Title: Some Secrets Aren't So Secret
By: slightly_frayed
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. This is merely harmless fun.
Summary: I wrote this for a fanfiction challenge over at the EFN Forums. Had to include the first line, and the words grapes, pencil and closet. Please don't hurt me.

***

He tossed the plate shard back onto the floor and looked expectantly at the younger man. The kitchen floor looked like a battleground, spewed with grapes and strawberries and pieces of glass. He regretted pushing the plate off the table instantaneously.

"Was that necessary? What did the plate ever do to you?"

"Shut up, Greg! You're not listening to me!"

"Of course I'm not! You're not even making sense! It's not like she's going to eat us. She was bound to find out soon enough."

"It's not about her. It's about the others. If she comes over here and realizes what's going on, she'll tell everyone."

"Nick, you know her better than that. If you tell her not to tell anyone, I'm sure she won't. She's just not like that."

"...But if I tell her not to tell anyone, she'll know for sure that something's going on."

"And?"

Nick sighed and stormed angrily out of the room, and Greg yelled to him on his way out. "You've been in the closet for too long already. Do you not care about how I feel at all?"

Nick's voice echoed from down the hall, "I'm not even going to answer that. Stupid question, man."

Greg was angry now. He followed Nick to his bedroom. "Excuse me? Stupid question? Are you listening to yourself? You think Catherine's going to tell everyone about us. I mean, God forbid I get to have conversations with you in public. God forbid I get to keep my eyes on you for more than 2 seconds at a time at the lab. God forbid people find out that I spend every hour of every day thinking about you." He looked hurt.

"Greg..."

"Don't 'Greg' me. You want me to leave, I'm gone." He stormed into the front hallway, struggling with the closet door while trying to get his coat. It was a cold night for October, and he knew he shouldn't leave with out it.

"Greg, she's only coming over to pick up some paperwork. Can't you just stay out of the picture for a few minutes?" He grabbed at Greg's arm, but he jerked his arm back, knocking over a pencil holder and the phone in the process.

"Out of the picture? A Few minutes? I can do better than that. Have a little faith in me, sweetie." He slammed the door and was in his car backing out of the driveway in mere seconds. He probably shouldn't be driving.

It took Nick a while to realize that Catherine was standing outside his door, asking to come inside.

"Oh, hey..." But his voice sounded empty.

"Hey Nick, got those papers for me? I just need to get them back to the lab and then I'm off for the weekend."

"Yeah, just a sec... So, got any plans?" He was trying to sound upbeat.

"Look Nick, I saw him leave. Did the two of you fight over something?"

Nick stopped looking for the papers in his office and stuck his head outside the door frame to look at Catherine. "What?"

Catherine sighed. "It's not like it isn't obvious. You practically ignore each other at work. I know the two of you well enough to realize that neither of you are that hostile toward anybody."

Nick sighed this time. "I told him to go away while you were here so you wouldn't put the two of us together. I didn't want you to tell everybody."

"You know me better than that, don't you?" She looked incredulously at him. "Y'know, if you keep treating him like that, you won't have to worry about people knowing anymore."

There were more than a few moments of silence before Nick said anything. "I know. The papers are in the office. I'm going after him."

"Good luck."

He probably just drove to his apartment, Nick thought to himself as he took an exit off the I-15 and turned left into a large residential area. He knew the place well, having been there dozens of times in the past few months. I'm such an ass.

When he buzzed his apartment, he wasn't surprised that Greg didn't answer.

"Go away." He sounded like a child who'd been sentenced to a time-out in his room.

"No. Let me in man, it's freezing out here."

"Poor baby."

"C'mon, Greg. What do I have to say? I'm sorry. I love you. You're the best sex I've ever had."

Greg couldn't help but smile just a little at that last comment.

"...and Catherine knows."

This made Greg stand up a little straighter in the front hallway. "What?"

"She knows, man. Buzz me in, please?"

"Did you tell her?"

"Greg!" Nick sighed. "No, I didn't tell her."

"Of course you didn't. You're too good to love me in public."

Nick couldn't feel his fingers, and he was having trouble keeping the button that allowed him to talk to Greg pushed down. "Please let me in. We can talk. I can apologize to your face."

He heard the door beside him buzz open, and ran inside and up the stairs to Greg's apartment. The door was waiting open for him, and he went inside. Greg was curled up in a tiny ball on his leather couch.

"How did Catherine find out?" He said from the dark.

"She says it's obvious, Greg. They probably all know. It's their job to know these things." And then a pause. "I'm sorry."

Nick sat down beside Greg and put his hand on his back. Greg could feel Nick's frozen fingers from beneath his shirt, and he wondered what they'd feel like elsewhere. Now he couldn't look the older man in the eye for two reasons.

"I love you, G. I'm sorry."

"S'ok." His voice was tiny, almost inaudible. "I love you too."

He took Nick's hand, stood up, and lead him silently to the bedroom.

"You love me, Nicky?"

"Of course I do."

"Prove it."

***