Bare Fic: Negotiation
Title: Negotiation
Fandom: bare: a pop opera
Characters: Jason/Peter
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: When things were still shiny.
Summary: Lights out. And the afternoon that they are referring to? It happened here. What's the big deal with Jason and the dark anyway?
Negotiation
by Left_of_Weir
On their first night together as new roommates, Jason knew there was something he forgot to tell Peter, but it was too late. He was already tucked in between the covers, limp from basketball practice, warm from the shower, his hair still a little damp, but too sleepy to wait for it to dry properly. Peter came out of the bath, a towel wrapped around his waist, drying his hair furiously with another towel. Jason peered at him from eyes heavy with sleep and watched him fumble with his pajamas. Peter was no athlete, he thought, he moved like a puppy, cuddly, soft, warm. Jason turned over, closed his eyes, and opened them again to the darkness.
“Don’t turn off the lights,” he asked.
There was a pause, long enough for Jason's heart to start racing against the unfamiliar dark, then Peter turned the lights back on. Jason blinked in the sudden brightness, and saw how tightly he had been clutching his bed covers. He looked over at Peter, who had his head down, keeping his face away from him.
“I knew you were one of them,” Peter said quietly. Without another word, he crawled into his own bed and hugged the far side, facing the wall, trying to put as much distance between the two of them.
“Don't be ridiculous,” Jason said. “I can’t sleep with them off, that’s all. I’ve never turned off my lights before you came.”
Jason watched Peter uncurl as he considered this possibility. With relief, he saw Peter turn over to look at him and decide that that was all he meant.
"Really? Never?"
"Not even at home," Jason replied truthfully.
“That doesn’t work for me,” Peter complained. He sat up in bed and Jason watched as Peter’s expression changed from resentful and guarded to playful and eager. “Tell you what,” said Peter. Jason could almost see a ghost of a grin on Peter’s face. “I’ll wrestle you for them.”
“What?”
“We wrestle for them. If you win, lights on. If I win, lights off.”
“What, every night?”
“You go to sleep every night, don’t you?”
Jason felt Peter get out of bed and stand beside him. He felt strangely vulnerable lying down with Peter looming over him. He remembered Peter’s strong hands holding him down to the bed earlier in the day, by way of introduction, how he failed to shake Peter off despite his best efforts. It seemed to him as if he could still feel Peter’s hands around his wrists, his weight on his hips, his lips on his lips.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Peter. I’ll just buy a night light. Good night.” Jason turned over and closed his eyes. He could hear his heart beating as Peter sat on the bed beside him.
“Go to sleep, Peter. Keep the lights off, whatever you want.” Jason fought to keep his voice level. His mind was already racing. If he could wring himself out from basketball practice, then there is no reason for him not to collapse in bed at night and sleep through until morning. Lights on or off should not be a problem.
He felt a tentative poke on his back. “What monsters come?” Peter asked in a soft gentle voice.
“Big hairy monsters that come out of the closet at night and take away little boys,” he replied flippantly but even as he said it, he shuddered, remembering what monsters the darkness had always held for him.
Peter took away his hand. Jason shivered at its absence and braced himself.
“There are no monsters, Jason. Didn’t your mother teach you that?” Peter said.
“No, there aren’t,” Jason agreed. “Go to bed, Peter, I’m sleepy.”
“If there were monsters . . .” Peter said in a tentative voice, “we could fight them together.”
Jason felt the bedcovers shift and let in air, and more than air. He was ready for it. He had pegged Peter down as someone who wouldn't hesitate to tickle, pinch, scratch and bite, and he anticipated that Peter would try something like this.
With catlike grace, he twisted away from Peter’s grasp and used his roommate’s forward momentum to bring him deeper into bed. While Peter had the advantage of bulk, Jason was quicker and more athletic. He avoided Peter’s grasp and managed to wrestle him down, holding tight and on alert. He was well aware of how easily Peter could regain the advantage. If the events of this afternoon were any gauge, there was no way for him to toss Peter off unless the other let him, and he wasn't about to relinquish his advantage. He knew that if he gave in this first time, he would never get any sleep, what with basketball practice then these light fights Peter planned every night.
However, Peter stopped struggling and looked up at him with a massive grin on his face. Jason had been anticipating an epic wrestling match that would not stop until the other bowed down in total submission, and he wasn't prepared for this easy victory, Peter's careless acceptance of his win that robbed his triumph of all significance.
Jason looked down at Peter and wondered how dorm life got so complicated. All he wanted was to sleep with the lights on. “For the last time,” he snapped, “I’m not going to wrestle you for the lights. Let’s just do this: last one in bed decides.”
“Okay.” Peter looked up at him triumphantly, his defeat in Jason’s hands not stomping out his sense of fun.
Peter's smile ripened into a laugh and Jason felt himself carried along by that joyous note. Buoyed by Peter's laugh, he stood up and went over to the light switch to turn it off.
He waited for the familiar fear that always overpowered him whenever he found himself in the darkness. It took him a few moments to still the pounding in his ears, to not feel as if he was treading water in a bottomless ocean. He heard Peter go back to his own side of the room, still rocking with laughter and anticipation. He wondered what else Peter had up his sleeve. Never mind, he thought, there would be enough time for the two of them to figure each other out.
He focused on Peter’s laughter as if it was the signal that could guide him back to shore. Suddenly, the darkness didn’t seem so bad. Putting his hands out in front of him, Jason made his way back to bed.
Fandom: bare: a pop opera
Characters: Jason/Peter
Rating: PG
Warnings/Spoilers: When things were still shiny.
Summary: Lights out. And the afternoon that they are referring to? It happened here. What's the big deal with Jason and the dark anyway?
Negotiation
by Left_of_Weir
On their first night together as new roommates, Jason knew there was something he forgot to tell Peter, but it was too late. He was already tucked in between the covers, limp from basketball practice, warm from the shower, his hair still a little damp, but too sleepy to wait for it to dry properly. Peter came out of the bath, a towel wrapped around his waist, drying his hair furiously with another towel. Jason peered at him from eyes heavy with sleep and watched him fumble with his pajamas. Peter was no athlete, he thought, he moved like a puppy, cuddly, soft, warm. Jason turned over, closed his eyes, and opened them again to the darkness.
“Don’t turn off the lights,” he asked.
There was a pause, long enough for Jason's heart to start racing against the unfamiliar dark, then Peter turned the lights back on. Jason blinked in the sudden brightness, and saw how tightly he had been clutching his bed covers. He looked over at Peter, who had his head down, keeping his face away from him.
“I knew you were one of them,” Peter said quietly. Without another word, he crawled into his own bed and hugged the far side, facing the wall, trying to put as much distance between the two of them.
“Don't be ridiculous,” Jason said. “I can’t sleep with them off, that’s all. I’ve never turned off my lights before you came.”
Jason watched Peter uncurl as he considered this possibility. With relief, he saw Peter turn over to look at him and decide that that was all he meant.
"Really? Never?"
"Not even at home," Jason replied truthfully.
“That doesn’t work for me,” Peter complained. He sat up in bed and Jason watched as Peter’s expression changed from resentful and guarded to playful and eager. “Tell you what,” said Peter. Jason could almost see a ghost of a grin on Peter’s face. “I’ll wrestle you for them.”
“What?”
“We wrestle for them. If you win, lights on. If I win, lights off.”
“What, every night?”
“You go to sleep every night, don’t you?”
Jason felt Peter get out of bed and stand beside him. He felt strangely vulnerable lying down with Peter looming over him. He remembered Peter’s strong hands holding him down to the bed earlier in the day, by way of introduction, how he failed to shake Peter off despite his best efforts. It seemed to him as if he could still feel Peter’s hands around his wrists, his weight on his hips, his lips on his lips.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Peter. I’ll just buy a night light. Good night.” Jason turned over and closed his eyes. He could hear his heart beating as Peter sat on the bed beside him.
“Go to sleep, Peter. Keep the lights off, whatever you want.” Jason fought to keep his voice level. His mind was already racing. If he could wring himself out from basketball practice, then there is no reason for him not to collapse in bed at night and sleep through until morning. Lights on or off should not be a problem.
He felt a tentative poke on his back. “What monsters come?” Peter asked in a soft gentle voice.
“Big hairy monsters that come out of the closet at night and take away little boys,” he replied flippantly but even as he said it, he shuddered, remembering what monsters the darkness had always held for him.
Peter took away his hand. Jason shivered at its absence and braced himself.
“There are no monsters, Jason. Didn’t your mother teach you that?” Peter said.
“No, there aren’t,” Jason agreed. “Go to bed, Peter, I’m sleepy.”
“If there were monsters . . .” Peter said in a tentative voice, “we could fight them together.”
Jason felt the bedcovers shift and let in air, and more than air. He was ready for it. He had pegged Peter down as someone who wouldn't hesitate to tickle, pinch, scratch and bite, and he anticipated that Peter would try something like this.
With catlike grace, he twisted away from Peter’s grasp and used his roommate’s forward momentum to bring him deeper into bed. While Peter had the advantage of bulk, Jason was quicker and more athletic. He avoided Peter’s grasp and managed to wrestle him down, holding tight and on alert. He was well aware of how easily Peter could regain the advantage. If the events of this afternoon were any gauge, there was no way for him to toss Peter off unless the other let him, and he wasn't about to relinquish his advantage. He knew that if he gave in this first time, he would never get any sleep, what with basketball practice then these light fights Peter planned every night.
However, Peter stopped struggling and looked up at him with a massive grin on his face. Jason had been anticipating an epic wrestling match that would not stop until the other bowed down in total submission, and he wasn't prepared for this easy victory, Peter's careless acceptance of his win that robbed his triumph of all significance.
Jason looked down at Peter and wondered how dorm life got so complicated. All he wanted was to sleep with the lights on. “For the last time,” he snapped, “I’m not going to wrestle you for the lights. Let’s just do this: last one in bed decides.”
“Okay.” Peter looked up at him triumphantly, his defeat in Jason’s hands not stomping out his sense of fun.
Peter's smile ripened into a laugh and Jason felt himself carried along by that joyous note. Buoyed by Peter's laugh, he stood up and went over to the light switch to turn it off.
He waited for the familiar fear that always overpowered him whenever he found himself in the darkness. It took him a few moments to still the pounding in his ears, to not feel as if he was treading water in a bottomless ocean. He heard Peter go back to his own side of the room, still rocking with laughter and anticipation. He wondered what else Peter had up his sleeve. Never mind, he thought, there would be enough time for the two of them to figure each other out.
He focused on Peter’s laughter as if it was the signal that could guide him back to shore. Suddenly, the darkness didn’t seem so bad. Putting his hands out in front of him, Jason made his way back to bed.