Chapter Text
McGee was pretty nervous about Abby’s birthday party. It was the first real chance he’d have to meet all of her friends. He’d already met some of them before, in random situations, but this was the first time he’d actually spend an entire evening with them.
He wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to act. They’d been seeing each other for several months now, they slept at each other’s places, spent entire days together… They were basically a couple.
But he didn’t know if they were actually a couple.
Abby had never been completely clear about it. She never really put a label on whatever they were, and that was pretty confusing for McGee. But he was afraid that asking her directly would scare her away, so he tried to be okay with whatever they were.
He’d never say it out loud, but McGee was sure he loved her. And he’d do anything not to lose her. Even if that means being in a gray zone.
That was why this birthday felt almost like a challenge. He wanted Abby’s friends to like him. He wanted to be the perfect boyfriend for her.
The party was at a small place in Washington, pretty far from the usual streets. It didn’t have a particularly noticeable sign, and from the outside it looked like one of those places you’d only find if someone told you about it.
The second he opened the door, the loud music hit him.
The place had its own kind of charm… The exposed brick walls were covered with old posters, every table looked different from the others, same thing for the chairs and stools. The bar counter stood out because, unlike everything else, it looked much newer and brighter.
It wasn’t completely crowded yet, but he already recognized a few faces. There were groups sitting at tables, people leaning against the counter, and someone laughing near the small stage where a band had already started playing.
The singer looked like the literal definition of a rocker. He was wearing a bright red leather jacket covered in shiny studs, he looked younger than the other members of the band, who were probably all around their forties.
McGee recognized the drummer, Matt. Abby introduced them one night at a bar. They’d known each other for years. McGee hadn’t talked to him much, but he remembered thinking he was nice.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to do.
He stayed near the entrance, looking around while holding tightly onto the bag with Abby’s gift inside.
Then she appeared from the other side of the room.
As soon as she saw him, she walked toward him with a huge smile, almost bouncing on her feet.
She looked beautiful. If possible, even more than usual. Her hair was down, and she was wearing a black velvet dress with red details.
McGee was ready to greet her, but he was totally caught off guard when she walked up to him and kissed him.
“You made it yay!” she said, standing only a few inches away from his face.
McGee could only manage a small “Yeah.” making her laugh.
It wasn’t the kind of welcome he’d expected, but it was the one he secretly hoped for.
Yup, they really did look like a actual couple.
He lifted the bag with the gift, holding it between them.
“Timmy, you didn’t have to!” Abby said, taking the bag from him.
“Of course I had to. It’s your birthday!” he replied.
Abby smiled and opened the bag.
Inside, she found a beautiful red wooden box. She carefully opened it and found a pair of small black onyx earrings. They were simple and elegant, but the design was unusual, something that looked like it had been made specifically for her.
“They’re beautiful, McGee!” she said, pulling him into a warm hug.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d like them. I mean, I never really see you wearing earrings, so I thought-”
Abby immediately interrupted him.
“Timmy, I swear, I love them! I’m gonna wear them all the time.” she was already putting them on, and McGee couldn’t help but smile.
Once she had them on, she turned her head from side to side, showing them off.
“Sooooo? How do they look?”
McGee looked at her for a few seconds.
“They look perfect on you.”
“Good! Now I want to introduce you to some people. Come on…”
Abby took his hand and pulled him toward the bar, where two people were talking.
The first one was a man who looked like he was well into his forties, but still had that youthful energy of someone who refused to fully grow up. He wasn’t dressed in a particularly eccentric way, at least not by Abby’s standards, but he was definitely more unusual than McGee, who was wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans.
Next to him was a girl with black hair shaved on the sides.
Before McGee could even say anything, the man smiled.
“So you’re McGee! Abby’s famous boyfriend!”
For a second, McGee didn’t know how to react.
Abby’s famous boyfriend.
So she talked about him with her friends. No- wait, that's not the important part… did she actually consider him her boyfriend??
He immediately glanced at Abby, she smiled with that expression that was somewhere between amused and embarrassed, like she was silently telling her friends: okay, that’s enough, don’t do this to me.
But she didn’t correct him.
And honestly, that felt like a good sign.
McGee smiled awkwardly and, not knowing what else to do, held out his hand.
They introduced themselves, his name was James, he was a paleontologist. Hers was Dana, she worked in a record store and she was his girlfriend.
They were definitely an unusual couple, but they seemed perfect for each other.
The four of them talked for a while, and soon another girl joined them. She was also one of Abby’s friends, someone McGee remembered meeting at a concert a few months earlier.
The girl greeted everyone warmly, including him.
“Nice to see you again! I’m glad Abby didn’t scare you away!” she joked, McGee laughed.
Honestly, he couldn’t even remember her name, they’d only met briefly, but it was nice knowing she remembered him.
Somehow, that made him feel special.
Abby was the birthday girl, which meant she was basically wanted everywhere during the night. She moved from one side of the room to the other, talking with different people, laughing, stopping every few minutes because someone else wanted to say hello.
McGee stayed at the table, watching her. Every now and then he joined a conversation with the other guests. Nothing too complicated, just normal conversations, most of them somehow ending up being about Abby.
One guy told him they had met because Abby had helped him find a home for his dog’s puppies, and after that they had become friends.
Very Abby.
Despite how many people were there, she always seemed to come back to him.
Almost like he was her little checkpoint in the middle of the chaos.
“Are you having fun? Is everything okay?” Abby asked, sitting down on the stool next to him and placing the drink she was holding on the table. “I’m sorry I haven’t been with you much, but I haven’t seen all these people together in forever.”
“Abs, don’t worry,” he reassured her “It’s your birthday. And I’m fine. Your friends are really nice... They’re already becoming my friends too.”
Abby smiled.
“I noticed that.” She looked around the room for a moment before looking back at him. “I’m happy you’re getting along with them. I don’t get to see them that often because of work, you know, but they’re important to me. So I’m glad you like them.”
McGee couldn’t help but smile.
He loved that it mattered to Abby that he and her friends got along.
Then he took a sip from the drink she had placed in front of him. Maybe the alcohol would give him enough courage to finally say what he had been thinking about all night.
“So…”
He paused and looked at her.
“Apparently, I’m your boyfriend.”
Abby raised an eyebrow.
Finally, he had done it. Finally, he was getting an answer.
‘Cause luckily, the situation had given him the perfect excuse to bring it up without having to say the terrifying words: What are we?
Abby made a playful face.
“Apparently.”
It wasn’t exactly an answer.
But she wasn’t denying it. She wasn’t running away like, honestly, he had expected her to.
Instead, she leaned closer and took his face between her hands before kissing him.
It was longer and more passionate than the kiss she had given him when he arrived.
Maybe that was her answer.
They stayed at the table together for a while, drinking and talking quietly. More people joined them, because apparently everyone wanted to be close to Abby tonight, well of course, it's her birthday.
Then, for a moment, nobody was really talking.
Everyone was focused on the band playing on the small stage, and the music seemed louder than before.
McGee leaned closer to Abby’s ear so she could hear him.
“Now that I think about it… wasn’t Kate supposed to come too?”
“Yeah, but her sister Rachel was in town because she had a surgery scheduled for today, and of course Kate stayed with her…” Abby explained, still watching the band. “She said she’d stop by if she managed to.”
Before McGee could answer, the song ended and everyone started clapping.
The singer smiled into the microphone.
“This one was for the birthday girl!”
He pointed toward Abby, who smiled and raised her glass in his direction.
Then the singer looked somewhere else in the room.
“And this next one is for Colin. My other half.”
Not far from the stage, a guy with black hair and dressed completely in dark denim lowered his head with a smile while the people around him started teasing him kindly. He just laughed and clapped along.
This song was different, slower.
A few people started moving gently to the rhythm. James took Dana’s hand and brought her to the middle of the room, where they started dancing, or more exactly, just swaying together while holding each other.
McGee listened to the song for a few seconds.
“It’s beautiful.”
Abby nodded.
“He wrote it. A week after he met Colin.”
“Romantic…” McGee said, turning toward her.
Abby smiled.
“Almost as romantic as a poem on a first date.” she said.
For a few seconds, they just looked at each other.
Then Abby stood up.
“Do you want-?” Tim looked at her, confused.
She nodded slightly toward the couples who were already dancing.
McGee smiled awkwardly.
“Abby, I can't dance.”
“Neither do I!” she replied, holding out her hand.
He looked at it for a moment before taking it.
Abby gently intertwined their fingers and pulled him up.
They didn’t go to the center of the room. They just stopped where there was a little more space.
McGee was still holding her hand, but he wasn’t actually moving.
He was too worried about doing something wrong.
Abby smiled softly, then placed his hands on her hips and wrapped her own arms around his neck.
Abby found Tim’s insecurity and awkwardness adorable.
She liked how careful he always was with her, like he was constantly afraid of crossing a line that she had never actually drawn, he always asked for permission with his eyes, even when he didn’t need to. Before taking her hand, before kissing her, even before touching her shoulder.
But… Abby knew it wasn’t really insecurity.
It was respect.
A respect that was almost excessive sometimes, and that made him hold himself back more than necessary.
They started moving slowly, following the rhythm of the music.
“Relax, Timmy.” “I am relaxed, I swear.”
Abby laughed softly.
She looked completely comfortable, and little by little, Tim stopped focusing on every single movement and finally allowed himself to let go.
Abby held onto him a little tighter, resting her chin on his shoulder. He immediately wrapped his arms more firmly around her waist.
For the first time that night, he wasn’t thinking about whether he was doing something right.
He was just there with her.
They danced through the entire song, and almost near the end, Abby pulled back slightly.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes moved past his shoulder, toward the entrance of the bar.
Following her gaze, Tim turned around.
Kate.
She had just walked into the place and was looking around, probably trying to find them.
Without even thinking about it, McGee loosened his grip on Abby’s waist and took a small step back.
It was kinda an instinct.
Ever since they had started dating, they had silently agreed not to show anything too intimate at work. Partly because they wanted to keep things professional, and partly (mostly important one) because Tim wanted to avoid any possible reaction from their coworkers, especially Tony. But of course, Tim knew Kate already knew about them.
She was practically Abby’s best friend, and he was sure the two of them talked about him. He could tell by the way they suddenly stopped talking and started laughing whenever he walked into the lab while they were together, almost like two teenagers.
With normal friends, it was cute.
With Kate, who was also his coworker and someone who was always ready to tease him for every little thing he did, it was a little different.
Kate noticed them and smiled.
Tim stepped aside completely, giving Abby space to go to her, he followed a few steps behind, not wanting to interrupt.
Abby immediately threw her arms around Kate, and Kate hugged her back.
“You made it!” Abby said happily when they pulled away.
“Yeah! I’m sorry I’m late. I honestly thought the party would already be over by now.”
“The party is never over!” Abby replied with a laugh, then her expression softened.
“How’s Rachel? How did the surgery go?”
“Oh, everything went well. It was just a routine procedure. They’re letting her go home the day after tomorrow, and she’ll be able to go back home without any problems.” Kate explained.
Then she watched Tim, who had slowly walked closer.
“Hey, McGee. You look good.”
“Thanks. You look tired.”
Both women immediately turned toward him with the same fake disapproving look.
Then Kate laughed.
“Okay, fair enough.”
She slowly lifted a large bag she was holding and handed it to Abby.
“Kate, are you crazy? You didn’t have to get me a gift!!” Abby said, genuinely surprised.
Kate just shrugged slightly.
“Of course I did. It’s your birthday.”
Tim smiled.
“That’s exactly what I said.”
Abby opened the large white bag and placed it carefully on a nearby stool. With Kate’s help, she pulled out a canvas.
“Kate…”
She stopped for a moment, looking at the painting “It’s beautiful. You made this?”
“Of course, I fit it just for you.” Kate replied, unable to hide a little bit of pride.
“Let me see!” Tim said, stepping closer to take a look. Abby turned the painting around.
There were two large flowers intertwined together. One was black, with silver details, while the other was red, with several golden brush strokes.
McGee stared at it for a moment.
“Wow, Kate. This is amazing.”
Abby gently handed the painting in McGee's hands, then turned toward Kate and hugged her again.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love it.”
Kate smiled softly.
“I’m really glad you like it.”
She looked around the room for a second, then back at Abby.
“But I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“What? Already? You just got here!!”
“Abby, I’m exhausted… And I desperately need a shower.”
“Come on, you don’t even want to stay for one teeny tiny drink?”
Abby took Kate’s hands in hers, trying to convince her.
“She said she’s tired,” McGee interrupted gently “Let her go. You’ll see each other on Monday anyway.”
Abby pouted.
“But work isn’t fun- I mean, it is, but not like a party… okay, sometimes our work can be-”
“Abby” Kate interrupted, laughing. “I’ll see you on Monday. Happy birthday.”
She leaned closer and kissed her cheek goodbye.
“See you Monday, Kate!” McGee said.
Kate gave him a small pat on the arm before turning around and walking toward the exit.
Abby watched the door for a few seconds after Kate left, then looked back at the painting, It really was beautiful.
She studied it for a while, noticing all the little details, before finally returning to reality.
“So… we were supposed to finish a dance, weren’t we?” she turned toward Tim.
“Didn’t we already finish?” he asked, slightly confused “I mean… the song ended.”
“But the music didn’t!” Abby replied with a smile. “And you’re finally relaxed. Plus, the night is young, Timmy.”
She grabbed the painting from his hands and gently placed it on a chair, then she took his hand again and pulled him back toward the middle of the room.
By then, most of the guests had moved around the space, completely caught up in the energy of the new song playing. It was a much louder rock song, and people were moving without caring too much about whether they were actually dancing or just having fun.
Tim followed her without protesting.
Yes, the night was young and it was going much better than he ever expected.