Title: These Hands
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Gil Grissom
Fandom: CSI: Vegas
Rating: PG-13
Table: The Body, mission_insane
Prompt: 6, Hands
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 Gil Grissom, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg winced as he leaned back against the couch cushions, shifting his position as though he was in some discomfort. Gil looked over at his boyfriend with a raised eyebrow, wondering what was wrong. Greg hadn't seemed unduly tired when he'd come home from work.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, his voice soft and concerned. He didn't really expect a straight answer from Greg; whenever his boyfriend was uncomfortable, he usually waved any concern away, only saying that he'd been working too hard and he was tired.

But this time, Greg winced against and looked over at him. "It's my back," he said, shifting position again, as if he couldn't get comfortable on the couch. "I think I might have pulled a muscle or something. Or maybe I slept on it wrong last night. I don't know."

Gil frowned, putting aside the book he'd been reading and leaning over to place a hand on Greg's shoulder. "Turn around," he said, keeping his voice soft, knowing that this was something of a test for them. Greg never liked to turn his back on anyone, and Gil couldn't blame him for that.

Greg frowned slightly, but did as he was asked; Gil moved closer to him on the couch, putting both hands on his boyfriend's shoulders. "If you just have a backache, then I have the perfect cure for it," he whispered softly, leaning closer to Greg. "I'll give you a back massage."

"Yeah?" Greg replied, turning his head and twisting slightly to look at Gil. "That'd be great," he added with a soft sigh. "You give great massages. I should have asked you for one before this. You always make me feel better whenever you touch me."

"That's good to know," Gil murmured with a smile, moving one hand down Greg's back. "Do you mind taking your shirt off for this?" he asked, knowing even as he spoke that Greg would have to take it off, if the massage was going to have any effect.

Of course, he could always put his hands under the t-shirt Greg was wearing, but he didn't want to do that. He wanted to feel that soft, velvety skin under his fingertips; he wanted them to have as much contact as possible without making Greg feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

Greg should be okay with this, he told himself firmly. After all, they slept in the same bed every night, and most of the time, Greg didn't wear anything but boxer briefs. There were some nights that he came to bed with a t-shirt on, but that was understandable.

He was still having a hard time dealing with all that had happened to him. Gil expected that; he had known all along that Greg's recovery from the kidnapping and rape he'd suffered would be a long, slow process, and that he, as Greg's significant other, would have to be patient.

He didn't mind being patient at all, he told himself with an inward smile. Yes, he wanted Greg, but this was all building up their mutual trust in each other, as well as their desire for what would come when Greg was finally ready to take that step and break down all of the barriers.

Until then, he would be loving and supportive; with Greg, that wasn't hard to do. He could finally let all the love that he'd felt for this young man come out into the open; he didn't have to hide his feelings any more, and that was a greater relief than he'd ever dreamed it could be.

"Okay," Greg answered, jerking Gil out of his private thoughts and back into the present moment. He sat back and watched as Greg tugged his shirt off over his head, tossing it onto the floor and hunching his shoulders. "It'll be nice to have a massage," he sighed, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Then your wish is my command," Gil said softly, placing his hands on Greg's shoulders again and moving the pads of his thumbs along the base of the younger man's neck. He could still feel the remnants of the scars that had been left by a lab explosion that had happened years ago.

He knew that the worst of those scars had been removed, but that there would always be a slight reminder of what had happened etched on Greg's body. The scars were barely visible; he didn't mind them at all. He thought of them as a badge of honor, of bravery.

The thought made him lean forward to brush his lips against Greg's soft skin, first one shoulder, then the other. Greg didn't say anything; he only moaned softly and leaned back again, obviously wanting more of what Gil was doing without having to put that need into words.

"Feel good?" Gil asked as he moved his hands slowly down Greg's back, his thumbs gently massaging along his boyfriend's spine. He could distinctly feel Greg's muscles relaxing under his touch; he'd had no idea that the younger man had been so tense.

"Feels great," Greg murmured, turning his head slightly to try to look at Gil, and grinning wryly when he realized that he couldn't make eye contact. "I didn't know I was all that tense. Guess I should let you do this more often, huh?" His voice was very soft, almost like a caress.

Gil shivered at the words; Greg's voice could always rush through him like a cascade of hot lava. He didn't know what it was about that voice, but something about hearing Greg speak aroused him in a way that no one else ever had. Actually, everything about Greg aroused him.

"You have great hands," Greg whispered after a few more moments. "Sometimes I fall asleep dreaming about you having your hands on me -- even when you already do." He laughed softly, shaking his head. "Even when you're touching me, I always want you to do it more."

"Then I'll touch you as much as you'd like," Gil answered, his voice soft as he spoke. He hadn't realized that Greg loved his touch as much as he loved touching Greg; if he had known that, then he would have spent a great deal more time indulging in that touching.

He had always waited for Greg to indicate that he wanted to be touched; maybe he shouldn't have done that. He should have listened to his instincts, let himself touch Greg without invitation. If he had, maybe a few more barriers would have already crumbled to the ground.

"I'd love that," Greg told him, leaning back against as Gil's hands began to work their way back up his spine. "If you keep this up, I'm going to be a puddle on the floor before too long," he sighed, contentment evident in the tone of his voice. "I love how your hands feel on me."

"And I love how your skin feels under my hands," Gil said softly, bowing his head to brush another kiss against Greg's bare shoulder. Just feeling that soft, silken skin under his lips made his pulse leap; he wanted Greg more than he'd ever thought it was possible to want anyone.

His hands continued to move up and down Greg's back, gently caressing and massaging until his boyfriend was completely relaxed. He wanted to touch Greg all over, but this was a good beginning. He didn't think that Greg had been this relaxed any time they'd touched each other.

This could only lead in a good direction, Gil thought with an inward smile. His hands on Greg's body seemed to work wonders; he had no idea why he hadn't thought of doing this before. Maybe the time just hadn't been right before, but now, everything was falling into place.

"We should do this every night -- that is, if you don't mind," Greg murmured, his voice very soft and husky. "I don't know why I never thought of this before. It'd be a good way for us to get closer, don't you think?" His tone was tentative, as though he was feeling his way along in the dark with his words.

"I think it would be a wonderful way for us to get closer," Gil whispered, sliding his arms around Greg's waist and pulling his boyfriend back against his chest. He bowed his head to press a kiss against Greg's cheek; when Greg turned his head, their lips met in a soft, gentle kiss.

Gil wanted to hold Greg close like this forever, to feel his boyfriend's body nestled close against his own, his lips on Greg's. But forever was too much to hope for at the moment; it was enough that they were together, and that the barriers between them were slowly beginning to fall away.

He moved his hands down Greg's arms, feeling his boyfriend relax further into his embrace. If they kept this up, those barriers would fall even more quickly than he hoped they would. Gil was sure of it. And once those barriers were gone, then these hands would be on Greg's body more than ever.

***