When he wasn't making threatening phone calls and demands to a certain person – with the help of Warrick, who fully agreed with him – Ryan Wolfe was busy spending time with Greg, who had all but forgotten about a certain someone. And of course Ryan was left to pick up the specks of Greg's somewhat, but not entirely, fragile countenance.
Something Ryan should never have to do. He almost ended up carrying Greg here, but thought better of the idea at the last minute. It probably wouldn't look good with Greg over his shoulder in a crowded area…With children younger than Greg present.
His lips were pursed in a straight line, as he dragged Greg to the snack stand. Dragging the same person who would jump at the mere mention of anything with sugar.
Not even a whole day had passed but Ryan decided that Greg's mood had been going on long enough. And it was just a coincidence that the carnival started today. He initially didn't intend to take Greg until tomorrow, but now was as good a time as any.
Because if he had taken Greg tomorrow, Ryan knew that he might have considered it a date of sorts since Nick would have been out of the picture. And if he hadn't spent his morning sticking his nose in business where it didn't belong, he wouldn't be in this ambivalent predicament. Even if he did that with Greg on a daily basis.
Aside from that though, Ryan knew it wasn't really a date. Despite the fact that he ended up paying for Greg, ended up driving Greg, – because Greg was indefinitely banned from driving – and basically ended up looking out for Greg, it was not a date.
He was just trying to make Greg feel better the only way he knew how.
By being a friend, of course. Because now he was back to the snack stand and the fact that Greg wouldn't eat what Ryan spent more than three dollars on. Three dollars was a lot of money. Especially since he was working for minimum wage with a part time job. And that meant four dollars and twenty-five cents.
No more and no less.
"Come on, Greg. Blue or pink." Ryan held both sticks of cotton candy in his hands, blue in his right and pink in his left. He was nearly shoving both of them in Greg's face because Greg was going to eat the damn three dollar food.
"I don't want any." Greg appreciated the sentiment. He really did because he knew how frugal – not cheap – Ryan could be. But he just wasn't in the mood for cotton candy, right now. Although, if Ryan continued to prod him with the sweet concoctions, his friend would get two sticks down his throat.
After Greg ate the cotton candy, of course.
He couldn't let good food go to waste because that would be a…Waste.
"I can't believe it." Ryan moved closer to Greg, cutting him off before he could run away from Ryan. He put the blue cotton candy in his left hand and used the other to place on Greg's forehead, lingering more than necessary. But he was just checking to make sure Greg wasn't hot or anything…Not figuratively, but literally. Although, Ryan knew it could be literal, too. "Greg doesn't want cotton candy?" He removed his hand, covering his mouth and the exaggerated gasp that followed.
"Ryan, stop." Greg moaned in slight irritation at Ryan's wide-eye expression. There's now way Greg acted like this…He didn't think so. "I don't want any-"
But Greg didn't a chance to finish his protest as Ryan shoved the cotton candy in Greg's mouth. Smiling a smile that was too devious to be worn by Ryan and probably looked better, but no less devious, on Greg.
Greg felt his eyes water, his face getting warm as the stick nearly touched the back of his throat. His cheeks were puffed with pink candy floss as he tried to breathe. Only relieved when Ryan took the stick out and he was able to take a large inhale and subsequently make a large exhale.
"Ryan…" Greg didn't bother to cover his mouth as he coughed and more than two wheezes escaped him. "You trying to kill me?" He held his sore throat in his hands, wondering why no one saw him choking on candy – though he could still view it as poetic – and most of all, why Ryan just stood there.
Well, Ryan did pat his back, but it felt more like he was trying to beat Greg or something.
"Come on." Ryan led Greg to water fountain, his arm over Greg's shoulder as he pushed the button to release the water, watching Greg take the water greedily in his mouth. "Slow down before you choke."
Greg lifted his head from the fountain, wiping his mouth on his sleeve as he gave Ryan the most hateful glare he could muster. Slow down…Like he didn't just choke back there.
"Are you okay?"
"I would be if you'd stop smiling at me. And laughing…One of the two. Or both would be fine."
"I'm just glad you're all right." He held one side of Greg's face as he peered into Greg's reddened eyes. "I wasn't trying to choke you." Ryan was just trying to get Greg to eat the three dollar food and had no intention of killing his friend. Even if it seemed like Greg was really out to kill him, Ryan had no plans of revenge or any ideas to return the favour.
Besides, he knew CPR...
That's what happens when your mom is a cop…And a paranoid one at that.
Not that Ryan could say much against that, but at least he could blame his paranoia on genetics or at least his environment. Nature versus nature and in Ryan's case, it was a little bit of both.
Greg coughed again and what he hoped was the last time. "Keep telling yourself that." But he knew Ryan didn't mean any harm. It was just Ryan being Ryan. And although he was happy to spend time with his friend – and the cotton candy thing was pretty funny in retrospect – he still wasn't to the point where he was Greg.
And he wasn't sure he would ever reach that point again.
He shook his head as Ryan offered him cotton candy, again. This time it was the blue one. Greg rested his head on Ryan's shoulder; nearly persuaded to let his body fall completely against Ryan.
He felt so tired all of a sudden.
With Greg half-heartedly enjoying the rides and still resisting the sugar spun goodness that was cotton candy, Ryan was forced to his last resort. The one ride that Ryan pretty much dreaded. The one ride that was probably the only thing that had the highest possibility of making Greg feel better…Aside from locking him in a room with Nick, which wasn't in Ryan's plans right now. And of course, it had to be the one ride Greg would beg him to go on with him even though he knew Ryan was deathly afraid of heights.
The Ferris Wheel.
Greg felt the beginnings of a smirk when he noticed the mug on the desk. "Sara…" The same one Sara sat behind, organising papers. Actually working.
"Hmm?" She didn't look up, opening a side drawer and placing a folder inside.
"I feel like making love." Greg hopped on the desk, leaning into her personal space and moving his eyebrows up and down in some gesture that was supposed to be obscene, but only turned out to look funny.
"Go away, Greg." She pushed his head away from her face with the stack of folders in her hand, noticed the mug and sucking her teeth when she saw it was Greg's Bad Company mug…Something she would have to purposely break so she could have an excuse to throw it away. Sara would have thrown it at him, but there were still pencils and pens in it.
She would throw those at him instead.
He was close enough for her not to miss.
But she was above stooping to Greg's level, being baited by his antics. She would be the better person and find out how Greg was doing. He was probably still reeling since last night. And this was probably his way, however strange it was, of coping…Or something.
The least she could do, was give him the benefit of the doubt.
"So…How was it dreamer?"
"I still have the dopey look on my face, don't I?" Greg wriggled on top of the desk, facing away from Sara.
"Yep."
"Even when I know Nick isn't exactly willing to exchange my sentiments."
"Yep…You had, and in this case, still have it bad, kid."
"It's just my imagination, though. I can make it go away anytime I want."
"That, my young and inexperienced friend, is what we adults," There was a slight upturn of Sara lips when she heard Greg's highly discernable scoff. "Call a crush."
"Oh…Like what you have for Grissom?"
Sara wasn't sure by his tone if Greg meant to be biting or was honestly making a point. Sarcasm wasn't exactly lost on him. Sometimes, it was just hard to distinguish his sarcastic voice from his normal voice. But she took it as the former, just to be one the safe side. "Look, Spiteful Sam-"
"Spiteful Sam?" Greg turned around, facing Sara and dangling his legs off the side of the desk.
"You know…" Sara motioned her head in what looked like some kind of plea for understanding. "Like Negative Nelly?"
"No, I don't." Greg tilted his head in confusion, watching Sara do that mating call thing with her head. At least that's what it looked like from his angle.
"Alliteration," Sara was nearly at a lost, wondering how Greg could miss such a simple sketch. It wasn't really that hard. "It makes it cute."
"No." Greg gave her a hard stare. Just because both words began with the same letter didn't mean it equated to some level of cuteness. He knew what she meant, but she was honestly reaching for that one. "It doesn't."
Sara faced Greg, engaging him with a stare of her own. She thought it was creative because Sam was unisex name. Unlike Nelly. Well, it could be, but it just wasn't used as often as Sam was. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as cute as she once thought. But she wouldn't divulge that precious piece of information. "Anyway, Spiteful Sam," Which is why she used it again…Just to spite Greg. "Don't take your aggressions of unrequitedness-"
"Is that even a word?"
"It is now…Your aggressions of unrequitedness out on me."
"I'm not." And for once, Greg wasn't. "I'm just saying you have a crush on Grissom."
"True, but you're making what I have sound so…So-"
"Juvenile?"
"I think that's the word."
"But are you forgetting the fact that we now have something in common…Other than the people we know?"
"No. I'm doing the blissful thing and feigning ignorance."
"Well said."
"Back on topic." Sara sat up from her chair, leaning closer to Greg. "Are you going to be okay about the whole thing? Being your first crush and all."
"I guess so…Ryan took me to the carnival today and he even went with me on the Ferris Wheel. And you know how much he hates heights."
"Wow."
"Although, I almost choked on cotton candy."
"That…" Sounds exactly like something that would happen to Greg. "…Nice."
"Would have been nicer if Ryan wasn't trying to choke me."
Sara ignored Greg's murmuring. That was something completely between Greg and Ryan. If Greg was still alive, that's all that mattered. "So why are you here on a Saturday, though?"
"For your information, I came back because I wanted to get my mind off Nick. It's time to move on, you know?"
"That's…" Sara had to take the time to pause, not quite sure if the word she wanted to use was necessarily the best one to use concerning Greg. "Mature of you." But she was still waiting for the other pin to drop.
The one that actually made noise.
"And speaking of being mature, your new co-workers start the day after tomorrow."
There it was. "I don't know what I was on, but I take the mature comment back."
"Well, technically you're still an intern, but-"
"Not helping, Greg."
"Honestly, I'm not making a crack about Catherine's age."
"Even though she's years older than me and you think I'm ancient."
"You're the exception. Being in your mid-twenties doesn't make you old. It's your prime. Besides, with a body like that-"
"Greg." Sara tried, operative word being tried, to look reprimanding, but it didn't do well with laughter.
"Don't tell me you weren't checking Warrick out a few days ago. I see him as a friend, but still…"
"You are such a pervert."
"Come on. I know you still have the hots for – Sara?" Greg looked at her in concern. She had stopped laughing and was staring blankly at something behind him with her mouth open. "What's so interesting that-"
"I knocked but nobody answered."
Greg's first coherent thought as he turned around was that it was raining outside. But what was more important was the person now standing inside. He slowly got off the desk, unabashedly staring at said person, who was more than soaking wet. It was during this time that Greg formed his second coherent thought. It should rain more often.
If it allowed him to see Nick's chest through that tight white shirt.
Nick began to walk forward, water dripping off his body and onto the carpeted floor. Taking deliberate steps as his eyes were focussed solely on Greg and Sara was left all but forgotten. "I was packing and about to go to the airport until I had some sense talked into me." Courtesy of a belligerent Warrick and a homicidal sounding Ryan. But Nick omitted that part because it would ruin the moment, which he imagined was even better with the dim lighting.
Not like the moment was planned, but he knew the wet factor was playing a part in this because Greg and Sara were still speechless. And most of all, Greg's lips were ever so slightly parted. "I called my dad and told him I was going to stay for a while…If that's all right with you?" He stopped in front of Greg, their bodies nearly touching.
All right? Nick had the gall to ask that when Greg found out that it wasn't just a stupid crush, after all. He knew he was supposed to do some kind of thing where he held out on Nick because Nick did – even if it was unintentionally – hurt his feelings, but that made as much sense as the thoughts going through Greg's mind.
Not much at all.
So Greg did what he usually did and allowed himself to ignore the rational side of his mind that opposed his intentions and pulled a dripping wet Nick Stokes down for kiss.
It was more of a quick meeting of the lips than anything worthy of bragging about, but it was more than enough for Greg. He smiled contently as he let go of Nick's face. Until he opened his eyes to see something that was too close to disappointment on Nick's face.
"You call that a kiss?"
Greg let his hands drop to the side, furrowing his brow as his lips fell open, a retort on the tip of his tongue. But before he had a chance to speak, Nick had cupped his face and captured Greg's lips in the sweetest kiss imaginable. Never mind that it was only his second kiss, Greg saw fireworks and everything.
His eyes, once opened in shock, were now slowly closing as he quickly forgot the happiness of his first kiss. A moment, by now, long gone as he relished in being in Nick's arms, again. The feeling of his body quickly wilting was just like after the shooting when Nick held him. Not exactly the most romantic memory, but Greg was past caring when Nick's tongue traced over his lips. He shivered at the contact, opening his mouth, after which, Nick began to introduce Greg to a whole new range of sensations.
Sara's happily-ever-after feeling was quickly dissolving at the sight of Greg wrapped in Nick's arms. At first, she was agreeably surprised when she saw Nick come through the door. When Nick engaged Greg in a second kiss.
As she watched Greg smile into the kiss, she had to admit it was better than the forced happiness that had been on display earlier. Age difference aside, if Greg was happy, then Sara could let him indulge for a longer. After all, it was – and she would protest to thinking about this later – sweet.
But that's when it was innocent.
Now, Nick's hands were beginning to travel down Greg's neck. They continued to roam down Greg's back, lingering for a few seconds after finding themselves underneath Greg's shirt and then lowering themselves to get a tight grip on Greg's-
"Okay…Stop it, right there. Just…Stop it." Sara was relieved when Nick and Greg finally broke apart. But she had a feeling they only stopped because they remembered there was a thing called oxygen that they both needed. At least Nick's hands were safely wrapped around Greg's waist. Though, she didn't like the way Nick kept eyeing the desk that was mere inches behind Greg.
He was beyond simply embarrassed…And being embarrassed wasn't usually something he did very well. Or at all for that matter. But Greg figured the best way of recovering from knowing Sara was watching him make out was to ignore the fact that she was watching him make out. And he decided to do this by concentrating on other things. Like Nick's wet shirt, which he couldn't help but touch, pinching the stretchy material in between his fingers. "You're wet."
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Nick laughed as he saw Greg pulling his shirt, squeezing a little bit of water out of it. He leaned down to give Greg a chaste kiss on his nose. "But if you want me to take my shirt-"
"Minors!" Sara had long ago removed herself from the chair and from behind the desk. She was more than justifiably concerned at how quickly Nick had forgotten her presence. Greg, she could handle, but not someone who was so unashamed of his actions. "There are minors – a minor - in the room." In other words, another Greg.
Just with a disturbingly healthy libido.
She wasn't being a 'Spiteful Sam' because it only took Greg a week. His first crush and she was just starting on her fourth year. No, it was just time to break them up before Nick got anymore ideas and Greg was too caught up to actually say no.
Not to mention, technically, Nick shouldn't even be ten feet within Greg.
"Can I take you home?"
Sara was snapped from her musings, almost getting whiplash when she turned to Nick. Take Greg home?
And of course, Greg got a word in before she did. Whatever was filtered through his babbling. "Well, I uh…I don't think I'm ready for that and Sara's supposed to take me back to my uncle's house and-"
"What Greg is trying so eloquently to say," Sara gently pushed Nick and Greg apart, not liking how she had to use extra force to get Nick to back off. "Is No." She emphasised the first capital letter in the second word. It was cute for the first ten seconds, but this was quickly getting out of hand.
Nick laughed when he realised what Greg and Sara were thinking. It was an enticing thought, but he didn't want to be locked up anytime soon. Never, really. And he didn't think Warrick would exactly appreciate it, either. "No, I meant to Mr. Grissom's house."
Sara and Nick both turned to Greg at his more than noticeable sigh of relief. Greg only responded with his best grin, which he used to accompany the ever-present red on his face. He turned his attention to Sara. "Can Nick drive me, then?"
She was taken back by the onslaught of pleading eyes, even if there were only four. Nick and Greg were both looking at her for permission with small pouts that shouldn't be but were on the faces of two men – Or in this case, one man and a boy. Greg was even clasping his hands together, which should have been a testament to Greg's age and the defining moment where she didn't let Greg go.
It should have.
"Okay...But," Sara interrupted the yes that she knew Greg wanted to say. "I'm following you."
"Fine…" Greg said quickly as he turned to Nick. It wasn't exactly how he wanted it to be, but if Nick's nod mean that he was okay with it, then maybe that meant Nick was the real deal or some corny cliché like that. "It's still raining, though."
"I would give you a jacket, but..."
"That's okay. I don't have one, either...Hopefully, we won't get too wet."
Sara watched as Greg dragged a willing Nick through the door. She sighed, as she reached for her jacket. Picking up her keys and heading for the exit, covering her mouth as she began to yawn. Dropping her keys in surprise when she opened the door, finding Grissom on the other side.
Holding an open umbrella in one hand and a closed one in the other.
He looked at her line of vision and slightly lifted the closed umbrella, showing it to Sara. "I did want to give this one to Greg, but I can see he doesn't really need one." He motioned behind him, to where Nick and Greg were in a familiar position, but this time kissing in the rain.
Sara could hear their laughter as they broke the kiss, Greg's arms around Nick's neck until he was ushered into the passenger's seat of Nick's truck. Nick closing the door behind him and running to the driver's side.
They were going to get sick like that.
She bent down to retrieve her keys, eyes caught in Grissom's stare as she stood. Sara wasn't sure what to do as Grissom titled his head, as if he was expecting her to do something.
He shook his umbrella a little, gesturing to it as water fell from it and onto the cement. Grissom cocked his eyebrow in question, inwardly smiling at the puzzled expression on Sara's face.
"Room for two?"
I'm quite horrible with endings as I never give anything concrete, but Nick was coming back. That was undisputed. Though, I did feel bad for Ryan, I did, however, like his role as a (good) friend. Regardless, I still like the end; extremely fluffy - hence, the cotton candy reference - and somewhat happ...ier.
I originally wrote this because I felt there wasn't enough Sara/Greg interaction that wasn't Sandle, but then what's-his-face ended up being Greg's best friend, and Nick turned out to be more pervy than I intended. Though, I have a new found adoration for pedophile!Nick. At least my version and nothing explicit.
Overall, I think I failed on the crack attempt, but I hope I nailed on the silly attempt, fine line that is...even if it was sometimes iffy.
But thank you again for reading and thank you to silverrayne666 for reviewing.