Title: Desperado
Author: black_dahlia63
Rating: R
Spoilers: vague hint at “Turning The Screws”
Disclaimer: none of these lovely things are mine, including the ride referred to in the title.
Summary: Prompt #3, The Sexuality of Terror, or “Help, I’m Out of Control, Thank God!”

Nick kept his eyes closed when he woke up, but there was a smile on his lips as he thought of what lay ahead. A whole thirty-six hours off at the same time as Greg, no need to leave the apartment or even get out of bed if they didn’t want to...and when he thought of the man lying next to him - the way Greg looked when he woke up and stretched like a cat with his hair tousled from sleep, the just-waking kisses and slowly exploring fingers on sleep-warm skin - the thought of spending a day in bed sounded more enticing by the second.

It was only when the phone rang and he found himself reaching across empty space to answer it that he realised he was alone.

“Hey, Nick.”

“G? Where the hell are you?” he asked, screwing a hand into his eyes in an effort to focus. “It’s too early to be up, we haven’t got to be anywhere today.”

“That’s what you think,” was the reply. “Get dressed, I’m coming back to pick you up in half an hour,” and the words were followed by a chuckle. “You know you were snoring again, man?”

“Get back here and say that,” Nick answered, his smile widening as familiar ground was covered for the thousandth time. “What are you planning?”

“Oh, it’s done,” was Greg’s immediate response, and another laugh echoed down the phone. “You better be outside when I get there.”

“Do I-?”

“No, don’t bring anything. Just you,” and the line went dead; shaking his head in mock resignation, Nick sat up and swung his legs down over the side of the bed before getting to his feet and heading for the shower.

************

“Are you gonna tell me where we’re going?” he had asked Greg when the truck had pulled up next to him, its AC a blessed relief from the heat outside the apartment building that was already sticky and overpowering despite it only being just past ten thirty in the morning. “Nope,” Greg had replied with his habitual cheerful grin. “Get in and find out,” and minutes after Nick had obeyed he’d succumbed to sleep, lulled by the movement of the truck and by Greg’s right hand stroking the back of his neck whenever they reached a red light; and now, as he blinked dazedly and looked out of the passenger side window, he found himself surrounded by sand and brick-red hills.

“How long have we been driving?”

“Almost an hour,” Greg said cheerfully. “We’re just about there, shouldn’t be more than another ten minutes.”

“What the hell are we doing out in the desert, anyway?” Nick asked, pushing himself upright in his seat. “It’s – oh, wait, G, no,” he said as he craned his neck forward and spotted something in the distance – a towering structure, seeming to rise up out of the desert floor – and as he studied it his mind went back to a night months since.

“You know what Grissom was telling me today?” Greg says, idly walking two fingers along Nick’s side; their shift is long since over, they have just finished making love and they are lying in bed tangled in the sheets and in each others’ arms. “He said that riding a roller coaster can get people off,” and he grins up at Nick. “Something about the adrenaline and the epinephrine...”

“What? I – oh, hell no,” is Nick’s response as he sees the expression in his lover’s eyes. “No, man, it’s not gonna happen, okay?”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared.”

“I’m not saying that,” Nick retorts, and he stretches lazily to allow Greg to nestle against his side. “I’m just-” and he tugs gently at Greg’s hair when the younger man chuckles softly. “I’m just saying you’re not gonna get to experiment on me just to see whether Grissom’s right or not...”

“You promised,” Greg said, his eyes dancing. “You said you’d do it, Nick.”

“You were doing that thing with your tongue at the time, man, I don’t think it ought to count,” Nick answered, something shifting in the pit of his stomach as he studied the structure looming ahead of them. “Smartass,” he muttered softly, looking out of the passenger side window again and fixing his gaze on a solitary cactus until it was out of his field of vision. “You know you can get me to do just about anything that way, don’t you?”

“C’mon, Nick,” Greg taunted gently, bringing the truck to a stop at the side of the highway and turning to look at his passenger. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“It’s on back order right now,” Nick said, and he mustered what he hoped passed for a smile. “Seriously, G, let’s go home, we can get lunch on the way and then -”

“You...agreed,” Greg said, spacing the two words out as he reached up to rub his thumb along the skin just under Nick’s lower lip – and despite the almost icy chill generated by the air conditioning in the truck, Nick could feel heat blooming beneath the gentle caress. “It’s gonna be fun,” he heard his lover murmur, the words barely above a whisper, and in the next instant he held his breath as the thumb was pressed across his lips. “You think I’d ever let anything bad happen to you, Nicky?”

Nick managed to shake his head, acutely aware of how near they were to each other in the enclosed space of the truck, and when Greg’s eyes locked with his he found himself enveloped by a sudden rush of need. He drew Greg’s thumb all the way into his mouth, curling his lips and tongue around it and biting gently; he felt fingertips curve round his cheek, heard the soft inrush of breath from Greg as their eyes remained fixed on each other, and at this moment he could only think of one thing. What went on between them was kept private, saved for when they were in their apartment and shut off from the rest of the world – but all Nick could think of in this moment was fucking Greg right here, right on the side of the highway with cars and trucks speeding past them, their clothing moved just enough to allow access and his lips pressed against the sweat-damp skin of Greg’s neck...

...then the thumb was removed slowly from his mouth, breaking the image, and although Greg’s cheeks were slightly flushed he was grinning. “Not yet,” he said, close enough for his breath to warm Nick’s face. “You keep your promise first,” and he outlined Nick’s mouth with his thumb before leaning away again and looking out through the windshield at the structure looming ahead of them; he took a deep breath and let it out slowly before steering the truck back out onto the highway, and as he did so he glanced sideways at his passenger. The eye contact was only maintained for a second or two, but the way Greg’s eyes gleamed spoke of a knowledge of what had passed through Nick’s mind moments before, and as Nick leaned back in his seat the only thing going through his head now was the words oh, G, you’re gonna owe me for this.

***********************

Nick crammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, in an effort to look nonchalant that he knew wasn’t succeeding, as he stood next to Greg at the front of the queue of people waiting to board the roller coaster that had thundered past him through a tunnel as he and Greg walked across the lobby twenty minutes previously. The loading station was inside the hotel’s casino, and he had attempted to distract himself by watching the ebb and flow of human traffic around the slot machines – but his mind had always returned to the white-faced young man he had seen being helped off the ride by his female companion to the accompaniment of snickers from a group of watching teenagers.

“Here we go,” Greg said, practically bouncing with excitement, as the string of blue cars emblazoned with yellow lightning bolts pulled up at the loading station. “C’mon, man,” he said with a grin, elbowing Nick in the ribs while the disembarking passengers spilled out of the cars. “It’s not even three minutes long, and then we can tell Grissom that -”

“Oh, we’re not telling Grissom about this,” Nick interrupted immediately. “We’re going to keep quiet about the fact that you talked me into doing something that’s scaring me to death before I’ve even gotten on it...”

“Didn’t talk you into it,” Greg retorted out of the side of his mouth, pushing forward when the automatic gates opened in front of them, and he darted another glance at Nick before climbing into the front seat of the first car in the line; he continued speaking, his voice dropping to a barely audible level, as Nick sat down next to him. “I did that thing with my tongue, remember?”

“G...”

“You know how you look when you’re lying there?” The question was whispered against his ear amid the excited chatter of the other people climbing into the roller coaster behind them, and he knew he was the only one who could hear it, but having Greg talk to him in public the way he talked to him in bed was making the tiny hairs stand up on Nick’s forearms. “You know that sound you make when I stop right before you’re going to come, Nicky? You know how hot that gets me, listening to you begging me to finish you off?”

“Don’t,” Nick said faintly. “Not here, G, please.”

“I booked a room,” Greg said, and the safety bar clicked into place in front of them. “It’s on the second floor right by the elevator, the key card’s in my pocket,” and as he spoke there was a jolt as the cars were set in motion. “All you have to do is hang on for another three minutes,” and he straightened up in his seat, reaching forward to grasp the bar in front of him; Nick followed suit, and as the cars climbed higher he felt his mouth drying up.

Two hundred and nine feet, that’s how high the lift hill was – he’d read it on a poster while he waited in the queue for the ride – but he’d never imagined how high two hundred and nine feet actually was until now, as his hands clenched involuntarily on the bar and he vainly tried to persuade himself he wasn’t scared shitless. Somewhere behind him a child’s voice could be heard saying, “Dad, make them stop, I wanna get down now,” and Nick tried to smile at the words, but his mouth wouldn’t move; and as the wheels rattled on the track beneath him, he closed his eyes and wondered how long the next three minutes would stretch out.

“Nick, open your eyes, you gotta see this view!” he heard Greg shout over the rattling of the wheels and the mounting cries of anticipation from their fellow passengers. “Look, Nick!” and he unwillingly forced his eyes open, his breath freezing in his lungs as he stared down at the ant-like people and tiny buildings down on the ground; in the next instant they had reached the top of the hill, and he had a split second to think

Jesus CHRIST let me off this thing

before the car swooped downwards at a frightening speed, the ground rushing up towards Nick as warm air whipped around his face – and despite this warmth, he could feel goose bumps erupting on his skin as he shut his eyes again with the screams of the other riders and Greg’s yell of delight echoing in his ears.

Why the hell did I agree to this?

It was dark outside his closed eyelids now, they must have been in that tunnel near the hotel lobby again, and Nick’s heart was hammering so hard he was afraid it would burst through his chest; then it was bright again, the cars were climbing skywards, and he found himself enveloped by a sense of weightlessness that made a soft whine erupt from his immobile lips – and even though he was sure the noise couldn’t possibly have been heard over the shrieks from the other riders, he felt his left hand covered by a familiar grip.

“Look at me,” Greg shouted as the car neared the top of the second hill and slowed to a crawl. “Look at me, Nicky, c’mon,” and the use of the version of his name that was usually only used when they were alone made Nick’s eyes snap open again; he turned his head towards his lover, the action taking a huge effort, and Greg’s eyes were alight with excitement. “That’s it, Nicky, two more minutes -” then they were dropping again, spiralling down towards the parking lot surrounded by screams, and Nick clenched his fingers around Greg’s with enough force to make tiny bones grind together beneath the skin.

You’re gonna owe me, G, he said silently for the second time, and he managed to suck in a huge gulp of breath as the ride sped along the track before climbing up again; he stared straight ahead, his stomach lurching as he was rendered weightless again only to be shoved back into his seat by pressure when they swooped downwards over the third hill.

“Not even three minutes” – who had Greg been trying to kid when he said that as they waited to board the ride? Because Nick felt as though he had already been up here for three hours, his hands white-knuckled as the seat beneath him seemed to disappear and leave him flying in mid-air; his silent wish for the ride to be finished was only seeming to make it last longer, and he realised that his breath was coming in short gasps through gritted teeth.

That’s how Greg sounds when –

And his mind was suddenly filled with an image of himself in bed – in their bed, the bed that sagged slightly at one side and seemed far too big when they were working different shifts and there was only one of them in it – with Greg spread eagled beneath him, looking up at him through half closed eyes. He saw skin gleaming with perspiration, heard breath that came in soft hitches as his lover twisted under him in a wordless plea for release; and as the car lurched down the fourth hill, making his stomach lurch sickeningly, the screams echoing behind him were drowned out by the voice in his head - the breathy, ragged “fuck, Nicky, please” he always heard when he took Greg to the brink for what seemed like the hundredth time without letting him go over it...

...then he snapped back to the present again as the car went into a final dip, letting out the breath he’d been holding without even realising he was doing it; they neared the loading station, the ride slowing to a near-crawl, and he allowed his fingers to unclench themselves from the safety bar and from Greg’s hand.

They came to a halt on the platform, and scattered applause and cheering broke out behind them; as soon as the safety bars were released Nick sprang to his feet, only to falter slightly as his legs refused to co-operate. His arm was grabbed without a word, and he was hauled onto the platform before Greg walked him out of the loading station into the casino; they turned towards each other then, and Nick finally found his voice. “Jesus, man, you...” and his voice tailed off at the look in Greg’s eyes - he had seen it many times before, but never when they had been surrounded by people, and all at once he felt that lurching weightlessness at his core again. Greg turned away again and began walking towards the hotel lobby, and Nick followed him without a word; his legs still felt rubbery, as though he were walking several inches above the floor, and everything seemed to slow to a crawl as they neared the row of elevators.

A set of doors pinged open, and Nick allowed himself to be led into the space behind them; there was a cry of, “Hey, hold the elevator!” but Greg made no move to obey, and as soon as the doors closed again Nick found himself pressed up against one of the walls. He closed his eyes, parting his lips as Greg’s tongue slipped between them, and then a soft no not here moan echoed in the tiny mirror-walled space as he tore his head back and the two of them stared at each other for what seemed an impossibly long time – then the doors pinged open again on the second floor, and he walked unsteadily behind Greg across the few feet of carpeted space separating the elevator from a door bearing the number 258.

The card was slipped into the lock, and Nick was pulled through the door as soon as it opened; it slammed shut behind him, there was a pause of what could only have been a second or two during which neither of them moved...and then he was dragged towards the bed that seemed to take up half the room, falling onto it to land on his back as the last of the strength drained out of his legs. Before Nick could push himself up on his elbows Greg was on top of him, and their mouths collided in a kiss that was urgent and savage and full of teeth; breaking apart, they gasped against each others’ necks before Greg lifted his head a fraction to look at his lover’s flushed face.

“You did good out there,” he whispered, and he let his tongue outline Nick’s mouth; at the same time, he slipped a hand down between their bodies, drawing back and smiling when Nick’s legs parted at the gesture. There was a visible bulge at the crotch of Nick’s faded Levis, and when Greg pressed his palm against it Nick rose up off the bed, breaking eye contact as his head fell back against the pillow; a soft hiss escaped his lips, changing to a deep sigh when Greg pressed a shade more firmly, and his eyelids flickered down until they were almost shut. “No, look at me,” Greg crooned, and the eyes that blinked open beneath him were already slightly unfocused; the smile on his face darkened slightly as he rose to his knees, peeling his T shirt off and discarding it before leaning down to catch the bottom of Nick’s Dallas Cowboys shirt in both hands. He tugged the garment up and over Nick’s head and arms, tossing it onto the floor and then dropping back down to pin Nick’s hands over his head; he pressed forward, their hips and their linked hands the only points of contact, and there was a barely-audible whisper of “fuck” as Nick twisted beneath him.

“That what you want, Nicky?” Greg murmured. “You want me to fuck you? You want me in you?” He let his hips shift subtly against Nick’s, heat and hardness concealed by mere layers of fabric, and he watched Nick press his lips together to conceal a low moan; swiping his tongue across Nick’s mouth, he lifted his head again before the contact could deepen, and then he released Nick’s hands. Kisses were laid in a meandering line along Nick’s jaw and down his neck, and Greg felt a hand clutching at his hair as his lover’s breathing began to slow and deepen; he let his tongue dart at the hollow of Nick’s throat, and a sharp sigh echoed in his ears.

“Talk to me - tell me what you want, Nicky, c’mon...”

A hand slid down Nick’s chest, fingernails raking skin just hard enough to leave marks and make him arch up off the bed; then another kiss swallowed up a moan from him as the buttons on his jeans were undone – not all of them, but enough of them to allow a hand to slip inside and mould itself around his cock, stroking him through the thin material of his boxer shorts, and his fingers tightened in Greg’s hair. He twisted up towards his lover, whimpering against Greg’s mouth in a wordless plea to be freed from clothing that was suddenly far too tight; his lower lip was drawn into Greg’s mouth in response and bitten, not just hard enough to mark this time but hard enough to hurt, and he would have struggled, cried out - but the hand over his cock was moving faster, more roughly, and Christ he was so fucking hard now, how the hell could he be when he’d been so scared on that roller coaster?

“Please,” he gasped when he tore his head away from Greg’s, and he knew he hadn’t been the only one the ride had gotten to, because the eyes looking down at him were dark and near-animalistic with intensity. “Please, G, please...” then the words dissolved into a cry that was high and tight and pleading as fingers slipped inside his boxers to brush across the head of his cock. His entire body went taut, all the nerves in his body seeming to begin and end beneath those fingertips, and through the blood roaring in his ears he heard the faintest murmur of –

“Ssh, Nicky...”

as his jeans and boxers were tugged down his hips and thrown to land in a heap on the floor. He watched Greg yank at his own clothes, need rendering him clumsy the way it always did - and then they were skin-to-skin in a tangle of hands and lips, his hips rising to let his cock buck into Greg’s hand. Fingers encircled him and stroked from base to tip, the steadily leaking precum spread down his length, and as he thrust up into Greg’s closed fist he closed his eyes and let his lover’s breath warm his ear while heated words poured into his mind.

“That feel good, Nicky? Huh? That what you want?” and the grip on his cock was tightened a fraction. “C’mon, Nicky...” and then he clenched his hands into fists on the bedcovers, his neck arching to let his head press back against the pillow as two saliva-slicked fingers from his lover’s free hand pushed inside him – barely pushing past the tight ring of muscle, teasing him and making him push his hips forward wanting more; a mewling noise echoed in the room, the only sound Nick was capable of making now as he was carried beyond speech although his mind was filled with want you in me now please now, and then everything seemed to happen at once. The touching stopped for what must only have been seconds, and he barely had time to suck in a breath before his legs were seized, pushed up, and then Greg was inside him in a single deep thrust – his entry not eased quite enough, the drag and burn of it making Nick catch his breath – then the angle changed just a shade, but it was enough

there right THERE

to make him feel as though he had touched a live wire. He threw his head back, panting “Greg” over and over as their hands clasped, the grip white-knuckled the way it had been on the coaster...and the rhythm sped out of Nick’s control, back and then forward again, each thrust seeming to drive deeper inside him. He was almost sobbing now, light beginning to burn behind his closed eyelids, his name gasped breathlessly in a steady litany - and the only thing he was thinking now was please as the light blinded him, bringing him to a near-faint as he took Greg’s full weight on top of him and warm wetness jetted from him to splash between their bodies.

*******************

“I wish I had my camera.”

“Why?” he asked, halfway towards sleep, as he combed his fingers through Greg’s hair; the two of them were still entwined in the centre of the bed, sticky and drained and wearing stupidly ecstatic grins, and at this moment he felt that this had been worth every second of three minutes of sheer fright.

“Wouldn’t have thought you could look so hot wearing nothing but a paper ride bracelet.”

“Yeah, why did you...? No.”

“We’ll sleep, we’ll get a shower, and then we’ll hit some of the other rides,” Greg said, stretching lazily as Nick’s fingers massaged his scalp. “And don’t say no, ‘cause you know I can get around you,” and he reached to spider-walk his fingers along Nick’s forearm. “Did it once already today, didn’t I?” and Nick chuckled with the last of his strength – because there were situations where he was perfectly capable of saying no and meaning it, but they had never involved Greg.

And somehow, he doubted they ever would.