it only hurts when i breathe (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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numb3rsflashfic2008-08-04 10:04 am
spikedluv) wrote in numb3rsflashfic2008-08-04 10:04 am
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Key Note Speakers by Spikedluv (Challenge #69: Convention)
Title: Key Note Speakers
Pairing/Characters: Don, Charlie
Rating/Category: PG13/Gen
Word Count: 741 words
Spoilers: Through 4.09 Graphic.
Summary: Don and Charlie are asked to speak at a convention about working together.
Notes/Warnings: Goes AU at some point before 4.18 When Worlds Collide.
“I can’t believe you got me into this,” Don muttered.
“Me?” Charlie squawked indignantly. “I told Ruby ‘no’. Adamantly. Vehemently, even. As I recall, you were the one who couldn’t say ‘no’.”
“Hey, I said ‘no’,” Don pointed out weakly.
“You caved like a, a, I don’t know, something that caves really hard and really fast,” Charlie argued.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t see you telling him ‘no’.”
“That’s because . . . .”
“What are you boys arguing about now?” Alan asked.
“Whose fault this whole thing is,” Charlie mumbled.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Don asked.
“You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you? The two of you, speaking together about the work you do.” Alan shook his head. “Your mother would be so proud.”
“I didn’t think you’d be interested in this sort of thing,” Charlie said, sounding as worried at their father’s appearance as Don felt.
“I’m interested in everything my sons do,” Alan replied, “and I’m not the only one.”
“What do you mean?” Don asked.
“I mean, you’ve both got friends who think this is a really big deal!”
“Dad, what did you do?”
“Ross said you both received three complimentary tickets, but that you’d declined to use them. He and I both thought that it was silly to let them go to waste.”
“Oh, Dad.” Don shook his head in disbelief as his heart sank into his stomach.
Charlie rushed over to the monitor that offered the panelists in the waiting room a view of the conference room as it filled up. Don hadn’t yet decided whether it was to get the speaker psyched, or to freak them the hell out. He was leaning towards freaked, so he had tried not to look at it, but Charlie’s cry of dismay brought him over.
“What is it?”
Charlie pointed to something near the bottom of the screen and Don had to lean in closer and squint. Amita, Larry, Megan, David and Colby sat in the front row, one empty seat, presumably their father’s, between them, listening avidly to whatever Ross Moore, standing before them and gesturing wildly, was saying.
“Oh, Dad,” Don said again.
When the comic had first come out Don had taken a lot of good-natured ribbing about it, first the superhero dolls littering his desk, and then the requests for autographs which Don had blown off until David had said, “Seriously, man, I bought two copies, one to read and one for my collection.”
Don had huffed in exasperation, but he’d signed it. A week later David brought it in to proudly show off, safely encased in plastic and bearing both Don’s and Charlie’s signatures on the front cover. David had been so pleased with himself that Don’s annoyance at the whole thing had melted away.
Until Ross had asked them to speak at the next comic convention. Word had mysteriously leaked and rumors spread, and soon Don was taking shit again. All in good fun, of course, which only stopped when Don nearly went for his gun and had to be dragged away by Colby and Megan.
It had been bad enough, speaking about the work he and Charlie did, which had been the basis for the comic, to a group of strangers, but now their friends were out there.
“Just think of us as moral support,” Alan said, as if he had read Don’s mind.
“Yeah, Dad, I’ll try to do that,” Don said, thinking that it was more likely that he’d make a fool of himself in front of his team, people who were supposed to respect him, trust him.
Before Don could get too worked up about it, Ross Moore stuck his head in the door. “You boys ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” Charlie said.
If Charlie, who spoke in front of people everyday, was worried, where did that leave Don?
“You’d better go get your seat, Alan,” Ross said. “I’m gonna be introducing these boys in just a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Alan said. He clapped both their shoulders. “Good luck, boys. Or should I say, break a leg?”
Alan left and Ross looked them both over. “There’s nothing to be nervous about, now.”
“Easy for you to say,” Charlie sniped back.
Don would have felt bad about that, but he’d been thinking the same thing.
Ross just chuckled and turned away. As he shuffled to the door, he said, “Hold your hats, boys, your fans await.”
Don felt like throwing up.
The End
Pairing/Characters: Don, Charlie
Rating/Category: PG13/Gen
Word Count: 741 words
Spoilers: Through 4.09 Graphic.
Summary: Don and Charlie are asked to speak at a convention about working together.
Notes/Warnings: Goes AU at some point before 4.18 When Worlds Collide.
“I can’t believe you got me into this,” Don muttered.
“Me?” Charlie squawked indignantly. “I told Ruby ‘no’. Adamantly. Vehemently, even. As I recall, you were the one who couldn’t say ‘no’.”
“Hey, I said ‘no’,” Don pointed out weakly.
“You caved like a, a, I don’t know, something that caves really hard and really fast,” Charlie argued.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t see you telling him ‘no’.”
“That’s because . . . .”
“What are you boys arguing about now?” Alan asked.
“Whose fault this whole thing is,” Charlie mumbled.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Don asked.
“You didn’t think I’d miss this, did you? The two of you, speaking together about the work you do.” Alan shook his head. “Your mother would be so proud.”
“I didn’t think you’d be interested in this sort of thing,” Charlie said, sounding as worried at their father’s appearance as Don felt.
“I’m interested in everything my sons do,” Alan replied, “and I’m not the only one.”
“What do you mean?” Don asked.
“I mean, you’ve both got friends who think this is a really big deal!”
“Dad, what did you do?”
“Ross said you both received three complimentary tickets, but that you’d declined to use them. He and I both thought that it was silly to let them go to waste.”
“Oh, Dad.” Don shook his head in disbelief as his heart sank into his stomach.
Charlie rushed over to the monitor that offered the panelists in the waiting room a view of the conference room as it filled up. Don hadn’t yet decided whether it was to get the speaker psyched, or to freak them the hell out. He was leaning towards freaked, so he had tried not to look at it, but Charlie’s cry of dismay brought him over.
“What is it?”
Charlie pointed to something near the bottom of the screen and Don had to lean in closer and squint. Amita, Larry, Megan, David and Colby sat in the front row, one empty seat, presumably their father’s, between them, listening avidly to whatever Ross Moore, standing before them and gesturing wildly, was saying.
“Oh, Dad,” Don said again.
When the comic had first come out Don had taken a lot of good-natured ribbing about it, first the superhero dolls littering his desk, and then the requests for autographs which Don had blown off until David had said, “Seriously, man, I bought two copies, one to read and one for my collection.”
Don had huffed in exasperation, but he’d signed it. A week later David brought it in to proudly show off, safely encased in plastic and bearing both Don’s and Charlie’s signatures on the front cover. David had been so pleased with himself that Don’s annoyance at the whole thing had melted away.
Until Ross had asked them to speak at the next comic convention. Word had mysteriously leaked and rumors spread, and soon Don was taking shit again. All in good fun, of course, which only stopped when Don nearly went for his gun and had to be dragged away by Colby and Megan.
It had been bad enough, speaking about the work he and Charlie did, which had been the basis for the comic, to a group of strangers, but now their friends were out there.
“Just think of us as moral support,” Alan said, as if he had read Don’s mind.
“Yeah, Dad, I’ll try to do that,” Don said, thinking that it was more likely that he’d make a fool of himself in front of his team, people who were supposed to respect him, trust him.
Before Don could get too worked up about it, Ross Moore stuck his head in the door. “You boys ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” Charlie said.
If Charlie, who spoke in front of people everyday, was worried, where did that leave Don?
“You’d better go get your seat, Alan,” Ross said. “I’m gonna be introducing these boys in just a few minutes.”
“Okay,” Alan said. He clapped both their shoulders. “Good luck, boys. Or should I say, break a leg?”
Alan left and Ross looked them both over. “There’s nothing to be nervous about, now.”
“Easy for you to say,” Charlie sniped back.
Don would have felt bad about that, but he’d been thinking the same thing.
Ross just chuckled and turned away. As he shuffled to the door, he said, “Hold your hats, boys, your fans await.”
Don felt like throwing up.
The End