xXxXx
Horatio had arrived at the restaurant first. The brunette wasn't the least bit surprised that he had beaten Rick there. He didn't have anyone wanting a moment of his time before he left. In fact it wasn't as freeing as he thought it might be. The same people that had always smiled as they approached him now glared and went out of their way to avoid him. Rather than going inside the China Surprise, he chose to sit inside Rick's car and wait for the other man to show up.
While he was waiting, Horatio thought back to the events that had occurred earlier.
xXxXx
Horatio had just stepped off the elevator, on his way back to Rick's office after the sparring match, when he saw the Three Stooges waiting for him. He smirked as he stepped out into the main hall, looked straight at them, and gave them a small smile and tilted his head as he met Rat's gaze. The three men frowned as they realized that he must have won and they weren't going to have an easy time goading Rick if that was the case so they retreated. Horatio knew that the reprieve wouldn't last long. The brunette's eyes narrowed as he watched them walk off.
He had just started to turn to enter his office when he heard someone singing "So tell me why haven't I heard from you" blaring from his pocket. Pulling out the phone, Horatio glanced at it and saw that he had a text message from Rick. After reading it, he sighed before backtracking to the elevator and pushed the down button. Horatio had to admit that he wasn't surprised that he was returning to the gym as he waited for it to arrive.
Horatio chuckled to himself as he recalled the look on Eric and Ryan's face when they found out they were going to have to spar. He glanced out the car window but he still didn't see his Hummer. Leaning back, his mind replayed some of the comments that he had heard while returning to his… no, Rick's office for the second time after lunch.
He had overheard a couple of patrol officers discussing the match. Horatio had fought the urge to growl when the first stated both very loudly and very clearly that "Rick must have cheated". He couldn't help, nor did he try to hide, the smirk that formed when the other man shook his head no. "I was there. Stetler won it fair and square as much as I hate to admit it." Throughout the day, he had heard many similar conversations.
Rose had looked up when she heard the outer door open. Her eyes slowly took in Horatio's appearance, and she gave her head a small shake as she frowned. However, Rose did not give him a lecture. Instead, she only said one sentence. "I hope the two of you finally got it out of your systems." He had quirked an eyebrow at that. Somehow, Horatio knew that he'd hear what she really thought about the subject if he wasn't careful.
xXxXx
Rick pulled the Hummer into the China Surprise's parking lot. It had taken him forever and a day to get out of the crime lab. Stetler shook his head. It had seemed that every time he turned around, someone else wanted only a moment of his time. Pretty soon all of those minutes added up, and he was fifteen minutes late clocking out for the day.
Rick hopped out of the Hummer before he locked and closed the doors. It didn't take him long to walk the three spaces over to where his electric blue Ford Focus was parked. He stopped by the driver's side door, placed his hands on his hips, and tilted his head. It was only after Rick had stood there a couple of moments that he realized that the other man was completely lost in thought.
He stood there for a few more seconds wondering if Horatio was going to notice him. When Rick came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to, rapped his knuckles against the glass. When Horatio jumped and swung his head around wildly, Rick couldn't help but chuckle. He was amused and he would gladly admit it.
He ignored the glare Horatio sent him and stepped back to allow the other man enough room to get out. "What was that for?"
"I was just trying to let you know that I was here. I've been standing here in front of the window for…" Rick paused to look at his watch. "…for the last few seconds and you were just sitting there and staring off into space."
"I was thinking."
"What is it that has you thinking so hard that you aren't aware of your surroundings?"
Horatio heard the stress Rick had put on you but decided to ignore commenting on it. "I was just thinking about something that I overheard."
"Let me just take a wild guess and say that someone had heard that you beat 'me' in the sparring match and they thought you had cheated."
"How did you-"
"-Horatio, it's sad to say, but that is nothing new for me. If I make an honest bust, I'm framing some poor bastard. If something good happens, I must have cheated or bribed or blackmailed someone in order for it to happen. Whenever 'you' get the upper hand, it's justice served."
"Why didn't you ever say anything?"
"Because, I've found that it's usually better in the long run if I ignore it. If I don't rise to the bait, then they quickly lose the fun they get out of it. For some reason, though, you were the only person that could get me riled up enough that I lost all common sense when it came to things like that."
At that, Horatio smirked. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Rick shrugged. "Take it however you want. I do have one question for you."
"What's that?"
"How do you manage to normally clock out on time? I tried to leave and ended up fifteen minutes late."
"Because people kept wanting just a minute of your time?"
"Exactly."
"That's one thing I didn't miss today. Usually I start to leave around ten minutes early, sometimes even earlier if it was a particularly busy day."
"Sounds reasonable." Rick agreed, with a nod of his head. Then, he smiled. "So, are we going to stand out here in the parking lot all night, or are we going to go inside?"
"If that's the case, are you sure that you want to be seen in public with the guy that, as you so eloquently put it, 'kicked your ass'?"
"Honestly, I don't care. People are going to think whatever they want and nothing you or I do will ever change that."
"I disagree, Rick. People can change if you give them the chance."
The redhead looked over at Horatio. "Are if they're forced to change bodies?"
"I…"
"Horatio, I've just learned to let things roll off my back because if I didn't, things wouldn't be pretty. Now, I'll understand if you don't want to be seen with me. If that's the case, we can go in separately."
"I didn't say that." Horatio snapped.
"Well then, come on. I'm getting hungry." Rick said with a laugh, turning around and heading for the entrance to the restaurant. It only took a couple of strides for Horatio to catch up to him.
Upon entering, they were greeted by the same waitress that had waited on them the previous night, Nahia. Both men looked at each other with raised eyebrows. She smiled at the sight of the two men standing before her as she grabbed a pair of menus and led them towards the back. Horatio and Rick shared puzzled look as she led them past several empty tables and booths until they came across a smaller side room in the very back of the restaurant that was empty.
Once they were seated at their table, Nahia quickly disappeared before they could ask her any questions. The two men looked around but said nothing as they waited for her to return. Luckily, it wasn't a long wait.
"What can I get for you gentlemen?"
"How about some answers?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"There's been a… a situation. The only common denominator between both of the cases is that both participants ate at this place and received a very strange fortune cookie." Rick added, successfully maintaining a straight face.
"Oh!" Their waitress replied with a knowing smile, as she looked at each of her customers in turn. "Since neither of you are complaining about a blank fortune, one or both of you must have made a heartfelt wish."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Both men asked in unison.
There was a brief pause before Horatio added another question of his own. "How did you know? All that was mentioned was both participants had eaten here."
"And 'received a very strange fortune cookie'." She added with a smile causing Rick to smirk at Horatio's reaction.
"You two are such a cute couple." That wiped the smirk off Rick's face as they whipped their heads around to stare at Nahia with surprised looks on their faces. Before either of them could inform the woman that she was sadly mistaken, the waitress started talking once more.
"There is a secret passed down among the women in my family that makes our fortune cookies special. And no, I'm not going to tell you what that is. However, if someone makes a heartfelt wish and then opens one of the special cookies anytime afterwards on that day…"
"What happens?"
"If a fortune appears, it usually has something to do with the wish or in this case, is it wishes?
Both men thought about the events of the previous night and both of their eyes widened. "Shit." Both of them muttered at the same time.
Nahia frowned. "What happened?"
"Somehow," Rick started, sneaking a glance over at Horatio.
"We ended up switching bodies. Can you please tell us if you have any idea on how we can get back to normal?"
"I don't know about you Horatio, but quite frankly I'm finding that it is a little weird to be sitting across from my own body."
"Agreed."
"That…" She began, before taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "That is not something that I have ever heard of happening. Not even in any of my family's stories either."
"What?" Rick exclaimed, practically shouting, as Horatio shot him a look.
"My theory is that once the wish is fulfilled, then the two of you will be changed back. Of course, it could take a day, a week, a month, a year for it to happen. OF course there is also the possibility that it could take even longer. So," she replied with a smile as she clapped her hands together. "Who's ready to eat?"
Rick, who had just taken a sip of water from his glass when Nahia had spoken that line about how long it could take, choked and ended up spraying Horatio in the face.
"Thanks Rick." He retorted sarcastically as he reached for his napkin to dry his face off.
"Excuse me. I'm sorry, but I don't think that I heard you correctly. Could you please repeat that?"
"I said that it might take a day, a week, a month, a year, or even longer. There is nothing to do but let the wish run its course." She paused as she looked between each of the men. "It might also be best to be careful about wishing for something in the future if it's something you feel strongly about. The magic can be unpredictable at the best of times."
Horatio blinked, stunned into silence. Rick on the other hand, slammed his head down on the table, wincing when he hit his already sore nose in the process.
"Rick?" Horatio said in a mildly exasperated voice.
"What is it Horatio?" He mumbled, his voice muffled.
"Could you please stop slamming my head on the table? What are you going to tell Alexx when she asks you about how you got those bruises? And, by those bruises, I don't mean the ones you received in our sparring match."
Rick noticed that the waitress was still standing there, looking very amused. He gave his head a small shake. "We'll both have the buffet." He replied, before handing her his menu as Horatio did the same. Nahia nodded, taking the menus and disappeared.
"The same could be said, when Rose questions you about that bruise on the side of your head."
"I've already told her that I hit my head on the car." Horatio countered, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Rick asked as he looked around.
"Nice way for you to avoid answering my question with a question Rick."
"I learned that from you." He said with a smile. "Seriously, I wasn't avoiding answering your question. I just didn't want to answer it when we had company." Rick retorted, rolling his eyes.
"And that would be?"
"That the desk attacked me and it won."
Horatio just stared at him. "Excuse me, but does that honestly work?"
"No, but it does make her smile and, on occasion chuckle." Rick sighed. He paused as Nahia returned with their plates.
"Can I get you gentlemen anything else?"
Horatio grinned. "No, thank you. We're good. Well… there is actually one thing."
"What is it?"
"No more fortune cookies, please."
Rick snorted at that, earning him another glare from Horatio. He simply smirked. "I agree. No more fortune cookies for me either."
"Okay," Nahia agreed, chuckling as she gave her customers the privacy that they seemed to be wanting.
"Should I be worried that we're agreeing on more things than not lately?" Horatio asked as soon as they were alone.
"Before this, I'd have said that it was a sign that the world was coming to an end. Now…" He shrugged, letting his voice drift off.
"Now, it's as if someone has flipped a switch in more ways than one."
The redhead shrugged, before getting up abruptly. Horatio watched him as Rick made his way over to where the buffet tables were set up. With a sigh, he stood up before making the same trip himself.
Stetler had to get away as he was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the turn their conversation had taken. As much as he hated being treated like yesterday's garbage, it was familiar to him. What he wasn't used to was people being nice, and actually seeming to care about him. He had managed to get though the day by reminding himself that they thought that they were dealing with Horatio. He smiled to himself as he thought about Rose. It had taken him over a month, and several lectures to boot, before he believed that she was actually being sincere when she had told him that he was now under her wing.
"You're not used to having people actually treating you nice are you Rick?"
He jumped upon hearing the voice, not knowing that Horatio was anywhere close. Rick had thought that the other man was still sitting at their table and not appearing out of thin air behind him. "How the heck can you move so silently in my body?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation away from where it was headed while trying to get his heart rate under control.
Horatio raised an eyebrow but, decided to let the subject drop, after he let Rick know that he wasn't fooling him. "I know what you're doing." He whispered, not at all surprised by the guilty look that briefly flashed across his face.
Suddenly, Rick lost his appetite. He half-heartedly filled up his place and returned to their table. Stetler knew that the other man was just as stubborn as he was. Rick also knew that Caine wasn't going to simply let the subject drop. He'd wait a while and just when you thought he had forgotten, it would be brought up again.
Rick was surprised that when Horatio had returned, he seemed to be just moving the food around his plate rather than eating it. It was almost as if he was thinking about something unpleasant and it was something that Caine definitely wasn't looking forward to. That caused him to raise an eyebrow. "What?" He pressed, leaning forwards in his chair.
"What do you mean by what?"
"You've been thinking hard about something."
Horatio glanced up, caught his eye, before he shifted his gaze back down to the floor. Stetler blinked. This was a first. In all the time that he had known Horatio, he could not remember a single instance in which the older man had ever looked unsure of himself. Rick fought long and hard, but successfully resisted the urge to make a comment. It was something that he wouldn't have thought twice about doing before. Instead, he remained silent as he waited. He knew that the silence would do more about getting the other man to talk than him pressing Horatio for answers would.
Sure enough, Horatio took a long sip of his water. It didn't help much but, on the positive side, his throat was no longer dry. "I was thinking about something."
"What is it?"
"Look, before you automatically say no, just hear me out. If I didn't feel that it was necessary, I wouldn't suggest this."
Rick pressed his lips together in a tight smile, but said nothing. That particular phrase almost never boded well. Instead of saying something that more than likely would be taken, not only the wrong way but also, out of context, he chose to remain silent. Rick motioned for the other man to continue with a flick of his hand.
Out of a habit that was beginning to form whenever they started to talk about their current predicament, Horatio glanced around the room and was relieved to see that they were still very much alone. The last thing that they needed was for someone to overhear and then lock both of them up in a psych ward.
"Since there is no telling how long we are going to be stuck like this," he said, motioning at himself, Horatio glanced up and met Rick's gaze as his voice drifted off.
"Go on."
"As I was saying, since we have no idea how long we're going to be stuck like this, it would be best if we have a serious talk."
Rick swallowed, unsure of what Horatio was talking about but knowing it couldn't be good. He decided to ask even though he wasn't sure he would like the answer. "When… when you say serious talk, what is it that you mean exactly?"
"It would probably be best if we filled each other in about our pasts, within reason…"
"What? Hell NO! Have you lost your mind Horatio?"
"NO, I haven't." He snapped, before taking a deep breath. The last thing that they needed was to have one of their normal fights.
"Then what in the world possessed you to think that THAT was a good idea?"
"Look, I don't like it anymore than you do. But the fact of the matter is that it has to be done. What happens if someone asks you a question that 'I' should know and yet you can't answer it? Besides, the truth of the matter is that you probably have some idea about what I went through if you actually took the time to take a good look."
That pretty much shut up just about any objection that Rick might have had as his mind unwilling brought up the images of the scarring that Horatio had on his left thigh. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. Suck it up, Rick. He mentally ordered himself.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. Rick couldn't believe what he was about to say and he knew that it was going to take the other man by surprise as well. "You're right. I wasn't thinking."
Horatio bit back the retort of "What else is new?" knowing that it wouldn't help matters any. Instead, he quirked an eyebrow before he lifted his head to better observe Rick.
"So, what is it exactly that you are suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting that when we leave here, we go to one of our places and have a serious discussion."
"Are you sure that we need to do this?" He tried once more time, but Horatio had been expecting this.
"Look Rick, I know it's not something that either one of us wants to do, but it has to be done. Who knows, maybe it might shed a little light on why we are the way that we are."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Rick muttered to himself as he dragged his hand down his face. As much as he wanted to give in to the urge to fight and give excuse after excuse why it wasn't a good idea, he knew that the other man had made a very good point. He sighed. "I guess that it's a good thing it is the weekend."
Horatio found himself nodding along in agreement. When he realized what he was doing, he gave Rick a small smile. "Are we positive that the world isn't ending?"
Rick shrugged. "Hang on, I'll go check." With that, he made it a point of getting up and walking towards the window that it was all Horatio could do not to laugh. When he finally returned to his seat, Rick plopped himself down.
"What did you discover?"
"I'm positive that the world is not ending, or at least it isn't right now anyways. It's still a nice, sunny, normal Miami day fading into night. It's not snowing or raining fire or anything like that."
Horatio tried not to, but he soon found himself laughing at the other man's antics.
Rick smirked. It was somewhat satisfying that he could make Horatio Caine laugh. Lord knows, the other man had been cracking him up constantly today. "As much as I don't want to admit it, but 'my' place would probably be best. Very few people know where I live and there's not a snowball's chance that anyone might possibly show up for a visit."
"That reminds me of one very important question that I've been meaning to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Why do you choose to live out in the middle of nowhere?"
"I've always liked living in the country though there are some downsides, but it has its advantages as well."
"What could possibly be the advantages?"
"No constant traffic as well as almost guaranteed privacy. No one around for miles to get on your nerves… I could go on but you get my point."
"What about disadvantages besides the fact that there is nobody around for miles if you need help?"
Rick rolled his eyes. "It's not that bad Horatio. The biggest one is the travel time it takes but overall the advantages outweigh the disadvantages."
"The noise helps me to sleep." Horatio said softly. It was only after he had spoken that Horatio had realized it was true.
Rick frowned as he remembered something. "Horatio, did you by any chance, happen to feed my fish this morning?"
"Fish?"
"Guess that answered my question." He sighed. "Horatio, you know how you have Richie?"
"Yeah, but what in the world does that have to do with fish?"
Rick laughed at that. "Horatio, I never thought that I'd say this, but the fact that you are so clueless right now is unbelievably hilarious."
Horatio growled at him causing Rick to laugh even harder. "Fine." He replied as soon as he caught his breath. "You win, I'll explain it. I don't have a dog or a cat. I just have an aquarium of fish. A fifty-five gallon aquarium. Just curious but how can someone as observant as you miss something as big as that?"
"Rick?"
"Yes, Horatio?"
"Would you have noticed it if you had woken up first, not only in someone else's house but their body as well?"
"Well, when you put it that way." Rick replied, wincing. "Point taken." He glanced down at his half empty plate. "I'm not sure about you, but I'm not hungry anymore."
"Same here."
With a nod, Horatio and Rick both stood up. They both reached for the bill, but Rick snagged it first. "Don't worry, I'll pay for both."
"I can pay for mine."
"Don't worry, I'll get them both."
With a smirk, Horatio reached over and plucked the bill out of Rick's hands. Then, using his longer strides, he beat the other man to the cash register. By the time Rick had managed to catch up with him, the other man had already paid for both of their meals. Horatio just smirked, ignoring the glare that Rick was giving him.
He waited until they had both exited the restaurant before turning to face him. "What?"
"I honestly can't believe you just did that."
"Why not?" Horatio asked, as they walked over to where they had parked their vehicles.
"It was my idea, so I should have been the one to pay the bill."
Horatio smirked. "Well, if you want to get technical about it, you were the one who paid the bill."
Rick opened his mouth once before closing it. He wasn't going to admit it, but the other man had made an interesting argument. "That's not the point I'm trying to make, and you know it."
Horatio shrugged. "Maybe I'll just let you pay next time."
Rick stopped dead in his tracks as he watched Horatio take a few more steps before the other man realized that he was no longer keeping up with him.
"What did you stop for?" He asked, turning around to face Rick. He was a little surprised when he realized that it was the first time he hadn't thought 'Rick' and not 'his body'.
"Stop joking. It's not the least bit funny."
Horatio frowned. "I wasn't joking. Why would you think that I was?"
"You're kidding right? Before this happened, would you have made that offer?"
"No, but…"
"Don't give me any buts. You see where I'm coming from."
"Is that why you thought I was joking?"
"That, as well as the fact that I find it surprising that you might think that there will actually be a next time."
"Rick, once someone actually takes the time to see past that asshole exterior that you present to the world at large, you really aren't that bad to be around."
"Thanks, I think."
"That was supposed to be a compliment."
"With you, it's hard to tell." Rick replied with a smirk. "So how come it took you this long to figure that out?"
"It's not my fault that you're really good at being an ass." Horatio retorted as they came to a stop halfway between the Hummer and the Focus.
"Here I thought it was because you were beginning to care."
Rick's comment caused the other man to roll his eyes in response. "Fine." He muttered, throwing his arms up in the air. "You win. This whole situation has caused me to change how I look at things."
It took a few moments, before Rick was able to respond. When he did, his first reaction was to smirk. "Finally."
"I'm glad that you're enjoying this, because that makes one of us."
"Oh come on Horatio, lighten up. I'll admit that it's a nice feeling to experience not being treating like yesterday's garbage. But then again, when you get technical, they're being nice to you, not me. Although…" Rick let his voice drift off.
"Although what?"
"Are you really going to make me say it?"
"After you successfully getting me to admit what I did?" Horatio smirked as he placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head at Rick. "Hell, yes I am going to make you say it."
"Aw come on, H." Rick replied before freezing. He didn't mean to call Horatio by his nickname, and judging by the other man's surprised reaction he wasn't expecting to be called that either.
"Sorry, it slipped out." Rick said, looking everywhere but at Horatio.
"Don't be. It took me by surprise." Horatio replied truthfully.
"It won't happen again. I promise."
"What if I don't have any objections to you calling me that?" Horatio had surprised himself when he had told Rick he hadn't minded but, the more he thought about it the more he realized that it was true.
"Because it's disrespectful," Rick answered truthfully.
"I honestly don't mind. Now, before we got sidetracked, what was it that you had been about to say?"
"Damn." Rick muttered. "I was hoping that you had forgotten about it."
Horatio laughed at that. "Not likely, Rick. I may be old but I'm not senile." He paused briefly before he started laughing even harder.
"What is it?" Rick asked, genuinely curious about what had amused Horatio so much.
"I just realized something." He replied with a smirk.
"Well, what is it?"
"You're technically older than me now."
Rick buried his head in his hands. "I had to ask."
"You said it, not me."
"That is true. And, since I know that you aren't going to drop it. You actually do accomplish more in a day than I thought you did. But don't get used to me saying that."
"As long as you don't get used to me complimenting you, then you have yourself a deal."
"Who'd have thought?" Rick muttered under his breath as he walked over to where the Hummer was parked. That was one thing that he was going to miss when he changed back. It was easy to get used to the amount of leg and head room he had in the larger vehicle. Then, with a grin, he looked over at Horatio. He was kind enough to wait till the other man had folded himself inside the car before he spoke. "Horatio?"
"What is it Rick?"
"Don't get lost." Rick replied with a smirk.
Horatio glared at the other man before flipping him off and slamming the car door shut as hard as he could. This in turn, earned him a glare from Rick who rolled down his window. The other man had caught what he was doing and rolled down his window as well. However, before Rick could mention anything along the lines of taking better care of his car, Horatio smirked.
"Don't get distracted. I'd hate for you to FORGET where you were going."
Rick glared at him, before smirking. Horatio watched from the smaller car where Rick pulled 'his' sunglasses out, put them on, and with a wave and a smirk, pulled the Hummer out of the parking lot.
Horatio's mouth dropped open as he stared at the Hummer as it disappeared into the distance. Growling, he started the car. He had one stop to make before he made the drive back to Rick's house. Horatio had the feeling that they were going to need something to help get them through the talk that was waiting for them.