Bedside
Title: Bedside Challenge – A Drabble In Seven Parts
Rating: PG-13 for Friday and Daniel’s naughty mouth
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, but if I did, they’d never have alarm clocks.
Notes: In response to Po’s challenge concerning bedside manner...and, for the record, my Darren always has black hair. Always will. Damn straight.
MONDAY
BUZZ.
“Mm...”
“Hmm?”
“Nnygh...”
BUZZ.
“Dar?”
“Nnygh.”
“Turn off the fucking alarm, Dar.”
Silence.
BUZZ.
Daniel slatted his eyes against the gray pouring into the room to confront the beast face to face. It buzzed again.
“Luv, did you have somewhere to be this morning?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Daniel collapsed back on his side, the impact making Darren give off a little “ooft” of surprise.
“Hadn’t you better get on, then?”
“...stay with you...” It was muttered into a pillow.
“Well,” Daniel smiled. “That’s hard to argue with.”
“Mm-hmm...”
More drawn out that time, slipping back into folds of sleep.
BUZZ.
“Dar!”
TUESDAY
“Daniel?”
The blonde snapped awake. “Whuzzwrong?”
Darren had worry lines between his eyebrows. It was the first thing Daniel saw when he flopped onto his other side to face the man.
“I can’t sleep.”
Daniel kept his smile to himself and reached out with his left hand, thumb smoothing the lines the same way he might pet a cat’s forehead. His fingers slipped into the hair.
“Neither can I. What’s the matter?” His voice was the sound of fresh brewed coffee.
Darren’s eyes dropped. His hand cupped Daniel’s, and they lay like that until the alarm went off.
WEDNESDAY
BUZZ.
It was the drums of a Paul Simon song and Darren shaking his ass in time with the bass line that made Daniel actually sit up and stare at the hallway.
“What are you doing?” Daniel called, palmed one eye wearily, and reached for the alarm.
“Making breakfast for your lazy ass!”
The reply carried over applause and screaming. “What are you doing?”
Daniel scanned the room, searching for boxers and wondering what it meant that he’d slept naked in bed and awoken unmolested.
“Dar?”
Beat.
“Yeah?”
“Did you fall asleep watching Bond films again last night?”
Beat.
“Maybe...”
THURSDAY
“Darren?”
“Hm? Wha?”
“Did you hear that?”
Grunt. “No, but you obviously did. Hear what?”
“Sounded like an ice cream truck.”
Darren lifted his head with great difficulty and winced at the clock. “No way. Too early.”
Daniel sighed in acknowledgment.
“Go back to sleep, Dan.” Darren snuggled closer.
“Yeah, okay...” It was already a murmur lined in sleep.
Darren let the glossy waves of gray wash over him while he counted how many hours until he had to get up again. Not enough. He sighed quietly.
“But Dar?”
The gray faded a little. Damn.
“Now I really want some.”
FRIDAY
Daniel’s eyes went wide so fast he wondered if his eyeballs might pop out.
Darren’s mouth was hot – a sauna, and he could barely stand it, wanted to rip the man away and tear him closer at the same time. The goose-down edges of slumber were chased away screaming. He could feel fingers wrap into the sheets, scrambling for grip and muscle control. It was hot, too hot, he was going to spontaneously combust. Point of origin would be his own scarred bones.
“Jesus.”
All in all, Daniel had to admit blearily, it wasn’t a bad way to wake up.
SATURDAY
THUMP.
“Fuck!”
Darren blinked awake, and with effort, pulled himself over to the other side of the bed, peering over the edge.
Daniel rubbed his head crossly, grumbling.
“You okay?”
“Harumph,” Daniel proclaimed.
“What happened?”
Daniel sighed. “I think I dreamt the alarm went off. What a way to start a weekend.”
Darren propped his head up on one hand. “As long as you’re okay.”
“All my 1,000 parts are fine, thank you,” Daniel said crossly.
“All the important ones, anyway,” Darren said primly.
“Ha,” was Daniel’s response as he clambered back into bed. “Now scoot over. I’m still tired.”
SUNDAY
“Did you ever go to church?”
“What? No.”
There was a comfortable silence and Darren repositioned his head on Daniel’s chest.
“I guess it was more of a family thing, church.”
“I was family enough,” Daniel sounded indignant.
“Then why didn’t you go?”
Daniel considered, and smiled. “I guess...they couldn’t make me go to school, why should they make me go to church?”
“No, really,” Darren said.
“Really?” Daniel replied, growing serious. “Really, I was tired of being told I was evil. And then...”
“...and then?”
“And then I met you.”
And they both smiled, though neither one could see.
fin