last tangerine, finally
Author:
hi_falootin
Story: Second Chances
Prompt: Tangerine 5. sharing + Malt : sharing : Rayn - if ever I would leave you
Rating: PG
Word count: 511
Notes: I was going to use this prompt for Teeny's dare, but I was looking at the hat prompt I had and...this wouldn't leave me alone. It really wanted to be written :P But it's sort of Mike/Rayn anyway? Sort of?
Rayn hooks his thumbs into his pockets. "I wanted to tell you something." Right before Rayn leaves.
Half-asleep, Mike steps out onto the porch to let the cat in. The sun's just coming up, still low in the sky, but it's hot out already. The concrete's warm beneath his feet; he needs to find shoes.
There's a car idling by the curb. When he shields his eyes to peer inside, the passenger door swings open.
Rayn? Mike squints under the shade of his hand. His breath catches in his throat, a brief moment of disbelief.
"Hey," Rayn calls. He slams the door shut and jogs up the steps.
Mike tries to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He steps out from behind the screen door, letting it close behind him. "Hi. I thought...aren't you leaving today?"
"I am." Rayn gestures to the car. "Charli's driving me, remember?" He smiles; he looks far too awake for 5:30 am. For someone who was up late last night pocketing good-byes, he looks too good. Mike rubs at the skin under his own eyes, shaking his head.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
He's already done this once; twice seems unfair.
"I knew you were working this morning. I was hoping I could catch you." Rayn hooks his thumbs into his pockets. "I wanted to tell you something."
Mike folds his arms across his body. What do you say after good-bye?
"I was just..." Rayn says. "I was thinking about all this stuff last night and I couldn't sleep-"
"You didn't sleep?"
Rayn laughs, like he's trying to shake off his nerves. "No. I've been up. And I was thinking about how we left things kind of...weird? And this is selfish but...it's is really going to bother me if I don't say anything."
Mike blinks. "Okay."
"So..." Rayn reaches into his back pocket, pulls something out. A couple sheets of paper folded in quarters. "I wrote you this. Sorry if it's kind of dumb, I just..."
Mike reaches out, then hesitates. His fingers curl back against his palm.
"Please?" Rayn says.
Mike takes it. "Thanks," he says quietly. He looks down at his toes and flexes them against the concrete. He's going to be late for work. "I kind of have to go."
"Oh yeah, of course," Rayn says. "Me too." He holds out his hand and Mike thinks, we've done this part too. It was hard the first time, but now maybe he should be grateful for the hour. His head is still fuzzy; it's too surreal to hurt. He takes Rayn's hand. Rayn squeezes his hand without shaking.
"Bye," he says.
"Bye," Mike says. Their hands slip away and he's only holding the folded paper, watching Rayn wave as he walks backwards to the car.
Mike steps back inside so he doesn't have to watch them leave. He holds the paper tightly in both his hands; new creases appear under his thumbs.
He is going to be late now.
Holding his breath, he pulls open the folds and lets the message spill out.
* * *
...er, fake cliffhanger, anyone?
I felt a bit like I was walking the line between drama and melodrama here but hrm...hopefully not going too far in the melodramatic direction. Part of it was me thinking OK, THIS IS A KEY SCENE, DON'T FUCK IT UP. And part of it was trying to get across that it is a really weird feeling when you say goodbye to someone and then have to do it again :P
hi_falootin
Story: Second Chances
Prompt: Tangerine 5. sharing + Malt : sharing : Rayn - if ever I would leave you
Rating: PG
Word count: 511
Notes: I was going to use this prompt for Teeny's dare, but I was looking at the hat prompt I had and...this wouldn't leave me alone. It really wanted to be written :P But it's sort of Mike/Rayn anyway? Sort of?
Rayn hooks his thumbs into his pockets. "I wanted to tell you something." Right before Rayn leaves.
Half-asleep, Mike steps out onto the porch to let the cat in. The sun's just coming up, still low in the sky, but it's hot out already. The concrete's warm beneath his feet; he needs to find shoes.
There's a car idling by the curb. When he shields his eyes to peer inside, the passenger door swings open.
Rayn? Mike squints under the shade of his hand. His breath catches in his throat, a brief moment of disbelief.
"Hey," Rayn calls. He slams the door shut and jogs up the steps.
Mike tries to blink the sleep out of his eyes. He steps out from behind the screen door, letting it close behind him. "Hi. I thought...aren't you leaving today?"
"I am." Rayn gestures to the car. "Charli's driving me, remember?" He smiles; he looks far too awake for 5:30 am. For someone who was up late last night pocketing good-byes, he looks too good. Mike rubs at the skin under his own eyes, shaking his head.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
He's already done this once; twice seems unfair.
"I knew you were working this morning. I was hoping I could catch you." Rayn hooks his thumbs into his pockets. "I wanted to tell you something."
Mike folds his arms across his body. What do you say after good-bye?
"I was just..." Rayn says. "I was thinking about all this stuff last night and I couldn't sleep-"
"You didn't sleep?"
Rayn laughs, like he's trying to shake off his nerves. "No. I've been up. And I was thinking about how we left things kind of...weird? And this is selfish but...it's is really going to bother me if I don't say anything."
Mike blinks. "Okay."
"So..." Rayn reaches into his back pocket, pulls something out. A couple sheets of paper folded in quarters. "I wrote you this. Sorry if it's kind of dumb, I just..."
Mike reaches out, then hesitates. His fingers curl back against his palm.
"Please?" Rayn says.
Mike takes it. "Thanks," he says quietly. He looks down at his toes and flexes them against the concrete. He's going to be late for work. "I kind of have to go."
"Oh yeah, of course," Rayn says. "Me too." He holds out his hand and Mike thinks, we've done this part too. It was hard the first time, but now maybe he should be grateful for the hour. His head is still fuzzy; it's too surreal to hurt. He takes Rayn's hand. Rayn squeezes his hand without shaking.
"Bye," he says.
"Bye," Mike says. Their hands slip away and he's only holding the folded paper, watching Rayn wave as he walks backwards to the car.
Mike steps back inside so he doesn't have to watch them leave. He holds the paper tightly in both his hands; new creases appear under his thumbs.
He is going to be late now.
Holding his breath, he pulls open the folds and lets the message spill out.
* * *
...er, fake cliffhanger, anyone?
I felt a bit like I was walking the line between drama and melodrama here but hrm...hopefully not going too far in the melodramatic direction. Part of it was me thinking OK, THIS IS A KEY SCENE, DON'T FUCK IT UP. And part of it was trying to get across that it is a really weird feeling when you say goodbye to someone and then have to do it again :P