This is a Horatio and Ryan one-shot.

I'm currently working on a sequel to When It Gets Hard. Until it's finished, I'll probably release a few one-shot, random, fluffy stories. Hope you all enjoy!

-V

Ryan was annoyed.

He watched as Calleigh, Eric, and Horatio talked to each other. Every few seconds, one or two, or all of them would burst into giggles. Ryan wanted to know just what was so funny. But he couldn't know. He couldn't just walk up to them and interrupt their conversation. That was rude, and Ryan didn't want to be rude. Besides, Horatio hadn't spent time with the others outside of the lab too much these days. So it was good for him to get out of the house. And Horatio did look like he was having a good time. And Ryan was glad, really.

But he felt totally ignored.

Ryan knew that he shouldn't be feeling this way. Mostly considering the fact that Horatio showered him with affection night and day. But dammit, Ryan wanted just a little bit of attention. They'd been here for about an hour and a half now, and Horatio hadn't even glanced at Ryan once. So, Ryan was feeling a little neglected.

He sighed to himself as he knocked back a shot the bartender handed him. He looked back at Calleigh again. They made eye-contact and she smiled at him. Calleigh waved her hand to call Ryan over. He debated it in his head; the reason why Ryan was alone now was because he felt out of place with Calleigh, Eric, and Horatio. They had their own little 'clique'. And that made sense, they'd known each other for so long, before Ryan even joined their team.

Ryan sighed and decided to get up. He would stop feeling sorry for himself, and lonely, and he would join the others. Ryan stood, turned and pulled on the thighs of his pants. They were quite tight; Horatio joked that Ryan wore them just to tease him. And he would be correct, of course, but Ryan wouldn't tell Horatio that. Ryan hadn't expected some guy to run into him, though. The guy carried a drink and it nearly spilled on him. The guy was extremely apologetic to Ryan.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." The guy said. "I didn't spill anything on you, did I?"

Ryan inspected himself and then shook his head. Nothing spilled on him, thankfully. Or else he'd probably bite the poor guy's head off. And he looked rather young, too, to Ryan. 25, maybe?

"No, I'm good. You should probably watch out, though." Ryan told him.

The guy nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." The guy smiled. "So, can I buy you a drink?"

Ryan frowned. "Was that flirting? Like, was that your way of coming onto me? Does that actually work?"

The guy chuckled and nodded. "Why don't you tell me? You wanna dance?"

Ryan stopped frowning. He glanced at Calleigh again. She wasn't looking at him anymore. Eric was though. And Horatio followed suit. Both men were throwing Ryan occasional glances while Calleigh remained oblivious. Ryan looked back at the guy. He was kind of cute. Ryan nodded. "Um, okay sure. Only for a little bit, though. I have to get back to my-."

The guy grabbed Ryan's hand and pulled him away from the bar. "Great. Let's go."

They walked together and Ryan glanced back again to the boys. Eric wasn't looking anymore but Horatio certainly was.

Ryan and the guy stopped suddenly. Ryan looked up to him, since he was pretty tall. And he was quite the looker- tall, fit, tan skin, really beautiful hazel eyes. If Ryan were single, this guy would be someone he'd be interested in. But Ryan wasn't single. As the two danced, the guy stared at Ryan. It would have made Ryan uncomfortable, if the guy hadn't made it a point to keep telling him how attractive he thought Ryan was. And so, Ryan liked his ego stroked every so often. Who didn't?

The guy had started saying something else, but Ryan couldn't catch it over the loudness of the music playing. He looked at the guy confused.

The guy took that as an opportunity. He put his hands on Ryan's waist, and pulled him in closer. They were so close that their stomachs were touching, along with their groins. The guy leaned in closer to Ryan's ear. "I asked you what your name is?"

"Oh, it's Ryan."

"Are you in a relationship?"

Ryan nodded. The guy didn't seem too phased, though. He only smiled, nodded and continued dancing. Ryan was a little weirded out by how unfazed the guy was. He was also weirded out by how close they were dancing together. Ryan didn't like being that close to a stranger. He tried backing away a few times, but the guy still held him in place.

"Excuse me, but could I borrow Ryan for a moment?" Horatio asked.

Ryan definitely heard his voice clear as day. The guy seemed upset, though. He shook his head. "No, we're dancing right now." He answered.

Horatio's face was stern but his voice was calm. "I don't care. I don't want you touching my boyfriend." Horatio answered. "So, get your hands off of him. Now."

The guy wasn't letting go without a second try, though. He turned his attention back to Ryan. He asked him instead. "Do you want to come home with me or not?"

Ryan chuckled. "If it comes between my boyfriend and someone else, I'll always choose my boyfriend. Sorry." The guy rolled his eyes, and walked away. Before though, he made it known that he was angry by calling Ryan a bunch of names. Ryan didn't care, though. Horatio had grabbed him by his waist, just as the guy had did. But it was a lot better when Horatio did it. He pulled Ryan in close and kissed him softly.

"You were doing that on purpose."

"Doing what?"

"Teasing me."

Ryan shook his head. "I'll admit it with the pants, but I would never try to make you jealous."

Horatio smiled and kissed him again.

Ryan was happy. He hummed into the kiss and sighed. "I love you, Horatio."

"I love you too, Ryan. Now let's go home."

Ryan was about to ask about Calleigh and Eric. But he had turned and saw them sitting close at the bar. Their foreheads were touching and from the angle, Calleigh looked like she had the largest smile on her face. They seemed preoccupied. They probably wouldn't even notice the two leaving. Horatio released Ryan's waist, and took his hand instead. He gave another smile to Ryan before leading him off of the dance floor, past the bar, where they saw Eric glance at them. Not for too long, though, as his attention was on Calleigh. They continued on until they were home, where the two cuddled in bed, sharing the occasional kisses and telling each other just how much they loved one another.

The End