FAKE Ficlet: Stronger Than Fear
Title: Stronger Than Fear
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Drake, JJ, OMC.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Drake overcomes his fear to save his lover’s life.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 590: Courage at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Courage had nothing to do with not being afraid; it was about overcoming fear, doing something even though it terrified you. People could find courage within themselves at the most unexpected moments.
It should’ve been a straightforward arrest, but perhaps unsurprisingly, as soon as he’d made them as cops the suspect had taken off at a run, with Drake and JJ in hot pursuit. JJ was a few inches shorter than Drake, but he was quick on his feet; he’d played running back on his high school team. Drake was pretty fast himself, he just took a bit longer than JJ to pick up speed so he was trailing behind by a few yards when their quarry ducked into Central Park, skirting Harlem Meer.
Drake had been terrified of deep water ever since he’d fallen in a lake when he was five and almost drowned, and he had no idea how deep the Meer might be. He’d never been this close to it before, always preferring to keep well back from the edge of any body of water. JJ had been trying to help him overcome his fear, taking him in the shallow end of their hotel swimming pool on their last vacation, and he’d made a bit of progress, but swimming pools were a far cry from natural lakes.
To Drake, the Meer looked as vast as the ocean and he kept a wary eye on it, painfully aware that he was only about eight feet from the water. JJ was much closer, but he was a good swimmer so unlike Drake he had no reason to be worried.
What happened next almost stopped Drake’s heart. There’d been no reason to think the suspect might be armed; he was wanted in connection with a brutal assault and the only weapons he’d used had been his fists, but now, a split second too late, Drake saw him pull a gun, turn to fire at his partner…
“LOOK OUT!”
Barely ten yards separated JJ from the shooter. As he tried to take evasive action a bullet clipped him, sending him tumbling into the water.
Drake didn’t stop to think; there was no time. The bastard who’d just shot his lover was getting away but Drake would have to let him because if he was okay JJ would’ve been scrambling out of the lake, complaining about his clothes being ruined, but he’d sunk beneath the surface and hadn’t come back up. Kicking off his shoes and pushing aside the panic that threatened to consume him, Drake jumped into the water, holding his breath as he went under, feeling around for JJ.
It wasn’t as deep as it looked, probably no more than six feet, but an unconscious man could drown in far less. Snagging JJ by one arm, Drake struggled back to shore.
Everyone called Drake a hero for saving his partner’s life, but nobody was prouder of him than JJ.
“You were soooo brave, Drakey!”
Love had proved stronger than fear.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Drake, JJ, OMC.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Drake overcomes his fear to save his lover’s life.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 590: Courage at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Courage had nothing to do with not being afraid; it was about overcoming fear, doing something even though it terrified you. People could find courage within themselves at the most unexpected moments.
It should’ve been a straightforward arrest, but perhaps unsurprisingly, as soon as he’d made them as cops the suspect had taken off at a run, with Drake and JJ in hot pursuit. JJ was a few inches shorter than Drake, but he was quick on his feet; he’d played running back on his high school team. Drake was pretty fast himself, he just took a bit longer than JJ to pick up speed so he was trailing behind by a few yards when their quarry ducked into Central Park, skirting Harlem Meer.
Drake had been terrified of deep water ever since he’d fallen in a lake when he was five and almost drowned, and he had no idea how deep the Meer might be. He’d never been this close to it before, always preferring to keep well back from the edge of any body of water. JJ had been trying to help him overcome his fear, taking him in the shallow end of their hotel swimming pool on their last vacation, and he’d made a bit of progress, but swimming pools were a far cry from natural lakes.
To Drake, the Meer looked as vast as the ocean and he kept a wary eye on it, painfully aware that he was only about eight feet from the water. JJ was much closer, but he was a good swimmer so unlike Drake he had no reason to be worried.
What happened next almost stopped Drake’s heart. There’d been no reason to think the suspect might be armed; he was wanted in connection with a brutal assault and the only weapons he’d used had been his fists, but now, a split second too late, Drake saw him pull a gun, turn to fire at his partner…
“LOOK OUT!”
Barely ten yards separated JJ from the shooter. As he tried to take evasive action a bullet clipped him, sending him tumbling into the water.
Drake didn’t stop to think; there was no time. The bastard who’d just shot his lover was getting away but Drake would have to let him because if he was okay JJ would’ve been scrambling out of the lake, complaining about his clothes being ruined, but he’d sunk beneath the surface and hadn’t come back up. Kicking off his shoes and pushing aside the panic that threatened to consume him, Drake jumped into the water, holding his breath as he went under, feeling around for JJ.
It wasn’t as deep as it looked, probably no more than six feet, but an unconscious man could drown in far less. Snagging JJ by one arm, Drake struggled back to shore.
Everyone called Drake a hero for saving his partner’s life, but nobody was prouder of him than JJ.
“You were soooo brave, Drakey!”
Love had proved stronger than fear.
The End