More out of habit than any real need, Tony turned his cell phone back on as his plane taxied into the gate at Houston's Hobby International Airport. Glancing at the display, he was genuinely surprised to see one missed call. Joe and Levon knew when his plane was due to arrive, so it wasn't like they need to cal and confirm. But it was possible they'd called to let him know they were running late or had gotten pulled in on a case. Tony could easily rent a car or catch a cab if need be.
He arched an eyebrow when the caller ID showed Ducky's name and number. It couldn't be about Gibbs or Maddie. Tony had called the hospital before boarding his plane just after two PM. They'd already been released.
Tony checked the message. He smiled reflexively at the stewardess as he stepped off the plane, phone to his ear, towing his carry on behind him.
"Anthony…I must apologize. I was so wrapped up in Jethro's near demise, I never thought to inquire as to your state of health. Leaping into that water, far from pristine I'm sure, not to mention decidedly chilly, was risky for anyone. More so for someone who has survived the plague. As a doctor, albeit one who works predominantly with the dead, it was decidedly unprofessional of me to neglect you."
Tony snorted delicately. Unprofessional? When had their relationship ever been strictly professional?
"Professional consideration aside, it was certainly inexcusable not to ask after the well being of a friend. I really am sorry about that, my dear boy."
Tony smiled. Ducky really was a good guy. A little long winded at times, but definitely one of the nicer people Tony had worked with.
His smile faded at Ducky's next statement. "I'd expected to see you at the hospital."
Tony wasn't sure if there was censure in the older man's voice or not. Voice mail tended to gloss over the sort of nuances that could be heard in person or face to face. So it could have been concern, but Tony was fairly confident Ducky had meant the statement as some sort of chastise.
Tony scowled. Was he supposed to be there? He'd already done all he could do for Gibbs and Maddie at the dock. And they'd only been admitted for one night. With everyone else there, Tony seriously doubted anyone other than Ducky even noticed his absence.
Any time Tony had been recovering from injury or illness, after the initial concern, Gibbs had never stopped by to check on him. Why the hell should he be expected to do more than Gibbs would have done in his place? They all thought Gibbs walked on water, so doing what Gibbs would do should be good enough to satisfy them.
If Ducky hadn't expected him to check on Gibbs, then what else could it have been? He wasn't concerned for Tony's well being at the scene. Although mildly hurt from his actions, Tony had been very careful not to show any sign of injury. By the time Ducky had placed his call nearly 24 hours had elapsed. If Tony had been seriously
injured or gotten sick Ducky's concern would have been too little, too late.
"Please call when you get my message. I would be relieved to hear that you are indeed all right."
Tony rolled his eyes, and pushed the button to delete the message. As he walked through the airport he debated whether or not to return Ducky's call. If he didn't call, would Ducky up the ante and do more than just call again? Would he swing by his place to check on Tony personally? He might, but Tony doubted Ducky would go that far. Still….it was better to head the ME off at the pass than have him get Ziva or McGee to break in to Tony's apartment out of misplaced concern.
Tony decided on a quick text message. It would meet the spirit of the older man's request, and let him know Tony was just fine, without having to deal with any other questions Ducky might ask. He certainly didn't intend to tell Ducky where he was or why. And he wasn't going to explain why he wasn't at the hospital to hold everyone's hand.
Tony grimaced. Not one of them had looked to him for security or reassurance before. There was no reason for them to do so now. They had Gibbs for that.
Tony turned off his phone, determined to ignore it until he was back in D.C. He had three days, and the only thing he wanted to seriously think about was whether or not he was staying at NCIS. Maybe he wouldn't go back at all. A mover could pack his things easily enough. It was how he'd gotten his possessions from Baltimore in the first place. Gibbs hadn't given him more than a day to report for duty. He'd spent his first month at NCIS living out of a low budget motel until he could find a place to live and get his stuff delivered.
Tony made it to baggage claim, and started looking for Joe and Levon. Spotting Joe was rarely hard to do. Like Tony, he was above average in height, standing four and a half inches over six feet. His hair dark black hair and olive complexion were offset by a pair
of turquoise blue eyes. He worked out regularly, and it gave him a sculpted physique that bespoke of strength and endurance without looking bulky. And also like Tony, Joe tended to favor expensive, designer clothing. All in all, Joe looked more like a male model than a cop.
Levon was only an inch or so shorter than Joe, but since he normally wore cowboy boots it wasn't immediately noticeable. His curly blond hair was usually hidden under a white Stetson. Contrary to the typical clean cut `cowboy' persona, Levon usually let his hair grow long enough to touch his shoulders. His eyes were a striking shade of brown that reminded Tony of the Cognac his father liked to serve to important clients. He was lanky and lean, his form suggesting more wiry strength and flexibility than raw power. Blue jeans and a button down shirt were practically a uniform for Levon. Tony couldn't remember ever seeing him in anything else.
Hearing his name called out, Tony turned and grinned. "Joey!" In a few quick, long legged strides they closed the distance. Joe wrapped Tony in a fierce hug that bordered on being painful. Tony basked in the warmth and affection being so freely offered, even as he struggled to catch his breath. He'd missed this. Missed Joey.
"Might want ta ease up a bit there, Joe," Levon's soft drawl came from Tony's left, amusement coloring his voice. "Gonna crack a few ribs on the kid if you aren't careful."
Tony couldn't help laughing at being called a kid. He was two years older than Joe and only a year younger than Levon. It hardly made him a child.
Joe stepped back, but didn't entirely release his hold on Tony. His grin was bright and joyful. "Damn, it is good to see you."
Tony couldn't help but grin back. "Good to see you too."
Joe's blue eyes shifted to his partner, his expression smug. "Told you I could find him."
Levon shrugged one shoulder. "Still say it would have been faster to do it my way."
Levon's solution to finding people in a crowded airport was to simply have them paged. While Tony gave him points for efficiency, it wasn't exactly a subtle way to track someone down. But he understood Levon's aversion to crowds and a desire not to be forced to wade into the middle of a herd of humanity if he didn't have to.
"Cowboy," Tony greeted Levon, using the same nickname Joe often used, heading off what he knew was a familiar argument between the two. It no longer had any heat to it, but like a lot of long term couples they liked to rehash it now and again.
He held out his hand. The blond wasn't quite as physical in his displays of affection, at least when it came to anyone other than Joe, so Tony didn't try to hug him the way he had Joe. Instead of a traditional handshake, he usually gripped Tony's forearm and pulled
him in for a quick chest bump and a light pat on the shoulder.
"Good ta see ya, Slick."
Levon had dubbed Tony `slick' not long after they first met. Tony still wasn't sure if it was in reference to his being a smooth operator or just his being a `city slicker'. Either way, he found he didn't mind the name. It was hard to object to something that so clearly marked him `family' to Levon.
Levon gave him an assessing look; sharp eyes measuring Tony in a way that made him fight the urge to fidget. It didn't make him feel any better when Joe and Levon traded looks, silently communicating something. He had a sneaking suspicion that all the stress of the last few months was easy to see for anyone who cared to look. Joe and Levon were the sort who would notice and worry about him. He knew there would be questions, and a lot of them---his paying an exorbitant price for the first available flight to Houston practically guaranteed they'd want to know what was wrong---he just wasn't prepared to have to start so early into his trip.
"Relax, Slick, we're not gonna grill ya." Levon smiled gently. "At least not until ya settle in and eat somethin'. Looks like you could stand a good meal," he cocked his head, giving Tony another measuring glance, "or three."
Tony fought down a blush. He knew he'd lost some weight recently, but without a scale at his apartment, he had no idea how much. He certainly hadn't thought it was noticeable because no one else had commented on it. But then none of his coworkers really noticed much about him these days so they weren't exactly a good benchmark for what was obvious and what wasn't.
"It's been a rough couple of months." Tony admitted.
"You said that when you called," Joe reminded him. He casually grabbed Tony's bag, hefting the lightweight carryon with an easy grace of someone used to lifting heavier things on a regular basis.
"I can carry•"
"Sure ya can, but he ain't going to let you." Levon grinned. "And when we get back ta the house, Joe will be trying ta stuff you full of food he's been making since ya called. Assuming, o' course, he don't make you lay down and take a nap first."
Joe glared at Levon. "You make me sound like some sort of mother hen."
"You are a mother hen," Levon rolled his eyes. "No like about it, Boy."
Tony chuckled. He'd always enjoyed their bantering. It reminded him of verbally sparring with Kate, although her commentary often had more bite to it than what passed back and forth between Joe and Levon. And she didn't seem to have any qualms about making comments that hit below the belt.
"How was your flight, Tony?" Joe asked.
"Not bad." The only seats available were first class, so at least he had a little more leg room. He'd even gotten a light snack during his flight. For what the tickets cost him, he should have gotten a steak dinner, but as Joe wrapped an arm around his shoulder, Tony wasn't sorry he'd come.
As they stepped outside, Tony wasn't entirely surprised to see Levon's club cab truck parked directly in front of the doors in an area reserved for immediate pickup. He shot Levon an amused look. "Abusing your authority?"
"Nope." Levon laughed. "Didn't even tell them we was cops."
"You didn't have to." Joe shook his head. "The security guard on duty knows you. Hell he even said he owed you one. I swear to god, some days it feels like everyone you know owes you a favor, Cowboy."
"Wasn't like I planned it," Levon shrugged. "I didn't know Denny was working here today." As he stepped around the truck to the driver's side, Levon raised two fingers going to the brim of his hat in a casual salute to a security guard who was urging a taxi to move along. The guy returned it with a nod and a smile.
Joe put the carryon in the back seat, leaving the door open for Tony slide in next to it before he got into the front passenger seat. "You might not have known it would be him, but you knew someone was going to let you park at the curb."
Levon gave Joe a cocky smile as he put on his sun glasses. "It pays ta be a nice guy."
"I am a nice guy, and I never get treatment like that," Joe retorted. "You just don't want to admit this is some sort of `good ol' boy' thing going on."
"You're just sore `cause I said we wouldn't need to flash our badges ta park here and we didn't." Levon pointed a finger a Joe. "Which reminds me…you owe me a buck."
"No I don't." Joe laughed. "We never shook in it."
Levon made eye contact in the mirror with Tony. "Slick, I think your cousin is trying to welch on our bet."
"Sounds like you might be right," Tony agreed with a smile. "He was like that when he was little too."
"I was not."
"You still owe me cookies," Tony countered. He didn't truly think Joe still owed him anything, but it was fun to pull his chain now and again.
"Cookies?" Levon asked, arching an eyebrow.
"When we were kids we used to bet with cookies." Tony shrugged. "Joe always had his mother's dark chocolate chip to put up." And they were definitely Tony's favorites. No one made them as good as Sofia LaFiamma.
"I had Rosa's gingersnaps to trade." He wasn't sure if Rosa, his father's housekeeper and cook for nearly twenty years, ever knew why he asked her to make gingersnaps when they were not his favorite. He had a suspicion she was aware he was trading them off to Joe since she'd helped him mail packages to his cousin several times, but she never said a word.
"I don't owe you anything." Joe folded his arms over his chest.
"Christmas," Tony countered smugly, reciting the year and location. "We bet on which one of the family would pass out first."
It was usually after the younger children had been sent to bed that the alcohol flowed like water. But they'd snuck out to watch enough of the late night parties in secret to know just how drunk their relatives could get. Joe had bet on Tony's father, but knowing how much his old man drank on a daily basis, Tony had bet on Joe's Uncle Mario. Mario didn't seem as prone to indulging as the others. And he clearly didn't know how to hold his liquor if his actions later that night had been anything to go by.
"That doesn't count." Joe turned in his seat to face Tony more directly. "Uncle Mario didn't pass out, he was knocked out."
"Knocked out?" Levon asked, both eyebrows rising.
"He got into an argument with Donnie over his latest girlfriend, I think. Donnie took exception to something he said and belted Mario. He went down like a sack of potatoes."
"Glass jaw?"
"Maybe." Joe shrugged, turning in his seat to once more face forward. "More likely it was because Donnie was a golden gloves champion that year. He could throw one hell of a punch."
Tony shook his head, remembering the event. Picking a fight with Donnie clearly hadn't been one of Mario's better decisions.
"He was still the first to hit the floor."
"But it wasn't because he was drunk," Joe tossed over his shoulder.
"Sounds like he'd certainly had enough booze ta make him stupid," Levon commented dryly.
"And that should count." Tony reached forward to lightly bump knuckles with Levon. They were definitely in agreement.
Joe waved a hand in dismissal. "Technicality."
"You still owe me cookies." Tony pretended to pout.
"Good thing I already made some then." Joe grinned.
He has his mother's recipe. It was one of the few things of hers he'd gotten when Sofia died. His sister had filched Sofia's cookbook for him and sent it secretly since the rest of the family flatly refused to let him have anything to remember her by when she died. Joe couldn't even go back to Chicago for her funeral. And while Joe loved to cook, regularly making his mother's other favorite dishes, he rarely made the cookies. They were something Joe reserved for special occasions. Tony swallowed hard. It was nice to know his coming to visit qualified as `special'.
"And it's a good thing I made a double batch." Joe shot Levon a dark look. "Someone ate more than his fair share already."
"Had to give them a quality taste test." Levon smiled. He had a sweet tooth that rivaled Tony's.
"A dozen times?"
"Hey, the first one could o' been some sort of fluke."
"A fluke? Not bloody damn likely." Joe snorted. "You knew they were for Tony."
"Didn't know they were to pay off an old debt though." Levon cast a quick look at Tony. "Ya don't mind me eating yer winnings, do ya, Slick?"
"I don't mind, Cowboy." Tony smiled. He was sure if he had minded, Levon would have found a way to make it up to him. It was just the way Levon was.
"It would take a stronger man than either of us to resist cookies fresh out of the oven."
"True."
"You could just say it was your share of what Joe still owes you."
Levon grinned. "Perfect."
"Now wait a minute," Joe protested, continuing to insist he didn't owe Levon anything.
They bickered back and forth good-naturedly. The topic drifting from cookies and bets to small chores around the house not completed to choices in music and leaving wet towels on the floor. Tony smiled. Four years together should hardly qualify them as `old married couple' but they certainly acted the part.
Tony sat back, eyes closing as he relaxed, letting their voices wash over him. Getting to the small ranch Levon and Joe jointly owned just outside the city would take at least an hour if not more. Traffic in Houston was never good, and it was particularly bad at this time of day.
Tony sighed, shifting to settle more fully into his leather seat. He really wanted to talk to them…but he couldn't quite muster the energy. He needed a sounding board, people who could be at least some what objective. He wanted to talk about everything that had happened in the past few months, and his options with people who would have his best interest at heart.
At the moment, he didn't feel any pressing need to do anything more than relax and enjoy feeling safe and comfortable. Too many nights with too little rest were catching up with him. Without anything to actively engage him, Tony was hard pressed not to let the warmth of the sun and steady motion of the vehicle lull him to sleep.
He didn't know Levon's earlier joke about forcing him to take a nap hadn't been entirely meant to tease Joe. When they'd seen how tired and hollow-eyed he'd looked in the airport, they had mutely agreed to make sure he got some rest. They expected him to fall asleep, even going so far as to deliberately push the conversation in a direction that didn't require his input and lowering their voices so it would be that much easier for him to doze off. Levon had already planned on taking a longer route home to give Tony more time to nap.
As Tony nodded off, he missed the looks that passed back and forth between Joe and Levon. Whatever the problem was, they had already agreed when he'd first called to tell them he was coming, Tony would not have to deal with it alone.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony meets up with Joe and Levon
Chapter End Notes:
Still gen...except for Joe and Levon being a couple. Some swear words.