Discovered in the Christmas Tree - 21st December - The Longest Shortest Day by Slantedlight

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

maddalia asked for one where the shortest day seems long to the lads, and the longest night seems short? Partner worry optional, but encouraged.

I could do with a few more minutes to the night myself right now, but here I am, spamming you again... *g*

The Longest Shortest Day
by Slantedlight

It was the twenty first of December, the shortest day of the year, and the sea heaved and hurled itself against the old wall, a sludge of deep grey, that could be hiding anything in its depths… anyone.

Doyle stared at it, didn’t feel the wind that pushed and shoved, the occasional bite of rain that spat in his face.

He waited.

Bodie could be down there.

By the quay, to the right of the sea wall, and perhaps a thousand miles away, the lifeboat prepared to launch again, a fresh crew ready to renew the search which had been going on since first light that morning.

Since they’d been told that Bodie was gone.

Even the shortest day was too long for a man to survive in waters like this, even Bodie.

“You’ll get fat eatin’ that lot,” Doyle had said just the night before, “Toad in the hole and spotted dick? All that batter – better not take a bath tonight, you’ll sink like a stone...”

And Bodie had just looked at him, had met his eyes and looked at him, with that laugh he always had deep down, as if the world was just something to giggle at, something to take so lightly…

Would Bodie struggle, he wondered, bending to look over the seawall, closer to the water, to the pull of the sea. Or did Bodie take the world so lightly that…

The water was the same colour that Bodie’s eyes were sometimes, a stormy grey that practically spat salt at you, that sucked you down at the same time, that you could get lost in. What would it be like to be lost in that water? What would Bodie’s last minutes be like? Heavy, Doyle thought, and not because of spotted dick, or toad in the hole, but because he wouldn’t want to give it up, not his Bodie who was born to skim the surface and laugh at it all… The sea wouldn’t let him do that, it would take his laughter and drown it with salt water, with the spite of the salt…

“You know you can’t tickle trout in the Irish bloody Sea, don’t you sunshine?”

In the dying grey light of the day, of the longest shortest day, Doyle stood up and turned around.

Wrong, he’d been wrong… Bodie’s eyes weren’t grey at all, they were a blue so bright…

“Christ Doyle, how long you been out here?” Bodie reached out, tugged at the collar of his jacket, and Doyle looked down at the damp cloth, saw it rimed with salt, from the spray, from the sea spray that sprang lightly with the wind, from sea to shore…

“What ‘appened to you?” he managed, through teeth that had stopped chattering hours ago, that had been so tightly clenched for so long.

Bodie shook his head. “Long story – but we got Durand and his bloody mate, shipped them off to town. I’ve spent half the day on a bloody fishing trawler, the other half trying to convince the Manx bloody police that I was one of the good guys. Did you know they wear pointy white helmets over there?”

Doyle shook his head, pursed his lips and then took a deep breath. Turned out his teeth were chattering after all.

“Come on,” Bodie said more quietly, “I got Cowley to book us into a hotel for the night – told him we’d write better reports that way…”

“Half the day on a fishing trawler?”

Bodie snorted, started tugging him back along the promenade, past the quay where the search was being called off, past the bustle of local police cars and the end of day business of the fishermen and farmers. “I’m just glad it was the shortest day, mate.” He paused. “Got you worried, didn’t I?”

Doyle felt himself thawing just a little more, knew it was partly because Bodie hadn’t let go of his arm, was holding him firmly in fact, as if he was one of the villains about to do a runner.

“A hotel?” he asked, and caught Bodie’s eyes, his sea-blue eyes. “For all night?”

“Longest night of the year, sunshine,” Bodie reminded him. “For all night and the rest of it too.”

Doyle nodded, took a breath of fresh salt air, and smiled. All night.

Behind them, the sea slapped at the wall, reached out to tickle and to taunt it, leapt lightly into the air and danced its own carefree dance.


Title: the Longest Shortest Day
Author: Slantedlight
Slash or Gen: Slash
Archive at ProsLib/Circuit: Certainly
Disclaimer: Neither the lads nor the CI5 universe belong to me...

Comments

[maddalia.livejournal.com]

Oh, you angel! Thanks so much. This is perfect -- Doyle's thoughts were spot on, I reckon, and I loved Bodie's reaction to knowing how worried he was.

I can't believe you've managed so many fics in one day!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I managed so many fics in one day either, although they were very little ones! Every year until now I've managed a proper long story for the Christmas challenge - every year! Ah well - next year, right? *g*

And yeay, I'm glad you liked this! *g*

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Yay for partner worry! *g* And Doyle standing vigil, and Bodie knowing exactly how it was. I can just see him needing to get to Doyle, once he's back. *g* Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Partner worry! More partner worry than anything else, really, and we have to imagine the longest night, but... yes! (*hugs our lads*) Thank you! *g*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

What a great response to the prompt! I love the way you work with colours - eyes, sea, whatever. I can see them as I read.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeay, that's exactly what's supposed to happen! So glad you liked it, thank you... *g*

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

*deep breath* I...WOW! *is speechless here*
WOW!
Gotta read it again, still not sure you´ll ever get a real comment out of me for this one, it´s breathtakingly beautiful...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Aw - thank you! You're making me smile again! *g*

[milomaus.livejournal.com]

a stormy grey that practically spat salt at you, that sucked you down at the same time, that you could get lost in.
this and then the blue and "For all night." and *aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh*
“For all night and the rest of it too.”
*SQUEEE*
LOVE IT!! Thanks a ton for all the hard work, for writing so much on such short notice, for spreading the love and the fun and the laughter and the LOVE!!
All of the story should be included here...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! It could be a longer story, couldn't it - it isn't yet, though... Maybe one day!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I really like this! Doyle's worry, and the easy way that he and Bodie reconnect. So nice. :-)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

They are easy together, our lads... *hugs lads* Thank you!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Another masterpiece and a great interpretation of the prompt! (I actually read it out to Chris over the 'phone and he said it would have been good even if it *hadn't* been about Bodie and Doyle...)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I've taken so long to reply here, and especially to your comment, because it rather bowled me over that you'd read it to Chris and he said that! Do tell him thank you very much as well, and gosh, and... and thank you! This made me smile hugely when I read it the other day, and it is again now... *vbg*

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. 'Bowled over' is a good description for the way *I* feel when I read writing such as yours and I'm so grateful (and proud) of Pros as a fandom that it has such good writing. And frustrated, too, that I can't express my wonder adequately and I think I should stop there because there's danger of a serious ramble ahead and I haven't even touched a sip of wine yet....

[roven75.livejournal.com]

I very much liked this, thank you! :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Fabulous - thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it - thank you!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Poor Doyle, having to wonder how Bodie's last moments were. Then to turn around... And a night together, all night! Thanks. :)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I know! Poor old Doyle... and Bodie all bouncy as ever... but he knew... *g* Thank you!

[angel-ci5.livejournal.com]

Oh another lovely piece... I enjoyed them all, well done for getting so much done in one day! Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

It was fun writing so much in the end - and I could do it! How does that work? And thank you - I am glad you liked them!

[liriel1810.livejournal.com]

You've been very prolific! I reckon Doyle's thoughts about Bodie and life were right on the money. And trust Bodie to be the one to come and get Doyle. I like very much too that he recognized Doyle's worry. Now they have a lovely long night to reassure each other that they're still there.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Prolific is very unlike me at the moment, but yeah - our lads are rather gorgeous, aren't they! *g*

[margaret-r.livejournal.com]

All your fics have been amazing and this one is no exception. Thank you for sharing your talent.