Discovered in a Christmas stocking - 2 January (part two)

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Me again,

I thought I'd offer up this little ficlet as well, which was born out of a visit to Bodmin Jail on Boxing Day.  It's not much, but I hope you like it:

 

Doyle stepped carefully over a large frozen puddle and peered through the ruined brick doorway in front of him.  The stone walls of the old prison stretched out high above, smooth chunks of grey plaster still clinging in patches to their surface.  He looked up at the endless columns of blank cells lining the steep walls, open doors floating within the skeleton of the crumbling building.

 

Bodmin Jail – ironically now open to the public for 365 days a year.  Doyle pushed open the iron gate and stepped into the cold shell of the prison. 

 

Trust Bodie to want to visit a place like this, and on Boxing Day of all days.  Doyle tugged his gloves on, clapping his hands together to try to restore some of the circulation to his fingers.  They should have spent today tucked up inside their holiday cottage, where it was at least moderately warm, sleeping off yesterday’s Christmas dinner and arguing about what rubbish to watch on the telly.  But oh no, Bodie had to insist on trying out his new Christmas present, despite Doyle’s heartfelt protests.  He folded his arms and let out a puff of breath that turned to frost in the cold air.  Bloody Boxing Day, and here he was freezing his arse off at the bleakest tourist attraction he’d ever been to in his entire life. 

 

He wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck and walked over to look at one of decayed cells on the ground floor.  Inside, a single iron bed frame stood against the whitewashed wall.  He looked at the barred window high up in the cell, letting in a small beam of cold winter sunlight.

 

There was no doubt about it, it was just about the most depressing place he’d ever seen. 

 

Doyle turned his back on the cell and crunched over the frozen earth towards Bodie, who was trying to lean over the Danger – No Entry sign blocking off the more decayed end of the building.  There was a flash of light and Bodie stepped back from the scaffolding, inspecting the picture he’d taken and grinning down at Doyle.

 

“Hey, this camera’s great, much better than the old one.”  He made his way along the ruined corridor, flicking through the pictures on the screen with a look of concentration.  “I got some good ones over at the execution shed, and these cells are creepy as hell.”  He grinned as he approached Doyle, letting the bulky camera hang loose around his neck and shoving his glasses further back up his nose.

 

Doyle rolled his eyes and looked again at the endless cells lined up along the central passageway behind Bodie.  Creepy was an understatement.  He winced as Bodie aimed the camera at him, lifting his middle finger towards the photographer as the flash went off. 

 

He should never have bought him the bloody thing. 

 

Bodie chuckled and moved to stand next to Doyle, their shoulders nudging as they both gazed at the far end of the building where the rough stone walls disappeared into the sky.  Doyle shuffled closer, welcoming the extra warmth. 

 

“It’s all a bit grim, though, isn’t it?  Public hangings, children being flogged.  Treadmills, transportation, thirty years hard labour and all the rest of it...”  Doyle nodded towards the rusted chains still hanging from the cell doorways.  “All that’s missing is the rack and thumbscrews.”

 

Bodie snorted.  “Ah, they’ll be in storage at the old CI5 offices.  Out of use since the old man retired, of course.”

 

Doyle raised an eyebrow.  “Roses and lavender, and all that?  Yeah, I reckon Cowley would have approved of a place like this.  Protect the public, punish the bad guys.  I guess CI5 wasn’t much different in its day.”  Doyle looked across at Bodie.  “You’ve got to admit we did some pretty dodgy things in our time for the sake of law and order.  Folks today would be up in arms if they really knew how it all worked back then.”  He nodded his chin towards the crumbling jail cells.  “They’d think we were no more advanced than this…”

 

Bodie shifted next to him, shoving his hands into his coat pocket.  “That was thirty years ago, Ray.  Things change.  We did good, you know.  We did the best we could.  You can’t ask for much more than that.”

 

Doyle kicked at the frozen earth.  “It still makes us both dinosaurs.  Relics from the past, just like this place.”

 

Bodie wrapped a tight arm around Doyle’s neck, pulling him closer so that his breath was warm and moist against Doyle’s face.  “Yes we are, and I’m bloody grateful for it.  We’re still here, Ray.  Don’t expect anything more than that.”  He paused, brushing his lips against Doyle’s cheek.  “And anyway, who are you calling a dinosaur?”

 

Doyle closed his eyes, burying his head in Bodie’s neck, chuckling into the warmth there.  Still here, after all these years. 

 

He tugged at Bodie coat, pulling him backwards into the darkness of the nearest jail cell.  “Come on then, old man.  Let’s see if we can break a few ancient laws of our own…”

 

 

Title:  Bodmin Jail

Author:  Foxcat

Bodie/Doyle
Archive at Proslib:  Yep
I don't own them, this is all done just for fun

Comments

[probodie.livejournal.com]

Oh nice - older lads and very evocative, especially after seeing the photos posted recently. Could almost feel the chilly dankness.

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked it! I did enjoy writing about older lads, especially bringing them down to my neck of the woods again. :D

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed this, especially the idea of them still together after all those years. It's certainly easy to see. :-)

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :D It is lovely to think of them getting old and grumpy together, isn't it?

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

And I like older lads stories! *g* I love it that they've survived and are together. This is a nice little scene, with the place leading them into conversation and the realization of what is important. I do like the last line. *g* Thank you for this one as well!

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it. I've never played with older lads before, I did enjoy bringing them up to date and putting them in my time and place. :D

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I adore Bodie-with-glasses-and-a-camera, and Doyle-in-gloves, and gorgeous older-lads eternally together, and... yeay for fic that's from somewhere I've been - I'm so glad you wrote this! *g*

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Tee hee, thank you. You do realise that whenever I go anywhere unusual or interesting now, I'm always thinking "what would the lads do here?..."

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

“Come on then, old man...

Awww - you've made me go all mushy now, drat you! *g* I love them still together and being bad (in a good way) 30 years on, and Bodie still being a boy with his toys, and Doyle still griping, and loving him anyway. Bliss, thank you!

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Mush is good. Embrace the mush. :D I'm really glad you liked it. And about Doyle griping, I think he makes an adorable grumpy old man, doesn't he?

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

And about Doyle griping, I think he makes an adorable grumpy old man, doesn't he?

Oh he does! *hg*

[melanieathene.livejournal.com]

Wonderful atmosphere and adorable older lads... who could ask for anything more. :)

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Who indeed? Older lads are inherently adorable, aren't they? Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. :D

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Well that was a lovely, gently-paced older lads story. Very nice, thank you.

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much, I'm really chuffed you liked it. I really did enjoy playing with older lads for the first time. :D

[robeau.livejournal.com]

"We’re still here, Ray. Don’t expect anything more than that."

Wonderful line and terrific use of the crumbling prison to make the point.

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you so much. I'm so glad you liked it, thank you. :D

[cloudless-9193.livejournal.com]

Lovely ... and comforting to imagine them together after all these years :-)

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :D I can't imagine our lads ever being apart... Nope, just can't do it.

[etain-antrim.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of the lads together and still happy decades later. Thanks!

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. I like to think of older lads as an old married couple, grumpy but happy together!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

You did a good job describing the old jail. Very creepy. I love older lads, so I could definitely see Bodie being enamoured with his camera. I like their easy way with each other. Thank you.

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you. The jail is amazing, just one of the most interesting and creepy places I've ever been, I do hope some of that came across. I'm really glad you liked it, thanks. :D

[greengerbil.livejournal.com]

Older lads! And another beautifully atmospheric, evocative piece of writing!

I love your Grumpy Old Man Doyle - still snarky and questioning of CI5, even after all this time - and Bodie still knowing exactly how to get him out of his grumps - and most of all, they're still so together, and so clearly contented to be so!

...who are you calling a dinosaur?

Spot on - that is pure Bodie...

Lovely fic,midear. Go you!

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you, that's so nice of you to say! I'm glad you liked Grumpy Doyle, somehow I find Doyle most adorable when he's being snarky and a bit miserable!

Bodmin

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I love them sounding just like them, if you see what I mean - you've got the light touch of snark and loving forbearance just so! And one thing I love very much in older lads tales is that if either of them thinks sadly about the rigours of ageing the other one can always remind them - after the life they've led - that the odds weren't good on their being alive long enough to say so! Older lads fics allow us to appreciate, alongside them, how far they've come and how much they've overcome to be there, together ... still loving and still snarking {{loves}}. Still critical of all that was wrong with CI5, and still supportive of what they were supposed to be aiming for - yes, your B&D really hit the spot. Thank you!

Re: Bodmin

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much, that's such a lovely comment to receive, thank you. I'm really glad you thought that Bodie and Doyle hit the spot for you. I guess there's a lot of scope for imagination when it comes to thinking about what the lads would be like in thirty years time, because anything could have happened in between. And I think you've definitely hit on the reason why I, personally, really enjoy older lads fic. I'm really glad you liked it, thank you. :D

[inlovewithboth.livejournal.com]

I just love stories like this, to know that they are still together and in love 30 years later. Brilliant.

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. There's just no way the lads wouldn't still be together, no matter how much times goes past, is there? :D

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

That was enjoyable, too. Nice to think of them becoming dinosaurs together!
Between you and byslantedlight I'm feeling as if I'd visited Bodmin Jail myself!

[foreverfoxcat.livejournal.com]

Oh Bodmin Jail is always worth a visit, even if it's just in the imagination. :D I'm glad you liked it, thank you.

Still catching up on some reading

[saintvic.livejournal.com]

Really enjoyed this as well. There is a great sense of permanence here, you can really feel how long they have been together and how much they still mean to one another after all that time. Thank you.