1994

Timothy sat as still as he could on the edge of the couch, but no matter how hard he tried his hands continued to shake as if someone had plunged them into a vat of icy water.

Be calm. He can't hurt you if he doesn't know he's hurting you. He glanced at the door, as if that would help him hear any of what was going on from inside. All that he could here was the muffled conversation between his parents, which was surely chaos. He reached up and felt the tips of his hair, cut choppily and at odd angles.

Suddenly the door slapped and his father walked out, face set in a grim expression. Tim followed him with his eyes, taking everything in - the way his footsteps thudded against the wooden floor, the way every vein in his body seemed to become visible, throbbing with rage.

"Teresa." John sat down across from him, hands clasped.

Tim opened his mouth to say something, but now was not the time. So he took the hit, despite the fact that it hurt him more than any amount of yelling ever could.

"Teresa, your mother is very upset." He sighed. "Honestly, do you have no regards for other people? Have you thought about how this would effect us? Your sister?"

"This wasn't about you," Tim said.

"Oh really? Then would you are to offer an explanation?"

"I've told you, Dad. How many more times to I need to explain it before you finally understand?"

Silence. John continued to eye to floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"At least look at me! Acknowledge me!" he said. "Me! Your son! If you really loved me you'd love me for who I am!" There were tears welling in his eyes now, and he stormed off, unwilling to let John see him cry.

"Teresa McGee!" His father's yell could be heard through the door of Tim's bedroom, and he folded his pillow around his ears to block it out. There was a few moments of silence before Tim felt Sarah's hand gently rested on his back.

"At least it's not like they can make you have it long anymore," she said quietly.

He raised his head from the tear-stained pillow and scoffed. "Yeah, for now. But just watch, within the next hour anything remotely sharp will mysteriously disappear from the house. I guarantee you that."

"Then I'll cut it for you."

For a brief instant, he almost laughed. God, she is so innocent. He sat up and pulled the twelve-year-old closer to him. "Thanks, but I'll have to pass." There was no way he was letting her come anywhere near his neck with scissors.

"Oh."

He couldn't explain it to her, no, not at this age. She couldn't understand it all. She couldn't understand that it was about more than just hair, more than just a name.

There was a knock at the door, and Tim sighed, flicking off the light. "Tell Dad I'm asleep."

"Alright." She paused. "I love you, Timmy."

He smiled. "Love you too, sis."

Present Day

Tim rushed out of the room as fast as his feet could carry him, stopping in a corner and pulling out his phone.

NEW MESSAGE TO SARAH: I did it.

And then the reality of what happened hit him like a smack in the face. Everyone knew. He'd never been bothered before, allowed to live as normally as an other man. Had he just put all that in jeopardy? He'd heard horror stories before - tales of people just like him being physically attacked for something as simply as using the bathroom. Even killed. Of course, that likely wouldn't happen, maybe a few dirty looks. But even that was humiliating. After all, he was the same McGee, nothing had changed but what they knew.

Ellie was the first one to catch up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, McGee, that was really brave of you," she said. "I was gonna get up, but I thought that I'd be intruding." And then, upon the confused look Tim gave her, "I'm bisexual."

"Ah." He couldn't help but take a brief glance over his shoulder as more and more people began filing down the stairs, knowing the rest of his team was among them.

"We've got a case, Norfolk," Gibbs said as he passed by. "McGee, you drive."

He was half preparing for some shitty comment about how "women can't drive", but the room stayed silent except for their footsteps as they went to the elevator.