#tabastian

It features a wide array of minority characters, including one of the first openly gay main characters on primetime TV, and a disabled POC character played by a disabled POC actor.

Interracial and same-sex relationships are prominent among main, recurring, and secondary characters, as well as platonic friendships that are loved just as much as romantic ships.

The characters have complex, well-developed backstories that don’t fit into typical molds. Episode plots don’t just focus on the military and the government; relevant social issues in all age groups and classes are prevalent, including gangs, violence, drugs, prejudice, mental health, and racism.

this is a second part to common, which can be found here. i decided to stick with the maren morris theme of naming these so here we are. happy tammy gregorio tuesgay!!

A stirring beside Hannah awoke her from the light sleep she had entered. As her eyes fluttered open, she had to take a moment to remember where she was and who she was with. The soft voice beside her reminded her that she was at Tammy’s house and curled up on the couch with the woman. Hannah tried to move away quickly, she was embarrassed that she had fallen asleep while cuddling Tammy.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Tammy whispered. She smiled down at Hannah and adjusted her hold on the woman. Tammy gently rubbed Hannah’s back as she adjusted to being awake.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

Tammy shook her head, “Don’t be. We can move to my room so you can lay out.”

Hannah swallowed thickly and nodded, she couldn’t deny that she was freaking out on the inside. She had stayed at Tammy’s place before, but this would be much different. She didn’t know how Tammy would react to sharing a bed with her now that she had come out.

Tammy stood up first and held out her hand for Hannah to grab. When she did, Tammy led her to her bedroom down the hall.

Holding Tammy’s hand caused the butterflies in Hannah’s stomach to come out again. She had experienced several firsts with Tammy during this girls’ night and she still wasn’t used to the changes in their relationship.

The two had reached Tammy’s room before Hannah had even realized it and she was currently being handed a t-shirt and shorts.

“I’m going to run into the bathroom, feel free to go ahead and change. You can pick either side, I don’t really have a preference.” With that, Tammy disappeared into the bathroom and Hannah was left alone to change. She looked down at the shirt Tammy had given her and laughed, it was an old shirt from the FBI academy.

Hannah quickly changed and folded her clothes before setting them down on the corner of Tammy’s dresser. She took a moment to look around the bedroom, seeing what she could gather about Tammy based on the items displayed in her room.

On a bookshelf, Hannah found a framed picture of Tammy grinning with a young girl. They had similar facial features, as well as the dark curled tresses. A smile grew on Hannah’s face as she observed the picture and realized how happy Tammy was in the photograph. Tammy’s smile was one she was seeing more often compared to when she had first met the woman. It was a beautiful smile in Hannah’s opinion, so she didn’t have any complaints.

“That’s my niece.”

Hannah turned around to see Tammy walking out of the bathroom wearing a tank top and shorts that hugged her body. She tried not to stare, but she was in awe of the woman standing in front of her. Hannah tore her eyes away and Tammy’s gaze met her own with a seemingly knowing smile. Before she could make things worse, Hannah turned her attention back to the picture frame in her hands.

“She’s adorable, she looks just like you,” Hannah commented.

Tammy moved closer to Hannah to get a closer look at the photo. “She really is. That picture is really old, she’s fifteen now.”

Hannah spared the picture one last glance before setting it back in its place. “Do you get to see her often?”

Moving toward the bed, Tammy shook her head. “I haven’t seen her in over a year. She used to practically live with me, it was really hard on her when I left. Her mother doesn’t like me, so I try not to be around if I know Andrea will be there.”

“Is it because you’re gay?”

“No, I hooked up with one of her best friends.”

Hannah couldn’t help but laugh at the blunt response from Tammy and she shook her head at the woman before pulling back the blanket and crawling into bed beside her. She kept her distance and rolled on her side, facing the opposite direction of Tammy. She didn’t want to face the woman while they were sharing a bed, she felt it would be difficult to not stare at Tammy.

The two laid in silence, the noises of their breathing being the only sound filling the room. Hannah’s mind was racing without having a conversation needing to be held. She wondered if she was making the right choice by hanging out with Tammy when she had uncertain feelings for the woman. She was unsure if this would only make things worse in the long run, or if it would actually benefit her.

Tammy’s voice brought a welcomed interruption to the silence between the two. “Hannah,” she called out.

“Yeah?” Hannah asked as she rolled over to face Tammy. She propped her head upon her arm and raised an eyebrow at her.

Tammy opened her arms toward Hannah, holding the blanket up. She patted the space beside her, coaxing the woman to move to her side to the bed.

Hannah grinned and scooted toward Tammy, falling in place in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Tammy’s torso and nuzzled her face in Tammy’s neck. This was an odd position for the friends, but Hannah was not going to question anything tonight. She was happy and that was all that mattered. She felt Tammy’s arms tighten around her body and she realized that she felt safe in her grip.

“I’m so proud of you, Hannah,” Tammy whispered before kissing the side of her head. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. “Goodnight, baby.”

The gentle tone of Tammy’s voice caused tears to swell in Hannah’s eyes — nobody had ever spoken to her so tenderly. As a friend, Tammy treated Hannah better than anyone she had ever had a relationship had. Things were just different with Tammy and this made Hannah wonder if her feelings were just a crush as she had assumed or if she had genuine feelings for the woman. She was scared of the answer, she had only just come out to Tammy and she was still afraid to come out to her daughter.

—

When Hannah woke up the next morning, her legs were completely tangled with Tammy’s and Tammy’s face was now buried in her neck. This shift would have made Hannah laugh if she wasn’t cuddling a sleeping Tammy, so she settled for a small exhale out of her nose and the slightest shaking of her head. Hannah moved her hand from Tammy’s back to her hair, where she gently ran her fingers through the tossed tresses.

This was the best way to wake up, Hannah had decided. She had missed the feeling of cuddling with someone else, this was something she wouldn’t mind doing every day for the rest of her life — especially with Tammy.

The sunlight started to peek into the bedroom through the curtains, radiating throughout the room. The light fell on Tammy’s back, drawing Hannah’s attention to where Tammy’s shirt had ridden up during the night. She swallowed thickly as her eyes roamed the large patch of skin that was exposed and she slowly moved her hand to gently brush her fingers over the spot. Something was drawing her to Tammy’s body, she felt like she had no control over her movements. From an outside perspective, the two looked like a couple rather than friends that had only known each other for a year.

After a while of Hannah’s various petting, Tammy finally began to stir. Hannah watched as Tammy’s eyes fluttered open and a smile grew on her lips. Hannah smiled back at the woman and began to pull away to give Tammy space to fully wake up.

Tammy glanced at the clock behind Hannah’s head and her grin grew. “Wow, I haven’t been able to sleep in this late in a long time. Maybe we should sleep together more often.” Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said to Hannah. “I mean sleep in the same bed, together. Not sleep together. Because that’s what we did — sleep.”

Hannah tried to contain her laughter, but she failed this time. She tossed her head back and let out genuine giggles. When she returned to her previous position, she saw Tammy sitting with blushed cheeks.

“You are adorable, Agent Gregorio.”

Tammy wrapped her arms around Hannah once more and pulled her back to the position they had woken up in. She buried her face back into the crook of Hannah’s neck to hide her embarrassment.

Even if she didn’t know it, Tammy was teasing Hannah. At this point, Hannah wanted nothing more than to kiss Tammy’s lips and let her hands wander more than they had earlier but she knew it wasn’t the time. The tension between the two was almost unbearable, but Hannah knew she needed to keep up the appearance that she wasn’t affected by Tammy’s actions.

Hannah felt Tammy take a deep breath against her neck before pulling away from her embrace.

“Do you want to eat here or go out for breakfast?” Tammy asked, looking up at Hannah.

Hannah bit her lip. “I would honestly prefer to stay here — as long as you have coffee, of course.”

Tammy scoffed at the accusation. “Do you even know who you’re talking to, Khoury? I always have coffee.”

A small giggle slipped from Hannah’s lips before she finally got up from the bed. She stared down at Tammy and asked if she was going to stay in bed all day, which earned her an eye roll from the woman.

In the kitchen, Tammy and Hannah fell into a comfortable flow as they prepared breakfast together. It was as if they had cooked together every day, rather than this being the first occasion. As Hannah set down the spatula to reach for her coffee, Tammy’s hand effortlessly grabbed the spatula — resulting in a perfect transition.

The closeness of her body to Tammy’s was intoxicating for Hannah. It was hard for her to ignore her thoughts, she was standing inches away from the woman that drove her wild. For a moment, she stood still with her face right next to Tammy’s and her eyes flickered down to the woman’s lips. When her eyes met Tammy’s again, Tammy had been staring right at her as if she was daring her to make the first move.

Hannah let out a soft breath before closing her eyes and leaning down to close the gap between their lips. Just as their lips were about to meet, Hannah heard a voice in the hallway.

“Tammy?” Sebastian called out, tossing his keys into the bowl beside the door.

“Shit,” Tammy uttered. She stepped back from Hannah with an apologetic smile and turned to face her roommate and best friend.

Hannah took a moment to catch her breath and placed her hand on the counter beside her to maintain her balance. Her heart was racing, she was so close to finally kissing Tammy and they were interrupted. She wondered if she would ever get the chance again, it seemed like she had been making an impulsive move and she didn’t make those often.

Sebastian’s eyes moved to Hannah and he gave her a small wave and a smile. “I forgot about your girls’ night.”

“You weren’t supposed to be home until tonight.”

“Yeah, my original flight got canceled so I had to switch to an earlier one. I tried to call you to let you know but you didn’t answer.”

Tammy glanced over the counter to the living room, where she noticed both her and Hannah’s phones on the end table beside the couch. She wandered over to the spot and grabbed both phones before handing Hannah hers.

Hannah quickly read through her notifications, a text from Ryan standing out.

“I need to go,” Hannah muttered before walking out of the kitchen and toward Tammy’s room. She was grateful for the out but disappointed that she wasn’t currently making out with Tammy in the kitchen instead. Maybe things were better this way, she wouldn’t have to have the awkward talk with Tammy about her feelings and what this meant for them.

Tammy followed Hannah down the hall, closing the door behind them once they reached Tammy’s bedroom. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go pick up Naomi. Ryan has to leave for a work emergency. He had just called and left a text right before Sebastian came in.” Hannah excluded the part where she didn’t want to have to talk to Tammy about what had just happened in the kitchen, so Ryan had perfect timing.

Nodding, Tammy wrapped her arms around Hannah for a quick hug before stepping back. “Thank you for coming over and opening up. I’m still so proud of you. Feel free to borrow something to wear.”

She tossed a soft, “Tell Naomi I said hey,” before leaving her bedroom to let Hannah change.

Still feeling overwhelmed about the whole situation, Hannah sat down on Tammy’s bed to collect her thoughts. She was conflicted, a side of her wanted to kiss Tammy in the kitchen, but the rational part of her wanted to talk herself down. Things were less messy this way.

After finally coming to a decision, Hannah rummaged through Tammy’s closet to find a shirt to wear with her jeans. She grabbed a soft v-neck tee and tried to ignore the feeling of wearing another one of Tammy’s shirts while she changed.

While she was in Tammy’s room, Hannah could hear Sebastian and Tammy speaking in the kitchen.

“You like her,” Sebastian stated, although his tone could have been read as questioning.

A moment of silence came before Tammy’s response. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t have a chance.”

“You guys were having a moment before I walked in.”

“Sebastian, I’m warning you. Shut up.”

Hannah stifled a laugh at Tammy’s retort. She could imagine the scene she was hearing, the two bickered like siblings constantly. After getting over her amusement from Tammy and Sebastian, Hannah realized she was not the only one in the friendship with feelings. She wished she hadn’t heard that — this wasn’t what she needed.

Desperate to get out of the house and away from her thoughts, Hannah quickly grabbed her things and rushed out of Tammy’s bedroom. She yelled a quick goodbye to Tammy and Sebastian before leaving the house to pick up Naomi.

Oh, Naomi. Hannah still hadn’t come to a decision about telling her daughter about her sexuality.  She wanted to wait to bring it up until she was ever seeing a woman, but deep down she didn’t want to keep things from her daughter. Hannah didn’t want Naomi to hate her for keeping secrets, even if it was only a secret because she was scared. She knew she didn’t have to make a decision at the moment, but she knew she would have to make the decision soon before Naomi found out from someone else.

tags: @dwaynepride @evazarovas @jimmybpride @stanathanxoox

Slowing his walk to read his phone out in the alley, Pride looked up upon hearing a loud clatter from inside the squad room followed by bickering and cheering. He noticed Roy trying his hardest not to laugh but definitely had a distinct grin on his face.

Pride:*sigh* What’s goin’ on Roy?

But the officer merely chuckled and pointed over his shoulder towards the squad room. Pride had a feeling what he was heading into, if someone had entered NCIS and started making a ruckus Roy would be in there in a flash to break it up and arrest the person, taking them to the interrogation room or over to the station if it wasn’t NCIS’s jurisdiction. But he wasn’t. He was out here in the alley, laughing. “Maybe I should jus head back out and buy some snacks…” Pride thought, hoping to escape the craziness within. But the more he thought of it the more he realised that good parents don’t just walk out the house if their kids are fighting, so he took a breathe of preparation and went in.

He stood in the large doorway just taking in the scene.

“GO ON GREGORIO!! GET HIM!!” cheered Patton from beside Chris’s desk. “SEBASTIAN YOU CAN’T KEEP GETTING YOUR BUTT KICKED BY HER!!” Chris himself encouraged from beside the computer expert. And then there were the remaining two agents. Scuffling, launching themselves at the other and generally looking like a couple of 3 year olds fighting over a new toy. Pride stood unnoticed for several minutes, he looked over to Hannah who had a rather defeated look as she went about some work on her computer. She also had noise cancelling headphones on. ‘What a great idea. I’m gonna need to ask her where she got those…’ the lead agent thought to himself despite the rumpus.

“T!! Unleash you’re inner New Yorker! Come on girl! Don’t let our city down!” “Sebastian, c'mon man you got a height advantage against her, use it!”

Still in disbelief, Pride eventually cleared his throat and looked at them all expectantly, bar Hannah who was still blocking the chaos out quite successfully. The two spectators ceased their cheers and woops as they saw their dad-boss had returned. “Hey look LaSalle and update! Let’s go check it out!” “Right behind you!” The two men booked it into the kitchen to hide, they peeped through the little window though not wanting to miss the rest of the show.

Clearing his throat again but getting no response he saw that the only sane agent in the room had looked up and him and given him a sympathetic smile. She did that before opening her desk draw, ruffling around and producing a teeny little airhorn and giving it a shake.

‘Ok perhaps the craziness has rubbed off on her already…’ The squeaky blare was finally enough to stop the brawling agents who stopped mid bundle with Tammy hanging off of Sebastian as she had tried to use her weight on the back of his shoulders to make him fall back and Sebastian was trying to pry her fists off of his shoulders. The two, who looked quite cartoon like, looked at Hannah expectantly. She merely gestured with her eyes to the entrance.

To say they had a look of ‘uh oh’ would be an understatement. “Hannah?” “Yes Pride?” “How often has this happened since you’ve been in charge?” He himself had surprisingly seen fights between his agents but the young woman already seemed quite accustomed to them. “Often enough from me to stock a mini airhorn in your desk.” “Right…” “Sometimes all I can do is let them fight it out.”

Pride sighed and walked over to Tammy and Sebastian who were still frozen in place. He plucked Tammy from gripping Sebastian, popped her down and separated the two of them. “Either of you want to tell me what’s goin’ on?”

“Dakota brought in a dead rat she found on a walk and he went crazy about it before I had the chance to pick it up and throw it into the garden!” “Dead. Rat. You do hear yourself saying that don’t you?” “I couldn’t get her to drop it on the way home so I waited until she did, it just happened to be in the hall!” “DEAD. RAT. In our HOUSE!!!“ “Geez! I cleaned it up and disinfected the spot! You didn’t need to steam clean the whole hall!” “Are you kidding?!” “You gave my dog FIVE baths!!”

Hannah listened with interest as Pride looked between them as though he were watching a tennis match.

“*sigh* Sebastian, work with Patton, Gregorio, with me.” “♪You’re in trouble, you gotta go with Priiiiide.♪” “You like the current arrangement of your face Sebastian?!” snapped the New Yorker taking a swing at him. Stepping between the two with a hand on each of their shoulders he continued “And boys? Don’t encourage them.“ Chris and Patton looked alarmed at him knowing them were there and flew through the kitchen and into the courtyard. Sebastian, too, plodded out towards them and Tammy stomped off to the car.

Rubbing his temple, Pride looked at Hannah. “When are you coming back again?” “Sooner than I thought apparently.“ Hannah laughed and stood up to stretch. “I’ll go and observe the guys in Patton’s office.” “Thanks Khoury. I'll call Laurel, tell her she’s technically got four or five extra brothers and sisters I need to take care of." That earned another laugh from newest agent as she headed in the direction of the others.