Title: It's Christmastime in Sin City
By: juneprota
Genre: Romance, Humor
Summary: Greg isn't quite sure how he and Warrick ended up making out in front of the Las Vegas Crime Lab staff, but he has a feeling it's all Warrick's fault.
Word Count: 1170
Status: Complete
Date: June 20, 2008
Archive Permission: Free reign.

It all ended with a kiss.

I was kissing Warrick Brown in front of the entire Las Vegas Crime Lab staff. I didn't mean for it to happen. In fact, I blame Warrick for most of it. Scratch that. All of it. I blame Warrick for all of it. Because I turned the guy down. I said no the first time. N-O.

Alright, let me start from the beginning.

It all started on Christmas Eve morning. There I was at a mini-Christmas party in the break room and somehow Warrick had cornered me in...well, the corner. We were hanging back from the crowd, slowly getting drunk on bad eggnog. We'd clocked out hours ago and had nowhere to be once the party was over. It might sound weird...me and Warrick hanging out. But the truth is, we'd become pretty good friends by then. Nick had started dating this chick, Sheila, a year ago. They were engaged a few months later and by the time this little Christmas party happened, Nick was deep into wedding plans. He hadn't had a lot of time for us.

So over the last year, Warrick and I started hanging out, I found out he was bi, and woo hoo, I had a clubbing buddy. And who would have guessed Warrick Brown was bi? I mean, I'd known the guy for years and never knew. I obviously needed to get my gaydar checked out. If I had known earlier, I probably would have hit on him. But, see, at the Christmas party I didn't hit on him. Because we were friends by then, and you don't hit on friends. And there was the fact that I was dating someone. I was in a relationship, attached, unavailable, two-not-one. And Warrick knew this, yet he still had to ask.

An hour into the party, I nudged Warrick. I had to go. My boyfriend was picking me up. I didn't mention that last part and looking back maybe I should have. Well, Warrick decided to walk me out, because he's a perfect gentleman like that. We'd barely left the building when Warrick stops me. And he manages to stumble through the most awkward date invite I've ever received. I can't really remember how I responded. I probably mentioned my current boyfriend or something. I know I ended with, "still friends?"

And he responded. "Of course."

I don't remember who initiated the hug, but we hugged, and maybe I held on a little longer than necessary. But Warrick is the perfect hugger. He's tall, strong, and he always smells so good. I actually bought my boyfriend Warrick's cologne for his birthday. But it never smelled as good on him. I'm not sure how long we hugged, but I know it didn't stop until we heard my boyfriend calling my name.

Boy, did I get an earful from him on the way home. He even tried to stop me from going to Final Fantasy Friday the next week. But, really, you have to draw the line somewhere, don't you? Final Fantasy Friday is my line. I don't know, looking back, maybe I should have skipped it, given Warrick some time to get used to the idea of us just being friends. But I like Final Fantasy Fridays.

We started them a couple years ago, me, Warrick, and Nick. Although, more often than not, Nick bailed on us. It started out with us just playing the Final Fantasy games. But after we got bored with those, we started renting games from Blockbuster. Video games, booze, and junk food. What more could a guy ask for?

On this particular Final Fantasy Friday, the games were eventually turned off, the television was turned on as background noise, the weather channel of all things. Warrick and I were just shooting the shit, I got up to take a piss, and as I was walking from the bathroom to the living room I stopped at the window. There was a full moon and the sky was clear. The moon was pretty and I was drunk. I didn't hear Warrick sneak up behind me, but soon enough he was there, his arms on either side of me, his hands on the window sill. And I was surrounded by that smell. No guy should be able to smell that good.

I could hear the television in the background, a forecaster was predicting snow. "Do you think it'll really snow?"

Warrick's lips were near my ear. "I don't know. It happens every once in awhile."

"You know, I've never seen real snow before."

"Hmm. We'll have to make it happen then." Warrick's hand left the sill, moved to my waist, and I said I had to go. I resisted temptation. That's me. Temptation Resister.

XXXXXXXXXX

It didn't snow that night.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next time Warrick and I were alone together it was in a hotel elevator. I wasn't even supposed to be at that Vegas Lab New Years Eve party alone. My boyfriend was supposed to come with me. But he got held up at work. Instead of waiting for him, I told him to meet me there. Of course Warrick arrived at the hotel at the same time. And of course we happened to be the only two people needing an elevator at that exact time, and of course something crazy like the elevator breaking down had to happen as soon as we were alone.

And of course Warrick has to be nice and hot and smell good. "I was going to wait after the party to give you this, but here." He handed me the small wrapped box he was holding. "A belated Christmas present."

It was a snow globe. Vegas covered in snow. So I kissed him. Because it was nice and sweet and thoughtful. Which I told him repeatedly as I hugged and kissed him. And I may have said something crazy like "yes, I'll marry you." But in my defense, I really liked the snow globe.

Warrick laughed and mentioned that I didn't finish opening up the present. There was an envelope that I'd thrown to the ground. I picked it up and opened it. Two plane tickets to Vermont and a pamphlet for a cozy looking ski lodge. "I was going to be nice and say you could use them with your boyfriend."

"You've always been too nice, Vegas."

His arms were still around my waist and he pulled me closer. "So, you'll marry me?"

"If you ask nicely." We kissed again. The elevator started moving. We kept kissing. And of course, the doors opened on us making out. And I'm sure a lot of people were staring, but Warrick and I weren't planning on stopping anytime soon.

The End