"Yes."

The word was barely a whisper; leaving Adam's mouth on a breath, as if it had escaped of its own free will. Danny smiled widely before leaning in and capturing Adam's lips with his. He pulled the younger man away from the door and led him into the room. Still kissing, Adam felt Danny's hands move towards his belt. It was then that he began to panic. Too many questions were spinning in his head about where this was going and what it really meant. He felt like he couldn't breathe. In the back of his mind, he felt Danny pulling away.

"Adam?" The voice sounded worried, and it was then that Adam realised he hadn't been breathing. He was hyperventilating.

"Adam, are you ok?" Adam stumbled back, completely separating himself from Danny. He immediately felt the loss, but forced himself not to look back to where he truly wanted to be.

"I'm sorry," Adam spoke as best he could. "I… I'm sorry." Turning quickly, Adam fled the apartment.

He wasn't sure how long he ran for. He didn't stop until his heart rate was no longer all he could hear, and his breathing was somewhat calmed. Looking around, Adam realised he'd been running in the wrong direction for his apartment. Sighing heavily, Adam began walking back towards his home. He stopped when a taxi pulled up next to him. Getting in, he gave the driver his address and leaned back into the seat; letting his head fall back as he tried to figure out exactly what had just happened.

When they got to his apartment, Adam paid and got out of the cab; his movements slow and fatigued. He made his way in through his door and immediately sank to the floor. The emotional energy it had taken just to get to this point finally overwhelmed the lab tech as he closed his eyes and let the exhaustion wash over him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Danny knocked the door in front of him softly. He didn't get an answer, so he tried a little harder.

"Adam?" He called through the door – worry starting to set in. Tentatively he reached for the door handle, and realised it was open. Fear filled the CSI when he entered the room and saw Adam in a heap on the floor.

"Adam!" Danny was immediately at the lab tech's side. He checked for breathing; sighing in relief when he found a strong pulse. Danny's touches caused Adam to stir and open his eyes.

"Danny?" He asked groggily. "What…"

"You didn't come in to work, and you weren't answering your phone. I came to check on you."

"Oh," Was all Adam could say as he looked around and realised he was still on the floor. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Danny sighed with a smile; sitting down on the floor. "I'm just glad you're ok… I guess I freaked you out a little last night, huh?" Adam smiled weakly and looked at the floor.

"I guess when something you've been dreaming about finally happens… It's a little hard to process."

"I know," Danny replied understandingly, hooking a finger under Adam's chin to make the younger man look at him. "And I'm sorry. I should've taken it slower… I wasn't thinking."

This time Adam's smile was genuine as he looked at Danny. Summoning up whatever courage he had in him, Adam leaned forward and kissed Danny softly on the lips.

"There's still time," Adam whispered when they parted. "If you wanna start over… take it slow." There was a question in Adam's tone that made Danny smile. Leaning in slowly; Danny touched his lips to Adam's, giving the lab tech full choice to back out. Instead, Adam pulled Danny closer and deepened the kiss. Danny smiled against Adam's lips before reluctantly pulling away.

"None of this is gonna lead to taking things slow," Danny whispered with a sigh. Adam smiled and shook his head.

"I guess not."

"I gotta get back to the lab. You should stay here; get some rest. I'll drop by when my shift's over – we can order pizza; maybe watch a movie." Adam nodded, getting up with the help of Danny. After one more chaste kiss, Danny turned and left Adam's apartment; stopping at the door to see Adam smile one more time.

THE END