The Faultless Relations
Conrad Ecklie was sitting in his office and pretending composure. To attain this effect before all the people who were walking near he needed to present unimpeachable diligence – shuffled documents, signed a few papers, read, wrote down, scratched his chin, sighed, a brooding face, drooping eyes, and once again, sighed – so everyone could see how hard he worked. Since all the mechanical movements were mastered for years, to perfection, he wasn't afraid of revealing his fraud. Ecklie wasn't working at all, and was far away from self-control.
Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders. Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes. He hated night shift, and the names of these two were driving him mad lately, of course, if it could be called a madness. He considered himself as a broadminded person who would stand many things but...the tolerance ended within the walls of this criminalistic laboratory. He didn't intend to accept any of the manners which diverged from the normal behaviour in a workplace. Because a workplace is a workplace, not a one-minute-hotel or a hovel for rendezvous. He had, in his head, a speech ready to say with a strong and peremptory tone. Only when Nick Stokes came here...
Knocking at the jamb of the door. "You called me?"
It was Nick Stokes.
He greeted him with a kind hand gesture. "Sit down, please. We need to talk about a...heavyweight issue."
It was an ordinary day. Ecklie was going to his office with a briefcase in one hand and breakfast in a paper bag in the other. The forecast was normal – he would be able to annoy everyone who turned up near to him. He was walking with his dynamic pace near to police cars, until he heard a sound of braking few meters behind him. Automatically he turned around. In his private car came Nick Stokes, and in the front passenger seat sat Greg Sanders. He knew that they worked together on an exceptional and nasty case. Stokes and Sanders had lots of evidence, so lately they were spending a full twenty-four hours in the lab, like Grissom. Ecklie didn't know what seduced him to spy on these two. He stood a little bit nearer to one of the police cars and squatted so as not to be spotted by them through the front window.
Probably, they had breakfast together because Greg was eating the last pieces of a sandwich and sipping fruit cocktail from the huge beaker. After some moments, the younger crime scene investigator slipped the straw to his older friend. Nick sipped. The first anomaly for Ecklie – what guy drank from the other guy's beaker and by the straw? They were talking casually, smiling at each other. Finally, Greg finished his sandwich and crumpled the wrapper. He was peeking all the time at Nick. In this look wasn't anything suspicious. Rather... When Greg dropped his paper to the empty cocktail beaker, Nick touched his arm and said something quietly. The visual answer of the younger man was mixed with astonishment and pleasure. He asked Nick about something and understood his nod. Nick's hand begun to move gently on Greg's arm, then to his neck, and right up to his chin, which he grasped between thumb and forefinger. He said something softly. With his thumb he touched the corner of Greg's lips and started to rub, as if he wanted to remove a bread crumb. The younger investigator bit his lips and then parted them. He compounded his eyes lightly. Suddenly Nick's thumb was drawing all over the lips, firstly delicate, then harder. After a few seconds the fingertip slipped into the parted mouth. Greg closed it gently and started to suck. The rest of Nick's fingers were stroking Greg's Adam's apple which was moving up and down. Ecklie couldn't believe what he had seen. Their facial expressions were showing such deep satisfaction which he had never experienced. He even didn't notice that he had let go of the bag with breakfast. And not at all was it the end. Greg started to lean over Nick slowly and delved his finger deeply into his mouth. Ecklie didn't understand why his heart started to beat faster. He was afraid to imagine what would happen next. The younger man's head was brought closer and they opened their lips together and begun to kiss avariciously, still with the thumb between their lips. Greg's palm (from which he let go of the beaker long ago) perilously approached the steering wheel side and then was coming down slowly, lower and lower... Ecklie managed to see sturdy Nick's hip movement and then he could only turn around.
Ecklie rushed into the lab building like a drunk, wiping away sweat from his forehead. He had never seen such a thing. Never.
"Why did you call me?" Nick asked with his courteous voice.
Ecklie sat down on a chair facing him. Between them stood a small black table on which were laid cups with coffee. How had this stupid idea of entertaining Nick Stokes arisen in his mind? He explained that to himself in a very simple way – he needed to collect all the thoughts which were vanishing like poison gas when the crime scene investigator came.
"It's about your work attitude." He gave him a sugar bowl. "Of course, not about executing your duties because you don't have a problem with that." Ecklie thought that would bite it back. How could he praise someone from the night shift? "It's more about your relations with your co-workers."
He saw in Nick's eyes that the praise was, for him, dubious.
"My relations are faultless," he said.
"I don't doubt it," Ecklie answered, and smiled nervously "Especially your relations with..." Greg's name couldn't come out from his throat.
Nick whisked his eyebrows in anticipation. "With who?"
Ecklie coughed. He used that to pretend that he was choking. He tapped himself on the breastbone and breathed in loudly.
"Between you is a very specific relationship." He coughed again. "Of course, the differences we need to accept. We are broadminded people, right?" An artificial grin.
Nick's face was neutral. He sipped coffee from the cup.
"Well..." Ecklie clapped. "We need to establish what is and what isn't allowed in the workplace. It's very important if we want everybody here to feel comfortable and not overpowered by specificity..." He was talking as though from the pages of a stupid guidebook.
"Ecklie," Nick interrupted him. "Can you say something more concrete? 'Cause I still don't get what you want from me and this person with whom I have some special relationship and who I even don't know."
Ecklie smiled artificially again. "It's hard for me to say."
"I see." Nick answered with easily tangible malice.
"Are you reasonable? Right?" He said it in one breath.
Nick nodded. "What's your point?"
"You're experienced and you know exactly how to behave appropriately."
"I still don't know what you mean."
"Calm down. I'll explain."
"I'm calm."
Ecklie considered that this day would be really ordinary. Just nothing could surprise him in the lab. He confirmed this belief to himself very simply – took a walk and greeted with every encountered person with a vitriolic tone. He intended to pace everywhere, even along the least unbeaten corner. Finally, normal joy from the joyful day.
The locker room door was half-open. He heard from behind it the clash of an opening locker. Ecklie just wanted to dispatch his head and surprise the workers but he saw Greg Sanders. He rearranged something in the locker. He heard a noise from the shower. Ecklie didn't want to think who was bathing there. But of course, he would become convinced soon by his own eyes because the water was turned off. Of course, from the shower cabins came Nick Stokes, wrapped in a towel around his loins. And wrapped really low, even too low... Greg turned to him and licked his lips. He couldn't take his eyes from the still damp Nick's torso.
"I guess you're fresh and clean now," Greg said coquettishly and ostentatiously turned back to the locker.
Nick laughed quietly. "Do you have a second towel for me?"
"Why? Dry up with the one you have. I think it's enough."
He started to rearrange stuff in the locker again. Nick walked up to him slowly. Greg insistently was holding himself so as not to turn to him. His older friend begun to whisper something in his ear. Greg couldn't stop his smile, more and more blushing cheeks.
"Maybe you'll stop it?" he asked.
Ecklie couldn't see clearly but he was sure that Nick started to lick Greg's ear. He only bent his head closer to the older investigator who after a few minutes lightly crouched and begun to suck his earlobe. Greg sighed. Both Nick's palms slid under his shirt and stroked. His left hand was going higher, slowly, right up to the nipple which it pinched. Greg sighed again and Ecklie could sense in him the mixture of pain and pleasure. He turned ahead slowly to his partner and excused himself from the grip for a moment. Nick leaned him against the lockers. They were smiling at each other. Greg slipped the tip of his tongue and licked Nick's lips quickly which didn't catch his.
"So, you want to play with me like that?" Nick mumbled, catched Greg by his wrists which he raised high and also leaned. He started to push him by his body firmly. "And what will you do now?" He bit his neck gently.
"Something," he answered, and ended with a sigh when Nick's tongue's tip begun to circle behind his ear. "Somebody's happy to see me." The older investigator's hips pushed him harder. Greg moaned and started to breathe louder. Nick's lips went back to his neck and were nibbling softly.
Greg's legs softened and he couldn't stand. Only Nick's strong grasp and his body's pressure still were ballasting him in the upright position. Finally, the hands which were holding his wrists started to go lower and lower and stopped at his waist. Palms went back under the shirt which they were lifting, and right up, two naked torsos got in touch. Nick's lips started to circle from his breastbone to belly button and stopped. He blew on it and touched the tip of his tongue to it every moment which induced tickling and giggles.
"If somebody comes in?" he asked while he was catching his breath.
Nick stood up and grazed his torso against Greg's. "Are you afraid?" He kissed him gently.
"A little bit," he answered and lifted his left leg. Greg leaned his foot onto a nearby bench. He felt once again, a stronger push at his hips. They started to kiss and Greg's palms were massaging Nick's buttocks. After few moments Greg moved away from his partner's head.
"You know, I also want to meet with somebody else."
"If you want," Nick said and grabbed Greg's thighs to make it easier for him, enlacing his waist with his legs. He was carrying Greg and still kissing him all the way to the shower cabins.
"We need to explain few things." Ecklie was saying with no sense. After fifteen minutes he was still circling around the same stuff that was making Nick more irritated. "Ok." He breathed in. "It's time to say something more concrete about it."
Nick wasn't looking persuaded because Ecklie repeated that more than ten times.
"I can't treat that in this way. We need to talk about it, get used to it, understand it, start to accept..."
"Please, stutter out." Nick said a little louder. He would rather Ecklie be malicious and annoying than puzzled and confusing. Nick just knew where he stood. And puzzled Ecklie was pathetic.
"I know..." He paused. Nick hurried him with his glance. "About your interests."
"What?"
"Your way to relax..."
"So?"
"You and Sanders." Finally, he said it.
"What about me and Sanders?"
"Please, don't play dumb 'cause even you don't look it."
"Ecklie, what do you mean? For half an hour I've been sitting here and not doing my job which is waiting for me. I'm tired of listening to all this gibberish."
Ecklie clenched his lips. "I only want to say that..."
"Please, say it in two or three words." Nick cut in suddenly.
"You're having sex with Sanders."
"Excuse me, what?"
"You're having sex with Sanders. Hear it well."
"And?"
"It's a punishable offence if you're doing that in public places."
"And?"
"You and Sanders should be reprimanded and fined."
"Will you fine us?"
In life it is possible to see a lot of surprising things and Ecklie was really hard to surprise. Years of work as a CSI had hardened him. But of course, it's impossible to say that you have seen everything. Unfortunately, Ecklie ascertained himself in a very unconventional way and within the walls of a place which he thought was his mainstay of safety.
He behaved as normal as usual. Even his connection with night shift wasn't changed. Maybe sometimes he was staring at Sanders and Stokes and seeing in their faces something which he couldn't name. By his trained eye he was seeing on their necks the traces of a fresh bite, small bruises. But it was possible that his imagination was playing tricks on him so he saw things which he wanted to see.
For a long time none of the incidents were repeated. He calmed down a little bit and was thinking that the intimate lives of Grissom's workers were closed in their own bedrooms. He were totally convinced about it when he passed by the door to the supply closet. Generally he never paid too much attention it. It just was. And it would never have changed if he hadn't hear behind him a sudden noise. Ecklie stopped, put his ear against the door. He heard a hushed voice, no... it was loud breathing. Very loud breathing. He had never heard it before. Ecklie looked around the hallway. No one was around, he didn't hear someone's steps. The rhythm of the breath was changing, it started to be slower and slower or faster. It changed to sighs and impossible to understand whispers. After a few minutes faded. Some rustles appeared, a few smacks, a quiet laugh. Ecklie felt that this was the best moment to withdraw from the door. He ran quickly to the corner of the right hallway and waited.
The door of the supply closet was opened. Ecklie was not surprised by the view of Sanders who had dishevelled hair sticking out to every side of the world. That definitely wasn't his new hair style. He started to adjust it. With a grin he at last went away. Ecklie was still waiting. Sanders couldn't be alone in the supply closet. Finally, after few minutes came Stokes. Like Greg a few minutes back, he looked around. Sure that he was alone, he checked his fly.
"Stokes, I'm a tolerant man."
Ecklie found in himself enough strength to continue this discussion. "But I can't say that I accept you and Sanders. You know why?" He even didn't wait for the answer. "Because these kind of relationships are not welcome. Do you understand? These kind of relations just mustn't exist between co-workers who are spending more than twenty-four hours together. And there's no excuse. And that you had sex in a public place is just reprehensible. You and Sanders will not be reprimanded only because..." He had no idea what to say. "You just don't get it. But I don't want to find these situations repeated. Is everything clear?"
"Sure, but you must promise me something." Ecklie looked at him angrily. Nick was relaxed. "Don't peep us in home. Ok?"
Ecklie's ears changed their colour to red. Oh God, how he hated night shift.