Title: Untitled
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG
Summary: sequal to Familar Roads.

So far they've been out to breakfast three times, but that's as far as it's gone. There's been a lot of talking, and that's good. It's great, because they didn't do a whole lot of talking the first time around, and it's nice to know that Nick's trying to get it right this time. But so far all they've done is talk, and that's starting to get a little frustrating.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he didn't know what he's missing. But that's the problem, because he does know. He remembers every single night with Nick: over a year's worth of breathless, frenzied kisses and strong hands tracing patterns on his skin and Nick pushing inside him. He remembers exactly how it feels when Nick wraps his mouth around Greg's cock, one hand threaded with Greg's and he never complained when Greg gripped too hard.

He remembers what Nick's face looks like when he comes; that one he replays over in his head a lot, and for awhile he felt pathetic about it. But now he's just frustrated, because Nick's talking, yeah, but he's not in a hurry to do anything else.

So he's got a boyfriend, but he's still sleeping alone, and suddenly sex is a whole lot more important than it ever was before. It's not like he hasn't gone through dry spells before; he didn't bother dating much after Nick, partly because he was still hoping that they'd get back together eventually. And now they're back together, but he's starting to think if he wants sex he's going to have to ask.

Which wouldn't be a problem, except somehow Warrick and Catherine invited themselves to their fourth breakfast and instead of a quiet, meaningful conversation about when they're going to hit the sheets already, they're rehashing the details of the night's cases.

"I still can't believe he didn't toss the gun. What, he's never seen a cop show?"

Nick laughs at Warrick's expression, but he sounds just as distracted as Greg feels, and that makes Greg feel a little better.

"You heard him. Guns are expensive," Catherine says, doing a fair imitation of the moron they'd arrested for the night's double homicide.

"Be thankful the guy was that dumb," Nick says over his coffee. "If he had half a brain we'd all be pulling a double right now."

"Speaking of which, I'm on again tonight," Catherine says. "And I need to go home and make sure my kid hasn't burned anything down or gotten anything tattooed before I get some shut-eye."

Greg waits for Warrick to take the hint and follow her, but she tosses a few dollars on the table and says her goodbyes without him making a move. And now Greg's stuck sitting across the table from Nick and Warrick, both of them staring into their coffee cups and not saying anything and he really can't handle this. Because he had plans for this particular conversation, like where exactly this relationship was going and how long it was going to take to get there, and he can't ask any of that with Warrick sitting across from him.

Well. He could, but Nick would probably never speak to him again.

He thinks about doing it anyway just to get rid of Warrick, but in the end he decides that throwing in the towel is the safer plan. "I'm beat," he announces, fishing his wallet out of his pocket and pulling some bills out to add to the pile. "Catch you guys later."

He's halfway to the door when he hears Nick calling after him, and when he glances back over his shoulder he's surprised to find Nick sliding out of the booth and heading toward him. And Warrick's watching him go, but Nick doesn't seem to notice. Or maybe he just doesn't care, because when he catches up with Greg he doesn't look back to see if anyone's looking.

"You're just leaving?"

"Look, Nick, I'm tired," Greg answers, and now he feels sort of guilty, but he's not up for talking anymore. "I don't want to wait around for Warrick to take a hint so we can rehash the same conversation we've already had three times."

As soon as he says it he regrets it, especially when Nick frowns and takes a step backwards. Because he's tired, yeah, but he doesn't want to ruin things when Nick's trying so hard to fix them.

"I didn't mean it that way," he says. "I get that you want to take things slow."

"I thought you wanted that too."

"I want to do whatever it takes to make things work," Greg answers, swallowing a sigh at Nick's confused expression. "I'm just saying that whenever you're ready to stop talking for awhile, I'm all yours."

Nick picks that moment to remember that Warrick's still sitting right behind them, probably waiting for them to leave so he can make his escape. And Greg almost feels bad for him, because he's more or less trapped, but he's the one who horned in on their date, so he doesn't feel that bad. Still, it's not like he really wanted to do this with an audience, so he decides to let Nick off the hook.

"Look, just think about it, okay? I'll see you tonight."

Greg lets himself out of the restaurant without waiting for an answer, fumbling for his keys as he makes his way to his car. And this whole situation is stupid, because they've been down this road before and they shouldn't have to go through it all over again. Except the first time wasn't awkward at all, and it's not really fair that the awkwardness is starting two years after their first kiss.

He reaches his car and slides the key in the lock when a hand lands on his shoulder, and he turns to find himself face to face with Nick again. And he thinks maybe he should make sure Warrick's not lurking around somewhere, but if Nick doesn't care then Greg doesn't have to either.

"It's not that I don't want…I just want to get this right," Nick says, and now Greg does feel guilty.

"I love you, Nick. That isn't going to change if we sleep together, trust me."

That gets him a grin, the slow, sexy one he loves best. And maybe the direct approach is the best one after all, because Nick leans in and presses a soft kiss to his lips before he pulls back to whisper in his ear. "Your place or mine?"

"Mine's closer," Greg says, body already trembling a little from their second first kiss, and it really has been way too long. "You want to leave your car here? We could swing back by on the way to work tonight."

"You read my mind." Nick leans in for one last kiss before he lets go and rounds the car to slide into the passenger seat. And Greg has to admit he was right about one thing: communication really is the key to a great relationship.