Week Five Entry: "Cocooned."
Challenge: Manipulate your prose to convey an emotion and atmosphere for your story.
Title: Cocooned.
Author: vivid_butterfly
Rating: PG-13.
Series: ST:TOS
Characters/Pairings: John Kyle, Kevin Riley, Riley/Kyle
Summary: Riley's had better nights, of course, but he's definitely had much worse.
Riley supposes his favorite place in the world is the place where John's neck and shoulder meet. And then, if he felt like getting more technical, his favorite place in the world was with his head pressed against John's neck underneath John's old dinosaur-print sheets back in the blond's hometown of Westchetserchestershershire, or whatever other little English village his house is. Something about the bold colored sharp-lined pictures from John's childhood makes Riley smile when no one is looking, and makes him beam when someone is.
He's not there right now. He's close though, or close enough as he dares to get at the moment. He's seated on the edge of John's bed, staring at the freckles on his hands like they're the most important thing in the world right now. Probably because he knows if he looks anywhere else around the room he might not be able to keep himself composed long enough to hear what he knows is coming.
"Kevin," John states firmly and softly. Riley doesn't want to hear it. Riley doesn't want to think about it. He just wants to crawl back under the sheets back on the uncomfortable twin bed in the basement in Leeds where Johnny grew in to the man he is today. But, Earth is more than seventy thousand light years away, and Johnny seems even further.
"I, uhm..." Riley replies. He blinks a few times and closes his eyes tight. He can't even stare at his hands any more.
"Kevin, please." John is probably looking at him with his stern blue eyes and disapproving frown; Riley honestly can't handle that right now. He can't handle a lot of things, he supposes, the more he things about it.
"John-" he finally manages and he says it with such desperate pleading that his voice cracks and his eyes open to look at John and he sees exactly what he thought he would. Disapproving frown, stern blue beautiful eyes.
"Don't, Kevin, don't try that," John reprimands, his frown deepening.
"I'm sorry," Riley tries, his voice catching again, "I just, I, you know."
Words are escaping him and all he wants to do is bury his face into John's chest and fall asleep listening to his heart beat and breathing in his scent.
"You're really trying this again?" John shakes his head and stands up, straightens his shirt and then perhaps realizes he is in his sleepwear, because he moves across the room and begins to pull out clothing.
Riley is just in his boxers, because that is what he has always slept in. Kyle slips into his uniform and begins to walk to the door.
"Johnny-" Riley's voice breaks again.
"What?" he asks, glancing over at him with a look of thinly-disguised annoyance.
Riley keeps quite because he doesn't really know how to fix this right now. He could say it, three simple words that could stop him in his tracks, make him turn, and get back in bed. Three words that could pull John back in to the bed, and back in to his arms.
All he has to do is say them, but he doesn’t. They catch on his tongue and slide back down his throat: Please don't go.
He stares confused and hurt and just trying to steady himself because the room feels like it is spinning.
"I'm going to work," John states. His voice is tight and Riley doesn't bother to tell him his shift doesn't start for another four and a half hours.
John looks at him, and Kevin looks back at him; he still hasn't processed it all yet.
He can't decide whether or not to stand up and follow him or storm out himself and tell him he's overreacting and being a stupid British prick.
Ultimately, he does nothing, and that makes his decision for him. Kyle leaves, and Riley sits there on the small bed for a very long time in the darkness before he falls asleep curled up holding his knees to his chest, sheets wrapped around him tight like a cocoon.
It's far from his favorite place in the world, but tonight, it's all he has.