, Gibbs picked up another sanding block and threw it to Tony, the younger man catching even though he was not expecting it.
"Err... boss? Why are you giving me this?" The younger agent asked.
"Because, DiNozzo, you're going to sand." Gibbs said, mentally laughing at the surprise written all over his second in command's face.
"But I don't know how! I'll screw it up..." DiNozzo muttered, head lowered.
"I'll teach you." Gibbs said and proceeded to demonstrate to the younger man how to correctly sand wood.
"Just remember to go with the grain. Do that and you can't really go wrong." He reassured as he finished his brief tutorial.
"Ummm... ok. I'll give it a go." Tony hesitated before beginning to sand the boat as he had been shown.
"See? You've got it. Good job DiNozzo." The older man encouraged , choosing not to comment on the grin he saw spread across DiNozzo's face at the praise.
"Thanks boss."
They sanded in near silence for a few minutes, the only sound heard being the sandpaper being dragged across the timber of the boat. The sanding was relaxing and Tony began to understand why his boss spent so much time doing it.
"You know Gibbs, I've always wondered why I bother lending money to my father. I know full well that he won't pay it back and I know that he doesn't deserve all the money, yet I still can't manage to deny him it. He has always treated me like shit so why do I do it?
Actually I know why I do it. I'm naïve enough to think that one of these times, he'll actually take notice of the fact that his son is lending him money again and show some gratitude. I want him to care enough to say thank you and speak to me when he isn't broke. Is that really so much to ask Gibbs? He hardly ever even saw me as a kid and when he did it was to take me to some kind of business event to show me off dressed in a little suit like a pet or a trophy or something and then shoved me back to the help when I'd served my purpose impressing clients. I just wanted him to notice me... to care... just once." Tony confessed, words coming out a little choked near the end as tears began to trail down his cheeks.
Gibbs put down the sanding block in his own hand and took Tony's from his shaking hand, placing them both on the counter before drawing the younger man into a hug that caught Tony very much by surprise. He look up at his boss in shock, tear tracks smeared across his face. Reaching out a hand towards him, Gibbs wiped them away as much as he could and put a hand gently on the back of Tony's head, guiding it down to rest on his shoulder. With his arms wrapped around him, the marine ("There's no such thing as an ex-marine") could feel Tony's sobs shaking his body and he felt the rage at Anthony DiNozzo Snr. that had been briefly suppressed rise up once again as he saw what an effect the bastard had had on his senior field agent. Tears were soaking his t-shirt but he didn't care, all that mattered right now was Tony.
Bring It On
Hope you liked it! There's a second part which I will try to finish and upload as soon as possible. :D