Adult-FanFiction.org : Television / Streaming

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
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author�s notes: Thanks to rusty_the_train (from Live Journal) for providing me with a few Norwegian terms of endearment�otherwise, Greg would only use it for simple words and food. ^_^

Also, the cases aren�t really that important to this story (other than seeing the characters interact and react), so I just skim the details. The information on private chats in this chapter is in no way meant to be educational (or even particularly accurate).

See chapter one for further notes and the disclaimer.
Norwegian translations: Jeg skulle ønske jeg kunne. = I wish I could.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
After work that morning, Nick paced his living room a few times before he stopped, took a deep breath, and pressed the �send� button on his cell phone. A familiar voice greeted him after the second ring.
�Hey, baby brother! It�s been awhile�how are you doing?�
Nick smiled nervously at the sound of his oldest brother�s voice. �Hey, Will. I�m doing all right. How �bout you?�
�Can�t complain,� the elder Stokes stated happily. ��But it sounds like you might be doing less than alright. What�s going on?�
The sable-eyed man sighed. Will had always taken his position as the eldest Stokes child to heart, and took it upon himself to look out for each of his siblings, even after they had all grown up. Nick knew his observant brother would know something was up the moment he called. �You know how dad always used to tell us what to expect when we found �the one��?�
There was a light chuckle on the other side of the line. �Oh, yeah; He used to say if the first thing we noticed about a girl was her body, then she was a fling. If it was her eyes, smile, laugh, or something she said, then she was the one.�
Nick smiled, �Yeah, and how she would be our intellectual equal or better, but understanding of our egos enough not to flaunt it if she was smarter��
�Which he always said she probably would be,� Will added. �And that she would understand our jobs and be willing to accept the hours and all.�
�How her interests would overlap ours but not be exactly the same, so she would always interest us and surprise us�and how she would encourage us to be better men, but at the same time, not try to change us herself.� Nick had the sudden urge to add or himself as he realized how well the lengthy description fit Greg.
�Oh, and don�t forget, she had to be a good cook, to show she was willing to put effort into everything she did�� The younger man snorted at his brother�s words, remembering his thoughts over lunch earlier.
��But also be able to get us to do the dishes without a fight.� Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. �I always thought that was a bunch of bullshit he said to flatter mom or something.�
�I thought the same thing until I met Claire.� Nick could hear the smile in his brother�s voice. It always appeared when he spoke of his wife of seven years. �So does this mean you finally learned that he was right?�
�Oh yeah,� Nick laughed and moved one of his insulated curtains to block out the mid-morning sun. �I never thought one person could change the way I feel about everything��
�That�s �cause only one person usually can and it isn�t so easy to find �em,� Will commented lightly.
�The weird thing is I think I�ve actually felt this way for a long time, maybe even since we first met�but it�s like I just wouldn�t let myself see it for what it is.� Nick shook his head slowly. �Why did I waste so much time? Everything I needed was right beside me��
�You just weren�t ready yet,� Will explained easily. �You didn�t do anything because some part of you knew this wasn�t going to be a fling or something simple that you could afford to mess up. You needed to wait until you were ready to be in it for the long haul. The important thing is that she waited for you�that�s a good sign.�
Nick nodded at the truth of his bother�s words. He would have hated to string Greg along while he was still getting himself situated. He smiled when he realized that Greg had stuck around, despite the fact that he obviously had feelings for Nick. He frowned when he thought of how hard it must have been for Greg to stay friends with him, hear all about his latest conquests�, and even have to process his semen on one occasion.
The sable-eyed man would definitely not be doing anything to mess this relationship up�once it actually was an official relationship. Nick smiled at the thought of having an actual relationship with Greg. He could easily imagine them talking and touching in his house or Greg�s apartment as easily as they did in the lab�only without the restrictions they faced at work.
Will�s voice broke though Nick�s musings. �So, what�s her name?�
The smile all but died on Nick�s face. He always respected Will more than anyone; had practically hero-worshipped him as a child. He did not think he could take it if his brother scorned him for this. He cast his gaze about nervously, as though something in his living room would be able to tell him whether he was doing the right thing or not. Then, his eyes landed on something that did�
It was a photo hanging on the wall, taken during the last unofficial office holiday party. Jacqui and Catherine were singing some song their children had driven them nuts with as they prepared for their respective holiday pageants. Everyone was laughing, and Nick had thrown an arm Greg�s shoulders for support. His free hand pressed against the slighter man�s chest and Greg had raised one of his own hands over it, as though he were steadying the stronger man. Both were smiling broadly, but neither was looking at the two women that were causing the commotion.
A smile touched Nick�s lips as he saw the way he and Greg were looking at each other. Once again, he had to wonder how so few had figured out their feelings for one another. �It�s Greg.�
A short silence followed that felt very long to Nick as his brother apparently processed what that simple statement meant. Finally, Will responded; �Can he cook?�
Relief flooded the sable-eyed man and he grinned as he answered. �Yeah, he�s a really good cook. He even manages to make fish, lamb, and vegetables taste good.�
�Sound�s like a keeper then,� Will replied wisely, and his little brother could imagine the easy nod that likely accompanied the comment. �You need to start eating better if you want to keep that figure of yours�the gym alone can�t do it and you aren�t getting any younger, you know.�
�Hey, I�m not the one who was growing a pooch the last time we saw each other,� Nick teased good-naturedly.
�Hey, remember I�ve got nearly a decade on you. Besides, we haven�t seen each other in almost a year. The mini pooch left after Claire and I installed the pool during our landscaping renovation, the results of which you still have yet to see. You should try to come out sometime this year; bring Greg with you. Claire and the kids will want to meet him.�
Tears filled Nick�s eyes and he resolutely blinked them away. He swallowed in an attempt not to let his emotion come through in his voice. �You really mean that?�
Will laughed, �Ah, there�s our Mr. Dependable�always worrying about letting people down; When are you gonna get it through your head that you can�t disappoint us? We love you, baby brother. Your feelings for Greg aren�t going to change that�though, if he�s the skinny kid I think we�re talking about, then you can expect some age jokes.� The serious tone his brother had adopted faded and Nick could hear Will grinning again as he added, �You cradle robber.�
Nick laughed and wiped his eyes. �Yeah, that�s Greg. But I don�t know about him making it out with me this year��
�What�s the problem now?� Will sounded confused, and a little frustrated.
�Well, Greg and I aren�t actually together�yet anyway.�
�You haven�t asked him yet?�
�No, I asked��
Will laughed outright, �So you finally got shot down, huh? It was bound to happen eventually, baby brother. Just remember what mom always says; the harder you have to work to earn something, the more rewarding it is when you finally do. Keep working on it; you�ll be glad you did.�
Nick frowned slightly, �How do you know that?�
�Can�t you hear it? Say his name again.�
Sable eyes turned to the photo again and Nick smiled. �Greg.�
�Yep; it�s just like my Claire�or Julie�s Griffin; Beth�s Matt; RJ�s Susan; Ronnie�s Bryan; grandma and grandpa; mom and dad�doesn�t matter what name it takes, that little tone of affection hiding in the word says it all. That�s love, baby brother. That�s something worth trying for. I don�t know what�s holding the kid back, but you gotta tackle it head on.�
Nick�s smile deepened. �You�re right, Will. Thanks.�
�Anytime, Nick. So, you want me to alert the clan?�
�I want to tell mom and dad myself. You could start the grapevine going on the others though.�
�Will do; Just remember, anyone messes with you, they�re messing with all of us. Give the word and you�ll have a heard of angry Texans ready to roll.� Will released a small snort, �And that goes for your boy toy too. He�s family now�or he will be soon enough, if I know you. You never do anything half-assed.�
Nick laughed, then he spent the next half hour finding out how the rest of the family was doing and filling Will in on what else was going on in his life. He hung up and went to bed, falling asleep with a smile on his face as miles away, half a dozen Stokes and former Stokes� relished in spreading the news that the baby of the family had finally found his better half.
The Texan arrived at work that evening to find that Lockwood had procured a warrant. While Nick was pleased at the progress, he was not looking forward to day of sitting in the lab, going over old surveillance tapes, banking transactions, phone calls, text messages, e-mails, and IMs. Nick always preferred to be out in the field working or at least assisting with practical experiments...unless they were of Grissom�s design.
He also was not sure if being right across the (see-through) hall from Greg was going to be a distraction or a benefit. While the entertaining young man was always assistive, Nick figured it might take a while for the novelty of his attraction to allow him to turn his focus away from Greg. He found himself strangely unconcerned about his work persona for once and wondered if this relationship was changing him for better before it had even truly started�
A few hours later, Warrick (who had won their game of rock-paper-scissors) left to follow a couple leads they had gained from the bank records while Nick remained in the lab, looking over the generous number of missives stored on the three young men�s cell phones and laptops. Their suspects appeared to be the sort who liked to send texts and IMs for every little thought that passed through their minds. Unfortunately, they also did not seem to have a firm grasp of the English language, so Nick could not skim over them without fear that he would miss something probative.
Even the large monitor halfway across the room was burning into Nick eyes by the fifth hour of nonstop analysis. He turned his head to check on Greg in the DNA lab for the fiftieth time or so and nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the younger man standing right outside the door. He wondered how Greg managed to move so quietly for half a second before he became fascinated by the look of concentration on the doe-eyed tech�s face as he looked through the glass walls to read the monitors Nick had been viewing. Sable eyes turned back to the monitors, but Nick could not see what the muddle-haired man found so disconcerting.
�Hey, Greggo,� the Texan called through the door, just loud enough to ensure that Greg heard and not the whole lab. He smiled when warm eyes immediately snapped to him. �You wanna come in?�
The DNA expert immediately returned his friend�s smile and entered the room, pausing beside Nick�s chair. �Is this the �accidental� shooting case?�
�Yep,� Nick reached to pull out the chair Warrick had vacated earlier, leaving it closer to himself than he would have with anyone else. �Have a seat, man. How long have you been standing there?�
Greg took the proffered seat and flashed the Texan a quick, grateful smile before returning his attention to the monitors. He seemed completely unperturbed by their close proximity. Nick noted pleasantly that the younger man scooted his chair marginally closer when he adjusted it forward, but the CSI could not tell whether that was intentional or not. �Uh�long enough to notice these guys are speaking in code but not long to decipher it all yet.�
Sable eyes blinked and shot back to the monitor he had been studying. Nick�s wayward thoughts of wooing the young man were instantly pushed to the back burner as the case took precedence in his mind. �Are you serious? Warrick and I have been poring over this crap and we haven�t noticed anything like that.�
�Yeah, at first I thought they were just using a lazy form of chat speak, but they make certain distinctions that don�t follow that idea.� Greg pointed to the keypad and looked at Nick in a way that was clearly asking for permission. The Texan nodded right away and the younger man began pulling up specific missives. �See, here, it reads like they�re talking about a website at first glance, but I think they�re actually talking about a person. It almost sounds like they�re planning to meet but�wait. Do you have any of their private chats?�
�Isn�t that what we�re looking at now?� Nick asked, wondering how someone not even ten years younger than he, who worked just as many hours and was not Archie, had such a grasp of the latest technology already.
�No, these are instant messages�� Seeing that his simple answer once again failed to clear anything up, Greg continued. �A private chat works under a similar format, but you�re on live with multiple computers. They just have to be invited in or sign in with a prearranged password. Is this just the messages or do we have their complete hard drives on here?�
�No, we have everything.� Nick pulled up everything they had and the younger man set to work at an impressive speed. �What exactly are we looking for, Einstein?�
�I doubt they would have saved them on their hard drives, since they put in the effort to hide the fact that they were using them.� Nick noticed that the confidence Greg extended in his area of the lab did not seem to transfer over to this area, despite the fact that he clearly knew what he was doing. In fact, for the first time since they had met, the young man seemed a little nervous to have Nick�s full attention on his work. �What they might not have realized, is that their host probably saved the thread.�
Nick frowned slightly, �The guy who set it up? Why would he do that; blackmail?�
The muddle-haired youth shook his head, �No, I mean the service provider.� Warm eyes turned to glance at the older man. �You know how you can log onto a chat room and jump into a conversation that�s been going on for some time, or read the posts already in the thread to see what everyone�s talking about?�
The CSI�s eyebrows raised slightly as he fixed his friend with a blank look. �Uh, no�but I�ll take your word for it.�
Greg grinned brightly at the older man. �Ah, man, we have to get you caught up on all of this. You don�t know what you�re missing.� He continued to grin slightly as he returned to his self-appointed task of helping Nick with his case. �Ah-ha, found it! Here, now you can see what they were really talking about.�
While his suspects did not spell much better when they were not writing in code, their intentions were still clear by the messages that Nick scanned. �They were planning a burglary�and they decided to plan it in a chat room instead of just meeting somewhere?� The CSI shook his head, �Dumb asses. If they had just met at the lake or a diner, there�d be no proof of any of this.�
Greg turned his head so that he could easily see both Nick and the monitors at the same time. His expression looked slightly confused and very curious. �How much does this help your case though? No one was killed -fortunately- and they never went ahead with the burglary, so what can you do? You still don�t know if it was an accident or not��
Nick smiled and dropped an arm around the slender chemist�s shoulders. �Aren�t you the one who taught me not to put the cart before the horse? First, we see what all we can discern from these messages, and then we figure out how it applies to the case. If nothing else, confronting the suspects with this information will probably change their tune.�
The Texan looked at the monitors again; unaware of the way Greg was looking at the hand that was sprawled over his shoulder. �The guy who did the actual shooting doesn�t seem to be the brains behind this;� Nick pointed out. �Once he learns that we suspect he shot his friend during the commission of another crime, he�ll probably turn on his buddies in a heartbeat. If we can get him to-�
The ringing of his cell phone interrupted the CSI, and he realized he still had an arm draped around Greg as he reached for it. Nick removed his arm leisurely, despite the fact that he was at work and felt the immediate need to put some space between them. �Stokes.�
A loud, trilling noise that sounded like �squee� sounded through the device immediately. Nick quickly pulled the phone away from his ear and Greg�s head turned to look at the device so quickly his neck cramped up. Sable eyes darted to the younger man as he clamped a hand over his neck with a slight hiss. The Texan placed a hand between Greg�s shoulder blades and rubbed gently until he felt the muscles relax.
Nick looked at the caller ID on his phone and, just as he expected, it read Jennie Stokes. �Hey sis; I�m at work now, but-�
�I cannot believe you finally found someone!� Jennie was practically shouting in her excitement. �Isn�t Greg that delightful boy who got us those concert tickets when I was visiting you last? He was such a sweetheart; wouldn�t take a penny from you, and refused to �infringe� on our time together.�
She chuckled lightly, �...So cute. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how happy I am for you two. Next time Ed and I are in Vegas, Greg has to join us all for dinner. Oh! Or can he make it out for the wedding?! Tell him I�ll be a bridesmaid at your wedding if he�ll be one at ours! Ed and I will even shift everyone around so you can walk down the aisle together.�
Nick glanced at the young man beside him, who was now looking over the chat messages again. �Uh�I don�t think that will work out. He�s-�
�Oh, come on, Nick. The kid was wearing eyeliner and possibly lip-gloss when I saw him, and even Betty Davis would kill for those eyes�I�m sure he�ll look very pretty. Besides, we both know you don�t have the legs for a dress�and you�d have to be the man anyway.�
�He�s sill a man too, Jennie,� Nick corrected automatically, �And of course I�d never wear a dress.� Greg�s eyes flickered to Nick, torn between confusion and amusement.
�No kidding;� Jennie�s tone made it clear that she was rolling her eyes at her dense little brother, just like when they were growing up. �I was joking, Nick. Much as I�m sure Greg would be able to pull off a dress -well, I�m sure you�d be the one pulling it off, but whatever- I really would not put him in front of our entire family in one. The goal is to make him feel welcome, not set an angry mob after him.�
Sable eyes narrowed as Nick remembered one of the issues he�d had in coming out back home. �I really have to go; I�m working. I�ll call you tomorrow.� He sighed as he remembered something else; �It sounds like one of the facts I told Will didn�t make it to you.�
�Oh, about you two not being together yet?� Jennie scoffed. �You�ll rein him in soon enough�just approach him like you would a jittery pony when we were kids, and the cat�s in the bag. Love you, little brother; I�ll talk to you later. We�re all rooting for you! Tell Greg I said �hi�.�
�Yeah, I will. Thanks. Bye.� Nick hung up quickly and checked the hall behind him, although he did not know why he was so concerned. Loud as his sister was, no one would have heard her from the hallway and aside from the dress comment; he did not think he said anything that would make it obvious the call had been personal.
The sable-eyes man looked at Greg, who was working quietly beside him with a small smile on his face. �That was one of my sisters�Jennie. She�s the youngest after me. She said to tell you �hi�.�
�When you talk to her later-� Greg�s smile grew slightly at Nick�s flush. �Tell her I said �hi� back. She�s the one who talked you into taking her to that concert a few years ago, right?�
�Yeah, that�s the one. She remembered you too; called you a �delightful boy.� Nick smirked as the poorly hidden embarrassment on his friend�s face. Remembering both his sister and brother�s advice, he decided it was time to let the younger man know he was not giving up. �She also said to tell you that she�ll let you be a bridesmaid at her wedding if you�ll let her be one at ours.�
The chemist had laughed lightly at the idea of being invited to be a bridesmaid at Jennie�s wedding, but the broad smile faltered into a confused one at the rest of Nick�s comment. Warm brown eyes studied the older man�s face while he tried to figure out if that had been some sort of joke. Just because he had no siblings of his own did not mean that he did not understand the way they teased one another�he just found it unbelievable that one of Nick�s sisters would joke about that so shortly after what happened a couple days prior.
The younger man met Nick�s eyes and shook his head ever so slightly before he softly murmured, as though to himself; �Jeg skulle ønske jeg kunne.�
�I�m not kidding,� Nick stated, still smiling as he mistook the willowy youth�s wistful tone for skepticism. �She really said that.�
�Does she know�something?� Greg appeared surprised and impressed when the Texan nodded. �What�?� He glanced at the door and dropped his voice. �I mean, when did you tell her about�this?�
The CSI did not lose his smile as he explained. �I actually didn�t tell her anything, but I didn�t have to. I called my brother, Will, after shift last night. Told him about what happened at the diner�didn�t give any specifics, but he caught on well enough. Everyone else probably knows by now. One thing with us Stokes kids; we know how to pass along news.�
�Wait, so he told all your other siblings that you- What about your parents?� The DNA specialist looked rather concerned now�and more than a little curious. �Are you all right with that? How is everyone taking it? Why did you call him, anyway?�
Nick placed a hand on Greg�s shoulder and squeezed it lightly. �Relax, Greg, its fine. He checked with me first and I told him it was all right. Our parents don�t know yet; I figured I owe it to them to tell �em myself. So far, Jennie�s the only one who felt the need to call squealing with glee, but they�re all happy for me�except for slight the problem with you shooting me down, which they seem to think is just a bump on the road to happiness. Will�s the oldest; that means he�s stuck giving the rest of us advice and I needed some advice about you.�
Warm eyes blinked, looking honestly baffled. �About�?�
The Texan sighed and released the younger man. �Look, you know me, Greg; you know how stubborn I am. I�m not going to let this-� Nick indicated the brief space between them, which seemed to have steadily grown shorter since Greg first sat down beside him- �Just continue to go ignored. I�m not going to pressure you to do anything you aren�t ready for, but I can�t just let it go. I know this isn�t the place to talk about it, but we are going to talk about it later, until one of us can convince the other either way.�
Greg looked a little apprehensive but met Nick�s gaze and nodded slowly. The older man grew a little uncertain himself as he added, �So, if we�re still on for tonight�� He dropped his voice; �I know we�re just friends and I�m fine with that -for now- but I�m going to want to ask you more about what you said�about your dad too.�
The muddle-haired youth released a nervous breath, but then a subtle smile reached his lips and his eyes revealed a mixture of nerves, hope, respect, and affection. �Of course we�re still on for tonight. Maybe I didn�t make it clear the other day, but our friendship means a lot to me�you mean a lot to me. So anything you need to know to be all right with us�� Greg shrugged and smiled lightly. Once Nick returned the gesture, he glanced towards his lab and the smile turned a little apologetic. �It looks like I have some more work on my desk; I better go. I�ll see you later, right?�
Nick nodded and grinned widely before shooting a wink to the younger man. �Half hour after shift, at the latest.�
Greg smiled brightly and headed back to his own lab.
The Texan smiled to himself as he returned to work. He and Greg were on the same page, as he preferred it, and the youth still wanted to spend time alone with him. In addition, his siblings all knew one of his biggest secrets and, instead of being disgusted or ashamed they were supportive and pleased. Now if he could just convince the willowy chemist to give him a chance, everything in his life would be his vision of ideal.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Dating Advice