Waves pt. 1
Short Fic
A short fic Kyle XY posted because he's been climbing up that damn fire escape for way too long.
Title: Waves pt.1
Rating: PG
Summary: Declan goes looking for answers.
Disclaimer: Done only for fun. That's, at least, what I tell myself.
Pairing: None
Warning: None
Spoiler: I'm not good at remembering episode numbers. If you haven't seen Kyle learn the game of basketball, this would be spoilery.
Ripples, Eddies, Waves
Waves
Part 1.
Declan looked down through the iron grating of the fire escape. The wet asphalt below reflected up at him the meager light that spilled out of the few windows that showed light along the alley. Craning his head back he studied the fire escape and the darkened window that was his destination. It had all seemed somehow less criminal in the daylight when he had broken into Foss’s apartment with Kyle the first time. More like the stunts he and Charlie used to pull before he met Kyle - before he discovered what a jerk Charlie was.
His sneaker suddenly slipped on a step wet from the rain misting down out of the night sky and Declan went down hard on his bad knee. He froze as the wave of pain that followed washed over him. It had only been a month since he’d injured his knee and he was still supposed to be babying it and doing physical therapy to get it ready for the next basketball season.
The doctor had said he hadn’t done any permanent damage to it. That he’d be as good as new in a couple of months if followed his directions. Unfortunately those directions had included a break from all sports and working faithfully at his PT. He hoped that at least being faithful with his PT would outweigh any damage that an occasional pickup game of basketball with Kyle might have caused. God he hoped so! The scouts for UW and the other schools that had contacted him had all been clear about what they wanted to see before they made him any final offers, the stats he rolled up as a healthy senior.
He flexed the leg slowly and tested it gingerly before trusting his full weight on it. The pain reminded Declan why he was out on a fire escape, at night, in the rain. Kyle had stood by him and had protected him from his coach when their coach had wanted him to play injured in the championship game. It still made him squirm to realize that they hadn’t even been friends at the time; or, at least, Declan hadn’t considered Kyle a friend then. It had just been another instance of him not being able to read Kyle.
Declan gripped the railing more tightly. He’d make sure there weren’t any more slips. The ache in his knee as he set his foot onto the next step underlined that for him. He couldn’t afford another slip.
Preparing to break in to Tom Foss’s apartment for the second time, felt like he was slipping in a different way, slipping over a line - out of a morally gray area into one more definitely black. He had, so far, refused to think about what he’d do if Foss was in his apartment tonight or how he’d get information out of him if he didn’t want to cooperate. Declan blinked water out of his eyes. Two felonies in one week - I need to find a friend who’s not so high maintenance.
He knew he should be grateful for the cover the rain provided him even as the cold soaked through the black hoodie he wore and the footing grew ever more treacherous beneath his sneakers as he climbed. Still, his fingers were starting to grow numb from the cold and he had to concentrate on gripping the railing tightly to compensate for the slipperiness and the dark.
There were no street lights here in the alley and the headlights from cars passing along the side streets didn’t reach in this far. None of that would help if his luck turned bad and someone looked out a window and spotted him. There was no legitimate reason why he should be climbing up this fire escape at nine thirty at night. It would be a call to 911 and the police for sure if he was seen.
He wished he could have waited until later in the night, when the chance of being spotted would have been less. But on a school night, when he’d told his parents that he’d be studying with Lori, there was no way that they’d believe that he could be at her home past eleven. Fortunately Foss’s apartment was close to the Tregar’s, so he’d have at least an hour to look around inside before he had to head for home.
His grip tightened on the railing reflexively as the wind picked up and the rain began to fall harder. In his mind he ran over again the reason why what he was doing wasn’t really all that bad. He tried to cheer himself with the thought that it might not even constitute a felony if he was caught. If Foss’s apartment was vacant, it would probably not be burglary only trespassing and he was pretty sure that that was a misdemeanor.
He hoped it was a misdemeanor anyway; because if he got caught tonight, the basketball scouts from the Huskies might be willing to overlook a misdemeanor that would disappear from his record when he turned eighteen. Coaches were always overlooking the “minor” infractions of star players. That was, of course, the rub. He wasn’t a star player or even on their team yet, only a high school prospect. The worry that they might not cut a prospect the same slack nagged at him as he climbed. He could be putting his dream of playing college ball in jeopardy tonight.
Declan continued his slow advance up the metal staircase. None of that mattered though. Dykeman was right: he couldn’t sit passively by doing nothing.
He’d stopped at Foss’s apartment twice already: the first time the evening Kyle left with the Petersons and again this morning before school. No one had responded either time to the doorbell or his knocking. He hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking but he thought he had heard some movement inside this morning. That was why he was here tonight. He needed to know if Tom Foss was still in town because Foss represented Declan’s only hope of finding out anything about Kyle’s whereabouts.
Declan fought hard to keep in check the fear that Foss might have left town after Kyle was taken. If he was going to help his friend, it had to start here with Tom Foss. He had no other leads. That was why he was freezing his ass off on this damn fire escape.
When he finally reached the landing outside Foss’s apartment, the wind was now whipping the rain into his eyes. He kept his head down and peered out through half closed eyes. Declan tried to squat down on his heels outside Foss’s window but the wet metal and the buffeting wind caused him to lose his balance and go down onto his knees. As he knelt there cursing under his breath, it hit him then that he hadn’t thought to bring anything to open the window. My burglary skills need serious refining. He thought sarcastically.
Declan pulled his hands up under his sweatshirt and rubbed them together trying to warm them and restore the feeling he’d lost during the cold climb. After wiping them on the black t-shirt that he wore under his hoodie, he placed them on either side of the window and pushed upward gently. The window moved and Declan let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Foss must not have had time to repair the window since his last visit.
Declan eased the window open until he had enough room to squeeze through and then slipped into the apartment. He stood still, dripping water on the carpet and shivering in the draft that swept in through the still open window. He listened anxiously for any sign from inside the apartment that his entry had been heard. Then, slowly, he lowered the window.
He was committed now. If Foss had skipped town, he’d leave by the front door and if he was still here in the apartment… Declan pulled a small mag light out of his sweatshirt’s pocket. …he still wasn’t going back down the fire escape. The pain and stiffness he felt in his knee as he moved cautiously away from the window was reason enough to stay away from the fire escape.
Declan swept the small beam of light around the room. He and Kyle hadn’t stopped to look at it on their previous visit. The desk and the computer with its multiple monitors that they’d seen through the open bedroom door had drawn them into the living room immediately. Now he observed that the bedroom he stood in was sparsely furnished: a neatly made single bed on his right; a bedside table with a lamp beside it; and facing the bed a bureau with a large framed photograph sitting in its center. He brought the beam of light up to the photograph and allowed himself a smile. The apartment might or might not be empty tonight but it was still occupied. The photograph was of a woman and boy.
Curious about the photograph, Declan stepped closer to get a better look. He could now see that it was a picture of a pretty, smiling woman, about his mother’s age, who stood behind a teenage boy with her hands around his waist. The boy, who looked like he might be Declan’s age, wore the pained smile of all adolescents forced to endure an embarrassing family picture for the sake of humoring their parents.
Declan turned and finishing his inspection of the room found himself staring at the bed. He looked back over his shoulder at the photograph. For the person sleeping in the bed, the photograph would be the last thing they saw at night and the first thing they saw each morning.
He flipped off his light and turned toward the living room door. It was shut tonight but in the dark and up close he could see a faint glow coming from beneath the door. He walked silently to the door and stood listening.
The sound of raspy, uneven breathing came from the other side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Post a new comment)
A short fic Kyle XY posted because he's been climbing up that damn fire escape for way too long.
Title: Waves pt.1
Rating: PG
Summary: Declan goes looking for answers.
Disclaimer: Done only for fun. That's, at least, what I tell myself.
Pairing: None
Warning: None
Spoiler: I'm not good at remembering episode numbers. If you haven't seen Kyle learn the game of basketball, this would be spoilery.
Ripples, Eddies, Waves
Waves
Part 1.
Declan looked down through the iron grating of the fire escape. The wet asphalt below reflected up at him the meager light that spilled out of the few windows that showed light along the alley. Craning his head back he studied the fire escape and the darkened window that was his destination. It had all seemed somehow less criminal in the daylight when he had broken into Foss’s apartment with Kyle the first time. More like the stunts he and Charlie used to pull before he met Kyle - before he discovered what a jerk Charlie was.
His sneaker suddenly slipped on a step wet from the rain misting down out of the night sky and Declan went down hard on his bad knee. He froze as the wave of pain that followed washed over him. It had only been a month since he’d injured his knee and he was still supposed to be babying it and doing physical therapy to get it ready for the next basketball season.
The doctor had said he hadn’t done any permanent damage to it. That he’d be as good as new in a couple of months if followed his directions. Unfortunately those directions had included a break from all sports and working faithfully at his PT. He hoped that at least being faithful with his PT would outweigh any damage that an occasional pickup game of basketball with Kyle might have caused. God he hoped so! The scouts for UW and the other schools that had contacted him had all been clear about what they wanted to see before they made him any final offers, the stats he rolled up as a healthy senior.
He flexed the leg slowly and tested it gingerly before trusting his full weight on it. The pain reminded Declan why he was out on a fire escape, at night, in the rain. Kyle had stood by him and had protected him from his coach when their coach had wanted him to play injured in the championship game. It still made him squirm to realize that they hadn’t even been friends at the time; or, at least, Declan hadn’t considered Kyle a friend then. It had just been another instance of him not being able to read Kyle.
Declan gripped the railing more tightly. He’d make sure there weren’t any more slips. The ache in his knee as he set his foot onto the next step underlined that for him. He couldn’t afford another slip.
Preparing to break in to Tom Foss’s apartment for the second time, felt like he was slipping in a different way, slipping over a line - out of a morally gray area into one more definitely black. He had, so far, refused to think about what he’d do if Foss was in his apartment tonight or how he’d get information out of him if he didn’t want to cooperate. Declan blinked water out of his eyes. Two felonies in one week - I need to find a friend who’s not so high maintenance.
He knew he should be grateful for the cover the rain provided him even as the cold soaked through the black hoodie he wore and the footing grew ever more treacherous beneath his sneakers as he climbed. Still, his fingers were starting to grow numb from the cold and he had to concentrate on gripping the railing tightly to compensate for the slipperiness and the dark.
There were no street lights here in the alley and the headlights from cars passing along the side streets didn’t reach in this far. None of that would help if his luck turned bad and someone looked out a window and spotted him. There was no legitimate reason why he should be climbing up this fire escape at nine thirty at night. It would be a call to 911 and the police for sure if he was seen.
He wished he could have waited until later in the night, when the chance of being spotted would have been less. But on a school night, when he’d told his parents that he’d be studying with Lori, there was no way that they’d believe that he could be at her home past eleven. Fortunately Foss’s apartment was close to the Tregar’s, so he’d have at least an hour to look around inside before he had to head for home.
His grip tightened on the railing reflexively as the wind picked up and the rain began to fall harder. In his mind he ran over again the reason why what he was doing wasn’t really all that bad. He tried to cheer himself with the thought that it might not even constitute a felony if he was caught. If Foss’s apartment was vacant, it would probably not be burglary only trespassing and he was pretty sure that that was a misdemeanor.
He hoped it was a misdemeanor anyway; because if he got caught tonight, the basketball scouts from the Huskies might be willing to overlook a misdemeanor that would disappear from his record when he turned eighteen. Coaches were always overlooking the “minor” infractions of star players. That was, of course, the rub. He wasn’t a star player or even on their team yet, only a high school prospect. The worry that they might not cut a prospect the same slack nagged at him as he climbed. He could be putting his dream of playing college ball in jeopardy tonight.
Declan continued his slow advance up the metal staircase. None of that mattered though. Dykeman was right: he couldn’t sit passively by doing nothing.
He’d stopped at Foss’s apartment twice already: the first time the evening Kyle left with the Petersons and again this morning before school. No one had responded either time to the doorbell or his knocking. He hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking but he thought he had heard some movement inside this morning. That was why he was here tonight. He needed to know if Tom Foss was still in town because Foss represented Declan’s only hope of finding out anything about Kyle’s whereabouts.
Declan fought hard to keep in check the fear that Foss might have left town after Kyle was taken. If he was going to help his friend, it had to start here with Tom Foss. He had no other leads. That was why he was freezing his ass off on this damn fire escape.
When he finally reached the landing outside Foss’s apartment, the wind was now whipping the rain into his eyes. He kept his head down and peered out through half closed eyes. Declan tried to squat down on his heels outside Foss’s window but the wet metal and the buffeting wind caused him to lose his balance and go down onto his knees. As he knelt there cursing under his breath, it hit him then that he hadn’t thought to bring anything to open the window. My burglary skills need serious refining. He thought sarcastically.
Declan pulled his hands up under his sweatshirt and rubbed them together trying to warm them and restore the feeling he’d lost during the cold climb. After wiping them on the black t-shirt that he wore under his hoodie, he placed them on either side of the window and pushed upward gently. The window moved and Declan let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Foss must not have had time to repair the window since his last visit.
Declan eased the window open until he had enough room to squeeze through and then slipped into the apartment. He stood still, dripping water on the carpet and shivering in the draft that swept in through the still open window. He listened anxiously for any sign from inside the apartment that his entry had been heard. Then, slowly, he lowered the window.
He was committed now. If Foss had skipped town, he’d leave by the front door and if he was still here in the apartment… Declan pulled a small mag light out of his sweatshirt’s pocket. …he still wasn’t going back down the fire escape. The pain and stiffness he felt in his knee as he moved cautiously away from the window was reason enough to stay away from the fire escape.
Declan swept the small beam of light around the room. He and Kyle hadn’t stopped to look at it on their previous visit. The desk and the computer with its multiple monitors that they’d seen through the open bedroom door had drawn them into the living room immediately. Now he observed that the bedroom he stood in was sparsely furnished: a neatly made single bed on his right; a bedside table with a lamp beside it; and facing the bed a bureau with a large framed photograph sitting in its center. He brought the beam of light up to the photograph and allowed himself a smile. The apartment might or might not be empty tonight but it was still occupied. The photograph was of a woman and boy.
Curious about the photograph, Declan stepped closer to get a better look. He could now see that it was a picture of a pretty, smiling woman, about his mother’s age, who stood behind a teenage boy with her hands around his waist. The boy, who looked like he might be Declan’s age, wore the pained smile of all adolescents forced to endure an embarrassing family picture for the sake of humoring their parents.
Declan turned and finishing his inspection of the room found himself staring at the bed. He looked back over his shoulder at the photograph. For the person sleeping in the bed, the photograph would be the last thing they saw at night and the first thing they saw each morning.
He flipped off his light and turned toward the living room door. It was shut tonight but in the dark and up close he could see a faint glow coming from beneath the door. He walked silently to the door and stood listening.
The sound of raspy, uneven breathing came from the other side.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Post a new comment)