Whispers about the sketch artist barging through the precinct had Bodie rushing to the interrogation room. He rounded the corner just in time to see Zayne's legs buckle, the piano player's sweaty body crumpling to the floor like a broken push puppet.

"Zayne!" Bodie shouted, his voice reverberating off the dark blue tiled walls.

The musician's face was bright red, his breathing rapid and strained. An unfamiliar panic flooded Bodie's mind as he dropped to his knees next to Zayne. The piano player's skin looked like he had been laying out in the sun for hours. Sweat covered every inch of his body, his clothes soaked with his body's futile effort to cool itself down.

"Get him under a cold shower now!" Captain Harris ordered.

He and Porter each moved to grab one of Zayne's legs but, before they could lay a single finger on the sketch artist, Bodie scooped up the unresponsive man into his strong arms. With the captain and Detective Porter running in front of him to open doors, Bodie carried Zayne out of the office, down the hall, and into the locker room. As soon as they reached the showers, Bodie gently lowered Zayne to the tile floor, turning the water on and setting it to cold.

He knelt down and began removing Zayne's t-shirt with a raw determination that shocked the older two men standing just outside the open doorway. Keeping Zayne's head directly under the water, the young detective ran his fingers through the piano player's thick hair doing his best to get the life-saving water to the part of Zayne's body that needed it the most.

"Zayne, come on. Wake up. Open your eyes for me. You can do it. Come on. If you wake up, I'll take you to the park and Molly will give you as many scoops as you want."

Bodie gave Zayne's cheeks a few light taps in hopes of rousing the musician from his heat induced unconsciousness. But those beautiful gray eyes refused to look at him. Sitting on the floor next to Zayne, he maneuvered the musician's limp body into his lap, keeping as much of the musician's flushed skin under the water as he could.

"I'll call an ambulance," Detective Porter said. He pulled his phone from his pocket and cursed loudly. "Damnit! Gotta go outside. Walls are too thick," he grumbles as he spins and bolts towards the door.

"I'll get ice," Captain Harris added, his dark brown eyes holding a look of understanding. He, too, was concerned for Zayne's health and only wanted to help the man sitting in the young detective's lap. "I'll be right back." he reassured, turning and quickly striding out of the locker room.

Bodie had no idea the other two men left. His focus was solely on Zayne.

"Zayne, please. Just let me know you're okay. I..."

"Bodie," Zayne whispered as if he had used all his energy to speak that one name.

"I'm here. Shit you scared me. You're gonna be okay. You're just a little hot, that's all.

"You...think I'm...hot?" Zayne asked, his words slurred with exhaustion.

Bodie tried not to laugh which was damn near impossible when the musician was looking at him with innocent doe eyes.

"No. Why would I think that?" he replied, relief softening his voice. "You're cute. I'm hot."

Zayne giggled then coughed as he inhaled some of the water raining down on him. Bodie patted his back, concern returning to his young face.

"Bodie, I...I know what the letters mean."

Bodie grinned with pride. He lifted Zayne's head with both hands and looked fondly at the beautiful man in his arms. Gray eyes blinked shyly, droplets of water collecting on the long dark lashes curtaining them. Tenderly, he pushed back the wet strands of Zayne's hair lying against his forehead, his fingers trailing down and stroking the musician's high cheekbones and sharp jawline.

"I knew you'd figure it out," Bodie said softly.

A faint blush colored Zayne's cheeks. He dropped his head sheepishly, trying to hide it, and saw that he was sitting in Bodie's lap. Embarrassment colored the rest of his skin when he realized that, not only was he sitting in the detective's lap, but he was also naked from the waist up. Giving the detective an accusatory glare, he wrapped his arms protectively across his chest.

"You were sweaty. And smelly," Bodie explained, pinching his nose between his finger and thumb. Zayne smacked him lightly on the arm and Bodie fell into a fit of giggles. He knew he shouldn't tease Zayne at a time like this but the man was just too adorably shy to resist.

Bodie reached up and turned the water off, satisfied that the piano player was no longer in danger. When Zayne made a move to stand up first, he put a hand on the musician's shoulder and shook his head.

"I'll get up first. Your body's still weak. You might fall again."

Zayne hated to admit it, but Bodie was right. As he slid off of Bodie's legs, he felt the crippling exhaustion in his muscles. If he had tried to stand on his own, he would have found himself toppling back into Bodie's lap. So, he waited patiently for the detective to offer his hand.

"Thank you," he said, his body beginning to tremble from the cold sinking into his bones.

"Don't apologize. I'm just happy you're okay."

Out of the corner of his eye, Bodie spotted a messy stack of towels one of the other men must have thrown on the floor just outside the shower room. In four long strides he walked over and picked up two of them before quickly returning to Zayne's side.

"We need to get you dried off. You're shivering."

Bodie wrapped the first towel around Zayne's shoulders then started drying the musician's hair with the second one. His movements were slow and gentle as he made sure not to push on Zayne too hard in case he lost his balance. Diligently, he continued his care for the man his heart longed to know intimately until every strand of hair was no longer dripping.

With his task complete, Bodie turned his attention to what Zayne was doing. The piano player had removed the towel from his shoulders so he could dry off his arms, leaving most of his upper body exposed. The musician's skin had returned to its beautiful olive tone and was as smooth as silk with practically no freckles or moles. It made the mole just under Zayne's bottom lip all the more exotic and Bodie suddenly had the urge to bite it again.

With a heated gaze, Bodie watched Zayne run the towel across his toned chest and lean stomach. His mouth watered from the temptation to taste the naked flesh in front of him. Forcing himself to look away from the musician's sloping neckline, Bodie pulled Zayne's towel out of his hands.

"I'll get you a dry one. This one's too wet."

Bodie's entire body felt like it was on fire. Images of Zayne pinned between him and the wall flashed through his mind. The memory of their heated kiss from a few nights ago fanned the flames of desire threatening to consume him. He had to take a few deep breaths as he was exchanging towels to regain a shred of his usual self-control. Never before had he been so attracted to a man like he was to this musician. It was somewhat troubling. And yet, at the same time, it felt as natural to him as breathing.

Was this love at first sight? Bodie had no idea. What he did know was that, for as long as Zayne allowed it, he would remain by the musician's side. If that meant losing his heart to someone who would never love him back, then Bodie was willing to spend the rest of his days being the friend Zayne needed.

Turning back to the piano player, he placed both new towels around Zayne's shoulders. Standing face to face, Bodie could see the toll the heat exhaustion had taken on the musician. All he wanted to do was make Zayne feel better because the faster he did that, the quicker he could get the musician back to his apartment for the much needed rest he deserved.

"Are you warm enough? I can get more towels if you want."

Zayne looked at him, his expression clouded with something Bodie wasn't expecting to see.

Confusion.

But, it wasn't just confusion tarnishing those gorgeous silver eyes staring back at him. There was also wonder and hope swirling behind the shock of Bodie's concern for his well-being.

"What?" Bodie asked.

"You...you really do like taking care of me, don't you?"

Bodie gave Zayne a smug smile and answered, "Yeah, I do. Got a problem with it?"

"No. It's just that..."

Bodie started rubbing his hands up and down the piano player's arms to generate friction for added heat. He shifted closer to Zayne, hoping the warmth of his body would also help the chilled musician. To his relief, Zayne not only stayed where he was but leaned forward slightly, a moth drawn to Bodie's flame.

He waited for the piano player to finish his thought but Zayne's eyes were beginning to close. He was clearly wiped out from his episode and needed food and rest to recover.

Placing his hands on the musician's shoulders to steady him, Bodie prodded, "It's just that what? You didn't think someone as cold and standoffish as me could be so caring and soft-hearted?"

"Huh? Oh! No, no, no! That's not what I meant."

Bodie smiled at him. "I know the kind of reputation I have. I built it. But that doesn't mean that's who I am."

"Then, who are you really, Bodie Hale?"

"Aaahh. That conversation will come when I know I can trust you with my deepest, darkest secrets." Bodie replied with a wink. His lips curled into a gremlin grin and his pale eyes sparkled with mischief. "Until then, let's get you into some dry clothes. I have some in my locker that should fit you. After that, you can tell me why you nearly killed yourself getting here."

"I'm okay. Really. I'll change when I get home."

Bodie reached down with both hands and grabbed the front of Zayne's basketball shorts.

"What are you doing?" Zayne shrieked.

Ignoring the musician's objections, Bodie wrung the flimsy material with a quick twist, droplets of water falling onto the tile floor.

He shook his head and huffed. "Your clothes are soaked which means you're not fine. You'll change here. Besides, haven't you learned by now that I won't take no for an answer?" Tilting his head, his eyes darkened with a dangerous hunger. "You'll change or I'll make you change, Mr. Music Teacher."

Zayne swallowed, his body trembling with something other than the chill from the air conditioning. Suddenly, a bout of stubbornness trickled into his mind. What if he refused to change? Visions of the sexy officer tearing his clothes from his body sent waves of unexpected heat coursing through him. Zayne blushed wondering if Bodie could see the steam rising off his arms and chest.

"But...you're wet too. What are you going to wear?"

"Trust me. When you've been doing this job as long as I have, you learn to keep extra clothes in your locker. Follow me."

As they walked out of the showers, Zayne said, "Bodie, I know what the letters are. But I'm going to need a piano to figure out their order."

"Piano?"

"I can do it in my head but it'll be faster if I have a keyboard. That way, you guys can hear it, too."

Just as they were headed down the row of lockers where Bodie's was located, they ran into the captain and Detective Porter who was carrying a small bucket of ice.

"Are you alright?" Porter asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Zayne answered weakly.

"You're still going to get checked out by the EMT's. That's an order," Captain Harris barked without any bite behind his words.

Zayne looked at him and then Bodie who, with just a single look, threatened to hold him down if he refused.

A few seconds later, two EMT's filed through the men's locker room door and began their examination of the musician. Seeing that their sketch artist was in the capable hands of the medics, the two senior officers left to find the piano Zayne had requested. Bodie, however, remained by Zayne's side. He kept a watchful eye on the hands touching and poking the musician's bare skin that his own fingers itched to touch.

When it was over, Zayne was given a clean bill of health with a warning to be more careful.

"You should go home and rest. Do you have air conditioning?" one of the EMT's asked him.

"Yeah."

"Good. Drink lots of fluids for the next few days, too," ordered the other EMT.

Zayne nodded and gave the two men who had treated him a grateful smile. When they left the locker room, he looked up at Bodie who was hovering over him like a mother hen.

"Sorry for worrying you. I was stupid. But I didn't have my car and I wanted to tell you what I figured out so we can catch this bastard!"

"You could have called me."

"I don't have your number."

"Yes y..." Bodie froze, remembering that Zayne had no memory of that night at the club. "Fine. But if you ever do anything that dangerous again, there will be consequences," he threatened, a shameless promise sharpening his words.

"It feels good to hear someone say 'Take care', but it feels so much better to hear someone say 'I will take care of you'. - quotediary.me