Author: elfin
Title: Another Year (Birthday Challenge 2003)
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Pairing: Nick/Gil
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: there characters belong to those who write them, own them and play them

~~

Another year older.

This birthday felt different somehow. Despite what he'd told Paul Millander, he had thought about it, about being forced at gunpoint to dictate his own suicide note, the certainty that he was going to die, that there was no rescue.

Sitting in the Break Out room, Gil was reading the latest International Forensics journal, scanning down the list of conferences, mentally marking out the dates of the ones he usually presented at. He wanted to take a member of this team with him to a couple of them this year, and that would mean some clever roster scheduling.

The door of the room clicked open and Nick smiled at him when he stepped inside. Nonchalantly, he placed a colourfully wrapped parcel down on the low coffee table in front of his boss.

Gil frowned. "Nick, you've already given me...."

But Nick held up one finger, silencing him, and vanished back out into the corridor.

Sitting back, Gil savoured the delicious memories of his birthday present from his lover. He'd been woken this evening to a glorious wet heat surrounding him, Nick lying between his legs, sucking him slowly, luxuriously. For as long as he could hold out, Gil had watched him, stroked his silky, wayward hair, gone with the rocking pleasure of what that skilled mouth was doing to him.

The door opened a second time, and this time Gil looked a little guilty when he glanced up. Nick grinned. Was he really that obvious?

"Later," he mouthed, just as the other members of Grissom's nightshift followed him into the Break Room.

They broke into song as they handed him gifts, cards and placed a cake down onto the table, Catherine lighting the five blue candles that adorned the top of the white icing.

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...."

Gil hoped he wasn't blushing. Nick had sung to him this morning, each line punctuated by a long, sweet strawberry kiss. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had strawberries and creme. He was sure he'd never eaten them as he had done this afternoon.

The singing over, the team dropped into the chairs and with him on the couch, Nick getting trapped between he and Sara. Gil was absolutely sure it had been intentional.

Catherine was watching him expectantly, and he realised he was supposed to blow out the flickering candles before the Air Con made light work of them.

He blew, distracted by the feel of Nick's leg pressed against his own, ankle to thigh, Nick's shoulder rubbing his through the light material of their shirts.

There was a cacophony of clapping and cheering. The door swung open again.

"Did I miss the cake?" Brass perched on the arm of Warrick's chair, large carrier bag in one hand and watched his colleague look over the fuss they'd made of him. Gil looked completely bewildered and totally overwhelmed.

To give him a little breathing space, Jim handed reached into the carrier and carefully lifted out another stack of gifts.

"Happy birthday to you too, Nicky." He handed the younger man the pile.

Nick looked just as stunned. He'd been in on the present buying for Gil, but hadn't even been aware that they knew when his birthday was. In four hours' time to be precise. He glanced at his boss and saw the mischievous smile there. He reddened a little, wondering what Gil had in mind for a gift.

The next half-hour passed in a flurry of paper, hugs and cake. It was very difficult to keep their contact with one another simply platonic. And it became obvious that Gil hadn't contributed to the gifts for Nick, or vice versa.

"So what are you two keeping from us?" Sara asked when she realised the two presents that were missing.

"It was too difficult to wrap Nick's present up," Gil responded fluidly. "I'll give it to him later."

Nick tried not to splutter on the half glass of fruity wine he'd allowed himself. But he thought he did quite well when he nodded, "Same here." He looked directly into the sparkling blue eyes when he said, "Would be amusing if we'd bought each other the same thing, ay Boss?"

Gil's turn to practically choke on his cake. He didn't even try to speak, he just nodded.

The party was broken up just five minutes later, their pagers all going off within seconds of one another. Gil, Catherine and Brass being called to an accident on I-15, Warrick and Nick being informed that their suspect's car had arrived in the garage, Sara had a phone call and something was smelling odd in Greg's lab.

Gil stopped them just as they were leaving the room. "Thanks, guys. This means...." He shook his head, for once lost for words. "It means a lot," he finished lamely.

But everyone was grinning, patting his shoulder, hugging his neck quickly. He could feel a hand at the small of his back and knew it was Nick. Turning to meet the liquid chocolate gaze, Gil had a sudden, desperate urge to kiss his lover, to let his team find out so that he could go over to the Strip and shout it from the rooftops.

They all filed out and Nick signed to him, 'I love you' before joining Warrick in the corridor.

Another year older. So why did he feel ten years younger?