Chapter Twenty-Three
Disclaimer: I own neither Numb3rs nor Buffy – I wouldn’t be an exceptionally poor uni student if I did! I am in no way profiting from this story or the use of these characters.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Don’s Sunday started far too early as far as he was concerned and he knew that was all Xander’s fault. After all, it was Xander who woke him up; and even if it was to the continuation of what Don had originally thought to be merely a very pleasant wet dream, Don still felt he had the right to hold a grudge as he lay there panting afterwards... it was definitely going to take shower sex to gain his forgiveness. Luckily Xander was dedicated to gaining that forgiveness.
Of course, Don had hoped that the shower sex would come later in the day but Xander seemed to be bursting with energy and seemed determined to drag Don along for the ride. So he barely let Don bask in the afterglow of incredible morning sex before dragging him into the shower for round two and then telling him to get dressed, they were going for a run. Don considered telling Xander ‘no’ but he was like a force of nature when he got like this, there was no point trying to argue. Besides, he always ended up having fun, no matter what it was Xander was suggesting.
The 10 mile jog wasn’t the most fun Don had ever had with Xander but it was still nice all the same. Keeping easy time together, joking and egging each other on as the landscape around them changed. Watching Xander get a little hot and sweaty, watching Xander watch him get a little hot and sweaty. It was a nice way to spend a morning, made even better by the hotdogs they bought from a park vendor after a few cool down exercises. Don knew that unidentifiable, food-poisoning tempting, processed meat product was a guilty obsession of Xander’s that he could never get enough of. He always had it with all the toppings, slathered in sauces, practically dripping with each bite. It was actually kind of gross to watch him eat them, and the fact that Don had never seen him pack less than 4 away in any one sitting just added to that fact. But Xander always got this look in his eyes when eating hotdogs, if Don could stand to watch long enough to catch it, that was pure contentment. Like hotdogs with all the trimmings might just be Xander’s idea of perfection. A look that otherwise Don had only ever seen directed at him, in rare moments. Don didn’t understand it, but he would do anything to see it, even suffer through hotdogs.
They spent the afternoon watching a movie marathon of classic love stories (Don) and B-grade horror flicks (Xander), a combination you wouldn’t think would work but the boys made it. The fact that they kept missing scenes to making out on the couch like teenagers made the movie marathon all the more interesting for if you strung the scenes they did catch together it made one warped movie. Not that Xander did that in his mind or anything...
Monday morning came, as they always seem to, far too early and accompanied by a desire to pull the sheets up over your head and forget about the world. Unfortunately, Don had an irritating sense of responsibility and his pesky conscience wouldn’t allow him to curl around the pretty boy beside him. Luckily, said pretty boy decided he was in the mood to be nice that morning and, as such, dragged himself out of bed beside his boyfriend and headed to the kitchen. Don was disappointed that he obviously wouldn’t be joining him in the shower, and gave up happy daydreams of morning sex. Still, breakfast would be nice too.
Hot breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and sausage was better than ‘nice’, with orange juice and hot coffee (the good stuff, not that instant shit Don forced himself to gulp down most mornings) it was the stuff dreams were made of. Okay, sad, pathetic dreams, but still dreams. And the fact that as Don finished breakfast and thought about heading into the office a little early, Xander instead went to his knees, spreading Don’s thighs and quickly opening Don’s zipper made those dreams anything but sad and pathetic. A hot mouth made everything better after all. The hot breakfast of kings and the most skilled mouth he had ever had the absolute pleasure of knowing blowing his brains out made Monday morning look much better than any Monday morning had the right to look. Don was a lucky man.
Xander wasn’t being picked up until 10am for the 10:30 meeting with Cortez and Co. so he settled in for a lazy morning after Don had left. He took care of the resulting hard on from the hot blow-job he had given Don before he left while enjoying a long shower, before digging out the single suit he kept buried in the bottom of his duffel bag, shrunken by Willow so he would always have something ‘appropriate’ to wear, no matter what. Really he only wanted the pants and shirt, he figured there was no need to go overboard but he did want to appear a little more effortlessly powerful then jeans or leather pants let him. Unshrinking the clothes required no actual magical skill, and included a wrinkle free spell, so his outfit was ready to go in moments. Deciding to finish getting ready just before it was time to go he settled in to pick at the remains of the kick-arse breakfast while watching oh-so-informative morning TV.
At the office, Don took the ribbing he received from his friends and colleagues with the grace born of a brilliant morning. He was expecting it after all; you don’t walk into work grinning that bad unless you have spent the weekend and/or morning engaged in truly mind blowing sex, and you have to know that everybody is going to feel the need to comment on it. The fact that everybody knew his boyfriend was in town thanks to Cortez meant there was very little mystery surrounding the good mood. And when Xan showed up at 10:30, barely acknowledging him as he headed into a meeting with a tall, good-looking black man at his side, wearing black slacks that did incredible things to his arse and gave Don far too many indecent thoughts, which left him shifting uncomfortably and silently thanking God that he was seated at his desk at the time, the ribbing only got worse.
Xander saw Don at his desk and would have liked to have continued where they left off that morning but he knew he had things to take care of first. Business needed to be handled, and Xander was nothing if not serious when it came to making people who had pissed him off pay. Cortez and Co. were already gathered in an interview room and an agent showed Gunn and he in before quickly leaving. Word had come down from the top that this meeting was none of the FBIs business. Introductions were quickly made and Xander was pleased to note that not only was Hector still bearing the signs of the beating last week but he was also unwilling to meet his eyes, instead deferring to the man who was introduced as his brother, Carlos Cortez.
“Let’s get started shall we?” Hector’s new lawyer, a man named Henry who appeared impressive at first glance but Xander could already tell his strength was a facade, tried to take control of the meeting by being the first to speak.
Xander hid his amusement and instead remained silent while Gunn presented a summary of the charges against Hector and the sanctions he could reasonably expect to be facing, ostensibly to all present but really it was for Carlos, the obvious authority among the men. The two lawyers started negotiating and debating, Gunn clearly outclassing his counterpart, while Carlos and Xander silently observed the proceedings. Hector tried to insert himself into the discussion with outbursts and threats on several occasions before his brother managed to cower him. The idiot actually thought he could intimidate Gunn, Xander had met scarier puppies. Gunn barely deigned Hector with a quick glance over his threats. In the end it was Carlos who got the actual negotiations started. Cutting across Henry’s weak response to Gunn’s assertion that Hector would be found guilty of murder based on the evidence, he directed his remarks to Xander himself.
“We’re not copping to murder.” Xander had never expected them too but you always go into a negotiation aiming high.
“We’re prepared to go as low as murder in the second, but that’s it, it will say murder on his record.” Gunn answered automatically, they both knew what they were hoping for and what they were willing to settle on.
“Let’s cut to the chase. You and I both know that you have a definite line in mind to make this all go away. We’re all busy men here,” Xander noted the glance he offered at that line only encompassed himself, Xander and Gunn, he obviously realized the worth of his lawyer and brother, “let’s do this.”
The negotiations were quick and relatively painless after that. They got more out of the Cortez family then they had intended, 15-20 years and it did say murder on his record. A good days work in the end. The DA was called in to officially cut the deal, having been ordered to rubber stamp it (a fact she was pissed about but had no choice in). All told, they were done in time for a late lunch. Xander hoped Don could join them, it was time he met Gunn.
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