Wet
Title: Wet
Collection: The Long and Short of It
Rating: e
Characters/Pairings: Charlie, Don, Colby, David, Megan
Warnings: brotherly schmoop out the wahoo, excessively hot men being hot, PWP without the pr0n (Plot What Plot?)
Genres: Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Fluff, Gen, Friendship, Pr0nless PWP (Plot? What Plot?)
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 997
Disclaimer: See Master Post.
Notes: See Master Post.
Summary: A suspect needs a get-away but Charlie's in the way.
"Don, where did you want-"
"CHARLIE, LOOK OUT!"
Charlie had just enough time to register the warning, then something hit him in the chest hard and he was falling backward.
Right into the backyard pool next to the patio where the body of the Hollywood starlet was found.
His arms flailed and windmilled, but he knew well the laws of inertia and gravity and there was no countering force that was going to stop him from hitting the water with a massive splash.
He fought to right himself even before he was completely under, but didn't find success until well after that point.
He coughed and choked and spluttered on the overly chlorinated water and paddled back to the edge where half a dozen hands waited to pull him out, two of which belonged to his brother.
"You okay?" Don asked, but was already turning and yelling at someone to get a blanket from the ambulance that had been summoned originally by the neighbor.
Charlie wiped a hand over his face to move the wet locks obscuring his vision and then bent forward to cough up more water.
Don's hand on his back moved up and down, his other hand lightly but firmly gripping Charlie's arm lest he tumble back into the water.
"Easy, Buddy," he said. "Breathe slowly, all right?"
"What-" Wracking coughs interrupted him. "What happened?" he croaked out, turning bloodshot eyes upward.
"Someone was hiding in the pool house," Megan said from his other side. "David opened the door and he bolted. You were in his way so he, uh, moved you," she added with a tight smile. He laughed, but it was congested and not really amused.
"Yeah, I noticed that part."
Megan flashed another quick grin as he looked around.
"So where-"
"Colby went after him. You know how he likes to show off his sprinting." She winked and he laughed again.
Don had stood to take the blanket from the EMT and as he unfolded it, Megan helped Charlie stand.
"Don, I'm-"
"Soaking wet," Don interrupted, wrapping the blanket around him. "And it's like forty-five degrees out here, Charlie. I don't know if you noticed this in your classroom, but it's winter. And right now it's still dark out. The sun isn't even up yet."
Charlie sighed, but gave up protesting. Besides, the blanket was warmer than his wet clothes alone.
"Go with Megan and let the EMTs check you out," Don ordered.
"But-"
"Humor me, all right? They came all the way out here and they might as well earn their pay. You stay there and tell Megan what you need and she'll get it for you, okay, Buddy?"
Charlie sighed and gripped the blanket tighter. "Yeah. Sure, Don."
"Okay." Don immediately turned and took control of the scene back, directing the numerous crime scene personnel as Megan escorted Charlie over to the open ambulance.
"What do you need, Charlie?" she asked when he was seated and the EMTs were checking him over.
"A less protective brother?" he muttered.
Megan grinned widely. "I'm an FBI agent, kid, not God."
Charlie laughed, letting it fade out after a moment. "Well, then, how about some measurements?" he said, looking around for his bag. He'd been in the middle of setting it down when he was pushed.
She held it up and he nodded. "Tape measure is in the outside pouch, notepad in the- Yeah, that one."
"Anything in particular?" she asked, now armed with the items he'd named.
"Everything."
She arched an eyebrow and he smiled. "But you can start with the distance between the, uh-" He swallowed. "-the, bod- body." He licked his lips and made a face at the taste.
"Ew. Chlorine."
"Between the body and . . ." she trailed off, amused but also chilled herself and more than ready to finish up here and move on.
"Sorry," he said, focusing again. "And the edges of the back yard. The hedges and the house and, " he waved a hand, "you know, everything."
She nodded. "And everything. Got it."
She went to start her work and Charlie hunkered down in the blankets, reluctantly surrendering his arm when the EMT on his right asked for it.
"Hey, Whiz kid," a voice said and he looked up. "How're you doing?"
"Oh, hey, Colby." He looked around. "Did you, uh, lose him?"
Colby smirked. "Are you kidding? Guy ran slower than the fat kids in boot camp. Nah, I left him with the cops. As much as I'd love to see what Don's gonna do to him, it should probably wait for interrogation." Colby's eyebrows danced up and down. "When he have videos and instant replay."
Charlie laughed and shook his head. "Feeling a little bloodthirsty, are we?"
Colby shrugged. "Adrenaline rush. They tend to have that effect on me."
"Good to know." He pointed a finger from where it was tucked in under the blanket. "My brother is waving at you."
Colby turned and Don's eyebrows rose.
Colby gave him a thumb's up in return.
Don nodded, glanced at Charlie with narrowed eyes, then looked back to Colby who repeated his thumb's up.
Another nod and then Don jerked his head toward David who was poking around the shrubbery near the house.
"Well, looks like I have work to do. See you around, Charlie."
"See ya," Charlie said and sighed when he was left alone again.
He felt eyes on him and looked up, snorting when he saw it was Don staring a hole through him.
He tried his own thumb's up and grin and Don looked away and focused on the tech at his elbow trying to explain something to him.
Charlie sighed and secured his hand under the blanket once more.
One of these days his brother would realize he was an adult. One of these days.