Title: Cake
By: postnotice
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Greg receives a cake for his birthday. And a gift he didn't think he'd get anytime soon. Or ever, for that matter.

It is addressed to him. Greg Sanders is written on the tag, clearly, and he wondered if it was typed. He approaches it carefully, looking around to see if anyone was watching before remembering something Sara told him once. If you look as though you belong, people won't think twice, and they'll trust you. So that's what he does. He throws his jacket over the back of a chair, taking off the top of the box, surprised when his fingers grow cold.

Inside the box, there's a card, again addressed to him. He opens it, reads it, looks for a signature, and finding none, he sets it aside, opening the smaller box on the inside.

A cake. Happy Birthday Greggo! is written in neon rainbow-alternating gel frosting across the top, letters interfering with each other and covering lines. It looks more like a mess than anything else.

He peeks at the bottom right corner, where there seems to be a particular clean place, and gapes when he comprehends it. Love Nick. The entire thing seems a little surreal to Greg, and even as he walks from the break room to the empty lab room he had seen Nick in when he first got there, he still can't believe that he isn't dreaming.

He enters the room, smiling at Nick when he offers him one as a greeting, and manages to jump into the CSI 3's arms, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I love you love you love you," Greg says, loud and clear, still under the impression he's dreaming. Nick's arms encircle him, and maybe he had died and gone to heaven, because damn him if the warmth radiating from the Texan didn't feel a thousand times better than he ever expected.

Nick readjusts the Greg on him to look him in the eyes. "I love you, too, but…this is a little…uh…public and…what brought this on?" the confusion crossing Nick's face makes Greg pale a little before he pinches himself.

Uh oh. Wasn't a dream.

"I, uh…The cake, in the break room," Greg stutters, attempting to get away, but Nick had too much of a grip on him.

"Cake? I haven't made or bought a cake for years. What are you talking about?" after a few moments of Greg's silence, the dark haired CSI sighs and walks from where they were to the break room, surprised when he saw the majority of the team in the room. "Uh…"

Greg drops to his feet carefully, almost afraid to acknowledge that he's alive to the rest of the team.

"Surprise!" Sara says, holding out the cake, grin on her face. Nick leans over the cake, eyebrow raised as he chuckles.

"So you really didn't know anything about this?" Greg asks, looking up at the Texan. He shakes his head, and Greg curses under his breath. "So I just risked our friendship without even knowing it?" Nick shrugs, pulling the young CSI as close as he could.

"But…you gotta admit…it wasn't really that bad," he winks at Greg before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Right?"

"Right." Greg agrees, kissing him again.

"Happy birthday, G."