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Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller were professionals. They saw horrific crime scenes, mutilated corpses, and dealt with an angsty profile who sadly was their only hope in solving cases. Nothing prepared them for the death of their best friend, Beverly. To make matters worse, her murderer, Hannibal Lecter, and the man who sent her to her death, Will Graham, decided to jump off a fucking cliff together.
The two were back in the lab again after a month on vacation trying to reorient themselves. Brian had visited his older sister to reconnect with his nephews to desperately try and get the nightmares of death and sadness out of his mind. Jimmy had gone to visit his brother. Their relationship was strained considering they were twins and opposites, but spending a week together proved to be therapeutic.
Jimmy and Brian were together in the lab again, but being separated for so long had definitely changed their dynamic. Jimmy would be lying if he didn’t admit that he had missed Brian’s banter and his obnoxious, yet endearing arrogance. Brian had missed everything about Jimmy. He was sure he had annoyed the hell out of his sister rambling about the older man.
“Hey Zee, how was your vacation?” Jimmy had blurted out his question exasperated by the awkward silence. Jimmy tried to reason with himself, Brian Zeller was still Brian Zeller. Sure, their time apart made Jimmy see the beautiful way Brian’s hair curled and the sky he contained in his eyes, but that didn’t change who Brian was.
“Hey Jim, my vacation was fine. I visited my sister and got to see my nephews which I haven’t been able to do in a while. They got really tall,” Zeller paused trying to seem less self-conscious, spending time rambling about Jimmy to his sister had made him realize that maybe Jimmy was a tad more than a co-worker and friend, “How was your vacation?”
“It was really nice. I got to see my brother. We’re twins but complete opposites. We’ve never gotten along well, but spending some time together helped us grow up a little. He’s the good twin, so I guess that leaves me as the bad twin.”
Brian smirked, at Jimmy’s cute rambling. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think I like working with the Evil Price.” Brian winked, hoping it wouldn’t seem inappropriate or too cheesy.
Jimmy could feel the blush creeping up his face, so he coughed out, “Thanks, Zee, let’s get back to work so we can catch the Murder Douches.”
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A morning of staring at the same evidence from a month ago left the pair starving. They wandered into the cafeteria together, only separating so that Jimmy could warm up his lunch, which Brian found a place to sit.
While standing next to the microwave, Jimmy turned to see Brian putting his lunch together out of the vending machine. Had he always eaten like crap? Was this just a one-day situation? Why isn’t he in line getting lunch instead? The ding of the microwave disturbed Jimmy from his thoughts, he would just have to ask Zee what was going on.
“Hey Zee, why aren’t you eating something you know, with actual nutrition?”
Zeller looked down, feeling self-conscious, “Well, I’ve never really liked the cafeteria slop here and before… before everything happened with Graham and Lecter, I had gotten inspired to learn how to cook. Hannibal’s dinner parties sounded like fun. They were a lot more than the guests bargained for, but he inspired me to cook. Now… well now, I can’t really spend time in my kitchen without feeling guilty about everything.”
“Zee, you don’t have to give yourself diabetes and high cholesterol out of guilt,” Jimmy had started lecturing, but frankly he didn’t care, “I know neither of us has talked about everything that happened, but we need to.”
“Would you like to come over to my place after work for drinks?”, Zeller blurted out without thinking. Oh god, Zeller thought, he didn’t have anything in his fridge, his living room was a mess, and his bedroom…. Wait why was he thinking about his bedroom?
Quirking an eyebrow, Jimmy replied, “I don’t put out on the first date, but I wouldn’t mind coming over for a couple of drinks and to make sure you pack a lunch for tomorrow.”
“Sounds great! I have to get a couple of things, so why don’t you come over at 7. I’m still at the same place.” Zeller was proud of himself for managing to get that bit of information out without showing how hectic he really felt. Why did Jimmy have to make a joke about putting out? Not only had he thought of the state of his bedroom, but now he had to make sure that the whole apartment was clean.
The two smiled at one another and finished their lunch. To their surprise, new evidence had been found. This was both exciting and painful for the pair. They couldn’t help but secretly hope that Will and Hannibal had died of their injuries in some tacky little town. Alternatively, with new evidence, they could hold the murder douches responsible for their actions.
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Their first day back was long but exciting. They had very good theories on where Will and Hannibal were headed and speculated on ways to catch them. Jack had been excited to see Brian and Jimmy easing back into their roles.
“Crazy how Will and Hannibal have been zigzagging their way across the country. I’m surprised they haven’t tried to leave the country completely.” Price looked intensely at a map of pins tracing the couple’s path.
“I think Graham is doing it on purpose. Hannibal is painstakingly clean…. We found those weird plastic suits and I don’t think it’s just a sex thing.”
“They jumped off a cliff together, I don’t understand why Will would be leaving us hints to track them down. I’m honestly worried that Hannibal is being purposely sloppy to get caught.”
Brian’s mind immediately jumped to the worst possible scenario. He couldn’t imagine continuing without Jimmy by his side.
Jimmy noticed Brian’s sudden silence before continuing, “Hey, maybe we should call it a day and get ready to have drinks later. Those two will still be out and about and maybe I’m wrong, Will has never been stable or consistent enough on his feelings towards Lecter.”
Brian had almost forgotten about their not-date, mostly therapy drinking session.
“Yeah, we should call it quits for today. It’s uh 5 now, why don’t you stop by at 7. I should have some stuff for drinks by then.” Brian thought it seemed cool and casual enough and hopefully hid his anxiety. The truth was, his refrigerator was all alcohol these days. He lived off of take-out and random liquor and beer.
The two packed their bags and headed towards the parking lot together. Jimmy confirmed the address with Brian, and Brian hoped Jimmy wouldn’t show up early.
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Brian arrived at his apartment and immediately cringed at the state of his life. He was right in remembering that he was a little too well stocked in the alcohol department, but severely underestimated the mess that awaited him. It wasn’t that Brian lived in filth, but he did tend to be very cluttered. He set to work folding clothes, throwing away old mail, actually making his bed for the first time in a month, in addition to actually opening up the dining set his sister had insisted he take home. Dinner plates made people seem like real adults, right? Why was he working so hard, Brian thought, it was just Jimmy, but he also knew deep down, that he desperately wanted to seem put together in front of the older man.
Brian was contemplating the potential of actually getting food that hadn’t been processed already when he heard a knock on the door. Jimmy was on time. Brian felt a surge of anxiety bubble up from his stomach. He didn’t want to keep Jimmy waiting for too long, but he also felt incredibly aware of the fact that his apartment did live up to crazy bachelor pad stereotypes.
He opened the door despite the slight nervousness, reminding himself that Jimmy might not even care when he truly noticed Jimmy. It wasn’t enough that he was worried before opening the door, but now he couldn’t help but think about his dark and rich brown eyes and the way the setting sun made them shine bright and clear in a way that the lab lights could never accomplish.
Brian leaned towards the side of the door frame as Jimmy pushed passed him and it was only then that Brian realized that his guest had brought dinner.
“You know you didn’t have to bring anything Jimmy.”
“I actually did, this is the last meal you’re going to have delivered that’s full of grease and diabetes. Also, I didn’t say this in the cafeteria, but I hate you for eating garbage and still being thinner than me. Fuck your metabolism.”
Brian laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll bite me in the ass soon. It’s not quite as quick as it used to be.” He paused still feeling nervous about Jimmy being at his place after everything that had happened, “Do you want a drink?”
“Zee, don’t try to loosen me up too soon, we are here to actually discuss some important things. You need to stop feeling guilty about having admired Dr. Hannibal Lecter.”
Brian felt a rush of shame hit him at his past actions coming back to haunt him, “I know I shouldn’t feel bad, but I do. I really looked up to him, more than I should have. I thought he was so put together, confident, and little did I know apparently seeming well adjusted comes from eating people.” He forced a laugh at his realization. Will had also suddenly grown confident after committing murders and probably eating people with Hannibal.
“Zee, it’s not your fault. The motherfucker was rich, handsome, and that accent would make anyone swoon. He was also a medical doctor and a psychiatrist. His resume is enough to woo anyone. He fucked Alana and Will, who knows how far apart in time. You shouldn’t feel guilty, you didn’t put out for him, did you?” Jimmy didn’t think too hard about his tone of voice on his question. He hoped that Brian hadn’t been seduced by the Doctor as well.
Brian laughed, “Honestly, I looked up to Lecter in a purely platonic way. I didn’t really think about him in any other way. He’s not really my taste. So, no, I didn’t put out for Hannibal Lecter, and I don’t think I would have if he would have asked. I don’t think I’m twitchy and antisocial enough to be his type.”
“I wouldn’t list Alana as twitchy and antisocial either though. What do you mean Lecter wasn’t your type? Who wouldn’t want a tall, wealthy, Lithuanian doctor? What are your tastes, Zee?”
Brian immediately walked into the kitchen to grab some whiskey. He had no idea how to respond to Jimmy. Maybe alcohol would help.
“Zee! What are your preferences? We should compare notes! I like my men taller than me with nice eyes. Maybe just a bit arrogant, but that’s gotten me in trouble in the past…” Jimmy knew he was rambling at Brian, but couldn’t help but tease the man. He had always been interested in Zeller, but now the once arrogant and slightly obnoxious lab partner held more potential as much more than that. They had loved and lost together and despite spending time apart, Jimmy felt like what he felt for Zeller was stronger than what life had thrown at them. For now, though, he would just have fun watching the other man respond to his less than subtle flirting, just to see what happens.
Brian tried very hard to avoid Jimmy’s question, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was Jimmy’s taste or if it was something the other man had done to tease him, but regardless, he knew Jimmy was persistent and wouldn’t let go of the topic unless he came up with some sort of response, “Contrary to what you look for in a significant other, I like my dates shorter than me, and with a sense of humor. I will agree with you though, I think arrogance is something I accidentally look for.” Brian hoped his line came out as smooth as Jimmy’s statement. He didn’t know why he was playing along, but he needed Jimmy to know he was interested without making it too apparent.
“Do you say dates because of the whole Freddie Lounds thing? I didn’t know if you were thinking with your lower head or through your thick hatred for Will Graham.”
“Honestly, I think it was a little of both. I really never liked Graham… I never understood how Bev could just talk to him and not be annoyed by all that pent-up angst.”
Jimmy could see the pain ripple across Brian’s face as he mentioned Beverly. They hadn’t really coped with her death considering that Will and Hannibal had become extremely difficult to handle.
Jimmy reached to grasp Brian’s hand in his own, “You know Bev was extremely special. She was our friend and we will never be able to replace her. I miss her a lot too. She helped us connect and kept us focused,” Jimmy paused staring into Brian’s eyes which were full of deep grief and sadness, “She wouldn’t want us to sit around moping after her, she’d probably tell us to go after them.”
Brian kept his hand in Jimmy’s squeezing softly, “Do you remember when we all went out for drinks when we broke one of our first cases? She drank way too much and kept rambling on and on about how we would be friends forever?” Brian’s lip quivered at the memory of them all together before everything got complicated.
“Oh honey,” Jimmy pulled Brian closer to him in an embrace, “this is incredibly hard and we’ve just had to stomach and push through it. Think of this, to Beverly we did stay friends forever, but we couldn’t help the fact that her forever ended up being shorter than ours.”
Brian sobbed, his words were muffled by his face pressing into Jimmy’s chest, “How was that supposed to make me feel better at all?”
“We fulfilled what she wanted. We didn’t fail her and we still haven’t. I drank a lot when we found out she had died and I blamed everyone. I know consciously that she wouldn’t want us to blame Will, but I selfishly still do, now more than ever that he decided to be a dramatic bitch and jump off a cliff with Hannibal fucking Lecter.”
Brian’s neck hurt from the awkward angle of having been pulled towards Jimmy’s chest. He could hear the other man’s heartbeat and the way his words were hoarse with the rage he felt towards Will and Hannibal.
Brian wiped his tears and pulled away from Jimmy, “I think we’ll never forgive Graham and Lecter for what they did to Beverly and what they did to us, but I think we should try and forgive ourselves. I felt guilty like I should have been able to protect Beverly, but I don’t think that I really could have. I know that I have to keep living for her and try to catch Graham and Lecter for her and for all the other innocent people they killed.”
“You’re right, but you also need to forgive yourself for falling into Lecter and for not knowing everything that is going to happen. You’re not a psychic you know.” Jimmy smiled slightly, hoping to soften the mood. They had hit a breakthrough for each other.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not a psychic but neither are you.” Brian pulled Jimmy towards him and tentatively kissed his lips. He blushed harder than he ever thought possible. He had already lost Beverly, he wasn’t about to spend more time thinking of losing Jimmy, especially when he felt so deeply about him.
Jimmy was shocked and caught off guard by the feel of Brian’s lips against his own. They were softer than he thought they would be and the way that Brian’s hands had pulled him close had made him swoon. Jimmy allowed himself to deepen the kiss, Brian had initiated it and who was Jimmy to stop a good time from happening.
The two pulled away with Brian blushing furiously at what had happened. Jimmy merely smiled at Brian and allowed the tense silence to fill the space between them. Their lips may have parted, but Brian’s blue eyes searched wildly for approval in Jimmy’s. Jimmy looked at Brian and kissed him quickly to confirm that they had kissed and that it wasn’t imaginary, wrong, or accidental.
“Jim, should we talk about this?” Brian asked tentatively, suddenly feeling grateful for having cleaned his room.
“There really isn’t much to talk about. Some of the CSI team thought we were married and that Beverly was our third.”
Brian laughed, “The three of us could have lived a happy little life, but I don’t think Beverly would have cared much for it.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Not to get all emotional on you Zee, but I have felt this way about you for a long time. You’re all I ever thought about when we weren’t together.”
Brian was relieved to hear that Jimmy had felt the same way about him, “I’m pretty sure my sister would stab me if I said Jimmy Price without the words My Boyfriend before it. I talked a little too much about you. I fell for you the first day we met in the lab and you disliked me for being younger and new. I had assumed you had a secret fling with Crawford.”
Jimmy couldn’t contain his laugh at the younger man’s confession. “In my earlier days in the lab, I did have a crush on Crawford, but I eventually grew out of that. I didn’t start to even tolerate you until the second week of you working in the lab. I really started to see you as boyfriend material during one of our earlier cases when we spent the whole time talking in unison accidentally or finishing each other’s sentences.”
Brian wrapped his arms around Jimmy and pulled him close to his chest. He knew his heart was beating fast, but he wanted Jimmy close and in his arms. He kissed the top of the other man’s head. For a moment the past few months faded away, there were no murders, cannibalism, or pain. It was only them in Brian’s small apartment with half a bottle of whiskey on the table.
Jimmy turned to look up at Brian, he had heard Brian’s excited heartbeat slow down as he began to relax, but now he wanted to heat things up a bit. He kissed Brian’s neck and slowly worked his way towards Brian’s lips, which he proceeded to kiss with an intense heated passion.
Brian wasn’t as experienced as everyone had assumed. He had had a long-term girlfriend, and a few boyfriends, but his bedroom wasn’t the revolving door that the immature part of him desperately wanted it to be. He didn’t know how to react to the delicious kisses that Jimmy left on his neck, his beard, and he didn’t know what to do when Jimmy began grinding against him. He kissed back and ran his hands slowly down Jimmy’s frame hoping to commit the feel of the other man to his memory forever. Brian draped his leg on the side of the couch to accommodate Jimmy laying on top of him, but also to fully enjoy the man’s incredibly arousing grinding.
Jimmy pulled away from Brian for a moment, pausing to catch his breath, “Brian Zeller, you are wonderful at the timing.”
“Wait, what?” Zeller was confused but kept slowly running his hands down Jimmy’s sides making sure to gently graze his fingertips near Jimmy’s ass just to cause the other man to instinctually grind forward.
“Tomorrow is Valentine’s day. I just thought about it randomly while I was grinding all over you like a schoolboy.”
“What kind of schoolboy were you? Maybe I would have actually enjoyed going to class.”
Brian ran his hand up Jimmy’s spine, gently carding his hand through Jimmy’s hair before gently pushing the man’s head down to kiss him fervently.
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The next morning, Jimmy woke up in Brian’s bed with the other man’s arm draped around him. He didn’t feel anxiety like the other times he had woken up in another man’s bed. This time he felt safe and cared for. He felt as if all they had really reached a new stage in their relationship. He looked over to Brian and saw that he was fast asleep, even drooling a bit out of his mouth.
He decided to leave a note explaining that he had to go home to get a change of clothes and prepare for the workday.
Brian felt Jimmy leave the bed to go home, but he elected to just pretend he was sleeping. He saw that Jimmy left a note, but he was afraid that it would state that the previous night had been a mistake. When he heard his front door close and the sound of a car leaving, he snatched the note up to read it. He felt an overwhelming rush of relief when he read the end of the note where Jimmy had left a row of x’s and o’s. Jimmy had also asked him to be his Valentine. Brian wasn’t sure what being a Valentine entailed. There couldn’t possibly be a card for a coworker, turned crush, turned first date fuck, and now Valentine. Regardless, he decided he would take his job as Valentine very seriously and set out to woo Jimmy Price.
Jimmy arrived at the lab first. He had rushed home and made Brian some lunch. He couldn’t expect the man to have lunch when the two had spent the previous night doing a different type of porking. He had decided to be a bit cheesy considering that it was Zee and that it was also Valentine's day. He had attached a grade school cardboard valentine to the bag with a bumble bee on it that simply read ‘Bee Mine’. He hoped that Zeller would appreciate his efforts.
Jimmy had started work on some of the evidence found in a random small town in the Midwest when he received a call from one of the receptionists. Apparently, he had a package awaiting him. When he arrived at the front desk, He saw an incredibly ornate and very tasteful bouquet of flowers in a vase. There was no card with the flowers, but Jimmy had a very good idea of where they came from. He carried the flowers and the vase to his locker only to find a less than subtle Zeller waiting for him in the lab grinning like an idiot.
“You’re not slick Zee.”
“I didn’t really have to be did I? You’re not too sneaky either though Jim. I found my lunch and I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength. Go ahead and put those in your locker.” Brian answered mischievously.
Jimmy walked towards his locker. It was too simple he thought. There was no way that Zeller would be so subtle. Jimmy was right in his assumption that Zeller would be much less subtle. When Jimmy went to open his locker a wave of paper bees fell out of his locker.
“BEES?” Jimmy screamed out of pure surprise.
Brian appeared out of nowhere with a very smug smile, “I remember you saying that you loved bees, and I guess you could argue that I wouldn’t mind you being my honey.”
Jimmy smiled, “That was some line, Zee. I guess it’s only fair considering I asked you to Bee mine.”
Jimmy placed the vase of flowers in his locker and stole a kiss from Brian before the two headed back out to the lab.