Numb3rs fic: You May Be Right (Don/Coop, Coop/OFC, R)
I can't lie, after I finished this I started to worry that since the only slash I've been reading lately has been Jonas Brothers, this might read more like a 16-year-old crushing on his brother than anything else. BUT, mercilynn read through it and she didn't mention anything like that, so... (Maybe she was just being nice).
Title: You May Be Right
Pairing/Characters: Don/Coop, Coop/OFC, OCs
Rating: R
Summary: He can't stop thinking about it, about what people see when they look at him and Don.
Word Count: 1108
Spoilers: 1x13 "Man Hunt"
Warnings: none
Notes: Kind of silly. Pre-series. I can't remember anymore which song I stole the title from.
Prompt: "In Plain Sight" for the eppes_slash fic challenge.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (except for OCs), nor do I profit from their use here. This is only for fun.
It happens gradually. Little things, like an odd look that Coop brushes off as a reaction to the bulge of the gun tucked underneath his jacket, or a knowing wink that he attributes to his dashing good looks--and Don's boyish good looks, if he's being fair, since they were together when the wink was thrown their way.
And then he's chatting up this hot mama who's laughing at his jokes and clearly thinks he's cute, but when he leans closer to turn things up a notch, she glances at Don over Coop's shoulder and says, "I think your friend will be jealous."
Coop pauses for a second, thrown, and then recovers to tell her, "I think he'll definitely be jealous of me--"
But she laughs and shakes her head a little like he's confusing her and then she leaves. He's not sure what to make of it.
After a minute Don comes over from where he was sitting at the bar. "You strike out?" he asks, poking at Coop's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I thought she liked you."
Coop brushes his hand away, annoyed. "You were staring too much. You scared her off."
Don waits and then shrugs. "Watchin' your six, man," he says, like it's that simple.
Which it is, really.
It's a week or two later that he figures it out. They're in a restaurant minding their own business, just eating together, and the lady at the next table keeps shooting them amused little glances. After ten minutes he finally sets down his fork and meets her eyes.
"Can I help you?"
"Oh," she says, flushing a little, but still amused. "Sorry. I just think you two are so cute."
"Uh, oh, well... Thanks." He glances at Don, can you believe this shit? and Don smirks.
And then--
"How long have you been together?" she asks innocently.
Don's still laughing when they get back to the motel.
It's ridiculous, of course, the whole thing is just... ridiculous. But he can't stop thinking about it, about what people see when they look at him and Don, and he suddenly finds himself hyper-aware of exactly how much time and how little space they share together. Even with his eyes closed he recognizes Don by his scent, the sound of his footsteps, the rhythm of his breath. And Don is handsy, hanging an arm over his shoulders all the time, or tagging him in the side, palming the back of his neck like he has a personal claim on the skin there.
Coop takes a week off.
He goes home to his apartment and watches TV without the usual color commentary and nobody to hog the popcorn. It's disconcertingly boring on his own. He calls an old friend.
He's got her on the bed, small and familiar except she's changed her perfume since the last time and the new scent keeps distracting him. And then... there's a noise outside, like someone Don could be at the door, or... walking past... and. It's all just... getting in his head. He keeps kissing her, half-heartedly, until she senses it and pulls away, giving him a look. Coop sighs and rests his head on her shoulder, tucked against her neck. The perfume sprayed there tickles his nose.
"I think I've got a problem," he says.
"Oh, is it... Um. It's okay, honey, we'll just..."
"No, it's... It's not a dick problem. Exactly. It's, uh."
She pets at his hair comfortingly, waiting.
"Everybody thinks my partner and I are gay for each other."
There's a pause.
"So are you?" she asks him.
"No. I... Maybe. No, we just spend a lot of time together, and, uh... It's just that there are no straight guys in a foxhole, is what they say."
She laughs. "I don't think they say that, baby."
He shifts on top of her, holding her close. "Well, maybe they should," he mutters.
She drifts her hand down, rubs at his neck. "Do you think he's hot?"
"He... would objectively be considered an attractive man."
Her voice goes low. "Do you like to think about him naked?"
"He... has... very nice... skin. And, uh. He works out a lot! So. I don't think that means that--"
She's laughing at him now, not with him, and he sighs again.
"There are no straight guys in a foxhole," he insists. "That's a real saying."
"Okay."
He goes down on her before she leaves, to make up for wasting her time.
When he gets back to the office, Don is sitting next to some stranger, looking frustrated as they go over some papers together. When Coop gets close, he looks up and grins, lighting up the whole room.
Or... It lights up his face, okay.
"Cooper!" He stands up and gives him a hug, clapping Coop on the back hard, excited like he's been gone a year, not a week. "Good to see you."
The other guy stands up, clearing his throat, and Don grimaces a little before half-turning to gesture to him. "Meet Agent Tyler, your temporary replacement."
"Hey," Coop says, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet ya. Hope you gave Eppes lots of trouble."
"Er," Tyler says.
He's only around for another half hour, but Agent Tyler turns out to be possibly the most boring person Coop's ever met. It's a little sad.
It's a couple of days before they hit an assignment that has them sharing a room. It gives Coop time to plan.
He waits until Don is in bed and a little bit sleepy, off guard, and then he goes and sits on the other bed, across from him.
"Hey," he says quietly. "So I had some time to think, while I was gone, and I think... I sort of discovered something that might not be great, uh, for us--as a team, I mean."
Don stares at him, just his head poking out from under the covers. Listening.
"Uh, so the thing is that, uh, I kind of want to try something that... I'm not sure if you... will want to do, but. Maybe, maybe we could just try it, and. See what happens?"
"Sure," Don says. He doesn't even hesitate, just trusts, and Coop hopes he doesn't ruin that, but--
He tips forward, off the bed, and leans over, watching Don carefully, and Don. Doesn't. Even. Flinch. as he presses in and kisses him.
"The thing is," Coop whispers when he pulls back, "There are no straight guys in a foxhole."
"Yeah," Don says, laughing a little. He scoots back, pulling the covers with him. "I know what you mean."
Title: You May Be Right
Pairing/Characters: Don/Coop, Coop/OFC, OCs
Rating: R
Summary: He can't stop thinking about it, about what people see when they look at him and Don.
Word Count: 1108
Spoilers: 1x13 "Man Hunt"
Warnings: none
Notes: Kind of silly. Pre-series. I can't remember anymore which song I stole the title from.
Prompt: "In Plain Sight" for the eppes_slash fic challenge.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (except for OCs), nor do I profit from their use here. This is only for fun.
It happens gradually. Little things, like an odd look that Coop brushes off as a reaction to the bulge of the gun tucked underneath his jacket, or a knowing wink that he attributes to his dashing good looks--and Don's boyish good looks, if he's being fair, since they were together when the wink was thrown their way.
And then he's chatting up this hot mama who's laughing at his jokes and clearly thinks he's cute, but when he leans closer to turn things up a notch, she glances at Don over Coop's shoulder and says, "I think your friend will be jealous."
Coop pauses for a second, thrown, and then recovers to tell her, "I think he'll definitely be jealous of me--"
But she laughs and shakes her head a little like he's confusing her and then she leaves. He's not sure what to make of it.
After a minute Don comes over from where he was sitting at the bar. "You strike out?" he asks, poking at Coop's cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I thought she liked you."
Coop brushes his hand away, annoyed. "You were staring too much. You scared her off."
Don waits and then shrugs. "Watchin' your six, man," he says, like it's that simple.
Which it is, really.
It's a week or two later that he figures it out. They're in a restaurant minding their own business, just eating together, and the lady at the next table keeps shooting them amused little glances. After ten minutes he finally sets down his fork and meets her eyes.
"Can I help you?"
"Oh," she says, flushing a little, but still amused. "Sorry. I just think you two are so cute."
"Uh, oh, well... Thanks." He glances at Don, can you believe this shit? and Don smirks.
And then--
"How long have you been together?" she asks innocently.
Don's still laughing when they get back to the motel.
It's ridiculous, of course, the whole thing is just... ridiculous. But he can't stop thinking about it, about what people see when they look at him and Don, and he suddenly finds himself hyper-aware of exactly how much time and how little space they share together. Even with his eyes closed he recognizes Don by his scent, the sound of his footsteps, the rhythm of his breath. And Don is handsy, hanging an arm over his shoulders all the time, or tagging him in the side, palming the back of his neck like he has a personal claim on the skin there.
Coop takes a week off.
He goes home to his apartment and watches TV without the usual color commentary and nobody to hog the popcorn. It's disconcertingly boring on his own. He calls an old friend.
He's got her on the bed, small and familiar except she's changed her perfume since the last time and the new scent keeps distracting him. And then... there's a noise outside, like someone Don could be at the door, or... walking past... and. It's all just... getting in his head. He keeps kissing her, half-heartedly, until she senses it and pulls away, giving him a look. Coop sighs and rests his head on her shoulder, tucked against her neck. The perfume sprayed there tickles his nose.
"I think I've got a problem," he says.
"Oh, is it... Um. It's okay, honey, we'll just..."
"No, it's... It's not a dick problem. Exactly. It's, uh."
She pets at his hair comfortingly, waiting.
"Everybody thinks my partner and I are gay for each other."
There's a pause.
"So are you?" she asks him.
"No. I... Maybe. No, we just spend a lot of time together, and, uh... It's just that there are no straight guys in a foxhole, is what they say."
She laughs. "I don't think they say that, baby."
He shifts on top of her, holding her close. "Well, maybe they should," he mutters.
She drifts her hand down, rubs at his neck. "Do you think he's hot?"
"He... would objectively be considered an attractive man."
Her voice goes low. "Do you like to think about him naked?"
"He... has... very nice... skin. And, uh. He works out a lot! So. I don't think that means that--"
She's laughing at him now, not with him, and he sighs again.
"There are no straight guys in a foxhole," he insists. "That's a real saying."
"Okay."
He goes down on her before she leaves, to make up for wasting her time.
When he gets back to the office, Don is sitting next to some stranger, looking frustrated as they go over some papers together. When Coop gets close, he looks up and grins, lighting up the whole room.
Or... It lights up his face, okay.
"Cooper!" He stands up and gives him a hug, clapping Coop on the back hard, excited like he's been gone a year, not a week. "Good to see you."
The other guy stands up, clearing his throat, and Don grimaces a little before half-turning to gesture to him. "Meet Agent Tyler, your temporary replacement."
"Hey," Coop says, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet ya. Hope you gave Eppes lots of trouble."
"Er," Tyler says.
He's only around for another half hour, but Agent Tyler turns out to be possibly the most boring person Coop's ever met. It's a little sad.
It's a couple of days before they hit an assignment that has them sharing a room. It gives Coop time to plan.
He waits until Don is in bed and a little bit sleepy, off guard, and then he goes and sits on the other bed, across from him.
"Hey," he says quietly. "So I had some time to think, while I was gone, and I think... I sort of discovered something that might not be great, uh, for us--as a team, I mean."
Don stares at him, just his head poking out from under the covers. Listening.
"Uh, so the thing is that, uh, I kind of want to try something that... I'm not sure if you... will want to do, but. Maybe, maybe we could just try it, and. See what happens?"
"Sure," Don says. He doesn't even hesitate, just trusts, and Coop hopes he doesn't ruin that, but--
He tips forward, off the bed, and leans over, watching Don carefully, and Don. Doesn't. Even. Flinch. as he presses in and kisses him.
"The thing is," Coop whispers when he pulls back, "There are no straight guys in a foxhole."
"Yeah," Don says, laughing a little. He scoots back, pulling the covers with him. "I know what you mean."