Ink

2. Pain in the ass

Greg poured himself a cup of his favorite coffee, making sure that his hang over was now long gone. He was feeling a whole lot better. No more dizzy spells, no more urges to hurl, everything was back to normal. He began to remember things from his night out. His memories had returned just as his hang over had disappeared. He remembered going on the boys night out with Warrick and Nick, hanging out at a sports bar somewhere on the strip. He remembered the round after round of beers, becoming less and less sober as the night continued. And then he remembered leaving...but where to? The last thing he remembered in great detail was the joke he had made as the three of them had passed a table of Elvis impersonators. The joke that almost had them in an all out bar brawl, but some how Nick and Warrick had managed to get Greg outside before the fight had gotten underway. After that there was nothing but a blank space in his mind. He sighed. It'd come back to him soon. Until that happens I'll just...

"Owwww!" He yelped out in pain as he took a seat in front of the television. He'd forgotten about that problem.

He stood, wondering what he should do. He could see a doctor, get a professional opinion and find exactly what was wrong with him. I'll take a look at it first. I've reached my embarrassment quota for the next month already. He slowly wandered into the bathroom, deciding that he might as well take a look himself, and see if he could cure the problem himself. Greg stared at his reflection as he mentally prepared himself for anything that he might find. But really, he had no idea what to expect. He hadn't really had the chance to think about it, he'd been too drunk, too hung over or too busy to. Ah well, here goes. Greg stared at his reflection as he mentally prepared himself for anything that he might find. But really, he had no idea what to expect. He hadn't really had the chance to think about it, he'd been too drunk, too hung over or too busy to. Ah well, here goes. He pulled his shirt over his head, un-fastened his belt buckle and removed his pants. The garments formed a small pile on the floor, as he found himself staring at his reflection once more. He couldn't help but hesitate as a hint of fear crept into his thoughts. He tried to convince himself that it would be fine, but still, he hesitated.

Finally he sighed and shut his eyes as he gripped the waistband of his underwear. He slowly began to lower them, before growing annoyed by his faltering. This isn't a striptease...He sighed as he quickly yanked down his underwear. He now stood stark naked in his bathroom, but for once in his life he was feeling completely threatened. He slowly turned, his back now reflecting in the mirror. He then slowly turned his head over his shoulder to look at the reflection of his backside. A hint of vibrant color on his quite pale behind hit him hard with realization.

"Oh God!" He gasped as he stared at the image before him. "No!" He exclaimed as he tried to crane his head further over his shoulder to view his own behind, not trusting what the mirror was showing him. He continuously looked between his bare skin and the mirror, making sure that his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Why didn't they stop...?" He began to ask himself as his thoughts overwhelmed him, and the memory soon returned to him...

The three drunken buddies had somehow wandered down the strip to one of the seedier areas, ridden with sleazy strip clubs and the occasional tattoo parlor. They then somehow managed to enter the said tattoo parlor, where they were met by a large man sporting several different tattoos and piercings across his face and bare arms. Nick and Warrick had pushed him forward, convincing him to get something done. The larger man had led him into a curtained area, and instructed him to take a seat on what appeared to be an old dentist chair. There his drunken self had flicked through page after page of tattoos, before the larger man had suggested a tattoo perfect for the younger and much smaller man. Greg had agreed, and neither Nick or Warrick were there to dissuade him. He was on his own. The sound of the needle rang out in his ears, jolting him back to his bathroom.His so-called buddies hadn't stopped him. They'd encouraged him and they didn't even stick around to hold his hand throughout the pain. He shook his head. He couldn't believed that they'd just stood by while he'd done something to his body while under the influence of alcohol. How the hell am I going to explain this to mom? He moved closer to the mirror now, as he realized that the perfectly shaped heart, filled with red and outlined neatly in black had something written within its borders. Again he moved a little closer, reducing the inches between his bare skin and the mirror. There within the pool of red lay one simple word inscribed in black, cursive letters...araS. Greg's eyes widened as he realized the image was reversed and he now had the name of a co-worker tattooed permanently onto one of his ass cheeks.

How was he going to explain that? Sure he'd had a crush on her, but that'd all but passed, why had it been the name he'd gotten tattooed into the heart? He concluded that it must have been the first name he had thought of. Thank God I don't have Grissom's name tattooed across my ass. He chuckled to himself. He really couldn't let himself get bogged down by the negatives, he wasn't like that. Somehow he still managed to see the funny side of it. But still, he wasn't going to forgive Warrick and Nick any time soon.

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Greg headed into work, strangely feeling comforted knowing that it was a tattoo on his behind, rather than anything else. Being aware of the beautiful little heart with Sara's name plastered across it was a lot better than having some kind of weird disease. He headed towards the locker room, although he dreaded the thought of running into Nick or Warrick, or the two of them at the same time. He really wasn't in the mood for anything they had to say. He did what he had to do before quickly making his way out of the locker room, just as Nick and Warrick passed him in the corridor. He continued to walk towards his lab, completely ignoring his two drinking buddies. Warrick scoffed as Greg passed them without saying a word.

"He found it." Nick said as he crossed his arms across his chest. He frowned. He didn't think Greg would take it so hard...but with that being said, he could understand Greg's mood. He and Warrick weren't the ones with something tattooed onto them for the rest of their lives.

"Looks that way."

"I wonder what it's of..." Nick trailed off as the two of them continued down the corridor. They didn't follow their friend behind the curtain, they didn't give him any advice about what to get. And now they had no idea what Greg had had tattooed onto himself. Afterwards he was whining to much to tell them anything, and they were more than certain that he himself really didn't have that much of an idea of what was on his own ass.

"Don't worry about it man. We'll find out." Warrick replied with a smirk. They'd find out before the day was through, he was damn sure of it.

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Greg eased himself into his chair. He began to wonder why Warrick and Nick had remained quiet in the corridor, why they hadn't made any kind of comment about the tattoo. They'd simply let him go without any remark. He shrugged. They're probably waiting until they have an audience...He found that his behind wasn't hurting him as much anymore, and became thankful that he'd been out of it when it had happened. He sat with an open file in front of him, making it appear as though he was working. Truth was, there wasn't really any work for him now. He'd completed the tests he'd been asked to run, and other tests were still being processed, so he couldn't do anything but sit around and wait.

He'd made it so far through the day without hearing any kind of gossip about himself, and his increasingly popular derrière. Maybe that's coz you've barely spoken to anyone all day...He hadn't really spent time with another human being at all during this shift. He'd only briefly spoken to Grissom. He'd only seen Nick and Warrick in the corridor, and hadn't seen Sara or Catherine at all. But there he was in his office, sitting by himself, a recluse of sorts. And all because of his two colleagues. Almost on cue the two culprits became visible at the doorway. They both stood there in silence, watching Greg. Warrick cleared his throat, prompting Nick to move closer to Greg. Here we go...

"We uh, take it that you found the tattoo?" Nick asked, feeling uncomfortable within Greg's lab.

Greg simply nodded as he remained in his seat, eyeing them suspiciously. They were up to something, and he knew it. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out.

"How's that going for you?" Nick asked. This time he felt completely stupid, asking questions like this when really they'd only come for one thing. He was beginning to feel pretty terrible about it all, and seeing Greg in such a silent state was unnerving.

Greg felt as though he was almost under interrogation, and he could see straight past Nick. "What do you want?" He asked, sounding a little harsh and angrier than he meant. He looked between them again, waiting for a reply. He didn't have much patience with them, and he could tell they were sidestepping whatever it was they'd come to ask him. Nick looked back at Warrick, now prompting him to make his way further into the lab. Warrick stepped forward, it was his turn to ask the questions now.

"First...we're sorry man. We didn't mean..." He began, but stopped as Greg's eyes narrowed at him. "We just wanted to check out the damage." Warrick said quickly. He didn't like the idea of asking his fellow co-worker, especially a male, such a question. But he was curious. And so was Nick.

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Greg didn't know how they'd managed to convince him to do this. But all the promises and oaths Nick and Warrick had taken had somehow persuaded him to let them see the tattoo that they were responsible for. At least then, maybe they'd fully understand his anger, and they'd realize that it is a tattoo, it is a permanent thing. He surveyed the locker room, checking once more that they were on their own. They'd moved to the corner furthest from the door, furthest away from any other person who might discover him with his pants down. Convinced that they were alone, Greg unfastened his belt, and with one swift motion dropped his pants and underwear to the ground.

"It's pretty." Nick chuckled as he saw the red heart tattoo, trying to keep his laughter to a minimal. Warrick, on the other hand, let out his laughter, causing Greg to grab for his pants and end their entertainment.

"Hey hey man, we're sorry okay? Just..what does it say?" Warrick said as he held in the laughter and got a little closer to Greg. He leaned in a little as he inspected the tattoo, slowly recognizing the name written within the decent sized heart. Nick must have read it at the same time, as they both let out another laugh. Their laughter soon died down as they realized just how upset this had made Greg. Sure they knew he'd been harboring something for Sara, but now it was inked onto his ass for the world to see. They couldn't help but feel bad for the guy.

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Catherine muttered to herself as she made her way to the locker room, intent on finding where the boys had disappeared to right in the middle of a case. She entered the room and stopped dead in her tracks. An expression of surprise plastered across her face. It soon morphed into a smirk of amusement at the sight before her. Greg was slightly bent over, facing towards her though he didn't notice her. His pants pooled around his ankles, while Warrick and Nick stood no more than a meter behind him, expecting his behind.

"I'll just leave you boys to it...whatever it is that you're doing." She said as she continued to smirk.

"Cath, we can expl..." Warrick began as he and Nick backed away from Greg, placing a little more distance between themselves and his naked rear.

"Hey, whatever you're into...it's none of my business." She couldn't help but grin as she turned and hurried out of the locker room. She cursed herself for not carrying around a video camera with her. But still, those images weren't going to leave her mind any time soon, and she was more than certain that the guys wouldn't forget it either. She now had perfect blackmail material, and she wouldn't be afraid to use it.

"This is bad...this is real bad." Warrick muttered to himself as he paced from one end of the locker room to the other. Greg couldn't help but laugh.

"Could've been worse...It could've been Grissom." Nick said, wondering what Grissom's reaction to such a sight would have been.

"Or Sara." Greg said with a sigh as he pulled up his pants and fastened his belt. He would've died if it had of been her. Dead with his pants around his ankles...he could only imagine the department gossip then. He realized that he didn't mind Catherine finding them in such a position. There was enough gossip going around about him already. Catherine walking in on the three of them was really only going to be bad for Nick and Warrick. He couldn't help but let out another chuckle. So karma had come full circle, and was now biting his two co-workers on their ass', instead of his.

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Nick entered the break room, still paranoid about the gossip that would more than likely spread throughout the lab at any moment. He stopped in his tracks as he found Catherine and Sara sitting at the tabele, both laughing harder than he'd ever seen the two of them laugh. Five guesses as to what they're laughing at...I'd only need one. Catherine turned to see him, just as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She still had an amused look on her face. He felt the sudden urge to explain everything. He didn't need her, or Sara spreading gossip around without hearing the full story first.

"Hey, look. I can explain it all okay? Me and Warrick were just looking at Greg's tattoo which just happened to be on his ass. And then you came in when we were all in awkward positions, assuming things about us. But we're all grown men. I don't normally do that sort of thing. It was harmless." He said, feeling quite calm and confident with his words.

Sara just stared at him in complete confusion, and a in a little shock. What the hell? She finally processed what he'd just said, about looking at Greg's butt to see his tattoo, and pictured Nick, Warrick and Greg in a very compromising position. She began to laugh, as Catherine became a victim to a fit of laughter.She couldn't help but laugh at Nick. He'd really put his foot in it, and she knew that it couldn't have been any funnier if she had told Sara herself. Nick doing it himself was that much more hilarious. Sara looked between Catherine and Nick. His face had turned the deepest shade of red. Flustered, he turned and quickly exitted the room.

"Catherine...what just happened?" Sara asked as she stopped laughing, amused by Nick, though she was a little confused.

Catherine explained the entire situation, and before long, the department was buzzing with the new developments concerning Greg, his rear, and two male colleagues.

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"So, do you do that often? Or was this your first time?" Sara asked, enjoying this a little more than she probably should be. She thought of Warrick as such a 'lady's man', Nick too. The thought of the two of them checking out Greg's ass, it was more than amusing. She just hated that she hadn't been with Catherine when she'd discovered the three of them.

"Ha ha, very funny." Warrick returned. He knew he deserved it. He owed Greg, and made sure that he stuck to the promise both he and Nick had taken. Sara would never know about her name being on Greg's ass, not unless he showed her himself. But as if that was going to happen.

Sara's laughter was broken as Nick and Catherine entered the break room, followed closely by Grissom, and soon by Greg. It had been a while since they had all sat together in the break room, discussing something other than a case. Each of them took their jabs at both Nick and Warrick. Even Grissom had something to say, while Greg sat on the couch and watched. He couldn't help but worry about Nick and Warrick, and whether or not they'd stick to their promise. Those thoughts soon left him as he joined in with the jokes.

"I never thought my butt would be this popular." He said, realizing just how popular it had become over the past couple of days.

"So, when are we going to get to see this tattoo, huh Greg?" Catherine asked as she raised an eyebrow. She didn't like that the boys had gotten to see it, and she hadn't. Sara felt the same way.

"Get me drunk enough, and maybe I will..." He trailed off, knowing that there was no way in hell that he'd show her. Or Sara. And knowing his luck, if he was drunk, and around Catherine, he'd some how end up at the same tattoo parlor with her name in its own heart on his other cheek. They all continued to joke as shift ended, and Greg began to think of the perfect ways to get Nick and Warrick back. I'll get them, one day, when they least expect it.

Greg naked in the bathroom checking out his own ass...let's all take a moment to visualize that...haha. Monster chapter. Almost split it into two chapters, but didn't wanna be 'evil' again, lmao. Thank y'all for reviewing and enjoying this fic. So, what'd y'all think of this chapter? I hope I ended it ok and met your expectations etc. Kelly and Kam, thanks for your reviews!You guessed it lemonjelly! Was it what you were thinking Jazz-Skywalker? Labrat-Speedy, I tried to get Warrick and Nick back a little, but maybe sometime soon I'll give Greg his revenge and Warrick and Nick will end up blind drunk and confused the next day. Kate K I think Nick and Warrick werea littlehard on him about the Ecklie stuff and all, but still just kinda older brotherly. Greg needs more screentime though. Thanks again for reading this y'all./ Britt