(no subject)
Set during that nebulous time when Ric was in Mexico and Shatty wasn’t. Though I might have screwed up Ric’s age.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANGE! For you, a JB-drabble. ;-D
JB
Surprise 1/1
It had taken Shatterstar many days to plan.
He’d found out about the date purely by accident, you see. A stray comment from one of his teammates several years before and some television references were all he had to go on.
Still, he was rather certain Ric would be surprised. He hadn’t told his friend anything, and he’d planned very, very carefully.
Shatterstar, despite being completely incompetent (and aware of it) in most things, could plan. He wouldn’t have been able to escape slavery if he couldn’t, after all. So he planned.
And when Ric stepped out off his motorcycle on his twenty-first birthday, Shatterstar was there to bash him over the head and carry him off, unconscious.
**
“SHATTERSTAR?” Ric bellowed many hours later, hanging upside down from his ankles. He had the worst headache ever, and he couldn’t be certain if it had to do with blood flowing to his head or to the wound his alien friend had left.
Shatterstar stood in front of him, sword tip aimed just a hair’s breadth from Ric’s eye, a look of utter intent in his face.
Ric moved as little as possible, glancing around.
They were in an empty building.
There were geese on the floor.
And Shatterstar was naked.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ric asked calmly, considering his position and the fact that cool metal was so close he could almost feel it. A goose trundled by beneath him.
Shatterstar’s silver eyes narrowed. “Are you surprised?”
Ric licked his lips. He would have swallowed, but it was difficult while upside down. “Yes.”
Shatterstar’s face broke into a large smile. He stepped back, sheathing the sword--despite a lack of clothing, he still wore his harness. “Good! Happy birthday!”
Ric stared. He swung lightly. A breeze was coming in from a wall, no more than rubble in one corner. “Happy birthday?” he asked slowly.
“Yes! I wanted to have you a birthday surprise, and I succeeded. You just said so yourself.”
Ric stared. “You mean,” he said slowly, “you wanted to throw me a surprise party?”
Shatterstar, still beaming, nodded.
Ric sighed and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t have a nice, quiet birthday at home with his family. Nooooo. A weird, red-headed alien had to hunt him down and knock him out, dragging him here--
“Why are there geese?” he asked finally.
“They were surprising,” Shatterstar said.
“Of course,” Ric muttered. “Can I get down now?” He didn’t flinch when Shatterstar lifted him by the rope around his ankles with one hand, cutting it with the other. Ric reached down, planting both palms on the ground as he was lowered carefully. “Why are you naked?” he asked, seeing small red hairs curling off muscular calves.
“It was sur--“
“--prising,” Ric finished. He supposed he should have seen that one coming.
His head was *killing* him. He lay on the ground, face pillowed on his arms. Nothing had gone right that week, and now *this.*
“Ric?” Shatterstar said quietly. Broad feet balanced on ball and toes, knees bending deeply. Shatterstar twisted. Hair pooled down around the floor, and then silver eyes were looking at Ric. His face was solemn, slightly upset. “Did I do it wrong?”
Of *course* he’d done it wrong. You didn’t beat someone over the head--
Ric took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to banish all the frustration that had been building up over the last few days. “Normally you wouldn’t knock someone out,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
His head was pounding horribly. The Mexican sun was blinding hot, and had been for days. He was covered in dust and now he was bruised and--
--and he was pretty sure he was lying in goose crap.
“I’m sorry. I thought it would be a good way to surprise someone,” Shatterstar said softly. “I thought it would take a great deal to make you surprised.” A hand hovered over Ric’s head, fingers barely tickling the back of his neck.
He hadn’t seen Shatterstar in months. Ric sighed and let himself relax. The hand drifted down his back more firmly. Ric cracked one eye open, peering at the naked man crouched next to him. It wasn’t as if Shatterstar realized it wasn’t the way things were done, and he looked so forlorn now, and he’d come all this way . . . “Thanks,” Ric said with a wry smile. “This was definitely surprising.”
Shatterstar brightened. “A good one?”
“Except for the headache, yes,” Ric said. He smiled softly. “But it’s always good to see you. You don’t have to wait until a birthday to visit, you know.”
Shatterstar leaned sideways, kicking his feet out from under him. A goose squawked and jumped away, and Shatterstar sprawled over on one arm. “I’ve been busy. Your head hurts?”
“How long was I upside down?” Ric asked dryly.
Shatterstar just shrugged. His hand drifted over Ric’s head again, fingers threading through his hair. Silver eyes seemed thoughtful. He looked hesitantly at Ric, then said, “I know a cure for headaches . . .”
Ric’s eyebrows lifted questioningly. He couldn’t manage more. Too hard.
Slowly, Shatterstar stooped farther. Lips brushed Ric’s. A tongue flicked out.
Ric grinned. It had been entirely too long since he’d seen Shatterstar. He turned, looping an arm around the other man’s neck. Hair slid under his skin, soft and inhuman. Shatterstar’s mouth opened over his, tongue teasing out, sliding over his lips and teeth and flesh. After a moment, Star pulled away and let Ric breathe.
“I like this cure,” Ric murmured.
Shatterstar grinned, all hesitancy vanishing. He moved closer, and a hand slid up under Ric’s shirt.
Ric squirmed. “This was a *great* surprise,” he murmured, shifting around and pulling the other man nearer still.
He felt Shatterstar’s smile. Things kept them apart the vast majority of the time, and yet somehow every time Shatterstar came to Mexico to visit, it seemed like no time had passed at all.
The week suddenly didn’t seem so terrible.
Somewhere nearby, a goose squawked. Both men ignored it, and focused on getting rid of Ric’s headache.
--End
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANGE! For you, a JB-drabble. ;-D
JB
Surprise 1/1
It had taken Shatterstar many days to plan.
He’d found out about the date purely by accident, you see. A stray comment from one of his teammates several years before and some television references were all he had to go on.
Still, he was rather certain Ric would be surprised. He hadn’t told his friend anything, and he’d planned very, very carefully.
Shatterstar, despite being completely incompetent (and aware of it) in most things, could plan. He wouldn’t have been able to escape slavery if he couldn’t, after all. So he planned.
And when Ric stepped out off his motorcycle on his twenty-first birthday, Shatterstar was there to bash him over the head and carry him off, unconscious.
**
“SHATTERSTAR?” Ric bellowed many hours later, hanging upside down from his ankles. He had the worst headache ever, and he couldn’t be certain if it had to do with blood flowing to his head or to the wound his alien friend had left.
Shatterstar stood in front of him, sword tip aimed just a hair’s breadth from Ric’s eye, a look of utter intent in his face.
Ric moved as little as possible, glancing around.
They were in an empty building.
There were geese on the floor.
And Shatterstar was naked.
“What the hell are you doing?” Ric asked calmly, considering his position and the fact that cool metal was so close he could almost feel it. A goose trundled by beneath him.
Shatterstar’s silver eyes narrowed. “Are you surprised?”
Ric licked his lips. He would have swallowed, but it was difficult while upside down. “Yes.”
Shatterstar’s face broke into a large smile. He stepped back, sheathing the sword--despite a lack of clothing, he still wore his harness. “Good! Happy birthday!”
Ric stared. He swung lightly. A breeze was coming in from a wall, no more than rubble in one corner. “Happy birthday?” he asked slowly.
“Yes! I wanted to have you a birthday surprise, and I succeeded. You just said so yourself.”
Ric stared. “You mean,” he said slowly, “you wanted to throw me a surprise party?”
Shatterstar, still beaming, nodded.
Ric sighed and rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t have a nice, quiet birthday at home with his family. Nooooo. A weird, red-headed alien had to hunt him down and knock him out, dragging him here--
“Why are there geese?” he asked finally.
“They were surprising,” Shatterstar said.
“Of course,” Ric muttered. “Can I get down now?” He didn’t flinch when Shatterstar lifted him by the rope around his ankles with one hand, cutting it with the other. Ric reached down, planting both palms on the ground as he was lowered carefully. “Why are you naked?” he asked, seeing small red hairs curling off muscular calves.
“It was sur--“
“--prising,” Ric finished. He supposed he should have seen that one coming.
His head was *killing* him. He lay on the ground, face pillowed on his arms. Nothing had gone right that week, and now *this.*
“Ric?” Shatterstar said quietly. Broad feet balanced on ball and toes, knees bending deeply. Shatterstar twisted. Hair pooled down around the floor, and then silver eyes were looking at Ric. His face was solemn, slightly upset. “Did I do it wrong?”
Of *course* he’d done it wrong. You didn’t beat someone over the head--
Ric took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to banish all the frustration that had been building up over the last few days. “Normally you wouldn’t knock someone out,” he mumbled, closing his eyes.
His head was pounding horribly. The Mexican sun was blinding hot, and had been for days. He was covered in dust and now he was bruised and--
--and he was pretty sure he was lying in goose crap.
“I’m sorry. I thought it would be a good way to surprise someone,” Shatterstar said softly. “I thought it would take a great deal to make you surprised.” A hand hovered over Ric’s head, fingers barely tickling the back of his neck.
He hadn’t seen Shatterstar in months. Ric sighed and let himself relax. The hand drifted down his back more firmly. Ric cracked one eye open, peering at the naked man crouched next to him. It wasn’t as if Shatterstar realized it wasn’t the way things were done, and he looked so forlorn now, and he’d come all this way . . . “Thanks,” Ric said with a wry smile. “This was definitely surprising.”
Shatterstar brightened. “A good one?”
“Except for the headache, yes,” Ric said. He smiled softly. “But it’s always good to see you. You don’t have to wait until a birthday to visit, you know.”
Shatterstar leaned sideways, kicking his feet out from under him. A goose squawked and jumped away, and Shatterstar sprawled over on one arm. “I’ve been busy. Your head hurts?”
“How long was I upside down?” Ric asked dryly.
Shatterstar just shrugged. His hand drifted over Ric’s head again, fingers threading through his hair. Silver eyes seemed thoughtful. He looked hesitantly at Ric, then said, “I know a cure for headaches . . .”
Ric’s eyebrows lifted questioningly. He couldn’t manage more. Too hard.
Slowly, Shatterstar stooped farther. Lips brushed Ric’s. A tongue flicked out.
Ric grinned. It had been entirely too long since he’d seen Shatterstar. He turned, looping an arm around the other man’s neck. Hair slid under his skin, soft and inhuman. Shatterstar’s mouth opened over his, tongue teasing out, sliding over his lips and teeth and flesh. After a moment, Star pulled away and let Ric breathe.
“I like this cure,” Ric murmured.
Shatterstar grinned, all hesitancy vanishing. He moved closer, and a hand slid up under Ric’s shirt.
Ric squirmed. “This was a *great* surprise,” he murmured, shifting around and pulling the other man nearer still.
He felt Shatterstar’s smile. Things kept them apart the vast majority of the time, and yet somehow every time Shatterstar came to Mexico to visit, it seemed like no time had passed at all.
The week suddenly didn’t seem so terrible.
Somewhere nearby, a goose squawked. Both men ignored it, and focused on getting rid of Ric’s headache.
--End