Title: Think I'm in Love
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Steve McGarrett
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/Hawaii Five-0
Rating: PG-13
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 Steve McGarrett, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Steve glanced up from his desk, across the room to where Greg was leaning over a table and frowning. He was impressed with their new CSI; he hadn't expected Greg to be as good as he was at what he did. He'd already helped the team more than Steve had thought he would.

He'd accepted Greg as a team member with open arms, even though he'd been reluctant at first. And so had the rest of the team. Chin Ho and Kono got along well with him, and Danny had been singing Greg's praises since the first case he'd worked with them.

There was nothing about Greg that wasn't likable, Steve thought with an inward sigh. He was professional, smart, and willing to go to great lengths to solve a case; and not only that, but he had a great sense of humor that kept the team going when they got frustrated.

Greg had been a terrific addition to their team; Steve had to admit that. After just a couple of weeks, he was indispensable to them, both in and out of the lab. Even Max admitted that Greg was good at his job; the two of them got along better than Steve had expected them to.

The only problem was his own attraction to Greg -- and the way it had grown by leaps and bounds since that first day the other man had walked into his office. That attraction had gotten so strong that Steve wasn't sure he could keep holding himself back.

Would it be so horrible to ask Greg out to dinner? He didn't have to make it seem like a date; he could just say that he wanted to get to know the other man better, that it was time they got to know each other away from work. He could make it seem perfectly innocuous.

But when he was alone with Greg, things would change. Steve wasn't sure that he could keep himself from trying to seduce the other man -- or that Greg wouldn't try to seduce him, for that matter. He had seen the way that Greg looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

He was sure that Greg wanted him just as badly as he wanted Greg. But at this point, neither of them had the nerve to actually say anything; they were doing that civilized ritual mating dance that society seemed to demand that they take part in.

It was impossible to know exactly how he felt at this point. He didn't want to say that it was anything more than a very strong attraction; his emotions weren't deeply involved at this stage of the game. Or were they? He wasn't entirely sure if they were or not.

Greg hadn't been in any serious trouble yet; Steve hadn't had that rush of adrenaline that he'd felt whenever Danny had been facing death, or one of the other team members. But it wouldn't be the same feeling, not with Greg. He was sure of that.

The feeling of dread and fear that would go through him if anything happened to Greg, if he came face to face with any kind of a dangerous situation, would be a million times more acute than when any of his friends faced the same thing. His feelings for Greg were different.

He cared about all of his team members. He could even say that he loved them, in the way that he loved people close to him. But it was completely different with Greg. He didn't just love Greg. He might .... Steve could feel his heart skip a beat at the thought.

He might be in love with Greg. How did he know if he was in love? He'd thought that he was before a few times in his life, but those experiences had been so far from the real thing that he didn't even want to admit that he'd thought he had lost his heart.

Was it possible that he could be in love with Greg Sanders? Steve stole another glance at the other man from under his lashes; it was hard to keep his eyes off Greg when they were here in the same room, in such close proximity even though they weren't standing next to each other.

It was ridiculous to keep trying to pretend that he only thought of Greg as a friend and colleague. He had to throw out some feelers, to let the other man know that he was interested. He was sure that Greg felt the same, but their situation was something of a delicate one.

He was, in effect, Greg's boss. What would it look like to the rest of the world if they got involved? Steve didn't care what people would think about him being in love with a man; as far as he was concerned, he had the right to love whoever he chose, no matter which gender they were.

That was going to pose a problem. Not only the team members, but everyone around them would frown on him being involved with one of his team. The others might not care, but anyone outside of his immediate circle would probably have something to say about it.

And since when had he cared what other people thought? Steve told himself, snorting inwardly. It didn't matter what anybody else said. As long as he and Greg were professional and circumspect while they were working, their personal lives were their own.

The main problem now was deciding just how he was going to broach the subject of going out to Greg. If he wasn't careful, he could make it sound like an order, something a boss would expect of someone who worked for him, and he didn't want things on that footing.

The only way to do it was to simply ask, Steve told himself firmly. If he didn't ask, he would never know the answer. And he couldn't keep yearning for Greg and not knowing if his feelings were returned. Sooner or later, they had to move forward. It might as well be sooner.

Clearing his throat, Steve looked up again -- this time meeting Greg's eyes as he did so. He wanted to smile at the realization that the other man had been watching him, but he didn't. Instead, he only smiled in response, leaning back in his chair.

"Hey, do you have any plans for tonight?" he asked, keeping his voice casual. That was the way to go, he told himself. Keep it casual, as though his heart wasn't pounding in his chest and he didn't feel like his entire life hinged on this one question.

Greg shook his head, raising an eyebrow in question. "Nope, not a thing. I was just going to go home and watch tv, probably order Chinese or something like that. Why? Did you have something in mind?" His tone was just as casual as Steve's, maybe even more so.

But Steve was sure that Greg didn't feel as nonchalant as he sounded. He was absolutely positive that the other man's heart rate was speeding along just as his was, and that he was waiting with bated breath to hear what Steve's next words would be.

"I thought we could go out to dinner, if you'd like to," he said, trying to keep his tone friendly and warm, yet impersonal enough so that it didn't sound like a proposition. That was harder to do than he'd thought; what he really wanted to do was to blatantly ask Greg out on a date.

"Are you asking me out?" Greg inquired, his voice soft, pitched so that only the two of them could hear. It didn't matter whether he spoke softly or not; the door was closed, and no one could hear them. But Steve was glad nonetheless for Greg's caution.

"Yeah, I am," Steve told him, his gaze not leaving Greg's face. He wanted to see this man's reaction to the question; the look in Greg's eyes, more than anything else, would tell him whether or not his feelings were returned. And he had to know.

What he saw in those dark eyes was surprise at first -- and then a joy that blazed so brightly that Steve could almost see it in corporeal form, as an aura all around Greg. There was no mistaking the fact that the other man was pleased by Steve's invitation.

"I'd love to have dinner with you," he answered, his voice so soft that the word were barely audible. "And if you want anything more, I'd love that, too." His gaze never left Steve's face; he was making it more than obvious what the meaning behind his words was.

Steve could feel his heart leaping in his chest; this was something he hadn't expected. He had thought that Greg might accept his dinner invitation, but he had been so sure that they would have to keep circling each other in that civilized dance for a while before they could come together.

Now, it seemed that Greg had swept all of those barriers aside, with just a few words. Steve had to resist the urge to get up and cross the few feet of space between them, to take Greg into his arms and kiss him thoroughly, not caring who might see them.

But he wouldn't do that. Not yet. He would wait until they were within the confines of his house, behind safe walls and closed doors, before he made a move like that. But it was coming. As surely as he knew that he would take his next breath, he knew it would happen.

He couldn't be sure yet whether he was in love or not. He didn't know Greg well enough yet; there hadn't been enough of a relationship established for him to know in his heart exactly how he felt. But he thought he was falling in love, much more rapidly than he'd ever believed he could.

He would let himself keep falling, Steve told himself with an inward smile. Tonight would only be the start. And if he was very, very lucky, tonight would lead to something more. So much more. It could very well lead to them spending a lifetime together.

But those thoughts were kept inside, at least for now. Aloud, he only said, "I'll pick you up around seven, then. That'll give us both a little time to go home and shower and get ready, okay?" And it would also give him time to get his house in order -- just in case Greg came home with him.

"Sounds good to me," Greg said, flashing him another smile before looking back down at the evidence he was processing. Steve leaned back in his chair again, a feeling of anticipation sweeping over him. Tonight couldn't get here soon enough.

***