Title: While the Moon Watches
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: 5_prompts, Month of November challenge
Prompt: Day 11 - With the full moon watching
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my 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.

***

Ryan propped himself up on his elbow, squinting as he blinked away sleep. It was the middle of the night, a time when he was usually working. It felt strange to be in bed at this time of night, but he and Greg both had two days off in a row, which was unusual.

They had both been so tired lately, and he was sure that Greg was starting to get a cold. Catherine had apparently noticed, too; she had told both of them to take two days off, and to get more sleep than they'd obviously been getting lately.

Did she realize that the two of them were more than just partners at work? Ryan couldn't help but wonder if that was starting to show; they didn't do anything at work that he thought would give them away, but there were so many people at the crime lab who knew Greg well.

They could probably tell just from the protective way he and Greg talked about each other, the way that they looked at each other. To people who knew Greg and cared about him, the affection between them might be more obvious than the two of them realized.

If their work colleagues could see them now, their affection would be obvious -- or at least his for Greg, Ryan thought as he looked down at the man sleeping peacefully beside him. Greg lay on his back, one hand on the pillow, his lips slightly parted, his breathing deep and even.

Ryan had never seen anyone so beautiful -- or so desirable -- in his life. Even the moon seemed to agree with him, shining full and bright into the window to illuminate the beauty of the man lying beside him. It was as though this was a viewing that had been arranged just for Ryan's benefit.

How could any one being be so beautiful, so perfect? Ryan couldn't resist reaching out to stroke Greg's cheek; the other man didn't awaken, merely stirring a little in his sleep. He turned his head to the side, nuzzling into Ryan's caress as though he realized that his lover was there.

Ryan's eyes filled with tears; he had to raise his other hand to his face and blink hard to drive them back. He was the luckiest man in the world to have found Greg. He had never known that it was possible to be in love like this, to love someone more than life itself.

Greg was everything to him. Everything. The air that he breathed, the entire world around him. Greg was his heart and soul, the final piece of the puzzle that was his life. Greg completed him in a way that he had never thought another person ever could.

What would he do if Greg was ever taken away from him? Now that he'd found this kind of love, how could he ever hope to live without his lover in his life, by his side? No matter what happened, he had to protect Greg in every way he could, make sure that the man he loved stayed safe.

But that might not always be possible, a little voice whispered in the back of his mind. Greg wasn't the sort of man who would let himself be protected; he wouldn't want to be wrapped in cotton wool and kept out of any kind of trouble. He wouldn't hide away from life.

He was a fool to think that Greg could ever do that. And an even bigger fool to think for even one second that he would want that for the man he loved. He wanted Greg to be happy, and if that meant that his lover would face danger now and then, he had to deal with it.

Ryan didn't know how long he lay there, propped on one elbow, simply watching Greg sleep. It seemed that the full moon was enjoying watching his lover just as much as he was; it never wavered, casting its light on Greg's face to illuminate him.

What would the moon think if he was to lean down and kiss Greg right now? Ryan thought, looking up to gaze out of the window at the brightness that shone through the glass. Would it be embarrassed and go behind a cloud, take away its tacit approval of his feelings?

Or would the moon approve, and simply stay there, watching him express how he felt about the man who was sleeping so soundly here beside him? Would he be able to make love to Greg with the full moon watching, smiling down on them and approving of their union?

He didn't really care what the moon or anyone else thought of his feelings for this man, Ryan told himself firmly, reaching out again to stroke gentle fingertips down Greg's bare arm. He loved Greg Sanders with all of his heart and soul; he would love this man for all of eternity.

What did it matter that anyone else might not approve of what the two of them shared? As long as they were happy together, and they loved each other, then nothing else really mattered. As long as he had his Greg by his side, then he was perfectly happy.

He only hoped that he could manage to keep Greg safe from the threat that his enemy from Miami posed; that thought colored his every waking moment, and even his sleeping ones. But somehow, lying here in bed with the moon shining down on them, that threat seemed very far away.

It almost felt as though the two of them were in some enchanted wonderland that belonged to them alone, a place where the two of them would always be safe, where there was nothing to fear and no worries to bother them. A place where only the loved they shared mattered.

Ryan leaned down to brush his lips across Greg's cheek, then his mouth. He couldn't help himself; he had to kiss the beautiful man next to him. At this point, he couldn't have kept his hands and lips from Greg's body if his life had depended on doing so.

Greg awakened at his touch, blinking in the bright moonlight, a smile curving his lips when he realized that Ryan was leaning over him. Reaching up, he wound his arms around Ryan's neck, pulling the other man down for a long, heady kiss that took his breath away.

Ryan's arms slid around Greg, pulling his lover close against him. He almost wanted to speak, but at the same time, he didn't really feel the need to do so. They didn't need words, not when they were lost in this enchanted world that belonged to only the two of them.

As the full moon shone into the window, illuminating their embrace, Ryan rolled over onto his side, pulling Greg even closer to him, not relinquishing his lover's lips. He wanted to kiss Greg until the other man was breathless, kiss him until they were both gasping.

He wanted to make love to Greg with the full moon watching them, the light of the moon spreading a cloud of radiance around them. And judging from Greg's response, his boyfriend felt the same way. They might not sleep for the rest of the night -- but he didn't think of them would mind.

***