Title: Not Hodges
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4013
Pairings: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes and members of the team and lab.
Warnings: AU Fluff…as always!
Spoilers: No
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: murgy31, jayceepat and podga for their invaluable help in the Americanisation of the fic and their insightful comments. I thank high_striker for his wonderful icons. I am indebted to them all. Any errors are mine.
A/N: Just a little tale about not that much at all...

Gil was lying on his back, in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. His lover was lying on his stomach, beside him.

Nick had his head propped up on his folded arms which in turn lay on his pillow. His lover was absently stroking his left ass cheek. He knew that this was a prelude to some pronouncement that Gil would be making anytime soon. He’d become accustomed to his lover’s ways, including his fetish for his ass.

Nick was very post coital and desperate to sleep, but he knew that Gil would want him to hear what he was about to say. From past experience this could be as profound as what to eat for dinner, or as mundane as the real meaning of life as we know it, (Jim); Nick thought irreverently. Why Gil was not in a post orgasmic haze always confounded Nick, but Gil seemed energised after sex, not tired.

“I’ve been thinking Nicky….”

“….you don’t say.” That earned Nick a sharp slap on his ass, and in his state, he was sensitive.

“Ow.”

“Serves you right for being impertinent; I've got something important to say.”

“Get on with it then; I’m so tired, can hardly keep my eyes open.”

“God, Nick, you’ve got no stamina.”

“I did come twice, man.”

“So you did; so you did, my little sex machine.”

Nick opened a weary eye to glare at Gil, given the extremely poor, he thought, imitation of Groucho Marx…it might have been Groucho…could have been someone...anyone…else.

Gil turned onto his side to face Nick and lay his face on one of his hands while the other continued to caress Nick ass cheeks, and then moved up his back, stroking Nick like he might be a cat. Nick snuggled closer to Gil.

“So….”

“Well Nicky, I’ve been thinking we might as well come out of the closet.”

Nick’s eyes shot open and he was instantly wide awake. “Way to go and surprise me. What’s brought this on?”

“We’ve been together for, what, nearly two years, and I know we decided to keep it quiet because of all the circumstances, but we are staying together now…aren’t we?” A little sliver of doubt entered Gil’s consciousness, even after all the time they’d been together and the promises they made.

“I think that we ‘probably’ will.” But Nick accompanied his statement with a smile, so consuming, with eyes shining, that Gil knew he was joking about the ‘probably’.

“Only ‘probably’; hedging your bets, now?”

“Depends how often you’re going to slap my ass.”

“A little discipline never harmed anyone, Nicky, my boy. So, what do you think? Tell them, get it over with. I’m just bored with having to be careful of every word I say to you. Of being caught staring at your ass. The other night I nearly wiped a crumb from the corner of your mouth. I told you.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean. So what are you gonna do; what are ‘we’ gonna do?”

“Tell ‘em. Before shift one night. No. That might be too much to digest before work. At a breakfast after work? What do you think?”

“I think we shouldn’t tell them. We should just start ‘doing’ things. Like saying inappropriate things, staring at my…your…ass. Wiping crumbs off my chin.”

“God Nick, you’ve got a really evil streak, do you know? Mind you that could be ‘evil genius’; sounds like a plan and we could get some fun out of it.”

“I know I've said it before, but I cannot believe the secret hasn’t come out. I know telling Ecklie was a given; but it hasn’t left his or the sheriff’s office. I’m really surprised. But do you think the shift’ll be upset?”

“Possibly. Probably Sara, since she’s bound to have a humour bypass as far as I’m concerned. On second thought perhaps we’d better keep quiet.”

“No, lets do it…have some fun, as you say.”

“Okay. Do you want to adlib or make a plan?”

“I ‘want’ to go to sleep.” Nick yawned his response.

“If you must; turn on your side, let me spoon.”

Nick did as instructed and Gil pulled the blankets up around them.

A sleepy Nick murmured. “Love you.”

A happy Gil responded. “Love you right back you evil - sex machine - genius.”

Nick chuckled as he felt the tight embrace of his lover around his middle. He settled his arm over Gil’s and was asleep.

At work that night, they were extraordinarily busy and hardly together at all following their assignments. But, as they were leaving the briefing room, Gil let his hand linger, a moment or two, on Nick’s shoulder. A start...

Sara, of course, noticed, but even she dismissed it; it didn’t seem anything other than a normal friendly gesture, although she couldn’t remember Gil putting his hand on anyone’s shoulder before; he’d never put his hand on her shoulder. No. It was nothing.

The next night, when Gil handed out the assignments he smiled at Nick. He rarely smiled at anyone in work; and never quite like this.

Sara noticed, and frowned, but it meant nothing, she was sure.

Catherine noticed, she thought that Gil was happy about something, perhaps he’d finally found a woman: right conclusion, wrong gender.

The next night at break time, they were (unusually) all together, most of them enjoying a pizza, but Nick had brought a salad to work, which he was eating. He was good at throwing salads together and Gil always enjoyed them.

“That looks like a nice salad you’ve got there, Nicky.”

“It is. Why, you want some of it?”

“I wouldn’t mind, it looks so…appetising.”

“Mmmm, it is, here.” Nick pushed the Tupperware bowl towards Gil and retrieved a fork from the centre of the table and then both men ate the contents of the bowl. Steadily, quietly, as much as the crunchiness of the ingredients would allow, they cleaned out the bowl.

Sara noticed; and she automatically retrieved her other memories. The touch, the smile, and now the intimacy over the salad bowl. This was impossible, she thought miserably. There was no way. There was no way Gil Grissom swung that way. Nick Stokes, on the other hand, yes, now that was a possibility.

If Nick Stokes had stolen her man, she would have to get even; but, Gil wasn’t……wasn’t…..gay.

“Eating healthy, Nick?” Catherine wanted to know.

“Yep. I throw so much bad stuff down my throat; I’m trying to be a bit more aware. I mean, living out of pizza boxes and take-out cartons is not good for you. So, health kick number twenty three, and counting, is under way. I’ll see how long this one lasts.”

Catherine laughed, she did know about Nick’s spasmodic health drives. But, she also noticed how Gil had hung on every word Nick had said. She couldn’t quite put a name to the look. Interest? Gil was interested in hearing what Nick had to say. That was it and it was one for the books. Gil usually discounted Nick from most conversations. There had been times when she’d been embarrassed for Nick, at Gil’s seeming indifference towards him; Nick, however, had never appeared to be bothered about it.

Nick was a nice young man, or so Catherine thought, but she then thought that she was damning him with faint praise. ‘Nice’ was so ambiguous. Nick was an excellent investigator. So, he’d taken a couple of years to find his feet, now he was top notch. He’d also had so much shit thrown at him, in the line of duty, yet he’d still come up smelling of roses. Yeah, Nick was more than ‘nice’, he was ‘exceptional’.

Greg was fascinated at the way the men ate the salad. His mind hadn’t made the leap to ‘intimacy’, but he was jealous. Yes, jealous, that they were eating what did appear to be a very good bowl of salad. Perhaps he’d get Nick to make one up for him. It always tasted better when someone else made it and Grissom seemed to appreciate that fact.

Warrick continued to read his journal.

The next night Nick produced two bowls of salad, one for him and one for Gil. Gil’s profuse thanks to Nick caused Warrick to protest.

“Gil, it’s a bowl of salad. Get over it already.”

“But it’s such an excellent salad and Nick’s gone to the trouble to make one up for me. He didn’t have to.”

“No, he didn’t; he’s sucking up to the boss.”

“Are you Nicky? Is this an attempt to influence me?”

“Yep, a blatant attempt to get you to give me all the easy work, no more dumpsters, no more decomps. You know I hate them…has it worked?”

“Of course it has, I’ll make sure to send Warrick on the worst jobs and then grade them down to the nicest jobs for you. What do you think?”

“My plan has worked; I’ll be sure to bring you an apple tomorrow.”

“With a salad?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, Nicky.”

“You’re welcome…Gil.” Nick NEVER called Gil, ‘Gil’, at work. Never. Even Gil’s eyebrows shot up at the name.

“Whoa……’Gil’? What’s going on here?” Warrick had caught on ‘big time’.

“What d’you mean?” Gil asked.

“What d’you mean?” Nick asked, at the same time.

“Don’t panic Warrick; they’re just throwing you a curve ball. I think they’re yanking our chains.”

“Why?”

“Oh, because…don’t know. Why are you doing this? What’s got into you both?”

“Nothing.” Once again both men said the same thing, simultaneously.

This time though they looked at one another and burst out laughing.

That wiped the smile off Catherine’s face as she processed the look.

Warrick frowned.

Greg sat back in his chair and watched the scene unfold.

Sara scraped her chair back and got up. She threw her sandwich away in the trash can and stomped out of the break room. Yes, everyone in the room agreed, silently, that she’d ‘stomped’.

“Right. What, exactly, are you two guys up to?”

They both laughed again and, ‘nothing’, once more, was their response.

“Sometimes a salad is just a salad, Catherine.” Gil smiled his (hopefully) enigmatic smile at Catherine.

“And sometimes it’s a Waldorf or a Caesar’s…” Catherine chose to ignore the attempt to deflect.

“I’m lost. Do I need to add different dressings?”

“No.’ This time it was Gil and Catherine who spoke together.

Nick was missing something in the obtuse conversation. He suspected that Warrick, too, had lost the drift, since he was frowning.

The moment passed; but the seeds had been sewn.

Sara, particularly, watched every move they made, and came to the conclusion that Nick was quite definitely gay; why she hadn’t noticed before she didn’t know, there was just something about the way he was. The way he behaved with people; he was soft and kind. Not effeminate, but with less testosterone that the other men around the lab. Yes; gay.

Maybe, she theorised, Gil knew that Nick was gay and was being supportive, knowing it was a difficult environment for gays in any PD. Somehow, she convinced herself, that it wasn’t an altogether ‘bad thing’, if Gil was drinking from that same glass. At least it wasn’t another woman. And Nick would be nice to Gil, take care of him. Nick could be a substitute ‘Sara’ for Gil. She was gradually coming around to the idea.

Warrick forgot about it, mostly. But he couldn’t help noticing that the men seemed friendly; very friendly, actually. He was jealous. When had he stopped being Nick’s best friend, he didn’t know.

Greg kept an eye out but really wasn’t bothered, either way.

Catherine made herself check things out. She did notice that both Gil and Nick seemed much more relaxed than she could ever remember. But there was nothing more than that.

When she was paired up with Nick she asked him a few pertinent questions.

“Nick, you seem a lot more relaxed than you used to be…not that you were exactly tense, but you know?”

“Really? I feel pretty relaxed now you come to mention it. I suppose I’m older, a bit wiser, and not so ready to butt heads. Yeah…I’m older.”

“God, Nick, you don’t look a day over…what, late twenties...thirty, tops.”

“That’s very kind of you to say so, but you might need to have your eyesight checked. I do take care though. I use some products…skin can become dry and we can get sunburn.” Was this information a little too gay, Nick wondered.

“Now I never figured a Texan guy would resort to cosmetics.”

“Hey…not cosmetics. Just moisturiser with a sunscreen, is all. Sensible, if you ask me.”

“Errr…well, yes, it is…it just doesn’t seem like a thing you would do.”

“Stereotyping, Catherine?”

“No. I suppose times have changed. Do you think Gil uses ‘products’?”

Now that caught Nick off guard. “Well, yes, I suppose he could.” He knew darn well that he did, because he’d made him. “He’s got good skin…I mean, when he hasn’t got a beard…don’t you think?”

Catherine smiled. “As a matter of fact he has. Not scarred…except that little one by his eyebrow. He has remarkably good skin. I bet he does use something. He always wears that ridiculous hat when he’s out in the sun, so he’s well aware of the risks.”

“Yeah, now it is ridiculous isn’t it, he must be able to get something a little…better…than that.”

Catherine had hit a sore point, Gil wore that stupid straw hat in the sun…it was old and falling apart, but for some reason Gil liked wearing it; Nick suspected it was just to annoy him, because he knew he hated the thing. Yes, that was probably the reason. Nick also wondered if he’d given Catherine a little too much information. Did straight men wear ‘products’? Of course they did, Greg wore stuff, and he was straight. Warrick didn’t, or didn’t own up to it, but he had very good skin too, so maybe he did.

“We could buy him a new sunhat for his birthday.” Catherine was hopeful.

Nick knew better, there were at least two others at home that Nick had purchased for him, to no avail. But with Catherine buying maybe Gil would have to wear it. “That’s a good idea Catherine…hey, look at this…..” Work intervened and they didn’t pick up the conversation again.

The definitive moment came a couple of weeks later, and the irony was that neither man did it deliberately; but they couldn’t deny that they were more relaxed at work. The way they acted suited work; they were friendlier, but not overtly, so not drawing too much attention to themselves.

Nick had recounted his conversation with Catherine, omitting the denigration of the sunhat. He was certain Gil wore it to aggravate him – and it worked, every time.

Gil had been a little bemused that the shift had either not noticed, or chosen to ignore, that it was likely that they were gay and at the very least dating. He couldn’t decide whether it was because they really hadn’t noticed, even Sara, or were in denial, or, and this was stretching the limit - too embarrassed to mention it. Sara would, he was certain. Or so he thought.

David Hodges. The lab rat was the one who finally saw the evidence with his own eyes; and drew the correct conclusion; although the evidence was somewhat overwhelming.

The labs were quiet. Gil was studying a number of microscopic scrapings from a victim’s shirt. He recognised the substance as pyrite - fools gold. He remembered that Nick had had a case some time ago dealing with the same substance and as luck would have it, he saw Nick wandering past the lab, papers in hand.

“Nick. Here a moment, please.”

“What is it, boss?”

“Do you recognise this?” Gil nodded towards the microscope.

“It’s a microscope, Gil. We use them all the time.”

“Oh very funny; less of the disrespect, or I might have to punish you.”

“Worried.”

“You should be.”

While they’d exchanged these few words, Gil had moved aside, on his stool, to let Nick look in the eye piece. He hadn’t moved much and Nick had moved in close. So close that one of Gil’s legs, moved apart to allow Nick access, now rested on the back of Nick’s own legs. Gil’s hand strayed to Nick’s back and he ran his hand, although really it was his fingers, down Nick’s back and let it come to rest in the middle of his back just above his pant’s belt.

“Pyrite.” Nick correctly recognised the mineral. As he looked up from the microscope and turned towards Gil, their heads were very close. They smiled at one another and then Gil’s hand slid down and clamped onto one of Nick’s ass cheeks.

Nick laughed and then used both of his hands to prise Gil’s hand from the cheek. He was laughing and Gil was smiling a smug and satisfied smile, his lips twitching in the way that caused Nick’s cock to twitch, empathising. Finally removing the hand from its inappropriate (for work anyway) resting place, Nick turned away from Gil, intending to leave the lab.

As he turned, he saw Hodges.

As Nick turned he left the field of vision clear for Gil to see Hodges.

Hodges had been studiously checking several drug samples to identify which one was contaminated and fatal. He’d heard Gil call to Nick. He was fed up with the way Gil treated Nick Stokes. He thought Nick was a nice enough guy; but he just wasn’t in the same league as Gil and himself.

He would never subscribe to the theory, now running completely rampant around the lab, that they were gay and sleeping together. There was a considerable pot to be had for the first person to find conclusive evidence. Bobby was running the book and had taken bets off most of their shift and most of the other shifts too - the funny thing was, no one seemed to be bothered if they were. Even Sara seemed relaxed about it, though David suspected she was on medication.

When he heard Gil call Nick he looked up from his work and watched the two men. He couldn’t miss the way they were relaxed together, sharing a joke immediately. He couldn’t hear them talking, but heard a low rumble of laughter.

Then he watched, incredulously, as Gil indicated that Nick should look in the microscope, but hardly moved out of the way to let him do so; in fact Nick moved so close to Gil that one of Gil's legs was touching Nick’s legs. Touching. TOUCHING!

And then (at this point Hodges thought his eyes might have popped out of their sockets, entirely) Gil put his hand on Nick’s back and was stroking it. STROKING IT!

Gil’s hand stopped momentarily on Nick’s waist and then the two men were going to kiss their faces were so close. SO CLOSE! KISS!

Hodges gulped and then his mouth dropped open; he was blushing crimson, the heat on his neck and in his hair. He knew he shouldn’t be staring, but he could not tear his eyes away.

What he saw next would possibly affect his higher brain functionality for years to come.

Gil’s hand dropped onto Nick’s bottom. His behind. His ass. Gil’s hand was holding an ass cheek; it looked to be quite a firm hold.

Nick had to use both of his hands behind him to extricate the hand from his ass. He was laughing, this was not sexual harassment; these men were very comfortable with one another – they were lovers. They were long time lovers. Hodges, for the life of him couldn’t understand how he’d missed this… blatant…sexuality. Unless, of course, the men hadn’t meant anyone to see it, and now there was some change in their relationship.

As Hodges thought his thoughts, his face burning hot and his mouth dropping open, Nick turned, his face happy and his laughter evident.

Their eyes locked. Hodges snapped his mouth shut, but didn’t break their eye contact, until he felt Gil looking at him too; Gil’s face also reflecting happiness and…smugness. It was very obvious that he was, one, well…happy, and two, a cat that had discovered and licked his cream.

Nick walked towards Hodges; his grin quite obviously signalling to Hodges that he wasn’t in the least perturbed at being caught in the act. Gil stood up from his lab stool and followed Nick.

“Guess you know then now, Hodges?” Nick asked.

Hodges nodded and then realised that his super cool persona was in serious jeopardy.

“Of course, I knew beforehand.”

“Yeah. Of course you did. I suppose you want to collect on Bobby’s pool?”

“What? Oh, yes; not that I’ve participated, you understand.”

“You can’t collect then, David. I think you have to lay a bet down to be able to call it…I could be wrong.” Gil was calling Hodges.

“Well. I did actually put a small bet down; only to be part of the office and not appear aloof; it is very unseemly to bet on……don’t you think?”

“Not at all. Perhaps then, if you’re going to make money from some shady dealing, you should donate your winnings to a worthy cause?”

“He could buy us all a breakfast Gil, because he’ll need one of us to verify his findings…I mean there’s no physical evidence, only an eye witness account. Would Bobby accept his word?”

“Good point, Nicky, my boy. A little blackmail and we could be enjoying a damned fine breakfast…what about poolside at The Venetian…always good?”

“Nice. Hodges?”

“Well…okay, then.” Secretly, Hodges was ecstatic; he’d never been invited to a shift breakfast, let alone a breakfast with Gil Grissom. God, the men were gay. Wendy would be furious; she really did think if she stayed around long enough then Nick would notice her – shame. Give him a chance maybe, a shoulder to cry on…could he be that man, for Wendy?

“Come on then, lets go and collect, see how much money we’ve earned you and how much we can get to spend on breakfast.” Nick was rubbing his hands together.

“I need to finish the report I was working on. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.” Gil laid it on a bit thick for Hodge’s benefit. He did enjoy the squirming and he finished it off with a pat to the same ass cheek he’d been fondling minutes before.

“See ya, babe. Hold on to my paper work, I’ll be back in a few.”

They locked eyes and EVEN Hodges thought he might be intruding.

“Come on Hodges, lets go ruin Bobby’s day.”

Gil leaned against the glass wall and smirked as he watched them walk away or, more accurately, watched Nick’s ass walk away. No. No, he told himself, not Nick’s ass, his ass. His one and only, okay, two, if he was being pedantic, ass cheeks. They held a special place in his new life. And now he could stare to his heart’s content…well almost!

He slipped his hands into his pockets and could feel the heat in his groin, through the material. He could also feel the heat inside his body as the sight and thought of Nick…not just his ass…filled him with lust.

They’d weather any flack coming their way. It didn’t matter as long as they were together. He knew his staff well enough to know they would accept the situation after the initial furore had died down. Even Sara. It wasn’t like Nick was another woman; she’d probably be able to come to terms with that.

Catherine would turn into Nick’s confident and best friend, and share like only girls did; only Nick wasn’t that kind of gay guy, at least he didn’t think so.

Warrick would be initially upset at his exclusion, but he didn’t bear grudges.

And Greg, he wouldn’t give a damn either way.

Gil laughed out loud when he heard Bobby shout.

“NO! Not Hodges.”

The End