Title: Enchanted Wonderland
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Zeke Barnes
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas/A Gifted Man
Rating: PG-13
Table: Weather, mission_insane
Prompt: 2, Fog
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 Zeke Barnes, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"There's something romantic about fog, isn't there?" Greg sighed as he leaned his head against Zeke's shoulder. The two of them were walking along the street that led to Zeke's apartment; they'd been to see a movie, and Greg was spending the night with his boyfriend.

He loved these kinds of nights, Greg reflected, smiling as Zeke slid an arm around his waist. They'd both had the night off, and they'd taken advantage of it in the best ways possible. They'd gone out to dinner and a movie, and he had no doubt that they'd spend the rest of the night in bed.

He'd never really noticed things like fog before -- unless those things were getting in the way of him doing his job, or they were something of a nuisance. This was the first time he'd ever realized that fog could cling to a man's hair, making him want to reach out and brush that sparkling dew.

With Zeke, he'd noticed so many more things than he'd ever seen when he was with anyone else. Was that part of what being in love did to a person? Greg wondered, trying to resist the urge to reach out and touch Zeke's dark hair, brushing it back from his face.

"Yeah, there is," Zeke answered, his voice very soft. "I've always thought foggy nights were one of the best times to meet somebody. You know, that whole fantasy about the man of your dreams striding towards you out of the mists. Something out of a bad romance novel."

Greg laughed softly, nodding as he spoke. "Yeah, it might be a romantic fantasy, but I like it." He gave up trying not to touch Zeke; he couldn't hold himself back any longer. With a trembling hand, he reached out to run his fingers through the other man's hair, his touch soft and gentle.

Zeke stopped in his tracks, forcing Greg to stop, too. The two of them stood there for several long moments, just looking at each other, before Zeke slid both arms around Greg's waist to pull him close, their bodies almost seeming to melt into each other.

Greg's hands were still in Zeke's hair, his fingers stroking through the soft, dark strands. He closed his eyes when their lips met, letting himself fall into Zeke's kiss, feeling as though they were the only two people in the world, enveloped by the thickening fog.

He didn't see this foggy night as being dangerous for walking home after dark, as other people might. All he could think of was the romance of it; there was something about being closed in by the banks of fog around them that was making his heart feel as if it was doing somersaults.

What would happen if anyone who knew him happened to be walking home from a movie as well, and saw the two of them kissing? It wasn't as though the people he worked with at the crime lab didn't already guess that he was gay, but that would clinch their suspicions.

He would have to come out and tell them sooner or later -- and he wasn't going to hide his relationship with Zeke forever. He had merely wanted to be sure that they were going to go the distance, that they were right for each other and wouldn't burn out too soon, before he let his colleagues know.

If he'd had any doubts about the two of them being together for a long time to come, this kiss felt as though it was sweeping all of those doubts away. He was lost in the feeling of Zeke's lips on his, of being held close against Zeke's body, safe in those strong arms.

As the kiss intensified, Greg couldn't hold back a soft moan, his senses overwhelmed by the man holding him. He wanted to sink into Zeke, to melt into his lover's embrace, to get lost in a world where only the two of them existed and never come back to reality.

But they couldn't stand here kissing forever; he knew it as well as Zeke did. With a sigh of regret, he pulled away slightly, though he didn't move out of the other man's embrace. He simply stood there, gazing into Zeke's eyes, wondering which one of them was going to speak first.

"I think you're right about fog being romantic," Greg said, his voice very soft and a little shaky. "It's not just romantic -- it kind of makes me feel like we're all alone in our own little world, and that nothing can get to us as long as we're here. It's kind of an enchanted wonderland."

Zeke laughed at that, shaking his head even as he pulled Greg closer against him. "A sidewalk in Vegas, on the way to my place, an enchanted wonderland? You've lost it, Greg," he added with a chuckle. "But I don't mind thinking like that, just for tonight."

"Good." Greg laughed ruefully as he leaned against Zeke, his hands moving down his boyfriend's back. "I'm glad you're willing to do that. Because for right now, I want to pretend that we're lost in that wonderland, and that we don't have to worry about anything but ourselves."

"Sounds good to me," Zeke breathed, leaning forward to brush his lips against Greg's again. This time, their mouths met with more passion than before, a flame seeming to leap up around them, engulfing them in a fierce desire that threatened to overwhelm them both.

It was a miracle that the heat between them didn't burn the fog away, Greg thought, feeling dazed as he lifted his head after they broke the kiss. He was gazing into Zeke's eyes again, those dark, fathomless eyes that he was sure he could drown in, and never want to come up for air.

The fog was still swirling around them, though, as thick as it had been before. Only for some reason, it was now starting to seem a little sinister, as though it was closing them in. Rather than a protective cocoon, it seemed to hide possible dangers out there in the night.

He shivered at the thought, and that slight movement broke the spell. Greg looked around, squinting into the fog. He could barely see more than a couple of feet in front of them; suddenly, he wanted to get to Zeke's apartment, so they could be safe behind locked doors.

"It's starting to feel kind of ominous out here, isn't it?" Zeke asked, his soft laugh sounding a little nervous. Turning in the direction that they'd been heading before they stopped, they both began to move down the sidewalk more quickly, in tacit agreement to hurry up and get home.

"Yeah, suddenly it seems a little more dangerous to be out here in such thick fog after dark than it did a few minutes ago," Greg said, hoping that his wry laugh didn't sound as nervous as he was suddenly feeling. "I'll feel better when we get home, as silly as that might sound."

"Doesn't sound silly at all," Zeke told him, tightening his arm around Greg's waist as they walked along. "I'll feel better once we're back home, too. Guess the enchanted wonderland feeling doesn't last long when the fog is this thick and it's dark outside, does it?"

"It sure doesn't," Greg agreed, relieved to realize that they were on the block where Zeke's apartment building was. "Good thing we're here," he said as they made their way to the front door and Zeke pulled out his keys. "I was starting to feel like I should be carrying my gun."

"Hey, let's not go that far!" Zeke protested, opening the door and pushing it open wide. Greg went into the apartment, waiting to heave a sigh of relief until Zeke had closed and locked the door, throwing his keys on a small table by the door and turning to him.

"I think we both let ourselves get a little more nervous than we should have," Zeke said softly, gazing into Greg's eyes. "What do you say we go to the bedroom and let ourselves work off some of that nervous energy? That is, if you didn't have any other plans for the rest of the night."

"None at all," Greg sighed softly as their lips met yet again, the flames of desire leaping between them just as they'd done when they were outside. This was the best enchanted wonderland of all -- just being here in Zeke's arms, Greg thought with a smile as the two of them moved as one towards the bedroom.

***