Title: All Because of Calcium
Author: amazonqueenkate
Pairing: Nick Stokes/Bobby Dawson
Fandom: CSI
Theme: #28 Wada Calcium CD3
Warnings: strange residues; Sara Sidle; forces of habits in accidental settings
Disclaimer: My birthday's in December, Jerry. Start plannin'.
Author's Notes: Not my favorite of what I have left, but I'm saving the best for last. It's...cute, I guess. I don't know. It's also unbetaed, but then, so much of my work is.

"It's...calcium."

Nick and Sara are almost out of the ballistics lab when Bobby says it, his Georgian drawl hesitant as he makes the claim. Sara sends Nick one of her patented "did he just lose his mind?" glances before whirling around and stalking back through the open door, leaving Nick to frown and follow. Bobby's bent over the microscope, staring down at the bullet they'd presented him, and they flank him accordingly.

"On the bullet. This residue... It's calcium." Bobby pulls his head up and moves away enough to let Sara glance down at their hard-earned evidence. His arm bumps against Nick's chest and then settles there, comfortably familiar. "At least, it looks like calcium. You'd have to get it over to Hodges to be sure."

"Calcium'd make sense," Sara puts in as she pulled her face away from the microscope. She peers at Nick. "We found that crazy calcium supplement stuff at the vic's house. What was it called? Wade-Ah Calcium - "

"Wada Calcium CD3'? Bobby asks, and they both blink at him. He shrugs. "Infomercials. I can't sleep, sometimes." Nick smirks and glances away. "It's all the rage. Supposed to help keep you young."

"I've heard of it," Nick confirms, and then brings his eyes to meet Bobby's. "If it's on the bullet that came out of the vic, though," he continues, the pieces falling into place gradually, "then that means..."

"...the vic must've been shot through a bottle of the stuff, and the perp might have gotten it on his clothes," Sara finishes on his behalf. Nick smiles and nods, and she shares a wide, toothy grin. "Any other brilliant observations for us, Bobby?"

Bobby smiles back at her gap-toothed beaming and shrugs slightly. "Not right this minute," he replies, "but gimme an hour and I'll see what I can do."

"Awesome. Thanks." Nick says it casually, and then, without thinking, leans up and plants a brief kiss on Bobby's lips. The force of habit - or rather, that habit in this setting - doesn't even occur to him until he pulls away and discovers both Sara and Bobby sending him wide-eyed, fish-faced stares. He pauses, frowns, and then feels his cheeks warm. His eyes immediately drop to the ground, and he can physically feel his embarrassment manifesting as a rock in his stomach. "Uh..."

A snort sounds in the room, then a choked guffaw and, by the time Nick looks all the way up at Sara, she's clutching her stomach and laughing a full-out belly laugh. Bobby's brow creases as he watches her double over with laughter, and Nick can't tell if it's relief or dread creeping up his esophagus. Whatever it is, when Sara is done laughing, she's brushing tears from her eyes and shaking her head.

"Man," she chortles, grinning from ear-to-ear, "Greg and I figured you guys would come out eventually, but not like that." She shakes her head and claps Nick on the shoulder warmly. "Smooth, Nicky. Next time, at least wait till Grissom's in the room. To see his face..."

She wanders out of the lab laughing, leaving both he and Bobby to stare, bewildered, after her.

"Did that just happen?" Nick finally asks, unable to pull his eyes from the giggling - yes, giggling - Sara Sidle.

Bobby shrugs. "I blame the calcium," he decides, and returns to his work.