Title: A Mere Accessory
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Steve McGarrett & past Nick/Greg
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/Hawaii Five-0
Rating: PG-13
Table: Holiday Non-Bingo, tv_universe
Prompt: 7, Accessory
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Steve McGarrett, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Only two more days, and Nick would be here.

Greg sighed softly at the thought, wishing that it wasn't going to happen. He'd said his goodbyes to Nick; he didn't really want to deal with his ex again.

He was sure that Nick was only coming here to Hawaii in a ridiculous attempt to coax him into coming back to Las Vegas, and getting back into their former relationship.

It wasn't going to happen. He had a job here that he loved, one where he felt just as important as he had in Vegas. He was working with a great team, one just as good as the one in the Vegas crime lab, and he was in a relationship that meant the world to him.

He was happier with Steve than he'd ever been with Nick. Of course, he knew that his former boyfriend's gigantic ego wouldn't let Nick believe that.

Nick had always been convinced that he was the end-all and be-all of Greg's life. He had just gotten to the point where he'd forgotten to actually be what he thought he was.

That was only one of the reasons why their relationship hadn't worked out.

He'd felt like an accessory in Nick's life far too often, as though he hadn't really belonged there, or taken the center place in Nick's affections.

He knew that Nick loved his work. He did, as well. Being CSIs was important to them, and their jobs went a long way to defining who they both were as people.

But there had been far too many times when Nick had put his job first. Work had always come before Greg, before their relationship, even before Greg's feelings. And by the time they'd broken up, Greg had felt that promotions and all of the recognition he got at work meant more to Nick than anything else.

Nick had sworn that it wasn't true, but by that time, it had been too late to salvage what they'd had. Greg would always care about him, but he was no longer in love.

And really, he thought with a sigh, he had to wonder if Nick ever had been in love with him, or just with the idea of being in love with someone.

Maybe Nick had never meant to make him feel like a mere accessory in his busy life, but he had, Greg thought. Steve had never done that. From the very beginning, he'd felt as though he was the center of Steve's world. Or if not the center, a very important part of his world.

Steve had never put his work first. Though there had been a few times when he'd had to cancel plans to rush off to work, Greg had always been a part of that work.

He was a part of Steve's life in a way that he'd never been a part of Nick's. He and Steve were even living together; he and Nick had never gotten to that point.

Nick had always kept him at arm's length, never letting him fully into his heart.

Greg was sure that Nick had loved him, in his own way. But the truth was, he needed more than Nick had been willing to give. And he'd found what he needed with Steve.

No matter how Nick might try, he wasn't going back. He wasn't going to be a mere accessory in anyone's life. He was going to be the center of Steve's life.

And Steve was the center of his life, as well. He would always put the man he loved first, before anything else. He'd done that with Nick, too, and he'd been let down time and time again when he realized that he wasn't as important to Nick as the man he loved had been to him.

That had killed the love he'd had for Nick, even though he still felt friendship and affection for the other man. But Greg knew that he could never go back. Things would never be the same.

He was happy with who he was with now, and with the life he was building here in Hawaii. Nick would have to realize that there was no recapturing the past.

Especially when that past hadn't made Greg happy.

But he was happy now, he told himself with a smile. He'd never been happier. He had a home he loved, a job he loved .... and he was in love.

He wasn't just an accessory any more. He was the main event, and he was right where he belonged. He wasn't going anywhere, and the sooner his ex figured that out, the better.

***