Title: Round the Bend
Author: sephirothflame
Pairing: Nick Stokes x Archie Johnson, by sephirothflame
PAIRING: Speed/Ryan
WARNINGS: character death
SUMMARY:Nick Stokes x Archie Johnson, Mentioned David Hodges x Greg Sanders
Characters: Archie Johnson, Nick Stokes, Jacqui Franco, Sara Sidle, Warrick Brown, David Hodges, Greg Sanders
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: None that I'm aware of.
Summary: It's not that they thought anyone would notice, they just didn't expect them to care.
Author's Notes: Alright! I don't know why, but the concept of Archie x Nick is just so appealing to me. I suppouse everyone needs at least one crack!pairing. / Please just don't hate mine.
Disclaimer: I don't really own CSI. I just want you to think that so you'll worship me.

.i. Jacqui Franco

She suppoused it was cute, the first time she'd notice the two of them flirting. However, she wouldn't deny that it surprised the hell out of her, as it was one couple she hadn't even contemplated before. (Nick and Greg? Sure. Archie and Greg? Who hadn't? Hell, she'd even considered Greg and David and they ended up hooking up! Of course, that took a lot of work on her part for it to happen). She was getting side-tracked. She shouldn't be thinking about Greg and David doing anything when Nick and Archie were sitting in the A/V tech's lab flirting.

Now she knew that they would both try and deny it, but it was pointless to do so. The video results were long since handed over, the jokes were random and the laughter genuine and cheerful, and if her lip reading skills were up to par (which they most definitely were) then there was no work related chat going on at all, besides the occasional reference to some idiot suspect they'd once had, or how people figured they were so smart.

How like Nick to attract the adorable little Asian! He was so charming, and Archie was so affectionate! It wouldn't have surprised Jacqui if they'd go on a date soon, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to think of any reasons for them not too. Nick was a good man, and Archie (practically her long lost little brother) deserved to have something going for him. (Though Jacqui wouldn't have been surprised if his Trekkie geekiness scared the taller Texan away).

No matter what happened, at least she'd have something fun to gossip about.

.ii. Warrick Brown

He wasn't annoyed, just mildly bored as he was stuck at home on a Friday night alone while his wife was on a "Girls Only" trip with her best friends and his best friend was on a date. Warrick would have understand if Nick told him he'd had a date, hell, he'd ditched Nick for Tina more then once in the past, so there would be no hard feelings. Nick had understood his need to be with his girl, but he didn't understand why he didn't think Warrick would understand the need for him to be with his.

He was happy for his friend, glad that he'd gotten himself someone special. (At least, Warrick was assuming it was a rather important date because the excuse he used was a pretty crappy one). He just chilled, plopping down on his couch, watching the recording of some earlier game that was suppoused to be phenomenal. It was okay, Warrick guessed, but he knew he would have had more fun if Nick was there with him. Even Greg would have been better then nothing, but the blonde was working.

The phone rang somewhere to Warrick's left, and he glanced over at it, checking the caller ID before answering.

"Nick?" Warrick asked, "How'd your date go?"

"Pretty bad," Nick sighed on the other end of the line, and Warrick couldn't help but feel sorry for him, "But- hey, who told you it was a date?"

"You can't lie to save your ass, man," Warrick chuckled, and he could imagine the shamed look on his best friends face.

"Whatever, you still up for gaming tonight?" Nick asked, "Anything will do."

"It was that bad?" Warrick asked, and took Nick's silence as an answer, "Well, yeah. Come on over."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few," Nick replied, then hung up.

Poor Nicky, Warrick thought, that must have been one hell of a bad date.

.iii. David Hodges

Archie wasn't happy and it was starting to piss him off. The CSIs didn't seem to notice the fake, hurt smile plastered on his face, but to the Lab Rats it was so obvious. What pissed Hodges off the most wasn't that Archie was hurt, it was that he wasn't talking about it. Even Jacqui and Greg were clueless about the whole ordeal, though the former suspected it was a date gone wrong with, insert baited breath here, Nick. As in Nick Stokes. The moment he expressed his disbelief, he understood how true it was.

The young Tech would avert his eyes when the Texan was around, and they could hear the hitch in his voice when they started to talk about him or when he had to talk to him. It also made since why Nick was so awkward around the A/V Tech and traded Sara A/V crap for Trace crap. Something really had to have gone wrong if Nick would rather talk to him then Archie. Greg had tried to convince him to corner Nick, but there was no way in hell he was going to do that. Things were awkward for him as it was.

He watched Jacqui, on the other hand, as she cornered him and forced him to explain what the hell had gone on. He couldn't read lips like her though, so he could only assume it was pretty bad by the expressions. David sighed, running a hand through his hair, watching Greg puzzle over the argument. Jacqui seemed satisfied at the outcome, but a stern glare was still in place. They could only assume she'd threatened his life if he didn't talk to, or at least apologize to, Archie.

Served the Texan right, David snorted. Besides, if he knew anything about Nick, he knew that the other male would rather burn in hell then to break Archie's heart.

.iv. Sara Sidle

Sara Sidle could openly admit to confusion on most topics, but the one that's been bothering her the most recently isn't one she can quite comprehend. Greg and Hodges were one thing, and she didn't think anyone could really comprehend that. They were much to different. But Nick and Archie? Adorable, dweeby, little Archie and tall, dark and handsome Nick. She suppoused if the circumstances were different it might make some since to her, as Archie was such a sweet guy, but she couldn't comprehend Nick being gay.

She really hated thinking about it in that way, but it was the only way it worked in her mind. Nick Stokes was gay. She wasn't sure why it didn't bother her Archie was, but then again they were just mere acquantices. Nick was a friend, a brother. She didn't really want to think about the two of them flirting in the A/V Tech's lab, the gentle smiles, and the knowing looks they sent each other. It didn't really bother her that the two were dating, in fact she was happy for them.

But it didn't make since to her. Or to Warrick. Or to Catherine. Greg seemed to be in on it, along with the rest of the Lab Rats, but no, not her. She wondered if Grissom had noticed, but if he did, she got the feeling he wouldn't care as long as it didn't affect their work and they kept it to themselves. Day Shift and Ecklie would freak, and 'faggot' would be permenant markered on more then just Hodges locker. (She'd seen Jacqui scrubbing the word off, acting like it was never there later in an attempt to spare Hodges some dignity). She couldn't imagine anyone doing that to Nick but she knew they would.

She greated them with gentle hellos as she entered the Break room, poured a cup of coffee, and left. They weren't doing anything wrong, so there was no point in bothering with them.

.v. Nick Stokes

There were only two times in which Archie was seriously worried their entire time dating. One, was after the first disasterous date, the second being when they had sex. Not that Nick should be pinning all the blame on Archie, he had been worried as hell as well. Still, he was glad it had happened. When they were just laying there, worn out, eyes half closed and the only sound was breathing. That's what Nick liked the most. The ability to trace his fingers across Archie's chest, over every contour and cruve.

He'd noticed so many things about the Asian since then. Like how he always sleeps on his stomach, his dislike of wearing pants at home, they way his hair always smelled like fresh strawberries, and his near OCD. It was nice when they were at Archie's place, everything being neat, but if they were at his place, Archie would get the uncontrolble urge to clean his apartment up. It was laughable, how much they were like a married couple.

As it was, Nick stretched and yawned, running his fingers through Archie's hair again, brushing a kiss to the top of his head. He didn't mind that he was pinned beneath the smaller and much lighter male, or that the curtain of his window was opened a peak and the sunlight spewed across the floor. None of that mattered at the moment, and all he really cared for was what could quite possibly the best thing that ever happened to him, and how his breath tickled when he breathed on the inside of Nick's neck.

He wasn't quite sure what he had deserved Archie, but Nick knew he'd do it all over again if he had too.