Title: Nick Stokes
By: acerbus
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Summary: Nick finally tells Greg he loves him.

Sometimes working with Nick Stokes was torture. The way he moves, the way he talks is intoxicating. When he's near I can't seem to breathe but I do. Unrequited love is the pits. I say something but I don't know what. His eyes sparkle as he laughs at the inane joke I made.

He finally left the lab leaving me in peace. I soon finish the DNA report he needed and its almost time for lunch break. All of a sudden, an explosion sounds, the ground shakes, and I'm thrown to the ground glass surrounding and covering men, but not all in that order. Maybe it was simultaneously or maybe it wasn't I don't know how it happened it just did. I hear people running, someone's calling my name. Everything sounds distant like I'm not really here; blissful unconsciousness creeps up on me and the pain eases away.

I wake up hearing monitors beeping and people whispering in the background. I see someone out the corner of my eye. It's Nick. Oh God. I close my eyes hoping he didn't notice I was awake, and he doesn't. He is so oblivious sometimes and that's what hurts. I slowly drift off into dreamland again with nightmares of explosions and glass.

I wake up again and everybody's gone except Nick, but he's asleep though which gives me time to study him. There's dark circles under his eyes and a drawn, gaunt look to him.

His eyes are starting to open and I quickly close mine because I don't want him to know I had been awake yet. He starts to talk about how sorry he is and how he hadn't turned it off and if he had I wouldn't be here.

"G," he says, "please I can't take it anymore, I can't shake the feeling I almost lost you and I hadn't even told you I love you."

My eyes shoot open at this, but he doesn't notice because he's looking at the floor, head bowed with his hair hanging down. Slowly I reach and touch his hair ever so softly and he looks up with scared, teary eyes and it breaks my heart to see him like this. He mutters something quickly and gets up making a fast getaway.

"Stop," I somehow manage to croak out, my throat soar from disuse, and he does. "I.... I Love you, too."

He looks at me hope shining in his eyes

"I love you," I mange to rasp out again and he comes back, happy. Happy that I'm awake, alive, and most of all happy that I love him. I smile because I know he will always love the way I love him. And you know what? That sweet torture of working with him is delicious.