#dinozzo reader insert

You stare at the flight departure board, an overwhelming feeling of disappointment and melancholy sweeping over you as you see the words FLIGHT CANCELLED following your flight number. This was the first chance you had had in years to go home for the holidays, and you had been so excited. You can’t even remember the last time you had seen some of your family members and you had been stoked at the idea of seeing them, and their children (many of whom you hadn’t even had the chance to meet). Yet here you stand, all those hopes dashed as your flight, as well as a dozen or so others departing from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport within the next few hours, is grounded due to inclement weather.

You cast a look at the customer service desk for the airline you had been flying and let out a soft groan. The line was already long and it was continuing to grow. You pick up your bag, which was full of wrapped presents for your family, and your suitcase, making your way to the end of the line. If you were lucky, you’d still be able to get a flight home, albeit one that put you a day late.

--- Two hours. You had waited two hours in line to speak with a customer service representative, who quickly referred you to a phone and a number for an agent of the airline. That phone call led to a series of transfers, and an hour on hold, only for you to be told that, because of the weather, no flights could be guaranteed with a new departure date. You had hung up quickly after that, the frustration of not being able to get a flight home clouding over the need for details about a refund.

You angrily sling your duffle bag over your shoulder, heedlessly dragging your suitcase behind you as you make your way back out to the parking lot, letting your family know, with a quick text, that you wouldn’t be making it as you go. Reaching the sliding doors, you do a double-take as the frigid winter wind smacks you in the face. You pull on the gloves you had shoved in your pocket and hunch up your shoulders against the wind as you speed walk through three parking lots to where you’d parked your car only a few hours earlier. The snow starts swirling just as you fire up your car. Upbeat Christmas music fills the car as you start on the drive back to your apartment. You change the station a few different times, each switch bringing on a new Christmas song. You eventually shut the radio off, sick of the festive music, as you go the last ten minutes of drive in complete silence.

You reach your apartment, finding no empty parking spots near the front of the building. You drive around for a few minutes until you can find a parking space, a good two blocks from your actual building. A string of expletives flies from your lips as you struggle to get your bags out of the front seat, and continues as you fight the wind and snow to your apartment building.

Then, as if the day couldn’t get any worse, you find that the building’s elevator is out of order (something that had to have happened in the few hours you had been gone, as you had taken it down to the lobby earlier that day). You curse a few more times as you make your way up five flights to the fifth floor of the building. You arrive at your front door, fumbling with your keys for a few moments for getting a solid grasp on them and unlocking your door. You shut your door harder than you intend to, causing some of the framed pictures on the wall shared with the door to rattle, as you drop your bags by the door.

--- After changing into some sweats, shutting off your phone, and cocooning under your favorite blanket, you turn on a sappy romantic movie. An hour into the movie, you decide to order some take-out from your favorite restaurant, hoping some comfort food would ease the ache of disappointment in your chest. The take-out comes almost an hour later, and after paying the delivery man, you take the food back over to your ‘nest’ on the couch.  

A knock sounds on your door shortly after you sit with your bags full of take-out. You huff out a sigh as you set down the food and make your way back to your front door. You open the door to find a very surprised looking Tony DiNozzo. He had one hand held awkwardly behind his back, his normally styled hair disheveled, and the top buttons of his dress shirt were undone.

His face relaxes when he sees you and he brings the hand from behind his back up to rest on the door jam. “I thought you left.” He states simply. “I just wanted to make sure no one was breaking in while you were gone.” The relaxed smile that hung on his face made a warm feeling blossom in your chest.

You let out a sarcastic laugh. “My flight was canceled.” You leave Tony standing in the doorway as you go to the fridge and pull out two beers. You hand one to Tony, who is now standing in your living room. “Thank you for checking on my apartment. You didn’t have to do that.”

You take a long pull of your beer as Tony asks, “What happened?”

“That storm that rolled in grounded flights and made any rescheduled flights uncertain. It’s been years since I’ve been home and it looks like it will be one more before I can get to Y/H/T.” You say, moving to the table and taking your food out of the brown paper bags.

“You want to stay for dinner?” You ask, looking up, expecting to see Tony, but instead, you were greeted with nothing but your empty doorway. Of course, what’s one more thing going wrong on this already shitty day. The guy whom you had a massive crush on, and also happened to be your neighbor, just left at the sight of your slow descent towards a breakdown.  

You roll your eyes at his weird behavior, getting up to close the apartment door. You are just about to swing it shut when a slightly breathless Tony reappears. He’s wearing a jacket and holding a duffle bag in his hand.

“What in the actual-” You start, completely perplexed at his behavior.

“Grab your boots, jacket, and bag.” He states as if it is obvious that is what you should be doing.

You do so hesitantly, wondering if you knew enough about Tony to follow him without question. You knew he was a federal agent, he enjoyed movies, he was suave, handsome, and a real flirt,  and you knew he had a sophisticated taste (you had seen the inside of his apartment, after all).

You pull on your boots and jacket, slinging your duffle bag over your shoulder, as Tony takes your suitcase in hand. “Tony, what are we doing?” You ask a moment of clarity washing over you, bringing you to question Tony’s actions.

Tony gives you a look before asking you a question of his own. “Do you trust me?” You know that the answer will tell Tony so much more than what your words do, yet you answer truthfully.

“Yes.” You say softly, staring into his almost emerald color eyes. Aside from the mischievous glint you had grown accustomed to, his eyes held another, deeper emotion that you couldn’t quite place. Or rather, you felt that you felt you knew what that emotion was, but the rational side of yourself knew better than to look any deeper into it.

He extends a hand out to you, which you take without hesitation. Although he does it in a platonic, friendly way, you feel anything but platonically towards him as you hold his hand all the way to the front door of the building.

“You ready doll?” He asks, zipping up his jacket all the way in preparation for the snow that was blowing outside.

You nod, confused at what the two of you were doing with your bags, heading into a snowstorm. He grabs your hand, pulling you quickly out in the storm, towards his vehicle, in one of the prime parking spots in front of the building. Tony gestures to the passenger side as he takes your duffle off your shoulder.

“Get in, I’ll throw these in the trunk.” He says, as you climb in the car. Tony gets in a few moments later, settling in the driver’s seat and turning the car on as he does so.

“Tony?” You question softly, turning slightly in your seat to look him in the eyes. “What are we doing?”

Tony gives you a satisfied half-smile. “Why, doll, we’re getting you home for Christmas.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him. “Tony, we are in the middle of a blizzard.”

“It’s going to stop snowing in a few hours.” He says, squeezing your hand as he turns his attention back to the car as he adds. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s snowing or not. I won’t let you miss Christmas with your family.”

His words make your heart swell and tears spring to your eyes as you are overcome with happiness. A feeling of complete wholeness sweeps over you. “Tony. You don’t have to do this.” You say, your voice rough with emotion.

“I want to do it for you doll.” He murmurs as he pulls onto the street, giving you a brief look before looking back at the road.  “Besides, if anyone deserves a Christmas miracle, it’s you.” He grabs your hand after saying that, lacing his fingers through yours.