Title: Mother knows best
Author: gothikmaus
Fandom: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Category: romance, fluff, ficlet
Summary: Nick can't understand why Greg's mother keeps looking at him like that.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and all related characters are property of CBS. I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
Nick wasn't surprised to find Greg's parents at his place: their son had just been released from the hospital after a brutal assault, of course they wanted to be with him and make sure he was okay. What did surprise him was the funny way Greg's mother kept looking at him: little sideways glances and long hard stares whenever she thought Nick wasn't paying attention. He was starting to think he had something on his face and no one knew how to tell him.
"All right, darling," Mrs. Sanders said linking her arm through her husband's. "We're going to do some grocery shopping: your fridge is tragically empty and that just won't do. Nick here will stay with you until we're back, won't you, dear?"
"Sure, ma'am, don't worry about him. He's in good hands."
And there it was, one of those pointed glances, only this time it was accompanied by a knowing little smile.
"Oh, I'm sure he is. See you later, honey," she added in Greg's direction, before turning around and walking toward the door, leaning in to whisper something in Greg's father's ear.
Once they were alone in the apartment, Nick turned to Greg.
"Is something wrong? Your mom has been looking at me funny the whole time she was here. Did I offend her somehow?"
Greg looked strangely uncomfortable.
"You didn't do anything, don't worry."
"Then what's the matter?"
Greg glanced away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
"It's nothing, really, just forget about it."
"Greg."
The young CSI sighed.
"She, um, thinks you're my boyfriend."
"She what?!"
Greg looked mortified.
"She's convinced I have a mysterious girlfriend or boyfriend I'm not telling her about, and when she saw how worried you were, she thought, well..."
Nick realized he was gaping and snapped his mouth shut. So apparently Greg swung both ways. And his mom was aware of it. Nick didn't quite know how to process all that.
"And do you?" he asked when the silence was starting to become uncomfortable. "Have a mysterious girlfriend or boyfriend, I mean."
Greg shook his head.
"No."
Nick couldn't miss the sadness in his friend's voice, nor the way he averted his gaze, a disappointed expression dawning on his bruised face.
"But... There's someone?"
Greg shrugged.
"It doesn't really matter, he's not interested. I don't even think he's into guys at all."
"Have you asked him?"
"Of course not!"
"Why not?"
"Did you miss the part when I said he's not into guys?"
"You said you think he's not into guys."
Greg sighed again.
"Just leave it, okay?"
"But you'll never know if you never ask. He might just be waiting for you to make the first move. He might even-"
"Are you into guys?"
Nick stopped halfway through his speech.
"N-no, I'm not... I don't..."
Greg's shoulders slumped and he looked away.
"See? I should've just kept my mouth shut."
"No! I mean... Yeah, I'm not into guys, that's true, but you... With you it's different."
A small frown creased Greg's forehead and he glanced at Nick out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you mean different?"
"I... I don't know how to explain it, but when I heard you got attacked, I... I couldn't breathe. It was like all the air left my body and I couldn't get my lungs to work anymore. I couldn't think straight, the only thing I wanted was to find the bastards who had done that to you and make them pay. I even punched one of the guys who were loitering around the crime scene, for fuck's sake. Turns out he was actually the sicko behind the attacks and totally deserved that, but I still almost compromised the whole investigation."
"Yeah, I heard about that," Greg commented, looking at him with a fond little smile that made something flutter in Nick's stomach.
"It's just... It's not fair you had to go through that. You're one of the kindest people I know, you didn't deserve it."
"None of the victims deserved it."
"I know, but you... Fuck."
Nick started pacing around the room, running a hand over his shaved head.
"Just promise me you'll be more careful, okay? I... I don't wanna lose you."
Greg looked at him, eyes huge and lips slightly parted.
"I promise," he eventually said, voice barely above a whisper.
Nick walked back to him and gingerly took his uninjured hand.
"And when you're off the meds, would you like to have a drink with me?"
"You... You wanna go out with me? Like... On a date?"
Nick nodded, lifting Greg's hand to his lips and placing a soft kiss on the back of it.
"Yeah."
Greg could feel his lips curving up into a huge, ridiculous smile threatening to burst his stitches. His mom hadn't been too far off the mark after all.
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August 2022