Title: Never Far Away
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5_prompts, Month of November challenge
Prompt: Day 22 - Never far away
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 Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg glanced over at Ryan across his desk, watching as his boyfriend wrote rapidly on the report that they were turning in before they left work tonight. They'd been to two different crime scenes, and both of them had been tougher than they'd expected.

Ryan really didn't need all of this work-related stress on top of what he was already dealing with, Greg thought, a frown of concern furrowing his brow. He hated to think of all the pressure that his bofyriend must be under, but he didn't know how to alleviate it.

There was always sex, but this wasn't exactly the place for that to work, he thought wryly, looking around their office. He couldn't even hold Ryan's hand here, or give him a hug. He couldn't let his feelings for his partner show openly -- not his true feelings, anyway.

Everybody expected him to be close to Ryan, of course. No one had blinked an eye when he'd freaked out after Ryan had been kidnapped; they'd known that he would be upset. But he couldn't let even his closest friends at work know that he was in love.

He had to make them believe in his story of seeing someone who didn't have a lot of free time, someone who could never come to the crime lab because the hours they worked were so different from his own. He had to live a lie every time someone asked him about his personal life.

But it was worth doing that to know that he could be with Ryan, both at home and at work; it was worth the lies and the evasions to know that he could watch his boyfriend's back, that they could be together all the time. He hated the lies, but they were necessary.

He felt better about the situation that they were facing with Ryan's nemesis from Miami now that they had told the police what had happened in the park. Jim Brass had wanted to give them police protection, but they had both refused, politely but firmly.

Greg hadn't wanted to have any police watching them too closely; he didn't want anyone to put two and two together about his personal life with Ryan. And he knew that Ryan had refused because he felt that he should be able to take care of himself -- and Greg.

Ryan had been a cop, so of course he would feel that he had to take responsibility for keeping the two of them safe. But he had to realize that there were some situations when he needed help, Greg told himself, wishing that it wasn't so hard for his boyfriend to admit that fact.

At least he had finally gotten Ryan to agree that they needed help, that this was one situation that they couldn't handle on their own. Brass had said that finding this guy would be a top priority -- and he had insisted on sending patrols past their apartment complex.

Greg had mentioned that they lived right next door to each other, and Brass had been the one to suggest that they might want to stay in the same apartment for the time being, until this man was caught. Greg couldn't have agreed more with that way of thinking.

And at least this way, no one would think it was odd if they knocked at the door of his place and Ryan was the one who opened the door, he thought wryly. There wouldn't be any questions raised if it was known that they were staying in the same place for their safety.

He would be there beside Ryan, no matter what might happen, Greg vowed. He would be at his lover's side, never far away from him, always watching his back. And he had no doubt that Ryan would be doing the same for him, every moment of every day and night.

He didn't even want to think about being away from Ryan, not at a time like this. If they were separated at work for some reason, he wouldn't put up with it. He would insist that the two of them stay with each other, that they were partners and they had to stay together.

Would that seem too insistnet? Greg chewed at his lower lip, sighing as he did so. Maybe he shouldn't go out of his way to give anybody reason to think that there was anything more than a close friendhsip between himself and Ryan. It was better that way.

But he couldn't let anyone separate them at work. He had to be able to watch Ryan's back, to know for sure that his boyfriend was being kept safe. He wouldn't feel comfortable if he didn't -- and he was sure that it would affect his work.

Ryan looked up when Greg sighed; at first, his look was questioning, then a frown settled onto his handsome features. "What's wrong, babe?" he asked softly, his voice barely audible. "And don't say that it's nothing. I know when something's bothering you."

"You know me too well," Greg answered with a wan smile. "I was just thinking about how much this is going to affect our lives, until we catch this guy. We've got to deal with police protection, and we've got to be even more secretive about our relationship."

Ryan reached across the desk to take his hand, twining their fingers together, not bothering to look and see if anyone might be watching. "We'll just have to take that risk," he said softly, his gaze not leaving Greg's face. "Because I'm going to be right here beside you, every second."

"We'll never be far away from each other," Greg told his lover, squeezing Ryan's hand gently before he reluctantly disengaged his fingers from the other man's grip. "I know that. I'm just worried about all the stress you're dealing with from this."

"I'm worried about both of us being under stress," Ryan told him, shaking his head. "But don't worry, Greg. I'm never far away from you, whenever you need me. I'll always be here, if you need to talk, or you just need to be held for a few minutes while we're working. Anything."

Greg's eyes widened in surprise; it amazed him at times just how close Ryan's thoughts, and the words he used to express them, came so close to his own. Just more proof that they were a part of each other, he told himself with a smile.

"Come on," he said softly, picking up his own written report of the last case they'd handled and getting to his feet. "If you're done with that, it's almost time for us to clock out and go home. I want to curl up in bed with you and forget about everything but being together."

"That sounds perfect to me," Ryan told him, signing his name with a flourish at the bottom of the report before standing up. They would be leaving work in a few moments, Greg thought, a smile on his face as they left their office. Never far away from each other, as usual.

***