By: Serenity
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Summary: Written for the Live Journal 'Toy' challenge. A case involving sex toys forces Nick to rethink a few things.
Beta'd by the lovely Shacky20
Disclaimer: Me no own. Me no make the money.
Greg was bent over his microscope bobbing his spiky head to one of his many CDs when Nick entered the inner sanctum of the DNA lab, clutching two brown paper evidence bags from his latest case.
"Hey Greg." he shouted to be heard over the pounding rock music. Greg continued to dance around to the thump thump beat of the song, oblivious to the presence of his co worker. "Greg... Greg.... GREG!" he yelled again. Greg spun around, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Sorry dude." he laughed unashamedly, cutting the music with a flick of his wrist. The sudden silence almost seemed alien inside the chaos of the lab. He crossed the short distance between them and came to stand beside Nick, gesturing to the bags. "You got something for me?"
Nick nodded, checking the evidence labels. "We've got a DB at a house over on Wilson, the vic was discovered by his cleaning lady, he was naked in bed and he‘d been strangled with one of his own ties." He handed Greg one of the bags. "Tie's in here, hopefully you can help us determine who tied it. And we found this lying beside him on the bed." he explained, opening the seal on the other bag and handing it to Greg. Greg looked at the contents and raised an eyebrow at Nick, a smirk playing on his lips.
Nick cleared his throat. "Yes, it's a dildo, Einstein. I need you to check for any epithelials or vaginal secretions that might lead us to a girlfriend. You never know, we might get lucky with CODIS."
Greg clicked his tongue against his teeth. "It's a long shot...." Nick looked pleading at him, and Greg broke into a grin, relenting. "No problem, I was just about finished with the DNA from Grissom's case anyway. So, you're thinking this might be a sex game gone wrong? Girlfriend panicked and ran?" He took the shiny purple dildo from the bag and placed it carefully on his workstation.
"It's a possibility." Nick concurred. "Or it could be a homicide. Beep me as soon as you know anything, OK?"
"You got it, buddy." Greg pointed a finger against his head in a mock salute.
~~~
Nick was enjoying a much needed coffee and five minutes of peace and quiet when the shrill, incessant beeping from his pager broke his tranquillity. He groaned and reached down to his belt, pulling the gadget off the loop and holding it up to his face. According to the display, a certain Friedrich Miescher was requesting his presence. He pushed his weary body off the break room couch and made his way to the DNA lab.
"You called?" he asked, stifling a yawn as he popped his head through the door. Greg looked up from the slide he was studying under the microscope. "Got your results for you." he smiled smugly, checking his watch. "I think that's a record, even for me!"
"So, did we get a match on CODIS for a possible girlfriend?" the Texan inquired. Greg shook his head. "Got a match, but not off CODIS. DNA was a match to your vic."
"You mean on the tie...." Nick asked.
"On the tie, on the dildo, all came back a match to your DB. Don't know if that helps you." Greg handed Nick the printout confirming the findings.
"You're sure this is right?" Nick asked.
Greg nodded. "It's all correct, I always double check your stuff."
Nick looked puzzled. "He was using it on himself? I don't get it.... How?"
Greg shot him a very confused look. "Do you want me to draw you a diagram?"
Nick blushed, flustered. "Well, obviously I know how. What I mean is, I don't get why he was using it."
The lab tech shook his head. "Jesus Nicky, could you be any more white bread? He was found naked in bed, right? He was probably indulging in a little auto erotic asphyxiation using the tie and dildo. My guess would be that he accidentally tightened the tie too much and cut off his oxygen, but hey, that's just my two cents. No one listens to me anyway." He pulled a sulky face and turned back to the rest of his work.
"But why was he using a dildo, I don't get it What‘s the point." Nick picked up the sex toy and examined it, turning the purple moulded rubber over in his gloved hands.
"Because it feels good." Greg mumbled absentmindedly. Upon realising his accidental admission, he looked up to meet Nick‘s wide eyes, a mischievous smirk on his face. "What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows with fake innocence. "It does. Couldn't tell you about the tie though. Not into that."
Nick's mouth gaped open in shock. "You're telling me you've used one of these things?" he asked, dropping it back onto the table as if it disgusted him.
Greg shrugged, unashamed by his confession. "Sometimes. It's no big deal. You're telling me you've never used a sex toy, even with a girlfriend?"
Nick shook his head vehemently. "I've never needed to. I get by OK."
"You're honestly telling me you've never once wondered what it might feel like?" Greg probed.
Nick stuttered slightly. "No. No way."
"Not ever?" Greg picked the dildo up, deciding to tease his naive friend a little. "Honestly?"
Nick's face turned beetroot red. "No Greg. As far as I'm concerned, that..... area is one way traffic only. Now can we please drop this?"
Greg smiled at Nick's obvious discomfort at the topic being discussed. "Yeah, OK Mr Vanilla. Whatever." He bent back over his microscope as Nick turned to leave. "But you're missing out!" he called after him, laughing as Nick almost ran down the corridor and away from the lab.
~~~
Nick had been scheduled a few days off after the ‘discussion' in the lab, so he hadn't spoken to Greg since the lab tech made his confession. He hadn't thought about what Greg had admitted to him at all, in fact, he'd made a point not to, finding the whole idea strangely uncomfortable. Any time the thought of it threatened to enter his head, he found some ‘desperately important' task that needed all of his concentration.
He arrived at work as usual, eager to get stuck into his latest cases. He opened his locker to hang up his jacket and get ready for his shift, but was surprised to find a package nestled among his belongings. It was neatly wrapped in glittery silver paper and topped with a shiny black bow. He grabbed it, checking for any labels to help him figure out who the gift was from and why it was in his locker. There was nothing to help him, so he checked to make sure that no one was watching him before ripping off the wrapping paper.
When he discovered what was in the package he gasped and threw it quickly back into the locker, slamming the door on it as if it threatened to jump back out at him. He quickly made his way to the DNA lab, his anger building with each step.
"Greg Sanders!" he shouted as he slammed the lab door shut behind him. Greg winced, turning to face the furious CSI.
"Oh, hey there Nicky." he put on an innocent voice as if he had no idea why Nick was huffing like a raging bull. "How are you?"
Nick ignored the niceties. "I take it you're responsible for the....thing in my locker?"
Greg couldn't hold his laughter back any longer. "It was worth it just to see your face." he managed to stutter in between giggles. "I just wish I could have been in the locker room when you found it!" He grabbed his sides as if his laughter was painful.
Nick didn't see the funny side. "What do you think would have happened if someone had been in the locker room with me? Huh? Grissom for example?" He stormed over to Greg, acutely aware that he had to monitor his actions due to the glass walls of the lab and the fact that anyone could walk past and see them.
Greg's laughter ceased. "Hey, chill out Nick, it was only supposed to be a joke. No need to go all psycho on me. I just thought it would be funny."
"Yeah, well, excuse me if I don't find dildos in my locker amusing." Nick spat. "Maybe some of us are a little more mature than others." He turned on his heel and exited the lab, leaving Greg shocked and taken aback by his friend's outburst.
Nick managed to avoid Greg for the rest of the shift, thankful that he was working on a case that didn't require DNA analysis. He didn't know what to say to his friend, he was still angry at the joke but he was also embarrassed at having taken it so seriously. He regretted flipping out, and all he wanted to do was go home and get some sleep, forget it had ever happened.
~~~
He walked to his room, pulling his clothes off as he went. He was down to his boxers when he realised Greg was lying on his bed, completely naked and holding the dildo that he'd bought for him. "I thought you were never getting home." he purred as he tapped the thick purple rubber against his bottom lip, tracing his tongue around the moulded ridge. "So, are you ready to try this bad boy out?"
Nick screamed as he sat up in bed, sweat sticking the cotton sheets to his skin. He gasped for breath as he realised where he was, safe and alone in his bed. "Just a dream." he panted, relieved. "Just a very weird dream." He lay back down, pulling the sheets protectively around him, falling back into an uneasy sleep.
~~~
The first person Nick ran into when he arrived at work that night was the last person he wanted to see. Greg was in the break room, brewing up some of his infamously expensive coffee when Nick walked in. He contemplated turning and walking out again, but Greg spotted him. "Hey Nick." he said softly, pouring another cup and handing it to Nick as a peace offering. Nick took the coffee, but remained silent. "Listen, I wanted to apologise for the joke, you were right, it was in poor taste and I'm really, really sorry."
Nick sat down at the table and took a sip of the delicious coffee. "It's OK, G'" he said finally. "I'm sorry for getting so angry at you. I shouldn't have freaked out like that, like you said it was only a joke."
"So, friends?" Greg asked, holding out a hand to Nick. He took it, and shook on their truce. Greg's hand was warm, and he felt his stomach twist slightly as soft fingers brushed his skin as he pulled away again. "Cool." Greg smiled, relieved. "I'd better get back to work, I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see you around." Nick echoed, watching the retreating figure, trying to ignore the quick flash of his strange dream that flickered in his brain. He shook his head to erase the vision, and went back to his coffee. He refused to let himself fully remember his dream, consoling himself to the fact that he knew the brain used dreams as a way to clear out the mind, that they didn't actually mean anything. It was nothing more than his subconscious dealing with Greg's practical joke.
The rest of the shift was blessedly uneventful, Nick feeling unusually tired due to his lack of sleep that day. He'd tried to shake it off with copious amounts of coffee, but none of it tasted as good as the cup Greg had made for him.
~~~
Nick was in the lab bathroom splashing cold water on his face when the door opened behind him. He looked up into the mirror and saw Greg's reflection smirking back at him. Wordlessly, the young tech began unbuttoning his dark blue lab coat, never taking his eyes off the mirror. He opened each button slowly and methodically, Nick watching in confused amazement at the display. Somehow Greg was wearing nothing beneath the coat, and he was almost at the last button. Nick blinked and swallowed hard as the lab tech began to pull open the blue fabric, revealing his completely naked body. Nick's eyes swept across the lightly tanned chest and down towards his navel, but where Greg's penis should have been swayed the long thick shiny purple dildo.
His eyes snapped open and it took him a few moments to realise that yet again he was in his own bed, the sheets thrown off his naked body, which was sticky and slippery with sweat. "Shit!" he gasped as sat up. He quickly padded to the bathroom and turned on the shower, stepping beneath the cool spray of water. This was getting a little weird, even if it was only his subconscious dealing with things in it's own way. He let the powerful jets wash the ache away from the back of his neck while he rubbed shampoo into his soft dark hair, the suds sliding down his chest and swirling down the drain. He let the remnants of the dream disappear with it.
~~~
"Hey Nick, how's it going?" Greg bounced into the locker room as Nick was leaning over to tie his shoelace. Nick made sure he didn't have a vision of nakedsubconsciousGreg in his head before looking up and flashing his friend what he hoped was a natural smile. "I'm good, G'. You?"
"Yeah, you know me, cool as." Greg walked over to his locker and pulled out his jacket. "I'm outta here though, Grissom wants me to go out into the field with him, can you believe it?" He pulled his jacket on, his face almost cracking with the massive grin that dominated his face.
"That's great, man!" Nick grinned back, genuinely pleased for his friend. "It'll be great experience for you."
"Thanks. I‘m a little nervous though." Greg touched Nick's arm gently, and Nick tried desperately to ignore the electric shock that sparked on his skin, making the hairs on his forearm stand on end. Greg seemed to let his hand linger for a moment longer than necessary before pulling away, clearing his throat. "I'll see you later, yeah? Maybe we could grab a beer and I'll tell you all about my foray into the field."
"It's a date." Nick nodded, only realising what he'd said once Greg had already left. He groaned inwardly and rolled his eyes. These dreams were really beginning to mess with his head.
~~~
Nick met Greg in the bar after shift, the young man already sitting at the counter chatting to the bartender, waving his arms around wildly as he spoke. Nick took the stool next to him. "Hey, Nicky!" Greg smiled at his friend. "Beer? It‘s on me." Nick nodded, and a glass of foamy brew appeared before him.
"I'm guessing your fieldwork went well then?" Nick smiled, taking a sip of the cold beer and looking at the beaming face of the lab tech.
"Man, it was amazing! I got to do collection and everything!" Greg was so excited that he was practically bouncing on the stool. "I've decided Nicky. I'm definitely going to try and be a CSI. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but now I know I've got to do something about it. I know it'll be a lot of hard work but I'm willing to put the time in." He stilled and was suddenly serious. "Do you think I can do this?"
Nick reached a hand across and rubbed Greg's back, trying not to notice how his eyes sparkled almost black when he was worried. "I know you can." he reassured. "You can do anything you put your mind to."
"Thanks. Really, I appreciate the support." Greg let himself sink into the touch for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight and puffed his cheeks out with air. "I think we need more beer."
~~~
Greg pushed him down onto the bed, kissing across Nick's naked chest as he writhed beneath him. He licked burning traces over the heated skin, his erection pressing into Nick's thigh. "God, I've wanted this for so long." he moaned breathlessly, pulling Nick‘s jeans off. "But I never thought you would be into it. I guess today is full of surprises."
Nick grinned, pulling him in for a long, slow, wet kiss. "Sometimes we don't realise the one thing we want is right under our noses. And I want you Greg. I want to you to show me what I'm missing out on, show me why it's so great."
Greg reached under the bed and pulled out the long thick dildo, drizzling sticky lube all over the length. "Brace yourself." he grinned, and pushed the purple head against Nick's tight hole, working it against the muscle to slide it deep into the dark channel. Nick gasped loudly at the intrusion.
His gasp echoed around the bedroom as he woke up, once again alone and drenched in sweat. But this time something was different. His cock was rock hard and throbbing painfully, the swollen head dripping iridescent beads of precum onto his abdomen. But it was the sensation in his ass that vexed him. It felt empty, almost as if he was missing something, the entrance tingling with the need for pressure. He clenched his buttocks, trying to ease the feeling. His eyes burned a hole in the door of his closet where he'd hurriedly stashed the gag gift.
"No, you can forget that." he said out loud. He lay back on the bed and ran a hand over his chest and down through the sticky dampness on his stomach. His other hand gripped his cock tightly, rubbing the ridge beneath the head with each sweep. Images flooded his mind, but instead of the usual fantasies he relied on to get off, all he could see was Greg. Greg naked and begging to be touched, Greg rubbing his own hardened cock as he lay on Nick's bed waiting for him, Greg impaling himself on a thick rubber shaft and coming hard, screaming Nick's name as he did so. The images were so intense that Nick came within minutes, coating his hand with hot sticky cream.
He got up and hobbled to the bathroom to clean himself up, catching sight of himself in the mirror as he walked past. His hair was mussed and his face blazed red. He washed up and walked back to the mirror, staring at his reflection for a few minutes. "You are Nick Stokes." he told himself firmly. "You are a ladies man. You are not, I repeat, are not attracted to Greg Sanders. You're just tired and he's got into your head with that damn dildo crap. You do not find yourself thinking about him, and the dreams mean nothing. Got that?" His bemused reflection stared back at him as if to mock his little diatribe.
~~~
Nick arrived at work early, having found it impossible to get back to sleep. Thoughts of Greg kept running through his mind, and he wasn't comfortable with that, it bothered him that a simple joke by his friend had lead him to question everything he was sure about himself.
He made his way to the break room to grab a coffee, but he stopped short when he saw Greg sitting at the table, forensics journals spread out everywhere. He was completely absorbed in one of them, not noticing that Nick had entered the small room. He stood and watched the young tech for a while, who was intensely focused on the journal and making notes on a pad beside him. His face was wrinkled in concentration, and Nick had to stamp out a thought of how cute he looked before it formed in his brain.
"Hey Boss." he said finally, Greg's head popping up at the voice. "You look busy."
Greg's face broke into a grin. "Yeah, just thought I'd do a little studying, it can't hurt, can it? Hopefully Griss'll see that I'm really serious about this and give me a chance." He opened his mouth as if to say something else, but thought against it and closed the book, glancing quickly at his watch. "I guess I should be getting to the lab." He gathered the journals together and put them in his backpack. "I'll see you later."
Nick reached out a hand as he passed, grasping his wrist. "Hey, do you want any help with the studying? You know you only have to ask."
Greg looked genuinely touched. "That would be great Nick. I'd really appreciate that. I'm free tomorrow if you want to get together, go over some stuff."
Nick felt a distinctive flutter of nerves in his stomach, one he couldn't ignore or blame on something else. "Yeah, come over a few hours before shift tomorrow and I'll see what I can do." He suddenly realised that he was still holding on to Greg's hand, and he let it drop with a blush.
Greg didn't seem to mind the contact. "Thanks Nick." he smiled. "Catch you later."
"Yeah, later." Nick smiled, pouring himself some coffee and taking the seat his friend had previously occupied. His thoughts drifted to the dreams he'd been having, wondering why his mind had chosen Greg to centre it's fantasies on.
Well, he's a good friend. he concluded, trying to find some logic to the situation. Plus, he's a genuinely decent guy, he's fun to be around and I love spending time with him. And lets face it, he‘s incredibly attractive.
Fuck he thought to himself as the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks. It's not just my brain dealing with some practical joke. I really am attracted to Greg. How have I never realised this before? And more to the point, what the hell am I going to do about it?
Nick spent the rest of shift making feeble excuses to visit the DNA lab, enjoying spending as much time as he could with the young tech. They chatted easily about everything and anything, Greg‘s cheerful banter making Nick feel strangely comfortable with the realisation that he was attracted to him, and he actually felt annoyance each time he was called away. He was surprised to discover that the fact that he was attracted to a man didn't really bother him. After all, it wasn't just anyone. It was Greg.
Finally the shift was over, and Nick headed home to get some sleep before their study session, something he was nervously looking forward too. He climbed into bed, his head full of thoughts of his friend, and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
~~~
His alarm clock woke him up several hours later, and he tried to ignore the slight pang of disappointment that he hadn't dreamt about Greg. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and hauled himself up, yawning and stretching, his joints popping slightly. He took a long, hot shower and once he'd made a snack, he spent the next hour cleaning up until the house was spotless.
He was ready much too early, and it felt like he was checking his watch every ten minutes before the doorbell finally rang. His heart doubled it's rate as he forced himself to walk slowly towards the door, not wanting to appear too excited to see his ‘buddy‘. He fixed a neutral look on his face and opened the door, finding a grinning Greg standing on his porch looking delectable in torn blue jeans and a red and black t-shirt. His hair was flattened and still slightly damp, and he smelled like coconuts. Nick had a quick vision of Greg naked and wet in the shower, which he determinedly forced out of his mind as he welcomed his friend into his home.
They settled down side by side on the sofa and immediately got to work, pouring over the journals that Greg had brought with him, heads bowed close together as they read, Greg asking questions and Nick doing his best to answer them. He enjoyed the physical closeness of the situation, the way Greg's knee was pressed against his, their shoulders touching as they bent to read the same page.
After an hour of discussing the latest forensic techniques they decided to take a coffee break, Greg following Nick into the kitchen and standing with his hands in his pockets and shuffling his feet, obviously with something on his mind.
"I can hear you thinking from here, G', what's up?" Nick asked, handing him a mug of Blue Hawaiian that he'd bought specially. Greg took the mug, breathing in the familiar comforting scent.
"Nothing,,, it's just....I'm glad you invited me over today. To be honest, I was so worried that I'd screwed things up between us with that dumb joke. I knew that our conversation had made you uncomfortable but I still pushed it." He turned and walked back to the sofa, Nick following him and sitting on the coffee table to face him. "You were so mad at me, but it was never my intention to piss you off like that. I'm so fucking stupid, I can't do anything right."
Nick smiled reassuringly at him, truly regretting his outburst in the lab. "Greg, you're anything but stupid." He gestured towards the journals. "Look at how much you've learned already. Don't beat yourself up about it. I overreacted to it anyway, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's been playing on my mind too, you know. I‘ve been thinking about us... about what happened, a lot."
Greg smiled up at him, those beautiful dark brown eyes sparkling in the dimming light. "You should know that I would never knowingly do anything to risk our friendship. It means too much to me." He played with one of the frayed rips on his jeans. "And I was worried that I'd freaked you out by what I said, about... you know...using one of those things myself. You didn't seem to be around after I told you and I was worried you were avoiding me because you thought I was weird." Nick let out a little snort, and Greg giggled slightly. "OK, weirder. I thought that if I made a joke out of it, it might break the ice a little. Talk about having an idea backfire!"
They sat in silence for a few moments, holding eye contact until Nick finally looked away, setting his mug on the table beside him. He got up and began to pace slightly, gathering the courage to ask what he knew he must. "Greg, I've been thinking about what you said about the sex toys." he admitted. "If I ask you something, will you answer it honestly?"
Greg bit his lip and nodded. "If I can."
"Do you use them because..... Are you gay?"
He shook his head, not seeming at all uncomfortable with the question. "No, Nick. I'm not gay. And you don‘t have to be gay to enjoy a little stimulation. Plenty of guys do it."
Nick nodded, not sure whether he should be feeling disappointed or relieved.
"But I'm not exactly straight either."
Nick stopped pacing.
"I don't like defining myself with labels." he continued. "To me, sexuality should be fluid, it shouldn't be placed in a box with a lid put on it. It should be free to live and breathe and evolve. If I like someone, I like them, regardless of their gender. I'm attracted to someone because of who they are, not what sex they are." He went back to fiddling with his jeans. "Not everyone can handle that, but it's how I've always felt. So I hope that doesn't freak you out even more, but you did ask me to be completely honest with you."
"I'm not freaked out." Nick sat beside him, his head in his hands. "Well, I am, but not by you. I've just had some...stuff going on."
"Can I help?" Greg asked, settling a comforting hand on his knee. "I can be a pretty good listener. People don't believe that I can shut up for long enough, but they're wrong. And I‘ve noticed that you‘ve been acting a little strange the past few days. What‘s the problem?"
"OK." Nick nodded. "You were honest with me, it's only fair that I'm honest with you." He stood up again and walked over to the window, watching the twilight descend upon his street, casting purple and blue streaks along the sky. He kept his back to Greg as he spoke, avoiding eye contact. "I'm going to tell you something that I never thought I'd say, and I hope it doesn‘t come between us and our friendship. The problem is that I....I really like you, Greg."
"I like you too, Nicky." he replied, a hint of confusion in his voice.
Nick turned to look at his friend, his whole body trembling with nerves. "No, I mean... I like you This past while I've come to realise how much I like spending time with you, I think about you when you're not around, shit, you're even haunting my dreams. I can't get you out of my head and that's what I'm freaking out about. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do to stop it."
Greg rose. "And you want to? Stop it, I mean."
Nick shrugged. "I don't know what I want. I'm so confused. All I know is that I've been thinking a lot about you. About us. But I don't expect you to feel the same way, I know you only see me as a friend, and that's fine, I just need to work through this in my own time. And I will work through it, I promise. You don‘t need to worry, or feel uncomfortable around me. It‘s my problem, and I will solve it."
Much to Nick's surprise Greg seemed agitated, not by his admission, but by his defence of it. "This is unbelievable!" he yelled. "In the past five minutes I've gone from being your friend to someone you have feelings for, to a ‘problem' that needs solving? How the hell do you think that makes me feel?"
"I didn't mean...."
"Do I get a say in any of this?" he interjected, joining Nick by the window. "How do you know that I don't think about you too? How do you know that I don't live for those moments when you come into my lab and break the constant tedium of my shift?" He pushed Nick up against the wall, a hand pressed flat against his chest. "How do you know that I'm not wondering what it would be like to kiss you every single God-dammed minute of the day? No, all you‘re concerned about is how you feel." He let his hand drop to his side, his shoulders slumping. "Fuck this, I need to get out of here." He grabbed his backpack, stuffing the journals into it and swinging it over his shoulder. He met Nick's eyes one last time before leaving, the brown orbs flashing black with distress. "I guess I'll see you at work." He slammed the door as he left, and Nick squeezed his eyes shut, praying that when he opened them he would be in his bed and this was just another dream gone bad. When he finally opened his eyes, the emptiness of his house echoed around him, and Greg was really gone.
~~~
Nick's first port of call when he arrived for his shift was the DNA lab. He needed to talk to Greg, to try and understand what had happened earlier. He practically ran through the halls of CSI HQ until he was outside the lab, but there was no sign of Greg. Susan from Dayshift was still in there working, so he pushed open the door and entered. "Hey Susan." he nodded, hoping he didn't look as twitchy as he felt. "Have you seen Sanders?"
The tech shot him a winning smile. "You know that I can take care of any needs you may have." Nick ignored the flirty tone in her voice and asked again. "It's really Greg that I need to see, do you know where he is?"
"He called in sick." she said, dropping the honey from her voice seeing Nick obviously wasn't interested. "Which means I have to pull a double. And before you ask, no, I don't know what's wrong with him."
Nick felt his heart sink to somewhere around his knees. "OK. Thanks anyway. I'll see you around." He turned and left the lab, wishing that he didn't have to work tonight. He was desperate to talk to Greg and apologise for upsetting him like that, but he didn't have a clue what he was going to say to try and sort out the mess that he'd gotten into.
~~~
The shift seemed to last an age, but finally his case was closed and he was able leave. He rushed home to shower and change his clothes before heading to Greg's apartment, even though he still had no idea how he was going to fix things, he just hoped something would come to him when he got there.
He buzzed Greg's doorbell three times, getting no answer. He leaned against the door, unsure of his next move, running his last encounter with Greg over and over in his head, trying to work out how it had gone so horribly wrong.
He was just about to give up when someone left the building, and he managed to slip through the door before it closed. He bounded up the two flights of stairs and ran down the carpeted corridor to Greg's door, knocking sharply on it.
"Greg, open up, it's me, Nick. I need to talk to you." He was sure he could hear movement coming from behind the door, but there was no response. "Greg!" he shouted, pounding on the door now. "Please! I really want to get this sorted out, you're killing me here! I'm not going anywhere, so unless you want complaints from the neighbours you should let me in!"
He heard the sound of locks being turned, and the door swung open, revealing Greg's tear stained face. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice cracking.
"I want to try and get this sorted. Whatever ‘this' is. Tell me what I did to upset you so I can make it right." Nick put a hand up to Greg's arm, but it was swatted away.
"Come in so I can close the door." Greg said flatly. Nick came further into the apartment and stood by the sofa, Greg shutting the door and coming over to stand beside him.
"You really don't know why I'm upset? You tell me you have feelings for me, then you blow me off in the same breath! My head's spinning, I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling anymore. And you! You don't get to be all ‘woe is me' because you've had to deal with liking me for five minutes. I've had to deal with this for over a year, Nick! I've had to stand by and watch you go on dates with gorgeous women that I could never compare to, and listen to you boast about it the next day to Warrick. I've had to process your God-dammed semen after you slept with that hooker for fucks sake, how do you think that made me feel? I've had to pretend that you mean nothing to me, hide any feelings that I had for you." He laughed dryly. "And then when I think I might actually be over you and ready to move on with my own life at last, you finally realise that there's something between us. And then I'm supposed to stand back and let you explain it away as some ‘problem‘ you need to solve? Well, I'm sorry, but I can't do that!" He fell back onto the sofa, his head in his hands. "It's too much, Nick. It's just too much."
Nick felt his heart crack in two. "Greg, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that you ever had feelings for me, I swear." He knelt down beside to sofa and touched Greg's knee gently. "This past week has been crazy, I don't know what my own thoughts are anymore. But there's one thing I'm sure of, I care about you and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. I'm so sorry G'."
"Not as sorry as I am, Nick. I've wasted too much of my life pining after you, and I refuse to do it anymore. I've decided to apply for a CSI training course back in San Francisco, so I guess that solves both our problems, doesn't it?"
Greg's words hit Nick like a punch to the stomach. "No!"
"Why not? I've got nothing to stay for now."
Nick grabbed Greg by the shoulders and shook him. "Me Greg! Stay for me! The only reason I said all that shit about needing to get over you was because I thought that you just saw me as a friend and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I knew you'd have to work alongside me when you started your CSI training and figured I had to make the situation easier on you. I never once thought you might actually feel the same way."
Greg put his hands over Nick's. "Are you saying that you'd actually want something to come of this? Because I can't dance around you anymore, Nick. I've laid myself bare here, I need to know once and for all what you want. No bullshitting."
"I want to see where this is going, G'. I just can't believe it's taken me this long to realise what's been in front of me all this time. Yeah, I'm terrified, but I'm more scared of not knowing how amazing this, us, could be. So, do you want to give us a try?" Nick let himself be pulled onto the sofa and into a tight embrace. "I'll take that as a yes." he laughed as Greg sniffled into his shoulder.
"You're an asshole." Greg hiccoughed.
"I know." Nick let himself be drawn into Greg's intoxicating presence, and he leaned in to kiss the young man.
Their lips brushed gently at first, both of them hesitant to let themselves believe it was really happening. Then Greg pulled him closer, taking them deeper into the sensation of tasting and feeling and being. Nick pinched himself on the arm as they pulled apart, yelping at the pain. "What's that for?" Greg asked, puzzled. Nick just smiled and pulled him back into a bear hug.
"I do want a proper date though." Greg stated firmly. "You have to woo me. I'm not easy you know."
Nick laughed, pulling away again. "I never pictured you as the old fashioned type G'. But if that's what you want, that's what you'll get."
Greg blushed slightly. "It's just that I've waited so long for you, I don't want to rush things. I want to absorb every single second. It's got to be perfect."
Nick nodded. "I understand. To be honest, I‘m still trying to come to terms with these feelings, I don‘t want to rush anything either. We‘ll take this at our own pace. OK?"
"OK." Greg smiled. "It's a deal."
Greg had thrown together some breakfast after the loud rumbling from Nick's stomach made them realise that neither of them had eaten anything since their coffee break during the study session the evening before.
Nick sat on the sofa with a plate of surprisingly tasty pancakes balanced precariously on his knee, as Greg sat cross-legged on the floor facing him, munching on French Toast and sipping fresh orange juice. The sheer domesticity of the scene struck Nick as feeling oddly normal, and he smiled softly.
"So?" Greg asked, his words muffled by a mouthful of food.
"So what?" Nick replied, the smile replaced by a grimace as he dropped a piece of pancake onto his thigh, leaving a sticky syrupy patch on his jeans. He rubbed at it with the pad of his thumb.
"So, where are you going to take me on our date?" Greg looked hopefully at him, and Nick was slightly taken aback by how young he appeared, how his youthful exuberance seemed to shimmer all around him like an aura.
"I don't know, what would you like to do? Dinner, movie, a show... what ever you want."
"I think I want you.... to surprise me." Greg smiled, polishing off the last of his toast, shaking the crumbs from his fingers and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm sure you can think of something that I'll love." He stood up and walked back over to Nick, curling up in the corner of the sofa beside him and prodding his denim-clad leg with a bare foot. "But for now, I want you to talk to me."
Nick set his plate on the floor and turned to face him. "What about?"
"Existentialism." he rolled his eyes sarcastically. "About us, Nick. I mean, why now? I've been flirting with you for over a year, why have you finally notice the spark between us? I just want to know what happened to change you perception of me."
Nick rubbed his fingers nervously through his hair. "Well, we've always been good friends, right?"
Greg nodded his agreement.
"After that conversation we had about the sex toys and your, well, lets say misconceived joke, I couldn't seem to stop thinking about you. At first I thought it was just my subconscious dealing with a extremely weird situation, manifesting itself in some very strange dreams." Greg went to open his mouth, but Nick cut him off. "And no, I'm not telling you what they were, before you ask!"
They both laughed, glad to release some tension from the situation. Nick continued. "But then I realised that it was only bringing up feelings that were already there, that had already developed. I was attracted to you, but I mistook that for friendship because, well, you're a guy."
"Well, I was the last time I looked." Greg teased.
Nick faked a stern look and the young tech made a quick zipping motion over his mouth.
"Anyway, as I was saying.... I guess I ignored it, refused to even acknowledge it. I mean, I've got this reputation as a ladies man, so I couldn't ever be attracted to another man, it just wasn't possible." He rubbed his tired eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "So when it finally hit me that what I was feeling was more than just friendship, it was like I couldn't get you out of my head, the floodgates had been opened. I tried pushing those feelings down, suppressing them, but they kept coming back. So I convinced myself that you would never be interested in me anyway, that it was a moot point."
"Oh, Nick." Greg shook his head.
"So I decided just to enjoy spending time with you, as a friend. I accepted that there was nothing between us and I never even intended to tell you that I liked you." He took a deep breath, waiting a moment to gather his thoughts. "But when we were talking last night you were so open and honest with me about your sexuality that I felt that I had to be honest with you too. Well, about my feelings for you, anyway." Greg leaned forward and reached for his hand, grasping it tightly in encouragement.
"And when you admitted that you liked men as well as women, I was convinced that my attraction to you was futile. Let's face it, you're not exactly a subtle guy, Greg, and I was sure that if you'd felt anything for me I would have known it. Guess I was wrong about that, hey?" he smiled shyly. "So I tried to cover it up, to make you believe that I wasn‘t going to attempt to pursue anything with you. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable around me, therefore risking our friendship."
Greg traced a swirling pattern over the back of Nick's hand with his thumb. "I honestly had no idea that you even liked me that much as a friend. I mean, I know how you guys look at me, like I'm some annoying little brother always running my mouth off. But I only do that when I'm nervous, though, and that usually happens when you‘re around. And now you know why, it's because I was attracted to you. So I talk and talk to try and impress you, and then I keep going and going and all this nonsense keeps coming out of my mouth and I begin to lose track of what I'm saying myself, and then everybody thinks I'm even more of a pain and..... " He caught sight of Nick's amused face and groaned. "And I'm doing it right now, aren't I?" He screwed his face up in embarrassment. "Sorry."
Nick laughed. "To be honest, it's never really bothered me that much. So, if you liked me too, why did you never say anything?"
Greg smiled at him. "I've been attracted to you since we first met, but you always seemed such a Texan." Nick face twisted into a puzzled look, so Greg clarified. "What I mean is, you're so straight I could use you as a ruler. You were always so smooth, with your ladies man reputation, how could I ever hope to get your attention? Me, Greg Sanders, the annoying little lab tech with the big mouth, why would you ever be interested in me....?"
Nick stopped his nervous ramblings by gently placing his thumb on Greg's bottom lip. Greg exhaled shakily, his tongue unconsciously flitting out to wet his lips, catching the tip of the digit as he did so. "You taste like syrup." he murmured.
"Only on special occasions." Nick grinned.
Greg shifted towards him until they were face to face. "I‘m gonna kiss you now." he stated matter-of-factly, staring deeply into Nick‘s dark chocolate eyes. "Our first kiss."
Nick pulled back slightly, a bemused look on his face. "Greg, we've already kissed. And I thought it was a little more memorable than that."
Greg dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Doesn't count. You were all tense and worried, and my nose was running. No, I'm talking the patented Sanders ‘make your toes curl' kiss. I'm kinda famous for it."
Nick was relieved to see Greg's mischievous streak return, and played along. "Well, I've got to experience this, haven't I?" he said teasingly, his face breaking into a grin.
Greg leaned forward and cupped both hands around Nick's square jaw, pulling him close until there was less than an inch between them. Nick stopped smiling as he felt his lips began to tingle, desperate to touch and be touched, but Greg just lingered there, his warm breath gusting across Nick's face. He licked his own lips to try and quell the desperate need to feel the other man, but this only made them tingle even more as the warm air from Greg's mouth hit the damp skin. He shivered slightly, the anticipation building until he was sure he was going to explode.
After what felt like an age of torture Greg closed the space between them, his thumbs sweeping lazy circles against Nick's cheekbones as their lips finally touched, a crackle of electricity passing through Nick‘s mouth and straight to his groin. Greg's tongue flicked at Nick's top lip, tasting the small beads of sweat that had begun to form there, moaning as Nick's hands began to roam across his back as their bodies pressed flush against each other. He used his lips to nudge Nick's mouth open fully, slipping his soft wet tongue between teeth to seek out Nick's own tongue, luring it out of it's hiding place and urging it to play.
He moved his hands down from the Texan's face, sweeping his fingertips across the solid slab of chest and further down to caress the firm muscular thighs, kneading the hard flesh through the denim. He shifted so he was almost sitting on top of Nick, the older man's back pressed firmly into the sofa cushion, trapping him in the passionate embrace.
Nick ran his hands through Greg's soft hair, enjoying the way it felt so silky without any wax in it. The sensation elicited a deep rumbling moan from the young tech, the vibrations surging through them both, causing Nick to respond with a similar groan.
Time seemed to stand still and fly by all at once as they continued to sink deeper into each other, connected to each other like the tide to the moon. He felt dizzy, like a teenager again, and he drank in each and every second like it was the last he'd ever have.
He could feel Greg's erection pressing insistently against his stomach, and he knew that his own arousal must be just as obvious. "Greg....." he mumbled into the open mouth, already regretting what he was about to say. "Greg, we should stop now."
"Don't wanna stop." Greg panted, twisting his tongue against the back of Nick's white teeth and pressing his body flat against him.
Nick gently clasped the back of Greg‘s neck, his fingers snaking through the messed hair as he parted them. "Yes you do. Remember what you said, you want to take this slow, and so do I."
Greg sighed and nodded. "You're right, I know. But God, you taste so good." His voice hitched with a hint of desperation.
Nick swept his thumb over Greg‘s swollen lips, revelling in the fact that it was him that had caused his dishevelled appearance. "Listen, we have to do this right. You said that's what you wanted. And besides, I'm not sure how far I'm ready to go yet. Do you understand?"
Greg just groaned, untangling himself from Nick's limbs. He got up and walked towards the kitchen and grabbed two cold beers from the refrigerator, his erection clearly outlined in the soft grey fabric of his sweatpants. Nick shifted and adjusted his jeans to make his own a little less conspicuous.
Greg flopped down on the couch beside him again, popping open one of the bottles and handing it to Nick. "Here, this should cool us down a little."
"Thanks G'." Nick sighed, taking a swig of beer. "I should probably go soon anyway, I need to get some sleep before shift tonight. Will you be there?"
Greg nodded, popping the lid off his own bottle. "As long as you promise to come in and see me."
Nick took a long gulp of beer. "Listen Greg, about work. Can we keep this.. us, quiet for now? I just don't want to have to deal with office gossip. I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Is that OK?"
Greg seemed a little put out, but agreed. "I guess so. Of course, this is going to be hardest on you."
"What makes you say that?" Nick asked.
"Well, I don't know how you're going to manage to keep your hands off me." He grinned mischievously, giggling as Nick threw a pillow at his head.
Greg quickly finished his beer, then got up and walked over to his bookshelf, lifting a small blue container and twisting it open. He pulled the lid from his aquarium and dusted some of the flakes into the water, Nick watching in amazement as fish of all colours and sizes appeared from their hiding places and ascended to the surface to feed.
"Wow Greg, that's so beautiful." he said, joining the young man by the fishtank. He pressed his chest to Greg's back, curling his arms around his waist in an easy embrace, leaning his chin against the other man's shoulder as they watched the fish twist and swim around each other in a colourful dance, the small underwater light reflecting off their scales and shimmering as they moved amongst the green plants on the bottom.
"You know, I've seen this aquarium so many times, but I don't think I've ever really looked at it before. It's mesmerising." He laughed as he realised the poignancy of his choice of words, he could almost have been talking about Greg himself.
They watched in silence for a while, as the rainbow display arched and curled and moved before them in a beautiful kaleidoscope of colour. "My babies." Greg finally sighed, a contented smile playing on his lips.
"Be ready tomorrow, midday." Nick replied, his voice muffled as he kissed behind Greg's ear.
"Mmmmmm?" Greg moaned as he relaxed into the sensation.
"Our date. Be ready at midday. I'll pick you up." He tried to ignore the aching throb in his crotch as Greg pressed his backside into it, shifting and leaning back into the embrace. "And stop being so dammed hot, because I have to get home, and if you keep doing that I might forget that we‘re taking it slow."
Greg turned to face him and drew him slowly into a long tender kiss, all wet lips and warm tongue. "Tomorrow, midday." he repeated breathlessly as Nick finally disentangled himself.
"I really should go." Nick sighed, walking towards the door, needing to get home but really not wanting to leave the safe isolation of Greg's apartment, where it was just the two of them and no one else mattered.
When Greg finally let him leave after several goodbye kisses, he headed home to sleep, trying to ignore the nerves that were gnawing in the pit of his stomach. He wanted Greg, he knew that much, but it didn't quell the fear that was rapidly building inside him. He was comfortable being with Greg in the privacy of the apartment, but he was still to find out how he would cope with his feelings in the outside world, with everybody staring and judging him, and he was terrified in case he couldn't do it. He prayed that he could cope, the last thing he wanted to do was let Greg down. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep even in his exhaustion, awaiting the next day's date with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
"Nick? Are you OK?"
Nick snapped out of his reverie, looking up to find Catherine staring at him, a concerned look on her face. "Oh, hey Cath. Yeah, I'm fine, but I was a million miles away, sorry."
She took a seat across from him, flicking her long strawberry blonde hair to one side as she did so. "I was talking to you but you didn't hear me. You obviously have something important on your mind. Anything I can do to help?" She reached across for his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Nick shook his head no. "Really, Cath, it's cool. I was just taking a break, but I'd better get back to work. Warrick will be looking for me." he lied. He gently pulled his hand away, hoping his behaviour didn't seem odd to the astute CSI. The last thing he needed was his co-workers finding out about his feelings for their DNA tech. He wasn't sure how they'd react, and he didn't think he could cope with the pressure of prying eyes putting extra weight on their already fragile budding relationship.
He pushed the chair back roughly, the squeak of it grating off the floor echoing around the room as he rose to leave. "I'll see you later, OK?" Catherine nodded, and Nick was sure that her curiosity had been piqued. He just hoped that she wouldn't manage to figure out what was happening before Nick was even sure himself.
He ambled through the labyrinth of halls, head down and hands in his pockets, not even realising where he was going until he found himself standing outside the DNA lab watching Greg processing some samples. The tech was hard at work and concentrating deeply, his nose wrinkling up as he bent over to look through the microscope. Nick knew that Grissom's latest case involved multiple blood samples and that Greg was pretty swamped running the DNA analysis from it as well as catching up with the backlog from his unplanned night off.
He'd always loved watching Greg at work, even before he'd realised that his feelings ran deeper than friendship. The young tech was always so frenzied and high-spirited that some people mistook that for immaturity, but Nick knew that when it came to his work, Greg was more serious than anyone in maintaining the integrity of the lab.
He turned on his heel and made his way back to the break room and began a search through the cupboards, looking for Greg's latest hiding place. Finally, he came across a tin of out of date biscuits that seemed to be a little too heavy. He popped the lid off and found what he was looking for, the elusive Blue Hawaiian coffee that Greg had obviously taken great pains to hide from outsiders. He blitzed a few beans in the grinder and brewed the granules in the coffee maker, the strong black liquid dripping into a mug below it.
He carefully lifted the hot drink and carried it back to the DNA lab, opening the glass door with his free hand. "Hey G'." he said softly. Greg turned and almost blinded Nick with his grin. "Hey there!"
"I brought you a coffee, I thought you could use a break. I know your workload is crazy right now." He handed Greg the mug.
"Oh, Nick, you're a mind reader." Greg yawned as he took the mug, sipping the dark liquid carefully and smiling when he realised that Nick had gone to the trouble to find his secret stash.
Nick felt his fingertips itch with the urge to reach out and run his hands through Greg's hair, but he was acutely aware of the constant stream of people passing the lab. He watched as Greg yawned again. "Listen, if you're tired we can cancel our date..."
"No!" Greg said a little too loudly, then winced and checked that no one passing had heard him. "No." he repeated, quieter this time. "Unless.... Do you want to?"
Nick swallowed hard. This was his chance to take the easy way out, to go back to the way things were and pass the kisses with Greg off as a mistake. All he had to do was say yes, and they could pretend this had never happened.
"No." He finally answered, and was surprised to find that he was being totally honest. "I want us to go out, I already have something planned. I'm really looking forward to it."
Greg's shoulder's slumped slightly, his relief obvious. "I am too. Listen, I'd better get back to this before Grissom comes back and I have to face his wrath. Thanks for the coffee though, you're a lifesaver. I'll see you later, yeah?"
Nick nodded. "Midday, remember. I'll pick you up at your place." For a moment he thought that Greg was going to lean forward and kiss him right there in the middle of the lab, even though they'd agreed to keep it cool at work. But Greg was only reaching across to set the mug down on the table beside them. He didn't realise that he'd taken evasive action to avoid the kiss until Greg called him on it.
"What the hell was that?" he asked, the confusion and upset evident in his voice. Nick realised what he'd done and frowned, his tone apologetic. "I didn't even mean to... I'm sorry Greg, believe me. I didn't mean anything by it. It was just a reflex, I mean, we're standing in a fishbowl here and I just..... I'm sorry. Can we pretend I didn‘t just do that?"
"Yeah, whatever." Greg turned his back on the Texan. "I'll see you later." he said over his shoulder, immersing himself back in his work.
~~~
Nick had been busy for the rest of shift, and hadn't had a chance to talk to Greg since the incident in the lab. It kept playing on his mind, but he tried to rationalise his actions by telling himself that if they had have been caught kissing in the lab it would have probably been catastrophic for Greg's plans to become a CSI. They had to be careful at this stage. He just hoped Greg understood that.
He'd managed to catch a few hours of sleep before his alarm went off, beeping in his ear to tell him it was officially ‘date day' and that he'd better move his ass and get ready. He stretched as he stood up, catching sight of his naked body in the full length mirror on the closet. I'll need to start working out a bit more if I want to keep up with Greg he thought absentmindedly, then smiled to himself when he realised what he was thinking.
He jumped in the shower and quickly began to soap himself off, his slippery hands working all over his toned body, across his thighs and up over his abdomen, shuddering slightly as his fingertips brushed over his cock, the soft flesh hardening at his touch. Memories of Greg's fervent kisses flooded into his mind as he gripped the swollen head and began tugging roughly, needing to make this quick, there was no time for slow and leisurely.
The hot water beat down on his back as he thrust into his fist, groaning as the sensations built to a crescendo and he came hard, the thick ribbons washing away as quickly as they appeared. His knees buckled slightly and he steadied himself against the tiled wall of the shower until his strength returned. He finished rinsing off and quickly shampooed his hair, hoping that his 'distraction' wasn't going to make him late.
~~~
He pulled up outside Greg's apartment at 11:58 precisely, cutting the engine and jumping out of the SUV, whistling a tune as he buzzed Greg's number. "I'll be right down." a disembodied voice crackled over the intercom.
Greg appeared a few minutes later, and Nick felt his breath leave his body. Greg looked amazing in tight black jeans and black boots, and a tight fitting purple t-shirt that clung to every inch of his chest, almost like it had been airbrushed on. The outfit was completed by a weather beaten black leather jacket, and a pair of sunglasses nestled in the expertly styled spikes of his hair.
He acknowledged Nick with a friendly but subtle pat on the back, and they climbed into the car. His excited smile seemed to indicate that he had forgiven Nick for the mistake in the lab.
"You look great, G'." Nick grinned as Greg blushed a little.
"I didn't really know what to wear, as I don't know what we're doing.... It's OK?"
Nick nodded. "It's perfect." His cock twitched a little in agreement. "So, we'll be driving to our destination, do you want to choose a station to listen to on the way?"
Greg shook his head. "Nah, I'd rather just talk, if that's cool?"
Nick smiled and nodded and Greg started telling him some story about Papa Olaf misplacing his glasses and finding them in the dishwasher, and other strange and silly stories about his family. Nick enjoyed just listening to Greg talk, and how Greg's hand unconsciously drifted across Nick's thigh every so often.
Finally Nick pulled the SUV into a parking space outside the Mandalay Bay. Greg got out of the car, bouncing with excitement. "Nick, this is the Shark Reef Aquarium!"
"I didn't know if you'd ever been here, but I thought you might like it." Nick smiled at Greg's enthusiasm.
"Only once, when I first moved to Vegas. But this is fantastic, Nick! You couldn't have picked a better place to bring me! Come on, lets go in." Greg pulled Nick's arm and they entered the building. "Have you ever been?" Nick shook his head and Greg grinned. "I'll show you around."
~~~
The next four hours flew by, Greg's enthusiasm was wildly infectious and Nick found himself having an amazing time. They got their picture taken stroking a friendly Ray, and Nick held a crab while Greg played with a Port Jackson Shark. For the whole time they were there, the young tech's grin was so wide it could have split his face, and Nick felt his heart swell as he stood back and watched Greg get lost in his surroundings, completely absorbed by the colourful creatures around him. He watched the fish, unblinking, as in awe of their beauty as any of the young children standing beside him.
The reflection of the water played across his face, and Nick thought he'd never seen anyone, male or female, look more beautiful. It was in that moment, as Greg turned round to him and smiled, that he realised that what he was feeling was more than just a physical attraction, there was a deeper emotion there. That realisation would normally have frightened him, but with Greg it felt good. He wanted it.
They spent almost an hour just watching the Sand Tiger Sharks swimming above their heads in the dimly lit observation room, the last attraction in the Aquarium. They sat side by side on one of the benches and listened to the excited chatter of children as they passed through the room, until they were finally alone. Greg swung one leg over the other side of the bench so he was straddling it, facing Nick's profile. "Hi." he smiled. Nick returned the smile, shifting so he was facing Greg.
"Hi yourself. Having a good time?" he asked. Greg grinned one of those megawatt grins of his. "The best. This has been so amazing Nick. I've loved every minute of it." He reached out for Nick's hand and grasped it in his own, bringing the fingertips up to his lips and kissing them. Nick panicked slightly and quickly snapped his hand away, catching Greg's jaw in the process.
"Ow!" Greg gasped, his hand instinctively rubbing the tender spot. Nick's eyes widened in shock when he realised what he'd done. "Jeez, Greg, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean... are you OK?" He reached a hand out to touch him, but it was swatted away.
"All I wanted to do was show you how happy I was. There isn't even anybody else in here!" He checked his fingers to make sure there was no blood.
"Greg, I am so sorry. Believe me." Nick begged. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just... this is still so new to me, I'm still learning how to handle it. This is just such a public place, G', and this is still a little weird for me."
Greg went to answer, but another group of children came into the room. Nick could see that his eyes were glistening as he jumped up, pushed past them and left the room. Nick swore under his breath and followed him, finally finding him standing alone at the Ray pool. "Greg...."
"Is this what you want me to stay in Vegas for?" he said, not turning around. "Am I staying to be with someone who can't bear to be seen in public with me, can‘t bear to touch me? No one here cares that we‘re together Nick."
"Greg, I...."
"And yeah, but it's OK for you to be all over me when we're alone. First the lab and now this. Are you ashamed of me Nick?" His voice was tight with unshed tears.
"Of course not, Greg." Nick felt his stomach churn. "It's just that I'm not comfortable with public displays of affection. I'm sorry I'm not as open as you, but you've had years to deal with being attracted to other men, this is all happening so fast for me. I really like you Greg and if you don't believe anything else then please believe that, because it's the truth!" He walked over and put a hand on Greg's shoulder, twisting him around so they were face to face.
"But if you want me to prove to you that I'm not ashamed of you, I'll do it." He walked away again, and returned with the photographer that had taken their picture earlier. "We want another photo." he told the girl, handing her some bills. The girl smiled at them and pocketed the money, pulling the Polaroid camera from around her neck. Nick picked up a crab and carefully set in in Greg's hand, keeping his own hand cupped around it so that they were both holding it.
"What are you doing?" Greg asked, puzzled.
"Ssssshhhhhhhh." Nick smiled, and leaned in to kiss him fully on the lips. He was vaguely aware of the pop of the flash in his peripheral vision, but it wasn't as bright as the flash that went off in his head. He pulled away again and smiled shyly at the girl, who seemed completely unfazed as she flicked the photograph in her hand to develop it. Greg hadn't moved, still cradling the crab carefully.
Nick took the crab from his hands and placed it back onto a rock. "Are you OK?"
Greg just nodded. The girl smiled at them and handed them the photo, then walked away to look for more customers.
Greg took the photo and stared at it. "Can I keep this?" he asked, almost too softly to be audible.
Nick nodded, and put an arm around Greg's shoulders. "Did I hurt you?"
Greg sniffed a little, but shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine." His eyes never left the photograph.
"Come on. Lets go and get something to eat, I'm starving." Nick checked his watch. "We've still got a few hours before we need to get to work."
Greg nodded, and they made their way back to the car, Greg still clasping the photo as if it was a his most prized possession.
Nick had dropped Greg back at his apartment to shower and change before work, and he made his way quickly back to his own place to do the same. Time had gotten away from them as they enjoyed their meal, a delicious steak dinner at the hotel restaurant. Greg seemed in high spirits, chatting and laughing as they ate, but had insisted on going halves on the check. Nick wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or not.
He was thankful that Greg hadn't mentioned the incident in the shark viewing room, but he still felt sick to his stomach every time he remembered the look of shock on the young techs' face when he'd accidentally hurt him. It was like a knife in his heart and he swore to himself that he never wanted to see Greg's face twisted into that pained, confused expression ever again.
~~~
He'd finally made it into work 15 minutes late and he found Warrick in the locker room, already putting on his holster and checking his gun. He nodded to Nick as he entered. "Hey, Nicky, grab your stuff, we're up. Sexual Assault outside a strip club, we‘re meeting Brass there." He pointed a finger. "And you‘re late."
Nick nodded, mumbling apologies, and quickly opened his locker to get ready. He still didn't know how Greg had got his combination in the first place, but he was obviously putting the knowledge to good use. There, nestled amongst his carefully folded T-shirts and toiletries, was a small red rubber crab. Nick couldn't hide the smile that was pulling at the corner of his lips.
"Gonna share the joke, bro?" Warrick asked, clapping his hand on Nick's shoulder as he walked past.
"No joke. Sorry man. I was just thinking about something." He closed the locker door over slightly to hide the contents.
"Let me guess, that something you're thinking about is the same something that made you late, right?"
Nick ignored the question. "You go on, I'll catch up." He waited until Warrick had gone before picking up the small toy, turning it over in his hands. It had come from the aquarium, Greg must have snuck into the gift shop and bought it when he'd gone to the bathroom just before they left. He went to put it back in his locker, but changed his mind and put it in his jeans pocket before running to catch up with Warrick.
~~~
Warrick pulled into the parking lot of the Criminalistics building and jumped out of the car, grabbing the evidence box from the backseat. He went to hand Nick the box of security videos. "I'll get this rape kit DNA to Sanders, you can head down to the AV Lab and review the footage from the security camera."
Nick cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm getting a bit of a headache." he lied. "I don't really feel like sitting in front of a screen for the next few hours. Would you mind going over the video with Archie? I can run the kit down to Greg." He was aware of his voice thickening as he said Greg's name, and hoped that Warrick didn't notice.
"Makes no difference to me." Warrick shrugged and handed Nick the kit instead, taking the box himself. "I'll catch up with you later. Why don't you grab something to eat and chill out while you wait for the results. Feel better, OK?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks ‘Rick." Nick winced, feeling guilty for lying to his friend and causing him concern. Warrick squeezed him lightly on the shoulder and made his way into the building and towards the AV lab, the security videos in hand. Nick followed close behind but went in the opposite direction towards the DNA lab.
Greg was sitting on a stool beside his computer, his face resting in his one hand, elbow on the table. In his other hand was a small square photograph. Anyone passing who happened to glance through the glass wouldn't have known what he was looking at, but Nick recognised it as the Polaroid that they'd had taken earlier. He stood for a moment, just watching Greg staring at the picture with a hint of a smile playing on his lips, running his gloved thumb gently across the exposure. After a few moments he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and carefully slipped the photograph inside.
It took all of Nick's willpower not to burst through the door and kiss that smile right off his face. Instead he settled for a soft "Hey there." as he entered. Greg looked up and grinned at him.
"Hey yourself." He looked around to make sure that no one was within hearing distance before adding "I had a great time today. Hey, did you find Krabbe the crab yet?"
Nick returned the grin, and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small rubber toy and tossing it to Greg. "Very original name you chose." he said with mock sarcasm. "Listen, much as I like finding excuses to see you, I'm actually here in a professional capacity, I got a rape kit needs processed. Are you working on anything right now?"
Greg shook his head. "I'm waiting on some results for Catherine so I can make a start on yours now." He set the toy crab on the desk and stood to take the sample from Nick, making sure to brush up against him as he did so. Nick didn't stop him, but murmured in his ear "That's against the rules, G'."
"What's the point of having rules if you can't break them once in a while." he whispered back. His warm breath breezed across Nick's face, they were in such close proximity that he could feel the heat radiating from Greg's body and it was making him crazy. "So, are you going to hang out with me while I process this?" he asked, his voice so low and seductive that it made Nick half hard right there in the lab. He might as well have asked Nick to rip his clothes off, it had the same affect on the Texan's blood pressure.
"I don't know if that would be such a good idea." Nick cleared his throat and took a step backwards to give himself some breathing room. "But why don't you come over to my place later on and we can hang out then? We'll be a little less... on show." Greg turned to see Catherine walking past the lab, taking a look in at them as she went.
"OK, cool. I'll see you later then." He picked up the crab and quickly slipped it back into Nick's pocket. Nick shivered at the touch. "Yeah, see you later." he echoed, and made his way to the water fountain to cool down.
~~~
Nick had found it impossible to sleep, his stomach churning with a mix of nerves and excitement. He decided there was no point in lying in bed, so he got up and changed his sheets, cleaned the house from top to bottom then showered and dressed in some comfortable blue jeans and a black T-shirt.
By the time he'd run out of things to do Greg still hadn't arrived, so he switched on his TV to a documentary on the Discovery channel. Something about Whooping Cranes, but he couldn't settle to watch it, so he switched it off again. He sat in quiet reflection for a while, playing with the small toy crab that Greg had given him, turning it over and over in his hands. He figured that it was a reciprocation for the photograph, something for him to keep to remind them of their first date. First of many he hoped.
He checked his watch and realised that it was still only 11:30, Greg mightn't even be awake yet. He was debating whether or not to call him when he heard a car pull up outside.
He crossed the room and opened the door, the sunlight streaming into his hallway as he waited, warming his skin. Greg climbed out of the car and took off his sunglasses, tossing them onto the seat before closing the door. He was dressed in tight dark blue jeans that hugged him in all the right places, and a tailored red button down shirt, his hair left flat again just how Nick liked it. He opened the gate and walked through, his smile almost as bright as the sunbeams beating down on the Vegas afternoon.
Nick had barely got the door closed behind Greg before they were kissing, all tongue and teeth and hands searching each other out, pulling at clothes and guiding blindly to the black leather couch, tumbling onto the soft cushions.
"Mmmpphhh." Nick attempted to say something. Greg gave him his tongue back long enough to speak. "I've been thinking about this since the lab." he repeated. Greg just flashed him one of his trademark smirks and grabbed the front of his T-shirt, pulling him back in for another searing kiss. His tongue twisted in Nick's mouth, tasting him, taking him in deeper and deeper into the dizzying heat of their connection until they were finally forced apart by the need for oxygen, both gasping wildly.
"Hi." Greg panted, running a hand through his own hair where it had spiked from being pressed against the sofa, flattening it down again.
"Hey." Nick said softly, reaching his own hand up and helping to smooth down the wayward hair. Greg made a small moan in the back of his throat, arching into his touch. Nick felt all his blood rush to his groin as Greg threw his head back, exposing the pale skin of his throat. Nick couldn't stop himself from surging forward and pressing his lips against the flesh, his momentum pushing Greg flat onto his back, Nick landing squarely on top of him.
He pressed wet, open mouthed kisses along Greg's throat and down over his Adams apple, his tongue probing across the knot, tasting a hint of shaving gel. He licked further down as Greg's hands came up to grip his hair, his own hands were creeping under Greg's shirt. It seemed odd for a moment to feel a flat, smooth chest on someone he was kissing, but the thought soon passed as Greg opened his legs a little to let Nick get closer.
"OhmyGod." Greg was groaning softly as Nick continued his exploration of the body beneath him. He could feel eager hands moving down across his back, sending shivers running through his whole body. His cock was rock hard and aching now, and he knew that Greg would be able to feel it pressing against him, his loose jeans doing nothing to restrain it. At that moment Greg reached a hand between them and gently cupped his erection. "Can I?" he asked, his voice cracking. Nick nodded and gasped as Greg palmed him through the denim.
Nick made short work of unbuttoning Greg's shirt, pushing the red material off his shoulders and kissing along the newly exposed skin, licking and nibbling at the two reddening buds on his chest, working them to hardness and then puffing cool air over them, making small bumps of gooseflesh appear.
Greg fiddled awkwardly with the button-fly on Nick's jeans, finally getting them open and slipping a warm hand into the gap and underneath the boxers he was wearing, closing his fist around the thick shaft. Nick cried out and threw his head back as he began working the hardened flesh, twisting his wrist each time he reached the swollen head, the leaking precum making the sensitive skin sticky and slippery.
He could feel his shirt dampening with sweat and sticking uncomfortably to his back, so he balanced himself on his knees and yanked it off, Greg's pace never wavering. He pawed at Greg's zipper, aching to return the favour, managing to force the tight denim off his slim hips just enough to free him. Nick was pleased to discover that he wasn't wearing underwear as his cock bobbed up and hit his stomach with a soft slap.
Suddenly a bout of nerves hit him. He was about to take another man's cock in his hand, something he'd never imagined he'd do. The reality of the situation overwhelmed him, and he stilled for a moment. Greg noticed his hesitation. "Are you OK?" he asked. "We can stop if you want to."
Nick looked down at those liquid chocolate eyes, so full of concern and affection. Nick realised in that second that he was more ready for this than he'd realised. He leaned down and kissed him reassuringly. "No," he said honestly, "I don't want to stop." He licked his lips and exhaled sharply. "I want..... I want to taste you." He continued his kiss, taking it down across his jaw line and further south until his tongue was twisting through the hair underneath his navel.
"Are you sure?" Greg whispered.
Nick answered him by taking the velvety skin of the head into his mouth, lapping gently at it, getting used to the weight of it on his tongue, the way the slight musky scent seemed like the most arousing thing ever. He licked and sucked in the same way that he liked to be blown himself, and was beginning to wonder if he was doing it right. Any concerns he had were quickly eradicated by the mewling noises Greg was making as he reached down and gripped Nick's hair so tightly that it was almost painful.
Encouraged by the response, he quickened the pace, taking him as deep as he could without gagging. "Oh Jesus, Nick. Oh fuck...." Greg was babbling above him, squirming against the leather, his skin sticking to it. "Nick, I can't.... I have to.... Oh God!" he cried out as he shot into Nick's mouth. Nick felt the heat flood into him, taste the bitter salt of cum on his tongue as he lapped him clean, letting the softening cock drop from his lips. His own cock was throbbing, he was so painfully close himself, all he needed was something to tip him over the edge. Greg seemed to read his mind and reached down again, gripping the flushed, weeping head in a tight fist.
"Let it go, baby." he urged. "Cum for me." Nick let out a low guttural moan as his body tensed, the white heat burning in the base of his spine, flowing forward into his balls and up, up though the shaft and he was cumming hard all over Greg's hand and his own jeans. He gasped as the last shudders coursed through him and collapsed on top of Greg, boneless.
They fixed their clothing and then lay in silence for a while, side by side on the sofa. Finally Greg shifted his body, turning to face him. "How do you feel?" he asked, running a hand up and down Nick's thigh.
"Amazing." Nick admitted. "And kinda sleepy."
Greg chuckled softly. "Me too, actually." He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes. "I like my eggs scrambled, by the way." he mumbled, randomly. After a short while his breathing became regular and Nick realised that he'd fallen asleep.
Nick watched Greg sleeping for a while, his head full of thoughts of the past couple of weeks. His life had been turned upside down by the crazy young man lying in his arms, and Nick realised that it had been just what he needed. He'd never felt sensations like when Greg touched him, had never gained such satisfaction in bringing someone to climax. He ran his hand up and down Greg's gently rising and falling chest, wondering what it would be like to take him completely, devour him, be inside him. He wanted to fuck Greg, hear him scream his name as he came, feeling him clamp down as he thrust into him. He wanted it. His spent cock began to twitch at the thought.
The intense ache in his neck told him where he was before he'd even opened his eyes, and a soft snore from beside him reminded him just who he was with. He forced one eye open, getting ready to squint against the light, but he found the room was layered with shades of grey.
"Greg." he croaked, his throat dry. He cleared it and tried again. "Greg. Wake up."
"Mmmmmmm. Just another minute." Greg tried to snuggle closer, but Nick shook him gently.
"Greg, we fell asleep on the sofa. It's really late, we need to get up." Nick looked across at the clock, just managing to make out the dial in the dim light. "Shit, Greggo! It's after 9, we're going to be so late if we don't get up now." He prodded him again.
Greg stood up and yawned, indulging in an almost feline full body stretch. "Can you lend me a clean shirt?" he asked, pulling off his dirty red one and tossing it on the floor beside him.
"Sure, I'll look something out for you. Why don't you hop in the shower first?" Nick suggested, closing his drapes and switching on the lamp. Greg walked over to where he was standing, throwing his arms around Nick's waist and kissing him softly on the lips.
"You know, it'll take half the time if we shower together." he offered.
Nick laughed, his eyes crinkling. "Somehow I think it would take double the time. Go on. And you can borrow my toothbrush." he hinted subtly at Greg's morning breath.
"As long as you use it after me." Greg grinned, making Nick realise that his own was probably just as bad.
"Deal. Now move your ass."
~~~
By some miracle they managed to make it into work ten minutes before shift started, driving their own cars and Greg agreeing to wait in the parking lot for a few minutes before going in, so as not to arouse suspicion.
Most of Nick's shift was spent in the field, but on the rare moments he came back to headquarters his first port of call was always to seek out Greg. Knowing looks and secret whispers were exchanged as they passed each other in the hallways, little subtle touches when nobody was around appeased them when the hours seemed to drag for both of them. Just seeing Greg walking around in Nick's T-shirt was driving him slowly insane, and he was almost positive that Greg was aware of this, and was keeping his lab coat off just to tease him. No one else would know it was Nick's, it was just a regular black T-shirt, but he knew, and he knew the reason why Greg was wearing it. He found himself getting aroused just remembering.
He'd found yet another present from Greg in his locker when he went to change his boots, this time an origami crane was stashed in amongst his clothes. He carefully unfolded it, guessing it was a note.
Fancy meeting up for breakfast? We can go to my favourite diner, the food is great. It's slightly out of the way so there's not as many tourists. I'll hang around until you've finished, then you can follow me. This message will self-destruct. Greg
Nick smiled and pocketed the note, checking his watch. Only 3 more hours of shift to go.
~~~
Nick finally finished up and left the building, spotting Greg already sitting in his car. He gave him a small acknowledging wave, which could have passed for a ‘goodbye' wave to any onlookers, and climbed into his SUV. He waited until Greg had pulled out of the parking lot before starting his own engine, then pulled out onto the road, spotting Greg's car a little way ahead.
After a short drive they pulled up outside a small diner and parked a few spaces away from each other, just in case. Greg chatted enthusiastically about his plan to ask Grissom for more field time and Nick let him talk, enjoying how his beautiful brown eyes lit up when he imagined becoming a fully qualified CSI, how animated he became when he spoke of getting out with the rest of graveyard shift on a case.
As Nick watched Greg talk and laugh and smile, he wished that he'd declined the offer of going out and just taken Greg home. He desperately wanted to be away from this diner and back at his place, kissing and touching and feeling and screwing until they were both sweating and panting.
He shook the vision from his brain and tried to concentrate on ordering, the waitress snapping her gum irritatingly as she waited.
~~~
They finished their food and again Greg insisted on paying half the bill, Nick finally deciding that this was actually a good thing. They walked back out to their cars and Greg gave Nick a friendly 'guy hug' with the obligatory pat on the back. He went to get into his car to drive back to his own apartment, but Nick reached out a hand and stopped him. "Come back to my place."
"Now?" Greg asked, a little confused. Nick nodded, blushing slightly. "Yesterday was so amazing and I thought we could.... take things further this time. That is, if you want to. If not that's cool, I mean, I don't want to rush you either. You said yourself you wanted to take it slow."
Greg's grin was so wide that Nick thought it looked as if it might take over his face. "Yeah, I did. But that was because I wasn't sure what was really happening, I didn't know if you were only interested in me because of some curiosity thing. But now I know that‘s not the case. Besides, I wouldn't call 18 months of thinking about something rushing it, would you?" he laughed.
"God, I wanna kiss you so bad." Nick was aware that his accent had thickened like it always did when he was aroused, and he wasn't surprised to feel the familiar tightening in his pants. He was suddenly very glad that he was shielded from the road by Greg's car.
"It's OK." Greg said understandingly. "It's too public here on the side of the road. I wouldn't expect you...." the rest of his sentence was stolen by Nick's mouth in a quick but definitely not friendly kiss.
"Can you bring... everything we need?" Nick murmured into his ear before pulling away. Greg just nodded dumbly, not able to believe that Nick had kissed him in broad daylight with God knows who passing in their cars. "And be quick, OK? I'll be waiting."
~~~
Nick spent 20 minutes in the shower, scrubbing over his body with some scratchy loofah thing that had come in a Christmas gift basket last year. He'd never used it before, but he figured that this was as good a time as any to try it. He hopped out of the shower and rubbed his skin dry, winding the towel around his waist and making his way to the mirror for a quick shave and a brush of his teeth.
He'd just finished getting dressed when he heard Greg's car pulling up outside, so he jogged across the room and opened the door, noticing that Greg was holding a backpack.
"Hey, I'm sorry I took a little longer, I stopped by my place to shower and change. I also brought some stuff so I don't have to rush home before work tonight. " A smirk ghosted across his lips. "You know, just in case we sleep in again."
Nick closed the door behind them, taking the backpack from Greg and walking to the bedroom to stash it. He hadn't realised he'd been followed, but when he turned Greg was leaning in the doorway watching him.
"Hope the bed's more comfortable than your sofa." he smiled, straightening up and walking towards Nick, a lustful glint in his eye. He reached a hand out and cupped Nick's jaw, drawing him in for a kiss, sweeping his tongue across Nick's bottom lip and suckling on it as he pulled away.
"Fuck." Nick moaned as a shiver ran through him. "I want you so much."
"So have me." Greg murmured against his neck, planting soft, open mouth kisses along his hairline, one hand rummaging in his pocket for the lube and condoms. He threw them onto the bed and began to tug at the bottom of Nick's T-shirt, trying to pull it up over his head. Nick raised his arms and let the material slide over him, then worked to remove Greg's own shirt.
They tumbled onto the bed, pulling at ripping at any remaining clothing until they were both naked, and Nick was surprised by how natural the situation felt. There was no nerves, no second guessing, there was only Greg kissing down his chest, twisting his tongue against the solid slabs of muscle and over the hard peaks of his nipples, teasing them until they were dark and swollen.
His cock felt achingly heavy and engorged with blood, turning the usually pink head an angry purple, dripping with precum. Greg moved further down, taking just the barest tip of it against his lips, his tongue darting out and sweeping through the slit, tasting the clear liquid.
"Oh, God Greg." he groaned, squirming at the intimate touch. "I want you now."
Greg let the head drop again, and snaked up his body, kissing him, letting him taste his own arousal. "Lets get ready." he said as he fumbled for the condoms and lube.
"What do I do?" Nick asked, suddenly realising that he had no idea how to prepare Greg. But Greg just smiled as he took Nick's hand and drizzled some of the lube over his fingers. "Relax baby." he said gently. "I got it covered."
He lay on his front with a cushion under his hips, coaching Nick in a gentle, trusting voice. "Rub some of the lube over me, and use your fingers to open me up. I'll do the rest by relaxing and letting you in. OK?"
Nick nodded, and poured some of the slippery liquid onto the dark pink pucker, rubbing his fingers gently over it. He experimentally slid one finger inside, pushing against the initial resistance until Greg's muscles tried to pull him further in.
"That's good." Greg growled. "Now add another one and move them around, gently at first."
He did as Greg asked, kissing along his spine as he did so to help him relax into the sensation. He scissor his fingers slightly and Greg mewled above him. He worked at the tight channel for a while, feeling the interior muscles becoming warm and pliable.
"Does that feel good?" he asked, his voice soft as he worked a little more lube over his hand.
"It's so good Nick, so good." Greg panted. "I want more, I want you inside me."
Nick opened the box of condoms, taking one out and tearing the foil wrapper open carefully. He rolled the rubber down his thick shaft and poured yet more lube over it, working it over with his fist. "Are you ready?" he asked huskily.
Greg nodded, and gasped when he felt Nick position his blunt head against the ring of muscle. He pushed against the entrance until he began to slide in. Once he'd got past the defence, Greg moved slightly and he felt himself get pulled deeper in until his balls settled against the other man's buttocks.
"Move, Nick. You can move now." Greg panted. Nick began to move, slowly at first, amazed at how tight the hot flesh was around him.
"Oh, Fuck." Nick growled as he began thrusting. "Greg, you feel so fucking good." Greg twisted his head and they met for an awkward kiss, connected everywhere now, both bodies as one.
"Jesus Nick, you're so hot. Oh God." Greg moaned as Nick began to thrust harder. "That's it, God!"
Nick continued the pace, pulling out almost to the tip and then sinking back in, Greg making a low throaty groan each time, the sound almost enough to make Nick cum there and then. As Nick thrust in faster and harder, Greg's body tensed. "Fuck, Nick, fuck, I'm gonna cum baby! I'm gonna..... aaaaah oh GOD!"
He shuddered, his whole body flushed and then he collapsed back onto his stomach. As he tensed, his muscles clamped down around Nick's weeping cock, already on the verge of erupting. The sensation was too much, and he felt the familiar heat flood his belly and his balls contracted, sending spasms of hot thick cream into the rubber tip. The strength in his arms disappeared, and he fell on top of the warm, satiated body beneath him. He let the quivering in his muscles subside before gently pulling out and rolling over, removing the condom and tossing it in the trash can beside the bed.
They lay for a while, just listening to each other breathing. Finally Greg turned to face him, rubbing his hand over the Texan's sweat slicked chest. Nick pulled him close and kissed the top of his head. "Do you feel OK?"
Greg nodded. "I feel.... absolutely amazing."
"I didn't.... does it hurt?"
Greg shook his head. "Not when you do it right and you really want it. It feels fantastic."
Nick blushed slightly. "You came. I didn't even touch you, and you came. Does it really feel that good?"
Greg smiled softly. "I told you, didn't I?"
"Yeah, I guess you did. If I wanted to feel that.... sometime..... would you do it to me?"
Greg sat up on his elbow, looking down at him. "As soon as you feel ready, I would love to make love to you."
Nick smiled at Greg‘s choice of words. "Because part of me wants to, I'm just a little nervous."
"Do you trust me not to hurt you?"
Nick nodded, and Greg began to kiss down his body again, licking and nibbling at the tanned flesh.
"What are you doing?" Nick asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm out of action for at least an hour. I'm not as young as you, remember."
"Sssssssssssh." Greg smiled, looking up at him from under thick lashes as he moved further and further down, placing wet kisses against his thigh, gently pushing his legs apart. "It's OK, trust me baby."
"I do trust you but I ....... Oh fuck. That feels so good." he moaned as Greg's tongue flicked across his opening. "I bet you've never felt anything like this before." Greg growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through Nick's whole body. Nick answer was a sharp gasp as he felt the tongue probing him, easing him open, the muscles relaxing to take the pink tip.
Unbelievably, his tired cock began to twitch into life again, growing hard as the hot blood rushed into it. Greg reached a hand up and gripped it, working it in a matching rhythm to the thrust of his tongue, in and out, up and down.
"Fuck, yes, Greg. Yes!" He threw his head back against the pillow, a primal roar escaping from the back of his throat as he reached climax again, less forcefully this time, but still enough to coat Greg's hand and drip onto his stomach in warm pearly drops. Greg brought his hand to his mouth and licked the remnants of the orgasm away, before climbing back up Nick's body and giving him a quick peck on the lips. Nick could taste his own essence on Greg.
"Oh.....my.....God." Nick panted. "I've never felt anything like that."
Greg just grinned, a hint of smugness about it. "I told you that you were missing out. And whenever you're ready, we can go further. Until then, I'm happy to give myself to you."
Nick cleared his throat, hoping desperately that what he was about to say wouldn't freak Greg out. "Listen Greggo, I want you to know something."
"You can tell me anything Nick. You know that." Greg looked slightly concerned.
"This... what we're doing... you do know that it's not just sex to me, don't you?" Nick reached out a hand and gently caressed Greg's hair.
"Yeah. I know." he purred at the touch. "It's the same for me. It always has been."
"Good." Nick smiled. "Come on, lets get some sleep."
"Shouldn't we shower first?" Greg yawned.
"Nah. It doesn't matter if we wake up stuck together." Nick pulled the sheet around them and let himself be taken over by the darkness of slumber, his lover curled up in his arms.
"It's been two months, you know." Nick looked up from the monitor to find Greg hovering nervously in the lab doorway before him. "Not that I was counting of course. I just.... happened to notice."
"Two months since what, G'?" Nick asked innocently. He already knew, but decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to tease his boyfriend a little. He finished typing his report, his last task of the shift, and stood up from the computer, making a show of stretching and yawning overdramatically. "Man, I'm so tired. I can't wait to get home and go straight to sleep. You don't mind, do you?"
Greg's face dropped a little, despite his attempts to hide it. "Oh. No, that's fine. And forget what I was saying earlier, it's not important." He nodded a goodbye and turned to walk away, his shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets, his feet shuffling a little against the tiled floor.
Nick followed stealthily behind as he walked dejectedly to the locker room, hiding beside the door as he watched Greg opening his locker to grab his bag before heading home. He suppressed a snigger as the lab tech gasped and took a quick step backwards, surprised by the white envelope tumbling out of his locker and falling to the floor with a soft slap. Greg looked around, then bent down to retrieve it.
He tore carefully at the gummed seal and looked gingerly into the envelope, as if the contents might jump out and bite him. Nick watched as the lab tech's eyes grew wider and his face lit up completely. "Wh... what......?" he stammered.
"Looks like you're not the only one who can break into lockers." Nick smirked as he made his presence known.
"You did this? I mean, of course you did this, but... oh my God, this is amazing. How did you get these, they're like gold dust!" He pulled the two Marilyn Manson tickets out of the envelope and held them aloft, inspecting the hologram to check their authenticity. The concert was in three days time in Los Angeles, and Nick knew that the tickets had sold out within hours of release. He'd overheard Greg complaining to Archie that he'd wanted to go.
Nick looked out into the hallway to check that the coast was clear before leaning in and giving Greg a quick peck on the lips. "EBay is a wonderful thing. Listen, you know I'm not the type of guy who does the whole anniversary thing, but I saw these and I just thought that since by some miracle we're both scheduled that night off, we could drive up there and then stay overnight. So I hope you hadn't made any other plans......"
"Even if I had other plans, I'd cancel them in a second!" He prodded Nick good naturedly on the chest. "Seeing you at a Manson concert would be totally worth it."
Nick opened his own locker and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on before closing the door again. "Hey, I can put up with the noise for a few hours, I'll have you know. I've heard it enough on my CD player for the past two months."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Greg grinned, gathering his things and closing his own locker. "So, road trip, hey?"
"Uhuh. We can take my car."
"Excellent. Hey listen, what you said about going home to sleep. You weren't serious..... were you?"
Nick yawned as if to prove a point. "Yeah, I'm exhausted." He laughed at Greg's disappointed face. "But hey, I never said anything about going home alone, did I? Come on."
~~~
Nick pulled up outside Greg's apartment, leaving the engine running as he hopped out and walked to the door, pressing Greg's buzzer. "Hey, you ready to go?" he spoke into the intercom.
"I've been ready for an hour." the laughing voice replied. "I'll be right down."
Greg appeared at the doorway a minute later, his backpack swung over one shoulder. "Hey." he greeted Nick with a blinding grin. "I am so psyched right now!" They walked back to the car, Greg tossing the bag in the backseat. "Let's get moving."
They spent the journey chatting and laughing and flirting, Greg quizzing Nick on what he was planning to wear to the concert. Greg finally gave his approval to tight black jeans and one of his own band T-shirts that he'd brought just in case Nick hadn't packed anything suitable.
"I still don't see what's wrong with my blue shirt." Nick huffed as they approached the outskirts of Los Angeles.
"Nick, you're going to a rock concert, not a church social, you need to look a little raw. You're wearing my Nine Inch Nails T-shirt. Period." Greg leaned over and kissed behind his ear, whispering "If it makes you feel any better, you're gonna look fucking hot in it."
~~~
They pulled into the hotel parking lot, Greg craning his head to stare at the rather grand entrance to the lobby. "You know, I had imagined crashing in some cheap motel, but hey, who am I to argue?"
They grabbed their bags and made their way towards reception, the woman behind the desk greeting them with a friendly smile. "Welcome, how may I help you?"
Nick stepped up to the desk and pulled out his wallet, his instinctive Texan charm kicking in. "Good evening M‘am, how are you? Could we get a room for tonight?"
The receptionist's smiled grew brighter, and she made a few taps on the keyboard in front of her. "Certainly Sir. Do you require a twin or a double?"
Nick stopped for a moment unsure of what to say, mentally kicking himself for not realising that he'd be put in this position. He looked to his left where a group of businessmen were congregated within hearing distance, then to his right where Greg was standing with a look of nervous expectation on his face. He knew that if he answered double, he might as well announce to the entire lobby that he was having sex with the man standing beside him. If he answered twin, he knew how disappointed Greg would feel.
Greg leaned in towards the desk, sensing Nick's discomfort. "Ah, twin room will be fine, thank you." he said a little too loudly.
Nick cleared his throat and looked at the group of men again. What mattered more, what a bunch of strangers thought of him for the next five minutes, or what Greg thought of him for the rest of the trip, maybe even the rest of their relationship? The choice was obvious.
"Double room, please."
The receptionist nodded, and made a few more taps at her keyboard. She took Nick's details and gave them both a key card and the directions to their room, wishing them a pleasant stay.
They rode the elevator in silence, the doors opening with a ping that seemed to snap Greg out of some deep thought. "That must have been tough on you." he said softly.
Nick shrugged. "No one knows us here. It's OK." He swiped the key card through the slot and pushed the door open, revealing their room. It was tastefully furnished in beiges and soft browns, and the large comfortable bed sat invitingly in the centre, adorned with Egyptian cotton sheets. Greg immediately threw himself down on it, testing the springs.
"Nice. Wanna come and christen it?" he said saucily, pulling on Nick's belt. Nick let himself be pulled onto the bed and into Greg's arms, and they kissed and fooled around for a while, touching and licking and playing until they somehow ended up naked and Nick was rolling a condom down his hardened shaft and coating it with lube. He took Greg passionately as the younger man balanced on his knees, groaning and gripping the sheets with one hand at each thrust, the other hand working his flushed cock to orgasm. Nick came a few moments later, and they collapsed, gasping. He carefully pulled out and rolled over, checking his watch.
"It's getting late. We should make a move, G'. Come on, lets take a shower."
"Together?"
"Only if you promise to behave. Lets go."
~~~
The music was so loud that the bass vibrated into the floor and up through Nick's entire body, making him feel like his heart was thumping in time with it. He'd been to concerts before, but had never witnessed a spectacle like this one. The atmosphere was electric and despite himself he was caught up in the excitement of it all, feeling himself come alive as the beat pulsated through him, seeming to make his skin sensitive to the lightest touch and increasing the sensation of Greg's body pushed up against his, making him grow hard against the confines of his tight jeans.
Greg was in his own world, moving to the music with both hands in the air as he let the waves of pure adrenaline wash over him. Nick knew he should be watching the stage, but he couldn't take his eyes off Greg. He'd never seen anything so undeniably sexual, this young vivacious ball of energy harnessed in black leather pants, tighter than was probably legal, and a dark, almost blood red latex T-shirt that clung to every inch of his chest, his nipples clearly visible through the rubber. He'd spiked his hair even higher than normal and dusted some sort of glitter through it, and his eyes were lined with a sparkly black kohl. Nick thought he looked like a rock star who wouldn't have been out of place on stage with the rest of the band. He knew that Greg had been getting a lot of appreciative looks from both men and women, so he slung a possessive arm around his waist, shooting the hopefuls a warning look that screamed ‘back off, he‘s mine‘.
~~~
They stumbled back into the hotel at 2am, Nick's attempt to make a dignified entrance proving impossible given the fact that Greg was hanging off him, bouncing with adrenaline and babbling incoherently about the concert. Anyone who looked at them might have thought they'd been drinking, but not a drop of alcohol had passed their lips.
They made it back to the room and had barely got through the door before Greg's tongue was in his mouth, his hands snaking underneath the black T-Shirt and scratching blunt fingernails down his chest. They both smelled of sweat and smoke and the musk of testosterone, and it was driving Nick crazy with lust.
"I want you." he gasped into Greg's open mouth as he felt his fly being worked open. "I want you to fuck me."
Greg stopped dead, unsure if he'd really heard what he thought. Nick repeated himself, his voice thick with need. "Please Greg, I need to feel you. I want this so bad."
"You're sure?"
"I've never been more sure of anything. I want this."
They moved to the bed, kissing until the contact was broken as Greg peeled the tight red latex off his sticky skin. Nick could still taste it when he licked a hot stripe across his chest, running his tongue along those two hardened peaks as Greg shimmied out of the leather pants and kicked them across the room.
"Clothes off, lie on the bed." Greg panted. Nick complied, stripping off his jeans and the borrowed T-shirt and lying on his back on the soft sheets.
Greg lay on top of him, their bodies fully connected as they kissed for a while, Greg making no attempts to rush this. He moved downwards, making sure to plant soft open mouth kisses over each of Nick's sensitive spots, delighting in the shivers of pleasure and gooseflesh appearing on the tanned skin.
He opened the small bottle of lube that they had used earlier and poured a generous amount over his fingers, working one against the tight entrance between Nick's legs. Nick had indulged in this much before, but had always stopped at two fingers, nervous about taking it to the next step. Greg had never forced him to go further, but now he was aching for it, aching for the sensation of being filled. "More....." he gasped, and Greg added another finger, twisting them around and bending them so that the barest touch of fingertips ghosted over his prostate.
He worked at the tight muscle for a while, kissing and licking over Nick's body to help him relax into the sensation. Nick could feel his body open up, his muscles becoming warm and ready to take the intrusion. "I'm ready Greg." he moaned. "I want you." Any nerves that had built in his stomach dissolved when Greg looked up at him through his thick dark lashes, his eyes shining and full of emotion, the smudged kohl only serving to make them even more striking.
Greg grabbed the box of condoms, taking one out and tearing the foil open carefully. Nick sat up, placing a hand over Greg's. "Can I?" he asked, taking the packet and pulling the condom out. Greg nodded and swallowed hard as Nick slowly placed the ring over his swollen head, nipping the air from the tip and rolling it gently down the thick shaft. He drizzled the slippery lube over the rubber and worked it over the hardened flesh with his fist.
"Jesus, Nick, you're going to make me blow before I even get to put it in." Greg breathed hard, obviously trying to gain some control. Nick withdrew his hand and turned on his side, Greg laying behind him in a spooning position.
Greg settled himself against Nick, the purple head nestled between his buttocks. "OK, baby." he said soothingly. "I want you to take a deep breath and relax." He massaged the rounded globes gently. "I'm going to push in now, and I want you to try and push out as I'm doing it."
Nick nodded, and gasped as he felt the blunt head pressing against him. He tensed for a moment, expecting pain, but he only felt slight discomfort for a second. Greg helped him to breath until he was relaxed and ready to try again. He could feel himself opening up and taking it, the sensation of being filled was like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
Greg whispered gentle instruction in his ear, and soon they were moving, pulling out slowly and pushing back in ever so gently until Nick was used to the feeling. Greg continued the whispering, murmuring how good Nick felt, how tight he was, how much he'd wanted this. Nick moaned and thrust backwards. Greg took the hint and began to up the pace slightly, the movement rocking the bed against the wall, making a rhythmic thump-thump that matched his thrusting.
Nick growled, a low rumble in the back of his throat, feeling the latex-cloaked head brush against the wonderful ball of nerves deep inside him with every stroke. Greg reached a hand around and grasped Nick's weeping cock, taking it firmly in his fist and stroking it in time with his thrusts. Nick felt the heat building in his stomach and flood into his balls, his muscles contracting to force several spurts of sticky cum over the crisp hotel sheets. He groaned loudly, the muscles in his ass clamping tightly around Greg as he plunged in as deep as he could go. He felt Greg tense against him and then collapse with a grunt as he came into the rubber tip.
Nick just lay there, unable to speak, stars dancing before his eyes. Greg reached across and turned him until he was lying on his back, propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at him. "You OK?" Nick could only nod, having lost the ability to speak. Greg traced a finger across Nick's square jaw, following the path with soft kisses. "You were amazing. So hot."
Nick remained silent, letting his brain process everything, but he smiled to let Greg know that he didn't regret what had happened, pulling him into a warm, protective hug. Greg let out a yawn, making Nick suddenly realise how tired he was too. It was after 5am and they'd been awake for 19 hours straight. "We should get some rest." he said finally. Greg nodded, his spiky hair tickling Nick's chin, and threw one leg over Nick's thighs trapping him in place.
"I wish we could stay here longer." Nick sighed, running his fingertips along Greg's side. "Where no one knows us and we can just be ourselves, not having to worry about people seeing us together."
"I wish that we could be this open at home." Greg mumbled quietly, before adding "Goodnight Nick." before Nick could open his mouth to answer.
~~~
They were both exhausted checking out the next morning, Greg's eyeliner had long since been washed off, but he was still left with black smudges around his eyes from lack of sleep. The drive home was made in mostly silence, and after a couple of hours Greg pulled Nick's jacket over him and slept the rest of the way. Nick glanced over at him regularly, watching his chest rise and fall softly, checking that he was OK when he moaned and shifted a few times without waking.
The silence gave Nick a long time to think. He wished that he knew how Greg felt about their relationship, what it actually meant to him. They'd never really discussed that side of things, instead just taking one day at a time and concentrating on keeping it under wraps.
He knew how open and free-spirited Greg was, and that keeping a secret like this must be so tough on him. He wished that he could be the same, not care who knew that he was with Greg, but he just wasn't that guy, no matter how much he cared about the young tech. He had no idea what his work colleagues would make of the fact that they were together, and he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. He didn't know if he could handle the looks, the whispering that would stop when he entered the room, not to mention that some of the more homophobic cops he'd worked alongside might not have his back at a crime scene. No, he thought. It's safer this way. Especially if Greg wants to be a CSI someday.
~~~
He dropped Greg at his apartment and headed back to his own place to grab a few hours sleep before work that night. He was so exhausted that he fell onto his bed fully dressed and didn't rouse until it was time for work. He grabbed a quick shower and dressed in blue jeans and a white button down shirt, hoping he didn't look as tired as he felt. He didn't know how to explain away the dark smudges under his own eyes if someone called him on it.
~~~
Thankfully the shift was slow that night, so Nick made his way to the break room for coffee. Warrick was already there, eating a sandwich that he'd brought from home. He chewed on his bite and swallowed before saying "Where were you last night?"
"What do you mean? It was my night off." Nick replied, feeling his heart begin to thump against his ribcage.
"I called you to let you know we got the suspect from the Mendez shooting, but I couldn't reach you at home or on your cell. What was up with that, you have a hot date?" He took a swig from his water bottle and looked at Nick expectantly.
Nick's silence only served to confirm Warrick's suspicions. "I knew it." he said with a booming laugh, showing a flash of white teeth against his coffee-with-cream skin. "Is she fine?"
Nick poured his drink and took a sip. "I'd rather not talk about it, man, if you don't mind."
"Is that a blush I see creepin' on your face? Man, you've really got it bad for this one!" He crumpled the paper bag his food was in and tossed it into the trashcan as he passed by. "Nicky's in love." he chuckled as he left the room.
Love? Nick thought. Nah, it hasn't gone that far. Love. He shook his head and tasted the word, letting it roll softly off his tongue. "Love." All he knew was that what he felt for Greg was unlike anything he'd ever felt before and the thought of losing him made him sick to his stomach. But love? He wasn't sure if he was ready to put a label on it yet.
~~~
A new case had come in a few hours before the end of shift, and Nick was forced to work overtime. He'd managed to sneak into the DNA lab and explain, Greg deciding to go back to his own apartment to sleep so he wouldn't be disturbed when Nick came home.
Nick was just finishing up for the night when Catherine came into the evidence room. "Hey Nicky, almost done?" she smiled brightly, tilting her head and giving him an odd look that he couldn't quite decipher.
Nick nodded, pulling off his latex gloves and dumping them. Catherine was rummaging in her purse, looking for something. She pulled out a black fabric wallet and set it in front of her, using one finger to push it into the middle of the table. "Greg's already gone for the day, so can you give this back to him? I found it in the parking lot, he must have dropped it."
Nick cleared his throat. "What makes you think I'll be seeing Greg before you do?" His voice was thickened and cracked with nerves, and he cursed himself for it.
"Nick, I had to look inside the wallet to see who it belonged to." She reached out to the wallet and flipped it open, revealing the Polaroid that had been taken at the aquarium. "So.... Is there anything you want to tell me?"
Nick gulped hard, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him, saving him from whatever humiliation lay ahead. His eyes burned into the photograph as if he could will it to disappear by the power of his mind, but it stubbornly remained on the table, mocking him, hard evidence of the secret life he‘d so desperately concealed.
Fuck He screamed internally. FuckFuckFuck! He felt suddenly dizzy, a horrible sensation like he was falling with no signs of ever hitting land. His stomach dropped to somewhere on the floor and he grasped on to the side of the table in an attempt to regain his balance. He could feel a single bead of sweat trickle a path from his forehead to his jaw, hanging there for a moment before splashing onto the evidence table. The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion.
Catherine, seemingly unaware of Nick's slow death, simply tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and continued unabated. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"
Nick's mind raced with excuses, desperately grasping for a plausible explanation as to why Greg kept a photo of them kissing in his wallet. Instead he heard himself answering "A couple of months." He knew that it was his voice but it seemed small and far away, a tinny echo around his head, something he had no control over. He cringed, awaiting Catherine's response.
"Well, kudos for managing to keep it quiet for that long, especially around here."
Nick looked up and met her eyes, surprised to find that she was actually smiling. "You don't mind?"
Catherine walked over and closed the door before returning to the table. "Mind?" she laughed. "Nicky, I've got one thing to say about this. It's about damn time."
"What?"
"I've seen the way you are around each other. And I've also noticed how happy you've been for the past two months. I knew that there was something different about you, something was going on, I just wasn't certain what it was. But when I found the photograph, it all came together." She flipped the wallet closed again, a satisfied look on her face.
"Have you told anyone about finding the wallet... or what was in it?" Nick asked, blushing with acute embarrassment.
Catherine shook her head. "That's not my place, honey. That's up to you. You haven't told anyone?"
Nick chewed on his bottom lip. "No, we haven't, we decided not to. I decided not to. You know me Cath, I'm a very private person. I'm not the kinda guy who shouts my personal business from the rooftops.... and Greg understands that. It‘s.... easier this way."
Catherine moved around the table and stood next to him, the smile fading a little. "Tell me something. If Greg was female would you still be keeping this so quiet?"
Nick contemplated the question for a few moments. "Probably not." he answered truthfully, shaking his head again. "I just feel uncomfortable with people gossiping about me, about us. I'm doing this to protect Greg as much as myself. He wants to be a CSI someday, and I don‘t want our relationship to jeopardize that."
"I sincerely doubt that it would, Nick. How does he feel about keeping this a secret?" Catherine enquired, lifting the wallet and turning it over in her hands.
Nick exhaled loudly. "I wish I could say it's what he wants. But I know that he'd give anything to be out in the open. He's doing it for me, and that.... Well, that makes me feel even worse. I want to be able to be cool about it like he is, but I don't know if I'm ready. And the longer we hide it, the harder it gets, you know, part of me wishes I'd just been honest about it from the start."
"Do you love him?"
Nick laughed hollowly. "Funny you should ask that. Warrick made some smart remark about me being in love earlier, and I've spent the last, what, five hours trying to talk myself into believing that I'm not, that we don't need to put a label on what we have."
"OK." Catherine nodded. "Let me put it this way. If he broke up with you right now, how would you feel?"
Even the very thought of it made Nick feel ill. Being with Greg had made him happier, made him feel more alive than he ever thought possible and he didn‘t want to lose that. "Devastated." he said finally, swallowing back the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. "I'd be devastated."
The smile returned to her face. "Well, I think that tells me everything I need to know. Listen, I can't promise that everyone will be as understanding as me, but I can tell you that your friends here will stand by you. We care about you Nicky. We just want you to be happy, and being with Greg obviously does that. If only all of us could be that lucky." She stood on her tip toes and kissed Nick softly on the cheek. "If you decide to go public, then I've got your back."
"Thanks Catherine." He pulled her into a hug, his body sagging with relief. "I really appreciate it."
~~~
He spent the next hour putting together the report from his case, something that would have normally taken half the time to do, but his mind kept wandering to thoughts of Greg. He finally realised how selfish he'd been in forcing Greg into keeping their relationship a secret, how difficult it must be for him to lie to his friends and pretend that there was nothing between them. He resolved himself to do whatever it took to make it up to his lover.
He pulled the wallet out of his pocket and opened it, taking out the photograph and placing it on the table in front of him. It was the first time he'd really had a chance to look at it, as Greg hadn't let go of it since it was taken. It was a wonderfully candid shot, there was nothing awkward or uncomfortable about the kiss. It looked right. They looked right.
~~~
He'd grabbed his jacket from his locker and was about to leave for home when he noticed an extremely tense Greg standing at end of the corridor at the reception desk. He was making a square shape with his fingers and Poppy the day shift receptionist was shaking her head. Greg slapped both hands down on the desk in defeat and hung his head low.
Nick realised he must be asking about his wallet. "Hey Greg!" he called, jogging up to him.
Greg's head snapped up, and Nick noticed how pale and frantic he looked, his eyes wide and flashing almost black, his hands trembling slightly. "Nick, I need to talk to you, it's important."
He nodded and they found an empty office, Nick shutting the door behind them and closing the blinds. Greg was already pacing back and forth across the room, his face taking on a worried expression. Nick was just about to pull the wallet out and give it to Greg when he started babbling.
"I'm such an idiot, I've lost my wallet and I can't find it anywhere. I know that it was stupid of me to keep the photo in there and I should have taken it out and put it somewhere safe, but I liked having it there so I could look at it any time I wanted to." He continued pacing. "I know I definitely had it when I was in the lab, but when I went to get it later at home I couldn't find it. I searched my place and then I came back here and searched the parking lot and the lab and the locker room but it wasn't in any of those places, and then I asked Poppy but she said it hadn't been handed in and I am so sorry, I swear it was an accident. Anyone could have found it by now!"
"Greg..."
"Please don't be mad at me, Nick. The last thing I wanted to do was put you in this position. Oh God, you're going to break up with me now, aren't you? I knew that this was too good to last, I should have been prepared for this. But I've only got myself to blame. What are we going to do Nick?"
"Greg... shut up."
Greg stopped pacing and turned to look at Nick, beads of nervous sweat dotted on his upper lip. Nick pulled the wallet out of his pocket and handed it to the anxious young man.
Greg‘s eyes lit up, relief passing momentarily across his face. "You found it!"
Nick shook his head no. "Catherine found it."
"She knows?"
"She knows."
Greg visibly slumped. "Shit." he said softly. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. She's not going to tell anyone, is she?"
Nick put his arms around Greg and pulled him into a hug, taking a moment to gather the courage he needed. "No, she's not going to tell anyone. But...... I am."
Greg pulled away and took a step backwards, not believing what he was hearing. "What?"
"I said, I'm going to tell people. Well, Warrick to start with. I've hated keeping secrets from him and he already suspects that I'm seeing someone anyway. Once I see how that goes, I'll talk to the others and I'll make sure that Grissom knows that this won't affect our work. And Catherine has been great about it, really supportive. You know, I think she knew that I liked you even before I did."
Greg let himself be pulled back into the hug. "She's as sharp as a tack, that one. So.... What are you going to say to Warrick?"
"I'm going to tell him the truth. It's time I was honest with everybody... and that includes myself. All this time I've been telling myself that what we have doesn't need to be labelled, that it is what it is. But that was just my way of avoiding admitting what I‘m really feeling. Because I was scared of it."
Greg's nervous expression returned. "And what is the truth?"
Nick took a deep breath, his stomach feeling like butterflies were going to town in there. This was it. It was time to be 100% honest about what he wanted.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this here, of all places, but....I love you, Greg. I don't know if you feel the same, but I just wanted you to know that. This is real for me, I've never felt anything like it in my life before. The thought of losing you.... it makes me crazy. I've spent the last two months trying to persuade myself that what we have isn't that serious, that it didn't warrant being called love. Because if what we have is love, then I have to question everything I've ever known about myself, and everything that‘s been expected of me."
He took a deep breath and continued. "But then I realised that all of those things, they don't really matter. What matters is right here, right now. Life's too short to deny yourself the chance of happiness. I‘m sorry for messing you around so much, making you hide this like we were doing something wrong. Because it‘s not wrong. You're the most ‘right‘ thing I‘ve ever had."
A lone tear slipped down Greg's cheek, but he was smiling. "Nick, I didn't care about hiding if it meant I got to be with you. I've been in love with you for such a long time, I was just happy that you'd finally noticed me. When I realised that I'd lost my wallet, I really thought that was it for us. I was all prepared to be dumped, instead you tell me you love me." He exhaled shakily. "This has been a very strange day."
Nick kissed the tear away, then let Greg taste the salt on his tongue in a long, passionate clash of lips.
"So when are you going to tell Warrick?" Greg asked when they finally broke apart.
"Well, he's still here, so I guess now is as good a time as any. Shit, I‘m really going to do this. Wish me luck." Nick disentangled himself and they walked towards the door.
"Good luck baby." Greg gave his hand a supportive squeeze. "I'll be waiting for you."
~~~
Warrick was in the break room, a cup of steaming coffee on the table in front of him, his head buried so deeply in some documents that he didn‘t hear the door opening. Nick cleared his throat to get the CSI's attention.
"Oh, hey Nicky." he looked up and nodded in acknowledgement. "I thought you'd gone home already."
Nick slipped in through the door and closed it softly behind him. "Can I talk to you for a minute 'Rick? It's important." He took the seat opposite Warrick and clasped his hands together, tapping his thumbs nervously.
Warrick set down his papers and gave Nick his full attention. "Sure. What's on your mind?"
Nick shifted uneasily in his seat. "Do you remember earlier, when you asked if I was seeing someone?"
Warrick nodded and moved closer, intrigued.
"Well, I am. The reason why I didn't want to talk about it before is because... well, it's a little awkward."
"Is she married?" Warrick clasped his hands together in a mirror image of Nick. "Please tell me it's not another prostitute, bro. I thought you'd learned your lesson."
Nick hesitated for a moment, trying to find the best way to admit it. Finally he decided that simplicity was best. "It's Greg."
"Greg?"
"You know.... Greg."
Warrick stood up quickly, the papers falling to the floor. "Greg... Sanders? DNA tech Greg?"
Nick nodded, nervously tearing at a discarded Styrofoam cup he‘d found on the table. "We've been dating for around two months now, and it's pretty serious. I know this will be strange for you, I can understand that, but I'm happy, and I hope that you can be happy for me. For us."
Warrick rubbed his hand over his face, trying to take the information in. "I had no idea... I never once thought that you might be.... No way. How could I have missed that?"
Nick also got up and moved to where Warrick was standing, hesitantly placing a hand on his arm. "We worked very hard to keep it a secret, but now I think it's the right time to tell people and I wanted you to be the first. Well, first after Catherine, but she found out by accident."
"Greg Sanders?" he repeated. Then a look of recognition ghosted across his face and he laughed, a huge great belly laugh that made his whole body shake. "You almost got me there, man! Shit, that's the weirdest prank you've pulled yet. I don't think Sanders will be too pleased to find out you're using his name in your little joke, though."
"Warrick, listen to me." Nick was beginning to get agitated. "It's not a joke, I‘m being deadly serious here. I just... I wanted you to know."
Warrick clapped Nick squarely on the back, still laughing. "I don't buy it, you can give it up. Better luck next time, hey?" He lifted his papers and left the room, shaking his head and chuckling softly.
~~~
Greg was waiting for him in the parking lot, leaning against his car, hands in his pockets and a contemplative look on his face. When he saw Nick leave the building he straightened up and went towards him. "How did it go?" he asked nervously.
"It didn't." Nick sighed. "Listen, can we just get out of here, go back to my place?" He opened the door of his car and got inside. Greg went to walk back to his own car but Nick called out to him. "Greg.... Come with me? You can get your car later. "
Greg nodded and got in beside him, the first time they‘d ever left work together in the same car. Nick told him everything about Warrick's reaction on the drive to his place, how he couldn't even contemplate that what Nick was telling him might be true. "He'll come around." Greg said softly, placing a comforting hand on Nick's thigh. Nick nodded, hoping with all his heart that Greg was right. If Warrick couldn't handle them being together, he didn't know what he would do. He was beginning to wish that he hadn't decided to tell Warrick, at least then he wouldn't be left with this sickening apprehension weighing on him.
Nick slammed the door behind them, tossing his keys in the vague direction of the table and throwing himself dolefully onto the sofa. His head was beginning to throb, and he knew that no amount of painkillers would make it go away. He rubbed a thumb and forefinger over his tired eyes, wishing that he could turn back time and erase the ill-fated conversation with Warrick.
Greg flinched as the thud of the door slamming echoed around the room, knowing how hard this was on Nick, how much Warrick‘s friendship meant to him. "Nick, it's going to be OK." he offered. "Please don't get upset. You just need to try talking to Warrick again. It's not as if he thought the idea was disgusting or anything, he just thought you were joking around. He'll be cool. He has to be, I mean, he‘s..... Warrick."
"Will he?" Nick snapped. "I can't believe I let myself think that just because Cath was fine with us being together that everyone would be as understanding. I‘m such an idiot, I let myself believe that we could actually be accepted."
Greg sat beside Nick and put a comforting arm around him, rubbing a hand soothingly across his back. "Look, you're tired. Why don't you get some sleep and we can talk about this later? Come on."
Nick let himself be lifted from the sofa, surprised at how easily Greg was able to manoeuvre him towards the bedroom. "I won't sleep anyway, G', I'm too pent up." he grumbled, pulling off his white shirt and letting Greg open his belt and pull down the loose fitting blue jeans until he was standing in nothing but his black boxer briefs and black socks.
Greg pushed him into a sitting position on the bed and carefully pulled the socks off, balling them up and tucking them into each other, tossing it like a mini basketball into the laundry basket. "You still feeling pent up?" he asked, kneeling between Nick's legs, warm hands caressing his thighs gently.
Nick nodded and put his weight on his hands for a second, long enough to lift his butt off the bed and let Greg grab the boxers and pull them off. "Then I'll have to do something about that, won't I?" Greg said suggestively, raising an eyebrow. "Can't have you not sleeping."
He started at Nick's ankle, planting soft kisses against the dark, downy hair on his leg. Nick shifted slightly, trying not to enjoy the sensation. "Listen, Greg, I appreciate it but don't know if I'm in the mood for this right now."
Greg looked up at him, those dark chocolate eyes shining. "Shhhhhhhhh." he said, continuing his journey upwards. Despite himself, Nick felt his penis begin to twitch slightly. His body obviously disagreed.
"Lie down." Greg growled below him, and Nick immediately complied, laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. He could no longer see Greg, but he could still feel him, feel the wet tongue tracing a path up his thigh. He shivered in anticipation, but Greg took a detour around the spot where Nick most wanted him, licking and kissing across his muscled abdomen and twisting his tongue into the dimple of his navel.
"Greg," he moaned. "Please, I need more." The blood was rushing to his groin, the shaft thickening, rising to a 90 degree angle. He was aching to reach down and grasp it, desperate for some friction to try and ease the discomfort, but Greg swatted his hand away.
"You don't need to do anything." he panted in between kisses. "I'm taking care of you."
Nick just nodded and threw his head back against the pillow as Greg began to reverse his path back down the toned body. Nick shivered as Greg lapped his tongue roughly over the sensitive skin of his balls, taking one in his mouth and rolling it around inside the wet heat. Nick was aware of small mewling sounds coming from the back of his throat, but it was beyond his control.
Greg moved away from the sac, licking long, languorous stripes up the underside of the shaft, along the thick vein that was straining through the skin. The sensation forced a yelping noise from Nick, and he gripped the sheets tightly in both fists. Greg smiled, and went back to the delicious torture of lapping and sucking at the skin, still avoiding the swollen head that was now slippery with precum.
"Greg please....." Nick gasped, the throb becoming an insistent ache. After what seemed like an age Greg finally took the head in his mouth and began sucking, frustratingly slow at first, then faster and harder, his cheeks hollowing with the action. Nick was gasping for breath, beads of sweat pricking his skin as the sensations built up inside him, taking him closer and closer to the edge.
Greg's tongue flicked across the ridge with each suck, driving Nick insane. He threw his head back and yowled as he came, Greg swallowing the release hungrily, lapping at him until he was clean again. He let the softening cock drop from his lips with a wet-sounding pop, and snaked his still fully-clothed body across Nick's completely naked one.
"Still pent up?" he asked, his voice thick with his own arousal. Nick shook his head, and reached down to open Greg's jeans to return the favour, but Greg scooted out of his reach. "Ah ah ah, sorry baby, but you need to sleep now." He wrapped Nick up tightly in the sheet, making sure his wandering hands were restrained, then pulled down the blackout blinds on the windows.
Nick tried to fight the heaviness in his eyelids, but the orgasm had made him undeniably drowsy. He felt himself begin to drift, and in that dark limbo between wakefulness and sleep he was vaguely aware of Greg kissing him gently on the lips and a whisper of ‘I love you' before he finally surrendered to the lure of slumber.
~~~
He stirred at the sound of his door creaking open, a chink of light cast across his bed and over his pillow. "Nick?" The soft whisper floated across the room. "Nick, are you awake?" He made a groan in response, and the door opened further, more light flooding in and revealing Greg in the doorway holding a tray in his hands. He walked over to the bed and Nick shifted himself into a sitting position.
"I thought you might be hungry." He said, setting the tray on Nick's lap. Nick's stomach growled at the delicious smell wafting around the room, realizing how long it had been since he‘d actually eaten. Greg had made scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee, and Krabbe was nestled in the corner taking care of the cutlery.
"Thanks Greg." Nick yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I'm starving." He tucked in greedily as Greg opened the blinds and let the warm reds and oranges of the Vegas sunset shine through.
"Once you've eaten that you can jump in the shower and then get dressed, OK?" Greg leaned in as if to kiss him but stole a bite of the toast Nick was holding. Nick laughed with an uncharacteristic high pitched giggle. Greg was obviously trying to cheer him up and take his mind off the whole Warrick thing and if he was honest, it was working.
~~~
Once Nick had eaten, he got up and stretched his entire body, grimacing at the feeling of the joints popping. He pulled on some clean boxers and padded to the bathroom to take his shower. Once the water was at the perfect heat he stripped the shorts off again and stepped under the spray, letting the warm jets beat against his skin. He quickly scrubbed himself down, trying to ignore how lonely his shower felt now that he was used to Greg being in there with him, and shampooed his short hair with a delicious smelling shampoo that he knew definitely wasn't his. Greg was such an integral part of his life now, and he decided that his friends would just have to come to terms with that in their own time. Because he wasn't giving up on Greg for anything.
~~~
He dressed in comfortable grey sweatpants and a loose-fitting blue T-shirt, leaving his feet bare. He was still towel drying his hair as he walked to the living room, where Greg was waiting for him on the sofa. He lifted the remote and clicked off the television set, getting up to meet Nick halfway. "You feeling OK?" he asked, obviously still concerned. It was only then that Nick noticed that Greg was wearing his jacket.
"Are you going somewhere?" He asked, tossing the wet towel towards the kitchen. Greg looked suddenly shifty, checking his watch. "Yeah, I thought I'd go for a walk around the block, clear my head a little. I'll be back soon though."
Nick was just opening his mouth to answer when his doorbell rang. Greg kissed Nick softly on the cheek, catching the barest corner of his lip, and turned towards the door. "Don't be mad at me." he said quietly as he opened it to reveal Warrick standing nervously on the porch.
"Come on in Warrick." he said, sidestepping to let him through. He turned to Nick. "I'm on my cell if you need me, other than that I'll be back in an hour." He left, closing the door behind him.
"What are you doing here?" Nick asked, crossing his arms over his chest protectively. Warrick shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on the sofa, sitting down beside it and clearing his throat.
"Greg called me and asked me to come over." he said in an uneasy voice. "He explained to me what was going on between you two."
Nick didn't speak, just hung back and watched Warrick's obvious discomfort.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I behaved earlier. I really thought you were joking, man. You know what we're like, always trying to get one over on each other. I honestly thought you were yanking my chain." He sat back, throwing an arm across the back of the sofa, waiting for Nick's response.
"And now you know that it's true, how do you feel about that?"
He cast his green eyes to the ceiling and sighed. "You gotta admit that it's a little weird Nicky. You suddenly realise you're gay after all this time? I don't know. You know that I'm not homophobic, but..... I just can't get my head around this. I'm sorry."
Nick walked slowly to the sofa and sat down beside him. "Warrick..... For the first time in ages I'm actually happy. Can you get your head around that?"
Warrick turned to face him. "I can see that. Really I can. It's just I never thought that.... You and Greg. It's a lot to take in."
Nick got up and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of beers and handing one to Warrick. "I'm still the exact same person I always was, 'Rick. I haven't changed. And this thing with Greg, it's not going to go away. I love him. So if you can't get used to that... well.... I guess that's going to be your problem. But I hope for the sake of our friendship that you can learn to accept this."
Warrick took a long swig of his beer, thinking it over. "Listen Nick." he said finally. "I can't say that this hasn't come as a shock because it has, but if you're really serious, then I'll do my best to be OK with it. You're like my brother, man. We're tight. And I don't wanna lose that. And I like Greg, I really do, he's a good kid. Just.... give me some time, OK?"
Nick nodded, relieved that Warrick was at least going to try to accept his relationship with Greg. "I know it's a strange development, and I don't expect you to be OK straight away. But if you‘re willing to try, then that‘s all I can ask for." He took a deep breath and sat back down beside his friend. "I'm just sorry I didn't tell you sooner. That was my fault, I just wasn't ready."
Warrick held out his hand and they shared their special handshake. "I'll stand by you, Nicky. Like I said, you're my brother."
They sat in silence for a while, sipping at their beers. "You told Grissom yet?" Warrick said finally. Nick shook his head.
"That's next on my list." he laughed nervously.
~~~
He hadn't realised how long they'd been chatting and drinking until he heard Greg coming in, using the key that Nick had given him after they‘d been together a month. "Everything OK?" he asked sheepishly, looking around to check that there hadn't been a fight.
Warrick stood up and walked over to Greg, extending a hand. "I guess I should say congratulations." he shrugged. Greg took the hand and shook it, the relief obvious on his face.
"Thanks Warrick." he smiled, then turned to Nick. "You're not mad at me for calling him?" Nick shook his head. "Things needed to be sorted, Greggo. And we'll get there, right ‘Rick?"
"Damn straight we will." Warrick said loudly, then leaned in and spoke under his breath so only Greg could hear, "Remember, you mess him around, you‘ll have me to answer to."
Greg whispered back "You've got nothing to worry about."
Warrick nodded, walking back over to the sofa and grabbing his jacket. "I should go. I'll see you guys at work, OK?" Nick stood up to show him out, Warrick giving him a friendly pat on the back before he left.
"So, he's cool with us being together?" Greg asked, throwing his arms around Nick's waist. Nick smiled sadly. "I don't think so, no. But he's trying to be. I guess I can‘t ask for more than that."
Greg nodded and kissed him tenderly. "Come on we've still got a couple of hours before work." he said, leading him to the bedroom. "Lets take our mind off things."
~~~
Nick stood in the shower, his second in the last few hours, and let Greg rub the soapy lather all over his wet body, washing off the sticky sweat from their recent exertions. "Are you sure you‘re OK?" Greg asked as he worked across Nick's tense shoulders, trying to massage the knots out of them. Nick looked up at him, smiling at the sopping wet young man standing in front of him. His hair was plastered to his head, rivulets of water dripping down his face, making him squint against it, his face screwing up in that adorable way that made Nick want to kiss him until he was breathless.
"I love you Greg. No matter what happens once people start finding out, I want you to know that it won't change how I feel about you."
Greg stopped his massage. "I know that. And I feel the same. I just hate seeing you like this." he sighed. He pulled Nick into the spray and watched as the suds washed off his body and swirled down the drain.
"Move in with me."
Greg's head snapped up, his eyes wide and questioning. "What?"
Nick put his arms around Greg's slippery-wet waist, pulling him close. The hot water beat down on both of them, the steam rising off their bodies. "Once we've told everyone at work. Move in with me, you're here most of the time anyway. I really want this."
"Yes, of course I'll move in here! But.... you're really sure?" Greg asked, his eyes flashing with excitement. Nick nodded, pulling him in for a long, slow kiss, the water running over their tongues as they dueled for control. When they finally broke apart, Greg's face broke in to the hugest grin Nick had ever seen. And knowing that he was the one to put it there, this secret smile that was only for him and no one else, that smile made it all worthwhile. He knew at that moment that he would do whatever it took to keep that smile in place. No matter what anyone else may think of them, he knew they were the real thing, and he would do whatever it took to prove that to Greg every day for the rest of his life.
"I love you Greg."
"I love you too, Nick."
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