Title: Days in Between
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Ice cream porn.

A lot of things changed after the explosion. They rebuilt the lab, Catherine disappeared for a few weeks and came back looking just a little older, Sara went a little crazy for awhile before she pulled herself back together. Even Greg was more subdued for a little while there, but he shook it off pretty quick and eventually things settled back into the usual routine. Some things never change, though, and when Nick walks into the break room and finds Greg sitting in a chair with his feet propped up he can't help grinning.

He still keeps Ben and Jerry's in the break room freezer – that much hasn't changed, at least, and it makes Nick feel a little better to see Greg looking so…calm. Nick's watched him eat ice cream at least a dozen times, tried not to watch him a lot more than that. It's one of those weird flavors with a crazy name and he's pretty sure there are bananas involved, but he doesn't ask because he doesn't need to start obsessing in the fucking ice cream aisle at the supermarket, for God's sake.

Because he already obsesses enough about Greg – it was bad enough before the explosion, but after…after everything changed, and it scared him enough to start thinking about why he's always spent so much time thinking about Greg. He doesn't think anybody else has noticed, but Nick's aware of every casual touch, every smile and every glance. He takes every opportunity he can to visit Greg in the lab, bringing him samples or picking up results just so he can see that smile and hear that voice while Greg does his little song and dance about the evidence.

Seeing Greg back in the lab always makes him feel a little better, but catching him by chance like this – eyes closed and neck arched and a spoon dangling almost comically from his lips – this makes Nick want to do things that will get them both fired. It's the picture of pleasure, and he's not sure he'll ever understand how somebody can get that much joy out of something as simple as ice cream. Then again, he's never really understood Greg, and most of the time Nick's pretty sure that's what he finds so irresistible.

And he wishes he hadn't left the camera back in the evidence room, because he wants a picture of this. He imagines this is what Greg would look like in the moments after he comes, when his whole body's limp with pleasure and he's drifting in that warm haze between awake and sleeping. He wants to see Greg like that, wants to be the one he gets him there. He wants to hear Greg say his name when he comes – can't even remember how long he's wanted that, but he thinks maybe it's always been there, just under the surface.

It feels like time's frozen somehow as he watches Greg, but he's pretty sure it's only a few seconds later when dark eyes open to look at him, Greg's smile unapologetic and pleased and just the way Nick's always imagined he'd smile when he asked Nick to fuck him.

"You want some?"

God, yes, Nick doesn't say, cheeks flushing the color of his shirt and he doesn't catch the embarrassed grin before it betrays him. "No. Thanks."

"You sure?" Greg asks, spoon tapping against his bottom lip and Nick thinks about just walking over there and licking the flavor of ice cream off Greg's lips. "Because you were staring at me like you wanted something."

"Maybe later," Nick answers, forcing legs made of lead to carry him across the room to the coffee pot. His back's to Greg but he can hear the other man moving, opening the fridge to put his ice cream back in the freezer and then to the sink to drop his spoon in the basin. He keeps his back to Greg the whole time, half terrified of where this conversation will end up if he lets it continue.

He doesn't hear Greg move any closer, but a few seconds later he feels the air shift around him and Greg's…there, right in his personal space and smelling of chemicals and coffee and sweet. "That a promise?"

Nick barely manages to hang on to his coffee mug when Greg whispers the words in his ear, practically the same height as Nick and when he turns to look Greg's so close his chest brushes Nick's arm. And now he's sure he's dreaming, because Greg's definitely coming on to him, and this isn't supposed to happen. This is the kind of thing Nick fantasizes about because he knows it'll never happen, and that makes it safe. Because he wants Greg, and there are times when he's almost sure Greg wants him right back, but he's not sure he wants to deal with what happens once they do something about it.

"Greg…what…?"

And now he can't even form complete sentences, but it doesn't really matter because Greg's smiling that smile that makes Nick's knees weak. Every. Single. Time. For six years, and it's amazing he's lasted this long without grabbing Greg and kissing him until they both forget why this is such a bad idea. He's a breath away from leaning in and doing exactly that when Greg backs off abruptly, hands up in surrender and a frown marring his features.

"Have it your way. But the dumb and cute routine's getting a little old, just so you know."

He knows he's missing something when Greg turns around and walks out of the break room, lab coat flying behind him like some deranged superhero, and Nick doesn't let himself think before he follows. Greg's halfway down the hall when Nick catches up to him, a hand on his arm to stop him and he doesn't realize until after Greg turns to look at him that it would have been smarter to wait until they weren't standing in the middle of a public hallway to have this conversation.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Greg rolls his eyes and leans in closer, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper and this time Nick's positive he smells bananas. "If I have to explain it maybe I was wrong about you."

A second later he's gone again, and Nick's standing alone in the hallway, staring at the spot where Greg used to be. And he's not even sure what just happened, whether Greg's waiting for him to do something or if he's just supposed to let it go. He wants to ignore it, to pretend he doesn't know exactly what Greg's talking about and go back to flirting like it doesn't mean anything, but he knows he can't. They can't, because Greg said the words he can't take them back.

He's still standing there wondering how long Greg's been waiting for Nick to do something when a hand lands on his shoulder, and he jumps and turns to find Warrick watching him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Nick answers, carefully ignoring Warrick's skeptical frown. "What's up?"

"Got a call," Warrick answers, and just like that Nick's world slides back into place. Because he's got a job to do, and as long as he can focus on that he doesn't have to think about Greg's mouth or his crooked smile or the faint scent of bananas.

~

For the first time since Nick can remember he's actively avoiding Greg's lab. Not because he doesn't want to see him, but he's not sure what will happen when he sees Greg again and he's pretty sure he doesn't want it to happen at work. At least not in a room made almost entirely of glass, where anyone could look in at exactly the wrong moment. So he lets Warrick handle the DNA evidence and he focuses on the body, and by the time their shift is over all he wants to do is go home and forget this whole night ever happened.

His life's never been that easy, though, so he's not surprised to find Greg in the locker room. Alone in the locker room, and that's the part that's dangerous, because they're still at work and just because the door's closed doesn't mean someone won't walk in.

"I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

Nick feels himself flush, looks down for a second and clears his throat before he forces himself to meet Greg's gaze. "I wouldn't call it avoiding."

"Yeah? What would you call it, then?"

"Keeping my distance," Nick answers, and he knows he's splitting hairs but he's not sure how else to explain it. "Look, Greg, about before…"

He's not sure what he's about to say, but before he figures it out Greg starts talking and suddenly it doesn't matter anymore. "Just tell me one thing. Is this going somewhere or not?"

And he wasn't really expecting that – sure, he knows there's something between them, but he always figured it was a game for Greg. Just a way to kill time, harmless flirting like he did with Sara and Catherine and everybody else. It makes him feel a little better to know he's different, and he doesn't bother checking his grin. "Depends. Is that offer still on the table?"

"What, you want some ice cream?" Greg smirks, teasing and Nick knows they're not talking about ice cream anymore.

"Or something." Greg's smirk fades into something softer – happiness, maybe, with just a little surprise. And it's nice that he's not completely predictable, but Nick knows if they don't get out of here soon they're both going to be unemployed. "You…uh…you wanna talk about it at my place?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Greg answers. He takes a few steps forward and Nick tenses automatically, positive someone's going to walk in on them and then he'll have to explain to Grissom why he was making out with Greg in the locker room. But before he has a chance to panic Greg steps around him, shoulders just barely brushes as he pushes the door open. "Give me a minute."

He lets out a breath and opens his locker with shaking fingers, dropping his I.D. inside and tucking his wallet into his jeans before he closes the locker and heads back to the relative safety of the hall. And he's not sure what he's getting himself into, because getting involved with Greg is just asking for complications. That's something he's used to avoiding, but when Greg turns the corner and Nick's heart actually skips a beat he knows he hasn't got a prayer.

Greg's carrying a small paper bag, but when Nick raises an eyebrow he just grins and reaches into his pocket for his keys. "I'll follow you."

Nick nods once and heads toward the front of the building, not daring to look back and see if Greg's still behind him. He's pretty sure if he looks at Greg again he'll do something he can't take back, and he doesn't want their first kiss to be in front of witnesses. So he heads for his truck and climbs inside, glancing in his rearview mirror once to make sure Greg's behind him before he pulls into traffic and heads toward his neighborhood.

Barely ten minutes later he's pulling up in front of his house, shutting off the engine and willing his heart to stop racing as he gets out of the truck and looks back to watch Greg walk up his driveway. And he wants to touch – he's been thinking about this moment for way too long, but he wants to know exactly what he's getting into first, so he doesn't let himself touch as Greg brushes past him into the house.

He doesn't touch as he closes the door behind them, or when he leads Greg past the kitchen and into the living room. His fingers twitch when Greg pulls his jacket off, dropping it on the arm of Nick's couch and he can't help thinking that Greg's stuff looks good in his place. The thought makes him grin self-consciously, dipping his head so Greg won't see his face flush. Only Greg's watching him when he looks up again, and that makes him blush even harder, skin hot and he's not sure how he's going to make it through the next few minutes.

"Listen, G…" he says at the same time Greg says, "So…", then Nick's laughing and Greg just grins, gentle and sort of affectionate and that's an expression Nick doesn't get to see nearly often enough. He wants to see it more – more and more, and before he realizes it he's moving forward until there's barely a foot of space left between them.

"What exactly are we doing here?" he asks, one hand on the back of his neck and he can feel the heat there too. He's pretty sure he's blushing all over, and the thought makes him blush even more until he's positive he's never going to stop.

"Looks like you could use a little cooling down." Greg smirks at his own lame joke and holds up the bag he's still carrying, nodding toward the back of the house and Nick rolls his eyes, trying not to laugh as he grips Greg's shoulder and steers him toward the bedroom.

And it's easy to worry that he's going to regret this, but as soon as they reach the bedroom Greg grips the front of his shirt and pulls him close, lips pressed together in a kiss that's more rushed and desperate than romantic. Not that Nick's complaining, because his hands are already under Greg's shirt and he's stumbling backwards toward his bed, pulling Greg with him until his legs collide with the mattress. He sits down hard, breaking the kiss and grinning idiotically when Greg drops the bag next to him and tugs his shirt off.

Nick scrambles backwards onto the mattress and lets Greg climb over him, knees on either side of his hips and he reaches up to run warm hands down Greg's bare chest. And he's not sure how this counts as cooling him down – it's exactly the opposite, really, because even his blood feels hot, itching just below the surface of his skin. Then Greg reaches over him, Nick's hands sliding across taut nipples, thumbs pressing against Greg's collarbone as he leans down and picks up the paper bag.

It's no surprise when he pulls out a plastic spoon and the pint of Ben & Jerry's, but Nick laughs anyway, high and just a little nervous. "No way."

"You said you wanted to," Greg says, and he's no good at pretending to be hurt, but Nick sighs and surrenders anyway.

"I don't even like bananas."

"You'll like this," Greg answers in a voice that Nick knows means 'trust me'. He's not entirely sure he should, but he doesn't argue when Greg digs the spoon into the quickly softening ice cream and then pops it into his own mouth. That's not what Nick was expecting, but he has a feeling that Greg's got this all worked out, so he tries his best to relax and watches as Greg's tongue darts out to lick the spoon clean.

Then he's leaning in, lips soft and tongue cool and Nick moans into his mouth as he parts his own lips to taste Greg and bananas. And maybe he doesn't hate this flavor so much after all, because Greg and sweet and banana is kind of…good. He pushes up into the touch, trying to get more of Greg, more skin and more heat and he lets out a disappointed groan when Greg's hands push him back against the mattress.

He watches Greg reach for the ice cream again, tongue lingering on the spoon before he leans back in and opens his mouth against Nick's jaw. His lips are cold against Nick's skin, hands between them to unbutton Nick's shirt and when his fingers push the fabric aside Nick shivers under him. Greg's hands are cold, cooling Nick's skin as they slide down his chest and across his stomach. His mouth's still moving on Nick's neck, sucking at his collarbone until Nick's gasping and arching up into him.

Finally Greg pulls away, grinning at Nick's glazed expression before he sits up and reaches for the ice cream again. And this definitely isn't the way Nick pictured their first time, but he's not going to complain when Greg's hard and rocking against him just enough to tease. When Nick shifts his hips to try to increase the pressure Greg's knees tighten hard on his hips, effectively pinning him in place and Nick squeezes his eyes shut tight. "G, you're killing me here."

"We're just getting started," Greg answers, and Nick knows a promise when he hears one. He doesn't have to look to catch the amusement in Greg's voice, and when a cold mouth closes around his nipple he gasps and arches up into the sensation.

"Fuck," he murmurs, earning him another laugh and Greg looks up long enough to grin at him.

"Told you you'd like it."

And he doesn't even mind that Greg's being smug, because he's right. Nick likes it – he loves it, maybe even more than he expected to. He's wanted Greg for way too long to care about the circumstances, and when agile fingers work his zipper open Nick lifts his hips enough to let Greg pull his jeans and boxers down. He kicks his shoes off, then the rest of his clothes and he feels a little weird, pinned under Greg in nothing but his shirt while Greg's still mostly dressed, but he's not going to complain.

Not when Greg's mouth is moving down the center of his chest, warmer now and it's easy to relax under the attention. Nick's eyes drift closed, every nerve ending in his body centered on the pleasant arousal at the pit of his stomach. He lets himself float on the sensation, fingers flexing against the sheets as Greg pulls away again. A second passes, then another and Nick opens his mouth to complain, but the words die in his throat when a mouth closes around his cock. Soft and shockingly cold, and Nick gasps and arches his back, trying to get more and scramble away from the cold at the same time.

"Fuck," he says again, then you're crazy, the words forced out through gritted teeth. It's true; only Greg would suck him off around a mouthful of ice cream, and Nick can't decide if he wants to drag Greg's mouth off him or beg him never to stop. Then Greg swallows around him, warm and cold mingling together and Nick moans and thrusts up before he can stop himself. He hears himself murmur an apology, but Greg doesn't even miss a beat, swallowing around Nick again, then again and Nick knows if it wasn't for the distracting cold he'd already be coming.

Finally Greg pulls off, reaching up absently to wipe at the corner of his mouth and Nick can't help grabbing Greg's arm and dragging him forward for a hard kiss. He tastes ice cream and cool and Greg, tongue chasing the flavors until Greg's moaning and thrusting against him. And that feels good, but Nick knows how much better it could be so he tugs at the waistband of Greg's jeans until he pulls away long enough to scramble out of the rest of his clothes.

Nick takes the opportunity to fumble in his nightstand for condoms, praying absently for lube until his fingers close around a half-full tube at the back of the drawer. He drops them both on the mattress as Greg climbs back onto the bed, back over him to fit their mouths together again. He wonders vaguely why they've never done this before, why they wasted so much time when they could have been right here. And maybe he'll even ask, but not now, because Greg's tongue is thrusting in and out of his mouth and Nick finds the lube again and a few seconds later he's sliding two slick fingers inside Greg.

Slowly, so slow he thinks he might burst from the wait alone. Greg pulls his mouth away to gasp against Nick's neck, pushing back into the touch until finally Nick's buried as deep as he can go. The angle's a little weird, but as soon as he thinks it Greg shifts just a little and just like that Nick's pressing further inside, cock twitching when Greg gasps and clamps down hard on his fingers.

He waits until Greg relaxes to do it again, finding that spot that makes him moan low in his throat and open his eyes to look at Nick. And he feels like he should say something, but he's never been any good with words so instead he just slides a hand around the back of Greg's neck and drags him down for a kiss. That's something he knows he'll never get enough of, because Greg's always been good with his mouth, but it's even better when he's not using it to talk.

When Greg pulls back they're both breathing hard, Nick's fingers still working in and out of him in tiny thrusts as Greg reaches between them and rolls the condom down Nick's length. He moans at the contact, thrusting up into Greg's grip until the other man lets go again. He pulls away, letting Nick's fingers slip out of him as he leans in, brushing a kiss against the corner of Nick's mouth before he lines himself up and sinks onto Nick's cock.

They both squeeze their eyes shut, Greg panting against the stretch and Nick fighting the urge to thrust into tight heat. It feels like forever before he's all the way in, heart beating so fast he expects it to fly right out of his chest. Greg's hands are braced against him, hot and hard and Nick's sure he's going to have bruises – hopes he does, because that will give him something to remind him of this moment.

Endless seconds pass before Greg finally starts moving, back arched and Nick grips his hips, dragging him down hard with each thrust. He wants this to last forever, wants to keep his eyes open so he can watch Greg come for him. He wants a lot of things that he's not sure he can have, but he never thought he'd have any of this, so maybe it's not as impossible as he thought.

He angles his hips just a little, hands sliding up Greg's back to skim across the lowest of his scars. Greg shudders when he makes contact, and he wants to ask if it hurts, if he can still feel the pain from the burns. Instead he moves his hands back to neutral territory, one hand leaving Greg's back to close around his cock. He strokes slowly at first, keeping time with Greg's rhythm until the other man's rocking between his cock and his fist, grunting with each thrust.

He's not sure which of them loses it first – he thinks it might be him, but wet heat hits his fingers almost at the same moment he tenses, then he's moaning something that sounds suspiciously like Greg's name and coming. It's all over way too fast and he's still not sure how it happened in the first place, then Greg's collapsing onto the mattress next to him and Nick's left feeling a little…lost. Like he's going to wake up any minute and this will all be a dream – or worse, he's going to wake up in a few hours and Greg will be gone.

"Are we gonna talk about this?" He pushes himself up on one elbow, breath catching in his throat when Greg opens his eyes to stare back at him.

"Depends. Is it ever gonna happen again?"

"Yeah. I mean I'd like it to," Nick answers, feeling suddenly like a nervous teenager.

"Good," Greg murmurs, eyes fluttering closed again and Nick's heart twists in his chest. "Anything else?"

There are a thousand things he wants to say, a hundred questions he wants to ask, but Greg's breathing is already slowing down and he has a feeling he's not going to get answers now. Instead he leans in and brushes a kiss across Greg's jaw, breathing in the mingled scents of sweat and Greg and sweet before he pulls away again. "It'll wait."

Greg murmurs something that Nick's pretty sure means he's not even listening, already half asleep and Nick knows he's going to wake up in a few hours feeling sticky and gross and dying for a shower. He reaches around Greg and picks up the forgotten carton of ice cream, climbing out of bed long enough to dispose of the ice cream and the condom before he crawls back into bed. Greg's lying on his stomach now, one arm tucked under his head and Nick can see his scars now, marring what Nick's sure used to be perfect skin.

He reaches out before he can stop himself, hand hovering over Greg's shoulder for a few seconds before he sighs and pulls it back again. He settles for another kiss, lips pressed to the scar at the back of Greg's neck for just a second longer than strictly necessary before he pulls away and settles on his back to stare up at the ceiling and wonder what he's gotten himself into.