Title: 405 Past Midnight
By: Caroline Crane
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC17
Summary: Nick's got control issues. Greg understands.
Warnings: Bondage.


When he stops at the desk to pick up his messages the receptionist hands him an envelope, raising an eyebrow that Nick barely notices as he tears it open. He shakes a key out of the envelope along with an unsigned note; the lack of signature doesn't matter, because he knows that handwriting almost as well as he knows his own. He grins and puts the key and the note in his pocket, ignoring the receptionist's pointed stare when he walks away.

He tries to put it out of his mind during his shift, but he can feel the key heavy in his pocket, and he can hear the promise in the note even though he's only read it once. It makes him antsy -- anxious and half-hard all the way through a long, routine night. When he can't take it anymore he goes to Grissom, uses the date and the lack of activity as an excuse to leave early. Grissom gives him that look that means he suspects something's going on right under his nose, but Nick just musters his best grin and waits until his supervisor cracks an ironic little smile and nods.

It takes him less than five minutes to get his stuff out of his locker and out to his car. He drives faster than he should, cursing under his breath at the ever-present traffic on the Strip. Finally he pulls up in front of the hotel, hands over his keys to the valet and goes inside. He doesn't even break his stride on the way through the lobby, bouncing on his heels while he waits endless seconds for the elevator.

When he reaches the right floor he fishes the key out of his pocket, checking the room number and smiling to himself as he makes his way down the deserted hallway. He's not really sure what he's expecting -- candles, maybe; music, definitely -- but when he lets himself into the room he's met with silence. There are no flowers, nothing to indicate anyone's been there except an overnight bag sitting on the luggage rack.

An overnight bag and a pair of handcuffs, that is, and he laughs softly when he spots them on the bed. At the same moment Greg finally makes his appearance, emerging from the bathroom wearing a towel and a mildly surprised smile. "You're early."

"It was a slow night," he answers, dropping his keys and his wallet on the table before he kicks off his shoes.

"Nice to know I didn't miss anything." Greg grins and drops his towel, and Nick whistles appreciatively when he turns toward the bed and bends down to pick up the handcuffs. "I was going to take care of this before you got here, but since you're early you can do the honors."

Nick laughs again, low in his throat as he crosses the room in a few long strides. He reaches out, closing his hand around metal and Greg's skin and pulling him forward for a long, slow kiss. He lowers them to the bed, hands sliding up Greg's arms as they kiss. They don't do this often -- they don't talk about it at all -- but Greg knows Nick loves it. He probably even knows why, and Nick loves him just a little more for not calling him on it.

He kisses Greg one more time while he locks the cuffs around one wrist, then pulls away to slide them through the headboard and around Greg's other wrist. The first time they did this they used plain metal handcuffs. It took six day for the marks to fade, and even though Greg seemed to get off on it Nick insisted they use padded handcuffs after that. They still leave the marks Greg likes so much, but they aren't quite so angry and it doesn't make Nick's chest ache like it did every time he saw angry red stripes peeking out from Greg's sleeves. It's a compromise, because Nick doesn't think he could give this up, but he can't live with hurting Greg either.

One last kiss and Nick pushes himself up, ignoring Greg's disappointed moan as he takes a few seconds just to look. He loves seeing Greg like this, lips swollen and muscles tense as he arches against the metal, searching vainly for some contact to ease the steadily building ache in his groin. When he dropped the towel he was already half-hard, and now his whole body is flushed and Nick knows it wouldn't take much effort to make him come. He's probably been thinking about this moment for even longer than Nick has; he's obviously been planning it for awhile, especially if he had time to stop by the lab and drop off the room key before Nick even started his shift.

"Did you drop off that envelope yourself?"

"Yeah," Greg answers, his voice shaky with the effort to keep from struggling against the cuffs. Nick can tell by the way his fingers twitch how much he wants to touch, to help Nick out of his clothes as fast as possible. Immediately he slows down, forcing his fingers to move in slow motion while he takes his belt off.

Nick nods and manages somehow to keep his features neutral as he drops his belt on the floor, then he leans over the bed until his mouth is right next to Greg's ear. "Cara saw me open it," he whispers against Greg's skin, one hand closing around his cock and forcing a surprised gasp from Greg's throat. "By tomorrow everybody's gonna be talking about us."

"Good," Greg chokes out, his body stretched tight as Nick strokes him. "It's been a little...oh God...boring around there...any-anyway."

Nick chuckles against Greg's skin and straightens up again, releasing his grip on Greg's cock and laughing again when Greg glares at him. "Our sex life isn't what I'd choose to liven things up with."

Greg doesn't answer right away; his attention is completely focused on Nick's chest while the other man pulls his t-shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor next to his belt. When he's naked from the waist up he pauses, taking another long moment to admire the way Greg looks stretched out on the bed.

"Our sex life is the most interesting thing going on there," Greg finally says, his gaze following the progress of Nick's watch from his wrist to the night stand. "Would you hurry up?"

"This was your idea, Greggo," Nick reminds him, grinning when Greg rolls his eyes. He leans over for a long, slow kiss, laughing against Greg's mouth when he feels the other man straining uselessly against the cuffs. "But if you've changed your mind..."

Greg shakes his head and Nick's surprised at the relief that floods through him. He loves the way Greg's hands feel on him and he wouldn't trade Greg's enthusiasm for anything, but there's something incredible about harnessing Greg's energy, forcing him to focus everything into his reaction to Nick. It's a bigger turn-on than he expected it to be, especially considering he never would have come up with this on his own. Until Greg he hadn't thought much about a lot of things, but that's the thing about Greg -- he seems to know what Nick needs, sometimes before even Nick does.

"Perfect," he murmurs against Greg's mouth, releasing him with another hard kiss. His pants hit the floor next, followed by his socks and then finally, so slow even Nick's not sure he can stand it, he peels his boxers off.

"If I'd known you were in the mood to put on a show I would have brought some music," Greg says, the ever-present grin lighting up his features when Nick climbs onto the bed again to settle between his legs. "I probably could have borrowed something from Cath-"

"Don't," Nick warns, trying and failing to keep his lips from twitching with a barely suppressed grin. He doesn't want to think about anyone at work right now; CSI is too much a part of their lives as it is, and right now he just wants this to be him and Greg. It's the reason Greg surprised him with a hotel room, because it's too hard to leave the job behind when they're in their own place, surrounded by the evidence of their daily lives.

Greg nods and presses his lips together, a silent -- for once -- promise to keep his mouth shut about things Nick doesn't want to think about right now. Then Nick's hands land on his legs and they both forget all about work and the entire world beyond the hotel room. He's already arching up into Nick's touch, trying to force Nick's hands higher. And Nick knows this is the kind of torture Greg likes best so he takes his time, ignoring both their erections as he reacquaints himself with Greg's body. Every so often he leans forward to press a soft, possessive kiss to the side of Greg's knee, the top of his thigh, the hollow just above his hipbone.

It feels like an eternity before he reaches Greg's mouth again, willing lips parting under his tongue to pull Nick deep inside. He fucks Greg's mouth with his tongue because he knows it drives Greg crazy, the promise of what he'll be doing with his tongue and later his dick once he's finally done with Greg's mouth. He's careful not to come into contact with any other part of Greg's body, and by the time he pulls away to let them both breathe Greg's wrists are already red with the effort to get closer to Nick.

He works his way back down Greg's body, stopping to lick the baby-soft skin inside Greg's elbow, to mouth his way along the sensitive juncture of arm and shoulder. He lives for those little shudders, the panting gasps he knows Greg couldn't control even if he wanted to. Only Greg doesn't mind being out of control, something Nick will never understand but it makes him want Greg even more. Sometimes he thinks that's what attracted him to Greg in the first place, that recklessness that lets Greg go for what he wants without thought to consequences.

Consequences have always ruled Nick's life -- he almost let the thought of imaginary consequences ruin this for him, and he'll be thankful for the rest of his life that Greg wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. Because now he has this...this perfect thing, this romance that he never saw coming and never would have thought possible. And they're both flawed in all the wrong ways, but somehow their flaws all add up to the undeniable fact that they're right together. No one at work would believe it even if they saw it, but lately Nick finds himself not caring if they do.

He finally closes his mouth around Greg's cock, hands pressing down hard on boy-slim hips to keep Greg from thrusting too hard and ending this before Nick's ready. He works his mouth in a steady rhythm, just hard enough to tease because he wants to hear Greg beg for it before he gives him what he needs. It takes less time than Nick thought before the babbling starts, a steady stream of nonsense words peppered with the occasional plea for Nick to please, God, let him come.

When he hears the words he's been waiting for Nick pulls off completely, his own cock twitching painfully at the sight of Greg panting and flushed and straining to find that contact again. He crawls up Greg's body, running two fingers along a full bottom lip and fighting back a moan when Greg takes the hint and sucks them into his mouth. He knows what that mouth feels like on his cock, and it's hard to remember to take his time when Greg's sucking on his fingers like they're some kind of lifeline. He's been thinking about this all night, though, and he's not going to screw it up by rushing.

When Greg relinquishes his fingers Nick fuses their mouths together again, tasting mint and a mixture of salt-sweet on Greg's tongue as he slides his fingers inside the other man. Greg gasps against his mouth and arches up hard, pulling Nick as far inside as he can get him. Nick allows a moment to regret that they didn't bind Greg's ankles too; the image of Greg on his stomach, arms and legs spread and bound, makes Nick's cock twitch painfully, and he breaks the kiss with a groan and moves back down Greg's body.

He slides his tongue along the head of Greg's cock, rolling the bitter taste around on his tongue before he slides his mouth down Greg's length and swallows around him. He knows how to work his throat muscles around Greg's cock, how to get him to come in no time flat, but he's intent on drawing this out for as long as possible. Greg's whole body is taut and Nick pictures the raw red marks he's going to have on his wrists when this is over, a shudder running down his spine as he works his fingers a little harder in and out of the other man.

Greg's chest heaves with the effort to breathe, his body rocking back and forth between Nick's fingers and his mouth. He's been tense since this started, but they know each other so well that Nick can tell when Greg is close, and he knows the exact moment to pull back until only the head of Greg's cock is still resting against his lips, bitter liquid filling Nick's mouth.

Nick waits until Greg stops shuddering before he lets his cock slip out of his mouth, spitting into his free hand and then reaching down to run slick fingers over his own cock. It takes all his tremendous focus not to come from that touch alone, especially after a long, boring night spent trying not to fantasize about this exact moment. When he's sure he's got himself back under control he pulls his fingers out of Greg, taking a deep breath before he angles the other man's hips and slides inside.

When he's buried as far as he can get he pauses, squeezing his eyes shut and working to catch his breath. It takes a few beats before he thinks he can move without losing control, but when he finally forces his eyes open and looks down at Greg his control flies right out the window. For a few seconds after Greg came he relaxed completely, but now he's arched up against Nick again, heedless of the padded metal cutting into his wrists. His lips are parted and his eyes are closed, his face flushed an appealing shade of red and Nick can't help it, he has to lean forward and kiss Greg again.

Again and again, his hips moving slowly at first, tiny little thrusts in and out of Greg as they kiss. And he wishes he could do this forever, moving lazily into tight heat as he breathes in the scent and the taste of Greg. The pressure at the base of his stomach is already building to a fever pitch, though, and without really thinking about it he starts thrusting harder. His mouth leaves Greg's, his hands under Greg's thighs to push his legs toward his chest as he angles his hips until he finds the spot inside Greg that makes him clamp down hard on Nick's cock.

And he loves that, the almost punishing pressure of Greg losing control all over again, forgetting everything but the feeling of Nick inside him. He thrusts again, harder this time, hitting Greg's prostate over and over until finally his vision flashes white and he collapses forward, gasping his orgasm against Greg's neck.

It takes him a few seconds to remember where he is, then a few more to remember why he doesn't feel the familiar warmth of Greg's hands tracing soothing patterns on his back. He pushes himself up with some effort, ignoring the little twitch of regret at the thought of unlocking the cuffs. "Where's the key?"

His voice sounds foreign to him, deep and rough and he wishes he hadn't worked all night so he'd have the energy to do this all over again.

"Next to your watch," Greg answers, eyes still closed when he nods in the direction of the nightstand.

Nick stretches far enough to fumble for the key, then slowly unlocks the cuffs, dropping them on the floor and reaching for each of Greg's abused wrists in turn. He feathers soft kisses along red skin, his heart in his throat when he realizes how enthusiastic he was this time. He makes a mental note to get his hands on some silk or something, because there has to be a way to do this that won't make him feel guilty afterwards.

As soon as the thought surfaces Greg's eyes open, and Nick can tell by the look in his eyes that he knows exactly what Nick's thinking. He doesn't say anything, though, and Nick's chest actually hurts with the force of his gratitude. He releases Greg's wrists to claim his mouth again, kissing him long and slow and thoroughly before he pushes himself up to look down at the other man.

"Happy birthday," Greg says, grinning and finally -- finally -- touching him.

Nick laughs, low and just a little shaky, and dips his head for a second until he's sure he can talk. "Thanks."

"Do you want your present now?"

"I thought this was my present," Nick answers, his hand pushing through Greg's hair.

"This you can have any time you want." Greg shifts his hips a little to emphasize his point. Nick's body responds with a shudder, and he buries his head in the crook of Greg's neck so he doesn't have to look at the other man. "I got you an actual present, too. Something you've been wanting for awhile."

He smiles against Greg's neck, breathing in the scent he knows so well before he lifts his head to look at Greg again. "Yeah? What is it?"

Greg rolls his eyes and pushes at Nick's chest until he rolls to his side, letting the other man slide out from under him. He watches as Greg crosses to the overnight bag on the other side of the room, his gaze wandering down Greg's frame as Greg digs in the bag and finally comes up with Nick's present. He can tell by the shape of the box exactly what it is, and he grins when Greg climbs back onto the mattress, straddling his hips and dropping the wrapped gift on Nick's chest.

He makes a show of shaking it, laughing when Greg squirms impatiently on top of him. Finally he gives in and pulls the paper off, smiling at the new video game he's been talking about getting since it was released. And maybe this is why Greg sent him the note and the key, because if they were at home right now they'd already be on their way to the living room to try out the new game. Part of Nick wishes they could, but there's another part of him that's glad they can't, because being alone in the hotel room means they can focus completely on each other until it's time to check out.

He pulls Greg forward, pressing their lips together for a quick kiss before he lets go again. "Thanks, G," he says, and he's pretty sure Greg knows that he's not just talking about the video game. "You wanna go get some breakfast?"

Greg just shakes his head and reaches for the phone, tugging it off the nightstand and onto the bed. "This is a full service birthday," he says, matching Nick's smile with one of his own.

Nick listens while he dials room service and places an order for more food than either of them can eat. Normally he'd argue about the cost and insist they go out and grab something to bring back to the room, but he knows better than to question one of Greg's plans. Besides, his birthday only comes around once a year.