"So Probie what are you up too this weekend? Anything interesting?" Tony enquired filling in time as he sat in the back seat of the car, the miles whipping past as Gibbs drove at his usual breakneck speed.
"Actually Dante and I are going to go to lecture on Physinomics"
Tony screwed up his nose "A lecture? Geez McGee couldn't you come up with anything better to do than sit and listen to some genius go on? Why don't you two live it up? Go to……well anywhere rather than a lecture hall on a weekend"
Tim frowned "Actually we are both looking forward to it. It's going to be really interesting. I'm hoping we will have enough time to attend the discussion on Chaos Theory afterward. Dante is particularly intrigued by that."
Tony smirked as he considered the vampire and the chaos he seemed to be able to bring with him. "I bet he is"
Gibbs flicked his eyes up to the rear vision mirror and watched Tony and McGee banter as they drove out to Norfolk.
McGee seemed happy and he seemed to refer to this Dante person a lot. It sounded like they were spending much of their spare time together. Dante? The name rang a bell. Wasn't that a name of a poet or writer or someone?
"So who is this Dante person McGee?"
Tim snapped his head around to the front and almost gasped at Gibbs's simple question. He had forgotten that Gibbs and Ziva were even there. Normally he was more circumspect about talking about Dante and their activities around people to avoid this very situation. He looked back at Tony who was suddenly very interested in the rubber seal in the windscreen.
"He's…he's a friend" Tim managed to stutter out.
Gibbs looked at McGee again in the mirror and their eyes met.
And McGee blushed.
Gibbs studied the road for a moment as he considered McGee's behavior lately. This Dante was a man? Why was McGee blushing if he was just a friend?
Tim felt nervous as the silence stretched on and he squirmed in the seat. What was Gibbs thinking? Was he thinking anything at all? Was he suspicious of anything? Was this what Tony called Rock the Cradle? Where Gibbs would wait until the suspect in Interrogation had worked themselves into a sweat before bursting into the room?
"So McGee what does Dante do?" Gibbs made his voice friendly, casual. He was just enquiring as a friend would. Not really curious. Just filling in time while they drove. That's all…….
"Do?" Tim replied bemused as his heart somersaulted in his chest.
"Yes McGee. It isn't a trick question" Gibbs frowned slightly
Was McGee stalling? Or did he honestly NOT know what his friend did? Or did he know and was too embarrassed or ashamed to admit it to Gibbs? What on earth could the man do to make McGee do that? Clean sewers?
Tim turned to Tony trying to think furiously. Think. Think. Think. What did Dante do?
Well he slept during the day in a coffin and killed people by draining their blood at night. He was thousands of years old and was intrigued by the world around him. He had read nearly every book Tim had even heard of, you could do that when you could speed read and had lonely countless hours to fill. He could make objects move with his mind and could talk to him directly through the link they had forged when he had drunk Tim's blood. He flew through the night on his own wings exploring or he would come to Tim and spend the night in his bed and they would…..
Arrgghhh NONE of that he could tell Gibbs.
Tony's face was looking strained and he was making furious hurry up motions with his hands knowing that the longer it went on the more suspicious Gibbs would get.
Gibbs flicked a look at Tony and Tony instantly went dead still and calmly looked out the window feigning disinterest. Gibbs's eyes narrowed. So Tony knew about it.
"McGee?" Gibbs enquired still keeping the tone light and friendly although now he really wanted to know what McGee and Tony where hiding from him.
"Uh uh he's a Pathologist" Tim stumbled out.
Tony snorted loudly and tried to cover it up with a cough that just sounded more suspicious.
"A Pathologist huh? What hospital is he attached to?"
Tim's eyes flicked around wildly in the car as he tried to think "Uh Georgetown University Hospital?"
Gibbs studied the road as he considered what was so bad that his young team mate would consider lying to him about it. Badly. Then again McGee never really was a good liar. Tim was practically panicking. And why Tony wasn't calling him out on it either?
"Sounds like you're spending a bit of time together lately"
Tim started to relax a little. Ok moving to safer ground here.
"Uh yeah you know he's a smart guy. Nice to talk about things that aren't work you know? Abby likes him too. She invited us both to a fancy dress party the other week. That was pretty cool. We won the costume prize. "
Gibbs considered this for a minute. So Abby had met this guy too. Knew him well enough to invite McGee and him out together. As a couple? Was this what McGee was hiding? The new relationship Gibbs had wondered about was with a man? Was that why McGee was so nervous? Was he worried about what Gibbs would think?
The streets flew by as Gibbs considered what he wasn't being told. Not that he really cared if McGee was gay or Bi or whatever. He was a good agent and a good man. He had created Rule Twelve to make sure that Agents on his team kept their private lives away from work. McGee did that. In fact he wished DiNozzo was a little more like McGee when it came to that department.
What he didn't want was Tim thinking that Gibbs would consider less of him as a person because of who he chose to spend his private time with.
"What was the costume you wore? It must have been good if you won." Gibbs decided to keep talking and try and draw McGee out a little more.
"We went as Vampires. With uh fangs and in uh black leather, boots you know….."
Tim's voice almost broke and he cleared his throat as he imagined the end of the evening as Dante peeled off the leather he was wearing, his eyes burning with lust and…
Gibbs flicked another quick look at McGee who looked like he was burning up the blush was so deep. What was he so embarrassed about? Sex was about the only thing McGee really blushed about anymore. He was always very private about his personal life. Interesting. Black leather and a gay boyfriend all of a sudden. No wonder quiet McGee was blushing.
"Well since it seems everyone else has already met him when are you going to bring him over? I would like to meet this Dante. Make sure he's not leading my agent into any mischief."
Tony and Tim looked at each other and Tim started to panic. Dante meets Gibbs? Gibbs meets Dante? No no no no
"How about tomorrow night after work? You could bring him along to drinks at Clancy's." Gibbs smiled easily which started to freak Tim out.
"Oh yes. Than I could meet him too" Ziva smiled and turned in her seat her eyes assessing McGee curiously.
Tim shrunk back into his seat and stammered as he felt the cars occupants watching him "uh ok…I will see what I can do."
Tony just shook his head and covered his eyes with his hand. Oh no bad idea.
Later when Gibbs and Ziva had disappeared off to continue collecting witness statements Tim grabbed Tony's arm.
"Do you think he guessed? Gibbs I mean. Do you think he knows that well Dante and I ..are more than friends? Not the vampire thing. I don't think even he would figure that bit out"
Tony slapped McGee on the shoulder "Oh yeah he figured it out alright. That why he wants to meet him. He wants to check him out. He's playing Protective Dad and I wouldn't be surprised if he has a shot gun loaded under the table just in case. Face it Probie with the look you had on your face you as good as came out of your closet to Gibbs then."
Tim groaned and Tony grinned and threw an arm around him.
"Cheer up McGee. Just think what you have to look forward to. You get to introduce your human, Pathologist boyfriend to Gibbs after work tomorrow."
Tim almost wept while Tony whistled cheerfully dragging his friend into the administration buildings.