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umbralilliumTitle: Let Me Hold You (While You’re Falling Apart)
Author: DaniKitten
Pairing: Charlie/Colby, Don/Cassandra
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, Charlie would be my math teacher and would let me watch him have hot, monkey sex with Colby. *wicked grin*
Warnings: m/m slash, mentioned character death
Summary: Now it's cold and we're scared\And we've both been shaken
Previous chapters: Part of my Watching You ‘verse, sequel to Everything and Breaking, follows Strength.
Notes: I was doing the dishes tonight and listening to Rob Thomas’ Ever The Same when it hit me that this song was perfect to convey Colby’s relationship with Charlie during the events in Strength, but what really put this story in my head was reading another story where one main character wakes up in their lover’s arms and POOF! There was the plot bunny. And yes, it is quite common for me to get inspired by menial tasks like washing the dishes or taking a shower; quite annoying, actually, since I can’t always get to the computer or a notebook in order to write down my idea.
Beta(s): Jestana, thanks, sis!
Let Me Hold You (While You’re Falling Apart)
Colby woke slowly, smiling slightly when he felt the familiar body in his arms. It had been a long, lonely week, sleeping in this same bed but not sharing it as often as he would have liked. There had been a few times when Colby had managed to convince Charlie to sleep, usually when Charlie was practically swaying with exhaustion and couldn’t focus on the chalkboards, and they would sleep for an hour at most before Charlie would wake Colby up with his restless movements and soft mutterings that more often than not broke Colby’s heart.
Charlie was currently still asleep; his body giving in to the abuse Charlie had put it through and giving him a deep, hopefully healing, slumber. Colby noticed that, although Charlie had lost a fair bit of weight over the last week, there was still some strength in his arms, judging by how tightly Charlie was clinging to him, as if afraid that Colby would disappear, leaving Charlie without his greatest source of strength.
Colby shifted slightly and winced as his lower limbs reminded him that he’d spent three hours sitting on a cold, concrete floor the day before, which was hard on anyone’s body, no matter how often they visited the gym. He didn’t regret a single second, though. They had both needed the catharsis that their tears had given. Colby had dispelled some of his grief during the time he had spent with Megan five days ago, but being able to hold Charlie as he finally loosened his control over his grief had also helped, as had the time he had spent with Cassandra once she’d finally emerged from the apartment she had moved into with Don barely a week before the shooting. Colby had originally thought she wouldn’t have been able to stand staying there so soon, but apparently there hadn’t been too many memories. He was sure that what memories she did have of that week were positive enough to dispel some of her grief. Although, if the number of new projects, sketches, and paintings were anything to go by, she had spent most of her time in the room they had converted into her studio.
Charlie shifting against him, brought Colby’s attention from his thoughts and he opened his eyes to see weary brown eyes looking up into his. “Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey,” Charlie answered, equally as soft, his voice slightly rougher than normal. “How long have I been out?”
Colby glanced over at the alarm clock, his eyebrows rising in surprise at the time. “Either only a couple minutes or we’ve been asleep for a full day.”
“’We?’” Charlie asked, puzzled.
“Yes, ‘we.’ I’ve been out the same amount of time.” Colby replied.
“Oh,” Charlie said softly, looking down at where his left hand was resting over Colby’s heart. Without looking up, he asked, “Did I really spend almost an entire week camped out in the garage?”
Colby covered Charlie’s hand with his own as he replied, “Yeah,”
Charlie nodded, still not looking up.
“Hey,” Colby said, reaching down and tilting Charlie’s head up so Colby could look into his eyes. “You did nothing wrong. We all grieve in our own ways, I understand that math is your retreat, and so do Cassie and Alan.”
“What about the others?”
“Megan, David, Larry, Amita, most of your colleagues from CalSci that stopped by understood, too, and those who didn’t understand,” Colby stared at Charlie intently. “Don’t know you quite as well as they think they do and aren’t worth worrying about.”
Charlie smiled shakily and nodded slightly. “Love you.”
Colby dropped a soft, butterfly kiss on Charlie’s forehead. “Love you, too.” He watched Charlie thoughtfully for a moment before adding, “If you ever want to talk, I’m willing to listen, and if not me, I know Megan is willing.”
“You talked to her,” Charlie guessed.
Colby nodded. “She told me I had to grieve myself if I wanted to be strong for those who were still grieving.”
Charlie’s brows drew together in confusion. “But, last night...”
“I didn’t get over Don’s death overnight, Charlie.” he fought back a sigh at Charlie’s wince. “There’s still a lot of grief and sadness inside me that still needs to be released. It hurt me just as much as it hurt you, Cassie, and Alan. He was my brother, too.”
Charlie nodded, his eyes glittering with tears. “I miss him, so much,” He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears spilled over, dampening Charlie’s cheeks and Colby’s chest under Charlie’s head.
Colby held Charlie even closer and whispered, “I miss him, too.”
End.
Author: DaniKitten
Pairing: Charlie/Colby, Don/Cassandra
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, Charlie would be my math teacher and would let me watch him have hot, monkey sex with Colby. *wicked grin*
Warnings: m/m slash, mentioned character death
Summary: Now it's cold and we're scared\And we've both been shaken
Previous chapters: Part of my Watching You ‘verse, sequel to Everything and Breaking, follows Strength.
Notes: I was doing the dishes tonight and listening to Rob Thomas’ Ever The Same when it hit me that this song was perfect to convey Colby’s relationship with Charlie during the events in Strength, but what really put this story in my head was reading another story where one main character wakes up in their lover’s arms and POOF! There was the plot bunny. And yes, it is quite common for me to get inspired by menial tasks like washing the dishes or taking a shower; quite annoying, actually, since I can’t always get to the computer or a notebook in order to write down my idea.
Beta(s): Jestana, thanks, sis!
Colby woke slowly, smiling slightly when he felt the familiar body in his arms. It had been a long, lonely week, sleeping in this same bed but not sharing it as often as he would have liked. There had been a few times when Colby had managed to convince Charlie to sleep, usually when Charlie was practically swaying with exhaustion and couldn’t focus on the chalkboards, and they would sleep for an hour at most before Charlie would wake Colby up with his restless movements and soft mutterings that more often than not broke Colby’s heart.
Charlie was currently still asleep; his body giving in to the abuse Charlie had put it through and giving him a deep, hopefully healing, slumber. Colby noticed that, although Charlie had lost a fair bit of weight over the last week, there was still some strength in his arms, judging by how tightly Charlie was clinging to him, as if afraid that Colby would disappear, leaving Charlie without his greatest source of strength.
Colby shifted slightly and winced as his lower limbs reminded him that he’d spent three hours sitting on a cold, concrete floor the day before, which was hard on anyone’s body, no matter how often they visited the gym. He didn’t regret a single second, though. They had both needed the catharsis that their tears had given. Colby had dispelled some of his grief during the time he had spent with Megan five days ago, but being able to hold Charlie as he finally loosened his control over his grief had also helped, as had the time he had spent with Cassandra once she’d finally emerged from the apartment she had moved into with Don barely a week before the shooting. Colby had originally thought she wouldn’t have been able to stand staying there so soon, but apparently there hadn’t been too many memories. He was sure that what memories she did have of that week were positive enough to dispel some of her grief. Although, if the number of new projects, sketches, and paintings were anything to go by, she had spent most of her time in the room they had converted into her studio.
Charlie shifting against him, brought Colby’s attention from his thoughts and he opened his eyes to see weary brown eyes looking up into his. “Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey,” Charlie answered, equally as soft, his voice slightly rougher than normal. “How long have I been out?”
Colby glanced over at the alarm clock, his eyebrows rising in surprise at the time. “Either only a couple minutes or we’ve been asleep for a full day.”
“’We?’” Charlie asked, puzzled.
“Yes, ‘we.’ I’ve been out the same amount of time.” Colby replied.
“Oh,” Charlie said softly, looking down at where his left hand was resting over Colby’s heart. Without looking up, he asked, “Did I really spend almost an entire week camped out in the garage?”
Colby covered Charlie’s hand with his own as he replied, “Yeah,”
Charlie nodded, still not looking up.
“Hey,” Colby said, reaching down and tilting Charlie’s head up so Colby could look into his eyes. “You did nothing wrong. We all grieve in our own ways, I understand that math is your retreat, and so do Cassie and Alan.”
“What about the others?”
“Megan, David, Larry, Amita, most of your colleagues from CalSci that stopped by understood, too, and those who didn’t understand,” Colby stared at Charlie intently. “Don’t know you quite as well as they think they do and aren’t worth worrying about.”
Charlie smiled shakily and nodded slightly. “Love you.”
Colby dropped a soft, butterfly kiss on Charlie’s forehead. “Love you, too.” He watched Charlie thoughtfully for a moment before adding, “If you ever want to talk, I’m willing to listen, and if not me, I know Megan is willing.”
“You talked to her,” Charlie guessed.
Colby nodded. “She told me I had to grieve myself if I wanted to be strong for those who were still grieving.”
Charlie’s brows drew together in confusion. “But, last night...”
“I didn’t get over Don’s death overnight, Charlie.” he fought back a sigh at Charlie’s wince. “There’s still a lot of grief and sadness inside me that still needs to be released. It hurt me just as much as it hurt you, Cassie, and Alan. He was my brother, too.”
Charlie nodded, his eyes glittering with tears. “I miss him, so much,” He whispered, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears spilled over, dampening Charlie’s cheeks and Colby’s chest under Charlie’s head.
Colby held Charlie even closer and whispered, “I miss him, too.”
