Title: Rose Petals Need Not Apply (a Lab Rat story)
By: Clockstopper
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Nick and Greg's first anniversary celebration gets put on the back burner, but not for long. This takes place in the Nick Stokes, Lab Rat Extraordinaire universe so it might not make sense if you haven't read that.

Nick sighs and fumbles with his keys. His glasses slide down his nose, but his hands are too filled with his bags to bother pushing them back up. He knows that Greg’s not home because it’s night and he doesn’t see his car.

He feels like utter crap. He really hates going on these conferences, but it’s all a part of the job. He thinks Grissom wouldn’t send any of them if it hadn’t been. It hadn’t been like he hadn’t known all those techniques before.

But all that isn’t the point.

The point is he missed his and Greg’s first anniversary and he’d been gloomy about it the whole time. It had been torture to even say good bye to Greg when Greg had dropped him off at the airport.

He’d gone back to ‘Wallflower Nick’ as Greg had called the days of baggy sweaters and loose jeans. He couldn’t even bother to put in contacts. Only a few people had tried to talk to him and that had only been because of where he worked.

It had been three days of utter torture. Greg had called the day of the anniversary, the day before, and they had talked, but it wasn’t the same as being there with Greg, where they could celebrate it properly.

He manages to get his key into the door, unlocks it and pushes it open. He tries to juggle his bags and get inside his house. He drops them near the front door and adjusts his glasses. Looks down at his hands before he looks up.

He hadn’t been expecting this. Soft candle light and soft jazz music filtering through Greg’s big stereo system that Nick remembers took forever to get inside of the house. There’s no rose petals, which Nick’s pretty glad for because they maybe a little sappy, but they’re not that sappy.

Nick throws his keys down on the floor and walks over to the living room. Peers into the kitchen and sees Greg swaying to the music on his iPod. Nick has to wonder why he’s listening to his iPod when they music is on, but he guesses that the music fluttering through their home is mood music.

The music on his iPod is Greg’s cooking music, most of it fast and beating and Nick shakes his head at the thought. Greg doesn’t even seem to know that Nick’s in the house so Nick takes that chance to sneak up on him.

Wraps his arms around Greg’s waist and Greg jumps a bit. Turns in Nick’s arms and smiles.

“Great, you’ve ruined the surprise.” He says as he presses the pause button on his iPod and takes out the earphones.

“Sorry, didn’t know there was a surprise.” Nick says.

“Well, yeah, that’s why it was a surprise.”

“So… what’s the surprise for?”

“Or anniversary.” Greg says with a bright smile on his face.

“But… that was yesterday.” Nick says, frown on his face.

“Well, yeah, but you weren’t here, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate. A year is a big deal you know.”

“Yeah, I know, but… I guess I just was expecting us to skip over it.”

“You can’t skip over an anniversary, Nicky. You just push it back. Of course we shouldn’t have to push it back but…”

“Just the nature of our jobs.”

“Exactly. At least we both know what we’re getting into.”

Nick smiles and leans in close. Lips brush against Greg’s and he pulls Greg close, chest against chest and he feels Greg lean into it.

Three days wouldn’t have seemed like a long time a year ago to Nick, but now… now it seems like a lifetime and Greg’s warm and soft and solid body in his arms and he moans into Nick’s mouth and Nick just wants more.

More time with Greg that’s uninterrupted. Time where Grissom doesn’t call Greg away to work a crime scene. Time where Nick hadn’t been wimpy enough to give into Ecklie’s demands that he process evidence now.

Time where it’s just the two of them without work and the horrors that come with a job not so well done. It affects Greg more than it could ever affect Nick. The advantages of being in the lab, Nick supposes, but Greg’s gotten better at dealing with it, better at remembering there’s someone else there to watch him break down.

“So… what did you make?” Nick asks.

“Hmm… doesn’t much matter now.” Greg whispers against Nick’s lips.

They’re kissing again, Greg’s hands under his sweater and Nick moans as he feels Greg’s hands on his skin.

“I was just wondering if it would last while we did something a little more exciting.” Nick says.

Greg smirks.

“It’s only been three days, Nicky. If that. I mean… if you count the phone sex.”

“I didn’t get to touch you with phone sex.”

“You saying that three days is too long to wait. Better watch out there, Nicky. Someone might think you were a horny bastard.”

His voice is teasing and Nick smiles at him. Leans in again and captures Greg’s lips with his own and there’s nothing soft or sweet or gentle about it. Just warm heat and desperate lips and Nick’s hands on Greg’s pants.

“You love it.” Nick whispers into Greg’s ear, hands unbuttoning Greg’s pants.

Greg leans into Nick’s lips and hands and groans a bit.

“That you can’t keep your hands off of me?”

“You love it.” Nick insists.

He’s pretty sure they should probably head toward the bedroom. Kitchen sex is great and Nick’s had it before, but a bed’s nice too and Nick wants to do this right. Wants Greg on top of him, pushing inside him and making him feel better than anyone has ever made him feel before.

So he pulls Greg forward. Puts his hands around Greg’s waist and maneuvers him toward the bedroom and Greg gets with the program. Smiles against Nick’s lips and his hands go under Nick’s sweater again and those same hands yank it off of him.

Nick thinks it’s only fair play if he pulls Greg’s shirt off of him so he does and his hands start to unbutton Greg’s pants.

They’ve done this walk before. The seemingly long walk down the hallway to the bedroom and they’ve done it while trying to take each other’s clothes off. It’s almost like a dance, a dance they’ve memorized the steps to, but it still isn’t boring and Nick doesn’t think it ever will be.

It’s no surprise to him that they make it there and that they’re pretty much sans clothes except for boxers and Nick’s socks. Nick pulls Greg down onto the bed and on top of him and he swears he can feel Greg’s hands everywhere. On his skin and Nick pushes into Greg’s hands and Greg smiles down at him.

Smooth skin gliding against smooth skin and Greg takes his time with Nick’s pants, mouth sucking and licking through the material until Nick’s so hard he can’t think straight. Pulls them off and stares hungrily down at him.

“Still beautiful. So fucking beautiful.” Greg whispers.

Nick moans.

“Greg… please.”

“Still want me after all this time.” Greg says teasingly.

“Always.”

Greg moans.

“Fuck… Nicky, always what you too. Always.”

And when Greg moves around, looking for the lube that’s undoubtedly in the bedside table, Nick knows it’s true. That he’ll always want it.

Knows that it’s true for Greg in the way his hands get needy and his fingers just push inside, no pretense, but they’ve done this a million times before so it only feels good. Feels like it’s been forever and not that long all at the same time and Nick knows that it’s not enough.

Because he wants Greg inside him, needs it and when Greg pushes in, wide eyes and panting breath and that look of utter amazement on his face and Nick knows that feeling. Feels it when Greg’s pushing inside him, thrusting against his prostate and making Nick see stars.

He pants and pushes backwards and tries to get Greg as close as he can possibly get him, but it’s still not close enough. Nick wonders hysterically if it ever will be. Doesn’t matter though because this is perfect enough for him.

And when he comes, Greg’s hand stroking Nick’s cock and Greg’s voice in his ear whispering things like ‘fuck’ and ‘love you’ and ‘always want you’, Nick thinks he probably yells loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. Doesn’t care though because Greg’s coming seconds later, that look still on his face.

“Wow.” Greg says.

He’s lying halfway on top of Nick and halfway on top of the bed. His head rests on Nick’s shoulder, Greg’s breath warm on his skin and Nick’s arm is wrapped around Greg’s waist.

“Yeah, wow.”

“Hmm… that was almost worth you missing our anniversary.”

Nick grumbles.

“It wasn’t my fault Grissom sent me on that stupid conference. It wasn’t like it taught me anything.”

“That’s because you’re the best lab technician in the world.”

Nick cocks an eyebrow at him and quirks his lips.

“Sex makes you silly.”

“I’m always silly, baby.”

Nick rolls his eyes.

“The best lab technician in the world, huh. I’ve been upgraded. How come I wasn’t informed of this?” Nick asks.

Greg rolls his eyes. His fingers start to trace patterns on Nick’s chest and Nick bits his lip to keep from moaning.

“Because you should have known about this. I mean it’s common knowledge. Ecklie wants to steal you away, you do know that?”

“I like working nights.”

“Yes, of course you do. And this has nothing to do with the fact that your hot boyfriend works nights too, right?”

Nick tries not to laugh at Greg’s smug attitude, but it’s a close thing.

“It might have some affect. Couldn’t work for Ecklie though. He always wants the evidence to fit to his liking. I hate that. But anyway, that conference was so boring.”

“See that’s because your hot boyfriend wasn’t there.”

Nick does laugh at that and Greg starts laughing too until their stomachs hurt and Greg’s cuddled even closer to Nick.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.” Nick says.

“Of course it is, Nicky.”

They’re quiet for a few seconds, holding each other and Nick’s starting to feel a little sleepy despite the good smells that are coming from the kitchen. He knows Greg probably spent a lot of time cooking, but sex always wears him out.

“Hey, Nicky.” Greg whispers.

“Yeah.”

“Happy anniversary.”

FIN