I've done a one hundred word story for this already (not posted at WMTDB, if I'm right…), but…I love Hodges! How can I keep myself away from him? And I know. I'm being that writer who you never want to update because they update too damn much…-scolds self-

It was painfully obvious to him, so why the two of them didn't know was beyond him. On the days that Greg was positioned back in the lab for reasons not always known to him, he would be complete witness to their flirting, which didn't only stop at words. They were touchy-feely, too. Hodges found himself watching, though, tearing his mind away from his work to watch the two of them. They seemed oddly close for straight male friends (although he could only say that Nick was the one in denial), but not really that close for lovers.

It annoyed him, slightly, how they danced around each other – the literal version of that made him chuckle – day after day, night after night, completely oblivious. There were some days, the days that Nick and Greg would both walk in to the lab together, a grin on Greg's face as Nick opened doors for him, that David thought they knew. And acted on their feelings.

But then something else would throw it off, like Greg talking about the girl he went out on a date with a few days ago. He sometimes growled in frustration when he heard about such setbacks, and then had to answer to a roomful of confused and suspicious CSIs that he had just burnt the inside of his mouth on coffee, sulking back to his lab as he tried to figure out a way to get the two of them together.

He was pretty sure the entire lab thought he had a crush on Nick Stokes, due to the fact that he asked about his love life more than he should have. But the entire lab said he was either deeply involved or wasn't in a place in his life that he could date.

Nick's love life was the only real obstacle of getting the two of them together, because he knew that Greg was all talk – he had heard him telling someone on the phone (probably one of his family members) that he hadn't dated in ages, the blonde having just told the entire room that he had a hot date the night before. Hodges never even thought that Greg may be lying to his family. It seemed to be loads easier to lie to his coworkers than his family, because he had heard the story from years ago about Greg talking to Nick about liquid latex. And just a few weeks ago, Greg had brought in trace amounts on someone's clothing, and when Hodges brought it up, he raised an eyebrow and managed to say a 'huh?' Yes, David was pretty sure that Greg lied to land higher places on Nick Stokes' relationship ladder.

Then there were the days that they avoided each other like a deadly virus. These days Hodges had pegged as a something-was-said-last-night and-I-don't-really-want-to-admit-that-I-love-you "mornings after." That, or if the relationship had already began, they were mornings after of fights. Either way, it was times like these that he knew he had to step in and interfere.

His first plan was trying to get one of the men to admit to having fallen for someone in the lab. He decided that Greg would be easier, seeing as Nick never spoke about his personal life. And also, he had already tried to get it out of him.

"I'm not going to tell you about my love life, Hodges, so just let it go,"

"Come on, the statistics won't be known by anyone but me…I'm asking the entire lab," Hodges struggled to keep up with the Texan's long strides, and as he watched Nick walk through the hallways of the lab, he knew why Greg had fallen so hard.

"No chance, Hodges. I tell you anything and the next thing I know, I'll have a bunch of people I don't know talking about me," he stopped to drop something off on the DNA desk, writing a quick note of who left it and the time on a post-it. "And besides, I don't kiss and tell,"

Hodges was sent a firm glare, and he sighed in frustration as he watched Nick's retreating form. Greg would definitely be easier.

"Sanders, my favorite CSI!"

"What do you want, Hodges?" Greg asked, studying something in a microscope, looking up and wondering what had happened to Wendy, and making plans to scold her for leaving him alone in a room Hodges had easy access to.

"Can't I just say how much I appreciate what you do for this city without you asking what I want?" Hodges tried, knowing by the look that was on Greg's face he was quite transparent. "Alright, alright, I'm doing a general...survey... of who's fallen for who in the lab, and I need to start somewhere," as a last minute thought, he figured it'd be a good idea to add that he had already talked to Nick. "And Nick's not talking, so I figured you would…"

"You asked Nick?" Greg asked, raising his eyebrow as David nodded. "What'd he tell you?" there was a hint of amusement in the blonde's voice and the lab tech shook his head, hoping that he wouldn't have to relive the situation.

"Never mind what Nick said, I'm asking you,"

"Not a chance," Greg turned back to his microscope. "You want gossip-worthy stuff, you go to Jacqui or Judy, you don't come to me,"

"Come on, I'll keep your evidence at the top of the pile for a month," though Hodge's words were tempting, Greg continued to disagree. "No,"

"Two months," David pushed, looking at Greg almost desperately. He was going to get this out of him one way or another, even if he had to sell himself.

"Two months? I…No, no way,"

"A year," silence fell in the room, and Sanders seemed almost lost in thought, a faraway look in his eyes.

"A year?" he repeated, inspecting Hodges as though he was going to have 'I'm lying' written somewhere on him. Feeling uncomfortable and restless, David nodded. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone,"

"Cross my heart," he said, subconsciously leaning forward. Greg beckoned him closer, eyebrow raised, before nodding his head.

"It's you,"

Hodges stuttered out a response. "Me."

"You. Now you know why I always seem to hate you," Greg winked at him, and Hodges came to a screeching realization that he was lying.

"You're lying. Tell me the truth,"

"Already did. Now get out of my lab," Greg commanded, shooing him away with his hand. David took the hint and left, turning his head to look over his shoulder as he shouted back his response.

"If you love me so damn much, you wouldn't be telling me to leave. And it's not your lab!" upon turning his head back, he managed to run straight into Nick, who was holding two cups of coffee, somehow managing to not spill them as he held them higher, raising an eyebrow in an amused glance at David.

He heard laughter following him as he went back to his lab, thoroughly pissed off and determined to find a plan B.