Title: Too Much of a Good Thing
Author: Mara
Rating: FRM
Pairing: Warrick/Jim
Summary: Jim is hitting blatantly on Warrick.
Category: Pre-slash, Humor
Disclaimer: All characters herein are owned by Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. No copyright infringements are intended.
Word Count:1269

Jim was standing in the doorway to the break room watching the God read when
an odd thought struck him.


"I think you'd look good in leather."


Jim says it with a straight face, and Warrick spits Pepsi across the table,
because the laugh comes into his throat so fast that he can't avoid it.


"You're kidding," he says, wiping the back of his right hand across his
mouth.


Jim shakes his head and says, "No. You'd look good in leather."


Warrick looked up from the forensic journal he'd been reading and his eyes
shift to the giant cup of espresso attached to Jim's hand.


Jim is staring at him through wide, unblinking eyes as he takes another long
sip of coffee. To make matters worse, Jim licks his lips seductively when
he's finished.


Warrick squirms.


No one should have chemistry with a coffee cup.


That's just... It's, well... hot.


And the minute that word pops into Warrick's head, he knows there's a
problem here, because 1) this is Jim, and 2) ...


Okay, so Warrick can't actually think of a second reason, but he's positive
that there's something completely wrong here.


Jim's tongue darts out and he takes another slurping shot of coffee. He
shuts his eyes when he swallows.


---oh Jesus God.


He knows his face is flushing, but Warrick raises an eyebrow and tries to
act cool. He fails miserably, but hey, at least he made the attempt.


"Caffeine high?" he asks, and Jim languorously nods and swirls his finger
around in the coffee. He then puts said finger into his mouth, lips closing
around the tip and then he sucks.


Don't look, don't look, don't look... Rick's little mantra in his head. He
forces his eyes back down to the journal spread out before him and tries to
read about... What? Christ. This Really isn't his day.


Jim is leaning over toward him, and Warrick gulps.


"Whatcha reading?" Smoky smooth voice with the essence of cacao.


"Just catching up on some new techniques?" Warrick is mortified by the
high-pitched whine of his voice.


"You're on a break. You should be relaxing."


"This is relaxing. Trust me."


"Do you want some espresso? I bought a machine for my office."


"No, thank you," Warrick says politely, pulling his arms very tightly
against his sides, gripping the edge chair and wishing Jim would back off,
because he's all cologne and rich coffee and if Warrick keeps squeezing the
edge of the chair, he might actually break it.


"Are you sure?" Jim purrs.


"Yes?" Warrick chokes out.


Jim pouts, pursing his lips and takes another long drink of coffee.


Warrick clenches his jaw and looks up and wishes he was anywhere but here.
Jim is leaning over him now so that Warrick can see a stretch of smooth skin
underneath his collar that he just wants to lick and Jesus Christ, did he
just think that?


"I'd really like to see you in leather, Rick," Jim whispers, licking the
espresso from his lips in a way that should be illegal, and Warrick can feel
the tiny hairs on the side of his neck prick up, and he shivers.


"You wanna read this article it's very illuminating, cutting edge stuff?"
Warrick squeaks, and Jim blinks.


"Really?"


"Uh huh."


"No."


"Ok. Oh. Well. Um. I guess I should get back to work."


Jim smirks. "I could make a very inappropriate comment about all work and no
play, if it would make you stay."


Warrick flushes. "Play?"


"Play. You need to play more"


"I think you're drunk on caffeine," he says, recovering. "How many of those
have you had?"


Jim grins and licks his lips. "Several. My new toy is great. I don't have to
go out to get my espresso anymore."


"I think you should stop," Warrick tells him.


Leaning forward, Jim whispers conspiratorially, "I think you like me like
this."


"That's not the point."


"Let's make it the point," Jim declares, smacking the table with his palm.


Exasperated, Warrick frowns and stands up.


"Look, I really should get back to work. I'll see you later when you're
not..."


"Hitting on you so blatantly?" Jim suggests.


Warrick looks down at the floor. "Yeah."


"Why? My subtlety obviously hasn't been working. Do you know how many
goddamned fantasies about you I've jacked off to? Did you honestly expect me
to keep staring at you for obscene lengths of time, just hoping that maybe
one day you'd realize what the hell was going on?"


"What?"


Jim sighs dramatically and puts a hand to his head. "You're much easier to
deal with when I'm not high on caffeine."


Warrick stares. "What are you talking about?"


"Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about, because I know you
do," Jim spits at him. Green eyes narrow, and Jim sighs again and continues.
"I'm talking about you, Warrick. And me. And the fact that I want to fuck
you into next year."


Warrick's face is red, and his chest heaves with the huge breaths of air
he's drawing in.


"Do you have any idea what it's like being around someone like you who
flirts with me for hours and then comes back the next night to talk about
his ex-wife problems?"


Scorned, Warrick's jaw drops. "I do not flirt."


Jim laughs and shakes his head. "If you don't flirt, then I'm the sweetest,
most congenial man on the planet."


"Well, you are sweet sometimes."


"Don't change the subject."


"Sorry."


"You should be," Jim tells him. "I've lost sleep over you."


Warrick looks a little sheepish. "Really?"


Jim laughs, but it's got an edge to it. "You have no idea."


Clearing his throat and looking down, Warrick asks, "A lot of sleep?"


"Why so interested all of a sudden?" Jim asks, raising an eyebrow.


Shrugging, Warrick says, "I don't know." He lowers his gaze.


Jim closes his eyes and rubs his left temple. "Maybe you should go back to
work."


"I thought you wanted me to stay."


"I do want you to stay. But I know that if you stay, the chances of my
saying something terribly inappropriate will increase exponentially."


"Um," Warrick begins, but he doesn't move.


"You don't understand what you do to a me, Rick."


Jim looks down at his hands, then up at Warrick. "I'll see ya later, Rick.
Just forget we ever had this conversation. Blame it on too much caffeine."


"Wait." Warrick almost shouts.


"Why?" Jim asks.


"Why do you think?"


Jim took a giant gulp at the look of passion that had arisen in Warrick's
eyes.


"Oh, God--" Jim squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again for
another look. Yup, it was still there. That look. He almost came in his
pants.


"Not a flirt, huh?"


"I'm not flirting. I'm deadly serious, but I'm not sure you are?"


"Oh, I've been serious for a long time now." Jim stated emphatically.


"Yeah, but will you still be when the caffeine wears off."


"Why don't you drop by my place after shift and I'll show you? Better yet, I
bought a machine for the house too, so I'll make us a nice pot and we can
get high together. We'll see what happens from there."


If things didn't work out Warrick could always blame it on the espresso. He
smiled, nodded and went back to work.


The End