Title: White Light, Chapter 7
Pairing: Ryan Wolfe / Eric Delko
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Notes: Inspired by the movie Just Like Heaven
CSI Miami Main List Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 “Honey, I’m home.” Eric announced and slammed the door shut. He walked into the kitchen and stared pulling take-out carton from a paper bag. “I brought Chinese… oh right, you can’t eat. Too bad.”
“Save sarcasm for me, you don’t have the wit for it.” Wolfe materialised next to him, eyeing the food with an obvious disgust. “Take-out… the safe heaven for an overage momma’s boy, who never learned to feed himself. At least she got your potty-trained, otherwise your life would be really complicated.”
“Yeah, my life is so simple and easy right now.” Eric groaned. He shoved a forkful of food into his mouth. “I have to do five hundred hail Marys because of you.”
“What does that mean? And keep your mouth shut when you’re chewing.”
“I went to talk to a priest about you.”
“Me?” Wolfe almost laughed. “Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“You were trying to get him to exorcise me?” His smirked. “I could have saved you the trip. People don’t do that anymore, people will start think you’re nutty if you do.”
“He didn’t even agree to import one from Rome.”
“How unfair…”
“Yeah! And then he didn’t let me leave without doing the whole confession thing.”
“When was the last time you did that?”
“Can’t remember… It’s like going to bed when you know you’ll sneak out in the morning. You gotta make it good and there’s a lot of pressure. I used some of my best stories!”
“How did he take it?”
“We had to stop twice so he could take his heart pills.”
“You’re as cruel to your priest as you are to your colon. You have any idea what kinda damage a diet like that can do in the long run?”
“I don’t eat stuff like this all the time!”
“Right, that’s why the only thing in the fridge is a collection of leftovers. Did you bring them over from your old place?”
“They’re still good.”
“Yeah, they are undoubtedly good for growing mildew, but not so good for human beings.”
“You actually rank me as a human being? Aww….” Eric commented dryly.
“You’re the one who’s trying to get rid of me. All things considered I’ve been a very gracious roommate.”
“If you don’t count molesting me in my sleep.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Don’t try to fool me, I know it was you. You came to my bedroom and you…”
“I did what?”
“You touched me!”
“I didn’t.”
“You didn’t?”
“Nope.” Wolfe snorted and eyed him smugly. “Sorry to hurt your ego, but it was probably just wishful thinking.”
“I’m not wishing anything!”
“Right, you have wet dreams of all ghouls you live with.”
“You’re the only ghoul I have to live with!”
“What exactly were we doing in your dream?”
“We weren’t doing anything, you were!”
“Details, man. I spent the day watching daytime TV, I need some X-rated entertainment.”
“I’m not gonna even discuss about this.” Eric slammed his take-out carton against the table. “That priest I talked to said we should just try to get along, but you’re making me wanna go to the hospital and pull the plug myself.”
“All that because I didn’t take advantage in of you when you were sleeping?” Wolfe’s grin was quickly becoming too irritating to watch. Eric looked away and Wolfe continued. “Maybe I should come for a visit next time you fall asleep.”
“Don’t you dare! We need rules here.”
“What kind of rules?”
“You stay away from me and I’ll stay away from you. When I have company here you’ll stay out of the way, and if you bring some nice zombie dude for a quickie I’ll stay away.”
“Zombie? Why would I have a thing with a zombie? And why do you assume it would be a quickie?”
“Why do you have to get hung up on details? I’m tired, okay? I had to drink three pots of coffee in the break room before I even started my shift. They’re doing our annual evaluations, I can’t afford to fall asleep at the scene!”
“I’m not stopping you from sleeping.”
“You are! I can’t even relax in my own home-”
“My home.”
“Whatever! I haven had a moments rest since I moved here.”
“Maybe you should call miss Apple-pie and try to set up your next date at her place.”
“She’s not coming anywhere near me after your little stunt!”
“Not much of a lost.” Wolfe shrugged. “If you don’t have a date, what do you do?”
“Nothing.” Eric picked up his dinner and started eating again. “Go to the gym, or see a movie or something. I don’t know, just something and then get some sleep.”
“Well… do that.”
“Do what?”
“Go to the gym and rent a movie.”
“Now?”
“Now. I’ll come up with something to pass the time.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t ask.” A small smirk curled Wolfe’s lips again. “Where do you think I am when you don’t see me?”
“Hovering somewhere in the ceiling?”
“No. Go get your movie, I’ll give you some space.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, but pick something good. No chick flicks or I’ll come and haunt you.”
“Okay.” Eric dumped the half empty carton of food to the sink and wiped his mouth. “So?”
“What?”
“Where are you going?”
“To the white light.” Wolfe stated with a light giggle.
“You’re not dead yet.”
“Not that kind of a white light.”
“Then what kind?”
“Why are you so interested?”
“You’re not dead, but you’re haunting in your old apartment. I think I’m entitled to be curious.”
“Fine, I’ll tell you. It’s light. White light, but it doesn’t lead to anywhere. No matter what way you turn, you can walk as long as you like but you won’t find anything except more white emptiness.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing. I can stay there or I can stay here, those are the only possibilities.”
“Why?”
“What do I look like, Saint Peter? I don’t make the rules.” Wolfe’s temper was obviously bubbling to the surface again. “Get going.”
“You’ll be gone when I come back?”
“For tonight.”
He faded into a mist, but this time Eric didn’t bother to see the whole show. The trick wasn’t that interesting after few repetitions. He grabbed his wallet from the counter, his gym bag from the bedroom and left.
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When Eric came back two hours later his limbs were pleasantly exhausted. He had showered at the gym and dropped by at the rental show to pick up a stack of DVDs before heading home. He dropped his bag on the floor and went into the living room.
The smell hit him before he noticed the bowl on the coffee table. The large bowl that had been stashed into one of his unopened moving boxes was now on the table, filled to the brim with warm popcorn. Next to it was the small note torn from the notepad in the kitchen.
Eric picked up the paper and read the short message.
Truce?
Chapter 8