Title: CSI's and Lab Techs (1/9)
Author: Emono
Rating: PG-16
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas
Pairings: Grissom/Archie, Warrick/Greg, Hodges/Nick
Disclaimer: CSI is safe from me, I can't hack them. *snort* Who do you think I am? Archie? Pfft…
Summary: Archie and Greg can't let Hodges get away with it…so they help him.
Beta: gil_follower
Warnings: Characters acting like teenagers, maybe some OOC
AN: I really wanted to do this new pairing I read about, deemed 'Brownie' where it's Warrick/Archie. But then I realized I would be doing Grissom/Greg, and I've already done one series and three prompt stories on just that one pairing, let alone three or four ficlets. Too much! *tears out hair* I burned myself out. So as much as I'm infatuated with this Brownie love, I must content myself to three pairings that aren't done very often. Yeah! Rare pairings three-some-way series!
"Psst! Greg! Pssssssst!"
Greg looked up from the freshly printed DNA results. Archie's head was peeking in his door, dark eyes sparkling with mischief. The spiky haired tech grinned, oh yes! New gossip! He scanned the immediate area through the glass walls. Spotting no one, he motioned the A/V specialist inside.
"Got a moment?" Archie inquired unnecessarily.
"Always, love" Greg teased "What's up?"
"Well, you know how we're the first to know anything?" Archie leaned against the table, hands draping casually over one another "Apparently we missed something very important, dude…but I caught the results before anything else."
Equally dark eyes sparkled, "And…?"
"Hodges asked Nick to dinner at his place" Archie watched the shock roll through his best friend's body "I know, that's what I said. If that wasn't enough, Nick accepted."
Greg picked his jaw up off the floor, "You're leaving something out, Arch."
Archie leant close, voice lowering to a purr, "Nicky didn't go home last night."
Greg nearly recoiled, "What?! You mean-"
"Hush, Greggo" Archie held up a finger "This remains between us."
"But…" the DNA tech's brain went into overdrive "How do you know? How are you sure?"
"Nick's got on his spare set of clothes" Archie clicked his tongue softly, glancing towards the far wall off-handedly "And he can't keep that 'I've just been fucked within an inch of my life and loved every second of it' look off his face."
"Like you do after a nooner with Gil?" Greg's lips quirked, the other grinned back.
"Exactly" Archie pushed off the table, intention clear in his eyes "I think we should go visit our good friend David and teach him what it meant to be a lab tech lover."
Greg's grin was evil, "The warmest welcome, of course."
»*»
Archie slammed Hodges up against the lockers, right in his face.
"What the hell are you doing with Nick?" Archie growled, fingers tight in the Trace Analyst's collar.
"What?" David inquired breathlessly, back throbbing from the solid impact.
"We know you fucked Nick" Greg leant on the locker beside him, face set in a harder expression than normal "We want to know why."
The flush on David's cheeks could have been from anger or embarrassment, "You both need to find someone else to talk about, I'm not in the mood to humor you."
The DNA specialists lips quirked, "But we want to be humored."
"Once more with feeling, Hodges" Archie pulled the way away from the locker, only to slam him back into it harder "Why did you take Nick into your bed?"
"Be honest" Greg snapped when he saw the man's mouth open, he knew his next comment would be an example of that attractive wit "We'll know if you're lying to us."
David's mouth snapped shut again, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. The other two tech's could practically hear that genius mind whirring, the gears spinning so fast they hummed. David visibly relaxed into the lockers, something warm blooming in those steel eyes before they fluttered shut.
"I've been subtly courting him for the past two months, little things" Hodges struggled, he missed the silent communication between the two of them at the word 'courting' "Just hints, to let him know I was here if he wanted to give it a shot. No one was more shocked than me when he accepted and - you're wrinkling my shirt, Johnson, and I don't appreciate it."
Archie let the man go, but they were both a little wary.
"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you" David glanced between the men, but it was obvious there was something he needed to discuss "So why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing the boss, and Greg's practically putty at Warrick's feet" Archie stated, revealing both their relationships in a few short words. He could see Greg's eyes widen a fraction of an inch just on the edge of his vision, but this was a risk he had to take. "And Nick's part of their team, our family. He's basically our brother…and we're concerned. If everything went down like we think they did-"
"It did" David wasn't about to lie "But…I'm afraid I ruined it."
Greg perked up at this, Hodges never spoke like this. He didn't admit emotions, he didn't show vulnerabilities, he didn't give a hint of a heart. But now the Trace Expert was ringing his hands, showing anxiety. His eyes held love and pain, and he expressed fear. Concern, even, for a CSI.
"You were Dom, then" Greg stated, it wasn't a question.
Archie took a step back, giving the man room to breath, "Did you do something he wasn't comfortable with? Did you freak him or just freak him out?"
David's eyes held concern, "I bit him…maybe too hard."
Greg made a gesture, inquiring a further explanation.
"He didn't seem to mind as we were…when we were together" David shifted his weight to his other foot, untwisting his hands and letting them hang at his sides "But in the morning, before work, I caught him looking at it with this expression."
There was true pain in his voice, and he seemed to shrink into the lockers. Steel eyes blinked harshly, surely those weren't tears in his eyes? When he spoke, his voice was coarser, ready to crack under the emotional stress of the entire situation.
"I, damn…I think it was disgust."
"He didn't mind then, he shouldn't have minded later" Archie looked off, subconsciously rubbing the bite mark Gil had just left just below his collarbone. "Some people like it, some don't."
"I don't know" David bit out, hands clenching into fists "It's frustrating, and nonsensical. I should just be able to talk to him. Why is it so difficult? Every time I try my…my throat swells shut and my mouth goes dry. I turn into…into-"
"-a love struck idiot?" Greg smiled gently "Yeah, it happens to the best of us."
Hodges legs nearly gave out on him, "…fuck….am I even allowed to be in love with a CSI?"
Archie's brow furrowed, "You're not even going to deny it?"
David looked up skeptically, "Why? You both know, he knows, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before you tell your lovers too."
Lovers…the word struck the other lab tech's warmly. It had been too long since they been told they had or were called 'lovers.' Bed buddies, fuck toys, sheet warmers, ladder climbers, yes. But lovers? Maybe Hodges wasn't such a bad guy, maybe they could accept him into their little family. It would make date night a helluva lot more interesting…
"What if we fix this?" Greg offered.
David's eyes lit up, "Would you?"
"Yes" Archie confirmed, giving him a lazy smile "But Hodges, dude, if this works out…you have to join up with us."
The tech's brow creased, "I…don't follow."
"Gil and Warrick are good friends, but Archie and I weren't when we first hooked up with them" Greg explained patiently "But they kept throwing us together, and soon we clicked. Now we're best friends, and we all get together a lot."
Partial-understanding clicked in David's mind, "So…?"
"Warrick and Gil love Nick" Archie pointed out "He's even been out with us a few times. If you get with Nick and guys click…well, then you'll have to click with us too. It'll be a power house alliance, the three of us. To put it in terms you like, man…think of how far our efficiency rating will go up. The three of us together, with our lovers as CSI's, this lab will shake Nevada."
The full picture formed prettily in David's mind, "Well…you two are rather powerful just by yourselves. With my expert skills, I could make you two look better. I'd like that…"
Archie and Greg met eyes, silently communicating.
"That" Hodges voice shook a little, gesturing between them "That would be nice to have. I've never had that with someone before."
"A strong bond?" Greg stepped closer, putting hand lightly on the Trace Expert's arm "You'll have a lot of that. We're good friends, promise."
They both stuck out their tongues from between grinning lips, fingers crossed, putting on quite the childish display for the other tech.
"If you can get Nick to at least look at me…" David bit down upon his tongue when he heard the nickname slip out, receiving wide grins "Just…tell me if I've screwed this up too horribly."
"We will" Greg answered truthfully.
The two friends were halfway out the door when Archie turned, smiling.
"You know, David, I never considered you a 'top' kind of guy. Proved me wrong, didn't you?"
While Hodges flushed, the two left giggling.
TBC