Title: Proud To Fall
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Table: Un-themed 7, mission_insane
Prompt: 3, Pride
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.

***

Greg sighed softly as he looked over at Ryan, watching his boyfriend as Ryan bent down to gather a piece of evidence into a plastic bag. This wasn't the time or place to tell his significant other how much he was loved, but Greg couldn't help thinking it.

He loved working with Ryan just as much as he loved living with him; even though he was comfortable working with most of the other CSIs on the team, he and Ryan had a professional bond as well as a personal one. They coordinated with each other's rhythms so easily.

Every day that they worked together, he wished that he could be honest with his friends and colleagues in the crime lab about his relationship with Ryan. He wanted to tell the world how he felt about this man, how much in love he was, how proud he was to be with Ryan.

This man could have anyone he wanted, and Ryan had chosen him. He'd been the man who Ryan wanted to be with, to share his days and nights with, to spend the rest of his life with. Who wouldn't be proud to be loved by such an extraordinary man?

Ryan was one of the bravest people he'd ever met; not only that, but he was loyal, honest, loving, generous .... Greg stopped his inner monologue with difficulty, allowing himself a small smile. He could go on and on about how much he loved Ryan and how wonderful his boyfriend was.

Without Ryan in his life, he would never have been able to face his past; he would still be alone and lonely, wondering if he would ever be able to find anyone who could love him in spite of all the hangups he had. Ryan had made that loneliness a thing of the past.

He would never have to feel that way again, Greg thought with a smile. He was with Ryan for the long haul, for the rest of their lives. He would never have to feel lonely, or lie awake in bed alone at night and wonder if he would ever find someone to love him the way he wanted to be loved.

Ryan had changed so much in his life, and all of it was for the better. How could he not be proud to be with the man who made him feel complete, the man who had turned every day of his life into an enchanted place that he found something beautiful in every day?

He couldn't help wondering if Ryan felt the same way about him; he knew that his boyfriend loved him, but he wondered if Ryan had the same kinds of thoughts that he did. Did Ryan feel just as proud to be with him as he did to be with Ryan? A part of him wanted to ask -- right here and now.

But of course, this wasn't the time or place for them to talk about something like that. He could ask that question when they were back in the Denali, on their way to the crime lab, after they'd left the crime scene. It could wait; he didn't need the answer right away.

His pride in Ryan swelled every time he looked at his boyfriend; it was still hard for him to believe that such a beautiful man had chosen to be with him. Just walking down the street by Ryan's side, even if they weren't holding hands or looking like they were together, made him feel proud.

And he'd been proud to fall in love with Ryan, proud to give his heart to such a man. Ryan was one in a million, and he had been the lucky recipient of this man's love. There were times when he still didn't know quite how he'd gotten so lucky, but he was glad that fate had smiled on him.

What would he have done if Ryan had never come into his life? Oh, he would have continued on, of course -- how could he not have? He wouldn't have known what he was missing, and he never would have had the kind of love in his life that he had now.

He might even have met someone in the future and believe that he was in love with them, but it would never have been like it was with Ryan. He might never even have been in a relationship -- he might have spent his life alone, wondering what it was like to be completely loved.

Ryan had saved him from so much misery and heartache, he told himself, forcing himself to concentrate on the pictures he was taking of the crime scene instead of watching Ryan. They had to finish up here and get back to the lab, and he was wasting time.

But it was hard to keep his mind off his boyfriend. For some reason, his thoughts wanted to stray in a certain direction tonight, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his job. He really shouldn't be here; he wasn't working up to his usual high standards. He should be at home.

Taking a deep breath, Greg went back to taking picture, forcing his thoughts of Ryan out of his mind. After what seemed like only a few minutes, his boyfriend was rising to his feet and turning in his direction with an expectant look on his face.

"Are you nearly done, Greg?" he asked, his voice soft in the still quiet of the house. "I think the cops are gone, and we should be wrapping this up and getting back to the lab. We've got a lot of work to do on this case -- and I don't think it's going to be an easy one to crack."

Greg nodded, snapping one last photo before he lowered the camera to smile at his lover. This was just one more thing that made him proud to be with Ryan, he told himself. His lover had such dedication to his work; he was the kind of man who really believed in helping people.

Anyone would be proud to fall for a man like this. But he was the one who was lucky enough to have Ryan in his life, to have fallen for him, and to be loved by him in return. He really was the luckiest guy in the world, at least in his own eyes.

His pride in being the man who Ryan had chosen to be with was swelling within him again, so much so that it was hard to hold it back. But he had to, Greg told himself, casting a glance around him. He had to remember where they were, and what they were doing.

Work wasn't the place to let his pride in being Ryan's boyfriend come out into the open -- but he could express how proud he was of their accomplishments as working partners. He was proud of all the work that Ryan had done with the Vegas CSI team, and he could show it.

After all, his partner's accomplishments reflected on him, too. They'd worked on a lot of cases already where their teamwork had been what cracked the case and caught criminals. The lab's rate of convictions had gone up since Ryan had transferred here and joined their team.

That was something to be proud of -- not just himself, but the entire team. He was sure that all of the CSIs here appreciated all of Ryan's hard work; without him, they might not have been able to crack some of the cases they'd had, and murderers might still be out on the streets.

Yes, he was proud of Ryan -- both at work and in their personal lives. Other people might think that he'd been too quick to fall, to give his heart and soul to this man, but Greg knew that he'd only done what he was meant to do -- and he'd been proud to fall.

"Come on," he said softly, holding out a hand to Ryan. "Let's get back to the lab and get this stuff processed. We've got a lot of work to do tonight." And the quicker they got it done, he told himself with an inward smile, the quicker they would be home -- and he could show his boyfriend just how proud he was of him.

***