Discovered in a Box of Baubles - Day 21 - Prosfic - Gone Completely Barmy by Slantedlight
Last ficlet for the day - and that's 4/4 requests fulfilled! Thanks everyone who made requests! *g*
Gone Completely Barmy
by Slantedlight
For Krisserci5
post-Wild Justice
They watched Cowley stride away, ignoring the milling police, gesturing to Kate Ross, who nodded back, clearly began finishing her conversation with one of the ambulance drivers.
“What d'you reckon?” Bodie asked, unable to let it go. He trusted Cowley, trusted him with his life, and George Cowley had held a gun to his head.
“I reckon he might've done,” Doyle said, hands casually in his pockets, not fooling Bodie any more than Bodie was fooling him.
“Yeah.”
“Course I’m tempted to do it myself,” Doyle added, and this time Bodie looked at him. “The next time you get the urge to go at me with half a tree - well, just don’t, that’s all.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Bodie tried the ghost of a winning smile. “Didn’t realise it was you at first. You know how it is…”
“Oh yeah,” Doyle said, dripping sarcasm. “I’m always forgetting who you are in the middle of a fight.”
“Look - I couldn’t let them get away with it, could I?”
“So you ‘ad to take ‘em on single-handed. The Great Bodie. Superman to the rescue.”
Bodie glared at him. “I asked you to help, you told me to fuck off!”
“You didn’t ask me for anything - you were too busy playing games.” Doyle was looking around. “Can you see Sally?”
“No. And I wasn’t playing games. Doyle…” But he was too late, Doyle was striding across the car park to where he’d left the jeep, and all Bodie could do was follow him. By the time he’d got there Doyle had cornered a couple sitting at one of the pub tables.
“…left with some bloke,” the man was saying.
“Blond,” the girl said. “Ever so good looking.”
Doyle threw up his arms. “Great. That’s just great.” He waved at the couple, who were looking bemused. “Thanks…”
“Doyle…” He floundered, not sure what to say now that he felt he’d better say it. “Come for a drink.” He tipped his head towards the Seven Stars.
Doyle looked deflated, the tail end of his temper finally vanishing. “You gonna tell me what was going on, are you?”
“Buy me a pint, I’ll tell you anything you want.”
“Buy me dinner and I might even listen,” Doyle retorted, and strode away for the second time - but towards the open pub door.
They had steak pie and chips in the end, ensconced at a corner table so that they could watch the crowd rather than look at each other, and then sat nursing their pints, letting the day - the week, the month - dissolve around them. After a while, Bodie started to talk, about Keith and Cheryl, and Trevor and Philpot and the rest of them.
When he finally wound down, Doyle looked over at him. “You could have told me, you know.”
Bodie shook his head. “It all kicked off not long after Ann Holly. You weren’t up for it.” He hadn’t been up for it either - he’d been that close to losing Doyle.
“You should have tried me,” Doyle insisted, but there was an edge to his voice that told Bodie he’d been right. Doyle might not have had real plans to marry her, but he was still cut up about it. Sally was the first woman he’d taken out since, and she was more like a sister than a girlfriend.
“Yeah,” Bodie said instead, and they both knew it was as much a lie as Doyle’s. “Next time, eh?”
Doyle turned his head and met his eyes at last. Bodie gazed back openly, because there was nothing to hide any more. “Yeah,” Doyle repeated. “Alright Superman, let’s go home.”
21st December, 2020
Title: Gone Completely Barmy
Author: Slantedlight
Slash or Gen: Always slash
Archive at ProsLib: Certainly
Disclaimer: Bodie, Doyle, and the CI5 universe don't belong to me, although I do enjoying playing with them.
Notes: For krisserci5's ficlet prompt, Winter Solstice 2020.
Gone Completely Barmy
by Slantedlight
For Krisserci5
post-Wild Justice
They watched Cowley stride away, ignoring the milling police, gesturing to Kate Ross, who nodded back, clearly began finishing her conversation with one of the ambulance drivers.
“What d'you reckon?” Bodie asked, unable to let it go. He trusted Cowley, trusted him with his life, and George Cowley had held a gun to his head.
“I reckon he might've done,” Doyle said, hands casually in his pockets, not fooling Bodie any more than Bodie was fooling him.
“Yeah.”
“Course I’m tempted to do it myself,” Doyle added, and this time Bodie looked at him. “The next time you get the urge to go at me with half a tree - well, just don’t, that’s all.”
“Yeah, sorry.” Bodie tried the ghost of a winning smile. “Didn’t realise it was you at first. You know how it is…”
“Oh yeah,” Doyle said, dripping sarcasm. “I’m always forgetting who you are in the middle of a fight.”
“Look - I couldn’t let them get away with it, could I?”
“So you ‘ad to take ‘em on single-handed. The Great Bodie. Superman to the rescue.”
Bodie glared at him. “I asked you to help, you told me to fuck off!”
“You didn’t ask me for anything - you were too busy playing games.” Doyle was looking around. “Can you see Sally?”
“No. And I wasn’t playing games. Doyle…” But he was too late, Doyle was striding across the car park to where he’d left the jeep, and all Bodie could do was follow him. By the time he’d got there Doyle had cornered a couple sitting at one of the pub tables.
“…left with some bloke,” the man was saying.
“Blond,” the girl said. “Ever so good looking.”
Doyle threw up his arms. “Great. That’s just great.” He waved at the couple, who were looking bemused. “Thanks…”
“Doyle…” He floundered, not sure what to say now that he felt he’d better say it. “Come for a drink.” He tipped his head towards the Seven Stars.
Doyle looked deflated, the tail end of his temper finally vanishing. “You gonna tell me what was going on, are you?”
“Buy me a pint, I’ll tell you anything you want.”
“Buy me dinner and I might even listen,” Doyle retorted, and strode away for the second time - but towards the open pub door.
They had steak pie and chips in the end, ensconced at a corner table so that they could watch the crowd rather than look at each other, and then sat nursing their pints, letting the day - the week, the month - dissolve around them. After a while, Bodie started to talk, about Keith and Cheryl, and Trevor and Philpot and the rest of them.
When he finally wound down, Doyle looked over at him. “You could have told me, you know.”
Bodie shook his head. “It all kicked off not long after Ann Holly. You weren’t up for it.” He hadn’t been up for it either - he’d been that close to losing Doyle.
“You should have tried me,” Doyle insisted, but there was an edge to his voice that told Bodie he’d been right. Doyle might not have had real plans to marry her, but he was still cut up about it. Sally was the first woman he’d taken out since, and she was more like a sister than a girlfriend.
“Yeah,” Bodie said instead, and they both knew it was as much a lie as Doyle’s. “Next time, eh?”
Doyle turned his head and met his eyes at last. Bodie gazed back openly, because there was nothing to hide any more. “Yeah,” Doyle repeated. “Alright Superman, let’s go home.”
21st December, 2020
Title: Gone Completely Barmy
Author: Slantedlight
Slash or Gen: Always slash
Archive at ProsLib: Certainly
Disclaimer: Bodie, Doyle, and the CI5 universe don't belong to me, although I do enjoying playing with them.
Notes: For krisserci5's ficlet prompt, Winter Solstice 2020.