Title: This Is Our Night
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5_prompts, Month of November challenge
Prompt: Day 29 - Dare - Characters out on a date. Soft music, candles, & a warm plate of spaghetti.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Nick Stokes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"What's the occasion?" Greg asked Nick with a laugh as he sat down at the dining room table and looked up at his boyfriend. "I don't think we've had a romantic candlelight dinner since I moved in here. If you're trying to spoil me, it's working really well."

Nick laughed softly as he sat down across from Greg and picked up the bottle of wine, carefully pouring the sparkling liquid into Greg's glass and then his own. "Cheers," he murmured, raising his glass to clink it against Greg's before taking a sip.

"There's no occasion, really," he said with a shrug, answering Greg's question. "I just thought it'd be nice for us to have a romantic evening. I'd thought about taking you out on a date, but that would mean that I'd have to share you with all those other people around us."

"Romance is always better one on one, isn't it?" Greg agreed with a soft laugh, sipping at his wine. "I'd rather be here than out in some fancy place, anyway. "I like going out to nice restaurants, but I like having time alone with you better."

"Then you're going to get exactly what you like," Nick told him with a smile, leaning back in his chair. "Because even though we're not out at a fancy place, this is a date. This is our night. And I'm going to treat you just like we're out on a date in public."

Greg sipped at his wine again before setting the glass down and smiling at Nick, a smile that melted the other man's heart. Did anyone else in the world have a smile like Greg's? He didn't think so. That smile transformed his boyfriend's face, made him more beautiful than ever.

Had Greg ever smiled like that at Shane, with his whole heart and soul, his emotions written on his face for the world to see? He was sure that no one else had ever seen that look but himself; the thought gave him a warm, contented feeling.

All he wanted to do was to take Greg in his arms, forget about the dinner that he'd planned, and take his boyfriend off to the bedroom. But that would come later in the evening, after they'd eaten -- and danced. He had made up his mind what the night would be like.

He had a soft jazz cd ready and waiting in the cd player, spaghetti cooking in the kitchen. He was going to wine and dine Greg, dance with him, kiss him breathless .... and only then would he be ready to take his boyfriend to bed for a night of lovemaking.

Nick almost wanted to ask Greg if he'd ever experienced anything like this before, but decided that he was better off not knowing. He didn't think that anyone who Greg had ever dated would have done something like this -- and if they had, tonight would still be different.

The important thing to remember was that this was a night for the two of them, with no interruptions and no other thoughts other than their feelings for each other intruding on them. It was a night for romance, for love, for dreams to come true.

"Excuse me for just a few minutes," he said softly, getting up and going into the kitchen. Ah, it was just as he'd thought -- the spaghetti was nearly done, ready to be ladled onto his best china and covered with his own special homemade pasta sauce.

Carefully, he filled their plates, then put them on a tray that he'd bought specifically for tonight and carried them into the dining room. Greg laughed softly as Nick set one plate down in front of him, looking up at his boyfriend with a loving expression.

"Nobody's ever done anything like this for me before," he said softly, shaking his head. "Cooking for me is one thing -- but arranging a candlelight dinner and being all romantic .... that's new. I should have expected nothing less from you, Nicky."

"I'm the epitome of romance, babe," Nick told him, smiling in spite of himself. To be honest, he had never been this romantic with any other lover. But Greg brought out all of his protective instincts; he wanted to sweep this beautiful young man off his feet.

Romance had never really played a big part in any of his former relationships. But it was different with Greg. He wanted to take care of his boyfriend in every way, to make up for all that he'd suffered in the past. He wanted Greg's life to be filled with romance -- and with love.

As the two of them ate, he kept casting glances across the table at Greg, wondering if anyone he'd ever seen before had been so beautiful. He didn't think so; somehow, even when he had a mouthful of pasta, Greg still managed to look desirable.

Maybe even more so, given what he knew that his boyfriend could do with that mouth. His body tightened at the mere thought; Nick almost wanted to sweep aside the dinner plates and carry Greg off to bed right then and there, without further ado and without any words.

But no, he wasn't going to do that. He had promised to treat Greg to a "date," here in their own home, a date that was personal and private, without any prying eyes to see what they were doing or anyone around to hear what they said. This was their night, meant just for the two of them.

It didn't take them long to finish eating; once they had, Nick picked up the plates and carried them back into the kitchen, depositing them in the dishwasher. He would turn the machine on later; right now, he had better things to think about.

Greg stood up when he came back into the room, stretching after sitting at the table for so long; Nick slid his arms around his lover's waist, leaning forward to brush a kiss against those softly parted lips. Not yet, he cautioned himself. First dancing. Then loving.

"Our date isn't over yet," he whispered in Greg's ear, moving his hands down the younger man's back and molding Greg's body against his own for a few moments. Reluctantly, he pulled away slightly, taking Greg's hand and leading him into the living room.

With the touch of a button, the room was filled with soft jazz music, the candlelight flickering around them as Nick took Greg into his arms and began to sway to the rhythm. "This is our night, baby," he said softly, his lips brushing Greg's hair. "And we can do anything we want."

Greg didn't answer; he only pressed his cheek against Nick's and moved more closely into his embrace. Yes, this was definitely their night, Nick thought with a smile. And he hoped that it would be a night that they would both look back on and remember fondly for the rest of their lives.

***