FANFIC: Sweet Cool Water by Caroline Crane 9/12

Posted with permission from the author. See notes in sidebar.
Title: Sweet Cool Water
Author: Caroline Crane
Rating: NC17 (See happy reading in sidebar!)
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Summary: A hard night on the job and an unexpected encounter with a familiar face force Nick to re-examine some things about himself.
Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12.

Part nine

"Shower," Greg said as soon as they stumbled through his apartment door. Nick nodded and let Greg pull him toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes from the front door all the way down the hall. He stepped out of his boxers as Greg turned on the shower, then let himself be pulled into the tub and under the warm stream of water.

It wasn't the first time he'd been in Greg's shower, but something about standing under the water with Greg made it feel strangely intimate. Greg was standing directly under the spray, head tilted back and his eyes closed against the water. For a second Nick was struck with the urge to run, to get out of Greg's apartment and out of his life before he did any more damage. Instead he found himself leaning forward, mouth against Greg's neck to catch a few stray drops of water on his tongue.

It was easy to forget why he'd just been thinking about leaving when Greg's arms slid around his waist, warm and wet and sliding up his back to pull him even closer. Fingers clutched at his skin, kneading at the tense muscles in his back as he worked his way from Greg's neck up to his mouth. Greg's lips parted easily under his, the kiss hot and wet and any second now Nick's legs were going to come out from under him. Greg must have felt him shake, because the next thing he knew he was pressed up against cool tile with a very slippery and enthusiastic Greg plastered to his chest.

Nick's hand slid into Greg's hair, pushing the wet strands away from his face as Greg took control of the kiss. He wasn't used to giving up control, not to anyone, but he'd been so tired for days and somehow it felt right just to let Greg take charge. It was easy, almost as though they'd been doing this forever and Greg knew exactly what he needed.

That thought sent a shiver through Nick, so he pressed back a little harder against the tiles and slid his free arm around Greg's waist. He splayed his fingers across the small of Greg's back, angling his hips up as he pulled the other man forward. Greg gasped against his mouth when their cocks slid together, pulling back to look at Nick while he slid his hands up the other man's chest.

Greg's hair was wet and flat against his scalp for once, and like this he looked even younger than usual. For a few endless moments he just watched Nick, his head tilted a little as though he was trying to make up his mind about something. Nick fought the urge to squirm under the other man's scrutiny, but before it got unbearable Greg leaned forward and pressed another soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Nick started to pull him close again, but Greg pushed his hands gently away and reached for the shampoo sitting on the edge of the tub.

He poured a little shampoo into his hand and then pulled Nick away from the wall, smiling at Nick's puzzled expression. Nick opened his mouth to suggest they find something a little less soapy than shampoo to use as lube, but before he got the words out Greg was pulling him under the water, making sure his hair was thoroughly wet before he reached up and smoothed the shampoo through it. As soon as he realized what Greg was doing Nick tensed, but the combination of warm water against his skin and Greg's fingers massaging his scalp were soothing, and before long he was closing his eyes and tilting his head back a little more.

Warm kisses feathered his shoulders and the back of his neck as Greg worked the shampoo through his hair, and when he let out an involuntary moan Greg laughed against his skin. "Like that?"

Nick heard himself murmur something that wasn't actually a word, but it seemed to be good enough for Greg. Another kiss landed on the top of his spine, then Greg eased him back under the water and began rinsing his hair. It was over long before Nick was ready, but when Greg finally pulled his hands out of Nick's hair he turned and pulled Greg close again. He breathed in sharply when their lips met again, inhaling the scents of shampoo and Greg as he explored the other man's mouth.

He'd never actually shampooed anyone's hair before; his relationships with women had never been that domestic, and his relationships with guys…well, those couldn't even be termed 'relationships'. Something told him Greg was expecting him to reciprocate, though, so he reached for the shampoo and poured some into his own hand. It was a little strange at first, feeling the texture of someone else's hair under his fingers and learning how much pressure to apply before it became too much. But after awhile he got the hang of it, and if the appreciative noises Greg was making were any indication, he wasn't doing such a bad job.

It gave him something to focus on, anyway, and it meant he got to touch Greg as much as he wanted to. He finished rinsing Greg's hair and then pulled the other man back against his chest, mouthing his way along Greg's neck until he reached the slowly fading bruise he'd left behind the last time he was in Greg's bed. For a second his memory flashed to another, darker bruise against much paler skin, and he shivered and tightened his grip on Greg, squeezing his eyes shut until the memory faded.

When he opened his eyes again Greg was facing him; Nick hadn't even felt him move, and that was definitely a sign that he was letting this get way out of hand. He let Greg kiss him again anyway, soft and slow and making his heart beat a little faster. He didn't resist when Greg pulled away this time, and he didn't argue when Greg quickly washed them both off and then shut off the water.

They kissed slowly while Greg dried them both off; letting Greg take care of him left Nick feeling strangely off-balance, but when they made it to the bedroom and he pushed Greg back onto the mattress things shifted back into place. Nick stretched out next to him, starting with Greg's mouth and working his way down the other man's body. He lingered at the spots he knew made Greg pant and thrust up against him, taking his time kissing his way along Greg's ribs and running a wet tongue down the line of hair between his belly button and his cock.

He avoided Greg's erection entirely, smiling against the other man's thigh when Greg moaned and thrust his hips up a little. One hand curved around Greg's hip, pressing him back down onto the mattress as Nick mouthed kisses along the inside of his thigh. He inhaled the scent of Greg's arousal mingled with the soap Greg had used to clean them both, remembering for a second the flash of grief and the way his arms tightened around Greg as he struggled for control. As soon as the memory surfaced he shook his head to chase it away, refocusing his energy on the soft skin at the back of Greg's knee.

The body underneath his shivered when Nick's tongue found a particularly sensitive spot, and he opened his mouth and sucked at Greg's skin until the other man was twisting under him and begging for mercy. Nick relented with one last kiss, working his way slowly back up Greg's thigh. He used his free hand to nudge Greg's legs a little further apart, his own cock twitching when Greg moaned and bent his knees to give Nick better access. For a moment he stayed frozen, hovering just above Greg as he took in the open willingness of the body underneath him. He shivered with either fear or desire; he wasn't sure he could tell them apart anymore, but then Greg opened his eyes and it didn't matter.

Nick's heart skipped a beat at the intense look in Greg's eyes, and he had to look away before he gave in to the urge to crawl back up Greg's body and kiss him senseless. He didn't want to enjoy kissing Greg as much as he did; he didn't want to crave that sensation or the flutter in his stomach every time their lips met. Instead he slid his tongue along the underside of Greg's cock before he exhaled against damp skin. Greg shuddered and clutched the sheets a little tighter in anticipation, and when Nick's mouth closed around the tip of his cock Greg gasped and jerked up hard.

His grip tightened on Greg's hip, his other hand finding Greg's and entwining their fingers together. And Greg was strong – stronger than he looked – and his grip on Nick's fingers was enough to distract the other man from his own aching cock. He liked the way Greg twisted underneath him, liked the fact that it was him making Greg lose control. He liked Greg's openness, the way he anticipated what Nick needed and went along with whatever it was.

The suddenness of Greg's orgasm took them both by surprise, the bitter-salt taste on Nick's tongue and lips as he kept working his mouth along Greg's length, riding out the last of the shudders that rocked the other man's body. Finally he let Greg slip out of his mouth, pressing wet kisses up Greg's stomach and chest until he was stretched out on top of the other man. He supported his weight on one arm while he reached over Greg for the nightstand drawer, easing it open with one hand.

It didn't bother him as much as it should that he knew where Greg kept the condoms, and when he slid inside tight heat it felt familiar in a way he wasn't expecting. Greg was still breathing hard, but his arms wrapped tightly around Nick's back and his leg hooked around Nick's waist to hold him in place. He met each of Nick's thrusts, matching his speed even when Nick lost control and began to thrust more wildly.

He could hear Greg murmuring breathless words of encouragement, things like 'harder' and 'please' and 'oh God' all mixed up with his name and a few things Nick couldn't make out. Too late he remembered why he didn't usually do this face to face, why he'd promised himself after the last time he'd fucked Greg like this that it would never happen again. He told himself to close his eyes, to block out everything but the body underneath him and the tight heat gripping his cock. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, not when he could see every emotion and every flash of pleasure in Greg's expression.

His neck was thrown back and elongated, giving Nick perfect access to sweat-slick skin. He leaned forward to run his tongue along Greg's neck, shifting just enough to hit Greg's prostate in the process. Greg gasped and clamped down on Nick's cock for a second, dragging a moan out of Nick as he thrust even harder. There was no way he could last, not with Greg's muscles clenching around him and his fingers digging into Nick's shoulders hard enough to leave bruises.

A few seconds later he was thrusting one last time, letting go with a broken sigh. He managed to slip out of Greg before he collapsed, rolling to the side so he wouldn't crush Greg under his weight. For awhile they just lay side by side, their harsh breathing the only sound in the room. Nick registered the distant sound of traffic outside, pictured people going about their days as though nothing was wrong. For a second he could almost believe that everything really was all right, that the past week was just a bad dream he couldn't quite manage to wake up from.

Greg moved first, warm lips brushing across Nick's shoulder before he reached down and carefully removed the condom. Nick watched the process with a kind of detached awareness, registering the fact that Greg was taking care of him again without really thinking about what it meant. He had a feeling it should bother him at least a little, but he was worn out and relaxed enough to sleep for the first time in days, and he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about anything; what he wanted to do was close his eyes and drift for awhile, and maybe when he woke up his life would make sense again.

He smiled when he felt Greg settle back down next to him, reaching out to card his fingers absently through Greg's hair. He was nearly asleep when Greg shifted again, warm skin sliding against Nick and bringing him closer to awareness. "How's the case going?"

"Hmm?" Nick murmured, not quite registering Greg's question.

"I heard they put you back on the triple homicide," Greg said, pushing himself up on one elbow to look down at Nick. Nick opened his eyes then, the peaceful drowsiness that had settled over him dissipating as soon as he realized what Greg was saying. "Heard they sent you to talk to one of the families."

"It was nothing," Nick lied, clamping down hard on the memory of Jessie Walker's untouched bedroom. "Gris wanted the kid's computer."

"Yeah, I heard about that too. Heard they found some e-mails or something that might help them come up with a suspect. Guess that means they might actually get me a DNA sample I can use."

An image of three dead kids appeared in Nick's mind and he shut his eyes tight against it, listening to the sound of his heart pounding against his ears until the image faded. He didn't want to think about that night, about collecting the DNA Greg hadn't been able to find a match for. He didn't want to think about the case at all, not when he'd just been feeling good for the first time in almost a week. There was no way he could get that back now, though, and now all he wanted to do was get up and find his clothes so he wouldn't have to listen to Greg talking about the case anymore.

"…about the kid's father," Greg was saying, and Nick's forehead furrowed as he forced his eyes open again. He had no idea what the first half of the sentence had been, but Greg didn't seem to notice that he'd lost Nick somewhere along the way. "I can't imagine that. I mean I waited until college to come out to my parents, but I knew they weren't gonna freak out about it. I have a feeling they figured it out before I did, to tell you the truth."

Slowly it dawned on Nick that Greg was talking about Jessie's father; he must have heard Warrick talking the same way Nick had, or maybe one of the other CSIs had been running their mouths about Mr. Walker's reaction to the news that his son was gay. Only Nick had taken care of that problem for him, and his stomach turned when he remembered the look on the other man's face as Nick sat in his living room and lied.

"Still," Greg continued, oblivious to the effect his words were having on Nick, "that would be a hell of a way to find out that you'd never really known your kid at all."

Nick didn't answer; he closed his eyes again, breathing in and then out again methodically, focusing on the sound of his breathing so he wouldn't have to listen to the sound of Greg's voice. All he could think was that he'd taken away Jessie Walker's identity; the kid was dead, he didn't have anything left to lose, and Nick had taken away his last chance to let his parents know the truth. Mr. Walker would never accept his own son because Nick had given him the perfect excuse not to.

He didn't notice when Greg stopped talking, and he didn't feel it when Greg moved again. He nearly forgot that Greg was still in the bed with him until he felt fingers brushing his cheek and heard Greg's voice, soft and far-away like he was whispering to Nick from the end of a tunnel.

"Hey," Greg murmured, his fingers brushing rhythmically along Nick's cheek, "Nick…I'm sorry."

Nick wanted to ask why he was apologizing, but he was distracted by the dampness of Greg's fingers on his face. He wondered idly how Greg's hands had gotten wet, but before he could ask Greg was leaning forward, kissing his cheeks and then his eyes. When Greg's mouth found his Nick tasted salt, and when a hard lump formed in his throat he realized for the first time that he'd been crying.

Part ten