Shared Household
Sun streaming through the window woke him and it took a couple of minutes for him to orient himself. This was his father's room. Tony sat up and stretched, then realized with a flash of horror that birds were chirping. What time was it?
Jumping out of bed he raced to his room where his alarm radio sang forth one of the week's top ten hits. Tony regarded the clock with horror. It was already nine, meaning he'd slept through the alarm and the bus, and was very, very late for school.
He stood a second debating his next move. It probably would work out better just to not go, to skip. If would just be a pain getting there late and trying to catch up. That seemed the wise course for him to take, to just throw in the towel and try again tomorrow.
He leaned down and silenced the alarm, reminding himself that he would have heard it had he stayed in his own room, and not run like a baby to his dad's.
His dad- what would Jethro do if he found Tony had missed, or skipped school in his absence? Tony shuddered, recalling the agony of the last spanking his dad had administered to his backside and the certainty that getting his butt beaten would be the consequence of ditching school today.
Sighing, he began to quickly dress. Once he made the long walk to school he would be wide awake and capable of coherent thought. Hurriedly he made his way out the door. If he played his cards right he would walk in before the last bell rang on his history class.
That was extremely important, since the teacher had threatened that the next time Tony came to class late there would be a phone call home. He did not want that.
Despite the upset of the morning, the day passed without incident, barring the fact that he had missed his Science class all together and forgotten that today was the due date for the field trip permission form to visit Philadelphia. The latter proved a blow- he had been excited about going on that excursion. The form lay, signed, where he had left it on his desk at home. The fact that his dad had advised him to put it in his bookbag almost two weeks ago, when his father actually signed the thing, didn't make him feel better.
He entertained the idea of obtaining a blank form and forging his father's signature, but quickly dismissed the notion. Somehow his dad seemed to know anytime he planned or plotted something dishonest. The man could rival a psychic with his ability to hone in on deception.
Once back at home he dropped his books on the entry table and made himself a tremendous snack, eating it in front of the television as he watched a show and talked with his current girlfriend on the phone. She claimed to feel neglected when he declined her invitation to come over to visit, and refused to accept the fact that he should not leave the house. He was nervous that he had not been given explicit permission that he could go visit his girlfriend.
Tony had actually asked Jethro if he could hang out at Laura's, or if she could visit him before his dad's departure. Gibbs, though he liked Laura and thought her a steadying influence as a girlfriend for his son, refused to even entertain the suggestion.
Secretly, Tony felt relieved. Laura stifled him a bit, and he had made up his mind to break up with her before the month was out. Her clinginess bothered him, as did her jealousy.
Tony enjoyed operating as a player, rather than as the boyfriend in a settled relationship.
The phone rang a few minutes later, and he settled in comfortably when he realized his abuela was the caller. He loved her unconditionally- had since he was a baby, and she felt the same for him.
Today she wanted to check on his school week and school work, and to remind him to finish a report he had to complete over a famous mathematician. Mainly, though, she wanted to remind him that she loved him.
Tony got up slowly after the call, and began to restlessly wander the house with no specific purpose or destination.
He knew how lucky he was, how fortunate to have the father and grandmother he did. His father worked hard to make sure Tony had a good upbringing, and the boy smiled to himself as he recalled a story his grandfather had told him about his dad, just the week before.
Tony loved hearing tales of his dad's youth, and Jackson obliged any time he could. It always amazed the teen when his grandfather relayed a story of Leroy, as his granddad referred to him, doing something wrong. Admittedly, those occasions had been extremely rare, but Tony still enjoyed hearing about them in detail.
He definitely had not inherited his father's serious approach to life.
Jethro, however, always appreciated the fact that Tony's personality ranked polar opposite to his own.
The phone rang again, interrupting his musings, and he hurried to grab it. This time Victoria Mallard called to check on him, and reminded him that since his dad should be home the next afternoon, she wanted them to come for supper the next evening after that.
Tony accepted the invitation and told her he would have his dad confirm. Then he shared his happiness that his dad would be home soon.
"I know you will feel better once you see him in person," Victoria agreed. "One is always reassured when a loved one returns from abroad healthy and happy."
She bid him good bye and Tony stood for nearly a minute still holding the phone. She was right that he would feel better knowing his dad had returned, despite the fact that he still wanted to prove his maturity. The truth of the matter was that he stayed calmer and better behaved with his dad in close proximity.
Looking around him Tony decided not to wait to straighten the house. He got out the cleaning supplies and vacuum and tackled the living room, then the kitchen and his bedroom. He saved the baths for last, and by the time he finished, it was nearly ten at night.
He luxuriated in a warm shower before sprawling in front of the television, then decided to settle in to view a horror movie. Cutting off all of the lights in the house added to the movie's ambience, and halfway in he refused to put his feet down on the floor lest something unseen grab him.
It finished at one o'clock and he glanced guiltily at the clock and then hurriedly made his way to his room. He hesitated at his door, though, and looked from it to the safety of his father's bed. Deciding instantly, he once again chose security and snuggled himself within the covers of his father's bed.
He fell asleep trying to decide whether his dad would arrive in early afternoon or early evening. The last time he had spoken to him Jethro was still finalizing his ticket home.
As it turned out, Gibbs got a ticket almost half a day earlier than expected. Around four in the morning he walked softly through the front door of the house and set down his belongings.
The residence was completely dark, and he crept quietly to cut on the hall lamp. On the foyer table Tony had propped up a note with the message "I missed you, Dad" against a vase. Gibbs felt a tug of emotion. It had been rough being away from his son for such a long period of time.
He wanted to see his boy-to make sure he was ok, see him, touch him, and hear his voice.
Jethro reminded himself that Tony was now a teen, and wanted his dad to view him as an almost- adult.
He moved to the kitchen to dispose of the coffee cup he had acquired at the airport. Now empty, he threw it into the trash and visibly straightened at how clean the kitchen appeared.
The living room impressed him just as much, and he was proud that Tony had tended to the housework on his own, without having to be coerced.
Jethro left the foyer lamp on to light the front entrance and quietly made his way upstairs. Tony's door was wide open and Gibbs tiptoed into the room to find the bed made, but empty. He stopped in confusion, thought a second, then reversed direction to head to his own room.
Tony had taped another note ("I love you, Daddy") to the doorframe and Jethro stopped short, taking a moment to get his emotions in control.
What had he done to deserve a child as loving, or as capable of making him this proud, as Tony?
Entering the room he found his son at once, sprawled the wrong way across the bed, covers bunched up around him and on the floor. Jethro leaned down and kissed him on the temple, glad to physically have his hands on the boy. The child did not stir, and his father began to reposition him, something he had done on countless occasions. When he finally had him righted, he straightened the covers and then tucked them over Tony, making sure that he would stay warm.
Trying to ease off the bed he failed, however, and his son's eyes opened at his movement. Discovering his daddy home, he flashed Jethro a beautiful smile and held out his arms. Gibbs leaned down and wrapped his arms around his boy, pulling him close to rest against his chest.
He brushed back Tony's bangs, and after several seconds, pulled back and set him back on the pillow. "Hey, there, I surely missed you."
Tony reached up to rub his father's cheek and whispered, "I missed you, too, Daddy."
"I know, Son," Jethro agreed then spoke soothingly. "Go back to sleep and when you wake up you can tell me how you enjoyed your time home alone."
Gibbs shifted off the bed and leaned down to tousle the boy's hair, but Tony's lip crept out into a pout. He yanked at his father's sleeve and Jethro understood the demand immediately.
He smiled down at his boy. Kicking off his shoes he got back on the bed, then positioned himself comfortably against the headboard as Tony closed the gap so that his father held him.
"I did great, Daddy, home alone," he mumbled, "I acted very grown."
Jethro smiled to himself as he brushed back his son's bangs and kissed him on the forehead. Tony rearranged himself so that his head was on his father's lap.
Gibbs began rhythmically rubbing the teen's back, realizing from experience that he would not get to move off of the bed to unpack or shower until his child slept. A couple of minutes later, Tony closed his eyes and snuggled in his dad's embrace.
He fell asleep to the reassuring knowledge that he no longer was home alone.