Round One
Summary: Megan forced all three men into a wintery vacation in the woods. Ian is devious, Billy has the best timing on the planet, and Don is surprisingly adorable. Oh...and there is only one bed. Third fic in the series "To Win His Heart".
Disclaimer: I do not own the show and I don't get money from making these stories. A shame really. The shit I would put Don in...heh.
Warning: Nothing. My beta hasn't had the time to fix the mistakes here yet but I wanted to post this on Christmas so if you're seeing this message, mistakes haven't been fixed.
A/N: A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! So I decided to post the next round of To Win His Heart as a Christmas present for you. And no, I honestly wasn't thinking of Christmas when I made the setting in a snowy cabin. But here's a gift of both Ian and Billy being the smoothest bitches on earth and Don being surprisingly adorable. Before anyone wonders, yes, Don being cute does have something to do with my Tumblr post on Don's puppy dog eyes. Sue me. I don't care if it's possibly OOC because honestly? I just want some dumb fluffy romantic shenanigans (at least for this story). I hope you guys had a great year and I hope that all the years after this are as great as you guys. Cya and have a nice dayyyyy!
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me…" he muttered underneath his breath for the how many-th time since he got to the cabin. There was no way this was happening. It couldn't be. This was real life, not some shitty rom-com that his sister liked to force him to watch once in a while. Life didn't fall into various different wacky coincidences resulting in two people getting together. That shit just doesn't happen. Ian always thought that if you wanted something, you take it yourself. There's no need to drag fate into your mess.
But now, looking at the single big-ass bed, he was starting to doubt that statement.
He tossed his bag to the side on one of the beds and sat on it, contemplating what the fuck happened in his life that lead him from shooting terrorists down in Afghanistan to these shitty romcom-esque events that seem to follow him wherever he goes. Instantly images from his past flashed through his mind.
"C'mon Ian, it's not that bad…" dark brown eyes that looked like they should belong to a baby cow instead of one of the most competent FBI agents he knew glanced up at him, shining with innocence that he knew was fake. The crinkles in his eyes only serve to make his smile more charming as he tries to hold in his snort of laughter. He reached out, trying to ruffle Ian's now bright blue hair but Ian managed to dodge it, shoving him to the nearest wall and pinning his wrists down in annoyance at getting pranked. Instead of being intimidated however, he simply laughed. "I think this is a step up from your usual look," he teased, "The blue looks good on you."
"How's that for a pretty boy?" he asked, a cocky smile was clear on his face as he walked into the room with a swagger in his step at his admittedly successful attempt at his challenge.
"Are you always this shameless?" his face was a bright shade of red as he tried to nonchalantly look away, hiding his flush with his hand.
"Somehow, no matter what…you always find me" he said as he looked at Ian fondly. Warmth radiating from his dark eyes. The smile on his face was softer than anything Ian had ever seen before.
"Sometimes…I wonder whether or not I'm good enough to be called a leader" sad eyes look forlornly at the floor, a bruise on his cheek from when he let someone hit him out of stupid misplaced guilt. His shoulder cinched as he tried to make himself smaller. The burden of the world weighs heavily on him.
"I'm not worried" he grinned confidently, looking at Ian behind his sunglasses as he gradually put on even more gear. The trust that radiated from his face almost took Ian's breath away. "I know you'll always have my back."
Right…him. Everything changed when Ian met him and in all honesty? As cheesy as it sounded, he didn't regret it one bit. What he did regret though was being pulled into this mess with one of the most infuriating people he knows. He swore that one of these days, he's going to find a way to murder the bastard in his sleep without anyone knowing. Like that's possible, he'll sniff you out in a heartbeat. As dense as Don has been throughout this entire thing, that didn't mean he was always clueless. If someone killed someone he cared about, Ian would know that there would be hell to pay.
Although, there were few things hotter in this world than Don Eppes on a warpath.
Casting that thought out of his brain, he decided to go set up the room that they'll be staying in for the night. That is assuming that it won't instantly turn into a crime scene the minute Billy Cooper shows up. After what happened last time, he knew that he was on borrowed time, at least to the red-head. He wasn't going to be taken out by a hot-head from the middle of nowhere. He was better than that.
He made sure to place his clothes nearby lest some angry southern man decide to tamper with them and kept everything under lock and key. Looking at his phone, he saw that he had no new messages. Thankfully though, he had the foresight to bring a book or two, so he wouldn't be completely bored as he waited for the rest to come.
As he grabbed it from his pack and cracked it open, he couldn't help but think of what happened beforehand that caused all this.
"Excuse me what?" he blinked as Megan handed him a key.
"We're sending all you three to a cabin in the woods so you can sort your stuff out" she said plainly to him. "Don't get me wrong, it's fun to watch, but we're starting to feel a bit impatient."
Ian rolled his eyes, not even embarrassed at getting caught. He wasn't exactly being subtle after all. "Bold of you to assume that this would get something into the thick skull of his."
She shrugged, "it probably won't, but we do have something there that might speed things along." Ian instantly felt apprehensive at that devious smile that slowly stretched across her face. A part of him wondered if the Devil would be envious of her mischievousness.
Another part of him wished he ran away as soon as she approached him.
Now he was stuck alone, waiting for both Don and Cooper to walk into the cabin. He sighed as he looked down at the pages, hoping to get some distraction before the fireworks came. And oh boy…did they come.
Ian was in the middle of an interesting scene when the door burst open. Jumping to his feet and grabbing the gun he had by the dresser, he ran out to threaten whoever it was that decided to break in. As soon as he turned the corner, gun drawn, he was met with a familiar set of blue eyes, looking at him with annoyance. "JESUS-" Cooper shrieked, dropping his bag. Ian flinched, but lowered his gun.
"What were you thinking, jackass? I could've shot you!"
Cooper rolled his eyes. "You say that as if you've never wanted to shoot me in the first place" he muttered.
"Fair enough. Now what do you want?"
Cooper reached out to shove him away. "To find Narnia" he replied sarcastically before walking off, probably to investigate the cabin. Ian suppressed a groan. They needed Don here fast before they decided to kill each other in the middle of nowhere.
Soon after Cooper disappeared, there were a few bangs along with a couple of crashes which told him that the red-head probably knocked over a few things. Whether it was intentional or not is up for debate. Although, after what sounds like a circus running around in the bedroom, everything went silent. Well…that was before loud snores can be heard from the room. Ian remembered what Don said about Cooper snoring like a chainsaw. Thank fuck I got used to sleeping in noisy places he thought, even if it annoyed him a bit. It didn't matter, the snoring wasn't too important in the long run. What is important is the sudden knock that he heard coming from the door. "Coming!" he called out. He opened the door and gaped.
Don looked pissed, his arms crossed and his bag on the floor. His eyes were dark and stormy which contrasted to the white environment around them. His hair was still spiky, but it was also messy, like he'd been running his hand through it the entire time as white snowflakes slowly fell from his hair. He was bundled up with a black jacket and scarf which covered the lower part of his face, perfect for the snowy area. But even with the scarf, Ian could see that his cheeks and nose were pink due to the cold, an admittedly adorable addition to the normally pale agent. He honestly looked more like a disgruntled kitten than a dangerous FBI agent.
"The cold not treating you well?" he teased, opening the door wider and letting the poor man in.
Don grumbled. "I'm an LA native, I wasn't made for this," he groaned as he dumped his bags near the sofa and sat on the floor in front of the fire that Ian had made when he first walked in, leaning onto the sofa. He chucked his scarf and jacket away, leaving him in a fluffy gray turtleneck that somehow managed to smooth out his rough edges, making him look softer. Ian couldn't help but stare at him. He's never seen Don wear anything that wasn't a suit or a button up. His appearance was always professional albeit slightly messy, helping him exude his classic strict tough guy aura. But right now, he looks far smaller and more delicate than he usually does, especially with his pale face and flushed cheeks, dark hair still covered in white snowflakes, and soft pink lips parted as he tries to breathe warmth into his hands. Ian couldn't help himself. He knew what he was going to do would count as extremely dumb by his standards, but how could he not when Don is looking like that?
He wrapped his arm around the freezing man and ruffled his hair, "Awww…is my little kitten too cold?" he teased.
Don threw him the sharpest glare he could muster, which was dampened by his rosy cheeks and fluffy sweater. "Fuck off or I'll toss your ass head first into the snow" he growled.
"That's adorable" he cooed, poking one of his reddened cheeks which earned a light swat from the smaller man. "You really do look like a fluffy kitten," he said, pulling on the collar of Don's turtleneck slightly.
"Tease me again and I'll gouge your eyes out" he hissed, almost making Ian laugh.
"Testy, testy…" he muttered underneath his breath, moving to take his hand away from Don's shoulder so that he could get up. But then, a sudden grip stopped him. He looked down and saw that Don's face was even redder now, his head turned away as he tried to hide his flushed cheeks.
"Don't…" he whispered, gripping onto the sleeve of Ian's shirt tightly.
That caused Ian to raise an eyebrow. "Don't what…?"
Don let out a few unflattering insults underneath his breath. "Don't go" he mumbled as he pulled his legs up, burying his face into his knees to hide his embarrassment. "You're warm…"
Ian blinked once, then twice. Then his heart almost spontaneously combusted within his chest at the sight. How is it fucking possible for you to be both badass and adorable at the same time?! He screamed in his head. The thing is, he wasn't even the type to call anything cute. But here he was, calling a grown man that he has feelings for adorable and comparing him to a fluffy animal.
If his reputation gets ruined one day, he blames Don.
Thankfully, he wasn't known as the calm collected sniper for nothing. So, he managed to bury down his shock and gave the man a teasing grin. "I don't know…" he muttered as he sat back down beside Don, "I think you're too big to fit in my pocket, little kitten" he teased.
"Shut up, I'm not that small," he protested, curling into himself for warmth as he leaned into the sofa even more, completely contradicting his own argument. "And what's with the damn nickname?"
Ian laughed as he went back to wrap his arm around Don, helping him get warm. "You're smaller than me, so you're considered little in my eyes" he said, "and you also look like an adorably disgruntled wet cat, so how can I not call you that?"
Don scrunched his face up in annoyance at being called adorable. "Is that supposed to be insulting? Because that feels insulting" he replied, his voice skeptical.
"Not insulting, just an observation" he said, trying to hold back his laughter. But in doing so, he revealed his true intentions.
"Observation my ass…" Don muttered as he buried his face in his knees again, pouting.
Ian laughed harder at his petulant expression, the itch to kiss him even more intense now. The cold was definitely making the usually fiery and independent man more subdued and even a bit clingy. So, he decided to poke the metaphorical bear even more. Taking advantage of the fact that Don was now much too cold to be angry and because of that, less likely to deck him across the face, an extremely risky plan formed in his mind.
So, in a move that every single person in the world would call "monumentally suicidal", he went to press his lips on Don's head right after ruffling his hair even more, the silence that happened between them almost deafening. Don completely tensed as soon as Ian did that, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the floor, unsure of what to do. "You're not helping your case by pouting you know, little kitten" he grinned, reaching over to run his fingers over Don's hair, lightly petting him. To his delight, Don closed his eyes as he unconsciously leaned into Ian.
Just like a cat, he thought amusedly.
"But if you don't like it, how about I call you 'pretty boy' instead?"
"I'd rather you don't call me anything except for my name, especially when everyone else is around" Don grumbled. "I need to maintain my reputation somehow."
Ian snorted at that, remembering all the looks of awe and respect that people threw at Don whenever he was in command. He heard whispers that everyone, even the higher ups, considered Don one of the best field agents in LA. It would take more than mushy nicknames for people to lose their respect for him. Although, he'd definitely be subjected to more teasing if his team was anything to go by.
"That sounds more like a suggestion than an order Eppes" he replied, "what do I get in return for such a feat?".
Don cracked open one eye, glaring at him ruefully. "You're being a dick, you know that?"
Ian snorted. "Tell me something new."
"You wouldn't get punched by me?"
Ian rolled his eyes, noticing the emptiness of the threat. "That's hardly a fair trade," he complained. "C'mon, give me something more or else I'll make up even worse nicknames for you."
Don sighed, his tone sounded like he was torn between feeling annoyed or fond. "You drive a hard bargain, Edgerton."
Ian grinned, step two then. "Well how about this?" He started slowly. "If you give me a kiss, I'll consider rescinding the nicknames."
Don sat up faster than Ian could blink, his back ramrod straight. "Excuse me, what?" He asked, his voice edging on dangerous as he narrowed his eyes.
"You heard me pretty boy" he pushed further, using the nickname to aggravate him even more. "Why? Are you afraid?"
Don froze again, looking away as his face turned even redder than it was earlier. "No!" He quickly tried to deny that, but considering the fact he didn't want to look Ian in the eye, it was clear that this was a damn lie.
"Then pucker up princess, I don't have all day". Don let out even more unflattering insults, ones managed to surprise even Ian with his creativity. Realizing that the man would probably try and stall as best he can, Ian decided to take the initiative. In another move that would almost certainly put him in the nearest psych ward, he got up to his knees, turned to face Don and placed his arms on either side of the man's head, trapping Don underneath him. "Tick tock little kitten, time's almost up."
Don pressed himself against the couch, eyes wide. His face was completely red this time, not just a few spots. Ian looked down to stare at Don's lips, amazed at the fact that they were somehow always so pink and soft, even with nothing on them. It made Ian wonder what it would look like after he kissed him senseless. Without realizing it, he unconsciously leaned in bit by bit. Don closed his eyes and slowly leaned in as well. Their lips were so close he could almost feel them. He went to cup the side of Don's cheek to get a better angle and-
"Look what the cat dragged in!" an obnoxiously loud southern accent rang through, causing Don to flinch away from him, ruining the moment. Ian threw a sharp glare at the unwanted intruder. Unfortunately, said intruder was one of the few people who could withstand his death glare. Eyeing the smug look on the red-head's face, a thought crossed his mind.
…I'm going to murder him.
A/N: Oh boy...Megan should've added a WWE ring in this cabin because these two are going to throw hands in a second. Poor Don is too cold to do anything but leech off of other people's heat.