Fic: Bodie's Barometer

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

I'm actually writing something else for the challenge. Scribbled this on bits of paper yesterday when I was supervising some very loooong, boring exams.


Bodie's Barometer

The sound of a half-finished meal being pushed across the pub table makes Doyle look up sharply. In his experience, Bodie toying with food is never something to take lightly.

******

The night after Marikka Doyle is desperate for peace between them. He turns up at Bodie’s flat with battered sausage and chips from Anselmo’s, drowned in vinegar just the way Bodie likes them. But his partner pushes the half-eaten packet back across the table and replaces it with ice cubes in a glassful of scotch, and a silence Doyle cannot breach.

The day before King Billy, it’s a half-touched steak and kidney pie. Bodie pushes it across a worn and uneven pub table, his lip curling in an odd half smile as Doyle raises an eyebrow in silent question.

The evening after their near-lethal run across an airfield, Doyle watches a cooling coffee fall from Bodie’s nerveless fingers. Bodie curses his clumsiness and rubs ineffectually at the stain on the carpet, while Doyle wants to kiss him in the sweet relief of that being the only damage done that awful, awful day.

The week after that mad dash and rescue the kiss comes. After a heart-stopping scare in a library, a scare which has Doyle hanging on to an unconscious Bodie and promising all sorts to a God he hasn’t thought about in years. It comes after a spaghetti bolognese cooked to perfection, when Doyle can no longer resist the gratitude he feels. So he rises up and kneels in front of his partner, to show him that promises made in panic can and should be kept.

The afternoon after Bodie comes out of the squat, Doyle has roast beef and homemade chips waiting for him. Partly in apology for Esther, who he tried on and discarded like an eye-catching jumper. And partly because he knows Bodie has had little but cornflakes and cigarettes for days. It works and Bodie forgives him, chip by chip.

Weeks after Doyle is caught and cornered by a pair of almond eyes, the roles reverse dramatically. Doyle is plied with everything Bodie’s fevered imagination can come up with to get his weight back up and his enthusiasm restored. Choc-ice and chips is what finally gets him out of bed, out of the blues, and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him. He stares at the plate before him, unable to believe his eyes at what his stupid partner has done now. He opens his mouth to blast Bodie from the room and his world, when out comes laughter. He reaches for a fork and never looks back.

******

So seconds after Bodie pushes away yet another plate across yet another table, Doyle looks closely. There are no more Esthers between them, no more Anns, no more Marikkas, and there haven’t been for a long time. But this is Bodie, where still waters will always run deep, and where King Billies may yet lurk.

That night, when Doyle is jolted awake by feet pounding the bedroom floor to the bathroom, he actually relaxes when he hears retching from within. Just a stomach bug after all, then. Those he can handle with his eyes closed. He steers a staggery Bodie back to bed, makes appropriate noises, then disappears. He comes back with a warm flannel, an extra blanket and a glass of water. They will do for now. Tomorrow it’ll be Heinz tomato soup, the tried and tested healer of his childhood. He climbs back under the covers and gathers the shivering, unhappy man close. Bodie grumbles into his neck, something about not being able to sleep like this. Doyle ignores him and rubs his arm until he starts to snore. In the dark Doyle smiles at the sound.

Bodie and food. The barometer that never fails.

******

Title: Bodie’s Barometer
Author: Callisto
Genre: Slash
Archive at The Circuit: Sure
Notes: From the following fanon: Bodie is always always hungry, and will eat squirrel if he has to. Many thanks to ancasta for the lightning quick beta. And I have shamelessly used and abused my own fanon here from my Fugitive fic,'A Falling Off'.

Comments

[schnuffi.livejournal.com]

ROFL!!! What a perfect idea. I bet it's easy to judge Bodie's mood by what he eats or rather what he doesn't eat. Love all the canon snipets you worked in too. And I'm ever so glad it's just a stomach bug after all. Poor Bodie *G*

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I rather liked the premise of judging Bodie by what he eats.. And when I started thinking about it, there were a few episodes and moments that sprang to mind.

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

Oooh, beautifully done with just the perfect choices of foods to underline these moments. *g*

I love the parallel of the spaghetti bolognese and choc-ice and chips scenes and in those two scenes in particular Doyle can no longer resist the gratitude he feels and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him.

The way Doyle can gauge these things in food makes perfect sense and they're always so aware of each other's actions and behaviours anyway.

Thank you for this! ♥

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. And I'm glad you enjoyed choc-ice and chips and the Heinz. Heh. Heinz tomato soup really is a classic British comfort food.*g* And cheers for the heads up, have put the wandering 'i' back in. There's no Heinz here either, I'm afraid. Just not fair, is it?

[siskiou.livejournal.com]

and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him
Perfect line!
And fanon can be so much fun! :)
I could see Doyle being relieved that it's a simple thing like an upset stomach, and not something else that Bodie is keeping to himself.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

I liked the idea of a twist, that Doyle can be relieved it's just something physical, and not a sign of emotional trouble. Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh bless, bless 'em both... *g* Lovely start to the day - thank you! And another Callistofic to come - yeay!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad I could give you a nice start to your day!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

A caring Doyle is better than every 'Mum'!
"...a stomach bug after all, then. Those he can handle with with his eyes closed..."

Thank you for this morning "dream"! The men I know vanish in the guest room on such occasions.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

The men I know vanish in the guest room on such occasions. Hee! No, my hubby's pretty good, I must say. Very handy with blankets, fruit juice and the like.. Glad you enjoyed the 'dream'!

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

"...my hubby's pretty good..."
Never give him away! ;-)

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Beautiful start to the day (and made my toast and marmalade taste so much better!). It is such a fun idea, that Bodie not eating should be such a sure sign of trouble. I'm glad Doyle is looking after him ... that moment when you get back into bed after having had to get as far as the loo to throw up in the middle of the night, and you're all shivery and cold, is sort-of-almost nice when the bed's warm. And you feel so much better just after throwing up - up for accepting a bit of coddling then! Bodie was only grumbling for form's sake, secretly he really liked the warm-flannel-glass-of-water-blanket treatment.
(yes, touch of food poisoning a few weeks ago ... zoic#2 and I got it, the others escaped; fortunately it turned out I had eaten more of what proved to be the culprit and zoic#2 only got a touch of it. First and last time I trust a shop-roasted chicken).

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Oh no, you poor thing! I like that you enjoyed the fic, but I really didn't want you identifying with Bodie *that* closely!! Oh God yes, shop-roasted chicken. I'm paranoid about chicken anyway since a colleague came down with salmonlella from a badly cooked sandwich that WE ALMOST SHARED years ago. She was off work four weeks. I'll lend you the Doyle blankie for a bit, okay??

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Yes please!!!!!! Or maybe I could just, you know, help him look after Bodie for a little bit ... in case the occasional fevered brow needs mopping while Doyle makes quite sure Bodie is aaaaaaall better .... *g*

The daft thing is we practically never get shop-prepared food - that was probably the only time in literally years - and we just happened to get the dodgy bird! Mostly we all enjoy my OH's cooking; he's a pretty good cook, lucky us. Me, I'm in charge of intermittent kitchen assistance, pizza bases, occasional baking - and pancakes today, yum. (all fully recovered, you see!)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

This is really cute—in a "I love them to bits" sort of way. Short, but very sweet and oh, so lovely. And so very them.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm happy you found it sweet but them.

[hambelandjemima.livejournal.com]

I love the way you've taken canon and told a whole new story.

And Heinz tomato soup - I remember it from my own childhood - always with Lucozade :D

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Yes, Lucozade! I'd forgotten all about the magic of Lucozade. Is it still around? And tomato soup was often brought out in times of illness and feeling poorly in our house. Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed my twist on a few canon points here.

[hambelandjemima.livejournal.com]

Lucozade is still around, although it doesn't have the orange cellophane on it now, which is a pity because that added to the allure of it as far as I was concerned :D

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I swear, you always bring me right into your story and smack me upside the head with it. This is so simple yet so complicated. I'm in awe.

Okay, on to the good stuff.

and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him.

This is such a sweet, wonderful phrase! What a vision, Bodie keeping Doyle's life warm for him. It's just perfect.

I love how you have Doyle gauging Bodie's feelings/moods by how he eats. And how you took us through the trials they'd had and they end up together. And how relieved (sort of) Doyle is that it's "just" a bug, something he can handle with tomato soup and love. *kat sniffles*

I swear you tell me again how you don't love mush and romance and I'm coming all the way to Turkey to thump you.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

I swear you tell me again how you don't love mush and romance and I'm coming all the way to Turkey to thump you. Hee!! You got me, I love the quiet moments between them.. Thanks for such lovely feedback, Kat. Delighted to smack you lovingly upside the head anytime.*g*

[solosundance.livejournal.com]

my heart is fluttering at the idea that Bodie plies a convalescent Doyle with choc-ice and chips ... ah yes, my kinda guy *g* This is a very lovely little piece and I'm in awe at how skillfully you weave in five eps and your own fanon (a scene which I absolutely adore btw).

The evening after their near-lethal run across an airfield, Doyle watches a cooling coffee fall from Bodie’s nerveless fingers. Bodie curses his clumsiness and rubs ineffectually at the stain on the carpet, while Doyle wants to kiss him in the sweet relief of that being the only damage done that awful, awful day. Damn I love this. Brings back all the emotions from Fugitive in two perfect little lines. And the Takeaway bit ... your description of Doyle's "relationship" with Esther is spot-on .. and aww ... nothing but cigarettes and cornflakes for days on end ... *pets Bodie, goes to see if there's any choc-ices in the freezer*

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much, Jo. Choc-ice and chips just seemed a very Bodie-like combination to try! And thanks for picking out that Fugitive bit. I swear, I don't think I'll ever be able to stay away from that episode. Enjoy your choc-ice, sunshine.

[ailcia.livejournal.com]

Absolutely lovely... If I didn't have the domestic kink already, you'd have bloody well given it to me with that! Way to a man's heart, innit? :D

Thankyou, love! My absolute favourite bit of this was the image of Bodie impatiently keeping his life warm for him... Gorgeous.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Alice. Always happy to pay the kink forwards! And thanks for picking out that line about Bodie. I added 'impatiently' after I'd written it and it made it much more him.*g*

[izzie7.livejournal.com]

Lovely! Not a wasted word, and says so much :)

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Izzie. Much appreciated, my dear.

[ancastar.livejournal.com]

Yay! What a lovely fic to kick off my Friday. It's sweet and funny, and bless Doyle when he's all insightful and caring. Nicely done.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you have to figure that Doyle is going to suss him as much as it is possible to - and what better way than by what he eats or doesn't eat?? Thank you, An. Hugs.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I can't tell you how much I love this - the understanding of each other that it demonstrates; the caring, and the love.
and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him. I love that description! Also this: who he tried on and discarded like an eye-catching jumper.
Heinz tomato soup is a favourite here, too, if I'm not feeling well. The original comfort food!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm thrilled you liked it so much. And I'm happy you picked out that image of Esther. I liked that line as soon as I wrote it, so I'm pleased you liked it too. It makes slash fit into canon.*g*

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

You know, when you think about it, food does show up a lot in the episodes.... Thank you! This is a lovely and very fitting idea, and I really like the table turning after DIAG. *g* Plus the line that others have mentioned about Bodie keeping his place warm. Very nice.

Lovely surprise for a Friday morning!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

You know, when you think about it, food does show up a lot in the episodes.... Yes, and even when it doesn't you can always put it in..*g* And food as a weapon almost in Bodie's hands post DIAG! Thank you, I'm glad I could give you a nice Friday surprise.

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Oh what a treat on a Friday night! My scrambled brain is incapable of articulate comment (no change there!), so I'll just say this is gorgeous and thank you!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you! 'Gorgeous' is a fine and lovely word, don't you worry!!

[erushi.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to find the right words to express just how much I love this, but since my brain's failing me somewhat, I'm afraid "wonderful" and "adorable" are the best it can come up with. This was absolutely lovely, with a poetic turn of phrase and subtle humour aplenty. I also adored the way you took us through the various episodes in a line or two, and the working in of all the dishes and linking them with Bodie's psyche is a sheer brilliance (not to mention making me quite hungry). Thank you so much for writing this!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for such kind words. I'm very happy you enjoyed my stroll through Bodie's psyche via his eating habits.

[asymphototropic.livejournal.com]

I love your chronicle of episode events as a story premise. It is a nifty structure upon which to artistically drape your softer, sympathetic fic, a cooly contrasty effect.

Sorry to be idiotic [chalk it up to a case of the flu.] The only library scene I can call to mind is the one in "Fugitive" when Klaus and Jack end up bloody and down. "After a heart-stopping scare in a library, a scare which has Doyle hanging on to an unconscious Bodie and promising all sorts to a God he hasn’t thought about in years." Is this event in a different episode?

Food for thought... [sorry, couldn't resist.] Is Heinz tomato soup very different from Campbell's? And here the Pros Fandom seems to be right on top of the stock market news, with Heinz talking about buying up Campbell's. You all may get your wish, and Heinz soup may soon be a reality in the US, [and Turkey soup as well, ooof terrible pun, sorry.]

Very enjoyable read, this. Looking forward to your next fic with great anticipation.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Cheers my dear, for your kind comments. Is this event in a different episode? Asy, don't blame your flu here. That's me incorporating my fanon into canon via my fic 'A Falling Off'. I advised in the notes that I had committed this hubris.*g* Wish it had been in another episode, mind. A sort of 'Fugitive- Part 2' would have been just the ticket. And yay for the return of Heinz!! Conoisseurs wiser than I will have to discuss the merits of Campbells vs Heinz...

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Oh wow - you pack so much into such a tight space, and all of it gobsmackingly good.

I love ...and back into the life Bodie is impatiently keeping warm for him and ...in apology for Esther, who he tried on and discarded like an eye-catching jumper, and of course the Heinz tomato soup; the great comfort food of my childhood (and everyone else too *g*). And then Doyle snugging him up in bed, grumbling into sleep - just perfect!

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! ::beams:: And yes, Heinz tomato soup really did cure all ills back then, didn't it?

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

This is brilliant, love the idea and you carry it out wonderfully. You also manage to cover so much in such a short period touching on all these moments of pain and conflict and showing us the importance of their relationship. And, yes, I have Heinz tomato soup when I am sick too, some things seem to be universal. *g*

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

And, yes, I have Heinz tomato soup when I am sick too, some things seem to be universal. *g* I know! What *is* it about Heinz tomato soup?? My hubby (who isn't British) finds it decidedly odd. Thank you, I'm very happy you enjoyed this quick stroll through canon via Bodie's stomach..*g*

[dragongirl3745.livejournal.com]

I loved this. I added it as a memory. It makes me feel happy. While I have no idea about the difference between Heinz and Campbells, I do know that Campbells Tomato Soup makes me feel better when I'm sick.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Aw.. it's lovely to hear that it made you feel happy. Thank you!

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

This is a lovely little snippet. Tracing their relationship through food is a really clever touch. I especially like the way Bodie tries to feed Doyle up. And the tomato soup - this is an English thing, right? Because I had to go out and find some for husby a couple of weeks ago. Nothing else would do.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Thanks, V. I liked the idea of tying Bodie's well-being to his appetite. And yes, tomato soup must be a totally British thing. Tried it on my sick hubby once and he just looked at me.