Fic: Re-training, Chapter 2/2 (Numb3rs, Don Eppes / Martin)
Title: Re-training, Chapter 2/2
Pair: Don Eppes / Martin Fridegord
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
Chapter 1/2
“At least two things have stayed the same.” Trammel commented when he and Don returned to their room. “You could always eat a whole cow with hoofs and all. And complain about the food while you’re still shoving it in.”
“I got a healthy appetite, sue me. And that’s the only food available without leaving the building, so I’ll take what I can get.”
“It’s not good in our age.” Trammel stretched himself like a bear getting ready to hibernate and slumped down on his bunk. “We’re getting old.”
“We’re not that old.”
“We are. Remember when we graduated? We were young, and healthy and cocky as hell.”
“Hey, I’m still young, healthy and cocky as hell.”
“None of us is that young. And can you say you don’t have any of those old age things?”
“Like what?”
“Can’t have a rough day at work without feeling it in when you get home? Every single place aches.”
“I don’t have that. Often.” Don chuckled. “Okay, I have those. Especially when it rains. But I got a good excuse: All old athletes have busted knees and achy joints.”
“Especially when it rains.” Trammel agreed. “I can predict rain with my torn bicep.”
“Impressive.”
“Yeah. At least Sara’s no the type that nags about middle-age spread or receding hairline. We got this agreement.”
“Agreement?”
“I don’t mention how she never got back to her old weight after the kids, and she doesn’t say anything about the way my head looks more and more like Yul Brynner`s.”
“Chuck said the way we age is mostly hereditary, but then again he’s looked pretty much the same for the last ten years.” Don dumped his backbag on the floor and laid down on his bunk. “Actually it’s pretty hard to evaluate his age, when half the time that hair covers most of his face….”
“What about Marvin?”
“Martin. What about him?”
“Younger or older than you?”
“Younger. But just by few months.”
“Is it weird?”
“What?”
“You know how women start getting older quicker?”
“Where are you going with this?”
“But women at certain age also take better care of themselves than men.”
“You got a point?”
“When I go to the gym-”
“How often?”
“Usually for couple panic sessions before the annual health check.”
“Of course….”
“Anyway, you know when you’re pumping iron?”
“Yeah.”
“And when you take a shower afterwards?”
“Yeah.”
“And you take a look at the competition?”
“I don’t wanna know where you’re going….”
“I mean it’s weird enough when you go there and see how the other guys are bigger and firmer-”
“This is just a stab in the dark, but do you still keep your flask in your breast pocket?”
“How did you know?”
“I had to listen to your ramblings every time they announced we won’t get the weekend off.”
“Totally justifiable.” Trammel laughed and pulled out the flask from his pocket. “Wanna try?”
“Why not….” Don accepted the flask and took a good swig. The reaction came right away. His face turned white and he was almost sure there was smoke coming out of his ears. “What the hell is that?”
“My brother-in-law’s own concoction. I think he’s trying to make me drink myself to an early grave.”
“Judging by that stuff he should just get a shotgun and get it over with.”
“Eppes?” One of the new rookies peeked his head into the room. “Agent Eppes?”
“Ever heard of knocking?”
“Sorry, I… I forgot.” The kid started stammering. “I just… they… they told me to come and bring a message.”
“What message?”
“From the mail room. They told me to say that agent Eppes should come and sign out his mail, because they’re hoarding all the shelf space.”
“Mail? I just came here today.”
“I’m just repeating what they told me.”
“Fine.” Don waited but the young man didn’t move. Instead he just moved from one foot to the other, shaking like a hamster with caffeine overdose.
Finally Don realised what he was waiting for. “Dismissed.”
The rookie leaped out.
“I never get used to that.”
“I know.” Trammel chuckled. “All the new kids are just like that. After couple of yours they’re coming and going without even telling their boss.”
“I’m not their boss.”
“Well, senior agent anyway, and to the new guys it’s one and the same thing.”
Don got up and grabbed his discarded shoes. “I better go see what that was about.”
-----------------------------------
Don came back fifteen minutes later, looking like he was about to collapse under his load. He kicked the door shut behind him and dumped his baggage on the empty bunk.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” Trammel’s eyebrows had reached his hairline. “I knew you had some groupies in the "girlie rookies" section, but this is too much.”
Don gave him an evil eye and turned to look at the three large gift baskets. He read the small delivery notes.
“They’re all from the same store couple miles from here. My dad ordered me a birthdaycake from that place when I couldn`t come home for my birthday and they were all stuck in California.”
“So who the hell sends you stuff on your first day here?”
“No idea, but I got some funny looks in the hallway. Let’s see….” Don picked up the card on the first basket and flipped it open. “Hey, bro. When you were in the academy I thought your stories about the hideous cafeteria food were exaggerated, but after eating that crap myself I know you were totally honest. Hopefully the survival package saves you from starvation. Charlie & Colby.”
“Why doesn’t my brother do that?”
“Because you pushed him down from your garage roof when you were eight?”
“That was part of the game. What about the other two?”
“I thought you had just one brother and two sisters.”
“The other two packages.”
“Right.” Don pulled out the next card. “Food still as bad as you always say? If it’s even half as awful as your own cooking, it could be used as a method of torture. Eat and be merry, see you when you get back. M.”
“Marvin?”
“Martin.”
“Okay, I’m getting pretty pissed off here. Sara made me two sandwiches for the road. What about the third?”
“Hope this keeps you from poisoning yourself with the cafeteria food. Megan and David.”
“Exactly how often do you complain about the food in Quantico?”
“Apparently pretty often….”
“Are you gonna share those?”
“I could feed a small army with these….”
“So you’re gonna share them with all the guys?”
Don grinned and started unloading the baskets.
“Hell no, dig in.”