NCIS Halloween Story
Below the cut is an expert of my upcoming Plans, Rules, and Yachts sequel. It's a Halloween scene exactly 1,000 words. It comes late in the story but I thought, in honor of the day I'd put it up as a sneak peek. Happy Halloween!
Tony was pumped. He loved when they actually got Halloween off. He put on all black and a red tie, a little eyeliner and gelled his hair up. He went through the linen closet and found the red satin sheets that Gibbs always laughed at. He tied the top sheet around his neck, it made a makeshift long cape. Downstairs he jumped in front of Gibbs and said, “I vant to suck your blood,” in the old school vampire voice. Then in a sort of moody, teenage voice he added, “But I respect you too much and stuff.”
“What are you?” asked Gibbs raising an eyebrow.
“I’m a vampire who can’t decide if he wants to be traditional or one of those new douchebags who acts more like a gay best friend than a vampire.”
“Uh-huh,” said Gibbs looking unconvinced.
“There’s a bar in Georgetown that does orange shots on Halloween. Super cheap and fun. Put something on. You can be, like, my sexy maker.”
“Tony,” Gibbs actually chuckled. “If you want to go you should but I have other plans.”
Tony felt his stomach drop; the bar wouldn’t be fun without Gibbs. He could get Abby and McGee to go, he was sure of that. But what was the point without Gibbs? “What kind of plans?”
“More traditional ones,” said Gibbs.
“What’s more traditional than themed shots?”
“Trick-or-treating.”
It struck Tony as odd, “Jethro, I know you’re hot but I don’t think anyone’s going to give you candy.”
Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked away, going down into the basement. He came back up carrying two plastic things. A big orange pumpkin and a big plastic spider. They both had cords trailing behind them. He went out into the yard, placing the pumpkin on the walk in front of the porch steps and then he got the stepladder and climbed up it to put the spider on the roof of the porch. Then he got an extension cord and plugged both of them in, the light inside the pumpkin making it bright orange. The spider became a glowing red monster. He went back downstairs and came up with a bag of fiber, the kind used to stuff a pillow, and a sign shaped like an arrow which said, “Candy this way!” He stabbed the sign into the ground by the mailbox, pointing it to the house. Then he climbed up the stepladder and draped the stuffing down the side of the porch, like a web coming away from the spider. Then he went back into the house and brought out toilet paper and started TPing his own trees.
A teenager jogged by and paused, “Hey, Mr. G. You in this year?”
“Yep, wanted to let people know I’m here.”
“Cool, be by later with Allie.”
“Aren’t you a little old for trick-or-treating?” asked Gibbs.
“I just dress up for her,” the kid said with a smile.
“Well, I’ll see you later, Mike.”
“Later, Mr. G,” the kid jogged off again.
Gibbs finished up TPing the trees and came back in, turning on the porch lights as he went. “Aren’t you going out?” asked Gibbs.
“Not without you,” Tony shrugged. “This feels very grownup.”
“Tony, you’re forty and married. You’re a grownup, get over it.” He went into the kitchen and came back with a big bowl and five large bags of candy.
“That’s a lot of candy,” said Tony.
“There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood.” It was true, a lot of kids, who all waved to Gibbs and called him Mr. G. It was obvious that the kids of the neighborhood that he was well liked. Tony got it, because Gibbs at home was nice, calm and easy-going. He emptied two of the bags into the bag and said, “Find us a horror film.”
“Lame or scary?”
“Lame,” said Gibbs so Tony put on the old House of Wax and they settled into the couch. The movie was interrupted from time to time by trick-or-treaters.
Everyone knows that good houses let you pick two candies but Gibbs said, “Take three.” He didn’t just say, “Happy Halloween,” and shut the door after giving them candy. He complimented their costumes saying what awesome princesses/Power Rangers/zombies they were. Some kids were in unknown outfits and Gibbs wouldn’t just compliment them, he would ask what they were.
One girl was Dora the Explorer Gibbs listened and nodded as she explained what Dora the Explorer was. And he said, “When my little girl trick-or-treated if you were a cartoon you were Jem, Lady Lovely Locks or Rainbow Brite.” And when some teenage boys came Gibbs said, “You guys are too old, you know that right?” He let them have candy but said, “When you have to shave you’re too old. Better be your last year.” And when one little knight asked who Tony was Gibbs said, “That’s my husband, Tony the vampire.”
Tony met a lot of the adults from the neighborhood, shaking hands with them all. They all seemed nice enough, weren’t upset about queers giving their kids candy. They got through four of the bags of candy and into the fifth when Gibbs turned the porch light off at eleven. Then he said, “Now put on some actual horror film.”
Tony put on the Ring and this time, when they curled together on the couch they ate from the last bag and watched the scary-as-fuck film. “You really enjoyed handing out candy, didn’t you?” asked Tony.
“Kelly was always a princess, new dress every year but always a princess. And she would sleep in it for a month afterwards. Shannon always made it herself. We never did much about Thanksgiving or Easter, just Halloween and Christmas. Halloween if the only holiday that’s just for kids, I think it’s important to make that special.”
Tony rolled over to look at Gibbs and said, “I think I like your Halloween more than my plans.”
“I think your eyeliner is pretty sexy.”
Tony was pumped. He loved when they actually got Halloween off. He put on all black and a red tie, a little eyeliner and gelled his hair up. He went through the linen closet and found the red satin sheets that Gibbs always laughed at. He tied the top sheet around his neck, it made a makeshift long cape. Downstairs he jumped in front of Gibbs and said, “I vant to suck your blood,” in the old school vampire voice. Then in a sort of moody, teenage voice he added, “But I respect you too much and stuff.”
“What are you?” asked Gibbs raising an eyebrow.
“I’m a vampire who can’t decide if he wants to be traditional or one of those new douchebags who acts more like a gay best friend than a vampire.”
“Uh-huh,” said Gibbs looking unconvinced.
“There’s a bar in Georgetown that does orange shots on Halloween. Super cheap and fun. Put something on. You can be, like, my sexy maker.”
“Tony,” Gibbs actually chuckled. “If you want to go you should but I have other plans.”
Tony felt his stomach drop; the bar wouldn’t be fun without Gibbs. He could get Abby and McGee to go, he was sure of that. But what was the point without Gibbs? “What kind of plans?”
“More traditional ones,” said Gibbs.
“What’s more traditional than themed shots?”
“Trick-or-treating.”
It struck Tony as odd, “Jethro, I know you’re hot but I don’t think anyone’s going to give you candy.”
Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked away, going down into the basement. He came back up carrying two plastic things. A big orange pumpkin and a big plastic spider. They both had cords trailing behind them. He went out into the yard, placing the pumpkin on the walk in front of the porch steps and then he got the stepladder and climbed up it to put the spider on the roof of the porch. Then he got an extension cord and plugged both of them in, the light inside the pumpkin making it bright orange. The spider became a glowing red monster. He went back downstairs and came up with a bag of fiber, the kind used to stuff a pillow, and a sign shaped like an arrow which said, “Candy this way!” He stabbed the sign into the ground by the mailbox, pointing it to the house. Then he climbed up the stepladder and draped the stuffing down the side of the porch, like a web coming away from the spider. Then he went back into the house and brought out toilet paper and started TPing his own trees.
A teenager jogged by and paused, “Hey, Mr. G. You in this year?”
“Yep, wanted to let people know I’m here.”
“Cool, be by later with Allie.”
“Aren’t you a little old for trick-or-treating?” asked Gibbs.
“I just dress up for her,” the kid said with a smile.
“Well, I’ll see you later, Mike.”
“Later, Mr. G,” the kid jogged off again.
Gibbs finished up TPing the trees and came back in, turning on the porch lights as he went. “Aren’t you going out?” asked Gibbs.
“Not without you,” Tony shrugged. “This feels very grownup.”
“Tony, you’re forty and married. You’re a grownup, get over it.” He went into the kitchen and came back with a big bowl and five large bags of candy.
“That’s a lot of candy,” said Tony.
“There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood.” It was true, a lot of kids, who all waved to Gibbs and called him Mr. G. It was obvious that the kids of the neighborhood that he was well liked. Tony got it, because Gibbs at home was nice, calm and easy-going. He emptied two of the bags into the bag and said, “Find us a horror film.”
“Lame or scary?”
“Lame,” said Gibbs so Tony put on the old House of Wax and they settled into the couch. The movie was interrupted from time to time by trick-or-treaters.
Everyone knows that good houses let you pick two candies but Gibbs said, “Take three.” He didn’t just say, “Happy Halloween,” and shut the door after giving them candy. He complimented their costumes saying what awesome princesses/Power Rangers/zombies they were. Some kids were in unknown outfits and Gibbs wouldn’t just compliment them, he would ask what they were.
One girl was Dora the Explorer Gibbs listened and nodded as she explained what Dora the Explorer was. And he said, “When my little girl trick-or-treated if you were a cartoon you were Jem, Lady Lovely Locks or Rainbow Brite.” And when some teenage boys came Gibbs said, “You guys are too old, you know that right?” He let them have candy but said, “When you have to shave you’re too old. Better be your last year.” And when one little knight asked who Tony was Gibbs said, “That’s my husband, Tony the vampire.”
Tony met a lot of the adults from the neighborhood, shaking hands with them all. They all seemed nice enough, weren’t upset about queers giving their kids candy. They got through four of the bags of candy and into the fifth when Gibbs turned the porch light off at eleven. Then he said, “Now put on some actual horror film.”
Tony put on the Ring and this time, when they curled together on the couch they ate from the last bag and watched the scary-as-fuck film. “You really enjoyed handing out candy, didn’t you?” asked Tony.
“Kelly was always a princess, new dress every year but always a princess. And she would sleep in it for a month afterwards. Shannon always made it herself. We never did much about Thanksgiving or Easter, just Halloween and Christmas. Halloween if the only holiday that’s just for kids, I think it’s important to make that special.”
Tony rolled over to look at Gibbs and said, “I think I like your Halloween more than my plans.”
“I think your eyeliner is pretty sexy.”