#tim mcgee reader insert

Tim stands in the bullpen, nervously trying to find the right words to tell the team about you, the team of which just so happened to include the one man capable of making him feel like a young schoolboy still wet behind the ears, especially since that one man had a lot to do with what Tim was about to say.

Tim takes a deep breath to gather his last bit of courage and confidence, which promptly fades away the moment he starts talking.

“I uh…well you know that I’ve been seeing, no dating…dating Y/N.” Tim stutters out as his nerves get the better of him, completely fumbling the carefully planned out speech he had come up with prior to meeting with Gibbs.

Gibbs narrows his steely blue eyes as he wordlessly nods his head, telling Tim to continue.

“Things have been going well, really well actually. And I’ve been wanting to, or meaning to…not that I was putting it off, because I wasn’t. That’s the last thing-”

Gibbs cut him off with a “Spit it out McGee.”

“What I’m asking is for your permission, no..that’s not - I want to propose to her.” He was speaking so fast, his words were nearly running together, his sentences jamming together into one that didn’t make much sense.

Gibbs doesn’t say anything at first. Instead, he continues to stare at Tim, looking for any trace of deception in his face. “Why?” He asks gruffly, startling Tim.

“Wh-why?” Tim squeaks out, an uneasy feeling weighing on his chest as he tries to find the right words to answer a question he hadn’t prepared for.

“Yes, McGee. Why? Why do you want to marry my daughter?” Gibbs pauses, still evaluating Tim and his reaction. “Why should I want you to marry my daughter?”

Tim takes a deep breath, a sudden burst of confidence washing over him as he realizes that the answer to such a question was right in front of him. “Because I love her… honestly, I have for a long time, even before we started dating. And, more than anything, I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to spend every day that I have left in this life showing her I love her and cherishing her the way she deserves. I can’t imagine my life without her in it.”

Gibbs surprises him then, with a small smile and a hearty clasp to his shoulder. “Alright then, probie. Now all you have to do is tell her that and of course, ask her to marry you.”

Had it been any other girl, McGee might not be struggling as much to find the words. But you weren’t just any girl. You were not only Gibbs' daughter, something that caused him far more fear than he’d ever admit (he was dating the boss’ daughter after all), but you were also close with the other members of the team, which made this whole ordeal all the more nerve wracking.

You had come to know the members of the team through your job as a technical analyst for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, meaning you spent most of your time hunting down case leads in a cubicle. Then, as you grew better at your job, and closer to Abby (who had had something to do with getting you on Gibbs team, although she’d never admit to it), you had been moved from that cubicle to a desk in Gibbs’ bullpen, unceremoniously joining the team, although not full-time as you still worked with the cyber/tech unit, your father thought so highly of (something he would never admit out loud, even to you).

You eventually became just as close to Abby as your father was, something Abby always attributed to ‘a Gibbs thing’, - “It must be a Gibbs thing because Y/N is just as great as Jethro and we just click.” Many times, if you weren’t working on a case, you could be found hanging out in the lab with Abby.

You and Tony were best friends, spending hours talking about movies and pranking each other. And, despite your “geeky background” of tech analysis, Tony never once teased you (a courtesy Tony had never given him). In fact, he had become something of a big brother to you, filling a role in your life you hadn’t ever thought you’d needed filled.

And then Ziva had joined the team, filling in little by little that hole that had been left after Kate’s death. Even with the high tension existing between Abby and Ziva, you and Ziva had hit it off right away, becoming fast friends. Eventually, despite the perceived oddness of your friendship, you, Abby, and Ziva became an inseparable trio, even occasionally ganging up together against Tony or Gibbs.

Suffice to say, you were important to the team, just as they were to you. And now Tim was faced with telling these people that he not only had been dating you (a relationship the two of you had decided to keep relatively quiet because of your line of work and the fact that you were often times coworkers), but that he was going to ask you to marry him, a proposal of which he was seeking the team’s help with.

“So, uh...I-well, I’ve been seeing, er...dating-” Tim starts, his mind scrambling as he tries to form a coherent sentence.

“McGee, the chickadee is out of the bag. We all know you’re dating Y/N.” Ziva says matter of factly,

“Cat, Ziva, the cat is out of -” Tony starts reflexively, before pausing and turning to Tim and then to Gibbs, his mouth hanging open. “Wait-what? You’re the one Y/N has been dating?” He asks incredulously.

Gibbs takes a step forward, slapping Tony on the back of the head. “Close your mouth DiNozzo.” Tony’s jaw snaps shut at the command.

“Keep talking McGee.” Gibbs says gruffly, his piercing blue eyes settling on Tim.

“I’m going to ask her to marry me.” Tim blurts out.

“We kind of knew that McGee.” Abby states, her lips pulled into a satisfied smirk. “I mean, you haven’t exactly been stealthy about ring shopping. Or buying the ring. Or getting it inscribed.” Abby lists off, earring a few incredulous looks from the other members of the team. “Y/N’s my best friend, okay? I had to make sure the ring was a good one.”

Tony turns to McGee. “McRomeo getting married? Why is this the first I’m hearing about it?” Tony steps forward to give Tim a good-natured shoulder shove. “You like it so you’re putting a ring on it, huh?” He asks with a Cheshire Cat-like grin on his face. Ziva is the one who moves to slap him in the back of the head this time.

“Ow, Ziva. What the hell was that for?” Tony asks, a hand already rubbing the spot Ziva had just smacked on the back of his head.

“When will you ever shut up and let McGee finish?” She questions, giving Tony a pointed glare. He opens his mouth to respond, but a hard look from Gibbs keeps him quiet.

Tim timidly clears his throat before continuing. “I’d like to do it here. And, um...I’d like to do it here, with all of you.” Smiles spread through the group at Tim’s words, several ideas already being blurred out by the more enthusiastic members of the team (it was Abby. Abby was already excitedly sharing ideas with the person sitting next to her, which just so happened to be Gibbs.)

——— You squeeze Tim’s hand before letting go, reaching for the handle to your car door. “See you at work.” You say with a soft smile before turning back towards your car.

“Let’s, um, let’s ride together today, to work I mean.” Tim stammers nervously, a hand on top of your driver’s side door, stopping you from leaving.

“Are you sure? I thought we were trying to keep this, us, quiet.” You ask, stepping away from your car and closer to him. He cups the side of your face with his hand, leaning forward to press a soft, chaste kiss to your lips.

“Just once, okay?” He asks quietly, a sheepish smile on his face.

You let out a small laugh. “Just this one time, alright Agent McGee?” You say with a smile, letting him take your hand and lead you towards his car. He opens the passenger door for you, closing it behind you before getting in the driver’s side. The entire ride into work is marked with Tim either giving you a huge dopey grin or a quick nervous glance, which only serves to make you suspicious, as if the insisting to ride together didn’t already.

Tim pulls into his usual parking spot, shutting off the car before turning to you. “How about we walk in together?” He asks hesitantly, a shy smile accompanying his question.

You quirk an eyebrow up at his question before responding, “Tim, it might make it pretty obvious what’s going on between us if we do that.” “Let’s do it anyway, Y/N.” He reaches over to squeeze your hand before climbing out of the driver’s side of the car and making his way to your side of the car. He opens the passenger door for you, offering you a hand to help you out, which you graciously accept. He continues to hold your hand after you are out of the car and as the two of you walk into the building, only letting go as the two of you go through security.

The two of you are the only ones on the elevator and for the entirety of the short ride, you can almost feel Tim vibrating beside you with some sort of nervous energy. You bring his hand up to your lips, pressing a gentle kiss to it before murmuring, “You okay?” He gives you a tight nod in response just as the elevator dings, announcing its arrival on your floor of the building.

You press a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Have a good day Tim, I love you.” You say, moving towards the open doors of the elevator. Tim reaches a hand out, grasping yours and stopping your exit out of the elevator.

“I, uh, I’ve got to give you something. It’s in my desk drawer, in the...bullpen.” He stammers out, quickly retracting his hand to wipe it against his suit jacket.

“Oh, can I get it at lunch?” You ask, turning back towards the front of the elevator and pressing the button to reopen the doors.

“No.” He shouts, startling you enough that you take a step back away from the sliding doors. “I mean, come with me?”

“What is up with you today Tim?” You demand, his unexplained, unnatural behavior causing your suspicions to rise, a million questions running through your head.

“Just...please.” His voice is thick with emotion, his words coming out barely above a whisper.

You silently nod your head, stepping back into the elevator and allowing the doors to close as you press the button for the floor that the NCIS team resided on. You spare a look over at Tim, whose is rubbing his hands up and down his slacks, his face turned towards the ceiling of the elevator and his lips moving in silent words.

“Tim, what is going on? You’ve been acting weird all morning and I just-” The elevator dings, announcing your arrival on the floor of the bullpen and effectively cutting you off.

Tim puts a hand over the doors, stopping them from closing as he looks at you, his kaleidoscopic eyes pleading with you to understand and to trust him. You give a small nod, taking his outstretched hand in your own and following him to the bullpen.

Right away, you notice the lights over the area of the office you’d come to know as your father’s, as Gibbs’, were off. A flash of fear settles in your chest as you begin to picture all the possible scenarios as to why your father’s part of the office was empty and dark, none of them positive. You start to walk faster, almost pushing past Tim, to get to the bullpen. You suddenly stop short when your eyes fall on Tony’s desk.

Instead of finding your best friend seated at his desk or even finding his desk empty, you see that Tony’s desktop is covered with picture frames. Your curiosity wins out over the rising fear in your chest and you step closer to the desk to inspect the framed photos.

“Oh,” A breath of surprise leaves you as you realize that they were photos of you and of Tim, taken at different times in your relationship. A series of pictures of the two of you from your second date, taken in one of the photo kiosks that you find at the mall. The two of you making goofy faces at each other in the bullpen. You and Tim bent over a computer, faces serious as you both stare at the screen. You turn to Tim’s desk next, finding it filled with vases of flowers in your favorite color.

You move towards them, leaning down to inhale their fragrant scent, your gaze landing on your father’s desk and the photos scattered across the desktop, similar to Tony’s desk, except these were pictures you’d taken of the two of you. One of the pictures from your first trip together, from the date when Tim had told you he loved you, and the first case the two of you had worked on together and a series of selfies you’d taken with Tim at various times; all laid out like a timeline of your relationship.

After a few long moments, you lift your gaze towards Ziva’s desk, curiosity seizing you as you find her desk almost empty. You quickly make your way to the front of the desk, your eyes landing on the single piece of white paper, with only one small paragraph scrawled out in the middle of the page.

Y/N,

I love you and I have something I have wanted to tell you, or rather ask you, for a long time now. I know you’re probably wondering what that question is, so if you’d turn around, I’d like to ask you it.

You slowly turn around, the paper clutched to your chest and your heart racing in your chest as your eyes find Tim’s. He gives you a small, honest smile as he takes a step forward, his hands clasping around yours before he kneels down on one knee in front of you. Your breath catches in your throat as you realize what is happening.

“I’ve loved you for years. First, as a friend, and then as a boyfriend, and now...now I want to love you as your fiance, and eventually as your husband. Would you, Y/N Gibbs, do me the honor of being my wife?” In his hands is a modest red velvet ring box, a platinum band adorned with three small diamonds nestled on the inside of the open box.

A lump forms in your throat and as you try to speak, to say yes, nothing comes out. Instead, you nod your head vigorously and close the distance between the two of you. Tim stands fully just as you wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him in against you. You vaguely register noise in the background, noise you later learn is from the various members of ‘your’ NCIS team, as you feel him kiss your cheek.  

“I love you.” You whisper softly before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips, savoring in the feeling of his lips against yours.

“And I love you.” He gives you a deep kiss in return, leaning in to cup a hand along the back of your neck. After a moment, you pull back enough to smile widely at him, the realization that this man would become your husband, the man that you got to spend the rest of your life with, starts to dawn on you, filling you with elation and excitement, not only for your wedding but for the future you’d had with the man you loved.

Tagging:

The excitement racing through you made it hard to stand still as you waited for the elevator to arrive on Tim’s floor. You’d just gotten off a long shift at work and instead of going home to crash on the couch while your favorite tv show played on in the background, you had decided to surprise Tim by stopping by on your way home.

The two of you had had opposite work schedules for the better part of the last month, meaning that you hadn’t seen each other for at least that long, if not longer. Phone calls were few and far between and despite having a very tech savvy boyfriend, you still had yet to figure out how to properly use video calls without somehow managing to hang up on Tim. And as convenient as texting was, you really just wanted to see your boyfriend in person, thus the reason you were showing up unannounced at 10pm on a Thursday.

You flip through the keys on your key ring for a few seconds before finding the key to Tim’s apartment door. You unlock it, your excitement growing as you swing the door open. A feeling of surprise blooms in your chest as you take in the atmosphere of the apartment.

The apartment was mostly dark, a few lit, well placed candles being the only source of light in the apartment, aside from the soft blue glowing light coming from Tim’s computer monitors. A delicious, homey smell wafted out of the kitchen and into what you called the ‘living room’. You drop your work bag and keys by the door, slipping off your shoes as you wonder if Tim somehow knew you’d be stopping by.

Only a few seconds later, upon entering the kitchen, you find out how truly wrong you’d been in thinking this was for you. Sitting at what you considered to be ‘your spot’ at the kitchen island was a beautiful brunette. You’d met her once or twice at a few of Tim’s work functions that he’d taken you to but you hadn’t a clue why she was sitting in Tim’s kitchen.

“Hello.” You say as you step into view, startling Tim enough that he drops the dish he’d been washing.

“Y/N, what ah- what are you doing, here I mean?” He stammers out nervously, quickly drying his hands before coming up to you.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Tim’s eyes shift from yours to the brunette’s, and then back to yours as if he didn’t know what you were talking about.

“In my apartment?” He questions, and for a moment you wonder how someone so smart could be so clueless.

“No Tim. What are you doing here with her?” You ask, jerking a thumb in the direction of the brunette, who was opening and closing her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

“It’s a work thing.” Tim states simply, as if it should have been clear to you that’s all that was going on with the two of them.

“Tim I wasn’t born yesterday. I know a work dinner when I see one and this isn’t it.” You spit out as a torrent of emotions rises in your chest.

“I’m going to go.” The brunette says as she makes a hasty retreat to the door. “Thanks for dinner Tim. I’ll talk to you later.” She gives him a gentle smile over her shoulder before she pulls the door closed.

You turn your gaze back to Tim, the tears clouding your Y/E/C eyes sending a shock of surprise through him. “Why Tim?” You murmur, your words so quiet he almost misses them. He slowly follows behind you as you move back towards the apartment door.

“To think that I wasted years pining over you, trying desperately to get your attention, to get you to see that I liked you.” You say defeatedly as you pick up your keys and bag from where you’d dropped them by the door. “To think that I actually loved you.”

You shake your head softly as you pull open the door to Tim’s apartment. “Well, not anymore.”

Tim watches you go, unsure of what to do, what to say, what to think. He knew he’d screwed up. Although the evening had started as something of a work dinner, it had shortly become much more than that. Secrets had been shared over glasses of red wine, followed by his hand brushing up against hers and only moments before Y/N had entered the apartment, a soft, almost delicate meeting of lips over the center of the kitchen island.

But you meant far more to him than Delilah ever would, yet he’d went and ruined everything the two of you had anyway. He knew he didn’t have the right to follow after you and beg for forgiveness or tell you that he loved you, despite everything inside him wanting desperately to do so.

Instead, he did one of the hardest things he ever had to do in his life; he let you go. He didn’t follow after you and plead for a second chance. He didn’t call you the next day, asking for a chance to explain. He didn’t stop by your office a week later to try and fix the mess he’d made of your relationship. No, he let you walk right out of his life, knowing that he hadn’t loved you the way you deserved, that he hadn’t loved you in the way he’d promised you he had.

And the hardest part, Tim soon realized, was watching someone else love you and make you truly happy, knowing that never again would he have the chance to do that for you.

You let out a groan of frustration as you look at the stack of paperwork you still had yet to finish on your desk. It seemed that you never made a dent in the stack, rather, after each case, it looked to only double in size. 

Tim had long since gone home for the night and you hadn’t the faintest idea where Gibbs was. That meant it was just you and Tony in the half-lit, deserted bullpen. You bite back another groan as you set your pen down, your eyes automatically finding Tim’s empty desk. 

As you stare at his vacant chair, you can’t help but wish that he was actually there. He was your best friend, partner, and love of your life and always made things, work-related or not, better simply by being there. Of course, you had never admitted to him that he was anything more than a partner and friend, despite how painfully obvious it was to everyone but him. Even Gibbs knew.

“Ah, would you just tell him already doll?” Tony’s voice snaps you from your reverie. You turn to him, feigning confusion as you say, “I am unsure of what you mean Tony.”

Tony lets out a bark of a laugh. “Sure doll. The only one who doesn’t know is McOblivious. Heck, I’m sure Ducky even knows by now.” You let out a sigh, knowing you couldn’t fake your way out of this conversation. You turn your attention back to the pen in your hand, fiddling with it as you ask, “What am I supposed to do Tony? I have given him so many hints and he still hasn’t gotten it.” It was quiet for a few minutes after that. 

Then you hear Tony stand up from his desk, his heavy footsteps making their way to your desk, causing you to lift your head to look at him. He grabs your jacket from where it was strewn across the small chair behind your desk. 

“Y/N, you’ve got to tell him. Stop giving him hints, he’ll never figure it out.” Tony says as he holds your jacket up. You quirk an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he was doing. 

“Now. You’ve got to go tell him now.” He adds. You slowly stand up, letting Tony help you with your jacket. You had always wanted to tell him, but could never work up the courage, thus the countless hints you had thrown at him. Now that you knew you would be telling him, a heavy cloud of hesitation and doubt settled over you.

“But, what if he doesn’t feel the same way? What am I going to do then Tony?” You ask quietly as you gather the rest of your things into your bag. 

Tony places a soft hand on your arm. In a moment of complete seriousness, he answers. “Then he is a bigger idiot than I thought.” His words make you turn to look at him. He has a far off look in his eyes as he adds, “Whatever happens, you’ll know it wasn’t because you didn’t put yourself out there. And if he is an idiot, then I’ll be right here for you okay?”

You nod and sling your bag over your shoulder. “Now go and find McNerd.” He says, the familiar glint of humor back in his eyes. 

The drive to Tim’s apartment is short, much shorter than you would have liked, considering the task at hand. You take a minute to compose yourself before you exit the car. 

You reach to grab the door handle of the building when it flies open, catching you off guard and causing you to stumble back. A hand snakes out, stopping you from falling backward. You steady yourself against a strong chest before looking up. Words of gratitude are perched on your lips when you realize that the person still holding you close is Tim. 

“Tim.” You whisper, the words you had been ready, or at least as ready as you’d ever be, to tell him moments earlier, flying out of your head. 

“Oh, Y/N. What are you doing here?” His voice sends pleasant shivers down your spine. 

You step back, in hopes of clearing your head. “I..uh...actually came to see you. I want to tell you something.” You unconsciously pull your jacket around you tighter, in hopes of fighting off the cold December air. 

Tim notices the small act and he pulls you closer, wrapping a strong arm around your shoulders. “Why don’t we step inside?” He suggests. 

You shake your head and step back from him, your body craving his warmth almost immediately. “I’ve got to say this before I lose my nerve.” You take a fortifying breath before you continue. “I love you, Tim. I have for a long time now. And even if you don’t feel the same way, I needed to tell you.” You whisper. 

Fat flakes of falling snow create an eerily quiet, yet tenderly soft, atmosphere as you wait for Tim to say something. He stares at you a long moment before a wide smile breaks out on his face. 

Instead of saying anything, he pulls you into his arms, his lips meeting yours in a deeply passionate kiss. You feel a hand cupping your cheek and another on the low of your back. You kiss him until you have to pull back for a desperate breath. He rests his forehead against yours, his hot breath fanning across your face and causing the few flakes of snow resting in your eyelashes to melt.