Fic| Stand in the Rain | h50
Aug. 10th, 2011 07:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
siehnNotes: Written for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
day_by_drabble's Blue Skies prompt #27: Freedom.
Obviously, I couldn't resist.
It’s raining when he walks out of the prison, and the clothes he wore in are soaked within seconds. He just stands there, still, and lets the water wash over him.
It feels…So fucking good, he can’t even--
Like maybe it’s washing away the last two months, leaving him cleansed and…If not completely whole, at least a little less broken.
He’s missed the rain.
The air smells like sea salt, and God, he can’t wait until he gets home, and out of these clothes, and into the ocean. He wants it so bad it aches, the need to dive deep and swim until everything that’s happened is a half-distant memory-- useful, but unable to hurt him.
He’s tired, but when he exhales, opens his eyes, and looks up through the rain, he sees Danny leaning casually against the camaro.
He looks damn good.
Steve’s breath catches, and he takes half a step forward out of instinct before he catches himself, and stops.
He takes a long moment to just look, knowing everything he feels must be showing clearly on his face and not caring.
Danny is here, and that…
It means something.
“Danny,” he calls, lifting one hand half-way. It’s all he can say, that name, and he hasn’t stopped being surprised by Danny still being here since he heard Grace and Rachel were in New Jersey.
Danny just watches him, arms crossed over his chest, and Steve starts walking again. It isn’t difficult, closing that gap between them. It never has been.
He stops right in front of him, and Danny looks him over, doesn’t even bother pretending he isn’t.
Steve is tired of hiding, too, and he wonders what Danny sees when he looks, if he finds whatever he’s searching for in the tight line of Steve’s shoulders --still on guard, even now, but starting to relax-- and the hardened, but thinner length of his body.
He knows prison wasn’t good to him, but he bore it, as he does everything, and now he’s free again.
“So,” Danny says finally, “how’s it feel to be a free man?”
Steve doesn’t think about it, doesn’t let himself hesitate, or second-guess; he just lunges forward and wraps himself around Danny, holding him tight. Danny doesn’t shove him off, or slap is back in some kind of effort to keep things on whatever acceptable level a hug between two men is supposed to be. He just raises his arms and wraps them around Steve until they’re pressed close.
Steve buries his face in Danny’s neck because he’s here, and holding on like he never wants to let go, and Steve doesn’t want him to. They’re in the middle of the prison’s parking lot, but it doesn’t matter, and Steve honestly can’t bring himself to care.
“It feels fucking amazing, Danno,” he manages, murmuring the words against Danny’s skin. He can’t quite keep from squeezing his eyes shut, and tightening his grip a little. He doesn’t want this to be a dream because he never wants to wake up if it is.
“Sh, babe. It’s okay; you’re out, I’m here; I’m not going anywhere,” Danny says, quiet and soothing, and Steve leans into the hand that cards through his hair.
This, right here, is all the freedom he wants.
day_by_drabble's Blue Skies prompt #27: Freedom. Obviously, I couldn't resist.
It’s raining when he walks out of the prison, and the clothes he wore in are soaked within seconds. He just stands there, still, and lets the water wash over him.
It feels…So fucking good, he can’t even--
Like maybe it’s washing away the last two months, leaving him cleansed and…If not completely whole, at least a little less broken.
He’s missed the rain.
The air smells like sea salt, and God, he can’t wait until he gets home, and out of these clothes, and into the ocean. He wants it so bad it aches, the need to dive deep and swim until everything that’s happened is a half-distant memory-- useful, but unable to hurt him.
He’s tired, but when he exhales, opens his eyes, and looks up through the rain, he sees Danny leaning casually against the camaro.
He looks damn good.
Steve’s breath catches, and he takes half a step forward out of instinct before he catches himself, and stops.
He takes a long moment to just look, knowing everything he feels must be showing clearly on his face and not caring.
Danny is here, and that…
It means something.
“Danny,” he calls, lifting one hand half-way. It’s all he can say, that name, and he hasn’t stopped being surprised by Danny still being here since he heard Grace and Rachel were in New Jersey.
Danny just watches him, arms crossed over his chest, and Steve starts walking again. It isn’t difficult, closing that gap between them. It never has been.
He stops right in front of him, and Danny looks him over, doesn’t even bother pretending he isn’t.
Steve is tired of hiding, too, and he wonders what Danny sees when he looks, if he finds whatever he’s searching for in the tight line of Steve’s shoulders --still on guard, even now, but starting to relax-- and the hardened, but thinner length of his body.
He knows prison wasn’t good to him, but he bore it, as he does everything, and now he’s free again.
“So,” Danny says finally, “how’s it feel to be a free man?”
Steve doesn’t think about it, doesn’t let himself hesitate, or second-guess; he just lunges forward and wraps himself around Danny, holding him tight. Danny doesn’t shove him off, or slap is back in some kind of effort to keep things on whatever acceptable level a hug between two men is supposed to be. He just raises his arms and wraps them around Steve until they’re pressed close.
Steve buries his face in Danny’s neck because he’s here, and holding on like he never wants to let go, and Steve doesn’t want him to. They’re in the middle of the prison’s parking lot, but it doesn’t matter, and Steve honestly can’t bring himself to care.
“It feels fucking amazing, Danno,” he manages, murmuring the words against Danny’s skin. He can’t quite keep from squeezing his eyes shut, and tightening his grip a little. He doesn’t want this to be a dream because he never wants to wake up if it is.
“Sh, babe. It’s okay; you’re out, I’m here; I’m not going anywhere,” Danny says, quiet and soothing, and Steve leans into the hand that cards through his hair.
This, right here, is all the freedom he wants.
no subject
on 2011-08-11 12:55 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 01:35 am (UTC)I love that all Steve needs to feel truly free is to have Danny with him--great work on this :)
no subject
on 2011-08-11 02:14 am (UTC)And thanks for giving me a reason to use this icon, too!
no subject
on 2011-08-11 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 03:39 am (UTC)The story "Stand in the Rain"
on 2011-08-11 03:55 am (UTC)marypierce2000@yahoo.com
no subject
on 2011-08-11 05:18 am (UTC)This is just a beautiful piece.
Loved the stream of thoughts and emotions that was going through Steve's mind.
Your writing painted such a vivid picture in my mind.
So much love!
Thank you for writing and sharing.
no subject
on 2011-08-11 06:28 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 10:09 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 10:38 am (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-11 08:40 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2011-08-12 05:50 am (UTC)