Title: Even the Stars
By: Caroline Crane
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC17
Summary: Post-ep for 9x19. Spoilers for the ep, if you haven't seen it. Not much substance. Part of the Pancakeverse, just because.
A/N: I wrote 560 words of original fiction today! So to celebrate, I wasted the rest of my afternoon writing this fic.

Spoilers: Last week's case, in case you were smart enough not to waste your time, centered around a bunch of seemingly unrelated murders (like we've never seen that before) that were connected by some substance which, when touched by human skin, caused the person to have a heart attack? I think. Honestly, by the time they got around to the explanation I was so bored I wasn't really paying attention anymore. But there was danger of death by biohazard, which is where this little post-ep missing scene comes in.

~~~~~~

By the time they get home they're both worn out, the adrenaline rush of the biohazard long gone and leaving them both feeling drained. Greg follows Nick inside and kicks the door shut, leaning against it for a second before he summons the energy to slide off his jacket and follow Nick into the kitchen.

"Man, that was the weirdest one we've had in awhile," Nick says, hand on the back of his neck and rubbing absently. It's a nervous habit he's had for years, and Greg's always thought it was kind of adorable. Today it just reminds him of how much they have to be nervous about, and even though he knows they're both fine, he can't quite suppress the shudder that rolls through him at the thought of what could have happened.

"You okay?" Nick asks, hand falling to his side as he studies Greg. And okay, he's never been all that good at hiding his emotions, but he'd thought he was getting better at it lately.

"Fine," Greg answers, going for a casual smile that probably looks anything but. "Trust me, if I was having heart palpitations or something I'd tell you."

"Real funny," Nick says in that voice that tells Greg he doesn't think it's funny at all. And it's not, really, because they did both come pretty close to dying today. Well, they were in the neighborhood, anyway, and it could just as easily been one of them instead of Andy in the hospital right now.

"Sorry," Greg says, moving into Nick's personal space so he can slide his arms around Nick's waist. Nick's warm and solid under his hands, real and alive and it makes Greg feel a little better. He leans in for a kiss and Nick meets him halfway, smiling against his mouth and sliding a hand into his hair.

"No problem," Nick murmurs against his mouth, lips parting as Greg laughs to slide his tongue past Greg's teeth. His free hand lands on Greg's back, tracing slow circles that send shivers of anticipation down Greg's spine. He presses closer to Nick, fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt where it hangs over his waistband.

"Though maybe we should shower," Nick says when he pulls away, tilting his head up to give Greg access to his neck. "Just to be sure."

Greg's only answer is an enthusiastic nod and a push backwards, but Nick laughs and pulls him down the hall toward the bathroom. He turns the water on while Greg starts working on his clothes, dropping his shirt on the floor and kicking off his shoes before he reaches for the button on his jeans. By the time Nick straightens up and turns to look at him he's mostly naked, and when Nick chuckles low in his throat and flashes that lopsided grin of his, Greg's heart does start to palpitate a little.

Nick takes his time pulling his own shirt off, making a show of revealing every inch of skin. And Greg's known for a long time that he has a hidden exhibitionist streak, but he doesn't get to see it that often. They've been shorthanded at work for so long that they're usually too exhausted to put that much effort into their relationship these days, and when they do make time for sex it's pretty routine. They're no less exhausted than usual this morning, but if Nick wants to take his time Greg's not about to complain. He works hard to stay in such great shape, after all, and the least Greg can do is appreciate it.

When his shirt finally hits the floor he kicks off his own shoes and takes a step forward, hands landing on Greg's waist to drag him close. His hands are warm against Greg's skin, sliding up his chest and across his shoulders like maybe he really is checking to make sure none of that stuff is lingering anywhere. If it were, he'd already be dead, Greg reminds himself, suppressing another shudder at the thought. He distracts himself by reaching for Nick's waistband, tugging his jeans open and pushing the fabric down his hips. Nick leans in to press his lips against Greg's shoulder, following the path of his fingers as Greg hooks his thumbs in the waistband of Nick's underwear and pushing them down.

Nick's mouth doesn't leave his skin as he kicks his pants the rest of the way off, leaning hard against Greg when one of his feet gets caught. Greg laughs and drops to his knees, tugging the fabric free before he looks up at Nick. And after all this time together he should be used to the way Nick's looking at him, but his heart still skips a beat at the sight. He slides his hands up Nick's thighs, grinning at the sigh that escapes Nick's throat when his hand closes around Nick's cock. Nick's eyes flutter closed as Greg strokes slowly, hands on Greg's shoulders to steady him, and when Greg leans forward to replace his hand with his mouth Nick's fingers flex hard against his skin.

He braces his hands on Nick's hips, mouth moving in the rhythm Nick likes best. He presses his tongue against the underside of Nick's cock with each upstroke, swallowing around Nick's length until he's panting and straining against Greg's hands. "Stand up," Nick says, voice low and a little hoarse, like maybe his throat's gone dry. His hand leaves Greg's shoulder to slide into Greg's hair, tugging gently until Greg stands up and lets Nick push him into the shower. The water's almost too warm against his skin, but he doesn't waste time adjusting it. Not when Nick's climbing in behind him, arms sliding around his waist and pulling him back against Nick's chest.

Greg sighs and leans back hard against him, head dropping back onto Nick's shoulder as Nick's hand closes around his cock. His hips move in time with Nick's strokes, rocking back against Nick's still-hard cock as the water soaks their hair and their skin. And it's way too hot, but Greg doesn't notice the steam swirling around them or the beads of sweat at the back of his knees. He doesn't notice anything except the weight of Nick's body pressed against him, the heat of his hands against Greg's skin and his cock thrusting against Greg with each stroke of his hand. It feels fantastic, but it could feel even better, and Greg presses back a little harder into Nick's next thrust.

That gets him a low groan, and he grins at the sound, but before he has a chance to enjoy the anticipation of Nick sliding inside him, those hands are gone. Greg's eyes open and he turns his head, watching as Nick picks up the soap and reaches for him again. "Are you kidding?"

"Shower first," Nick says, grinning at the frustrated sound Greg doesn't bother trying to hold back. Then Nick's hands are on him again, slippery against Greg's skin and okay, that feels pretty good too. Still, there's no reason for Nick to be that thorough, Greg thinks as Nick lifts his hand and washes carefully rubs each finger.

"There's such a thing as overkill, you know," Greg says, but he lets Nick lift his other hand anyway.

Nick chuckles and glances up at him, leaning in for a too-brief kiss. "Just making sure you're not going to die on me before I'm through with you."

Greg opens his mouth to point out that they would have been dead a long time ago if they'd come into contact with that stuff, but Nick already knows that. And anyway, it feels pretty good when Nick turns him around again and soaps up his back, thumbs digging in on either side of his spine and working at the knots he's been carrying around all night. Greg groans and lets his head fall forward, smiling to himself when a warm kiss lands on the top of his shoulder.

It's sort of nice to know that he's not the only one who was worried; usually Nick's the one rushing into danger without stopping to consider the consequences, and they've had enough fights about it that Greg wonders sometimes if he just doesn't care. But that's not what his hands are saying, and when a strong arm slides around his waist to turn him around Greg can tell that Nick gets it. That doesn't mean he won't rush headlong into the next chance to play hero, but at least for right now, he knows what it feels like to worry that one day they both won't be coming home at the end of a shift.

Once Nick's sure he's thoroughly rinsed he leans in for another kiss, then he soaps himself up -- taking a lot less time than he did with Greg -- and rinses off. The water's nowhere near as hot as it was when they started, and by the time Nick reaches for the handle and shuts it off, it's starting to get cold. Greg grabs the nearest towel and dries off just enough to keep himself from dripping on the floor, then he lets Nick pull him forward.

"Better?" Nick asks, hand sliding down Greg's back to land on his ass.

"Yeah. Though I wish my boyfriend wasn't such a tease." Nick laughs, but he doesn't argue when Greg pushes him toward the hall that leads to their bedroom. The air's cold against his damp skin, but Nick's hands are warm, and Greg's not planning to let him go anywhere any time soon.