Title: Time Past and Time Future
By: Caroline Crane
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Pairing: Nick/Greg
Rating: NC17
Summary: In which Nick helps out some more. Sequel to There Is a Time. ~2200 words.
A/N: This is not the fic I intended to write for this kink bingo square. However, recently a new reader happened upon my CSI archive and reminded me of how obsessed I used to be with the aftermath of season three's lab explosion. I'd forgotten how many fics I wrote about it! Good times. Anyway, cindyls1969 commented on There Is a Time, and just for kicks I reread it, and then I realized that it would make a not-bad prequel to a kink bingo fic. The kink is 'Washing/Cleaning'.

The first night, all he gets is a kiss. On the shoulder, even, which is weird enough. Sweet, and a hell of a lot better than nothing, but still...it's a little weird. But it's Nick, and he's kept Greg guessing for years now, so it's not like he's surprised.

So he takes his shoulder kiss and lets Nick tuck him into bed like he has every night since Greg moved in -- like he's some little kid -- and he lies awake the rest of the night wondering what happens next.

He's not sure when he falls asleep, but he wakes up face down in Nick's bed, aching all over and wondering if last night even happened. He's still not sure when he stumbles toward the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and trusting the scent of coffee to lead him in the right direction.

When he gets there Nick's standing in front of the coffee pot with his back to Greg. He's wearing a pair of gray sweatpants that Greg can see he's worn hundreds of times, even from across the room. They're riding low on his hips, just skirting the rules of decency and Greg figures they're staying up more out of habit than anything else. He's not wearing anything else; even his feet are bare against the linoleum, and Greg swallows hard as he watches the flex of muscles in Nick's back. He sends up a quick prayer that he didn't imagine the whole shoulder kissing thing and clears his throat.

It takes Nick a second to turn around, but when he does he's holding a hot mug of coffee. He's grinning at Greg like he knows a secret, and Greg swallows again and crosses the room to reach for the mug. "Thanks."

Nick leans in, breath warm against Greg's cheek in the second before his lips brush Greg's skin, lingering just at the corner of his mouth. "Don't mention it," he murmurs, voice close to Greg's ear and when Greg's hand starts to shake he's pretty sure it's not because of the nerve damage.

He hopes Nick doesn't notice, but it's Nick, so he should know better. A steady hand curls around his, anyway, then Nick eases the mug out of his grip and sets it down on the counter. His fingers are warm when they wrap around Greg's again, easing him forward until Greg's close enough to flatten his other palm against Nick's chest. His hands are still shaking, but for once Greg doesn't really mind. Not when Nick's sliding his other hand behind Greg's neck, carefully avoiding the bandages he can't see, but has changed enough times to know exactly where it's safe to touch.

Greg wonders just how long Nick's been thinking about doing this, if he thought about it before the explosion but talked himself out of it the same way Greg did, or if he's as clueless as he acts and it took Greg getting blown up to admit to himself how he felt. If that's the case Greg doesn't even mind the almost dying part so much, thinks about making a dumb joke but he can't, because Nick's kissing him again.

On the neck this time, and when Greg opens his mouth all he manages is a weird moan that should be embarrassing, but he can't make himself care when Nick's hand is still wrapped around his. Nick's murmuring something against his skin, the words muffled but they send a shiver up Greg's spine anyway. His knees buckle and he grips Nick's hip to keep himself upright, because there's no way he's going to lose his balance and miss out on this.

Nick's lips brush his earlobe, hot breath tickling his skin and this time Greg does hear what he's been murmuring. "I'm sorry," Nick says again, and Greg's heart skips a beat even as he flattens his hand against Nick's chest to push him backwards.

"Why?" Greg asks, and if he wasn't so busy being pissed he'd be pretty impressed at how quickly he goes from incoherent want to frustration over Nick Stokes and his stupid hero complex. And he's not even sure why he asked, because he doesn't want to hear about how Nick's blaming himself for not stopping the explosion single-handedly, or at least being there to pull Greg to safety.

For a second Nick just stares at him like he's not sure what Greg's asking, then he lifts the hand that still clasped in his and presses a kiss to Greg's knuckles, and Greg hates himself a little for enjoying that too.

"I should have said something a long time ago," he finally says, his free hand stroking along the side of Greg's neck like maybe he's trying to memorize how it feels. "Guess I always figured there would be plenty of time."

And that's not the answer Greg was expecting, so it takes him a few seconds to react. He opens his mouth to answer, to say something useful like yeah, well, you're an idiot or maybe I'm worth the wait, but in the end he just grips Nick's hair and tugs him forward.

"Shut up," Greg says, then he kisses Nick hard. Which makes this their first kiss, technically, but Greg's not really keeping score. He's too busy trying to stay on his feet, and when a hand slides around his waist to support him Greg lets himself lean into all that strength.

Nick's hand flattens against his back, fingers tracing his skin just below where he knows Greg's bandages start. Every brush of his fingers sends a fresh shiver down Greg's spine, pooling in the pit of his stomach until he's panting against Nick's mouth. He wants more than just a barely there touch, wants more than the not-quite-pain of fingers brushing tender skin and the heat of Nick pressed against him. He wants...everything, but he's still injured and he's pretty sure begging Nick to fuck him into next week would qualify as that 'strenuous activity' his doctor warned him against.

He's already fighting back a laugh when Nick pulls away just a little, lips brushing Greg's cheek and then his ear before he whispers, "How about a shower?"

He does laugh then, because of all the things Nick could come up with right now, that's the weirdest suggestion of them all. Except that Greg hasn't had a real shower since before the explosion, and up until now that's the one thing Nick hasn't offered to help him with. Before Greg assumed it was Nick's way of drawing the line between 'hero complex' and 'undeniably gay'. He's never once offered to help Greg with the sponge baths he's been stuck taking since he got out of the hospital, and Greg told himself at the time that he was fine with that. Now...well, now it doesn't even matter, because Greg's already nodding before he even has a chance to think it through.

But that doesn't matter either, because Nick seems to have thought it through already. Greg can tell by the way Nick peels off his clothes, the way he fusses with the temperature of the water until he gets it exactly right. He helps Greg into the shower like he's some kind of invalid, and for once Greg doesn't even mind, because it means he gets to watch while Nick slides his sweatpants down his hips and steps into the shower behind him.

"Commando, huh?" Greg says, just to see that shy smile he loves so much. Nick shrugs and steps between Greg and the spray, reaching for the shampoo before he pulls Greg forward.

"Can you lean back a little?" he asks, and Greg does his best to comply. He feels Nick's hands in his hair, fingers massaging his scalp as Nick works enough water through his hair to get the shampoo to lather. A stray drop hits his skin here and there, and Greg bites back a hiss so Nick won't overreact and force him back out of the shower again.

His burns are still covered in the bandages Nick applied last night, protecting the most sensitive parts of Greg's back from the water. And even though every inch of him feels too sensitive and he's not really even getting wet, it feels good just to be standing in the cloud of steam while Nick washes his hair. It's the first time someone's washed his hair for him. He sort of hopes he can talk Nick into an encore performance when he's healed enough to really enjoy it.

It takes longer than it should to rinse the shampoo out of his hair, mostly because Nick's determined to keep him completely out of the water. Greg thinks about telling Nick he can take a little pain, but he knows better than to think Nick would go for it. Even if Greg did suggest it Nick would just start quoting what Greg's doctor said about moisture and letting the burns heal, and he's not interested in a lecture right now. Besides, the easier he makes this for Nick, the faster they'll be done, and he's fine with staying right where they are for as long as possible.

Nick skips the conditioner, a crime that Greg wouldn't tolerate until normal circumstances. But considering how long it's taken just to wash his hair, Greg figures he can let it slide this one time. Besides, Nick's already running a washcloth along the back of his neck, chasing a stray drop of water before it soaks into one of Greg's bandages. He wants to lean back into Nick's warmth, press his back against Nick's chest and let Nick wrap his arms around him. Except he can't -- not yet, anyway -- so instead he takes a step forward and braces his hands against the shower wall.

Behind him there's a sharp intake of breath, but that's the only sign Nick gives that he wasn't expecting this. Greg barely has time to feel the spray of water against his side before Nick's moving, blocking the spray with his body as he runs the washcloth down Greg's left arm. He washes Greg's shoulder and his armpit, runs the washcloth down his side and across his stomach before he drags it back around and repeats the entire process on Greg's right side.

When he's done with Greg's chest he moves down to his legs, the washcloth dipping between his thighs and then down to the backs of his knees. Greg bites his lip when Nick's hand lands on his ass, easing Greg's cheeks apart to slide the washcloth over his hole.

He's been hard pretty much since he walked into the kitchen, but now his knees are shaking and he can't stop himself from pressing back into Nick's hand. His whole body's tense with the effort of holding himself upright, the tender skin on his back stretched to capacity and he's sure he'll regret this later when Nick takes his bandages off again and finds that Greg's torn open some of his scabs.

But for now all he cares about is the fact that Nick's moving closer, pressing against Greg's ass as Nick's arm slides around his waist to grip his cock. Greg thrusts back against Nick's own erection, grins at the sharp intake of breath and does it again. Nick's grip on him tightens and Greg lets out a moan, rocking back and forth between Nick's hand and his dick. And it's not even close to what he wants; if he wasn't damaged Nick would be shoving him up against the wall right now, pushing his legs apart with rough hands and pressing inside him.

He wouldn't be ignoring his own need, settling for the tease of Greg's ass moving against his cock with each thrust as his hand moved faster and faster until finally Greg moaned and came against the shower wall. But it's Nick, so Greg's not really surprised that he's got enough control to catch Greg around the waist and hold him up as he catches his breath.

Greg's not sure how long they stay like that, but when he feels a hand slide between them he pushes himself off the wall and turns to watch Nick jerk himself off. He has to remind himself not to lean back against the wet tile and spoil the show, but it's worth it to watch Nick's eyes flutter closed and a hot flush spread across his chest. Not that he hasn't pictured this before, but the real thing is a hundred -- a million -- times better than his imagination, and when Nick tenses and comes Greg's sort of sorry that it's over.

He takes a few steps forward, careful to avoid the quickly cooling spray as he reaches down to run his fingers across Nick's stomach. When he lifts his hand to his mouth Nick's eyes open, and Greg shivers all over again at the flash of hunger in Nick's eyes.

It's not the best first time he's ever had. He's guessing he's not alone in that, but he doesn't really mind, because eventually his burns will heal, and with any luck, Nick will still be right here when they do.