Title: The Conversation
Author: vampfire
Author Email: semperfi_neversaydie@yahoo.com
Category: Pre-Slash
Rating: FRT
Pairing: Warrick/Gil
Status of Story: Complete
Summary: Grissom overhears something.

***

Grissom was standing in the last row of lockers, those used by day shift. He hadn't gone there with the intention of eavesdropping. He'd just stepped out of the way to change his shirt, not wanting to take any of tonight's gruesome crime scene home with him.

But when he heard the locker room door open and close and Nick and Warrick speaking, he didn't step out immediately, always welcoming an opportunity to observe his team members.

Their comments as they changed clothing were light and related to anything but the violent death they'd had to sift through tonight, and Grissom had finished tucking his shirt in and was going to walk out and join them when Catherine entered the room.

"Whoa, looking good, Rick."

Grissom wondered what clothes Warrick had changed into. But frankly, he wouldn't have been able to predict which outfit Catherine would react to. Warrick always looked good to him.

"You got a hot date?" Catherine prodded, as Grissom heard the sound of another locker swinging open.

"Uh, yeah," Warrick conceded hesitantly.

"Ooh, who is she?"

"Ah, just someone. You know, first date."

"Good luck," she told him, and from her suggestive tone Grissom knew exactly which teasing look was on her face. "Night, boys!"

The door closing behind her ended Grissom's interest, and he let his forehead rest on the locker in front of him as depression settled in. He'd come closer these past few months than he ever had to gathering the courage to ask out Warrick Brown. Not that he'd actually done anything, but he had seriously considered it, treated it as something more real than a mere fantasy for the first time since he'd met the man.

And now to know that he might not even be available, on top of the usual concerns that he might not be interested, that he might not be attracted to men...

The vivid mental image of Warrick out on a date tonight with some young woman really brought home how crazy Grissom had been to even consider doing anything about his attraction to Warrick.

"So man, do you really have a date?"

"Nope," Warrick said easily, causing Grissom to frown at the locker and focus his attention again. After a pause, Warrick said defensively, "What? You going to give me shit for lying to Cath? You know I've gotta keep up appearances and all that."

"Naw, man, I understand." Nick said. Then he laughed. "Actually, I was thinking of that one time, when you were dating that blond guy who picked you up in a bar-"

"Dave. And he didn't 'pick me up.'"

"Whatever. You told me you were dating him and then the next thing I know you're telling Sara and Catherine about this girl you were going out with and how nice her legs were, and I knew all along you were describing this six-foot-tall man. I about died laughing."

"He did have some fine legs," Warrick admitted, teasingly.

Grissom barely heard Nick's recount of his amusement. He was still stuck on Warrick's casual confession that he'd dated a man. Not to mention the fact that Warrick wasn't actually going out on a date tonight. Grissom stayed absolutely frozen where he was leaning on the lockers as he felt an excited hope rise in him.

"So no date tonight, huh?" Nick's voice sounded further now. Grissom puzzled over it until he realized they were probably sitting on the bench, facing away from him. "Not even any prospects?"

"Nope."

"How about your other... love interests?"

"*What* other love interests?" Warrick asked, amused.

"You know," Nick said, sounding embarrassed for the first time in this conversation. "The man you're head-over-heels in love with."

"That is not a love interest, Nick; that's fantasy." Warrick was trying for light but sounded dismal. "Grissom's straight."

"You don't know that," Nick told him.

At this point, Grissom's heartbeat was too loud for him to hear the conversation. He couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard. Couldn't believe the implications of what he'd just heard. He realized he'd stopped breathing and took a deep breath as quietly as possible, suddenly hit by guilt for listening like this, but knowing he wouldn't trade this knowledge for the world.

"Not that I understand what you see in him," Nick was saying.

"That's just because you don't find *any* guy attractive. If you did, you'd be all over him."

"Uh," Nick said, sounding distinctly uncomfortable again. "I don't think he'd be my type."

"Oh yeah he would," Warrick insisted, clearly enjoying this. "Because as a straight guy, you're a tits-and-ass man." He raised his voice to continue over Nick's protests that he really believed intelligence and personality were more important than good looks, "So I bet the hypothetical homosexual Nick would just eat Grissom up."

Grissom was amused. He could almost see how red Nick's face had turned. Warrick was clearly enjoying provoking his friend.

"Why's that?" Nick had to ask, his voice squeaking slightly.

Grissom could hear the amusement in Warrick's voice as he told his friend slowly, in a low voice, "Well, he does have a fine ass... And the man is *hung.*"

"*First* of all," Nick managed. "I did not need to know that about my boss. And second of all, how the *hell* do you know that?"

"We gay men don't always keep our eyes to ourselves in the bathroom," Warrick told him, teasing.

"Shit, Rick. Are you *trying* to make me homophobic?"

Warrick laughed. "I'm just playing with you, man. You know I would never check you out. Our friendship does have boundaries."

"Damn right it does." Nick huffed for a minute before saying, "So is *that* why you're so hot for Grissom?"

"Hell, no," Warrick said. "Though him being a sexy son of a bitch doesn't hurt. I said you're the shallow one, not me. And no, I'm not going to list all the reasons I love him. I only sound that sappy in my own head; no way you're going to hear it."

The bench creaked as they stood up; then locker doors closed. "And we can't talk like this at work, okay?" Warrick's voice faded as they walked to the door. "Do I need to explain the closet to you?"

They'd been gone for awhile, leaving the locker room in silence. Grissom hadn't moved an inch, his face still flushed with embarrassment and trying to think through what he'd just heard when all he could think over and over was: Warrick loves me?

It took him a few minutes to realize what a silly grin he had on his face.

***

Epilogue

***

"You wanted to see me?"

Nick had the air of someone who knew he must have done something wrong and had spent the last hour trying to figure out what it was.

"Yes, Nicky. Close the door," Grissom told him from his desk.

Nick did and sat down in front of the desk, nervous.

"Nick, I need a favor." Grissom watched as Nick relaxed, just as expected.

"Sure," he said.

"I need you to set me up with Warrick."

Nick's brow wrinkled and he shook his head slightly as though to clear it. Surely Grissom hadn't meant what Nick thought he'd meant. "Say that again?" he asked, incredulous.

"Tell Warrick there's someone you want him to go on a date with, as a favor. Say whatever you have to, to get him to agree."

Nick was tentatively smiling now as it hit him how amazingly great this was going to be for his friend. "I can do that," he agreed. "When?"

"Try for this weekend. Tell him to meet me in the lab's parking lot."

Nick was grinning now. "You got it." He got up to leave.

"And Nick..."

Nick turned, questioning.

"If you give him any hint whatsoever that it's me, your ass is mine."

Nick grinned.

***

"You waiting for someone?"

Warrick looked uncomfortable as Grissom's SUV pulled up alongside the curb where he was standing.

"Actually, yes," he answered.

"Get in for a second," Grissom told him, putting the car in park.

Warrick scanned the parking lot, but no one else was around. Nick's mystery man was running late and he had to admit he was curious what Grissom wanted, so he climbed into the passenger seat and was shutting the door when Grissom added, "You're waiting for a friend of Nick's?"

Warrick twisted in the seat to face him. He knew Nick would never have said anything incriminating to any of their coworkers, much less to their boss. "Why do you say that?" Warrick asked, cautiously.

"Because I'm the one who got Nick to rope you into this."

Warrick was stunned. "You what?"

"Isn't that what you do when you're too scared to ask someone out? Get a friend to do it for you?"

Warrick was still speechless.

Grissom continued, casually, like this was a perfectly normal stunt for him to pull. "I was thinking we could go to a club."

This stunned Warrick back out of speechlessness. "A club?" He asked dubiously.

"Yes. I do know what they're for before we close them down and put yellow tape over the door."

Warrick was shaking his head in disbelief. "I just don't get- Don't take this the wrong way, Gris, but where did this come from? What makes you think I go out with guys?"

Grissom kept eye-contact, worried about Warrick's reaction to the confession he knew he'd have to make. "I accidentally overheard a conversation between you and Nick last week."

"A conversation?" Warrick was clearly clueless.

"You said some things about me that were... very flattering..."

Grissom waited, watching the moment it hit Warrick what he was talking about. "Oh, man. Oh, *shit.* Damn, Gris, I didn't know- you were in the locker room?!"

Grissom had the grace to look ashamed. "I couldn't exactly leave once Nick got you to admit you were interested in me."

Warrick met his eyes, biting back embarrassment in favor of grave seriousness. "I think I admitted more than that."

"Yes," Grissom said, quietly. He held Warrick's gaze as he asked softly, "Do you still want to go out?"

"Well, I did promise Nick," Warrick said slowly, rewarded by Grissom's small smile. "And you want to do this?"

"Yes."

That one emphatic word had Warrick shivering. He wasn't comfortable being the only one vulnerable, the only one with his feelings exposed, but if Grissom kept giving him looks like that, it would almost make up for it.

"Unless you had some place in mind," Warrick said, finally relaxing and feeling sure of himself, now that he grasped what an opportunity this was, "I know the perfect place. Do you dance?"

"No."

"Would you dance with me, if I begged you shamelessly?" Warrick asked, grinning at Grissom and touching him, quietly resting a hand on his thigh.

Grissom smiled back, the look in his eyes heated. "I might be open to persuasion," he conceded.