Home of Greg Sanders Slash Fiction
by Buffyangel68
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Nick moved to follow Bobby back toward the living room but first
grabbed the stereo remote off the kitchen counter, wondering idly how
and why he'd left it there. As he passed into the larger space, he
used the device to start the stereo, flip to his favorite soft-rock
station and lower the volume until it was just audible. Joining Greg,
who had moved to the sofa, but otherwise had followed the command to
try and stay still, Nick smiled at his roommate and spoke gently to
him.
"So. Cool present, hmm, Greggo?"
"Cool? This is amazing! I don't think there's a piece of rock...
trivia in existence that isn't in here! I can't believe I actually
have one! I've been saving up, but it... was gonna be another three
or four months at least!"
Nick chuckled slightly, admonished Greg then turned to Bobby.
"Okay, okay. Easy, bud. Your voice ain't completely healed yet,
remember. D, how expensive was this monstrosity, anyway? If you want
I'll pay you back half. Anything that makes him this happy is more
than worth it..."
"Nah, don't give it a second thought, Nicky. I've, uh... I've got a
close friend who manages a music store. He's been lettin' me pay on
it a bit at a time, whenever I can. I had it paid off... I was gonna
leave it for Greg in his lab so he'd find it when he showed up for
shift that night, but... well, you know."
"Bobby..." Greg exclaimed softly.
"Now... you've been doin' it for me for most of a year, Greg. I just
felt like... givin' back a little."
"He has?" Nick asked, his eyebrows arched and his expression curious.
"Yeah. You've been livin' here, Nicky, you musta seen his shelves.
Plus you know him way better than most of the rest a'the lab does.
You know what a book-hound he is. He found out what I liked to
read... an' he started leavin' me books on the sly every once in a
while. I wanted to really say thank you with the encyclopedia. Didn't
work out like I planned..."
Bobby breathed deeply, pushing a threatening emotional storm back
where it belonged. The other two judiciously ignored his moment of
recovery. Nick was about to speak and introduce an unrelated subject
to rescue his friend, but when he looked at Greg, he stopped. The
young man had his ear cocked toward the stereo and, after a moment,
he took the remote and turned the music up enough so that they could
all hear it. Bobby opened his mouth to question what was going on,
but Nick threw him a somber look and the inquiry died before it could
be voiced.
* Whenever I'm weary
From the battles that rage in my head
You make sense of madness
When my sanity hangs by a thread
I lose my way, but still you seem to understand
Now & forever,
I will be your man... *
When Greg held out his hands, Nick hesitated only a moment before
responding. Some small part of his mind was unsure about what Bobby
would think, but Greg's needs were much more important than anyone
else's opinion, even one he valued the way he did Bobby Dawson's.
* Sometimes I just hold you
Too caught up in me to see
I'm holding a fortune
That heaven has given to me
I'll try to show you each and every way I can
Now & forever,
I will be your man
Now I can rest my worries and always be sure,
That I won't be alone anymore.
If I'd only known you were there
All the time,
All this time... *
Greg grinned from ear to ear and bent forward so that he could lay
his forehead on their layered hands. When Nick leaned in to drop a
brief kiss in Greg's hair, he realized his love was mumbling under
his breath and the words sent sudden tears cascading down the Texan's
cheeks.
"My song... it's what I keep wanting to say... but I'm so afraid the
words won't come out right... or I'll sound stupid. You gave me a
song... this is mine for you. I am yours, beyond forever, even if I
can't show it..."
"Hell, you show me, baby... you do. Your eyes, your smile... I kick
myself every day for not seein' it before all this... this *shit*
avalanched us. If I'd only looked past my own nose for one damned
minute... God, I wasted so much time. I love you, Greggo..."
"Love you, Nick."
Nick abruptly remembered that they weren't alone and lifted his head,
gazing in Bobby's direction. Greg hissed ruefully and tugged his
hands away, hiding his face.
"Bobby, I..."
"No. Don't you dare."
"What?"
"You were about to apologize an' I said don't you dare. We find love
where we find it, Nicky. If it's real an' strong, who gives a damn
what shape it comes in? What counts is you finally pulled your head
outta your ass an' spoke your heart before he got away." He finished,
laughing a little as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and
swiped at his face.
"Yeah... yeah, I guess so. Tell you what; I'll get us some breakfast
an' you help Greg start lookin' through his present, okay?"
"Yeah. That's a plan."
For the next hour or two, the three men ate, laughed and talked
easily. A trivia game suggested by the encyclopedia saw Greg far
outpacing the other two when it came to all forms of rock music. Nick
vowed that he would find a similar volume dedicated to country music
and then they'd see who looked like the trivia genius. Bobby claimed
jazz and blues.
"Is there a book for that?" Nick asked.
"There must be. If there is, I'll find it. Gotta be able to compete
with you two somehow, don't I? Damn... I gotta get home to bed."
"It is pretty late for you. Sorry to keep you up, m'man."
"Hey, I got fed an' I was privileged to see how deep you both feel
for each other. I wouldn't have missed that for anything." Bobby
countered, rising to his feet. Greg followed suit immediately, moving
off to his safe corner. Bobby watched him go then turned back to Nick
and questioned him softly.
"Agoraphobia?"
Nick nodded.
"The world's not a safe place anymore. For now... he wants to try and
forget it's out there. I can't blame him."
"Who could? God, this whole thing makes me wanna puke sometimes..."
"I try not to, but when I see him really scared or hurtin'... once in
a while I do let go. He doesn't know. He'd just feel worse..."
"Yeah, I get that. I'll be checkin' in regular an' I'll get the
message to the rest a'the gang about givin' you some Nicky time,
alright?"
"Thanks. Seriously..."
"Family stands by family. Talk to you soon." Bobby promised, hugging
Nick fiercely. The two men separated silently a few moments later and
Bobby stepped outside, finding and dialing his cell.
"Cath? It's Bobby. Don't pick up, I just wanted to leave you a
message. I just came from seein' Greg... he's gettin' better, but
Nicky's not in such great shape. The caretaker needs some care an' we
need to get the group together for a talk..."
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GRISSOM'S TOWNHOUSE:
Striding through his home, Gil checked everything one more time,
making absolutely sure all his weeks-neglected chores and small tasks
had been completed. His personality being what it was, work and his
hobbies and studies often took precedence over upkeep of his personal
environment, so when he had come home and sneezed twice at the dust
that puffed up from every surface, he had launched into the
housework, despite the serious delay to his sleep. Now he was finally
done, the place was clean to his satisfaction and he was ready to go
to bed. Of course, that was the optimum time for the phone to ring.
"Hello?"
"Dr. Grissom? This is the receptionist at Dr. Harlan's office. If you
have a moment the doctor would like to speak to you?"
Simply hearing the name of the urologist sent a shiver up Grissom's
spine. He had consciously pushed the imminent test results to the
back of his mind, all too aware that despite the doctor's positive
assessment, something could still be wrong. Dropping to sit on his
sofa, he clutched the receiver a little more tightly, swallowed and
responded.
"Of course."
"Thank you. Hold on one moment."
What felt like hours of bland music later, Harlan finally spoke.
"Dr. Grissom. I have your test results. They're all clear."
"That's good... that's wonderful in fact. But there has to be a
reason you called personally, right?"
"Yes. It's rather delicate and I don't like to leave things like this
to anyone else."
"What is it?"
"It involves your sperm count."
"Oh. As you said, I'm not twenty-one anymore. I expected some
decline..."
"No, it's just the opposite. Your count is ideal and the motility is
excellent. I wanted to warn you and be sure you were up-to-date on
the latest birth control and disease prevention methods..."
Grissom breathed deeply and fought down the urge to laugh until he
vomited on the floor.
"Well... thank you, doctor, but that won't be necessary."
"But it is. Things in this realm have changed so much over just the
last five years..."
"Doctor... you'll just have to trust me that, uh... that birth
control won't be an issue... and I know all about condoms."
"Oh. Oh!"
"You won't be writing this down in any chart? And you won't reveal it
to anyone?"
"Absolutely not. Complete discretion."
"Thank you. Good morning, doctor Harlan."
Dropping the receiver back into its cradle, Gil fell backwards onto
the cushions, finally giving in to a bout of laughter so intense he
ended up clutching his stomach with one hand and wiping tears from
his face with the other.
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