![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
anmani.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nickngregTitle: Snø
Chapter: Slippery steps, 5/18
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
anmani
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: First time, romance.
Warning/Spoiler: The story is set early 2006, so anything before that. Minor spoilers for Brokeback Mountain as well.
Summary: Nick and Greg are off to a conference in a winter covered landscape.
Disclaimer: They belong to the CBS and not me.
Author's notes: I got this idea for a winter time fic in December 2005. It has taken me a while to write it, but I didn't want to post while still writing.serenity151979 has held my hand and patiently beta'ed the whole thing. dagdrommer has been a continuous source of inspiration and has created the banner and the icon for this fic.
Previous chapters:
Snowflakes, chapter 1
Snow angels, chapter 2
Ice storm, chapter 3
A chilly night, chapter 4
Nick woke slowly, trying to recognize his surroundings and the unfamiliar smells. He cracked an eye not seeing much but covers. His brain started to connect the dots and he figured that he was lying between Greg and Emma, more accurately Greg was spooned around him and Emma was so far on the edge that he’d have to stretch his arm to reach her. Not only was Greg spooned around him, but he was clinging on to Greg’s arm like a leech.
He carefully listened, hearing two sets of relaxed breathing, realizing that he was the only one awake. The right thing to do would be to untangle himself from Greg, but it felt so good and safe lying snuggled up close. Safe was not exactly something that happened to him a lot, so stealing a little safety from Greg could easily be explained if he got caught.
”Hey baby.” his mother greeted as she pushed open the door. The doctors had promised that he could go home today. Upon hearing that, his parents had left him with his sister and her husband while they went shopping. He knew that he would end up donating most of it, because his mother was still mentally shopping for 7 children.
“Hey mom.” his voice was nearly back to normal, no longer hoarse and throaty.
“Have they signed your release form Pancho?” his father inquired. But before Nick was able to answer a doctor came in to look him over one final time. An hour later he was wheeled out of the hospital, hoping not to have to go back any time soon. The drive home was longer than he remembered and his mother kept telling him about all the stuff that she had bought for him.
His place seemed off when he walked in through the door, like it wasn’t his anymore.
“Is there anything I can get for you baby bro?” his sister, the youngest of them, stepped in preventing their mother from continuing her rant.
“I’m tired, I’d… I think I need some sleep.” Nick felt like his body was ten times heavier than normal and he dragged his feet to the bedroom.
The nap had worked wonders even though his mother had bought new sheets and washed them with a different detergent than his usual one, making his bed appear strange. It had been so many years since he’d moved out from his parents that even his mother’s cooking in his place smelled wrong.
Congregated around the table the talk fell on all the innocent topics that his family could muster; until his sister breached a topic that’d never been tolerated much at home.
“You shouldn’t be alone like this Nicky baby.”
“Your sister’s right Pancho.” his father took his mother’s hand and caressed it for demonstration.
“Yeah well, it’s just not as easy as that.” Nick said quietly, not sure where the conversation were headed.
“We know baby.” his mother brought her free hand up and caressed his cheek.
“Nicky it doesn’t have to be the perfect southern girl and the house with the white picket fence.” his sister added.
“That black fella’ seems to care a lot about you baby.” with that statement his mother ended the conversation. Nick tried to grasp the whole idea of just being able to choose freely, something that wasn’t accepted in the Stokes family normally.
“Pancho, is there anything you want us to get you, before we head home?” his father asked him like nothing extraordinary had just happened.
“Is Emma still sleeping?” Greg’s quiet whisper startled him back to the present, making him clutch the captive arm even harder.
“Ye-yes she is.” Greg gave him a squeeze and he relaxed his death grip on the arm, but Greg didn’t move it.
“Good, she had a pretty bad nightmare after you fell asleep.” Greg’s warm breath wafted over his neck carrying each word to his ear.
“I never noticed.” for once he’d been out cold and slept through without waking bathed in a sheen of fear induced sweat.
“Nah, you were flat on your back, didn’t even blink once.” he didn’t have to turn to see that Greg was smiling.
“Eh… sorry.” Nick gave Greg’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“That’s alright, we all … it’s okay Nick, really it doesn’t matter.” Greg’s voice wavered. Still holding onto the hand Nick turned and faced his friend. “I reached across you to wake her from her nightmare. We talked and then after a while you stole my arm.” Greg spoke fast like he often did when he felt the need to justify his actions. “Listen man, we all need some TLC from time to time.” Greg spoke so softly that Nick wanted nothing more than just curl up and cry his heart out.
“Yeah and some … safety.” Nick nearly choked on the last word.
“I hate to break this mushy moment, but I’ve got to go.” Greg gave him an embarrassed smile as he nodded towards the bathroom.
They disentangled with the clumsiness that follows from having slept in the same position for too long. Nick chuckled as he watched Greg stumble to the bathroom on stiff legs. He began flexing his muscles to ease the stiffness and hopefully he’d be able to make a more graceful exit for the bathroom when Greg was done. Emma had turned and ended in a snoring pose, he rolled over and watched her draw in a noisy breath, thinking how much she and Greg had in common.
Greg sank down on the toilet, giving up the idea of standing on his still very unresponsive legs. His head was spinning with emotions running wild. Nick hadn’t freaked; instead he’d talked about safety, as if it was something that Greg could give him. Rubbing his temples he reached for the bottle of water he’d forgotten on the sink last night and emptied it greedily. Thinking was hard on the body, especially when it involved big emotions. It was so rare for him to get angry that it usually shocked him more than any bystanders.
His part was the happy jester or the eager apprentice and on occasion the silent listener. He knew those parts back to front and he liked them, they were good for covering up the ever lurking feeling of uncertainty. A snore brought him out his zone and back to getting ready for the first day of the conference. On a second and more important note, Nick would more than likely also need a trip to the toilet.
When he emerged from the bathroom Nick was standing out on the floor stretching like a drowsy cat, with lazy moves. Greg swallowed, willing his eyes not to linger and imagine what the scene would look like with Nick undressed. Nick had flashed his chest and arms enough over the years for him to know perfectly well anyway. Jacqui had called it her private arm porn collection the first time she had directed his eyes towards Nick and Warrick changing shirts to go to court. He’d nodded dumbly, too shocked to speak at the time and she’d nudged him in side with some comment about it being a woman-thing.
“What time is it?” Greg couldn’t resist the urge to stretch as well, but hoped that his question would cover up the obvious mirror movement.
“Only a little after five. But then again it wasn’t even eleven before we went to bed was it?” Nick rubbed his cheeks hard enough to leave them reddish.
“Nope, we crashed, well you crashed pretty early.” Greg smirked and moved to the wardrobe to pick an outfit. Nick leaned against the dresser like he wanted to say something, but remained silent for ages.
“Greg I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have … I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, I don’t know why I did it. I just...” Greg couldn’t bear to hear Nick ramble on like he’d done something wrong, but he was clueless as how to tell him that. In the end he opted for a hand closing Nick’s mouth effectively cutting off more words.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about man. We’re humans, remember, pack animals. Living alone is not natural and we all seek the company of peers on some level.” he slowly brought his hand down as he spoke. Nick closed his eyes and bowed his head in what Greg hoped to be acknowledgement of his words.
With a deep sigh Nick looked up again focusing on the brown eyes in front of him. Greg was right as always, but he still felt the need to excuse having imposed on Greg like that. It was so deeply imbedded in his manners that it was hard to see past, and a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to. The team had liberated him from his kidnapper, but his parents had set him truly free, allowing him to pursue life the way he wanted.
“Theory is one thing G, not all people … not all people can deal with the practical side of things ya know.”
“I know. But you also know me, right?” Greg’s eyes showed a hint of uncertainty through all the concern that just oozed from him.
And Nick did feel oddly comforted by Greg’s words so he nodded showing his acceptance of their nightly cuddle. Emma kept snoring in the background, something she’d also done back when he’d first met her and slept with her. It made him smile and Greg was never one to miss an opportunity to smile so he joined in. With the guilt gone, Nick picked a fresh change of clothes from his drawers and headed for the bathroom. Greg was still mulling over what to wear when he closed the door and he fought down the urge to make a comment on it. Most men he’d ever gotten to know had a female streak of some kind; Greg’s was fashion and the ability to remember the oddest things. Nick stripped and turned on the water, cautiously stepping under the spray.
As the warm water relaxed his body, his brain sprinted off in a million different directions. The last year had held so many new things for him, that he was constantly playing catch up never really feeling fully present. And now there was Greg added to every thought, making him feel even more behind, but also more present than ever before. It wasn’t the first time that Greg had haunted his thoughts, but he’d always put it off as not worth going there.
Nick reached out for his shampoo, when he remembered that he hadn’t brought it in with him, cursing he blinked the water from his eyes and noticed one of those highly expensive shampoos that you can buy for a fortune at the fancy stylists. It could only be Greg’s. Nick popped the lid and sniffed the content, it was un-perfumed and he recognized the smell as vaguely Greg. A smile sneaked across his face as he realized that Greg had become a CSI body and soul, no longer disturbing his sense of smell with hair products.
If it hadn’t been for the two people in the other room, he’d been singing in the shower. Instead he just settled for thinking and washing. In the beginning when he’d first felt an attraction toward Greg, he’d told himself that it was a bad idea. Because Greg worked in the DNA-lab they would risk being accused of favoritism, and that could easily get cases thrown out of court. After Greg transferred to the field, it would have been a bad idea because he was the teacher and Greg the pupil.
Rinsing the shampoo off it dawned on him that he’d always reasoned himself out off getting involved with anybody. There had always been a reason to hold back, even when it’d been someone that his parents would have loved. He turned the faucet over to cold and stood fast as the water chilled him to the bone. Not sure what that would achieve, he turned off the water and dried off quickly.
Greg was typing on his laptop when he emerged from the bathroom and Emma was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling.
“Good thing this is a hotel and not my old apartment with its micro water tank.” Greg joked as he shut the lid of his laptop and grabbed his clothes.
“Hey not so fast, I need to take a piss first.” Emma said bluntly and jumped out of bed. Greg looked after her stunned to silence.
Nick couldn’t help but blush as he spoke. “She’s always been pretty direct.”
“You can say that again.” Greg snorted and sat back in the chair.
“Don’t worry it’ll get worse as the days go by.” Nick chuckled while he packed away his dirty clothes. Greg groaned in response knowing he was in for a fierce competition for Nick’s attention in the days to follow. It shouldn’t have bothered him, but Nick had crawled back under his skin sometime in the autumn.
“I can imagine that.” he huffed.
“Sure you can, what time was breakfast again? I’m pretty hungry.” Nick changed the subject again and he almost laughed out loud, but thought better of it.
“It says from six thirty till nine on the info sheet.” he pointed to the sheet placed next to the phone. Nick checked the time and sighed when Emma flushed the toilet.
“Eh guys, I don’t think I brought my keycard.”
A short and thorough search proved her right. A call to her room revealed that Rory hadn’t shown up yet. For all her tough talk she became very subdued when she figured that it would take a trip past the reception to gain access to her room again. After some back and forth Nick got her to put on his sweats and escorted her down to the reception. Greg headed for the bathroom feeling a foolish relief of not having Emma there while he showered.
He was putting on his socks when Nick returned.
“You ready for some breakfast? The whole lobby is a feast of bacon grease.” Nick rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“Yup, just let me get my shoes. Emma got a new keycard without problems?” he looked up at Nick who just gave him a confirming nod.
“Emma will meet us downstairs; she said she needed some time to herself.” Nick told him on the way out of the door.
“Sure. Anyway she’s got plenty of time before the first event.” Greg had memorized the schedule and with the risk of being compared to Grissom, he started a rant about what they would attend during this the first day. Because that way he could ignore Nick and all things Nick for at least a little while.
The restaurant was already buzzing with people and they joined the line slowly moving past the breakfast buffet. Greg quickly recognized the stacks of pancakes and waffles along with the trays of bacon and sausages. A waft of citrus told him where to find the fruit and he could hear his trainer loud and clear, eating right is half the training.
With a deep sigh he passed by all the greasy stuff and went for the sugar free yoghurt and added oatmeal and fruit to the mixture before heading for the coffee. It would be alright to indulge in the buffet for one day only, but not five, according to his trainer. He saw that Nick, otherwise known as Mr. Beefcake, heaped pancakes on his plate like he’d never be served another. For a moment he wished he hadn’t taken up Muay Thai, but then again he liked his new stronger body.
Nick gave his plate a curious look when they sat down.
“Before you ask.” Greg held up a warning hand. “I do Muay Thai and I don’t want to mess up what I’ve achieved so far.”
“Yeah you mentioned that. I know I shouldn’t be eating like this, but living like a saint ain’t my style.” Nick was busy with covering his pancakes in syrup making it difficult for him to sink the spoon into his healthy helping of breakfast.
“Then you could at least stop looking like one.” Greg muttered under his breath.
“I heard that.” Nick held up a syrup glistening fork in mock warning. “I just can’t help my natural good looks.”
“Show-off, knowing you you’ll spend hours on the treadmill here.” Emma scolded him as she balanced her plate and juice trying to hook the vacant chair out with her foot. Nick’s cheeks colored and Greg pointed at him with his spoon.
“Busted!”
They spent the breakfast trying to get the better of each other verbally and Greg learned that Emma’s way of thinking wasn’t far from his own and more than once they left Nick staggering behind. Emma convinced Greg into having a Danish and went to get the desired pastry.
“So Nick, you up for a trip to the gym later?”
“Guys, guys have you heard it?” Emma’s enthusiastic voice broke in, making several other people turn their attention to her as well as them.
“Heard what?” Greg asked with curiosity building in his system, making his heart beat faster.
“That at least three of the lecturers for today aren’t coming, because of the snow!”
Chapter: Slippery steps, 5/18
Author:
anmaniPairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG to NC-17
Genre: First time, romance.
Warning/Spoiler: The story is set early 2006, so anything before that. Minor spoilers for Brokeback Mountain as well.
Summary: Nick and Greg are off to a conference in a winter covered landscape.
Disclaimer: They belong to the CBS and not me.
Author's notes: I got this idea for a winter time fic in December 2005. It has taken me a while to write it, but I didn't want to post while still writing.
serenity151979 has held my hand and patiently beta'ed the whole thing. dagdrommer has been a continuous source of inspiration and has created the banner and the icon for this fic.Previous chapters:
Snowflakes, chapter 1
Snow angels, chapter 2
Ice storm, chapter 3
A chilly night, chapter 4
Nick woke slowly, trying to recognize his surroundings and the unfamiliar smells. He cracked an eye not seeing much but covers. His brain started to connect the dots and he figured that he was lying between Greg and Emma, more accurately Greg was spooned around him and Emma was so far on the edge that he’d have to stretch his arm to reach her. Not only was Greg spooned around him, but he was clinging on to Greg’s arm like a leech.
He carefully listened, hearing two sets of relaxed breathing, realizing that he was the only one awake. The right thing to do would be to untangle himself from Greg, but it felt so good and safe lying snuggled up close. Safe was not exactly something that happened to him a lot, so stealing a little safety from Greg could easily be explained if he got caught.
”Hey baby.” his mother greeted as she pushed open the door. The doctors had promised that he could go home today. Upon hearing that, his parents had left him with his sister and her husband while they went shopping. He knew that he would end up donating most of it, because his mother was still mentally shopping for 7 children.
“Hey mom.” his voice was nearly back to normal, no longer hoarse and throaty.
“Have they signed your release form Pancho?” his father inquired. But before Nick was able to answer a doctor came in to look him over one final time. An hour later he was wheeled out of the hospital, hoping not to have to go back any time soon. The drive home was longer than he remembered and his mother kept telling him about all the stuff that she had bought for him.
His place seemed off when he walked in through the door, like it wasn’t his anymore.
“Is there anything I can get for you baby bro?” his sister, the youngest of them, stepped in preventing their mother from continuing her rant.
“I’m tired, I’d… I think I need some sleep.” Nick felt like his body was ten times heavier than normal and he dragged his feet to the bedroom.
The nap had worked wonders even though his mother had bought new sheets and washed them with a different detergent than his usual one, making his bed appear strange. It had been so many years since he’d moved out from his parents that even his mother’s cooking in his place smelled wrong.
Congregated around the table the talk fell on all the innocent topics that his family could muster; until his sister breached a topic that’d never been tolerated much at home.
“You shouldn’t be alone like this Nicky baby.”
“Your sister’s right Pancho.” his father took his mother’s hand and caressed it for demonstration.
“Yeah well, it’s just not as easy as that.” Nick said quietly, not sure where the conversation were headed.
“We know baby.” his mother brought her free hand up and caressed his cheek.
“Nicky it doesn’t have to be the perfect southern girl and the house with the white picket fence.” his sister added.
“That black fella’ seems to care a lot about you baby.” with that statement his mother ended the conversation. Nick tried to grasp the whole idea of just being able to choose freely, something that wasn’t accepted in the Stokes family normally.
“Pancho, is there anything you want us to get you, before we head home?” his father asked him like nothing extraordinary had just happened.
“Is Emma still sleeping?” Greg’s quiet whisper startled him back to the present, making him clutch the captive arm even harder.
“Ye-yes she is.” Greg gave him a squeeze and he relaxed his death grip on the arm, but Greg didn’t move it.
“Good, she had a pretty bad nightmare after you fell asleep.” Greg’s warm breath wafted over his neck carrying each word to his ear.
“I never noticed.” for once he’d been out cold and slept through without waking bathed in a sheen of fear induced sweat.
“Nah, you were flat on your back, didn’t even blink once.” he didn’t have to turn to see that Greg was smiling.
“Eh… sorry.” Nick gave Greg’s hand a gentle squeeze.
“That’s alright, we all … it’s okay Nick, really it doesn’t matter.” Greg’s voice wavered. Still holding onto the hand Nick turned and faced his friend. “I reached across you to wake her from her nightmare. We talked and then after a while you stole my arm.” Greg spoke fast like he often did when he felt the need to justify his actions. “Listen man, we all need some TLC from time to time.” Greg spoke so softly that Nick wanted nothing more than just curl up and cry his heart out.
“Yeah and some … safety.” Nick nearly choked on the last word.
“I hate to break this mushy moment, but I’ve got to go.” Greg gave him an embarrassed smile as he nodded towards the bathroom.
They disentangled with the clumsiness that follows from having slept in the same position for too long. Nick chuckled as he watched Greg stumble to the bathroom on stiff legs. He began flexing his muscles to ease the stiffness and hopefully he’d be able to make a more graceful exit for the bathroom when Greg was done. Emma had turned and ended in a snoring pose, he rolled over and watched her draw in a noisy breath, thinking how much she and Greg had in common.
Greg sank down on the toilet, giving up the idea of standing on his still very unresponsive legs. His head was spinning with emotions running wild. Nick hadn’t freaked; instead he’d talked about safety, as if it was something that Greg could give him. Rubbing his temples he reached for the bottle of water he’d forgotten on the sink last night and emptied it greedily. Thinking was hard on the body, especially when it involved big emotions. It was so rare for him to get angry that it usually shocked him more than any bystanders.
His part was the happy jester or the eager apprentice and on occasion the silent listener. He knew those parts back to front and he liked them, they were good for covering up the ever lurking feeling of uncertainty. A snore brought him out his zone and back to getting ready for the first day of the conference. On a second and more important note, Nick would more than likely also need a trip to the toilet.
When he emerged from the bathroom Nick was standing out on the floor stretching like a drowsy cat, with lazy moves. Greg swallowed, willing his eyes not to linger and imagine what the scene would look like with Nick undressed. Nick had flashed his chest and arms enough over the years for him to know perfectly well anyway. Jacqui had called it her private arm porn collection the first time she had directed his eyes towards Nick and Warrick changing shirts to go to court. He’d nodded dumbly, too shocked to speak at the time and she’d nudged him in side with some comment about it being a woman-thing.
“What time is it?” Greg couldn’t resist the urge to stretch as well, but hoped that his question would cover up the obvious mirror movement.
“Only a little after five. But then again it wasn’t even eleven before we went to bed was it?” Nick rubbed his cheeks hard enough to leave them reddish.
“Nope, we crashed, well you crashed pretty early.” Greg smirked and moved to the wardrobe to pick an outfit. Nick leaned against the dresser like he wanted to say something, but remained silent for ages.
“Greg I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have … I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, I don’t know why I did it. I just...” Greg couldn’t bear to hear Nick ramble on like he’d done something wrong, but he was clueless as how to tell him that. In the end he opted for a hand closing Nick’s mouth effectively cutting off more words.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about man. We’re humans, remember, pack animals. Living alone is not natural and we all seek the company of peers on some level.” he slowly brought his hand down as he spoke. Nick closed his eyes and bowed his head in what Greg hoped to be acknowledgement of his words.
With a deep sigh Nick looked up again focusing on the brown eyes in front of him. Greg was right as always, but he still felt the need to excuse having imposed on Greg like that. It was so deeply imbedded in his manners that it was hard to see past, and a year ago he wouldn’t have been able to. The team had liberated him from his kidnapper, but his parents had set him truly free, allowing him to pursue life the way he wanted.
“Theory is one thing G, not all people … not all people can deal with the practical side of things ya know.”
“I know. But you also know me, right?” Greg’s eyes showed a hint of uncertainty through all the concern that just oozed from him.
And Nick did feel oddly comforted by Greg’s words so he nodded showing his acceptance of their nightly cuddle. Emma kept snoring in the background, something she’d also done back when he’d first met her and slept with her. It made him smile and Greg was never one to miss an opportunity to smile so he joined in. With the guilt gone, Nick picked a fresh change of clothes from his drawers and headed for the bathroom. Greg was still mulling over what to wear when he closed the door and he fought down the urge to make a comment on it. Most men he’d ever gotten to know had a female streak of some kind; Greg’s was fashion and the ability to remember the oddest things. Nick stripped and turned on the water, cautiously stepping under the spray.
As the warm water relaxed his body, his brain sprinted off in a million different directions. The last year had held so many new things for him, that he was constantly playing catch up never really feeling fully present. And now there was Greg added to every thought, making him feel even more behind, but also more present than ever before. It wasn’t the first time that Greg had haunted his thoughts, but he’d always put it off as not worth going there.
Nick reached out for his shampoo, when he remembered that he hadn’t brought it in with him, cursing he blinked the water from his eyes and noticed one of those highly expensive shampoos that you can buy for a fortune at the fancy stylists. It could only be Greg’s. Nick popped the lid and sniffed the content, it was un-perfumed and he recognized the smell as vaguely Greg. A smile sneaked across his face as he realized that Greg had become a CSI body and soul, no longer disturbing his sense of smell with hair products.
If it hadn’t been for the two people in the other room, he’d been singing in the shower. Instead he just settled for thinking and washing. In the beginning when he’d first felt an attraction toward Greg, he’d told himself that it was a bad idea. Because Greg worked in the DNA-lab they would risk being accused of favoritism, and that could easily get cases thrown out of court. After Greg transferred to the field, it would have been a bad idea because he was the teacher and Greg the pupil.
Rinsing the shampoo off it dawned on him that he’d always reasoned himself out off getting involved with anybody. There had always been a reason to hold back, even when it’d been someone that his parents would have loved. He turned the faucet over to cold and stood fast as the water chilled him to the bone. Not sure what that would achieve, he turned off the water and dried off quickly.
Greg was typing on his laptop when he emerged from the bathroom and Emma was lying on her back staring up at the ceiling.
“Good thing this is a hotel and not my old apartment with its micro water tank.” Greg joked as he shut the lid of his laptop and grabbed his clothes.
“Hey not so fast, I need to take a piss first.” Emma said bluntly and jumped out of bed. Greg looked after her stunned to silence.
Nick couldn’t help but blush as he spoke. “She’s always been pretty direct.”
“You can say that again.” Greg snorted and sat back in the chair.
“Don’t worry it’ll get worse as the days go by.” Nick chuckled while he packed away his dirty clothes. Greg groaned in response knowing he was in for a fierce competition for Nick’s attention in the days to follow. It shouldn’t have bothered him, but Nick had crawled back under his skin sometime in the autumn.
“I can imagine that.” he huffed.
“Sure you can, what time was breakfast again? I’m pretty hungry.” Nick changed the subject again and he almost laughed out loud, but thought better of it.
“It says from six thirty till nine on the info sheet.” he pointed to the sheet placed next to the phone. Nick checked the time and sighed when Emma flushed the toilet.
“Eh guys, I don’t think I brought my keycard.”
A short and thorough search proved her right. A call to her room revealed that Rory hadn’t shown up yet. For all her tough talk she became very subdued when she figured that it would take a trip past the reception to gain access to her room again. After some back and forth Nick got her to put on his sweats and escorted her down to the reception. Greg headed for the bathroom feeling a foolish relief of not having Emma there while he showered.
He was putting on his socks when Nick returned.
“You ready for some breakfast? The whole lobby is a feast of bacon grease.” Nick rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“Yup, just let me get my shoes. Emma got a new keycard without problems?” he looked up at Nick who just gave him a confirming nod.
“Emma will meet us downstairs; she said she needed some time to herself.” Nick told him on the way out of the door.
“Sure. Anyway she’s got plenty of time before the first event.” Greg had memorized the schedule and with the risk of being compared to Grissom, he started a rant about what they would attend during this the first day. Because that way he could ignore Nick and all things Nick for at least a little while.
The restaurant was already buzzing with people and they joined the line slowly moving past the breakfast buffet. Greg quickly recognized the stacks of pancakes and waffles along with the trays of bacon and sausages. A waft of citrus told him where to find the fruit and he could hear his trainer loud and clear, eating right is half the training.
With a deep sigh he passed by all the greasy stuff and went for the sugar free yoghurt and added oatmeal and fruit to the mixture before heading for the coffee. It would be alright to indulge in the buffet for one day only, but not five, according to his trainer. He saw that Nick, otherwise known as Mr. Beefcake, heaped pancakes on his plate like he’d never be served another. For a moment he wished he hadn’t taken up Muay Thai, but then again he liked his new stronger body.
Nick gave his plate a curious look when they sat down.
“Before you ask.” Greg held up a warning hand. “I do Muay Thai and I don’t want to mess up what I’ve achieved so far.”
“Yeah you mentioned that. I know I shouldn’t be eating like this, but living like a saint ain’t my style.” Nick was busy with covering his pancakes in syrup making it difficult for him to sink the spoon into his healthy helping of breakfast.
“Then you could at least stop looking like one.” Greg muttered under his breath.
“I heard that.” Nick held up a syrup glistening fork in mock warning. “I just can’t help my natural good looks.”
“Show-off, knowing you you’ll spend hours on the treadmill here.” Emma scolded him as she balanced her plate and juice trying to hook the vacant chair out with her foot. Nick’s cheeks colored and Greg pointed at him with his spoon.
“Busted!”
They spent the breakfast trying to get the better of each other verbally and Greg learned that Emma’s way of thinking wasn’t far from his own and more than once they left Nick staggering behind. Emma convinced Greg into having a Danish and went to get the desired pastry.
“So Nick, you up for a trip to the gym later?”
“Guys, guys have you heard it?” Emma’s enthusiastic voice broke in, making several other people turn their attention to her as well as them.
“Heard what?” Greg asked with curiosity building in his system, making his heart beat faster.
“That at least three of the lecturers for today aren’t coming, because of the snow!”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-23 11:02 pm (UTC)I love how Emma busted Nick about the treadmill! That was hysterical.
I can't wait to see more of this. Every chapter is it's own gem.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:17 pm (UTC)/A
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 12:24 am (UTC)I love this, really. A lot more than I thought I would (well, not like.. I thought I'd hate it, but you know? *sigh* I'm not sure what I'm saying xD)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:19 pm (UTC)Glad that you love it.
/A
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 05:08 am (UTC)That is Greg exactly! You do such an incredible job with the two of them and I am loving Emma more and more every chapter! Well, I'm not gonna lie, she sorta bothers me too just because I want Nick and Greg to have a bit more alone time! hehe! But she's an awesome character and I would definitely want to be her friend! ^_^
I cannot tell you enough how much I love this fic! I can't wait for the next chapter!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:20 pm (UTC)Thank you for the nice comment.
/A
no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 09:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 04:26 pm (UTC)/A