Work Text:
It's A First
by Keyla Sheppard
Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo woke up to total darkness and the need to run to his bathroom. The numbers on his alarm clock were not on and the light in his hallway he kept on was out too. He shook his head and turned over, stuffing his face back into the pillows.
"Blackout."
He stayed there for a few minutes, until he couldn't wait any longer then flipped on his back again and moved his arms out to try and find the ends of his mattress. Tony had never seen it this dark before, the lights outside were out and as far as he could tell they were out for a few blocks. His left hand curled around the edge of his bed but his right hand kept finding mattress. Tony decided to slide over to his left until he could swing his legs over the side and sit up straight.
When he was up and looking out his window, though he couldn't tell, he moved his hand to find his dresser. It sat butt up against the wall and if he stood up in front of it and walked as straight as he could he'd get to the door. His hand hit the corner pretty hard but he didn't shake it out for fear of doing it again. Tony slid his hand across the top and carefully stood up and leaned back against it.
When he stood up the little that he could see started to spin and he was tempted to sit down again but instead gripped the desk a little tighter. He breathed a few times trying to get the little headache to disappear and then started walking to his door. Once there he placed his hands in the door jam so he was standing in the middle and tried to make something out. All he could see was a dim light coming from his windows in his living room.
To his left was the end of the hallway and his extra room, to his right was the rest of the apartment and the bathroom. He turned to his right, a hand on the wall and eventually turned into the bathroom hoping he could find the toilet in the dark. Once finished with that task his mission changed. Now all he wanted to do was find a flashlight so he could actually see.
He remembered putting one somewhere in his living room so he headed out there and tried not to stub his toe on anything really hard. He had some of his bearings, from the hallway, if he could walk straight, he knew he'd run into the side of his couch but if he turned to his right a little he'd run into the coffee table and to his left the over stuffed chair.
Tony walked slowly and deliberately, one foot in front of the other until his outstretched hand hit his sofa. He grunted and made his way around his couch so he could sit in the middle of it. Once sitting he reached out in front of him and found the drawer in his coffee table and pulled it open.
Once open Tony went rummaging through it but found, or more like felt, nothing like a flashlight and closed the drawer and stood up. Behind him was his window that was the only source of light, though little it was. He walked around his couch, intent on finding his other table that he had a plant sitting on.
His sister gave him the plant before he moved out of the house; he kept it to remember her by.
Tony looked out the window and walked up to it, head still a little wobbly he placed his hand on the cold glass and stared outside. Snow was falling down fast, the roads turning white before his eyes. He could see it was windy out; the snow that was piled up was blowing softly in the air. Tony couldn't remember a night that it was this dark out. In his parents house they had always had light, even during blackouts. Tony remembered asking his father about it and he wouldn't answer.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when a loud knock came to the door and he quietly scolded himself for not grabbing his gun before walking out here.
"Tony! Open up!"
Although it didn't matter because he would know that voice anywhere, his boss, friend and crush. He yelled something like 'be right there' 'hold on' or 'coming' as he made his way slowly and carefully over to the door. He turned the lock on the doorknob, the deadbolt and pulled the chain across before opening the door and getting blinded by a flashlight in his eyes.
"Jeez... blind me already will you?"
Jethro moved the flashlight down to shine on the floor and shrugged. He put the flashlight in Tony's hand and pulled out another one while pushing by Tony with two bags in his hand.
"Grab those other ones, will ya?"
It was then Tony noticed the four other bags still sitting in his hallway. He picked them up and placed them just inside the door. By the time he had shut and locked the door again and turned around Jethro had already placed candles all around his living room and was slowing working down the hallway.
Once he was done Jethro turned off his light and fell onto the couch, placing his feet on the coffee table, the only place he didn't put a candle.
"Tony? You stuck?"
Tony shook his head and made his way over to the couch, his head was still spinning, and he only turned off his flashlight when he was safely sitting on the couch. Jethro pulled him into his side and rubbed his arm, trying to warm him up.
"You're shivering... where's your blankets?"
Tony mumbled something and then sat up straighter and started to get up.
"No... tell me... I'll get them."
"Hallway, closet door, third on the right."
Jethro nodded and stood up and walked into the hallway that had an eerie glow to it now that the candles were dancing in Jethro's wake.
When he came back he placed the blankets he had grabbed on the back of the couch and sat down. Jethro sat with his back against the arm of the couch and pulled Tony in between his legs. Tony was too tired to protest and set his head on Jethro's chest as he pulled the blankets off from the back of the couch and covered them both with them.
Tony realizes then that at some point in time Jethro had taken off his shoes and he placed the leg that had fallen to the floor over Tony's to get under the blanket. Tony shifted for a second and then sighed against Jethro's chest.
"Sleep, Tony."
Tony smiled and thanked his parents for the first time ever that they never had a true blackout in their house. He thanked Jethro for saving him too, at least in his head he did.
"It's time to sleep, work tomorrow."
Tony nodded against Jethro's chest as he closed his eyes and the last thing he heard was the steady beat of Jethro's heart and he realized he wished he could fall asleep to that more often.
The End