Fic: The Things That Are Forever, 2/26
Aug. 29th, 2005 09:37 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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nickngregTitle: The Things That Are Forever
Chapter: 2/26
Rating: PG-13
Summary: I have yet to write one. Oops. Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
0creativity. And without maribou143, the best beta ever, the beginning to this chapter would be absolute garbage. This also works for the Happy Domestic Challenge :P
Prologue
Chapter 1
Nick was not in bed when Greg woke up, and had not been for the last few days, and Greg hated it. He didn’t want to have to get up and take a shower by himself – in fact, he didn’t want to get up at all. He liked lying around on off days, and could usually convince Nick to do nothing with him, but lately Nick had claimed to be too busy to just stay in bed all day.
There are clothes stacked on the dresser - work clothes, so Nick had already been to the dry cleaners. Their work shoes were beside the dresser on the floor - he also, apparently, took shoe polish to Greg’s.
He grumbled and threw the covers off himself, padding into the living room, but the scowl slid off this face when he smelled coffee brewing and he stopped immediately and looked around. By the oven there was a plate and cup, and resting on top of the plate was a piece of paper.
G,
Knew you’d be up soon - there’s French Toast in the oven. Don’t forget to turn the oven off. I’ll be gone for a few hours.
I love you,
N
He smiled and reached over to turn the oven off with one hand and used the other to pick up the oven mitt.
This - this was what he craved, even if no one would believe it. Greg was loud, flashy, and wild. But he needed stability as much as the next person. So what if Nick wasn’t considered his type. What was his type? If he were to date someone like himself - well, he didn’t want to think of it. Greg liked himself, yes, but that wasn’t to say he necessarily wanted to live with himself.
Nick was wood where he was fire - strong and unyielding, with the means for warmth and shelter. Greg was alive and ablaze and Nick provided him with fuel.
He needed someone like Nick, someone who kept him grounded yet allowed him to be himself. He didn’t need wild and he didn’t need to go out to clubs every night and he certainly didn’t need Catherine’s candlelight dinner and roses idea of romance.
“Greg, wait,” Catherine had said to him, only a few days after they’d come out as a couple at the lab. “I’ve always wanted to know - is Nick romantic?”
“Yeah,” he had said, “but not the chocolate and bubble bath romance that you like.” He’d given her what he hoped was a mysterious smile when he saw her confused face and then left.
The truth was, he preferred it that way. He’d give up red roses and anniversaries of first kisses and first dates that Nick never knew existed, and he’d give up night out at a fancy restaurant because the silly little notes Nick would hide around the house meant more than any of that. He would grin and bear it when Nick asked him to listen to truly awful country music and he would choke down burned and practically tasteless food. It was all worth it, because if Nick ever stopped their morning ritual of a shower and pseudo-therapy session he might just start to think that life wasn’t worth living.
The door opened just as he took the first bite of his breakfast, and he grinned, not expecting Nick home for another few hours, like his note had said.
“Yeah, that sounds perf - Greg.” Nick stopped talking and looked at Greg for a second before directing his attention back to the phone. “Sounds perfect, Maria, but I’ll, ah, have to call you back later.”
“Who’s Maria, and what’s perfect?” Greg asked immediately after Nick hung up the phone.
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Nick teased, bending down and kissing his cheek quickly. “You can come in,” he called over his shoulder.
“Wait, who can come in? And you can’t distract me - I still want to know who Maria is.”
His first question was answered when Warrick appeared in the doorway, keys in hand. “Fell out of your pocket,” he said, tossing the keys to Nick. “Hey, Sanders.”
“Hey Warrick,” he said. “You here for breakfast?” He took another bite of food and peered at Warrick. “Do you know who Maria is?”
Nick let out a breath of laughter behind him. “Warrick gave me a ride back from the shop, G. And Maria works there. She was calling to tell me when the truck would be ready to pick up.”
“Why didn’t they tell you when you were there?” he asked, eyeing Nick carefully. And when Nick hesitated slightly before answering, he knew it wasn’t his imagination.
“They have to order some parts.”
He narrowed his eyes at Nick. “I know you’re lying,” he informed him. “You’re not very good at it.” He turned his head to Warrick, “Do you want some coffee?”
“Nah,” Warrick said, pushing off from the doorframe. “I’m gonna head home. See you at work tomorrow.”
“Bye,” they chorused, and Greg waited until Warrick was gone before turning to Nick.
“Really, who is she? You’re a terrible liar, you should know that.” He stood up and walked to the counter, taking the glass of apple juice Nick had poured for him. “You know, it scares me that you could lie to me so easily.”
“G, she works there, for the last time. It’s really not a big deal.”
He dropped it then, knowing that Nick wasn’t going to tell him, and he didn’t really want to start another fight because he had an overactive imagination. “You could have woken me up,” he said finally, sitting back down and continuing to eat.
“I know,” Nick said, sliding into the chair next to his. “But you were so cute, snoring away.”
“I don’t snore,” he protested through a mouthful of food, and Nick grimaced.
“Sure you don’t.” He picked up Greg’s fork and took a bite. “Like it?”
He didn’t, really. Nick’s French Toast could use a bit more cinnamon and a lot less eggs, but no matter how many times Greg subtly hinted at that, Nick never seemed to get it. But he’d never tell him that he didn’t really care for anything Nick cooked, so he just stole his fork back and took another bite.
-----
“Someone’s already interested?”
Greg crept closer to the door, straining to hear Nick’s already quiet voice.
“Well, yeah, it’s just - I still have to tell him, you know.”
“Tell me what?” he wanted to scream out. It was definitely not like Nick to keep secrets, and after two phone calls that had to be taken in the office, he was dying to know just what Nick was keeping from him.
Nothing life altering, he’d already decided. That was for sure. Nick couldn’t hide something that big, so he figured that ruled out the possibility of a job change, death, or cheating.
Not that cheating was even a remote possibility. Nick would never hurt him like that, he was positive. Besides, with hours like theirs, he wouldn’t have the time to find someone else.
“When did they want to - next week? And they’re looking to mo- end of October, okay. Well, that’s reasonable.”
Nick paused and looked out through the door that was opened slightly, and Greg pulled his head back into the shadows just in time. Next week, October - those dates had no meaning to him. He couldn’t think of a connection no matter how hard he tried.
“Well, it’s a surprise, you - ?”
Greg let out an excited yelp when Nick said “surprise” and quickly clasped his hands over his mouth, but Nick was already coming out into the hallway.
“Greg?” Nick asked, “Are you spying on me?”
“No,” he said quickly. Giving Nick his most charming smile, he continued,. “I, uh, lost my pen. Want to help me look for it?”
“Right,” Nick said, raising his eyebrows. “I’ll be done in a minute, and then we’ll go somewhere, okay?”
“Don’t think I’ll forget about this,” he said as Nick walked back into the office, rolled his eyes, and shut the door.
Greg felt a smile spread across his face - a surprise, Nick had said. He turned away from the door and headed towards the living room, already indulging in fantasies that featured Hawaiian beaches, tropical drinks, and Nick.
---
“Why are we here?” Greg asked, a look of confusion on his face. “The mall is two blocks over.”
Nick pulled into an open parking space and stopped the car. “What do we need at the mall?”
Greg’s face fell slightly. “You mean we’re not going to Hawaii?”
It took him a minute to figure out how Greg’s mind went from the mall to Hawaii, but when he did, he started to laugh. “G, when you were spying on me earlier-” he ignored Greg’s indignant huff -”I know you heard me say something about a surprise, but let me assure you, I wasn’t planning on going to Hawaii.”
“We’re not going somewhere cold, are we?”
“No, G,” he said, reaching over the center console and picking up Greg’s hand, “we’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh.” Greg squeezed his hand, let out a brief sigh, and then grinned. “So what’s the surprise?”
“You’ll see,” he promised. He let go of Greg’s hand and took the keys out of the engine. “Look over there,” he said, pointing to a store in the corner of the small strip mall.
“Puppies!” Greg cried after a second. “Oh, Nick! Let’s go!”
“We’re just looking, Greg,” Nick said, sliding out of the truck and walking quickly to catch up with Greg. “There are other places we can go, okay? So we’re just looking-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Greg said impatiently, waving his hand and cutting Nick off. “Looking, I got it. Lock the car.”
He smiled and shook his head, knowing Greg would forget all about the “just looking” clause as soon as he saw a puppy he liked. Sure enough, he made a beeline to the nearest pen as soon as Nick pulled the door open.
“Look,” Greg said excitedly, pointing to a small brown and white dog and grabbing at Nick‘s hand with his free one. “I want him!”
“Would you like to play with him?”
Both Nick and Greg turned towards the teenage girl’s voice, and Nick flushed slightly but didn’t let go of Greg’s hand when her gazed dropped down and settled on their clasped hands for a second.
In the five years he had been dating Greg, he’d gotten used to funny looks and threatening comments. It still unnerved him, but Greg pretended not to care, so he did, too. There were a fair few fights about public displays of affection in the beginning – Greg didn’t see a problem with it, but it Nick, who was still in the closet, was more than a little uncomfortable. In one particularly memorable (which also happened to be the last) fight, Greg had refused to do so much as meet his eyes in public, claiming it to be an affectionate gesture, one of which Nick surely didn’t want directed toward him. In the end, Nick had finally grabbed him in the middle of the lab and kissed him, successfully outing himself but also assuring the continuance of his relationship.
It had taken him a few weeks to get the courage to even put his arm around Greg’s shoulder in public - old habits die hard - but Greg had never brought it up again.
The girl didn’t say anything about them, though, just smiled brightly. “He doesn’t really have a name yet,” she said, bending down and picking up the small dog. “We call him Jack, but only because he’s a Jack Russell.”
Greg dropped Nick’s hand when she handed the puppy to him. “I want him,” he said instantly, looking up at Nick with hopeful eyes.
“Greg-”
“I know we were just supposed to look, Nicky, but I love him. And look, he’s licking my hand!”
He watched Greg for a minute and sighed, feeling his resolve crumble. “Are you sure that’s the dog you want?” A Jack Russell wasn’t so bad, after all, certainly nothing like what he had expected to end up with, so if this was the dog Greg wanted, he should probably be counting his blessings.
“Yes,” Greg said, scooping the puppy back up and setting him in Nick’s arms.
He stared at the puppy for a second before nodding. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go see what we have to do to take him home.”
---
“Zombie.”
“No.”
“Alice.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Kitty.”
“Greg, it’s a dog,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “What about Rex?”
“Please,” Greg scoffed. “Why don’t we just name him Rover?”
“Just trying to help,” Nick said, tightening his arm around Greg’s waist.
“I know,” Greg said, tilting his head up and kissing Nick’s jaw. “What about Gamma Hydroxybutyrat?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. Wait, maybe Luminol.”
“Luminol?”
“Luminol,” Greg confirmed. “Isn’t it perfect?”
Nick looked down at him skeptically. “A bit on the morbid side, don’t you think?”
“Okay, then, what about Manson?”
Nick sighed and let go of one of Greg hands to pet the puppy, who was currently stretched out next to them in the backyard hammock. “Hey, Luminol,” he cooed.
Greg smiled contentedly and snuggled closer to Nick’s warm body, watching Nick run his hands over Luminol’s smooth fur. “The girl at the store said he’ll be smaller than a normal Jack Russell,” he muttered.
“I know,” Nick said, and Greg could hear the amusement creeping into his voice. “I was there when we got him, you know.”
“Just reminding you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. You like him, don’t you?”
“I would have let you name him Alice if I didn’t.”
Greg laughed a little at that and pulled Luminol up to his chest. “Alice would have been a good name,” he whispered. “But Nick doesn’t like originality of any kind.”
“Hey!” Nick protested. “I agreed to Luminol, didn’t I?”
“Only because you hated all the other names.”
“Maybe,” Nick said, “but I could have pushed for Rex.”
“I would have never allowed it,” Greg responded. Nick shook his head and sighed, and Greg smiled. He wouldn’t have allowed it. Rex, Rover, Spike – horrible dog names, in his opinion. No dog of his would be named something so generic, not a chance. There was no way he was going to call out the backdoor for Rex every night.
But he could compromise. After all, Nick hadn’t pleaded for a “real dog” like he had wanted, he hadn’t even argued when Greg had bit his lower lip (on purpose, of course, because he knew it got Nick every time) and said that he absolutely needed Luminol.
“His middle name can be Rex,” he said finally.
He felt Nick lift his head and look down at him, and Greg knew that if he were to look up, Nick would be looking at him like he was crazy. “He’s going to have a middle name?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
He sighed playfully. “Because ‘Luminol Stokes’ sounds silly.”
“Wait. Stokes?”
“Yeah.”
“He has my last name?”
“Um, yeah.” He shifted on his side, letting Luminol settle in at their feet and rested his head on Nick’s chest. “Why wouldn’t he?”
“He could have yours,” Nick pointed out, moving his arm from around Greg’s waist to his shoulders and running his hand up and down Greg’s arm.
“That’d be silly.”
“You have yet to tell me why.”
“Well, I’m hoping to get rid of it one day,” Greg said, trying to keep his voice light. “I never thought it suited me.”
“On the contrary, I think it suits you just fine,” Nick said. “Greg Sanders – brings to mind a sexy mad scientist.”
Nick tilted his head and brushed his lips against Greg’s forehead and Greg smiled. “Maybe I’ll keep it, then.”
Nick paused a moment before saying, “Then again, Greg Stokes bring to mind my sexy mad scientist.”
He swallowed hard and whispered, “don’t you mean your sexy mad Criminalist?”
Nick laughed and kissed Greg’s forehead again. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Jesus, not this again.”
“I win,” Greg said gleefully.
Nick groaned. “You don’t win; I said it in my mind.”
“That’s cheating.”
“Is not. We never established any rules to the game.”
“I said them in my mind,” Greg teased.
“Oh, haha.”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence then, in which Greg obsessively replayed the last two minutes in his mind it like was a scene from a movie. Pressed up next to Nick in the Vegas twilight, he was pretty sure that was a prelude to a proposal. He had assumed, three years ago, when he moved into Nick’s house, that living together was probably the most he would get from Nick, not that he minded. There were times when he thought that maybe Nick did want more, casual mentions children and marriage, but they were few and far between. Still, he didn’t complain, because he loved Nick and Nick loved him, and so long as they were together he knew everything would be okay. But this week alone Nick had dropped the word ‘family’ three times, and Greg was beginning to let ideas like marriage and kids float around in his head.
“Are you going to Dallas for Christmas?” he asked Nick quietly, feeling a bit drowsy and unwilling to let his incessant need to babble take over the peaceful atmosphere.
“Not unless you go with,” Nick responded. “Why? Want me out of the house?”
“Yeah. My other boyfriend is coming over.”
“Is that so? Do I know him?”
“Perhaps. He’s got brown hair and eyes, usually wears a blue lab coat, has a generally snarky outlook on life-“
“Hodges?”
“But of course.”
“That’s just wrong, G,” Nick said, and Greg looked up to see him wrinkling his nose.
“Hey, don’t knock Hodgy,” he said, mock-glaring at Nick, then laid his head back into the crook of Nick’s neck and changed the subject back. “If you’re not going to Dallas-“
“I’m really not going to go without you,” Nick interrupted.
Greg smiled. “I was wondering if you wanted to go visit my family.”
“The family in California or the family in Norway?”
“Norway. You know how badly Papa Olaf wants to meet you.”
“Okay,” Nick said, and Greg could feel him nod. “Greg? Doesn’t Luminol Rex Stokes sound silly?”
Chapter: 2/26
Rating: PG-13
Summary: I have yet to write one. Oops. Written for
0creativity. And without maribou143, the best beta ever, the beginning to this chapter would be absolute garbage. This also works for the Happy Domestic Challenge :PPrologue
Chapter 1
Nick was not in bed when Greg woke up, and had not been for the last few days, and Greg hated it. He didn’t want to have to get up and take a shower by himself – in fact, he didn’t want to get up at all. He liked lying around on off days, and could usually convince Nick to do nothing with him, but lately Nick had claimed to be too busy to just stay in bed all day.
There are clothes stacked on the dresser - work clothes, so Nick had already been to the dry cleaners. Their work shoes were beside the dresser on the floor - he also, apparently, took shoe polish to Greg’s.
He grumbled and threw the covers off himself, padding into the living room, but the scowl slid off this face when he smelled coffee brewing and he stopped immediately and looked around. By the oven there was a plate and cup, and resting on top of the plate was a piece of paper.
G,
Knew you’d be up soon - there’s French Toast in the oven. Don’t forget to turn the oven off. I’ll be gone for a few hours.
I love you,
N
He smiled and reached over to turn the oven off with one hand and used the other to pick up the oven mitt.
This - this was what he craved, even if no one would believe it. Greg was loud, flashy, and wild. But he needed stability as much as the next person. So what if Nick wasn’t considered his type. What was his type? If he were to date someone like himself - well, he didn’t want to think of it. Greg liked himself, yes, but that wasn’t to say he necessarily wanted to live with himself.
Nick was wood where he was fire - strong and unyielding, with the means for warmth and shelter. Greg was alive and ablaze and Nick provided him with fuel.
He needed someone like Nick, someone who kept him grounded yet allowed him to be himself. He didn’t need wild and he didn’t need to go out to clubs every night and he certainly didn’t need Catherine’s candlelight dinner and roses idea of romance.
“Greg, wait,” Catherine had said to him, only a few days after they’d come out as a couple at the lab. “I’ve always wanted to know - is Nick romantic?”
“Yeah,” he had said, “but not the chocolate and bubble bath romance that you like.” He’d given her what he hoped was a mysterious smile when he saw her confused face and then left.
The truth was, he preferred it that way. He’d give up red roses and anniversaries of first kisses and first dates that Nick never knew existed, and he’d give up night out at a fancy restaurant because the silly little notes Nick would hide around the house meant more than any of that. He would grin and bear it when Nick asked him to listen to truly awful country music and he would choke down burned and practically tasteless food. It was all worth it, because if Nick ever stopped their morning ritual of a shower and pseudo-therapy session he might just start to think that life wasn’t worth living.
The door opened just as he took the first bite of his breakfast, and he grinned, not expecting Nick home for another few hours, like his note had said.
“Yeah, that sounds perf - Greg.” Nick stopped talking and looked at Greg for a second before directing his attention back to the phone. “Sounds perfect, Maria, but I’ll, ah, have to call you back later.”
“Who’s Maria, and what’s perfect?” Greg asked immediately after Nick hung up the phone.
“Curiosity killed the cat,” Nick teased, bending down and kissing his cheek quickly. “You can come in,” he called over his shoulder.
“Wait, who can come in? And you can’t distract me - I still want to know who Maria is.”
His first question was answered when Warrick appeared in the doorway, keys in hand. “Fell out of your pocket,” he said, tossing the keys to Nick. “Hey, Sanders.”
“Hey Warrick,” he said. “You here for breakfast?” He took another bite of food and peered at Warrick. “Do you know who Maria is?”
Nick let out a breath of laughter behind him. “Warrick gave me a ride back from the shop, G. And Maria works there. She was calling to tell me when the truck would be ready to pick up.”
“Why didn’t they tell you when you were there?” he asked, eyeing Nick carefully. And when Nick hesitated slightly before answering, he knew it wasn’t his imagination.
“They have to order some parts.”
He narrowed his eyes at Nick. “I know you’re lying,” he informed him. “You’re not very good at it.” He turned his head to Warrick, “Do you want some coffee?”
“Nah,” Warrick said, pushing off from the doorframe. “I’m gonna head home. See you at work tomorrow.”
“Bye,” they chorused, and Greg waited until Warrick was gone before turning to Nick.
“Really, who is she? You’re a terrible liar, you should know that.” He stood up and walked to the counter, taking the glass of apple juice Nick had poured for him. “You know, it scares me that you could lie to me so easily.”
“G, she works there, for the last time. It’s really not a big deal.”
He dropped it then, knowing that Nick wasn’t going to tell him, and he didn’t really want to start another fight because he had an overactive imagination. “You could have woken me up,” he said finally, sitting back down and continuing to eat.
“I know,” Nick said, sliding into the chair next to his. “But you were so cute, snoring away.”
“I don’t snore,” he protested through a mouthful of food, and Nick grimaced.
“Sure you don’t.” He picked up Greg’s fork and took a bite. “Like it?”
He didn’t, really. Nick’s French Toast could use a bit more cinnamon and a lot less eggs, but no matter how many times Greg subtly hinted at that, Nick never seemed to get it. But he’d never tell him that he didn’t really care for anything Nick cooked, so he just stole his fork back and took another bite.
-----
“Someone’s already interested?”
Greg crept closer to the door, straining to hear Nick’s already quiet voice.
“Well, yeah, it’s just - I still have to tell him, you know.”
“Tell me what?” he wanted to scream out. It was definitely not like Nick to keep secrets, and after two phone calls that had to be taken in the office, he was dying to know just what Nick was keeping from him.
Nothing life altering, he’d already decided. That was for sure. Nick couldn’t hide something that big, so he figured that ruled out the possibility of a job change, death, or cheating.
Not that cheating was even a remote possibility. Nick would never hurt him like that, he was positive. Besides, with hours like theirs, he wouldn’t have the time to find someone else.
“When did they want to - next week? And they’re looking to mo- end of October, okay. Well, that’s reasonable.”
Nick paused and looked out through the door that was opened slightly, and Greg pulled his head back into the shadows just in time. Next week, October - those dates had no meaning to him. He couldn’t think of a connection no matter how hard he tried.
“Well, it’s a surprise, you - ?”
Greg let out an excited yelp when Nick said “surprise” and quickly clasped his hands over his mouth, but Nick was already coming out into the hallway.
“Greg?” Nick asked, “Are you spying on me?”
“No,” he said quickly. Giving Nick his most charming smile, he continued,. “I, uh, lost my pen. Want to help me look for it?”
“Right,” Nick said, raising his eyebrows. “I’ll be done in a minute, and then we’ll go somewhere, okay?”
“Don’t think I’ll forget about this,” he said as Nick walked back into the office, rolled his eyes, and shut the door.
Greg felt a smile spread across his face - a surprise, Nick had said. He turned away from the door and headed towards the living room, already indulging in fantasies that featured Hawaiian beaches, tropical drinks, and Nick.
---
“Why are we here?” Greg asked, a look of confusion on his face. “The mall is two blocks over.”
Nick pulled into an open parking space and stopped the car. “What do we need at the mall?”
Greg’s face fell slightly. “You mean we’re not going to Hawaii?”
It took him a minute to figure out how Greg’s mind went from the mall to Hawaii, but when he did, he started to laugh. “G, when you were spying on me earlier-” he ignored Greg’s indignant huff -”I know you heard me say something about a surprise, but let me assure you, I wasn’t planning on going to Hawaii.”
“We’re not going somewhere cold, are we?”
“No, G,” he said, reaching over the center console and picking up Greg’s hand, “we’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh.” Greg squeezed his hand, let out a brief sigh, and then grinned. “So what’s the surprise?”
“You’ll see,” he promised. He let go of Greg’s hand and took the keys out of the engine. “Look over there,” he said, pointing to a store in the corner of the small strip mall.
“Puppies!” Greg cried after a second. “Oh, Nick! Let’s go!”
“We’re just looking, Greg,” Nick said, sliding out of the truck and walking quickly to catch up with Greg. “There are other places we can go, okay? So we’re just looking-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Greg said impatiently, waving his hand and cutting Nick off. “Looking, I got it. Lock the car.”
He smiled and shook his head, knowing Greg would forget all about the “just looking” clause as soon as he saw a puppy he liked. Sure enough, he made a beeline to the nearest pen as soon as Nick pulled the door open.
“Look,” Greg said excitedly, pointing to a small brown and white dog and grabbing at Nick‘s hand with his free one. “I want him!”
“Would you like to play with him?”
Both Nick and Greg turned towards the teenage girl’s voice, and Nick flushed slightly but didn’t let go of Greg’s hand when her gazed dropped down and settled on their clasped hands for a second.
In the five years he had been dating Greg, he’d gotten used to funny looks and threatening comments. It still unnerved him, but Greg pretended not to care, so he did, too. There were a fair few fights about public displays of affection in the beginning – Greg didn’t see a problem with it, but it Nick, who was still in the closet, was more than a little uncomfortable. In one particularly memorable (which also happened to be the last) fight, Greg had refused to do so much as meet his eyes in public, claiming it to be an affectionate gesture, one of which Nick surely didn’t want directed toward him. In the end, Nick had finally grabbed him in the middle of the lab and kissed him, successfully outing himself but also assuring the continuance of his relationship.
It had taken him a few weeks to get the courage to even put his arm around Greg’s shoulder in public - old habits die hard - but Greg had never brought it up again.
The girl didn’t say anything about them, though, just smiled brightly. “He doesn’t really have a name yet,” she said, bending down and picking up the small dog. “We call him Jack, but only because he’s a Jack Russell.”
Greg dropped Nick’s hand when she handed the puppy to him. “I want him,” he said instantly, looking up at Nick with hopeful eyes.
“Greg-”
“I know we were just supposed to look, Nicky, but I love him. And look, he’s licking my hand!”
He watched Greg for a minute and sighed, feeling his resolve crumble. “Are you sure that’s the dog you want?” A Jack Russell wasn’t so bad, after all, certainly nothing like what he had expected to end up with, so if this was the dog Greg wanted, he should probably be counting his blessings.
“Yes,” Greg said, scooping the puppy back up and setting him in Nick’s arms.
He stared at the puppy for a second before nodding. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go see what we have to do to take him home.”
---
“Zombie.”
“No.”
“Alice.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Kitty.”
“Greg, it’s a dog,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “What about Rex?”
“Please,” Greg scoffed. “Why don’t we just name him Rover?”
“Just trying to help,” Nick said, tightening his arm around Greg’s waist.
“I know,” Greg said, tilting his head up and kissing Nick’s jaw. “What about Gamma Hydroxybutyrat?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. Wait, maybe Luminol.”
“Luminol?”
“Luminol,” Greg confirmed. “Isn’t it perfect?”
Nick looked down at him skeptically. “A bit on the morbid side, don’t you think?”
“Okay, then, what about Manson?”
Nick sighed and let go of one of Greg hands to pet the puppy, who was currently stretched out next to them in the backyard hammock. “Hey, Luminol,” he cooed.
Greg smiled contentedly and snuggled closer to Nick’s warm body, watching Nick run his hands over Luminol’s smooth fur. “The girl at the store said he’ll be smaller than a normal Jack Russell,” he muttered.
“I know,” Nick said, and Greg could hear the amusement creeping into his voice. “I was there when we got him, you know.”
“Just reminding you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. You like him, don’t you?”
“I would have let you name him Alice if I didn’t.”
Greg laughed a little at that and pulled Luminol up to his chest. “Alice would have been a good name,” he whispered. “But Nick doesn’t like originality of any kind.”
“Hey!” Nick protested. “I agreed to Luminol, didn’t I?”
“Only because you hated all the other names.”
“Maybe,” Nick said, “but I could have pushed for Rex.”
“I would have never allowed it,” Greg responded. Nick shook his head and sighed, and Greg smiled. He wouldn’t have allowed it. Rex, Rover, Spike – horrible dog names, in his opinion. No dog of his would be named something so generic, not a chance. There was no way he was going to call out the backdoor for Rex every night.
But he could compromise. After all, Nick hadn’t pleaded for a “real dog” like he had wanted, he hadn’t even argued when Greg had bit his lower lip (on purpose, of course, because he knew it got Nick every time) and said that he absolutely needed Luminol.
“His middle name can be Rex,” he said finally.
He felt Nick lift his head and look down at him, and Greg knew that if he were to look up, Nick would be looking at him like he was crazy. “He’s going to have a middle name?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
He sighed playfully. “Because ‘Luminol Stokes’ sounds silly.”
“Wait. Stokes?”
“Yeah.”
“He has my last name?”
“Um, yeah.” He shifted on his side, letting Luminol settle in at their feet and rested his head on Nick’s chest. “Why wouldn’t he?”
“He could have yours,” Nick pointed out, moving his arm from around Greg’s waist to his shoulders and running his hand up and down Greg’s arm.
“That’d be silly.”
“You have yet to tell me why.”
“Well, I’m hoping to get rid of it one day,” Greg said, trying to keep his voice light. “I never thought it suited me.”
“On the contrary, I think it suits you just fine,” Nick said. “Greg Sanders – brings to mind a sexy mad scientist.”
Nick tilted his head and brushed his lips against Greg’s forehead and Greg smiled. “Maybe I’ll keep it, then.”
Nick paused a moment before saying, “Then again, Greg Stokes bring to mind my sexy mad scientist.”
He swallowed hard and whispered, “don’t you mean your sexy mad Criminalist?”
Nick laughed and kissed Greg’s forehead again. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Jesus, not this again.”
“I win,” Greg said gleefully.
Nick groaned. “You don’t win; I said it in my mind.”
“That’s cheating.”
“Is not. We never established any rules to the game.”
“I said them in my mind,” Greg teased.
“Oh, haha.”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence then, in which Greg obsessively replayed the last two minutes in his mind it like was a scene from a movie. Pressed up next to Nick in the Vegas twilight, he was pretty sure that was a prelude to a proposal. He had assumed, three years ago, when he moved into Nick’s house, that living together was probably the most he would get from Nick, not that he minded. There were times when he thought that maybe Nick did want more, casual mentions children and marriage, but they were few and far between. Still, he didn’t complain, because he loved Nick and Nick loved him, and so long as they were together he knew everything would be okay. But this week alone Nick had dropped the word ‘family’ three times, and Greg was beginning to let ideas like marriage and kids float around in his head.
“Are you going to Dallas for Christmas?” he asked Nick quietly, feeling a bit drowsy and unwilling to let his incessant need to babble take over the peaceful atmosphere.
“Not unless you go with,” Nick responded. “Why? Want me out of the house?”
“Yeah. My other boyfriend is coming over.”
“Is that so? Do I know him?”
“Perhaps. He’s got brown hair and eyes, usually wears a blue lab coat, has a generally snarky outlook on life-“
“Hodges?”
“But of course.”
“That’s just wrong, G,” Nick said, and Greg looked up to see him wrinkling his nose.
“Hey, don’t knock Hodgy,” he said, mock-glaring at Nick, then laid his head back into the crook of Nick’s neck and changed the subject back. “If you’re not going to Dallas-“
“I’m really not going to go without you,” Nick interrupted.
Greg smiled. “I was wondering if you wanted to go visit my family.”
“The family in California or the family in Norway?”
“Norway. You know how badly Papa Olaf wants to meet you.”
“Okay,” Nick said, and Greg could feel him nod. “Greg? Doesn’t Luminol Rex Stokes sound silly?”
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Date: 2005-08-29 05:35 pm (UTC)It really does, but so sweet at the same time.
Very sweet fic you have here--rather simple, but that's a good thing.
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Date: 2005-08-29 05:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 06:24 pm (UTC)So, any chance of me meeting them when they come to Norway? ;-)
26 chapters? Are you crazy?
OMG - I am so looking forward to the rest!
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Date: 2005-08-29 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-29 11:43 pm (UTC)And naming their dog Luminol...priceless.
What's next, what's next??
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Date: 2005-08-30 12:06 am (UTC)“Is that so? Do I know him?”
“Perhaps. He’s got brown hair and eyes, usually wears a blue lab coat, has a generally snarky outlook on life-“
“Hodges?”
“But of course.”
“That’s just wrong, G,” Nick said, and Greg looked up to see him wrinkling his nose.
“Hey, don’t knock Hodgy,” he said, mock-glaring at Nick
Bwahahahaha! Oh Sweetie, this is such a loffly fic. :) (although my nasty, angsty mind doesn't like Nicky having secrets. *nods*)
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Date: 2005-08-30 12:07 am (UTC)Trust me.
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Date: 2005-08-30 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 12:26 am (UTC)You flatter me. Thank you. I'm glad you like it.
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Date: 2005-08-30 12:28 am (UTC)When they go, I shall send them your way.
26 chapters? Are you crazy?
... probably :)
It thrills me that you're looking forward to the rest. Yay!
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Date: 2005-08-30 12:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 04:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-30 08:37 am (UTC)“I love you more.”
“Jesus, not this again.”
“I win,” Greg said gleefully.
Nick groaned. “You don’t win; I said it in my mind.”
“That’s cheating.”
“Is not. We never established any rules to the game.”
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I've had the same conversation, word-for-word with my SO.
Yaay for twenty-three more chapters of goodness!!
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Date: 2005-08-30 02:19 pm (UTC)Loffs. And I'm glad you like it. It's yours, after all.
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Date: 2005-08-30 02:56 pm (UTC)24 more chappters of goodness - I don't count the prologue. Haha.
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Date: 2005-08-30 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-26 02:17 pm (UTC)I have been missing from nickngreg lately and I just wanted to know if you had updated?
Cause I love this so far:D
Zo'e