Just a quick ficlet inspired by re-watching season 2 of Numb3rs. Slight foreshadowing for 'Janus List', if you want to read it that way.
Don't Ask, Don't Tell had been a part of Colby Granger's life for most of his adult years, and just because he wasn't in the army anymore that had not changed. He had always been rather careful to keep the professional and private apart, tidy compartments that made things easier and, he was certain, helped him survive. This had been doubly valid after he joined the FBI and had to juggle even more roles, and it would have worked just fine if he had not been partnered with David Sinclair.
Shared danger turned into shared jokes and shared beers after work, an easy friendship that should not have been a problem. Except that it was. There was nothing easy about David's lips around the beer bottle, nothing unproblematic about the warmth of his fingers brushing against Colby's on the rough fabric of the sofa between them as they watched a baseball game after another long day on stakeout. Strange how they never seemed to get tired of each other's company, even after eight hours stuck in a car. Colby knew his thoughts were drifting into a dangerous direction, but then he had not gotten to where he was today by avoiding risks.
He was not drunk, just tired and pleasantly buzzed, and there was something in the air that he could almost taste, something heavy and sweet. It was easy to shift his right leg just a little bit, until it was pressed against David's, a silent question. The reply came in form of a hitch in David's breathing and a hand that hesitated only slightly before coming to rest on Colby's thigh, too high to be explained away. Colby finally looked away from the TV and met David's eyes, wide with surprise but otherwise calm and determined. They shared a smile that was a little frayed around the edges, a familiar mix of fear and excitement, as if they were about to go into a dangerous situation, side by side.
There was no need for Asking, or Telling, and Colby allowed the lines to get blurred, just this once. Then their lips were touching and Colby slid his hands around David's back, under his t-shirt, feeling his warm skin, tasting beer and Chinese takeout on his partner's tongue.
