Author: partlybouncy (PurplePopple)
Prompt: Warrick/Greg friendship or slash from joannec
Spoilers: General season 7
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI. These characters do not belong to me. Any errors, typos and characterization problems on the other hand do.
Summary: Greg's bath gets interrupted.
Greg was chilling in his bath tub, taking a bubble bath. It was the most awesome bath tub. It was a very manly claw footed whirl pool bath tub. The tub was why he'd rented this apartment. Greg was totally digging his bubble bath, thinking how he just needed a Bert to his Ernie, a Janet and Chrissy to his Jack. It just wasn't going to be happening any time soon. There was so much going on at work that was keeping him down. There was the civil action against him, the miniature killer, Catherine being attacked, a co-worker dying... Just the thought of all that made him feel melancholy and down. This bath wasn't supposed to be about that. It was supposed to be about escaping all that. Greg leaned over the edge of the tub, cranking up the volume on his iPod's stereo set, blasting some The Vines. He leaned back and went back to chilling. He wiggled his toes and watched the waves. Yeah, this was nice. He should do this more often.
Five minutes later, the melodic chimes of a Green Day ringtone broke in against the musical backdrop of the Chris Brown song currently pumping out of Greg's iPod stereo set up. "Shit," Greg said to the bathroom as he leaned over the side of the tub, fumbling for the offending object. Greg swore one more time before he got the phone open. "Sanders."
"Hey Greg, are you busy?" Greg sighed. Not some hot chick. Not his Bert. Not his Chrissy or Janet. Warrick was the voice on the other end of the phone, and probably not calling about hooking up with Greg, not that Greg wanted to be hooking up with Warrick but at this moment, hooking up with Warrick was a much sweeter thought than being called back in to work.
"I'm taking a bubble bath, in the tub with my rubber ducky, rocking out to some quality music," Greg responded a few seconds later. "So technically, yeah, sort of busy."
"That's more than I needed to know. I don't want to go home thinking about you naked. The wife won't be appreciating that."
Greg tensed up in the tub. "What did you call about?"
"You don't really have a rubber ducky in that tub with you? Wait. I don't want to know," Warrick continued on, failing to pick up on Greg's irritated tone.
"No, I don't. What did you need?"
"Oh yeah. What I called about. Look I know it's your night off and you're not on call but we're swamped. Wendy's out sick. The day shift tech is on vacation. Ecklie asked me to call you and beg you to come in."
"Why'd Ecklie ask you to beg me?" Greg asked, fearing he sounded whiney but not really caring. He left the lab and went out into the field. He shouldn't need to be covering, especially on his off day when he needed to relax.
"Because Sara wasn't around to sweet talk you into it and because Grissom to shove his request up his ass," Warrick replied. "I was the only one who'd do it because I can't move ahead with my case until I get my evidence processed."
"I love Grissom," Greg said rather absently. "I'd so do him if he was in my tub right now for sticking up for me. He's my new favorite person in the lab. Grissom's even better than Sara and Mandy combined for that."
"Look, sorry to interrupt your fantasy involving our boss, but can you come in or not?" Warrick asked. He then realized how irritated his tone might be sounding so he tried to soften it. "I wouldn't be interrupting your time off unless I had to. I know things haven't been going well for you."
Greg put his hand that wasn't holding the phone into the water, and played with the bubbles. "Ecklie told you to beg?" he asked after a beat.
"You want me to beg?"
"Do you want me to come in?" Greg counter.
Greg thought he heard a sigh emanate from the other other man. "Sanders, you're the best DNA tech this lab has ever had. The lab cannot survive with out you. Can you please come in?"
"Not good enough. I'd be giving up a nice, hot bath with a nice fantasy about Chrissy and Janet for you. Try harder," Greg replied. He knew it wasn't a good idea to mess with Warrick this way, with the other man obviously being irritated on several fronts but he was irritated too and wanted something more than work related praise. He knew he was good. Greg just wanted to be recognized now and again for something beyond his greatness at his job with his co-workers. Greg wanted to be more than just the genius quirky guy who was dealing with a shit load of crap because of work. And Warrick was on the other end of the phone, representing work, was going to have to give him some validation before he went back.
"Greg, you're one sexy mofo who could get any woman he wanted. I'll hook you up with one of the women from my little black book, so you can have your rubber ducky fantasy with an actual woman. Just please come in?"
Greg waited a few seconds. "You think I'm sexy?"
"Are you coming in?"
"Just answer the question!"
"Yes, sure, you're sexy," Warrick said.
"Okay, then give me a half hour to get out of my bath and I'll be in," Greg replied.
"Thanks Greg. Seriously, you have no idea what a life saver you're being," Warrick said.
"Yeah, yeah. Just remember my date. See you at work," Greg said. He then closed his phone and tossed it on the floor. Greg spent another five minutes, enjoying the music and the suds before getting out and going to work.