Title: Leaving
By: cassie_jamie
Pairing: Pre-slash Nick/Greg
Rating: G
Summary: It takes a push sometimes.

Greg's pretty sure from the way Nick is walking out of Grissom's office that something big has happened but he doesn't want to say anything just yet. No, not when Gil looks like he's about to kill someone. He knows he won't be the target – Sara still isn't in to work for the second day.

He watches Nick walk toward the locker room and turns back to his work, wondering what's going on. He wants to ask, only the dark look on his boss' face stops him from doing so and the yelling thwarts any of the nerves he's worked up to ask anyone else.

"Hey." Comes from behind him.

He peers over his shoulder to see Nick holding a box full of random things, "Yeah?"

"You almost done with all that?"

Greg lets out a dry laugh, feeling as if this was his last chance to do something and he's not sure what, "Right. I've got a mountain to conquer."

"Okay. Well, I'll see ya' around, man." He extends a hand, "It's been good knowing you."

And then he moves to walk away; every fiber in Greg's body yearning to reach out but he stops himself.

His heart twists. He can't figure out why and he starts to regret letting his friend leave without so much as an explanation of why. He jogs up, a hand catching the firm upper arm, "Wait."

Nick shoots him a masked look, "What, Greg?"

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Texas?"

"For a few days."

Greg figures that days will turn into weeks, to months, to years and he's pretty sure that his mind's worst case scenario is about to come true. And fuck, where did that come from?

He speaks again, "Do you want to go out later?"

"Did you just ask me on a date?" Nick laughs.

"Maybe." He replies seriously, amazed at himself.

There's the normal rumblings of the lab coupled with the sound of Grissom's anger for a few minutes.

"Sure."