Paired Up
The day had started normally (well, night, rather) - the graveyard shift was found lounging in the break room...everyone except Grissom, but that was expected.
The lack of anything to do weighed heavily on them, and finally, Sara sighed. "If you were going to date someone in the lab, who would you date?"
"Ooh, spice it up a little," Catherine suggested, leaning forward. "Let's guess. And the labrats, too," no one seemed to notice Nick and Greg's amused glances.
"Henry and..." Catherine's eyes settled on Warrick, and she voiced his name.
"What? Come on Cath, you know I'm not..."
"No, who's Henry into?"
"Not getting into this," he said, downing the rest of his coffee and standing. Catherine protested, eventually coaxing him back into his seat, and prompted him again. "Okay..Mandy, I guess,"
"And...?"
"And what? This wasn't my idea, I'm not doing all the brain work,"
"Sara and Grissom," Greg threw in, drinking his coffee. He winked at Sara, who glared back while Nick chuckled beside him.
"Wendy and Hodges," Catherine added thoughtfully, staring into space.
"Judy and David,"
"Dave's already taken," Nick pointed out.
"Not our problem," Catherine shrugged, looking down into her cup.
"Jacqui and Bobby?" Sara wondered aloud.
"I thought Bobby was gay," Greg said, eyes widening when everyone looked at him. "Uh..."
"Bobby and Archie, then," Catherine revised, flipping her hair from her face. "Jacqui and..."
"Ecklie?"
"No way, the thought of Ecklie with anyone...just...disturbs me," Nick said with a shudder, the room muttering agreements.
"That leaves Nick, Greg, Warrick, Catherine, Jacqui, and Doc Robbins,"
"Jacqui and Robbins,"
Grissom chose this moment to stick his head into the breakroom, eyebrows furrowed together in frustration. "I've been looking for all of you for the last ten minutes. I've got cases!" he waved the slips for emphasis and waited for them to stand.
Once they received cases, Sara turned to them. "Cath and Warrick, Nick and Greg,"
They walked from the break room, leaving the newly acclaimed 'perfect gay couple' alone. Greg drank the last of his coffee before turning to Nick. "For the record, they're not the only ones who think we'd make a hot couple," he winked and left, leaving a dumbfounded Texan in the breakroom, alone.


Risk
“Sorry about Rachel, man. I know you really fell for her,”
And he was sorry. Just not as sorry as he was ecstatic. Ecstatic because Nick had finally given up on Rachel, most of the decision coming from her actually telling him to back off.
“Yeah, well…it happens, doesn’t it? Could be worse,” Nick shrugs, taking a drink from the bottle in his hands.
“How?” he can’t help but ask. Curiosity, maybe, because…that’s all he’s allowing.
“I don’t know,” he sighs and drops the bottle to the pile of growing boxes and bags and other various garbage. “I just thought…she’d be it, you know?’
Greg nods, but can’t help thinking ‘I could be it.’ “Yeah. Happens to the best of us,” he glances at Nick, letting out a sigh. “You never even dated her,”
“Maybe that was the thing--,”
I could be it.
“Because I didn’t know.”
I could be the guy you spend your life with.
“And, I dunno, I just created this…”
“I could be it.” The silence is deafening. Greg swallows, feeling strangely out of place. “I…don’t know where that came from…I’m so sorry,” he starts rambling when he sees the unrecognizable look in Nick’s eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“No, no I’m not serious, not at all,”
“Then why’d you say it?” Greg doesn’t even know where to start with that one. Nick’s looking at him curiously, confused. “You don’t just say that,”
“I know. Sorry. Wasn’t thinking,” Greg clears his throat and wonders if he should head home. As he opens his mouth, Nick talks for him.
“Don’t go,” voice soft, Greg looks up at him, surprised to see a hopeful look on Nick’s face. “Did you…mean that?”
“I really have to--,”
“Did you mean that?” he whispers, accent heavy in his voice. Greg takes a deep breath. “I’ve got to know, G,”
“Know what? What’s there to hear? Anything I tell you would ruin our friendship, no matter the outcome, so I’m better off leaving and trying to forget it all,”
“I don’t care. I’m not going to ask again,” the hard look in Nick’s eyes is too much.
“Yeah. I meant it.”
Nick nods slowly. “So…are you willing to try?” he watches as Greg swallows, deciding. His own emotions are swirling around in his head, everything seems so surreal and he feels as though he’ll wake up any minute.
There’s so many situations flowing through his head; the bad ones, the good ones, the wonderful ones…he’s taking a huge chance, risking their friendship.
“Yeah. I am.
The look on Nick’s face is slightly unreadable. Obviously, he wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t want it, even the tiniest bit.
Even as a smile starts on the Texan’s face, he realizes that chances aren’t good. There’s so many things that could screw this up. Maybe he’s greedy, but he’d rather have a relationship for two seconds than never have tried.
“So…we’re really doing this?”
“Monday after shift?”
“Now, too?”
Nick smiles. “Sure,”