Blind Sight by 525600_journeys, #8
Title: Blind Sight
Author: 525600_journeys
Theme: 8. What lies within
Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Claire Littleton and James “Sawyer” Ford
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize-the characters, situations, etc-all belong to LOST and ABC, not me.
Notes: Written for 15pairings with theme set 4.
Jack isn’t sure how they do it, but they blind Sawyer. He returns to them a broken man, his confidence gone and every wall around his heart firmly reinforced. His sharp retorts are bitter and mean-spirited, nicknames no longer affectionate. Still, the cruelty is locked in fear and uncertainty. The other survivors aren’t sure how to deal with him. Most leave him alone, waiting for some word that it’s okay to approach him, that it’s okay to talk to him. Jack visits frequently the first couple of days, but he can tell the visits do nothing but embarrass and frighten Sawyer. Jack can’t tell him his vision will return and can’t tell him anything will be okay.
The third day, Claire asks Sun to watch Aaron. She crosses the beach to Sawyer’s shelter with a couple of water bottles and some fruit.
“Sawyer, it’s Claire,” she says cheerfully.
“What the hell do you want?”
She ignores the rudeness and sits down, uninvited. “Just bringing you some breakfast. Thought you might like some fruit.”
Claire sets down the fruit and a water bottle near him.
“What? Saint Jack figure I might do some miracle mood-change if he sends the girl scout in?”
“No,” Claire says. “I’m not sure where Jack is, actually.”
“So you just figured you’d prance your little ass in here and be all sweet to me and get to play the heroine?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell are you doin’ here, Barbie?”
Claire reaches for his hand. It’s the first time anyone besides Jack has laid a hand on him and he seems unsure of how to react. “I’m here because I want to be. Because I want you to know you’re not alone.”
He turns his head away. “Blondie, I ain’t never been more alone than I am now. Least before I could see the people ignorin’ me.”
Sawyer mutters the last part and Claire isn’t sure whether he intended for her to hear him or not. She scoots closer. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Why not?”
“Because. I like you.”
He laughs bitterly. “Right. Blind man’s all you need right now, Blondie.”
“You’re more than a blind man, Sawyer.”
“That so?”
“Yes, it is. And it’s time you got out of this tent and quit moping.”
Sawyer turns his head towards her. “And just how am I supposed to do that?”
Claire’s silent for a moment, but keeps hold of his hand. She lifts his hand and makes him touch her forehead.
“You know what that is?” she asks.
“Your forehead,” he says. “I’m not a jackass.”
Claire smiles. “I know. Now what’s this?” she asks, leading his hand to the sand.
“Sand.”
“Now, how about this?” she asks. She leads his hand to her cheek.
“Your-your cheek.”
“See? You can figure things out. You just have to see other ways. Where’s my arm?”
Sawyer’s hand moves slowly, hesitantly, from her face. His fingertips trail along her neck and collarbone, lightly touching her before settling on her arm. He smiles.
“Good. See?”
Sawyer nods. “Why you doin’ this?”
Claire’s silent for a minute before answering him. “Because. I like you.”
“You like me?”
“Yeah.”
His hand moves down her arm to her hand. “You mean that? I don’t want no misunderstandings.”
She squeezes his hand. “I mean it.”
“What makes you so sure I’m worth liking?”
“Because. I see you.”
He raises an eyebrow. “That supposed to be funny?”
“No,” she says. “I mean I see the real you. Not the bullying and the name-calling. I see through all that.”
“And what exactly do you see?” he asks, an amused grin on his face.
“I see a man,” she says. “A man who is much kinder, much sweeter than he would have people believe.”
Sawyer’s grin fades. “I’m a lotta things, Mamacita. Sweet ain’t one of ‘em. Neither’s kind.”
“Of course not,” she says. “That’s why you help me get Aaron to sleep by reading to him. And why you got shot trying to save Walt. And why you continue to let people trade you for things in your stash. All of that’s because you’re not kind or sweet.”
Sawyer smirks at her. “You really think that makes me some kind of nice guy?”
“Nah,” she says. “I don’t go for nice guys and I wouldn’t quite say that you’re a nice guy. I would say you’re a good man.”
Sawyer hesitates, then reaches his hand up to her face. His fingertips glide gently over her cheek and nose.
“What are you doing?” she asks in a near whisper.
“Lookin’ for something,” he whispers. His fingertips touch her mouth and he smiles. “Found it.”
Claire smiles and Sawyer feels it. He leans forward and his lips brush against hers in a gentle kiss.
Author: 525600_journeys
Theme: 8. What lies within
Fandom: LOST
Pairing: Claire Littleton and James “Sawyer” Ford
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize-the characters, situations, etc-all belong to LOST and ABC, not me.
Notes: Written for 15pairings with theme set 4.
Jack isn’t sure how they do it, but they blind Sawyer. He returns to them a broken man, his confidence gone and every wall around his heart firmly reinforced. His sharp retorts are bitter and mean-spirited, nicknames no longer affectionate. Still, the cruelty is locked in fear and uncertainty. The other survivors aren’t sure how to deal with him. Most leave him alone, waiting for some word that it’s okay to approach him, that it’s okay to talk to him. Jack visits frequently the first couple of days, but he can tell the visits do nothing but embarrass and frighten Sawyer. Jack can’t tell him his vision will return and can’t tell him anything will be okay.
The third day, Claire asks Sun to watch Aaron. She crosses the beach to Sawyer’s shelter with a couple of water bottles and some fruit.
“Sawyer, it’s Claire,” she says cheerfully.
“What the hell do you want?”
She ignores the rudeness and sits down, uninvited. “Just bringing you some breakfast. Thought you might like some fruit.”
Claire sets down the fruit and a water bottle near him.
“What? Saint Jack figure I might do some miracle mood-change if he sends the girl scout in?”
“No,” Claire says. “I’m not sure where Jack is, actually.”
“So you just figured you’d prance your little ass in here and be all sweet to me and get to play the heroine?”
“No.”
“Then what the hell are you doin’ here, Barbie?”
Claire reaches for his hand. It’s the first time anyone besides Jack has laid a hand on him and he seems unsure of how to react. “I’m here because I want to be. Because I want you to know you’re not alone.”
He turns his head away. “Blondie, I ain’t never been more alone than I am now. Least before I could see the people ignorin’ me.”
Sawyer mutters the last part and Claire isn’t sure whether he intended for her to hear him or not. She scoots closer. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“Why not?”
“Because. I like you.”
He laughs bitterly. “Right. Blind man’s all you need right now, Blondie.”
“You’re more than a blind man, Sawyer.”
“That so?”
“Yes, it is. And it’s time you got out of this tent and quit moping.”
Sawyer turns his head towards her. “And just how am I supposed to do that?”
Claire’s silent for a moment, but keeps hold of his hand. She lifts his hand and makes him touch her forehead.
“You know what that is?” she asks.
“Your forehead,” he says. “I’m not a jackass.”
Claire smiles. “I know. Now what’s this?” she asks, leading his hand to the sand.
“Sand.”
“Now, how about this?” she asks. She leads his hand to her cheek.
“Your-your cheek.”
“See? You can figure things out. You just have to see other ways. Where’s my arm?”
Sawyer’s hand moves slowly, hesitantly, from her face. His fingertips trail along her neck and collarbone, lightly touching her before settling on her arm. He smiles.
“Good. See?”
Sawyer nods. “Why you doin’ this?”
Claire’s silent for a minute before answering him. “Because. I like you.”
“You like me?”
“Yeah.”
His hand moves down her arm to her hand. “You mean that? I don’t want no misunderstandings.”
She squeezes his hand. “I mean it.”
“What makes you so sure I’m worth liking?”
“Because. I see you.”
He raises an eyebrow. “That supposed to be funny?”
“No,” she says. “I mean I see the real you. Not the bullying and the name-calling. I see through all that.”
“And what exactly do you see?” he asks, an amused grin on his face.
“I see a man,” she says. “A man who is much kinder, much sweeter than he would have people believe.”
Sawyer’s grin fades. “I’m a lotta things, Mamacita. Sweet ain’t one of ‘em. Neither’s kind.”
“Of course not,” she says. “That’s why you help me get Aaron to sleep by reading to him. And why you got shot trying to save Walt. And why you continue to let people trade you for things in your stash. All of that’s because you’re not kind or sweet.”
Sawyer smirks at her. “You really think that makes me some kind of nice guy?”
“Nah,” she says. “I don’t go for nice guys and I wouldn’t quite say that you’re a nice guy. I would say you’re a good man.”
Sawyer hesitates, then reaches his hand up to her face. His fingertips glide gently over her cheek and nose.
“What are you doing?” she asks in a near whisper.
“Lookin’ for something,” he whispers. His fingertips touch her mouth and he smiles. “Found it.”
Claire smiles and Sawyer feels it. He leans forward and his lips brush against hers in a gentle kiss.