More Than Meets The Eye, 4/?, Dark Blue, mature, Dean/Carter
Have some more chameleon-verse. Dean meets Nicole under unusual circumstances (and after a time jump). Sorry, still no porn, and short. dime_for_12 provided read-through/beta services.
Dean's getting frustrated. It's been almost two months since he moved into Carter's house, and Carter hasn't done a thing but very gently flirt with him--so lightly that it could almost be friendly teasing. He'd had hopes that Carter moving him in was more than just Carter's protective instincts going into overdrive, but he's starting to think otherwise.
Carter's got some paperwork today from the last assignment Dean was on, so Dean's at loose ends while he rests up and recovers. And the warm, sunlit day outside is calling to his chameleon side. Carter's backyard is fenced in, so Dean finds one of the extra-large towels and heads out for a little basking. Carter called and said he'd probably be home shortly, which makes Dean decide to force the issue of whether or not Carter's actually interested. He could put shorts or even a swimsuit on, but instead he chooses to go naked. He's got his favorite .45 with him, fully loaded. Yeah, it's a little paranoid, but spending as much time as he does undercover makes him uncomfortably vulnerable when he doesn't have firepower within easy reach.
He's half-dozing when he hears a strange car pull into the drive. His first thought has him grabbing his gun. When he sees an apparently unarmed woman step onto the path leading to Carter's back door, he sits up enough to draw a bead on her.
She looks anything but dangerous when she blushes at his state of undress, putting her hands up in the classic signal for being unarmed. "I'm Nicole Shaw, Carter's ex-wife. My kid's first birthday party is next week, and I came by to invite him to it and to see how he's been doing since I haven't heard from him in a while. And judging from your being naked in his backyard, I think I know why I haven't heard from him."
Dean puts his gun down and wraps the towel around his waist to be polite. "Dean Bendis." He's pretty sure Nicole saw the nightshade Amnesty tat on him. Maybe she'll just take it as decoration, but she told him her place in Carter's life, and that makes him want to declare his even if it does mean revealing his Talent to a total stranger. "He offered me Amnesty a couple months back--had me move in and everything."
She's smiling now. "Let me guess--he's taking his sweet time about doing anything but moving you in? That'd be just like him--I pretty much had to jump him. And if you're bound to him like that, he's probably going to be so conscious of not abusing that bond that you're going to have to jump him as well. Was that the plan?"
Dean has to laugh at the absurdity of discussing Carter with his ex after pulling a gun on her while he was butt-naked. "Basically. You want a drink or something? Carter said he'd be here pretty soon, and as long as you're here, you might as well get a chance to actually see him." Whether or not Nicole wants a drink, he thinks he deserves some booze right now. And he wants some actual clothes on, too.
"Definitely. Does Carter still make sangria? I think we both could use a little alcohol right now."
"Hang on a minute and I'll check. I'm pretty sure there's a pitcher in the fridge, and considering you're not the Shaw I was expecting, I'd like to get dressed." Nicole sits down on one of Carter's deck chairs as he walks into the house. He finds a pair of beat-up denim shorts and pulls them on before opening the refrigerator door. He's happy to see his memory wasn't faulty--there's a nearly full pitcher of Carter's best secret recipe. He uses one of Carter's big wooden spoons to stir it up before grabbing two glasses and the pitcher and walking back outside.
They've barely started sipping their first glass when Dean hears Carter's car pulling in the drive. When Carter sees the two of them, the shock on his face makes Dean want to laugh all over again.
Nicole's the one to say something. "So when were you planning on telling me you basically got remarried? I just got an eyeful of Dean, and pretty as the sight was it was possibly the most awkward way we could have met."
Carter's still looking pretty flustered as he replies, "I hadn't figured out a good way to break the news to you. What are you doing over here anyway?"
"Inviting you to Alex's birthday party and seeing how you were doing since I haven't heard from you in almost two months." She pauses briefly, and adds, "Feel free to bring Dean if you're both available. A few of the moms that'll be there are liable to hit on you otherwise."
Being Carter's date is probably going to be almost as awkward as meeting Nicole, but Dean likes the thought of Carter being hit on even less. He's never really cared enough to be possessive before, but he's surprised at how jealous just the idea makes him.
"When and where? And other than a present, is there anything we should bring if we do make it?" Carter asks.
"Next Saturday from 1 to 4. Don't feel obliged to stay the whole time unless you actually want to, and if you want a little alcoholic reinforcement, bring your own. Otherwise, just bring something appropriate for a one-year-old. And now that I've seen you're still in one piece and delivered the invitation, I'm going to take off."
Dean feels a little twinge of jealousy at the hug and peck on the cheek she gives Carter, but it's tempered somewhat by the handshake and "Take care of him, you hear? Because if you don't, Talent and gun or not, I'm going to get creative on you" she gives him.
After she drives off, Carter asks him, "So how did you meet, anyway, that she knows about both your Talent and your attraction to firepower?"
Dean looks away as he confesses, "I wasn't expecting her so I pulled my .45 on her, naked. And when she told me she was your ex, I told her about the Amnesty. Don't ask me why, because I really don't know."
"Nicole's good about keeping other people's secrets, so I'm not worried. Even through the worst of the divorce, she always fought fair." Which makes Dean feel better about spilling the beans. He's wondering what the worst of the divorce was, but even if he is damn near married to Carter now, it's not something he really feels comfortable asking.
"You want to help me drink some of this sangria?" Dean's thinking a little Dutch courage might help him get up the guts to make an actual move, since his original plan got thoroughly derailed. Hearing from the woman who'd know the best that he's likely going to have to jump Carter since she needed to--well, a little booze might make that easier. He knows he can't get too drunk, though--Carter's probably going to assume it's just the booze talking then. And Carter's protective instincts are strong enough that it's damn unlikely he's going to say yes if Dean is drunk.
Carter sits down in Nicole's chair, drinking from her abandoned glass. "Definitely. How do fajitas sound for dinner, since we're doing sangria for the cocktail hour?"
That's just fine with Dean, so he nods. He's been getting damn spoiled lately when he's home--Carter may claim he's not much of a cook, but what he does make, he makes pretty damn well. And he seems to know all the best take-out places, too.