Title: One Less Than Six Degrees of Seperation
By: mickeylover303
Pairing: Ryan/Greg
Rating: PG
Words: 4086
Summary: Technically, it's five less than six degrees of separation, but Ryan couldn't have cared less after Greg met the fifth one.
***
Greg only wanted to surprise Ryan.
Because there was the small fact that Ryan didn’t know he was coming early. And the even smaller fact that Ryan had specifically told – not asked, because he naively thought it would actually make a difference – Greg not to come early.
He ignored that little voice in his head that had somehow followed him from Vegas. That little voice that kept saying that it was a bad idea to surprise Ryan because Ryan was a stickler about things he hadn’t planned for…like surprises.
But after all this time, Greg thought Ryan should have known better and therefore it wouldn’t actually be a surprise because his early arrival would be expected.
“I’ll pick you up, okay? I’ll be there by six because your flight should come in at six forty-five.”
Of course that’s what Ryan had said over the phone, and the plan sounded nice in theory. But why try for the six o’clock plane when there was an earlier one available? That was cheaper, too.
Greg knew Ryan could at least appreciate that aspect, if nothing else – even if it was Greg’s money.
The man could be ridiculously frugal sometimes.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And that’s what Greg had said just short of hanging up. He didn’t necessarily comply with Ryan’s plan, but again, Ryan should have known better. That was Greg’s justification as to why he was standing outside the Miami-Dade county police station at five o’clock instead of waiting for Ryan at the airport.
He knew Ryan would probably freak out, being thrown off schedule, but Greg had developed an agenda of his own. And Ryan needed to learn that order was the most destructive form of chaos. Not that he would want Ryan any other way, but after more than a year of going back and forth, Greg hoped to get as much time in to see Ryan as he could, even if it was only the extra hour.
Because their long-distance relationship meant the times he actually saw Ryan were far in between.
He knew it took about twenty minutes to get to the airport from here. He already had some things at Ryan’s apartment, so he didn’t need to bring much with him; one bag that made for a comfortable taxi ride from the airport. Both of which worked well in his favour as Greg was able to travel light.
He just hoped Ryan didn’t call him on his cell phone or it would ruin the surprise.
Because he may just happen to meet Ryan’s co-workers on the way, which wasn’t necessarily on his agenda, but a quick greet wasn’t going to hurt anyone.
Greg sighed as he reached for the door, his backpack slung over one shoulder and attention elsewhere. He thought he heard Ryan’s name, but summed it up to his imagination as he turned around, bumping into someone. Fortunately, neither of them fell to the ground…or down the steps.
“Sorry, are you okay?” he asked the stranger, worried he made a bad impression even though he didn’t plan to reveal his relationship with Ryan, yet. “I wasn’t watching where-”
“That’s all right.” The stranger smiled, long blonde hair moving as she shook her head, brushing off his apology. Her laugh was nice…friendly. He wondered why Ryan didn’t want him to meet his colleagues, which he assumed the stranger to be one of.
Unless she had a holster just for the fun of it.
Greg responded with a sheepish smile of his own, waving to her as she walked past him. He looked into the building as he opened the door, mindful of any stray bodies that were to come his way.
He’d never actually been here before. Ryan was pretty adamant about keeping his work life separate from his private life. He claimed he didn’t have a good relationship with his co-workers, something Greg was reluctant to believe. He knew he had a…different relationship with Nick and the others back home. They were more like family than anything else.
But Ryan’s didn’t seem bad, so far.
As he walked into the building, he wasn’t used to the bright lighting, the warm colours assaulting his eyes and vastly differing from the lab in Vegas. Much different from the cool undertones he was used to.
“Hey sweetie, you dropped this.”
Greg, startled out of his musing, turned to the soft voice, meeting a woman with long and dark hair, curled over her shoulders. She held in her hand what appeared to be a dark blue wallet of some kind.
“Oh…” he said in surprise, grateful she was giving it to him. It didn’t have money or anything. It was his picture wallet, filled with photos of Ryan and him. “I didn’t even see it.” He took it from her hand, quickly stuffing it in his back pocket. He wasn’t aware that he dropped it. It was normally in-
“Your backpack is open.”
“It is?” Greg turned his head, the angle awkward as he peered to find the bottom pocket unzipped.
“Here,” she said, fixing the unzipped pocket, patting it when she was done. “You should be fine, now.” Giving him a kind smile.
“Thanks.” Greg found himself grinning, again, taking a quick glance at her scrubs before she turned to leave…Medical Examiner. He wondered if Ryan knew her. And if so, - which Greg was sure that Ryan did – why he neglected to tell Greg. He’d asked Ryan later.
After he found the front desk, first.
Possibly that monstrous piece of furniture that wasn’t too far up ahead.
Greg continued down the short hallway, marvelling at the sheer size of the place. He raised his head, gazing at the tall ceiling and large windows that did nothing to keep out the glare of the sun, now beginning to set. It was a completely different atmosphere, much more-
“Hey!” Greg was shoved to the side, almost falling over at the unexpected action. He looked to find a man glowering at him. His hair was cut short, spiked and some kind brownish colour. “Watch where you’re going!” He called from over his shoulder as he walked away, brushing past other people, as well.
“Sorry.” But his tone conveyed that he was anything but apologetic. Okay, Greg did admit he wasn’t watching where he was going, again, but still…the guy didn’t have to push him. The blonde haired woman was much nicer about it.
Greg didn’t let the incident bother him; he was almost to the front desk anyway. And he would have been there if another man hadn’t stood in his way. It was quickly becoming a bad habit, bumping into all these people. But at least he avoided a collision, this time.
“Hello…” Greg watched as the red-headed man placed his hands upon his hips, leaning toward him with his head tilted to the side, trying to stare him down even though he and Greg were relatively close in height. He wondered if the guy had neck cramps from doing that. “Can I help you?”
Greg would have been concerned at the tone; the man was treating him like a kid. Converse shoes, Marilyn Manson shirt, and backpack aside…he supposed he did look like a kid or something, but the guy shouldn’t make assumptions like that. Greg could have been incognito.
Even though he wasn’t.
“Um…I’m looking for Ryan Wolfe,” he said cautiously. There was no telling what a man, who bobbed his head up and down like that, could do.
“Mr. Wolfe, you say?”
Greg looked at the man warily, internally wondering why he felt the need to repeat what he’d just said. He really didn’t expect to be accosted in a police station of all places…and he didn’t think he looked suspicious. “Yeah…”
“I’m afraid Mr. Wolfe is not here at the present time.” The man finally straightened his neck and Greg was almost waiting for the sound of cracking bones, somewhat disappointed when it didn’t come. “But I can page -”
“No,” Greg interrupted. If this man alerted Ryan then it would no longer be a surprise. He would just wait for Ryan…and be proactive about it. “No, I’ll…” He glanced at his watch. It wasn’t even ten after five, yet. “Um…could you show me where the bathroom is?”
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise, as though he wasn’t expecting the question, which he probably wasn’t. “The bathroom, hmm?”
Okay, if there was anyone else like this one, maybe that’s the reason why Ryan rarely brought these people up in conversation. The man seemed nice enough, but the repetition was getting kind of creepy.
“Yes,” Greg replied slowly, drawing the words out in hopes that the man would just show him where it was. Yeah, drinking all that coffee on the way here wasn’t his brightest idea.
The man pointed behind Greg, his other hand covering his eyes from sun rays coming from the window. “If you go straight ahead, it’ll be the second door on your left.”
“Thanks.” Greg nodded with his hand holding his shoulder strap. He would have been comforted as he left, but he could still feel the man’s eyes on him. He should know, having enough experience with Ryan’s wandering eyes.
He had plenty of practice with that one.
“Second door on the left,” he said to himself as he reached it, a nondescript door with nothing to label it as a bathroom. He pushed it open, peering into the room before walking in, where he was met with what looked like a locker room.
But maybe it had stalls inside or something.
“Hey.” Greg turned, almost jumping at the new voice. He didn’t see anyone, but heard footsteps against the tiled floor. A man, now walking toward him. At least he knew he was in the right room. “What are you doing-” The voice, slightly accented, wasn’t as harsh as the first guy he bumped into, yet it wasn’t friendly, either. Until the man stood next to a locker that Greg happened to be standing next to. “In here…?” It became somewhat more affable, not as gruff.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine.” He knew better than to expose Ryan. Not that Ryan wasn’t comfortable with his sexuality, – or as he liked to call it, being Greg-sexual – he just wasn’t that comfortable with his peers. “Well, I was looking for a friend,” Greg said, peering over the man’s shoulders into something that looked like shower area.
“This isn’t a public facility,” the man answered, opening a locker and grabbing a shirt, pulling it over his bare chest, droplets of water seeping through it.
Greg stared at the sight before him, mouth slightly open and thoughts of using the bathroom long forgotten as he wondered about the possibilities of finding a stranger who shared his interests…if that was the man’s locker he was unashamedly looking into.
***
Ryan sighed as he walked down the hallway. It was already five-thirty and he needed to go. Thankfully, Calleigh had come to take his place at the crime scene. He’d been there all day and was grateful when he was able to leave, the voices of Calleigh and Alexx talking about some kid they both saw growing faint as he walked away.
Evidence he collected was already dropped off and he was now heading to the locker room, in desperate need of a change of clothes. But he wouldn’t have time for that shower because he needed to pick Greg up.
Ryan was about to push the door to locker room open, his hand just above the metal panel when it was suddenly pulled opened, and someone came crashing into him.
“Yeah, it’s like no one does scuba-” Greg was cut off as he fell onto another person, for the seemingly third time, but now a pair of arms were supporting him before he had a chance to land on the floor.
“Ryan,” Greg blinked at the other man, still leaning against him. He lifted his head from Ryan’s shoulder. “You’re wet and sticky…and not in the fun way.”
“How-”
“I’ve been looking all over for you.” Greg was pushing himself off Ryan, whose mouth was hanging open. Not exactly the surprise he wanted to give, but seeing Ryan hot and sweaty in that suit more than made up for it. “Well, actually, I didn’t know where you where so I-”
“What the hell are you-”
“Greg, where’d you-” Ryan paused as the door opened, a man he knew all too well coming out of the locker room, his shirt somewhat wet as if he’d just taken a shower. A man he knew all too well that apparently knew Greg’s name…saying it with something that suggested they were friends or something…so casually.
And Ryan knew for a fact Greg had never met Eric Delko.
He made sure of it.
“Wolfe,” Eric acknowledged, nodding his head toward Ryan as he stood behind Greg.
“Delko.” Ryan narrowed his eyes, barely able to keep a sense of geniality as he watched Eric’s eyes travel over Greg’s form, which Greg didn’t see as he was facing Ryan.
“Eric.” Greg pushed his boyfriend’s hands off him as he turned to face the taller man. “I didn’t know you knew Ryan.”
“Yeah, we…work together.” He smiled at Greg, but it looked more as though he was enjoying Ryan’s current seething expression, which Greg didn’t see either. “You guys brothers or something?”
“Greg and I,” Ryan answered, putting his arm around Greg’s shoulder as he gritted the words through a forced smile. “Are good friends.” Squeezing Greg’s shoulder lightly.
Ryan probably thought he was oblivious or something, but Greg could tell Ryan wasn’t exactly on the friendliest terms with Eric. Though, what he didn’t know was why Ryan was being purposely antagonistic because Greg knew Ryan usually distanced himself from people he didn’t particularly like.
But so far, everyone he’d met – overall, anyway – had been nice. Not what he expected by Ryan’s personal accounts of the people he worked with, but then again, Ryan had this tendency to exaggerate everything.
“You must be really good friends, huh, Wolfe?” Ryan pursed his lips as Eric spoke, catching on the less than subtle implications in the question. He had a feeling he’d done the thing he didn’t exactly want to do, the reason why he had kept his personal and professional lives separate.
His suspicions were only confirmed when Eric shook his head, lifting his head and smiling at the two of them. Ryan knew his reaction to Eric around Greg didn’t exactly help matters, either.
“I forgot to give you this.”
Ryan resisted the urge to push him away when Eric moved closer to Greg, putting a small piece of paper in his pocket. Not that the premeditated push would change Eric’s mind about how close he and Greg actually were. But Ryan did want to at least pretend to hold some kind of restraint if only to prove to Greg that he could do so…hold some kind of restraint, that is.
However, if Eric didn’t move his hand, soon…
“Call me…maybe we could go diving before you have to go?” Eric smiled, swinging his jacket languidly over his shoulder as he walked away in the opposite direction.
“Ryan…you’re doing that growling thing again. And look,” Greg pointed to Ryan’s clothes, his attention no longer on Eric. “You’re not even wearing green today.”
Ryan didn’t bother to remark, but he did stop his growling…after he took the piece of paper out of Greg’s pocket, ripped it more than twice, and tossed it in a nearby trash can.
A soothing action, really.
Greg ignored Ryan, knowing he would get Eric’s number from him later, anyway…and probably convince Ryan to go diving, too. “Aside from just outing yourself to one of them, I don’t know why you were so worried about me meeting your co-workers. They’re actually pretty nice…if you don’t count Eric’s flirting, that is. But he didn’t seem bothered by us.”
Ryan had a thing or two to say about Eric’s so-called flirting, unintentionally firming his grip on Greg’s shoulders at the mention of it. Pushing away Greg’s accusation of jealousy that was in fact nonexistent, Ryan was almost tempted to leave Greg and confront Eric, but was brought back to his right state of mind when he thought of what else Greg had said. “Co-workers…you mean you met more than one?” Ryan almost squeaked out, turning Greg around and quickly leading him away from the locker room…and further away from Eric.
He should have known Greg would pull something like this.
He probably took a taxi to get here, too.
“Against my better judgement, I’ll assume that you know them.” Greg said, letting Ryan lead him outside the building and into the parking lot. “There was a nice woman with long blonde hair and another one with…”
Ryan blocked Greg out for a moment, thinking about Calleigh and Alexx’s conversation about the kid they both met…about-
“And this guy almost knocked me into the wall and-”
“Who almost knocked you into a wall?” Ryan stopped his movement, hands no longer on Greg’s shoulders, lingering in his pockets and gripping his keys as he and Greg stood outside his car.
“His name was Cooper…I think that’s what it said on his coat.”
“Dan?” Ryan had already created a mental list of people he would be talking to in his head, starting with Eric Delko. At least he was going to wait until the weekend was over. Greg would be proud that he was showing some restraint…if he actually admitted to Greg that he was holding grudges against people who weren’t necessarily the most amicable and in Eric’s case, too amicable with Greg.
Greg didn’t need to know Cooper and Delko were now on the list.
“Probably, but it wasn’t a big deal,” Greg replied casually as he remembered the D on Cooper’s shirt. Maybe the guy had the right to be angry... “And there was this guy with red hair that kept tilting his head like he was-”
“Horatio?!” Ryan tripped over his feet, walking to the driver’s side, but stopped himself in time, earning a wary expression from Greg. It was bad enough Greg had already met some of his colleagues, but he was at least hoping Greg would have skipped his boss. “Please tell me, you didn’t meet Horatio.”
Again, Greg didn’t see why Ryan seemed to be so upset…or rather so dramatic about the whole situation. It wasn’t like he showed up saying he and Ryan were more than friends. No, Ryan already did it. That night at his parents’ house two months ago and to Eric just about two minutes ago. “I don’t know if that was his name, but I’m guessing by your voice…”
Ryan moaned, opening the car door and forcing himself to get in. He started the car, downing the windows as his head rested against the steering wheel, the horn blowing and echoing in the parking lot, briefly attracting the attention of someone across the street.
“It’s only as bad as you make it, Ryan.” Greg reached through the frame of the windowless door to poke Ryan’s arm, resting listless on the armrest and crossing over to the passenger’s seat. Still standing outside the car, Greg wasn’t surprised at Ryan’s lack of response.
“Are you getting in?” He looked at Greg impatiently, or would have if his voice wasn’t muffled by the steering wheel.
“Plus, you can introduce me, Monday.” Greg smiled when Ryan lifted his head, the fringe of his hair falling over his eyes as he glared at Greg.
“Just get in the car, Greg.” Ryan said, head now off the steering wheel. If he had anything to do with it, Greg wouldn’t have met them at all. But what’s done is done and Ryan was now forced to choose between introducing Greg to the team – because Eric wasn’t going to keep his mouth shut – or try to keep Greg’s mind occupied in other ways.
It made Ryan a little happier at the thought of Greg putting his mouth to better use, babbling turning into whinges and whimpers. He sighed, suddenly more at ease.
Greg wouldn’t want to meet the team when Ryan was done with him.
Seeing the blissful look on Ryan’s face, Greg snorted, knowing what was probably going through his mind. And he was supposed to be the one who thought about sex all the time. Well, at least Ryan is distracted for the time being. Though, he wasn’t sure for how long.
“Are you ready now?” Ryan asked, opening his eyes at the sound of the door closing and Greg buckling his seatbelt.
“Yep.” Greg threw his backpack in the backseat, curious when Ryan didn’t put down the emergency break and the car was still running. “Uh, Ryan…”
“Hmm?”
Greg became concerned when the blissful look had yet to leave Ryan’s face. It was better than a panicking Ryan, but a calm Ryan could be an unpredictable Ryan.
And an unpredictable Ryan could do things like suddenly reaching for Greg, pulling their heads together, attaching their lips, and practically sucking the life out of Greg. Harshly, possessively, as if he was trying to own Greg…it was more than kind of hot.
“What was that for?” Greg asked breathlessly. It wasn’t that he hadn’t liked it, but Ryan was far from being an exhibitionist.
Ryan shrugged his shoulders. “I just felt like doing it.” But he didn’t tell Greg that he had caught a glimpse of Eric in the parking lot…not that it had anything to do with it.
“No you didn’t. That’s something I would do…not you.”
“I do it, too.”
“But I do it more.”
“I can’t just kiss you?” Ryan asked eagerly, as if he was getting ready to pounce again.
“I didn’t say that.” Greg pushed Ryan back, not wanting to get carried away in the car. This was something of a role reversal for him. Ryan was supposed to be the responsible one.
“Then let me-”
“No.”
“But-”
“I can take this to bed, too,” Greg threatened, even if he already knew the reason why Ryan was behaving so aggressively. He just wanted to hear Ryan say it himself.
“Fine…I was…” Ryan mumbled the rest of the sentence, finally pulling out of the parking lot and now on the road.
“I didn’t hear you.”
“I was jealous of Eric, okay.”
“I don’t know why.”
Ryan couldn’t believe Greg had the nerve to say he didn’t know why. The man had his hand in Greg’s pocket. In Greg’s pocket. And he thought he should let Greg know in case he forgot about that one little detail. “He had his hand down your pants.”
“Not like it did anything for me.” Greg internally smiled; he loved getting Ryan riled up like this.
“Your pants.”
And there Ryan had to embellish the truth…it was only in his pocket. But he wasn’t going to bring that up because he rather liked a jealous Ryan. Since jealous Ryan often led to angry Ryan and would eventually turn into horny Ryan.
Which inspired an equally horny Greg.
And just in time as Ryan pulled up in his driveway, parking the car and unbuckling his seatbelt. But much to Greg’s dismay, still remaining in his seat.
“Ryan.”
“Are you even listening to me, Greg? The man had his hand-”
“I’m not really worried about Eric right now.”
“But the man – oh…uh…”
“Yeah…” Greg’s hand was now in Ryan’s lap, grasping the more than obvious bulge that Ryan had somehow tried to hide on the ride here. “My mind is kind of on that.”
Ryan knew his mind was mostly on sex and that he was actually more sex-oriented than Greg, so he didn’t say anything while they were in the car. Because it seemed that seeing Eric so close to Greg, made jealously rear its ugly, and in the case reasonable, head. And he was angry too, but he had no intention of taking it out on Greg.
But if Greg wasn’t really protesting, who was he to refute?
And like that, Greg found himself dragged into the Ryan’s apartment. Ryan had somehow managed to lock his car, grab Greg’s bag and get the two of them in Ryan’s queen size bed. Even if they both still had their clothes on, it was an impressive feat, nonetheless.
He should try to surprise Ryan more often.
