Work Text:
Rowan stared at the blank, white wall of the small, swaying room. At least he wasn’t on a plane. This stupid, stupid boat was better than the plane would’ve been. Being trapped in the sky with Juniper would have been worse than anything else that Rowan could imagine.
The light streamed in through the cheap, slitted blinds. Rowan had tried his best to hide the sky away behind them, but the gaps were so large that they were basically useless. Rowan rocked, ever so slightly, back and forth, against the sway of the boat. He wasn’t sure how long it had been, although Juniper said he would only take ten minutes. It had been more than ten minutes, surely?
Fuck, he wanted the sky to just shut up. Leave him alone, just for a moment. No one else on the boat cared. No one else ever cared. No one believed someone could be so sensitive to the colour and sounds and just everything of the sky. Rowan felt his eyes fill with soft tears. He tried to hold them back but his body felt so far away that he wasn’t even aware he’d been crying for a while already. The tears fell in seething sobs, loud and snotty and altogether gross. Where was Juniper? He needed Juniper. Or just something. Anything to distract himself.
There were footsteps outside the door. There were always footsteps outside the door. It was a busy ship, and someone was always walking past their room. One, two, three sets. One pair that stopped just outside, and Rowan nearly choked as he tried to remain silent. What if someone heard? That would be worse than embarrassing. Juniper wouldn’t want to be seen with him. He’d probably have to steal a lifeboat and swim away somewhere that no one could make fun of him. Another pair of footsteps stopped outside the door, and Rowan heard the mumble of voices, but didn’t process what they said, or what they sounded like.
The door opened quietly at first, but then closed quickly with a small slam.
“Rowan, mate, are you okay… that was a stupid question actually.”
Rowan felt the soft touch of a hand on his shoulder. He focused on the sensation of it, trying to calm his breathing enough so that he wouldn’t be an embarrassment to his dearest friend.
“I have an idea, Rowan, just hang on for a second.”
Juniper shuffled around the room, taking the blanket from his bed and tucking it behind the railing on the blinds. The room plunged into semi-darkness as the circular windows were covered by the thick material.
“That’s better, innit?”
Rowan nodded, finally feeling at least a small amount of control over his body. He lifted an arm to wipe his face with his sleeve, but Juniper reached first and held his arm away. Juniper searched through the pocket on the breast of his shirt, pulling a small pack of tissues out. He flung a tissue open, wiping ever so gently along Rowan's cheeks and under his eyes. He held it below Rowan's nose next, wiping his septum ring clean, before handing a new tissue to the other man.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Could.. could you put your arm around me?” Rowan's voice was timid, but he was already starting to feel better. Especially as he saw Juniper's smile, and felt his arms resting on his shoulder blades. Juniper crouched in front of Rowan, rubbing his hands in circles along Rowan’s back. He leant forward, resting against Juniper’s chest, breathing in the smell of him, letting Juniper be the everything that grounded him again.
“Thank you, Juniper, it.. it means a lot,” Rowan spoke with slight confidence now, finally feeling like he could get on with the day again.
“No worries, it was nothing,” Juniper paused, “I would do anything for you.”
Rowan laughed against Juniper’s chest, reaching out to hold him too.
“Don’t laugh at me, mate, I so would!”
“I know. I think you just proved it.”
Rowan was silent for a moment, then spoke in less than a whisper into the fabric of Juniper’s shirt; “I love you.”