Title: Heroes Finish Last
Pairing: Charlie/Desmond (Charlie/Claire)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 200
Summary: He won't let himself break up that happy couple; but it's getting harder and harder to remind himself why.
Desmond's hand brushes over Charlie's shoulder, down his arm, in a gesture he's sure must look possessive from the outside.
He stops, he holds back, because he can see Claire – the girlfriend – watching suspiciously from the distance. She has every right to that expression, he knows. Every right to watch him with caution and to worry about the state of her fragile relationship with Charlie.
Desmond's not a threat. He knows that; he's aware that Charlie views him as nothing but an acquaintance, maybe even a friend.
And yet, that doesn't stop the feelings of jealousy that spring up when he sees Charlie and Claire together.
And yet, that doesn't stop the mineminemine that rushes through his mind every time he saves Charlie's life yet again.
And yet, that doesn't stop the need, the want, the desperation. He needs to be saved, he wants the company, he's desperate for the hot, sticky feel of someone groaning underneath him.
He can't interfere and he knows that – he'd never break up the happy family, not for the world.
Yet with every vision he has and every time he intervenes, he can't help that one creeping thought: doesn't the hero deserve a reward?