Title: Star
Author: Dee
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1297
Pairing: Gil/Nick
Characters: Gil Grissom and Nick Stokes
Warnings: Fluff and AU.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: In my dreams they are like, totally mine!
Beta: jayceepat for her invaluable help in the Americanisation of the fics and her insightful comments – which I may well have ignored! I thank high_striker for his wonderful icons. I am indebted to them. Any errors are mine.
A/N: The first ‘challenge’ I have ever undertaken…but I've got to get them into my own Lj first! Starting off with three little ones. CSI100Fics Prompt Challenge – No. 64

He was nervous; he didn’t particularly know why, well, he knew why but he didn’t know why. He was confused.

The idea had been planted by an article he’d seen in a journal he was idly flipping through when he was awaiting a dental appointment, and it had immediately struck him it would be a wonderful birthday present for Gil. Something a little bit different.

So he made a note of the e-mail address and looked up the site, checked what he had to do…and then did it!

And here it was now, in his hands. Was he a foolish idiot and would it be viewed as a silly little prank. Or would it be taken as a romantic gesture – it was certainly intended as such.

He was nervous. It was ridiculous he knew, but he wanted the present to be special, to be different.

It was his own birthday the next day and he had no idea what present he was going to get; for a split moment he hoped that it wasn’t forgotten. When his lover was engrossed in a big case he could forget which day of the week it was let alone the date. But with his birthday just the day before it was a big reminder.

It had been three years and he hadn’t forgotten yet, but there was always a first time. Now he was extra nervous.

What about the name? Was that a bit too stupid? It had all seemed such a good idea three weeks ago.

Now he was really nervous. The truck just pulled up on the driveway.

He remained seated on the couch, a coffee mug in his hand, half full of cold coffee.

Gil came through the door looking bone weary.

“We got him.”

“I knew you would, you never give up without a fight.”

“Some days they slip through your fingers though, but not today.”

“No. Coffee?”

“To die for.”

“I’ll get you a mug.” He stood up and started to walk towards the kitchen.

“Hey! Come here; what’s happened to the romance in this relationship?”

Gil intercepted Nick on his way to the kitchen and pulled him into a hug, Nick’s arm holding his mug out of the way.

“Did I tell you recently that I love you?”

“Yeah, I think you did.”

“Only think? Things sound bad…are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“Mmmm, I hate to disagree, but you’re not fine, there’s something on your mind, come on, I’m normally the reticent, uncommunicative one.”

“Happy Birthday.”

“God, it is isn’t it, I remembered before shift and then I forgot. Let’s go out for breakfast, unless you want to stay in?” His voice conveyed exactly what he had in mind if they ‘stayed in’.

“Let’s stay in; I got some of those cinnamon bagels you love.”

“I like them…I love you. Are you okay?” Gil was still holding Nick but pulled back to look into his nervous face. “Come on, spill the beans.”

“I got you a present…and it seemed like a really cool idea a few weeks ago and now…and now I think it’s lame and I haven’t got you anything else.”

“Right. Well, let’s look at the evidence shall we? You’ve bought me a lot of presents and not one of them has been lame, they’ve all been wonderful and I've loved every single one. The chances of you then suddenly losing your present picking…what does Greg call it, oh yes, ‘mojo’, are slim.”

Nick smiled at Gil and he was a lot less nervous than he had been.

“You go sit on the couch, I’ll bring the coffee and bagels and you can unwrap your present…and I’ll keep my fingers crossed. If it’s as lame as I think it is, I’ll make it up to you…in other ways……” He laughed, his sense of humour breaking through his nerves and his gloom.

“That’s not fair. If it isn’t lame and I’m sure it won’t be, does that mean I won’t be getting your ‘other ways’? I think I’m going to lose out.” Gil tried a pout but he couldn’t pull it off, that was Nick’s domain.

“And when, exactly, have you ever lost out, man?”

“Let me think; there was that time you had a really bad headache and then when you had that nasty cold….”

“….hey, hold on, I slipped and fell and man I was very probably concussed, I was entitled to a headache and YOU gave me that cold.”

“Any excuse.”

“You are cruising, man. And, you know, it’s a bit weird that you remember exactly when you didn’t get laid.”

“It happens so rarely.”

“Ha…there you are then, it would be reasonable for you to assume that you’re not going to lose out whatever you think of the present. I think I've backed myself into a corner here!

“I think you might have but as long as I have the assurance that I‘m not going to lose out I feel reasonably secure. Besides which I know I’ll love my present because you always give me the most thoughtful and exciting presents, so hurry up with the coffee and bagels.

“Yes Sir, master, Sir.”

“And less of the cheek.” He slapped Nick’s ass as he walked away and watched as the said ass sashayed into the kitchen.

Nick returned a few minutes later with the warmed bagels and hot coffee. The present was wrapped and lying on the coffee table.

“I can’t wait another minute, this is intriguing. May I?”

“Yeah, go on.” Nick reached over for the present and gave it to Gil. It was wrapped in shiny, midnight blue coloured paper with silver stars embossed on it…it was tied with matching blue and silver ribbon and was finished with a matching bow! It looked tasteful and expensive and Nick now had butterflies; he’d decided it was tacky and cheap and Gil would laugh at him.

Gil opened his present carefully…Nick was a rip and tear kinda guy, but Gil would carefully pull off the tape and make every appearance of wanting to save the paper for another present but when he’d fully extracted the gift he would screw the paper up and throw it away…it always amused Nick. Another little quirk he’d learned about his lover.

Gil was frowning as he lifted the document folder out of the paper and then carefully opened it and read it. He kept his eyes down and Nick was getting nervous about his reaction. Did he think it was lame? It was lame.

“Oh Nick, Nicky, it’s wonderful, it’s the best present I've ever had, truly it’s wonderful I’m speechless, I really am. How did you get the idea? It’s just perfect.”

“Speechless?”

“It’s relative. I love you…and this is not lame.”

“Really? You like it?”

“I love it…and you for thinking of it…I think it signifies our eternal love.”

“You do? I mean…yes…that’s what I thought.”

“You thought it was lame.”

“Not when I bought it but afterwards I did. You think it’s okay?”

“More than okay. I mean how many men have their own star up in the heavens…in the Perseus constellation.”

“Yeah, I chose Perseus because it is ‘hero’ and you are my hero, but then I thought it was stupid to call the star ‘Nicky’…

“…no…it’s perfect. You are my star and I can look up into the sky and know that you’re looking down on me all the time and I call you Nicky…when we’re together and when we make love.”

“I thought you called me ‘God’ then?”

“You are my God, Nicky, and now you’re my star too.”

“That’s very sappy….”

“Yep, it is. Hey, you know what? I own a star. My own star.”

“You’re going to be unbearable aren’t you?”

“I think I am.”

The End