Title: It Started Out With a Kiss
By: flipflopadd1ct
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC-17
Summary: One night, Greg shows up at Nick's door, drunk. Very drunk. These are the events that follow.

***

Knock, knock.

"Go away," Nick mumbled into his pillow.

Knock. Knock. Knock!

Nick groaned and pulled himself from his tangled sheets. Groggily, he found his way to his front door, ignoring the fact that he was wearing nothing but navy boxers. "I'm coming!" he yelled at the incessant sound.

He pulled open to the door and found, to his surprise, one of his coworkers. "Greg?" he asked.

"Heeey Nicky. 'Sup?" Greg's hair wasn't as perfect styled as usual, his clothes were a mess, and he smelled strongly of alcohol.

Greg was drunk. Very drunk.

"What are you doing here?" Nick asked, as if it wasn't obvious.

"Need a place to crash." Greg swaggered right past Nick and into the apartment.

"How'd you get here? Please tell me you didn't drive!"

"I wa-wa-walked. Bar's just down that street." Greg pointed towards the ceiling.

"God, Greggo, how much did you have to drink?"

"I dunno. One, two, four or more?" Greg giggled. "It rhymes." He took another step forward before stumbling into a table and knocking a lamp over. "Boom!" he said as he began to laugh uncontrollably.

Nick ignored the broken glass and steered Greg towards his bed. Sure, the couch was closer, but Greg would probably roll off in the middle of the night, smack his forehead on the coffee table, get a concussion...and bleed all over Nick's immaculate carpet.

Nick was familiar with that experience.

"You can stay here tonight," Nick told his wasted friend.

Greg proceeded to strip down. Although it was more like Greg attempted to strip down. Nick watched, amused, as Greg got himself completely entangled in his clothing. He finally stepped in and helped Greg pull his shirt up and off. As much as Nick wanted to help with his jeans, Greg got those off on his own. Now both CSIs were standing in nothing but their boxers: one sober, one drunk. Greg swayed a little in his spot and slung an arm around Nick's shoulders. "Thanks, doll," he grinned, and suddenly he leaned over and kissed Nick sloppily on the lips. Then the younger man promptly wobbled backwards onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

Nick was speechless.

~

Greg had kissed him. Greg had kissed him.

Nick was sitting on his couch in the dark, still trying to process what had just happened: Greg was drunk. Nick let him in. Greg kissed him on the lips and fell asleep.

I shouldn't think too much into this, Nick thought. Drunk Greg was crazy Greg, so that kiss probably didn't mean a thing.

But Nick wanted it to mean something.

"Crushes stop after high school, don't they?" he asked the empty room. No one answered, of course, and Nick buried his face in his hands. Ever since the first day he had met Greg, the first time he shook hands with the then young and nervous DNA tech, Nick had felt something for him. The more he got to know Greg, the more it grew until eventually Nick realized that he was in love with his friend. But he was too nervous to say anything, too nervous to let Greg know how he felt. Greg was a huge flirt, so Nick could never tell if Greg's actions towards him were more than friendly. He didn't even know if Greg was gay! The hair and the clothes might set off someone's gaydar but Nick knew all too well that anyone could hide their sexuality.

The Texan sighed, watching the wall clock's second hand tick. He stretched out on the couch, suddenly tired; maybe in the morning he and Greg could talk.

~

Luckily, Nick was up before Greg. He had started coffee when he heard noises from his bedroom. "Where am I?" came Greg's voice, confused.

Nick was still in his boxers when Greg appeared in the doorway. "Uh, hey, G," he said tentatively.

"Woah. Nick, woah. Is this your place? What am I doing here?"

"You showed up here last night. You were tanked, man. I couldn't let you go home like that." He held out a mug. "Coffee?"

"Oh. That would explain why my head hurts like hell." Greg took the mug. "Thanks. Please tell me I didn't do anything stupid."

Nick spit out his coffee. "Uh, well..."

"Wait. I want to guess." He thought for a few seconds. "Forget it. I can't remember a thing."

"So, you don't remember what you did before you fell asleep?"

"Enlighten me, Nicky."

"...You kissed me."

Greg's eyes widened. "What? No. No. I'm not gay. I wouldn't do that."

"Greg, man, you did. But you were drunk. I'm not gonna hold it against you or think any different of you."

"Are you sure I did that?"

Nick nodded.

"Uh, wow. Sorry, Nick. It didn't mean anything, I swear." Greg's eyes moved nervously from Nick's face to the clock to his mug. Suddenly, he stood from his chair. "I gotta get home. I'm so sorry about last night!" Greg left quickly, the door slamming behind him.

Nick didn't move from his spot against the counter. "Well, work will be interesting tonight," he thought aloud.

***


"Hey, Nick!" Sara said as they got out of their cars simultaneously at CSI. Nick waved as he pulled his silver crime scene kit out from the back seat. "Have a nice weekend off?" the female CSI asked, falling in step with the Texan. "Anything interesting happen?"

Nick dropped his keys in surprise.

"What's got you all worked up?" she grinned.

"Nothing, Sara. My weekend was as fun-filled as any other CSI's would be."

The other CSI gave him a quizzical look. Then, satisfied, she shrugged. "It's okay, I know the feeling well." They were inside the lab by now and Nick hurried to get away from her, mumbling something about needing to go to his locker.

He was totally preoccupied with wondering if he'd see Greg or not, and if he did, how would Greg act around him? The locker room was empty, Nick's footsteps echoing loudly on the tile. As he reached for his lock, the silence was interrupted by the locker room door opening loudly. Looking up expectantly, he saw that it was only
Catherine. She poked her head in and looked back and forth. "Seen Sara?" The blonde sounded exasperated.

"I think she's at the front desk," Nick replied, lifting his bag.

"Thanks," and Cath was gone.

The Texan ran a hand through his hair. He hoped he'd see Greg before assignments but-

Bang. The door swung open once more, and this time, it was Greg. Nick swallowed, throat suddenly dry and, woah, was he sweating?

Greg was pointedly looking at anything that wasn't Nick as he passed him on his way to his own locker. Nick watched him walk until he couldn't handle it anymore. "Greg?"

"Hi," Greg said, staring at his own bag. He picked it up, put it in his locker and closed the metal door.

"You ignoring me?"

Greg had tried to escape before Nick could say something else. He turned to face the Texan. "...No."

"Well, you're acting like you don't know me."

"It's not like that." Greg was standing in front of Nick. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to sit or run. Finally, he sat down on the bench across from the other CSI.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"It just...feels weird. I wake up, hung over, in a random person's bed that turns out to be my coworker's. Then I learn that I kissed said coworker-" Greg stopped and shook his head. "This isn't a good place for this."

"Then where, Greg?" Nick looked into the younger man's eyes. "Where's a good place? I don't want this to mess up our friendship so we really need to talk about it." He thought for a moment. "What about coffee after shift? There's a Starbucks nearby-"

For the first time that night, Greg smiled. "Starbucks? That's a step down from my blend."

"Would you rather we go to your place, then?" Nick smirked.

"No! I mean, Starbucks is fine. I'll meet you there after shift." The new CSI got up from his seat and stretched. "See you later, Nicky," he said on his way out the door.

Nick turned to close his locker, hoping that he and Greg could work everything out.

~

"So it turns out, the guy left the knife with his bloody fingerprints in the trash! Didn't even take us all shift to solve the case!" Greg laughed. He and Nick were strolling down a shady park path, each holding a Starbucks cappucino in his hand. "People can be really stupid sometimes," the CSI-in-training said, idly kicking a pebble with his shoe. "Speaking of stupid, do you want to talk about that kiss now?"

Nick had been waiting for him to bring it up. "Yeah, yeah I do. I don't want you to feel weird around me because you did something dumb while you were drunk. It's okay. I spent college in a frat - I've been there."

Greg didn't immediately respond. Instead, he sat down on the nearest park bench, staring off into the distance and holding his coffee cup in both hands. Nick sat down next to him, waiting for him to reply. Greg lifted his drink to his lips. "Nick, maybe me kissing you wasn't just because I was drunk off my ass," he said, almost too quietly for Nick to hear.

"What was it, then?" Nick replied, just as quietly, but he hoped he already knew the answer.

"Me. Being curious."

"Curious about kissing a man?"

"That and...more." Greg finally turned to look at Nick, giving the Texan a shy grin.

"Wow, Greg. Why me?"

"Because, Nick, it's you. I've known you for what, five or six years now? If I wanted to try anything with anyone, it would be with you."

"I guess you picked the right person. I'm gay."

It was Greg's turn to be surprised. "No."

"Yeah."

"Hell, no!" Greg looked dumbfounded, or like he was expecting Nick to laugh and say "Just kidding."

Nick chuckled, took a sip of his coffee, gazed out over the grass. "Why are you so shocked? You just said I would be the first person you'd try something with."


"Yeah, but – you don't seem it at all."

"Greg, remember: I grew up in Texas. If anyone back home had any clue that I liked men, I probably wouldn't be sitting here right now." Nick said the last part bitterly.

"I must've subconsciously known, or something." Greg gave a short laugh.

"Since we're on the topic of sexuality, Greggo, what do you call yourself?"

He took a sip of his cappucino. "Bi-curious, maybe? My whole sex life has been with women. I never even jacked off with a friend in high school. I've always wondered it would be like to touch another cock besides my own, but I could never get the courage to ask someone about it."

Nick knew where this was going.

"What's it like, Nick? Sex with a man, what's it like?" Greg continued, tentatively.

The older CSI grinned. "I'm gay, so you know I'm going to say it's the best thing in the world." He studied the expression on Greg's face. Was it jealousy?

"I guess you would say that," Greg laughed.

"I'll put it this way: where a woman is soft, a man is hard. I've fucked a couple women before for different reasons, but there's definitely a distinction between the two. And I'm not talking about what's between their legs," he laughed. "It's a whole different mindset."

Greg fell silent, playing with a string on his hoodie. Suddenly, he blurted, "Would it be weird to ask you to have sex with me?"

I've only been waiting for years. "I don't know if that's a good idea, G..."

"Ah, fuck, I'm so sorry -" He looked it, too. "I shouldn't have asked -"

"I don't usually just fuck someone to fuck them."

"I figured you for that type." Greg nodded. "But...I didn't know who else to ask. I thought it'd be better to try it out with someone I know, not some random, disease-laden man-whore I find in a club. Please, Nick." Now he was pleading with those big brown eyes of his, just one of the features that Nick had admired from afar. "Just one night with you. I want to see and try everything. I feel so behind."

Nick found it hard to turn down the man he had loved for so long. "Are you sure this won't make things even weirder between us? I mean, you ignored me after kissing me - sex is a whole different game!"

"I don't want to mess this up, Nick. I swear. Besides, you look you could use some," Greg teased.

Nick couldn't remember the last time he had sex. He did need it. "You really want this, don't you?"

"Yes!"

"This could be a really bad idea," the Texan said, and he leaned closer to Greg and lowered his voice. "But yeah, I'll have sex with you."

Greg's face lit up. "I guess I should say thanks, but I'll be thanking you later, won't I?" He laughed nervously.

Nick chuckled too. "Want to come over tonight?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. That would work." They had been walking as they talked, and by now they had reached the parking lot. "I'll be there, Nick," Greg said as he got in his car.

Nick waved as Greg pulled out and drove away. "What did I just get myself into?" he asked himself.

***

Knock, knock.

This time Nick hurried to answer the door as fast as he could, almost slamming into the couch on the way. In the back of his mind Nick had worried Greg might not show, but then again, he didn't see Greg as one to pass up sex. Ever.

The door opened and Nick found a very cute-looking Greg standing in the hallway, grinning with both hands shoved into his back pockets. "Hey," he said a little nervously and Nick had to hold back from kissing him right then and there.

Nick waved him in with a "Great to see you" and closed the door.

Greg stood in Nick's living room, looking at the nicely decorated space. There were hints of Texas scattered all over the place: a painting of the Great Plains with a storm looming in the distance, a coffee mug printed with "Don't mess with Texas," a cowboy hat. He laid eyes on the still-broken lamp that he had knocked over last time he was here. "I think I remember hitting that," he said apologetically.

"It's fine," Nick laughed. "It was actually kind of funny." They fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds. "Uh, go ahead and sit, I'll get a couple of beers," Nick said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

The new CSI got comfortable on Nick's black leather couch as Nick reappeared holding two brown bottles. They toasted and took a swig. "So, G, how do you want to go about doing this?"

"I want the whole experience. I've seen guys do it in movies and porn and stuff, but I've never done it with anyone." Greg looked over at Nick. "I really think you could show me it all."

"I need to know one thing before we begin. Tell me you won't run out on me this time." Nick was serious.

Greg looked down to see how close their hands were. "I promise, Nick." He gave the Texan his best smile.

Nick shifted closer to the other man, suddenly bold. He wasn't usually like this but he was with Greg, so why not be a little adventurous? "Kiss me. Kiss me just like you would anyone else."

A moment's hesitation and then Greg's soft lips were pressed against Nick's. Nick opened his mouth to Greg, letting him take control. Tongues touched for the first time and the Texan quivered. Greg's appetite for kissing was infectious and Nick fought back just as fiercely until both had to stop to take a breath.

"Guess I should've known you were a great kisser," Nick panted. Greg only smiled and yanked him in by his shirt for another one.

"I like kissing you," Greg muttered as he snaked his tongue out to lick along Nick's strong jaw. Nick placed his hands on the former lab tech's shoulders, pushing him down onto the couch so Nick could lie on top of him.

Nick rested his hand just under the hem of Greg's shirt as he tasted Greg's jaw and then moved down to suck on the skin of Greg's neck. "So," Nick said, looking into Greg's eyes from his position on top, "what now?"

"Bare skin would probably be nice," Greg winked. Nick hurried to pull his own tight shirt off, tossing it somewhere by the door.

"You've never felt another man's chest, have you?"

"Nope."

"You really have been missing a lot. Go ahead and touch me." Greg placed his hands on Nick's pecs. He traced the defined muscles.

"Wow..." Greg breathed as he felt Nick's abs. He then slid his hands up Nick's muscled back, pulling him in down a deep kiss.

"You still have your shirt on. I want to play too!" Nick said, giving Greg a pout eerily reminiscent of his own. Nick moved his arms from either side of Greg, letting him toss his shirt in the same direction as Nick's. Greg was built better than Nick had expected. "You hide this too damn well," he said.

Instead of using his hands, the older CSI leaned down to kiss Greg on the lips before licking a line from his neck down. Greg groaned and arched his back until Nick reached his waistband, where he stopped. Nick knew Greg could feel Nick hard against his leg, so Nick ground his crotch into Greg's. "Shit, Nick!" he exclaimed and Nick laughed.

"That was cute," Nick grinned. In response, Greg reached for Nick's jeans, desperately wanting them off. Nick swatted his hand away. "Not until the bedroom."

"Let's go then!" Greg eagerly grabbed Nick's hand, waiting for him to lead the way. Nick claimed Greg with another kiss before pushing him onto the bed. Greg made sure the older man was watching as he undid his jeans, sliding them down quickly, his growing cock clearly visible through the fabric of his boxers.

"Boxers, huh? Why am I not surprised?" Nick's eyes widened as Greg reached down to grasp his dick in his fist, growing harder under his touch. "Damn, Greg..." Nick hurried to shuck his jeans.

Nick stepped out of the denim and settled next to Greg, his gray boxer-briefs tented by his erection. "Can I?" Greg said with a hungry look in his eyes.

"I'm not gonna stop you. Touch me like you'd touch yourself."

"I know that pretty well," he laughed. Fingers against his dick through the soft material and Nick sucked in his breath. Greg, seeing the reaction that earned him, grew braver and ran his hand up and down Nick's length until he was reluctantly told to stop. Nick reached over to stroke Greg's cock, the soft boxers allowing his hand to move easily over Greg's cock. Greg gasped when Nick's hand closed around him and eased him past the waistband of his boxers. Knowing that a man was touching him made the direct contact feel somehow even better.

The next few minutes were all a blur to him. All of a sudden, Nick was naked in front of him in all his glory and his own boxers were gone and a hot mouth was sliding down his shaft. Nick was showing no mercy as he mapped every inch of Greg's cock with his tongue. Greg lost all ability to speak clearly; he was groaning a steady stream of what sounded like "OhfuckyesNickthatfeelssofuckinggood" as Nick played with his balls. Nick slid up to catch a breath, slid back down and hummed against the weight of Greg's dick and suddenly Greg was coming. Nick took it all and smiled as he let the spent cock slip from his mouth. Greg let his head hit the pillows. "God," he whispered.

Nick slowly ground against Greg's thigh, dragging all of his still-hard cock along exposed skin. "Greg?" he started.

"Fuck me."

Nick raised his head up from where it was resting near Greg's shoulder. "Are you sure? It's your first time."

"I've experimented with myself so I've got an idea of what to expect. Fuck, Nick, I want it so bad."

As he reached for the condoms and lube, Nick leaned close to Greg's ear. He licked the lobe before whispering, "Alright then. Open yourself for me, Greggo."

Greg nodded, sucking two fingers into his mouth. Nick felt himself growing hard again as he watched Greg close his eyes and tease his entrance. Greg slid both fingers in and groaned, a feral sound from the depths of his throat. Nick realized he was mesmerized by the sight of Greg pumping his fingers in and out. "Ready?" he asked.

"I've been ready," Greg growled. Nick just grew more aroused and he had the condom on in a flash, slicking it over with lube. Greg spread his legs further; Nick was finding it hard to believe he had never done this before. "Fuck me, Nicky," Greg practically purred and that was all Nick needed to start pushing in.

Each slow inch made Greg cry out in pleasure. "Oh, yes," he shouted when Nick was all the way inside. Nick started to thrust his hips, sliding in and then back out.

"You like this, Greg?" Nick gasped between pants. "You like my big Texan cock inside you?"

"God, Nick, I love it all!" Another brush against his prostrate and Greg shouted again.

"I'm close, baby. So close to shooting inside of you." Nick fisted Greg's dick in his lube-slick hand as his other hand held on near Greg's ass.

Greg was first to shoot, all over his and Nick's stomachs. The shockwave sent Nick over the edge and he filled the condom with his load. "Fucking..." was all Greg had to say as he ran his hand through the mess on his stomach.

Nick pulled out, tossed the condom. He gave one last kiss to Greg's forehead. "And that is what it's like to have sex with a man!" He threw a subconsciously-protective arm across Greg's chest and both drifted off into a satisfied sleep.

~

He knew something was wrong before he opened his eyes.

Nick awoke to a dark room, rolling over to run fingers down Greg's arm. But there was no Greg to touch: just the cold, empty sheets.

Thinking maybe his eyes were deceiving him, Nick pulled his naked self from the tangled beclothes. He saw only his clothes on the floor. He blinked his eyes as he wandered to his front door, finding no note, nothing.

Nick was hit with a sudden wave of emotions. "Dammit!" he screamed in the empty apartment.

***

Nick kept thinking the same words over and over again. "I promise, Nick." Greg had looked him in the eyes and said it. He'd sworn that he wouldn't run away. Only, Nick awoke to find Greg gone without a trace. Hadn't that night of mind-blowing sex meant anything?

At first he was in denial. Greg must've gotten called in to work early, right? That changed to anger when Nick realized that the other man would have left a note if he had to go, or maybe he would have woken Nick up. Anger slipped into sadness like Nick's feet on the wet shower floor. He thought maybe, just maybe, he and Greg could have had something. He stood under the spray, mulling his thoughts over until the water ran cold.

The Texan spent the rest of his morning in a numb haze. Getting dressed, shaving, even eating was automatic. He spent a good ten minutes sitting in silence, staring at his phone. Nick picked it up three times and on the fourth he had almost finished dialing Greg's number when he stopped himself, throwing it to the other end of the couch. Calling would just make things worse.

Nick wondered if he was in over his head.

~

Nick made it to the lab safely. "C'mon, Nicky," he told himself. "Forget last night and move on." He put on his best "everything's fine" face and stepped out of his truck.

As soon as he was inside, Catherine caught him. "D.B. on the outskirts of town!" she said, pulling him along by the arm. "Warrick's waiting."

Luckily, Nick didn't think about Greg at all on the drive to the crime scene. He, Warrick, and Catherine made small talk about the weather, local news, the song playing on the radio. Nick laughed along with them and by the time they arrived, Greg Sanders was the last thing on his mind.

The three CSIs stepped into the hot Vegas sun, standing before Detective Jim Brass. "A teenager and a couple of her friends were driving down the road, saw this as they turned the corner," he pointed to a nude body behind him.

"Damn," Nick drawled.

"Shit," Warrick said.

"Wow," Catherine gasped.

The woman was naked, bloody, lying on her face. Tiny cuts turned the once-pretty twenty-something into a macabre mess. Both legs, both arms, her face and her stomach were marked by red lines. After a few seconds of staring in disbelief, Catherine spoke.

"Have we found the murder weapon?"

Brass held his hands up. "That's your job. I just got here."

"Typical," the blonde teased. "Nicky, Warrick, fan out."

They didn't have to go far. The coroner had arrived, and in moving the body, a bloody knife was revealed covered in mud, half-buried underneath the body. Surprising himself, Nick offered to take the weapon back to the lab for testing. I'm not going just to see Greg, he told himself.

Nick hitched a ride with Brass, absentmindedly responding to the detective's chatter with "Yeah"s and "Uh-huh"s. His first stop was to visit Mia in DNA, but he made a detour into the break room. On his way to the coffee, he heard parts of Sara and Hodges' conversation.

"I thought no one knew where Greg was?" Hodges said.

"No, he called in sick. Grissom said he didn't sound good, but it was very vague," Sara replied.

Behind them, Nick spilled his coffee.

The two looked up at this and Nick grinned, embarrassed. "Uh, it was hot."

Sara giggled as she watched Nick scramble to clean up the mess. "Yeah, Nick, coffee tends to be that way." She turned back to Hodges. "So, we're not sure what's going on with Greg..." was the last thing the Texan heard on his way out the door.

"Coincidence. It's all a coincidence. This has nothing to do with me-"

"Nick?" Mia asked.

"Yeah?" he replied, shaken out of his reverie.

"You were standing there muttering to yourself. You can take the knife to fingerprinting now; I've got what I need."

She was studying Nick with an odd expression. He put on his best smile and took the evidence, hurrying out of the glass-walled lab.

After putting the vic's prints into AFIS, Nick found Catherine and Warrick, who filled him in on what they had discovered. The vic's clothes were found not too far from the crime scene, but there was no evidence of another person at the scene. She had not yet been identified, but Cath was on her way to Doc Robbins' domain to learn more.

AFIS came back with a hit. She was twenty-one-year-old Alana Riotti. She had one prior, a vandalism charge from her high school years. Nick joined Warrick to notify the parents.

The first thing out of the mother's mouth was, "Have you found her boyfriend? I never trusted him." Her husband nodded.

"Ma'am, what was his name?" Nick asked.

"John...something."

"Perry," the father supplied.

"Yes, that's it. John Perry. She met him at some party. And there was something about him that I just didn't like."

"Drugs? Illegal gambling?" Warrick asked.

"We didn't know for sure what he was into," the father answered.

"Can we see her?" the mother asked.

Nick glanced at Warrick, then back to the parents. "This way."

They had the reaction that Nick and Warrick had expected: temporary disbelief, then came the tears. But after this the parents had nothing to add to the investigation, and the CSIs let them go.

"Guess we've got to get Brass' guys on this John fellow," Nick said as he and Warrick turned the corner.

"I'm on it," Warrick said, and he left.

Catherine found Nick and filled him in on...nothing. Internally, Alana Riotti was perfectly fine. With the case at a temporary standstill – DNA results wouldn't be back until tomorrow - and shift at its end, Nick and Catherine parted ways.

At home, the Texan CSI tried to push all thoughts of Greg out of his head. Exhausted from working the case and the developments of the night before, Nick crashed, waking with barely enough time to get ready for next shift.

~

Nick hadn't been expecting a call from Greg, but the fact that there wasn't one made him feel confused again. He had woken up thinking about Greg and he was pretty sure he had dreamt about Greg. He slapped himself once. He couldn't keep pining over a one night stand with his coworker. A mug of hot coffee and Nick was ready to face the world again.

Their case had taken an interesting turn. The boyfriend was found, but his background suggested no criminal activity. In questioning, he revealed that he had just broken up with Alana and that they had fought. Alana had stormed out of their apartment. "I would've chased after her," John said, "but she pissed me off pretty bad."

"Did you know where she was going?" Catherine asked.

"Whenever she blows up like that, she never tells me. We were done, though, so I didn't care. There's probably something you should know, though."

"And that is?" Nick spoke up.

"Lana had problems. Emotional problems. She would cut herself if she got too worked up. She had meds, but I don't think she took them that day."

Realization dawned on both Catherine and Nick's faces as they turned to look at each other.

"She would do it pretty bad, sometimes. All up and down her arm. Sometimes in more places. She said the knife made all the other pain go away," John continued.

"Thanks, Mr. Perry," Catherine spoke. "You've been a great help."

"I'm free to go, then?"

"You sure are." Jake smiled, leaving the interrogation room.

"You thinking suicide?" Nick asked, once they had left.

"Looks that way. Depends on the knife results."

Warrick appeared out of nowhere, holding the DNA printout. "All the blood on the knife was the vic's."

"What about the prints?" the Texan CSI asked.

"Hers too."

"She did do this herself," Catherine said softly. "Wow. I'll go write up the report."

The blonde turned to walk away, but Nick stopped her. "Hey, Cath, since we solved the case, do you mind if I take the rest of shift off?"

"You both can. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow," she winked.

Warrick and Nick walked to the locker room. "Hey, man, you heard about Greg?" Warrick asked.

Nick turned slowly. "What about him?"

"No one knows what's up with him. He didn't show up today, either. He just called in sick, didn't say why." Warrick paused. "You think you could talk to him?"

"Why me?"

"I don't know, you and him always seemed close. He won't return anyone's calls and the rest of night shift's beginning to get a little worried."

"Huh. I'll see what I can do," Nick replied.

"Cool. See you tomorrow, man," and Warrick was gone.

"Night, 'Rick!" Nick called. When he was alone, he hit his head once on his locker.

~

The silence of his apartment set Nick at ease. He plopped down on the couch, face down. I'm not gonna think about Greg, he thought.

The phone, on the other hand, had different plans.

Nick ignored the ringing. He didn't want to get up and see who was calling. Even if it was Greg, he wasn't sure what he would say.

The answering machine picked up. "Shit, Nick," came a familiar voice. Nick sat straight up, listening intently. "I'm sorry. So fucking sorry. I don't know what happened, I just...freaked. I need to talk to you. I need to see you. Come over when you can, because I've got to set this straight with you." The voice on the other line laughed nervously. "I don't know how straight this'll end up. This is dumb. I doubt you want to hear from me, but please, Nick, just come over..." the line clicked, ending the call.

Nick stared at the phone, daring it to ring again. After a minutes' deliberation, he grabbed his keys and was at the door. He drove fast. Somehow he remembered where Greg's apartment was, even though the last party Greg had thrown had been months ago.

He ran up the steps, almost tripping in front of a nice old lady holding a bag of groceries. Nick regained his composure and stopped outside Greg's door.

He could've been there for a minute, he could've been there for an hour. Nick didn't know how long he waited. He took a deep breath, calmed his nerves, raised a fist, and knocked.

***

The door opened slowly, revealing a haggard-looking Greg. He was wearing an old blue bathrobe, a faded shirt, and torn plaid pajama bottoms. His hair wasn't gelled and he held a steaming cup of something in his hand. Nick was suddenly reminded of the other night.

"God, Greg, where have you been?" Nick asked softly.

Greg pushed the door open further, ignoring Nick's question with a wave of his hand. "Just come in," he said.

As he passed, Nick could see that Greg hadn't shaved in a while. Probably hasn't showered, either, Nick thought. The Texan perched on the edge of the couch, waiting for Greg to speak.

"I..." he started, but the new CSI stopped to take sip of his tea or coffee or whatever it was instead. "I didn't mean to fuck up our night."

"Then why did you? You promised me that you wouldn't leave," Nick replied.

"I ran because I was afraid, Nick."

"Afraid of what?"

Greg played with the sleeve of his robe before answering. "...Afraid to admit that I liked it. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would."

Nick didn't take his eyes off Greg, letting him to continue.

"I woke up and I didn't know where I was. Again. Then I realized I had a man's arm draped across me and a very naked you pressed against my side. Everything about the night before came rushing back to me and I freaked. I don't know how I didn't wake you up. I liked it while we were doing it, hell, I loved it. I'd never felt that way during sex before, but...Jesus." Greg ran a hand through his hair and paused to take a sip of tea (Nick could tell by the color of the liquid) again. "I guess I wasn't ready to face the fact that I had sex with a man."

"Greg..." Nick started, but he stopped, seeing tears at the corners of Greg's eyes.

"This isn't because of you; it's all me. I'm so sorry, Nick. You probably hate me..."

"I don't hate you, Greg," Nick replied, quietly. "I'm just fucking glad that you told me why you left." Greg gave a shaky smile. "I know what you went through," the Texan went on, "because it happened to me after my first time too."

Nick moved a seat down, closer to Greg on the couch. He thought for a moment before taking Greg's hand in his own. "Tell me how I should handle this. What do you want?" he said, looking into Greg's eyes.

"I want you," Greg whispered.

Nick couldn't speak. He pulled Greg into his warmth, kissing him softly. Greg returned the kiss as Nick wiped the tears from the blonde's eyes. Nick lost track of how long they held each other, but he didn't care. He had everything he needed right there in his arms.

~

Nick had his doubts at the beginning. But when he woke up next to Greg the first night, and then the second, and even the third, he knew Greg was there to stay.

It had been a week since they'd worked everything out. Nick awoke to the familiar darkness, but hearing Greg snore quietly next to him made it so much better. Nick stretched, slowly grinding his half-hard cock against Greg's boxers-covered ass.

"Mmm," Greg yawned and pushed back into the sensation. "I can tell you're up."

Nick leaned down to kiss Greg on the neck. The blonde turned over so he was facing his boyfriend. Greg ran a hand along Nick's growing length, groping and fondling him through his soft boxers. The brunette growled. He moved so he was straddling Greg's hips, giving him access to run his hands over the blonde's stomach and to claim him with another kiss.

"So we get to have sex before work?"

Nick moved his hips up and down so his hard cock rubbed against Greg's. "Sounds good to me." The Texan's hands disappeared into Greg's boxers and the new CSI arched his back into the touch. As Nick worked his hands up and down Greg's length, reveling in the way Greg reacted, he knew that this was exactly where he wanted to be. He knew everything would be fine.

***