Title: Within A Dream
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Zeke Barnes/Ryan Wolfe
Fandom: CSI: Miami/A Gifted Man
Rating: PG-13
Table: 6, 50ficlets
Prompt: 34, Dream
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.

***

Zeke snuggled into Ryan's embrace, feeling warm and protected in a way that he never had before. What was it about this man that made him feel as though he wanted to spend the rest of his life right here in Ryan's arms? No one else had ever made him feel this way.

With every other person he'd ever been with, there was always that last bit of holding back, that hesitation that told him he hadn't found the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life loving. With Ryan, there was no hesitation, no doubt, no holding back in any way.

Ryan was the man for him; he'd known that ever since he'd first looked into those incredible green eyes. But did Ryan feel the same way about him? He hoped that his lover did feel that way, but a part of him was afraid to ask, afraid of what he might hear.

It didn't matter, he told himself firmly. Actions spoke louder than words, at any rate, and Ryan's actions all told him that this man loved him and wanted to be with him. It wasn't something they needed to talk about now, anyway. They were still getting to know each other.

In some ways, everything that had happened between them in the past few days seemed like a strange and beautiful dream. Zeke felt at times as though he was walking through an enchanted wonderland, a place that would disappear the second he woke up from this dream.

Only it wasn't a dream. This was his real life, but a life unlike any he'd ever thought that he would have. He had told himself time and time again that coming here to Chicago was the right thing for him to do, but he hadn't understood just how right it was until he'd met Ryan.

Ryan was the man he wanted by his side for eternity, the man who had captured his heart and would always hold it. Did Ryan feel the same way about him? Zeke wanted to ask, but somehow, he felt that it would be too intrusive a question to impose at a time like this.

"Does this all feel like a dream to you sometimes?" Ryan whispered, catching Zeke by surprise. His dark eyes widened as he looked up at his boyfriend; he didn't know how Ryan did it, but he always seemed to be on the same wavelength, their thoughts colliding even when they were unspoken.

"Yeah, it does," Zeke answered, unsure as to just what he should say next. He found himself letting the words that had been in his mind slip out, before he could stop them. "Ryan, do you feel like you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Am I the man you want to go through eternity with?"

"How can you even think that you're not?" Ryan asked, his voice a husky whisper. "You're the only person I've ever been with who I fell head over heels in love with, Zeke. You're the only guy for me, now and forever. If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up from it."

"I guess I've just been feeling a little insecure because none of my relationships in the past worked out, even the ones I kept hoping were going to be forever," Zeke admitted, feeling a little shamefaced as the words came tumbling out. "It's not that I don't trust you, but ...."

Ryan shook his head, placing a finger on Zeke's lips, a smile curving his own. "I know how you feel, babe," he said, his voice soft and loving. "When you've started to feel like you're never going to find the person you were meant to be with, and then you do, it's hard to believe it's going to last."

"But this is going to last," Zeke declared, his voice gaining strength. "This is forever, you and me. This isn't just some dream that we're going to wake up from, or that's going to blow away with the first strong wind. You and I are meant to be. I believe that, Ry."

"So do I," Ryan told him, his voice still soft, but the tone firm and decisive. "I believe that fate led us to each other, and that we're meant to spend our whole lives together. Not just our lives here in this realm, but in any other realm that might come after this one."

"Whatever happens after this life, I'm going to be right there by your side," Zeke said softly, knowing that every word he spoke was the truth. He never wanted to leave Ryan; this man owned his heart and soul, and he didn't ever want to have either of them back. They belonged to Ryan. Forever.

"I don't ever want to wake up from this dream," Ryan told him, his smile widening as he gazed into Zeke's eyes. "This is the best dream I've ever had -- and as far as I'm concerned, it's perfect. If I woke up, it might change, and I don't ever want that to happen."

"Neither do I," Zeke said with a soft sigh, closing his eyes as Ryan bowed his head to brush a gentle kiss across his parted lips. Almost instantly, the kiss became more intense, Ryan's arms tightening around Zeke and pulling him closer, their heartbeats accelerating.

If this was a dream, it was the best one he'd ever had, Zeke told himself with an inward smile. And he hoped that this dream would last for the rest of his life, on into forever. It was the best dream he'd ever had, and he would be happy to stay within that dream for as long as time itself would last.

***