Title: No Strings Attached
By: Serenity
Spoilers for Redrum
Summary: Post-ep for Redrum. I wrote this in a furry of excitement after the palpable sexual tension between my guys in this episode, but I didn't get around to posting it. Sex, angst and a healthy dollop of fluff. Beta'd by and dedicated to anmani.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine
Characters: Nick, Greg
Genres: post-ep
Rating: R
Warnings: none

Greg leaned against the wall and took a deep breath of the thick Vegas morning air. He'd managed to sneak away for a few minutes of peace without anyone seeing him. It had been a long night and all he wanted to do was forget that the whole 'reverse forensics' mess had ever happened. If he smoked he would have been on the last of the packet by now, but thankfully that was never a vice that he had ever succumbed to. Instead he took one last swallow of coffee from the Styrofoam cup in his hand, caffeine being his drug of choice, and tossed it into the trash can beside him.

He was well aware that it wasn't going to do him any favours when he tried to sleep later, but he figured that it would only be one more thing on a long list of causes for his insomnia. He checked his watch, at least the shift was finally over and he could at last head for home. He pushed himself off the wall and made his way back into the building.

The sound of a horn blaring startled him, and he turned towards the parking lot to see where it had come from. Nick's SUV was parked at the end of the lot and Greg could see him hunched over the steering wheel.

Greg jogged over to the car and tapped on the driver's window. Nick looked up, his face twisted into a frustrated scowl, his nostrils flaring as he breathed heavily through his nose. His hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles had turned white.

"Are you OK man?" Greg asked him through the glass. Nick let out a long sigh and opened his door, letting Greg lean in.

"Freaking car won't start." he explained, turning the key in the ignition. Nothing. "That's all I need." He pulled the key out and tossed it across the passenger seat, swearing under his breath. "Can anything else happen today? I swear, I've had just about as much as I can take, man"

"Hey, chill out." Greg replied in a calming voice, sensing that Nick was close to breaking point. "Look, just give me five to grab my stuff and I'll give you a ride home, OK? No arguments."

Nick's shoulders sagged in compliance, and he nodded and stepped out of the SUV. "Thanks Greg." he said.

"Not a problem. Hold tight, OK?"

Greg practically ran to the locker room, grabbed his bag from his locker and ran back towards the parking lot, only stopping and walking normally when he got back into Nick's range of vision. No need to look too enthusiastic.

"Come on." he smiled at Nick and indicated to his Jetta with a nod of his head. Nick followed obediently but Greg noticed that the line of his jaw was still set into a grimace, the nerve below his left eye twitching. Nick wasn't going to let the night's events and Catherine's betrayal go easily.

"I'll call a tow truck when I get home." Nick sighed as he climbed into the Jetta. "Thanks for this, man. I was beginning to think it was 'shit on Nick Stokes' day."

"Nah, can't be a year since the last one." Greg quipped, hoping to take Nick's mind off things a little. Nick let out a little snicker and Greg felt his stomach twist. He started his own engine, sending up a prayer of thanks when it turned over with a satisfying purr. He pulled out of the lot and made the turn for Nick's neighbourhood.

The majority of the journey was spent in silence, the tension rolling off Nick's body in waves.

"So.." Greg began, trying to ease into conversation. "Got any plans for the rest of the day?"

"I know what I'd like to do." Nick said gruffly. "Get seriously drunk and then get seriously laid."

Greg let out a little gasp which he covered by clearing his throat.

"Only problem is," Nick continued, "is that I've got no beer for number one and no one to call for number two. This job isn't exactly conducive for establishing relationships, know what I mean?"

Greg knew exactly what he meant. He'd been going through something of a dry patch himself. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth, not quite believing what he was about to say.

"OK, lets go through your list of options then. Who can we fix you up with......" He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel in a pretence of deep thought.

Nick turned his body towards Greg. "Why can't I just go out to a bar and pick up some willing stranger, huh?"

Greg shook his head emphatically. "Bad idea. See, what I think is this: if you want to hook up, it should be with someone who already knows what went down tonight, someone who knows and understands why you're so pissed about it. Otherwise they're just going to think you're one angry dude."

Nick raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"OK, so Catherine's obviously out." Greg said quickly.

"No shit." Nick huffed.

"Sara's a definite no. She's got something going on, you know. I don't know for sure, but I reckon she's seeing someone. Warrick's got too much baggage with all the problems he's had with Tina, and Grissom is away, and besides.... you know, gross."

Nick snickered again, louder this time.

"So, I guess that only leaves me." Greg stated somewhat boldly as he indicated to make the turning into Nick's street.

Nick just stared at him, unflinching, his eyes unreadable.

"It's not as crazy as it sounds." Greg blushed. "We both need to unwind. What I'm proposing is that we do this, just once, no strings attached."

"Huh." Nick tilted his head. "You never fail to surprise me, Sanders."

"In a good way?" Greg asked nervously as he pulled up outside Nick's house. "Or in a 'I'm going to kick your ass' way?"

When Nick didn't answer, Greg cleared his throat a little and asked quietly "So, should I come in?"

"You're actually serious?" Nick shifted in his seat a little.

"What's wrong with two friends helping each other out?" Greg tried not to sound desperate. Even though he was.

"So this would just be about getting off? Just physical?" Nick asked.

"Purely."

"No strings attached?"

"Just like Pinocchio."

Nick sat back in the passenger seat and studied Greg's face intently. Greg gulped and felt a bead of nervous sweat trickle down his neck. Finally after what seemed like an age Nick turned and opened his door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. He closed the door behind him with a slam, making Greg jump a little in his seat. Maybe he shouldn't have opened his stupid mouth.

"You coming or not?" Nick called as he walked backwards towards his door, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

Greg scrabbled for his seatbelt and jumped out of the car, locking it behind him. He'd barely got through the front door before Nick was grabbing him by the wrists and pushing him against the wall, pinning him there and attacking his mouth wildly.

"Bedroom?" Greg mumbled against the wet lips, hardly daring to believe that this was actually happening.

"Mmmm." Nick moaned into him, grinding himself against Greg's hips. He detached himself for long enough to murmur "This way." before pulling Greg by the front of his shirt and guiding him towards the right room.

They tumbled onto the unmade bed, hands and mouths roaming and exploring every inch they could reach, clothes being torn off and flying in every direction until they were skin to skin, grinding and rubbing each other to ecstasy. Greg worked his way down Nick's body, mouthing at the sweat dampened skin until he reached Nick's erection, already close to erupting. The touch of Greg's tongue on the head must have been too much for Nick to endure, as he shuddered and moaned, spilling his hot seed into Greg's mouth.

Greg swallowed all Nick had to give and then got back up onto his knees. Nick took Greg's cock in his fist and gave him the last few pumps he needed to push him over the edge. Greg couldn't hold back, he cried out and came hard over Nick's chest.

Both men collapsed gasping onto the bed. Nick grabbed a tissue and cleaned himself off, then rolled onto his side and gave Greg a long, deep kiss. "Thank you." he smiled. "I needed that."

"Wasn't exactly a chore." Greg grinned back.

Nick threw his head back and laughed heartily, the skin around his eyes crinkling in the way Greg loved.

"I haven't seen that in a while." he said softly, pushing himself up until he was leaning on one elbow.

"What's that?" Nick asked as he searched for the comforter which had fallen onto the floor at some point, pulling it over the two of them.

"You, laughing. It feels like forever since I saw you really laugh."

"Feels like forever for me too." Nick admitted. "There's just something about you Greg Sanders. You make me laugh."

"I'm not sure how to take that." Greg frowned comically. Nick laughed again and pulled him in for another long kiss. Greg felt himself sinking further and further into Nick, being drawn to the heat and comfort of the other man. He felt Nick begin to twist a hand through his hair, then suddenly, without warning, he pulled away.

"I guess you should be going. I gotta call the tow truck company anyway, and I'm sure you've got stuff to do."

Greg suddenly felt nauseous. He'd allowed himself to forget their deal, that it was a one-time thing with no strings attached. He was letting himself believe that Nick actually felt the same way about him as he'd always felt about Nick. He felt like a fool. A stupid, love-struck fool.

"Sure, no problem." he stammered, sliding out of the bed and grasping around for his discarded clothes. "Will you need a ride tonight?" Realising how that sounded, he rephrased. "I mean, do you want me to collect you and drive you to work?"

"No, thanks. I'll sort something out." Nick smiled as Greg dressed quickly. "But thanks for the offer. And thanks again for......" He left the rest unsaid.

Greg couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he simply nodded and shrugged a little.

"I'll see you at work." Nick slapped Greg on the back in a friendly manner.

"Sure." Greg replied, and forced himself not to look back at Nick as he made his way back to his car.

~~~

Greg had no idea how they'd ended up here again. He turned in the bed until he was facing the sleeping figure beside him, taking in every inch of Nick's face, memorising it.

It had been three months since the argument with Catherine and the moment of madness that followed. After that Nick's mood had improved significantly, but he had never mentioned their dalliance, never even alluded to the fact that something had happened between them. If it hadn't been for the slight bruising on his neck from Nick's over-enthusiastic lips, Greg might have wondered if he'd imagined the whole thing.

But now here they were again. A tough case which had left them both frustrated, exhausted and twitchy and somehow they'd ended up in Nick's bed again. Greg couldn't even remember who had initiated it, but neither of them had said no either. It had been just as frantic, wild and animalistic as the first time, but this time there had been no kiss afterwards, no talking. Once they'd both reached their climax Nick had shot him a lazy grin and settled down against the plump pillows as Greg cleaned himself off. Something about that made Greg feel..... sordid. He couldn't shake that feeling.

Nick had fallen asleep straight away without asking Greg to leave, so he'd taken the opportunity to soak up as much of the moment as he could. Because he knew that this couldn't happen again. Nick may see it as nothing more than two friends working off some frustrations, but to Greg it was so much more than that. But he couldn't explain that to Nick. If it happened again, not that he thought it would, but if it did, then he'd just say no and stop whatever was happening in its tracks. He was strong enough to do that.... Right?

Nick shifted in his sleep and threw his leg across Greg's thigh, hooking his foot between Greg's legs and moaning contentedly. That was too much, it was too intimate, too much like the act of a lover rather than a fuck and it made Greg ache to feel that tenderness for real. But that would never happen, and the longer he stayed in that bed the worse he felt. He had to get out of there.

He moved slowly and carefully so as not to wake Nick, and slid quietly from between the sheets. He dressed quickly and made his way to the door. "See ya." he whispered as he closed it softly behind him.

~~~

Again Nick carried on as if nothing had happened between them. Greg tried to do the same, but every time Nick talked to him, he'd get a memory of how the other man tasted, smelled, or how smooth his skin felt. It had been a mistake to offer Nick the no strings attached deal. He should have known that he would end up getting hurt. Being a fuck-buddy to someone you're in love with could never end well. But it was his own fault, his own mess. He only had himself to blame.

~~~

Another couple of weeks passed, same as ever. Then Nick was assigned a missing child case that Greg knew wasn't going well, so he wasn't surprised when Nick turned up outside his apartment one morning, smelling delicious and looking like an animal on the prowl.

"Hey." he said by way of greeting, before pushing Greg into the wall and plundering his mouth with a probing tongue. Greg felt himself getting swept away by the spark of lust that was igniting between them. But then he remembered that this was all Nick wanted, just a willing body to help him get off. He could have been anyone for all Nick cared, a stranger picked up in a bar or club, an easy screw to scratch an itch. He knew he was worth more than that.

Mustering up all his emotional and physical strength, he pushed Nick away. "No." he gasped, wiping Nick's saliva from his face with the back of his hand. "We're not going to do this."

Nick looked confused, but pulled back, creating some space between them. "I'm sorry." He leaned one hand on the wall and hung his head. "I thought this was what you wanted."

Greg shook his head. "Well it's not. I can't do this casual sex thing with you, it's.... just not who I am. I can't spend the morning in your bed and then act like it never happened. I can't live with knowing that you only want me when you need to get off."

"Hold on there Greg." Nick interjected, the twang in his voice getting thicker as he got more agitated. "This whole thing, this 'no strings attached' sex, it was all your idea, remember? So don't make it sound like I'm using you."

"Yeah well, it turns out I need the strings." Greg admitted with a shrug. "So I think you should probably go."

Nick shook his head and headed back towards the front door. Greg tried not to think of Nick heading out to pick someone else up to help ease his frustrations. It wasn't his business anymore. He watched Nick head for the elevator, hoping that he hadn't completely screwed up eight years of friendship.

~~~

Work that night was awkward. It seemed like Nick didn't know what to say to him anymore, he'd open his mouth to speak and then change his mind and walk away. He looked on edge, nervous and restless. Greg tried to avoid him as much as possible until the sting of the morning's quarrel had worn off, but it seemed the more he saw Nick, the more painful it got, until it was like a barb in his chest. Thankfully Nick was still on his missing child case and they didn't have to actually work together. That probably would have been too much for Greg to take.

The shift seemed to last forever, and Greg sighed with relief when he put the finishing touches to his report. He could finally go home. Sighing, he shuffled towards the locker room, his eyes bleary with the need for a decent sleep.

He fumbled with his locker, getting the wrong combination at first. Finally he hit the right sequence of numbers and the lock popped open. Greg swung the door open and was assaulted by dozens of spools of brightly coloured crime scene string tumbling out of the locker and onto the floor around him.

"What the hell....." Greg gasped as some of the string tangled around him, draping over his arms and around his legs.

"Is that enough strings?" came a familiar voice behind him.

Greg twisted around to see Nick standing behind him, leaning against the doorway with a hopeful smile on his face.

"What's going on Nick?" Greg asked, untangling himself from the string. Nick closed the door behind him and locked it.

"You said you wanted strings." he shrugged. "You can have as many as you need if it means I get to be with you." He walked towards Greg and took his face in his hands, kissing him softly on the lips. "I never wanted casual sex with you." he explained. "But I thought that was all you were offering, so I took it. I just wanted to be with you."

"But you were the one who asked me to leave that first day."

"I know." Nick shook his head. "I figured you wouldn't want to stay, so..... I thought I'd make it easier on you."

"So I wanted to be with you, and you wanted to be with me...." Greg pondered, "but we both pretended we didn't? What a waste of time that was, huh?"

Nick chuckled and ran his fingertips across Greg's jaw. "You're telling me."

"So what's with all the crime scene string?" Greg asked, indicating to the bundle of spools rolling around on the floor. "Why didn't you just come and tell me how you felt?"

"I know how much you like your visual presentations." Nick smirked, encircling Greg's waist with loose arms.

"You are a freak." Greg laughed.

"Hey, are you trying to piss me off?" Nick mock-pouted. "You know what the only thing that placates me when I'm pissed off is, don't you.......?" He leaned across and nibbled Greg's ear.

Oh yeah. Greg knew all right. He kicked the string out of the way and pushed Nick towards the bench. They'd clear all the string up.... eventually.