Title: Prop 2
By: Read 300300
Nick/Greg
PG
Summary: Nick is upset; Greg tries to comfort him.
A/N: If you can, and you are registered to vote in Texas, it should go without saying that I hope you vote 'no' to this amendment.

"I'm sorry, Greg. I know that I haven't been too much of a good partner lately," Nick conceded after the seventh long lull in conversation, during which his mind had inevitably drifted back to his home state and the idiocy that was currently going on there. "I just- there's just a lot going on right now."

"Want to talk about it?" Greg flashed him a smile from across the table before spearing another piece of steak and popping it into his mouth.

"No," Nick shook his head and sipped at his beer, not even realizing it when he slipped back into terse silence.

"Look, I can go-" the new CSI spoke up. "If you need to be alone, I get it."

Nick bit his lip as Greg moved to stand, noting the dejected look on the younger man's face. He could tell that Greg thought the problem was with them.

"It's not like that at all, Greg! I- there's just something really stupid going on at home right now, and it's bothering me. The damned fundamentalists are trying to pass Proposition Two; it's just really frustrating." He slammed his bottle back down onto the table.

"What's Proposition Two?" Greg asked, a slightly confused but concerned look on his face as he sat back down and pushed his plate out of his way so that he could rest his elbows on the table while they spoke.

"It's a stupid amendment to the Texas State Constitution that says marriage is solely between a man and a woman, and it pisses me off. The thing it- nobody except for the ultra-conservative right really knows that it's going up for vote on the eighth of November, which is just in a couple of days." He swallowed, finishing in a whisper. "Right now, it looks like it's going to pass by a rather large majority, and my parents are only helping it out. Both of them went to early voting and said 'yes.'"

"Shit," Greg muttered.

"I, well, if it passes, I'm not going home. I refuse to go back to Texas if the people-" his eyes started tearing up, "-if the people there can't see reason. If my family and everyone else there can only feel hatred. I'm not going to live in a place that would deny me those rights. We deserve to be able to take that step, Greg. I- I want to take that step with you." He stood quickly and moved over next to Greg, grabbing one of the man's hands and pulling him upwards to plant a kiss on his lips. "Baby, will you marry me?"

The younger man's mouth dropped open in shock. They'd been together for four years, but he'd never expected this question. "O-Of course!"

"You will?" The older man's eyes widened, and it became obvious that he had expected to be rejected. "That's great!"