Title: A Christmas To Remember
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Zeke Barnes/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Miami/A Gifted Man
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 20, Bittersweet
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Zeke Barnes or Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

His first Christmas here in Chicago, Ryan thought as he stood back to look at the small tree he'd put up in the living room of his apartment. He hadn't bothered with a tree in his home when he'd lived in Miami. He'd always just enjoyed the tree that his family had up at their house.

But this year, he'd felt that he had to have his own tree. Not just because it was his first Christmas in a new city, but because he had someone to share it with.

That was one thing he'd hadn't counted on when he'd moved here, he told himself with a smile. He hadn't thought that he would find someone to love -- someone who loved him back just as fiercely, someone who he planned to share his entire life with.

He hadn't expected a man like Zeke to come into his life.

Zeke made being here in Chicago seem like the best thing he'd ever done for himself. He'd had his doubts about being here, even weeks after he'd settled into his new CSI job and had gotten used to the city. But Zeke had driven all of those doubts away.

He'd expected this to be a bittersweet Christmas, the first that he'd ever spent away from his home and his family. He had thought that he would feel a little down, that he'd miss Miami, that he'd want to go home for the holidays, even though he knew that he couldn't do so.

But there was no melancholy, no bittersweet longing for home. Yes, he missed spending the holidays with his family, but he wasn't alone now. He had someone in his life, someone who made up for all of the lonely days that had gone before.

Having Zeke in his life negated all of the times he'd thought that he would always be alone, that he would never find anyone to love him. All of the people he'd worked with in the Miami CSI unit who had joked about him being single for life would be amazed.

He'd love to be able to tell them that he'd never been so happy in his life.

He had already told his parents about Zeke, and he was sure that they'd tell the other members of his family as well. That news had cut down on their disappointment about him not being at home for the holidays -- though he knew that it was bittersweet for them, too.

Now, he would have even less inclination to come home for frequent visits. But his parents wanted him to live his own life and be happy, no matter where that life took him.

Ryan smiled when he heard the doorbell ring, turning away from the brightly decorated tree and heading for the front door. That would be Zeke, coming over to spend Christmas Eve with him. Somehow, he had the feeling that this would be a Christmas to remember.

***