Numb3rs Fic: Check Up On
Posted to numb3rs_slash
Title: Check Up On (Sequel to Rise Up)
Series/Universe: Not the Only One
Pairing/Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Judgment Call, Breaking Point
Summary: Don comes bringing news on Colby and seeking news on the dog
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
Colby heard the front door open and his trained ears told him it wasn't Alan's footfall so he poked his head out of the kitchen to find Don heading in.
"Hey, Colby. What's for dinner?" he teased, taking in Colby's cook's apron.
"Nothing if you use this against me at work," Colby joshed, taking it off and putting it aside. "Alan's got me basting ribs on the grill."
"Ooh, ribs again! Homemade this time! Sounds like I picked a good night to come by!" Don pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to him. "I told the AD I'd deliver it. I figured you didn't want to wait for it to come in the mail."
Colby tensed as he accepted the crisp white envelope bearing the official seal of the FBI. He opened it, unfolded the letter within and read it before finally letting the tension go from his shoulders. "They cleared me. They're calling it a good shoot."
"I didn't need them to tell me that," Don said, going around Colby to the refrigerator for a beer. "You know," he said slowly. "I was thinking... We don't have any pressing cases right this second. You could wait until Monday to come back to work. You know, if you had some reason not to rush back," he added slyly.
"Is this my boss wanting to make sure I'm right in the head before I come back to the job?" Colby asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Or Charlie's big brother wanting someone to keep an eye on him a little longer?"
Don waved him off with a dismissive gesture. "You're good. I don't doubt that. And Charlie's got my Dad fussing over him. I just thought with you two hooking up and all..." His voice trailed off as Colby flushed crimson. "Oh, you can't think that I didn't know!" Don let out a hearty laugh, letting it ring through the house. "Seriously, I'm beginning to think you two were the last to figure it out."
"Probably," Colby muttered, ducking his head down. "But you're okay with it? I mean, I figured you'd come after me with guns blazing if I went for your baby brother."
"Charlie? He's no baby," Don scoffed. "He can take care of himself. And yeah, I'm cool with it." His expression shifted, turning serious. "But I do want to make sure you understand that getting him riled up, raising his blood pressure... I just don't want you doing anything to get him agitated enough to trigger a seizure."
Colby put up his hands in defense. "Trust me, Don. That's the last thing I want. I was there with him for the first one and it totally unnerved me. I won't do anything to put him at risk while he's still recovering."
"You sure?" Don eyed him over his beer, a wry smile curling the corner of his lips. "Because there are a lot of activities that can get a guy riled up."
Colby flushed harder. "Can I be out of this conversation now?" he pleaded.
Don laughed again, clapping him on the back. "Sure. A picture tells a thousand words and you blushing tells me I have nothing to worry about."
"Hey Don!" Charlie bounced into the room, smiling at Don then at Colby. "What's up?"
"Just coming to check up on you, that's all," Don said, settling himself on a kitchen stool. "You heard back from Lin-dai about a service dog yet?"
"Yeah!" Charlie said excitedly. "She said normally there's a waiting list, but fortunately there's a dog available now. It seems that the owner's going into a nursing home and he won't be able to keep the dog any longer. The dog's been with him so long she's near retirement age, so they weren't going to give her to someone else. Since my condition is likely to clear up rather than stay permanent, she said I could have her if I agreed to keep her after she retires, which I am totally cool with. I always wanted a dog."
"You never had one as a kid?" Colby marveled.
"Our mom was allergic," Don explained. "She tried, but..."
"Less than ten minutes into us dogsitting our neighbor's dog she almost couldn't breathe, so we gave up on the idea," Charlie said. "But an older dog would be great. No house training, no puppy damage and they wouldn't require a ton of exercise like a young dog would."
"Sounds great." Colby picked up the cup of barbecue sauce with the sauce mop from the counter. "Sorry, I need to go check on the ribs."
"Here, I'll do that," Don offered, taking it from him. "You tell Charlie the good news."
"Good news?" Charlie perked up. "What good news?"
"Hey, Don!" When Don turned around, Colby chucked the apron at him. "Wouldn't want to ruin that shirt of yours."
Don just chuckled and tossed the apron over his shoulder as he went out to the yard.
"What good news?" Charlie repeated, tugging on Colby's sleeve to get his attention.
Colby glanced to make sure Don was far enough away from the windows not to see, then turned to Charlie, encircling him in his arms.
"They ruled it a good shooting. They're taking me off administrative leave."
Charlie's head fell forward and he nodded, not meeting Colby's gaze. "You can go back to work then. That's good."
"Charlie, I couldn't stay away from work forever," Colby said apologetically.
"No, no," Charlie said hastily. "I get it. I knew that from the beginning."
Colby tugged him in closer. "I can put it off until Monday though. That is, if you aren't dying to get rid of me."
Charlie finally glanced up at him from beneath the fall of curls over his eyes. "You know I'm not."
"On the not so good news front," Colby started hesitantly. "I know we haven't really talked about - well, all this - other than to say we're going to take things slow, but I wanted to make sure you know..." He halted, awkward and bashful about the topic at hand.
"Know what?" Charlie asked, blinking at him in innocent confusion.
"Just that... Well, slow's good for more than one reason." When Charlie kept looking lost, Colby continued. "I don't want to pressure you into anything that would get you agitated, maybe trigger a seizure? So yeah, I'm fine with waiting for anything more than just this..." He punctuated his sentence with a brief kiss. "You're still healing. That's what's important right now."
Charlie just nodded thoughtfully, busying his fingers with a loose thread on one of the buttons of Colby's shirt. "So, Monday then? You can arrange to go back to work Monday?"
"Yep. I'll let Don know I'm taking a couple of days off so you'll have me through Sunday. That is, if you want me that long."
Charlie laid his head on Colby's broad chest, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I wish I could keep you even longer. I just feel - I don't know - safe, with you around. Like I don't have to worry so much. You take care of me and that makes all this so much easier. I even sleep better knowing you're just down the hall."
Colby pressed a kiss to the top of Charlie's head. "Then I won't leave. I'll go back to work, but I can come stay here at night still."
Charlie's arms tightened around him even as he let out a little sigh of relief.
"I'd like that..."
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Title: Check Up On (Sequel to Rise Up)
Series/Universe: Not the Only One
Pairing/Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Judgment Call, Breaking Point
Summary: Don comes bringing news on Colby and seeking news on the dog
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
Colby heard the front door open and his trained ears told him it wasn't Alan's footfall so he poked his head out of the kitchen to find Don heading in.
"Hey, Colby. What's for dinner?" he teased, taking in Colby's cook's apron.
"Nothing if you use this against me at work," Colby joshed, taking it off and putting it aside. "Alan's got me basting ribs on the grill."
"Ooh, ribs again! Homemade this time! Sounds like I picked a good night to come by!" Don pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to him. "I told the AD I'd deliver it. I figured you didn't want to wait for it to come in the mail."
Colby tensed as he accepted the crisp white envelope bearing the official seal of the FBI. He opened it, unfolded the letter within and read it before finally letting the tension go from his shoulders. "They cleared me. They're calling it a good shoot."
"I didn't need them to tell me that," Don said, going around Colby to the refrigerator for a beer. "You know," he said slowly. "I was thinking... We don't have any pressing cases right this second. You could wait until Monday to come back to work. You know, if you had some reason not to rush back," he added slyly.
"Is this my boss wanting to make sure I'm right in the head before I come back to the job?" Colby asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Or Charlie's big brother wanting someone to keep an eye on him a little longer?"
Don waved him off with a dismissive gesture. "You're good. I don't doubt that. And Charlie's got my Dad fussing over him. I just thought with you two hooking up and all..." His voice trailed off as Colby flushed crimson. "Oh, you can't think that I didn't know!" Don let out a hearty laugh, letting it ring through the house. "Seriously, I'm beginning to think you two were the last to figure it out."
"Probably," Colby muttered, ducking his head down. "But you're okay with it? I mean, I figured you'd come after me with guns blazing if I went for your baby brother."
"Charlie? He's no baby," Don scoffed. "He can take care of himself. And yeah, I'm cool with it." His expression shifted, turning serious. "But I do want to make sure you understand that getting him riled up, raising his blood pressure... I just don't want you doing anything to get him agitated enough to trigger a seizure."
Colby put up his hands in defense. "Trust me, Don. That's the last thing I want. I was there with him for the first one and it totally unnerved me. I won't do anything to put him at risk while he's still recovering."
"You sure?" Don eyed him over his beer, a wry smile curling the corner of his lips. "Because there are a lot of activities that can get a guy riled up."
Colby flushed harder. "Can I be out of this conversation now?" he pleaded.
Don laughed again, clapping him on the back. "Sure. A picture tells a thousand words and you blushing tells me I have nothing to worry about."
"Hey Don!" Charlie bounced into the room, smiling at Don then at Colby. "What's up?"
"Just coming to check up on you, that's all," Don said, settling himself on a kitchen stool. "You heard back from Lin-dai about a service dog yet?"
"Yeah!" Charlie said excitedly. "She said normally there's a waiting list, but fortunately there's a dog available now. It seems that the owner's going into a nursing home and he won't be able to keep the dog any longer. The dog's been with him so long she's near retirement age, so they weren't going to give her to someone else. Since my condition is likely to clear up rather than stay permanent, she said I could have her if I agreed to keep her after she retires, which I am totally cool with. I always wanted a dog."
"You never had one as a kid?" Colby marveled.
"Our mom was allergic," Don explained. "She tried, but..."
"Less than ten minutes into us dogsitting our neighbor's dog she almost couldn't breathe, so we gave up on the idea," Charlie said. "But an older dog would be great. No house training, no puppy damage and they wouldn't require a ton of exercise like a young dog would."
"Sounds great." Colby picked up the cup of barbecue sauce with the sauce mop from the counter. "Sorry, I need to go check on the ribs."
"Here, I'll do that," Don offered, taking it from him. "You tell Charlie the good news."
"Good news?" Charlie perked up. "What good news?"
"Hey, Don!" When Don turned around, Colby chucked the apron at him. "Wouldn't want to ruin that shirt of yours."
Don just chuckled and tossed the apron over his shoulder as he went out to the yard.
"What good news?" Charlie repeated, tugging on Colby's sleeve to get his attention.
Colby glanced to make sure Don was far enough away from the windows not to see, then turned to Charlie, encircling him in his arms.
"They ruled it a good shooting. They're taking me off administrative leave."
Charlie's head fell forward and he nodded, not meeting Colby's gaze. "You can go back to work then. That's good."
"Charlie, I couldn't stay away from work forever," Colby said apologetically.
"No, no," Charlie said hastily. "I get it. I knew that from the beginning."
Colby tugged him in closer. "I can put it off until Monday though. That is, if you aren't dying to get rid of me."
Charlie finally glanced up at him from beneath the fall of curls over his eyes. "You know I'm not."
"On the not so good news front," Colby started hesitantly. "I know we haven't really talked about - well, all this - other than to say we're going to take things slow, but I wanted to make sure you know..." He halted, awkward and bashful about the topic at hand.
"Know what?" Charlie asked, blinking at him in innocent confusion.
"Just that... Well, slow's good for more than one reason." When Charlie kept looking lost, Colby continued. "I don't want to pressure you into anything that would get you agitated, maybe trigger a seizure? So yeah, I'm fine with waiting for anything more than just this..." He punctuated his sentence with a brief kiss. "You're still healing. That's what's important right now."
Charlie just nodded thoughtfully, busying his fingers with a loose thread on one of the buttons of Colby's shirt. "So, Monday then? You can arrange to go back to work Monday?"
"Yep. I'll let Don know I'm taking a couple of days off so you'll have me through Sunday. That is, if you want me that long."
Charlie laid his head on Colby's broad chest, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I wish I could keep you even longer. I just feel - I don't know - safe, with you around. Like I don't have to worry so much. You take care of me and that makes all this so much easier. I even sleep better knowing you're just down the hall."
Colby pressed a kiss to the top of Charlie's head. "Then I won't leave. I'll go back to work, but I can come stay here at night still."
Charlie's arms tightened around him even as he let out a little sigh of relief.
"I'd like that..."
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