Fic: Leading By Example, Chapter 15/15 (CSI NY/Miami, Ryan / Eric, Flack / Hawkes)
Title: Leading By Example, Chapter 15/15
Fandom: CSI Miami / CSI NY
Pair: Ryan Wolfe / Eric Delko,
Sheldon Hawkes / Don Flack
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
CSI NY Main List CSI Miami Main List
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 (NC-17) Chapter 7 (NC-17) Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 (NC-17) Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14
“You’re lucky.” Ryan stated as soon as Eric and Hawkes had headed to the bar counter for drinks.
“Yeah, I… just so we’re clear, are we talking about the same thing?”
“I meant you’re lucky, because Valera couldn’t come with us.”
“Is she that bad?” Flack smirked.
“No, she’s a great friend, but you don’t want her sniffing around a new relationship.”
“Why not?”
“She thinks she can predict how new couples will turn out. She’ll hound you with questions and then makes her prediction.”
“Is she ever right?”
“It’s about fifty-fifty…”
“What kinda questions?”
“Like… Do you have any common hobbies and stuff like that. And when she gets the normal stuff out of the way, it can get weirder before she’s satisfied.”
“Well, it can take a lot to satisfy any woman. And sometimes it’s totally impossible.”
“I could interpret that statement in so many ways…”
“Go ahead, investigator.” Don grinned and stretched his long legs under the table. “Interpret it. Or better yet, gimme your best prediction.”
“That’s Valera’s thing, I don’t do that.” Ryan laughed. “I’m not as twisted as she is.”
“Come on, try to be as perverted as you can.”
“That’s what Eric always says.”
“Do you do it?”
“If the reward is nice enough.” Ryan chuckled. He fiddled with the menu and gave Don a sharp look. “Okay, but remember you asked for it. I’m tuning into my inner Valera…. Okay, first question.”
“Hit me with it.”
“Favourite position?”
“Everything goes, as long as it doesn’t give me a creak in the neck the next morning.”
“How long have you known Sheldon?”
“Years. He used to be our ME before he decided to get out of the morgue.”
“Did he ever do anything weird with the corpses?”
“That’s sick…”
“I didn’t mean that. I meant did he lift their heads and use them as a ventriloquist’s dummy and think it’s funny as hell.”
“Not as far as I know.”
“Good. We had one like that subbing for Alexx, when she was on a vacation. The first time was almost funny, but when the poor guy’s head is in three pieces, it’s really poor taste to ask for a cat-scan.”
“What kind of a sick bastard does that? If the head’s in pieces…” Don’s face contorted with disgust. “Sorry. I’m pretty immune to everything that can happen on a crime scene and even seeing the cutting at the morgue, but brain’s are so mushy…”
“Yeah.” Ryan agreed. “Like an old bowl of Jell-O.”
“If we’re still gonna eat, the next question better be something less brainy.”
“Okay. What’s your stand when it comes to flirting while on duty?”
“With each other or-”
“With other people.”
“I don’t know…” Don admitted. “Shelly`s pretty much the same with everyone. Annoying know-it-all, who never knows when to shut up.”
“Is that what draw you in?”
“In a way, yeah. First it annoyed me, then I started to let it all in from one ear and out the other.”
“But he got your attention.”
“Yep.” Don grinned and opened his menu for a closer inspection. “Is it usually this crowded?”
“Yeah, it’s faster to just go and get your drinks from the bar than to ask them from a waiter.”
“Is the food like that too?”
“Unfortunately. Good thing we got all evening. When is your flight leaving?”
“After four.”
“PM?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you can sleep in tomorrow.” Ryan thought about it and then grinned. “Sorry, I forgot you two just started. No one ever gets that much sleep in the beginning.”
“How long does that last?”
“In our case it still hasn’t stopped. Haven’t you had that many longer relationships?”
“With this job?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. But it’s easier when the other guy knows the job.”
“And if we work on the same case, we might get called to the same scene at three in the morning.” Don laughed. The look on his face turned thoughtful. “I’m kinda looking forward to that.”
“Getting woken up in the middle of the night?”
“I mean waking up with someone in my bed. It’s nice.”
“Yeah, it is. Haven’t you…?”
“It’s been a while. Makes getting up less painful.”
“There’s one more thing in the plus column. No more empty bed.”
“I hope so.” Don glanced at the direction of the bar, where Eric and Sheldon were queuing patiently. “So how many points did we get?”
“Points for what?”
“Agreeing to this farewell dinner? I mean your hag’s test.”
“Oh that… I don’t know, I didn’t ask that many questions, we got sidetracked.”
“What’s your best guess?”
“Well… You’re both off to a good start. You know each others strengths and weaknesses and all the annoying stuff and you still wanna try. That’s a good start.”
-----------------------------------
“-and that’s why I decided never to give my real number to anyone, who might be a deranged stalker.”
Sheldon took a deep breath and glared at Eric, who looked smugger than a man telling that story should have any right to be.
“Eric?”
“Yeah?”
“How did this conversation go from my testimony to Fatal Attraction 2: Delko’s Bunnyboiler?”
“When did we talk about your testimony?”
“That’s where we started.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh…”
“And I got another surprise for you too.”
“I don’t wanna know…”
“Look behind you.”
Eric twirled around.
“What?”
“Our drinks. You’ve been holding the line behind us for at least three minutes.” Hawkes took two of the drinks while Eric took the other two. “The bartender tried to get through to you, but you were in too deep with your little story.”
“But I got applauds! Or did I imagine them…?”
“You didn’t imagine them, but that was after you described how you and the Looney tune got it on in an alley behind the bar. One of the guys needed a cigarette after you were done.”
“Not the first time-”
“Let’s just get back to the table, they’re probably wondering what’s keeping us.”
“Nah… Ryan knows me too well to wonder.” Eric shrugged and followed Hawkes through the crowd back to the table. They carefully placed the drinks on the table and slid down to the padded bench. Eric wrapped a proprietary arm around Ryan’s shoulder and gave him lopsided smile.
“Did you miss me?”
“You were gone so long, I almost forgot you came here with us.”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“What took so long?” Don asked and took a sip from his drink.
“Delko got into a long story about his wild bachelor days.” Hawkes explained. “The bartender even tried to poke him with a cocktail stick, but he didn’t stop.”
“Not the one about that crazy chick?” Ryan sighed. “The one with the bunnies…”
“Yeah, that one. This is my second drink, I already had one while he went on with the story. It was the only way to get through it.”
“Sorry, just a small private conference.” Ryan leaned over the desk, close enough to whisper in Don’s ear. “One final addition to my earlier relationship analysis: They’re not much and they can be annoying as hell sometimes, but they’re ours.”