Title: An Ever Changing World
Author: Mara
Pairing: Warrick/Jim
Rating: FRT
Category: Ficlet
Summary: Jim’s world changes forever in the span of five minutes.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. All are owned by Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No copyright infringements are intended.

He felt like the world had changed and would never return to what he had once called normal. Jim couldn't decide whether that was a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, he hadn't much cared for the world the way it was before. On the other, this change brought a whole host of complications and potentially hurtful conclusions. Of course, in the end it was irrelevant. The change was made for good or bad, there was no going back.

Funny to think that your entire existence could change in just five minutes. It was as if everything that had made up the man, James Brass, had disintegrated, only to be built back up in an entirely new form. So what had caused this change? Five minutes ago, he had kissed Warrick Brown.

The night, right up until the kiss, had seemed like any other. They processed the crime scene, filed paperwork, nothing unusual. They’d been lucky that the night was not overly stressful. Still, there were more than enough things to keep them busy. At the end of the shift, Jim had asked Warrick to share a drink with him. There was nothing unusual in that. They’d gone for a nightcap on many occasion.

They chatted about all of the inconsequential things that the night had brought, and if he had watched the movements of his friends mouth more than was strictly necessary, well, that was nothing that hadn't happened before either. It was difficult not to watch Warrick‘s full lips, all quite normal. What hadn't been normal or usual, was when they got ready to leave. Warrick and Jim had walked out to their cars, still chatting as they went. As they stood talking at Jim’s car, Jim leaned across the small space separating them and pressed his lips to Warrick‘s.

The kiss itself had been nothing spectacular. It was just a light brushing of lips. If anything, it had been a bit awkward. Short and less skilled than any kiss Jim had ever given. Strictly speaking though, the kiss had not been what caused the change in Jim's world. It was the aftermath of that kiss.

Many things could have happened. It might’ve ended his most cherished friendship. Warrick might’ve knocked him on his ass. Warrick might’ve laughed it off and made a comment about how he shouldn‘t drink on an empty stomach, even though, Jim had only had one drink. This would allow them both to push the incident out of their mind. Warrick hadn't done either of these things. Instead, he had smiled gently and said goodnight, before returning the simple kiss with one of his own, equally awkward and unskilled. Now the world was a new place. Nothing would ever be the same.

Jim thought that maybe, just maybe, he would enjoy discovering what this new world held.

The End