Title: Freudian Slip
By: justtopostmyfic
Pairing:Gil/Nick, first time
Genre: stand-alone, feels like a drabble. Or maybe vignette?
Timeframe: post-GD, because... It's the most wonderful time of the year series
Summary: A possible take on how Gil and Nick became Gil/Nick, if it happened in the raw aftermath of Nick's burial.
 

It's been seven days since Nick's abduction, five since he's been released from the hospital and the first time he's been outdoors since..it. Today had been Grissom's idea, really, to take him out to Lake Mead to enjoy some sun and fresh air.

They're sharing a banana split at a breezy open-air ice-cream palor, just quietly savouring the sweet burst of creamy coolness and each others' company, when Gil looks-- really looks-- over at Nick and has the sudden yearning urge to reach out and cup the side of his face.

The damned ant bites were fading into oblivion, revealing Nick's trademark tanned, smooth skin again. Gil doesn't try too hard to fight that urge down now, because Nick looks so beautiful and curiously fragile, but also because Gil was forced to realise seven days ago that life's too short and unpredictable for hesitation and inhibition.

So Gil sets down his spoon and reaches his right hand over to tenderly cup the side of Nick's face.

"You look good", Gil whispers, then realizing how that came out, he rushes to clarify, "what I meant was that, uh, you look healthy!"

Rob Gil of his memory vault of Shakespearean verses and other great literary quotes and he sometimes feels woefully inadequate when trying to express his feelings. He falls back on the simplest, yet heartfelt, words to convey his emotions, and right now it backfires on him.

Gil is flushed with reddened embarrassment, while Nick is slightly shocked. An air of awkwardness arises between them and lingers over their ice-cream.

But somewhere in the discomfort of the atmosphere then, it dawns on Gil. He realizes he'd much rather this awkwardness of a first date than the terror and panic and helplessness Nick has been enduring in the past few days. For Nick's sake, he'd choose this any day.

But Nick recovers quickly, and clasps his hand over Gil's. He smiles a small, genuine smile that reaches up to his eyes.

"Thanks, Gil" -not Grissom anymore- "on both counts!"


Trust Nick -even while still a shadow of his former self- to be able to lighten the tension so easily, to make a social hermit like himself so comfortable even after he's been pulled out of his comfort shell, Gil thought..