Frugal with a Cause (Colby, PG)
Posted for the numb3rs100 prompt: Debt...
Title: Frugal with a Cause
Pairing/Characters: Colby, mention of Dwayne Carter, and the FBI Team
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
Summary: Colby knew the office made jokes about him being cheap. He didn't mind. He was cheap, but for a good reason.
Spoilers: 3.04 - The Mole, 3.24 - Janus List, and 4.01 - Trust Metric
Notes/Warnings: Colby!muse made another guest appearance today. I hope you enjoy. As always, many thanks to julietm for the encouragement and the beta. ♥
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
Colby knew about the office jokes that he was cheap. His team was nice enough to make the jokes to his face, and he appreciated how Fleinhardt consciously used ‘frugal’ in an attempt to be more polite. In all honesty, he didn’t mind the teasing. He was cheap.
He wasn’t saving to retire comfortably, or saving for a fancy car, or a big house worthy of Los Angeles. He lived simply in a small apartment, with the same beat up pick-up truck he’d had since high school. He did the repairs himself, and he stocked his freezer with game from his hunting and fishing trips. Every little bit helped to stay within his tight budget.
Why was he so careful with money? Because every pay check, a household in San Diego received money from PFC Granger and a bank account in Burbank received an automatic deposit for a college trust for a now 11 year-old boy who would never know his father. The boy’s dad died saving Colby’s life. Twice, actually… only the first time, Dwayne had walked away with third degree burns on his hands instead of being sent to the morgue to be given a traitor’s funeral.
Colby hated Dwayne for all the trouble he caused, but Carter had kept him from dying... first in a burning Humvee in Afghanistan, and last on a cargo ship under the torture of a mad man’s needle. Every time Colby smiled at one of David’s “tightwad” jokes, or saw Megan laugh in response to him teasingly offering her a cheap date; every time he drew breath, saw the sun, felt the sand in his toes, or the crash of waves over him as he surfed, Colby knew no matter what else Dwayne did, saving his life was a debt worth repaying.
Title: Frugal with a Cause
Pairing/Characters: Colby, mention of Dwayne Carter, and the FBI Team
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
Summary: Colby knew the office made jokes about him being cheap. He didn't mind. He was cheap, but for a good reason.
Spoilers: 3.04 - The Mole, 3.24 - Janus List, and 4.01 - Trust Metric
Notes/Warnings: Colby!muse made another guest appearance today. I hope you enjoy. As always, many thanks to julietm for the encouragement and the beta. ♥
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, regrettably - it's not mine.
Colby knew about the office jokes that he was cheap. His team was nice enough to make the jokes to his face, and he appreciated how Fleinhardt consciously used ‘frugal’ in an attempt to be more polite. In all honesty, he didn’t mind the teasing. He was cheap.
He wasn’t saving to retire comfortably, or saving for a fancy car, or a big house worthy of Los Angeles. He lived simply in a small apartment, with the same beat up pick-up truck he’d had since high school. He did the repairs himself, and he stocked his freezer with game from his hunting and fishing trips. Every little bit helped to stay within his tight budget.
Why was he so careful with money? Because every pay check, a household in San Diego received money from PFC Granger and a bank account in Burbank received an automatic deposit for a college trust for a now 11 year-old boy who would never know his father. The boy’s dad died saving Colby’s life. Twice, actually… only the first time, Dwayne had walked away with third degree burns on his hands instead of being sent to the morgue to be given a traitor’s funeral.
Colby hated Dwayne for all the trouble he caused, but Carter had kept him from dying... first in a burning Humvee in Afghanistan, and last on a cargo ship under the torture of a mad man’s needle. Every time Colby smiled at one of David’s “tightwad” jokes, or saw Megan laugh in response to him teasingly offering her a cheap date; every time he drew breath, saw the sun, felt the sand in his toes, or the crash of waves over him as he surfed, Colby knew no matter what else Dwayne did, saving his life was a debt worth repaying.