Title: For Comfort, For Closeness
By: geekwriter
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Warning: warning for excessive fluffy sweetness
Summary: Haven't you ever had one of those days when nothing goes right?

When Nick got home, Greg was already there, curled up on the couch. His shoulders were hunched and his head was tipped down and he was chewing on the side of his thumbnail the way he did when he was upset about something. He didn't look up when Nick came in, didn't look up when Nick hung up his coat or dropped his keys into the tray on the hall table or even when he walked into the living room.

"Hey," Nick said softly.

Greg sighed and looked up at him with a weary smile. "Hey." He looked tired and forlorn despite the colorful children's book open on his lap.

Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked at the book. "It's OK, Greg, reading is hard. You'll get the hang of it one day."

Greg didn't laugh, just sighed again.

"Having a shitty day?"

"You could say that."

"What are you reading."

"One of my Serendipity books. It was in that box my mom sent me last week."

"One of your what books?"

"Don't even pretend you didn't read any of the Serendipity books," Greg said, setting the book down on the edge of the couch. "Raz-Ma-Taz? Hucklebug? Gigglesnitcher? They're, like, the pinnacle of 80's childhood reading. Those and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."

Nick shook his head and sat down next to Greg. "I'm afraid those were after my time. What's that one?" He tilted his head to read the cover. "Flutterby, huh?"

Greg nodded as he picked the book back up. "It was my favorite as a kid."

"You played with dolls, too, didn't you?"

"Hey, those My Little Ponies were totally action figures."

Nick laughed and slid his arm around Greg's shoulders, shifted them both on the couch so that he was behind Greg, Greg leaning back against him. He kissed Greg's temple and nuzzled his face into Greg's hair. "You were a really gay little kid, weren't you?"

"I don't know. You tell me. You're the one who wanted to marry He-Man when he grew up."

"I knew you'd never let me live that down."

"Hey, I'm not judging you for it. He was packing some serious meat. I'd let him be Master of my Universe any day."

"Please stop perving up my treasured childhood memories."

"Prince Adam was such a wimpy bottom, but He-Man was a total top. Oh my God, I think I just figured out the real power of Grayskull."

"I hate you," Nick said, but he was laughing into Greg's hair. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"I'm perving up your treasured childhood memories."

"I mean with you."

Greg sighed and snuggled back a little bit, pulling Nick's arms tighter around him. "You ever have one of those days where you just feel stupid and useless and ugly and pathetic?"

"Baby, you're not—"

"Hey, I didn't say it was rational, I'm just saying I was having one of those days." He sighed and tilted his head back for a kiss. "Better now."

Nick stroked the inside of Greg's wrist with his thumb. "Anything in particular start your terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?"

Greg smiled and hummed softly in the back of his throat. "Not really. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something. It's like, my shoelace broke and I spilled coffee on the way to work and didn't have time to change my shirt before I had to go out to the scene so I felt like a total slob and I sneezed on a tire iron I was trying to get DNA off of, and really, it just went downhill from there. I get home and I trip coming in and…yeah."

Nick hugged Greg tight against him. "Awww. And Flutterby helps?"

"Of course," Greg said as he closed his eyes. "Flutterby's the shit."

"Read it to me?"

Greg laughed quickly and leaned forward so he could look into Nick's face.

"What? You love him so much, I figure maybe I should learn about it."

"Flutterby's a she," Greg said as he turned back around and held the book up. "Can you see?"

"I can hear you."

"No, you have to be able to see it, too. The illustrations are killer." He shifted to the side so that his head was leaning back against Nick's shoulder. "That good?"

"Perfect," Nick said, one arm around Greg's chest, the other one smoothing over Greg's head.

Greg opened the book to the first page and began to read as Nick stroked his hair. "In a burst of laughter and giggles one fine evening, Flutterby was born. As her silver-blue cocoon shimmered in the starlight, she unfurled her wings and whinnied into the crystal night…"

**********

Extended Author's Notes: Flutterby is only one in the fantastic series of Serendipity Books. It was written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. It's also the very first book I learned to read, so it holds a particularly special place in my book-obsessed heart.