"I'd listen to your pretty boy brother there little man, unless you want some of this same--" the puke swung his fist hard into Tony's face again. Tony spit the blood from his mouth, his lip split. Blood still pooling from his nose. "love.."
"Let go of him!" Tim tried to free himself from the meat heads laughing and holding him still easily.
"No, I don't think im gonna do that." Kyle, the varsity football running back for their high school who was pummeling his fists into Tony pretended to consider it.
"Little show off needs to learn here who's in charge."
Tim and Tony were freshman in high school, Tim had been moved up two grades for being basically a genius, and Jethro and Jenny had told him they were probably going to bump him up another grade or two as the years went one. Tim didn't know what this guy wanted, but he knew he was gonna stick up for Tony no matter what.
Kyle suckered punched him in the stomach, and Tony felt his breath disappear from existence. Tony surprised everyone with a hard kick up to Kyles groin, which dropped the scum to his knees.
"You should not! Have..done that!" Kyle stood up and brought huge fist after huge fist into Tony's stomach. "You little jackass!" He got a good one into his eye, and another one in the exact same spot.
"Stop! Stop!" Tim continued to fight the strong arms. "He didn't do anything to you!"
"Ha." Kyle turned and began to walk towards Tim. "Oh, really?"
"Tim! I said don't! Let super-dick take out his jealousy on me, it wont change anything" Tony struggled through the pain it took to breathe.
"Your brother over here," he gestured his head back to Tony who sagged between the two other letterman jacket wearers. "Thinks he is just going to waltz in and take my starting football position. But not if I have anything to say about it"
Tim shook his head, "That's ridiculous! You cant beat him on the football field so you have to do it here?" Tim mock laughed.
Kyle raised his fist and pulled it back about to strike, and then descend it towards Tims face. Tim flinched violently and cried out in pain, but the fist never landed.
The group laughed hysterically. "Wowwwww!" Kyle slapped Tim's cheek lightly in play. "Little boy, you need to learn how to take a punch here like " He swung it hard, and snapped Tony's head to the side, right to the eye again. "Your big brother-"
"Hey!" someone yelled from behind the crowd. It was a girl, and she sounded pissed.
All the heads turned to see Ziva Fornell standing at the end of the alleyway. She ran forward after she recognized the two restrained boys as her good friends, and basically cousins, Tim and Tony.
"Let them go!" She ran up and pushed Kyle hard.
He brushed her off and went to bring his knee up into Tony, but another girl screamed from the end of the alleyway. Kate.
Just then Kate and her boyfriend Cole ran over to the crowd of guys, Cole pushing Kyle hard against the wall. Cole was the quarterback of the football team, and the same size as Mr. Kyle.
Kyle and his goons quickly cleared out of the alley, dropping Tony and throwing Tim to the ground.
This was the walk home from school that they took everyday, often all together but today was different for some reason, and they all wished it hadn't been. Tony quickly stood, with the help of Kate, who pushed him gently against the wall.
She brought his hanging face up to meet hers with both hands and turned his head from side to side. "Shit Tony."
Tony looked Kate in the eye's sadly, "It's fine, Kate." He removed her gentle hands from his sore face. "I'm fine. That guy's just a ---"
"Dick!" Ziva helped Tim to his feet and came over to look at Tony's face as well.
"Tony, you aren't fine." Kate said sadly. "Your bleeding!"
"You okay, Tony?" Cole asked from behind his scrutinizing girlfriend.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tony said sadly. He was embarrassed, and he hated having all these people looking at him like he was some weak little hurt puppy or something. "Let's just get home."
He brought his hand up to his nose and balled a fist and tucked it into his nostrils to keep the blood from going down his lips and chin anymore. His eye was freaking killing him more than anything. It hurt to blink, and could feel it tightening up as it swelled.
As they turned to walk home, "That's gonna be quite the shiner, kid." Cole said grimly.
"Awesome.." Tony said dryly.
"Tim did they hurt you?" Kate asked concerned.
"No" Tim let his head hang low. He wished he could have done something, anything to help Tony. He was weak, and a big baby just like Kyle had proved. "I tried to stop them, but I just couldn't.." Tim said in a regretful tone.
"Tim, I told you it was fine. Im glad you stayed out of it" Tony was tipping his head back to try and stop the bloody nose.
"What did that asshole want with you, Tony?" Ziva asked
"He's been bugging cause Tony is ten times the running back he is," Kate put her arm around Tony's waist as they walked down the sidewalk. She felt bad for him, he hadn't really done anything but play the sport he loved as best as he could.
"Its true," Cole said. "Youre really good Tony, and you are going to take his spot, no doubt."
"Oh, great." Tony deadpanned. "I can look forward to another meeting like this one.. I don't know if I'm gonna go to Varsity. Mine as well stay on JV..."
"Hey, don't let that jerk get to you. You deserve that spot," Cole replied as he looked over at the bleeding freshman in sympathy.
"Tony, do you need to sit? That's a lot of blood," Kate asked concerned. It was running down his arm and face now, and his lip was bloody, as well as his eye where the skin was splitting.
"No, Kate. Thanks but I will be fine til we get home.." Tony sounded stuffed up as his fist plugged his nose.
"Okay, if u say so" She wasnt quite convinced.
Finally hey reached home, and just as they were walking up the front stairs the front door swung open, and it was their Dad.
"Kids what took--" Jethro saw the bloody and bruising Tony. "Tony? What happened?"
"Dad, one of the football guys got mad at Tony for being better than him and this is what happened. We found them holding Tony and Tim in the alley." Kate filled him in as Tony struggled up the steps, his eye was basically swollen shut now and he couldn't see much on account of he had his head tilted back to try and minimize the blood flow.
"Jesus. You okay?" Jethro met him halfway down the front stairs and took him by the shoulders to help him the rest of the way into the house.
"Yeah, Dad I should be fine. He just got a few good ones in," Tony sounded defeated.
"More than a few, Tony." Tim said as he followed them through the front door slowly.
"Here Tony, hop up on the counter .." Jethro patted the kitchen counter with is hand.
Tony climbed up on the counter, his hands still covering his nose.
"What hurts the worst?" Jethro asked as he got a few towels from the drawer across the kitchen.
Tim, Kate, Cole and Ziva stood awkwardly at the other side of the kitchen watching the two.
"Stinkin eye" Tony touched it tenderly.
"Yeah, that's quite the shiner," Jethro took a rolled up towel and replaced Tony's hand under the nose with it.
Then he went and got some ice in a towel and balled it up, putting it on his lip. Tony held it both the towels there, staunching the blood flow.
"That guy really got his stomach too, Dad." Tim piped up cause he knew Tony wasn't going to.
"Tony.." Gibbs lifted the loose red tshirt to reveal bruising abs in various places. Jethro winced. "Jesus. Who is this bastard?" This was bad.
"Kyle form the football team," Ziva spoke up. " He's such a jerk!"
"Can someone get me a warm washcloth?" Jethro took Tony's hand from the rolled up towel under his nose.
Kate did so, and handed it to her Dad.
Jethro wiped the washcloth gently over Tony's face, getting the fresh but drying blood off of his mouth and chin.
"Looks like he got your jaw a few times too," Jethro said sadly. He once again turned the face gently back and forth, his hand gripping Tony's chin. "Tell me you got a few hits in back at this dirt bag?"
"I wish.." Tony said as he let his head hang low.
"Tony had no chance, Dad. We were walking home, and next thing I knew someone had came up behind us and literally slammed Tony into the ground on his back, then tow huge guys picked him up and dragged him into the alley." Tim explained. "I tried to stop them, but they were blocking me..."
"Tony, don't tip your head back, tip it forward." Jethro assisted his son in getting his head in the right position. "Jeez this nose is really bleeding"
He grabbed a piece of ice and held it on the bridge of Tony's nose, then took a rag and stuffed it under Tony's upper lip and pinched his lip onto it.
"This should get it to stop," Jethro breathed out of his nose in a huff. He looked over to Cole, "So you know this Kyle?"
"Yeah, we are both seniors. He thinks he should be running back of the century" Cole said. "He's pretty cocky."
"Well when I see the little dirt bag, I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind.." Jethro said as he looked back to check if Tony's nose was still bleeding, which it was.
"How long has this thing been bleeding, guys?" Jethro asked.
"Fourteen minutes and ..thirty seven seconds." Tim answered looking at his wrist watch.
"Shit, Tony. That's-" He was growing angrier by the second, but also more concerned. "Are you feeling alright?" Jethro bore his eyes into the green ones.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tony said, he sounded bummed, or defeated or something. Jethro would have to have a pep talk with him once the first aid was handled.
"You have a headache? Dizzy? Can you see okay?" Jethro asked him making sure he didn't miss something. Like another concussion.
"Nope, just I think I swallowed some blood so Im not feeling so hott in the nausea department.." Tony said honestly.
"Okay, how many fingers" Jethro held up just his index finger.
"One." Tony answered definitively.
"Kay good," Jethro was releived a bit to find out nothing too bad was injured... like his brain.
Jethro moved Tony's hand that help the rolled up and bloody washcloth to his nostrils, "It looks like its almost done."
"Alright Tony, let's go to the bathroom." Jethro realized how much Tony disliked being under scrutinizing eyes of bystanders when he was hurt or anything.
Tony slid off the counter, and put the washcloths he was holding under his nose and on his lip on the counter, he realized he had gotten blood all over the tile floor and counter,
"Shoot, sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Jethro said as he began to walk towards the hall where the bathroom was.
Tony looked over and saw the crowd still staring at him, "You guys don't have to stare. I think im gonna live."
The four all averted their eyes and pretended quickly not to be staring.
Tony made it into the bathroom where Jethro was waiting for him. He shook his head slowly at the sight of Tony walking towards him.
"Always getting into trouble," Jethro said quietly.
Tony chose not to reply to that, and instead turned to look at himself in the mirror,
"Jesus" Tony turned his head from side to side. "That's great. This is so embarrassing."
Jethro didn't really know what to say. "He's a coward. Afraid to fight you in a fair fight so he has his meathead friends hold you back. That is not a fight, Tony. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Maybe. I didn't mean to take his spot Dad, I was just playing how you always taught me to, my best." Tony sat down on the toilet, his head looking at his feet.
"Tony, you don't let this stop you from playing football the way you do. Don't let this bastard stand in your way, if your good enough to start you will start. That is a fair fight, and its what is best for your whole team." Jethro tilted his chin up to get a good look at the cut under his eye he was about to clean.
"I guess your right" Tony said, then he winced as the alcohol burned his cut.
Jethro continued to wipe the blood from his face, then he rolled up some toilet paper and shoved it up his nostrils.
"Alright, lets get something frozen on that eye its already swollen shut, Bud." Jethro helped him stand from the toilet. Tony walked out into the living room where Kate and Tim were waiting, Cole and Ziva choosing to leave already.
He plopped down lazily into the couch, and brought his aching head back against the corner of the plush sofa.
"How ya feeling, Tony?" Kate asked as she grimaced while seeing the swollen and ever-bruising eye.
"Kind of like I just got beat up" Tony wasn't being smart, or sarcastic like usually. He sounded truly hurt, and saddened by the fact.
"I cant believe that guy," Kate said angrily. "Im gonna give him a piece of my mind at school tomorrow!"
"Its okay, Kate. Don't worry about it," Tony accepted the frozen bag of peas that his Dad handed to him before sitting on the other side of the couch in defeat.
Tony gingerly put the peas on his eye before breathing a sigh of relief.
"Tony, is this the first time this guy has given you crap?" Jethro asked.
"No, he's been messing at practice and just teasing, but never anything like this." Tony answered solemnly.
"Jethro--" They all heard Jenny's throat catch from the front of the house, most likely upon seeing the blood. "Oh my--! Jethro?" Jenny rephrased her yell of awareness to one of concern.
"In here, Jen." Jethro looked somberly over at Tony, who knew it was coming too.
"What happened? What's with all the blo--" Jenny walked into the living room and saw Tony with the bag of peas. "Tony? Oh my God!" Jenny nearly ran over to the couch.
She screamed at the sight she saw when she moved the bag of peas.
"Tony! Are you alright? Your poor face! What happened? Who did this?" Jenny's voice got lower and lower with each sentence, the last one reflecting shear malice. Her hands gently wrapped around his beaten face as he looked blankly forward in shame almost.
"He's fine, Jen. Some gu--" Jethro started
"He is NOT fine," Jenny hugged Tony who still had yet to really acknowledge her. "Tell me what happened!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxx
A month later ?
"Hey! You looked good out there!" Jenny gave Kate a hug. She was the head cheerleader, and though Jenny had been paying attention mostly to the football game where Tony had played superb, she had to tell Kate something.
"Thanks! Did you see how great Tony played? Oh my God! " Kate hugged her mom and then her Dad.
"Oh I know!" Jenny smiled proudly before hip checking Jethro gently who was grinning sheepishly from ear to ear.
Their freshman son and brother had just completely annihilated the game. He was lightning fast, jumping clean over people, plowing them down, spinning and juking around them. He had scored four touchdowns. FOUR. And two of them were on plays that were only supposed to go ten yards or so.
Tony was good, and Jethro was so proud. It was their first home game, and Tony had shown the city all that he was capable of.
People walking around them were patting Jethro and Jenny on the shoulder, telling them how great they thought their son was. High schoolers talking to Kate, asking if that was her brother.
After fifteen minutes of waiting around and talking to other players' parents and such, the players had almost all drizzled out of the locker by now, coaches too.
Jethro told Jenny and Kate he couldn't wait anymore and he was gonna go look for Tony with a smile. He was really excited at how great Tony was getting at football, and he hadn't felt this proud in a while.
He reached the field house where the locker rooms were situated, and saw Tony walking out of the locker room door. Just as he was about to holler at him, another guy came out the locker room door behind him, but Jethro didn't like the way this guy was walking.
They were both still in their pads, helmets in hand. The bigger guy behind Tony all of the sudden body checked him into the cement wall behind them.
Tony was totally surprised by the hit. Dazed for a moment, he saw the fist pull back and he just stared in expectation, ready to feel his face beaten in again, but it never happened. The weight crushing him against the wall soon disappeared and he saw Kyle being pushed up against the opposite side of the tunnel.
It was his Dad. He had his forearm rammed up against Kyle's throat, and his feet were kicking out and about violently as Jethro held him above the ground. "Don't you ever touch my son again, is that understood?" His dad sounded like a straight killer. His voice low and dangerous, giving Tony chills.
"Yes--Yes, sir." he choked out pathetically before being released.
Kyle was shoved out of the tunnel, and Jethro turned around to see a smiling little boy he'd just gotten done playing catch with in the backyard. No, that wasn't right.
He blinked and saw his fifteen year old son in his Varsity football uniform, all muddy and sweaty, smirking up at his with that same smile he's worn for years. Just like when they would play catch in the backyard for hours on end.
"Thanks, Dad." Tony held his sheepish grin. It was kind of funny seeing his Dad manhandle a high schooler. But it was probably necessary.
Jethro waved his hand in a motion that said 'it was nothing'. "Let's forget about that dirt bag."
"Sounds good to me." Jethro walked towards Tony with a big smile when he remembered the reason he had come to the locker room, and now that he was verrry glad he did, probably saving Tony some grief.
"Come here, kid." Jethro played and he wrapped his arms around Tony's neck and rubbed a fist into his messy brown hair happily. "You played great!"
Tony giggled into his Dad's chest as his Dad messed with him, then they turned and walked towards the end of the tunnel where Jenny and Kate were waiting for them.
"Thanks," They met up with the waiting pair at the end of the dark tunnel.
Kate smashed into him with as much force as most of the guys on the football team had tried during the game, and wrapped her arms around his football pads tightly. "Tony you played AWESOME!"
Tony returned the hug with a large smile, then Kate ran a hand through his sweaty, messy, trademark brown hair and released her little bro.
"Thanks Katieee. Nice cheering out there." Tony dropped Kate to the side, neither of them had really realized she had been suspended in the air.
Next was Jenny, who stood up on her tip toes to give Tony a kiss on the cheek, to which he returned.
"Im so proud of you, Tony. You're great!" Jenny said with an endearing grin as she pinched Tony's cheek.
"Haha thanks Mom," He removed her pinching fingers from his cheek.
"Okay, now I want a picture! You two stand together!" Jenny gave her blankets to Jethro to hold, and she motioned for Kate and Tony to get together for a picture.
Kate stood beautiful in her clean uniform next to a taller Tony in his filthy one. She wrapped her arm around his waist, and he put his arm around her. Her hand fell on his chest and her head against Tony who stood strong, his helmet hanging down at his side. Kate smiled like it was the magazine cover, and Tony smiled his infamous 1000 watt smile, the one that could charm any girl, and make the whole room smile back.
"Ready? Cheeese." The flash blinded both of them in the Friday night darkness.
"One more?" Tony asked with his smile still intact.
"Sure," Jenny got the camera ready. She knew it was a funny picture coming, they always had to do one.
Kate jumped up as if on cue, and Tony caught her in his arms and they smiled happily.
Jethro and Jenny couldn't help the giggle at their kids, they loved it when they got along like this.
"Okay, now one with Tony and Dad, then one with me and Kate!" Jenny made motions with her hands. You didn't argue with Jenny when she was in her photographer moments. If she wanted a picture, she would get it.
Jethro walked over to Tony and put his arm around the large shoulder pads, and smiled.
Then they switched spots with the two girls and they watched Kate and Jenny hug tightly and smile brightly for the camera.
"Let's go eat! Im starving!" Tony said as they walked towards the car.
"Pizza okay with everyone?" Jenny asked with a smile, already knowing the answer.
"Yeahhh," Tony answered for everyone.