A/N: Just a little piece of fluff. CSI is property of CBS.
"Whatcha making?" Nick Stokes came up behind his boyfriend, Greg Sanders, and peered over his shoulder. They'd just moved into a new place together, and Greg was breaking in the kitchen.
"Flank steak with bourbon barbeque sauce," Greg replied. "I want to prove Texans aren't the only ones who can make a good steak."
"Sounds good to me. You know I always appreciate a good piece of meat." Nick waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh, you." Greg swatted playfully at his boyfriend. "Now go sit in the living room while I finish up."
Nick left, and Greg applied himself to the steak once more. He finished seasoning it with salt and pepper and slid it under the broiler, setting the timer for five minutes. He consulted the sauce recipe, unearthed a saucepan from a one of the boxes littering the kitchen, and started throwing ingredients into the pan. Brown sugar, salt, bourbona, ketchup. "Oh, no!" Greg wailed.
"What's the matter, babe?" Nick came into the kitchen to see what was wrong.
"We're out of ketchup!"
"That's okay, it's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal," Greg insisted. "I can't make the barbecue sauce without it, and I've already mixed half the ingredients together! It'll all go to waste! I was so sure we had ketchup!"
"We probably threw it out when we emptied out the fridge," Nick said. "It's okay, the store's just down the street. We can get more."
"No, we can't!" Greg said despondently. "We don't have time! The steak will be ready any minute!"
Nick wrapped his arms around his distraught boyfriend. "So, we'll just have to do without sauce. I'm sure it will still be delicious."
"You sure?" Greg asked doubtfully.
Nick kissed the top of his head. "I'm sure." He sniffed the air. "Speaking of the steak, how long has it been in there for?"
"Oh, no!" Greg rushed to the stove and pulled out a charred piece of meat. "I'm sure I set the timer for five minutes!"
Nick checked the timer. "Um, babe, I hate to say this, but you set the timer for five hours."
Greg was practically hysterical. "It's ruined! It's totally ruined!"
"No, dear, I'm sure it's fine," Nick soothed.
"Fine, you eat it." Greg dumped the piece of meat on a plate and shoved it at Nick. "This is a disaster!" He stomped out of the kitchen and into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Nick stared after his boyfriend a minute, bemused, then down at the plate in his hands. He could hear wails coming from the direction of the bedroom. He guessed there was only one thing he could do. He got a knife and fork, carried the plate to the dining room, and sat down to eat. "Mmmmm," he said loudly. "This is delicious." The wails only grew louder. Gamely, Nick cut another piece of charred meat. "Yum. Just the way I like it." No response from his boyfriend.
Nick spent another five minutes pretending to enjoy his meal before giving up and going in search of his boyfriend. He found Greg in the bedroom, lying on the bed crying his heart out.
"Babe?" Nick said, gently touching Greg's back. "It's okay, babe. It was really good."
"No, it wasn't," Greg said. "It was horrible!"
"No, it was fine," Nick lied.
Greg threw himself in his boyfriend's arms. "All wanted to do was make you a nice meal to celebrate us moving in together."
"And you did, babe," Nick assured him.
"No, I didn't," Greg sobbed. "I made a complete mess out of things."
"Shhhh, it's okay." Nick gently rocked Greg in his arms while he cried. "Tell you what," Nick said once Greg was starting to calm down, "Why don't I take you out for dinner and a movie?"
Greg sniffled a minute longer. "Okay."
When they came back five hours later, they were greeted by the timer merrily buzzing away.
A/N: This really happened when my husband and I moved in together. I'm sure many of you can relate. ;)