Title: Space
Chapter: 1/1
Author: ErinFaie (a.k.a. starlettmalfoy)
Pairing: Charlie/Larry
Rating: G (gasp!)
Spoilers Mid-season 3
Word Count: 259
Warning: Pre-slash
Disclaimer: Numb3rs doesn't belong to me, nor do the characters. No matter how much I dream about it at night. .
Author's notes: Short, sweet, and borderline gen. Enjoy!

Space

"Space."

"Yes, Charles. Space. More specifically, the space station that is currently orbiting our planet at a velocity of--"

"Yeah, I get it, Larry. Thanks." Charlie sat back down at the dining room table, looking around the now-deserted room. He tuned out the voices filtering in from the kitchen, the chiming notes of the glasses clinking together in a toast.

"Charles, I don't see why you seem so upset about this. Obviously, as a cosmologist, I've always felt something was missing - the need to visit a realm unlike our own, to journey into the stars, to see the world from above..." Larry trailed off, hand curled against his mouth in contemplation as he stared off out the windows.

"No, Larry, I'm-I'm happy for you, man." Charlie tried to sound casual, his voice coming out higher than he intended.

The older man's forehead wrinkled as he stared at his friend in confusion.

"Well, thank you. It's the chance of a lifetime, you know."

Charlie studied his hands, noting how they curved in an asymmetrical angle when they were balled into fists, "Yeah," he replied, softly, "I know." With his eyes, he traced the arc of the half-moon imprints that his fingernails had left in his soft, chalk-stained palms.

Without another word, Charlie stood, his feet hitting the wood floor in a rhythmic pattern as he practically ran to the nearest door. Slamming it shut, he rested his forehead against the cool wood of the bathroom door, curls falling into his eyes, and did his best not to cry.

***
Comments are love, as always.