FANFIC: Petal By Petal by Caroline Crane

Part of The Fetish Series:
Title:Petal By Petal
Author:Caroline Crane
Rating: NC17 (See happy reading in sidebar!)
Fandom: CSI
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Summary: Body paint and voyeurism.

"Hold still."

Greg sighed, but he fought the urge to fidget when Nick's fingers brushed his skin again. When he'd brought out the body paints he'd expected Nick to laugh, maybe even tell him he was crazy and refuse even to consider it. Once he'd gotten them out of their clothes Nick seemed strangely fascinated with the idea, though, and Greg was more than happy to encourage his artistic side, especially when he was the canvas.

And who would have ever suspected that Nick had an artistic side? He was the most pragmatic guy Greg had ever met, which was sometimes as frustrating as it was charming. Then again, he hadn't actually seen the results of Nick's efforts yet, so he had no idea whether whatever Nick was doing counted as 'art'.

"You're not painting the yellow rose of Texas on my ass or anything, are you?"

A low chuckle warmed his skin, then Nick's lips brushed across his shoulder blade. "Have I touched your ass?"

"No, and I'm starting to take it personally," Greg answered, shifting his hips for emphasis. "Something wrong with my ass?"

Another chuckle, deep and rich and sending a shiver down his spine, and he felt Nick move down his body to plant another kiss at the base of his spine. "There's nothing wrong with you," Nick murmured against his skin. "Nothing at all."

Greg grinned and spread his legs a little further, hoping Nick would take the hint. He'd been flat on his stomach for almost an hour now, half-hard just from the anticipation as Nick hovered over him, taking his time creating his 'masterpiece' on Greg's back.

"Are you done yet?" he asked, his breath hitching when Nick's lips brushed across his upper thigh.

"This was your idea, you know," Nick reminded him, and Greg swallowed a resigned sigh when he felt Nick straighten up and reach for the paint again. Now that the latex had started to dry he could feel the thin layer over his skin, a little tight and tingling just enough to make him impatient for more. He wanted Nick to forget the paints and just keep touching him, to cover Greg's body with his warm, heavy weight and slide inside him.

He knew he could probably persuade or distract Nick enough to get him to give in, but it wasn't that often that they got the chance to spend this much time doing nothing. As much as he wanted Nick to fuck him, he wasn't ready to give that up yet. Besides, he couldn't help being a little curious about what Nick was doing back there, and he was looking forward to seeing the finished result.

Then there was the way Nick's hands felt on him, slick with paint and moving in broad, careful strokes across his skin. Greg had given up long ago trying to figure out the pattern, and now he just focused on the shivers of anticipation that ran straight to his cock with each new touch. Nick was leaning close enough that Greg could feel the steady beat of hot breath against his skin in counterpoint to the rhythm of Nick's fingers. It was erotic in a way he never would have expected, and he wanted to turn around and see if Nick was as hard as he was.

That would ruin Nick's efforts, though, and Greg wasn't about to do anything to spoil the mood. A strong hand slid down his side to curve around his hip, Nick's thumb pressed against his back and his fingers tracing little circles on the juncture between his hip and groin. And there was no way he was going to make it through this if Nick kept that up, but it felt way too good to ask Nick to stop. His other hand moved across Greg's back in broad, confident strokes, and Greg couldn't help smiling at how much more sure Nick was of himself than he'd been an hour ago.

Fingers ghosted across his shoulder blades, then pressed more firmly down either side of his spine. A groan escaped Greg's throat when Nick pressed hard at the base of his spine, then swept his fingers out to Greg's sides again. It was sort of like a really long massage, only with the lightest of touches sprinkled here and there with a firmer hand. And he should have known that Nick would be meticulous about this; his whole job was about details, after all, and he could be incredibly patient when he wanted to be.

Right now he seemed intent on driving Greg crazy, and if Greg complained he knew Nick would just laugh and remind him for the hundredth time that this was all his idea in the first place. Not even Nick could hold out forever, though, and when warm fingers cupped his ass again Greg knew Nick's resolve was starting to waver. "Where's the camera?"

"Camera?" Greg echoed, blinking and trying to focus on the question instead of the hand stroking his skin.

"Yeah, I want a picture of this. Don't tell me you're going to get shy on me, because I'm not buying it."

Greg grinned and nodded in the direction of his living room. "I think there's one on the bookshelf. Or in the filing cabinet."

Another kiss against his shoulder and Nick was off the bed, pausing next to Greg long enough to admire his handiwork from the new angle. "Don't move."

He wasn't sure if there was actually film in his camera, but by the time he thought of it Nick was already gone. Greg groaned at the thought of being told to stay put while Nick got dressed and went all the way to the store for film, but he knew he'd do it if Nick asked. He should have known Nick would want to capture the moment for posterity anyway, so he should have thought to pick up extra film just in case. Greg had always figured Nick wouldn't go for photographic evidence of their relationship – at least not this kind – but now that he knew differently he'd have to remember to keep a few rolls of film on hand.

Endless minutes later Nick was finally back, and Greg lifted off the bed just enough to catch a glimpse of the other man fumbling with the settings on his camera. "Remind me to bring my camera next time," Nick said as he climbed back onto the bed and planted his knees on either side of Greg's legs.

"Next time?" Greg said, grinning against the pillow as he stretched out again to give Nick the best view possible.

Nick laughed and ran a possessive hand over Greg's ass. "I didn't get to the yellow rose of Texas this…damn. Wait a second."

"What?" Greg asked, craning his neck in a futile attempt to see as Nick scrambled off him. All he could see was a swirl of colors across his skin, but he couldn't focus enough at that angle to tell whether there was an actual design.

"Quit moving," Nick said, one hand pressing on Greg's shoulder until he laid down again. Greg sighed but let Nick push him back down onto his pillow, and a few seconds later a slick finger traced a small design right at the top of his hip. He was tempted to look, but he fought the urge to twist his neck and watch as Nick finished drawing on his skin.

A few seconds later Nick seemed satisfied, and he wiped his fingers on the sheet they'd laid out before they started and reached for the camera again. The tell-tale click of the shutter and brief flashes of light in Greg's peripheral vision let him know that Nick had moved on to preserving the evidence, and he grinned at the metaphor and pushed himself up on his elbows. "Are you done now?"

"Hold it," Nick said, and when Greg heard a sharp intake of breath he couldn't help looking over his shoulder. "Yeah, just…stay like that for a second."

More clicks of the shutter, and this time Greg could see enough to tell what Nick had spent the past hour painting on his skin. He'd never really pictured Nick for the abstract type, but the colorful swirls all over his back were definitely abstract. Greg's back looked sort of like "Starry Night" with less realism, and he had to admit that Nick had done a better job than he'd expected. The most he'd hoped for was a few cartoon-like images, maybe stick figures or Nick's fraternity symbol emblazoned on his shoulder, but this was kind of…beautiful.

When Nick finally ran out of film Greg pushed himself off the bed, careful not to move too fast and smear any of the latex that might still be a little wet. "Can I look now?"

Nick just nodded and set the camera on the bed before he followed Greg to the bathroom, switching on the light as Greg turned his back to the mirror. It was still hard to get the full affect while he was craning to see over his shoulder, but he could see more of Nick's work now that he was standing up than he'd seen while he was on the bed. He felt Nick stop in front of him, warm breath on his cheek and then familiar hands on his hips as Nick watched him in the mirror.

"Wow," he murmured, his gaze wandering from the bright swirls of blue and yellow near his shoulder blades down to the dark green stripes at the base of his spine.

"Not a flower in sight," Nick said, smiling as he dipped his head to press a kiss against Greg's neck.

His neck was starting to hurt but he kept looking anyway, trying to memorize the haphazard pattern Nick had painted on his back. And Nick was just full of surprises, because an hour ago Greg never would have believed he was capable of something like this. He wanted to get dressed and drive the film to the one hour place down the street just so he could see the results without the slightly distorted perspective of looking over his shoulder, but that meant getting dressed, and Nick was naked and warm and sucking hard at his neck.

The sensation was really distracting, and Greg was just about to give up on admiring his own back and turn his attention to Nick when he caught sight of Nick's last minute addition. It was hard to tell what it was in the mirror, but it was far enough up on his hip that he could see it without looking over his shoulder. When he finally made out the design he laughed, running his fingers over the dark blue initials at the top of his hip.

"What's this?"

Nick pulled his mouth away from Greg's neck long enough to follow his gaze, a soft, vaguely nervous laugh escaping his throat when he realized what Greg was looking at. "I had to sign my work, didn't I?"

"So this is the official Nick Stokes brand?" Greg asked, arching an eyebrow when Nick looked up at him again.

"Something like that." Nick slid one hand over the initials he'd painted onto Greg's skin, sliding his free hand around Greg's neck to tug him forward. He pressed their lips together for a hard, possessive kiss, groaning against Greg's mouth when Greg ground their hips together.

And he knew he shouldn't read too much into it, but there was something alternately terrifying and exhilarating about Nick wanting to mark him. Maybe it was just about the paints and the fact that Nick had spent over an hour perfecting his work, but his hand was still pressed over his initials and he was kissing Greg like he had something to prove. He knew how Nick felt about him – at least he thought he did – but somehow this felt even more intense than usual.

He moaned when Nick pulled his mouth away and took a step backwards, but before Greg had a chance to protest he was being turned toward the mirror, then Nick was gripping his hips again and pressing hot, wet kisses to the side of his throat. They'd had sex in every room of both their places; there had been beds and couches and showers and that one time in the kitchen, but they'd never done it in front of a mirror before. Watching Nick suck on his neck was one of the hottest things he'd ever seen, and when a hand closed around his cock Greg was sure he was going to come just from the sight alone.

He'd watched Nick jerk him off before, but watching Nick watch him…it was ten times hotter than he ever would have imagined. A thousand times hotter, and he couldn't help pressing back against Nick's cock as Nick's hips worked against him. Nick's eyes squeezed shut and his mouth dropped open, and then that was the hottest thing Greg had ever seen. He spread his legs in invitation, bracing his hands against the counter in front of him as Nick's free hand left his hip to dip between them.

One finger slid inside him and he had to squeeze his eyes shut, but he forced them back open almost immediately to watch Nick's reflection in the mirror. He didn't even register the sound of his voice begging for more until another finger joined the first, and he knew Nick was torturing him on purpose, dragging this out for as long as he could. Greg's legs shook with the effort to stay upright, but he wanted this more than he wanted to be comfortable, so he locked his knees and leaned more heavily against the counter.

Three fingers inside him and Nick's hand was still working his cock, hard and rough and before Greg knew it he was coming, coating Nick's fingers and his own chest. He was still panting when Nick's hand left his cock, sliding through the sticky wetness on his chest before he pulled his fingers out of Greg and reached between them with his other hand. A few short, come-slick strokes of his own dick and Nick was pushing Greg's legs further apart, lining himself up and sliding inside in one long, slow thrust.

Greg groaned way back in his throat when Nick pulled out, forcing his eyes open to watch in the mirror as Nick thrust forward again. One of Nick's arms slid around Greg's waist to hold him up, the other hand smoothing over the designs on Greg's back as Nick fucked him. He moved slowly at first, pulling out almost all the way before he slid back inside, torturing both of them by angling his hips to hit Greg's prostate every few strokes. It was almost too much so soon after coming, but the pleasure-pain combined with the look on Nick's face were enough to make Greg wish they could stay like this forever.

He pressed back into each thrust, pulling Nick a little deeper inside him until the other man was panting against his neck and gripping his hip hard just above the spot where he'd marked his initials on Greg's skin. The sight of Nick's hand against his skin made Greg's spent cock twitch, and when Nick thrust forward again Greg clenched his muscles around him to pull him even further inside.

"Fuck," Nick muttered against his skin, and Greg grinned and did it again with Nick's next thrust. Nick's hands shook against his skin and Greg knew he wouldn't last much longer; two hard, uncontrolled thrusts, then another and Nick finally lost control, gripping Greg's hips hard enough to bruise when he came. And Greg was going to have a hand print burned into his skin on top of Nick's initials now, but even that image was enough to make him want Nick to fuck him all over again.

His arms shook when he finally let go of the counter, biting his lip against the loss when Nick pulled out of him. Warm lips landed on his neck, affectionate kisses feathered against his skin as Nick's breathing slowly returned to normal. He wasn't sure how long they stayed that way, but finally Nick pulled back, running a hand over Greg's back as he straightened up. Greg waited until Nick looked up again before he turned around, his heart skipping a beat when he registered Nick's expression.

"Your turn," Nick said, pulling him forward to press their lips together again.

Greg grinned against Nick's mouth, his hands sliding down Nick's back. An image flashed in his head of Nick braced against his bathroom counter, watching Greg in the mirror as Greg thrust deep inside him. "You want me to fuck you?"

Nick grinned and shook his head, brushing their lips together one last time before he let go and backed toward the door. "First I want you to paint me. Then you can fuck me."

And Greg had to admit, it was a pretty fair deal.

fin (but there is a follow up: Among the Curves:)