Written for the prompt Be Still My Beating Heart at gen prompt bingo
Tony DiNozzo had heard of love at first sight, and he had scoffed at the very idea, it was unrealistic and fanciful. Love was hard work, something that took effort and nurturing, it wasn't instant and it was often fleeting, nothing like the instant strong and unwavering connection that was boasted about in romance novels and fairytales. Growing up in his life with a father that remarried often Tony was completely disillusioned of the idea that love sprung up on people and lasted a lifetime.
Lust at first sight, well that was completely different and something that he had encountered himself on many occasion. He was pretty sure that lust at first sight was what people often thought of as love at first sight, but Tony knew better. He indulged himself in instances in which he was in lust at first sight and it often led to a pleasurable night, sometimes a few encounters but nothing more than that.
His relationship with Wendy had started as a friendship that had evolved into both lust and love, but it was hard work. He had to put a lot of time and effort into the relationship to maintain the love that was there. Now that they were engaged to be married it felt that even more effort was needed to keep their relationship going strong. It wasn't easy, they weren't the perfect fit to each other, not the other half of one whole, they were just two people in a relationship.
So Tony had never believed in the idea of the mythical love of one person a soul mate or love at first sight, but on that day he felt his whole perception on the situation change. He never expected it, so sudden that the feelings were, especially chasing a suspect. As he had chased, tackled and then arrested the suspect he had known that something was different about the situation, but he didn't know what. It wasn't adrenaline that had his heart beating almost frantically out of his chest. It wasn't lust, although the chase and capture had certainly aroused something within him. He didn't know what it was that made him want to be close to the suspect but it had nothing to do with wanting to see him brought to justice as part of his role as a Detective.
Finding out that the man was a Navy Cop made him feel less guilty about the strange feelings that seem to be gathering within him about this man. It was better in his mind to have strange disturbing and unexplainable feelings about a fellow law enforcement officer than about a criminal. Tony wasn't sure exactly what he was feeling but he did know that he would follow the other man anywhere, and that the Navy Cop seemed to be able to see right through him. The man's eyes seemed to pierce Tony's soul and he knew that the other man probably knew Tony in a few seconds of eye contact as well if not better than Wendy knew him.
Going to work with Gibbs at NCIS seemed natural, almost like it was meant to be, and Tony enjoyed it thoroughly. He threw himself into the job and into Gibbs' life as much as he was allowed. Wendy breaking off their engagement didn't hurt as much as he would have expected it to, he had spent the evening drinking with Gibbs and by morning it almost felt as if he had never been engaged. Maybe he hadn't meant to be engaged, maybe he wasn't cut out for that life, he certainly didn't have strong beliefs in love.
Maybe he was meant to be at NCIS on Gibbs' six, a crime fighting duo like Cagney and Lacey, Batman and Robin, Watson and Holmes, Starsky and Hutch, the list was endless. Maybe that was why he had felt the need to follow the man to DC with only a few words from the other man, he wasn't sure, but it was a possibility. It was what he thought at least, he was there to learn to be the best agent he could be, and work alongside Gibbs as his partner against crime. He just needed to still the constant pounding and irrational beating of his heart when he was around the other man, he didn't believe in love at first sight.