Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Two weeks before Christmas found David Hodges cursing into his palm, standing in the middle of his lab at LVPD. A voice resonated from the cordless phone in his hand. "I know Dave but what do you want me to do? Mrs. Stokes scares me; you've met the woman would you ever try to tell her no?" David smiled briefly remembering the woman back when nick was buried alive; the woman had the manner of trying to hug a lion that had been starved for days. "I for one believe that she would come up to Vegas and drag my sorry ass to Texas."

There was a five second pause on Adrian's end of the line before his quieted voice picked up again. Besides Ethan wants me to meet the folks finally, and ya know how pushy a Stokes can be." The disgruntled trace tech let loose a disappointed sigh and sank down on to his stool in the lab. "So yea the family wants to meet you? That's good Ari you should go." David rubbed his hands over his face then carded them through his hair to clasp behind his neck. "Seriously David you'll be ok alone." Saddened empty sighs filled the room as David rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes I will be fine. I was used to being alone before you came."

David tried to hide the bitterness he felt from his voice, but knew his brother would pick up on it, and, still felt guilty that his mood was making his brother sad. Adrian was the only constant in David's life now and the kid was a generally happy guy he didn't need to be brought down by his big brothers moping about. "Ya know there's this funny thing I just realized, since I'm a big boy and all I don't think one more Christmas alone is gonna kill me." David was turning into his usual sarcastic snarky bastard extraordinaire self.

Adrian was starting to get pissed and really tired of his brothers self depreciating tone, sighing at his brother's mood and snorted at David."Ya Know? Maybe it just might SCROOOGE! Besides Nicky isn't bringing anybody home for the holidays…" the younger man said in a sing-song bristled at the conspiratorial air his brother's voice had suddenly taken on, already having a guess as to where this conversation was about to head. His brother was nothing if not a persistent little shit. "Momma stokes is chomping at the bit to get grand kids out of him while she is still young".David pulled the phone from his ear and threw a harsh glare at it wishing it was his brother's face he was melting off instead.

"And that involves me how?" there was a heavy pause "Well I was thinking you could help out in that department since you're in love Nicky and everything." Hodges balked at his brother's brazen comment and got up to start his holiday clean up and last-minute evidence processing. He could hear Ethan in the background busting up in laughter. "Ya know? I'm too young to ruin this body with stretch marks yet," Ethan chimed in two seconds later "and ya know my brother likes em tall, blue-eyed, and broody with legs for days." Adrian snatched the phone back from his boy friend. "Hum sounds kinda like you, what a coincidence." Hodges snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yea? How about that." He hung up the phone and got back to work.

His brother was hitting below the belt and he knew it. David also knew that Adrian was just looking out for him. He hated to see his older brother alone, and wanted him to be happy like him and Ethan, as David has been told on several occasions. He rolled his eyes as the phone began ringing again. Dam his brother really was a persistent little shit.

Chapter Text

Setting the cordless back on its dock, David answered the phone by putting it on speaker so he could finish his work and deal with his persistent pain in the ass, not noticing he forgot to close his lab door. "OK you two cause as if tall built, and Mr. Yes my ass was made for a tight pair of wranglers would seriously consider dating my sorry charity case ass." David started laughing and shaking his head as he moved around his various stations completing last minute trace evidence that couldn't wait till after the holiday. "Seriously Ari the man is all alpha male and sex I mean seriously I could probably just get pregnant just by looking at him but why would he waste his time on me."

Hodges laughed mockingly at his brother then jumped at the angry and (he will deny it till his dying day) terrifying tone coming from his brothers end of

the line. "Oh Jesus Christ that's it! I'm so sick and tired of you doing this to yourself! Seriously David its bull shit you are aloud…no you deserve to be happy and you deserve someone like Nicholas stokes." A rustling sound emanated from his brothers end and then Nicks brother voice sounded "Adrian's right especially considering that Nicky wouldn't want to beat the shit out of you on a daily basis just because he felt like it." Ethan handed the phone back to his boyfriend at the look of death on his face. "And what was it three miscarriages caused by him beating you well the last one was a drunk driving accident caused by him."

David stood in front of the GCMS pale and nauseous as the memories were dredged up. He heard his brother's intake of breath for another comment but, Hodges cut him off "ADRIAN CALEB HODGES…must you? I mean seriously you want to add lemon juice to the salt you're rubbing in right now? Trust me I don't have any problem remembering my failures trust me I don't need your help." The GCMS spit out the results he was processing for Catherine he snatched them violently from the tray and signed off on his findings placing them in a manila folder in his out box for the blonde CSI to pick them up later. David then began slamming around his lab/office putting up what he didn't want the holiday day and night shift lab techs to fuck with while he was off for the next few weeks. He could hear Ethan trying to calm by now a hysterical and sobbing Adrian, who, a few seconds later could be heard running in to another room, presumably his and Ethan's bedroom David guessed.

"You know Ari's right David. You deserve to be happy to." Hodges let out a quiet sob of his own as he could feel a few silent cold tears fall down his face. "Hey don't worry about Ari he'll cool off, besides my brother is hopelessly in love with you in case you wanted to know. He's about two beats away from tattooing your name on his ass like a cattle brand, and would def love to keep you barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen." They both laughed at that David actually giggled. "Seriously my brother does truly and honestly love and care for you," Ethan said with total and honest sincere truth a trait all the Stokes men had. "Yea I'm sure he does." David moved to the coat rack to take off his lab coat.

"Any minute now he gonna walk through my door, drop to his knees and confess his undying love, ask me to marry him then bare his children." A throat could be heard clearing from David's door way and the blue eyed man instantly wished in that second that the very floor would open up and swallow him whole, David glared the floor when it did not. "Well I could do that…but I would at least like to take you out to dinner first?"

The trace tech looked elsewhere as a furious blush enveloped his face clear to the tips of his ears, the sound of a rich, sultry southern twang already doing embarrassing things to his traitorous body. Ethan as well as Adrian's laughter could be heard on the other line just before David picked up the phone only to hang it up and slam it back down in its cradle thoroughly embarrassed angry and pathetically turned on by just the scent of the Texan who had now entered the lab and closed the door behind him. Thankfully Hodges though the blinds all over the lab were down.

"If you're looking for the results for your and willows case I just finished. Be grateful I'm in such the holiday spirit." He snarked trying to save face unsure of how much the other man had heard. "When the conclusive results to back up what you guys already suspected come up I'll be sure to page you. Good? No darn. Merry Christmas and a very special bah humbug be seeing you!" David knew he sounded like an idiot at this point but he was willing to forgo intelligence and being a right bastard if it meant stokes got out of his lab all the faster. Nick for his part just chuckled at the frazzled man as he moved behind his desk to put space between the CSI and himself, stokes took up the recently vacated stool at David's main work table. Just then Nick's phone went off seeing it was his brother he answered it placing the phone on speaker so as not to leave the trace tech out.

"By the way a little birdie told me that you guys are having a team get-together tonight before you go your separate ways for the holidays and my brother has every intention of dodging out of it. I would consider it a personal affront to me if you brother o mine do not ask David to go as I know for a fact you don't have a date yet." Adrian barked from the background in agreement further stating "yes indeed my brother is free tonight and in fact free for the holidays and I refuse to face your mother alone this holiday and you sir Mr. Nicholas Stokes are down a plus one to bring for the holidays hint, hint don't let my pigheaded brother give you no for an answer."

The call ended two seconds later, his phone was placed in the back pocket of his jeans and nick folded his arms across his chest noting the barely heard moan come from David. "So? Since we both don't have dates for tonight...Dinner?" David was gonna kill his brother.