Title: It's Only Your Shadow
By: flipflopadd1ct
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Greg realizes that the real Nick isn't really there. One-shot songfic. Inspired by "Shadow" by Britney Spears. Please don't kill me for that. (Lyrics at the end belong to her.)

***

They fucked, he left. That's just the way it had been recently.

Greg couldn't take it anymore. He thought he had felt passion when they began, back a few months ago. Every single movement Nick made had filled Greg with pleasure that he had never felt before. But that passion, that excitement, that fire was gone...if it had ever been there in the first place.

Greg didn't he think that he should get so worked up over it. Their relationship had always been pure lust, starting with the subtle flirting in the lab and finally culminating in a mind-blowing night of sex. And then another. The two soon found they couldn't get enough of each other – making love became an every-day thing. Wait. What we do can't be called "making love," Greg thought bitterly.

The two men were lying on Greg's bed. Greg was still, trying to catch his breath. The darker-haired man had pulled out as soon as both had come. Greg had sighed, wanting to keep feeling Nick inside of him. He rolled over and let a hand trail down Nick's arm. His skin was warm, soft. "Nick..." he started, rolling over to look into his eyes.

"Greg, I gotta go," Nick interrupted before Greg could finish.

"No, stay, please," Greg began, but Nick was already up, sliding his boxers on and pulling up his jeans. He grabbed his shirt on the way out the door. Greg could only sit and watch him walk away. "Nick!" he called, but his only reply was his front door slamming shut.

Greg sat in his bed, suddenly feeling very naked and exposed. But most of all, hurt. He became aware of how dark the room was. The way Nick had left couldn't have made him feel any worse. He finally managed to drag himself into the shower, hoping the heated water would improve his mood.

It had been two days since the last time they had fucked. Greg was totally distracted, consumed by what he had come to realize about Nick. Everything he saw in the lab made him think of the old days. Everytime they passed in the hallway Greg saw no emotion in Nick's dark eyes.

Greg was poring over a case file at his kitchen table, trying to find anything that could take his mind off Nick. A sudden knock at the door and he opened it, finding the last person he wanted to see right now.

"Hey, Greggo," Nick smiled, wearing that grin that he'd seen so many times before: Wanna fuck?

Greg looked into Nick's eyes, wanting to find real emotion behind them but knowing he would not. He shook his head and sighed. "Go home, Nick," and he shut the door.

Nick didn't knock again. Greg leaned against the wood, trying not to cry. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, stretching and distorting the shadows in the room.

Your body's warm but you are not
You give a little not a lot
You coup your love until we kiss
You're all I want but not like this
I'm watching you disappear
But you, you were never here

It's only your shadow
Never yourself
It's only your shadow
Nobody else
It's only your shadow
Filling the room
Arriving too late
And leaving too soon
And leaving too soon

Your body gives but then holds back
The sun is bright, the sky is black
Can only be another sign
I cannot keep what isn't mine
Your laughter it lingers on
But you, you were almost gone

It's only your shadow
Never yourself
It's only your shadow
Nobody else
It's only your shadow
Filling the room
Arriving too late
And leaving too soon
And leaving too soon

How can I tell if you mean what you say
You say it so loud but you sound far away
Maybe I had just a glimpse of your soul
Or was that your shadow I saw on the wall
I'm watching you disappear
But you, you were never here

It's only your shadow
Never yourself
It's only your shadow
Nobody else
It's only your shadow
Filling the room
Arriving too late
No, no, no
It's only your shadow
Never yourself
It's only your shadow
Nobody else
It's only your shadow
Filling the room
Arriving too late
And leaving too soon
And leaving too soon

It's only your shadow

A/N: I think this is important. Mainly because...I never write angst. I hate it. I like my hotties to be happy, with a perfect sex life. But I heard this song, loved it and the lyrics, and my mind immediately went to Nick and Greg.