TITEL: Deprivation
(happens before Solid Evidence)
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: mild R
PAIRING: Nick/Gil
ARCHIVE: yes
DISCLAIMER: CSI belongs to CBS, Alliance Atlantic, Jerry Bruckheimer, Anthony E. Zuiker and whoever else claims rights. We don't. Nu-uh! We just play with 'em. The Denuo universe was created by Lara Bee and myself
WARNING: warm and fuzzy fic ahead. Kinda like a PWP without the 'at it like bunnies' part :)
Macx's Voice of Warning (aka Authors' Note): English is not my first
language; it's German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find
in here, collect them and you might win a prize
warm and fuzzy fic ahead. Kinda like a PWP without the 'at it like
bunnies' part :)
Deprivation
It was one of those days Nick Stokes didn't know whether he was coming
or going. Maybe it was neither. Maybe he was just floating in limbo. At
least it felt like it. There was this cottony feeling, the way his eyes
itched, his body protested each move, and his bones seemed to creak.
In the last days he had lived off coffee and nuked burritos, as well as
a Mars or Snickers bar hastily chewed down while waiting for results on
a high profile murder case. A young woman had been found in the VIP
suite of the Bellagio Hotel, strangled, raped, and dressed up in garish
clothes. Fingerprints had identified her as the personal assistant to a
visiting senator, who had taken a weekend off his schedule to enjoy some
gambling and shows.
And Grissom's shift had taken over the investigation; all of them.
Things were boiling up left and right as the political powder keg was
close to explode with revelations after revelations. Not only had the
senator had a sexual affair with the woman in question, he had also been
about to divorce his wife of fifteen years, who was an alcoholic. The
sheriff and the mayor were barking at Grissom's heels and tensions rose
everywhere.
Nick was just glad that Gil was such a calm rock in this turmoiled sea.
It was this calm that had helped everyone focus and finally get their
man - only to have new cases line up. The graveyard shift as operating
at their limits and Girssom had ordered them to take days off. Nick,
with a solo case that required all his attention, had pushed his off-day
ahead of himself. He couldn't just turn his back on a little dead girl
that had been run over by some maniac trying to prove to some other
hot-head that he had the better car.
Rubbing at his eyes, Nick blinked and tried to focus on the results from
Trace. All he needed now was a positive match on the fingerprints and he
had his guy. Glancing at the wall clock he sighed. It was already six in
the morning and he had a date to keep for nine.
One of his sisters had a three-hour lay-over at the airport and they had
talked a few days ago, deciding to meet in one of the restaurants, have
breakfast, talk a little. So Nick planned to leave on time at around
eight to make it to the airport.
An hour later he had the last results and was one happy criminalist.
Delivering everything to O'Riley, he finally signed off at shortly past
eight. The sergeant would take care of the rest, book their guy and
until the trial, Nick didn't have to think of Suzy Tomacz again, a girl
who had been at the wrong time in the wrong place, run over by a street
racer.
* * *
By the time Nick got home it was close to one in the afternoon. Janet
Stokes and her fiancee were on their way to Boston and he had promised
to call more often. He usually did. And he called a lot. Nick was a
family man, he loved his sisters and brother, his parents, the whole lot
of them, but now and then work got in the way of promises.
Dropping the keys next to his wallet, he went through his mail, then let
it drop right next to the keys and wallet. He was so tired, he couldn't
read a whole sentence any more, let alone decipher his name on the
envelopes. As he walked into the kitchen, he realized he had company.
Sitting on the couch of the open living room, Gil Grissom was reading
the newspaper, glasses perched on his nose. He was leisurely dressed and
had apparently been here for a while now.
"How's your sister?" his lover asked, looking over his glasses.
"Uh, good. She and Todd plan to get married next year. Big party and
all."
Gil nodded, then his eyebrows dropped as he looked over the other man.
"You had breakfast?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Now get your ass over to bed and sleep, Nicky."
"Gil."
"In case you think I haven't noticed - I have. Your day off is on
Monday. Today's Friday, you're not on call and if you so much as breathe
a word of work in the next seventy-two hours, we're going to have a very
serious talk, Nick."
Nick gaped at his lover. The whole speech had been delivered so
matter-of-factly, it was almost unreal.
"I'm fine," he protested automatically.
"You've been working straight through several cases, all of them not
exactly small, and while the rest of the team has already taken their
mandatory time off, you haven't. Nick, you're at the end of your
endurance." Grissom folded the newspaper and got up, walking over to his
lover. "The Tomascz file is closed for you. Now it's up to the court and
the jury. Give yourself some time to rest."
A gentle hand cupped his cheek and Nick found himself more than willing
to just lean into the warm contact, eyes sliding shut almost
automatically. He started to sway a little and a strong arm curled
around his waist, keeping him steady.
"Let's get you to bed."
Any other time having his lover undress him would have been erotic, a
turn-on, but not today. He got into his shorts and the old t-shirt he
used as a pajama top, yawning heavily.. He crawled under the covers as
Gil closed the drapes, bathing everything in soothing darkness.
"You gonna stay?" Nick mumbled.
The mattress dipped under an additional weight and Nick snuggled close
to the familiar presence. A hand caressed his back and ran through his
hair. He sighed softly in pleasure, feeling sleep drag him deeper.
* * *
Grissom watched his lover fall asleep, never ceasing his gentle caress.
He had been shocked to see the deep lines in the handsome face when Nick
had come in, the dark circles under his eyes, no longer hidden by the
sunglasses, and he wondered why he hadn't seen the signs of exhaustion
earlier. The answer was easy and terrifying in one: he had been too
caught up in his own cases, and the fall-out of the murdered assistant
of Senator Henley-Smith. While his team had gone on to new cases, each
one after another taking days off to recharge their batteries, he had
made sure everything went smoothly with the evidence. Tiny details, all
coordinated with the police, the judge and the district attorney, and he
had been too absorbed to notice that Nick was slowly burning out.
He brushed through the short strands of hair and smiled sadly. Grissom
knew he could forget the world around him, but he had never ignored his
lover. Never.
They had the whole weekend now, including a whole Monday for Nick to get
back his strength. And he would make up his deficiency in the matters of
care and attention.
* * *
Nick slept for twelve hours straight. He didn't wake once, but when he
did, his bladder informed him it was about time. The night stand clock
told him it was past noon and after a long, hot shower he felt better
than in days. More awake, more alive, though still tired.
Walking into the living room he found he was alone. A note pinned to the
kitchen fridge told him that his lover had gone out for the essentials,
including lunch, and Nick smiled slightly. Grissom and shopping. his
lover hated shopping with a passion. He knew it was necessary, but he
didn't like it anyway.
Nick made himself some coffee and ate a cereal bar, looking around his
home. He had bills to pay, letters to answer, mails to check, and
everything looked rather like a tornado had struck. Well, it was a way
to keep himself busy until Gil returned.
*
It was how Grissom found him - deeply absorbed in his bills and
paperwork, filing paid bills away, making little mountains of papers,
chewing on a pen. The laptop was on, showing his email account. When
Grissom closed the door, Nick looked up and gave him a wide, dimpled
smile.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself."
"Fought off the housewives in the grocery store?" Nick teased.
Grissom grimaced and put down the shopping bag. "It was bad enough."
"Had a wrestling contest over some bagels?"
Nick's brown eyes were dancing and he gave a splutter of laughter as a
bag of chips was thrown at him.
"I see you're more awake than yesterday," Grissom commented dryly.
"Yeah, well. sleep helped."
The older man started to unpack the paper back, then walked over to
where Nick was shuffling some more papers.
"Lunch?"
"Sure. Whatcha got?"
Grissom made a beckoning motion with his finger and Nick rose, curiously
following him.
"Spinach lasagna!" he exclaimed, grinning. "From Al Fredo's!"
It was his all-time favorite pasta restaurant and while not exactly
cheap, it was the best he had ever tasted. He caught Grissom and kissed
him, smiling at his lover.
"Thanks."
Grissom just smiled and caught another kiss, one hand stroking over
Nick's back. "I'll heat it up. Set the table?"
"Consider it done."
*
Nick gave a contented sigh, interlaced fingers resting on his stomach.
The TV was on, running a documentary, and he listened to it, lazily
watching the images flicker over the screen. A hand was caressing his
head, stroking his hair, and he snuggled deeper into the warm hold of
his lover, who was totally engrossed in the program. Nick smiled fondly.
Lunch had been great but the TV cuddling on their comfy couch was even
better. It was three in the afternoon, the sun was high in the sky, life
happened outside, but he couldn't care less. This was their day, their
weekend, and while he usually went to hike, meet friends, paraglide or
do something else, this weekend was as slow and lazy as they could make
it.
He dozed off after some time, coming around to the aroma of coffee and
the absence of the warmth he had felt next to him before. Opening his
eyes he discovered Gil walking over from the kitchen, carrying two mugs.
It was just past four, so he hadn't slept more than an hour.
"Coffee?" his lover offered, smiling.
"Yeah, thanks. Must've dozed off." He smiled slightly as he sat up,
yawning.
"Your body still needs it. You need it."
Nick shrugged and sipped at the hot, black liquid. He watched Grissom
over the rim of his mug, took in the relaxed, completely off duty
appearance, the casual clothes, the faint smile. Yes, there was a lot he
needed. His friends, his family, his job, food, sleep, air to breathe..
And Gil Grissom. He needed this man most of all, aside from the bare
basics without no one could survive. But this man was his lover, his
partner, his friend, his balance. He had found him and nothing would
ever make him give up what he felt when Gil was there.
He loved him. Plain and simple.
Finally Nick set down the mug and rose. Grissom looked up, a quizzical
expression in his eyes and Nick just held out his hand.
It was taken, the expression still there.
Nick brushed his lips over Grissom's, pulling him close. The mouth
underneath his lips opened and tongues brushed against each other.
Nick's fingers quickly found their way underneath the dark shirt,
touching bare skin, caressing and teasing it. Grissom moaned softly in
appreciation and Nick began to maneuver them toward the bedroom. His
hints were eagerly taken and Grissom kicked the door shut behind them.
(placed before Solid Evidence)
by Macx
