Title: Petals
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Gil Grissom
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: R
Table: Romance, mission_insane
Prompt: 1, Massage
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 Gil Grissom, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"What's that?" Greg asked, sitting up in bed and focusing on the small tube that Gil held in his hand. Gil was sure that he saw his boyfriend's eyes widen in what could be apprehension; he hastened to assure Greg that the small tube wasn't what he thought it might be.

"It's massage oil," he said softly, holding it aloft so that Greg could see the label before holding it out to him. "I'm not going to do anything you wouldn't want me to do, Greg," he added, his voice soft and more than a little reproachful. "It's not lube. You can trust me."

Greg looked down, color flooding his usually pale cheeks, unable to look Gil in the eye. "I do trust you," he said in a low voice. "I just .... I know it's got to be hard for you to wait, and I thought you might want to .... I don't know, maybe speed things along a little."

Gil sat down on the bed beside Greg, shaking his head and placing two fingers beneath his boyfriend's chin, raising Greg's face until their eyes met. "Greg, I'd never do something like that. I'm not going to deny that I want you, but I can be a very patient man."

"You shouldn't have to be this patient," Greg sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry that I'm making you wait so long, Gil. But I-I'm not ready for that. Not yet." There was a pleading expression in his dark eyes as he looked up at his lover; Gil smiled, leaning down to brush a kiss across Greg's lips.

"Greg, you don't have to worry about me giving up on you," he said softly, taking the young man's face between his hands and gazing into Greg's eyes. "I never will. Yes, sometimes it's hard to wait -- but I know that when we finally do make love, it'll be more than worth waiting for."

"I know it will," Greg replied, his voice thick with emotion. "It's not that I don't want you to make love to me, Gil. I've wanted that ever since we first met. But I-I'm just not at the point where I think it can happen without too many bad memories being stirred up."

Gil nodded, agreeing with his boyfriend. "I don't want that to happen, Greg. I want you to be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're ready for that kind of physical act. But that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy each other in different ways -- and work up to making love."

"So what do you intend to do with this?" Greg asked, turning the tube of massage oil around in his fingers and looking at it curiously. "Were you planning on giving me a massage? That could be interesting," he said, looking back at Gil with a question in his eyes.

"That's exactly what I was planning on doing," Gil said quietly, smiling down at his young lover. "I'm not going to push any boundaries, Greg. Not if you don't want me to. I thought this might be a good way to get rid of some of your tension."

"Sounds good to me," Greg told him with a smile, stretching out under the covers. "Just tell me what you want me to do. I'm guessing you want me on my stomach." Gil could hear the terseness in his words; he'd somehow known that he would.

"You can trust me, Greg," Gil said softly, leaning down to brush a kiss against his boyfriend's softly parted lips. "I know it makes you nervous to be on your stomach, and I don't blame you for that. But you've got to learn to put your trust in me sometime, sweetheart."

"I do trust you," Greg said softly, his dark gaze locking with Gil's for a few moments. As though to prove his words, he swept the covers back, turning over onto his stomach and giving Gil a tantalizing look at his bare body. Gil could barely make himself tear his gaze away.

"You're so beautiful, Greg," he whispered, bending down to press another kiss to Greg's shoulder. Slowly, carefully, he popped the cap on the tube of massage oil, pouring some into his cupped palm, letting the cool liquid be warmed by his skin for a few moments.

Slowly, carefully, he placed his hand on Greg's shoulder, beginning to rub the warmed oil into the young man's skin. Greg moaned softly, stretching out under him; it was obvious that he was enjoying the gentle touch. Gil smiled to himself as he continued the massage.

He intended for this to be a slow, sensual exploration of Greg's body, one that he hadn't made yet. Yes, the two of them had touched each other; he had a good knowledge of his boyfriend's slim frame, but he wanted to know that beautiful body even more intimately than he already did.

His hands moved down from Greg's shoulders to his back, reveling in the feel of that soft, velvety flesh under his fingertips. He loved touching Greg; if he could have his hand all over his boyfriend's body every second of every day, he would be a happy man indeed.

For the moment, he was simply going to concentrate on pleasuring Greg. What he got out of this massage didn't really matter; the important thing was to make Greg feel comfortable with being touched in a more intimate way. He hoped that he could manage it.

Already, Greg was relaxing under his ministrations; the younger man sighed softly and pillowed his head on his arms, closing his eyes and stretching out more comfortably. Gil couldn't help but smile at that; it seemed that a massage had been a good decision on his part.

He poured more of the strawberry-scented oil into his palm, once more letting it warm up a bit before he applied it to Greg's skin. He was at the small of Greg's back by now; slowly, carefully, he placed his palms on his boyfriend's buttocks, massaging in slow, gentle circles.

Greg moaned his name aloud, his muscles tensing and then relaxing under Gil's hands. Gil didn't linger on Greg's buttocks; he didn't want his boyfriend to feel that this massage was intended to lead to anything sexual, which it wasn't. It was simply about pleasure and relaxation.

Gil's hands moved back up to Greg's shoulders before he paused to add yet more warm oil to his palms; when he moved his hands down Greg's biceps, he could feel that his boyfriend was more relaxed, his body warm and pliant. His tension had melted away, just as Gil had hoped it would.

His hands moved over Greg's body slowly, gently, down his sides to his hips, then down his taut thighs and long, slender legs. Gil was beginning to feel as though he'd never really explored Greg's body before; at the moment, he was discovering a wonderland that he'd never dreamed existed.

He finally moved his hands back up, lingering at Greg's hips for a few moments before turning the younger man over onto his back. Greg opened those dark eyes and smiled up at him; the beauty of that smile made Gil's heart skip a beat, his breath catching in his throat.

He had never seen anything so beautiful as Greg's smile; it lit up his life and made him forget that the rest of the universe existed. That smile held all the love and trust in the world; he would gladly lay down his life and his soul to see Greg smile like that.

"I love you," Greg whispered, the words carrying more sincerity than Gil had ever heard from anyone. He knew that Greg meant every syllable; there was no doubt that those three little words came from his heart, or that Gil returned them wholeheartedly, in every way possible.

"I love you, too," he whispered, moving his hands up Greg's body to rest lightly on his chest, his thumbs circling the younger man's nipples. Greg moaned and squirmed under him, bringing him back to the present reality and what he was doing to his boyfriend.

His hands moved over Greg's chest, then his stomach; he took a deep breath before removing his hands from his lover's body, slowly pouring more oil into his cupped palm. Now was the moment of truth; would Greg want him to keep going, or would be be more comfortable with stopping here?

Gil gazed down at Greg, uncertain of just what to do next. His heart skipped another beat when the younger man opened his eyes and smiled up at him, raising a hand to stroke Gil's cheek, the expression on his face leaving Gil in no doubt as to his feelings.

"What are you waiting for?" Greg asked softly, his gaze never leaving Gil's face. "I need you to touch me, Gil. I'm not made of spun sugar, y'know. I won't break if you touch me. It's about time we knocked a few barriers down for good. I'm ready for that if you are."

"I'm more than ready," Gil whispered, his hand beginning its downward trek between Greg's parted thighs. This was what he'd wanted for so long -- the chance to touch Greg unreservedly, without feeling that he had to hold back his desire to touch, to feel.

This was only the first step, he told himself. This massage was the beginning of their physical explorations, and there would be much more to come in the future. But it was a giant leap forward for the two of them -- one that he was sure would cement Greg's trust in him.

He felt as though Greg's body was opening to him, just a small bit at a time, like a flower cautiously letting its petals open to the warming rays of the sun. It might take a while, but eventually, there would be no hesitation; they would come together as naturally as that flower would bloom.

Gil leaned down to capture Greg's lips with his own as his hands moved over his boyfriend's bare skin, his heart leaping in his chest as his fingertips began to explore those slender curves. He could already sense petals opening to the warmth of his touch -- and he intended to bring this particular bloom to life.

***