A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, glad you enjoyed the Morganders love on Valentine's Day ;) Don't worry single people, it's Pancake Day soon :3 Anywho, this next story is for Csi121099 who suggested Greg overheard the time Nick called him a 'Wannabe'. Expect Bromantic angst :3 I hope you enjoy!

Summary – Greg overheard Nick calling him a Wannabe, and so he unwittingly seeks to prove the CSI wrong.

Wannabe

"The guy is a CSI wannabe…"

The words floated into Greg's ear as he walked by. He didn't take much notice at first, but then it clicked and he stopped. The words had been spoken with a thick Texan accent, obviously Nick. The voice which had responded had been female, probably Catherine since they were working the case together, and the poor wannabe Nick had mentioned, well that had to be…

Greg gripped the file he was holding tighter to his chest and widened his eyes in shock. He'd been the one helping Nick and Catherine on the case, he wasn't a CSI, just a lab rat… a wannabe. No, surely he misheard, Nick was his best friend, and he wouldn't say something like that. But then again, he hadn't known Greg was walking past, Nick would have thought Catherine would be the only one who heard, and he hadn't wanted Greg to hear.

Greg scowled darkly. How could Nick say that!? Greg was way behind on his evidence processing because he'd stopped to give Nick and Catherine some extra help, how could Nick be so ungrateful, and well…hurtful. Now with the look of a kicked puppy, Greg began to trudge down the hall back to his lab, back to the four walls which confined him in his lab rat cage, walls he would never escape.

The lab tech slammed the pile of files down on his desk once he got there and started pacing up and down the room. The initial sadness was wearing off again and it was being replaced with unusual anger – unusual because Greg was not typically capable of fathoming such an emotion.

"How dare he?!" Greg seethed to himself as he threw his arms up in exasperation. "I could totally be a CSI if I wanted to!" he tried to assure himself as he placed his hands on his hips. "CSI Sanders, yeah, that'll be me some day, not just some stupid CSI wannabe" he said mimicking the last two words in a mocking Texan accent.

Greg paused and sat on his seat by the microscope as he looked down at a new piece of evidence – Nick's had been moved to the bottom of the pile.

"Maybe he thinks I'm not smart enough" the tech mused as he tried to focus the magnifier "I have a bloody chemistry degree from Stanford, I'm smart enough, and what does he have?" Greg moved along to the next slide "Maybe he thinks I can't handle suspects, or a weapon…maybe not now, but I could learn, I'll show him how we do things in California."

Greg was so caught up ranting and muttering to himself he didn't watch as he placed the next slide down and accidently cut his wrist on the small piece of glass as it fell to the ground and shattered into tiny pieces.

"Shit" he breathed as he looked at his wrist and studied the trickle of blood. "I blame Nick for this" he mumbled as he left the lab so as not to get blood on any of the evidence.

Greg went to the break room and put his wrist under the tap to clean off the blood when Nick entered the room too.

"Hey dude, are you alright?" the older man asked. "Archie said he saw you talking to yourself and he thought you'd finally lost it"

Greg sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm fine" he replied dryly.

"Um…okay?" Nick said uncertainly as he paused.

He didn't remember the last time he heard Greg sound so tetchy - if ever – and the younger man's form seemed kind of tense. Nick frowned; Greg had been so ecstatic earlier when he was helping with the case, what had suddenly changed?

Greg turned off the water and grabbed a paper towel and held it against the cut. It stung a bit, but no big deal.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Nick asked curiously.

"Why would you care?" Greg snapped as he threw the towel in the bin and started to storm out the room, but Nick grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Because I'm your friend" Nick said seriously as he pulled Greg around to look at him.

"Oh, really?" Greg said his voice dripping with sarcasm "because the last time I checked, friends don't talk about each other behind their backs!"

Nick frowned "G, what are you…" he started, but stopped as soon as his earlier words suddenly flashed into his memory. Shit, Greg heard? "Let me explain" the Texan blurted, but Greg was just looking at him coldly with his arms folded.

"I'm a wannabe, huh? A wannabe" Greg said shaking his head "It's nice to know what you really think of me, Nick"

"Greg, that's not what I…" the older man sighed and ran his hands down his face. "Okay look, Catherine was a little ticked off that I'd been letting you get so involved in the case but keeping her out of the loop…"

"So, you pitied me?" Greg asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's why you let me help?"

"I let you help because you got so excited I didn't have the heart to tell you no, and that wasn't a problem because I know I can trust you and I know you can do a good job!" Nick tried to defend himself.

"Then why did you say it? Do you know how degrading that is for me? How disrespected that makes me feel" Greg had tears in his eyes now; he felt betrayed. "I genuinely thought that you wanted my help, my opinion, but now I just feel humiliated! I was just something for you to laugh at, something for you to just shoo away when you were done exploiting me" he flicked his wrist around frivolously for emphasis, and that was when Nick saw the cut.

The older men went wide eyed as he grabbed Greg's wrist and pulled it towards him to get a closer look.

"You cut yourself" Nick breathed.

Greg frowned. "Yeah, so what" Nick looked up at him with even more horror in his eyes, and Greg just looked more confused for a moment before it occurred to him. "Oh…I didn't do it on purpose you idiot!" Greg snapped as he pulled his hand away. "You really think that your opinion of me actually means so much I'd cut myself if you ever said anything bad about me? Get over yourself!" with that he stormed past Nick, shoving the older man's shoulder just to stress his anger more.

"I'm sorry, okay!" Nick called as he jogged to catch up with Greg "Surely you can see why I'd think that…"

"No, not really" Greg interrupted as he entered his lab, Nick following. "If you'd have observed, then you'd have known. Firstly, the cut is not deep, suggesting there was no pressure placed on it like with a knife or scissors, and there are no additional marks to suggest a cutting action, it was just one slice."

"Secondly, I am right handed, therefore if I were to cut myself it could be assumed I'd hold the cutting tool in my right hand and cut my left wrist, yet the cut it on my right, and how can you tell I'm, right-handed? Ink smudges, because that's the hand I use my pen with. So then, what did cut me?" he pointed to the floor.

"Glass fragments near the desk suggesting something fell from it, Microscope is clearly in use- the lights on- suggesting the glass could have been a slide or something; it was in case you're wondering, and lastly ,blood, there are clear blood drops on the floor and the glass which if you tested would come back to me."

"You can tell it's still fresh because it's not dried up suggesting it only happened less than twenty minutes ago and it's the middle of the day, people were around and any one could have walked in, if I wanted to cut myself I'd do it in private. You can tell I went to clean myself up right away or else there would be much more blood – and why would I clean myself up if I were hoping to bleed to death an only made one cut?"

Nick had gone slightly slack jawed as he looked at Greg with disbelief. The younger man looked slightly uncomfortable under the older man's gaze as he shifted his feet awkwardly.

"What?" Greg mumbled.

"You were able to evidence all that, just because I asked if you cut yourself" Nick said.

Greg shrugged "No biggie, I didn't want you to get the wrong idea"

Nick smiled at him "You found the evidence to prove my assumptions wrong…that's what a CSI does" he said proudly.

Greg looked at him for a moment before brushing his lab coat down "Yeah well…it was just a cut" he said quietly "it would be different if I was faced with a murder"

"Yeah, but it's a start!" Nick said happily "You're not a wannabe at all, you just proved that! You can do it, Greg, you can be a damn good CSI, so why don't you? I'd support you"

Greg couldn't help the way his lips twitched upwards a little "Really?" he said.

"Really" Nick smiled. "I'm so sorry about what I said, Catherine was just getting annoyed at me, and I tried to pin it on you instead, so I am sorry, besides, you didn't hear what I said before that"

Greg frowned. "Before that?" he asked.

"Yeah, Catherine was being a little…off about you being so involved with the case and… I told her to leggo of my Greggo"

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Your Greggo?"

Nick smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, because you're my best friend and I didn't like the way Catherine was talking about you. I just had this urge to… protect you, I guess. But you shouldn't be mad at Catherine either" he quickly added "Not if you value your life"

"Mmm" Greg mumbled as he sat in his chair "Well, thanks I guess"

Nick smiled. "Don't mention it. Truth is, you really are like a little brother to me, Greg."

The lab rat looked up at this, studying to deduce whether Nick was being genuine - it certainly appeared so. Greg had always felt like a bit of a loner and an outsider since he arrived at the lab – not many people got his enthusiasm and 'quirky' personality, but Nick did. He'd been there for Greg since day one, laughed at all his crazy jokes and antics, and never lost his temper with Greg once, not like the others did. Nick did seem to care about Greg, and the younger man cared for the Texan too.

"Thanks, that means a lot" Greg said with a smile "I don't have any real siblings so… it's nice to have kind of a big brother like you" he said honestly.

Nick smiled "So, do you forgive me?" he asked with a sheepish look. "I can make it up to you, pay for next month's coffee supply"

Greg rolled his eyes "Yeah, I forgive you, and I'll take you up on that offer" he said. "I'm sorry for yelling and making you worry with the, you know" he showed Nick the cut.

"It's okay" Nick replied. "And like I said, if you ever decide you're ready to be a CSI, then I will do anything I possibly can to help get you there"

"Thanks, I appreciate it" Greg said. "I've always just wanted the lab tech thing to be starting point, but I think I'm okay were I am for now"

"Sure thing" Nick said patting his friend's shoulder "Just so long as you're happy"

"I am" Greg said with a reassuring smile "For now, I am"

Aww I love writing it :3 For anyone interested, the inspiration for Greg's 'deduction' skills came from my love of 'Sherlock' – It's a British thing ;)

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