Fic: Compromising 1/1 (Numb3rs, Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger)
Title: Compromising 1/1
Fandom: Numb3rs
Pairing: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Don stared at Colby, who was currently standing in the middle of Charlie’s living
room. He had always thought he was a tolerant man with wide horizons, but this
was too much.
“I cant believe you! And in the middle of the day! This is… it’s just too
twisted”
“This is not what it looks like!” Colby tried to soothe him. “Would you
just listen-”
“No! I don’t want to hear your explanations. I can’t believe I didn’t’t see
it before.I knew Charlie’s not exactly an innocent virgin, but I never thought
you would lure him to this...this..” He paused. “- perversity. In bright day
light!”
“It was Charlie’s idea.” Colby tried to defend himself. “He even went to the
store and chose it.”
“I don’t buy that! You’ve corrupted him.”
“Who’s corrupting what?” Charlie asked and bounced down the stairs. “And why
are you yelling?”
Don stared at Charlie, turned to stare at Colby and then went back to staring
at Charlie. “You too… I’m telling you, this is not normal!”
Charlie looked at his brother and tried to control his urge to laugh. “Why
wouldn`t it be normal. I can name several people who are doing the same.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Don was shuttering at the thought the mental image created.
He took a long breath and looked at Charlie. Charlie in a white bunny costume.
Next to him, Colby was trying to tug down the hem of the skirt, that formed the
lower half of his gladiator outfit.
“I was fine when you told me you liked to play with cuffs and that you had
done it in the FBI building, but this is too…” Don couldn’t’t come up with
a suitable word.
“Would you finish that sentence pretty soon or we’ll be late.” Charlie asked.
“You’re gonna go somewhere like that!”
“Yeah, in a costume party it’s one of the basic requirements.”
“Co-co-co-co….” Don’s brains seemed to shut down. “Costume party?”
“The ones CalSci is organizing for their sponsors. The ones I told you about
last week. Several times.”
“You did?”
“I did, and what exactly did you think we were doing?”
“I… I though…. Forget it.” The escape from verbal self destruction arrived
in the form of the doorbell. “I’ll get that.” Don leaped to the door and
opened it.
David marched in, looking like he was bout to burst.
“I need to talk to you, I just got off the phon-” He paused to look at Charlie
and Colby. “What the hell’s going on here?”
“Good question, you three have nice long discussion on that and I’ll give
you some privacy.” Don backed to the direction of the door and started his
strategic retreat.
“Were going to a costume party.” Charlie explained again. “What’s going
on with you?”
“Are you sure you got time?”
“We’re late already.” Charlie shrugged. “Sit down and open up.”
“Okay.” David sat down and took a deep breath. “I talked with Ian.”
“And?”
“And they’ve offered him a position in L.A., training rookies. He could still
go on occasion assignments, but he would be here probably two weeks
every month.”
“Sounds great.” Charlie cheered. “Is he gonna take it?”
“Yeah. And now comes the serious part.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I thought there’s really no reason for him to get his own place here, when
he will spend most of the time at my place. So… I asked him to move in with
me.”
“Seriously?” Colby sighed. “Wow… I definitely didn’t see that coming.”
“Congratulations.” Charlie was smiling widely. “When is he moving in?”
“Next week. You two have been in the background from the start so I though I
should tell you before everyone else. And I got a question.”
“Shoot.”
“That’s pretty close to what I’m thinking. We had a little disagreement about
his gun collection…When you moved in together, how did you… you know,
negotiate about stuff. Like who keeps what, and what do we throw away.”
“I know what you mean.” Charlie sighed. “It’s all about compromising.”
“I remember when I wanted to bring that green rug from my old place.”
“Did you keep it?” David asked.
“Well, Charlie gave me two possibilities. Either I keep the rug, or spend two
months in celibacy.”
“And?”
“And I threw it out.”
“I rewarded you for that, so shut up.” Charlie laughed.
“Okay… I think I’ll let you two leave now, we can talk later.” David got up
and headed out.
“That was nice. To hear they’re doing well.” Charlie mused.
“Yeah. Ready to go?”
“I’m ready, but you’re still missing your helmet.”
“It’s upstairs, and I’m not wearing it. That thing on top of it… It looks
like I got a dead chicken on my head.”
“What’s a gladiator without his helmet?”
“I’m not wearing it.”
“If you wear it, I’ll leave my costume on when we come back.”
Colby looked at Charlie in his bunny costume and made a quick decision.
“I’ll go get it.”
“Good boy.” Charlie grinned. “Like I said, it’s all about compromising.”