Title: Brighter than the California sun
Author: gothikmaus
Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Category: romance, ficlet
Summary: Greg comes back from a trip to California. Nick can't hide his heart-eyes.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and all related characters are property of CBS. I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
"Hey, welcome back."
Greg looked up from his microscope and smiled.
"Hey."
"How was California?"
"Great. I went to the beach, surfed, caught up with friends I hadn't seen in a while. And my mom fed me so much I can barely fit in my clothes."
Nick smiled. He looked around to make sure no one was watching and stepped closer, pressing up against Greg's side and placing a hand on the small of his back.
"I missed you," he whispered in his ear.
The thing between them was so new Nick didn't even have a name for it yet. But he knew he had been counting down the hours until Greg's return, and when he had finally seen him standing in the lab that night, his chest had filled with something he couldn't quite describe, but that made him feel warm and dizzy and incredibly happy.
"I was only gone for a week," Greg replied with a small smile, a faint blush spreading over his cheeks. It was barely visible over his tan, but undeniably there.
Nick shrugged. From that close he could see the smattering of freckles that had appeared on Greg's nose. His blond highlights had turned slightly greenish, and Nick had the sudden urge to bury his face in that wild hair and fill his nostrils with Greg's scent.
He took a step back, afraid he might give in to temptation. The DNA lab had glass walls and was definitely not the place to entertain such thoughts.
Greg turned around and looked at him, his expression almost shy.
"I missed you too."
They stood there in silence, staring at each other until they heard footsteps in the corridor. Nick was the first to look away, glancing towards the doorway before turning back to Greg.
"Do you... I mean... Wanna come back to my place after shift?"
Greg's smile was brighter than the California sun.
"I'd love to."
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July 2022