Ten Days - Part Eight
Title: Ten Days
Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing/Characters: Colby, David, Don, Charlie
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up to and including When Worlds Collide
Summary:After ten days he began to doubt that they would ever find him.
Spoilers: Up to and including When Worlds Collide
Thanks to my beta,
pruehall. And still i do not own NUMB3RS.
Parts One-Seven
Ten Days: Part Eight
They asked him about Charlie. Who he was, what he did. He told them that he was a male prostitute. They took a lighter to his skin. Burnt his skin. He clamped down hard on his bottom lip, drawing blood in an effort to keep himself from screaming.
They asked him again. He told them that Charlie was a professional football player. They swung a steel toed boot into his side, right where his skin was still bubbling. This time he almost bit his tongue in half. He wasn’t even aware of the tears sliding down his cheeks, cutting a path across his dirty skin.
They asked him again why Charlie was helping the FBI, what he was doing for them. This honestly surprised him. Charlie had lost his security clearance. He shouldn’t be doing anything with the FBI. Not anymore. Andthey were, apparently, watching the FBI. Another surprise.
He told them the truth, or at least, some of it. He told them that he didn’t know why Charlie was at the FBI, didn’t know what he was doing there. He supposed that they believed him because he hadn’t bothered to cover up his surprise earlier. They still shocked him, though. Probably just for good measure. He was running out of surfaces in and around his mouth to bit on. He had torn his lips, cheeks and tongue apart with his teeth, clamping down on them to keep his cries of pain inside. He didn’t want to give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. He refused to see the satisfaction, the triumph in their eyes. The delight that they would undoubtedly take in his agony.
Before they left they reminded him that this was his fifth day with them. Oh, joy. Happy Anni-fucking-versary.
The men left and David came back again. This time, though, it was angry David.
This time David told him how much he despised him, how David hoped that he suffered long and hard here before they finally killed him. Told him that this was exactly what he deserved. That he had earned this punishment fair and square for his lies.
David ranted hatefully at him for what seemed like hours and Colby thought it ironic that, though he could keep himself silent as these men waged a full scale war on his body, a patch of empty air could break him. Word that only he could hear coming from a spot that was occupied by nothing, save a few flies from time to time as they passed through. Any other time the sight of a house fly buzzing directly through David’s forehead without ever even slowing down probably would have been funny. But there was nothing funny about this.
This time he was aware of the tears falling from his eyes. As much as the torture hurt, it hurt more to hear David say those things to him.
Even if it wasn’t really David.
But he didn’t want fake David to leave. He like the hate better than the oppressive silence.
That was what he had come to. He actually found comfort in his best friend hating him.
It was pathetic and he knew it.
Maybe that was what really hurt. It wasn’t David’s nonexistent words, but rather the fact that Colby was more than happy to hear them, as long as it was David’s voice speaking them.
David was his thread to the outside world. David was keeping him sane.
Could it get any more ironic? His hallucination was protecting his sanity.
Fandom: NUMB3RS
Pairing/Characters: Colby, David, Don, Charlie
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up to and including When Worlds Collide
Summary:After ten days he began to doubt that they would ever find him.
Spoilers: Up to and including When Worlds Collide
Thanks to my beta,
pruehall. And still i do not own NUMB3RS.
Parts One-Seven
Ten Days: Part Eight
They asked him about Charlie. Who he was, what he did. He told them that he was a male prostitute. They took a lighter to his skin. Burnt his skin. He clamped down hard on his bottom lip, drawing blood in an effort to keep himself from screaming.
They asked him again. He told them that Charlie was a professional football player. They swung a steel toed boot into his side, right where his skin was still bubbling. This time he almost bit his tongue in half. He wasn’t even aware of the tears sliding down his cheeks, cutting a path across his dirty skin.
They asked him again why Charlie was helping the FBI, what he was doing for them. This honestly surprised him. Charlie had lost his security clearance. He shouldn’t be doing anything with the FBI. Not anymore. Andthey were, apparently, watching the FBI. Another surprise.
He told them the truth, or at least, some of it. He told them that he didn’t know why Charlie was at the FBI, didn’t know what he was doing there. He supposed that they believed him because he hadn’t bothered to cover up his surprise earlier. They still shocked him, though. Probably just for good measure. He was running out of surfaces in and around his mouth to bit on. He had torn his lips, cheeks and tongue apart with his teeth, clamping down on them to keep his cries of pain inside. He didn’t want to give them the pleasure of hearing him scream. He refused to see the satisfaction, the triumph in their eyes. The delight that they would undoubtedly take in his agony.
Before they left they reminded him that this was his fifth day with them. Oh, joy. Happy Anni-fucking-versary.
The men left and David came back again. This time, though, it was angry David.
This time David told him how much he despised him, how David hoped that he suffered long and hard here before they finally killed him. Told him that this was exactly what he deserved. That he had earned this punishment fair and square for his lies.
David ranted hatefully at him for what seemed like hours and Colby thought it ironic that, though he could keep himself silent as these men waged a full scale war on his body, a patch of empty air could break him. Word that only he could hear coming from a spot that was occupied by nothing, save a few flies from time to time as they passed through. Any other time the sight of a house fly buzzing directly through David’s forehead without ever even slowing down probably would have been funny. But there was nothing funny about this.
This time he was aware of the tears falling from his eyes. As much as the torture hurt, it hurt more to hear David say those things to him.
Even if it wasn’t really David.
But he didn’t want fake David to leave. He like the hate better than the oppressive silence.
That was what he had come to. He actually found comfort in his best friend hating him.
It was pathetic and he knew it.
Maybe that was what really hurt. It wasn’t David’s nonexistent words, but rather the fact that Colby was more than happy to hear them, as long as it was David’s voice speaking them.
David was his thread to the outside world. David was keeping him sane.
Could it get any more ironic? His hallucination was protecting his sanity.