a/n - Glad you're stil with me. Now, it's Tim's turn to take care of Gibbs tonight. Ive been asked by several people how canon it is to have Gibbs smiling and laughing. Watch the 'poofs' at the breaks in the show. I started really paying attention to those and noticing how often Gibbs is turned away from the others, with a sly grin on his face. We've also seen how happy he was with Shannon. The man can be happy, if he just gives himself permission.
The sound of whining and claws tapping on hardwood could be heard as Tim awoke. He and Gibbs were still on the couch with Gibbs' arms around him. Instead of the nightmare he expected to wake him, it was the cramp in his leg that pushed him into wakefulness. He couldn't imagine what Gibbs would be feeling when he woke. He watched carefully as he nudged him.
"Jethro, Jethro?" He could see the pain in the other man's face when he opened his eyes. "Let's go to bed where we can stretch out." Gibbs nodded and together, they stood. Tim could feel the tight muscles in his back as Gibbs tried to subtly work out the kinks. Gibbs couldn't help but sag in relief as Tim expertly worked on the worst of the knots in his neck.
Tim smiled to himself as he leaned to whisper in Gibbs' ear. "Take off your shirt when you lay down and I'll give you a back rub after I take Jethro out."
Gibbs had every intention to claim he was fine, but by the time he got around to it, he was shirtless on the bed and McGee was warming a bottle of massage oil. He felt the side of the bed tip down slightly as Tim straddled him. Warm, oiled hands rested briefly on his lower back before skimming upwards, finding every sore spot and working them out. By the time the hands reached his neck, he was a puddle of contented goo, his only clear thought was how he had never realized what strong hands McGee had.
---NCIS---
The sun was shining through the window the next time Gibbs was aware. He could feel the warmth on his closed eyelids while his memory supplied the feel of Tim's hands stroking along his back. Half asleep, defenses down, a large part of him wanted to pull the other man close and ignore the start of a new day. He opened his eyes when he felt a slight shift of the mattress. Tim was sitting on the edge, tying his shoes.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I'm going to finish cleaning Mrs. B's stove before she tries to get down on her hands and knees and do it herself. Why don't you go back to sleep for a while?"
The temptation to do just that had vanished when Tim left the bed, so Gibbs sat up. He couldn't remember the last time his back felt so loose and relaxed first thing in the morning. He watched carefully as Tim finished getting ready. "How are you after reading that last night?"
Tim had just started to stand, but changed direction and sat back down when the question was asked. "You know, I'm better than I was expecting to be."
"Being here like this with me doesn't make you uncomfortable?" He reached out and laid his hand on Tim's arm. Tim responded by reaching around and resting his other hand on top of Gibbs' hand.
"It should, but it doesn't; not at all." He seemed lost in thought for a moment, so Gibbs waited patiently for him to continue. "I guess I understand now why I didn't like some of Abby's games when we were dating. Bondage was a little too close for comfort."
"You never told her about what happened to you?"
McGee blushed. "We didn't really take the time to get to know each other that well first, and now, well now we're better as friends than we were as a couple. We just wanted different things."
Neither of them had moved a muscle. "Different how?"
"Abby want fun and casual."
"What do you want, Tim?"
"To feel loved, cherished." He moved slightly, to look at their joined hands. "I want to be with someone whose life is so entwined with mine that after a while we can't tell where one starts and the other stops. I want to be able to spend the evening writing and have my life partner right next to me with their own project, neither one of us feeling neglected, just being comfortable silently sharing our lives." Tim finally looked up at him, a sad smile on his face. "Probably why I'll end up spending my life alone."
Tim stood, trying to end the conversation. "After I finish next door why don't we take Jethro for another run? Then we've got to go get his bed." Both men looked over at the dog sprawled out on the pad that was his temporary spot. His ears perked up when he realized they were talking about him.
"Sounds good, I'll take him out to do his business while you're next door." Gibbs waited until Tim was almost to the door before he said anything else. "Promise me you'll never settle."
---NCIS---
Mrs. B had the coffee on when McGee arrived at her kitchen. The night before he had sprayed a heavy layer of cleanser on the bottom of the oven which made quick work on what remained of the baked on cream sauce and noodles. Chatting with the elderly woman made the time go even quicker.
"Have you lived here long, Mrs. B?" He tossed a handful of paper towels in a garbage bag before reaching for his coffee.
She smiled as she looked around her homey kitchen. "My Richard bought this house for us when we got married. We hoped to fill it with children, but we were never blessed. Instead, we became aunt and uncle to the children in the neighborhood over the years."
McGee knew what she was not saying. "You knew Shannon and Kelly, then?" He smiled, letting her know that he had no problems with the memories of Gibbs' first wife and child.
Mrs. B refilled their coffees while she gathered her thoughts. Richard always teased her that she tended to speak first and think later. "Shannon was a lovely woman, and Kelly was the light of our lives. I didn't think I'd ever see Jethro happy again until last night."
"What do you mean? After all, he remarried after Shannon and Kelly died." He'd only seen one of the ex-wives, but he'd heard stories about the others. In spite of that, he'd always assumed that there had to have something positive about them at some point.
"Oh, there've been several wives and even more girlfriends, but I've never seen him as relaxed and carefree with any of them as he is with you." She reached out and patted his arm. "You young people put so much emphasis on passion, but it's the day to day that creates a lifetime with the right person."
Tim continued to work as they talked. "Does it bother you, two men together?"
She turned serious as she set her coffee down. "My younger brother never liked women. In our day it was called being light in the loafers, and he spent his entire life unhappy because he was alone. Our father disowned him, and I can't tell you how many times he was beaten or lost his job because of someone's prejudice. I just wish he could have had the chance that you and Jethro have."
As Tim bagged the last of the trash from the clean-up, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Be happy, Tim. The two of you deserve it."
---NCIS---
Gibbs tried to go back to sleep after Tim left, but the brown eyes staring at him from across the room made it impossible. He rolled over to glare at the dog but Jethro seemed immune. After the third canine sigh, Gibbs gave up and climbed out of bed. A quick trip to the bathroom, and then he was dressing in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. As he was pulling the shirt over his head he realized that it was the one Tim had worn that first night at the house. It still faintly smelled of his cologne and the fragrance he now thought of as pure Tim. Pulling it on the rest of the way, he looked around for his shoes. He vaguely remembered kicking them off when they came upstairs last night, but they were not in the usual corner. A movement caught his attention and he turned to see Jethro sitting at the door, both of Gibbs' shoes dangling from his mouth by their strings.
"Okay, dog, I can take the hint." He managed to get the shoes away from Jethro virtually slobber free and headed down the stairs. After the target was thoroughly missed again, the two of them explored the back yard. The majority of the yard was fenced in; only a gate at the driveway and a six foot section at the other side of the house would enclose it completely. In less time than it would take for the cement to harden for the posts, he and McGee could have the yard completely secured for Jethro. He heard Mrs. B's back door open and moved to meet Tim at the trash can.
---NCIS---
McGee shook his head as he closed the door behind him. Mrs. B reminded him so much of his grandmother, it was uncanny. As he tossed the garbage bag into the outside can one of the other neighbors walked by, apparently on his way home from the nearby market.
"Good morning, Tim."
"Morning, Kyle, how are you?"
The other man seemed pleased to run into him again. "I don't have to be at work until tomorrow afternoon, so I'm great."
"Yeah, we've got a few days off too." He thought about it for just a split second before he continued. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?" Kyle shifted the bag as he stopped moving.
"Yesterday, at the dog park, you didn't seem surprised when Jethro introduced us."
Kyle but back his laughter as he explained. "That mood he's always been in and that stream of women, can we say clos-set? That man of yours pinged my gaydar the day we moved in." Again a conversation turned serious on McGee. "He's a good man and he deserves to be happy. I'm happy for the two of you. Like I said, give us a call and we'll introduce the two of you to some nice clubs in the area."
On the other side of the partial fence Gibbs bit his knuckle to keep from laughing when he heard the singsong comment about his life in the closet and grew thoughtful as the conversation continued.