Title: Let's Celebrate
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Nick/Derek
Category: PWP

Notes: Hi, all. A new story to celebrate my new word processing program. I've finally switched
from Works to WordPerfect 7 <cheering and jumping in joy>! So, here is a little piece in
celebration, no angst, no problems, no sex, just tenderness!

Let's Celebrate
by Voracity

Nick dragged himself through the door. He was tired from the traveling. Three months in the
Outback of Australia on a dig. No running water, no books, no Derek. He had been miserable.

He never expected to be picked up and swung around by his overly excited love, Derek. "Hi," he
said quietly, sinking his head into the strong shoulder. He needed this, the soft smell, the warm
touch, the sense of comfort and peace.

"I'm so glad you're back," he whispered, directly through the knotted and messy hair. "Welcome
home."

"Home. It's such a nice sounding word." He lifted his head long enough to smile. "Bath?"

Derek laughed. "Anything for you." He helped Nick up the stairs, trusting the butler to get his
bag. When they got to their bedroom door, Derek picked the tired young man up, carrying him
through the door and dropping him onto the bed.

"Derek, this doesn't look much like the bathtub," Nick protested to Derek's retreating back.
"'Sides, I don't want to get the sheets dirty."

Derek stuck his head out of the bathroom, smiling. "Sheets change, love, you just lay there and
relax." He went back in, adding mysterious ingredients to the water and humming some tune
Nick didn't know.

Nick smiled. His lover was a very special man. Not only would he give him a bath, he would
probably strip him, carry him in there, and take the bath with him. It had been too long since he'd
been in the presence of the light in his soul.

"Hey, Derek, should I start to undress yet?" He waved at Alex, who was walking by the open
bedroom door. She smiled and closed it, knowing nobody would see them for many hours. Just
then Derek came out and frowned at the shutting door. "Alex," Nick said simply.

Derek nodded, understanding. He walked over to the bed, leaning in for a kiss before helping
Nick's boots to be thrown across the room in a heap. "Those are going outside." Nick laughed,
trying to sit up to get off his shirts. "Want help?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. Derek pulled him up, bracing the younger man against his chest.
Nick moaned, liking where he was, but Derek just lifted the hem of his shirt up, pulling the sweat
and dust caked thing off and throwing it after the boots. He helped Nick out of his under-shirt,
quickly throwing it too after smelling it and gagging.

"What did you do, not bathe for a week?" He stood up, pulling Nick up and undoing his jeans.

"For all purposes, yeah," he said, lifting a leg so Derek could slide the crunchy material off. "The
truck broke down four hours after dark, a third of the way back. We had to wait until the next
afternoon for a part, then it took most of the night to fix. Then there was another day's travel to
the city, and the day back. So, yeah, a week's close enough." He smiled. "Good thing clothes
wash almost as well as people."

Derek smiled, lifting Nick up and carrying him into the bathroom.

"Derek, I *can* walk."

"Do you want to?"

"Not really, no. But this is so girlish. I'm not frail."

"Of course you're not. You're exhausted, and dirty, and home." He laid Nick down in the water,
arraigning him comfortably against the padded bottom. "Comfortable?" Nick nodded, almost
asleep from the heat and relaxing smells of the oils in the water. "Goot, I'll be right back with
some food." Nick just nodded, too out of it to really hear.

By the time Derek got back, Nick was asleep, curled up on his side. Derek smiled, making a
small "awe," before setting down the tray and kneeling beside the tub. His lover *was* tired.
Maybe he should put off the celebration he had planned for later until tomorrow. He wanted Nick
to not fall asleep during one of the better, he hoped, sexual experiences of his life.

Derek swished the water around, cupping some in his hand and pouring it over his lover's body.
When he saw the rivulets of grime, he shook his head and turned on the Jacuzzi jets, on low, to
gently scrub all the dirt and sweat off.

Nick moaned, liking the jet against his back. He wiggled around, trying to get it to hit a
particular spot. "Feels good," he murmured, finding just the right spot. He opened an eye to see
Derek's smile widen. "What?"

"You look so sensual in there. Just a hedonist at heart, aren't you." He picked up a cherry off
the tray and fed it to Nick, letting him suck the juice off his fingers. "Until you're clean, I don't
think it's such a goot idea for you to feed yourself."

"Oh, I don't know, but I like it this way better." He sucked the food down, laving the fingers that
came within reach. "Ummm," he sighed, then he looked down at the water. "Derek, we need to
run some clean water," he said softly and pointed to the grime ring.

Derek just laughed and smiled, reaching over to knock the tub stop handle down. They
watched the water flow out, the eddying brown mass looking like a river after a flood.

Derek picked the shower hose up, running some water and testing it before turning it on his
lover. Nick shrieked when the water first hit him, almost coming out of the tub, but settled down
once he understood what Derek was doing for him. He sat up, letting Derek spray his hair before
washing it with a special smelling shampoo.

Nick sighed, the fingers massaging his scalp felt wonderful. Nothing was as good as Derek on
a nurturing kick. He moaned when Derek started to work the knots out of his scalp, rubbing in
little circles meant to please and relax rather than arouse. He let Derek tip his head back, rinsing
the shampoo out, running his talented fingers through his short hair, working out the knots gently.

Derek smiled down at his young man. Nick was home, was his, and was purring. Now all he
had to do was get him clean enough to eat. Or eat off from. He grabbed the bottle of body gel
and squeezed some out on a gentle brush, scrubbing the skin that was precious to him, murmuring
endearments each time he moved to a new spot.

Nick was in heaven, he was purring and relaxed into a boneless cat-like sprawl. Derek pulled
down the shower hose one last time, rinsing him off and letting all the accumulated dirt and
tiredness flow down the drain. But he was too far gone to notice it. Or anything. He had fallen
asleep under the caring caresses, letting himself be held and coddled, protected and safe in his
lover's arms.

Derek smiled down at Nick. He was so gorgeous when he slept. All the worry, frustration,
and pain slid away from him. You would almost think he had lead an idyllic and pampered life
looking at him while he slept.

He grabbed a towel, drying off his lover and lifted him out of the tub, carrying him into their
bedroom. He placed him on the bed, watching him snuggle down under the clean sheets the
butler had put on. Derek undressed and joined him, secure in the knowledge that his night of
passion he had planned would come later, and he could wait for it. For as long as it took.

The End.