Thank you for the reviews, my anonymous reader, Padfoot57, and Duckies (FanFiction)

Thank you for the review, Wolfsong98 (LiveJournal)

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" or anything like that. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

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Chapter Seven: There's a Lot I'll Have Missed…

There was a soft knock on the door, the nearly silent sound echoing in the quiet chamber. It's only rival was Rick's quickening heartbeat. The brunette had removed his socks and shoes after his own footsteps and pacing became a distraction. His bare feet lightly padded over a white fur rug as he rushed to the black iron handle of the door.

"Horatio," he softly greeted, letting the older man in the room.

"I'm sorry I took so long," he sighed as he walked over to the bed to lay out a white and red outfit, not even noticing Rick closing the door behind him. "I have duties regarding the… events tonight. But you still are my first priority. I hope it wasn't too long a wait".

"It wasn't".

Horatio shivered, the voice came from right behind him. He could feel the breath on the nape of his neck and the warmth of the younger man's body against his back. The white haired man bit down on his lip, he knew his service was to the queen and that is was by her mercy that he was kept and allowed to have free will. What kept him from losing his mind, like Eric did, or his body, like Frank did, was his self control. It wasn't like he didn't have anything taken from him, but he was doing quite well compared to the others. What's more, he knew that he was feared to some degree; if he wasn't then he wouldn't have been forced to work for the queen.

But now… with Rick… things seemed different. Rick was insulted, tricked, disoriented, and got scratched up in the forest; yet he was better off than anyone else. He was free. He didn't even know how much danger he was in. Horatio closed his eyes and heard a distant voice come from his memory. 'There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity'.

He smiled at that.

But there was something more to Rick. It wasn't just his innocence. He made Horatio feel alive again. Like there was some world beyond the confusion and prison he knew. Maybe… somehow… Rick could take him there one day. The two kisses they shared seemed to almost take him to that place; that beautiful and perfect place he liked to imagine that Rick came from. How close Rick stood almost made Horatio feel the warmth from that heaven breathe against him.

His hands rested on top of Rick's arms, which were coiling around his waist. He couldn't remember the last time he was held so close. Was he ever held this close before? Memories were slipping a little bit further with each passing day. Deciding that he wasn't, Horatio relaxed into the embrace.

The windows were tinted. There were no eyes on them. And even though Horatio knew that he might just have the last portions of precious freedom taken away from him, he felt it was worth it. If he was caught being at all intimate with Rick, the queen would… well… he didn't want to think about it. But what he was doing… with the orders he followed night and day… that wasn't living. Now Rick… he knew how to live. And although Horatio knew that if he was caught and killed for this, that there would have been so much he wouldn't have done in life; but at least he wouldn't have been dead before the blade would come down on his neck.

It was more than the rush that life gave though. There was something in the embrace, a sense of desire that Horatio didn't know people could feel for him. And although he couldn't quite put his finger on what the emotion was, he knew he felt it for Rick in return.

He bit his lip again and let his head roll back as he felt the brunette nuzzle into his shoulder.

"What are we doing, Rick?"

"I don't know".

Rick breathed happily into Horatio's silver hair, taking in the other man's distinctive and musky scent. It was heavenly. Heavenly and a little intoxicating. He chuckled into the pale skin of Horatio's neck.

The older man smiled as the vibrations from Rick's laugher surged through his body. Slowly, he turned around in the embrace to face Rick. For the first time, he let himself get lost in those eyes; those deep, dark, and decadent eyes. They felt like they just went on and on forever, like they were windows into a universe within him. They were infinite, yet comforting.

"Rick".

The brunette could do nothing but hum gently in response. He had to admit, he always felt these things for Horatio. But before now he only dare dream that they could possibly be returned.

Horatio took a shaky breath before he continued. "Let me kiss you again".

"Gladly".

The voice came on a whisper as Rick dipped down to meet his lips against those of the shorter man. They fought over control, eventually Horatio was pushed into a sitting position on the edge of the bed with Rick on his lap. He gasped as his lower lip was sucked into a warm and wet mouth. The sensation of a tongue running over it sent a shock down his spine.

"Rick," he gasped, quickly pulling away.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," the white haired man admitted, "it's just that I… I…" he turned away for a moment, "I never felt anything like this before".

The truth was that it wasn't just the sensation he was feeling, it was something deeper. What's more is that it was something that he was taught to be afraid of. The queen herself had even told him that he shouldn't be allowed to love; he'd just get hurt again. And although he couldn't remember what had happened to make his heart break, he knew that he felt incomplete. There was something between Eric, Speed, and Ryan that he just didn't…no… couldn't have.

But with Rick, there was something there. Since he could first remember seeing Rick, he felt something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't until Rick had that breakdown the night before that Horatio saw Rick's true nature. The man hiding behind the façade of ruthlessness and snarky comments; a fragile, scared, lonely man who just needed comfort… a man he could fall completely in love with… a man he did fall completely in love with. And for the first time, he wasn't afraid of love. In fact, it was all he wanted; to love and be loved. But after all that supposedly happened, he wasn't sure if it was right.

Rick caught Horatio's chin in his large hands, holding the older man's face up until those blue eyes gazed into his own. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Horatio".

"It isn't?"

"No," Rick smiled, leaning forward and giving him a peck on the cheek, "it's sweet".

The brunette smiled as he watched a light red blush wash over the other man's pale cheeks. An almost playful smile quickly spread across Horatio's lips as a short and soft laugh came out of him.

The blush intensified and his breath was whisked away as Rick's soft lips pressed against his own. Horatio's body was slowly lowered onto the mattress next to Rick's outfit as the brown eyed man gently lay down on top of him.

"Oh God, Horatio," Rick purred into the older man's neck, "I could kiss you forever".

"I… I…" Horatio turned his face away, "I don't think we should be doing this".

Rick sat up, still straddling the older man's hips as he looked down into sapphire eyes, "why not?"

"The queen wouldn't appreciate this".

"Well," Rick sighed, refusing to get off of Horatio, "what were your orders?"

The white haired man shifted slightly, knowing that he should get up. But there wasn't a cell in his body that wanted to do what he should be doing. "My exact orders are to 'do everything in my power to make sure that you are comfortable and at ease for this evening'".

"Well then," Rick smirked, "I would be most comfortable lying here and pressing my lips against you".

Horatio smiled as he relaxed his body back into the mattress, looking up at the younger man. He shivered as Rick's fingers made a feather light path along his sides. His arms sprawled out on the soft blankets somewhere above his head. He was completely under the brown eyed man's control. He wanted to be.

Rick leaned forward and hovered over the pale and trembling body of his friend. Well… someone perhaps more than a friend. A lover? No. Too soon to tell. Whatever he was he was making a smile unfurl across Rick's features.

"Close your eyes and open your mouth for me, Horatio".

There was a slight twinkle in Horatio's eye before his lids drifted shut. As if part of him knew what was going to happen. He didn't know exactly what Rick had in store for him, but he knew that he was definitely going to enjoy it.

The blush that was heavy on Horatio's cheeks swept over his body as soon as Rick's tongue lightly brushed against his own. He let out a muffled moan and his hands came to cradle the brunette's head, clutching at fistfuls of hair to keep him in place. It was amazing, and Horatio never wanted it to end. Breathing was overrated anyways.

After a long and warm moment, after the need for air became too great for the men to deny anymore, they broke the kiss. The white haired man watched as Rick got up and moved the outfit onto the fainting couch. His heartbeat quickened as Rick turned back to look at him; the expression in his eyes almost predatory.

"Take off your shoes," Rick smiled as he approached the side of the bed, "relax. Get comfortable. Stay a while".

Horatio toed off his shoes and socks before Rick guided him to the middle of the bed. Their lips met for another deep kiss as their bodies tangled. They only stopped for a brief moment when Rick pulled the curtain shut behind them. Horatio trembled as he felt the taller man's slender legs rub up against his own. Their arms were wrapped around each other, their bodies rolling from side to side and neither man taking the dominant position.

The white haired man was nearly breathless as he was finally pinned down, his head resting on a pile of soft pillows. He watched as Rick straddled his hips and sat up. Lightly, Horatio rested his hand on Rick's thigh as his eyes scanned up the younger man's long and lean body. He never imagined that someone so slender could at the same time be so overpowering.

"Rick," he whispered breathlessly as Rick started unbuttoning his ripped shirt.

"Horatio," the brunette acknowledged with a slight smirk, "Excuse me for being so forward, but how far do you want to go with this?"

"As far as I can".

The answer caught Rick off guard, he thought for sure that he would be given a line that Horatio wasn't comfortable with him crossing. But this… it was at best unexpected. He heard a soft chuckle below him, obviously a reaction to the look of shock that washed over Rick's face.

"That's about as far as I want to go too," the brunette admitted, "but… are you sure?"

"Rick," Horatio sighed, sitting up and watching Rick take off his shirt and toss it into a heap at the foot of the bed, "I'm not sure if we could ever be like this again".

"Why?"

Horatio just looked away. It was the same fear and uncertainty that Rick sensed earlier that day when the older man's hair turned from red to white, and when they dipped into the subject of the king. A relationship between the two of them was probably as forbidden as talking about what was really going on in this world.

"It's okay," Rick whispered, reaching down and stroking Horatio's cheek, "I understand. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone".

"Thank you".

Rick leaned down and captured the other man's mouth in his own again, their tongues sliding against each other. His hands gripped onto stands of silver hair, not wanting to ever let go or break the kiss. Horatio ran his hands down the gentle curve of Rick's back, feeling the warm and smooth skin. It made him crave – no… need more.

In the next instant, the kiss they never wanted to end was replaced by a moment of frantic tugging at clothing. Horatio was unbuttoning his shirt as quickly as his nervous hands would let him. Rick sat up again and pulled off his belt before popping the button of his slacks and slowly drawing the zipper down over his bulge.

Horatio's trembling and sweating hands only managed to get partway down his shirt before he was distracted by the handsome image of Rick pulling off his pants. The brunette smiled down at his soon-to-be lover as he shuffled the trousers off his legs and put them in the heap at the foot of the bed. A smirk crossed his lips as he eyed up the large and growing bulge in Horatio's pants.

"Want me to take care of that for you, Horatio?" he crooned as he slowly lowered himself enough to breathe over the arousal.

Horatio nodded before his hands gave up with the button task and fell limply to his sides. Rick opened the other man's pants on his own, feeling Horatio trembling beneath him. He dipped his long fingers into Horatio's boxers, exposing his hard and pulsating cock.

Rick lightly pressed his soft and slightly swollen lips against Horatio's tip. He heard half of a moan, looking up just in time to see the other man bite down on his lip.

"It's okay, Horatio," Rick whispered against the length, "just keep breathing".

The brunette smiled to himself as he heard a ragged breath. He slowly ran his tongue up along the vein of Horatio's shaft. His hands moved to hold down the other man's legs, which began to shake a little.

I can hardly believe this is happening.

He parted his lips and lightly sucked the now leaking tip into his mouth.

I have no reason to believe that this is real.

Another muted moan cut through the silence of the bed chamber as Rick pressed down on the head with his tongue.

But that doesn't seem to matter much to me anymore.

He let his eyes drift shut as he swallowed Horatio down and his nose was buried in the white curls of his crotch.

Oh God… how long have I needed to do this?

Fingers laced in his short brown hair, guiding his head up and down along the cock. Rick relaxed his throat as he felt Horatio begin to roll his hips with a light thrust. One of the hands left the back of his head before Horatio began to thrust wildly, fucking Rick's mouth.

A shiver shot down Rick's spine as he felt Horatio's essence spill down his throat. He heard muffled moans above him that died off along with the thrusts. After taking a moment to savor the taste of Horatio in his mouth, Rick let the now soft cock slide out of the wet cavern. The second hand came back to stroke him as he was licked clean. When Rick looked over he noticed that there was a deep red and brown bite mark under the thumb.

"Do you want more?" Rick smiled, resting his chin on Horatio's hip.

"There's more?"

Rick furrowed his brow before he sat up, a little concerned. "Yeah, of course there's more". He sighed. "Horatio… you've never been with a man before, have you?"

He thought for a moment before he answered, "I don't think so… I can't remember being with anyone before… ever".

Rick bit his lip before nodding slowly, "So… you're essentially a virgin?"

"I guess so… is that a problem?"

"No. None at all… just…" Rick shook his head, chasing away any doubt he had left in his mind, "I'll be gentle with you… I mean… if you do want to go all the-"

"-I do".

Rick smiled sweetly before he climbed up Horatio's body and lightly brushed their lips together. "You stay here, take off your clothes, get under the sheets if you want. I just need to grab a few things".

"Okay".

Rick gave his new lover a final glance before he parted the curtains and slipped off the bed.