Title: Couple of Live Ones

Author: Perpetual Motion

iwannabedonna@yahoo.com

Fandom: Crossing Jordan

Pairing: Bug/Nigel

Rating: PG

Summary: Two guys in love in a morgue.

Archive: My site, RS archive, CJS archive, WWOMB, anyone else, please ask.

Disclaimer: Belong to NBC. I made this up and am broke.

Author's Notes: For Julian and Michelle, because they're keen, and for myself, who needed this pick me up after a shitty night.



Couple of Live Ones
By Perpetual Motion

"Bug!"

Bug turned on his heel mid-stride and watched as Nigel jogged towards him, his smile and the paperwork in his hand letting Bug know that Nigel had found something crucial. He decided to play it mildy surprised and let Nigel have his moment. "What's going on?"

"The girl they brought in this morning, the one with no ID or anything, you remember her?"

"Came in with the peacock shoes, right?"

"Yeah. I found out who she is." Nigel's grin got wider. "Tracked her by the shoes. There are only eighteen pairs out there, and our girl bought them at an auction two weeks ago. Her name's Celia Tanner."

Bug smiled back at him. "Good job." He turned to go into his lab and felt Nigel crowd up behind him. Nigel's hand rested on his lower back lightly, the warmth of it comfortable and relaxing. "Need something else?"

"Not really." Nigel stayed close, nearly hovering as Bug began going through his inbox. "Dinner at home tonight, right?"

"Yeah."

"You were gone this morning."

"Got called to a body outside of town. They needed me to identify the bugs, put an estimate how long he'd been there. Little kid, maybe four. Someone broke him until they couldn't anymore."

Nigel said nothing, just leaned against Bug for an extra moment before turning and leaving. Some things you just couldn't offer apologies for.

*

"Hey, you eating?" Bug leaned against Nigel's work area and watched as he studied the computer screen.

"Give me a tick, and I'll be right with you." Nigel spared Bug a quick grin then turned back to his work.

"What are you working on?"

"Tire tracks. Some guy got flattened on the highway, and funnily enough, the car took off after the fact."

"I'm shocked." Bug's voice was more deadpan than usual. "Any luck?"

"Not yet. It's a pretty generic tire on a very generic car. It'll take some time."

"Lily's ordering in for lunch. Want me to see if she'll add to it?"

"What's she ordering?"

"Mexican, I think."

"Three tacos, an enchaladia, and those little flaky things you dip honey in."

Bug made a low noise in the back of his throat, suddenly remembering the last time they'd ordered out Mexican. Remembering how he'd spent the night with Nigel licking warm honey off his stomach and other parts.

Nigel looked up at the noise, saw the gleam in Bug's eyes, and saved his work as Bug walked quickly across the lab and grabbed him by the sleeve. "So, we're going out for lunch, then?"

Bug just pulled Nigel towards the door.

*

Mid-afternoon, and Nigel was bored. The tire tracks were to generic to make any definite match past the manufacturer, and the damned things were reagular, six-tread Firestones, so they weren't going to be any help at all. He wandered down the hall to Bug's lab, looking for a little distraction.

Bug was looking at a bug so closely he was nearly cross-eyed.

Nigel broke into a grin. "Your eyes will get stuck like that."

"Haven't yet." Bug looked away from the bug and made a note on his pad. "What's up?"

"Bored. Tire tracks went nowhere. I'm at a standstill. What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out how this beetle ended up on an 86-year-old woman from the suburbs of Boston."

"We've got beetles all over Boston."

"This is a desert-dwelling beetle."

"Ah." Nigel looked at the bug. It was a pretty thing with a shiny greenish tint to it. "Don't you know a guy in Vegas?"

"Gil. Yeah. He works night shift. I'm going to call him later." Bug looked up from his notes. "You need anything at all? I can't do much more with this guy until I get ahold of Gil."

"Need plenty. Just can't do any of it here." Nigel leered and moved his hand to stroke the exposed skin of Bug's wrist beneath his rolled-up sleeve.

Bug twisted his hand around and caught Nigel's wandering fingers with his own. "Stop that." He was smiling as he said it.

Nigel wiggled his fingers. "But they like you."

Bug rolled his eyes. "I'll ban you from my lab."

"You won't. You like me."

"In small quantities, yes."

"You lying sod of a bastard." Nigel grinned and rescued his fingers. "Fine. I'll go and leave you to your shiny little beetle." He walked backwards out the door, grinning the whole way.

*

They rode the train home, Bug smashed between the wall on one side and Nigel on the other. He used the oppurtunity to get himself under Nigel's arm and against his side. "Cold."

Nigel pulled him a little closer and rubbed his shoulders through his coat. "A proper Englishman doesn't get cold. We get chilly in a manly way."

"Fine. I'm chilly in a manly way."

"Much better. I can throw together a stew tonight, if you want. Something warm and hardy."

Bug laughed. "I don't think anyone says 'hardy' anymore. Except to fake a laugh." He pressed his nose against Nigel's coat, trying to warm it up. "I think we've got some of that homemade bread from Mrs. Lyder in the freezer. We could toss it in the microwave to defrost, have it with the stew."

"Sounds good." The train lurched, and Nigel nearly fell on his ass. "Damned brakes. Always get testy in winter."

"You bitch about this every time we ride the train."

"Because it happens every time. Should have taken my bike in."

"It's five below. You'd have lost limbs to frostbite."

"I would have looked cool, though." Nigel smiled as Bug laughed again. It'd been a long damn day. Pointless bickering was a wonderful stress reliever. "Do we have anything other than beer?"

"I think we've got some scotch."

"No wine?"

"No."

"What goes good with stew and bread?"

Bug shrugged. "Something cheap, but we already have you."

"Classy." Nigel poked Bug in the ribs. "You feel like stopping to pick up a bottle of something?"

"I just want to get home where it's warm, and there's coffee."

"Coffee, stew, and bread, then?"

"Yeah."

"All right."

The train pulled into their stop, jerking enough this time that Nigel only stayed upright because of the grip Bug got on his arm. They walked in a comfortable silence, huddling against each other, all the way home.



END