Title: Dog Sitting and Nipple Rings
By: Fran Holland
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Rating: AO

“Nick, could I talk to you for a minute?” 

Nick looked up from his microscope.  “Sure, Griss.”

“I’m leaving for a lecture series on Thursday and I was hoping you would be able to dog sit for me.  I hate to ask, but I’m desperate.  The kennel I normally use is full.  It’s only for three days.”

“Hey, not a problem, man.”

“Thank you, Nicky.  Maybe you can drop by the house on your way home this morning and I’ll give you a key and show you where everything is?”

“Sure.  I’ll just meet you there.”

“Thanks again, Nick.”  Gil turned and left the Trace Lab.  Nick watched him leave.  It had been a few months since Sara had left and sometimes Nick missed her, but mostly he was glad she was gone.  When he had found out about her affair with Grissom, it had made him physically ill.  It had taken him a few days of soul searching to realize that he had been jealous.  It really freaked him out, after all, he was very heterosexual. 

This was a chance for Nick to do something nice for Grissom and check out how the man really lived, after all, he was going have a key.  Being a CSI made him a very nosy person.  He chuckled to himself and went back to work.

When Gil pulled into his parking space, Nick was sitting in his truck waiting on him.  “Sorry to keep you waiting, Nick.  Ecklie had to give me my monthly lecture on overtime.”

“It’s cool.  I haven’t been waiting long.”  Nick followed Gil to his front door and waited as he unlocked it.  As soon as the door opened, Nick heard a loud whine from downstairs.  Looking over the railing, Nick saw Hank sitting patiently in his crate.

“Hey, boy.”  Nick called down to him and walked down the stairs behind Gil.  Gil let Hank out of his crate and after greeting his master, Hank turned and jumped up on Nick.  Nick laughed as Hank licked his face.

“Hank, get down.  Bad dog.”  Gil gripped the dog by his collar and pulled him off of Nick.

“It’s okay.  I really love dogs.”  Nick bent over and rubbed the dog’s ears.

“I’m glad you do.  Hank can be a bit…obnoxious sometimes.”  Gil smiled.  “Come on, boy, let’s go outside.”

Gil opened the French doors that led out to a small courtyard with a privacy fence.  After Hank ran outside, he shut the door and proceeded to show Nick where the dog food was kept.  He briefly explained Hank’s habits and showed Nick where Hank’s leash was hung.

“I thought that you might want to just stay over here, if that would be more convenient.  I have a guest room upstairs.”
Gil was rummaging around in a bowl on top of his microwave while he waited for Nick’s answer.

“Ah ha.”  Gil said, holding up a key.

“It would probably be better for Hank if I did stay here.  Don’t worry, I won’t have any wild parties.”  Nick gave Gil a wide grin.

Gil chuckled.  “I’m not worried at all.  Let me show you around.”  Gil walked up the stairs and Nick followed obediently.  Gil opened a door and gestured.  “This is the guest room.”

Nick poked his head in and saw a sterile room with a neatly made double bed and a small dresser. 

“Across the hall is the bathroom, towels are in the linen closet.”  Gil pointed to a small closet next to the bathroom. 

“If you need to do laundry, it’s right off the kitchen.  Of course, I’ll have my cellphone and if you have any problems or questions, just call.  Like I said, I be leaving Thursday morning and will be returning Monday morning.”

“Don’t sweat it, Griss.  Hank and I will be fine.”

****

Thursday, Nick clocked out and drove directly to Gil’s house.  He had packed his stuff the night before, so he shouldn’t have to return to his house until Gil came home.  Gil had left on a 7:30 flight, so when Nick arrived at Gil’s, it was just him and Hank.

He let Hank out to use the bathroom while he took his stuff upstairs to the guestroom.  He glanced at the closed door of what he assumed was Gil’s bedroom. 

“I’m paid to be nosy.”  Nick said under his breath and opened the door.  Gil’s bedroom was almost as sterile as the guest room.  The bed was king-sized with a blue comforter.  There were two nightstands, both with lamps and a big dresser.  The only other furniture was an easy chair in one corner.  The only thing on the dresser was a bottle of cologne, and Nick couldn’t resist opening it and taking a whiff.

“MMMMM, Grissom.”  He put it back in the same exact spot and continued to look around the room.  Knowing what he kept in his nightstands, Nick was curious.  He started on the side of the bed closest to the door.  Since the alarm clock was on this side, he figured this must be the side of the bed that Grissom slept.

The top drawer held a pair of reading glasses, a bottle of migraine pills, Gil’s service revolver and a couple of forensic magazines.  The second drawer was a goldmine.  Nick chuckled.  Gil wasn’t so different from most red-blooded men after all.  There was a box of condoms, brand new, never opened.  There was a bottle of lubricant and a pile of magazines.  The one on top was a Playboy, Nick picked up that one to look at the centerfold, and that is when he saw the magazine underneath.

“Holy shit!”  Nick let the Playboy drop to the floor.  The other magazine had two nude men, locked in a tight embrace on the cover.  Nick gingerly picked it up and looked at the cover closely.  The list of articles made Nick blush.  He couldn’t resist flipping through.  The centerfold caused Nick to pause and take a deep breath.  The man was drop dead gorgeous.  Nick traced his finger over the man’s large erection.  When he realized what he was doing, he jerked his hand away.  Snapping the magazine closed, he shoved it back into the drawer.  He carefully put everything back where it was.

Nick suddenly felt hot.  He left the room and went downstairs to let Hank in and give him his food.  After that, Nick went up to the guestroom and stripped off his clothing.  He showered quickly and fell right into bed.  He was asleep in an instant.  When he woke, Hank was on the bed with him.  He met the dog’s eyes and yawned.

“I suppose you need to go out again?”  Nick asked the dog.

Hank jumped off the bed and went to the door.  He stopped at the threshold and turned to look at Nick. 

“Alright, I’m coming.”  Nick grabbed a pair of shorts out of his bag and bounced down the stairs with Hank.  He let the dog out and opened Gil’s refrigerator.  He grabbed a bottle of water, making a mental note that he would have to buy some food and beverages. 
Nick spent the rest of the evening kicking back on the couch watching television with Hank sprawled out on top of him.  Every once in a while, his thoughts would stray to the magazine in Gil’s nightstand.  He wondered if Gil was bisexual.  He knew he wasn’t gay, since his affair with Sara had been gossip in the lab until she left. 

****

Gil was sitting in his hotel room when it hit him.  “Shit.”

He flopped down on the bed and moaned.  He had forgotten to lock up a few things in his room.  His dog-sitter was a CSI, one that Gil himself had trained very well.  Of course, he would poke around. 

“This is not good.”  Gil said to the empty hotel room.  Maybe Nick wouldn’t…after all he was a polite boy from a nice family….oh, who was he kidding?

****

Nick’s shift was over and he was hot and tired and in dire need of a cool shower.  He let himself in Gil’s townhouse and let Hank out.  He spent a few minutes in the yard with the dog and then headed upstairs to the bathroom.  Ten minutes later, he was dressed in a pair of boxer briefs and once again, standing at Gil’s bedroom door.

Taking a deep breath, he opened it and walked inside.  He went straight to the nightstand on the other side of the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he slowly eased the top drawer open.  It was empty.  He guessed that Sara had used this one.  The second drawer held a few books, some notepaper and a few CDs.  He closed the drawer and looked right at the closet.

He stood and opened the closet.  It was a large, walk-in style.  Gil’s clothing was hung neatly on one side.  Below the clothes were several pairs of shoes.  On the other side of the closet, were built-in shelves.  The shelves held an assortment of boxes and books.  He looked around for a bit, poking through boxes and finding nothing more interesting than old papers and books.  He was about to turn off the light, when his eyes spied a photo album on the very bottom shelf.  He had found a box of photo albums earlier and looked through a couple.  They held old family pictures.  He wondered why this one was not in the box. 

Picking it up, he flipped open the first page.  “Whoa.”  Nick closed the book, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.

He took the album back to his room and lay on the bed.  The photo album was full of pictures of naked men.  Some had been torn from magazines, some looked like they were downloaded off the Internet.  All were men with dark hair and dark eyes and all were sporting a nipple ring.  Each and every one of them.  By the time Nick was halfway through the album, his cock had gotten hard.  It was only when he got to the very end that he made any sound at all.  The pictures on the last few pages made him gasp in shock.  They were all pictures of him.  Most taken at crime scenes, but a few taken at Christmas parties and the annual picnic and softball game between the lab and the cops.

He closed the book and placed it on the floor.  Then he rolled over on his back and put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes to think.  He slowly went over the evidence in his mind.  Eventually, he fell asleep.  Once again he was awakened by Hank.  He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face.  His foot hit the photo album on the floor and it all came back to him. 

After cleaning up a bit and going for a run with Hank, Nick showered and decided a drive would help clear his head.  As he drove through town, he pondered his feelings for Gil.  He knew he felt strongly about the man, but were the feeling those of a co-worker slash friend, or was there more?  Out of the corner of his eye he caught a neon sign that caused him to slow his truck.  Tattoos and body piercings.  He suddenly felt a tightening in his groin and remembered all the pictures of men with nipple rings.  That must really turn Grissom on, thought Nick.  Before he could stop himself, he turned around and pulling into the parking lot of The Ink Well.

He entered the small shop and was greeted by a young guy wearing gothic clothing.  His arms were inked up and he had several earrings in each ear and one in his nose.

“Hey, how can I help you?”  He smiled at Nick, showing a gold cap on one of his front teeth.

“I…I want to talk about getting my….nipple pierced.”  Nick’s hands suddenly felt sweaty and he wiped them on his jeans.

“Sure, what do you want to know?”

“Well…everything….I guess.” 

“Okay, it hurts like hell at first.  It takes about a month to really heal, during that time you need to avoid tight shirts.  After it heals, it’s highly erotic for both partners.  Man, when my girlfriend licks mine, it about makes me cream my jeans.”

At Nick’s look, he added, “Sorry, TMI, huh?”  He had the grace to look sheepish.

“Erotic?”

“Oh, yeah.  You want me to set you up?”

Nick bit his lip and then gave a quick nod.  “Sure.”

“Come on back.”

Nick followed the man into a back room.  The place looked clean and smelled of alcohol.  Nick sat in the chair indicated.

“Go ahead and take off your shirt.”

Nick unbuttoned his shirt and laid it in his lap.  He was suddenly cold and uncomfortable. 

While the man opened various sealed and sterile packages, Nick peered around the room.  There was a wall that held pictures of people’s tattoos and piercings as well as a few workstations for doing the body art.

“Ready?”  Nick swung his head back around and nodded.  “Which one, or do you want both done?”

“Just one.  I don’t know, which one do you suggest?”

“Some people think of them like wedding rings.  If you’re taken, put it on your left nipple or vice versa.”

“Do the left.”  Nick said without giving it a whole lot of thought.

“Alright, this will be uncomfortable.  I’m going to put this clamp on you.  Hold your breath for a second.”

Nick inhaled and held it.  The clamp pinched, but it wasn’t so painful that he couldn’t stand it. 

“Breath.”

Nick exhaled and relaxed a bit, then he noticed the instrument of torture in the other man’s hand.  He bit his lip and groaned.

“You’re doing fine, it’ll only take a few seconds.”

Nick’s eyes widened at the shock and pain he felt.  “Holy fuck.” 

The other man grinned at Nick.  “It’s over, man.”

Nick looked down at the gold hoop that was now imbedded in his nipple.  It was still throbbing, but Nick thought it looked cool.

“Okay, clean it with alcohol for at least a week and after that, soap and water.  If it gets red or enflamed, just put some Neosporin on it.”

****

When Nick entered the locker room that night, he was still sore and every time his shirt brushed up against him, he winced.  He was with Greg most of the night on a shooting at a bank, and by the time his shift was over, he was debating whether to removed the thing and forget about it.

By the time he was at Gil’s place, those thoughts were gone.  He napped on and off most of the afternoon, then went over to Warrick’s to watch the Celtics in the playoffs.  The next shift flew by and Sunday morning, Nick let himself into Gil’s house for his last day of dog-sitting.  According to the message on his phone, Gil would be flying in around 9:30.  He hold told Nick to just plan on sleeping at his place and he could return to his house when he woke up.

Nick spent the first thirty minutes cleaning up the house and making sure everything was just the way he found it.  Then he took a shower and crawled into bed.  Hank joined him.  He found he was too anxious to sleep.  When the clock finally rolled around to 9:45, he figured Gil should be home in another 30 minutes or so.  Sighing, he lay back on the bed and watched the minutes tick by.  At ten o’clock, Nick felt a surge of excitement and a plan formed in his mind.

Jumping up, he removed his boxers and tossed them on the floor, in plain sight.  He got back in bed and fixed the sheet so that it came right above his pubic hair, so his entire chest and abdomen were exposed.  When Hank’s ears pricked up and he jumped off the bed, Nick knew it was show time.  He closed his eyes and concentrated on taking slow, even breaths.

****
Gil noticed Nick’s truck in the parking space next to his and smiled.  He would be able to spend some time with him for a little while at least.  Unlocking the door, Gil was met with a wiggling dog. 

“Hey, Hank.  Did you miss me?”  Gil bent down and rubbed the dog.  He walked into the kitchen and gave Hank a dog biscuit before putting him outside.  Picking up his luggage, he strode up the stairs.  He peeked around the corner into the guestroom and froze.  His suitcase slipped out of his fingers.

Nick was sprawled across the bed with the sheet dangerously low on his body.  He had seen Nick several times without his shirt, both in the locker room and on a particular crime scene, but not lately.  In fact, not in the last few years.  Nick was a distraction and he avoided the locker room and showers when he knew there was a chance Nick may be in there.

“Oh, God.”  Gil murmured.  His eyes had locked onto the nipple ring.  He felt his erection straining against his pants.  He closed his eyes and backed away, softly shutting the door.  Opening the door to his room, he looked around quickly.  Nothing was disturbed.  He opened the closet and sighed in relief.  The photo album looked untouched.  He turned around and sat on the bed. 

Moaning, he let himself fall backwards on the bed.  Nick Stokes was in his house, in his guestroom, naked.  Naked with a nipple ring.  Really naked.  His hand rubbed on his aching cock.  He needed a cold shower.  Fast.

****

Nick heard the door click shut and opened his eyes.  He had heard Gil’s ‘Oh, God’.  He wondered what his boss was doing right now.  He smiled to himself, feeling very mischievous. 

A few seconds ticked by and Nick heard the sound of the shower.  He’d lay money on down that it was a cold one. 

Nick fell asleep with a smile on his face.  When he awoke it was five o’clock and he knew it was time for him to pack up his things and go back to his own place.  Regretfully, he rolled out of bed and strode across the hall and turned on the shower.

Gil heard the shower from his bed.  He had slept fitfully.  Getting back into the pattern required by working the graveyard shift took him a few days.  He sighed and swung his legs off the bed.  Pulling a pair of pants and a shirt out of his closet, he proceeded to dress for work.  He had several hours to kill, but he figured that by the time he ate, fed and exercised Hank and did a load of laundry, it would be time for him to leave for the lab.  He needed to go in early and make up for the few days he was gone.

He heard the shower stop and went out into the hall to greet Nick.  The bathroom door opened and a cloud of steam whiffed out.  His mouth gaped open as Nick stepped into the hall.  Nick was only wearing a towel wrapped snug around his trim waist.  Water droplets trailed down his chest and Gil could help stare.  The gold nipple ring had captured a bead of water and Gil felt the sudden urge to lick it off.

“Hey, Griss.  How was your trip.”  Nick noticed Gil’s eyes riveted on his chest and felt a thrill. 

“Fine, it was fine.  I guess you are eager to get back to your own place.  I really appreciate you doing this for me.”  Gil’s words came out in a rush.

“Yeah, just got to pack up all my crap and I’ll be out of your hair.  Anytime you need a dog-sitter, just let me know.”  Nick continued across the hall and disappeared into the guestroom.  Gil began to breath again once the door was shut.

Nick dressed and then tossed his bag onto the bed.  He packed all of his clothes and returned to the bathroom to get his razor and other toiletries.  Gil was nowhere to be seen, so he zipped his bag and sat it on the floor.  His mother raised him right, so he stripped the bed and grabbed his discarded towel.  He stuffed all the laundry into one of the pillowcases and picked up his bag.

At the foot of the stairs, Nick spied Gil in the kitchen going over his mail that Nick had left on the counter.

“I’m just going to put this stuff in the washer and then I guess I will see you tonight.”

“Sure thing.  Thanks again, Nick.”  Gil acknowledged Nick and then went quickly back to his mail.  Nick hid his smile, Gil was actually flushed and wouldn’t meet his eyes.

On his drive home, Nick pondered his actions.  Why was he playing this game?  He’d never been interested in a man before.  He surely wasn’t homophobic, but had just never found himself looking at men that way.  His feelings for Gil were complicated.  It was a mixture of hero worship, friendship and something totally unknown that Nick couldn’t put his finger on.  He had to admit to himself that looking at all those pictures of nude men in Gil’s photo album had turned him on.  Wishing he could see Gil nude almost made him miss the turn to his own house.  Shaking his head to clear that mental image, he parked in front of his house.

Nick spent the rest of the evening cleaning his house and doing laundry.  He answered his email, called his mom and watched a special on the Discovery Channel about whales before heading off to work.

****

Nick noticed Grissom’s truck already parked in the lot.  He’d figured right that Grissom would be early to catch up on things.  Smiling at Grissom’s predictability, Nick entered the building and headed straight for the locker room.

Greg and Warrick were already there and they both looked up as Nick walked in. 

“Hey, Man.”  Warrick said and held his fist up for a knuckle bump.  Nick obliged and then turned to his locker. 

Greg began to ramble on about a new dance club that he found, but stopped in mid-sentence.  Warrick looked up from tying his shoes to see what made the overly talkative man stop talking and his mouth gaped open.

“Holy shit, Nick, when did you get that?”  Greg squeaked out.

“Damn, that had to hurt.”  Warrick said.

“I just had it done yesterday and yes it did hurt like a mother…..”  Nick’s words were cut off abruptly when Catherine walked in.

“Are we holding the staff meeting in here tonight, boys?”  Catherine asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

“We’re coming, Cath.  We’re coming.”  Nick said with his sweetest smile.

She turned and walked back out. 

“I can’t believe she didn’t notice it.”  Greg said.  “Hell, most of the women in this place would give anything to see your chest.”

“Most of them probably have.”  Warrick said dryly.

“That’s not fair.  Just because I’ve dated a lot of women that work here, doesn’t mean that I’ve let them sample the goods.”  Nick said with a grin.  He winced a bit as he pulled on his polo shirt. 

Once the three men walked into the conference room, Grissom stood and all talking stopped.  The men found chairs and sat down. 

“Okay, I’ve got good news and bad news.  The bad news is that all overtime will cease for the rest of this month.  If a case runs over, you will have to hand it over to the day shift.”  There were groans from Nick and Warrick.  Both were very territorial about their cases and they liked the padding in their paychecks too.

“What’s the good news?”  Catherine asked.

“The good news is that it looks like it may be a quiet night.  We only have one call.  Catherine, you and Warrick can take it.  Body dump.”  He gave Catherine the slip of paper with the address and information.

“Greg.  Nick.  You are going to work with me to get some paperwork done.”
“I thought he said good news.”  Greg mumbled.

Nick and Warrick laughed as the group stood to leave.

A few hours later, Nick was sitting across from Grissom in the conference room with a stack of folders in front of him.  Greg had been sent to the file room to deposit the files they had already completed.  Nick found his eyes on Grissom once again.  The older man was bent over a file, his reading glasses down on the bridge of his nose.  Sexy.  Nick’s eyes widened as the thought went through his head.  He couldn’t deny it though.  He did think that Gil Grissom was sexy.  Closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Nick moaned softly.  He could not believe he was thinking of Grissom in that way.   Hell, he couldn’t believe he was thinking of any man that way.

“Going to the bathroom.”  Nick mumbled and hastily walked out of the room.  He did not see the perplexed look on Grissom’s face.

Once in the men’s room, Nick stared at his reflection in the mirror.  His hand came up and rubbed slowly across the nipple ring.  It was still very tender but it also felt good.  He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wonder.

Grissom’s tongue was lapping over the tender nipple, while his fingers were gently pinching the other one.  It felt so good.  Nick’s head was thrown back and his breathing was erratic.  Nick felt Grissom’s other hand cup his erect cock straining against the fly of his jeans.  He moaned.

“Fuck.”  Nick’s eyes flew open.  He was standing in the men’s room with a hard dick.  Quickly he looked around, grateful that no one else was in the room.  Bracing his hands on the sink, he stared at himself. 

He was still there a few minutes later when Grissom entered the room.  He started when he saw Nick at the sink.

“Are you okay?  You look pale.”  Grissom took a step forward.

“I’m okay.”  Nick said, his voice sounding raspy.  He would not meet Grissom’s questioning eyes.  Turning on the tap, he splashed cold water on his face.  He could feel Grissom’s stare.  Wiping his face with a paper towel, Nick turned to leave, but Grissom was blocking the doorway.

The two men stared at each other for a few seconds before Nick turned away.

“I should get back to work now.”  Nick murmured softly.

“Nick, you’ve been staring at me all night.  Then I come in here and you are as pale as a ghost.  What’s going on?”

“Nothing.  Nothing is going on.  I wasn’t staring….at you.  Nothing is going on.” 

Grissom noticed the panicked look in Nick’s eyes and suddenly he knew.  “You snooped around my bedroom, didn’t you?”

“What?  No.  No.  Why would I do that?”  Nick’s voice was high and nervous.

“Why?  Because you are a CSI for Christ’s sake.  It’s in your blood.  I’d do the same thing in your house.  It’s what we do, Nick.”  Grissom let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his wavy hair.

The silence seemed to go on forever and finally Grissom spoke.  “So, ask the questions.”

“What?”  Nick blinked with confusion.

“Ask me about the things that you obviously found.”

“It’s really none of my business, Griss.”

“You’re right, it isn’t any of your business, but since you obviously went through my things and you are obviously disturbed enough to let it affect our working relationship, we need to get it out in the open.  If you have a problem with me because of what you saw, then we will need to address it and either move on or one of us should change shifts.”

“No!”  Nick shouted.  “I will not break up our team.”

“Well, then perhaps you should get it all off your chest here and now.”

Nick began to pace.  Grissom moved back to give the agitated man some room.

“It just confused me, okay?  I’m just confused about….things.”

“I’m bisexual, Nick.  I’m not ashamed of it, but it’s my private business and I would appreciate it if you kept your findings to yourself.”

“How did you know?”  Nick stopped pacing to stare at Grissom.

“How did I know what?”  It was Grissom’s turn to be confused.

“That you were…you know….that you liked….guys too.”

Grissom leaned against the wall.  “In college I began noticing that I liked to look at men.  I just looked.  I thought I was going crazy.  I loved to have sex with women, but as time went on, I found myself staring at some of the jocks in class.  Then one night, after a keg party, I went to a club and I told myself later that it was an accident, but I know now that I went to a gay club on purpose.  I hooked up with a senior that I had seen around campus and the rest is history.”

“Why are there pictures of me in that album?”

Grissom paled and turned away from Nick.  “I’d hoped you wouldn’t find that.  I knew you would find the magazines…”  He took a deep breath and expelled it slowly.

“Do you like me?”  Nick asked quietly.

“Of course, I like you, Nick.”  Grissom said forcefully.  “Everyone likes Nick Stokes.  What’s not to like?  You’re handsome, have a great body, beautiful eyes, sweet smile, and with all that, you’re just so fucking nice.”

Nick was taken aback by Grissom’s use of the expletive.  Grissom never cursed even when he was pissed off.

“I meant, do you like me in that way?” 

“Does it matter?”  Grissom growled.

“Yes.  It does.”  Nick reached out and turned Grissom to face him.

“Why?  Why, Nick?” 

“Because.  Because I got turned on looking at those pictures in the magazines.  Because I’ve always wanted you to be proud of me.  Because when I found out you and Sara were….together, it made me sick and jealous and I hated myself for feeling that way.”

“I’m not going to be part of an experiment into alternate sexuality for you, Nick.  I don’t want to sate your curiosity.”

“It’s not like that, Griss.”  Nick looked into Grissom’s crystal blue eyes.

“What is it then?”

“I don’t know.  But I do know that….if…if we….it wouldn’t be just…”  Nick’s thoughts faltered.  He did not know what he wanted to say anymore.

“Wouldn’t be just a quick, experimental fuck.  Or maybe you just want a blowjob to compare it to the ones you’ve probably gotten from half the female staff of this lab.”

“No.  You don’t understand.”

“I guess not.”  Grissom turned and walked towards the door.  “If you want to transfer, I’ll sign the forms.  Otherwise, I’ll  assign you with the others so you won’t be uncomfortable anymore.”

Nick stood and watched the door shut behind Grissom. 

“Damn it!”  Nick whirled and slammed his fist into the same mirror he had looked in earlier.  The mirror cracked and Nick felt the pain as the glass sank into the flesh of his hand.

“Hey, there you are….whoa….what happened?  Are you okay?”  Greg hurried to Nick’s side and grabbed the bleeding hand.

“Don’t ask.”  Nick hissed. 

****

Gil left the lab right at eight o’clock, even though he had lots of paperwork left to do.  Thanks to Greg, they knocked out most of it.  Nick never came back to help.  Greg had come to the conference room and told him that Nick wasn’t feeling good and went home.  Gil knew it would only be a matter of time that Nick transferred to another shift.  Their working relationship was over.

Only when he was on the road home, did he allow himself to replay the conversation with Nick.   As much as he had fantasized being with Nick over the last few years, he had known it would never happen.  Nick was a home grown straight boy from Texas.  Gil had know men, some even married men, who just wanted a taste of what being with another man was about.  He’d been used once and promised himself that it would never happen again.  He just didn’t picture Nick as being the type of man to have that particular type of curiosity.  But he’d been wrong about things before.  He only wished that Nick hadn’t found out his secret.  He really adored Nick and loved working with him. 

Gil was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he did not see Nick’s truck in his driveway until he almost hit it.  Nick wasn’t in his truck and it dawned on Gil that Nick still had his key.  Taking a deep breath and wondering what he was walking into, he opened his door.

Hank came bounding up the steps to greet his master and Gil looked down at Nick sprawled across his sofa.

“Make yourself at home.”  Gil said sarcastically.

“Thanks, I have.”  Nick said with a touch of sarcasm of his own.

“Nick, I’m tired and I’ve had enough drama for one night.  Please just go home.”

“Not until we talk and clear the air.”  Nick sat up straighter and motioned for Gil to sit down next to him.

Gil walked slowly down the stairs and sat in the chair across from the couch.  “So, talk.”

“I don’t think I made myself clear tonight.  I admit that I am curious, but I’m not looking for an experiment.  I don’t know what I’m looking for other than just…just being around you.  I’ve always had this ‘crush’ on you.  I always assumed that it was just hero worship – hell, I think you are the smartest man alive and I’ve always wanted to soak up as much of that knowledge as I could.  But seeing those magazines and the photo album made me think that maybe it’s more than that.  Maybe my feelings are more than hero worship.”  Standing abruptly, Nick pulled up his shirt and ran his finger over the nipple ring.

“I got this for you.  I don’t know why, but when I saw all those pictures you had collected of guys with nipple rings, I just figured that it turned you on.  I wanted to turn you on.”  Lowering his shirt, he walked over to the chair where Gil sat staring up at him.  Nick lowered himself to his knees.

“I’ve never thought about wanting a man as a sexual partner.  Not ever.  Not until I saw that you were….that you might like me….like that.”

“What are you saying, Nick?”

“I don’t know.   I’m curious, but it’s more than that, Griss.  Much more.”  Tentatively, Nick reached out and rested a hand on Gil’s knee.

Gil looked down at Nick’s hand for a few seconds and then covered it with his own.  Nick smiled up at him and Gil returned the smile. 

“I have a confession.”  Gil said sheepishly.

Nick cocked his head to one side and raised his eyebrows in question.

“The morning I came back from my trip.  I looked in your room and you were laying there with just the sheet covering you and I saw that nipple ring.  God, Nick, I was so turned on.  I had to take a cold shower.”

Nick laughed softly.  “I know.  I did that on purpose.”

Gil smiled.  “Did you really get it for me?”

“Yep.  Just for you and let me tell you, it hurt like hell.” 

Gil reached out and ran his thumb across the front of Nick’s shirt.  “Does it still hurt?”

“Not really, just a bit tender.”

“Perhaps soon I will be able to kiss it and make it better.”  Gil whispered.

“Why not now?”  Nick said softly.

“Because I want you to be very sure of what you are getting yourself into.”

“I’m sure.”  Nick took Gil’s hand in his and laced his fingers through Gil’s.

“Let’s take it slow.  Very slow.”  Gil leaned forward and brushed his lips across Nick’s.  He pulled back to see Nick’s reaction.  Nick gave him a slow smile and wrapped his hand around Gil’s neck and pulled him back.  The kiss was very chaste at first and Gil let Nick take the lead.  When Gil felt Nick’s tongue, he automatically opened his mouth and leaned into the kiss. 

When Nick broke the kiss, both men were breathing hard and Nick chuckled.  “Wow.”

“Wow is a good word to describe it.”  Gil smiled.

“So, what’s next?  What about that blowjob you mentioned before?”  Nick sat back on his haunches and grinned.

“I think I’ve created a monster.  A very horny monster.”

THE END