Comic (Team Angst)
Title: Comic Book Hero
Author: Cerealkiller0
Pairing/Characters: David Sinclair/Jeff Upchurch
Rating/Category: PG
Spoilers: Up to "Tabu"
Summary: David's thoughts on his comic book heroes and the way that the comics never really match up to reality.
If David were completely honest, he’d admit that a large part of the reason he joined the FBI were the comic books he’d read throughout his childhood.
He loved the heroes. Not the campy, white washed, classic good guys, but instead the tortured heroes. The brave men that sacrificed everything for the good of the people. The Lone Rangers, Dark Knights, Desperados.
He found them to be almost romantic. They were gritty characters. They had flaws and demons. They didn’t have all of the answers, but at the end of the day they still managed to get the job done and save the day.
David wanted to be just like them, and so he’d joined the Bureau. Eager for the chance to make his mark and become a crime-fighting hero in his own right.
He’d quickly discovered, however, that he really wasn’t the Lone Ranger type. He found comfort in the Bureau’s rules and regulations. He liked the structure. The order. He got a reputation as a straight shooter.
It got him into trouble exactly once. A jealous AD wanted him to report back on one of the LA offices newer, rebellious leaders, starting his time with the violent crimes squad.
He hadn’t liked the role. Not then and certainly not now. Every fiber of his being railed at the thought of spying on a man that was reminiscent of so many of his comic book heroes. In the end though, it hadn’t mattered. Don came to respect and trust him. He taught David that it was more than okay to follow his own code. He didn’t have to be a rebel to be a good agent. It was okay that he wasn’t the comic book hero that he’d initially thought he wanted to be.
That didn’t mean his fascination with those heroes stopped.
No, it just changed. David realized it for the first time when Don’s old partner Billy Cooper stopped by for a case.
Billy was a rough and tumble fugitive hunter. He rode in and out of town on his own terms. He tracked hardened criminals and threw them back into prison wherever he went. He also had one of the sexiest, whiskey rough voices that David had ever heard. And then David had a realization.
He didn’t want to be the Lone Ranger. He wanted to sleep with him.
After that, the remainder of Agent Cooper’s time in town was torture. David knew exactly what he wanted, but was sure he’d never get it. For one thing, the Lone Ranger wasn’t gay. For another? Even if he was, he’d certainly never want David.
He spent a great deal of time in a state of denial after that. He did his best to avoid those agents that he was certain would peak his interest. When Edgerton assisted with cases, he avoided the man like the plague when he could get away with it. If Billy Cooper reminded him of the Lone Ranger, then Agent Edgerton personified him.
And David was okay. Mostly.
At least, he was until a case required the assistance of a kidnap recovery specialist, Jeff Upchurch.
Jeff, who had the same whiskey-rough voice as Cooper; except with a southern drawl that had no right to be so sexy and a special forces background just like Edgerton. David already knew he was in trouble.
Then Upchurch had to go and do something completely unexpected.
He smiled at David. He smiled and offered to take David out for a beer.
“Come on, Cowboy,” Upchurch had drawled.
David accepted readily. He accepted again when Jeff offered to take him back to his hotel for the night.
It was everything David could have hoped for. Just as good as he had imagined. Jeff certainly knew what he was doing in the bedroom. He brought David off twice. Once before they ever made it to the bed and again when he was pounding David into the mattress. Afterwards, he slung an arm around David and allowed him to cuddle close in sleep. David had never felt so content in his life.
Then the next morning they returned to work and it was though nothing had ever happened.
Jeff was brusque, rude even, leaving David to almost question whether or not he had dreamed up the whole thing. It confused him greatly and he took to watching Jeff, looking for some hint as to why the other man had blown off the whole thing.
Then during David’s close observations, he began to notice a few things. First, Jeff was cold. He liked Charlie’s math not for the beauty of it, like Charlie himself or for the application and how much leg work it cut out like Don. No, Jeff liked it because he was calculating. He could transform people into numbers. Everything could become game theory. Probability. Risk/reward. He was completely detached from the human element of the case. He didn’t care about the people at all.
Second, he played things fast and loose. Well, David knew that already. It was what had drawn him to the man in the first place. However his fast and loose wasn’t like Don’s, where each decision weighed heavily and he always stayed just inside of the line. It wasn’t even like Ian’s, where even apparent recklessness had the edge of precision and sharply controlled skill. No, Jeff was just reckless. Reckless with people’s lives and their hearts.
He tried confronting the man about it and was summarily dismissed.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that by the end of this, the millionaire’s daughter will be safely returned to him. We’ll have some punk in custody. Either prison or the morgue.” He said, a mean smirk playing at his lips as he shrugged casually.
“These are people!” David hissed back.
Jeff stared at David for a long moment before his eyes widened briefly, and a different kind of smirk was suddenly playing at his lips. “What’s this really about, Cowboy?”
David jaw snapped shut and he glared before turning and stomping off, pretending the soft snort he heard behind him didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did.
He managed to hold himself together for the rest of the case. He avoided Upchurch like the plague and ignored the worried looks his partner kept directing his way. He was fine. Right up until the end when Don assigned his to cover the same location as Jeff when they closed in on their hostage takers.
David did his best to ignore the other man’s presence next to him and focused on the job he had to do.
When David finally took his shot, ending the hostage situation, the relief he felt was almost palpable. The case over meant Upchurch would leave.
Of course the man had to ruin his moment by commenting incredulously, “The arm? What kind of cowboy is that?”
David glared back. Upchurch didn’t understand anything at all. “I’m not a cowboy. I’m just a field agent.”
With that, David picked up his gun and exited the room not looking back at the other man. He wasn’t a cowboy. Or a comic book hero. And maybe Jeff Upchurch wasn’t either.
Or maybe the Lone Ranger just wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Reality never did seem to live up to the fantasy.
Please vote here!
Author: Cerealkiller0
Pairing/Characters: David Sinclair/Jeff Upchurch
Rating/Category: PG
Spoilers: Up to "Tabu"
Summary: David's thoughts on his comic book heroes and the way that the comics never really match up to reality.
If David were completely honest, he’d admit that a large part of the reason he joined the FBI were the comic books he’d read throughout his childhood.
He loved the heroes. Not the campy, white washed, classic good guys, but instead the tortured heroes. The brave men that sacrificed everything for the good of the people. The Lone Rangers, Dark Knights, Desperados.
He found them to be almost romantic. They were gritty characters. They had flaws and demons. They didn’t have all of the answers, but at the end of the day they still managed to get the job done and save the day.
David wanted to be just like them, and so he’d joined the Bureau. Eager for the chance to make his mark and become a crime-fighting hero in his own right.
He’d quickly discovered, however, that he really wasn’t the Lone Ranger type. He found comfort in the Bureau’s rules and regulations. He liked the structure. The order. He got a reputation as a straight shooter.
It got him into trouble exactly once. A jealous AD wanted him to report back on one of the LA offices newer, rebellious leaders, starting his time with the violent crimes squad.
He hadn’t liked the role. Not then and certainly not now. Every fiber of his being railed at the thought of spying on a man that was reminiscent of so many of his comic book heroes. In the end though, it hadn’t mattered. Don came to respect and trust him. He taught David that it was more than okay to follow his own code. He didn’t have to be a rebel to be a good agent. It was okay that he wasn’t the comic book hero that he’d initially thought he wanted to be.
That didn’t mean his fascination with those heroes stopped.
No, it just changed. David realized it for the first time when Don’s old partner Billy Cooper stopped by for a case.
Billy was a rough and tumble fugitive hunter. He rode in and out of town on his own terms. He tracked hardened criminals and threw them back into prison wherever he went. He also had one of the sexiest, whiskey rough voices that David had ever heard. And then David had a realization.
He didn’t want to be the Lone Ranger. He wanted to sleep with him.
After that, the remainder of Agent Cooper’s time in town was torture. David knew exactly what he wanted, but was sure he’d never get it. For one thing, the Lone Ranger wasn’t gay. For another? Even if he was, he’d certainly never want David.
He spent a great deal of time in a state of denial after that. He did his best to avoid those agents that he was certain would peak his interest. When Edgerton assisted with cases, he avoided the man like the plague when he could get away with it. If Billy Cooper reminded him of the Lone Ranger, then Agent Edgerton personified him.
And David was okay. Mostly.
At least, he was until a case required the assistance of a kidnap recovery specialist, Jeff Upchurch.
Jeff, who had the same whiskey-rough voice as Cooper; except with a southern drawl that had no right to be so sexy and a special forces background just like Edgerton. David already knew he was in trouble.
Then Upchurch had to go and do something completely unexpected.
He smiled at David. He smiled and offered to take David out for a beer.
“Come on, Cowboy,” Upchurch had drawled.
David accepted readily. He accepted again when Jeff offered to take him back to his hotel for the night.
It was everything David could have hoped for. Just as good as he had imagined. Jeff certainly knew what he was doing in the bedroom. He brought David off twice. Once before they ever made it to the bed and again when he was pounding David into the mattress. Afterwards, he slung an arm around David and allowed him to cuddle close in sleep. David had never felt so content in his life.
Then the next morning they returned to work and it was though nothing had ever happened.
Jeff was brusque, rude even, leaving David to almost question whether or not he had dreamed up the whole thing. It confused him greatly and he took to watching Jeff, looking for some hint as to why the other man had blown off the whole thing.
Then during David’s close observations, he began to notice a few things. First, Jeff was cold. He liked Charlie’s math not for the beauty of it, like Charlie himself or for the application and how much leg work it cut out like Don. No, Jeff liked it because he was calculating. He could transform people into numbers. Everything could become game theory. Probability. Risk/reward. He was completely detached from the human element of the case. He didn’t care about the people at all.
Second, he played things fast and loose. Well, David knew that already. It was what had drawn him to the man in the first place. However his fast and loose wasn’t like Don’s, where each decision weighed heavily and he always stayed just inside of the line. It wasn’t even like Ian’s, where even apparent recklessness had the edge of precision and sharply controlled skill. No, Jeff was just reckless. Reckless with people’s lives and their hearts.
He tried confronting the man about it and was summarily dismissed.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that by the end of this, the millionaire’s daughter will be safely returned to him. We’ll have some punk in custody. Either prison or the morgue.” He said, a mean smirk playing at his lips as he shrugged casually.
“These are people!” David hissed back.
Jeff stared at David for a long moment before his eyes widened briefly, and a different kind of smirk was suddenly playing at his lips. “What’s this really about, Cowboy?”
David jaw snapped shut and he glared before turning and stomping off, pretending the soft snort he heard behind him didn’t hurt nearly as much as it did.
He managed to hold himself together for the rest of the case. He avoided Upchurch like the plague and ignored the worried looks his partner kept directing his way. He was fine. Right up until the end when Don assigned his to cover the same location as Jeff when they closed in on their hostage takers.
David did his best to ignore the other man’s presence next to him and focused on the job he had to do.
When David finally took his shot, ending the hostage situation, the relief he felt was almost palpable. The case over meant Upchurch would leave.
Of course the man had to ruin his moment by commenting incredulously, “The arm? What kind of cowboy is that?”
David glared back. Upchurch didn’t understand anything at all. “I’m not a cowboy. I’m just a field agent.”
With that, David picked up his gun and exited the room not looking back at the other man. He wasn’t a cowboy. Or a comic book hero. And maybe Jeff Upchurch wasn’t either.
Or maybe the Lone Ranger just wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
Reality never did seem to live up to the fantasy.
Please vote here!