Fic - Letting Go
23/4/12 19:50![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moon_blitzTitle: Letting Go
Fandom: Flashpoint
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Greg
Word Count: 1,006
Summary: Ed tries to get Greg to talk after a particularly bad day.
Author's Note: This is my first time writing for Flashpoint, so I apologize if the characterization is a bit off.
Letting Go
Ed sat at the bar staring into his drink, trying to put the events of the last five hours behind him. It had been a rough day, and he knew the entire team had been hit hard by what had happened. But one seemed to be taking it particularly personally.
“You going to drink that or what, Boss?” he asked softly, glancing towards the man next to him. Greg hadn’t touched his drink for at least twenty minutes, which was highly unusual for him.
“You’re one to talk, Eddie.” came the equally soft reply, but he did raise the glass and take a small sip. Ed mimicked the motion, closing his eyes as he felt the beer slide down his throat. It didn’t help erase the memories, but it numbed the shock of them a little.
Silence fell between them again, and the man idly listened to the crowd in the bar around them as he sipped on his drink. After another glum ten minutes, he had had enough.
“Come on, Boss. Talk to me.” he verbally prodded, shifting to stare at the other man. Talking out the issue, even if it was a painful one, had almost always helped before.
“Don’t want to talk. Already did that at the debriefing.” Greg muttered, eyes fixed on the bottom of his still half-full glass. The words that came next were so soft that Ed almost didn’t hear them above the chatter in the bar. “Nothing to talk about, anyway.”
The SRU officer’s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. His friend would withdraw if he pressed any further, so he sighed, drained his beer and signalled the bartender. There were other ways of getting Greg to open up, and he was prepared to use them. “Let’s go.” he said briskly, paying for the both of them.
Greg turned to look at him, surprise evident on his tired face. “You. Me. Walk. Now.” Ed insisted, lifting is chin to show that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Fine.” his boss replied reluctantly, abandoning his beer and following him out the door. “Thanks for the drink.”
“No problem.” They paused as the evening air hit them, the dry chill indicating that snow was on the way, regardless of what the weathermen said. Ed began to walk, not caring where his feet took them, just so long as they were both moving. Sometimes, a stroll could open doors that a chat over a beer couldn’t.
They ended up in the side-streets, away from the bustle of the city but still clear of where the more illegal activity took place. Ed kept shooting glances at his friend, but the other man seemed wrapped in his own thoughts, oblivious of their surroundings.
“Don’t want to talk, eh?” he suggested gently as they turned down a narrow alley.
“Nope.”
“It might help.”
“I know.” His boss stopped suddenly, making Ed stop and turn towards him. Pain and loss was etched in his eyes, and Ed reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Why? Why is this bothering you so much?” he pressed, stepping towards his friend as worry began to gnaw at his stomach. Nothing about this was normal, and that make him concerned. Perhaps a talk would be best.
“Because it’s all my fault, Eddie.” Greg said slowly, suddenly looking devastated. “I had a chance to talk the shooter down, but I didn’t use it. I thought we had more time…”
“Come on, Boss, you know that’s not true! He had already shot three people before we even got the call. You can’t blame yourself for their deaths.” Ed objected.
“No, no, it’s not them…” his friend murmured, shaking his head. “He was so young. He had his whole life ahead of him. I could have convinced him of that.”
“Boss…” So he was blaming himself for the suicide of the shooter. Yes, there had been the option of trying to talk to him, but everyone had thought he was preparing to kill more people, not end his own life. Their response had been geared towards that possibility. Besides, the shooter had refused to answer their call. It was hard to talk to someone who didn’t want to listen.
“Boss…We know now that he had been planning on killing himself all along. He wasn’t prepared to listen to anyone, or change his mind. There was nothing you could have done.” Ed said comfortingly, but his words didn’t have the intended effect.
“You don’t understand, Eddie. If I had only tried a little harder, talked a little longer, things might be different.” Greg insisted, casting him a hard look.
“No.” Ed stated firmly, recognizing the signs. Pushing his friend against the concrete wall without warning, he moved in close and glared right back. “Don’t you dare turn away from me, Greg! Not after today.” Giving his shoulder a shake, the man added, “You need to get out of your own head and view the situation rationally.”
“But-” Whatever his response was, Ed cut it off with a hard kiss. Greg stiffed in surprise, but a moment later he was kissing back, seemingly desperate for the contact to continue. Their relationship was an odd one, since they rarely got together without some issue forcing the matter, but on some strange level, it worked.
They broke apart only when they need to breathe, and Ed closed his eyes as their foreheads met.
“Think you can get me out of my head, Eddie?” Greg drawled softly.
“Yep.” he muttered back, a smiling inwardly. “We’re not done discussing this, you know.” Sex wouldn’t do anything to resolve the issue, but it would give his friend a much-needed break and time to think. Perhaps them they could both approach what had happened better.
“I know. I know.” came the low murmur, and he opened his eyes to see a sad smile on Greg’s face. It was then he knew they would work through this issue, the same as they had in the past.
Fandom: Flashpoint
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ed/Greg
Word Count: 1,006
Summary: Ed tries to get Greg to talk after a particularly bad day.
Author's Note: This is my first time writing for Flashpoint, so I apologize if the characterization is a bit off.
Ed sat at the bar staring into his drink, trying to put the events of the last five hours behind him. It had been a rough day, and he knew the entire team had been hit hard by what had happened. But one seemed to be taking it particularly personally.
“You going to drink that or what, Boss?” he asked softly, glancing towards the man next to him. Greg hadn’t touched his drink for at least twenty minutes, which was highly unusual for him.
“You’re one to talk, Eddie.” came the equally soft reply, but he did raise the glass and take a small sip. Ed mimicked the motion, closing his eyes as he felt the beer slide down his throat. It didn’t help erase the memories, but it numbed the shock of them a little.
Silence fell between them again, and the man idly listened to the crowd in the bar around them as he sipped on his drink. After another glum ten minutes, he had had enough.
“Come on, Boss. Talk to me.” he verbally prodded, shifting to stare at the other man. Talking out the issue, even if it was a painful one, had almost always helped before.
“Don’t want to talk. Already did that at the debriefing.” Greg muttered, eyes fixed on the bottom of his still half-full glass. The words that came next were so soft that Ed almost didn’t hear them above the chatter in the bar. “Nothing to talk about, anyway.”
The SRU officer’s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. His friend would withdraw if he pressed any further, so he sighed, drained his beer and signalled the bartender. There were other ways of getting Greg to open up, and he was prepared to use them. “Let’s go.” he said briskly, paying for the both of them.
Greg turned to look at him, surprise evident on his tired face. “You. Me. Walk. Now.” Ed insisted, lifting is chin to show that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Fine.” his boss replied reluctantly, abandoning his beer and following him out the door. “Thanks for the drink.”
“No problem.” They paused as the evening air hit them, the dry chill indicating that snow was on the way, regardless of what the weathermen said. Ed began to walk, not caring where his feet took them, just so long as they were both moving. Sometimes, a stroll could open doors that a chat over a beer couldn’t.
They ended up in the side-streets, away from the bustle of the city but still clear of where the more illegal activity took place. Ed kept shooting glances at his friend, but the other man seemed wrapped in his own thoughts, oblivious of their surroundings.
“Don’t want to talk, eh?” he suggested gently as they turned down a narrow alley.
“Nope.”
“It might help.”
“I know.” His boss stopped suddenly, making Ed stop and turn towards him. Pain and loss was etched in his eyes, and Ed reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Why? Why is this bothering you so much?” he pressed, stepping towards his friend as worry began to gnaw at his stomach. Nothing about this was normal, and that make him concerned. Perhaps a talk would be best.
“Because it’s all my fault, Eddie.” Greg said slowly, suddenly looking devastated. “I had a chance to talk the shooter down, but I didn’t use it. I thought we had more time…”
“Come on, Boss, you know that’s not true! He had already shot three people before we even got the call. You can’t blame yourself for their deaths.” Ed objected.
“No, no, it’s not them…” his friend murmured, shaking his head. “He was so young. He had his whole life ahead of him. I could have convinced him of that.”
“Boss…” So he was blaming himself for the suicide of the shooter. Yes, there had been the option of trying to talk to him, but everyone had thought he was preparing to kill more people, not end his own life. Their response had been geared towards that possibility. Besides, the shooter had refused to answer their call. It was hard to talk to someone who didn’t want to listen.
“Boss…We know now that he had been planning on killing himself all along. He wasn’t prepared to listen to anyone, or change his mind. There was nothing you could have done.” Ed said comfortingly, but his words didn’t have the intended effect.
“You don’t understand, Eddie. If I had only tried a little harder, talked a little longer, things might be different.” Greg insisted, casting him a hard look.
“No.” Ed stated firmly, recognizing the signs. Pushing his friend against the concrete wall without warning, he moved in close and glared right back. “Don’t you dare turn away from me, Greg! Not after today.” Giving his shoulder a shake, the man added, “You need to get out of your own head and view the situation rationally.”
“But-” Whatever his response was, Ed cut it off with a hard kiss. Greg stiffed in surprise, but a moment later he was kissing back, seemingly desperate for the contact to continue. Their relationship was an odd one, since they rarely got together without some issue forcing the matter, but on some strange level, it worked.
They broke apart only when they need to breathe, and Ed closed his eyes as their foreheads met.
“Think you can get me out of my head, Eddie?” Greg drawled softly.
“Yep.” he muttered back, a smiling inwardly. “We’re not done discussing this, you know.” Sex wouldn’t do anything to resolve the issue, but it would give his friend a much-needed break and time to think. Perhaps them they could both approach what had happened better.
“I know. I know.” came the low murmur, and he opened his eyes to see a sad smile on Greg’s face. It was then he knew they would work through this issue, the same as they had in the past.
Tags: