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Two weeks had passed and things were back to normal; well, almost. Roger was back in his own apartment and Kyle was moving to his own place. Eric and Ryan were no longer fighting. The only thing that was still bothering everyone was that Charles had just woken up from his coma and he was not happy. According to a rumor he was threatening to sue Horatio. Everyone knew this was just another attempt from him to get Ryan away from the redhead, but that didn't mean it wasn't unnerving to have that kind of a threat hanging over your shoulders.
However, Horatio had other things to think about today as it was time for his son to move out his beach house and live in his own apartment. Kyle would live only twenty minutes away from his father, much to Horatio's liking. Kyle knew that it was little difficult for his old man to see him move out; but at least he had Ryan to keep him company at home.
Ryan and Horatio were helping Kyle move his stuff to his place; it wasn't much since Kyle had only had one room to put furniture in and not a whole home. He had bought some furniture and Roger was waiting for the delivery guys to bring it at Kyle's place.
"I thought today's youth was young and quick." Horatio grinned and glanced at his son, panting for breath in the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Well, you know Kyle's already carried four boxes down the stairs so he might be tired." Ryan smirked.
"What would his friends say if they found out that two old men were moving quicker than him?" Horatio asked, as he walked past his son up the stairs to collect another box from his room.
"Funny." Kyle said, "I'm tired, I've been up all night."
"That's what happens when you decide to party all night long and go to sleep at five in the morning." Ryan said, as he walked past the younger man on his way down, carrying a box.
"Who the hell got the idea to wake me up at nine to start moving?" Kyle asked, as he walked up the stairs to his room; soon to be guest room.
"That would be the redheaded gentleman known as your dad." Ryan chuckled, as he joined Kyle in the room.
They both picked up a box each and headed downstairs and outside to the minivan that Horatio had rented; the redhead was organizing the boxes so everything would fit.
"When did you stop carrying stuff?" Kyle asked.
"When I realized that I needed to organize the boxes." Horatio said, "Besides I have the perfect excuse; I'm older than you two."
"Oh yeah, when you reach your age everything starts going downhill." Ryan grinned, "It won't be long before the grey hair come and you have to use fake teeth."
Kyle and Ryan smirked as Horatio muttered something. They went back inside the house to get the last two boxes and then there was only a desk and a small couch left. The bed was being left behind as a guest bed; Kyle had bought a new bed instead of bringing his old one.
"You could help, you know." Kyle panted, as he and Ryan carried the couch.
"I could, yes. But in my age you not only get grey hair and fake teeth, you get memory loss too and I can't remember what I'm doing here." Horatio grinned.
Ryan and Kyle pushed the couch into the minivan and then went to get the desk; only this time Horatio did help. Instead it was Ryan that helped less and instead watched as father and son carried the desk outside.
"You could help too." Kyle groaned, as his arm muscles started hurting.
"I figured you need the exercise." Ryan shrugged with a smirk.
When the desk was inside the van it was time to drive to Kyle's new place. Kyle drove his own car while Horatio and Ryan drove the minivan.
When they arrived at Kyle's apartment Roger was waiting for them. The delivery guys had been there already and deliver some living room, kitchen and bedroom furniture. Roger helped the other three men to carry everything to the fifth floor and inside the boy's new home. Kyle was completely overjoyed at finally living in his own place; although he knew he would miss his father and Ryan very much.
When everything had been carried out of the minivan everyone but Kyle took a peek at the place; Kyle was already starting to unpack some shelves that he could put on the walls.
"You need any help to get everything unpacked?" Horatio asked.
"I have some friends coming over tomorrow to help." Kyle smiled, "I'm just going to get a head start."
"Are you sure there is nothing else we can do for you?" Horatio asked, not really wanting to leave his son yet.
Kyle knew that his father was just reluctant to leave and he didn't blame him. If Kyle got children one day he was sure he would just the same when they moved out of home. Kyle gave his dad a hug.
"I'll be fine dad; you and Ryan go and enjoy having a house all to yourselves." Kyle grinned.
"If you're sure." Horatio smiled and patted his son's back.
The three older men walked to the front door and said goodbye before leaving. Horatio stopped in the doorway and Kyle grinned.
"Call me if you need anything." He said.
"I will."
"In fact, call me even if you don't need anything." Horatio said.
"Now you sound like mom." Kyle chuckled.
Horatio grinned and said goodbye before closing the door behind him. He and Ryan went to return the minivan and then Roger drove them home and then went home to his place. When Ryan and Horatio stepped through the door of their beach house it felt strange to hear no music coming from upstairs and no one coming to greet them.
"Is it just me or do you also get the feeling of asking Kyle to move back in?" Ryan asked.
"I definitely have that feeling." Horatio said, "Oh well, we will get used to it."
"At least he won't be walking in on us having sex anymore." Ryan smirked.
"And speaking of sex." Horatio grinned and pulled his lover in for a kiss, "I believe I owe you from this morning."
Ryan shuddered with anticipation and followed his lover to the bedroom.
-I-
"It's extraordinary." Ryan said.
"Yeah, something like this makes you wonder if there are others like him out there." Eric said.
"Other intelligent life."
"Is he the only one or does he have friends?" Eric said, "Will we ever know?"
"Maybe one day." Ryan said.
"This is revolutionary." Eric sighed, "Scientists will study this for years and years."
"And possibly never find out the truth." Ryan said.
"Okay you can stop now." Walter sighed.
"I don't think we can actually." Eric grinned and looked at the photo of a young Walter Simmons wearing a pink tutu and a pirate hat.
Walter snatched the photo from Eric's hand and growled. His sister had come by and decided to share something funny and embarrassing with Eric and Ryan.
"The photo was taken when I was 14 okay? And I was only wearing it because I lost a bet." Walter said.
"Are there more like you out there?" Ryan asked.
"Out where?"
"The place where people where tutus and pirate hats." Eric grinned.
Walter growled and muttered something incoherent before walking to the AV lab. Eric and Ryan burst out laughing and heard Walter yelling at them that he would have his revenge. The two friends were working on a murder case and were quite busy so they stopped laughing, after five minutes, and got back to their evidence.
"So Kyle moves yesterday, huh?" Eric asked.
"Yeah."
"And Horatio has already called him five times?"
"Six."
Eric chuckled and Ryan tried to contain his laughter, but soon joined in with Eric. Horatio was just being his usual overprotective-self and although it probably annoyed Kyle to have his father (and also his mother) call him several times a day just because he had moved to his own place, he knew that they would eventually stop calling him so often. They were just being worried and trying to get used to the situation.
"So does this mean I have a guest room to sleep in if Calleigh kicks me out?" Eric asked.
"Of course." Ryan said, "Only if I get to use your guestroom if Horatio kicks me out."
"Like that would ever happen."
"It could."
"No way. Horatio would never do that."
"Okay, maybe not." Ryan said, "Would Calleigh kick you out?"
"She already has once." Eric said, "We were arguing and it resulted with her locking me outside her apartment for two days."
"Was this when you two couldn't decide how to decorate your future home?" Ryan asked, referring to an argument Calleigh and Eric had had two months earlier.
"Yes." Eric blushed, "Calleigh can have quite a temperament sometimes and be stubborn."
"So can you." Ryan grinned.
"I am nothing compared to her. Even H is scared of her when she's angry."
"Well, she does have a gun vault and she's not afraid to use everything in it; so I would be scared too." Ryan pointed out.
"Yeah, but H can make bombs. Think about if you ever make him angry enough he could blow up your car." Eric said.
"I would never do that."
Eric and Ryan turned around to face the redhead and he walked around to the other side of the table.
"I would just destroy his music collection." Horatio smirked, knowing how much Ryan loved his music.
"You wouldn't!" Ryan gasped.
Horatio just smirked and asked Eric what they had on the case. Ryan frowned and made a mental note of protecting his music if he and Horatio ever had a serious fight.
-I-
Roger was at the hospital to talk to Charles. He made sure to be there when Melinda was at home and not able to bother them. Roger needed to talk to Charles alone. He felt a bit hurt when he had found out that Charles had planned to use him to get access to Ryan so he could break him and Horatio up.
Roger knocked on the door and entered the room. Charles looked up from his news paper and greeted the other man with a nod.
"You seem to be doing very well." Roger said.
"I am. The doctor thinks I might be able to go home in a few days." Charles said grimly, "But you're not here to chit-chat are you?"
"No." Roger sighed, "I am here to ask you to think about what you're doing."
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"Of course not. You don't know that instead of saving Ryan you are only making him miserable." Roger said, "You think that getting Ryan away from Horatio is the best thing to do, well you're wrong. He is happy with Horatio."
"He thinks that he is. He doesn't know what he wants." Charles growled.
"And you do? When have you ever paid attention to what Ryan wants?"
"Don't lecture me about being a father. You weren't around when he grew up!"
"Because Melinda didn't tell me about him." Roger said, "I may not have raised Ryan, but he is my son too. And I care about him just as much as you do. I know that deep inside you know you're wrong."
"Get out!" Charles growled, "Get out before I decide to sue you too!"
Roger leaned closer to Charles's ear.
"If you sue Horatio I will make your life a living hell." He whispered, "You would ruin two good men and I can't allow you to do that."
"Just what the hell do you mean with making my life a living hell?" Charles asked enraged.
"Just keep in mind that you're not the only one that would be affected by it. Melinda would too." Roger said and straightened up, "You sue Horatio and you will wish you and I had never met."
"Is that a threat?" Charles asked, a bit stunned.
"It's a promise; one I intend to keep." Roger said and left the room.
Charles stared at the door a long time after Roger had left.
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