Right Becomes Left, Left Becomes Right (Life/Standoff: Charlie/Matt PG-13)
Title: Right Becomes Left, Left Becomes Right
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Charlie/Matt
Word Count: 740
Warnings: Life/Standoff crossover, Matt and Charlie Met in a Bar 'verse
Summary: For the hc_bingo prompt undercover: forced to hurt your partner and the chem15try prompt enantiomers - That wasn't really you, and it wasn't really me.
+++
"It wasn't really us," Charlie's saying to the empty air in front of him in the interrogation room. "I mean it was us, but at the same time it wasn't. Like when you look in a mirror, it's you but it isn't. Right becomes left, left becomes right." Charlie's still not looking at him, though, even as he sits beside Matt.
Matt's face hurts because of the dark bruise blooming under his right eye; nothing's broken, but Charlie knew where to hit him to make it look good. Matt should've known that Charlie wouldn't like the undercover assignment he'd been given, especially given what happened with Reese on her last one, but it didn't give him the right to destroy the last three months of Matt working inside, trying to learn the who's who in human trafficking.
"That wasn't really you, and it wasn't really me," Charlie's still saying. "Our reflections don't have the same dominant hands, so their brains work differently. They can't be the same people."
Matt doesn't even have the energy to give him platitudes and say it's fine when it isn't. He's not even pissed that Charlie hit him and managed to subdue him before dragging Matt out of the warehouse; Matt's pissed because it means the last three months were wasted, time he could've spent with the bastard who at least had the sense of mind to not blow Matt's cover.
He stays silent until Cheryl comes in with one of the guys from the state department who looks livid, but Matt can at least deal with that. He knows how to deal with people acting irrationally. It's Charlie sitting next to him, trying to talk himself out of his guilt, that he doesn't know how to deal with.
+
Matt's given a six week furlough, which would be better if it hadn't meant spending time at his own house; it seems so dark and crowded after spending so much time at Charlie's. He misses watching baseball on TV with Ted and giving death glares to any guys Rachel brings over, even the ones she says are just friends.
As the bruise on his face fades to a sickly yellow, Matt starts to wonder if maybe he is the one who is being unfair. He hadn't wanted the assignment anyway, and at least Charlie didn't blow his cover and earn Matt some criminals on his tail. Someone else will have to start all over again at the bottom to work their way in, but that's not really Matt's problem.
Matt hesitates, catching his own reflection in the door of the microwave.
He grabs his keys and leaves.
+
He's parked along the side of the road two blocks down and facing Charlie's driveway. He watches Lucy bounding in the front yard as Ted gets the mail, but Matt can't tell if Charlie's even home. Normally they know each other's work schedules almost better than their own, but Matt can't say what Charlie's been up to for the last few weeks or what kind of cases he and Reese are working on.
Matt startles and goes for the gun that isn't there when the passenger door opens, but the faint smell of cologne is all the identifier Matt needs, knowing it's Charlie without even looking.
"Are you staking out my neighbors?" Charlie asks, his eyes unreadable with his sunglasses in the way. "The Hendersons have three cats; there's something suspicious about that."
"I meant to stop by, but I didn't know if you were home or if you'd even want to see me." Matt's almost amused by how the guilt has transformed and shifted. "I…" He begins, but then decides to change his approach. "Three months was a long time to be someone else. It wasn't me, but I couldn't separate myself quickly either, not like changing a shirt. I was pissed at the assignment and then I was pissed about you putting yourself at risk, and even though my professional competency felt attacked at how easily you managed to subdue me, that was never the issue."
Charlie seems to consider this for a moment before opening the door and stepping back out of the car. He bends at the waist to talk to Matt. "I'm home, and I want to see you," he says before shutting the door and walking back to his house.
Matt just shakes his head with a small smile before turning the ignition.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Charlie/Matt
Word Count: 740
Warnings: Life/Standoff crossover, Matt and Charlie Met in a Bar 'verse
Summary: For the hc_bingo prompt undercover: forced to hurt your partner and the chem15try prompt enantiomers - That wasn't really you, and it wasn't really me.
+++
"It wasn't really us," Charlie's saying to the empty air in front of him in the interrogation room. "I mean it was us, but at the same time it wasn't. Like when you look in a mirror, it's you but it isn't. Right becomes left, left becomes right." Charlie's still not looking at him, though, even as he sits beside Matt.
Matt's face hurts because of the dark bruise blooming under his right eye; nothing's broken, but Charlie knew where to hit him to make it look good. Matt should've known that Charlie wouldn't like the undercover assignment he'd been given, especially given what happened with Reese on her last one, but it didn't give him the right to destroy the last three months of Matt working inside, trying to learn the who's who in human trafficking.
"That wasn't really you, and it wasn't really me," Charlie's still saying. "Our reflections don't have the same dominant hands, so their brains work differently. They can't be the same people."
Matt doesn't even have the energy to give him platitudes and say it's fine when it isn't. He's not even pissed that Charlie hit him and managed to subdue him before dragging Matt out of the warehouse; Matt's pissed because it means the last three months were wasted, time he could've spent with the bastard who at least had the sense of mind to not blow Matt's cover.
He stays silent until Cheryl comes in with one of the guys from the state department who looks livid, but Matt can at least deal with that. He knows how to deal with people acting irrationally. It's Charlie sitting next to him, trying to talk himself out of his guilt, that he doesn't know how to deal with.
+
Matt's given a six week furlough, which would be better if it hadn't meant spending time at his own house; it seems so dark and crowded after spending so much time at Charlie's. He misses watching baseball on TV with Ted and giving death glares to any guys Rachel brings over, even the ones she says are just friends.
As the bruise on his face fades to a sickly yellow, Matt starts to wonder if maybe he is the one who is being unfair. He hadn't wanted the assignment anyway, and at least Charlie didn't blow his cover and earn Matt some criminals on his tail. Someone else will have to start all over again at the bottom to work their way in, but that's not really Matt's problem.
Matt hesitates, catching his own reflection in the door of the microwave.
He grabs his keys and leaves.
+
He's parked along the side of the road two blocks down and facing Charlie's driveway. He watches Lucy bounding in the front yard as Ted gets the mail, but Matt can't tell if Charlie's even home. Normally they know each other's work schedules almost better than their own, but Matt can't say what Charlie's been up to for the last few weeks or what kind of cases he and Reese are working on.
Matt startles and goes for the gun that isn't there when the passenger door opens, but the faint smell of cologne is all the identifier Matt needs, knowing it's Charlie without even looking.
"Are you staking out my neighbors?" Charlie asks, his eyes unreadable with his sunglasses in the way. "The Hendersons have three cats; there's something suspicious about that."
"I meant to stop by, but I didn't know if you were home or if you'd even want to see me." Matt's almost amused by how the guilt has transformed and shifted. "I…" He begins, but then decides to change his approach. "Three months was a long time to be someone else. It wasn't me, but I couldn't separate myself quickly either, not like changing a shirt. I was pissed at the assignment and then I was pissed about you putting yourself at risk, and even though my professional competency felt attacked at how easily you managed to subdue me, that was never the issue."
Charlie seems to consider this for a moment before opening the door and stepping back out of the car. He bends at the waist to talk to Matt. "I'm home, and I want to see you," he says before shutting the door and walking back to his house.
Matt just shakes his head with a small smile before turning the ignition.