Road Trip, Charlie/Ian, Numb3rs
Written for: numb3rswriteoff
Prompt: Road (Team Schmoop)
Title: Road Trip
Author: penguingal
Rating: PG
Pairing: Charlie/Ian
Summary: Charlie is buried in work. Ian is sneaky.
A/N: Not part of any previous Charlie/Ian 'verse written by schnaucl and myself. Many thanks to melissima for the beta read and first reaction! I'm in your debt.
Charlie sat on the couch grading term papers, stacks of files around him. The only way he could be more buried under his work was if he was, well, literally buried under his work. Deep down he knew he shouldn't let things get quite so out of hand, but between his own obsessions, Don's FBI work, and trying to have some kind of a private life, well, sometimes being a teacher got away from him. He sighed, making another notation in red on another exceedingly boring theorem, in what seemed like an endless parade of substandard work. Whether that was to blame on his failings as a teacher or his student's failings as students, he wasn't sure. He was, however, willing to concede that maybe his standards were too high. Maybe.
He was just setting one paper down and picking up another when his phone rang, and he answered it without even a glance at the caller ID. "Don, if you've got a new case, I really don't want to hear about it for at least another day, maybe two. Call Amita."
"Now, why would I call Amita when you're the one I want to talk to, Professor," a familiar voice purred over the line.
"Ian..." Charlie sighed, grinning into the phone. "Man, do you have great timing. What's going on, where are you?"
"I am on a mandatory two weeks' leave and I am heading to Pasadena to pick you up. Can you get away?"
Charlie looked at his stack of papers and didn't even hesitate. "Yes, I can get away. Where are we going?"
"Two weeks, you and me, I'm thinking road trip," Ian said. "Take a drive up the coast, eat bad food, stay in tiny little out of the way places off the beaten track, maybe not stop until we hit Washington. What do you think?"
Charlie frowned a little. "I think it sounds a lot like what you do for a living. This is a vacation?"
"What I do for a living usually requires a lot of chasing, running, and shooting," Ian deadpanned. "With you, this is most definitely a vacation. Besides, the way you answered the phone tells me that you are overworked, stressed out, and in need of having someone pamper you for a while. I am prepared to do that."
"Charmer," Charlie chuckled. "Okay, let's go, as long as you promise me we don't push to cover miles, that we actually take it easy and relax. When can you be here?"
A horn sounded outside and it echoed through the phone. "How about right now?"
Charlie turned around and pushed the curtains aside in time to see Ian slide out of the car and head for the front door. He pulled the door open, still on the phone. "I hate you," he said, finally clicking the phone shut.
Ian grinned and slowly lowered the phone from his ear, severing the call. He rushed inside and picked Charlie up around the waist, turning him around in his exuberance. Bending him back, he kissed him deeply. "God, it is so good to see you."
"It's good to see you, too, Tiger," Charlie said, laughing. "You do know how to sneak up on a guy, though."
"Part of my charm. How fast can you be packed?" Ian said. He took Charlie's hand but stopped short as he saw the state of the living room. "Oh, Charlie... no wonder you want to get away."
Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know. It's terrible, but the TAs can take care of most of it. And I need to have a conversation with my students about putting forth a little more effort when considering their theorems. But right now, having you here with me is way more important. So, let's go pack."
"Alright then," Ian said, following him upstairs. He proved to be a greater distraction more than he was a help with getting Charlie packed. Both men's lips were kiss-swollen and their clothes disheveled by the time they were finally hauling the over-packed suitcase downstairs.
Charlie scrawled a message on the whiteboard on the fridge letting Dad know he was going to be gone, called Don and told him he was unreachable for the next two weeks, and pulled Ian down for one more long, passionate kiss. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Ian slipped his sunglasses on and smiled wide at Charlie. "You got it, Professor," he said, escorting Charlie out and shutting the door firmly behind him. The papers stacked on the couch fluttered forlornly.
This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at numb3rswriteoff. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty [or schmoopy] the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at numb3rswriteoff. Thank you!
Prompt: Road (Team Schmoop)
Title: Road Trip
Author: penguingal
Rating: PG
Pairing: Charlie/Ian
Summary: Charlie is buried in work. Ian is sneaky.
A/N: Not part of any previous Charlie/Ian 'verse written by schnaucl and myself. Many thanks to melissima for the beta read and first reaction! I'm in your debt.
Charlie sat on the couch grading term papers, stacks of files around him. The only way he could be more buried under his work was if he was, well, literally buried under his work. Deep down he knew he shouldn't let things get quite so out of hand, but between his own obsessions, Don's FBI work, and trying to have some kind of a private life, well, sometimes being a teacher got away from him. He sighed, making another notation in red on another exceedingly boring theorem, in what seemed like an endless parade of substandard work. Whether that was to blame on his failings as a teacher or his student's failings as students, he wasn't sure. He was, however, willing to concede that maybe his standards were too high. Maybe.
He was just setting one paper down and picking up another when his phone rang, and he answered it without even a glance at the caller ID. "Don, if you've got a new case, I really don't want to hear about it for at least another day, maybe two. Call Amita."
"Now, why would I call Amita when you're the one I want to talk to, Professor," a familiar voice purred over the line.
"Ian..." Charlie sighed, grinning into the phone. "Man, do you have great timing. What's going on, where are you?"
"I am on a mandatory two weeks' leave and I am heading to Pasadena to pick you up. Can you get away?"
Charlie looked at his stack of papers and didn't even hesitate. "Yes, I can get away. Where are we going?"
"Two weeks, you and me, I'm thinking road trip," Ian said. "Take a drive up the coast, eat bad food, stay in tiny little out of the way places off the beaten track, maybe not stop until we hit Washington. What do you think?"
Charlie frowned a little. "I think it sounds a lot like what you do for a living. This is a vacation?"
"What I do for a living usually requires a lot of chasing, running, and shooting," Ian deadpanned. "With you, this is most definitely a vacation. Besides, the way you answered the phone tells me that you are overworked, stressed out, and in need of having someone pamper you for a while. I am prepared to do that."
"Charmer," Charlie chuckled. "Okay, let's go, as long as you promise me we don't push to cover miles, that we actually take it easy and relax. When can you be here?"
A horn sounded outside and it echoed through the phone. "How about right now?"
Charlie turned around and pushed the curtains aside in time to see Ian slide out of the car and head for the front door. He pulled the door open, still on the phone. "I hate you," he said, finally clicking the phone shut.
Ian grinned and slowly lowered the phone from his ear, severing the call. He rushed inside and picked Charlie up around the waist, turning him around in his exuberance. Bending him back, he kissed him deeply. "God, it is so good to see you."
"It's good to see you, too, Tiger," Charlie said, laughing. "You do know how to sneak up on a guy, though."
"Part of my charm. How fast can you be packed?" Ian said. He took Charlie's hand but stopped short as he saw the state of the living room. "Oh, Charlie... no wonder you want to get away."
Charlie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know. It's terrible, but the TAs can take care of most of it. And I need to have a conversation with my students about putting forth a little more effort when considering their theorems. But right now, having you here with me is way more important. So, let's go pack."
"Alright then," Ian said, following him upstairs. He proved to be a greater distraction more than he was a help with getting Charlie packed. Both men's lips were kiss-swollen and their clothes disheveled by the time they were finally hauling the over-packed suitcase downstairs.
Charlie scrawled a message on the whiteboard on the fridge letting Dad know he was going to be gone, called Don and told him he was unreachable for the next two weeks, and pulled Ian down for one more long, passionate kiss. "Let's get the hell out of here."
Ian slipped his sunglasses on and smiled wide at Charlie. "You got it, Professor," he said, escorting Charlie out and shutting the door firmly behind him. The papers stacked on the couch fluttered forlornly.
This fic was written for the Angst vs Schmoop Challenge at numb3rswriteoff. After you’ve read the fic, please rate it by voting in the poll located here. (Your vote will be anonymous.) Rate the fic on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being the best) using the following criteria: how well the fic fit the prompt, how angsty [or schmoopy] the fic was, and how well you enjoyed the fic. When you’re done, please check out the other challenge fic at numb3rswriteoff. Thank you!