Title: Famous Clichés
By: Caroline Crane
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Pairing: Nick/Greg (I always have to suppress the urge to type 'duh' right after that)
Rating: PG13, as I am a dirty tease and didn't feel like writing porn
Summary: In which Nick surpasses Greg's expectations.

It was tempting to shut the door in Nick's face. For a second Greg's fingers twitched against the doorframe, and part of him really wanted to close the door and let Nick knock until his knuckles bled. But it wasn't like he was going to get any sleep even if he slammed the door and pretended he didn't know Nick was still out there, so instead Greg crossed his arms over his chest and forced himself to hold Nick's gaze.

"I thought the plan was to forget it ever happened."

And there went that smirk, the one that either made Greg want to kiss Nick or just hit him really hard. But he'd never been a violent guy, so he just rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore the fact that Nick was leaning even closer.

"Do you really think you can do that? Because I'm pretty sure I can't."

That wasn't what he'd been expecting. What he expected was more apologies, more of Nick stammering his way through all the reasons they couldn't do this until Greg really did want to hit him. And granted, he'd figured Nick would wait until morning to do his justifying, because it was safer to face Greg in a crowded conference room than to show up at his door in the middle of the night. But here he was, and instead of rehashing all the reasons they couldn't do this, he was looking at Greg like he was waiting for Greg to kiss him again.

Not that it wasn't tempting, because Greg had always enjoyed pushing Nick's buttons and it would almost be worth it just to see him blush again. But Nick was the one who'd put the brakes on before they even got started, and he was the one who let Greg walk away without a word. He was the one who'd said no, and Greg wasn't about to admit how much he really wanted Nick.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said, mouth set in a determined line and when Nick let out a short, surprised laugh Greg ignored the way his stomach flipped. "It's not like you're the first guy who's ever shot me down."

And okay, that didn't come out exactly the way he'd planned it to, but before he had a chance to correct himself Nick was moving closer, warm and solid and Greg found himself moving backwards. He wasn't sure exactly how it happened, but a second later Nick was in the room and closing the door behind him, looking amused and smug and this wasn't how this was supposed to go.

"Then I guess the question is, do you want to forget it?"

Greg wasn't even sure what they were talking about, but Nick was moving forward again and he knew if he didn't stop this now he'd do something stupid. Like kiss Nick again, and he wasn't about to give up what little dignity he had left. At least not until he was sure that was why Nick had showed up at his door in the middle of the night.

"Look, you're the one who said this was a bad idea," Greg said, and he couldn't believe he was actually trying to talk Nick out of it. He wasn't even sure what it was – a one-night stand, convenience, pity, maybe – but a few hours ago he wouldn't have cared. Then again, a few hours ago he had no idea what it was like to kiss Nick Stokes, and now that he did…now he wasn't sure he could leave it at just one night.

And a few seconds ago he would have sworn Nick knew exactly what he was doing, but suddenly he looked…nervous. So maybe he wasn't all that sure of himself after all, because he was looking down at the floor like maybe he'd find an answer hidden somewhere in the carpet.

"I know what I said," he finally answered, venturing a glance at Greg and now he just looked embarrassed. "Look, all I meant was maybe we should think about this before we get in over our heads."

"Think about it?" Greg echoed, sarcasm clear in his voice and he ignored Nick's wince. He didn't care if he sounded mad, because all he'd done for the past six hours was think about it. He'd thought about Nick more than he'd ever admit, weighed all the consequences of doing something about this thing between them and now that he finally had Nick wanted him to think about it even more. It was typical, really, and before he could stop himself he was talking again. "I already think about it all the time."

"Yeah?" Nick said, like he was pleased, but surprised too. Like it really was news to him that Greg wanted him. Like Greg hadn't flirted and done pretty much everything he could think of to let Nick know he was interested without taking out an ad or something. And even that would probably be too subtle for Nick; if Greg really wanted to get the message across he would have had to rent a billboard across the street from Nick's house.

Or maybe a singing telegram, because who knew if Nick ever looked up long enough to notice what was going on around him. He'd had a guy living in his attic, after all, and…

"Hey."

Nick's voice jolted him out of his train of thought, closer than it was a few seconds ago and Greg shivered when he felt the warmth of Nick's breath on his cheek. He wasn't even sure which one of them had moved, but suddenly there was a lot less space between them, making his head swim but this time he couldn't blame it on the tequila. "What?"

Nick's smile looked different from close up; predatory, almost, and Greg suppressed a shiver when Nick leaned in and slid a hand into his hair. "Just…this."

Their second kiss was different than the first. Slower, more deliberate, because they both knew it was coming and this time no one was in a hurry to pull back and start doing damage control. Nick's lips fit right against his, tongue pushing past his teeth and Greg was content to let him lead. Wanted Nick to lead, because that way he knew for sure that Nick was kissing him because he wanted to. Because he wanted Greg.

He wanted more – wanted everything – but Nick didn't seem to be in a hurry. In fact, he was taking his time, mouth moving lazily against Greg's and it was nice, but it was making Greg want to crawl out of his skin. His fingers were clenched hard around Nick's arms, digging in just enough to let Nick know just how much he was holding back.

And Nick got the message, pulled back with a gasp to stare at him like he was just seeing Greg for the first time. Or maybe really looking for the first time, seeing all the things Greg hadn't said in all the years they'd known each other. Which just showed how blind he was, because Greg had done everything he could think of to let Nick know he was interested.

"This changes everything," Nick said, low like maybe he was talking to himself more than Greg. Or maybe just trying to talk himself out of doing anything he couldn't take back, but they both knew it was way too late for that.

"Might as well make the most of it then, right?" Greg asked, grinning when Nick blinked at him. He slid one hand down the front of Nick's shirt, tugging the fabric free of Nick's pants. "In for a penny, as Papa Olaf used to say."

"No stories about your family while you're taking my clothes off."

Greg laughed at that, pausing with his hands on Nick's belt. "So if you're making up rules does that mean this isn't a one time thing?"

"Do you want it to be?" Nick asked, that nervousness Greg hardly ever heard back in his voice. It wasn't often he got to see Nick looking unsure of himself, and it was kind of…nice. Reassuring, like maybe even Nick remembered every once in awhile that he was human. "I mean we don't have to rush anything here…"

"We've known each other for six years," Greg answered, leaning in to press a hot kiss to the side of Nick's neck, then another to the line of his jaw before he leaned up to whisper against the corner of Nick's mouth. "I doubt even Grissom and Sara would call that rushing."

"No talking about Grissom while you're taking my clothes off, either," Nick murmured, grinning at Greg's soft laugh.

"What about Sara?"

"What about you just shut up for awhile?" Nick said, turning into Greg to cut off his argument with a kiss.

And he could shut up, especially if it meant Nick would keep kissing him like he'd been thinking about this moment for the past six years. There was a part of him that wanted to ask, wanted to know just how long Nick had spent talking himself out of this. But it didn't really matter, because it was finally happening and Greg would agree to any rule Nick came up with as long he didn't stop.