An Equation for Love

The only reason this is here is because some asshole on fanfiction.net reported me. Incest isn't bad, and people really need to get over it. Seriously.

I don't even think this qualifies for an 'R' rating. I don't think it ever will. Shit, -Disney- has had more intimate shit in their kids' movies than I have in this first chapter and all their movies are P-fucking-G! People really piss me off, ya know?

And I better be able to find something like this on AFF too! I -know- I'm not the only one to see Don/Charlie!

Some reviews could really improve my mood. And coerce me into writing more.

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It was the smile on Amita’s face, the look of raw and open attraction that flitted across her features, that bothered Charlie more than anything. It filled him with an unfamiliar nervousness. Not the anxious nervousness that a person would expect if they were about to ask someone out, but the uneasy nervous of someone who simply wanted their current situation to pass…

He truly -didn’t- want to be with Amita. She was smart, sweet, he enjoyed his time with her…but he just didn’t have any romantic feelings for her. None that he was aware of, anyway. But everyone kept telling him to find a nice girl, to settle down. He’d heard it from his dad, from Larry, and even…Don. They were practically forcing him into it.

Who were -they- to tell him how to live? They were his friends, his family, the people that only wanted the best for him. But Charlie had his own reservations about what he wanted from life. And, as a girlfriend, Amita wasn’t part of that. As of yet, though, he wasn’t too sure about what was.

All he really knew of his feelings was his friendship towards some, and his love towards his father and mother and brother.

And he knew of the worry and guilt and absolute fear that had seized his heart from his chest that afternoon, when realizing he’d sent his brother into the danger zone of a man strapped with explosives and a train filled with nuclear waste. Another thing to add to the list of things he’d never really forgive himself for.

Of course, the night had been young and joyous, and they had celebrated at Charlie’s house (although he’d always lived there, it felt weird to think that he actually owned it now). Charlie and Don and Dad and Terry and…Amita. The last of which spent most of the night sending him painfully obvious flirting looks, which Charlie did his possible best to avoid looking like he was noticing.

After several hours, the ‘party’ had exhausted itself and everyone except Don headed towards their rightful home. From their seats at the corner of the table, the two brothers were left talking lazily over a few subjects, none which either could pinpoint to this day, until Charlie managed, with a bit of energy and eagerness geared toward the subject, to bring the discussion around to the next possibilities for cases. “I’m really almost excited about this, Don. I love math so much, and teaching it is fun, but it feels so amazing to be putting it to practical uses like solving cases.” His hand, sitting on the table, was tapping its fingers quickly against the dark wood, “I can only wonder what kind of problem the next case will bring.”

He stared quietly for a moment at Don, who was smiling at him softly. The older brother’s hand reached a few inches on the table for Charlie’s hand and pressed gently on top of it, immediately halting the frantic tapping. He leaned in two inches closer over the already short distance, chuckled only lightly. “You know, buddy, you don’t have to try so hard to impress me.”

“Wha-wh-what are you talking about?” Charlie had followed Don’s lead, his own headed leaning a bit closer, quickly closing the gap between their faces to about eight inches. His heart seemed to have sped up, becoming instantly aware how warm Don’s hand was over his.

The smile seemed to fade to a reminiscence of itself, his face becoming serious and an inch closer. “Well… I guess what I mean to say is… I’m proud of you, Charlie. I want you to know that.”

Don’s movement was imitated by Charlie’s, just slowly slicing away at the distance between their faces. The heat he could feel from Don’s face was distracting, but he managed to blurt out a confused, “Well…um…thanks.”

“No, I’m serious, buddy. All this math? Just goes right over my head. It’s just amazing how you can get it all so quick and easy.” Their faces were so close that Charlie could feel Don’s breath against his lips, sending a chill through him. Now he knew his heart was racing. His hand was given a soft squeeze as Don continued, “You should know how much your help, and you, mean to me.”

“I…” he was about to respond when the train of thought was completely wiped from his mind by the unfamiliar feeling of lips brushing over his. His darkened eyes, which he realized had been slipping shut, flew open wide, almost frightened, and he pulled away abruptly, standing from his chair with some difficulty, almost tripping over the leg of his chair as he stood. “I-I-I…I have some work I need for my lesson for tomorrow!” he excused without being able to bear a look at Don. With that, he ran upstairs to his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Not that he need have bothered.

Don didn’t come up after him.