Current mood:	apathetic
Entry tags:	ben/brian/trent, fic, flash!verse, numb3rs, tamingthemuse

Fic: All's Fair, Numb3rs AU, Ben/Brian/Tren, PG-13
Title: All's Fair
Fandom: Numb3rs AU
Pairing: Ben/Brian/Tren
Rating: PG-13, no worse than you'd see on TV.
Warnings: implied M/M incest
Summary: Ben's average morning, with a not so average dream, first.
Notes: I had an idea of a character muttering about math. At first it was Jasper then it was Sam Witwicky from my Transformers 'verse, but then Ben decided he'd take it for himself, since I wouldn't let him into the Transformers 'verse. I think it's a small price to pay, don't you?
Written for tamingthemuse
Unbetaed since my beta is otherwise occupied for the weekend.

All's Fair

"If Jack has a pool that's 100 feet long by 82 feet wide by 16 feet deep, how many cubic feet of water are required to fill it?" Ben read aloud to himself, tapping his pencil against his textbook. "Too damn many," he grumbled.

"I heard that!" Margaret called from the living room.

"You were meant to!" Ben called back, grinning.

Margaret set her book aside and went over to peer at his textbook. "How long have you been working on this?"

"Oh, only fifteen, twenty minutes," he answered.

"Mm-hmm, the entire set of problems or just that one?" she countered. He sighed and let his head thump onto the table, silently giving his mother her answer. "Right, go ask Charlie for help," she suggested, combing her fingers through his hair.

"No!" Ben sat up abruptly, making Margaret jump.

"Why in heaven's name, not?"

"I can do this. I just need to work it out," he explained, a determined look in his eyes.

"Ben," she said on a sigh. "It's okay to admit you need help once in a while."

He sighed and pushed his hands through his hair, deeply frustrated. "I know that, it's just…" he trailed off, sighing again.

"It's just that Charlie's amazing at math and you don't want to disappoint your big brother," she surmised. "Just like Don's great at baseball and you didn't want to disappoint him."

He shot her a sheepish smile. "I'm not like them," he murmured. "Give me an English assignment or piano piece to play and I'm good, but math and sports?" He shook his head.

"It's okay," she assured him. "You just have different strengths than they do. Charlie spells math terms wrong and Don still tucks his feet under the piano bench like he did when he was seven."

Ben smiled and looked up at his mother. "Thanks, Mom."

Margaret leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Any time, sweets."

*

Ben came awake slowly and sighed as the last moments of the dream lingered in his mind. "Ugh, math dream," he muttered, rolling over and burying his face in the pillows.

"D'you say somethin', sugar?" Tren's voice asked.

Ben's head popped up and he turned over to see Tren standing in the bathroom doorway wearing only a towel and a fond smile. "Just muttering to myself," he replied, eyes following a water droplet as it dripped down Tren's chest, over his toned abs and caught in the towel.

Ben looked back up at Tren's face to find him smirking. Tren sauntered over to the bed, leaned over his lover and he shook his head, spraying Ben with cold water.

"Hey! Jesus! That's cold!" Ben protested, pulling the blankets over his head.

Tren laughed. "C'mon out, sugar, I won't get ya again," he enticed.

Ben pulled the blanket down just enough so one wary hazel eye peered at Tren. "Promise?"

Tren nodded, smiling. Ben slowly pushed the blanket down the rest of the way, smirking himself as Tren's eyes followed the movement and latched onto the nipple rings. "Y'know," Ben began. "This bed is awfully lonely right now."

Tren's eyes snapped back up to Ben's. "Is it, now?"

Ben nodded and reached up to pull Tren into a kiss. "Where's Bri?" he murmured against Tren's lips.

"Gettin' breakfast," Tren replied, trailing kisses along Ben's jaw.

"What's for breakfast?" Ben asked, tilting his head back to give Tren better access.

"Croissants," Tren answered, nipping gently at Ben's neck.

Ben's eyes, which has fluttered closed at the bite, flew open. "Really?" he asked.

"Mmm," Tren hummed affirmatively, trailing his tongue along Ben's collarbone.

Ben darted a look at the door, biting his lower lip indecisively. Brian had long ago banned croissants from the bed since Ben tended to tear them to pieces when he ate them and got flakes of crust everywhere. A long-suffering sigh gusting over his chest brought Ben's attention back to Tren. "What?"

"Should've known better'n t'tell you 'bout the croissants before sex," Tren replied, a fond smile curling his lips.

"I'll make it up to you," Ben promised, already crawling to the edge of the bed closest to the door. He yelped when a stinging slap landed on his bare ass.

"Bet your ass you will," Tren replied, grinning.

Ben laughed and scrambled off the bed, heading for the kitchen, grinning at the muttered, "God damned cocktease," that followed him from the bedroom. "Don't get between me and my croissants," he called back.

"Bastard!" Tren replied and Ben laughed again.

Ben entered the kitchen to find Brian leaning back against the counter, arms folded across his chest, grinning. Suspicious, Ben leaned to the side to peek around Brian and saw the box on croissants behind Brian's back. He straightened and leveled a Look at Brian. "What did I just tell Tren?"

"Don't get between you and your croissants," Brian responded dutifully.

Ben raised an eyebrow, making a show of peering around Brian again.

"Who ever said these were yours?" Brian asked, still grinning.

Ben lowered his head and peeked at Brian through his lashes, a pleading look on his face.

"Oh, you fucker," Brian groaned, stepping to the side. "That's cheatin'!"

Ben smirked and darted forward to grab the box. "All's fair in love and croissants," he quipped opening the box and extracting a croissant.

Brian just laughed and grabbed his own croissant.

"Save some for me!" came Tren's voice from down the hall and both men grinned.

"We'll see!" they called back then laughed at the string of curses that followed.

End.