Title: Untitled
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: PG

"Would you be quiet? Somebody's going to catch us," Nick hissed when Greg shoved a drawer closed a little too hard.

"Relax, nobody's down here this time of night," Greg answered, but he was whispering too. He knew as well as Nick did that there was no way they could explain this away, not without having to quit their jobs and possibly change their names. And they should have waited until they got home, but it wasn't like either of them owned a tape measure and Nick was tired of having this argument. "Found it."

Nick glanced instinctively over his shoulder to make sure they were still alone before he turned back to Greg, taking in the smirk and the way Greg's eyes shone dark and mischievous in the low light. He hadn't been down in the basement all that often, and he wasn't scared, but he had to admit it was a little creepy down here. Then Greg started toward him and he forgot all about the thick silence and the shadowy corners, stomach trembling a little when Greg stopped just inches from him and held up the tape measure.

"You first."

He was still smirking, but it was different somehow – darker, maybe – and Nick suppressed a shudder when Greg's hand landed on him. And it was stupid, because Greg had touched him a million times before, but this was different. It wasn't intimate – purely scientific, Greg had said – but he was standing way too close and his fingers were hot against Nick's skin and he could feel Greg's breath on him, that critical eye sizing him up, looking completely serious for just a few seconds and by the time Greg pulled away and stepped back Nick was blushing from the top of his head all the way to his toes.

And it was dark in the room, but Greg noticed anyway, lopsided grin making him look impossibly young for just a second before he handed over the tape measure and stretched out his arms. "Okay, my turn."

Nick rolled his eyes to cover his embarrassment, taking the tape measure and stepping carefully in front of Greg. He took his time, fingers lingering on Greg's clothes, on the center of his chest as he trailed them down to the top of Greg's jeans. He could feel the energy radiating through Greg's body, skin thrumming with it and it made Nick want to forget their little experiment and fuck Greg right here in the basement of the crime lab.

"You sure you want to do this? We could just quit now."

"You're just saying that because you know I'm right," Greg said, breath warm against Nick's skin as he leaned in to whisper close to his ear.

"I'm not saying you're not, G," Nick whispered back, hand still resting at the top of Greg's waistband. "I'm just saying it doesn't really matter."

"Oh, it matters," Greg answered, his own hand coming up to rest on Nick's hip. "Now shut up and do it."

Nick let out a chuckle and dropped to his knees, the end of the tape measure in one hand. He carefully lined it up in the exact same spot Greg had started from, making sure to level the playing field as accurately as possible. They were scientists, after all, and just because he was kneeling in front of a very hard Greg didn't mean he had to do anything about it. "Stay still."

"I am," Greg answered, hand on Nick's shoulder to steady himself while Nick made sure the end of the tape measure was securely in place. They both held their breath while Nick stretched the tape measure out, Greg's hand sliding off his shoulder to ball into a fist at his side and Nick knew he wasn't as cool about this as he was pretending to be. He smirked and leaned in close, letting out a hot 'mmm' against Greg's skin as he read the number.

"I told you it was the same."

"No," Greg answered irritably, hand reaching out blindly to adjust Nick's hold on the end of the tape measure. "It has to be at the center of the head."

Nick rolled his eyes again, but he adjusted the tape measure to the right spot, eyes narrowing a little when he read the number. He pressed his thumbnail firmly against the spot where it hit the center of Greg's head, letting out a defeated sigh as he stepped back and held it up for Greg to see. "Happy now?"

Greg barely glanced at the spot Nick's thumb marked before he was smiling, smug and pleased and Nick regretted this already, because he was never going to hear the end of it.

"Ha," Greg said, reaching out to pull the tape measure out of Nick's hand. "A whole fifth of an inch. I told you I was taller."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't rub it in too much if I were you," Nick answered, taking one step forward to lean in and press a soft kiss to the side of Greg's neck. "We've still got other body parts we could measure."