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Lookin' over West Virginia
Smoking Spirits on the roof
He asked ain't anybody told ya
That them things are bad for you
I said many folks have warned me
There's been several people try
But up till now, there ain't been nothing
That I couldn't leave behind
Hold me close my dear
Sing your whispering song
Softly in my ear
And I will sing along
Honey tell me how your love runs true
And how I can always count on you
To be there when the bullets fly
I'd run across a river just to hold you tonight
After the fight with the latest abomination Duck felt he had never been closer to just walking away from the whole damn thing. It was one thing with Minerva insisting that he kill Billy. But when he himself made the ridiculous decision to punch the one person in Kepler that made his heart beat faster and slower at the same time because he couldn’t think of any other way to save him, yeah, Duck was officially all out of fucks to give.
He huddled down into the warmth of his jacket and took a drag from the cigarette perched between his fingers. As he exhaled smoke out into the cold dark air he gazed out on the lights of the town. He supposed that he probably wasn’t supposed to go up onto the roof of his apartment complex but no one had made a point to tell him not to in the years he’d lived there. The small area not taken up by the heating and air conditioning units was the perfect size for the plastic bench seat he’d dragged up there two summers ago. A coffee can half filled with sand was stashed under the seat to snuff out the cigarettes Duck only smoked when he was stressed. Which lately was more than he’d care to mention.
“Haven’t you heard that those will kill you?”
Duck turned in the direction of the amused lilting sound and felt his heart lurch into the now familiar too fast and too slow rhythm because there was no mistaking that voice. Especially not for Duck. Indrid stepped out of the shadows, still dressed in faded jeans and thin cotton tank top. His thin arms were hugged around himself in an attempt to keep any warmth he could. It was failing miserably if the intense shivering was anything to go by.
“Sure,” Duck chuckled, sliding to one side of the bench so Indrid can sit too. “But I’m thinkin’ those Bom Boms’ll get me before the smokin’ will.”
“Hmm,” Indrid hummed as he sat and leaned into the heat radiating from the furnace of a human beside him.
“Thought you left,” Duck bent to knock a bit of ash from his cigarette into the can at his feet. When he straightened again he was met with those red glasses turned towards him and an otherwise unreadable expression on Indrid’s delicate features. Duck swallowed as he let his eyes travel over the smaller man’s face, pausing when he got to the bruise on his cheekbone and ghosting his fingers over it. “Sorry about your face.”
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Indrid said softly, turning his face toward the large hand so his chin is cupped in the warmth of Duck’s palm. “It’s strange. I’ve never felt the need to do that kind of thing before. No one cares where I go.”
“I do,” Duck said, his voice no more than a whisper. Indrid closed his eyes and pushed his glasses up into his hair with a sigh.
“I was so hoping this would be the future that came to be.”
Duck chuckled and stubbed his cigarette out in the coffee can. “Why’s that?”
“Because in this future I can do this,” Indrid leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly to Duck’s. Too soon Indrid leaned back, a small smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. Duck blinked once and all but lunged forward, crashing his mouth against Indrid’s as he cradled the smaller man’s face in both his hands. Indrid’s arms found their way around Duck’s waist, pulling them even more tightly against one another. Duck coaxed Indrid’s mouth open with his tongue and deepened the kiss, moving one hand to run his fingers through the silver hair at the back of Indrid’s head. When they parted Duck barely resisted the urge to let out the giddy laughter bubbling up his throat.
“You taste like pineapple,” Duck couldn’t keep the grin off his face. Indrid leaned his forehead against Duck’s and sighed.
“I can’t.”
“Ya can’t what?” Duck asked.
“You’re going to ask me to stay here with you,” Indrid clarified. “I can’t stay. But I will come back to you. I just don’t know precisely when.”
Duck leaned in and this time their kiss was soft and lingering. When they broke apart this time Duck took Indrid’s hands in his and kissed his knuckles.
“Guess I’ll just have ta wait on ya then.”
“Not for too long I hope,” Indrid’s shivering had increased as the night air got colder. Duck removed his jacket and pulled it around Indrid’s shoulders before pulling him close. He tucked his head into Indrid’s shoulder and tilted his face up to nuzzle the slim jawline.
“I’m a patient man,” Duck said quietly into Indrid’s hair. The two sat in a comfortable silence for long enough that Duck had started to shiver.
“I have to go,” Indrid murmured, shifting away from Duck so he could stand. He slipped Duck’s coat from his shoulders and leaned to place it on the seat of the bench. Duck caught Indrid’s wrist and stood, pulling them chest to chest. Indrid opened his mouth as if to speak but didn’t have time to get any words out before Duck was kissing him again. They were back to the same hungry, frenzied rhythm as the first kiss. Duck felt light headed with the taste of Indrid on his tongue or the need to breathe or maybe both. The urge to breathe won out and Duck broke away first.
“Just needed one more for the road,” he said, panting slightly. Indrid smiled that same lopsided smile and drew back from Duck.
“Until next time Duck.”
“Can’t wait ‘Drid.”
Indrid turned then and headed for the door that led to the stairs. Duck watched the door close behind him before settling down on the bench again and shrugging his jacket back on. He could feel his heart still firmly drumming out its too fast and too slow beat.
“I can get used to that,” he announced to the night. With a sigh he went back down to his apartment, deciding that after he fed the cat it was well past time for him to be getting to sleep.
In the dark quiet of his room Duck found sleep came quickly and for once his dreams weren’t of chaos and destruction but of red tinted glasses hiding warm brown eyes and soft lips with the taste of pineapple.