Work Text:
Tim looked around his apartment and grinned. He had Ziva, Tony and Abby over to watch a movie, and as of yet, they hadn't noticed the few blank spaces on the walls and shelves where he'd taken a couple of the photos down temporarily. Obviously they weren't trained investigators when off the clock. He was sat on the couch with Abby and Tony, while Ziva took the armchair, curled up in it like a cat. Abby giggled at a bit in the movie - or possibly at Tony mouthing the words along with the people on the screen, Tim didn't know. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Tim frowned. Who would be calling at this hour? "I'll get it, guys," he said, standing up before any of the others could. They were his friends, but he didn't want them answering his door for him. He walked over to the door, which couldn't be seen from the couch due to the shelves in the way, and opened the door. As soon as it was open, he felt strong arms around his waist and familiar lips on his own. He relaxed into the kiss for a few moments, sliding a hand into messy black hair, before he remembered who was standing just a few feet away and broke away, looking into mischievous blue eyes. He gently pushed the other person into the corridor, closing the door behind them, but not so it locked. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly. The other man smirked at him.
"Now Timmy, what kind of a welcome is that? I'd almost think you didn't want me here," he teased. Tim rolled his eyes.
"Of course I want you here, Jake, I just wasn't expecting you home for another week or so. How come you're back early?" he asked.
"Oh, the kids responded to the therapy much better than we thought they would, so Jess said I could go home a week early," Jake replied.
"That's great," Tim said sincerely. Jake grinned.
'I know, right? So are you going to let me in, or are we gonna stay out here all night?" he asked. Tim suddenly remembered his teammates on his couch.
"I've got some of my friends from work over, they don't exactly know about us. They don't know I'm gay," Tim blurted out. Jake frowned.
"And you don't want to tell them, because you're not sure if they'd accept you," he finished for him. Tim looked at him with pleading eyes.
"It's not that I'm ashamed of you or anything, because you know I'm not, it's just, they tease me enough for being the Probie, I don't want them teasing me for liking guys, too," he said. Jake put a hand on his cheek.
"Tim, it's okay. I wont kiss you or do anything to insinuate that we're anything more than close friends, but I want you to tell them sooner or later. You can't hide who you are because you think some people might not like it," he said earnestly. Tim smiled and kissed him.
"Thank you. So, you want to come in and meet my friends?" he asked with a grin. Jake matched his grin.
"Lead the way, Timmy!" he replied, picking up his suitcase, which had a motorbike helmet strapped to the handle, and waiting for Tim to open the door. He walked in, and Tim shut the door behind him.
"Who was it, Tim?" Abby called. Jake winked at Tim with a grin, and they walked around so they were in sight. The movie had been paused, and all three of his teammates were looking at Jake curiously.
"Guys, this is Jake Rivers, my friend from High School. Jake, these are my teammates, Tony DiNozzo, Abby Scuito and Ziva David," Tim introduced slightly nervously, pointing out each person as he said their name to Jake. The black-haired man grinned.
"Hi, nice to meet you, finally. Tim's told me about you guys," he said cheerily.
"I can't say Tim's told us about you. Timmy, why didn't you tell me you had such a cute friend?" Abby asked with a grin at Jake, who chuckled at the possessive glint Tim got in his eye, noticeable to those who knew what to look for.
"It never came up. Jake, just dump your stuff wherever, you know where everything is," Tim said. Jake nodded, dragging his suitcase into a corner while Tim sat back down on the couch and started the movie up again. Jake went into the little kitchen unit and opened the fridge, getting out a can of lemonade, before going back out to stand in front of Tim, who looked up expectantly.
"Scoot over or I'll sit on you," Jake said. Tim shook his head.
"You can sit on the floor," he argued.
"Tim, I've been on my bike for over six hours straight, my ass hurts, I am not sitting on the floor. Scoot," Jake replied. Tim gave him a mock-sympathetic look.
"Oh, you poor thing," he said sarcastically. "I'm not moving." Jake gave a sigh, his hands on his hips.
"Then I'm going to have to sit on you," he told him, before doing just that, plonking himself in Tim's lap. Tim groaned, but shifted so he could still see the TV and not have the circulation to his legs cut off. Abby giggled at Jake's triumphant look, and Tony snickered.
"You do know you're really annoying, right?" Tim said conversationally to the man sat on his lap. Jake nodded proudly.
"Yeah, but you keep me around anyway," he said smugly.
"God knows why," Tim muttered under his breath.
"So, Jake, you went to High School with McGee. Was he as big a geek then as he is now?" Tony asked cheekily. Jake smirked and nodded.
"Oh yeah. Bigger," he replied. Tony laughed.
"I didn't know that was possible," he said with a grin.
"Yeah, but Timmy wasn't like the rest of the geeks. He actually had a social life, didn't you, Tim? Remember that time you got caught making out with someone in the school gym?" Jake asked, smirking. He neglected to mention the fact that that someone was him. Tony raised his eyebrows and shared a glance with Ziva, while Abby giggled. Tim groaned, closing his eyes.
"Now I remember why I never let you meet anyone I know," he muttered.
"And here I thought it was because you wanted me all to yourself," Jake joked. Tim just rolled his eyes at him exasperatedly. The five of them went back to watching the movie, with the occasionally fight over pizza slices, until it ended. Tony checked his watch and let out a low whistle.
"Damn, it's late. Gibbs will kick our asses if we're not in for work on time tomorrow," he said. This prompted the others to look at the time.
"Yeah, we should get going. This was fun though, Tim, we should do it more often," Abby insisted, the other two nodding in agreement as they stood. Jake got off Tim's lap so he could stand, and found himself being hugged by Abby. "It was nice to meet you, Jake," She told him. He grinned.
"You too, I'll have to get Tim to invite me to more of his little work things," he replied. Everyone said goodbye, and as soon as Tim had shut the door behind them, he was jumped by Jake again. "I've missed you," Jake murmured against Tim's lips. Tim's hands gripped Jake's hips to keep himself steady as he moaned into the kiss, Jake's hands slipping up the back of his shirt.
"Missed you too. Bed," Tim growled out. Jake nodded and somehow the two of them managed to make it to the bedroom without crashing into anything. Tim pushed his lover back onto the bed, pulling the other man's shirt over his head to reveal toned abs and a practically hairless chest. Jake's hands worked furiously at the buttons of Tim's shirt, only to find out he was wearing a t-shirt underneath.
"Too many clothes," He moaned, shoving the shirt back off Tim's shoulders, throwing it to the side as he took off Tim's t-shirt, running his hands over his lover's chest and trailing a hand to his waistband, undoing the fly of his jeans as Tim did the same to him. "God, Tim," He cried out, arching his back as Tim kissed and sucked his way down his chest, grinding their hips together. Tim had an absent thought, wondering what the others would think if they knew what he was like when he wasn't at work. Then Jake tugged his jeans and boxers off and he found he couldn't think much at all.
.-.-.
The next morning, Tim woke up and smiled at the feel of Jake's arm draped possessively across his waist. Jake had been away for two weeks, doing some summer camp thing for some of the abused kids he was helping. He was a child psychologist, and he was too smart for his own good sometimes. He pressed a kiss to Jake's bare shoulder, and the man let out a sleepy groan that made Tim chuckle. "Morning, gorgeous," he murmured. Jake rolled over so he was facing Tim and kissed him softly.
"Morning, love. What's the time?" he asked groggily. Tim glanced over at the clock and swore.
"Ten past eight, I gotta get ready for work." He said, rolling out of bed. Jake whined as his warm cocoon under the sheets was broken. Tim walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on. He was waiting for it to warm up, when he felt two arms come around him from behind and a chin on his shoulder.
"Mind if I join you?" Jake asked.
"Sure, but keep your hands to yourself, I don't want to be late for work," Tim replied, stepping into the shower, Jake coming in behind him.
"I'll be a perfect angel, I promise," Jake said with an innocent look. Tim chuckled and kissed his lover on the forehead.
"What are you gonna do today while I'm at work?" Tim asked as he lathered shampoo in his hair. Jake shrugged.
"Unpack, check my emails, maybe catch up on some paperwork," he replied. When they were both showered, they got out and Tim chucked Jake a towel, wrapping his own around his waist.
"I'll be home around half six, okay?" Tim said, buttoning up his shirt. Jake did as promised and kept his hands to himself as Tim dressed, even if he was blatantly raking his eyes over his lover's form suggestively. Tim grabbed his badge and gun off the dresser and clipped them to his belt, before shrugging his jacket on. Jake had dressed in a pair of low-slung jeans and a black Rolling Stones T-shirt that clung to his muscles, and as he walked with Tim into the living room of the flat, he ran a hand through his damp black hair. Tim bent down to lace up his shoes, and Jake slapped him on the ass playfully as he went to put some toast in the toaster. "By the way, you know I'm probably gonna have Abby asking me for your number. What do I tell her?" Tim asked. Jake smirked.
"Tell her I'm gay, tell her I'm taken, tell her I'm gay and taken. I don't mind. Or you could tell her the truth and say that I'm terribly sorry, but I can't bring myself to get out of your pants long enough to take her on a date," he added. Tim ducked his head slightly.
"I think I'll just tell her you're gay and taken. That way she won't try and set you up with any of her gay friends," he replied.
"Why, would you be jealous?" Jake drawled. Tim reached over the counter and pulled him into a fierce kiss.
"Yes," he stated firmly, "Now I've really got to go. I'll see you tonight, love you," he said, kissing him quickly once more.
"Love you too, Timmy, now go, be a cop and save people and all that," Jake replied with a grin, ushering him out of the door. Tim went down the corridor and left his apartment building, going into the car park and finding his car. He paused when he caught his refection in the wing mirror, and groaned when he realised why Jake had been giving him that infuriating grin that said he knew something Tim didn't. Just visible above his collar was the edge of a dark purple love bite. He pulled up his collar, trying to cover it up. It was only visible if he looked directly at it, so he hoped no one would notice. He was so going to get Jake for this.
.-.
Tim exited the elevator and saw that Tony and Ziva were already in the bullpen, which meant Gibbs was probably somewhere around here too. He muttered a curse and picked up the pace, walking to his desk and putting his bag down. "Nice of you to join us, Probie. You have to finish your game of Dungeons and Dragons before you left home?" Tony teased. Tim shot him a look.
"No, I did not. Jake and I were up late catching up last night, I haven't seen him in a while," he said, hoping he had a straight face as he said this. Well, it was true, they were up late, and they were catching up. Tony grinned at him.
"Don't tell me he's a geek too, he seemed pretty normal," he told him. Tim snorted.
"That's got to be the first time I've heard Jake described as normal," he mused. Ziva looked at him.
"I think Abby likes him," she remarked. Tim hummed.
"I know," he said simply. He would have to tell Abby about Jake's preferences sooner or later. He doubted she'd mind, she'd probably be more upset about the fact that her gaydar hadn't worked. Just then, Gibbs walked in, a look on his face.
"If you're done gossiping, we've got a case," he barked. They all jumped up and grabbed their things, following Gibbs into the elevator. Tim self-consciously pulled his collar up a little higher and shoved his hand in his pocket. Back to work, again.
.-.
They arrived at the scene, and got out of the van, walking behind Gibbs. They were in a house in a naval community, and when they got inside, their eyes were immediately drawn to the living room, where the cream carpet had red stains and there was a pale, lifeless arm hanging over the arm of the couch. "DiNozzo, shoot; David, get statements; McGee, check the rest of the house, see if you can find anything," Gibbs ordered.
"On it, Boss," Tim replied, deciding to start upstairs, going up and into the first room. It was a bathroom, and everything was so neat and tidy it was strange, especially compared to his messy bathroom with his and Jake's things all over the place. He checked over it, but there was nothing out of place, so he left and went into the next room. It was obviously a little boy's room, with army toys all along the shelves and a half-built Lego spaceship on the floor. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and was about to leave, when he heard a quiet whimper. He froze, listening closely, and saw the wardrobe door move slightly. Drawing his gun, he edged forward and flung open the door. There was a yelp, and Tim saw a little boy, about 7 or so, curling up as small as possible. He lowered his gun, backing away to seem less threatening. "Whoa, hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm NCIS. It's okay, I'm here to help," he said softly, mentally running through everything Jake had told him about dealing with frightened kids. The boy timidly looked up at Tim, who smiled kindly at him.
"NCIS?" the boy asked in a small voice. Tim nodded.
"We're here to help, we're not gonna hurt you. What's your name?" He asked gently.
"Nick, sir," the boy replied.
"Well, Nick, you want to come out of there? I'm Special Agent McGee, I can take you downstairs and we can find your mom," Tim offered. Nick nodded hesitantly and scrambled out of the wardrobe. Tim held out his hand, and Nick took it tightly. Tim took him downstairs and found Gibbs, who raised an eyebrow.
"Who's the kid, McGee?" he asked.
"His name's Nick, I found him hiding upstairs. I think he's Petty Officer Thompson's son," Tim replied. Gibbs nodded and crouched so he was eye-level with Nick.
"Did you see anything, Nick?" he asked gently. Nick whimpered.
"I can't tell, sir," he said. Gibbs frowned, and Tim thought for a moment.
"Did they tell you not to say anything, Nick?" he asked. Nick hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"He said he'd kill me if I told anyone," he whispered fearfully. Tim put a hand on his shoulder.
"We won't let him hurt you, Nick. You're safe with us," he assured him. Gibbs looked at him.
"Take him to the van, we'll finish up here. He seems to like you," he said, gesturing to Nick, who was gripping the edge of Tim's jacket in his hand.
"Yes, boss," Tim replied, taking Nick outside, past all the commotion and to the van, where he set Nick in the front seat. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly. Nick shook his head. "Okay. You know, I have a friend, his name is Jake. He's a psychologist, he helps people, mainly kids, talk about things that they don't like to talk about. He'd talk to you, if you want," he suggested. Nick looked at him suspiciously.
"He wouldn't tell anyone?" he asked timidly.
"Not if you didn't want him to. Do you want me to ask him if he'll come see you?" Tim asked. Nick nodded slowly.
"Okay," he agreed. Just then, Tony jogged up to them, camera in hand.
"Hey, McGeek, Gibbs wants to know if the kid's said anything," he said.
"No, but he's agreed to talk to a psychologist," Tim replied.
"And where are you planning on getting one of those?" Tony asked, brows furrowed.
"Jake," Tim replied simply. Tony looked at him curiously. "Jake's a child psychologist. He'll talk to Nick for free, especially since he's got the week off," Tony grinned and nodded.
"He's a shrink?" Tim nodded, "Cool. I'll go tell Gibbs, and we'll wrap it up here," Tony said.
"Hey, Tony, do you know where Nick's mom is?" Tim asked. Tony thought, then shook his head.
"Sorry, no clue," he replied, walking off. Tim looked down at Nick, who was looking at him with frightened eyes.
"My mom's gone," he said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Tim asked.
"My mom went to stay with Uncle Max a few days ago," Nick explained in a childish voice. Tim frowned.
"Do you know why?" he asked. Nick shook his head. Tim was about to ask more, but Gibbs came up, Ziva and Tony behind him, while Tim could see Ducky and Palmer taking the body to the coroner's van.
"DiNozzo said you know a child psychologist who'll talk to Nick about what he saw. When can he get to NCIS?" Gibbs asked, climbing into the van.
"I'll call him, he's at my apartment at the moment, so it'll take him about half an hour or so," Tim replied, pulling Nick onto his lap so Tony could get in, while Ziva got in the back.
"Do it," Gibbs ordered. Tim nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialling Jake's number. It rang for a few moments, before Jake's cheery voice answered.
"Tim, what a pleasant surprise. What's the emergency? You haven't done something stupid have you?" he asked. Tim rolled his eyes.
"No, but thank you for the vote of confidence. I'm driving back from a case, we've got a murdered Petty Officer. His son saw something, but the murderer threatened to kill him if he told anyone. We were wondering if you would come and talk to him, please?" he asked.
"Of course I will. Hey, does this mean I get to see NCIS?" Jake asked eagerly. Tim chuckled.
"Yes, it does. So you'll do it?" he asked hopefully.
"Sure," Jake replied. Tim smiled.
"Thank you, I owe you one," he said gratefully.
"Oh, I'm sure you can find a way to pay me back later," Jake purred, and Tim could practically hear the smirk in his lover's voice.
"I'm sure I can. I have to go, so if you could come down to NCIS, we'll get you a guest pass, okay?" he said.
"See you in a bit," Jake replied, before hanging up. Tim looked at his boss, who looked at him expectantly.
"He said he'll do it," Tim told him, shifting Nick in his lap.
"Good," Gibbs replied, turning a corner and sending Tony leaning into the window, trying not to hit his head. Tim grinned to himself, this was going to be fun.
.-.
When they got back to NCIS, the Director was standing in the lobby waiting for them. "A Dr. Jake Rivers came, he said he was a child psychologist and that you wanted him to talk to the Petty Officer's son?" she told them. Gibbs nodded.
"Where is he?" Tim asked.
"He's waiting upstairs for you, he said he'd sit at your desk and wait, Agent McGee," she replied. Tim paled slightly.
"Oh God. Uh, boss, we should probably get up there, Jake gets bored easily," he said. Tony snickered and the five of them went up the elevator. When they reached their floor, they got out, and Tim looked over to his desk, groaning when he saw Jake sat there, rifling through his desk drawers. He looked up when he heard him and grinned broadly.
"Timmy! Was wondering when you'd get here. I have to say, you keep some weird stuff in your desk," he said, sticking his hand in the drawer and moving to pull something out. Tim walked over and put a hand over Jake's wrist, stopping him.
"Nobody needs to see that," he said firmly, fixing Jake with a stern look. Jake just winked at him and leant back in the chair. His eyes landed on Nick, and he smiled.
"Is this the Petty Officer's son?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Nick piped up. Jake smiled and perched on the edge of Tim's desk, looking down at Nick.
"Hey, I'm Jake Rivers. What's your name?" he asked with a friendly smile.
"Nick Thompson, sir," Nick replied shyly.
"Just call me Jake, sir makes me feel old," Jake said with a grin. Nick smiled back.
"Okay, Jake," he corrected. Jake looked up at Gibbs.
"Have you got a room or an office or somewhere I could take him for a little privacy? He's more likely to open up if there's not a load of people around," he asked.
"He could use the office off Abby's lab." Ziva suggested. Tony grinned.
"Yeah, I bet Abby would like to see him again," he said. Tim and Jake shared a look, then Jake nodded.
"Lead the way," he decided. Jake took Nick's hand and they all went down to Abby's lab. The goth scientist was bobbing away to her music, and turned when she heard them, her face lighting up.
"Hi guys!" She then spotted Jake, "What's he doing here?" she asked.
"He's the child psychologist who's going to talk to Nick here. Can he use your office?" Gibbs said, pointing to the boy, who was looking at all the machines in awe. Abby beamed.
"Sure. A child psychologist, huh? Smart and cute," she said appreciatively. Jake caught Tim's scowl and gave him a 'don't worry' look, taking Nick into the office and letting him sit on the futon.
"You got it from here?" Gibbs asked, and Jake nodded.
"Sure, go solve the case, we'll be fine down here," he assured him. Gibbs nodded to him, and turned to his team.
"DiNozzo, David, McGee, with me. Abby, if you find anything, call me," he ordered. With a chorus of 'yes, boss', they all went to work.
.-.-.
Tim looked up from the files he was reading when Gibbs walked in. "McGee, go down and check if Rivers has got anything from Nick," he instructed. Tim nodded and went down to Abby's lab, where he saw Abby typing rapidly. She turned and grinned at him.
"Timmy!" she cried, waving.
"Hey, Abs. Has Jake finished with Nick yet?" he asked. Abby shrugged.
"Not sure, I left them alone," she said. Tim nodded and went over to look through the glass doors to the office. Jake was talking to Nick, and grinned when he spotted Tim, gesturing him to come inside. Tim opened the door, and smiled at the man and the little boy.
"Hey Tim, how's the case coming?" Jake asked, shifting over so Tim could sit down beside him. Jake discreetly put a hand on the small of Tim's back, and Tim smiled inwardly at the gesture.
"Pretty good, we've got some suspects, Tony and Ziva are following up some leads. How's Nick?" he asked, leaning into Jake's side slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice. Jake grinned.
"He's doing really good. I think he might be ready to try and put together a profile with the computers," he said proudly. Nick smiled at Tim nervously, and Tim smiled back.
"That's great! How about we go see if Abby will let us use one of the computers?" he asked. Jake looked at Nick, who nodded. The two older men stood, and Jake held a hand out to the little boy, who took it. The three of them went back out into Abby's lab, immediately being hit by the loud music. Tim went up to Abby and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, then grinned when she saw who it was. "Nick thinks he's able to put a profile together, can we use the computer?" Tim asked. Abby nodded brightly and led them over to one of the computers that wasn't being used.
"You know what to do," she said to Tim, before going back to her machines. Tim nodded and brought up the program, sitting in the chair. He picked up Nick and put him on his lap, while Jake sat on the arm of the chair, one elbow leaning on the back of the chair.
"Okay, what did he look like?" Tim asked. Nick thought for a moment, then started pointing out features.
.-.
Gibbs came down to the lab about twenty minutes later with a Caff-Pow! for Abby, and asked her what she had. After managing to get her to stop giving him technobabble, he got that she'd found a strange substance under his fingernails. He nodded and told her to figure out what it was, then saw Tim, Jake and Nick sat at the computer. He walked up behind them, and Jake looked up at him.
"Oh, hi. Nick was just helping Tim put together a profile to put on the BOLO. Does this help any?" he asked, showing Gibbs the computer screen. The man in the picture looked to be about middle-aged, had army-cut blonde hair, dark brown eyes, and pale skin, with freckles dusted across his nose and cheeks.
"That's Sergeant Daniel Myers, he's Thompson's CO." Gibbs said, his eyes narrowed. He then looked down at Nick, who was still on Tim's lap.
"Are you sure this is the guy you saw?" he asked. Nick nodded.
"He came in through the window, and he started yelling at my dad. I hid at the top of the stairs, and I heard dad yell out, then there was a thump, and that man came out of the room. I tried to go back to my room, but he saw me, and he told me that if I told anyone he'd do the same thing to me that he did to dad." he said fearfully. Jake squeezed his shoulder.
"It's okay, Nick. Timmy and I won't let him get you," he said comfortingly, before looking back up at Gibbs. "Has anyone managed to get hold of Mrs Thompson?" he asked. Gibbs shook his head.
"We've called her cell, and the number we have for her brother Max, but they're all going to answer phone. Good work, you two. McGee, you work on those hidden files off Thompson's laptop. Rivers, look after Nick until his mother gets here," he ordered. They both replied with a "yes, boss" even though Gibbs wasn't Jake's boss, and Gibbs left. Tim started typing away, pulling up the files, and Nick looked up at Jake, who grinned at him.
"What do we do now?" he asked.
"You can sit there and not cause trouble," Tim supplied. Jake gave him a mock-wounded look, reeling back dramatically.
"When have you known me to cause trouble, Tim? I'm hurt, really," he said with a fake pout. Tim rolled his eyes exasperatedly and Nick giggled. Suddenly, Abby bounded up beside them.
"Be careful with those files, McGee, they're the only copies we have of them, and we need them," she warned.
"I know, Abs. And Jake, as you're not doing anything, would you be so kind as to go out and get some food, please? I'm starved," he said with a hopeful look. Jake looked at him scoldingly.
"That's because you didn't eat breakfast this morning," he chastised. Tim fixed him with a pointed look.
"And whose fault was that?" he said, trying not to blush at the memory of why he woke up late. Jake got a wicked gleam in his eye, but it was gone in an instant, replaced by an innocent look.
"I admit to nothing. What do you say, Nick, want to get out for a bit?" he asked the boy, who nodded eagerly. "That's settled, then. Abby, you want me to get you anything?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Nah, I'm good. Well, unless you wanted to go out for a drink with me tonight?" she offered with a suggestive look. Jake felt Tim stiffen slightly, and gave Abby an apologetic look.
"I would, but I don't think my boyfriend would like it too much," he said casually. Abby gaped at the word boyfriend.
"You're gay?" she asked. Jake nodded.
"'Fraid so," he replied. She put a hand over her mouth.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. My gaydar is usually much better than this! I can't believe I didn't realise you'd be gay. It figures, I suppose. All the cute guys are either gay, married, or total creeps," she said sadly. Jake chuckled.
"Funny, I always used to think all the cute guys were straight. I suppose it depends on your opinion of cute," he said. Abby suddenly grinned.
"I suppose. What's your boyfriend like?" she asked. Jake thought for a moment. He knew Tim would be mad at him if he told her outright, but he could at least give her a nudge in the right direction.
"Hmm, he's a lot like Timmy here, really," he said slowly, "total geek, a little shy when he's in public, funny, a little weird sometimes, but we all have our quirks," he added with a smile. Abby looked at him with a large smile on her face.
"That's so sweet! Timmy, you have to let me meet Jake's boyfriend sometime," she urged. Tim gulped as Jake looked at him amusedly.
"Sure, Abs," he said, voice faltering slightly, though Abby didn't notice. Jake grinned, clapping his hands together.
"Right, food. Back in a bit, come on, Nick," he said, taking Nick by the hand and bouncing out of the room with him. Tim shook his head fondly at his lover, and got back to work.
"Why didn't you tell me he was gay?" Abby asked, pouting.
"It's not the type of thing that comes up in normal conversation, Abs," he reasoned. She shrugged.
"But still. I can't believe I didn't see it. I've never been wrong before like that," she said with a frown.
"Jake isn't very obvious, Abs. He's just like that, especially when he's working. I mean, he'll kiss his boyfriend in public and everything, but he doesn't go around flicking his wrists and singing YMCA," Tim replied with a grin as he got the mental image of just that.
"I don't know many gay guys who do, McGee. Well, I know guys who flick their wrists, and one guy really likes the Village People, but I don't know guys who do, like, both at the same time during their normal day," Abby said, a thoughtful look on her face. Then one of her machines bleeped, and she grinned, skipping over to it to check her results. Tim chuckled at his friend's uncanny ability to be easily distracted, then looked back at his screen. He had work to do.
.-.-.
When it had been almost half an hour, Tim privately started to get worried. It shouldn't be taking Jake this long just to get food. Abby could tell he was stressed; his shoulders were tensed, and his eyes kept flicking up to the door. Just as he was about to call Jake, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and smiled when he saw Jake's name and number. He answered, and was about to ask where the hell he was, when he heard whimpering from the other end. "Don't even think about laying a finger on him, Myers," Jake's voice growled. Tim's eyebrows shot up and he pressed the speakerphone button, beckoning Abby to him with a finger on his lips. They heard a harsh, cruel laugh, and then a voice.
"You think you can stop me? The little shit will get everything he deserves, just like his father did," Myers replied coldly. Abby gasped silently, and went over to the computers with lightning speed, using the GPS in Jake's phone to figure out where he was. He was in an alley, not too far from NCIS. As if psychic, Gibbs appeared in the doorway. Abby held a finger to her lips and signed something to Gibbs, who frowned, glanced at Tim, then signed something back. Abby pointed to the screen that was showing Jake's location, and Gibbs nodded, signing to her. She nodded.
"If you want to hurt Nick, you're going to have to get through me, first," Jake's dangerously low voice said through the phone. Tim paled, and Abby grabbed his hand, leading him out of the lab with Gibbs, and into the elevator.
"Oh, that won't be a problem," Myers' voice said coolly, before they heard a loud bang that could only be a gunshot. Tim felt as if his blood had turned to ice, Jake had to be alright, he couldn't be hurt. Please say Myers missed. Abby was holding back a gasp and even Gibbs looked worried; Jake didn't have anything to defend himself with. They reached their floor, and Tim covered the phone with his palm so the noise wouldn't be heard on the other end. Gibbs quietly got Ziva and Tony's attention, and beckoned them closer. Ziva opened her mouth to ask something, but Gibbs put a finger to her lips, and she fell silent. They got back into the elevator, going down to the garage to get the car, while Gibbs briefed the other two in a whisper, and Tim kept his ear to the phone, listening. He knew that Jake had been shot, but it wasn't anywhere fatal, as he could hear him panting heavily as he scrambled to his feet. There was scuffling, then a low yelp of pain that Tim assumed belonged to Myers.
"Tim, help," Jake's pain-laden voice gritted out. "Myers is out cold, but he shot me in the shoulder."
"We're coming, Jay, don't worry. Just stay where you are, Abby's locked onto the GPS from your phone. Is Nick okay?" Tim asked worriedly.
"Yeah, he's just shaken up. Shit, it hurts, Tim," Jake moaned.
"Hey, hey, stay with me, Jake. Don't you dare pass out on me, mister," he warned as Gibbs started up the car, and Tony called an ambulance.
"Doin' my best, Timmy. It' like Toronto all over again," Jake said weakly.
"No, it's not going to be Toronto. You were in the hospital for a week after that, had me scared out of my mind," Tim replied firmly, remembering the trip to Toronto they'd taken about three years ago. They'd gone hiking in the woods, and Jake had stepped on some loose ground, falling ten feet and landing on his shoulder, breaking his collar bone and hitting his head on a rock, knocking him out. Jake chuckled feebly.
"You're such a wuss, Tim. I was fine then, and I'll be fine now. I just need some painkillers," he said. Gibbs swerved round a corner and went down the street, much faster than the speed limit would normally allow.
"We're nearly there, Jake. Just stay awake until we can get you to a hospital," Tim urged him. He heard coughing, then Jake's groan.
"Blood, not good," he said, barely louder than a whisper. Tim swore as Gibbs rounded yet another corner.
"We're about 15 feet away, Jake, just hold on," he said desperately. As soon as they reached the entrance to the alley, Tim got out of the car and tore down it. As soon as he saw Jake, he froze. His lover was lying in a pool of blood that was steadily getting bigger, his black shirt and t-shirt both soaked with the red liquid. He looked so pale, and his chest was barely moving. Gibbs, Tony and Ziva ran past him with the first aid kit they kept in the car, while Abby stopped by his side.
"He'll be okay, Tim," she said quietly, putting a hand on his arm.
"He'd better be, I'll kill him myself if he dies," he muttered.
"Should we call his boyfriend?" she asked him hesitantly. Tim let out a choked laugh.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, Abs? I am the boyfriend. Jake and I have been together for over ten years," he replied. Abby's eyes widened.
"Oh, Timmy, why didn't you tell me?" she asked, giving him a one-armed half-hug. He shook his head.
"Wasn't important. God, he'd better be okay." Tim jogged to kneel by Jake's side, ignoring the blood, as Gibbs and Tony tried to put as many bandages as they could over the bullet wound, trying to stem the blood flow. Jake's glassy blue eyes fixed on Tim and he smiled, a slight trickle of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
"Hey, Tim," he breathed.
"Don't speak, you need your energy. The ambulance is on it's way, you're gonna be fine, okay?" Tim told him, the faint sound of sirens hitting his ears. Jake nodded and winced.
"Hurts," he rasped out. Tim smoothed down Jake's hair gently.
"I know, Jay, I know. You have to stay strong, at least until the paramedics get here, can you do that for me?" he asked. Jake nodded slightly. The sirens got louder, and Tim managed a weak half-smile. "Hear that? It'll all be okay in a minute or two, once we get you some painkillers. I swear, Jay, if you die on me now…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He heard the sound of car doors opening, and voices, but couldn't bring himself to move his eyes from Jake's, even as the paramedics ran up to them. Jake ghosted a smile, and a whispered "Love you, Tim" slipped from his lips, before he fell into blissful unconsciousness. The paramedics bundled him onto a gurney and into the ambulance, and Tim turned to his boss. By the look on Gibbs' face, he'd heard what Jake had said. "I'm going with him," he said firmly. Gibbs stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. The nod probably had some hidden meaning in it, but Tim was too worried to even try and decipher it. He jumped in the back of the ambulance and sat down on the small seat by the wall, watching as the paramedic started to pack Jake's wound. The doors were shut, and they were off in a blare of sirens.
"Is he allergic to any medicines?" the paramedic asked. Tim shook his head.
"No, no allergies," he said. The woman nodded and hooked Jake up to an IV drip, before turning back to Tim.
"Well, he's stable for now, I've given him some painkillers, packed his wound, and his heart rate is good. He'll have to have surgery to remove the bullet, but other than that, I think your friend is going to be just fine," she said with a smile. Tim let out a sigh of relief and reached out for Jake's pale hand, mindful of the IV in it.
"When he wakes up he is so dead for scaring me like this," he muttered, and the blonde smiled. She turned away to check some monitors, and Tim pressed a quick kiss to Jake's knuckles. Luckily, they weren't far from the hospital, so it wasn't long before they were parked and more doctors were rolling Jake out of the ambulance. One man directed Tim to the side to get him out of the way, and looked at him.
"Are you a friend or family of the patient?" he asked. Tim nodded. "Can you give me his name, age and blood type, please?"
"Jacob Rivers, age 28, AB positive," he replied promptly. The doctor nodded, then directed Tim to the waiting room.
"You can wait here while he's in surgery," he informed him.
"Thanks. And could you do me a favour? When Special Agent Gibbs gets here, can you direct him and his team to me?" Tim asked. The man nodded, then walked off. Tim sunk into one of the chairs with a sigh. Why did he let Jake and Nick go out alone? Oh, crap, Nick! He hoped someone got him okay, but Gibbs wouldn't just leave him there. Damn, it had to be Jake to be the one to get into trouble. It was Tim's fault he was there in the first place, and now he'd been shot. He heard footsteps and looked up, only to be engulfed in a flurry of black and red that he realised was Abby.
"Oh, Timmy, I'm so sorry. He'll be alright, though, he's in good hands. The doctors here are awesome; one time, my friend Kevin, he got a beer bottle lodged up his,"
"Yeah, thanks, Abs," Tim cut her off, hugging her back. When she moved from his line of vision, he saw Gibbs, Tony and Ziva standing there. "Where's Nick?" he asked.
"He's currently being taken back to NCIS headquarters, where his aunt will pick him up," Gibbs answered. Tim nodded, glad the little boy would finally have some family around, and the team sat down. "What did the doctors say?" Gibbs asked.
"He's in surgery to remove the bullet, but he's stable, and he should be fine," Tim said. Abby let out a sigh of relief, and even Gibbs and Tony looked relieved.
"That's good. He seems like a good friend of yours," Ziva said.
"McGee and Rivers aren't just friends, Ziva," Gibbs spoke up. Tim looked at him.
"What? How did you-?" he stuttered. Gibbs rolled his eyes.
"I'm not deaf, blind or stupid, McGee. But quite frankly, what and who you do in your free time is none of my business, and I don't give a crap," he said bluntly. Tim realised that was Gibbs' way of saying he didn't care that he was gay, and smiled at him, nodding.
"Hang on a minute, I'm confused," Ziva said, a frown on her face.
"What Gibbs is saying is that McGee's gay and dating Jake. Am I right?" Tony asked Tim, who nodded. Ziva's eyes widened and she made a little 'oh' noise.
"Why didn't you tell us you were gay?" she asked. Tim looked at his feet nervously.
"You guys tease me enough already, I didn't want you making fun of me for that, either," he admitted.
"We wouldn't make fun of you for being gay, McGee. Even I have my limits," Tony said, and Tim glanced to the side.
"Well, I didn't know if you guys were against gays or anything. And Tony, your reaction to tonguing a guy wasn't exactly reassuring," he pointed out. Tony shook his head.
"Timmy, I have no problem with tonguing a guy, to be honest, that wasn't the first time I've done it and it won't be the last. I do, however, have a problem with tonguing a guy pretending to be a girl, who turned out to be a murderer. You have to admit, it's a disturbing thought," Tony explained. Tim made a disgusted face.
"I see your point. Look, I'm sorry I never told you guys, but it was never really relevant until you met Jake," he said. Tony nodded to show he understood, and Tim leant his head against the wall, letting out a long breath. "Damn it, Jake, you'd better be okay," he murmured under his breath.
"He'll be fine, McGee. You've seen people bounce back from more than a GSW to the shoulder, he'll be fine," Tony told him. Tim wished he could believe him, but he wouldn't believe that Jake was okay until he saw it for himself. They sat in silence for a while, Abby keeping a comforting hand on his arm, until finally, a doctor walked into the room. Tim looked up at him hopefully, and the doctor smiled back.
"The surgery went off without a hitch, he's in a room in ICU. You can go see him if you want," he said. Tim let out a sigh of relief, a smile creeping onto his face as Abby cheered.
"I'd like that," he said quietly. The doctor nodded and lead them to a door, and Abby squeezed Tim's shoulder.
"We'll wait outside," she said gently. Tim nodded and steeled himself, taking a deep breath. He opened the door, and felt the breath catch in his throat. Laying in the bed, arm tucked in a sling, skin pale and black hair mussed, but blue eyes staring at him happily and a small smile on his lips, was Jake.
"Oh, Jay…" Tim breathed, walking to sit by the bedside and leaning over to kiss his lover long and slow, breathing in the unmistakeable scent of Jake to reassure himself that he was really okay. When they broke apart, Jake grinned.
"If that's the greeting I get, I might just get shot more often," he joked. Tim frowned.
"Don't joke about that. I was so scared; all I heard was the shot, then silence, I thought…" he trailed off, trying to push away the images in his head. Jake pulled him into another kiss.
"I'm here, Tim, I'm okay. I'm not going anywhere if I can help it. I'm okay, really," he said softly. Tim sat in the chair beside the bed and took Jake's hand in his own, kissing his knuckles.
"I'm so sorry. If I hadn't sent you out to get food, you wouldn't have gotten shot. I should have gone with you, or sent someone with you," he said, but Jake cut him off with a finger over his lips.
"It's not your fault. You had no idea this would happen, and I know if you did you would have done something to stop it. I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself. I'll be fine, and you got your bad guy. Is Nick okay?" he asked. Tim nodded.
"He's being picked up by his aunt," he sighed, then fixed Jake with a look. "I love you and all, but if you scare me like this again you're sleeping on the couch for a month," he said evenly. Jake laughed.
"I promise I'll do my best not to scare you again, love. But look on the bright side, at least I have the gift to make this hospital gown look hot, huh?" he said with a wink. Tim chuckled, internally relieved; if Jake was back to making jokes, Tim knew he'd be alright.
"You could make a garbage bag look hot, Jay," he replied, leaning to kiss him again.
"I love you, Tim," Jake murmured against Tim's cheek.
"I love you too, Jake. I'm so glad you're okay, don't know what I would have done if you'd died," Tim admitted, and Jake kissed Tim's jaw.
"I'm not dead, so you don't need to worry about that," he assured him, making Tim smile.
"Good," he replied, reluctantly moving back into the chair. "You know, Gibbs and the others are waiting outside. They know about us." Jake raised an eyebrow.
"You told them?" he asked, slightly impressed. Tim nodded.
"Well, I told Abby, and Gibbs kinda figured it out and told the others, but same thing," he said with a grin. Jake smiled and kissed him.
"Well done. How'd they take it?" he asked.
"Well Abby, as you can imagine, squealed and hugged me. Gibbs said he doesn't give a damn, but it doesn't bother him. Ziva seemed fine with it, she just wanted to know why I didn't tell them, and Tony said he's got no problem with it. They took it really well," Tim replied, flushing sheepishly when Jake got an 'I-told-you-so' look on his face.
"I knew they would. They're your friends, Tim. They wouldn't care about whether you like guys or girls. So you gonna let them in?" he asked. Tim nodded and stood up, walking over to the door and opening it, looking round for the others. Abby looked at him apprehensively.
"Is he okay?" she asked. Tim nodded, and she let out a breath, breaking into a grin. "Can we see him?" she asked.
"Sure," Tim replied, opening the door wider so they could come in. He went back to sit in the chair beside the bed, and the others stood around the edges, Abby wasting no time in leaning over to give Jake a tight hug, mindful of his injured arm.
"How are you feeling?" she asked concernedly, and Jake grinned.
"Tired, a little sore, kinda giddy from the pain meds, but pretty good, thanks," he replied. "Did you get Myers? I knocked him out with the butt of my phone, but I don't know how long for." Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah, he's on his way to NCIS headquarters for interrogation. Good work, Rivers. You should have run when you had the chance," he told him. Jake shrugged his good shoulder.
"Then he would have gotten away. I don't regret what I did, even if I did get shot. I am, however, now under orders not to do it again, on pain of sleeping on the couch for a month, so I think I'll be staying out of danger for a while if I can help it," he replied with a smirk as they all looked to Tim on those words, who rolled his eyes.
"Did I forget to mention he's an idiot?" he said. Jake grinned at him smugly.
"But you love me," he said. Tim snorted.
"For some reason," he muttered. Jake gave him a wounded look.
"Abby, Timmy's being mean to me!" he whined. Abby reached over to slap Tim on the arm.
"Ow!" he cried.
"Don't be mean to Jake, Tim. He's injured," she scolded. Tim narrowed his eyes at Jake, who stuck his tongue out.
"You're going to be milking this for everything it's worth, aren't you?" he accused. Jake nodded, smirking.
"But of course," he replied, as if it was obvious. Tim turned to Gibbs.
"Do we need to get back to NCIS soon?" he asked.
"Yeah, but if you want to stay here…" Gibbs trailed off, and Jake shook his head.
"I'll fine, go do your job, Timmy. I'm sure the nurses can keep me occupied, and I should be discharged in a few hours anyway," he said. Tim looked at him, then nodded slowly.
"Alright, but if anything happens, you call me, got it?" he said. Jake rolled his eyes.
"Yes, mother," he droned. Tim poked him in the leg, then smiled.
"Have fun with the nurses," he said, giving him a kiss, aware of the eyes of his teammates upon him. But, he supposed, he was fine kissing Jake in public and around their mutual friends, so he should be fine in front of his colleagues. He straightened up, and looked to Gibbs, nodding. His lover may be in hospital with a GSW, but he still had work to do.