Title: Mahana
Author: flipflopadd1ct
Pairing: Nick/Greg (CSI: Vegas)
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Greg struggles over a difficult decision; Nick has one last chance to save himself before the vote...
Author's Notes: This is an AU based on Survivor. In fact, Nick and Greg happen to be contestants in Survivor's thirteenth season, Tahiti. Also, here is pronunciation for the tribe names: Tiaré - Tee-ah-ray; Motu - Mo-too; Mahana - Mah-hah-nah. Last but not least, muchas gracias to the lovely michigangirl30 for looking this over for me!
Disclaimer: Nick/Greg are not mine; the concept of Survivor is not mine, either.
X-posted every-fuckin'-where; submission to two other challenges.

It was Day 24.

Greg had woken up first. He had stepped carefully over the other sleeping members of Mahana, finding the sand to be still cool under his feet. The sun was just beginning to rise, a small sliver of yellow barely peeking over the watery horizon. He decided to take a walk down to a secluded stretch of beach not too far from the Mahana camp.

The camera crew had followed him eagerly. They were like sharks, always ready to demolish a castaway's privacy whenever they could get one alone. And that's what happened to Greg – a producer spent a good fifteen minutes picking his brain about plans of the Tiaré alliance, thoughts on the looming Immunity Challenge – the usual banal questions. Eventually, though, the crew had left him alone to return to camp.

Someone would have to be blind not to see how the vote would go on Day 24.

Greg felt completely safe. To put it simply, his side had the majority. The two tribes – Motu, from a Tahitian word meaning "a small islet on a reef," and Tiaré, named after a Tahitian word meaning "flower" – had merged on Day 19 with five remaining castaways from each tribe. The new tribe was named Mahana, after the Tahitian word for "sun." Common sense would have suggested the first Mahana vote, on Day 21, would have been a tie. The ex-Tiarés had managed to stick together and vote as a solid bloc; the ex-Motus, however, were disorganized, resulting in a split vote. One of their strongest members was ousted.

Now it was just a matter of time until Motu was completely extinct, a scenario that had happened on Survivor time after time: Pagong from Borneo, Samburu from Africa, Sook Jai from Thailand – they all met a fate that would echoed in the demise of the Motu tribe.

Greg was a member of the Tiaré alliance, which meant he was safe. Completely and utterly safe. The group had already decided who needed to go: Nick, the strong, athletic, attractive Motu who had won Immunity last time. Nick was a threat to the alliance of Tiare, and in the game of Survivor, threats must be dealt with at Tribal Council.

Greg faced only one small problem. A stupid problem, really: he had a small crush on Nick.

When he found out that he had been accepted for Survivor: Tahiti, Greg did not enter the game expecting to fall for a fellow contestant. But he did, and that made his current decision all the more harder to make.

Out of all the ex-Motus, Greg had grown closest to Nick. They had a lot in common – occupational background, for example. Nick was a CSI out of Dallas; Greg worked as a DNA tech in a crime lab in Las Vegas. And Greg enjoyed Nick's company. Nick was easygoing, charming...everything Greg would want in a relationship.

Unfortunately, while playing the game of Survivor was not the best time to fall for someone.

Greg's safest and smartest choice would be to stick with Tiare and vote out Nick, assuming Nick wouldn't win Immunity. He'd hate doing it, though; he liked having Nick around.

Greg shook his head, both to clear his thoughts and the gnats that were swarming around him. He couldn't believe he was letting a crush mess with his strategy. A million dollars were at stake. If Greg voted with Nick, he'd lose the money for sure. If he voted against Nick, it would be better in the long run for himself. Survivor, after all, was a selfish game.

As he watched the sun climb higher into the cloudless Pacific sky, Greg nodded, finalizing his decision. He would vote with Tiaré. Nothing could make him change his mind.

As he thought that, Greg heard footsteps shuffling towards him through the sand.

"Morning," Nick said. He sat down next to Greg against the driftwood that had been tossed up on the beach after a storm a few nights before. Greg was very much aware of how close their knees were.

"Looks like you found my special spot," Greg teased.

"Well, it looks like you can't keep your special spot hidden very well!" Nick chuckled. "Besides, I saw you come down this way the other day."

Both men were shirtless, their tops replaced by sunburns, tans, and bug bites. Greg was wearing nothing but a blue bathing suit, faded from exposure. Nick had on a pair of khaki shorts.

Silence fell between them, but Greg knew what Nick wanted to ask. Greg thought about his response, thought about how Nick was sitting too damn close for comfort. This really isn't fair, Greg thought. I haven't had any in weeks and now I get teased with Nick being so near...

"So I guess I'll just come out and say it," Nick was saying. "It's me tonight, isn't it?"

Greg played with a twig in the sand to delay his answer. "I...don't know how the others are voting," he lied.

He knew exactly how "the others" were voting.

"You can tell me if it's me," Nick pressed. "I'm not going to kick your ass or anything, man."

"I bet you could if you wanted to!" Greg laughed. Keep the mood light, he told himself.

Nick clapped Greg on the shoulder. "You're a funny guy, Greg." His expression turned serious again. "Seriously, Greg. I know you five are voting together, and it only makes sense if I go. So can you just be a friend and tell it to my face?"

"It's you," Greg sighed. Despite Nick's asking, Greg wasn't able to look him in the face. This decision had been made several nights ago, but Greg still felt bad for doing it.

"Thanks," Nick replied. He stretched his legs out, letting his toes play in the sand. "Looks like I'll just have to win Immunity, then."

"You probably will, too. You won the last two Challenges." Greg had no problem saying that. It was true.

"But that's why you all want me out."

"You caught me," Greg shrugged.

Nick waved his hand. "I don't blame you. I'd be doing the same thing if I had the power." He chuckled.

Nick's presence was having adverse effects on Greg's mental state.

"Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?" Nick asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

Greg wasn't thinking. He couldn't have been thinking. It must've been a combination of the heat and his attraction to Nick and his lack of sexual contact in weeks, because Greg leaned over and kissed Nick on the lips.

When Nick opened his mouth and let Greg in, when Greg felt Nick's tongue, Greg suddenly pulled away, wiping his mouth, eyes wide in shock.

"Oh, shit! Fuck! I did not just do that!" Greg gasped.

Nick looked unfazed. "You did."

"I'm sorry. I've got to head back to camp-"

Greg started to walk away but Nick grabbed his hand and pulled him down. Greg tripped and landed haphazardly on Nick's lap.

"Oh," Greg said softly. "You mean-"

"It's okay."

"Are you gay?" Greg was shocked. The Nick he had come to know on Survivor...well, Greg never would have guessed.

"Can't tell, can you?" Nick was grinning widely. "Most people don't believe I am."

"You had me fooled."

"Want to finish what we started?"

Greg could feel that Nick was hard against his leg. In a matter of seconds, Greg's own erection was tenting his shorts.

"We probably shouldn't..." Greg started.

"We both need it," Nick replied. "So why not? Let's just get off quick, before the cameras come back."

Greg was no longer thinking rationally. "What the hell?" he shrugged, and leaned in for another kiss. Making out with Nick wasn't the most ideal kiss Greg could imagine, but he knew he must've been just as bad – bad breath, three-plus weeks of beard growth. If he could ignore their physical state – and he could – Nick was, in fact, a very good, insatiable kisser.

Greg stretched out on top of Nick, their hard cocks rubbing against each other through two layers of beach-worn fabric. Greg was hard enough, horny enough that he almost came from that contact alone.

But Nick had other plans. He lightly pushed Greg off of him until Greg was sitting next to him. Nick reached a strong hand inside Greg's bathing suit and began stroking Greg's cock. Greg, getting the idea, reached for Nick's zipper and followed Nick's lead.

They kissed as they brought each other off, hurrying in case a cameraman or another castaway happened upon then. Greg thought the whole ordeal was surreal – Nick had a thick, perfect cock that in any other circumstance Greg would have been sucking by then. Having the real thing in his hand didn't compare at all to the silent fantasies that had played out in Greg's head over the past couple days.

Nick's grip on Greg's cock was firm and determined, like everything else Nick did. His skill and touch were causing Greg to find himself faltering on Nick's cock as he bucked into Nick's hand. The sun was even higher in the sky now and the jungle behind them was beginning to wake up, but Nick and Greg were still alone, sweating and breathing heavily.

Something told Greg he should stop, that he'd gone too far, but he ignored the thought. He was too close to care, and by the look on Nick's face, so was he.

"Fuck, yes, Greg," Nick muttered, the first words since they had began. Greg tried to form words but they came out as a moan instead. Nick gasped "Coming" and that was all the warning Greg had before Nick came, spurting onto his chest and Greg's fingers. Greg wasn't far behind.

They ran down to the ocean to wash off.

"That was just for fun, okay?" Nick asked as he splashed water on his chest. "I don't want you to change your vote just because we traded handjobs."

Nick's expression was unreadable, but something in his voice betrayed his words.

"Just for fun," Greg nodded. He pretended he didn't hear the small note of hope hiding in the tone of Nick's voice, forced himself not to think too hard about what they had just done. "It was a lot of fun," he shrugged, casually. He told himself to stay cool.

"You got a nice cock, Greg."

"You too, Nick."

They started laughing, splashing and dunking each other until they decided to return to camp, both men in good spirits.

As the day went on, however, Greg began to regret his action more and more. It was a mistake.

If he had been confused earlier, it was nothing compared to how he felt now.

He knew if Nick stuck around, their relationship would only become more complicated.

~

The Immunity Challenge was a simple game of elimination.

The castaways were asked questions about Tahitian culture. Whoever got the question right would then be able to break another castaway's coconut. Three strikes, or three broken coconuts, were a death sentence.

Nick was out after the first question. Greg won.

~

The sun was setting. Tribal Council was only a few hours away.

The Immunity Necklace felt heavy around Greg's neck. It guaranteed him safety, complete safety that he didn't even need. Nick hadn't stood a chance in the Challenge.

Nick had approached him after the Challenge.

"We're voting for Warrick," he had said. "Think about it, alright?"

Greg had thought about it. Warrick was a member of his alliance, an athletic ex-Tiaré who was a sensible target for the ex-Motus. Greg liked Warrick, too. But he was the swing. If he voted for Warrick, Warrick was gone.

He doubted that any of his alliance had any idea that he was split over the night's vote.

Greg was still fretting over his decision during the walk to Tribal Council. If he hadn't given into temptation with Nick earlier in the day, this decision would have been so much easier.

~

When it was Greg's turn at the voting booth, he scribbled a name and held it in front of the camera.

"This was a hard decision, but I can't move forward with you here. Voting any other way...well, it wouldn't make much sense."

Greg returned to his seat, waited for the host to gather the urn and reveal the result, but he was pretty sure he knew who was going home.

~

"And the eighth person voted out of Survivor: Tahiti is..." Jeff Probst turned the card around. "Nick. You need to bring me your torch."

Nick showed no expression on his face. He furtively patted Greg on the knee before standing and reaching for his torch.

When his torch had been extinguished, Nick waved at the remaining eight and disappeared down the pathway. A chorus of "Bye!" rang out, but Greg didn't say a word.

The vote had been five to four.

A/N: A sequel to this is possible. After all, what happens when Nick and Greg meet up at the finale's after party? Hmm...