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fandom-imagines-stories · 1 year

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Broken Street Lamp

Don Eppes x Reader

Words: 4128

Summary: When she’s mugged walking at night from work, the reader tries to hide the attack from her fiance and his family.

Notes: This show just snuck up on me and now I’m in love. And not even with the character I thought I’d be. (Don’t get me wrong, I adore Charlie) But what can I say? I have a thing for protective and emotionally complicated older brothers. Let me know if there are any other Don Eppes fans out there because I’d love to know what you think!

Warnings: Assault, robbery, hurt and comfort plot

More Crime Drama Imagines Here

When the mechanic called to tell you that your car wouldn’t be ready until next week, you didn’t think much of it. You could take the train with the rest of the five o’clock crowd. But when your boss gave you a new assignment at the last minute, five turned into five-thirty. Five-thirty turned to seven. Seven became ten. Suddenly, walking the six blocks to the subway station didn’t seem like such a good idea. You could practically hear your fiance fretting over you walking alone at night, so you called him in the hopes of having him pick you up. But at the sound of his voicemail, you realized you were being ridiculous.

Don’s paranoia was rubbing off on you.

You gathered up the last of your work and turned off your desk lamp, casting the already darkened office into an inky black. Your eyes adjusted with the help of the street lights peeking through the blinds and you made it to the elevator with minimal bumps into desk corners. The elevator was being repaired, which meant climbing down four flights in the stuffy stairwell. Stepping into the LA night wasn’t much better.

The building your firm worked in was on a quieter street than most at this time of night. Maybe it should have been calming after the chaos of your case, but instead, it made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. You shivered despite the heat and started walking.

Usually, this area was well-lit, but a block down, a street lamp flickered on and off, giving the path an eerie quality. You thought about switching to the other side of the street, but the stubborn logical part of your brain refused to give in to the irrational fear.

You should have switched sides.

Keeping your hand on your cell, almost praying for Don to call you back, you kept walking, getting nearer and nearer to the flashing light. Just before you passed beneath it, it turned off.

Plunged in a few yards of darkness, you took a few faster steps to return to the light, forcing yourself not to full-out run.

You were another block down when a dark-clad arm reached out from an alley and wrapped around your throat.

A hand was on your mouth before you could even think to scream and the arm was swiftly replaced by a switchblade.

“Empty your purse,” the hooded figure growled.

You could only see the bottom half of his face. White, dark stubble, bad teeth. You tried to focus on anything you could, but your mind was racing from the fact that there was a blade pressing into your throat until it drew blood.

“I said empty your purse, bitch!”

“O-okay.” You held your breath, dumping the contents of your bag into his waiting hand. As you moved, you caught the metal of your engagement ring in the light. You flipped your hand around to hide it from him.

He cleaned out your wallet and took your phone. You imagined it ringing from a call from Don.

What if you never saw him again?

It was then the question entered your mind.

Was this man going to kill you?

“Give me your watch,” your assailant ordered.

You unclasped the Christmas gift from Don’s dad and shoved it into his palm. He pushed you harder against the wall, crushing your chest and scratching your neck against the brick. You clenched your fists to try and redirect the pain. He must have thought you were preparing to strike, so he hit first, his fist colliding with your ribs.

“Don’t you move, bitch, don’t move!” He screamed. The knife cut deeper and you felt a small trickle of blood on your neck.

“I’m not, I’m not, please,” you pleaded, “I’m sorry, please.”

Your car was in the shop. That’s all.

How does this happen?

“Give me your ring.”

“W-what?”

He hit your side again. “Give me your goddamn ring!”

The man didn’t wait for you to move this time. He jerked your hand down, straining your shoulder, and nearly broke your finger tearing off the ring.

It was Don’s mother’s.

Such a stupid thing to think about now.

He put his hands on your shoulders and shoved you to the cement before taking off, vanishing as quickly as he’d appeared.

For a while, you couldn’t move. You just laid against the metal wall of a dumpster and tried to remember how to breathe.

After that, you ran. You couldn’t even bear to take the subway, the thought of descending those dark steps clouding your mind with more images of your hooded attacker taking more than your items.

You just ran.

Don didn’t know what time it was when he finally made it home, but seeing your keys on the hook set his worried mind a bit more at ease. He’d been working on a case all night and had missed your call. When he tried to call you back, everything went to voicemail.

“Y/N, honey?” He called into the apartment. The lights were off, but you didn’t usually go to sleep until he got home, despite him constantly telling you not to wait up for him. With no response, he threw his jacket on the couch and opened the door to the bedroom.

You were laying in bed with your back to the door, seemingly asleep. Maybe you’d finally listened to him and went to bed without him.

Don got undressed and climbed into bed, kissing your shoulder gently so he wouldn’t wake you up.

Listening to his movements, you stared at the wall, trying to keep from crying loud enough for him to hear.

His day, just as busy as the last, thankfully ended earlier. Especially since he’d gotten a call from his father reminding him that he and Y/N were supposed to cook dinner at the house that night. Don just hoped that you would have some kind of clue as to what to make.

You were gone before he even woke up, leaving a simple note saying you wanted to get some work done before everyone else arrived. It was odd. Adding onto the fact that you never returned his call from the day before or offered any explanation for why you’d called him at ten o’clock in the evening, he wondered if you were doing alright. He couldn't think of anything that might have upset you, but maybe something had happened at work, hence why you were spending more time there. He tried calling you to check in around lunch, but like the previous night, no answer.

Whatever was going on, he’d hoped to talk to you before dinner, without the obnoxiously curious ears of his relatives listening in. But when he arrived at Charlie/their father’s house, he found you were already there, hands buried in bread dough and surrounded by the smell of pasta sauce.

“Hey. I was wondering when you’d get here,” you greeted, sounding out of breath. You’d been doing well enough covering your nervous state around Charlie and Alan, but as soon as your fiance walked in the door, you knew you’d have to work a lot harder. “Sorry I started without you, but the animals are getting hungry out there and I didn’t want to keep them waiting.”

You kneaded the bread into the counter with a touch more aggression than was probably needed.

“You know it’s not really my strong suit anyway,” Don chuckled. He moved behind you, laying his chin on his shoulder and his hands on your waist. “This looks great though. But will the bread be ready for tonight? I thought it had to sit for a while or something.”

“Oh, I’m just making some for tomorrow since the sauce didn’t take as long as I thought,” you shrugged.

“Well, that’s…” He kissed your cheek. “Nice of you.”

He went to the fridge and opened a bottle of beer, checking around to make sure his brother and dad weren’t around to eavesdrop.

“Sorry I missed your call last night,” he started, his tone revealing more inquiry than his words. “I was totally swamped with work.”

You hit the dough again. “So was I. I was just calling to explain why I was so late, so no worries.”

He took a swig from the bottle. “You haven’t been calling me back.”

“Right.” Your shoulders tensed. He noticed. “I dropped my phone when I was unlocking my car. Stupid, right? Totally busted now. I’ll have to get a new one.”

“Huh.” He took another drink. “I thought your car was in the shop?”

You poured the finished pasta into the awaiting sauce. “Dinner’s ready!”

Doing your best to ignore Don’s concerned, questioning looks, you mixed the pasta and returned to the dough, putting it in a bowl so it could rise. Alan entered the kitchen, thus ending Don’s attempt to get any real answers from you.

“Smells delicious!” Your soon-to-be father-in-law cheered. He eyed his son. “I take it you didn’t have much to do with it.”

“She didn’t give me the chance!” Don defended.

Charlie joined the merry group and you hoped the multiple participants would distract Don from your inability to stop shaking. The four of you headed to the dining room with you carrying the parmesan in one hand, your plate of hardly any food in the other. You tried to take a deep breath to calm down, but it just sent a sharpness through your ribs.

Only bruised, according to your hospital visit that day, but still painful.

“Honey, are you-” Don put a hand between your shoulder blades, leaning in so only you could hear. “Are you feeling okay?”

His hand inched upward, toward the scratches on the back of your neck, hidden beneath your unseasonal turtle neck, which concealed the marks from the knife on your throat as well.

“Yeah.” You jerked away. “Of course.” You gave him a smile and a kiss and took your seat across from him at the table.

The turtle neck was a fashion choice that had not gone unnoticed by your dinner dates. Given that you were in L.A. and it was July, everyone couldn’t help but raise a brow and the dark fabric inching all the way up your throat.

“Are you cold, Y/N?” Charlie asked. “Because I can turn the heat up if you need-”

“No, no I’m fine,” you lied. You could feel the sweat on your back just sitting there. “Just ran out of clean clothes, so I got stuck with this.” You tried laughing it off but could feel Don’s gaze grow more suspicious by the second.

“I bet I’ve got some old t-shirts around here somewhere,” he suggested, probing your reaction to try and catch your lie. Your eyes flicked over at him. The corner of your mouth twitched, just slightly. A tell he’d come to recognize. “They aren’t great, but I’m sure they’d be more comfortable than that straight jacket you’ve got on.”

“That’s okay,” you gulped. “Really. I just want to eat.”

You grabbed your fork with your left hand. Alan caught a glimpse of your hand. More importantly, he saw the lack of the ring. You quickly put your hand in your lap and reached for your glass of wine.

While the other three ate in a silence growing with tension, you pushed your food around your plate. Every time you swallowed, you could feel the blade pressing into your skin. Every time you moved, the soreness in your ribs almost made you wince. You knew you couldn’t keep this up for much longer- not with all three Eppes men looking at you with questions in their eyes- but you tried nonetheless.

With still half of your meal untouched, you stood up and poured the rest of your wine down your throat.

“I’m going to clean up,” you said. You ducked back into the kitchen, staying near the door when you heard the Eppes boys start to talk.

“Is she… okay?” Charlie asked.

“You noticed that too, huh?” Don sighed. His fork clinked against his plate. “I have no idea what could be wrong. As far as I know, things are going well at work, and her family is all healthy. I don’t know, guys. But she does seem off, right?”

“Well,” Alan started, his tone giving away what you were afraid he’d bring up. “Did you do anything, Don?”

“Come on, Dad, don’t you think I would have figured that out?” He huffed, taking another drink of his beer. He gulped. “Why do you ask?”

Alan exchanged a look with his other son, glances at the kitchen door, and back to his oldest.

“Don, she, uh, she isn’t wearing her ring.”

You froze.

Please drop it. Just drop it. Don’t…

“She’s what?”

“Maybe she just took it off to make dinner and forgot, but I saw the way she looked when I noticed,” Alan sighed. “I really think something’s wrong.”

Charlie coughed, his math brain combatting with the part of his brain telling him to shut up.

“I could put recent events into an equation-”

“If you turn my relationship into a set of numbers, I will make you eat your chalk, Charlie I swear to God,” Don snapped.

You couldn’t take it anymore, them turning on each other because of your secrecy. The kitchen door swung open again and you stood before them with your arms crossed to hide your shaking hands.

“I got mugged,” you blurted. All heads turned to you, eyes widening and Charlie’s mouth falling open. You ran your fingers through your hair and held it up for them to see the bruising around where your ring should have been. “So, yeah, Don didn’t do anything wrong. The ring was stolen. Along with my watch, my wallet, and my phone.” Reluctantly, you glanced at Don. “Which is why I haven’t called you back.”

You took a deep breath and grimaced, finally letting the pain show. Your hand went to your chest. Don’s face contorted, his arms tensing, ready to spring into action. With all three of them still watching you, hot tears began to blur your vision.

“You know what, I think I will go change,” you said through trembling lips. “Upstairs right?”

You bolted before anyone could respond.

Don didn’t hesitate to follow, leaving his brother and father in shocked concern.

Once you’d made your way to Don’s old room, you tore off the turtleneck and, despite being out of sight from the others, refused to let yourself cry. You distracted yourself by looking through drawers, but they were all empty.

The door opened slowly and Don stepped inside.

“I’m sorry,” you said, starting to pace in front of the dresser with its drawers all pulled open. “I didn’t want to tell you. Especially not like that.” Your voice cracked and you covered your mouth with your hand to hide the cries.

Don stood there, frozen as he took in the sight before him. The skin over your ribs was a deep purple on the right side and there were marks on the back of your neck like you’d been forced up against a rough surface. And your neck had a thin red line, just starting to scab over, stretched across your throat.

You kept pacing, afraid that if you stopped moving, you’d just feel trapped again.

“Y/N,” Don said softly.

“I went to the hospital. They said everything would heal in no time.”

“Sweetheart-”

“It could have been worse,” you reasoned with yourself. “I know that. It could have been so much worse. I mean, I’m here, right? But I don’t feel like I’m… Like I’m still…” Your breathing caught again, stuck between the pain in your chest and your sobs.

When Don put his arms around you, you let him, burying your face in his chest as you cried. He sat on the edge of the bed, bringing you into his lap.

“I didn’t want you to find out,” you cried. “I didn’t know how- or-or what to say.”

“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed. He pulled back, dark eyes looking into yours. “Just talk to me.”

You both stayed like that until you’d taken a few deep breaths and stood up. Don found a box in the closet with a bunch of his old baseball jerseys. It was nice to cover the bruises, but you couldn’t help but trace the line on your neck, feeling Don’s eyes doing the same.

“The mechanic called me last night and said they couldn’t return my car until next week,” you said. “I didn’t think it was a big deal until I didn’t get done at work until late.” You saw the question in his expression so you answered it. “It was around ten.”

Don’s face fell. “That’s why you called me.”

“I thought, if you were off work, you could swing by and give me a ride, but as soon as I realized you were still busy, I figured I could just take the subway. I didn’t think it was a big deal.” You wiped away more falling tears.

“I didn’t answer.” Don ran a hand down his face.

“It’s not your fault, Donnie.” You took his hand in yours. “I’m sure you could ask Charlie all about the statistics about this kind of thing-”

“I don’t want any damn statistics, I wanna find the guy who hurt you,” he snapped. You pulled your hand away and he exhaled. “I’m sorry.”

You moved to the window, fingers toying with the hem of the jersey. It felt more and more ridiculous the longer you stood there. Your fiance’s childhood bedroom, his college baseball jersey, and a knife mark across your neck.

“I keep wanting to find ways to blame myself,” you whispered, running a finger across the glass. “I try to tell myself I should have just left earlier, or gone a different direction, or called you again.” You turned back around, the sight of heartbreak in his eyes making you cry all over again. “But then I just think about how I thought he was going to kill me.”

“Hey, don’t go there,” Don said. He crossed the space between you, brushing away your tears with his thumb. “It’s like you said, right? You’re here. You’re with me. And I’m going to be with you. Always.”

You nodded and, this time, pulled him to you. Your lips brushed against his lightly, as if just to remind yourself he was there. Don tucked a hair behind your ear, letting his arms fall around your waist.

“So what do you want to do? If you want to go down and make a statement, I’ll be right beside you. If you want, I can look into it. I’ve still got a couple of favors I can call in with the LAPD…”

“Honestly,” you blew out a breath, “I just want to sleep.”

“Okay.” He kissed your forehead. “You want to just stay here? Maybe I can convince Dad to make some of that hot chocolate you love.”

“I don’t want to-” You yawned. “Impose.”

“Are you kidding?” He gave you a small smile. “I’d be surprised if they let us leave.”

The comment pulled a quiet, but well needed, laugh from you and you didn’t even notice the soreness in your chest.

“I should probably go talk to them,” you said.

“Only if you want to. I can go down if you want to get some rest.”

You shook your head. “I’ll be okay.”

Don nodded and laced his fingers with yours, leading you back downstairs.

Charlie and Alan had moved to the living room, though both remained on the edge of their seats. Charlie nearly jumped up when he heard two pairs of footsteps descending the steps.

“Hey, Charlie, it’s okay for us to crash here, right?” Don asked, hand still holding onto yours. “We’re both pretty exhausted.”

“He means me,” you said, holding up your free hand. You noticed their worried expression and felt another round of guilt go through your head. “I’m sorry about before. That wasn’t really the best way to tell you guys what happened.”

“Y/N, are you…” Charlie started to ask but found himself unable to finish. You didn’t need him to.

“I will be.” You gave Don’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Charlie.”

“You know what?” Alan stood. “Why don't I make us all some of that hot chocolate you helped me make, hm?”

Don glanced over at you and chuckled. “What did I say? Hot chocolate.”

“That’d be perfect, thank you.” You pulled your hand away from Don’s, looking mournfully at your bare finger. “And Alan?” He turned in the doorway. You took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about the ring.”

“Oh, honey,” Don sighed, wrapping an arm around your waist and gently pulling you to him, kissing your temple, “we aren’t worried about that.”

Alan nodded. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

“Come on,” Don said, leading you to the sofa where you could lay with your head on his leg and his arm still protectively draped over you.

While you still felt the shadow of that blinking street lamp hanging over you, it was a comfort to know you had someone who would walk you through the dark.

Things did get better. When you explained what happened to your boss, he was more than willing to give you some time off to recover, though it was Don’s idea to take off work. You were pretty sure it was just so he could keep an eye on you.

And you knew it wasn’t your fault and, with the help of much convincing from you, Don knew there wasn’t anything he could have done. Though, you could still see the way the guilt weighed on his shoulders when he walked into a room.

You were at the house, marveling at some of Charlie’s work in the garage when your fiance got back from a case he’d kept very quiet about.

“So what’s this again?” You asked, pointing to an equation on one of the boards hanging from the wall.

“I’m glad you asked,” Charlie grinned. “I’ve been helping Don with finding where a serial killer’s ‘home base’ is, so to speak.”

“I’ve heard of that. Geographical profiling, or something like that right?”

“Right. I’m using the locations of all of the attacks and…” He trailed off, looking behind you.

“Hey guys,” Don greeted, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi, honey. Charlie was just showing me some of the stuff he’s been working on for your cases,” you beamed.

“That’s great,” Don said. His eyes flicked over to his brother. He cleared his throat.

“Ah,” Charlie exclaimed, understanding, “right. Well, I have to go do… something else… in the living room.” The younger Eppes darted off, his brother shaking his head in his wake.

“Do I want to know what that was about?” You snickered.

Don stepped closer, the intensity of his gaze making you start to worry.

“What is it?”

“Do you remember how I said I had some favors I could call in at the LAPD?” He asked. Don pulled a box out of his pocket. “Well one of them paid off.”

“Don, is that…?” You gasped.

He opened the box, revealing the ring he’d proposed to you with just months before. His mother’s ring that she’d told him to give to the woman that made him whole. There was no doubt in his mind that that woman was you.

“We are able to find the guy,” he explained. “Apparently, there have been muggings in that area pretty frequently in the last few weeks. He was too stupid to realize staying in one spot was a bad business move. And luckily he hadn’t pawned this yet, so…”

Don slipped the ring onto your finger and felt a small part of the weight lift seeing it where it belonged.

“I know that this doesn’t make anything better or change what happened, but I wanted to make sure you got it back,” he said.

You laid your hands on either side of his face.

“Thank you.”

You kissed him until you had to pull back to breathe.

Don smirked. “Well, now that's taken care of, I am treating us all to dinner.” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and you leaned against his.

“Don’t tell me you’re cooking?”

He laughed and lifted your hand, kissing each finger and ending on your ring finger.

“Pizza.”

You smiled and found his lips again with yours while the light of the garage cast reflections from the diamond around the walls.

“Sounds perfect.”

#agent don eppes #numb3rs #don eppes x reader #rob morrow #david krumholtz #charlie eppes #numb3rs imagines #don eppes imagine #hurt and comfort

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bullet-prooflove · 3 months

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From the Taylor Swift Midnights prompt list: 72) The first night I saw you with Don Eppes?

Tagging: @kmc1989

WOW this one got completely away from me.

The first night Don Eppes laid eyes on you, you were wearing a little black dress that left virtually nothing to the imagination. Your hair fell across your shoulders as you tipped your head back and laughed with a man twice your age as he placed his hand upon your thigh.

When he leans in close and whispers the most filthiest thing into your ear, Don can’t help but feel revolted.

“That’s certainly creative.” Sinclair murmurs over the comms system as he sips from his coke at the bar.

Don leans back in the plush Chesterfield by the fireplace as he turns the page of his newspaper, his gaze fixed on you.

“The guys a walking sex crime.”

He isn’t wrong, that’s you’re all here tonight. The man you’re sitting next to, the one whose hand is creeping even higher up your dress is suspected of drugging and murdering five women in hotels just like this one. Don doesn’t know how you can stand the feel of him on your skin.

When he invites you back up into his room, they’re all apprehensive despite it being the goal. The only way to nail this guy is to catch him with his tool kit, which they suspect he takes with him on his excursions. It’s imperative they get in there and the best way to do it…

An undercover op.

Don takes the elevator with you, his jaw clenches as he watches Richard Charmain’s hand slip down from your waist, down to your hip and then lower, his fingertips play with the hem of your dress. Your hand comes to rest on his wrist before you guide it back to your hip.

“You promised to show me your room.” You remind him with a chiding tone to your voice and Don sees the moment that switch flips in the other man. His eyes darken as his grip on you tightens.

That’s what his trigger is, Don realises. Women who talk back. He likes the ones he fucks to be pliant. The ones he kills, are the ones that resist.

He busies himself pretending to be searching for the keycard to the room next door as he watches you step inside. He hears the door shut before he withdraws the gun from underneath his blazer. He lingers outside as Sinclair appears from the second elevator, taking up position on the opposite side.

“I’ve changed my mind.” They hear you say over the comms system and that switch it flips again.

“That’s not how it works sweetheart.”

They hear the slap through the surface of the door, you collide with something and then everything goes silent. It takes them a second to realise that Charmain has busted the mic.

Don’s heart thuds in his chest as Sinclair uses the keycard to open the door.

When he steps through the door, he’s ready to pull the trigger, to defend you. Only that’s not the scene he walks into. You have Charmain in his knees, his hands on the back of his head, a gun jutting into the base of his neck.

There’s blood running down your chin from the busted lip and your eyes are blazing. You look like a Valkyrie, beautiful, wild, furious and so fucking sexy, Don's dick twitches in his jeans.

Sinclair takes over then, handcuffing Charmain, escorting him out. You set the gun down on the sideboard, your hand trembling slightly. The adrenaline, it’s leaving your body, he knows what comes next, what the fall looks like.

“Here.” Don says, stripping off his jacket in the aftermath and draping it around your shoulders. He guides you towards a chair, sitting you down before he kneels in front of you, plucking a tissue from the box on the vanity. He uses his fingertips to tilt your chin up towards the light, dabbing lightly at the split in your lip.

“I think you’ll live to fight another day.” He smiles, his thumb ghosting along the line of your jaw as his eyes flicker up to meet yours.

He’s never seen such a rich hue of colour, so captivating, so dazzling. He thinks he understands now what Charlie means when he talks about the beauty of the stars It’s like someone’s plucked them right out of the sky and put them in your eyes.

It’s Colby that interrupts the moment, he pops his head in to ask if you need a medic and Don draws away tossing the bloody tissue into the wastepaper basket.

The next time he sees you, it’s in another hotel bar, wearing another little black dress. This time you’re alone, sipping from a glass of bourbon. Off the clock, he realises as he slips onto the barstool alongside of you.

“We have to stop meeting like this.” He says as you incline your head towards him and that smile, he thinks spend the rest of his life waking up to it.

“Isn’t this how it always starts?” You ask him as the bartender takes his order. “A guy and a girl sitting at a bar, sharing a drink?”

“Yea.” He says, his hand coming to rest on yours, fingers entwining. “I think it does.”

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#don eppes #don eppes x reader #numb3rs

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altschmerzes · 11 months

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Did you ever watch Numb3rs? I feel like you would enjoy the vibe.

yes!!! i did!! and you're right, it was totally up my alley, you got me in one XD honestly a piece of media that will forever have a soft spot in my heart for many reasons but particularly for its portrayal of jewish characters and a like. soul searching arc for a character that brought him to connect more strongly with judaism. also an absolutely top shelf sibling dynamic. mwah. beloved.

(one of the lost media things that haunts me most is the unaired pilot where gabriel macht played don eppes. i want to see it so bad. he's one of my fave actors and i'd be FASCINATED to see his take on don, though rob morrow did a great job and i can't imagine it being anyone else)

#gav gab #anotherlongstoryshort #gav answers #gosh i really did love that show eh #YOU GOT ME DEAD TO RIGHTS ON THIS ONE SLDFJS

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hummingbird-of-light · 2 months

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Round 3: Second story for @badthingshappenbingo ~

Title: Caution! Wet Floor

Fandom: Numb3rs

Character(s): Larry Fleinhardt, Don Eppes

Relationship(s): Larry Fleinhardt & Don Eppes

Rating: G

Words: 593

Prompt: Arm in a Sling

Warnings: Broken Bones, Accidents

(You can also find this story on AO3)

~ Caution! Wet Floor ~

"I just can't believe it. I just can't believe that such an incredibly embarrassing accident has happened to me of all people. What will my students say?"

With a pained expression, astrophysicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt rubbed his injured arm, which was lying in a triangular bandage wrapped in a sling around his shoulder. It was a first aid measure that Don had taken. The temporary splint only had to hold until they reached the hospital.

"Well, they'll probably say that you went all Fleinhardt," Don replied, a hint of a grin on his face. Larry gave the agent a dirty look.

"Don't start using my name as an adjective! It's quite enough when Charles does it. I expect better from his older brother, so – ouch, ouch, ouch!" One wrong move and Larry's arm hurt indescribably again. He squinted his eyes and gritted his teeth.

Don looked over at him and gave him a sympathetic smile before looking back at the road. If traffic in Los Angeles continued to be this slow, it would be an eternity before they reached the hospital.

"I'm sorry, Larry. I didn't mean it like that. And it would be better if you tried to sit still and not get too excited."

The professor had a tendency to gesticulate wildly during his tirades, which was not a good idea in his current state.

Larry sighed heavily and leaned his head back into the headrest of the car.

"I know, I know. Oh, if only I'd remembered that Wednesdays are always the day they clean the corridors! Then this bloody arm fracture wouldn't have happened in the first place," he complained.

"Maybe next time you're on your way to a lecture, you should just not have your nose buried in a book, but focus on your surroundings. That can be really helpful."

Larry heard the mischievous undertone in Don's voice very clearly and once again he glared at his friend.

"Donald Eppes," he said in a warning voice and the agent shrugged his shoulders.

"What, I'm just saying."

Larry simply shook his head and mumbled a quiet "No respect" to himself before the two men remained silent for quite a while.

The silence was only broken when Don suddenly couldn't hold back a laugh and snorted.

"What's so funny, young man?" Larry demanded to know, his eyes narrowed suspiciously and Don waved his hand away.

"It ... it was kinda funny. The way you slid along the freshly mopped floor, trying to find your balance. Almost like a cartoon."

For a moment, Larry felt annoyed at Don's sudden burst of laughter, but then he imagined the image that had presented itself to the his best friend's brother as he had turned into the corridor.

A small, elderly man in a floral shirt, slithering through the corridor like Bambi across the frozen lake and eventually falling to the floor, only to slide on belly first.

The physicist couldn't help but smile. It had certainly looked very amusing.

"Sorry, sorry. I ... No, it wasn't funny at all. You're hurt. I shouldn't laugh about it," Don quickly apologized, but Larry only shook his head.

"It is all right, Don." He patted the driver of the car on the knee before laughing himself. "Who knows ... Maybe the story will even get an honor roll entry in my students' yearbook."

"Oh, I'm quite sure it will, Larry. After all, you're one of the best professors CalSci has. If you're not a celebrity, who is?"

Both men laughed and suddenly the pain was only half as bad.

#bad things happen bingo #prompt: arm in a sling #fandom: numb3rs #fanfiction #larry fleinhardt #don eppes #broken bones #accidents #humor #fhump #whump #more fhump than whump #mega_whumps_characters

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unsocialized-nerd · 7 years

Text

Still Rocking Your Hoodie

Pairing: Don Eppes x Reader

A/N: I’m rewatching Numb3rs and I’m obsessed with Don bc damn that man is fine but anyways this was inspired by the song Hoodie by: Hey Violet

“Charlie are you sure about this?” Don asked suddenly very concerned “Yes Don the math doesn’t lie.” Charlie stated getting sick of people always asking if it was right “Why Don? What’s Wrong?” David asked noting the change in his demeanor “I know that address.” Don knew the way to her house by heart and soon enough they were pulling into her driveway. Don and David walked up to her front door and went to knock when they noticed the front door was already open. Drawing their guns they went into the house. “Y/N. It’s Don. Are you here?” Don asked as they made entry already having a feeling they weren’t going to get an answer. “Okay we’re clear.” David said as they put their guns away and started surveying the house. Don walked into her bedroom and looked around, noticing the old sweatshirt sitting on her bed. Picking it up he noticed you never replaced the broken zipper or the patched up the holes where the material had worn too thin. “Don you need to look at this!” David yelled from the kitchen Don walked in still holding the ratty hoodie in his hands. David wanted to ask what was going on but decided to get away. “Back door was open and there’s blood on the floor but it doesn’t look like anything fatal. The kettle was still on the stove boiling with water in it so-” “We just missed them.” Don said interrupting him. “Yeah,” was all David managed to get out, “There’s more going on here isn’t there?” David finally asked “She’s my ex.” Don said not giving too much away. Not wanting to say that she was the only girl he was ever sure he loved completely. That she was the one that got away. And how it was killing him that she was now missing.

Charlie was explaining whatever math he was going to use to find her but Don wasn’t listening. He was thinking about everything he did wrong in the relationship. They had a really good thing. He was hopelessly in love with her and vice versa. From her point of view, he ended the relationship suddenly. Said he didn’t love her anymore and moved on. But that wasn’t the whole story. The whole story being that her life was threatened multiple times because of his job and one time was too close and he just couldn’t handle her getting hurt because of him. He thought it was best to end things and she’d eventually move on to a new man who wasn’t putting her life at risk every time he went to work. It had been almost a year and he hadn’t dated anyone since. And judging by his old hoodie still on her bed, she hadn’t either. Maybe if he hadn’t ended things he would’ve been able to prevent this. She wouldn’t be living by herself. She wouldn’t have gotten hurt. But her couldn’t think like that, not right now. Right now, he had to focus on finding her. Don started to focus back on the team strategizing but the room was completely silent. “What?” He said because they were all staring at him “We know where she is Don.” Colby said “Well than why are you guys just standing around, let’s go.” He said standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair.

They pulled up outside the abandoned warehouse with S.W.A.T. and other agents. Don explained the plan to everyone and they made their way around the building before going inside. There was minimal struggle as they barged into the warehouse. One of them took off running but Don decided someone else could chase after him. “Y/N!” Don yelled out hoping you were there and you were still live. “Don is that you?” a weak voice yelled from a corner. Don ran over to the small room she was being held in and broke open the door. And immediately she started crying. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. I’m right here.” Don said while squatting down to untie her hands and feet. As soon as she was untied, she grabbed on to Don and held on for dear life. “Hey you’re fine. It’s fine.” He said while holding her head to his chest and helping her to stand up. As they walked out of the building, Don put his jacket around her and led her to the ambulance.

It was almost a week later when Don heard a knock at his door. When he opened the door Y/N was standing there. “Hey I wasn’t expecting to see you.” Was all Don managed to say “Oh well I wanted to return this.” She said while holding out his FBI jacket he’d given her at the scene. “Well thanks,” there was a pause “Hey come in for a second, I have something of yours.” She walked into his living room while he went into his bedroom, returning a few seconds later with the hoodie he found at her house. “It seems you have a thing for my jackets” He said with a chuckle “Well it was all I had of you when you left. It was always my favorite of yours even with the stupid broken zipper.” She said while staring at her feet, their break-up being an awkward topic. “Why do think I left it?” Don said and she just looked up at him confused. “I never gave you the real reason as to why I left.” Don then went into the concerns he had about her safety and all the close calls she never knew about, “But I was so worried about you getting hurt through my job that it didn’t occur to me that I could be better at keeping you safe because of what I do not until today anyway. If I never left maybe I could’ve prevented everything that happened to you.” “Don, you can’t blame yourself. If it hadn’t been for you, things much worse than them just tying me up could’ve happened. You’re great at your job but you carry too much on yourself, always have.” There was silence. “But Don I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and if the only reason we broke up is because you were worried about my safety then that’s stupid. I understand you Don, you haven’t always been the best at talking but with what we have, I just don’t get why you wouldn’t have told me.” “Have? Present tense?” was all Don said “What?” she said confused “You said “with what we have” you’re talking about us in the present tense.” “Yes Don, just because we’re not together anymore doesn’t mean there isn’t anything still here. I was completely and helplessly in love with you. It absolutely destroyed me when you left. And no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t hate you. I think subconsciously I knew there was more to it but I was in too much pain to try and figure that out.” “I’m sorry” Don was never a man of many words “I’ve been seeing a therapist.” He said after a pause “Ok and?” “And I’m better at talking. At trusting. Y/N I want to try again with you. You are the love of my life and it took everything in me to not come running back to you. Back then I wasn’t good at relationships. I was good at leaving. So when I realized that I was putting your life at stake I didn’t know how to deal with it. Leaving was easier than dealing with my feelings. I know that doesn’t make up for what I did but do you think there is even a chance you’ll have me back?” There was silence She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him “We’ll see” she said with a smirk as she turned and walked out Don’s apartment. Leaving him with a smirk on his face and maybe a little twinge of hope in his heart.

#don eppes #don eppes x reader #don eppes imagine #don eppes one-shot #numb3rs #numb3rs rewatch #numb3rs imagine #numb3rs one-shot

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geminiimagines · 5 years

Text

Having Charlie as a boyfriend would include...

The best boyfriend ever

He will support you in anything that you do

Lots of late night chats about math, or just life in general

Charlie trying to get you into math (if you’re not already)

Lots of nose kisses

Date nights often include staying late CalSci

Dinner with his family

Oh, you’re feeling down? He just happened to have your favorite coffee or tea.

He won’t outright spoil you, but who could on a teacher’s salary? Charlie will buy your favorite book if ask

He’ll take you stargazing for a date talk about how the stars formed.

#charlie epps x reader #numb3rs imagine #imagine numb3rs #charlie epps #don epps #x reader #imagine #tv imagine #tv series

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rora-s · 4 years

Text

The Derivative Chapter 2: Shots

Chapter 1<-

I stared across the darkened classroom at my blinders. They were perched in captivity on my history teachers desk. Stolen away from me and promised release upon the end of class today. The teacher himself was blathering on about something that I didn’t find important about how history continues on today. It seemed rather a redundant point to make. Of course we were living history I mean at one point every person we learn about in history had been in their present time.

There was movement in the corner of my vision and I turned to see Mr. Hopkins had turned on the tv in the room. “...let’s see what’s on the news nowadays as an example.” after flipping past a couple static filled channels Hopkins finally found the news station he was looking for.

I was about to turn back to my thoughts when I caught what the reporter was saying “This is a live breaking report from the channel 8 news. Flying over Central Los Angeles Savings Bank. I can see multiple people lying on the ground. One appears to be a federal agent several bystanders also seemed to have been injured in the crossfire, where the shoot out between federal agents and suspected bank robbers is in progress...”

I felt like ice water had just been pumped through my veins. I froze completely in shock. I remembered back to just the other night when Don had asked Charlie for help tracking bank robbers. Could it be the same robbers? Could Don be in the shootout? Was he injured? The class continued to watch through a car explosion and more gun fire and more cops arriving. Even into the aftermath.

“I’m receiving confirmation that three people were killed in his tragic incident one of which being an FBI agent. ” The bell rang and Hopkins turned off the tv. Seeming only to have been half listening. Most of the students in the class only seemed to be half listening.

I however was shaking. I was terrified. What if it was Don? What if he was dead? Shot down in front of a bank. I swallowed the lump in my throat rising from my desk with the rest of my classmates. I sweeped by the teacher’s desk and rescued my blinders before heading into the hallway.

My next class didn’t seem at all important as I ducked into the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. I pulled out my phone and speed dialed my father’s number. He didn’t pick up. I tried again. More of the same. I tried Alan; he didn’t answer either nor did Charlie. I repeated Don, Alan, Charlie. No one would pick up their phone. After hearing my father’s voice mail for the fifth time. I pocketed my cell and grabbed my backpack.

The hallway was clear as the final class of the day had already started. I headed straight for the exit. I was going to catch a bus to Alan’s house and get some answers. I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

“Abby Calvin” the voice spoke. I turned to see none other than the school principal smiling down on me with a fake grin. “Skipping class are we?”

“Sir I was-”

He held up a hand “this is the third time in the last two weeks you’ve skipped a class. It’s not happening again, come on” he led me to the office.

The rest of my time at school was taken up by me being talked at by the principal. I tried to explain what was happening multiple times. He wouldn’t hear it and I was given a note for Don to read when I got home. My stomach churned as I imagined him shot to death in front of a bank. I quickly banned the image and beat my imagination into submission.

I tried each of the men I called family again twice on the bus before I was let off at the apartment building. I hurried up to my and Don’s apartment and let myself in. I threw my backpack on the couch and turned on the news grasping for any information that it might tell me.

As I sat watching the various unrelated news streams and casters talking about things I could care less about. I felt a sharp pain hit my head like a rock and with a blink I suddenly wasn’t sitting on the couch in Don’s living room.

I was crouched by a fire. I could hear the rain. People were talking all around me, there was music, laughing. Then there were shots. They echoed loudly in-

I stood and shook my head like it was wet. Pushing away the intrusive memory. I grabbed my binders out of my pocket putting them on and taking multiple deep breaths to try and calm down. I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t want to think about her.

_________________ 3rd POV.

Don sighed sitting down on his desk and pinching the bridge of his nose. Tonight was not going well for him. His arm hurt and his head hurt. Worse he had just gotten back from talking to Agent McKnight's parents at their hotel. Nothing hurt worse than the look on McKnight’s mother's face when he told her what happened.

“I should be looking at mugshots, right?” Don voiced to Terry who was at her own desk nearby.

“Did you get a good look?” she inquired.

“Yeah, definitely” the man muttered in reply. Just then his phone rang. He pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was Abby he was about to answer it.

“Agent Eppes.” Don turned to see the forensic scientist had appeared nearby. “That piece of evidence you found at the scene. We know what it is”

“Excellent” he told her and glanced back at his phone declining the call from his daughter and making a note to call her back once he got a chance. Then him and Terry followed the scientist down to her lab. ________________________ Don reached the door to his apartment and began digging for his keys with a sigh. This case had taken a major turn and it was really late. He wasn’t here to rest though he was here to pick up Abby and take her to his father’s house. Alan could watch over her while Don worked late at the office on this case. As he turned the knob of the door he grimaced at the shot of pain his arm gave him. Then he entered his apartment and heard the immediate stomping of feet running to the door.

“What the hell were you thinking!?”

It took the FBI agent a moment to register the unexpected outburst to be coming from his daughter. “What?” he asked, confused.

“You were getting shot at!” Abby yelled walking up to him. “It was all over the news! An agent was shot and another was dead and I didn’t know who was who because you wouldn’t pick up your goddamn cell phone!” she yelled.

Don thought back to all the times he had dismissed her calls that day. He hadn’t thought anything about it at the time. However now he realized how stupid it had been not to let her know he was alright. “I’m sorry Abby I-”

“You could have been dead for all I knew!” she cut him off “and where would that have left me? Huh?” Her voice broke.

“Abby I risk my life everyday” Don explained trying to keep his voice level and calming.

“I know but you can’t just act like I’m supposed to be okay with it or just leave me in the dark to suffer you unbelievable jerk” she shoved him harshly in her anger.

“Abby. Abby. Abby!” Don tried to get her attention to make her calm down as she whacked at his chest and struggled against him in anger.

“I already lost my mom, I can’t lose you to Dad!”

Both parties froze at her last outburst. The anger in Abby’s face faded as she realized what she had said. “You just called me Dad” Don muttered.

“No no I said Don” Abby objected.

“No you said Dad” Don countered a small smile threatening his face. Despite the circumstance it was the first time she had ever called him that.

“No I said Don” the girl muttered.

“You called me Dad” Don let off a light chuckle.

“Oh shut up you stupid sperm donor” Abby grumbled as he pulled her into a hug.

“Are you done yelling now?” he inquired. Abby nodded into his chest. “Then listen cause the truth is I’m sorry I should have told you I was alright rather than just leaving you in the dark. I just- I’m still figuring out this father thing alright. We both are and I’m sorry but risking my life and possibly getting shot at is my job” Abby squeezed him tighter “but I will make this promise to you though. For every moment I am alive I will be fighting to make it back here to you. Alright?”

“Alright” Abby nodded as they stepped apart. “Donald”

Don sighed “Dad things not staying huh?”

“I wouldn’t bet on it” Abby replied with a smirk that mirrored her fathers.

“And here I was actually liking the idea of being called Dad” Don murmured. They both chuckled lightly. _______________________ Abby POV.

Me and Don pulled up outside Gramp's house and loaded out of the truck. Alan came out to meet us near immediately with a look of concern clear on his face. “Donnie, you all right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. It’s fine- ow! Ow!” he exclaimed as his father touched his injured arm. “Look it’s just, my arm’s a little sore.” he addressed the blatant concern on Alan’s face. “I got a- a scrape during an incident.”

I rolled my eyes at the lame excuse coming over to their side of the driveway. “A scrape? From what?”

“Well, a bullet, if you have to know” Don muttered with a sarcasm very much like my own.

“A bullet oh my g-” Alan exclaimed immediately.

Don quickly spoke over him “but it’s not… dad, please listen to me, okay?Just relax. We had an arrest go bad, and we lost an agent, okay? And three people died”

“It was all over the news” I added “check your voicemail I left messages”

“My word” gramps breathed out in shock.

“Now I’m dropping this one off and looking for Charlie. Where is he?” Don questioned.

“He’s out in the garage with Larry.” the other man informed. “He’s upset. I can see why now.”

“What’s he doing in the garage?” Don asked, confused. I had to admit I was confused as well last I heard they only used the garage for storage and laundry.

“He’s just working on that problem. You know.” Alan spoke directly to Don. “the problem he can never solve.”

“The P vs. P thing?” Don inquired.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one.” gramps nodded.

“Aw man” Don groaned in aggravation. I got the sense there was more going on here than I was privy to.

“Wait do you mean P vs. NP?” I looked between the two men. “The millennium prize problem?”

Neither seemed to be listening to me as Don started trucking toward the house. “Where are you going?” Alan called after him.

“I got to talk to him.” the son replied “I need a new equation”

Alan seemed as though he wanted to say more but Don had already disappeared into the house. “What’s the problem with Charlie working on P vs. NP?” I asked.

Alan sighed and looked to the ground “It’s not Charlie working on the problem that’s well the problem Abby. It’s why” I thought on it for a moment but was still not sure what he was saying. “Come on” he finally spoke up. “I’m assuming you haven’t had any kind of dinner yet” I nodded and followed my grandfather inside. ________________ 3rd POV.

Don came storming into the kitchen from talking to Charlie. It was aggravating after everything that happened with McKnight and the shootings. Charlie should be motivated to stop these guys but instead he just such down. Don was a kind of frustrated that only his little brother could make him whether it was rational or not and he knew it.

“Are you okay?” Don turned to see Abby perched sitting cross legged on the kitchen island. She was eyeing him quizzically.

“Yeah” he answered immediately “no.” he answered honestly “been better” he finally decided to go with. Abby nodded and bit her lip in a way that for half second made Don feel like he was looking in a mirror before he brushed the thought away “what are you doing in here?”

“Thinking” the girl replied honestly holding up her blinders which the man could infer she had just removed. “Gramps and your partner Terry are in the living room. She’s nice. I thanked her for the books she got me for my birthday.”

Don nodded and let out a breath feeling his irritation slowly ebbing away “yeah I’ve known Terry for a long time”

“Really?” the girl inquired.

“Yeah about ten years. We met in the academy” he explained.

“FBI academy?” she quizzed further.

“Yeah” Don nodded and a small grin came to his face “what you think I learned all this on the streets. Trial by fire style?”

Abby laughed slightly. “Well I don’t know I’ve only known a real FBI agent for the upside of a month”

Don scoffed and looked to his shoes. “Yeah”

“Is Charlie helping with this bank robbing case still?” Abby inquired, glancing toward the backdoor through which Don supposed she must have been able to hear the shouting.

“Apparently not” Don grumbled. “All he wants to do is work on the stupid P vs. P thing he’s completely shut down.”

“I can’t really blame him for being worried” she stated “and neither can you Don. You could have died and Charlie’s the one who sent you to the bank where the shooting happened.”

Don sighed and looked at his daughter quizzically “yeah I know but like I told you it’s my job to get shot at and I can’t change that. The more he helps though the less likely it is for that to happen and he just doesn’t want to help”

Abby looked like she was about to respond when the door to the kitchen opened and Terry stepped in “hey Don sorry to interrupt but we have to get back to the office.”

“Yeah coming” the man replied to his partner. Then turned to his daughter “I’ll see you later kid”

“Bye Don” the girl replied.

Don nodded and followed Terry out of the kitchen. Thinking in the back of his mind that he really wished she would have said Dad. __________________ Abby POV.

I walked slowly down the stairs of the house heading for the living room. Two books in hand that I wanted to read. I was mildly preoccupied with my own thoughts to the point that I didn’t realize Charlie had returned from the garage until I was about to turn the corner. I paused out of sight of the two men in the living room as the younger spoke.

“Dad. I’ve been working on a problem.” he explained “P vs. NP, it can’t be solved.”

“I think you knew that when you started” Alan replied wisely flipping through his paper.

“I could work on it forever, constantly pushing forward, still never reaching an end.” Charlie admitted. I bit my lip realizing I shouldn’t be listening in on this conversation however my feet wouldn’t move from the place they had planted themselves.

“You know, sometimes you want to think that things don’t end.” gramps mused “but they do.”

“When mom was sick I couldn’t stop working on it.” Charlie’s voice was breaking and I felt something clench in my chest. I had gathered enough knowledge about Margaret Eppes, my grandmother, to know she had died of cancer about a year ago. None of them really talked about it in excess. It was still fresh in their minds. Like my mom’s death and the state of mourning it procured were still fresh in mine.

“Yeah. I know.” Alan spoke to Charlie gently. “I didn’t get it. Uh, not then. And your brother sure doesn’t understand why you spent the last three months of your mother’s life working on a math problem.” I shifted on my feet listening despite my growing urge to leave “But Charlie, you mother she understood why. Because she knew how your mind worked.”

I finally pried myself off the wall and left the house. I wandered through the yard to the garage. My mom knew how my mind worked to. Even though she couldn’t think like I did she always understood why I behaved like I did. She knew what was in my head. _~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ 3rd POV.

Abby sat another book on her already read pile. Grabbing a new one from her, going to read pile. She had just opened the cover when there was a clearing of the throat from the entrance to the small nook she had claimed in the back of the library.

She looked up to see her mother standing there, arms crossed. “Busted huh?” The girl asked.

“Uh huh” the mom responded. Removing her purse from her shoulder she sat down across from her 14 year old on the floor. “I got another call from the school. You know most moms when their kid ditches don’t check the library first.”

“But you know better” Abby commented with a smirk.

“Yeah I do kid but you still have to stop skipping school even if it is to go read books” Janice stated.

“But the classes are pointless and boring” Abby objected. “They want to either put me in the need help classes because of my spotty elementary school education or in equally boring regular courses and then are shocked when I ace it all” Abby explained adamantly. “It’s patronizing”

Janice sighed “I know I asked again about the advanced courses but they are still sticking to their plan”

“If they’d just give me the chance I could show them” Abby muttered.

“You’re a brilliant girl Abbs one day people will see that” Janice reassured. “But you still have to go to school” Abby groaned “Hey, hey it’s not just about the school work maybe you could make some friends. You know you can’t hide in the library forever. Eventually you will run out of books. Especially at the rate you read”

Abby nodded “yeah I know. But people are well… people”

Janice smiled slightly “yeah they tend to be like that. What are you reading there?”

Abby glanced down at her book. “I don’t know haven’t started it yet”

Janice smiled “alright then you read I’m going to grab a computer and do some of my school work for my new online classes”

“Mrs. Wiat wasn’t kidding about homework never ending was she?” Abby commented as Janice got to her feet the woman chuckled lightly with her daughter. _~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ Abby POV.

I was sitting in the garage with my blinders on just absently thinking when I heard someone else walk in. I raised up the blinders to see it was Charlie. He plopped down in the chair nearby and grabbed his laptop.

After a moment he glanced up at me “Abby’s why are you sitting on the floor?”

I shrugged “it’s comfortable”

The man wasn't interested in discussing the topic. “So your millenium problem.” I gestured to all the boards around us. “Are you going to keep working on it?”

Charlie froze in the typing he had been doing. “I don’t know but, it can wait”

“And Don can’t” I finished his thought. Charlie nodded slightly and continued on his computer. I half wanted to talk to him about my mother for some reason. As I felt he might understand. I wanted to tell him that my mom got it too. However, I didn’t want to reveal that I had overheard him earlier, nor did I want to upset him. “The numbers are easy aren’t they?” I finally voiced after a moment “easier than people anyway. Answers to questions and a solid foundation. Easy to hide in.”

“Yeah” Charlie breathed in response and looked up at me “but we can’t hide in the numbers forever can we?”

“Nope” I muttered, popping the p. We were silent for a moment with the exception of Charlie’s mouse clicking.

Then Larry, Charlie’s friend and fellow CalSci professor, entered the garage. “Well,” he voiced upon his arrival, “I was heartened to hear that you’ve shifted your focus off P vs. NP.” he meandered further into the garage “So tell me what is it that I can help you with?”

“I failed” Charlie admitted and I snapped my attention back to him. “I failed to notice something significant. These robberies display certain highly eccentric characteristics.”

“Okay” Larry murmured, taking a seat on my other side a top some stuff “well how so?”

“Many were conducted in under two minutes, but in many cases,” Charlie explained “the perpetrators remained on the premises far longer despite having the money. Why would they wait around?”

“Don’t know.” the cosmologist replied “leaving quickly would seem to be the essential strategy when fleeing a felony.”

“Or any kind of crime” I added. “It’s risky cops could show up”

“You see this game, Larry? Abby?” Charlie pivoted his computer screen to show he had been playing Minesweeper. “You have to clear mines without blowing any up. Each time you’ve cleared a square, a numerical value is revealed. That number tells you exactly how many squares containing mines are directly adjacent to the square. This allows you to predict where the next mine will be located. And then the more boxes revealed, the more accurately one can predict the location of the mines.” he finished explaining the game and then continued with its relevance “the pattern used in these bank robberies is similar to this same type of problem-solving pattern. These robbers have used the banks they’ve been robbing to tell them which ones to rob next.”

“To what end would criminals be playing Minesweeper with banks?” Larry posed the same question rattling in my brain.

“I don’t know,” Charlie admitted.

“Are they using it to find high cash sums.” I suggested.

“No the takes varied, some as low as one hundred dollars.” Charlie objected thinking.

“Well then you’ll have to gather more information on your robbers” I pointed out “see what they’re after.”

“Information” Charlie murmured then quickly stood up closing his laptop with a snap. “I have to go.” with that he had dashed from the barn.

“It seems you’ve inspired him young Abigail,” Larry sighed.

“Don’t call me Abigail please” I asked the professor “and I don’t know what I did to inspire him”

Larry made a humming noise as I got up from my seat on the floor. “Well does it matter how in the grand scheme of things really?” he asked philosophically. “Whether you meant to inspire him or not it is still the outcome” I nodded lightly in agreement. “So if not Abigail what would you prefer to be called?”

“Abby” I stated thinking it was rather obvious considering everyone else just called me Abby.

Larry let out another humming noise. “You know you are quite a unique being”

“Thanks” I murmured not sure where he was going with this.

“You have a mind such as your uncles but your traits portray your father in quite a respect for you only having known both for a month. A true statement of nature versus nurture” Larry observed “you are an enigma”

“Okay” I sighed “then call me the enigma”

Larry nodded and stood up “very well then” and with that he left the garage. I hoped he realized I wasn’t being serious. _______________ “Here you go, Pop.” Charlie called walking out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands. “I got it.” he sat it down “now you got it.”

“Thank you,” Alan replied.

“Spoon” Charlie stated holding up the utensil.

I scoffed “I think he knows what a spoon is Uncle C”

My uncle gave me a look and messed up my hair with a small shove like gesture as he went to sit down next to me. He didn’t sit however as just then the main door opened. “Hello” my father called.

“Donnie!” Alan greeted getting to his feet. “Wow, it’s good to see you.”

“Oh, you guys ate. I’m starving” Don voiced coming into the dining room.

“Ah there’s plenty come on” Alan objected quickly.

“Yeah?” the agent clarified “did Terry call, tell you guys what happened?”

“Yeah, she said you arrested every suspect.” Charlie informed shuffling back toward the kitchen. “Only one shot fired, huh?”

“That’s impressive.” I mused “snipers are cool.” Don gave me a look as he made his way to the seat at the head of the table “sniper math is cool” I emphasized pointedly.

“One? How’d you pull that off?” Alan inquired.

“We knew roughly where’d they’d try to hit the next shipment,” Don explained as Charlie disappeared to get him some food. While I turned back to consuming mine. “And I knew they’d have an escape plan.”

“That’s very clever.” Gramps declared digging into his dinner.

“Out thinking the bad guys” I voiced “that’s got to be fun”

“Keep talking like that and someone might think you want to join the FBI” Don muttered giving me a look.

I shrugged and held up my hands in a defensive gesture “hey I don’t even know what I’m doing once I escape high school” I explained “don’t go pegging me to early”

“And I don’t think I can take two members of the family dodging bullets for a career” Alan voiced.

“Yeah well, I guess I was inspired by Mr. Heisenberg” Don continued as he went to grab a beer in the kitchen. “Just like Charlie here suggested”

“Heisenberg?” Alan gave Charlie a perplexed look. “You mean, the physicist?”

“Yeah” Don called in reply.

I chuckled lightly as Charlie took the seat next to me “Don goes to confront a bunch of crazy and armed bank robbers and your pep talk is about the movement of subatomic particles?”

“Yep” Charlie replied simply. Me and Alan exchanged an amused look. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Yes” Alan replied. “I guess it did.” There was a moment as Don joined us at the table and we all turned to our food but Alan “I’m telling you,” he began “if your mother could see you two guys now, she would be… so happy” he voiced and turned to me “and Abby. She would have loved to have known you”

I smiled lightly as the brothers exchanged a look themselves. “How are you doing on your P vs. P thing?” Don inquired after a moment.

“NP?” Charlie corrected with an amused breath.

“Sorry” Don murmured.

“I’m not pursuing it anymore.” the mathematician declared.

“No?” the agent questioned.

“I got plenty of problems to work on,” Charlie explained “ones that I think I can actually solve.”

Don nodded “Glad to hear it.” The two clinked their glasses and Alan raised his. I grabbed my glass of water as well and we all knocked glasses in the center taking a sip. As normal table conversation resumed. I found myself smiling. I was among family.

Chapter 3 ->

#Don Eppes #Charlie Eppes #Alan Eppes #David Sinclair #Terry Lake #numb3rs #amita ramanujan #don's a dad #episode per chapter #This will be a series #also on ao3 #also on quotev #Abby Calvin

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maraskywalkers · 6 years

Note

yooo, the eppes family! (pre margaret's death)

who is the hardest to wake in the morning: Don, probably on days when there’s no school. Sometimes Charlie (bc sometimes that little nerd probably stayed up doing math things and got so caught up he forgot that sleep is a Necessary Thing)?

who likes to make breakfast: Margaret!

who calls family meetings: I feel like Alan or Margaret, whenever they feel it’s necessary. (Alan will still sometimes, even when Charlie owns the house).

who tries to get out of doing chores: Don, tries to either smooth talk his way out of it or get Charlie to do them. When Charlie gets older, though, he tries to do the same but using reason and logic.

who tends to fall asleep on the couch: Alan after a long day or Don after baseball practice. (Charlie tends to fall asleep at the table).

who always gets excited about holidays: Margaret, probably does the most.

who yells at the screen during movies: Alan strikes me as someone who would, especially when if the character is doing something Stupid. Don probably does, too, though.

who keeps bringing home stray animals: I feel like this could be either Don or Charlie, honestly. Although I can imagine like Charlie wanting to keep or help one and begging Don not to tell their parents (”Please, Donnie, I promise I’ll take care of it”) and Don also getting attached?

who borrows stuff and forgets to return them: Charlie does this a lot.

who is the go-to for hugs: Margaret, probably? Alan is a close second, though?

who is the go-to for advice: Alan, probably, but again Margaret is a close second. It probably depends on the advice you need.

who sneaks in past curfew: Don, most definitely.

who always leaves their stuff lying around: both Don and Charlie are terrible at this.

#thank youuuuu #it's been so long!!!!#I hope these like fit???#that show is so good at the family dynamics #I kept like having to stop and think if there were things in canon that would lend anything #like I remember Margaret used to make pancakes??? but I couldn't remember #so I looked it up and now I'm emotional #I need to just do a rewatch #anyway #I love them #and I love you #numb3rs #ask things #andanewday

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 1 year

Text

Multitudes

Men I Always Meant to Write For Masterlist

Pairing: Don Eppes x Reader

Rating: M

Notes: Another part one of a shamefully indulgent (and unofficial) Men I Always Meant to Write For series. Not beta-read.

Warnings: Fluff; mentions of canon-specific violence; flip-phones because it’s 2007

Tag list: @informally-liz (here to infuence you on another obscure blorbo :P) ; @20th-centu-fairy-girl (it’s our baby) ; @nominalnebula @amneris21 @elen-aranel @missredherring @blueeyesatnight @brandyllyn (idk he’s tortured and I thought you might like him ¯\_(ツ)_/¯; feel free to ignore!)

Summary: You’d be damned if you said you’d never been interested in Don Eppes. In your brief acquaintance, you’d felt a certain pull to him. There was nothing to be done then—between his work trying to solve the case and your work trying to cover it for the paper you work for, the two of you had butt heads. But once Eppes had realized that you were more interested in helping the case that sensationalizing it, his irritation had cooled. You’d almost been chummy by the end of the case—almost.

“Hey, choke up on that bat a bit more.”

You do so without thanking him for the advice, without making a single comment. But when your bat connects with the ball with a sharp, resounding clink!, you feel yourself grinning.

“I was doing alright, you know,” You tell him. But you keep your hands as he directed, taking a swing at the next ball shot out of the machine. Your bat makes contact in as advantageous a place as before.

“I know.”

“Oh? You been watching me, Agent?”

“Caught my eye as I was passing.”

You grin, reaching back and whacking at the button to stop the machine before you turn to face him fully. You realize instantly that it’s a mistake.

Don is leaning against the fence behind you, two fingers hooked into the fence of the cage. He’s chewing a wad of gum like his life depends on it—like he’s trying to imitate his old heroes chomping tobacco and shooting the juice through their front teeth.

"You been here long?" You ask.

"Just finished up. You?"

"Got about, uh—" You shake your sleeve back, eyeing your watch, "Ten minutes left."

"Want a beer?"

The offer makes your brows raise in surprise. Of all the things you thought may come out of Don Eppes' mouth over the course of this conversation, this didn't break the top ten.

"I could go for a drink," You admit. Don's grin widens and he shifts from foot to foot, nodding to the machine.

"Get back to it, then. Sooner you finish up, sooner we can go."

"Are you just gonna stand there and watch me?"

"You intimidated?"

"Maybe."

Don chuckles, flashing you his pearly whites as he straightens fully.

"Alright. I'll wait for you down there."

"Okay," You laugh, nodding. You can't help but watch him go, and you damn the way he turns back to meet your eye in turn.

You’d be damned if you said you’d never been interested in Don Eppes. In your brief acquaintance, you’d felt a certain pull to him. There was nothing to be done then—between his work trying to solve the case and your work trying to cover it for the paper you work for, the two of you had butt heads. But once Eppes had realized that you were more interested in helping the case that sensationalizing it, his irritation had cooled. You’d almost been chummy by the end of the case—almost.

“What’s got you out here tonight, anyway?” Don asks. You shrug a shoulder, trailing your finger along the label on the beer.

“Just had the urge to hit something. Better for myself and everyone else that I work it out at the cages, right?”

“I hear that,” Don mutters. You smile a little.

“That why you’re here?”

Don raises a hand, tipping it back and forth. You smile, leaning back in your seat a touch.

“Tough case?” You ask.

“Am I on the record?”

“Oh, fuck off,” You grumble, fighting back a grin at Don’s laugh. “You know as well as I that California is a two party consent state. Anything I’d record without your permission would be inadmissible and punishable by law.”

“Nice to know you care about those rules and regs.”

“I’d be an idiot not to.” You tip your head to the side, eyes sweeping Don’s face. “You haven’t been sleeping.”

“Oh no?”

“Mm-mm. You look like you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a few days.”

“You know what that looks like?”

“I know exactly what that looks like. I saw you during the case, I saw you at the hearing. Those were two very different looks.”

Don pushes out an irritated huff between tightly pursed lips.

“You keep an eye out, huh.”

“Both of our jobs require reading people.”

“Is it my turn to say what I see?”

“If you like.” It’s only fair, but it’s intimidating. Don considers you for a long moment, eyes narrowing just a touch. It makes you want to squirm in your seat, but you’ve been given looks like this by people that would just as soon shoot you as look at you. Don’s not like that.

“You don’t like whatever it is you’re covering.”

“Oh no?” You arch your brows. “What makes you say that?”

“When we worked together—”

“—Oh, you mean when you subpoenaed my research and brought me in for questioning?”

“—You held yourself differently. Stronger eye contact, better posture. You were engaged. Whatever you’re working on right now is takin’ it outta you.”

Your brows shoot up at the accusations, and you find yourself pushing out a shaky laugh as you turn your face from him, raising your beer to your lips. It’s a little freaky that he can see into you like that.

“Am I wrong?” Don presses. You swallow thickly, the beer like a lump in your throat as you push it into your stomach.

“God, I wish you were.”

“What is it?”

“What I’m working on?”

“Uh-huh.”

You bite your lip, fiddling almost nervously with your beer. “How about a rule for tonight?”

“What kinda rule?”

“No work talk.”

Don leans back in his seat a little bit, tipping his head to the side. You can feel him trying to read you; you’re certain he’s trying to dig right into your soul. And then he gives a short nods, lips pursing.

“Alright,” He concedes. “No work. Then what the hell do we talk about?”

The two of you talk about family, and about school. He digs into your time at Quantico, and why you dropped out of training for the FBI.

“It was one of the biggest things that popped for you,” He tells you, “When I looked through your file.”

“Yeah, I bet.” You pillow your chin on your hand.

“You ever regret it?”

“Dropping out?” You ask.

“Mhm.”

Your hand slides from your chin to scrub at the back of your neck as you consider it.

“I...I won’t pretend that having my hands tied with the ways I can investigate sometimes doesn’t drive me nuts—knowing that I’d have access to way more if I’d stuck to that track, but...” You life your head again to look at Don. “But what you do, day in and day out? I couldn’t do that. I realized it a little too late.”

“You go right into reporting?”

“No, no. I did a few other things in between—marketing, analytics...Things that let me dig into how people think, why they do what they do. Then I hit on journalism.”

“Why the switch?”

“I felt like the things I was saying at work just weren’t being said loud enough.”

Don nods silently, then offers, “It’s too bad. You were good at it.”

Your eyes and smile widen, stunned. “You looked at my assessments?”

“Yeah,” Don admits with a soft laugh, “But it’s more than that, it’s—When we worked the case. The way you talked to the witness, you know, how you—twisted the emotional knife. We spent five days trying to get to that woman, it did nothing.”

“Well, sometimes you just need a different angle.”

“Hey, I’m all about the different angle. I’ve been working with Charlie for...Two, three years now, different angle is his middle name.”

“Charles ‘Different Angle’ Eppes? Gee, thanks mom and dad.” You smile widely as Don smiles, his arms folding on the table. “You two work well together,” You add. It’s Don’s turn to shift with nerves, hiding his face for just a moment as he scrubs his hand across it.

“We do now, yeah.”

“Not always a happy partnership?”

“Not even that, just, you know...We didn’t get along when we were kids. Sometimes the fact that we get along now seems like a...An anomaly.”

“A statistical improbability?”

“Exactly,” Don laughs. “Thank you—You know what, I’m gonna tell him that...I don’t know, though, you know.” His mirth sobers as he lowers his eyes to the bar. “It’s nice to get along with him now. It’s like I’ve opened the door to something I didn’t even know existed.”

“You happy you did?”

“Yeah,” Don’s brow furrows, nodding. “Yeah, he’s—He’s a smart guy, good kid. He likes to help—and I appreciate it, you know, any lead or any clue that he can point us to, it can make or break a case sometimes.”

“It’s nice that that can bring you closer, even if it isn’t always under the happiest of circumstances.”

“Never is if a crime is involved...” Don trails off, lips pressed thin. And then you see him push a smile onto his face, pointing an accusing finger at you. “You said no work.”

“I’m not sure family chat counts as work, Eppes.”

“Oh no?”

“Overlaps, maybe.”

“Definitely.”

You raise your hands in concession. “Fine, no family-slash-work chat.”

“Good.”

“So I definitely shouldn’t ask about the couple of times your dad consulted informally?”

“Who told you that?”

“...Your dad.”

it’s a bad idea to let Don buy you another beer. It’s a worse idea to let him drive you home. The worst idea you have is inviting him inside—but he follows you to your front door, up the steps, into your apartment.

He takes his damn time peering around your shelves, at your framed photographs and your books. You take your damn time opening your beers, eyes set primarily on Don—on the slope of his shoulders, and the slight narrowing of his eyes and purse of his lips as he takes in the contents of your bookshelf—until your bottle opener slips and you skim your knuckles. You hiss, muttering, “Son of a bitch.”

“You okay back there?”

“Uh-huh,” You answer hurriedly, looking down at the beer and cracking it open before you glance over your knuckles. The skin is irritated, raised just a touch. It’s not major, nothing some cold water can’t fix.

“What, the beers fightin’ back?”

You glance up, an irritated pout affixed on your face. It melts when you see Don holding a heavy, engraved crystal plaque.

“Find something you’re interested in?” You ask.

“Excellence in broadcasting,” He reads, then looks at you as he holds up the plaque. “You were in tv?”

“Produced from a studio for a year, then jumped ship for print.”

“Some would say that written journalism is giving way to broadcast.”

“If you’re gonna say that, you’re not getting this beer.”

Don raises a penitent hand, chuckling, “I said some, not me.” He sets the award down before he strides toward you. You hold one of the beers out, and he takes it—only to set it aside in favor of taking hold of your hand and looking at your knuckles.

“What’d you do?” He mumbles, crowding closer.

“Nothing.”

“Oh?”

“Wasn’t paying attention. It slipped.”

“Oh yeah? What were you payin’ attention to?”

It’s a trap of a question. You can’t tell him you were paying attention to him, but if you weren’t paying attention to your hands, then what the hell else could you have been looking at? You shrug a little bit, mumbling out a lame, half-hearted excuse.

“I don’t think I caught that,” Don chuckles.

“Nothing to catch.”

“No?”

“Nothing of consequence.”

“Not sure I believe that.”

Don raises your hand to his lips, brushing a tender kiss along your knuckles. It makes your stomach twist with shock. You almost feel as if you’ve stepped out of yourself—like you’re peering at Don from another vantage point. His warm breath brushes the back of your hand as he lifts his head to peer at you from under his sweeping lashes.

You watch one another for a few long moments before Don straightens up. But where you thought he’d let go of your hand, he tugs you closer. You wobble a touch, raising your other hand to catch on his shoulder. He dips his head, nudging his nose against yours. But he waits. Don doesn’t dive right in; his eyes search yours, and at such close proximity, his dark eyes seem to contain multitudes.

This feels like an awful idea. You don’t want this to hang over your interactions in the future; you don’t want to risk what has become a genial relationship with him, and his team. But more than that, you want to feel Don pressed far closer than he is now.

You lean in just a little, your nose brushing lightly against Don’s. You track one another’s gaze, hardly blinking as you grow closer. For a moment, you think that one or both of you will back off, laugh awkwardly, dismiss it. But before you can second-guess yourself, Don dives in for a kiss. Your eyes slip closed at the contact. Your free hand raises to curl around the back of his neck, keeping him close. Don slides his hand away from yours, resting them on your hips. Your skin prickles with heat as he backs you up against the counter. He groans softly, smoothing his hand up the back of your shirt. You tip your head, teasing your tongue between his lips and whimpering softly. You’re set to push yourself up onto the counter, but—

You groan again, tipping your head back as his phone rings in his pocket. He spits a curse, reaching for his phone and opening it.

“Eppes.”

You lean up, brushing your lips against his neck, grinning as his fingers press against your skin, sweeping against your bra strap.

“...Alright...Alright, I’ll be there in twenty.”

Dang.

You lean back, smiling a little as he closes his phone and tucks it away again. He sighs, and before he can apologize, you offer, “It’s alright. Could’ve just as easily happened to me.”

“Yeah.” Don agrees, but he doesn’t look convinced.

“You alright to drive?”

“Oh, yeah,” He nods. “You barely got that beer open, anyway.”

“Fuck you,” You laugh, shoving his shoulder. Don doesn’t get far, just leans back in and gives you a warm, slow kiss.

“Rain check?” He murmurs.

“Sure.”

You disentangle yourselves, and you straighten your shirt as you trail him to the door.

“Be careful out there, Eppes.”

“I will be,” He shoots you a wink. “You gonna be up long?”

“I can be.”

His smile widens into something dopey and warm, and he nods, promising, “I’ll call.”

#Don Eppes x Reader #Don Eppes x You #Don Eppes/Reader #Don Eppes/You #Don Eppes fic #Don Eppes imagine #Multitudes

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fandom-imagines-stories · 1 year

Text

Unknown Trajectory

Don Eppes x Reader

Words: 3864

Part One of Three

Summary: Charlie begins a specialty course, co-taught by a teacher in criminology. He invites Don as a guest speaker to show the kids first hand the importance of mathematics in crime solving. Don, however, finds more interest in Charlie’s co-worker. When he and the reader begin a relationship, they keep it hidden from the genius mathematician, but find that their growing feelings for each other are only the start of the equation.

Notes: What started as a fluff idea turned into a three part drama. Welp. I know this isn’t the most popular show for imagines, but god I love writing for Don. Rob Morrow is just great. I hope there are some of you out there who enjoy! Let me know I’m not alone haha.

More Crime Drama imagines: HERE

Don felt like a kid called to the principal’s office. It was stupid. He’d been to Charlie’s place of work countless times, but in those instances, he was there to do a job. He didn’t have to stand up in front of a bunch of kids with higher IQs than him and try to explain how his genius kid brother helps him do his job.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” he whined, fixing his tie in Charlie’s mirror.

“And I really, really appreciate it, Don,” Charlie said. “I mean, explaining things with Dr. Y/L/N is one thing, but having you here to let them see the real-life connections I think will really help their understanding of the concepts.”

Don shook his head. “I better not just end up standing up there like an idiot while you and some other ancient law professor with a stick up his ass use me like some, I don’t know, ventriloquist dummy.” Leaning against the desk, Don had his back to the door. “Who is this Dr. Y/L/N, anyway?”

“Well not ancient and not a ‘he,’” a voice behind him chided. “As for the stick though, I’m afraid I have some students who might agree with you.”

Don gave his brother- who could very clearly see the door opening- a deadly glare.

Charlie’s brows raised and he laughed nervously. “Y/N. Good of you to stop by before the lesson.”

“I figured I should meet our special guest before he leads our class for the day.” You smiled at Charlie and held out your hand to his brother with a playful glint in your eye. “You must be Agent Eppes.”

“You can call me Don,” he grimaced. He shook your hand, giving you an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. It’s been a long day and my brother kinda sprang this on me and when he talked about you he made you sound….”

“Like an ancient law professor with a stick up his ass?” You teased.

“I did not!” Charlie protested.

“It’s okay, Agent Eppes.” Your smile conveyed no hard feelings. In fact, it lit up the room. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Charlie’s told me so much about you.”

Don glared at him again. Charlie held up his hands innocently.

“All good things,” you laughed. Starting back to the door, you turned around again to give the older Eppes a wink. “Mostly.”

Don bit the inside of his cheek, finding himself utterly speechless. His brother, however, was not.

“We should probably go,” Charlie said. “We don’t want to be late for our own class, hm?”

“Yes, I can’t wait for Agent Eppes to lead our discussion.” You watched the FBI Agent’s face fall.

“Leading? Who said I was leading?” He looked to Charlie in an irritated panic. “I said I’d answer a few questions.”

Charlie patted him on the back. “You’ll do great.”

The two of you ushered him into the rush of students before he had the chance to bail.

The class went better than he expected, though it certainly helped to have you sitting with your students, looking up at Don with interested eyes and a stunning smile. By the time it was over, he was almost a little disappointed that he had to leave.

“I’ve got to run,” Charlie said on your way out of the classroom. “I promised Larry I’d help him with a demonstration, but we’ll definitely get together to discuss the next assignment, yeah?”

You nodded, giving him a bright smile. “Today was amazing. I can’t wait to see what the students are going to write for their research assignments.”

“Yeah, me too.” He put a hand on Don’s shoulder. “And thanks a lot for coming today. I think it really made a difference.”

“After all the cases you’ve helped with, it’s the least I can do, Charlie,” Don said.

“See you guys later.” And he was off, diving in between students and hurrying down the hall so he wouldn’t be late.

You motioned for Don to follow you outside so you could get out of the chaos. The sun just barely peeked out from fluffy white clouds, providing a break from L.A.’s usual heat.

“Really, Agent Eppes, I can’t even begin to thank you for today. I think it really helped them understand the point of the class, seeing you and Charlie interact and hearing about what you do,” you beamed. “It was amazing.”

“Thank you for having me, Dr. Y/L/N,” he said. “It was honestly a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”

You smiled. “You can call me Y/N.”

“Only if you stop calling me Agent.”

You pretended to debate the idea and nodded. The two of you found a bench to sit on. His arm brushed against yours, giving you goosebumps despite the warm air.

Don inhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. “Listen, I really am sorry about what I said before the lecture. I was freaking out about talking to all those kids and I was being an ass.”

“You really don’t have to worry.” Looking over the courtyard, you laughed with a sigh. “Believe it or not, I’ve been called worse.”

“Can I at least make it up to you?” He asked. He leaned a little closer. “Buy you dinner?”

You turned to him with a smirk. “Are you asking me out, Don?”

“Only if you’re saying yes, Y/N.”

The clock on the quad struck three and you stood up, taking a piece of paper from your bag and writing your number.

“I guess I can accept that form of apology,” you said, walking away with a new sway in your step.

Don watched you go, the simple fun of flirty taking root as something much more complicated in his chest. He ignored it, for now, but found that it never really went away. Especially when he thought about that smile.

The first weekend, he had to cancel due to a series of bank robberies.

That Wednesday, you rescheduled due to a case your friend needed an expert witness for.

Almost two weeks passed before you found the slightest open window, and even then it was just a couple of hours during a time that would definitely be classified as ‘booty call’ appropriate. But, despite the connotations of the hour, you made the call.

“Eppes.”

“Hey, Don. It’s Y/N.” You bit your lip, starting to regret the call already. “Sorry, it’s late.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I was up anyway. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just calling because… God this is stupid,” you sighed. “Do you want to come over?”

There was silence and then-

“Uh… sure?”

“Only if you aren’t busy. I was planning on ordering a pizza because I haven’t eaten all day and I thought, well, it isn’t exactly fancy, but it still kinda counts as a dinner date, so I called and-”

“A dinner date it is,” Don said before you could spiral too much. “Just tell me your address and I’ll head over, yeah?

You relayed the apartment address and hung up, any confidence you’d had when the two of you first met having totally dissipated.

It took him only twenty minutes to find your place, which was far shorter than you’d anticipated. Your kitchen table was littered with research files and the living room was in an even worse state.

“Oh God,” you sighed, running a hand down your face, and opened the door.

Don stood with a pack of beer in hand and a cautiously optimistic smile.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hi. Come in. Sorry about the mess. I was cleaning, and then the pizza got here, and then you…” You winced as he looked around, but there was no judgment in his face.

“If you think this is a mess, you should see mine,” he laughed. His eyes fell upon the already full table. “Where do you want to eat?”

“Um.” Your eyes searched around in a panic. Finally, you shrugged. “Fire escape.”

“Ah, dinner under the stars,” he teased. “Very romantic.”

You both climbed out of the window and onto the landing. Don’s hand found the small of your back to make sure you didn’t fall as you sat down on the first step. He sat beside you a step down.

At first, you both just talked about each other’s days, how you’d been since the last time you saw each other- though, you’d spoken on the phone several times in between. He made a joke about having a lesson with Charlie but admitted they couldn't have solved the case without him. You talked about how well the course seemed to be going, and how the kids still mentioned how much they loved hearing from Don.

“So how does a beautiful criminology professor end up working with my math wiz brother?” Don smiled, taking a sip from his beer.

You shifted on the step of the fire escape, shoulder bumping his.

“I, actually, approached Charlie.”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

“Uhuh.” You took a bite of your pizza, leaning forward so the grease wouldn’t drip onto your chin. “I heard what he'd been working on for the FBI and I just found it totally fascinating.” Setting the food aside, you leaned against the rail. “He’s taught me a lot.”

“Whether you ask him to or not, right?” Don chuckled.

“He’s definitely…” You thought for a moment. “Enthusiastic.” The thought of Charlie’s over-caffeinated ramblings made you smirk. “But, I don’t know. I had to take College Algebra twice, so I might not be the easiest student to teach.”

“I’m sure you’re a dream compared to me and my team.”

You swallowed a drink, shaking your head. “Not from what he says. I mean, you should hear the way he talks about working with you. He just lights up, Don.”

Don hummed but said nothing, and brought the bottle back to his lips.

The two of you sat in the quiet of the evening, leaning closer ever so slightly, like magnets put next to each other. There was a side of you that blared warning sirens, reminding you of all the reasons this was your first date in two years. That, and he was a federal agent who, on more than one occasion, Charlie had joked about his utter lack of a love life. But you ignored all of it when you closed the space between you.

There was no hesitation, no worry of what this meant. His lips moved against yours, his hand cupping your cheek before moving to the nape of your neck, deepening the kiss.

Suddenly, all of the stress and pressure from his week melted away. Don smiled against your sigh, setting the pizza box on the landing so he could pull you closer.

You were both so lost in the moment, you didn’t notice the rain until it started to pour.

When you finally broke apart, your shirt clung to your skin. His white T-shirt might as well have vanished altogether with how the water turned it completely transparent.

But the rain was warm and welcoming. It ushered in suggestions. It encouraged.

Needless to say, the two of you spent the rest of the evening inside.

When Don woke up, his arms were empty, his shirt was drying on the back of a chair, and blinds were drawn back, allowing the sun to blind his tired eyes before he remembered where he was.

He checked the clock on the nightstand. 7:30.

“Great," he muttered.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he ran a hand down his face to try and wake himself up. With his vision adjusting, he noticed the paper lying over the top of his drying shirt.

Had to prepare for an 8:00 lecture. Didn’t want to wake you. Maybe meet for lunch?

P.S. There's coffee in the kitchen. I made sure to leave it on so it’ll be hot for you.

Don laughed to himself. Usually, he was the one who had to sneak out because of work. It had to be the first time he’d woken up alone because of homework.

He put on his clothes and made his way to the kitchen where, sure enough, the coffee pot was left on. He switched it off and poured himself a cup, glancing around at the chaos that was your living room and table in the daylight. It reminded him of the garage when Charlie was on a roll with some equation or another. But he didn’t mind it. He could see how dedicated you were to your job, like he was. So, even though he had to lean against the counter rather than sit at the table, everything already felt so familiar, more welcoming than his own cold and empty apartment.

He got a call not long after he finished his coffee and sighed. Another day, another case. Still, he thought about your note as he drove. Maybe he could still stop by CalSci. He’d probably have to talk to Charlie anyway and besides, he still owed you a meal.

It was cutting it close, but Don managed to have time to get to CalSci just before noon with some sandwiches from a deli on the way. As he made his way to your office, he followed the sound of a very cheesy 80s power ballad that rang over the gaggle of students. The closer he got to the door, the more he could pick your voice out from Foreigner.

“Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far. To change this lonely life.”

Don opened the door just a crack and found you jumping around, using a gavel as a microphone.

“I wanna know what love is. I want you to show me!”

He bit his lip to keep from smiling too widely. Don let you finish the verse before he finally spoke up.

“So this is what you ditched me for, huh?” He said loud enough so you’d hear him over the music.

Your body went stiff and you slammed your hand on the radio’s off switch. You whipped around, cheeks red as a beat, and ran your fingers through your hair which had become a bit of a mess from head-banging for the past half hour.

“Don,” you gasped, “hi.”

“Hey,” he grinned. “Don’t stop on my account, I just figured I’d drop by with that lunch you mentioned.” He set the bag of food on your desk. “I didn’t know what kind you’d like, so I got turkey or roast beef.”

“How romantic,” you teased, leaning on the desk with your hand on his arm.

“It’s better than soggy pizza, I can tell you that.”

You groaned, running a hand down your face. “I still can’t believe I called you last night. I swear, I don’t usually do that kind of thing. I just figured it might be our only chance to-”

“I had a good time.” He assured you, tucking a wild hair behind your ear. “A great time, actually.” He placed his hand behind your head. “I’m glad you called.”

Your lips just barely brushed his when you pushed back with a reluctant sigh.

“I can’t do this.”

Don let his hand fall back to his side and tried not to let his face fall as well. He cleared his throat and took a step away from you.

“Right,” he said stoically. “Okay.”

“Oh my God, no that came out wrong,” you exclaimed. “I mean I can’t do this right now.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “Okay?”

“Don, I really, really enjoyed last night.” You took his hands in yours. “I had more fun than I’ve had in a long time and, I know our schedules are crazy, but I would really like to see you again. Preferably not on my fire escape, though I’m definitely not upset about what that led to.” The memory of his lips against yours, his hands grasping yours, his body against yours popped into your mind. You shook your head, forcing yourself to focus. “I just can’t do it right now because-”

With the knock at the door, you let your hands drop his and you both stepped further away from each other.

“Are you ready to go over-” Charlie started. His words and his feet halted, however, when he saw you weren’t alone. “Don, hey. What are you doing here?”

You and the agent exchanged a look and an unsaid understanding passed between you, though neither of you knew the reason.

“I, uh, I was coming to see you and thought I’d say hi to Dr. Y/L/N,” Don said.

“Yeah, I had a couple of questions about some of your… procedures that I wanted to clear up for the next lesson,” you coughed to cover your lie. “Don was nice enough to stop by since he’s here to see you.”

“Right.” Don nodded.

Charlie blinked. “Ooooookay.” He waved the files in his hand. “So, are you ready to go over the equations to narrow down possible killers from larger lists?”

“Actually, Charlie, I do need to talk to you,” Don said. “It’s about that serial killer we think may have started up again.”

“Right.” Charlie tapped his chin with the folder. “Um, Y/N can I take a rain check? We can talk it over after your last class?”

“Sounds good.” You gave him a tight smile. “Good luck catching bad guys. Both of you.” Both Eppes nodded, Don mouthing an apology so Charlie wouldn't see.

You returned it with finger guns.

Once they were gone, you hit your palm to your forehead. “Finger guns?” You chided yourself. “Really?”

With a sigh, you switched on the radio and rummaged through the bag Don brought you for the turkey sandwich.

“Hey, Charlie. Yeah, let’s talk about class,” you said in mock conversation. “Oh, and by the way? I had sex with your brother. That’s not going to be weird right?”

You let your forehead fall to your desk, narrowly missing your sandwich.

This was going to be more complicated than you thought.

“I’m serious!” You giggled. “I am deathly afraid of, you heard it, swans.”

“Swans?” Don shook his head. “Like white fluffy birds they put on valentines cards, those swans?”

“Don’t let the cards fool you. Swans are demonic little creatures.” You sipped your wine, still sniggering. “I got chased by one as a kid. The thing almost bit me. Scarred me for life.”

“Well, if we ever come across any rogue swans, I’ll protect you,” he smiled.

“Oh, right, my knight in shining Kevlar going up against waterfowl. That’s something I’d pay to see.”

You both laughed a little too loudly, the other patrons at the restaurant casting looks in your direction. Despite that, the wine and candlelight definitely set a different scene than beer on your fire escape. Though, you might still prefer the latter.

It’d been two months since that night. And somehow, in the face of all the obstacles your jobs posed- including keeping everything a secret from his brother- you’d managed to build something resembling a real relationship. Which excited and terrified you.

“How were classes today?” He asked, pouring you more wine.

“Your brother scares me with how smart he is sometimes,” you exclaimed. “I mean, the things he’s able to figure out using symbols that mean absolutely nothing to me…”

“Welcome to my world, sweetheart.”

Don placed his hand on top of yours, gently drawing circles on the back of your wrist, seeming lost in thought.

“Speaking of Charlie,” he started, glancing up at you with a question you’d both had on your mind.

“Right,” you sighed.

“Should we…” Don cleared his throat. “We should tell him, right? It’s weird that we haven’t told him.”

“I thought that too.” You swirled your wine in the glass. “But now isn’t it more weird that we haven’t told him? I mean, what do we say? That we’ve been seeing each other for a couple months now and just forgot to mention it?”

“Yeah, but we can’t go on sneaking around like high school kids, right?”

“I know, I know. But it still just feels… weird.”

Don raised a brow. “Dating me feels weird?”

“No,” you rolled your eyes, poking his arm. “But dating my co-worker’s brother behind his back is a little odd.”

“Charlie’s a big boy, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Besides, it's not like you two were a thing.” Don took a drink.

You lowered your eyes.

“Wait,” he swallowed. “You and Charlie…” He shook his head in disbelief “And you didn’t think to mention it?”

“It wasn’t even really a thing,” you defended. “It was… a fraction of a thing. A teeny tiny percentage of a thing.” He still stared at you wide-eyed, so you continued. “We were at an end-of-the-year function for faculty, had a couple drinks, and went for a walk.”

“That’s it?”

You bit your lip. “And we kissed. But that was it!”

“You kissed my brother?” He exclaimed.

People around you started to whisper.

You lowered your voice.

“Now who’s acting like a high schooler?” You scoffed, leaning back in your chair.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just-” Don held up his hands, holding back laughter. “Difficult to imagine. That’s all.”

“Obviously, we decided to just be friends and that's part of how our joint class came to be,” you said.

He nodded, but couldn’t contain his smirk. “But you didn’t want to say anything about us just in case he carried a torch for you, huh?”

“No, it isn’t that.” You knew as well as anybody that Charlie had eyes for one person and you were over the moon that he and Amita were finally working things out. But you also couldn’t bear the thought of upsetting him over something like this, especially after not telling him for so long. “I just didn’t want to make things awkward.”

“Well, like I said, Charlie’s a grown man,” Don shrugged. “Even if he did have a problem, he’d get over it.”

The waitress brought the check and Don snagged it before you could. You finished your wine and he ate the last piece of bread by the time she got back.

“I will say though,” you mused as the two of you stood to leave, laying a hand on his chest. “All of the secrecy is more than a little bit sexy, hm?”

He cocked a brow. “Yeah?”

You nodded. “Makes you seem like James Bond.”

He chuckled, his hand finding the small of your back to lead you back to the car.

“Alright, then maybe you should get me to a secure location, Dr. Y/L/N,” he teased. “We wouldn’t want to blow my cover.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.” You winked and got in the car.

While it certainly wasn’t a path you expected to be on, for the first time in a long while, you were enjoying the ride.

Maybe, this time, things would be different.

For both of you.

#don eppes #numb3rs #rob morrow #david krumholtz #numb3rs imagine #don eppes x reader

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youngandhungryent · 5 years

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2 Chainz’ Top 25 Best Songs Of All Time

The tale of Tauheed Epps, famously known as 2 Chainz and formerly known as Tity Boi – is a rebranding success story rarely witnessed in any genre, let alone hip-hop. Originally signed to Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace label as one half of the duo Playaz Circle, Epps’ career reached its high as Tity Boi in 2007 with the Lil Wayne-featuring hit single “Duffle Bag Boy.” Yet by 2011, Epps was no longer with Disturbing Tha Peace, and in an effort to appear more family friendly as hip-hop began to take over the pop charts, Tity Boi became 2 Chainz overnight.

By the release of Kanye West’s “Mercy” in April of 2012, 2 Chainz had become bigger than Playaz Circle/Tity Boi could have ever imagined. Since his arrival into the rap game, 2 Chainz has released 5 albums, 5 mixtapes, 4 EPs, 10 platinum singles, and countless guest features all solidifying his dominance within mainstream hip-hop. Below you can find what we believe to be the 25 Best 2 Chainz songs. Let us know how we did in the comments.

Disclaimer: This list comprises 2 Chainz’s solo discography and songs where he appears as the main act. As such, it does not include songs where he is a featured artist.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

25) “It’s a Vibe” feat. Ty Dolla Sign, Trey Songz & Jhene Aiko (2017)

Producer: Murda Beatz & G Koop Album:Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

The third single off Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, “It’s a Vibe,” features three of R&B’s biggest hitters in Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, and Jhene Aiko. Ty Dolla Sign’s verse is incredibly basic, essentially just repeating, “It’s a vibe,” while Trey Songz goes for a similar, yet more graphic direction. Meanwhile, 2 Chainz brings some bars, rapping, “My ego is enormous like my crib in California; If you ain’t got no heart, man you gonna need a donor;” later adding, “Carbon copies get declined, I’m the pioneer, Beat that pussy up, I need riot gear.” Lastly, we hear from the oft-sultry, Jhene Aiko, who opts for a similar route to the one taken by Ty Dolla Sign. In the end, “It’s a Vibe” isn’t exactly 2 Chainz’s finest lyrical work, but rather… it’s a vibe.

24) “I Feel Like” feat. Kevin Gates (2015)

Producer: Hitmaka & Arch The Boss Album:Trapavelli Tre

2 Chainz’s 2015 mixtape track, “I Feel Like” featuring Kevin Gates, finds the two southern rappers exactly where they should be: reflecting on the game at the top of their game. To go from the bottom to the top must be a unique experience to share with another artist, as Chainz and Gates relate with one another over the highs and lows of success. 2 Chainz raps, “I bought my momma a crib before I got my own place; Picked my pop us from prison and gave ‘em places to stay; See I am handpicked by God, I defied all the odds; I need a sign that say foreigns only in my garage.” “I Feel Like” stands as one of 2 Chainz’s strongest mixtape songs since becoming a mainstream name in hip-hop.

23) “Crack” (2012)

Producer: Southside Album:Based on a T.R.U. Story

2 Chainz’s 2012 song “Crack” lays out its thesis statement from the jump – “Started from the trap, now I rap; No matter where I’m at, I got crack.” Produced by 808 Mafia co-founder, Southside, “Crack” sets a nice street rap tone to his debut album, before hitting listeners over the head with all the radio hits. Chainz and Southside have a great chemistry that has been surprisingly unutilized outside of “Crack” and the 2011 mixtape track, “Undastatement.” One can only hope the two hit the studio again in the near future. Meanwhile, the turntable scratches added by DJ Jaycee make for a nice touch throughout the drug talk banger, particularly the scratch outro.

Taylor Hill/Getty Images

22)“Kilo” (2016)

Producer: DJ Spinz Album:Daniel Son; Necklace Don

2 Chainz’s 2016 mixtape track, “Kilo,” is about selling drugs – kind of. Compare the confident way with which he walks to the way a major drug dealer would if he were carrying a kilo of coke; Chainz glamorizes the illegal act on the song, rapping, “Got the trap house rockin’, you ain’t get that shit; I got me a half, that’s a split when I flip it; And whip it ‘til I get me 36s; I get it, I got it, I’m slangin’ narcotics.” Included on Chainz’s Daniel Son; Necklace Don mixtape, alongside other hits like “Big Amount” and “1 Yeezy Boot” – “Kilo” is a classic mixtape track that 2 Chainz would continue to deliver with ease.

21) “4AM” feat. Travis Scott (2017)

Producer: Murda Beatz & CuBeatz Album:Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

“4 AM, I’m just getting’ started; For my birthday I threw me a surprise party; Reminiscin’ ‘bout the trap, playin’ the first Carter; My life changed when I had my first daughter,” begins the 2 Chainz and Travis Scott collaboration, “4 AM.” Produced by Canadian hitmaker Murda Beatz and German twins, CuBeatz – like most Travis Scott features over the past few years, “4 AM” cruises ib the identity of him more so than the actual artist himself (“Okay, you popped up on me by surprise; You see I never took you for the poppin’ type, Straight up!; Damn, it’s 4AM so please believe the hype, It’s lit!”). While that’s not necessarily a negative, ultimately “4 AM” sounds much more like a Travis Scott song than a 2 Chainz record… straight up! Still, the infectious single helped propel Pretty Girls Like Trap Music into the spotlight, rounding the album out with a hypnotic, after-hours experience.

20) “Threat 2 Society” (2019)

Producer: 9th Wonder Album:Rap Or Go To The League

9th Wonder really blessed 2 Chainz with a gem on “Threat 2 Society.” Flipping “So Good to Be Alive” by The Truthettes – the instrumental contrasts with Chainz’s hook as he boasts, “You know I’m a threat, I’m a threat, threat, threat,” while the sample proclaims “It’s so good just to be alive!” Throughout the verses, 2 Chainz reflects on seeing friends and family killed, basketball coaches who helped shape him, and his beautiful, growing family. The confidence of Chainz paired with the soulfulness of the beat makes for a great start to his fantastic new album, Rap Or Go To The League.

19) “Riverdale Rd” (2017)

Producer: Mike Dean & Mano Album:Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

With a beat fitting for the Geto Boys, appropriately produced by Mike Dean, “Riverdale Rd” follows 2 Chainz down the College Park street on which he was born and raised. Bragging about the elegance his recent life has afforded him (“My pocket pregnant, don’t want no abortion; My draws got them horses, my car got them horses”); Chainz looks back on where he came from, contrasting the differences in lifestyle (“Okay, from grams to Grammys; Okay, from fans to family; I went from trips we tryna plan; To cribs in South Miami”). In addition to Mike Dean, Kanye West’s former DJ Mano, also contributed to the beat, making “Riverdale Rd” an unofficial mini-G.O.O.D. Music reunion. Now where’s Cruel Winter?

18) “Proud” feat. YG & Offset (2018)

Producer: T-Minus & Vaiyeh Album:The Play Don’t Care Who Makes It [EP]

“Yeah, I’m just tryna make my momma proud; I ain’t tryna let my momma down,” goes the chorus to “Proud” – the perfect Mother’s Day anthem. 2 Chainz lays it all out, sharing that he “and momma used to trap out the same house; Used to eat and go to sleep on the same couch; Me and momma got busted at the same time; Went to court and told judge the damn same lies.” Then YG reassures his mother that “When I leave the house it’s for them dollars; You are the reason I bought that choppa; ‘Cause I know you wanna see me come home proper; Soon as I get right I said I gotcha then I gotcha.” Finally, Offset preaches some life lessons his mother’s taught him, such as, “Every n**** not cha partner, son, when you come up; All them bitches in your face, son, they are piranhas.” It’s kind of beautiful that when an LA street rapper got together in the studio with two Atlanta trap hitmakers, they decided to make a song for their moms.

17) “NCAA” (2019)

Producer: Da Honorable C.N.O.T.E. Album:Rap Or Go To The League

One of the more pivotal and thematic tracks on Rap Or Go To The League, “NCAA” preaches the hypocrisy of the National Collegiate Athletic Association – a “non-profit” organization that blatantly profits off the labor of student-athletes. 2 Chainz draws from experience, as he was once a scholarship basketball player for Alabama State University in the mid-90s. The song’s chorus goes, “NCAA, yeah, we the young and dangerous, yeah; We be ballin’ hard, yeah, I just want some paper,” while the overall album serves the purpose of “celebrating black excellence and focusing on the power of education and entrepreneurship” while “challeng[ing] the notion that the only way out of the inner city is either to become a rapper or a ball player.”

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

16) “MFN Right” (2016)

Producer: Mike Will Made-It & Zaytoven Album:Felt Like Cappin / ColleGrove

Originally featured on 2 Chainz’s 2016 EP Felt Like Cappin, “MFN Right” was so well received it was later added, along with a new Lil Wayne verse, to the ColleGrove tracklist. Throughout the song Chainz flexes about women, jewelry, and cars over a laidback, flute and piano-driven beat courtesy of two of Atlanta’s biggest producers, Mike Will Made-It and Zaytoven. A simple, yet undeniably successful formula.

15) “Blue C-Note” feat. Lil Wayne (2016)

Producer: Mr. 2-17 Album:ColleGrove

“Blue C-Notes, All of ‘em singin; Blue C-Notes, All of ‘em Franklins; Blue C-Notes, Spend without thinkin’,” goes the chorus on “Blue C-Note” – an ode to the new $100 bill over a funky bass and hi-hat driven beat. A common slang term along with “blue faces,” Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz devote this entire song off their 2016 collaborative album, ColleGrove, to the hundred-dollar bill. Because as everyone knows, “it’s all about the Benjamins.”

14) “Money in the Way” (2019)

Producer: Buddah Bless and Jabz Album: Rap Or Go To The League

One of the catchiest songs 2 Chainz has released since his monster run in 2012 with “Mercy”, “No Lie”, “Birthday Song”, and “I’m Different” – “Money in the Way” flips a soulful The Three Degrees sample to instant swag success. Produced by Buddah Bless, who also produced 2 Chainz’s 2016 single, “Big Amount” – the track continues in the popular rap trope of “mo money, mo problems.” For 2 Chainz however, he articulates the struggle as “The money in the way, fuck what they got to say; I throw it up, it’s fallin’ down, it’s definitely in the way.”

Earl Gibson/BET/Getty Images

13) “Used 2” (2013)

Producer: Mannie Fresh Album:B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time

2 Chainz pays respect to the original Cash Money era on “Used 2,” the second single off his sophomore album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time. Produced by southern hip-hop legend and one half of the Big Tymers, Mannie Fresh – the collaboration takes it back to the sound of a bygone era. The song both samples and pays homage to the 1999 Juvenile, Lil Wayne, and Mannie Fresh classic, “Back That Azz Up.” In fact, outside of the blatant YouTube reference in the chorus, many music fans might have been convinced this song was released ten years earlier than it was. On “Used 2,” 2 Chainz, a native Georgian, pays the utmost respect to all that New Orleans has given the culture.

12) “Big Amount” feat. Drake (2016)

Producer: Buddah Bless Album:Daniel Son; Necklace Don / Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

Buddah Bless’ second appearance on this list, “Big Amount” is a pan-flute beat that gives off a beach vibe ideal for 2 Chainz and Drake’s luxury rap verses. A rare Drake feature with no hook, “Big Amount” showcases Drizzy and Chainz going the classic route of one long verse apiece. The song originally appeared on 2 Chainz’s 2016 mixtape Daniel Son; Necklace Don, however, nine months later it was also included on Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. The song ultimately makes more sense as a mixtape track, but when Drake calls, you answer and put it on the album.

11) “2 Dollar Bill” feat. Lil Wayne & E-40 (2019)

Producer: DJ Mustard, Terrace Martin, and GYLTTRYP Album:Rap Or Go To The League

The Rap Or Go To The League track takes the west-coast funk and jazz production styling of DJ Mustard and Terrace Martin, pairs it with the southern raps of 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, and binds the two regional vibes with that of Bay Area legend, E-40. In the end, the three unite for a banger about how they’re as rare as a $2 bill. A concept that shouldn’t work the length of an entire song somehow does, by utilizing the right amount of silly (“I’m rare like Mr. Clean with hair”) and swag (“I chill where it’s hot, Brazil, backdrop, I’m real; Her ass not, I’m rare”).

Thaddaeus McAdams/Getty Images

10) “Feds Watching” feat. Pharrell (2013)

Producer: Pharrell Williams Album:B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time

One Grammy night in 2013, Pharrell and 2 Chainz linked up and recorded their song, “Feds Watching.” Now, simply receiving a beat from Pharrell is quite the victory in itself, but a beat and a feature makes for a guaranteed single. And that’s exactly what it became for 2 Chainz’s sophomore album, B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time. The guitar and horn-based beat gives the song a tropical, summertime vibe perfect for Chainz and Williams’ memorable hook/mantra – “I’ma be fresh as hell if the Feds watching; Drop top, head bopping.”

9) “Forgiven” feat. Marsha Ambrosius (2019)

Producer: Dem Jointz Album: Rap Or Go To The League

2 Chainz’s most recent album, Rap Or Go To The League, opens with a high school basketball announcer introducing number 21, Tauheed Epps. 2 Chainz raps about how his dreams turned to nightmares when he was arrested on a first offense drug charge. He pleaded with the judge about being a high school basketball player and working toward a scholarship, but in the end, there would be no ACC or SEC for Epps. Instead, he wound up playing at Alabama State. But as the beautifully sung Marsha Ambrosius chorus goes, with a little help from a classic Jay-Z “Lucifer” sample – “Just let it all be forgiven (Lord forgive him).” Featuring turntable scratches courtesy of Statik Selektah, “Forgiven” starts 2 Chainz’s best album to date off with an elegant and appropriate tone.

8) “Good Drank” feat. Gucci Mane & Quavo (2017)

Producer: Mike Dean Album:Hibachi for Lunch / Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

“Good Drank” featuring Gucci Mane and Quavo is one of 2 Chainz’s strongest collaborations in recent memory. Chainz and Gucci handle the bars (“Today I’m in the Maybach; And that car came with some drapes; You know I look like a safe, I put you back in your place; I look you right in your face, sing to your bitch like I’m Drake”), while Quavo takes on hook duty, and Mike Dean delivers a spacey, synth-trap beat. Originally released in 2016 on 2 Chainz’s Hibachi for Lunch EP, the song was later re-released as the first single off Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, where it eventually went platinum. The song closes with Chainz shouting out his collaborators, saying: “Ayy, Mike Dean. This shit hard as fuck, bruh. You a living legend. I appreciate that. Ayy, Guwop. I’m glad you home, cuz. Quavo, you already know man. You got next on these n*****, double salute man.”

7) “Watch Out” (2015)

Producer: FKi Album:Trap-A-Velli Tre / ColleGrove

“Watch Out” features the classic 2 Chainz staple of a simple piano beat with heavy trap drums and a comical first couplet: “Pulled up in a Phantom; Pull off with a dancer; Got a pocket full of money; Kinda hard to keep my pants up”. Following the breakout success of “I’m Different” and other DJ Mustard hits, it’s no surprise that producers likely began to flood the Hair Weave Killer with more piano-driven beats. However, FKi’s “Watch Out” didn’t simply rise to the top as a standout track off 2 Chainz’s mixtape Trap-A-Velli Tre, but also went platinum after being included on the Lil Wayne-assisted collaborative album, ColleGrove.

6) “Where U Been?” feat. Cap. 1 (2013)

Producer: Mike Will Made-It and Marz Album: B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time

Yet another batch of swag-brag raps, “Where U Been?” is arguably one of 2 Chainz’s most underrated songs. Now six years removed from its release, the track still bangs, thanks largely in part to Mike Will Made-It’s trap & rock production. While the song finds 2 Chainz once again boasting about making money. However, following the massive success of his debut album, Based on a T.R.U. Story, the lyrics this time around are all very much warranted. Appropriately capped off with a verse from 2 Chainz affiliate, Cap. 1, “Where

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chicagoindiecritics · 5 years

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New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: MOVIE REVIEW: Troop Zero

(Image: imdb.com)

TROOP ZERO— 4 STARS

You can look up to the stars. Their heavenly bodies present undiscovered infinity all around us. You can also look up to people. If the gaze is met by a caring person, you will find a different kind of infinity. Go ahead and look to both. Such is the infectious moxie and bountiful courage zipping through the filthy accouterments and unkempt hair of the motley mess of girls that comprise Troop Zero.

To rightly thumb its nose at the historically warped expectations of young ladies, Troop Zero may not be high-minded cinema. What it is, however, is high-hearted entertainment. That calls for trite covered in treat. Put this movie in front of any girl, hell, any kid period, that’s been demeaned about their differences or forced to conform to supposed societal standards. Let them watch this movie, smile, and stitch their own sash or freak flag to be proud of.

Continuously emerging small screen and big screen starlet Mckenna Grace is Christmas Flint, a redneck rascal of a girl from her unkempt platinum locks to her sloshing rubber boats of choice. She is the sprightly star-gazing daughter of her widower father Ramsey (comedian Jim Gaffigan). He is an unlucky and toothbrush-gnashing lawyer with one employee, his tough secretary and long-pining law student Miss Rayleen (Oscar winner and producer Viola Davis), and one regular ne’er-do-well buddy and client Dwayne (Mike Epps). The lot of them live in the dingy decadence of a trailer park in the rural speck of Wiggly, Georgia in the summer of 1977.

LESSON #1: YOUR CLASS OF YOUR UPBRINGING DOES NOT REFLECT YOUR POTENTIAL— Someone who does not grow up in mainstream finery or sparkling sophistication is not doomed to mediocrity. Their uniqueness forges their own path and personality. Christmas can be anyone she wants, not because of crystalline cultivation, but from the loving support of her surrounding family and friends. The caring values of one’s upbringing exceeds the socioeconomic class of it.

With crafty creations and library-fed ideas, Christmas has a loving home complete with a rooftop deck for watching meteorites, signaling aliens, and reflecting on memories of her dear mother. Her monologue voiceovers express a mindfulness to match her bravery. Unfortunately, Christmas is seen by her peers as excluded weirdo trash who likes dirt and science instead of dolls and shoes.

LESSON #2: WEATHERING VERBAL BULLYING— The teasing Christmas receives is unrelenting at times, proof that there was too much in that era just as their is now as well. The lead attackers are the local troupe of hoity-toity Birdie Scouts overseen by the local school principal Miss Massey (Oscar winner Allison Janney). Christmas absorbs that dissonance with pluck, but words hurt. The more wrong ones cut deeper than others can see until a breaking point.

Christmas’s draw towards astronomy peaks when it is announced that local youths will have the chance to record their voice on NASA’s famed “Golden Record” that will be going into space with Voyager 1 and 2. All they have to do is win a state-level Birdie Scout “Jamboree” talent show, the vacuous culmination of prescribed lady-like expectations. To compete against Miss Massey’s faction of fakery, Christmas seeks out fellow outcasts in the form her sensitive BFF Joseph (Charlie Shotwell of Captain Fantastic), the barbarically bossy Hell No (Milan Ray), the gassy glutton Smash (Johanna Colon), and the pious pushover Anne-Claire (Bella Higginbottom) to form a squad. Miss Rayleen, with one-upmanship and cigarette drags targeted towards Miss Massey, is coaxed to lead this rumpled rabble.

LESSON #3: LET KIDS BE KIDS— Take that uniqueness from Lesson #1 and promote it. Don’t stifle it solely because it’s different. Don’t shame it because it’s not what others expect. Let them strut their stuff and be themselves, no matter their gender, caste, or interests. If they want to crank up David Bowie and gyrate through imagined galaxies instead of step to safe showtunes, let them. If they “funna” want to kick ass in their own endeavors, let them kick ass. If they make friends while doing so, even better. If they are happy and creative, let kids be kids.

The wellspring of the fun in Troop Zero comes from watching this mob bond and carry on. Viola Davis and Allison Janney are automatic impressive presences. For a tidy indie here, they soften nicely from their recent dramatic trajectories to become young again themselves while acting as the “I don’t play” adults. Jim Gaffigan is always good for affable laughs, scruff or no scruff (the former in this one).

The adults are game and wonderful, but the tweens are the magnets. As the lead, this is Mckenna Grace’s largest work to date and it adds to her future capability. Grace is a carrot of enticing endearment in nearly every role she’s had and the youthful ensemble around her, complete with three newcomers (Ray, Colon, and Higginbottom), multiply that power.

It is from all this wondrous spirit that Troop Zero exudes its strength and worthy purposes pointed towards courage, identity, and resilience. Beasts of the Southern Wild writer Lucy Alibar trades isolation vitality for group dynamics and hearty humor. What cliches exist are spun with pleasing gumption. Directed by Katie Ellwood and Amber Templemore-Finlayson (known as the team of Bert & Bertie), this isn’t a girly Goonies of contagious uncouth behavior. Rather, unity is the prize over riches. Confidence is the invaluable magic, a power still sorely needed in the parallel present. The film and Rob Lord’s score shines that brightness into its settings and morals in hopes that some of that luminosity can carry across the screen to the viewer. Catch the shimmer of these stars and enjoy yourself.

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED

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