FIC: 'Listen'

Author: Anne Marsh
Title: Listen
Sequel to: Two Paths
Pairing: Bruce/Johnny
Notes etc.: It's basically a continuation of the last couple ficlets. I don't own 'em. I don't have a lot of time, so I have to make this intro thing quick.



I didn't know quite what to tell him-- or if I should tell him-- about what I saw before waking. I know that I chose something, when I came out. I mean, the metaphor was pretty clear, wasn't it? All that was missing was a little path forking from where I stood.

It really didn't need the forking thing. Really. One way he's sitting in a hospital and I'm hooked into some kind of familiar machines. The other way... we're happy. And we're a 'we', a couple. And apparently someone we'll know will get married, but that's not really so surprising, people get married all the time, and it's not really the issue. Bruce and I are lovers.

Bruce and I are lovers. He just doesn't know it yet.

Does he love me? I mean, he must someday, but does he love me now? If I say something, do I run the risk of scaring him off, of losing that future forever? Because that's the future I chose, the one where I get to love him.

"Got something on your mind, John?" His hand was still resting over mine, if not still gripping it.

"Yeah, I-- I think... while I was, you know, out of it there..."

"The word is 'comatose', John."

"It's not a new word." I huffed. "Look, I had a sort of a vision, okay?"

"Yeah?" He looked interested. Not awed, not scared. Interested. Kind of like if I'd told him I'd just seen a movie, only people don't see movies in comas, they have visions. Well, maybe not everyone. Anyway, I was comfortable and happy with the level of interest he showed. It felt nice, and normal.

"Yeah."

"You wanna share or what?" He prodded, after a pause.

"It was... a little weird. I mean-- it was two futures. There was the one where I woke up, and the one where I didn't..."

He nodded, but didn't try to add anything. Come on, what do you say to something like that? He just waited for me to elaborate.

"I chose waking up." I said, stalling and racking my brains for some way to finish this conversation.

"I can see that." He smiled, not unkindly, and ruffled my hair in a moment of unguarded affection. "And thanks."

"I didn't like the future where I didn't wake up. But it was the other one-- I saw us... you know, older."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. We were some pretty cool old men." I didn't bring up the 'lovers' part. So sue me, I chickened out. "We were going to someone's wedding... I didn't recognize the bride and groom, but they were a little fuzzy-- it was just us I was supposed to pay attention to. You got twenty years to find the right tux."

"Cool cool." He grinned, patting my hand.

There was a pause. It wasn't a strained silence, really, it just felt to me like something was up in the air.

"Are you, um-- Aren't you going to ask what I saw-- in the vision where I didn't wake up?"

His expression was flat, serious, straightforward-- this was a face that said 'what I am about to say is true, it matters, and there won't be any arguing, because I know what I am talking about'.

"I don't need to ask, John." He said, his voice low, forcedly steady. "I know what you saw. You saw me."

"Yeah..." My mouth went dry and I tried to swallow. "I did. Sitting right there."

"Sitting right here. I said I was going to wait for you to wake up. I would have."

"You really would have." I nodded, feeling my heart thump a little harder than was entirely normal. Bruce's eyes flickered over to one of the monitors by my bed. Uh-oh, drat and double drat...

"You feel all right, John?" He leaned forward, taking my pulse. "Breathing all right?"

"I'm fine." I didn't lie. I felt better than fine, even though my pulse was racing under his fingertips now. Especially *because* my pulse was racing underneath his fingertips...

"You sure?" He leveled me with that look-- I remembered it all too well from PT sessions... It was a look you couldn't lie to-- I mean, one a person would be physically incapable of lying to. You'd have to be some kind of sociopath not to buckle under it.

"I'm sure. Look, the-- the other thing... from the vision,"

"Yeah?" He was a little more concerned than he had been before, and he was still holding onto my wrist, touch warm.

"We were at the wedding together."

"As in what? No dates, man? Or was one of us the other's 'and guest'?"

"Erm... more like instead of 'and guest', we received an invitation reading 'Messrs John Smith and Bruce Lewis'-- or 'Mssrs Bruce Lewis and John Smith', depending."

"You're telling me..."

"That people aren't going to be wasting stationary on writing us twice? Look, I can only tell you what I saw, but we looked like two people who shared a mailbox."

"We..." He went slightly slack, pondering it.

"Of course, the kiss kind of helped me towards that conclusion..."

His head snapped back up and he looked at me, eyes searching. "Kiss?"

"Kiss. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept."

"Not as it applies to you and me-- yet." He caressed my face tentatively, and my eyelids fluttered shut for a moment. "You swear this isn't some kind of practical joke, John?"

"Would I do that?" My own hand trailed up his arm, until the fabric of his jacket was bunched up in my fist and I was drawing him in.

He kissed me softly, with just the slightest taste of tongue to tantalize me. I kissed back, hungry for more but giving him full rein, keeping the kiss gentle. Keeping it his. I was surprised at how rigt it felt. I didn't have to be in charge with Bruce, and I knew he was driving us in the right direction. I always thought it was the Perfect Kiss with Sarah, and I'm sure it was, in a different way, but this... this is how a kiss is supposed to be. No pressure, even for the first kiss. Just pleasure, just love.

Our lips parted, with just the right wet little kiss sound. "Nice," Bruce whispered, stroking my cheek as we pulled back.

"Very." I cupped his chin in one hand and admired him. And it was, everything about it. And now it's mine-- ours-- and I know we'll have it for a good, long time.

---/-/---
FIN

=^_^=
Anne