Numb3rs Fic: Turnabout
Posted to numb3rs_slash
Title: Turnabout (Sequel to Everything)
Series/Universe: Last Call
Pairing/Characters: Don/Charlie, Megan, Colby
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: Judgment Call
Summary: Don and Charlie's new relationship is tested by the reality of life
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
"Charlie? Charlie?"
Megan laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder as he sat hunched over his notebooks in the conference room, writing intently. He jumped, startled, and she gave him an apologetic look.
"Megan! Is Don okay? Is everyone else okay? Did you get them?"
Megan's face fell a little. "Don's fine, we're all fine." She let out a long sigh and plopped down in the chair next to Charlie's. "It didn't go well."
"No one was there? That site rated highly..." Charlie began, flustered.
"Someone was there," Megan interrupted, calming Charlie with a hand on his forearm. "But the guy chose to commit suicide by cop rather than surrender."
"So no questioning him to find out more about the child pornography ring's leadership," Charlie said, nodding in understanding.
Megan's face screwed up in confusion. "Charlie, is your hand shaking?"
Charlie glanced at his hand then shook it purposefully, annoyed, also shaking off Megan's hand as well.
"Blood sugar," he said, shrugging. "Guess I haven't eaten for a while."
"You should eat!" Megan admonished. "Go home. There's no more we can do for now until another lead comes along. Forensics is going through the guy's house now looking at everything and unless they come up with something miraculous we have to start over when we come back to work on Monday."
Charlie scrubbed his face with his hands. "Maybe if I went back to network theory and reworked..."
"Charlie," Megan said gently. "Go home. You're no use to anyone if you make yourself sick with overwork." She rose and beckoned to him. "Come on, I'm relieving you of duty, Dr. Eppes."
Charlie let out a tired chuckle. "Can't argue with a woman who knows Krav Maga."
"You got that right." Megan helped him gather up his notebooks since Charlie was moving slowly. She patiently held them out as he packed them in his bag. "We'll take a look at the case again on Monday. There may be new data then so rest up for now."
Charlie slung his bag over his shoulder and gave Megan a smile of gratitude. "Thanks."
"Thank you," she countered. "Now git!"
Laughing, Charlie let Megan all but shove him playfully out of the conference room. Once they were outside the door the sound of Don's raised voice nearby stole the humor from both of their faces.
Don appeared to be chewing out two junior agents whose heads were hung down almost as if they were expecting a beating.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked Colby who was sitting at his desk.
"Don got a call about a case we solved a while back and now he's majorly pissed. Ends up the prosecutor's office blew it and if they can't fix their screw up, they're going to have to accept a plea at a lower charge. He's been biting everyone's head off since he heard the news."
"Which case?" Megan asked.
"Norwich," Colby responded, his expression grim.
"That's terrible," Charlie said in commiseration. "But it's not Don's fault or the team's right? Why is he taking it so hard?"
"Don never mentioned the Norwich case to you?" Megan asked. "That was the guy who ran an unlicensed day care in his home until one of the kids went missing and was found later murdered behind a secret wall in his basement."
"Yeah, would you want to see him out in six months instead of twenty years?" Colby continued for her.
"That is bad," Charlie said, grimacing. "I never understood how you guys could deal with the horrors you see every day on this job."
"Personally I'm going to my gym tonight for a major kick boxing session to get it out of my system. Don…" Megan looked over at him and shook her head. "He just needs to get out of here."
"Yeah," Colby added. "Before he does something he'll regret later."
Charlie looked over at Don, both sadness and determination clear on his face. "Let me see what I can do."
+
As Charlie approached, he saw the junior agents slink away chastened, looking a little fearful.
"Don..."
"Hey, Charlie." Don was tense, distracted by the papers in his hands, and barely acknowledged Charlie's presence. "Megan fill you in?"
"Yes and she's sending me home. She said there's nothing more I can do for now."
"Okay." Don strode off in the direction of the mailroom with Charlie in tow.
"Listen..." Charlie struggled to keep up with his brother's longer faster strides. "It's Friday, it's getting late, you've worked hard all week... Why don't we both take off?"
"Because the work's not done," Don tossed out without skipping a beat.
"The work is never done," Charlie countered.
"Exactly." Don grabbed the mail from his slot and sorted through it as Charlie stood staring at him.
"I haven't seen you all week outside of work," Charlie said softly, moving closer so he could be sure only Don heard him. "We got pulled away Sunday to work on this case, surely you can leave now? Make up for a little of the weekend you missed out on?" He glanced around cautiously then slid a hand behind Don's low back - an intimate touch that could pass for mere brotherly concern. "That we missed out on?" he whispered.
"Charlie..." Don sighed, leaning back slightly into Charlie's touch.
"I'll go tell Megan you're going home too," Charlie interrupted, cutting off any argument. "Finish up whatever you need to, then we're leaving."
Don checked his watch. "Fine," he grumbled. "Ten minutes."
"Thank you." Charlie let his arm slip around Don's waist for just a second before he left the mailroom. "I'll meet you at the car."
+
They drove in silence most of the way home, Charlie's hand lightly resting on Don's thigh, meant more to soothe than to arouse.
They almost managed to make it to the apartment when Don's cell phone rang.
"Eppes."
Charlie watched, concerned, as Don's face darkened.
"Fuck," he swore. "Did you tell him?"
Charlie moved his hand to Don's arm to try to get his attention, but Don didn't respond.
"Fine. Tell him he can call me if he wants."
Don shut the phone with a vicious snap, scowling.
"What is it?" Charlie asked cautiously.
"Ballistics came back on the shooting - that suicide by cop today. Ends up it was David's gun that fired the fatal shot. He's officially on administrative leave until they investigate and clear it as a good shoot." Don stared out the windshield, accelerating as he began to drive more aggressively. "Shit, there was nothing good about that case except for that shoot! Now not only are we back at square one, I've lost an agent over it!"
"Only temporarily right?" Charlie asked.
"Sure, but David's not going to take this well and I'm already low on resources. Take David away and we're pretty much fucked."
"I'm sorry," Charlie offered. "If you want I can look over the data again. If there's any other way I can help?"
"Can you fire a gun?" Don asked, his tone bitter.
"I guess I can't make up for you losing an agent," Charlie said. "But I do care and I do want to help," he added kindly.
He pulled his hand back and watched as Don drove in silence, hands gripping the wheel as his anger took root and grew, festering, inside him.
+
David called as they pulled into the parking lot so Charlie excused himself, getting out of the car and waiting outside so Don could speak to him privately. He pulled a book out of his bag and tried to read as he leaned against the building, but his eyes kept returning to Don.
Despite being normally fairly clueless with people, he'd always been good at reading his brother. He could tell that despite how strong he was likely being for David on the phone, this was tearing Don up inside.
He watched his brother hang up the phone, pause for a few seconds, then pound the steering wheel with both fists, making Charlie jump.
Don got out of the car and strode towards the stairs.
"Is David okay?" Charlie asked, trying to keep up.
"He's a good agent. He didn't deserve this," Don grumbled, ignoring the question. "I was worried about him after he got shot so I sent him to the Bureau shrink. He was seriously thinking about leaving the Bureau after that so now? There's an even better chance of him quitting."
"I'm sorry," Charlie said, reaching for Don's arm as he fell behind only to come up empty when Don sped up. "Let me help."
"Nothing you can do," Don tossed off dismissively. "It's just the fucking bureaucracy now. Have to go through the process." He spat out the last word, emphasizing it with a biting disdain in his voice.
"I see..."
Don unlocked the apartment door and walked in, leaving it open for Charlie who came in and locked it behind him as Don headed for the bedroom. He emerged a brief moment later without his gun, handcuffs and jacket to find Charlie hovering nervously near the entry.
"What?"
"I don't know what to do," Charlie answered honestly. "As your brother I want to let you rant about work, but as your lover..." he softened his tone on that word, "I want to hold you and kiss you and make it all go away, even if it's only for a while."
Charlie saw something flicker across Don's face before it was replaced with the resentment and rage that had been steadily consuming him. "Maybe you should just go home. I'm not exactly good company right now," he said, sullen but still a little apologetic.
"I said I wanted to be what you need." Charlie's voice was quiet but firm, as he put his bag and jacket aside. "I'm not leaving just because you're having a bad day. You need me. I just need to know what I can do to make things better for you."
"Nothing. There's nothing." Don started to pace the living room, trying to find an outlet for the pent up energy inside of him. "That's what's so damn frustrating. There's nothing anyone can do. No one can make the review process go any faster, no one can take David off administrative leave, no one can spare another agent for me while he's on leave, no one," he ground out between gritted teeth, "can take away the fact that David killed a man. He's got to deal with it and I don't know how he's going to manage."
"He'll be okay. David's strong, just like you."
"Yeah, well I didn't handle my first kill that well, so don't be using me as a role model," Don scoffed, still pacing vigorously.
Charlie let out a long exhausted breath, letting his shoulders sag.
"Can't we just sit down, have some dinner and try to leave the work at work for a while?" he pleaded.
"I'm not hungry," Don tossed back, not even looking at Charlie. "Just go spend the evening with Dad. I need to be free in case David calls back."
"I don't want to be with Dad. I see Dad all the time. I want to be with you. I want to be what you need, but right now I don't know what that is."
"Right now I just need..." Don threw up his hands. "I don't know what I need! Maybe I need to be alone! Maybe I need to rant until it's out of my system! It doesn't matter. You shouldn't have to put up with this."
"I'm not leaving," Charlie said stubbornly. "You wouldn't desert me if I was in a bad place so I'm..." Charlie's voice trailed off as he wavered, putting out a hand blindly as dizziness overwhelmed him and his vision grayed out.
"I've got you..." Don's arms were suddenly around him. "I've got you..." Don's voice was soft and worried in his ear and it seemed far away over the rush of white noise that had swelled up along with his near faint.
His legs were wobbly, but Don managed to help him to the couch and get him sitting down.
"I'm fine," he mumbled on autopilot.
"No, you're not," Don scolded. "When was the last time you ate something?"
"Megan shared a bagel with me this morning." Charlie tried to remember. "Or was that yesterday?"
"Charlie!" Don admonished. "You can't keep doing this! You need to take breaks for food, you know that."
"I meant to," Charlie muttered, letting his head fall on Don's shoulder as Don kept him propped up with his arm around him. "I just get engrossed in my work..."
"You scared me," Don said quietly, pressing a kiss into Charlie's curls. "One second I'm raving like a lunatic and the next I see you collapsing."
"Sorry," Charlie said, honestly contrite.
"Let me find you something to eat." Don made to rise, but Charlie tugged him back down.
"Not just yet. Can we at least spend a minute together first?"
"Sure, buddy." Don enfolded him back into his arms and Charlie relaxed into them completely. "Just rest..."
+
"Charlie... Charlie..."
Charlie woke to Don shaking his shoulder gently.
"Don?" he mumbled, still half asleep.
Don gave him a patient smile. "You have to wake up, buddy. You need to eat."
Charlie perked an eye open as he sniffed the air.
"I thought we were at your place."
"We are."
"But that smells like Dad's lasagna."
"It is."
Charlie blinked a few times. "Dad's here?" He sat up a little too abruptly and his head swam.
"Easy there," Don took hold of his biceps to steady him. "I called Dad to tell him you weren't feeling great and were going to stay over and he offered to bring by the lasagna he made for dinner tonight. He got an offer to go out with Stan so he just dropped it off for when you eventually woke up." Don looked apologetic. "I didn't want him to know you hadn't eaten all day or else he'd worry so I didn't tell him I was going to wake you up to eat."
"Yeah, okay," Charlie said, yawning. "How long was I out?"
"About two hours. I didn't want you to sleep the whole night without eating so I figured once the lasagna was ready to come out of the oven I'd wake you up." Don let him go, but stayed near. "You awake enough now to eat?"
"I guess."
"Stay there," Don ordered, getting up and heading for the kitchen. "I'll bring you a plate."
"You know I had this odd thought when I first woke up that you'd cooked for me," Charlie muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Don let out a little chortle, pausing at the kitchen door. "I may be a self-centered jerk who should have been taking better care of you, but I don't think I could make up for that by learning to cook in just two hours."
Charlie laughed, finally waking the rest of the way up.
"That's okay. You can make it up to me by making dessert."
"There you go," Don tossed back, heading into the kitchen. "When it comes to scooping ice cream into a bowl I'm a pro..."
+
Once the coffee table was littered with dirty dinner plates and empty ice cream bowls Charlie leaned in for a soft sweet kiss.
"Thank you," he said, smiling contentedly. "I feel a lot better now."
"Good." Don pulled Charlie closer in his arms and kissed him again, this time longer but just as leisurely. "You should get some real sleep now," he said reluctantly.
"Mmm... Don't want to move," Charlie mumbled into Don's neck as he let his head fall back to Don's shoulder. "Tired..."
"I could carry you?" Don teased, poking him.
"You could get a hernia trying," Charlie teased back. "I'm getting up." With Don's assistance, he rose gingerly, stretching out his arms and legs until he was standing up on his own. "I'll go brush my teeth and stuff. You coming?"
"As soon as I load the dishwasher," Don promised. "Yell if you feel shaky at all."
"Okay." Charlie shuffled off, toeing off his shoes by the front door before heading through Don's bedroom to the adjoining bathroom.
He stripped and got ready for bed then slipped between the sheets, his eyes almost immediately closing against even the dim light coming in from the living room. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to Don enter the room and go through his own nightly preparations.
When the bed finally dipped beside him he opened one eye, peeking out to test the light and found it dark save the dim glow leaking between the slats of the blinds from the streetlight outdoors.
The soft golden light wasn't enough to make out details, but it was enough to outline Don's body, illuminating the curve of each muscle and the slight rise of his hip beneath the sheet half covering him.
Charlie pulled Don to him, bringing their naked bodies together in full contact - wrapping his arms around Don's neck as he kissed him, his desire clear.
"You need to sleep," Don reminded him.
"I need you," Charlie countered. "And even if full on sex is too much for tonight, we can still take care of each other like we used to." He rubbed against Don and felt his body respond. "It will only take a few minutes and you can't tell me it wouldn't help you to blow off a little steam after what happened today."
"You shouldn't have to, not when you're this tired," Don protested.
"We," Charlie said, stressing the word, "take care of each other now." He moved back enough to insinuate a hand between their bodies, slipping his fingers around Don's burgeoning erection. "So kiss me..."
Charlie's lips met his hungrily and Don plundered his mouth, the kiss growing in ardor along with the speed of Charlie's hand stroking him. For the few intimate encounters they'd had, they'd both begun to read each other's body effortlessly: knowing when to speed up, how much pressure to use and when to add just a little more to push each other over the edge.
Losing control, Don gave up kissing Charlie - panting just above him as his body tensed, nearing completion. His eyes drifted closed as Charlie moved down the bed just enough to take the head of Don's cock into his mouth.
His body went taut at the unexpected pleasure and he came with an uncontrolled shout, body shaking with the unexpected force of his release, aftershocks little tremors under Charlie's soothing hands.
By the time Charlie came back up to him he was still only just barely able to speak.
"Didn't have to do that," he gasped.
"Not about have to," Charlie told him, cupping Don's face in his hand. "It's want to."
Don got his breath back fairly quickly and gave Charlie a gentle push to lie on his back.
"Your turn."
Don dragged the sheet down, uncovering Charlie's bare form, and shifted to lie beside his hip, laying his head on Charlie's stomach.
Charlie closed his eyes and let his head fall into the pillow, relaxing as Don's fingers wrapped around his shaft and started to stroke. He let out a long breath and let himself fall into the rhythm of the repetitive motion and the escalating need rising within him.
His eyes flew open and his cock jumped at the sensation of a tentative swipe of tongue across the head.
"Don..." he breathed, ready to protest out of guilt alone. This was the one thing they'd never done, the one part about sex with a man Don wasn't as likely to enjoy.
"Shh..." Don responded. "Just relax..."
Charlie opened his mouth again, but Don sucked the entire head of his cock into his mouth and Charlie's mind went offline on pleasure overload. The sensation might not be new, but his mind screaming Don, Don, Don made his head spin - this unexpected first time a shock to both body and mind.
Don's lips sliding over him were slow and exploratory, but Charlie had all the patience in the world. This was one of the things he'd fantasized most about when he was young and he surrendered to it, allowing himself to relish this, trusting Don's word to just let go.
His hand gravitated to Don's back, skimming over his muscular shoulders and up the back of his neck until it came to rest on his head, not pushing or guiding, but following the motion of his brother's head as it bobbed up and down over him.
Opening his eyes, he glanced down to watch and almost came just from watching his cock disappear between Don's lips.
"Oh god..." he groaned, feeling the familiar pull of escalation.
He felt Don falter just long enough to shift position, moving so he had one hand jacking Charlie's shaft while he sucked the head into his mouth repeatedly. The movement was more brisk and Charlie stiffened, tensing on the cusp of falling.
Abruptly Don switched hands and moved his pre-cum slicked finger to Charlie's entrance, sliding in a digit and crooking it to hit the sweet spot just as he pulled his mouth away and started squeezing and twisting Charlie's cock vigorously.
The stimulation was too much all at once and Charlie snapped, body flailing in grand spasms as he came hard - more pleasure than he could bear swamping his senses. He vaguely heard himself call out a name - Don's.
Then he fell back to the bed, inhaling great gulps of air as little shockwaves jolted his exhausted muscles.
Don moved up to lie beside him, hand broad and warm on his belly as he clamored for oxygen, slowly calming.
"That came out of nowhere," he gasped, amazement in his voice.
"Well, I wanted to make up for doing a bad job of taking care of you," Don told him, almost matter of fact.
"Yeah, but you didn't have to do that," Charlie countered.
Don pulled him into his arms, letting him settle in close just how he liked, his drowsy voice the last thing cutting through the fog before sleep claimed them both.
"Not about have to. It's want to..."
=
Title: Turnabout (Sequel to Everything)
Series/Universe: Last Call
Pairing/Characters: Don/Charlie, Megan, Colby
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: Judgment Call
Summary: Don and Charlie's new relationship is tested by the reality of life
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
"Charlie? Charlie?"
Megan laid a hand on Charlie's shoulder as he sat hunched over his notebooks in the conference room, writing intently. He jumped, startled, and she gave him an apologetic look.
"Megan! Is Don okay? Is everyone else okay? Did you get them?"
Megan's face fell a little. "Don's fine, we're all fine." She let out a long sigh and plopped down in the chair next to Charlie's. "It didn't go well."
"No one was there? That site rated highly..." Charlie began, flustered.
"Someone was there," Megan interrupted, calming Charlie with a hand on his forearm. "But the guy chose to commit suicide by cop rather than surrender."
"So no questioning him to find out more about the child pornography ring's leadership," Charlie said, nodding in understanding.
Megan's face screwed up in confusion. "Charlie, is your hand shaking?"
Charlie glanced at his hand then shook it purposefully, annoyed, also shaking off Megan's hand as well.
"Blood sugar," he said, shrugging. "Guess I haven't eaten for a while."
"You should eat!" Megan admonished. "Go home. There's no more we can do for now until another lead comes along. Forensics is going through the guy's house now looking at everything and unless they come up with something miraculous we have to start over when we come back to work on Monday."
Charlie scrubbed his face with his hands. "Maybe if I went back to network theory and reworked..."
"Charlie," Megan said gently. "Go home. You're no use to anyone if you make yourself sick with overwork." She rose and beckoned to him. "Come on, I'm relieving you of duty, Dr. Eppes."
Charlie let out a tired chuckle. "Can't argue with a woman who knows Krav Maga."
"You got that right." Megan helped him gather up his notebooks since Charlie was moving slowly. She patiently held them out as he packed them in his bag. "We'll take a look at the case again on Monday. There may be new data then so rest up for now."
Charlie slung his bag over his shoulder and gave Megan a smile of gratitude. "Thanks."
"Thank you," she countered. "Now git!"
Laughing, Charlie let Megan all but shove him playfully out of the conference room. Once they were outside the door the sound of Don's raised voice nearby stole the humor from both of their faces.
Don appeared to be chewing out two junior agents whose heads were hung down almost as if they were expecting a beating.
"What's going on?" Charlie asked Colby who was sitting at his desk.
"Don got a call about a case we solved a while back and now he's majorly pissed. Ends up the prosecutor's office blew it and if they can't fix their screw up, they're going to have to accept a plea at a lower charge. He's been biting everyone's head off since he heard the news."
"Which case?" Megan asked.
"Norwich," Colby responded, his expression grim.
"That's terrible," Charlie said in commiseration. "But it's not Don's fault or the team's right? Why is he taking it so hard?"
"Don never mentioned the Norwich case to you?" Megan asked. "That was the guy who ran an unlicensed day care in his home until one of the kids went missing and was found later murdered behind a secret wall in his basement."
"Yeah, would you want to see him out in six months instead of twenty years?" Colby continued for her.
"That is bad," Charlie said, grimacing. "I never understood how you guys could deal with the horrors you see every day on this job."
"Personally I'm going to my gym tonight for a major kick boxing session to get it out of my system. Don…" Megan looked over at him and shook her head. "He just needs to get out of here."
"Yeah," Colby added. "Before he does something he'll regret later."
Charlie looked over at Don, both sadness and determination clear on his face. "Let me see what I can do."
+
As Charlie approached, he saw the junior agents slink away chastened, looking a little fearful.
"Don..."
"Hey, Charlie." Don was tense, distracted by the papers in his hands, and barely acknowledged Charlie's presence. "Megan fill you in?"
"Yes and she's sending me home. She said there's nothing more I can do for now."
"Okay." Don strode off in the direction of the mailroom with Charlie in tow.
"Listen..." Charlie struggled to keep up with his brother's longer faster strides. "It's Friday, it's getting late, you've worked hard all week... Why don't we both take off?"
"Because the work's not done," Don tossed out without skipping a beat.
"The work is never done," Charlie countered.
"Exactly." Don grabbed the mail from his slot and sorted through it as Charlie stood staring at him.
"I haven't seen you all week outside of work," Charlie said softly, moving closer so he could be sure only Don heard him. "We got pulled away Sunday to work on this case, surely you can leave now? Make up for a little of the weekend you missed out on?" He glanced around cautiously then slid a hand behind Don's low back - an intimate touch that could pass for mere brotherly concern. "That we missed out on?" he whispered.
"Charlie..." Don sighed, leaning back slightly into Charlie's touch.
"I'll go tell Megan you're going home too," Charlie interrupted, cutting off any argument. "Finish up whatever you need to, then we're leaving."
Don checked his watch. "Fine," he grumbled. "Ten minutes."
"Thank you." Charlie let his arm slip around Don's waist for just a second before he left the mailroom. "I'll meet you at the car."
+
They drove in silence most of the way home, Charlie's hand lightly resting on Don's thigh, meant more to soothe than to arouse.
They almost managed to make it to the apartment when Don's cell phone rang.
"Eppes."
Charlie watched, concerned, as Don's face darkened.
"Fuck," he swore. "Did you tell him?"
Charlie moved his hand to Don's arm to try to get his attention, but Don didn't respond.
"Fine. Tell him he can call me if he wants."
Don shut the phone with a vicious snap, scowling.
"What is it?" Charlie asked cautiously.
"Ballistics came back on the shooting - that suicide by cop today. Ends up it was David's gun that fired the fatal shot. He's officially on administrative leave until they investigate and clear it as a good shoot." Don stared out the windshield, accelerating as he began to drive more aggressively. "Shit, there was nothing good about that case except for that shoot! Now not only are we back at square one, I've lost an agent over it!"
"Only temporarily right?" Charlie asked.
"Sure, but David's not going to take this well and I'm already low on resources. Take David away and we're pretty much fucked."
"I'm sorry," Charlie offered. "If you want I can look over the data again. If there's any other way I can help?"
"Can you fire a gun?" Don asked, his tone bitter.
"I guess I can't make up for you losing an agent," Charlie said. "But I do care and I do want to help," he added kindly.
He pulled his hand back and watched as Don drove in silence, hands gripping the wheel as his anger took root and grew, festering, inside him.
+
David called as they pulled into the parking lot so Charlie excused himself, getting out of the car and waiting outside so Don could speak to him privately. He pulled a book out of his bag and tried to read as he leaned against the building, but his eyes kept returning to Don.
Despite being normally fairly clueless with people, he'd always been good at reading his brother. He could tell that despite how strong he was likely being for David on the phone, this was tearing Don up inside.
He watched his brother hang up the phone, pause for a few seconds, then pound the steering wheel with both fists, making Charlie jump.
Don got out of the car and strode towards the stairs.
"Is David okay?" Charlie asked, trying to keep up.
"He's a good agent. He didn't deserve this," Don grumbled, ignoring the question. "I was worried about him after he got shot so I sent him to the Bureau shrink. He was seriously thinking about leaving the Bureau after that so now? There's an even better chance of him quitting."
"I'm sorry," Charlie said, reaching for Don's arm as he fell behind only to come up empty when Don sped up. "Let me help."
"Nothing you can do," Don tossed off dismissively. "It's just the fucking bureaucracy now. Have to go through the process." He spat out the last word, emphasizing it with a biting disdain in his voice.
"I see..."
Don unlocked the apartment door and walked in, leaving it open for Charlie who came in and locked it behind him as Don headed for the bedroom. He emerged a brief moment later without his gun, handcuffs and jacket to find Charlie hovering nervously near the entry.
"What?"
"I don't know what to do," Charlie answered honestly. "As your brother I want to let you rant about work, but as your lover..." he softened his tone on that word, "I want to hold you and kiss you and make it all go away, even if it's only for a while."
Charlie saw something flicker across Don's face before it was replaced with the resentment and rage that had been steadily consuming him. "Maybe you should just go home. I'm not exactly good company right now," he said, sullen but still a little apologetic.
"I said I wanted to be what you need." Charlie's voice was quiet but firm, as he put his bag and jacket aside. "I'm not leaving just because you're having a bad day. You need me. I just need to know what I can do to make things better for you."
"Nothing. There's nothing." Don started to pace the living room, trying to find an outlet for the pent up energy inside of him. "That's what's so damn frustrating. There's nothing anyone can do. No one can make the review process go any faster, no one can take David off administrative leave, no one can spare another agent for me while he's on leave, no one," he ground out between gritted teeth, "can take away the fact that David killed a man. He's got to deal with it and I don't know how he's going to manage."
"He'll be okay. David's strong, just like you."
"Yeah, well I didn't handle my first kill that well, so don't be using me as a role model," Don scoffed, still pacing vigorously.
Charlie let out a long exhausted breath, letting his shoulders sag.
"Can't we just sit down, have some dinner and try to leave the work at work for a while?" he pleaded.
"I'm not hungry," Don tossed back, not even looking at Charlie. "Just go spend the evening with Dad. I need to be free in case David calls back."
"I don't want to be with Dad. I see Dad all the time. I want to be with you. I want to be what you need, but right now I don't know what that is."
"Right now I just need..." Don threw up his hands. "I don't know what I need! Maybe I need to be alone! Maybe I need to rant until it's out of my system! It doesn't matter. You shouldn't have to put up with this."
"I'm not leaving," Charlie said stubbornly. "You wouldn't desert me if I was in a bad place so I'm..." Charlie's voice trailed off as he wavered, putting out a hand blindly as dizziness overwhelmed him and his vision grayed out.
"I've got you..." Don's arms were suddenly around him. "I've got you..." Don's voice was soft and worried in his ear and it seemed far away over the rush of white noise that had swelled up along with his near faint.
His legs were wobbly, but Don managed to help him to the couch and get him sitting down.
"I'm fine," he mumbled on autopilot.
"No, you're not," Don scolded. "When was the last time you ate something?"
"Megan shared a bagel with me this morning." Charlie tried to remember. "Or was that yesterday?"
"Charlie!" Don admonished. "You can't keep doing this! You need to take breaks for food, you know that."
"I meant to," Charlie muttered, letting his head fall on Don's shoulder as Don kept him propped up with his arm around him. "I just get engrossed in my work..."
"You scared me," Don said quietly, pressing a kiss into Charlie's curls. "One second I'm raving like a lunatic and the next I see you collapsing."
"Sorry," Charlie said, honestly contrite.
"Let me find you something to eat." Don made to rise, but Charlie tugged him back down.
"Not just yet. Can we at least spend a minute together first?"
"Sure, buddy." Don enfolded him back into his arms and Charlie relaxed into them completely. "Just rest..."
+
"Charlie... Charlie..."
Charlie woke to Don shaking his shoulder gently.
"Don?" he mumbled, still half asleep.
Don gave him a patient smile. "You have to wake up, buddy. You need to eat."
Charlie perked an eye open as he sniffed the air.
"I thought we were at your place."
"We are."
"But that smells like Dad's lasagna."
"It is."
Charlie blinked a few times. "Dad's here?" He sat up a little too abruptly and his head swam.
"Easy there," Don took hold of his biceps to steady him. "I called Dad to tell him you weren't feeling great and were going to stay over and he offered to bring by the lasagna he made for dinner tonight. He got an offer to go out with Stan so he just dropped it off for when you eventually woke up." Don looked apologetic. "I didn't want him to know you hadn't eaten all day or else he'd worry so I didn't tell him I was going to wake you up to eat."
"Yeah, okay," Charlie said, yawning. "How long was I out?"
"About two hours. I didn't want you to sleep the whole night without eating so I figured once the lasagna was ready to come out of the oven I'd wake you up." Don let him go, but stayed near. "You awake enough now to eat?"
"I guess."
"Stay there," Don ordered, getting up and heading for the kitchen. "I'll bring you a plate."
"You know I had this odd thought when I first woke up that you'd cooked for me," Charlie muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Don let out a little chortle, pausing at the kitchen door. "I may be a self-centered jerk who should have been taking better care of you, but I don't think I could make up for that by learning to cook in just two hours."
Charlie laughed, finally waking the rest of the way up.
"That's okay. You can make it up to me by making dessert."
"There you go," Don tossed back, heading into the kitchen. "When it comes to scooping ice cream into a bowl I'm a pro..."
+
Once the coffee table was littered with dirty dinner plates and empty ice cream bowls Charlie leaned in for a soft sweet kiss.
"Thank you," he said, smiling contentedly. "I feel a lot better now."
"Good." Don pulled Charlie closer in his arms and kissed him again, this time longer but just as leisurely. "You should get some real sleep now," he said reluctantly.
"Mmm... Don't want to move," Charlie mumbled into Don's neck as he let his head fall back to Don's shoulder. "Tired..."
"I could carry you?" Don teased, poking him.
"You could get a hernia trying," Charlie teased back. "I'm getting up." With Don's assistance, he rose gingerly, stretching out his arms and legs until he was standing up on his own. "I'll go brush my teeth and stuff. You coming?"
"As soon as I load the dishwasher," Don promised. "Yell if you feel shaky at all."
"Okay." Charlie shuffled off, toeing off his shoes by the front door before heading through Don's bedroom to the adjoining bathroom.
He stripped and got ready for bed then slipped between the sheets, his eyes almost immediately closing against even the dim light coming in from the living room. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to Don enter the room and go through his own nightly preparations.
When the bed finally dipped beside him he opened one eye, peeking out to test the light and found it dark save the dim glow leaking between the slats of the blinds from the streetlight outdoors.
The soft golden light wasn't enough to make out details, but it was enough to outline Don's body, illuminating the curve of each muscle and the slight rise of his hip beneath the sheet half covering him.
Charlie pulled Don to him, bringing their naked bodies together in full contact - wrapping his arms around Don's neck as he kissed him, his desire clear.
"You need to sleep," Don reminded him.
"I need you," Charlie countered. "And even if full on sex is too much for tonight, we can still take care of each other like we used to." He rubbed against Don and felt his body respond. "It will only take a few minutes and you can't tell me it wouldn't help you to blow off a little steam after what happened today."
"You shouldn't have to, not when you're this tired," Don protested.
"We," Charlie said, stressing the word, "take care of each other now." He moved back enough to insinuate a hand between their bodies, slipping his fingers around Don's burgeoning erection. "So kiss me..."
Charlie's lips met his hungrily and Don plundered his mouth, the kiss growing in ardor along with the speed of Charlie's hand stroking him. For the few intimate encounters they'd had, they'd both begun to read each other's body effortlessly: knowing when to speed up, how much pressure to use and when to add just a little more to push each other over the edge.
Losing control, Don gave up kissing Charlie - panting just above him as his body tensed, nearing completion. His eyes drifted closed as Charlie moved down the bed just enough to take the head of Don's cock into his mouth.
His body went taut at the unexpected pleasure and he came with an uncontrolled shout, body shaking with the unexpected force of his release, aftershocks little tremors under Charlie's soothing hands.
By the time Charlie came back up to him he was still only just barely able to speak.
"Didn't have to do that," he gasped.
"Not about have to," Charlie told him, cupping Don's face in his hand. "It's want to."
Don got his breath back fairly quickly and gave Charlie a gentle push to lie on his back.
"Your turn."
Don dragged the sheet down, uncovering Charlie's bare form, and shifted to lie beside his hip, laying his head on Charlie's stomach.
Charlie closed his eyes and let his head fall into the pillow, relaxing as Don's fingers wrapped around his shaft and started to stroke. He let out a long breath and let himself fall into the rhythm of the repetitive motion and the escalating need rising within him.
His eyes flew open and his cock jumped at the sensation of a tentative swipe of tongue across the head.
"Don..." he breathed, ready to protest out of guilt alone. This was the one thing they'd never done, the one part about sex with a man Don wasn't as likely to enjoy.
"Shh..." Don responded. "Just relax..."
Charlie opened his mouth again, but Don sucked the entire head of his cock into his mouth and Charlie's mind went offline on pleasure overload. The sensation might not be new, but his mind screaming Don, Don, Don made his head spin - this unexpected first time a shock to both body and mind.
Don's lips sliding over him were slow and exploratory, but Charlie had all the patience in the world. This was one of the things he'd fantasized most about when he was young and he surrendered to it, allowing himself to relish this, trusting Don's word to just let go.
His hand gravitated to Don's back, skimming over his muscular shoulders and up the back of his neck until it came to rest on his head, not pushing or guiding, but following the motion of his brother's head as it bobbed up and down over him.
Opening his eyes, he glanced down to watch and almost came just from watching his cock disappear between Don's lips.
"Oh god..." he groaned, feeling the familiar pull of escalation.
He felt Don falter just long enough to shift position, moving so he had one hand jacking Charlie's shaft while he sucked the head into his mouth repeatedly. The movement was more brisk and Charlie stiffened, tensing on the cusp of falling.
Abruptly Don switched hands and moved his pre-cum slicked finger to Charlie's entrance, sliding in a digit and crooking it to hit the sweet spot just as he pulled his mouth away and started squeezing and twisting Charlie's cock vigorously.
The stimulation was too much all at once and Charlie snapped, body flailing in grand spasms as he came hard - more pleasure than he could bear swamping his senses. He vaguely heard himself call out a name - Don's.
Then he fell back to the bed, inhaling great gulps of air as little shockwaves jolted his exhausted muscles.
Don moved up to lie beside him, hand broad and warm on his belly as he clamored for oxygen, slowly calming.
"That came out of nowhere," he gasped, amazement in his voice.
"Well, I wanted to make up for doing a bad job of taking care of you," Don told him, almost matter of fact.
"Yeah, but you didn't have to do that," Charlie countered.
Don pulled him into his arms, letting him settle in close just how he liked, his drowsy voice the last thing cutting through the fog before sleep claimed them both.
"Not about have to. It's want to..."
=