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Dating Advice	By : RikuRocks Category: CSI > Slash - Male/Male Views: 5865 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to CSI, nor am I making any money from this work of fiction.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Author�s Note: I know very little Norwegian. Fortunately, what I do know is mostly based upon cooking/foods, so it�s enough for this chapter. In future chapters, I will have Greg say a few words in Norwegian and they will be accurate to the best of my knowledge, but please don�t take offence if you speak Norwegian and notice any mistakes. Do feel free to point them out to me though. ^_^
See chapter one for more author�s notes.

The case had kept Nick busy but not frantically so, even still, the shift had not passed quickly enough for him. For once, Nick had found himself less than 100% absorbed in his case� and strangely enough to him; he seemed to work better that way. He decided he needed to put more effort into his private life again, which would hopefully involve more of a certain muddle-haired genus in the near future.
He was surprised to see Greg in the locker room when he entered. The slender man was bobbing his head along to the music playing through his ear buds while he tied his shoelaces. Greg�s sinewy form was more easily visible through his t-shirt and jeans, and a scar peeked up from under the neckline of his t-shirt as he doubled over on the bench. Nick wondered how far down the slender back it traveled, and had to stop when his imaginings switched from picturing the scars on Greg�s naked back, to just picturing the younger man nude.
The Texan opened his locker and turned into the cubbyhole to give himself a moment to cool off before speaking to the younger scientist. Unfortunately, the movement caught Greg�s attention. Nick could hear the smile in the chemist�s voice as he spoke a little more loudly than usual, clearly speaking over the music only he could hear.
�Hey Nick. How�s the case coming?�
Nick smiled slightly despite the reminder of the terrible case. �Case is closed, man. You were right about the whole thing.� The CSI saw Greg look up at the praising tone, only to turn his gaze away quickly when Nick removed his shirt. The Texan could not help but grin to himself as he slowly pulled on another button down. He had not considered that Greg would not return his interest before, but now he definitely did not think that would be a problem. He might have questioned whether Greg was just being polite, now that Nick knew his interests laid with men, but the telltale blush gracing the young man�s cheekbones was proof enough for him that there was more to it than that.
The bulkier man continued speaking as he changed, ensuring that the slender blonde remained with him. Greg continued to keep his gaze averted as he listened; having removed his headphones once Nick started talking to him. He busied himself with turning off his MP3 player and putting it away, trying to make it look like he was not simply avoiding starring at the older man in various states of undress.
�Once I presented the manager with the DNA evidence, he spilled. The kid confirmed, and the dad went off the handle when I approached him about it. The kid�s assault has been added to the list of charges, as well as a possible hate crime charge, and the mom has filed for separation and is placing the kid in therapy. The manager is being charged with statutory rape.�
�Mmm,� The muddle-haired youth looked somewhat torn. �I�m glad you closed the case, but I sort of whish I�d been wrong� Does that happen to you a lot?�
�All the time, Greggo;� Nick, now fully changed, closed his locker and turned to face his friend.
The blonde nodded, and then offered the CSI a small smile as he stood. �Well, you caught him, so the kid�s safe now. I�d say that makes it worth it in the end.�
The larger man smiled in return. �Yeah, it does. C�mon, let�s go get breakfast. I�m starving.�
�Meet you at the usual place, or do you want me to follow you somewhere?� asked Greg as he pulled on a light jacket.
Nick grinned broadly, pleased by the trust the younger man placed in him. He draped an arm around Greg�s shoulders as he led him to the parking lot. �Follow me; I discovered this diner a few weeks back that I think you�ll like.�
While he did think the younger man would like it, Nick actually did not know if Greg would enjoy the diner he was taking him to any more than any other place they could have dined. However, the place Nick led them to was quiet and out of the way, so it was unlikely that any of their coworkers or friends would find them there. Nick knew he would never be able to lead the conversation where he wanted it to go if he was worried about being caught in the act.
They sat across from each other in a comfortable booth near the back of the diner, and gave their orders to a waitress who was polite but not flirtatious, which Nick appreciated and he guessed that Greg did as well.
�So,� the sable-eyed man watched the woman walk back to the kitchen; she was middle-aged but had aged well. One of the many questions that had passed his mind that day returned to mind, and he voiced it without thinking. �Do you like women at all?�
�Wow, you don�t waste any time, do you?� Greg commented with good humor. He did not appear surprised by the query at all, and Nick figured he had expected to be questioned. Fortunately, he showed no signs of taking insult. �We haven�t even gotten our drinks yet.�
�Sorry;� Nick smiled apologetically as he inwardly cursed his ability to be so insensitive and obtuse at times. �It�s just�I�m supposed t be observant and I like to consider myself open minded, but somehow I never even considered this before.�
Both men halted the discussion under silent agreement as the waitress returned with Nick�s coffee and Greg�s orange juice. They politely thanked her and she explained that their food would take a little longer before she left them to each other�s company. As soon as she turned her back on them, Greg indicated the woman and shook his head while he mouthed the word �no�.
The eccentric chemist started speaking before they could even be certain the woman was out of hearing range. �My grandfather always says that we have a harder time seeing through the mask of a friend than the mask of a stranger.� Clearly, he thought Nick�s only concern was the fact that he had not noticed Greg�s sexual preference. �Plus, I didn�t really give you a lot to work with. Actually, I more or less misdirected you. Sorry about that.�
�Yeah, you did,� The brawny man agreed with a nod. He tried to keep any hint accusation out of his tone, but Greg looked guilty anyway. �Why did you try to keep it from me? Did you think I�d have a problem with it?�
�No,� Greg assured the older man immediately. �I just don�t make it a habit to announce that I�m gay�especially at work. I only tell individuals as I get to know them and think they should know, or that it�s all right to. I�ve thought it would be alright to tell you for a little while now, but it never came up and I wasn�t sure if you would tell the other CSIs or not.�
It was Nick�s turn to offer some reassurance now. �I won�t tell anyone if you don�t want me to, Greg. Anything you ever want to tell me anything, all you have to do is ask me to keep it to myself. You know how I am with privacy; that goes for my friends� as well as my own.�
�Thanks.� Greg smiled lightly at the pensive look on Nick�s face. He had seen it many times before when the older man found a new piece of evidence and had to readjust his theory to fit. �You can ask me whatever it is that�s got you going into investigator mode.�
The Texan chuckled quietly at the description, even as he blushed slightly from being called out on his musings. �Well it�s just�that time I caught you on the phone; with the whole �No, I love you more� bit. That was a guy?�
Greg nodded and Nick bit his lip before asking another question. �What about the date with the future �mother of your children��was that all made up or what?�
�No, the description was accurate.� Greg grinned and shrugged lightly, �I just used the wrong pronouns�and it would have been more accurate to say �father of my children� but that part was a joke anyway; plus, I wasn�t sure how you�d react then.�
Nick nodded absently as he suddenly realized he might be facing a challenge he had not foreseen. He purposefully kept his voice and face neutral as he asked, �So are you still together?�
The brown-eyed man shook his head, but he did not seem sad. �No, that ended not long after we had that conversation. He and I were just looking for different things, you know? He�s with some Twink now, if you can believe it. Seems happy though, so that�s good.� The younger man honestly seemed to mean that, and Nick felt himself relax. Clearly, there were no lingering feelings to overcome.
�What�s a Twink?� he asked with a grin as he stirred some sugar into his coffee.
Greg chuckled, �It�s like the gay man�s version of a bimbo. Looks sweet and can give you a quick rush, but not much substance.�
�Ah,� Nick nodded with a smirk. Then, he frowned suddenly. �What about your crush on Sara?�
�Geez, a guy asks a woman out once and he suddenly has a throbbing crush on her.� Warm eyes rolled playfully before Greg grinned at his friend. �That was�a project of sorts. She needed a wake up call. So did Grissom.

Needless to say, I�m done playing matchmaker.�
The Texan laughed outright at that. �Hell, even I could have told you not to waste your time on that one. I admit, I tried fixing Sara up with one of my friends once�but Grissom�s hopeless. If he hasn�t noticed her interest yet, he�s never going to.�
�You never know; things change.� Greg shrugged lightly and took a sip of his orange juice. He tilted his head slightly, �So what about you? Are you actually the ladies man everyone assumes you are or do you bat for both teams?�
The CSI paused with his coffee cup halfway to his mouth. Of course, Greg would know he was not gay; he had processed the evidence to the contrary himself once and Nick appreciated that he did not bring that fiasco up�that he never had, actually. The older man took a sip of his drink before meeting the DNA tech�s gaze calmly. He intended to make sure Greg knew he was interested, so he figured he might as well start telling the truth now.
�I have been with a lot of women.� Nick took a deep breath as he prepared to divulge a secret he had kept for over half his life, �But I�ve always been attracted to women�and men.�
Greg continued to meet his friend�s gaze, and Nick was surprised to see some sort of inner battle waging in the usually gentle yet playful eyes before him. Steadily, the younger man asked a question that sounded much more like a statement. �But you�ve never acted on the latter��
The Texan started shaking his head, but paused suddenly and took another deep breath. He looked down at his coffee as he replied. �When I was in college, I attended a lot of parties at one frat house or another�sometimes a bar or club. It wasn�t uncommon for me to go home with a girl�or two-�
The sable-eyed man cut himself short as the waitress returned with their food. Fortunately, she only stuck around long enough to ensure that they did not need anything further before she moved along. Nick started in on his steak and eggs mechanically, suddenly wondering if it was wise to complete the story he had begun to tell.
�I�ve never really understood that,� Greg commented suddenly. Nick glanced up and saw the slender blonde looking out of the window thoughtfully. �With three guys, it makes sense-� Warm eyes turned to Nick�s quickly �-Not that I�ve ever tried it- but at least there�s even numbers of everything, you know? But even if you have two girls, you still only have one penis, so what happens with the other girl�?�
Nick remained still for a moment, as he made sure he was processing the younger male�s statement correctly, and then he burst out laughing. He held up a placating hand when he saw the wounded look on his friend�s face and quickly brought his chuckles under control, although he could not help the smile that stretched his face. �Wow, you really are gay.�
Greg looked down again, but not before Nick had a chance too spot his expression. The Texan immediately sobered at the uncertainty he had seen. The younger man pressed his hand to the table and made to slide out of the booth; �I think I-�
Nick reached out and placed one of his shovel-shaped hands over Greg�s slender one. �Wait, Greg, I�m sorry. I didn�t mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I just never thought of that from a logical standpoint before�most guys don�t. I think you would either way though, to be honest. You have that type of intelligence that just forces you to question everything. It makes you pretty damn useful in the lab, I can tell you.�
The muddle-haired youth sat back down and gently tugged his hand back, signaling Nick to let him go. With another sigh, the Texan relented, and he was pleased when Greg made no further move to leave. Instead, the chemist said, �So were you going somewhere with your frat party story?�
�Yeah, I-� Nick swallowed heavily. �I�ve never told anyone this before�please don�t think any less of me.�
Greg surprised the older man by reaching across the table to grip his hand this time. Once their eyes met again, he stated gently but assuredly; �I know you, Nick. Nothing you did in the past is going to make me respect you less.�
Nick swallowed again and nodded. Greg released his hand and sat straight, his eyes still fixed on Nick�s face. The bulkier man started again, �One time, another guy got really trashed at one of the parties and I helped his girlfriend -who was also drunk, not that I was much better off- get him back to her dorm. The three of us ended up going at it. I figured, it was the best time to try it�they were both three sheets to the winds and even if he did remember, what could he say? He�d get more shit than I would for taking it up-�
The CSI cut himself short. He had never known Greg to be easily offended, but then he had recently discovered that he never knew quite a few things about the willowy youth. He did not want to take any chances when he was sure he was already making himself out to be a jerk. When the younger man offered him a look that clearly said �go on�, he just decided to leave the specifics to Greg�s imagination.
�He told everyone the next day that he�d gotten into a fight on the way home, to explain why he was walking and sittin� all tenderly. He left school a couple months later; we�d never talked about that night. His girlfriend never said anything either; I don�t know if she remembered.� Sable eyes that spoke of guilt turned to the window. �I loved it�but I felt ashamed. So I stuck to women again afterwards.�
The Texan turned his attention back to the younger man across the table. Greg looked sympathetic, slightly hopeful, and a little torn. Nick decided to push ahead while he had the nerve. �I�ve been attracted to plenty of men since then, but I never met one that made me willing to face all this again�until now.�
Nick placed his hand over Greg�s again, gently this time. �Greg, I�m not that guy anymore. I�m not the guy from a couple years back who was fine with one-night stands and meaningless flings either. If you let me, I�d like to prove it to you. I promise it won�t be for one night only.�
The war inside the usually jubilant eyes was waging stronger than before, and a deep hurt seemed to spread out from them, conquering the youth�s features. �Nick, I- I believe you, but I�m sorry.� Greg looked down at the napkin in his lap and tried to remove his hand from beneath Nick�s, but the stronger man refused to release him this time.
The muddle-haired chemist looked up and started speaking again, sounding as though he were struggling to release each word. �It�s not for the reason you think. I had a bad experience wi- Look, I promised myself then, that I would never get involved with someone in the closet again. I�m sorry; I like you very much and I�m really attracted to you, but I just can�t. I�m sorry.� The last apology was spoken so softly that Nick would not have heard it if his attention had not been so fixated on the younger man.
Nick was stunned. He could not recall the last time he had been shot down so quickly and he certainly never expected Greg to turn him down so resolutely, if remorsefully. Through the shock, he could register a little embarrassment and more notably, a sudden flare of anger and protectiveness as he realized that someone had hurt Greg deeply.
The Texan was so focused on his thoughts that he failed to notice the waitress approaching them with the bill until she was only a couple feet away from their table. Years of instincts took over and the sable-eyed man swiftly brought his hands back to his side of the table before he realized that the show of discomfort would not help his case to disprove Greg�s fears. With that, Nick�s mind came to a standstill and he realized that he was indeed planning to change the younger man�s mind�he just had no idea how he was going to do that.
�Greg, our line of work isn�t the most tolerant and this isn�t San Francisco or New York.� Nick kept his tone level, not wanting his growing frustration to ruin any progress he might make. �You obviously know that. You aren�t exactly out at work.�
Rather than sounding angry or defeated, the muddle-haired youth replied much the same way he would if he were explaining some obscure subculture fact that he thought might help in a case at the lab. �There�s a big difference between being discreet -or even misleading, if it�s necessary- at work and being in the closet, Nick. I�m not talking about work; I�m talking about the time spent off the clock. My private life is private, but that doesn�t mean I�m going to hide it when there�s no real need to.�
Confusion overwhelmed Nick�s frustration for the moment. He furrowed his brows as he stared at the younger man questioningly. �I don�t think I understand. What are you asking of me?�
�I�m not asking you for anything. I just want to explain so you don�t think it�s because I�m not interested, or because I think you�re a jerk or something.� Greg sounded slightly forlorn and very resigned, as though he truly did not want to say what he was about to divulge.
The CSI knew he should be considering whether he wanted to hear what Greg was so reluctant to say, however his frustration was blooming into outright anger at the situation. As a result, he sounded more heated than he knew he had a right to when he demanded; �Okay; explain then.�
Greg sighed and it was such a defeated sound that Nick immediately regretted his tone, even before the younger replied, sounding defensive, yet too worn to argue properly. �Nick, don�t be mad, okay?�
�I�m sorry. I�m just-� Nick closed his eyes, feeling both frustrated and remorseful. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath to calm himself before laying both his hands on the table and meeting his friend�s gaze once more. �I guess I just don�t get it. If it�s not something I did, then what is it? What do you want?�
The mild question seemed to open a floodgate; Greg kept his tone relatively level, but his eyes gave away the tenderness he was hiding. He quickly became winded as he forced the words out before he lost his nerve; �I just want to be with someone who doesn�t make me feel like I have to worry about making him ashamed all the time. I want to be able to hold my boyfriend�s hand or link our arms together while we�re walking down the street, or waiting in a line, or sitting in a diner, without him acting like I�m doing something indecent.
�I get that some people just like to take it easy on the PDAs, and I respect that, but sometimes you just want to give your man a kiss or hold each other for a minute without him treating you like you�re asking for the world. I want whoever I�m with to be comfortable enough in his sexuality not to have to belittle my masculinity to make himself feel like a man in front of anyone who knows.� Greg took a deep breath and looked out the window. �Other people make it hard enough without the person you�re supposed to be facing the world with making you feel like some kind of freak.�
Nick just stared at the slender man for a moment, awed and angry, before he found the nerve to respond. �Is that what he did? The one you had a bad experience with?� The Texan had wanted to hit many men before in his life, even a few women if he were honest, but never before had he felt such a strong desire to harm someone he had never even met.
Greg nodded; eyes still sad but he was clearly trying to hide it�and was doing a surprisingly good job. Had the Texan not been so observant or known the younger man so well, he probably would have thought it was no big deal. Nick wondered how often the younger man hid more complex emotions behind his wry smiles and geeky antics.
The chemist turned to his friend again with a small, sincerely apologetic smile. �I�m sorry, but I can�t do that again and it�s not worth our friendship to find out the hard way that it won�t work. Assuming there still is a friendship�?�
�Of course, G;� Nick�s answer was sincere an immediate. He certainly was not willing to give up his friendship with Greg, but he also was not quite ready to give up the chance to be something more either. However, years of playing ball throughout his school career had taught him early on that sometimes you have to regroup and change strategies.
Nick took another bite of his eggs and noticed that Greg seemed to be fidgeting with his lox rather than eating them. �You should eat, man. I know you didn�t get a real lunch.�
Greg waved off the comment, but he started spreading cream cheese on his bagel as well. �We had popcorn and mixed nuts in the AV lab before you came in.�
�I think there were a few mixed nuts in there when I did come in,� the CSI replied with a grin, which widened when the younger man returned it. �Seriously though, popcorn isn�t real food.� He held up his fork, which contained a bite of his steak; �This is real food.�
�I�m not really into steak.� The bed-headed chemist indicated his lox and bagels, �More of a seafood kind of guy.�

The Texan nodded, �I�ve noticed that. Is that a Californian thing?�
Greg shook his head. �Norwegian thing; All four of my grandparents emigrated here from Norway. We even had fish on Thanksgiving.�
�Seriously...?� Nick scrunched his nose as his friend nodded.
�Two kinds,� his warm eyes twinkled as Greg explained; �Nana Olaf�s specialty is bacalao, while Grandma Hojem�s was gravlaks. Then we also made grønnerterstuing, potetstappe, rødkål, lefse, homemade cranberry sauce, and sandbakels sandkake.� Nick had no idea what any of that was, but he was impressed at how well the younger man switched from English to Norwegian. �When I was a kid, I�d spend nearly the entire holiday in the kitchen with my mom and grandmothers�I still help Nana Olaf and Mom cook on the rare occasion I make it to California.�
Nick tried to imagine a Sanders family Thanksgiving, but from what he had heard of Greg�s zany grandfathers and domineering mother, he decided it was probably better for his sanity not to. �My family�s all American and we tend to keep things traditional, especially the holidays. Thanksgiving is always turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce -from a can- green bean casserole, squash, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied yams, biscuits, and pumpkin pie. The guys set the table and then play football or watch the game while all the cooking is being done. We aren�t even allowed in the kitchen�not that there�s much room in there with the number of female relatives I have.�
�You have�four sisters, right?� Greg asked as he layered some lox on his bagel. When Nick nodded, he returned the gesture thoughtfully. �That�s going to fill a kitchen easily enough.�
�Yeah, but fortunately it was big enough to also hold my mom, both my grandmothers, three aunts, the five girl cousins, two great aunts, and the housekeeper sometimes hung around for the holidays.� The Texan laughed lightly at the stunned expression the slighter man wore.
�Wow, it sounds like The Brady Bunch, only without the whole second marriage part� I don�t think you could fit that many people in my parents house, let alone the kitchen.� The younger man grinned easily, clearly unperturbed by their very different backgrounds, which Nick appreciated. While the Texan was very proud of his family, he never liked to make it obvious that he came from such a prominent and well-to-do lineage; always preferring to know that he was succeeding in his own right.
�The family ranch is pretty big. You know, I�ve never even heard of any of those foods you mentioned,� Nick stated after a very brief pause. While he enjoyed their conversation and wanted to learn more about the willowy man, he really did not want to think about his family at the moment�it brought up a question he had struggled with since high school; one he still had not managed to answer. The longer he waited to decide whether he should tell them about his preferences or not, the harder it seemed to be to reach a decision. He knew his feelings for Greg were bound to change everything, and he could only hope it would all be for the better.
Pushing the long-pondered thoughts from his mind, Nick looked over both his and Greg�s breakfasts, thinking that while the younger man�s did not look as filling as his, it did not look bad either. Of course, he figured lox and bagels were probably much more Americanized than the other dishes the younger man mentioned. �Is Norwegian food pretty good?�
�Yeah; at least I think so. You work tomorrow, right? �Or later tonight, I guess.� Greg replied, and Nick nodded. �I have some FårikåL at home. I�ll bring you some to try at lunch. I made it before work yesterday, but it�s really good leftover.�
The older man shrugged and nodded as he finished his breakfast. He had tasted some of Greg�s cooking before and found it plenty appetizing...although those had all been dishes he could pronounce, like rack of lamb and pasta primavera. If all else failed, at least he knew he had a frozen burrito in the freezer at work. �Yeah, thanks. I�m always up for a good home cooked meal.�
The DNA technician grinned. �How about this then; I just got K-1 World Grand Prix for my PS2; maybe you could come over sometime this week and I�ll make grilled salmon or one of my grandmothers� other recipes, if you feel daring after trying my FårikåL.�
The sable-eyed man smiled. He would definitely be taking the brown-eyed chemist up on that offer. However, he was raised with some manners, so even as he nodded, he said, �That sounds great, but I don�t want to put you out. Pizza or burritos is fine by me for a night of gaming.�
�Dude, how do you stay that ripped eating that stuff?� Greg shook his head in wonder.

Nick snorted, �You�re starting to sound like Sara�and I was just trying to save you the hassle. I�d like to come over anyway, but you don�t have to cook for me.�
Greg shrugged as he returned to his breakfast. �It�s no hassle. If you just want me to stick to something simple, I can, but I like cooking�it�s like chemistry, only without the risks of asthma attacks or explosions.�
The Texan laughed, �All right then, Greggo.� Nick consciously had to refrain from using the term it�s a date. �You�re on.�
Greg did not intend to hold Nick to his earlier offer, but the older man insisted on paying the bill and tip anyway.
They chatted easily on their way out the diner, and Nick nonchalantly escorted the younger man to his car in order to prolong their time together. He was not sure if Greg was simply caught up in the conversation, or if he also wanted to delay their parting. In either case, they ended up standing between Greg�s car and Nick�s truck for nearly twenty minutes before the Texan noticed a busboy looking at them oddly as he dumped the trash, and decided it was time to go home.
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