Title: He
By: mickeylover303
Pairing: Wendy, Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Summary:  The one where Wendy has more than one moment, Greg experiences mortality, and Nick was...Nick was being Nick.

***

The whole situation made Wendy feel like chewing on something; possibly candy or at least something that was sweet. But she decided to settle on her chicken sandwich because she didn't want to spend more than she had to for something like dessert.

 

Still, aside from the lack of fulfilment for her sudden sweet tooth, it was...cute.

 

And it was only cute because she never thought she'd see Greg Sanders embarrassed, blush included, and bunching his shoulders as if she caught him doing something nice; the kind of nice thing he didn't want her to know about it.

 

"So, when exactly did...you know..."   She pointed to the gold band on his finger.

 

"This...?" he asked, pointing to it, as well. "Oh..." Greg sat back against the booth, rubbing his finger over the band. "I think it was sometime last year...before I failed my first proficiency."

 

"You don't remember?" Wendy tilted her head in confusion.

 

"Actually," Greg dissolved into a light laughter, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's the kind of stuff Nick remembers."

 

She snorted into her drink, shaking her head. "I don't know, but for some reason I expected something different."

 

"Not from me, I hope."

 

Wendy scoffed when Greg broke out into a grin, picking up a fry and putting it into his mouth. It wasn't exactly breakfast, but their shift started in half an hour and since she was paying, she received no complaints from Greg. "And all this time I thought you were actually flirting with me."

 

"I like to call it friendly interaction."

 

"Thanks for not playing with my feelings," she retorted sarcastically.

 

"Not like you actually fell for it."

 

"That's not the point, though." Her mind travelled to last night when she had dinner with Greg and Julie, who was, at the most, amused by the man. At first she didn't believe Greg when she asked him the story behind his band and who it was from. But her mind was quickly changed when she noted drastic, albeit brief, change in his behaviour.

 

"He gave it to me," Greg said. His gaze was focused on the wall behind the two women, almost blank as he absently rubbed the band on his finger.

 

Julie looked at Wendy, eyebrows raised in confusion.

 

"Nick?" Wendy asked with no small hint of surprise in her voice. "As in the Nick Stokes-"

 

"Yeah." Greg turned his attention back to them, a large smile on his face as he eagerly took his hands off the table; picking up his plate.  "So, anybody want more rice?"

 

Greg didn't bring it up again, and Wendy didn't press the situation. At first, it seemed like he didn't want to talk about it, but he surprised her by calling her back later last night, which she used to arrange a sort of pseudo-breakfast date for today.

 

"What is it, then?" Greg asked, taking a bite out of his hamburger.

 

Wendy shook her head, deciding to go to a new topic. "What about Nick?"

 

He licked his lips, tongue running over the mustard that found its way to the corner of his mouth. "Nick does it – flirting – I mean, he does it...differently. He just doesn't know he does it."

 

"That doesn't make any sense."

 

"Don't tell me you've never checked him out?"

 

She turned red, mouth opening slightly. It wasn't that Nick wasn't attractive...not her type but Wendy was only human. Still, it wasn't something that she would say around Greg, especially since he and Nick were in a relationship. "...I'm not going to tell you I didn't check him out."

 

"Because you did." He smiled at her again, a habit that seemed to be increasing whenever she was around him.

 

She sighed, concentrating on blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "But how did you know?" She leaned across the booth, elbows propped on the table and a child-like curiosity shining from her eyes. "You said four years. It just seems like a long time."

 

Greg shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't like love at first sight...no matter what Nick says." Wendy raised her eyebrows at the comment. "We were friends for a couple of years first, he asked me out one day and here we are."

 

"It's kind of like a fairy tale."

 

Greg almost choked on his food. "What?"

 

"Except for the fact that it's real." She continued to muse aloud, blissfully unaware of the sounds of Greg hacking and trying to pat himself on the back. "Still, the fact that you're together..." She sighed heavily, placing her upper body weight on her elbows. "...it's romantic." He gave her a quizzical look, to which she responded. "I mean...in a totally has-nothing-to-do-with Snow-White-or-Sleeping-Beauty kind of way."

 

Greg covered his mouth, trying to cough out the remnants of a piece of a fry that was somewhat lodged in his throat. "Please...please don't."

 

She held up her hands in mock surrender, grinning when she saw Greg roll his eyes. "I still can't believe I didn't notice the band on your finger before last night." 

 

"That's why you dragged me out here for breakfast – disrupting the little time I have for sleep?" He looked at the clock on the wall. "It's already four."

 

"Well, yeah. It wouldn't be the same over the phone." Wendy brushed off the complaint, knowing he didn't mean it. "So...who else knows?" She knew that Greg had no qualms with discussing his relationship, but could tell he and Nick weren't exactly overt about it, either.

 

"Just a few people...Nick was the one who let it slip a couple of years ago..." Greg laughed at the thought, immediately sobering at Wendy's response.

 

"When you were kidnapped..." she added, pausing when she noticed the look on Greg's face. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

 

"It's okay. I'm over it." He nodded his head at the concern in her eyes. "Really, I'm-"

 

"Nice enough to save me something," Nick interrupted, positioning himself to take a seat next to Greg. "Scoot over, man."

 

Wendy blinked in surprise, wondering how she missed Nick's entrance into the small diner. When she invited – nearly threatened – Greg to breakfast today, she extended the invitation to Nick, as well. Wendy knew Nick was overworked with his recent case and didn't put too much thought into the man making an appearance, but Greg seemed certain when he told her otherwise.

 

And he was right.

 

Greg moved to the side of the booth, giving the other man an accusatory look. "You're late."

 

"Sorry," Nick replied, though his smile told Wendy he was anything but. "This is my lunch...dinner break?" he said, stealing a fry from Greg's plate and earning a small shove from Greg. "We finally solved the Fincher case."

 

"It was the brother," Greg said confidently, frowning when Nick reached to take another fry off his plate. He only had so many left.

 

"Nope, it was the sister."  Nick shook his head, moving his gaze from Greg to Wendy. "So, you guys talking about me?"

 

"Greg was filling me in...we were talking about how you guys knew."

 

"Knew what?" Nick asked, looking at the other man.

 

"That you were made for each other," Wendy answered, hoping she didn't seem too wistful. She wouldn't say she had an obsession concerning Nick and Greg, but there was just something about their relationship that intrigued her; even now as they sat together. She knew it wasn't exactly like a fairy tale, but it reminded her of that kind of simplicity in Disney movies. It appealed to child inside of her that wanted to believe that love was still real in today's world.

 

She watched as Greg groaned, closing his eyes the same time Nick claimed it was love at first sight, telling her not to believe otherwise...or in what Greg may have said. Nick glanced at her briefly, wearing a small smirk as he turned his attention to Greg, their faces barely an inch apart.

 

But it wasn't until Greg opened his eyes, shock apparent as he noticed Nick's proximity did Wendy begin to laugh, mindful of Nick joining when Greg used his hand to push the other man's face away.

 

"Can I see yours?" Wendy asked, laughter dying down as she pointed at Greg's band again, her eyes motioning at Nick's hand resting underneath the table.

 

"Uh...yeah." Nick placed his hand on the table, showing her the simple, gold ring. She found herself intrigued by it, thinking it strange that something so small – seemingly almost trivial – could mean so much to two people.

 

And she would have never known if Greg hadn't offered to show her how to use chopsticks.

 

"It's...wow."  Wendy moved her gaze to Nick's face, not expecting the almost hesitant smile as he moved his hand back to his lap. 

 

Nick smiled openly now, eyes bright and skin creased near the corners of them. "It's...it's something." He sneaked a glance at Greg, and Wendy noticed the other man distancing his plate from Nick.

 

"Don't be like that, P-" Nick began, biting his bottom lip when Greg interrupted him.

 

"Not here...not in front of her," Greg whispered, nodding his head toward Wendy. He put another fry in his mouth, turning his side to Nick in an effort to protect his food.

 

"What?" Wendy asked as Nick snorted, becoming more interested. "Don't do what in front of me?"

 

Nick looked at Greg pointedly, as if he was aware of some kind of hold he had over the other man. "Share," he demanded and Wendy watched with intrigue while Greg sighed; reluctant as he pushed his plate of fries closer to Nick, giving the other man free reign.

 

She looked at them strangely. "Do I want to know?"

 

"Probably not." Nick beamed at her, a dorky look on his face as he dipped a fry in a small pile of ketchup on the plate. "He doesn't even like ketchup."

 

"But I like my fries," Greg retorted, his mouth not quite turned into a pout. "Especially fries I don't have to pay for."

 

"Well, I'll bring you some when I get back." Nick looked at his watch. "I'm getting ready to head out."

 

"Already?" Wendy asked.

 

"I'm going to pass out while I can." Nick looked at her apologetically. "I'll be back at the lab in a couple of hours. I just wanted to stop by before you guys left."

 

"You going home first?" Greg asked.

 

Nick nodded his head, patting the other man on the shoulder. "I'll stop by the post office for you."

 

"Thanks...Nana wouldn't tell me what it was."

 

Wendy observed them, Nick mumbling something she couldn't hear and laughing when Greg said a word in a language that she was sure wasn't English.

 

"I'll see you later." Nick gave Greg's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Okay?"

 

"Okay," Greg said, peering up at Nick as the other man removed his hand and lifted himself from the seat.

 

"Bye, Wendy," Nick said, waving at her before turning away. She waved at his retreating back, seeing the muscles move beneath his t-shirt.

 

Again, she was human.

 

"So...we have another fifteen minutes or so before we have to leave," Wendy said, trying to get Greg's attention. He was watching Nick leave, his eyes following the other man out the door and into the parking lot. "You want to split a slice of cheesecake?"

 

"I thought you weren't buying dessert?" Greg asked, biting his lip as he turned to her. "You said you don't have any money."

 

"Yeah, well..." Wendy tilted her head, contemplating their flavour choices as she saw a waitress nearing their booth. "I changed my mind."