Written for the rare pairs challenge at 1 million words - Day one prompt - I did that too as a kid!
Tony had met his perfect match when he was at college, not that he had realised it at the time of course, they were quite similar, but then completely different at the same time. Their paths had crossed but it was a fleeting meeting, neither getting to spend any real time together, despite having just changed the course of the others life, their futures changing and setting on separate paths.
It wasn't until years later that their paths crossed again, this time when Tony's whole life hang in the balance, not just his future. At Bethesda Naval Hospital while recovering from the plague Tony got to know Brad Pitt, the Wolverine, not the actor, the man who had broken his leg and set him on his path to becoming the Federal Agent that he was today.
To Tony it seemed like the plot of a movie, if Brad hadn't broken his leg he wouldn't have become an NCIS Agent and caught the plague, so Brad would never have been his Doctor. On the other side of the situation, if Brad hadn't broken his leg he wouldn't have thrown himself more into his studies than keeping up the averages he needed to be able to play ball. It had been his father's desire that he become a Doctor, his dream, like Tony's, had been to play basketball professionally. Breaking Tony's leg had made him realise how fragile a dream that was, how anything could ruin it and made him think of taking a much more financially secured career.
They had both had similar expectations placed upon them in their childhoods by their fathers to follow in their footsteps, into business and medicine, but had both preferred the escape that sports had offered them. Chatting to one another while Tony recovered they both had instances where the phrase "I did that too as a kid!" would be the response to whatever statement the other issued.
To many people it would seem strange that when Tony left the hospital he still kept in close contact with Brad on a personal level, as well as for regular check-ins regarding the strength of his lungs, but they had just clicked. They were like two peas in a pod, or some other cliché analogy, at least on the surface, but both men were more than the personas they portrayed to the world.
They had at first met up once a week, sometimes for lunch, perhaps dinner, or even the odd game of basketball down at the local Y. Then it started to become more regular some weeks, meeting maybe two or three times, and then there was one week, where Tony actually had some time off that they managed to spend some time together every day.
It had been at least three months of meetings before either of them had admitted that they were dating each other, and then almost a month after that before they were able to fit in a proper date, Tony getting caught up in case after case. They didn't rush with their relationship, it seemed to develop at its own pace, it was comfortable and unique to them.
They kept their relationship to themselves, seeing no need to broadcast it to anyone, especially if Brad was to remain as Tony's Doctor. Strictly speaking he shouldn't remain in that position, but as Tony's condition needed specialist care that there weren't many specialists readily available in the local area, they kept their closeness a secret whenever at the hospital.
It meant making sure that no-one thought that they were in a relationship together, which with Tony's mask of the eternal frat boy wasn't exactly hard. Even the Mossad Assassin that was now on Tony's team hadn't figured out that the Tony she worked with everyday was a mask, even when he hadn't risen to the bait she kept offering and kept turning down her advances.
The only person who was aware of their relationship was Gibbs, who had seen through Tony's masks since the man first put them up in front of him. Gibbs knowing wasn't a problem for either of them as they knew the other man would keep their secret, rule 4, and he would inform Brad straight away if something happened to Tony without it seeming suspicious, just insisting that they check whatever happened hadn't impacted Tony's lung function in anyway. It had happened so often that even the other members of the team now associated a trip to Bethesda for Tony as a chance to see Brad again, Ducky and Abby insisting that he check Tony out any time the man was admitted.
Their relationship wasn't without its hurdles of course, they both worked demanding jobs with long hours, and had to keep separate residences to keep up the charade, so getting time together could be difficult at times, but they definitely believed it was worth it. They could sometimes go days at a time without even get the chance to have a quick call to check in with each other, and when they did they had to pretend that Brad was Tony's bimbo of the moment, or a frat brother, to keep suspicion down. The time that they did manage to spend together more than made up for it though. Neither of them would give up their careers if they didn't have to, they were happy and content with the lives they had. In each other they had found their perfect other half, they were two halves of a whole, the same, but different through their own growth and separate experiences.
Tony put his book down on the bedside table, he hadn't been reading it anyway his head too full of thoughts to concentrate on the works of Plato, and moved closer to his lover. Twining his body around the other man and basking in his warmth he fell asleep, knowing that in the morning he would be going in to work boasting about an evening with Vicki or Tiffany with amazing long legs and soft brown hair, but for now he could just enjoy being close to his Brad.