Sometimes You Just Have to Grin and Bear It
Title: Sometimes You Just Have to Grin and Bear It
Rating: eT
Characters: Don, Charlie
Warnings: language, spoilers, brother-mocking
Spoilers: uberminor one for 4.07 Primacy
Genres: Humor, Gen, Family
Chapters: 1
Completed: Yes
Word count: 503
Disclaimer: I may or may NOT have a Charlie!Bear. But I do not have an actual Charlie. :(
Notes: musicalluna needed a pick me up fic. I'm such an AWESOME friend. :D
Summary: No man wants to be described as "cute and cuddly", but Charlie's about to discover that it gets worse.
"Hey, Chuck! I was wondering if you had the . . . numbers for the . . . bank robberies?"
Charlie was typing away at his computer and the fact that Don didn't want to disturb his train of thought combined with his own derailed thoughts to bring about silence.
What the hell was that on his brother's desk?
"Huh?" Charlie said a few minutes later when he surfaced and realized he had company. "Oh, hi, Don! I was just about to call you . . ."
Don stepped forward and picked up the item he'd been staring at, a grin slowly curving his lips. "What is this?" he asked, waggling the item back and forth.
"It's . . . um . . ." Charlie was blushing.
Which, of course, only made Don's grin grow wider.
"It's a teddy bear," Charlie mumbled.
"Yeah, I see that. It's a teddy bear that-I'm alarmed to say-bears a striking resemblance to a certain math professor here at Cal-Sci."
Charlie let his head fall into his hands with a groan.
"It was a gift. From a student."
"Uh huh."
"It's a Make-A-Bear or something like that. You assemble the bear yourself at the store. There's one down at the mall. She made it because she said that she's never had a math teacher who actually helped her understand math before and she wanted to say thank you. Or something. I guess."
Don held it up and gave the two of them another scrutinizing glance. "Isn't it just adorable. A little teddy Chuck!"
The resemblance was less significant now since the bear was grinning cheekily and Charlie was scowling.
"She even got the hair," Don said, impressed despite himself.
Charlie self-consciously brushed a hand over his head. "Yeah, she said she had to do that part herself since, I guess, that's not a style of wig available at the actual store."
"And he's got a little tiny calculator and- Aw! He even has a little tiny piece of chalk in his pocket!"
Charlie stood and snagged the bear from his brother, glaring as he set it down on the desk.
"Yes. It's great. And not at all creepy. Now, about the bank robberies-"
Don chuckled at the obvious attempt to change the subject. "Has Amita seen it?"
Charlie blushed again. "She thinks it's . . . Cute."
Don laughed. "Yeah, I bet she does. Why do I get the feeling that Chuck Bear is going home with her?"
"We live together, so unless I leave it here-which I will not be doing, by the way-of course it's going home with her. And don't call it-me-" He sighed and looked heavenward. "The name is Charlie. Not Chuck."
"Sure thing, Chuck," Don teased.
"You want these numbers or not?" Charlie said, still scowling.
Don's hands came up in surrender. "Fine. Fine. You don't have to be such a bear about it."
Charlie groaned and led the way out the door.
He was never going to hear the end of this.