Title: Adaptable
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5_prompts, Written in the Stars challenge
Prompt: D14, You don't expect another person to adapt to your needs.
Author's Note: Spoilers for the S3 CSI: Vegas episode "Play With Fire."
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg stretched his arms above his head experimentally as he sat on the couch, breathing a sigh of relief when there was no pain, no stretching of the burns on his back. They were healing rapidly now; the doctors said that he could go back to work soon.

He was glad of that; after nearly a month, he was ready to go back. The first couple of weeks had been hard to get through; his body was still aching not only from the burns, but from Shane's treatment of him. But the last few days, he'd been feeling a lot better.

The nightmares still haunted him, of course, he thought with a sigh. He didn't know how long it would take for them to fade into the background of his mind, but he didn't think that would happen any time soon. They would probably always be there.

Those horrible dreams would come at him when he least expected them; he couldn't count the number of times he'd woken up in Nick's arms, the other man shaking him awake, crying and screaming and then sobbing against Nick's shoulder for what felt like hours.

And Nick had dealt with it all. Nick had held him while he'd cried, comforted him, told him that everything was going to be all right. Nick had adapted to all of his needs, taking care of him in a way that he had never thought anyone would want to do.

It was still so hard to believe that Nick Stokes loved him. Nick, the most handsome man he'd ever seen, the man who he had nurtured a crush on for the last few years, ever since they had first met. The man he'd never thought he could have in a million years.

Well, now he had Nick. It was a dream come true for him to be with this man, a dream that still felt as if he could wake up from it at any moment. What if that happened? Greg asked himself, a shudder running through his thin body. What if he was only dreaming?

No, this wasn't a dream. It was real life -- his life. He'd had to survive a trial by fire to be where he was now, and after all that he'd been through, he wasn't letting go of what he had. No one could make him do that; no matter what, he was staying with Nick.

He'd have to go back to his own home at some point, of course. Unless Nick wanted him to move into this house -- which he would do in a heartbeat if he was asked, Greg thought with an inward smile. If Nicky wanted him to live here, then this was where he would be.

But that could very well bring Ecklie down on them. They might be able to live together with no problem, but then they could be separated at work. And Greg didn't want that to happen. He wanted to be able to work with Nick, to see him every night, to be as close to him as possible.

Maybe that was only because he had a dependent streak in him that he didn't want to acknowledge. But the fact remained that they couldn't jeopardize their working relationship because of the newer, personal one that they'd formed. They couldn't take the risk.

It was a good thing that they were both adaptable people, Greg told himself, sighing and stretching his arms over his head again, testing how the burns felt when he moved around. Nick had adapted better to having an invalid in his home than anyone had a right to expect.

He hated to think of himself as an invalid, but when Nick had brought him home from the hospital, he'd practically been one. He hadn't been able to do so many things for himself, and it would still be a while before he was completely back to normal.

He'd been pretty adaptable himself, Greg thought, leaning forward to pick up the magazine he'd been idly thumbing through. He had gotten used to the limitations the burns had put on his mobility, but hopefully, that would be over soon and he would be able to move with no pain.

Going back home was really the last thing he wanted to do. He would be constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering when Shane was going to come out of the woodwork, afraid to be alone in his own home in case his former boyfriend showed up again.

Greg had no doubt that Shane would show up. He was the proverbial bad penny; he would be around when he was least expected and not wanted. He'd proved that when he had literally kidnapped Greg from the hospital, under everyone's noses.

That was part of their problem, Greg thought, shuddering at the memory of the time he'd been forced to spend with Shane as his captive. Shane was adaptable, too. He might be able to foresee any trap they would lay for him, and get out of it.

He was terrified of Shane finding him again. The last thing he wanted was to be back in his ex-boyfriend's clutches -- or having Shane confront Nick with uneven odds. Greg knew Shane well enough to know that if it came down to a fight between them, Shane wouldn't fight fair.

Nick would be adaptable in a fight; he was sure of that. Nick wasn't the kind of guy who would let anyone get the best of him, but if Shane stacked the odds, then Nicky wouldn't have a chance. Greg didn't want things to come to that. He didn't want any physical confrontations.

Unfortunately, with Shane, those were more than likely to happen. He knew only too well how his former boyfriend relied on his physical strength, and on intimidation and fear, to keep people under control. He'd been one of Shane's victims for far too long.

He'd adapted himself for a long time once he'd found out what his so-called boyfriend was really like. How many nights had he cried himself to sleep, wishing that he was anywhere but in Shane's bed, feeling bruised and battered and wondering how much longer it would last?

He had dreamed about Nick on those nights. He'd dreamed that Nick was holding him, kissing his tears away, that Nick was undressing him and caressing him, sliding inside him gently and making love to him like he was a treasure, not a possession to be used and thrown away.

Nick might not have made love to him yet, but Greg knew that day was coming. If only he wasn't so afraid of being touched, nervous about how it would feel after all that Shane had done to him. If only he could be with Nick without those invisible barriers standing between them.

He'd just have to learn to adapt again, wouldn't he? He hadn't expected anyone to be able to adapt to his needs, but Nick had done just that -- and it was the least he could do in return. He loved Nick. He could adapt to whatever the other man needed.

If this was how fate had intended for him to be with Nick, then he would accept that. It had been a lot for him to cope with, but he was coming out of that long dark tunnel now, and he hoped that he wouldn't have to to through another trial by fire again any time soon.

Being with Nick was worthy anything he might have to go through, Greg thought with a smile as he heard the other man's truck pull up into the garage. He could learn to deal with anything -- and he wasn't having any problem at all adapting to being with the man he loved.

***