Title: Carefree World
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1drabble
Prompt: 34, Innocence
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 Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

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There was a beautiful innocence to this place, a feeling of being taken back in time to a more carefree world

Ryan leaned back against the bench in the park, watching Greg as his boyfriend went over to an ice cream vendor and used his French francs to buy them each an ice cream cone. How long had it been since he'd done something like this?

He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten ice cream outside on a warm summer day. Not since he was a kid, a long-ago time he could barely remember.

One thing that this trip to Paris had helped him do was recapture a bit of his innocence, in ways that he never would have expected. He and Greg had done things here that he hadn't thought of doing since he was a child.

Things like having an ice cream cone while walking in the park.

Ryan couldn't help smiling at the thought, his heart lifting. He'd been happier in the last ten days than he'd ever thought it was possible to be.

This vacation had been wonderful for both of them; he was sure that Greg felt the same as he did. They had both been able to relax and let their stress drop away from them, to leave it behind as they enjoyed their free time.

All too soon, they would be back at work again, but when they were, they would feel as if they'd been rejuvenated, with more energy and a sense of renewal.

Ryan was sure that they'd even have a greater appreciation for what they did, for having been away from it for a while.

Because really, no matter how much stress and strain their work could put on them, and no matter what horrible things they might have to see, he knew that they both loved what they did, and derived great satisfaction from a job well done.

Being CSIs might have taken a toll on their mutual innocence in some ways, but it was also a large part of who each of them was.

He knew that neither of them would trade that for anything.

Even if he could go back to those days of innocence when he had been a child, Ryan knew that he wouldn't change who he was today for any reason. He liked who he'd become, and he wouldn't go back in time.

Not even to regain that long-ago innocence. Because if he did that, then he would lose who he was now, and he'd worked long and hard to get here.

He reached out a hand for the ice cream cone that Greg brought back to him, smiling at his boyfriend. "How about we take a walk through the park while we eat these?" he said softly, his gaze meeting his lover's.

Greg's smile and soft laugh was all the answer he needed to make him feel as carefree as a child, enjoying a sunny day in the park.

***