Author's Notes: Hmm...Standard disclaimers, I don't own CSI, but I'd like to own Greg ^.~ Just kidding. Nah...It'd be funny though.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Time/Scene change
-------------------------- = Day change
.......................... = Meanwhile
~*~****************************~*~
Greg's nose was the reason he was awakened, the faint smell of bacon cooking. As his eyes parted, he noticed that he was in the living room, rather the bedroom. He groaned out lightly as he sat up, rubbing the side of his face and his eyes, his memory not fuzzy exactly, but a bit jumbled. The last thing he remembered was Nick was here...Did he leave early? Or did it even happen?
Shaking thoughts from his head that he didn't want to think about, Greg stood up, but nearly fell back onto the couch.
"Head rush..." he said quietly, a hand rubbing his forehead.
"You're up early." Greg wasn't much expecting a voice and the sound of it startled him slightly, causing him to fall backward onto the couch.
"Ack!"
Nick chuckled lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Well...Whatever..." Greg -was- half-asleep a second ago, but he was wide awake now. He groaned once more, stretching his feet to the end of his couch.
"I take it you don't get up that early."
"What...time is it?"
"It's around 9. What time -do- you get up?"
"...That's not important." Greg sighed. "What's important though...is that you're still here. Any reason as to why?"
"You fell asleep on me. I didn't have the heart to leave you alone. Any problem?"
Greg flashed his teeth in this smile. "Nah...None here. But...Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Listen; I made breakfast. Come and get some?"
"You cooked breakfast? Really? Wow! Didn't know you could cook!"
"Don't sound so surprised. I've been having to do so lately."
"Well, that's okay. But thanks for cooking! I appreciate it." With that, Greg bounded up from the couch, dashing into the kitchen.
Nick watched Greg run past him, a small laugh escaping. "Not a problem..." Nick turned around and walked into the kitchen, stopping right where he stood when he noticed what Greg was wearing. He really hadn't noticed it before.
"Isn't it a little, uh...Cold to be wearing that?"
Greg turned around, giving Nick a full frontal view of his test tube printed boxers and defined upper body. "What?"
Nick pointed to Greg's clothes, and the man lifted his arms to the sides, a plate in one hand and a pair or tongs in the other. He looked down at his underwear, his face flushing red. As he lifted his head back up, he quickly turned around and set the plate and tongs onto the counter.
"You're right. It .... It is a little cold for this. I'll be right back."
Before Nick could even much respond, Greg darted to the side, down the hall that was conjoined with the living room. He slammed his bedroom door, staying in there for more than at least 5 minutes. When he finally returned, Greg was wearing a pair of dark denim shorts, along with a white undershirt covered by a white-flower blue printed hawaiian shirt.
"This better?" he asked with his laughing smile. "Threw it together."
"Hmm? Really now...You're going to wear that to work, aren't you?" Nick was sitting in the chair across from Greg's, his plate already set up.
Greg nodded cheekily. "Maybe. Well...I might change into pants. Professional look, you know?"
Nick lifted his cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip, nodding a bit in Greg's direction. [Awfully cheeky for just being mugged a couple hours ago...]
Walking his way back over to the counter, Greg fixed up his plate and filled his cup of coffee. After all the preparations were set, he scuttled over to the table and set it all down, pulling out the chair and sitting down. He picked up a fork and began to nibble on some of the eggs that Nick had prepared. He looked down at the plate, a hint of red still in his cheeks.
"Hmm..." Nick mumbled, looking over toward his eating friend. "Do you like it?"
"Obviously I underestimated your cooking skills. This is really good." Greg set the fork down and looked up at Nick, smiling. "Tasty too."
"Glad you like it."
After Greg went back to eating, Nick picked up his cup of coffee and hovered it right at his lips, setting his elbows on the table as he began to think. What kind of man would try and rob a person in a parking lot? There could have been other people around, but unfortunately, that wasn't to happen. He silently watched Greg eat, the younger man seemingly not even remembering what had happened to him earlier. He deserved that. Hopefully it wouldn't be that hard to forget.
"Greg..." Nick broke the silence, his eyes still looking at the other.
Greg blinked, set his fork down and looked up at Nick. "Hmm?"
Nick was going to ask about last night into further detail, but the final moment proved to him he couldn't hurt the boy's enjoyment. "Get enough sleep?"
Greg paused. "Hmm? Well...Yeah, I got enough sleep. One question, though...Did you stay with me the whole time last night? If you did...Erm..." He looked down. "You were a good..." he whispered the last word. "...pillow."
"I make a good what? Pillow? Is that what you said?"
Greg nodded meekly. Nick chuckled a little, setting his coffee down on the table. The two of them stayed quiet for a few moments, but Greg broke it with a light chuckle.
"Yes, I said a pillow. But it's only the truth." Greg kept his face down as his cheeks flushed once more with red.
Nick noticed it this time around, but he decided not to say anything about it. The newspaper he had picked up from outside was sitting on the table, and figuring now was the best time, he decided to read it. Greg didn't notice that Nick wasn't looking at him anymore, his eyes still gazing at his plate. Nick took the rubber band off of the paper, separating some of it and setting it to the side; right now he'd stick with the sports. Anything to keep his mind off of the incident that happened to his friend. He seemed more struck by it right now than Greg did.
He shuffled the paper a few times before lifting it up to a reading level, squinting his eyes a little at some of the smaller font. As much as he refused to believe his eyes were messing up lately, they were doing just that. Most of the time it was from stress, or overexcitement. Mainly stress for him. As he read through the sports articles, he found that most of the scores were the same as the always were...
[Not many interesting things to read about in today's paper...]
Nick hadn't noticed this until he had stop reading, but Greg was mumbling things to himself. What, he didn't know. The boy was just mumbling, shaking the fork back and forth. Nick tried to listen in, but Greg wasn't exactly speaking that loudly. Clearing his throat, Nick set the paper on the table and peered over at Greg.
"What -are- you saying?"
Greg stopped abruptly, looking up at Nick with his fork near his mouth. "Hmm? What?"
"What are you saying? You're...mumbling."
"Oh! Um...Nothing important. Don't worry about it."
"You sure, there? I mean...Your face and all, it looked a little fanatic."
"Oh...It's okay. Completely okay." Greg was seemingly a little nervous.
Nick nodded slowly, his eyes gazing at Greg still. After Sanders caught wind of the eyes, he kept his away from the line of sight the other had on him.
"Greg? What's the matter?" Nick kept his dark orbs locked on Greg's as best he could, leaning in a bit.
"N-nothing. It's nothing."
"Greg Sanders, don't make me wring it out of you."
Greg looked up, his face flushed red as it had been for the past few minutes. "I told you. It's nothing. Now, please, stop asking."
"Okay, okay, calm down, Greg...Jeez." Nick sighed a little, picking up the paper once more to read it. He wasn't really reading it as much as he was using it as a cover so he could continue to watch Greg. He felt kind of odd doing it.
Greg began to tap his feet under the table, his eyes looking out the window to the side of his table. It overlooked The Strip, which wasn't too far away. It looked...much different in the daytime. Kind of pretty, even. Greg's mind began to wander, and the first thought was of Nick, and the wonderful breakfast his friend cooked for him. The spiky haired one's eyes followed his mind and they wandered into the area where Nick was, planting themselves on his form. He couldn't help but look at Nick, though he didn't know why. He seemed...so entranced by the paper. He was faking it.
Nick felt Greg's eyes fall upon him, and though he wanted to look up, he kept his eyes on the paper. He began to read the top articles so he could just barely see Greg's eyes. This worked out well, because Greg was staring at him as if he was naked or something.
"Something you're not telling me, Sanders?" Nick asked, keeping his attention on the newspaper. He caught sight of Greg's blush turning redder, and he chuckled out softly.
"W-what are you talking about, Stokes? Are you seeing things?" He lifted a hand over his eyes.
"I see the way you're looking at me. I'm not blind, you know."
"Well, you -must- be, because I'm not looking at you. I'm looking -past- you, toward the door."
"Liar."
"Excuse you? Hello? That's rude..." Greg scoffed angrily, pushing back the chair he was sitting in.
"Well, you know what? it isn't rude...It's the truth. If you want to look at me, just say so."
"You're odd, you know that Stokes?"
"You know you like it, Sanders."
"When did we start using last names? And...if I didn't know better, I'd say you were flirting." Greg cocked his head in curiosity.
"You don't know better. It's sad, really."
Greg pouted, his arms folding over his chest. "Hey, don't pick on me! I was mugged, you're supposed to be nice to me."
Nick's expression softened. "...Well, fine then. I apologize. If you do."
"I do."
"Then we're square."
"Great! Now, you can help me with dishes."
"I cooked, why should I help with dishes?" Nick pushed his chair back, picking up the newspaper and folding it up. "I mean...You wash them much better than I do."
Greg made a weird noise before sighing, beginning to pick up all the plates at the table. He didn't even respond to what Nick had said. Didn't bother him any. Nick stood up and took the newspaper with him out into the living room. Though Greg found himself watching Nick walk out, he didn't think of it as much more; who would?
After Sanders had stacked up the plates, silverware and glasses, he put them in the sink. Turning on the water faucet, Greg began to hum a little tune to himself, though not much knowing what it was. Just something he must've made up. As he waited for the water to fill up, Greg turned around, looking into the living room. Nick was sitting on the couch, reading the paper just as he was when he was sitting at the table. Why didn't he just stay in the kitchen?
Greg sighed a little, feeling like Nick didn't much want to be with him right now. He felt sort of dependent right now, like if he didn't have Nick, he wouldn't have made it through the night. He wondered just why exactly Nick stayed with him...He would have doubted anyone would do that for him. But...Nick did. He was a real friend. A friend that Greg was happy to have. The water started to fill to the rim, and with a little bit of it dripping over the side, Greg gasped, turned around, shutting it off rather quickly.
Greg began to wash the dishes, his thoughts wandering to the most random of subjects. He thought about what it would be like if the world were run by monkeys...Or if he could fly. That would rock. He began to get a little rhythm as he washed, setting the plates in the other part of the sink so that they could be rinsed later. He began to mouth some lyrics to the song he heard earlier in the car, but the thought of that brought back the memory of the mugging. He wasn't as...hurt as he was last night. Maybe having someone around with him had something to do with it. Everything seemed lighter, more carefree when Nick was around.
Greg, who was off in his own little world, continued to wash the dishes, but he didn't notice Nick come up behind him. His breath was quiet, and so were his steps, so it was almost as if he wasn't there. As Greg finished washing the last glass, he set it in the other part of the sink and just as he turned around, he finally noticed Nick was there. He jumped practically out of his skin, yelling out in surprise as he hit the counter.
"God Damnit Nick! Don't do that!" Greg lifted a hand to his chest, panting.
Nick raised a hand to his mouth, holding back his laughter as he turned around. "Geez, Greg, you'd think someone was-" He stopped with what he almost said.
"Someone was what?" Greg's expression fell serious. "About to jump me?"
"Not what I was going to say, but whatever floats your boat."
Greg stayed silent as he walked around Nick, stopping once he caught his eyes. "Really, Nick. What were you going to say?"
"It's not important. Forget it." The tone of his voice became more stern, but Greg seemingly wouldn't drop it.
"Come on, tell me."
"No." Nick began to walk to the living room, but that didn't do much. Greg followed.
"Nick! Just say it!"
"....you'd think someone was about to mug you. There. I said it. Happy?"
"Honestly? It...Really doesn't much bother me now. Sure, I lost like, $20, but I got away with my life, you know. If I see that bastard again I'm going to hurt him even worse than I did."
"Than you did? You never said anything about hurting him."
"Sorry, but I was shaken up. It's nothing big. I just kicked him."
Nick raised an eyebrow curiously. "Really?"
Greg nodded. "That's all."
"Well...I see." He didn't much say anything after that.
"That all you have to say to that? No snide comment? No joke?"
"Why should I joke about it? You did it so you could save yourself. I have no problem with that."
"...Good." Greg shifted his eyes around, somewhat confused as if that was what he should say. He didn't know.
Once again, there was that eerie silence between the two of them as they stood there. Greg's eyes shot toward the clock, which now stated that it was about 9:45 or so. Not much time passed, but it seemed so much longer. Nick cleared his throat a little, dropping himself onto the couch. Greg just stood there, staring at the clock almost in disbelief. The thought just suddenly occurred to Greg: He hadn't showered today. The uncomfortable silence between he and Nick was building, and as much as he'd like to say around and be with it (yea right), he figured he should shower. Turning to Nick, Greg rocked on his heels.
"Hey, uh, listen. I'm...gonna hop in the shower, and uh...maybe go do some grocery shopping."
"Oh?" Nick looked up to Greg as he pushed himself against the back of the couch.
"Yeah. If you want, you're more than likely to stay, even join me. A-at the store, I mean! But uh, it's all up to you." Greg was tripping over his words, and it was annoying him.
Nick stroked his chin, as if in deep thought. It didn't take him much to reply. "Sure, I've nothing else to do today. Mind if I watch a little TV while you wash up?"
Greg shook his head. "What's mine is yours, bud. But uh..." Turning to look down the hall, safely away from Nick's eyes, Greg continued, "...Thanks for staying with me last night. It meant a lot."
Nick knew the other guy was nervous and felt odd saying that, but he couldn't help smiling softly. "Not at all. But uh, just remember, I'm here for you, okay?"
Greg nodded sheepishly, but he acknowledged that. He didn't say anything else, just walking into his room and gathering the clothes he'd use. After that, he made way toward the bathroom right next to his bedroom. Nick stayed out in the living room, his eyes staring at the blank television screen. He'd have liked to turn it on, but...He didn't know where Greg kept the remote. It didn't occur to him that he should've asked beforehand. He decided that, instead of looking for the remote, he'd just turn the TV on manually.
Now that the TV was on, it was set to FOX, like Greg usually had iton, the moments he ever really watched it, that was. The Simpsons were on, and as much as Nick didn't care for the show, it sounded interesting enough for the moment. He leaned back, the volume fine as it is, and watched the cartoon show while Greg showered. The boy didn't come out for another 20 minutes or so. Once he did, he was dressed in a simple towel, his body coated with a thin layer of water droplets. He walked into the living room, running another towel through his hair. He didn't really care what Nick was thinking, this was the warmest place in the house.
Nick turned his head from the television when he heard Greg walk out, but he wasn't expecting him to be so...revealing. He quirked a brow curiously, lifting an arm over the side of the couch as he turned the rest of his body.
"Isn't that cold too?"
"For your information," Greg began. "this is the warmest room in the house. Most of the time I don't have company with me, so I'm just going about my normal way."
"Well, don't get so defensive. Just curious. Nice hair, by the way."
Greg took that as offensive, though Nick's true intention was for it to be a compliment. He thought it fit the younger man. "Thanks..." his tone was slightly sarcastic.
"I'm just being truthful."
Greg blinked, cocking his head as he stopped. His attention was now on Nick. "Really? You mean that?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Thanks," Greg said softly, draping the towel around his broad, slender shoulders. He turned to move down the hall, but was stopped when Nick cleared his throat. "Something else to add?"
"N-no. Sorry, just clearing my throat."
"Oh...Okay then. I'll go get dressed and then I'll be out, and we can go?"
"Sounds good to me."
Greg nodded and headed into his room, shutting the door behind him. It didn't take him too long to dress, and when he came out, he looked more like he did when he arrived at work. Khaki pants and white t-shirt with a dark blue button up shirt over it, buttonless. He headed straight into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, fixed up his hair, then slid out and into the kitchen. His shoes were there from when he took them off last night, so he reached down beside the counter and picked them up, slipping into them. Finally ready, he walked into the living room, noticing that Nick was looking at him when he came out.
"Something I miss?" Greg asked, looking over his body.
Nick shook his head, turning himself around so that he could turn off the television. "Nah, but I like this look better than the one I saw earlier."
"You mean you didn't like my body? I'm crushed." Greg laughed a little, a small pout forming. He walked over to the table beside the table where he dropped off his keys, propping them in one hand as he smiled brightly at the other.
Nick chuckled softly to himself, standing up. He ran a hand through his short hair, brushing it into a better look. He needed a shower, but he thought it could wait for later. "Crushed? A little harsh wording, don't you think?"
"Ah, I think it fits. But that's just me."
"You're right. Just you."
"Don't you ruin my moment, Stokes." Greg smirked wildly, running a hand over his spiked hair. It looked like he just splat some gel in it and let it stay that way.
"Ah...I won't. I'll leave it be. So, we going or what?"
"Maybe 'or what'."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Greg stepped around the corner of his apartment building, his eyes falling onto the parking lot. He froze in place, Nick bumping into him.
"Greg? You okay?" He blinked and furrowed his brow, but once he saw what Greg was staring at, he understood. Setting a hand slowly to Greg's shoulder, Nick sighed.
"I-...I'll be fine. Nothing too big I can't handle." Greg released a strong sigh, looking down for a moment before raising his head. "I can walk through here. No one would attack me during the day. They'd be stupid to."
Nick nodded, and when Greg started to walk once again, he followed. Looking around at the scene, Nick found himself trying to analyze it, as if he was on duty right now. He shook the thoughts from his head, peering ahead to Greg's car. As the younger man slid into the driver's seat, Nick walked around and sat down in the passenger's side, buckling up. He gazed around the inside of the car, his eyes landing on Greg at the end. He heard the other clear his throat and mess around with the mirror, though from the looks of it, it didn't need it.
"You going to be okay, Greg?" Nick was concerned, like he usually was, but he didn't want to prod the matter too much.
"I'll...be fine. Don't worry about me."
There was some sincerity that layed in those words that made Nick want to believe that, but his other part felt as if Greg was lying just so Nick wouldn't bug him about it. Even though Greg was the one who called him over, Nick respected the possible wishes of his friend. Turning his attention back to what was in front of him, Nick sighed silently, feeling the car shift and Greg pulling out.
~*~*********************************~*~
Author's Notes: Review please! ^_^ I mean....Reviews are what I live for! Heh heh, just kidding. Well, maybe not ^.~ Hopefully my writer's block will clear up and I can finish up the last few chapters of Until It's Over, and also start up again and Law and Love...*Grumbles* I had so many ideas for that, but now they all left me. Sheist...Anyway! Hope you like the story so far ^.^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ = Time/Scene change
-------------------------- = Day change
.......................... = Meanwhile
~*~****************************~*~
Greg's nose was the reason he was awakened, the faint smell of bacon cooking. As his eyes parted, he noticed that he was in the living room, rather the bedroom. He groaned out lightly as he sat up, rubbing the side of his face and his eyes, his memory not fuzzy exactly, but a bit jumbled. The last thing he remembered was Nick was here...Did he leave early? Or did it even happen?
Shaking thoughts from his head that he didn't want to think about, Greg stood up, but nearly fell back onto the couch.
"Head rush..." he said quietly, a hand rubbing his forehead.
"You're up early." Greg wasn't much expecting a voice and the sound of it startled him slightly, causing him to fall backward onto the couch.
"Ack!"
Nick chuckled lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Well...Whatever..." Greg -was- half-asleep a second ago, but he was wide awake now. He groaned once more, stretching his feet to the end of his couch.
"I take it you don't get up that early."
"What...time is it?"
"It's around 9. What time -do- you get up?"
"...That's not important." Greg sighed. "What's important though...is that you're still here. Any reason as to why?"
"You fell asleep on me. I didn't have the heart to leave you alone. Any problem?"
Greg flashed his teeth in this smile. "Nah...None here. But...Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Listen; I made breakfast. Come and get some?"
"You cooked breakfast? Really? Wow! Didn't know you could cook!"
"Don't sound so surprised. I've been having to do so lately."
"Well, that's okay. But thanks for cooking! I appreciate it." With that, Greg bounded up from the couch, dashing into the kitchen.
Nick watched Greg run past him, a small laugh escaping. "Not a problem..." Nick turned around and walked into the kitchen, stopping right where he stood when he noticed what Greg was wearing. He really hadn't noticed it before.
"Isn't it a little, uh...Cold to be wearing that?"
Greg turned around, giving Nick a full frontal view of his test tube printed boxers and defined upper body. "What?"
Nick pointed to Greg's clothes, and the man lifted his arms to the sides, a plate in one hand and a pair or tongs in the other. He looked down at his underwear, his face flushing red. As he lifted his head back up, he quickly turned around and set the plate and tongs onto the counter.
"You're right. It .... It is a little cold for this. I'll be right back."
Before Nick could even much respond, Greg darted to the side, down the hall that was conjoined with the living room. He slammed his bedroom door, staying in there for more than at least 5 minutes. When he finally returned, Greg was wearing a pair of dark denim shorts, along with a white undershirt covered by a white-flower blue printed hawaiian shirt.
"This better?" he asked with his laughing smile. "Threw it together."
"Hmm? Really now...You're going to wear that to work, aren't you?" Nick was sitting in the chair across from Greg's, his plate already set up.
Greg nodded cheekily. "Maybe. Well...I might change into pants. Professional look, you know?"
Nick lifted his cup of coffee to his lips and took a sip, nodding a bit in Greg's direction. [Awfully cheeky for just being mugged a couple hours ago...]
Walking his way back over to the counter, Greg fixed up his plate and filled his cup of coffee. After all the preparations were set, he scuttled over to the table and set it all down, pulling out the chair and sitting down. He picked up a fork and began to nibble on some of the eggs that Nick had prepared. He looked down at the plate, a hint of red still in his cheeks.
"Hmm..." Nick mumbled, looking over toward his eating friend. "Do you like it?"
"Obviously I underestimated your cooking skills. This is really good." Greg set the fork down and looked up at Nick, smiling. "Tasty too."
"Glad you like it."
After Greg went back to eating, Nick picked up his cup of coffee and hovered it right at his lips, setting his elbows on the table as he began to think. What kind of man would try and rob a person in a parking lot? There could have been other people around, but unfortunately, that wasn't to happen. He silently watched Greg eat, the younger man seemingly not even remembering what had happened to him earlier. He deserved that. Hopefully it wouldn't be that hard to forget.
"Greg..." Nick broke the silence, his eyes still looking at the other.
Greg blinked, set his fork down and looked up at Nick. "Hmm?"
Nick was going to ask about last night into further detail, but the final moment proved to him he couldn't hurt the boy's enjoyment. "Get enough sleep?"
Greg paused. "Hmm? Well...Yeah, I got enough sleep. One question, though...Did you stay with me the whole time last night? If you did...Erm..." He looked down. "You were a good..." he whispered the last word. "...pillow."
"I make a good what? Pillow? Is that what you said?"
Greg nodded meekly. Nick chuckled a little, setting his coffee down on the table. The two of them stayed quiet for a few moments, but Greg broke it with a light chuckle.
"Yes, I said a pillow. But it's only the truth." Greg kept his face down as his cheeks flushed once more with red.
Nick noticed it this time around, but he decided not to say anything about it. The newspaper he had picked up from outside was sitting on the table, and figuring now was the best time, he decided to read it. Greg didn't notice that Nick wasn't looking at him anymore, his eyes still gazing at his plate. Nick took the rubber band off of the paper, separating some of it and setting it to the side; right now he'd stick with the sports. Anything to keep his mind off of the incident that happened to his friend. He seemed more struck by it right now than Greg did.
He shuffled the paper a few times before lifting it up to a reading level, squinting his eyes a little at some of the smaller font. As much as he refused to believe his eyes were messing up lately, they were doing just that. Most of the time it was from stress, or overexcitement. Mainly stress for him. As he read through the sports articles, he found that most of the scores were the same as the always were...
[Not many interesting things to read about in today's paper...]
Nick hadn't noticed this until he had stop reading, but Greg was mumbling things to himself. What, he didn't know. The boy was just mumbling, shaking the fork back and forth. Nick tried to listen in, but Greg wasn't exactly speaking that loudly. Clearing his throat, Nick set the paper on the table and peered over at Greg.
"What -are- you saying?"
Greg stopped abruptly, looking up at Nick with his fork near his mouth. "Hmm? What?"
"What are you saying? You're...mumbling."
"Oh! Um...Nothing important. Don't worry about it."
"You sure, there? I mean...Your face and all, it looked a little fanatic."
"Oh...It's okay. Completely okay." Greg was seemingly a little nervous.
Nick nodded slowly, his eyes gazing at Greg still. After Sanders caught wind of the eyes, he kept his away from the line of sight the other had on him.
"Greg? What's the matter?" Nick kept his dark orbs locked on Greg's as best he could, leaning in a bit.
"N-nothing. It's nothing."
"Greg Sanders, don't make me wring it out of you."
Greg looked up, his face flushed red as it had been for the past few minutes. "I told you. It's nothing. Now, please, stop asking."
"Okay, okay, calm down, Greg...Jeez." Nick sighed a little, picking up the paper once more to read it. He wasn't really reading it as much as he was using it as a cover so he could continue to watch Greg. He felt kind of odd doing it.
Greg began to tap his feet under the table, his eyes looking out the window to the side of his table. It overlooked The Strip, which wasn't too far away. It looked...much different in the daytime. Kind of pretty, even. Greg's mind began to wander, and the first thought was of Nick, and the wonderful breakfast his friend cooked for him. The spiky haired one's eyes followed his mind and they wandered into the area where Nick was, planting themselves on his form. He couldn't help but look at Nick, though he didn't know why. He seemed...so entranced by the paper. He was faking it.
Nick felt Greg's eyes fall upon him, and though he wanted to look up, he kept his eyes on the paper. He began to read the top articles so he could just barely see Greg's eyes. This worked out well, because Greg was staring at him as if he was naked or something.
"Something you're not telling me, Sanders?" Nick asked, keeping his attention on the newspaper. He caught sight of Greg's blush turning redder, and he chuckled out softly.
"W-what are you talking about, Stokes? Are you seeing things?" He lifted a hand over his eyes.
"I see the way you're looking at me. I'm not blind, you know."
"Well, you -must- be, because I'm not looking at you. I'm looking -past- you, toward the door."
"Liar."
"Excuse you? Hello? That's rude..." Greg scoffed angrily, pushing back the chair he was sitting in.
"Well, you know what? it isn't rude...It's the truth. If you want to look at me, just say so."
"You're odd, you know that Stokes?"
"You know you like it, Sanders."
"When did we start using last names? And...if I didn't know better, I'd say you were flirting." Greg cocked his head in curiosity.
"You don't know better. It's sad, really."
Greg pouted, his arms folding over his chest. "Hey, don't pick on me! I was mugged, you're supposed to be nice to me."
Nick's expression softened. "...Well, fine then. I apologize. If you do."
"I do."
"Then we're square."
"Great! Now, you can help me with dishes."
"I cooked, why should I help with dishes?" Nick pushed his chair back, picking up the newspaper and folding it up. "I mean...You wash them much better than I do."
Greg made a weird noise before sighing, beginning to pick up all the plates at the table. He didn't even respond to what Nick had said. Didn't bother him any. Nick stood up and took the newspaper with him out into the living room. Though Greg found himself watching Nick walk out, he didn't think of it as much more; who would?
After Sanders had stacked up the plates, silverware and glasses, he put them in the sink. Turning on the water faucet, Greg began to hum a little tune to himself, though not much knowing what it was. Just something he must've made up. As he waited for the water to fill up, Greg turned around, looking into the living room. Nick was sitting on the couch, reading the paper just as he was when he was sitting at the table. Why didn't he just stay in the kitchen?
Greg sighed a little, feeling like Nick didn't much want to be with him right now. He felt sort of dependent right now, like if he didn't have Nick, he wouldn't have made it through the night. He wondered just why exactly Nick stayed with him...He would have doubted anyone would do that for him. But...Nick did. He was a real friend. A friend that Greg was happy to have. The water started to fill to the rim, and with a little bit of it dripping over the side, Greg gasped, turned around, shutting it off rather quickly.
Greg began to wash the dishes, his thoughts wandering to the most random of subjects. He thought about what it would be like if the world were run by monkeys...Or if he could fly. That would rock. He began to get a little rhythm as he washed, setting the plates in the other part of the sink so that they could be rinsed later. He began to mouth some lyrics to the song he heard earlier in the car, but the thought of that brought back the memory of the mugging. He wasn't as...hurt as he was last night. Maybe having someone around with him had something to do with it. Everything seemed lighter, more carefree when Nick was around.
Greg, who was off in his own little world, continued to wash the dishes, but he didn't notice Nick come up behind him. His breath was quiet, and so were his steps, so it was almost as if he wasn't there. As Greg finished washing the last glass, he set it in the other part of the sink and just as he turned around, he finally noticed Nick was there. He jumped practically out of his skin, yelling out in surprise as he hit the counter.
"God Damnit Nick! Don't do that!" Greg lifted a hand to his chest, panting.
Nick raised a hand to his mouth, holding back his laughter as he turned around. "Geez, Greg, you'd think someone was-" He stopped with what he almost said.
"Someone was what?" Greg's expression fell serious. "About to jump me?"
"Not what I was going to say, but whatever floats your boat."
Greg stayed silent as he walked around Nick, stopping once he caught his eyes. "Really, Nick. What were you going to say?"
"It's not important. Forget it." The tone of his voice became more stern, but Greg seemingly wouldn't drop it.
"Come on, tell me."
"No." Nick began to walk to the living room, but that didn't do much. Greg followed.
"Nick! Just say it!"
"....you'd think someone was about to mug you. There. I said it. Happy?"
"Honestly? It...Really doesn't much bother me now. Sure, I lost like, $20, but I got away with my life, you know. If I see that bastard again I'm going to hurt him even worse than I did."
"Than you did? You never said anything about hurting him."
"Sorry, but I was shaken up. It's nothing big. I just kicked him."
Nick raised an eyebrow curiously. "Really?"
Greg nodded. "That's all."
"Well...I see." He didn't much say anything after that.
"That all you have to say to that? No snide comment? No joke?"
"Why should I joke about it? You did it so you could save yourself. I have no problem with that."
"...Good." Greg shifted his eyes around, somewhat confused as if that was what he should say. He didn't know.
Once again, there was that eerie silence between the two of them as they stood there. Greg's eyes shot toward the clock, which now stated that it was about 9:45 or so. Not much time passed, but it seemed so much longer. Nick cleared his throat a little, dropping himself onto the couch. Greg just stood there, staring at the clock almost in disbelief. The thought just suddenly occurred to Greg: He hadn't showered today. The uncomfortable silence between he and Nick was building, and as much as he'd like to say around and be with it (yea right), he figured he should shower. Turning to Nick, Greg rocked on his heels.
"Hey, uh, listen. I'm...gonna hop in the shower, and uh...maybe go do some grocery shopping."
"Oh?" Nick looked up to Greg as he pushed himself against the back of the couch.
"Yeah. If you want, you're more than likely to stay, even join me. A-at the store, I mean! But uh, it's all up to you." Greg was tripping over his words, and it was annoying him.
Nick stroked his chin, as if in deep thought. It didn't take him much to reply. "Sure, I've nothing else to do today. Mind if I watch a little TV while you wash up?"
Greg shook his head. "What's mine is yours, bud. But uh..." Turning to look down the hall, safely away from Nick's eyes, Greg continued, "...Thanks for staying with me last night. It meant a lot."
Nick knew the other guy was nervous and felt odd saying that, but he couldn't help smiling softly. "Not at all. But uh, just remember, I'm here for you, okay?"
Greg nodded sheepishly, but he acknowledged that. He didn't say anything else, just walking into his room and gathering the clothes he'd use. After that, he made way toward the bathroom right next to his bedroom. Nick stayed out in the living room, his eyes staring at the blank television screen. He'd have liked to turn it on, but...He didn't know where Greg kept the remote. It didn't occur to him that he should've asked beforehand. He decided that, instead of looking for the remote, he'd just turn the TV on manually.
Now that the TV was on, it was set to FOX, like Greg usually had iton, the moments he ever really watched it, that was. The Simpsons were on, and as much as Nick didn't care for the show, it sounded interesting enough for the moment. He leaned back, the volume fine as it is, and watched the cartoon show while Greg showered. The boy didn't come out for another 20 minutes or so. Once he did, he was dressed in a simple towel, his body coated with a thin layer of water droplets. He walked into the living room, running another towel through his hair. He didn't really care what Nick was thinking, this was the warmest place in the house.
Nick turned his head from the television when he heard Greg walk out, but he wasn't expecting him to be so...revealing. He quirked a brow curiously, lifting an arm over the side of the couch as he turned the rest of his body.
"Isn't that cold too?"
"For your information," Greg began. "this is the warmest room in the house. Most of the time I don't have company with me, so I'm just going about my normal way."
"Well, don't get so defensive. Just curious. Nice hair, by the way."
Greg took that as offensive, though Nick's true intention was for it to be a compliment. He thought it fit the younger man. "Thanks..." his tone was slightly sarcastic.
"I'm just being truthful."
Greg blinked, cocking his head as he stopped. His attention was now on Nick. "Really? You mean that?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Thanks," Greg said softly, draping the towel around his broad, slender shoulders. He turned to move down the hall, but was stopped when Nick cleared his throat. "Something else to add?"
"N-no. Sorry, just clearing my throat."
"Oh...Okay then. I'll go get dressed and then I'll be out, and we can go?"
"Sounds good to me."
Greg nodded and headed into his room, shutting the door behind him. It didn't take him too long to dress, and when he came out, he looked more like he did when he arrived at work. Khaki pants and white t-shirt with a dark blue button up shirt over it, buttonless. He headed straight into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, fixed up his hair, then slid out and into the kitchen. His shoes were there from when he took them off last night, so he reached down beside the counter and picked them up, slipping into them. Finally ready, he walked into the living room, noticing that Nick was looking at him when he came out.
"Something I miss?" Greg asked, looking over his body.
Nick shook his head, turning himself around so that he could turn off the television. "Nah, but I like this look better than the one I saw earlier."
"You mean you didn't like my body? I'm crushed." Greg laughed a little, a small pout forming. He walked over to the table beside the table where he dropped off his keys, propping them in one hand as he smiled brightly at the other.
Nick chuckled softly to himself, standing up. He ran a hand through his short hair, brushing it into a better look. He needed a shower, but he thought it could wait for later. "Crushed? A little harsh wording, don't you think?"
"Ah, I think it fits. But that's just me."
"You're right. Just you."
"Don't you ruin my moment, Stokes." Greg smirked wildly, running a hand over his spiked hair. It looked like he just splat some gel in it and let it stay that way.
"Ah...I won't. I'll leave it be. So, we going or what?"
"Maybe 'or what'."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Greg stepped around the corner of his apartment building, his eyes falling onto the parking lot. He froze in place, Nick bumping into him.
"Greg? You okay?" He blinked and furrowed his brow, but once he saw what Greg was staring at, he understood. Setting a hand slowly to Greg's shoulder, Nick sighed.
"I-...I'll be fine. Nothing too big I can't handle." Greg released a strong sigh, looking down for a moment before raising his head. "I can walk through here. No one would attack me during the day. They'd be stupid to."
Nick nodded, and when Greg started to walk once again, he followed. Looking around at the scene, Nick found himself trying to analyze it, as if he was on duty right now. He shook the thoughts from his head, peering ahead to Greg's car. As the younger man slid into the driver's seat, Nick walked around and sat down in the passenger's side, buckling up. He gazed around the inside of the car, his eyes landing on Greg at the end. He heard the other clear his throat and mess around with the mirror, though from the looks of it, it didn't need it.
"You going to be okay, Greg?" Nick was concerned, like he usually was, but he didn't want to prod the matter too much.
"I'll...be fine. Don't worry about me."
There was some sincerity that layed in those words that made Nick want to believe that, but his other part felt as if Greg was lying just so Nick wouldn't bug him about it. Even though Greg was the one who called him over, Nick respected the possible wishes of his friend. Turning his attention back to what was in front of him, Nick sighed silently, feeling the car shift and Greg pulling out.
~*~*********************************~*~
Author's Notes: Review please! ^_^ I mean....Reviews are what I live for! Heh heh, just kidding. Well, maybe not ^.~ Hopefully my writer's block will clear up and I can finish up the last few chapters of Until It's Over, and also start up again and Law and Love...*Grumbles* I had so many ideas for that, but now they all left me. Sheist...Anyway! Hope you like the story so far ^.^