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ali15son
A CI5 CHRISTMAS TRUCE
byali15son
*********************
The pale light of christmas morning struggled to pierce the grey London haze, the pavement opposite Doyle's flat glistened in the early morning frost. Inside the small flat Bodie sprawled on the sofa. He hadn't bothered to remove his jacket, which was still stiff with the grime of the night. The only indication that he was resting and not simply waiting for the next order, was the rhythmic, shallow breathing that spoke of complete, bone-deep exhaustion. It was seven oclock, christmas morning. The preceding twenty four hours had been a blur of freezing rooftops, close-quarter combat in a dockyard warehouse and a frantic, high-speed chase through the West End, all to stop a highly motivated faction of foreign agents from leaving the country. Cowley, in his usual seasonal spirit, had deemed it a 'minor distraction'.
Raymond Doyle moved with the quiet efficiency of a man running on pure adreniline and sheer obstinance. He was standing by the small christmas tree, perched in the corner, it's flickering fairy lights giving a warm ambience to the room and that christmas feel that was very much needed.. Doyle, looking marginally more civilized in a freshly laundered t-shirt and jeans, was nursing a mug of tea, the heat radiating through his hands. He watched Bodie for a moment, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Don't you dare leave oil stains on my upholstery, you great lump," Doyle muttered, low enough that he knew Bodie would hear it, but too tired to truly mean it. A grunt was the only reply. Doyle carefully side-stepped Bodie's discarded r/t and a crumpled packet of bourbon biscuits to reach the thermostat. He cranked up the heating, ignoring the faint clicking protest.
"Last night," Doyle continued, peeling the lid off a can of Beans, "you looked like you were going to introduce that Bulgarian chap to the concept of christmas cheer via the butt of your gun. He'd barely touched the trigger, Bodie". Bodie shifted, one eye cracking open, his face still smudged with soot. "He was breathing in my direction, Doyle. That's provocation enough at three in the morning on christmas Day. Besides, he was wearing a truly appalling knitted jumper. It was an assault on the senses".
Doyle shook his head, standing in the kitchen, stirring the beans in the pan. "It was the only ugly thing out there that wasn't us."
The banter was low, habitual and necessary. It was the white noise that allowed them to process the fact that, just four hours ago, they both had been operating on the knife-edge of lethal force, surrounded by noise and violence. Now , there was just the gentle hiss of the gas hob and the twinkling of the fairy lights.
"Cowley send his love?" Bodie asked, finally sitting up, wincing as his muscles protested.
"Cowley sent a message at five this morning. Said, and i quote, job well done. See you on the 27th, and Doyle, for goodness sake, wear a tie to the next briefing".
Bodie laughed, "sounds about right. What about our bonus? A pat on the back? Maybe a gold plated CI5 badge."
" We got our lives, Bodie. That's the christmas bonus," Doyle replied, genuinely. The night had been too close. They'd been seperated for a worrying twenty minutes in the dark, and Doyle had thought, for just a second, that he'd heard one too many shots and one too few familiar voice. He pushed the thought away and plated up the beans. "Come on. Get some food in you. We earned this christmas. Nobody else is getting murdered today and we're officially off shift for twenty four hours".
Bodie finally dragged himself to the table, running a hand through his messy hair. He looked at the plate. "Beans on toast. Festive". "You can't have turkey for breakfast, besides i found a bottle of scotch in the back of the cupboard, we'll start on that later". They ate in silence for a few minutes, the exhaustion making them appreciate the mundane ritual of food and warmth. The quiet was a benediction, a pause button pressed hard against the frantic rhythm of their working lives.
"Listen Doyle...." Bodie started, setting his fork down. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, which still smelled faintly of gun oil and yesterdays aftershave, and pulled out a flat package wrapped in crumpled christmas paper. Doyle raised an eyebrow. "Oh look. A ransom note." "Shut up. It's a present." Bodie's cheeks blossoming "I picked it up last week when you weren't looking. Bodie pushed the present across the table. Doyle unwrapped it slowly. Inside was a high-quality leather wallet, minimalistic and functional, with a small, brass CI5 crest subtly embossed on the corner. "Lost your old one in that skip dive last Tuesday, didn't you?" Bodie said gruffly. Doyle flipped the wallet open, running his thumb over the leather. His old one had been sliced open by a piece of jagged metal during the pursuit of a runner " "i don't know what to say Bodie, thanks" said Doyle truly meaning it. He stood , reaching under the christmas tree, retrieving a box wrapped neatly. "Mines not as functional but i'm hoping you like it".
Bodie tore off the wrapping paper impatiently. It was a first edition hardback of 'The Complete Works Of Lord Byron'. " You need something more challenging than the racing pages, i saw you looking at this in that dusty little shop near HQ" Doyle's eyes smiling. Bodie held it "i'm.....honestly Ray, thankyou" He opened the book to a random page, reading a few lines of verse. He had only glanced at it for a second. That Doyle had noticed,remembered and gone back for it spoke volumes. He set the book down beside his plate of beans. Doyle raised his mug "merry christmas Bodie. Now lets make a start on that scotch".
"Deal, but if i see a single blinking red light or hear a siren within a mile radius, i'm going into hiding. I don't trust this much peace". "Neither do i," Doyle agreed, taking a large gulp of tea. "But for now, the city's quiet, Cowley's probably asleep and we're alive. It's a christmas miracle." Bodie looked at the leather wallet, then at the expensive book. He looked at the small cluttered flat, his partner across the table, and the quiet relief settling over them. "It is," Bodie conceded, leaning back. "It bloody well is".
The sun remained hidden, the sky turning darker, snow threatening to fall but for the first time in days, the heavy tension in the small room had lifted, replaced by the simple, enduring fact that, despite everything, they were still a team and they were home.
Title: A CI5 Christmas Truce
Author: Ali15son
Slash or Gen: Gen
Archive at ProsLib/Circuit: Yes
Disclaimer: Bodie, Doyle, and the CI5-verse belong to their original creators, and we're just playing with them, and keeping the joy alive.
ali15sonby
ali15son*********************
The pale light of christmas morning struggled to pierce the grey London haze, the pavement opposite Doyle's flat glistened in the early morning frost. Inside the small flat Bodie sprawled on the sofa. He hadn't bothered to remove his jacket, which was still stiff with the grime of the night. The only indication that he was resting and not simply waiting for the next order, was the rhythmic, shallow breathing that spoke of complete, bone-deep exhaustion. It was seven oclock, christmas morning. The preceding twenty four hours had been a blur of freezing rooftops, close-quarter combat in a dockyard warehouse and a frantic, high-speed chase through the West End, all to stop a highly motivated faction of foreign agents from leaving the country. Cowley, in his usual seasonal spirit, had deemed it a 'minor distraction'.
Raymond Doyle moved with the quiet efficiency of a man running on pure adreniline and sheer obstinance. He was standing by the small christmas tree, perched in the corner, it's flickering fairy lights giving a warm ambience to the room and that christmas feel that was very much needed.. Doyle, looking marginally more civilized in a freshly laundered t-shirt and jeans, was nursing a mug of tea, the heat radiating through his hands. He watched Bodie for a moment, the ghost of a smile touching his lips. "Don't you dare leave oil stains on my upholstery, you great lump," Doyle muttered, low enough that he knew Bodie would hear it, but too tired to truly mean it. A grunt was the only reply. Doyle carefully side-stepped Bodie's discarded r/t and a crumpled packet of bourbon biscuits to reach the thermostat. He cranked up the heating, ignoring the faint clicking protest.
"Last night," Doyle continued, peeling the lid off a can of Beans, "you looked like you were going to introduce that Bulgarian chap to the concept of christmas cheer via the butt of your gun. He'd barely touched the trigger, Bodie". Bodie shifted, one eye cracking open, his face still smudged with soot. "He was breathing in my direction, Doyle. That's provocation enough at three in the morning on christmas Day. Besides, he was wearing a truly appalling knitted jumper. It was an assault on the senses".
Doyle shook his head, standing in the kitchen, stirring the beans in the pan. "It was the only ugly thing out there that wasn't us."
The banter was low, habitual and necessary. It was the white noise that allowed them to process the fact that, just four hours ago, they both had been operating on the knife-edge of lethal force, surrounded by noise and violence. Now , there was just the gentle hiss of the gas hob and the twinkling of the fairy lights.
"Cowley send his love?" Bodie asked, finally sitting up, wincing as his muscles protested.
"Cowley sent a message at five this morning. Said, and i quote, job well done. See you on the 27th, and Doyle, for goodness sake, wear a tie to the next briefing".
Bodie laughed, "sounds about right. What about our bonus? A pat on the back? Maybe a gold plated CI5 badge."
" We got our lives, Bodie. That's the christmas bonus," Doyle replied, genuinely. The night had been too close. They'd been seperated for a worrying twenty minutes in the dark, and Doyle had thought, for just a second, that he'd heard one too many shots and one too few familiar voice. He pushed the thought away and plated up the beans. "Come on. Get some food in you. We earned this christmas. Nobody else is getting murdered today and we're officially off shift for twenty four hours".
Bodie finally dragged himself to the table, running a hand through his messy hair. He looked at the plate. "Beans on toast. Festive". "You can't have turkey for breakfast, besides i found a bottle of scotch in the back of the cupboard, we'll start on that later". They ate in silence for a few minutes, the exhaustion making them appreciate the mundane ritual of food and warmth. The quiet was a benediction, a pause button pressed hard against the frantic rhythm of their working lives.
"Listen Doyle...." Bodie started, setting his fork down. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, which still smelled faintly of gun oil and yesterdays aftershave, and pulled out a flat package wrapped in crumpled christmas paper. Doyle raised an eyebrow. "Oh look. A ransom note." "Shut up. It's a present." Bodie's cheeks blossoming "I picked it up last week when you weren't looking. Bodie pushed the present across the table. Doyle unwrapped it slowly. Inside was a high-quality leather wallet, minimalistic and functional, with a small, brass CI5 crest subtly embossed on the corner. "Lost your old one in that skip dive last Tuesday, didn't you?" Bodie said gruffly. Doyle flipped the wallet open, running his thumb over the leather. His old one had been sliced open by a piece of jagged metal during the pursuit of a runner " "i don't know what to say Bodie, thanks" said Doyle truly meaning it. He stood , reaching under the christmas tree, retrieving a box wrapped neatly. "Mines not as functional but i'm hoping you like it".
Bodie tore off the wrapping paper impatiently. It was a first edition hardback of 'The Complete Works Of Lord Byron'. " You need something more challenging than the racing pages, i saw you looking at this in that dusty little shop near HQ" Doyle's eyes smiling. Bodie held it "i'm.....honestly Ray, thankyou" He opened the book to a random page, reading a few lines of verse. He had only glanced at it for a second. That Doyle had noticed,remembered and gone back for it spoke volumes. He set the book down beside his plate of beans. Doyle raised his mug "merry christmas Bodie. Now lets make a start on that scotch".
"Deal, but if i see a single blinking red light or hear a siren within a mile radius, i'm going into hiding. I don't trust this much peace". "Neither do i," Doyle agreed, taking a large gulp of tea. "But for now, the city's quiet, Cowley's probably asleep and we're alive. It's a christmas miracle." Bodie looked at the leather wallet, then at the expensive book. He looked at the small cluttered flat, his partner across the table, and the quiet relief settling over them. "It is," Bodie conceded, leaning back. "It bloody well is".
The sun remained hidden, the sky turning darker, snow threatening to fall but for the first time in days, the heavy tension in the small room had lifted, replaced by the simple, enduring fact that, despite everything, they were still a team and they were home.
Title: A CI5 Christmas Truce
Author: Ali15son
Slash or Gen: Gen
Archive at ProsLib/Circuit: Yes
Disclaimer: Bodie, Doyle, and the CI5-verse belong to their original creators, and we're just playing with them, and keeping the joy alive.
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Date: 2025-12-05 04:00 pm (UTC)Very nice, thank you. :)
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Date: 2025-12-05 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 06:03 pm (UTC)I enjoyed it, thanks! :-)
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 06:13 pm (UTC)Thankyou for reading it.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 06:47 pm (UTC)Very atmospheric — great voices!
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 07:10 pm (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 08:35 pm (UTC)Nice look at the lads being together for Christmas after a hard week or so. Thanks.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 08:38 pm (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 09:35 pm (UTC)I can really see them together, giving each other the gift that the other secretly wished for. Thank you for the insight into our lads' feelings.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 08:57 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 09:05 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-05 10:47 pm (UTC)despite everything, they were still a team and they were home
no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 09:10 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 01:06 am (UTC)This one's a keeper. Lovely!
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Date: 2025-12-06 09:11 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 04:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-06 09:12 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-08 04:58 am (UTC)I enjoyed this a lot. Thank you!
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Date: 2025-12-08 08:44 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
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Date: 2025-12-08 10:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-09 06:07 am (UTC)Thankyou for reading.
no subject
Date: 2025-12-27 11:15 am (UTC)Such a delightful Christmas Lads scene.
"Oh look. A ransom note." "Shut up. It's a present." That cracked me up! ...So them!