This and That, Part 1

A guest post by my British truckbuddy Tim, now resident in Spain:

Another tale about Captain Chris Redfield and Lieutenant Piers Nivans, collectively known as Nivanfield, and soldiers in the war against bio-terrorism. They are partners both on and off the battlefield.

This started out as a writing exercise for me, just pure dialogue with little or no description. Once I'd finished it, it called out for a continuation, so it became a two-parter, with the second half written in my more usual descriptive style.

Don't worry about the references to people and places off the page. At heart, it's just a simple tale about two men very much in love; talking, caring and creating the bonds that bind them.

This and That

Part 1: Nothing really....but everything

Nivanfield by Alois Morgan at DeviantArt.
A wonderful example of the genre's fan-art.

The latte-topped head lay pressed against one broad pectoral, whilst slender fingers spread out across the other. But even spread out, they couldn’t span its breadth or depth. However, they could detect movement and the left ear, the one that wasn’t pressed between golden skin and hard muscle, could hear sound. Hazel eyes glanced upward and full lips opened. Piers spoke.

“Hello you.”

“Hello.”

“Been awake long?”

“A while I suppose….I’ve no idea of the time.”

“About seven thirty seven.”

“About?”

“Within two or three minutes.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Within two or three minutes…..most people are lucky to get within an hour. Even after all my military service I can only guess within fifteen minutes or so.”

“I don’t know really. It’s like an in-built program, just ticking away.”

“Ticking. Ha!”

“You wanna get up?”

“Not especially.”

The slender fingers found a large brown nipple and rubbed the nub. “You wanna’….?”

"No, just happy lying here….with you….”

“Sure?”

“Yeah, very sure….and keep that hand where I can see it. I know you. Next thing I’ll be moaning and you’ll be groaning and the moment will have passed.”

“What moment?”

“This one, right now, at seven thirty eight, give or take…”

“….a couple of minutes?”

“Make it a couple of hours.”

“Shall I set the alarm?”

“No….let’s go for timeless, huh?”

“Ok, sounds good.”


Continued after the jump . . .




“Mmm….” Chris' stubbled lips kissed the latte hair. “…..Oh, sorry.”

“What for?”

“I mussed up your hair.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

“It’s a myth you know. The ‘perfect hair’ thing.”

“I never knew.”

“Before, when I was in the Army, it was really short, regulation. It was just an act, you know, when I first joined Alpha. To give me some character, make people notice me. I thought I was in danger of permanently blending into the background.”

“No chance. You’re too beautiful not to notice.”

“You’re pretty cute yourself.”

“Cute?”

“In my eyes. How 'bout ruggedly handsome then?”

“Ha! Still doesn’t sound like me. Worn and battle scarred more like.”

“Right, that’s my definition of cute.”

“Mwah! Now your hair’s definitely mussed-up.”

“It’s a price worth paying….Brrr.”

“You cold?”

“Hmm, just a bit, on the side that’s not next to you.”

A large hand rubbed the lean body for a while, then pulled the sheet up. “That better?”

“Lots. Thermodynamics, transfer of energy…”

“Hugs?”

“…..and those too. Your hugs are very energy efficient.”

“I’ll put that on my resume.”

“Good selling point. Strong, brave, ruggedly cute….and gives good hugs. I’d hire you.”

“You got me already!”

“Match made in heaven! Permanent contract.”

They lay quietly together for a while, then heavy brows furrowed…

“What’s that noise? Is it raining?”

“Yeah, just a passing shower. Sounds nice don’t ya think?”

“It wasn’t forecast."

"Drip, drip, drop, little April shower…”

“It’s March.”

“It’s early.”

“Hasn’t got your in-built timing.”

“Drip, drip, drop, early March shower.”

“That’s it, gotta go, all these drips and drops.”

“Sorry.”

“Bound to happen.”

“Have one for me.”

The big hand waved in acknowledgement as it disappeared round the doorway. “Roger that!”

The slender fingers smoothed out the sheets, plumped-up the pillows and smoothed out the sheets again. “You’re obsessive Nivans. Yeah, tell me about it!”

“Uh-oh….talking to yourself. First signs ya know.”

“Figured I’d keep busy till you came back. You were ages, I got lonely.”

“Aww. Well, I was going for two, and then I checked on the rain.”

“And?”

“You went more than me. Must have been doin’ that sniper thing, keepin’ it in. Ha!”

“I meant the rain!”

“It’s going more than both of us. And it’s not passing. Pissing, but not passing.”

“Never mind. Get back into bed.”

“You’ve tidied-up, and you’ve moved. What gives?”

“I’d like your head on my chest for a while. Do you mind?”

“Of course not.” The large body slipped under the sheet and snuggled down. “Now you can muss my hair up.”

“Er…”

“Ha! If you muss something that’s already mussed up, shouldn’t it end up tidy?”

“Experience tells me it just ends up more mussed than before.”

“Well my life was mussed up before I met you. Now it’s pretty tidy.”

“Are you implying I mussed up your life more than it was?”

“Um, I’m losing track of the musses.”

“Nicely got out of Babe.”

“All I’m saying is you did a good thing…..thank you Ace.”

“My pleasure….mwah.”

“Hey, careful with the hair. You might un-muss it!”

“Mwah, mwah, mwah…..there, back to normal.”

“Ruggedly handsome?”

“Cute.”

“Should I try and grow it?”

“No! That would look weird.”

“Oh. How 'bout really short?”

“Better than long, but still no.”

“Shaved?”

“You’d look like the baddie in Thunderbirds.”

“So No then?”

“No, it’s fine the way it is.”

“Good, I didn’t really wanna’ change it. Just thought you might be bored with it.”

“Never, it is you.”

“Cute?”

“Hmm, more rugged.”

“Is it still raining? Can’t see from here.”

“Yup, still passing down.”

“Ha! No hiking today then.”

“What! My Action Man put off by the rain. Oh the shame!”

“My plastic might shrink.”

“Are you the one with posable limbs and swiveling eyes?”

“I don’t know about the eyes, that’s more your….”

“Ok, Ok, I knew as soon as I said it.”

“Heh, heh. It’s nice down here. I’m not squashing you, am I?

"No. I’ll survive.”

“You’re good at that.”

“We both are.”

“Twice the fun.”

“Hmm, you warm enough up there? Snuggle down if you want.”

“I’m fine. Gives me a chance to look at you in repose.”

“Ooh, is that good?”

“Always. The lines in your face soften when you’re asleep.”

“I’m awake.”

“Well, relaxed then, drifting on the edge of sleep.”

“Life on the edge, sleep on the edge. You sure I’m not too heavy?”

“I’m tougher than I look.”

“I know. I realized that after…when….you….”

“Remember the rules. We don’t talk about work, and we don’t talk about….”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Try and see it like I do. A starting point, from which we only look forward.”

“I never expected to get this far till I first met you, well, after your interview. When I thought we might have an adventure. Hoped we’d have a future, something…..I wasn’t sure what.”

“Not disappointed?”

“Never….well, just one thing perhaps.”

“What’s that?”

“That Ma and Pa weren’t around to see it, to see us.”

“They know Babe, in here.” he kissed the brown hair once more.

“Yeah. They’d like, no, love, how you’re so good for me.”

“You’ve been pretty good for me too.”

“It takes two……”

“……when it used to take one. You remember that song?”

“Sure, I remember all our songs. Well, they were your songs I guess. I sorta adopted them. Ha!”

“They all had you in mind, so they are shared.”

“Nice. Anyway, where are we going, from that unmentionable starting point? Are we there yet? Your eyesight’s better than mine.”

“Oh, there isn’t an end. It’s just ongoing, that adventure you hoped for, that future.”

“Always on the edge?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes not.”

“I’m trying to visualize it. But it all gets a bit fuzzy.”

“That’s because it’s unknown, that’s the adventure.”

“Could be fun.”

“It will be, trust me.”

“I do…..Ahh, this is bliss….sleep on the edge…”

“Babe?”

“ZZzzzz!”

“Very funny!”

“Zzzz…”

“Oh, you really are asleep, my beautiful, cute Captain.”

Piers stroked the untidy brown hair, kissed it once more, then drifted off himself….


To be continued next week.