Title: On A Cold Winter's Day
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: Un-themed 5, mission_insane
Prompt: 8, Winter
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 Ryan Wolfe, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"I hate winter," Greg grumbled as he and Ryan entered their apartment and began taking off their coats. "I hate the cold. It's one of the reasons I wanted to come here to Las Vegas after I finished my internship in the crime lab in New York. I hated the weather there."

"I don't mind the cold all that much," Ryan said with a shrug, hanging his coat up on the coat rack just inside the door and reaching to take Greg's coat from him. "I guess it's because I lived in the heat of Miami for so long. I'm kind of liking the change."

"But it gets cold here, too," Greg objected, shaking his head. "Not as cold as it does in New York, but the winter here can be pretty bad sometimes. I'd like to live somewhere that it never gets cold. Down in the forties is the coldest I want to get. Ever."

"Well, it'll be colder than that here this winter, at times," Ryan told his boyfriend with a laugh. "You've been living here for years, Greg. I should think you'd be used to the winters by now. And like you said, it's not as bad here in Vegas as it'd be if you were still in New York."

"I'm glad to be out of New York," Greg said, his voice softening. "Not just because of the weather here, either." He leaned forward to brush a kiss against Ryan's cheek, whispering in his ear. "If I wasn't here, then I wouldn't have met you when you came to Vegas."

"That's true enough," Ryan said with a soft laugh. "If I hadn't met you here, though, I know we'd have met at some point in time. We're fated to be together, Greg. Nothing this right could just be an accident of fate. We were meant for each other. In every way."

Greg nodded, flashing a smile as he slipped off his shoes and headed towards the kitchen. "I couldn't agree more. Besides, if I'd never met you, then how would I keep warm on these cold winter nights? I wouldn't have anybody to snuggle up with."

Ryan almost opened his mouth to say that he was sure Greg would have found somebody to get close to if he wasn't around, then closed it again. He knew that his boyfriend more than likely wouldn't be with anyone else, not after the things that he'd been through.

If Greg had never met him, then he would probably still be keeping himself hidden away emotionally, never letting anyone get close to him. He wouldn't be opening himself up and giving himself a chance to love -- and that would be a tragedy.

His coming here to Vegas had not only been good for him, but it had worked wonders in Greg's life as well, he told himself with an inward smile. To him, that was just more proof that coming here had been the best decision he could have possibly made.

He followed Greg into the kitchen, moving more slowly than his boyfriend had. By the time he walked into the room, Greg was already making hot cocoa, taking two mugs down from the cabinet and looking over his shoulder at Ryan. "I thought we could use something to warm us up."

Ryan chuckled as he moved closer to his boyfriend, waiting until Greg had put the mugs down to slide his arms around the other man's waist and pull him close. "What, you don't think I can do that all by myself? I'll keep you warmer than any drink could."

Greg laughed softly and let himself lean back against Ryan's chest. "I know you can, but I'm kind of thirsty. And wouldn't it be kind of romantic to recline on the couch while we drink cocoa and hold each other?" he asked, turning his head to smile at his lover.

"Very romantic," Ryan managed to whisper. His mouth had suddenly gone dry; he had the feeling that Greg intended for them to be doing a lot more on that couch than just drinking cocoa and relaxing. Without a doubt, they'd end up taking some clothes off before too much longer.

Not that he had any problem with that, he told himself. But they would have to turn the heat up a little if he was going to get naked on the couch and make love to his boyfriend. It was too chilly to think of being nude in this apartment with no blankets on the bed to cover them.

That was one thing he liked about the winters here in Vegas, he thought to himself, almost laughing out loud. They gave him a good excuse to snuggle up with Greg under the covers -- and if there were no covers, then they could get even closer.

In the winter, there were all kinds of excuses for the two of them to cuddle up together. Not that he needed any excuses to cuddle with his boyfriend, Ryan told himself hastily -- but it didn't hurt to have a few extra arrows in his quiver of reasons. That was always a good thing.

"What do you say we curl up on the couch and drink cocoa for a while before we think about doing anything else?" he said softly, hoping that Greg wouldn't take that as a rejection. "I'm tired, and I know you are, too. We can wait to do anything else until we get to the bedroom."

"I wasn't thinking about that!" Greg told him, his dark eyes widening. "I just wanted to relax and enjoy being with you." He raised a hand to cup Ryan's cheek, his expression serious. "It's not all about sex for me, Ry. I just like being with you sometimes. Just cuddling and enjoying your company."

Ryan felt ashamed for having thought that Greg wanted sex; he should have known that his boyfriend was more interested in just being close than in making love. "I'm sorry, Greg," he whispered, sounding contrite. "I didn't mean that you're all about sex. I just thought --"

"I know, babe," Greg said softly, his lips curving in a smile as he stroked a hand through Ryan's hair. "I know you just wanted to cuddle and get close. That's what I want, too. We can get even closer when we're in bed -- and we have the blankets to keep us warm!"

Ryan couldn't help smiling at Greg's last words; that was exactly what he'd been thinking. It was amazing how his boyfriend's train of thought so often managed to merge with his own; they almost seemed to be two parts of the same brain at times, they were so connected.

He moved to the kitchen table, watching Greg empty the packets of cocoa into their mugs, then pour the boiling water over them. Within moments, he was stirring sugar into the frothy concoction, and handing Ryan his mug, along with a spoon to stir it with.

Without a word, the two of them went into the living room and settled themselves on the couch, stirring their cocoa. And as one, they set their mugs on the coffee table and turned to each other with matching smiles, each of them reaching for each other at the same time.

When they were comfortably settled in each other's embrace, Greg sighed contentedly, closing his eyes and snuggling into Ryan's arms. "Now this is the best way to spend a cold winter's day, if you ask me. Right where I belong -- and the only place I want to be."

"You got that right," Ryan murmured, brushing a gentle kiss across his boyfriend's cheek. This was exactly where he wanted to be, too -- and nothing was ever going to make him give up the safety and security of being in love with Greg. Not for all of eternity.

This was indeed the perfect time for them to cuddle up on the couch. On a cold winter's day when they could not only enjoy each other's company, but also the body heat they produced. Ryan was sure that body heat would inspire them to head for the bedroom very soon.

But until then, he was going to enjoy every moment here on the couch, cuddling with the man he loved. They needed no words as their lips met, their bodies, hearts and souls telling each other everything they needed to know, and everything they could ever want to hear.

***

Next story in series - Sword and Shield.