Tony couldn't breathe. It was like something had tightened around his chest, and it left him struggling for air. But he kept running. He couldn't get his feet to stop. He needed to not be here. He needed, just for a moment, to have something else to think about. He had almost died and for now, his brain didn't want to take it in. So he kept running.
When it was close to impossible for him to get air, when the tightening around his chest had gotten so bad, it was like he had no lungs anymore. He stopped. And almost collapsed against a wall in a nearby ally. The wheezing sound that followed every breath was terrifying and yet reassuring. He put his head in his hand, as he tried to go back to breathing normally. Not that it happened. He kept struggling for air. He closed his eyes, not realizing that he was not alone in the alley until a set of footsteps stopped and he opened his eyes, readying to jump up again and get out of there. Instead, he felt his muscles relax. Just a bit.
"So… we are stalking me" Tony wanted to laugh, but instead he started coughing. Gibbs just raised an eyebrow at the boy. "You look like you are dying, kid"
Tony waved him away and the coughing stopped, leaving only the sound of his wheezing "I was dying 10 minutes ago, now …" He tried to take a deep breath only to start coughing again. Gibbs's face was stone as he sat down next to the boy.
"You wouldn't happen" Tony started when the coughing stopped once again "To have an inhaler on you, would you?"
The pieces fell into place in Gibbs' head "Asthma?"
Tony nodded, and they stayed in silence as he tried to get his breath under control. He closed his eyes again, feeling the tightening around his chest loosen, but now dizziness took over.
"You okay to move?" Tony cracked his eyes open and looked at Gibbs, the man didn't sound like himself at all.
"depends on where we are moving?"
Gibbs got up and grabbed Tony by the arm "To the car" he hurled the boy on his feet and regretted his decision seeing Tony sway. Gibbs kept a grip on the younger man as they walked towards the gray sedan, Tony was starting to get familiar with. He was still so focused on his breathing, that he didn't even realize when he crawled in on the back seat instead of riding shotgun. And Gibbs didn't mention it. He just walked around the car, taking a deep breath of air. Feeling the cold fill his lungs before settling into the driver's seat. In the back, Tony's wheezing continued and Gibbs was at the point, where he was pretty sure the boy was never gonna stop making that noise.
"You know," Tony said as they started driving "there is gonna be a lot of traffic at this time" Gibbs looked out the window at the many cars trying to get ahead of him. Tony grabbed the side of his door as Gibbs sped up.
"I know"
"I think I am gonna puke" Gibbs caught Toys eyes in the rearview mirror "or not, sir"
Gibbs couldn't help but smile tho he made sure the boy couldn't see it "Don't call me sir kid, I work for a living"
Tony nodded, he was still all but collapsed against the side door, but his breathing got better. He didn't feel like he was going to die or pass out anymore. He saw that as a good sign. But with the lightness in his chest came the space for thoughts. Things he didn't want to think about right now. If ever. Like the fact that he had almost died, what would have happened if he hadn't gotten out of there? Would Russo kill him fast? Would he have that much mercy? or would he do it slowly? Maybe let him bleed out. Or…
"DiNozzo!"
Tony flinched at the volume of the voice. Gibbs was looking at him again. Not through the mirror. The older man had turned his head and looked at Tony over his shoulder. Tony resisted the urge to tell him to keep his eyes on the road.
"Uhm … what?" Tony straightened himself, in the act of trying to look normal. His hands were shaking again. He tried to remember if he had taken anything before starting to run. He was pretty sure he hadn't. Tony slid a hand down to his knee. He was surprised he hadn't noticed the pain earlier. But to be fair. He had a lot of things to notice right now.
"I said" Gibbs looked at him in the mirror, keeping half his attention on the road and half on Tony "What happened in there?"
Tony shifted in his seat, keeping his eyes on the road he mumbled "I was never supposed to do anything" And then. Silence filled the car. Tony thought that Gibbs would keep asking. Or at least look at him. But Gibbs didn't. The man understood that sometimes, talking was unnecessary. Besides, he was pretty sure the boy was going to shut down if he started to feel like this was an interrogation more than anything else.
The traffic slowed down and all but stopped. Gibbs cracked one of the windows a bit open and looked back at Tony. The boy was staring out at the road as his life depended on it. At least the wheezing had almost disappeared.
"I… he" Tony struggled to find words that could explain what had happened. It wasn't like he didn't want to tell Gibbs. He just didn't want to say it out loud. He wished Gibbs could just read his mind… On another note, he was going to try and explain it again.
"He said" Tony narrowed his eyes, and took a deep breath. A mistake. He started coughing "He said… " Tony muttered between two coughs, "he said I was never supposed to… to " Tony couldn't get the word over his lips. It was stupid. He had not actually done it. But here he was. Unable to say it out loud "get rid of anyone. I was never supposed to get rid of anyone" There was silence again, and this time Tony wasn't sure how to fill it. If it was anyone else's, he would probably just crack a joke. But not right now, not here.
"damn it!" Gibbs slammed a hand at the steering wheel, and Tony jumped at the sound. Gibbs looked at him once again through the rearview mirror and Tony looked away.
"What did he say in there? What happened? He had your phone" the last thing wasn't a question. More of a statement. Tony blinked at the many words. Then frowned.
"He called you," he said as if he had just remembered "he called you"
"Who did he think I was?"
"Uhm" Tony was suddenly unsure of what to say. He wasn't sure if Gibbs would be mad, after all, he had somehow called the agent old. And then he almost laughed. It seemed like the smallest thing to focus on right now. "My grandpa. I told him you were my grandpa" Gibbs raised his eyebrows and muttered something that almost sounded like I am not that old. Tony couldn't help himself and let out a small laugh.
"Is that why you came" he leaned back in the seat. Letting the fabric swallow him "because he called you?"
"Maybe"
Tony looked out the window again. Silence filled the car, and only the sound of impatient drivers made it through the cracked window. The sounds reminded him of the road trip he had gone with his dad on when he was 13.
"can you close the window?" When nothing happened Tony added a "please?" Gibbs frowned, but closed the window, strangling the last sound in the car.
"What did you say to get out?"
Tony closed his eyes once again, feeling the car starting to move and hoping that whatever traffic jam they had gotten themself stuck in, it was softening up now.
"I told him he was stupid" Tony could practically feel the eyes on him, and he couldn't catch the smile before it showed on his face "What, isn't that NCIS protocol?"
"to call the one that can kill you stupid? no, not exactly"
Tony opened his eyes and looked at Gibbs. The man had divided all of his attention to the road ahead of them and Tony did his best not to look out the window, realizing where they were driving again.
"What am i supposed to call you?" Gibbs looked back at him. Something that looked a lot like surprise flashed over his face. "I mean, you don't what me to call you sir, so what am i supposed to call you"
"What about my name?" Tony looked at him for a while until he was sure the man wasn't joking
"Sounds wrong. I feel like I need to call you something like Boss. Sir just sounds better"
Gibbs couldn't hide the smirk that appeared on his face.
"Boss sounds good to me" he looked at Tony who, for the second time that day, mentally kicked himself.
"I am not calling you that" He mumbled.
The car stopped and Tony looked out, realizing they were in the exact same spot as last time. Gibbs turned in his seat again.
"We are going to come tomorrow morning before school to question you. We need to keep playing it like you actually killed him, to make sure Russo still thinks so." Tony nodded. It made sense. He opened the door letting the air float into the car.
But before he stepped out he looked at Gibbs "Why did you pick me up?"
"Well I saw you running like a lunatic, and when I was sure no one was chasing you i was going to collect you and drive you to the hospital"
Tony smirked "Let me guess, you took pity on me and figured driving me here in the middle of rush hour was enough to get me back to reality"
"It did something"
Tony got out of the car and watched as it sped away. He hoped no one had seen them, and if they had. He hoped no one was going to tell his dad. He fished out the bags of pills and swallowed two dries. Not particularly caring if it was Ox or Aderreal. With Gibbs' words in mind, he started walking towards his childhood home