Title: Under His Skin
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Don Flack
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: NY
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 31, Skin
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 Don Flack, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Don looked down at the young man sleeping beside him, love in his gaze.

How was he going to be able to bring himself to break it off with Greg, even though he knew that it was the best thing for his young lover?

It was going to kill him, shatter his heart into tiny fragments that he was sure he would never be able to put back together again. He might be able to glue some of them back into place, but his heart would never be the same, not without Greg by his side.

Still, there was no way that he was going to let Greg keep putting himself at risk by being with Don. It was too much to ask of him, or of anyone.

He knew that Greg would do it, simply out of love.

But if he was honest with himself, he didn't want to be responsible for Greg's death. He didn't want to lose Greg to violence, or put himself through that kind of pain.

Letting go was the hardest thing he would ever have to do, even if he knew that it would be the right thing for both of them. So, for now, for these last few weeks, he was holding on, wishing that it didn't have to end, and savoring every bittersweet moment.

Greg didn't know that their love affair was coming to an end, not yet. But Don was sure that he could sense something was wrong. He was extremely perceptive.

Don moved a hand slowly down Greg's arm, caressing his glowing skin. So soft, he thought, a softness that he'd never known before and would never know again.

Oh, he might care about someone again. He'd definitely have other lovers, and he might even fall in love at some point. But it would never be like this again. He would never love anyone as he loved Greg Sanders; it wasn't possible to love like this more than once.

He'd thought he was in love a few times before Greg, but no one had ever touched his heart in the way that this young man did. Greg was under his skin.

Even if they parted tomorrow, his feelings wouldn't die.

They had to part. He knew that. It was best for Greg in the long run -- and maybe even best for him. It would save them both a lot of heartache.

But even if he lived to be a hundred years old, and they never saw each other again, Greg was under his skin for the rest of his life -- and probably beyond that. Greg would always be the love of his life, no matter what the future might hold.

He might have other lovers. He might even hold out his heart to someone else one day. But Greg would be the one who held his heart in the palm of his hand.

Greg would always be under his skin, and a part of his heart and soul.

***