Title: One Week
Author: AgentPufferfish
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: T-rated
Beta: NickandGregNumberOneSlashFan
Summary: Sometimes you just have to take the chance or else you could lose something great before you even had it. Nick/Greg - Slash.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI..

Chapter 1: The Dare

Nick wants Greg. He's been wanting him ever since he first laid eyes on the younger man, standing there in the DNA lab with Gil Grissom. It's something that has taken over Nick's body, heart, mind and soul and there was no end in sight. That was five years ago and even now Nick still wants the younger man with the bad taste in shirts, crazy hair, loveable eyes and the most adorable smile that lights up the room every time.

The fact that Nick wanted Gregory Hojem Sanders was something the Texan had kept as his most darkest and deepest secret. He grew up with a homophobic family and friends. He had known since high school that he was in fact gay.

Since he figured it out, he had tried to keep it hidden. He dated girls even though he didn't want too. He got the reputation of being the ladies man. Everyone knew he was sleeping with a lot of different women, or that was what people thought he did. In fact he didn't sleep around at all, and he didn't date much.

All that bragging about the hot, blonde girls with those amazing blue eyes, perfect body and big breasts, or the cute, small redheads with perfect green eyes and slender bodies were something Nick said just to let his friends know he wasn't homosexual. He liked to let everyone know about all the girls he dated and slept with. Actually those girls didn't exist. Just the thought of sleeping with a girl made him sick.

He thought he kept his secret well hidden. Never in his life had he went to a gay bar. He hadn't looked at guys around his friends, family and co-workers. Nick had only dated a few guys he thought was really attractive. He always made sure nobody he knew, knew about the guys he choose. Always.

And then Greg Sanders came around.

Nick tried everything not to look at the guy when he walked by the DNA lab or when Greg was in the break room, or everywhere else. Yes, he hangs out a lot in the DNA lab with Greg and everybody knew that. Nick loves to spend time in Greg's lab, sitting there and talking while his friend worked. He did it even if he didn't have any DNA stuff for Greg to handle. He spent a lot of his breaks in the DNA lab with Greg. It was normal for friends to spend time with each other and therefore Nick saw nothing wrong with being in the DNA lab even if he didn't have to.

He tried with every fiber in his body never to get caught staring at Greg's amazingly, perfectly firm and squeezable ass, or get caught just staring at Greg's delicate, rosy lips when the younger man talked or explained things. Or when he just looked at Greg with eyes that showed more than friendship. It was hard, but Nick managed it just fine. He had done it for years now and nobody had ever come up to him to ask about it.

Although sometimes he couldn't keep his hands from himself. Sometimes he let his hands gently touch Greg's shoulders or arms, sometimes he even patted Greg on his chest or back. And sometimes he hovered over the younger man's shoulders, enjoying the closeness while he looked at Greg working.

So when Catherine suddenly came into the DNA lab where Nick was sitting and talking to Greg while the dark haired (that was the color of Greg's hair this month) man worked on something. Nick wasn't sure what it was since it had nothing to do with his case. The Texan had been on break when the strawberry-blonde woman came in and suddenly grabbed his arm, yanked him from the chair with an impossible strength Nick thought the women didn't posses. She said she needed to 'borrow' Nick and Greg just gave her a wink, wiggled his eyebrows and told her to take it easy on the Texan. And then Catherine dragged him through the lab's many hallways and into the break room where he was pushed him into a chair.

Warrick and Sara sat on the other side of the table, looking at Nick with similar, teasing smirks on their faces. He heard the door close and lock behind him. Catherine then walked by him, rounded the table and sat down between Nick's two other co-workers.

An eyebrow rose on Nick's forehead. "Care to explain what is goin' on, guys?" He asked with nothing but confusion, curiosity and worry in his eyes.

"I dare you to kiss Greg before this week is over," was all Catherine said with a firm look in her blue eyes. Warrick and Sara chuckled. Nick was known for never being able to turn down a dare.

Nick's dark brown eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "What! No, Catherine! I can't-"

"Oh yes you can, Nicholas Stokes!" The strawberry-blonde woman interrupted him. Her hands were placed flat on the table, she stood up and looked down at Nick. "We are tired of you and Greg dancing around each other. We have all seen the way you look at him. You want him and he wants you."

Warrick and Sara nodded, agreeing to what the older woman said. It was like they were her mindless slaves or something like that.

Nick gulped. He felt sweat on his forehead. "H-How did you know?" His voice was soft and worried. In all those years he had thought he kept his feelings for Greg well-hidden. He wanted to tell his co-workers (who were also his only true friends) about his sexuality, but he had feared for their reaction.

"We are not CSI's for nothing, Nick." Warrick spoke for the first time since he and Nick closed their case earlier today. The words made Nick think about how many people actually knew about his feelings for the crazy lab rat.

"Greg isn't gay." Nick said, trying to get out of this stupid dare.

"How can you be so sure, Nick?" Sara asked with a curious look in her eyes. She knew Greg was gay, or at least bisexual. It was written all over the lab rat.

"He flirts with all the pretty girls he meets," Nick tried.

"Nick, Greg flirts with everyone he meets." The Texan already knew that, but still he had to try. It was something Greg didn't try to keep hidden. Everybody knew Greg flirted with everything on two legs, breathing and human. Well, everyone besides a few people here and there.

"Well, beside me, Grissom, Brass and some other older men," Warrick said, confirming Nick's thoughts.

Nick sighed, closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his hands. He could feel his shirt starting to cling uncomfortably to his upper-body. His whole Texan body felt heated, if he wasn't sure it was impossible, he would be thinking smoke would be steaming out of his ears right now. It had been such a long time since he last felt this nervous and embarrassed.

He didn't know what to do. Never in his entire life had he ever turned down a dare. Not even when he was twelve and his older brother dared him to steal their neighbors underwear, or when his sisters dared him to kiss a girl in front of his whole class back when he was thirteen. It had embarrassed him to no end, but he still did it.

If he turned down the dare Catherine, Warrick and Sara just gave him, then he would feel.. He wasn't sure what to call it. Incomplete? His reputation of never turning down a dare would be ruined. At the same time he didn't care about his reputation. If Greg knew about Nick's feelings and didn't return them, then Nick would never be able to face the Norwegian man again. He was happy with their friendship, Greg understood him like nobody else did. Yes, his best friend was Warrick, but Nick could talk to Greg about things he couldn't talk about with Warrick or anybody else.

The words 'dancing around each other' and 'he wants you' kept going through Nick's mind now. What if Catherine was right? Nick had been trying so hard to at keeping his own feelings hidden away; had he not noticed Greg returning them? What if this was his only chance ever to tell the younger man about his feelings?

Nick bit down on his lower lip. It felt so ridiculous. He felt like a kid again. The whole thing was stupid, but if Greg felt the same about him they could be in a relationship just like the Texan had been dreaming about for the last few years. But what if Catherine and the others just imagined Greg's feelings? What if they weren't there at all.

He looked into each of his friends eyes. They seemed to sure of it. "C'mon man," Warrick suddenly said, interrupted Nick's thoughts. "You never turn down dares."

The dark eyed man turned his head to the side. Maybe he just had to take the chance. If anything bad would happen he could always move back to Texas and get a new job. Then he would never see Greg again... Never seeing Greg again. The words echoed in his thoughts. Never seeing Greg again would be like living without air no... Nick needed Greg.

He turned to look back at his friends and gave them a nod. "Alright.. A week."

"Great!" Catherine grinned. "It's Sunday today so we'll give you until next Sunday, Nicky." She stood up and walked out of the room. Warrick chuckled and followed her.

Sara didn't move at all. Her eyes were firm on Nick, but she had a small smile on her face. "Don't worry about it, Nick. Everything will turn out fine in the end." She stood up, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it a bit, then she also left the break room.

'Dammit.' Nick thought, shaking his head. How would he ever get close enough to Greg to kiss him? He looked down at his hands which rested on his lab. 'I can always invite him over like I always do. We could eat like normal friends, watch a movie like we always do.. I could do what I always do around him. Just be myself, but this time I.. I have to kiss him.'

Nick gulped again. He really wanted to bang his head into a wall.

"What have I done?" He whined. Why did he agree to it? The whole thing was so stupid. He was a grown-up. He should have refused that stupid dare without a problem. Now he would lose his friendship with Greg. "And how the hell am I goin' to kiss him," the Texan muttered to himself. He wasn't sure about the kiss at all. He could walk right up to Greg, kiss him and say he was sorry and that it was a dare. He groaned.

"Hey, Nicky! We got a case. C'mon slowpoke," Warrick said. Nick hadn't even heard the door open.

The Texan sighed again. "Yeah yeah, I'm comin'." He replied, pushed the chair back and stood up, followed Warrick out of the break room and outside to the cars. Boy was this was going to be one long week.

Tbc...

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