Disclaimer:
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Anthony E. Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue owns CSI:Miami and all the things that came along with it. Sadly, I don't.
A/N:
This came from one badly colour-coordinated striped tee-shirt my mother bought me, and of course, I automatically thought of Ryan and his strangely matched outfits from season6 to season7 (at least, until the few episodes that have already been aired).
View my complete works at my website, accessible through my user profile.
EDIT: This fic now has a SEQUEL - Fashion Revelation
Fashion Prevention
"Something's wrong with the AC today," Ryan muttered as he handed the microscope slide to Eric.
"Hn... What?" the Cuban frowned in confusion while he patted the table in search of a pen, his eyes never leaving the binocular head.
"It's colder today," Ryan replied, waving his pen in exasperation that he even had to explain before pushing it into Eric's hand. "It wasn't like this yesterday. And it's boiling out there today so it can't be the weather."
Eric stood away from the microscope and began jotting down his findings with a chuckle, "Wolfe, I get it that it's boring. Filling in paperwork for a teenage bomb terrorist wannabe's failed first attempt and then more paperwork from a week before... But 'The lab is cold'? You can do better than that."
"But it is!" the younger man reiterated as he flipped through their case file aimlessly. "Look, even Natalia's wearing her coat."
"Isn't Boston colder than Miami?" Eric raised his eyebrows at his colleague before steering his eyes onto the rest of the bomb fragments on the table.
"I did move here."
Eric murmured something incomprehensible as he stretched his arm for the tweezers that were at the other end of the table, closer to Ryan, who picked it up easily with his right hand. The hand hovered above the Cuban's open palm for a second while he fidgeted on the spot and with a metallic clap, he put it back on his side of the table at a surprisingly accurate right angle to the edge, turned swiftly and made to leave the room.
"Wolfe! Where're you going? The AC's centralized, you can't-"
"Locker room. I'm getting a sweater-"
Eric's mind ceased to function and he heard none of what Ryan was saying next because he had pulled off his lab coat along with his dark brown jacket and shoved the latter into the other man's hands before said person realized what was happening.
"What's this?" Ryan cocked his head and narrowed his eyes at Eric.
"I'm not cold. You wear it." At Ryan's pointed look, he confessed, "There's little I don't like about you, but your sweaters top that list."
Hesitating for a moment during which Eric turned back to the table, Ryan slowly slipped on the thin jacket, still warm from the other man's lingering body heat. The next breath he took brought in the scent of Eric's cologne and fabric softener- and if he concentrated hard enough, a hint of the Cuban espresso they had that morning.
Ryan shrugged inwardly as he tugged the dark collar tighter against his neck before putting his lab coat back on. At least he now had a legitimate reason to wear something of Eric's during work.
But he was still going to ask him later about that "list" of his.
fin.
* AC: Air-conditioning/conditioner
Completed 13 December 2008, 15:55.
EDIT: This fic now has a SEQUEL - Fashion Revelation