Title: I Know Him So Well
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: Inspired By Songs, mission_insane
Prompt: 8, I Know Him So Well
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

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Nick propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at the young man sleeping beside him. How long had Greg been living here now, spending every night with him? He hadn't counted the days, but he knew that they'd been the happiest of his life.

He'd thought that he knew Greg well before they had moved in together, but there had been so much about this man that he hadn't known. He had learned so much about who Greg was from being around him every day, not just at work, but in their personal lives as well.

And being Greg's lover had taught him so much about this young man, so much that he held close to his heart. He knew how it felt to kiss Greg, to touch him, to hold him, to be inside him. He knew how it felt to have Greg's body wrapped around his, joined in the most primal of embraces.

That thought made his heart pound in his chest, his breath coming faster. Nick closed his eyes, letting his mind play over the memory of how they'd made love earlier tonight before they'd fallen asleep, how every second of that lovemaking had felt.

He could remember exactly how it had felt to thrust into Greg, to feel those taut thighs squeezing his sides, to feel those long legs wrapped around his waist. Just the memory of that feeling made him want to groan aloud, to wrap Greg in his arms and take him again.

With a concentrated effort, he pulled his thoughts away from the path they'd been taking. He didn't want to wake Greg up; there were some nights when his boyfriend couldn't sleep because of the nightmares that still plagued him, and Nick wanted him to get some rest.

How much had he really known about Greg before they'd become a couple? Nick wondered, resisting the urge to pull the younger man into his arms as he slept. He'd thought that he knew Greg well, but there had been so much he'd never suspected.

He had known that Greg's relationship with Shane had gone bad; that had been obvious from the fact that he rarely ever smiled any more, and his short temper. But until that day in the hospital after the explosion in the lab, he'd had no idea just how bad things were.

His heart still ached for Greg, for all that he'd kept locked inside and hadn't felt that he could trust anyone with. If only he'd gone to Greg sooner, offered him a shoulder to cry on, at the very least -- or better yet, given him a way out, a shield of protection.

If he had, then Shane wouldn't have kidnapped Greg from the hospital and raped him again. Greg would have been safe, loved and protected, away from Shane's clutches. Because he hadn't stepped up when he should have, Greg had been through so much needless pain.

Nick couldn't help but wish that he'd known Greg well enough for the younger man to have spilled all of his secrets before things had gotten so bad; maybe if they'd been closer, Greg would have been able to tell him how he felt long before he had.

He had somehow made Greg feel that he would never have accepted the love that Greg felt for him -- and Nick knew that he would spend the rest of his life trying to make up for that. If only he'd had the courage to tell Greg that he'd loved him from the moment they'd met!

Nick sighed, closing his eyes and lowering himself back to the pillow, carefully sliding his arms around Greg's waist. He was careful not to wake his young lover; the last thing he wanted was to bring Greg out of an obviously peaceful slumber that he'd been needing for a while.

It was no use thinking of what he should have done in the past; the time for that had gone by a long time ago. He had to live in the here and now, and be thankful that he and Greg had finally come together, no matter how painful the impetus for that had been.

He hated to think about all that Greg had suffered, but brooding on all of the "if onlys" wasn't going to help. He couldn't change the past; they both had to live with it. They had to work at putting the past behind them, and on building a future that the two of them could share.

So far, they were doing a pretty good job of that, Nick thought with a smile, raising one hand to stroke his fingertips down Greg's bare arm. Greg had come out of the shell that Shane had tried to keep him buried in; the old Greg was back, the Greg who Nick had fallen in love with.

He had known that Greg so well -- or at least, he'd thought that he had, Nick told himself with a wry smile. He hadn't really known just what was going on in Greg's mind or in his life, had he? If he had, he would have guessed how Greg felt about him.

Why hadn't he realized sooner? He would have saved them both so much time, trouble and heartache if he'd just been able to man up and tell Greg how he felt, if he'd been brave enough to risk being rejected by the man he'd even then known he would always love.

If he'd known Greg even half as well as he'd thought he did at the time, he would have been able to see through the facade that the younger man put up. He would have known that Greg's feelings for him went much more deeply than mere friendship, and he would have responded in kind.

At least he knew now, Nick told himself, snuggling closer against Greg's bare body under the sheets and sighing contentedly. And he would never doubts this man's feelings for him again -- or give Greg any reason to doubt Nick's feelings for him.

He wished more than anything that he could have seen past that facade that Greg had kept up, that he had known what the man he loved was going through. He would have gotten Greg away from Shane so much sooner, and kept Greg safe under his protection.

Maybe they'd had to go through all of that to appreciate each other as much as they did now, Nick thought with a soft sigh. Still, it didn't seem fair. Greg should never have had to suffer so much -- and Nick couldn't help but feel that he was the cause of some of that pain.

He hadn't known, Nick told himself. He hadn't had any idea that Greg's relationship was so bad, that Shane was abusing him in so many ways. If he had, he wouldn't have let it continue. He would have found some way to get Greg away from Shane before things escalated.

He might not have known what was going on in Greg's life then, but he had known Greg well enough to know that something was wrong, even when Greg had insisted that it wasn't. And over time, since they'd been together, he'd come to Greg better than he'd ever thought he would.

Nick smiled as he moved closer behind Greg, molding the younger man's slim body close to his own. He knew Greg so well, in all the ways that mattered. He knew the softness of Greg's skin, the feel of that slender body in his arms, the warmth of Greg's kiss.

He knew how it felt to be inside Greg, to join their bodies in the most intimate embrace possible. He knew how Greg looked and sounded when he came, how his body trembled, how he cried out Nick's name when he was deep in the throes of pleasure.

And he knew Greg's heart, Nick thought, turning his head to bury his face against the fragrant softness of his boyfriend's hair. He knew that Greg loved him, knew that their hearts and souls were entwined in a way that he'd never been with anyone else, and never would be.

He knew Greg so well, knew so much of him that he would have never even wanted to know about anyone else. He knew Greg from the inside out; he knew that they were a part of each other, and now that they were together, he knew that they'd never let themselves be parted.

No matter how well he knew this man, there was always more to discover, Nick told himself, closing his eyes and smiling at the thought. He and Greg would spend the rest of their lives learning about each other, discovering new depths, becoming even closer as time went on.

Today would be the first day of the rest of their lives. And they would spend every day getting to know each other even better in every possible way. He could hardly wait for the day to begin; it would be another day that would give him the opportunity to know Greg even better than he already did.

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