Author's note: a little ficlet tag to 3.7 (Almost Famous) Admit it Ryan & Espo were on fire for this one.

Disclaimer: Just borrowing the boys (and Lanie) for some fun, not profit, so don't mind little old me...

It was late in the day and Ryan was desperately trying to finish his reports so he could head home. He just wished Esposito would work on what he was doing and stop tapping his pen on the desk over and over. He heard Espositio's chair sqeak.

"I want a second opinion."

"Why? Are you dying?"

"No Bro, on who's hotter."

Ryan swiveled around in his seat and gave Esposito one of his eyebrow arching "really?" looks. "Let it go, Bro."

"No! I'm serious! Let's ask Beckett."

"No! Ew. That's like asking my sisters if I'm hot. I don't want to even know."

"Okay, fine. What about Lanie then?"

"Can't we just drop it?"

"No. I want to know why that guy thought women would prefer your skinny ass to this." Esposito waved his hand up and down his body. "Don't you?"

"Not really. I'm only concerned with the opinion of one woman, and I know how she feels about me. Jenny thinks I'm hot. Plus she's really into Twilight lately, so I guess that's good for me." Ryan swiveled back around. "Can I finish this report now?"

Esposito got up and grabbed his jacket. "Dude, you're pathetic," he said as he walked away.

Ryan swiveled back, "Where are you going?"

Lanie was finishing the last couple of stitches on closing a chest cavity when the door to the morgue opened. She briefly looked up and then back at what she was doing. "What are you doing here? I finished with yours earlier today."

"I need to ask you a serious question."

Lanie removed her gloves and went to wash her hands, then remove her protective goggles.

"For what? Is this case related?"

"Yes, and it is very important."

"Okay, what's up?" She walked over to Esposito and leaned back against one of the tables, giving him her full attention.

"Who's hotter? Me or Ryan?"

Lanie was dumbfounded for a second. "What the hell? What does that have to do..." then it hit her. "Oh, this is about that promoter guy trying to recruit Ryan, isn't it?"

"How did you..?"

"Beckett texted me."

"Damn. Okay, fine, maybe it is, but still who's hotter?"

"On the record, or off?"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, on the record, you both are very handsome and good looking men who I'm privilaged to work with."

"And off?"

"No comparison. You are one fine piece of work. I'd like to sink my teeth into you. Mmm mmm tasty!"

"Whoa, Lanie!"

"What? You asked. I'm just being honest!"

"And you aren't just saying that because Ryan isn't here?"

"Honey, I've been giving you signals for over a year. Would I do that if I didn't think you were the hottest detective on the block?"

"Really?"

"Really."

"That was flirting?"

"Yes, boy are you dense."

"Well in that case..."

Esposito closed the distance between them so fast Lanie was taken by surprise. Before she knew it lips met, kisses deepened, hands caressed... life was good...

The next morning Esposito tried to be inconspicuous as he came in and sat at his desk, but Ryan was coming back from fetching coffee from the break room and caught him before he could sit down.

"Hey, what's with the rumpled look? Iron broken?"

"Shove off, Bro," Esposito growled as he sat at his desk, scanning the work for the day."

"Wait a second, isn't that yesterday's clothes? Dude, are you doing the walk of shame? C'mon man, details!"

"No way. Trust me, you don't want to know."

"What do you mean? Seriously, what happened yesterday? You were grousing about being rejected again and then you stormed off. I guess you're not so upset about it today?"

Ryan's question was met with silence by Esposito, so he turned back to his own work until a sudden realization popped into his head, he turned back around. "Wait, you didn't go down to the morgue did you?"

Esposito turned to Ryan, and glared at him, his look saying so much more than words could, then turned back. Ryan turned back to his desk, running his hands down the front of his vest.

"You're right, I don't want to know."