A/N: This is the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and double thanks to anyone who has left feedback, I really appreciate the support. Shout out to Ann Onymous and anyone else who caught the Firefly nod in chapter five, I hope it made you grin :)
"So are you going to do it?" Colby asked when Charlie walked into the FBI office the following morning.
Charlie took a deep breath. He had spent all last night contemplating Megan's idea and his father's words on the subject. He had been truly torn. He knew what his dad said was true, but at the same time, he had a feeling that Ian was someone Don might really need in his life. What cemented his decision was Don's strange attitude last night. He managed to make it over for dinner, but spent the entire night nearly silent and left the house as soon as possible. He hadn't seemed himself at all. Charlie just wanted his brother to be happy. If he had to make a fool out of himself in front of Edgerton and the entire FBI office in order to achieve it, then so be it. He let out the breath he'd been holding. "Yeah. I'm gonna do it."
"Well, there's Ian." Colby said and pointed to where Ian was busily making coffee. "Probably the best chance you're going to get."
Charlie looked at Ian and then glanced to Don's desk. Don was sitting there, pretending to read through a couple files, but Charlie noticed that every few seconds he looked up at Ian, his eyes never drifting far from the man. "Yeah. Looks like."
Charlie reluctantly made his way towards Ian, passing both Megan and David on the way. Megan smirked and David flashed a quick thumbs up. Charlie smiled back weakly.
Ian immediately looked up when Charlie entered the room. "Morning Professor."
"Hey Ian." Charlie replied, breezily as he could manage.
"Want some coffee?" Ian offered, holding up the pot.
Charlie shook his head. "No, uh. I think I'm good."
Ian turned, placing the pot back on the burner.
Charlie swallowed hard, knowing that he had to try this now, before he lost all his courage. He stalked forward with purpose, getting just inside Ian's personal space. When Ian turned back towards him they were nearly touching. If Ian was surprised by the close proximity he didn't let on.
Ian simply raised a brow and asked in a low suggestive tone, "Is there something I can do for you, Professor?"
Charlie's tongue darted out to wet his lips. He knew Don was watching and he had to make this convincing. He reached out a hand to touch Ian's arm and smiled up at him in his own suggestive way. "Is there something you'd like to do for me?"
Charlie didn't quite know what to make of the predatory look that immediately stole over Ian's face. Charlie hadn't exactly expected Ian to react to him at all. He just thought his own bumbling flirting attempts would be enough to rile Don into action. Ian was Don's. However, at the moment, Ian was grabbing Charlie and pushing him into the cabinets, mouth coming dangerously close to Charlie's own and it was all wrong…
And just as Ian's lips made contact with Charlie's, the door was banging open and all Charlie could see was his brother's angry face.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Edgerton?" Don questioned furiously, pulling him away from Charlie.
A mean smirk settled over Ian's face. "I'm just having a little fun with your brother."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You'd better stay the hell away from him." Don threatened.
Charlie's eyes were rapidly flicking between the pair. This wasn't what he'd planned for. Don was supposed to get mad at him, not Ian. He was supposed to be pissed at Charlie and confess his feeling to Ian in some kind of possessive, jealousy-induced bout of honesty. This was not part of the plan.
"Yeah? How are you going to stop me, Donnie?" Ian sneered. "I'll do whatever the hell I want."
Don hesitated for only a moment, before speaking. "I'll stop you like this!" He exclaimed, launching himself at Ian.
Charlie barely managed to get himself out of the way before his brother made contact with Ian. Before he knew it the two were on the ground, wrestling furiously. He stared in shock for a moment, before remembering himself enough to search out Don's team to get help breaking the fight up, but when he looked out into the office, he could see Megan, Colby, and David already hurrying towards them, horrified expressions on all their faces.
Colby and David got there first and immediately set to prying the two apart. David grabbed Don and Colby pulled Ian back. Once they were on separate sides of the room, Megan inserted herself in the middle.
"What is going on?" she questioned incredulously, as though she hadn't watched the full encounter from her desk.
"He needs to keep his filthy hands off my brother." Don spat, glaring at Ian.
Ian rolled his eyes. "He needs to butt out of things that don't concern him."
"He is my concern! He's my brother!" Don argued.
"Yeah, well—"
"Enough!" Charlie finally shouted in a pained voice. He hadn't meant for any of this to happen. He took a deep breath. "Don't fight. I… That… Ian, I-"
"Wait a second…" Don said, cutting Charlie off and pinning him with a stare. "What about Amita?"
"That's what I want to explain," Charlie said. He turned towards Ian, remorseful expression clear on his face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on just now, but you know I'm with Amita and this was all just a set up and…"
"We know," Ian said bluntly, shrugging out of Colby's grip as Don did the same to David. They moved so they were standing shoulder to shoulder in the center of the room.
"You guys have been playing mind games with us for weeks now. And It. Stops. Now." Don continued slowly, glancing at everyone in turn.
"So this fight just now was fake?" Megan questioned.
Don and Ian smirked at each other and nodded.
"Pretty much," Ian replied.
As soon as Don saw dissatisfied faces he spoke. "Yeah, it doesn't feel too good when people play little tricks on you, does it?"
"I… uh. I'm sorry guys." David said after a moment, finally realizing just how much damage their plotting could have done.
Colby agreed. "Yeah. Me too."
Megan nodded as well. "But how did you guys know?"
Don shook his head. "Genius here left his notes up in the garage. I read about this whole set-up last night when I went over to the house for dinner. Then I called Ian once I got home."
Charlie frowned at that. "Wait… I had a list on the chalkboard of the things we had already tried, but I didn't write anything about this down."
Don scratched his head in confusion for a second, before he smiled in realization, the pieces falling into place. "Dad sent me out to the garage to find something he left there… The writing on the one chalkboard was Charlie's handwriting, but some of the notes and the second chalkboard weren't… That must have been Dad's handwriting," he mused aloud.
Ian snorted. "Sounds like all of you clowns owe Alan $20."
Megan was the first to process what Ian said. Her eyes lit up. "Wait… So you guys are together now?"
Ian smirked, but Don just glanced sideways at the other man.
"I dunno. You kissing my brother definitely wasn't part of the plan." Don said, distancing himself from Ian.
"Hey. I was improvising." Ian protested, reaching for Don.
Don grimaced and took a step away, towards the doorway. "I might never be able to kiss you again."
"Is that so?" Ian asked teasingly, following Don out.
"Yeah. You've been contaminated. Charlie germs." Don replied.
"Hey!" Charlie called out in protest. Neither man seemed to notice.
"I think you're bluffing." Ian said at the doorway.
Don shrugged, heading back to his desk. "We'll see. You're definitely going to at least have to brush your teeth first. And use mouthwash. Lots and lots of mouthwash."
"You know, it's not like I slipped him tongue or anything." Ian called out, completely ignoring the strange looks the other agents in the office were giving him.
Back in the break room David snorted. "You know, I think we made a wrong assumption."
"Oh yeah?" Colby asked. "What's that?"
"That getting them together was somehow going to make them less obnoxious," he said.
"You know, I think you're right." Megan replied. "We've traded in covert glances and quiet longing for flirtatious banter and PDA."
David and Colby both groaned.
Charlie just smiled. "You know what? I think it's worth it. As long as Don's happy, I'm happy."
"Yeah. I guess so," David agreed with a grin. Megan smiled and nodded as well.
Then Charlie's smile faltered a bit. "And as long as Ian never kisses me ever again, I might get out of this without having Amita kill me."
Colby laughed and shook his head. "Oh, Charlie. I wouldn't bet on that."
