Title: Three Ways They Didn't Find Out
By: sarcasticsra
Summary: Three ways the team didn't find out about Nick and David.
Pairing: Nick/David
Rating: PG-13
A/N: I was inspired by Kate's CJ fic of the same format. I decided to write a N/D one for kicks. Thanks for beta'ing, Kelly.

***

1. Because of a shirt.

Nick and David had been running late. It was perfectly reasonable to believe that in their haste to get out the door and to work, David might have grabbed the wrong shirt. It was merely a generic, blue shirt, nothing special. After all, it was hardly their fault they worked with CSIs.

"You know what's interesting?" Sidle had said casually, as David, Nick, Greg, Warrick, and Catherine were in the break room, a few hours later. "Is that Hodges' shirt is the exact same shirt that Nick wore two days ago."

And with that statement, all eyes swivelled to Nick and David. Nick looked mildly flustered, but David was trying to act nonchalant.

"It's a blue shirt, Sidle. There is more than one in existence," he replied dryly, only a hint of anxiety in his voice.

"True enough," Sara conceded, but her eyes sparkled with mischief and David knew that couldn't be good. "But how many have 'NS' initialed on the tag?" She smirked, and to prove her point, marched over to David and pulled out the tag so it was visible to everyone in the room. The letters 'NS' were written there clearly in black permanent marker.

Catherine smirked and hid it behind her cup of coffee. Warrick snorted. Greg laughed outright, and Sara just looked incredibly triumphant.

David narrowed his eyes before rolling them and looking at Nick, who was now rather flushed. "You initial your shirts? How old are you? Ten?"

"You'd better hope he's not," Warrick commented, clearly amused, and David just rolled his eyes at him.

"Hey! It's a habit! My mom used to do it all the time and it just stuck, I guess," Nick defended.

David expelled an exaggerated sigh and shook his head, causing most of the room to burst into chuckles.

2. Because of a phone call.

Phones rang. Everyone who had ever received a telephone call at least once in their life was aware of this. And when a phone rang, it could get annoying, especially if no one answered it. And if, in the home it was ringing in, people were trying to sleep, that was simply unbearable. Instinct was, when a phone rang, to answer it.

So when Nick Stokes' telephone rang at four-thirty p.m. – the equivalent of four-thirty a.m. for those so-called normal people who didn't work the graveyard shift – David had only one tired thought: to answer the damn phone.

So that's what he did.

"Hello?"

"...Hodges?"

That's when David realized the time, his current location, and that the person calling was unfortunately quite familiar. Shit.

"Yes, Willows?"

"This is Nick's home phone number."

"Correct."

"It is four-thirty."

"Two in a row. One more and you win a prize."

"And you're answering."

"Tell her what she's won, Johnny," David replied. "Are you quite done proving you can state the obvious?"

There was laughter in the background, and David heard Warrick ask what was so funny, along with a murmured, "Hodges answered the phone!" David heard Warrick's disbelief and amusement. He winced.

"Willows, return to this conversation or I will hang up on you, unplug this phone, and go back to sleep."

"I'll call Nick's cell."

"It's off."

"Fine. Let me talk to Nick."

"Certainly."

3. Because of an argument.

"Hodges, you need to get laid," Greg decided one day.

"Sanders, you need to grow thirty-thousand extra brain cells," David returned.

"Serious, you'd be way less testy. When's the last time you've gotten some?"

"My love life is precisely none of your business."

"That long, huh? Listen, I know this place-"

"Sanders, before you say something I'm sure I don't want to hear, I must inform you that I've been seeing someone for a few months."

"You are such a liar."

"No, I am not. Now leave me be."

"Who is she?"

"None of your business."

"Oh ho! Sure. You're just saying this because you don't want to admit I'm right."

"While that is indeed true in some capacity, since the moment you're ever right about something the apocalypse will be upon us, in this case, I am being quite truthful."

"Liar!" Greg crowed, just as Nick walked into the Trace lab.

"Who's a liar?" he asked.

"Hodges. He claims to be in a relationship yet refuses to say with who."

Nick looked at David, who gave him one of those 'It's not my fault he's a complete idiot!' looks. Nick shook his head and smirked.

"He's not lying, G," Nick said.

"Oh, and how would you know? Have you met this mystery person?"

"I am this mystery person."

To date, that statement has been the only thing remotely effective in shutting Greg up.

-End