𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐑, coffinshipping

𝒔𝒊𝒙, taste of liquor on your lips

going out to a bar as strahm's first choice wasn't the best nor brightest idea he'd come up with. he didn't consider himself to be a heavy drinker. maybe one or two drinks every now or again to soothe this anxious tendency about recent cases. and yet this time was different, usually he was responsible and paced himself when it came to alcoholic beverages. however, he swallowed shot after shot, not caring how or when he got home.

the weight of everything left him feeling overwhelmed, so this was his way of coping with the stresses of the world around him. hoffman showed up a little while later, after a good half a dozen shots had already been taken care of. the detective ordered a round for himself as well as another for his nonsober companion.

"lightweight." hoffman scoffed. he watched as his fellow agent placed his head in his crossed arms, feeling the coldness of the counter-pressing against his left cheek. "shut up asshole, am not."

strahm refused to admit that the room was becoming more and more like the aftermath of an amusement park ride. hoffman rolled his eyes before tilting his head back and gulping down his first shot of the evening. strahm couldn't help but stare.

there was something rather captivating about how his lips made contact with the small shot glass. something that drew him in. strahm watched intently as his head leaned back, the motions of his neck as he swallowed the bitter liquid in one fell swoop before slamming the empty glass on the counter. hoffman wiped his lips with the back of his palm, not yet noticing how the agent's eyes were causing a hole to burn right through him.

it wasn't till the detective's eyes made contact with his own did he realized the small fantasies he was imagining about the other. a sudden sting in his chest caused his gaze to be faulted before turning him away altogether.

"you've been staring an awfully long time," hoffman says, catching wind of the agent's prolonged gaze. "like what you see agent strahm?" he joked with a small grin consuming his face.

maybe it was the liquor causing the lightened atmospheric tension, but strahm felt himself catching the contagious smile. in this sudden spark, he decided to play along in his intoxicated state.

"what if i said yes?" he asks with a prolonged purr to his vocal cords. something the agent rarely did unless it was with a close friend or family member. hoffman adverted his gaze to the shot being placed. "then i'd figure you have a high school crush." he said.

recalling back to school, where love-struck girls who were too afraid to speak to him would send heart eyes burning into the back of his cranium. frankly, he found it annoying.

the agent hummed in thought, cracking a slight smile. "i guess that's one way to put it." hoffman took another shot with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. he abruptly ended the flirty interaction with an eye roll and a goofy smile.

their conversations went on as normal as they could get. neither brought up what happened in the warehouse, when their hands connected for an exceedingly long second. nor the instances where they had tried to murder one another for the sole crime of being a dick. however, since then they've seemed to get on better terms with one another.

the night was filled with drunken nonsense and extended storytelling about their experiences working as agents and running cases. hoffman, being the responsible person he was, paced himself when drinking. seeing that he would have to chaperone the overly intoxicated agent strahm.

the night soon came to a close and the two men stumbled out of the bar. an arm around waist to keep the stumbling agent on his own two feet.

"i'm fine, i don't need a prick like you to help me walk." he slurred his words, his weak and weary eyes hardly able to keep open as the weight of the night took hold. discarding the rude insult, the detective tightened his grip around the other waist. however, that never meant he hadn't considered letting go and watching the agent immediately passing out onto the cold hard concrete beneath his feet.

"we're almost there, now would you just cooperate for once?" hoffman said, his voice riddled with annoyance. a groan of protest left strahm's lips as he continued to squirm in the detective's arms. seeing that it wasn't going to be long till the agent broke free, quickly unlocked his car and helped the wobbling man into the passenger seat.

once it was all said and done he let out a sigh, strahm let his head lean back, his eyes pressed shut and his mouth slightly hung open. "what am i going to do with you?" the detective asks, he was like a toddler who could perform the most basic tasks.

hoffman extended the seat belt over the resting man. having the inconvenience of climbing into the agent's lap to locate the damn buckle. finally relieved he heard the lock snap.

"can i kiss you?" for a moment he almost thought strahm had already drifted off to sleep. he backed off the other man only to be met with eyes locked on him. after a moment of confusion, strahm felt the need to elaborate.

"you're lips, they look incredibly soft. kinda like marshmallows." hoffman chuckled at that analogy. he found this new side of strahm to be rather amusing and strangely lovable. "your drunk agent strahm." hoffman felt the need to remind him.

strahm once again closes his eyes, saddened by the blatant rejection. "get some rest agent." the door was then slammed shut with hoffman making his way to his side of the car. by the time he made it and started the engines, he was certain this time that strahm had fallen asleep.

there he could've easily taken advantage of the naïve, man beside him, he was like putty in the palm of hoffman's hand just waiting to be molded.

by the time he awoke, the detective could've already tossed him inside another inescapable trap and watched as he flopped like a fish out of water. however, there was a strong sense of compassion that came with the man sitting beside him. no wife, no kids, not even an animal to keep him company. in an odd way, agent strahm reminded him of himself at times, even though they just so happened to be two completely different people.

hoffman continued to take small sneak peeks over at the agent's peaceful sleeping expression. for a face that was always so tensed up and easily angered, it was odd to see him so relaxed. and quite frankly it was kind of cute.