nickngreg | Just For One Thing (Reply)

Nick is sick of hiding. And when he is ready to reveal his true self, Greg is right there beside him.

Author’s Note: See, I’ve kept my promise. The story is now, however, four chapters. Behold chapter two!

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Even though I know

I don’t wanna know

Yeah I guess I know

I just hate how it sounds

Pitiful, that’s what he was. Pitiful and miserable and fake and…and freaking hard as a rock. Grissom, the brilliant scientist, had assigned Nick to mentor Greg in the field for the day. Alone. Just the two of them in the middle of the God forsaken desert somewhere walking around in 80 degree heat, sweating, bending over looking for small skeleton pieces. Five hours of this. Five hours of watching Greg, the thinnest layer of sweat covering his pale skin. Nick nearly moaned and had to shut his eyes every time Greg thought he’d found something. He’d bend over, and his low-rise jeans would lower even further, showing Nick the top of Greg’s light blue boxer shorts before he’d stand up, dust himself off, and keep looking. By the end of the day, the only bone that mattered was the one in his pants, and he nearly leapt out of the lab when his shift was over and drove straight home.

Which is where he was when an abrupt knock came on his door. It was late, a little after midnight, and he immediately assumed it was Karen wanting an explanation. He felt terrible; she was a sweet girl, she deserved someone better than him. He couldn’t hurt her, and figured his current predicament might be an asset to him should make-up sex arise, so he opened the door.

Nick instantly made a mental note to invest in a peephole, because standing right in front of him, clad in a pair of dark-wash blue jeans and a Pink Floyd T-shirt, was Greg.

“Hey,” Greg announced cheerfully.

“Hey, Greg…” Nick immediately darted behind the door fearing his erect member would be way too obvious for even a straight man to ignore. “What, uh, what are you doing here?”

Greg help up a six-pack of beer. “Everyone else cancelled, so I figured we’d have our own party. Unless, oh God, is Karen here?”

“No, she couldn’t make it actually.” Nick couldn’t lie to Greg, not with him standing in his doorway and looking so damn cute.

“Good, because I couldn’t drink all these by myself,” Greg said. “Can I come in?”

Nick was trapped. He couldn’t say no, that would be rude, and Greg might ask questions. But he wasn’t exactly in the best shape for entertaining company either. “Erm…yeah. Come on in.” Nick attentively opened the door towards himself so he was still hiding behind it. “I’m just going to run to the bathroom.”

“’K,” Greg muttered.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Nick mumbled to himself once inside the privacy of his own bedroom. “Good job, Stokes, you’ve officially managed to achieve full idiot status.”

He stared at himself in the oversized bathroom mirror, willing himself to calm down, willing his body to cooperate with him, but nothing seemed to work. If anything, he was getting harder, and he was beginning to experience severe discomfort within the tight confines of his blue jeans.

Figuring there was only one way to relieve the tension and return to a semi-normal, just-two-guys-watching-the-game status, he’d need to relieve himself, and quickly. He began stroking himself underneath the hem of his boxers. The sound of the television being turned on briefly made it into his brain, but it wasn’t long until he was fisting himself forcefully and the only thing he was even remotely capable of focusing on was Greg. Greg’s shape, Greg’s smell, Greg’s smile…and then he was gone, pumping his seed into his own hand and quickly cleaning himself off after his release.

Tucking himself back in and regaining composure, Nick took a deep breath before joining his company in the living room, where Greg had already opened two bottles of beer and was sitting, with his legs sprawled out in front of him, watching a Married with Children rerun on TV.

“Thanks, man,” Nick said, grabbing one opened beer bottle and taking a seat on the couch opposite Greg.

“Mhm,” Greg responded, apparently very interested in the plot of the television show. “Everything all right?”

“Huh? Oh…yeah,” Nick thought hard, wondering how long he had actually been absent, and spoke the first excuse that popped into his head. “My brother called.”

Greg looked directly at Nick and gave him a quizzical, knowing look. “At midnight?”

Nick hadn’t thought about that, but spoke quickly anyway. “Yeah, well, he’s on Central time.”

He thought hard. He’d never gotten the whole time zone thing, but he was pretty certain his excuse would actually make it two in the morning where his brother lived. He hoped Greg didn’t notice.

“Right, okay,” Greg said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Nick.

“What are we watching?” Nick asked, desperately trying to change the topic.

“Dunno really, whatever’s on.” Greg took a swig of his beer, his perfect lips wrapping around the neck of the bottle. The muscles in his neck rippled as he swallowed. Nick barely held back a moan before attempting to focus intently on whatever it was they were watching.

“It’s interesting…” Greg began, cutting himself off mid sentence.

“Yes?” Nick encouraged.

“No, I mean, just how you and I are here, alone, with no one else around…it’s interesting.”

Nick swallowed hard. Was he as transparent as he’d feared?

“Oh yeah?” He asked innocently.

“Yeah,” Greg responded, glancing at Nick.

“Hm,” Nick managed.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both attempting to be interested in the television program.

“You know,” Greg began again. Nick tensed immediately. “I’m known for my own talking, but I’m actually also an excellent listener.”

“What makes you think I need someone to listen to me, Greg?” Nick asked without looking at him.

Greg shrugged. “Dunno, just a feeling I guess.”

“Feelings can be wrong, G,” Nick offered.

“Usually not,” Greg responded simply. “I think it was you who told me instincts are usually correct.”

Nick shrugged, staring so intently at the TV screen he almost forgot to blink until his eyes watered, reminding him.

“Fine,” Greg began. “How about if I share?”

“If you want, go ahead.”

“Okay, well maybe you can help me out with this…problem. I figure it’s one that’s right up your alley.” Greg didn’t flinch, not a muscle.

“My alley, Greg?” Nick asked, his heart pounding.

“Yeah, relationships and all. That’s your thing, right?” Greg shifted positions so that he was facing Nick, but didn’t wait for a response. “See, I’m interested in this person. Really interested. But I’m afraid I don’t know how to approach the idea of finding out if they’re interested in me too.”

“Hm,” Nick said, allowing himself one quick glance towards Greg. “Have you tried…asking her?” Nick let himself relax a little. This was fine. Just two buddies talking about relationships and dating. Greg was just looking for some advice from the person everyone thought was the expert on such matters. Innocent. It was fine.

“Oh, see, well that’s the problem,” Greg said, pouting slightly with his bottom lip.

“What’s the problem?” Nick took a sip of his beer…

“It’s not a ‘her’.”

…And then nearly choked to death on it. No way. No way in Hell. Greg Sanders, the lover of blondes and surfing and rock bands and everything so cliché about straight men, did not just say that.

Nick stared directly at the rug on the floor, and when the few moments of silence got to be too much to bear, he spoke the first syllable that came to mind. “Oh,” he managed.

Greg seemed entirely too calm, simply continuing on the same conversation path as if he’d just announced plans to take a vacation to Hawaii. “Yeah, so there’s this guy. He’s pretty great, sexy as Hell, and I think we have fun together.”

Nick didn’t dare move.

“But I think he’s confused,” Greg said, moving closer to Nick. “See, I think he’s afraid of himself, who he really is. I think he thinks he wouldn’t be accepted, because I get the feeling that’s how he was raised. But I really want him to know that, if he did want to be who he really is…”

Nick’s heart was racing so fast he was convinced it was visible through the thin fabric of his shirt. He intended to glance up only briefly at Greg, but the intensity he saw in Greg’s eyes made it impossible for him to look away.

“If he did want to be who he really is,” Greg started again. “That’d be alright with me.”

Nick simply stared at the younger man. What else was he supposed to do? Thoughts raced through his head. How did he know? Did everyone else know? Why Greg? Why now? Sweat began to bead on the back of his neck and breathing seemed to be incredibly difficult all of a sudden.

“Greg…I don’t know what you’re…” Nick cut himself off. Even he didn’t have enough denial in him to worm his way out of this one. He squirmed a bit in his seat, let out a puff of air, and turned away from the other man.

“It’s okay, Nick.” Greg ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. “You don’t have to say anything. I just thought I’d let you know.”

Nick was bright red. A flush ran through his entire body. Greg took another drink, scooted forward on the couch and made a motion to stand up before Nick stopped him, silently throwing a forceful arm in front of him.

“Wait,” Nick said.

Greg sat back down.

“How…?” Apparently he was having trouble forming sentences.

Greg sighed in response. “I just…know, Nick.”

“Does, I mean, do you think everyone else knows?” Nick asked nervously.

“I don’t think so, no.” Nick didn’t look convinced. “I mean, I guess it’s possible that they do -- it’s our job to observe after all -- but I’ve never heard anyone say anything.”

“How long have you known?” Nick asked sheepishly.

“A while, Nick. I just didn’t want to bring it up; I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. But then I started thinking, and I wondered if you really had anyone to talk to about it. I mean, someone who wouldn’t judge you.”

Under a layer of sweat and an apparent flush, Nick couldn’t help but feel a little touched. Somehow, sitting in his living room hearing for the first time that his friend knew his deepest secret was easier for him than he would have expected.

“But, Greg, how?” He shifted so he was facing Greg again and unconsciously clenched his hands into fists. “How did you know?”

“Nick, I know what you’re feeling. I’ve been there. I guess I can just…sense it in other people.”

He began feeling a sense of something strange, something he hadn’t felt in a while. Hope maybe? Excitement? Relief? He couldn’t place it.

A long silence filled the room. Greg seemed completely relaxed, like he had conversations like this all the time. Nick never imagined this conversation would proceed like this, never imagined this conversation at all. He didn’t know how it was supposed to go or what he was supposed to do, so instead he clung to the neck of his beer bottle and slowly ran his left index finger up and down its ridged texture.

“I’m not ready for people to know yet, G,” He said finally.

Greg nodded slowly.

“I know,” he said.

Another silence ensued, this one easier.

“Greg…”

Greg nodded.

“You’re interested? In me?”

Greg nodded again. “Yeah, Nick. I have been for a while now. I just didn’t want to force anything.”

A slight sense of panic began to settle in to Nick’s chest, in the very core of him; the part of him that was so present when he was growing up, when he first learned how to hide everything. He needed time. He’d had his entire life, but he needed a little more.

“Greg, I feel the same,” Nick finally said.

Greg’s expression didn’t change much, but it seemed his entire complexion was suddenly a little brighter.

“But I’m not ready yet,” He continued. “I will be…just not yet.”

Greg nodded and reached out to grab Nick’s hand. He gave it a small squeeze.

“I’ll wait, Nick,” he said.