Bruh I wrote this high asf...

AUGUST 5, 2005
VENEZUELA

A shirtless Tony bounced on the balls of his feet. He pumped his fists in front of him, his palms wrapped in tape. He kept himself busy, keep his heart pumping.

"Okay, Italino," Jose prepped. "El Pepe is your first opponent. He's your size but he's has a lot more experience. And that right hook man, ay guey. Just knock his ass out, aight?"

"Got it," Tony agreed, continuing to prep himself. "This is Step One of the plan."

Jose nodded. "Adapt."

Pepe came out into the laundry room. All the laundry machines were lined up against the walls. The prisoners were lined up in square around the room. Two chairs were opposite each other in the corners. Pepe went to his chair to talk to his team. El Pepe was about Tony's size, give or take a few pounds. He had very light hair but his face was complimented with a mustache and light goatee.

Jose dabbed Tony's forehead with a sponge. "Go get 'im, and remember. Watch out his right hook. And you can't kill him. And he can't kill you."

"Right," Tony said, patting Jose on the back as he stepped back. Tony put in the third world version of a mouth guard. An inmate, serving as 'the official', used an airhorn borrowed from a warden. In exchange for the match to be allowed to take place, the warden took a cut of all bets made. The airhorn would serve as the Sabaneta Prison's 'Bell'. He blew the horn once. The inmates instantly starting cheering and making bets.

Tony and El Pepe approached each other, nodding in respect. Raising their fists, and doing the customary double-fist bump, the two circled each other. Like heavyweight boxers, the opponents tested each others' defenses, holding back aggressive moves until they determined their enemies' skill. Your first move was often the most important as that was the first swing you make before taking damage and lost energy. A true pugilist made every shot count.

Tony and El Pepe finally started throwing some jabs and swings, none connecting. Both fighters' supporters shouted words of encouragement, but some were now also indicating them to get on with it.

If this was an arcade game, Tony would get the First Hit caption. Both crowds went wild as Tony pummeled El Pepe's face twice. El Pepe shook his head and grinned.

"You hit pretty hard," El Pepe said through his mouth guard. "para un pendejo americano."

Tony wasn't quick enough to dodge. The fist damn near knocked his face to the floor. He felt his lip split the moment it was impacted. Blood flowed from his lip. Tony gritted his teeth and went on the attack. Tony jabbed at El Pepe's belly with might. El Pepe felt the wind leave his lungs. He responded with an uppercut that caught Tony's chin. Tony bit down hard on the rubber piece that functioned as a mouth piece to contain a scream. He moved to make distance between him and El Pepe. El Pepe came over and took a wild swing. Tony ducked and elbowed El Pepe in the back of the neck. Pepe stumbled.

Tony looked at him, grinning with a bloody smile. "Come on, then. Stop trying to hit and hit me... pendejo." He reveled in the crowd responding with deep "oooooooooh". Tony raised his fists again. Pepe followed suit. El Pepe had probably decided he was done with this. Tony took a crushing hit to the nose, which almost sent him out of the ring had his compatriots not caught him. The nose was gonna bleed for a while.

"Come on, Tony!" Jose encouraged as they pushed Tony back in. "Get back in there!"

El Pepe closed in to finish Tony off. Tony ducked and El Pepe almost clocked one of the spectators, who managed to duck.

"WOOOOAHH!" many of them shouted, ducking and backing up.

Pepe turned to focus on Tony, managing to get a solid hit to the man's stomach. But Tony turned the tables instantly. Tony blocked a jab, then countered with a fist to Pepe's face. Then he did something the crowd wasn't expecting... Tony slapped both of Pepe's ears, to disorient him. Confused and dazed, Pepe tried a wild right hook swing. Tony blocked with his left arm and employed a dashing knee shot to the stomach. Pepe launched another strike from his left, only for Tony to dodge, spin a 180 and elbow Pepe's right cheek. Pepe staggered.

But Tony did not let up. Blood pooling from lips, gums and nose, and gritting his blood stained teeth against the mouth piece, Tony's pressed the attack, fracturing Pepe's right cheek bone, then breaking Pepe's already cracked ribs, before another attack to the stomach. Another 180 spin and sideways backhand dislocated Pepe's jaw before a downward elbow pile driver to the back. Pepe still standing but staggered, Tony did a final 180 and kicked Pepe in the chest, sending him flying to the floor. Pepe was alive, but he did not get up. He was out. Tony reckoned a month of recovery and he'd be back.

The 'ref' had seen enough and blew the horn twice. The crowd cheered. Those betting on Pepe groaned collectively in Spanish as they handed their money, and whatever else they used to bet, to the winners. The winners no doubt were live in jeer and spirit. Tony raised his fists in triumph. He got some slaps on the shoulder as he walked towards Jose, who squished a soaked sponge on him.

"Mi chico, you did great!" Jose exclaimed.

"Jesus, you were right when mentioned that right hook," Tony said, rubbing his jaw. He spat some blood. "I'm gonna feel this next week."

"But you kicked that pendejo's ass!" exclaimed Jorge, one of Jose's top boys, who handed Tony a towel. "You won!"

Jose dug into his pocket and gave Tony his 30% of the bolivars and cigarettes. "And I have my 30%. The rest goes to the warden for allowing this match. We'll give ya two weeks to recover man before we arrange your next match."

Tony took his money, counted it and stuffed it in his pocket. "Good. All part of the plan."

Jesse smiled. "The plan."

"And two weeks is all I need," Tony said, watching as the other team lifted the sloggish Pepe away. "I don't think Pepe will be back for another month. Haha."

After Tony managed to clean up, he went to the mess hall. While he was in line, some inmates came over to congratulate Tony for his victory. Tony nodded and gave thanks. His nose was still hurting like a bitch. He'd have to make sure he didn't irritate his nose for those two weeks. He could take pain, but he preferred to avoid it.

"Eh Italiano!" the cook handing out the food called. "Luis tells me he made so much money betting on you, he told me to tell you if you want a tattoo, the first one is on him."

Tony smiled. Luis was the prison tattoo artist. "I'll be sure to take him up on his offer." If he was gonna be a prisoner, he might as well enjoy. "Maybe get the American Eagle."

The cook laughed as he put the slop on Tony's plate. Jose came up as Tony got his food. "Italanio! Word is spreading about your victory. No one has beaten El Pepe in years!"

Tony laughed. "Well, us DiNozzos never go down without a fight."

"I can tell that."

As Tony ate what barely could be considered food, he got to thinking about his friends back. Anthony Senior, Gibbs, McGee, Abby... Kate... Especially Kate. Tony had tried to years to obey Gibbs' 'rules' were more guidelines anyway. Some of it was easy, some of it was annoying but some of them were increasingly hard. And the more time he spent with Kate, it grew harder to obey that one rule.

Especially after that moment before the flight home...

"Well, it's kind of beautiful up here."

"And dangerous," Tony responded while he was cleaning his gun with a rag.

"From this height you can't really tell."

"I was referring to you," Tony said sternly. "I thought you were gonna attack me back in Iggy's stall."

"How was I suppose to know what you were planning?"

"Well, we're a team, Kate. You're supposed to follow my lead."

"Oh, even when I don't know where it's going?"

"Especially then... Kate, I'm not asking you to blindly go with everything I do or say. Trust me, blind allegiance makes you a pawn. But there are certain situations where you just go with it. That's why when the bullets are flying, I expect you to have my back..."

Kate was looking at him intensely. "Just like you have mine?"

Tony slowly nodded. "Exactly. There will come a time where our lives will depend on each other. And I would die if something happened to you."

Kate blinked. That last line wasn't Special Agent Anthony D. DiNozzo II, her colleague, talking. That was her friend Tony talking. About her. Her safety. Her well being.

For a whole minute, they didn't speak. Tony's blues eyes gazed into Kate's brown eyes. Kate couldn't help but admit that under Tony's goofy personality was a hard man of steel who faced his problems head on and with the most serious attitude.

Kate leaned in further toward Tony. Tony's heart was threatening to literally jump out of his head. Tony responded by moving his face closer to hers, moving his hand to take her shoulder. Kate and Tony's lips almost connected when Tony's cell phone rang. They both jumped apart as if Gibbs literally just walked in on them, coffee in hand, barking rules and orders at them. Tony frantically reached for his phone as if he just got caught with a middle school girl by her parents.

"Yeah boss?"

Tony shook his head and continued eating.

"God, I hope this escape plan works."

Review.

I'll let yall guess what "The Plan" is. ;)

Might do a chapter focused on The NCIS looking for Tony when I got the time.