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Title: First Christmas
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Jimmy Palmer/Tim McGee
Fandom: NCIS
Rating: PG-13
Table: narrative_x_10
Prompt: Story 02
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Jimmy Palmer or Tim McGee, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.***
"How does it look?" Jimmy took a few steps back, planting his hands on his hips and looking at the tree that he and Tim had just finished decorating. "I thought it might be a little too big at first, but now I don't think so. It's perfect. We definitely made the right choice."
"Yeah, we did," Tim agreed with a nod. He looked over at Jimmy, nearly bursting into laughter at the sight of his boyfriend. The other man had somehow managed to get tinsel in his hair; long strands of it were draped over one ear, giving him a rakish look.
Try as he might, Tim couldn't hold back his laughter. "It looks like you've decorated yourself just as much as the tree," he told Jimmy, reaching out to remove the tinsel from his boyfriend's hair. He draped it over a branch of the tree before turning back to the other man.
"Sorry about that." Jimmy was blushing, his cheeks turning pink under Tim's gaze. "I guess I kind of got caught up with trimming the tree. I didn't notice that. I don't notice a lot of things when I'm really into doing something. Dr. Mallard can tell you that."
Tim nodded, a soft smile curving his lips as he slid an arm around Jimmy's waist. "I think that's a good quality to have," he said softly, wanting to put his boyfriend at ease. The last thing he wanted was for Jimmy to feel that he was being criticized in his own home.
Besides, it was Christmas. Of course he expected people to get a little excited about things like trimming the tree and wrapping presents -- it was the season, after all. And Jimmy was someone who threw himself into all that he did, so Tim wasn't at all surprised by his words.
He had observed Jimmy when he was working, and though there were times when he could ramble on, Tim had seen enough of Jimmy's work to know that the young man was meticulous, focusing every bit of his concentration on his work. He was always thorough and precise.
So of course, it made sense that such concentration would extend to the things he did in his personal time, too. And it had paid off, Tim thought, looking at the tree that was covered with lights, ornaments, and tinsel. It was truly lovely. Much better than he could have done by himself.
"It's beautiful, Jimmy," he said softly, turning his head to brush his lips across his boyfriend's cheek. "If I was still living alone, I probably wouldn't have even had a Christmas tree. Well, I'd have had one of those tiny little ones on my desk, but that would have been it."
"You wouldn't have had a Christmas tree?" Jimmy looked shocked, and Tim almost wanted to laugh at the expression on his face. "It's not Christmas without a tree. Even if you live alone, you should have a tree. It's part of what Christmas is all about."
"I always figured that there was no reason to go to the trouble of getting a tree and decorating it all by myself, if I was the only person who'd see it," Tim said with a shrug and a slight wince. "But I can see where you're coming from. Christmas without some kind of tree doesn't feel right."
"Well, you're never going to have another Christmas without a real tree, that's for sure," Jimmy told him, his voice firm. "I have a tree every year. It doesn't matter that you live alone. What matters is getting into the Christmas spirit, and enjoying the season."
Tim nodded, knowing that Jimmy was right. He had never really celebrated Christmas when eh lived on his own, other than taking part in his family's gift-giving and Christmas dinners. But that had always felt awkward for him, and it wasn't something he enjoyed.
This year, he intended to fully enjoy Christmas and everything that went with it. How could he not, when he had a man like Jimmy by his side? Jimmy's enthusiasm for the holiday season had already spread to him; it was almost as though that enthusiasm was contagious.
This was their first Christmas together, and Tim wanted it to be perfect. He knew that there were bound to be a few mishaps -- there always were when he wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible -- but whatever might happen, he was sure that he and Jimmy would live through it.
His first Christmas with the man who he intended to spend the rest of his life with. Tim couldn't suppress a happy sigh at the thought of all that they would be doing together during this holiday season, and every one to come, until they were old and grey.
"Our first Christmas together," Jimmy said softly, echoing Tim's thoughts. "It doesn't feel real, does it? I'd kind of resigned myself to spending all of my holidays alone for the rest of my life after I broke it off with Breena. I never thought you'd feel the same way about me as I did about you."
"Guess that just goes to show that even the smartest guys aren't always right," Tim told him, his own voice soft and husky. "I think I was always in love with you, Jimmy. I was just afraid to admit it -- not just to the rest of the world, but mostly to myself. I didn't have enough confidence."
"I'm glad that you do now," Jimmy murmured, a slight frown marring his brow as he turned to look at Tim. "Are we going to come out to the rest of the team at the holidays, or do you think it would be better to wait? I can't help but wonder what their reactions are going to be."
"They might be shocked, but I think they'll be okay with it," Tim said after a moment's hesitation. "We've been waiting long enough, Jimmy. I think it's past time we let the people closest to us know that we're together. If they don't like it, then it's their problem, not ours."
"I don't think they'll have a problem with it," Jimmy said softly, sounding hopeful. "After all, their our friends and colleagues. They want us both to be happy, Tim -- and they'll be able to tell that we're happy with each other. They'll be glad to see that."
Tim nodded, a smile curving his lips. "Yeah, they will, even if they're a little freaked out at first. Hell, we we were a little freaked at first to discover how we felt about each other after we finally admitted it to ourselves. It takes a while to get used to something new."
"I don't want to worry about what anybody might think of us," Jimmy declared, disentangling himself from Tim's embrace and heading towards the kitchen. "I want to enjoy our first Christmas together while we have the chance to do it. We could get called in to work any time."
Tim nodded, hoping fervently that wouldn't happen. He wanted to spend Christmas here at home with Jimmy, to enjoy his boyfriend's presence, to bask in the feeling of being loved and no longer having to spend holidays alone. He had so much to be grateful for this holiday season.
This was the first time in a very long time that he hadn't been alone for Christmas -- and this year, he was not only in a relationship, but one that he knew was going to last. He was with the person who owned his heart, the person he would be with for the rest of his life.
This first Christmas with Jimmy was going to be the best one he'd ever had, Tim told himself with a smile as he watched his boyfriend take out a few bags of popcorn and open the microwave door. It was already better than any other holiday he could remember.
"So I guess that we're going to spend the rest of the afternoon stringing popcorn to hang on the tree?" Tim asked, raising his brows in question. It was obvious that was what Jimmy intended, but he thought it was best to ask and make sure that he knew what was going on.
"We sure are!" Jimmy told him, closing the microwave door and turning it on. "It's our first Christmas together, so I want to pull out all the stops. We used to do this when I was a kid, and it was one of my favorite things about Christmas. That is, when I wasn't eating all the popcorn," he added with a grin.
"I think we're both going to end up eating a lot of popcorn," Tim said with a soft laugh, pulling Jimmy into his arms for a kiss. The moment their lips met, he forgot about the tree, the popcorn, the decorations, and all of the other things that he'd had on his mind today.
All he could think of was that he would be spending Christmas with Jimmy, the man he loved. They would be together for the holidays, and for all of the days after that, so many days and weeks and months stretching into years. This first Christmas would only be the beginning of a lifetime.***