Title: Shades of Green
Author: *bright
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: None
Pairing: Nick/Warrick
Category: Crack-fic, humor, smut and domestic mayhem.
Summary: Green was never Warrick's favorite color; Nick's just enthralled by all the different shades.
Words: 8769
Author's Note: Un-beta'd.
Disclaimer: Me own zip and nada, ‘cept an over-active imagination.

Warrick had not expected to find his lover half under the coffee-table when he got home from court. What he had hoped to come home to was soft soft snores from their bedroom; snores that proved his man was finally getting some well-deserved rest after after his double with a ridiculously happy Sanders in tow. The minute he saw Greg come jumping down the hallway behind Nick, with a grin that bounced off the walls, Warrick had felt his green poke his head up. To learn that he was going out with Nick, to investigate a car-wreck in the desert, was enough to make the green-eyed devil on his shoulder poke him mercilessly. Alone in the desert, Nick with shades, a snug t-shirt and the tight jeans he sported, was a combination that oozed of sex. To have Sanders privy to all that hotness was just enough to have Warrick muttering under his breath. And Sanders was just too happy about it - the devil kept whispering that he'd probably stay close to his man and ogle the fine jean-clad ass with melting chocolate eyes. Like a puppy in need of a bone. They'd flirt in their usual manner and Greg's hound-like eyes would lay on Nick, drinking him in. All alone out in the desert, Nick might just lay a hand on Greg's shoulder and smile that fucking smile of his.

He'd really learned to hate the green devil with the smug leer, residing on his shoulder.

Warrick had counted every minute till he finally got off the bench and home to check up on his man Hoping to find him sound asleep, sun-kissed and still his. Then he'd just slither into bed, press his lips to the nape of his man's neck, right to the lower-right; the spot that had Nick arching into him. He'd just take a while to drink Nick in, kiss the slightly curved spine and nuzzle the short hairs on the neck before he'd mark him. Right there at the crook of the neck and shoulder, low enough for collars to hide it. But the mark would be there - Nick would feel it every time the collar rubbed up against his skin. He'd feel it and know.

That had been his plan; a bite to eat, a quick shower and some serious cuddling.

Instead, he found his man bent over, ass up in the air, cheek to the rug while he was mumbling something in a close to inaudible voice. One hand held a syringe, half-filled with what seemed like white paste and the other was stretched out under the table.

Warrick stopped in his tracks, watching the scene without comprehension. "Nick, what the-?"

"Rick, don't move!"

The purring tenor of the voice contradicted the clear order. Warrick's eyes shot open in surprise at the man's antics. "What the hell ar'yah -?" The question got chumped off by Nick's sudden lunge forward, a low curse following as something black and evil looking scurried out from under the table. Only to jump on top of it and back down to the floor, using the small of Nick's back as springboard. The man yelped and hastily withdrew his outstretched hand.

Warrick found himself eye to eye with Mrs. Elmyra Johnson's ill-famed cat, Bud. The green eyes took him in and seized him up, whiskers quivering and eyes narrowing in what Warrick deducted was disgust, before the cat turned and ran to hide between the couch and the wall. The end of the tail batted against the floor furiously, like a metronome gone hay-wire.

"Could'a grabbed him," Nick pouted, assembling himself into a sitting position and sticking one bleeding fingertip into his mouth.

Warrick finally got his bearing back and let his kit drop. "What's that devil doing here?"

Nick wiped his nose and peered up at him. "Uh, yeah, see I found Elmyra by the letterbox when I got home. She'd tripped and hit her hip on the pavement. Looked broken to me and I called 911. While we waited she mentioned the the cat and I -," Nick shrugged and smiled. "I kinda ended up promising we'd take care of him."

Warrick didn't believe his ears and glared at the man on the floor. "You what?"

"She was crying, Rick! Didn't want animal control to take Bud. Was afraid she'd not get him back and he is the only company's she's got. Just till she's back on her feet, Rick!"

Warrick glared at his man, dumb-founded. "What about her daughter's family? Don't they have a house in Henderson?"

"The youngest grandkid's allergic, no can do." Nick, rose with a groan, flexing his arm. "Dont'cha worry Rick, I'll look after 'im. You won't even know he's around."

The disarming grin was always Warrick's's undoing and he toed off his shoes and stepped up to his man. "Why you chasing the bugger around with that thing?" He nodded to the the syringe on the carpet.

Nick tilted his head and rubbed the tensed tendons on his neck with a deep sigh, looking up at Warrick through thick lashes and an embarrassed smile emerged. The scratches on his underarm were angry and red; Warrick cringed at the sight.

"Elmyra was just deworming him and this is the last dose. Has to have it today or the effect will be lost. I promised I'd see to it being taken care of." Nick stated matter-of-factly and bent to pick up the fallen utensil.

"Man, you're so easy! I can't believe you let yourself get talked into this!" Warrick shook his head, picturing Nick by the woman's side, holding her hand and promising her whatever she asked - even the moon if she'd had an itching for it. "Wasn't it enough you called 911 and held her hand while waiting for the rig? Did'ya have to promise to take care of that devil?" He pointed to the tail-tip, still batting angrily against the floor.

Nick looked mortified. "She's alone without him, Rick! She cried, bro!"

"She was playing you, man," Warrick snorted. He stepped up to stand nose to nose with the slightly shorter man. Looking into the dropping eyes, shaking his head at the tinge of read creeping up over his man's cheeks. With a grin he pulled him into a bear-hug; half-exasperated and half-tickled pink about his man's wide-open heart. The one that beat steadily against his ribs, making him smile against the warm skin of his man's neck. "Want me to show you how to deworm the devil?" he chuckled.

Nick folded his arms around Warrick's middle and held on. "Got your protective gear on? Took me half an hour to get him into the box to bring him over. He has some nasty moves, I'm telling you, man!"

"And you wear the signs of a battle lost, Nicky. Now let a pro show you how to handle obnoxious pets before you get seriously hurt. I can take that cat with one arm folded. How much you ready to put up?"

Nick leaned back and grinned up at him. "Ok, big guy, lemme see you take 'im down with one hand and I'll be your love-slave for a week."

"I'm gonna have me a helluva week," Warrick grinned victoriously and let go of his man.

He advanced on the cat from behind, crouching by the side of the couch to estimate the angle he needed to get a grip on the animal. By the look of it, he needed to push the couch an inch from the wall to get a steady grip around the neck of the black devil.

"This is really no big deal, Nicky. You just have to anticipate the -." He was thrown back onto his ass when a hissing black entity launched from the raft as soon as he had moved the couch. Squinted eyes flared a venomous green stare in his direction when the cat buried needle-sharp claws into his arm and jumped onto his shoulder. The tail batted against the root of his nose and blinded him momentarily and had him fumbling when he tried to get a grip around the middle of the wriggling, and amazingly muscular, body. He was promptly delivered a bite to the sensitive skin between the thumb and the index-finger.

"What the fuck!" The teeth were worse than the claws and he was on his feet, moving away from the hissing fur-ball.

"You used both hands," Nick pointed out, trying to stifle his laughter.

Warrick threw a deadly glare in his direction before looking at the scrapes on his arm and the red toothmarks on his hand. "That's not Bud, that's fucking Beelzebub!"

Nick was unable to hold back the laughter and it bubbled out of him in happy strings. "C'mon, man. Lemme look at that." Still laughing he dragged a reluctant Warrick to the bathroom, forcing him to sit down on the toilet-seat.

Warrick noticed that eerily lucent green eyes followed their departure from behind the coffee-table.

Nick had to actively suppress the laughter bubbling in him. His proud warrior of a man was beaten by a 12 stone fur-ball. He didn't even dare point out that the two of them had the exact same eye-color; a feature that had instantly warmed Nick up to the animal. And he wasn't even a cat-person. But in a certain angle, the shade of green was exactly the same; a intense shade that he loved.

"Didn't hurt your ass now did ya?" he taunted when he pushed his man to sit on the toilet-seat. Even the low growl Warrick emitted reminded him of the prowling feline in their living room. "I'll make it all better later honey-bun," he promised. "Am gonna have me some fun this week, since you went and lost the bet, big boy."

"Stokes, close the trap and listen up! We gotta re-group and take the little bugger from two sides - ouch!" Warrick glared at him when the pad with the sterilizing liquid hit the red welt on his hand.

"Such a baby," Nick grinned and swiped the pad over the second welt. "Warr, trust me, I have experience with green-eyed, feline personalities and you never pick a fight those."

"What the fuck? You comparing me to that devil?"

The scowl did not seem entirely heart-felt and Warrick's brow creased, evidently the mock anger was battling with a huge grin, threatening to break through.

"Feisty temper, deadly glares and a smart-ass attitude, man. Look at the evidence. And you don't declare war on one of that kind, bro. You sweet-talk and nudge them into coming your way." Innocently Nick glanced at his man, letting the pad swipe over the last scratch. "See, deep inside - they're just soft sweethearts, who need a lotta lovin'."

Warrick's hand cupped Nick's neck to pull him forward and up as he rose to his feet. The greens taking on a shade of vivid amusement, and speckles of tenderness sparkled within them when he let the other hand trail along Nick's spine to pull him close.

Nick dropped the pad in the sink and tilted his head, wrapping his arms around his man's middle. "Com'ere you old softy," he mumbled, rubbing his cheek against Warrick's unshaven one while his hands sought the warmth of the skin under the shirt.

"Let's hit the sack and I'll show you how damned wrong you are, fucking tease." Warrick grumbled and suckled Nick's bottom lip in between his own. The tongue slid over the sensitive skin and Nick pushed up against the steady body, opening his lips to invite his man in. He slid his palms over the playing muscles on his man's back. There was still a little tension in the body, that tantalizing edge that Nick found irresistible. Spreading his fingers under the shirt he pulled his man closer and rubbed his thumb along the spine until the tension vanished. Investigating every hard plane and sinew of that strong and broad back had always been one of his favorite pass-times. The way it moved when they made love was forever imprinted in his sensory-memory. Just like the feeling of the soft lips pressed to his was.

The kiss started out soft and slow, tips of tongues dueling leisurely. The heat radiated off Rick right into the very core of Nick and he eagerly suckled the teasing tongue into his own mouth, and that was enough for Warrick to over-heat and demand full entrance and submission. Something Nick was more than happy to give.

It wasn't until the third time the door-bell rang until the sound fully registered.

"Rick, shit, someone's at the door!" Disentangling himself from the strong arms, he tried to regulate his breathing.

"Stokes, you're fucking killing me here! I betcha it's some desperate door-to-door salesman. An' you're ditching me for a set of fancy combs?"

Nick pulled the t-shirt out of his jeans to hide his erection. "Might be Elmyra's daughter, coming to check up on Bud or something."

"And she's never heard of phones?" Warrick huffed, unable to resist a last nibble at the pinkish earlobe..

"Oh man, that's not playing fair!" Nick pushed him away, stepping to the side with a sigh. "Just hold that thought till I'm back." With a pleading smile he left a growling Warrick behind.

Warrick listened to Nick opening the door and the sound of a female voice greeting him seeped through from outside, followed with a soft squeal of his man's name. That's when he turned to wash his face with cold water before stepping out to take a look at what was going on.

A black woman, probably in her early forties and stunningly attractive was leaning her head on his man's shoulder while holding a couple of boxes in her hand. The family resemblance was unmistakable and there were tears in her eyes when she mumbled something and Nick's arm curved around her waist.

The green devil on his shoulder was laughing out loud.

"It's all right, Joelle," Nick mumbled. "Elmyra is a fighter and she'll be up in no time, you'll see."

The woman raised her head and spotted Warrick standing in the middle of the floor.

"Oh, hello. You must be Warrick?" She said, moving a well-manicured hand in his direction. "Ma's told me a lot about you!"

Warrick took the hand and wondered idly exactly what had been told about him? "I'm sorry about your mother, Ma'am," he said, marveling at the steady grip of the petite hand.

"You know what pisses me off," she said, her eyes darkening. "She was laying there for at least an hour before Nick came and took notice. Someone must have seen her. That's why I begged her to move out of the old neighborhood, to be safer if something happened! What's wrong with people? Not like a 73-year old is about to fake an accident to rob you or something. What did the fuckers think?"

The harsh words did not match the elegant appearance and Warrick smiled at the contrast. "I have no idea, Ma'am."

"Joelle," she said, with a tilt of her head. "I'd hate not to be on a first name-basis with Ma' s best neighbors. Besides, Ma praises you high and low since you took the black devil down from that tree for her."

"You what?" Nick laughed.

"Ma said he was so brave - he balanced on the picket fence and just scooped him up and carried him inside and all. A real gentleman. She called me and told the tale. She'd been trying to get that freakin' thing down for hours without any success." Joelle glared in the direction of the cat that had crawled closer, peering at them with curiosity.

"That's my man," Nick chuckled and promptly went beet red from Joelle's knowing grin and quick peck to his cheek.

"I know," Joelle giggled like a school-girl. "And I had you married off and all before Ma called and asked if it was common for two room-mates to kiss at the front-door."

This time Warrick felt blood rush to his cheeks and a surprised sound escaped him.

"Then she saw you hugging and called me to tell me she was sure you two must be in love. You just don't hug your friend like that she said. It was hilarious! She'd been waiting till you came home and had the binoculars ready for verification." This time the sentence was followed with a pearly laughter as she leaned her head on Nick's shoulder again. "I told her to stop spying on you or I'd call the cops on her and rat her out on domestic disturbance. I'm sure she still keeps and eye on you though, she thinks you're cute. And you are." With a last giggle and another swift peck to Nick's cheek she freed herself and lifted the boxes. "Ma told me to get some food for you, where do I put it? You better chow own before it gets cold!"

Nick finally seemed to get his tongue unglued and his manners in order . "Aw Joelle, you shouldn't have! C'mon, let me at least offer you a coffee or somethin'!"

"Nah," Joelle shook her head. and handed the boxes over. "I have to get home and get the last brat from school before I head back to check up on Ma. She should be out of surgery by then." She bent down and smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle on her skirt. Then her eyes got caught on the angry welts on Nick's arms. "What the hell happened to your arms. Nick?"

Nick took a step back and tried to hide the evidence of his lost battle. "I was trying to deworm Bud and - ."

Joelle's head shot up. "What? Lemme at him! He shredded the wrappings of the kids' Christmas presents last year and made a mess of my hard work. I haven't gotten back at him for that yet. Now's as good a time as any. Get me a towel and stay back!" She shot a deadly glare at the cat on the carpet. It was a clear declaration of war.

Nick watched with amazement how the slim woman became a force of nature before his eyes. Taking Warrick's offered towel, she stepped up closer to the cat and purred the most obscene threats with a honeyed voice. There was talk of knowing he had no balls but there was probably a lot of things a vet could fix on him. The cat blinked and looked mesmerized by the tone of the voice. Nick looked over at Warrick, who met his eyes with a skeptical shake of his head. No way this was going to work, was it?

Then it all happened so fast that Nick held his breath in pure astonishment.

Joelle lunged and pinned the cat to the floor with the towel. Her voice turned to a low hiss when she warned the cat to move and there was a short staring contest before the woman had the creature bundled up in the towel.

Joelle rose from the floor with the cat under her arm. Only the tail and the face, with ears slicked back were still visible; the green eyes narrow slits. "I gotcha, you bad-assed demon, you." Joelle spoke triumphantly. "Piss me off and I'll tie a red ribbon and send you right back to where you came from! Hand me deworming thing, and I hope it tastes like hell!"

Warrick was brave enough to step up and hand the syringe over, despite the low growl from the package under Joelle's arm.

Unceremoniously Joelle forced the point of the plastic syringe into the cats mouth and emptied it. Nick noticed that Bud suddenly looked mortified, drooling white paste from the corner of his mouth he was forced to swallow it when Joelle scooped it up and pressed it back inside the gaping mouth and shut it by pushing a finger under the chin and tilting the head up and the mouth shut.

"Whoa!" Nick let out, utterly impressed.

"Three kids and a lotta coughing syrup gives you some edge," Joelle mentioned absentmindedly and placed the cat-bundle on the floor. "Man, look at the hair he's shedding! This here is my best jacket. Damn!"

At the sound of Joelle's voice, the package on the floor got new life and something black ran over the floor and Nick felt pinprick needles up his leg and he instinctively reached out for the terrified animal. The cat was trembling and hid his head in the crook of Nick's elbow, like it wanted to disappear into another dimension. "Oh," Nick let out in surprise, where he stood stunned, with a cat draped around his middle, like a loaf of bread.

Warrick refused to look in his direction but Nick could tell by the trembling of the shoulders he was about to explode from laughter any time soon.

"All rightie," Joelle stated, smoothing out the invisible wrinkle on her skirt again. "I better get going before the brat gets into trouble. Oh, Nick, be a sweetie and check in on Ma's flowers when you got the time, will you? You've got the keys, right? And my number?"

Nick, bereft of speech, was only able to nod in agreement.

"Good," Joelle beamed and leaned in to give him a goodbye-kiss on the cheek. "I'll keep you updated." She swayed over to the door and with a hand on the doorknob, she turned to Warrick and smiled sweetly, nodding in Nick's direction. "He's a natural, isn't he? Take care boys!"

When the door closed behind her, Nick heard the couch sigh and turned to watch his man sunken into it, a sardonic grin plastered on the face. He tried to move the cat away and was instantly rewarded with claws burying into his flesh and a small meowing sound. Like he were about to kill the little bugger. He had to choose between ripping it at off him and cause serious damage to his favorite t-shirt or stand there and watch his man working hard not to laugh his ass off at him.

"So fucking cute. Nicky," Warrick guffawed from the couch, finally giving in and chuckling helplessly.

And all Nick could do about it was pout in protest.

The sight of Nick with a cat draped around his middle had almost killed him. The brown eyes wide with surprise, arms holding onto the animal that seemed to want to crawl in under his skin. Any other man would have dropped the cat to restore his manliness, but not Nick. He just stood there, holding onto the animal and looking absolutely adorable. Warrick couldn't help stumbling towards the couch and try his best not to laugh out loud at the picture of the man with the hero-complex that obviously even included scared, bad-assed cats. The pout that formed on the face when Nick noticed the glee he provoked, didn't ease off Warrick's merriment at all. He still chuckled when Nick threw pleading glances in his direction.

"Warr, I kinda have a situation here! He won't let go and I need to get to the kitchen and set the table. I'm starving!"

"Oh man, just put him down, not like he'll keel over dead or anything." Warrick rose from the couch and walked over to the man. "Talk about love-handles, man. Furry ones to boot!"

"Oh stuff it, Warr! What am I supposed to do,? He's still shaking like a leaf, if he dies from a heart attack or something, Elmyra will never forgive me." Nick looked down at the cat in his hold and Warrick curled his hand around the bent neck and pulled the man to the kitchen. And damned if he was able to stop laughing.

"I've got the cure, Nick. Joelle brought fried shrimps and fettuccines from Antonio's and that's like 50 a pop. If you can't pry that black devil off with that, you'll just hafta marry the bugger."

"Dish out the shrimps, Warr, before I really hurt you!"

To say Nick was embarrassed was the understatement of the year. Warrick's grin seemed permanently plastered on his face, much like the freaking cat seemed to be to his own feet. He tried to move away from the animal, moving his feet further in under the kitchen table, while they sat eating. In a mere second he felt the cat lean up against his calf, making pitiful sounds at the loss of what seemed the only safety in the world. And he still wore marks of the claws on his t-shirt. The last straw had been when he rose to get beers from the fridge and the cat had fallowed him like a shadow.

Which of course had Warrick snort and mock the 'cuteness' all over.

Now the cat was pawing at his leg, looking at him with very Warrick-like eyes that begged to be picked up. Nick tried to ignore him and simply waited for Warrick to finish his third helping. But he did not miss the meaningful glances and amused leers that his man bestowed him and the freaking cat.

"Aw Nicky, the baby wants you. Maybe he needs to go potty? Where is his potty?"

That was it! Nick rose and picked the cat up, glaring at the smirking man. Worst thing was that he might just be right too. Nick had shown Bud the litter-box he'd got from Elmyra's house, but who knew the function of a cat's memory, or the span? This time he had gotten himself in deep. And he was not a cat-person!

"I'll get you for this, Warr!" He half-promised, half-threatened when he walked to the bathroom with the freaking cat in his arms. This was one thing he'd never live down with his man. This cat and its ridiculous imploring mewls would have Rick tauting him to his dying days.

"Make a mess anywhere in the house, Bud and I call Joelle," he promised the cat when he lowered it into the litter-box that he'd placed neatly by the hamper. "Don't go near my man's piano or electric guitar because if the Fender short-circuits or something, there's nothing that'll save you. You just behave and you'll be back home in one unscathed piece, deal?"

The cat looked up at him, a gleam of coolness in the squinted eyes that Nick found familiar.

He sat down on the closed toilet-seat and looked at the cat. It really was beautiful in an odd slimmed manner. It was totally different from the furry thing his sister Beth had taken home when he had been around five. That kitten had made his life a living hell for a couple of months; it waited on him by the door, attacking his bare toes as soon as it got a chance. When he screamed, it jumped away happily, leaving him by the door, looking stupid for having made a ruckus. Hi sisters laughed at him when he stared sleeping with socks on and Mom had probably thought something was seriously wrong with him when he demanded thick socks in the middle of August. Nope, he was no cat-person.

The cat meticulously covered its mess, looking back at Nick as if to ask if it was all right? And Nick found himself praising the little bugger. Which had the cat walk up to him and stroke its side up against his leg with a purr. Then it sat down and started priming itself, paws being checked and licked clean, a swipe over the shoulder where the fur was in slight disorder. All the while it sounded like an low-rotation engine. Bud kept casting demure glances in Nick's direction, like secretly basking in the admiration. Nick bent down and let his hand follow the curved back in an approving caress.

Then he stripped and took refuge in the shower. Cats and water did not go well together and that was his only viable refuge from total embarrassment it seemed.

He closed his ears to the pitiful sound from outside the cubicle and flicked the water on.

Warrick's grin widened when he stepped into the bathroom and found Nick with a towel around his waist, shaving, and the black devil sitting at his feet, looking up at him adoringly.

"Aw, baby, don't shave! You're so cute with the stubble." He placed a kiss on the nape of the neck and grinned at the pout in the mirror before pulling his clothes off and getting the well-needed shower.

"You really think she watched us with the binoculars, Rick? I checked and you can probably get a pretty good view of the couch from across the street, man."

The voice outside was half-drenched in the sound of water as he soaped himself in. "I'd like to watch us with a binocular, Nick." Warrick replied. "Hell, I'd probably pay for that. I know plenty of people that would."

"Pervert!"

"I know Hodges, Sanders and Ecklie would. And probably Joelle too, she was all over you, baby."

"She's married and has three kids, Warr! You starting to trip on me again, bro? I went bowling with the husband and the kids once, you're just insane. Or, oh hell, maybe you wanna do her?"

Warrick flicked the water off and stepped out. Still dripping wet, he stepped up behind his man and pulled him into his hold. "I'm up for some white male meat tonight Nicky, I want you naked on the bed and begging."

Nick grinned at him in the mirror and shook his head. "Your pick-up lines have deteriorated som'thin' awful, man. And lemme remind you who lost the bet, big boy. You're the one that's gonna be begging, you and your proud black ass. Which I intend to take very good care of. But we better check that the blinds are closed."

"Because someone might be lurking in the bushes, yeah right, you wish." Warrick had found the spot he intended to mark and gave it a lick before reaching out for the toothbrush. The tension in the shoulder was only there for a moment but Warrick realized his mistake. "I'm sorry baby, fuck, Nick, I didn't mean it like -."

Nick posed the toothbrush and turned in his hold. "Shut up Warr, just shut up and get ready to be mauled. I'm gonna lick you till you're so hard you can't freaking think anymore, and you're gonna lie there and take it."

Peppermint breath ghosted over his skin and the words spoken in a low voice, right over his collarbone, had their intended effect. All the blood was drifting south, leaving him unfocused enough to have Nick slide around him and press up to his back. The towel was gone and Warrick sensed every hard plane and sinew of the body behind him, and a burgeoning erection pressed up against his ass. Nick's arm around his waist, palm pressed just above the hipbone, kept him steadily trapped. He felt every move reverberate in him, like resounding in his very bones, when Nick toweled him dry. Then all synapses fired off at once when Nick leaned in, pressing a muscled torso and pebbled nipples to his back and bit at the nape of his neck.

"They can watch, Rick, but no one but me's gonna get this close to you. Your ass is all mine, man."

Whoa! The toothbrush fell out of his mouth and clattered against the sink. Nick getting possessive was something new.

"Got it?"

The question was purred right below his ear and the pink tongue slipped out to draw a line along the cartilage. Warrick shivered and a strong hand slid down his side, to the inside of his thigh, where it rested, close enough to the sensitive region, to send the heath pulsating in his erection, to every cell in his body.

He met the dark eyes in the mirror, and damn it, Nick was serious. There was that dangerous gleam that did not emerge very often, but when it did, people adhered. A finger came up to the corner of his mouth and wiped away some of the toothpaste. A sly devilish grin played on Nick's lips.

"Rinse up and get to bed."

Then he was gone and Warrick's hands fumbled for the tap. He had to rinse his hot face too and inhale to get his bearing back. There was no way he'd let Nick play him like this. When the fuck had Nick Stokes gotten this deep under his skin? And why was he dying to run to the man and not away from him?

The crooked, silly smile he witnessed in the mirror was testament to how far he had fallen.

Nick grinned at the surprised face Warrick had made when he switched the bedside lamp on. This time he was going to make it last, he was going to map each part of his man, until Rick lost all control and begged for release. He'd never get tired of those cat-like eyes, trained on his, imploring him silently. Sometimes a glance from those eyes was enough to make him hard; something about that innate superiority, that he'd somehow found the keys to turn into willing submission, always left him amazed at the complexity of the man in his hold.

Then he almost stumbled over the cat, that somehow appeared between his feet.

"What the-? Hey Bud, you're not invited, take a hike or something." The animal was aiming for the bed and Nick reached down to grab it and carry it out of their bedroom when he was attacked from behind and the cat slipped out of his hold.

Strong arms captured him and a low chuckle spread hot air on the nape of his neck. "I gotcha, Nicky. I'm the big bad wolf an' I'm gonna have all of you, baby."

The cat disappeared under the bed and Nick couldn't help but laugh at his man's corny lines while he was propelled forward to the bed. "You're never picking anybody up with those lines, Rick." he laughed when his man rolled them both to lie on their sides, diagonally over the bed.

"My picking-up days are over. I got what I want." Warrick advanced on him, fencing him in with his arms and legs. The low voice whispering in his ear , and being fully covered with a hot, strong Warrick Brown sent a wave of tenderness through Nick. He rolled onto his back, looking into the green eyes hovering over him and wrapped his arms around the man. He just wanted to be close, heart to heart with his man for a while. Warrick would probably laugh his ass off if he knew the amount of heart-throbbing he provoked. Burying the face at the crook of his man's neck, he closed his eyes and breathed him in.

"You all right, Nicky?"

Surprised he tilted his head back to be able to look at his man. "Yeah – why wouldn't I be?"

Warrick rubbed his nose against Nick temple and shrugged, mumbling something Nick couldn't make out before he nuzzled his way down Nick's jawline, right to the spot that had Nick groan and arch up to the man above him. His legs curled around Warrick's and his hands slid along the back, to grab the muscular buttocks.

Warrick gave a nip to the juncture of the shoulder and neck that had Nick groan out loud before he moved to simply look into Nick's eyes. The gaze was smoldering, intense and lingering. It made the warmth pool around Nick's heart, having it surge.

He searched for the lips, forced to close his eyes not to have them tear up from the intensity.

"Nicky," Warrick whispered horsely and Nick let his fingers trail into his man's hair, keeping him as close as possible while drowning in the kiss. Silly tears still threatened to moist his eyes and the sensation of Warrick's solid frame pinning him to the bed made his body tingle. The need to touch and feel that strong body move in ecstasy because of him was too strong and he rolled them over, breaking off the kiss with a guttural moan.

"Need to touch you," he crooned, looking into the eyes with merely a thin green line around the blown pupils. The eyes followed his wake when he licked and kissed the dark skin, that flexed with every movement, as his man's hands ran over his upper arms, fingers splayed to get as much contact as possible.

Nick smiled when Warrick's head fell back when he let the tip of his tongue tease the pebbled nipple. He took his sweet time and rolled his tongue around first the left, then the right, to then brush his lips over in turn. Warrick's tongue slipped out to wet his lips when his breath hitched and he pushed his groin up against Nick's. He stayed still, just letting his weight hold his man down while his lips worked the sensitive skin. Warrick's hand moved down his body, flat hot palms pressed over his shoulder-blades while the hips moved, desperate to have some friction. But not yet, not until he felt that tension in his man's body, not until Rick was strung as a wire, balancing precariously on the edge.

"Goddammit, Nick! " Warrick let out in a hiss. "I'm begging here!"

And Nick moved down, letting the wet and swollen nipples cool off as he kissed his way down the indention of the torso and gripped the working hips to impede the man from having too much fun too soon. A kiss to the inside of the elbow had Warrick curse softly and Nick grinned. He licked once over the swollen head and chuckled at the growling sound he wrung out of his man. He nuzzled down tensed muscles to the soft skin in the groin. Seeing to that his cheek touched the trembling erection, he kissed the skin with pouted lips, letting his hands run up and down the strong thighs. Trying to keep himself in control was getting harder and harder; he wanted to go down on Warrick, feel the smooth hardness swell in his mouth, taste the precum leaking from the swollen member.

"Jesus, Nick, please!"

His man was breathless now, voice barely contained when his hands sought for a hold on his tormentor. Nick was unable to stop himself and licked along the swollen vein, taking in the silken sweetness with a helpless groan. He had to close his eyes from the visual input, it was simply too much at this point. The abdomen moving with Warrick's breaths; the rhythm steadily increasing and becoming more shallow and rushed as keening low sounds became a maddening melody. The strong legs flexing under Nick's touch, skin gleaming with a thin sheet of sweat in the dim light from the bedside lamp.

Looking at Warrick laid out for him - open and trusting, ready for anything Nick wanted – was almost to much for him. The full lips slightly apart, tongue partly out and brow creased in determined concentration, his man caught his eyes and his hand moved up the cup Nick's neck when he let the pulsating rod slide slowly in between his lips. With his eyes on Warrick's, he tongued the slit of the head slowly, applying suction as he pulled up.

Warrick's hips rose and Nick took him deeper inside, closing his eyes at the sensation of the thick hardness sliding over his tongue. It always riled him up like nothing else and he took his sweet time in tasting his man.

The growls got deeper, punctuated with soft pants and 'oh fucks'.

All Nick wanted to do now was straddle Warrick and get him as deep inside as possible. Feel filled up by his man and he knew Warrick knew that. He could sense it in the long fingers gripping his neck and pulling him closer.

"Aw fuck, Nick, I'm close. Com'ere baby," Warrick pleaded with a voice was crackling and raw from pure emotion. Nick looked up and smiled around the shaft, stilling his movements. It was too soon to let Warrick slip over the edge yet, he had more in mind of his man.

The shade of green in the closing eyes was impossible to resist and Nick swiped his tongue over the vein before Warrick pulled him up and into a deep and thorough kiss. He became totally lost in the moment, tasting the heat and sensing the suction when his tongue played with Rick's. Strong hands gripped his buttocks and pulled him flush to the body underneath and he smiled into the kiss; he was at Warrick's mercy now.

Warrick broke the kiss and looked at him, capturing him with arms and legs - the green eyes adopting a feral gleam. "Baby, you begged for it, you fucking tease! You're mine now, Nicky, and I'm gonna love you slow and long, so long and slow that you'll forget everybody that's ever fucked you, baby. You're all mine, Nick, all fucking mine. Never forget that."

The strength of the embrace and the growled words had Nick's spine arch with anticipation.

Lips latched onto to the sensitive skin on his neck, suckling and nibbling; his legs twined around Warrick's middle and his fingers into the curls. The tongue lapping at his sweat-slick skin robbed him of all coherent words and the only sound that escaped him was a hoarse grunt of his man's name.

Warrick was so not going to come like a blushing virgin from being teased by that damned talented tongue. What he wanted was to give his man some damned good lovin'. He'd come home with that intention and damned if he wasn't sticking by it. He just had to keep cool and not get overexcited by a certain Nicholas Stokes, who had the ability to make him boil over more often he liked to admit. But he had him now, right where he wanted him, naked and hot.

He was unable to keep from licking Nick's taste into his mouth; the slight saltiness mixed with the unique vanilla-cinnamon that was all Nick - and a dangerous mix. Well, so was the entire package, and the man should come with warning labels. One taste and you were a goner, a thing Warrick had suspected from the get go. And now he knew.

Nick's hands reached out to touch him and he gripped the wrists, pressing them to the mattress while he took his time in tasting his man. Letting Nick loose was not an option, he might as well bid his control goodbye at the spot if he let the damned man touch him. He had payback on his mind, and a long and torturous one at that.

Nick moved under him, lifting his head and groaning when his tongue touched the pink skin around the nipples. He wasn't about to touch any sensitive parts right on, not yet. He'd learned a lot from one certain tease. Tip of tongue worked wonders, or brushing lips over heated skin. Or maybe just slowly rubbing the tip of his nose along the collarbone? Touches firm enough not to be ticklish, but light enough to drive a man crazy; oh yes, he'd learned a lot.

His eyes took in the tendons on the underarms, flexing with Nick's trials to get his hands loose. Damn the man to rile him up with those strong arms; he remembered vividly how they would wrap around him and hold him close.

"R-rick, com'on big boy, please!"

And damn the man to drawl his name in that thick husky voice. It was all getting to him, getting right under his skin - like liquid honey, tasty and sweet.

Nick's erection was pressed to his abdomen, driving him out of his mind. The silk-covered rod that would glide over his tongue, swell in his mouth and throb with need was making him drool. Scooting down Nick's body he kept his eyes trained on on Nick's and grinned when his man's hips jerked up to his, accompanied with a frenetic growl.

"Patience Nicky – it is a virtue after all."

He received a glare that turned into a hitched inhale when he rose to his knees and let his tongue follow the throbbing vein of the erection. The second lick resulted in Nick's head falling back onto the pillow and a whimper leaving him when he tried to free his hands. But Warrick was not there yet and he held on to the wrists while Nick's fingers dug into the sheet. And that was all he needed to suck the straining erection into his mouth and groan at the sensation. Blowing Nick slowly, tasting every drop of pre-cum was something that always drove him to the very edge and he had to let one of Nick's hands go to get the lube and and bring Nick off before he'd come all over his man. Having localized the lube he coated his fingers and carefully slid one inside the tightness. .

Nick's freed fingers reached for him and gripped his neck; an incoherent mumble of pleads falling off the swollen lips as the man lifted his head and looked at him.

It was almost too much to bear and Warrick upped the ante with another finger, scissoring his man open slowly. The grip on his neck was steadfast, but still. Until he pressed up against the sweet spot.

Nick drew his legs up and pressed against Warrick's finger. "Com'on baby, com'on, can't take much more. Want to come with you inside me."

The eyes were black pools now, pupils fully dilated when Nick looked at him from under thick lashes and Warrick growled. That gaze was his undoing and he moved to lube himself up, grip the moving hips and slide into his man, slowly enough to feel every inch of the tight channel open up and embrace him.

"You cheat," he murmured to the panting man when he was engulfed into the heat by one perfectly aimed upstroke. "Slow, Nicky slow. God, baby, take it slow!"

And that was his last coherent moment before the man under him wrapped himself around him and pulled him flush to his own body. All he felt was heat coursing through his veins, Nick' scent pulling the air out of him and having him swim in a vanilla-cinnamon cloud of pleasure. Their lips latched onto each others in a sloppy kiss, the rhythm increased and the hard erection of his man rubbed against his abdomen until all there was, was skin, wetness, beating hearts and a rapid pulsation of bliss throughout his body. He held onto his his man and his breath hitched when he felt the sticky heat shower over him and the tightness pulsate around him. There was nothing else he could do but bury his face in the crook of Nick's neck and let go in a long blinding release.

He lay on top of the sweaty man, breathing heavily until his fogged up mind cleared. His body felt heavy and spent, unwilling t move off the warmth. Nick's chest rose and fell rapidly under him and the legs around him lost their grip and slid down slowly. The jugular pulsated against his lips and he licked at it, gathering the sweat into his mouth, tasting it and feeling his fucking eyes tear up.

He clammed them shut; goddammit, he was not about to cry of sappy happiness. What the fuck was wrong with him?

"You okay, big boy?" Nick purred to his temple and Warrick simply nodded to the flushed skin. Then he carefully pulled out despite the mumbled protest and rolled to his side, pulling a lax Nick with him.

"Jesus Nicky," was all he had to say and Nick chuckled at his profanity.

"We're going to hell with all your cussin', Rick."

"As long as we get the same bed I'll go anywhere you go, baby."

"Uh oh, girly moment." Nick snickered.

"Zip it baby and hand me the towel before we get glued together."

Nick rolled to his back and reached out for the towel they always had on the night stand. "Oh man," he moaned. "I'm too tired to move."

Warrick chuckled. "You're too lazy to do anything by yourself, aren't yah?" Taking the towel, he cleaned his man up, not able to resist placing a kiss on the flat stomach.

Nick mumbled something, but his eyes were already shut and Warrick was not about to interrogate him about the possible smart-ass comment. He just flipped onto his stomach and rested his arm on Nick's chest. He now had the perfect angle to rest in the vanilla-cinnamon scent, tinged with their mutual release. Warrick smiled when Nick scooted closer and lazily let his hand slide down to cup the backside of his thigh.

His eyes fell shut and bathed in comforting connection; he figured that maybe he wasn't the only sappy one in this relationship.

Warrick woke with a start when something walked over his legs, feeling like a ton of bricks. "What the-?" he was up on his elbow and flicked the lamp on in an instance. Nick groaned at both the sudden onslaught of light and the black devil walking, now very carefully, on his chest. Then it lay down, front paws stretched out diagonally, the claws coming out and gleaming in the light, as it looked at Warrick

Nick moved with a soft grunt and blinked against the light and the guest on his chest. He bent his neck, looking down, brow creased in confusion. "Wha? Oh!"

He closed his eyes and his head fell back onto the pillow and a hand came up to rest along the cat's back.

The fucking cat smiled up at Warrick, with a gleeful possessiveness in the green gaze. Blinking idly it stretched out sidelong on Nick's chest, tucking its head under the man's jaw and keeping the paws ready to protect its prey.

"Oh no," Warrick glared at the black devil. "Paws off my man you -."

"Warr?" Nick opened his eyes and peered up at Warrick. "Whadda ya yappin' 'bout'?"

"The furry thing's on your chest, in case you hadn't noticed." Warrick's eyes never left the cat. "Lookin' smug too, the fucker!"

"Com'on, Rick, get some sleep! He's just feeling lonely, I've got him." Nick mumbled and tugged at Warrick's arm.

"Looks more like he's got you, " Warrick pointed out. "And he's ready to claw me if I get too close."

Nick chuckled and draped his arm around Warrick's neck, pulling him down to rest with his head on the broad shoulder. With a kiss to Warrick's temple, Nick positioned himself closer to his man. "All these shades of green," he mumbled.

"What?" Warrick inched even closer, watching how the claws readied themselves to be inserted if need be.

"Someone should check if green eyes are genetically linked to insane jealousy," Nick drawled.

"Shut up, Nicky! That's beyond unscientific, man."

"And being jealous of a cat is rational, Rick? I love you and all man, but get some sleep already."

Warrick couldn't help but grin at that. He leered at the cat, because he was the one with Nick's chin resting against his head, he was the one that had Nick's arm curled around his neck. Then he closed his eyes and laughed silently at himself. Damned, he really did need his marbles checked. They were probably all a different shade of green at this point. All thanks to his main man.

And still he couldn't help sliding his hand along Nick's thigh and pull it closer to his own. The cat had nothing on him when it came to possessiveness.

Not regarding Nicholas 'he'll-be-the-fucking-death-of-me' Stokes.