title: a safe distance
by: parkagirl
fandom: CSI: Vegas
pairing: nick/greg
rating: pg-13
summary: for the contrelamontre taste challenge

***

He stands just out of sight -- around a corner, down the hall, somewhere he can watch. From a safe distance, without being caught. Not that Greg would mind, but sometimes Nick thinks it works out better that way.

The distance avoids any problems, from co-workers, from bosses, from questions. Not that people don't know. Not that people haven't noticed. Greg will smile at Nick in a different way. Nick will bring Greg something to eat, from the break room -- from the store.

But at home -- one of their homes -- things are different. There are touches, intimate moments, things that are avoided at work. But the best thing, at least one of the best things -- one of the things Nick enjoys most, is kissing. He misses it when they're at work.

He'd love to walk into the lab and kiss Greg. He's knows almost what he's taste like -- because sometimes when they both get home late, Greg tastes like work. He tastes like chemicals and cleaning solutions. Like the peppermint gum he chews on the ride home. And now Nick always associates peppermint with Greg.

If he walked in right now, Greg would taste like left over chicken and Pepsi. He'd taste like the DNA lab and latex gloves. And Nick wouldn't mind, because it'd taste like Greg.

***