middleman fic: but the rest of us do what we must in constant compromise
Title: But The Rest Of Us Do What We Must In Constant Compromise
Summary: The Middleman never mentions the ultimate sacrifice. Wendy takes her cues from him but she can't help acknowledging it. Post 1x13 "Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse" (the episode from Comic-Con). MAJOR SPOILERS if you haven't watched the video/read the graphic novel.
Words: 563
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Javi.
Notes: Title comes from a line in the song (amusingly enough) "Middleman" by Bright Eyes. Like I said before, SPOILERS for the unfilmed episode. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The Middleman never mentions the ultimate sacrifice. Wendy takes her cues from him but she can't help acknowledging it.
Every morning she brings him a glass of milk. The first time she hands it over with a thank you and she won't let go of the mug until he nods, accepting the gratitude he doesn't want. She never says thank you again but he knows that's what she means every morning.
For his birthday (now that she knows his name he's a little less uptight about revealing personal details) she buys him a copy of "Ride Lonesome." He accepts it with his trademark silence, eyes on the floor as he claps her on the shoulder. She volunteers to help Ida tie up the loose ends on their last case and he shuffles upstairs to watch the end of the movie alone.
Now that she's met Wendy's "slave driver of a boss" and Wendy mentions in passing that he doesn't really have any family or friends in the area, Lacey invites him over for dinner. He sits on the floor between Noser and Perfect Warren, dressed in his civvies and smiling politely at the conversation. He thanks Tyler for the free CD and promises to come to the next Art Crawl to see Lacey perform. When Wendy walks him out to his car, he insists that he had a good time and although she knows he's happy to see Lacey happy, there's something in his eyes that wasn't there before.
The next time Lacey tries to invite him to dinner, Wendy makes up an excuse.
They're on a stakeout one night, watching the gargoyles that adorn the roof of the courthouse and waiting for them to take flight, when she can't keep quiet any longer.
"You can talk about her. Raveena. Y'know, if you want."
His grip on the steering wheel tightens, knuckles turning white, but he acts like he didn't hear anything.
Three days later, when they are replacing the heavy, finally motionless gargoyles to their original positions on the edge of the roof, he starts talking without prompting: how his recruiter handed him over to be Raveena's Middleboy, how she kicked his ass the first time he swore in front of her, how they fell in love, and how he felt when she finally left and he made his vow. He talks all the way back to Ops and Wendy ends up making them hot chocolate and staying at HQ until dawn when he finally stops talking.
In the crushing silence that follows, he ducks his head like an embarrassed little boy and with a quiet but heartfelt, "Thanks, Dubbie," he gives her the day off and walks away before she can say anything.
Things get better after that, slowly but surely. He's not so quiet and stoic all the time, Ida's jokes get saltier again, and the milk she delivers every morning seems more like a friendly gesture than a reminder of the things he's done. Sometimes when he sees Lacey, he can smile - really smile - and not feel suckerpunched afterward. When she tells him about something cute or funny Tyler did last weekend, he occasionally responds with a complementary story about Raveena.
And he saves the world again [and again] without having to give up anything else. For that she is infinitely grateful.
Summary: The Middleman never mentions the ultimate sacrifice. Wendy takes her cues from him but she can't help acknowledging it. Post 1x13 "Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse" (the episode from Comic-Con). MAJOR SPOILERS if you haven't watched the video/read the graphic novel.
Words: 563
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Javi.
Notes: Title comes from a line in the song (amusingly enough) "Middleman" by Bright Eyes. Like I said before, SPOILERS for the unfilmed episode. Don't say I didn't warn you.
The Middleman never mentions the ultimate sacrifice. Wendy takes her cues from him but she can't help acknowledging it.
Every morning she brings him a glass of milk. The first time she hands it over with a thank you and she won't let go of the mug until he nods, accepting the gratitude he doesn't want. She never says thank you again but he knows that's what she means every morning.
For his birthday (now that she knows his name he's a little less uptight about revealing personal details) she buys him a copy of "Ride Lonesome." He accepts it with his trademark silence, eyes on the floor as he claps her on the shoulder. She volunteers to help Ida tie up the loose ends on their last case and he shuffles upstairs to watch the end of the movie alone.
Now that she's met Wendy's "slave driver of a boss" and Wendy mentions in passing that he doesn't really have any family or friends in the area, Lacey invites him over for dinner. He sits on the floor between Noser and Perfect Warren, dressed in his civvies and smiling politely at the conversation. He thanks Tyler for the free CD and promises to come to the next Art Crawl to see Lacey perform. When Wendy walks him out to his car, he insists that he had a good time and although she knows he's happy to see Lacey happy, there's something in his eyes that wasn't there before.
The next time Lacey tries to invite him to dinner, Wendy makes up an excuse.
They're on a stakeout one night, watching the gargoyles that adorn the roof of the courthouse and waiting for them to take flight, when she can't keep quiet any longer.
"You can talk about her. Raveena. Y'know, if you want."
His grip on the steering wheel tightens, knuckles turning white, but he acts like he didn't hear anything.
Three days later, when they are replacing the heavy, finally motionless gargoyles to their original positions on the edge of the roof, he starts talking without prompting: how his recruiter handed him over to be Raveena's Middleboy, how she kicked his ass the first time he swore in front of her, how they fell in love, and how he felt when she finally left and he made his vow. He talks all the way back to Ops and Wendy ends up making them hot chocolate and staying at HQ until dawn when he finally stops talking.
In the crushing silence that follows, he ducks his head like an embarrassed little boy and with a quiet but heartfelt, "Thanks, Dubbie," he gives her the day off and walks away before she can say anything.
Things get better after that, slowly but surely. He's not so quiet and stoic all the time, Ida's jokes get saltier again, and the milk she delivers every morning seems more like a friendly gesture than a reminder of the things he's done. Sometimes when he sees Lacey, he can smile - really smile - and not feel suckerpunched afterward. When she tells him about something cute or funny Tyler did last weekend, he occasionally responds with a complementary story about Raveena.
And he saves the world again [and again] without having to give up anything else. For that she is infinitely grateful.