Round One
Title: Round One
Series: To Win His Heart
Chapter: Three
Author: FlamingWildflow
Pairing: Ian Edgerton/Don Eppes/Billy Cooper
Rating: PG-13, Fluff, Humor
Summary: After closing the case courtesy of extra help, everyone decided to drag Don into karaoke. Revelations were made, Ian has a dastardly plan to gain the upper hand, Billy and Ian aggressively out sing each other to block the other from confessing, and Don continues to be the clueless sweetheart he is.
God help us all...
Warnings: None.
Links to Previous Chapter:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Billy
He should’ve known Ian would pull some bullshit throughout this entire competition, the man infamous for doing that. It’s just that he didn’t expect Ian to pull a goddamn confession as his first official move.
This motherfucker…
Thankfully, Don ended up being too oblivious to realize that Ian was in fact trying to ask him out. But unfortunately for Billy, that denseness would definitely also affect him as well. But he did have some semblance of a plan. Be FAR more obvious about his feelings to the point where no reasonable man can’t see it.
This should be easy, he thought to himself. Looking over at the audience, he couldn’t help but smile widely as he saw Ian realize his plan and his choice of song.
What? Don’t like me throwing your accusations back at your face? Well too bad asshole, this win is mine.
The room was soon filled with music as he started to sing, making sure to make it as obvious as possible that he was talking about Don. He knew he wasn’t as skilled as Don or (ugh), Ian at singing, but he knew how to be charming. He has swept multiple people off their feet, he’s definitely got this.
Night after night I hear myself say
Why don’t these feelings just fade away?
In all honesty, this song hits a bit too close to home. He remembered the first time he realized that his feelings for his partner were less than platonic. After the initial panic, he just completely buried everything underneath piles and piles of jokes, hoping that he’d eventually move on like he did with other people. Unfortunately, he completely forgot that Don wasn’t just another person. He was someone else entirely, someone who no matter how much he tried, Billy could never give up.
There’s no one like you, you speak to my heart
It’s such a shame, we’re worlds apart
At those first words, he went up to Don and pulled him up like Ian did a few minutes earlier. Then he held the shorter agent close, making up for the vast distance that they’ve had for the years that they’ve been away. Billy tried to pour out his truth, hoping that this time Don would finally get his head out of the casefiles and look at him.
He could feel Don freeze within his arms, his eyes wide in shock. He looked at Billy, cocking his head to the side in a questioning manner. Did he finally get it? Hope soared within his chest, his heart thundering faster than it had ever had. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, the feeling far more addicting that any chase he’s ever had.
He looked at Ian who had a furious expression on his face, his jaw clenched so tightly Billy was surprised that his teeth were still intact. Billy smiled smugly which made Ian more angry, his fingers white knuckling the armrest of the sofa.
Eat shit motherfucker. I. Win. He mouthed those words silently at the fuming sniper, causing the man to dig his fingers even deeper into the armrests, glaring at Billy with the fury of a thousand suns.
The song took too long to end in Billy’s opinion which delayed the answering part that Billy was waiting for, the anticipation palpable in the air. On the bright side, it also meant that he was able to hold onto Don so much longer than expected which was a definite plus.
If I let you go?
With those last words, Billy looked down at his former partner, internally cooing at the red that had spread across his cheeks. The color on them was far darker than what he had with Ian’s which told Billy that this was the real deal. “So…what do you say?”
“I…I” Don stammered, looking away in embarrassment. “I don’t know what to say. I never expected you to say it out loud. Never thought you were type.”
“Well I’m not,” Billy replied, shrugging. He placed his hand under Don’s chin so that the man would look at him. “But you…you were always my exception.”
“I…man” Don sighed, “all of this?” He shook his head in fond exasperation. “You know you could’ve just told me.”
“You should know by now that you’re the man of words here, not me.”
“And yet…you’ve managed to show me how much of an ass I’ve been with a song.”
…WHAT?
“I mean, you were the best partner I’ve ever had, I didn’t want to let you go either. When I left, I should’ve tried to at least keep in contact with you, but with everything going on, it was hard. And I thought you understood that. But looking at it now, it seemed like I wasn’t as clear”. Don smiled fondly, lightly punching Billy’s arm, “You didn’t need a song to tell me that you missed me and you regretted the way we ended our partnership”. Don then crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes, “and you accuse me of being a sap.”
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING SHITTING ME!!!
Billy couldn’t believe it. His partner has got to be the densest man in the entire galaxy. Then, like the worst fucking revelation on the planet, he remembered the number one rule when it came to his partner.
Never assume Don Eppes to be a reasonable man when it comes to himself.
The damn rule that had saved that idiot’s life on multiple occasions, the one that Billy had always teased him mercilessly about, the infamous rule that anyone who had ever worked closely with Don would remember. That fucking rule came back to bite him in the worst way possible.
Billy could hear a small snort come from that bastard, signaling his amusement. Whirling around, he turned to glare at the man. Ian looked almost composed if it weren’t for the slight smile on his face and the humor in his eyes. Clearly he found Billy’s failure to be hilarious.
Billy would’ve throttled the life out of the man if it weren’t for the fact that they’re in an establishment. But then again, looking at Ian giving him a mock look of pity while cupping a hand over his ear and mouthing, “what did you say about winning?” Caused Billy to realize that his ability to care about human decency only went as deep as his patience (aka barely fucking there).
This motherfucker… Billy thought to himself.
I am DEFINITELY going to punch him.