Tony was sitting on the bench outside the taco bell, enjoying the last of the milkshake playing Tetris on his phone. He hasn't exactly been hungry, but the last words Gibbs uttered before throwing him off at his school was "Call me when it is done, and when was the last time you ate?"
He hadn't answered. Just gotten out of the car, and headed to the school building. Being way too early again.
And now, that the sun was about to set, Tony regretted not finding a jacket at his dad's house. The chill afternoon, made close to everyone seeking refuge in their houses. Of course, you couldn't get around the local drug dealers and kid gangs hanging at the corners. At least not in this neighborhood. He threw the empty cup at the trash can a few feet from him and watched as it tilted in.
"Not a bad shoot" Tony looked up, getting to his feet seeing an older man wearing the same clothing a teenager's world have, with a ball cap stuck on his head smile at him. "You Tony?"
Tony nodded and was surprised when the man offered a hand. He had expected a grumpy elderly, that didn't want to do any small talk.
"I am Jackson, haven't seen you around before. I usually get the rookies, but I also usually hear about them before they end up in my truck" He flashed a smile, and Tony couldn't help but relax a bit as they made their way to the small van, that had been parked at the taco bell since before Tony gat there.
"You must really have made an impression on Russo, sending you out like this" Tony smiled, trying to keep his calm. He sure had made an impression. He still wasn't sure if it was good or bad.
"Anyways, if this doesn't payout, you can always go play pro basketball, you got a mean aim there" Tony laugh with Jackson as he opened the passenger seat door at the small van, and slipped into the seat. Though, he thought, he still wasn't completely sure what this was.
"So, where are we going?" Tony asked, and buckles his seatbelt, realizing that he was hoping Jackson wouldn't be as crazy as Gibbs.
"Ahh" Jackson replied, not even putting on the seatbelt "Great things come to those who wait" He flashed another grin, and Tony couldn't help but laugh, the man looked ridiculous "Anyways, we first have to go to the edge of town, pick up a shipment"
Tony raised an eyebrow, deciding to play it cool, smacking his feet up the window getting a more relaxed position "Thought we only get shipments from the ducks?" he made sure to say we, hoping the small crack in his voice didn't show.
"Ohh my little misguided friend, not at all. Most of our stuff actually comes from the small roads leading into town, now get your feet of the windshield, we don't wanna be pulled over"
Tony couldn't help but laugh "Says the one driving without a seatbelt, in a white unbranded van late in the afternoon" Jackson laughed too, while Tony put his feet back where they belonged.
Jackson kept to most of the traffic rules, to the point where Tony started to get bored. He headed for the radio, only to get his hands slipped away by Jackson for the fifth time.
"Seriously kid, get the hands of the radio, I drive in silence, or to the lovely tones of my own singing"
Tony grimaced "Somehow I don't think that sounds as lovely as you make it out to"
They made it to the outside of town rather easily. Tony had reverted to trying to fall asleep, after several other attempts at turning on the radio.
"You know" He mumbled as the car turned and hit a road bump, that made Tony grunt as he was thrown up against his window "This would have been a lot more of a pleasant ride if the radio was on" He could hear Jackson giggle and couldn't stop the smile from showing on his face. He opened his eyes and stretched, looking at the pitch black in front of him "Nice place, where did you find it, in Tod Browning's Dracula?" Jackson looked at him, eyebrows raised and Tony threw his hands in the air "Come on! Don't tell me you haven't seen it, it is a classic!"
Jackson laughed and shook his head as he stopped the car at the side of the road, and turned off the engine, only leaving the taillights on.
"I guess we wait now"
"Hey, don't look so beat down, it is just a little waiting, annnd - " Jackson bent forward, opening the glove compartment in front of Tony pulling out a set of cards "- If you are really bored, we can take a game" Tony laughed, not even surprised that the man had a spare set of cards in his car. Realizing just now, that it must be the same car as he always drove. He nodded.
"I am always bored, what are we playing?" Jackson opened his mouth, but the light from another car made him stop the words that were coming out and replaced them with something else
"Sorry kid, looks like we have to take a raincheck on this one, our delivery is here" Tony opened the glove department so Jackson could throw the cards back in, and they both opened their door and jumped out. Tony made another mental note to get himself a jacket. It was too damn cold to be without one.
The truck that came closer and eventually came to a stop, had rattled up enough dust so Tony couldn't stop himself from coughing, remembering back to his asthma attack and signed.
It was a dark van, though this one had a logo on its side, that Tony couldn't quite make out in the dark. Jackson signaled for Tony to stay back, and he did. Looking at the man as he approached the driver's window, and started talking. Tony strained his ears and tried to hear what they were saying. He took another step, hoping no one could see it.
" … everything is there?" '
"Yes, everything, and you have a new boy?" Tony was surprised to hear the accent. The Middle East, definitely. He had never heard anyone with an accent being part of Russos gang. Unless they were Italian, then it was a whole other story.
The next thing Jackson said was carried away by the wind. Tony shivered and put both his hands in his pocket. Feeling the small back, he for a moment forgot why he was actually here. Instead, he leaned up the car and tried to make himself invisible as he swallowed a pill.
The heat that came with it was amazing, and Tony relaxed his muscles. Maybe he didn't need a new jacket after all.
"Hey, kid! Come on"
Tony flinched at the sound of Jackson yelling at him. He pushed himself off the car and half-ran with him. Looking at the logo, but still not being able to figure out what it was. Other than it was red, and was outlined by a big circle. Another man met them at the back of the car. Tony nodded to him, and he received a small, almost nonexistent, nod in return.
"Get in the car kid, you got a phone, right? Turn on the flashlight and look in the boxes. Those that have bags of pills you push to the door first, got it?" Tony nodded, slipping into the van as Jackson opened the door. He turned on his phone. Using the simple light to navigate and open the first box. Revealing bags of powder. He shook his head. Reaching for another box he heard Jackson's voice "Come on, we don't have all night"
Tony rolled his eyes, as he found the first box full of pills and pushed it to the door. As soon as it was within reach, it was snatched out of the van. Tony turned back, not wanting to think of all the drugs, and continued his work.
It took them almost two hours to get everything loaded properly in the back of Jackson's van, and when they were done, Tony's arms screamed for a break, and he didn't even wait for Jackson to tell him, he just opened the door and slipped into his seat, thinking that he could actually fall asleep right now.
"waki waki kid, it is only 11:30 pm, I will bet you have stayed up longer than that" Tony opened his eyes, as Jackson turned on the engine again and looked at the clock. He grunted and closed them again. Not seeing how the other van pulled out and disappeared the same way it came.
"What is it with everyone and calling me a kid"
Tony opened one eye and looked at Jackson as he burst out laughing, he couldn't help but smile himself.
"You are not exactly an adult now" he reached in his pocket and drew out a bag of pills, viewing them in front of Tony "Can you swallow dry? Cuz I don't have any water and crushing them and sniffing always creates a mess"
Tony nodded to the question but then frowned. Jackson must have seen the confused look on his face, because he chuckled again as he took Tony's hand, leaving two pills.
"Just something to keep you awake. Can't use a helper that keeps falling asleep" He looked at the pills in his hand, concluding he didn't really care what it was and tilting his head back as he swallowed them.
"Attaboy" Jackson said as he started to chuckle again, pulling out and making a U-turn, before heading back into town.
Tony wasn't proud of it, but he lost track of where they were about halfway through the many deliveries. It was way past midnight, and he hasn't exactly been getting a lot of sleep lately. The adrenaline of going on a drug run, ran out pretty quickly, along with whatever he had taken, he was left pretty beat down and listening to Jackson laugh at him every 10 minutes didn't exactly lift his mode.
"What the hell are you even running on Jack? We have been lifting boxes all night and you are still as bright as you were when you picked me up?"
Jackson reached over and patted him on the head, laughing again.
"Since when did I become 'Jack' I must tell you, kid, you are pretty fun to be around when you are tired. Gat no filter"
Tony smiled "You must have misunderstood something Jack, I don't have any filter in general" he earned another small laugh for that, and Tony ran a hand through his hair looking out at the night.
"please tell me that we are done soon"
"Sure kid, this is the last one"
"Hallelujah," Tony smiled at Jackson again. The car came to a stop, and Tony couldn't help but growl when he saw that they were practically in the middle of nowhere, standing in front of a small town, that had been made out of shipping containers. He realized he was standing in an exercise yard for the military. He could almost feel the insecurity latch onto his spine.
They were navy. Tony could see it on their uniforms, and he found himself thinking back to what NCIS stood for. It suddenly made more sense. Tony unloaded the last boxes and watched as Jackson started talking with one of the three men.
A wind made him shiver, and he took a step closer. As soon as Jackson saw him come closer, he waved him off, and Tony stopped. But he didn't retreat. He knew Jackson was watching him out of the corner of his eye. Not that it mattered. Tony couldn't hear anything. He could only see them, and as money shifted hands, and the two silent marines went to take the boxes, Tony made sure to study their faces. Something told him that this was the delivery that Gibbs was going to be more interested in.
"Alright come on" Jackson threw the money into the car, and looked at the marines that started stacking the boxes on the ground. Tony was waved away again. "These gentlemen say they don't need our help kid, let's get going"
Tony nodded, crawling back into the heat, he threw a last look in the side mirror, seeing the man disappearing with their boxes.
"Surprised to see marines, kid?"
Tony lifted an eyebrow "thought I told you to lose the kid" Right now, Humor was the only straw tony could still grab at "and yeah, not exactly those you think about when you think about … " He drifted off, thinking back to the day by the dock. They had talked about marines. Soldiers. Using the drug like everybody else.
"I know" Jackson started "but they work really hard, and sometimes the expectations are just a little too high for them. So they need some help. You got to give them that" Tony lifted his eyebrow again, and didn't comment on it. He wondered what Gibbs would say to that.
"Anyways Tony, where do you want me to drop you off"
Tony ran a hand threw his hair and nodded "just where you picked me up, it isn't far from where I live"
And with those words, jack drove back into the neighborhood, Tony knew all too well, and have him a lazy wave as he drove off again. Tony signed and walked down the street, which looked all too empty. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he was pretty sure it was past midnight and crawling into the early hours of the morning. And surprisingly enough, he found himself tired. Not even caring to look around him, he walked into the house, and down, crashing on his madras with all his clothes still on.