side.
"You'd best come in then, Doc."
The fish was steamed inside the batter to perfection, the chips chunky and hot, and the vinegar tart on his tongue. He heard the bell from the van every week, but he could never be bothered to stumble out and buy himself dinner, instead relying on cans and boxes in his own kitchen. That was something that would have to be remedied this time next week now he had a taste of them. He would make himself walk to the van.
They talked for a long time, about everything and nothing. By unconscious decision, they avoided talk of medical matters pertaining to Daniel, and that worked well.
"So you kind of implied you were…" Sean hesitated. "You said something about being a single, gay guy." Daniel pulled his upper lip between his teeth and nodded a quick yes. "That must have been hard, being in the Army and all. It was hard enough for me at medical college, and we all know students try anything." There was no earth shattering Are-you-gay, yes-I-am, let's-shag conversation, but the whole gay thing was out there, and maybe Daniel could see something in Sean he hadn't seen before. Understanding.
"It wasn't hard as such. I just kept my army life and my sex life separate."
"All the time you were in Afghanistan?"
"Mostly."
"I have to tell you that I'm really attracted to you," Sean began seriously, pouting when Daniel snorted out his amusement.
"I can tell you went to private school, 'I have to tell you—'" he mimicked.
"Shut up," Sean grumped, waving a hand to silence Daniel, a hand that Daniel caught with his still-nearly-functioning reflexes.
"Well," he began, teasing in his tone, "I have to tell you that I'm attracted to you too."
"Oh." Sean looked at him with wide eyes. "That was easy," he finally said.
"Talking about it is easy. Wait 'til you get past the talking and experience my inferior body image issues." Daniel was joking, but he knew for a fact that the thread of fear he was trying to hide was obvious. Sean leaned forward, his hand cupping the right side of Daniel's face, his other hovering over the scars. He didn't touch them, but he leaned in and kissed Daniel tenderly, a mere touch of lips and then he drew back, his hand finally resting on Daniel's ruined skin.
"If I got to touch your body, I would feel like the luckiest man in Steeple Westford."
"What? Even luckier than Mrs Jones who won twenty-three pounds on the lottery and spent an hour on Wednesday telling me how she was going to treat herself?" Daniel wanted to diffuse the tension, had to make a joke of the fact he was hard in his jersey boxers and wanting anything Sean was offering.
Sean chuckled. "Even more than that."
* * * *
It wasn't every night, but over the next week, Sean would arrive on his doorstep, he guessed post-surgery hours, always bringing some kind of food.
"Do I look like I need fattening up?" Daniel had joked on the third day, after looking at the curry from the Taj Mahal in the next town over. Sean had replied in all seriousness that he needed Daniel to keep his energy levels high for when they finally went past the kissing stage. That served to fluster Daniel way past normal, and it was that he remembered when Sean arrived at his door the next night. He didn't have food. All he had was a grieving expression on his face and an air of palpable sorrow around him. Daniel ushered him in, guiding him to sit, and after ascertaining he wasn't on duty tonight, handed him a beer. He didn't ask stupid questions, just popped the tab on his own beer and waited. He thought he knew what this was about. Will had only just left, carrying news of deterioration in Charlie and Carol's premature baby, a sentence of only a few days to survive. They couldn't tell what was wrong with the little mite, but they knew he was losing the battle to live. Sean was so close to Phil, close to the whole family, and had been asked to be godfather to little Edward. They didn't actually talk about the baby, but Daniel moved back
"You'd best come in then, Doc."
The fish was steamed inside the batter to perfection, the chips chunky and hot, and the vinegar tart on his tongue. He heard the bell from the van every week, but he could never be bothered to stumble out and buy himself dinner, instead relying on cans and boxes in his own kitchen. That was something that would have to be remedied this time next week now he had a taste of them. He would make himself walk to the van.
They talked for a long time, about everything and nothing. By unconscious decision, they avoided talk of medical matters pertaining to Daniel, and that worked well.
"So you kind of implied you were…" Sean hesitated. "You said something about being a single, gay guy." Daniel pulled his upper lip between his teeth and nodded a quick yes. "That must have been hard, being in the Army and all. It was hard enough for me at medical college, and we all know students try anything." There was no earth shattering Are-you-gay, yes-I-am, let's-shag conversation, but the whole gay thing was out there, and maybe Daniel could see something in Sean he hadn't seen before. Understanding.
"It wasn't hard as such. I just kept my army life and my sex life separate."
"All the time you were in Afghanistan?"
"Mostly."
"I have to tell you that I'm really attracted to you," Sean began seriously, pouting when Daniel snorted out his amusement.
"I can tell you went to private school, 'I have to tell you—'" he mimicked.
"Shut up," Sean grumped, waving a hand to silence Daniel, a hand that Daniel caught with his still-nearly-functioning reflexes.
"Well," he began, teasing in his tone, "I have to tell you that I'm attracted to you too."
"Oh." Sean looked at him with wide eyes. "That was easy," he finally said.
"Talking about it is easy. Wait 'til you get past the talking and experience my inferior body image issues." Daniel was joking, but he knew for a fact that the thread of fear he was trying to hide was obvious. Sean leaned forward, his hand cupping the right side of Daniel's face, his other hovering over the scars. He didn't touch them, but he leaned in and kissed Daniel tenderly, a mere touch of lips and then he drew back, his hand finally resting on Daniel's ruined skin.
"If I got to touch your body, I would feel like the luckiest man in Steeple Westford."
"What? Even luckier than Mrs Jones who won twenty-three pounds on the lottery and spent an hour on Wednesday telling me how she was going to treat herself?" Daniel wanted to diffuse the tension, had to make a joke of the fact he was hard in his jersey boxers and wanting anything Sean was offering.
Sean chuckled. "Even more than that."
* * * *
It wasn't every night, but over the next week, Sean would arrive on his doorstep, he guessed post-surgery hours, always bringing some kind of food.
"Do I look like I need fattening up?" Daniel had joked on the third day, after looking at the curry from the Taj Mahal in the next town over. Sean had replied in all seriousness that he needed Daniel to keep his energy levels high for when they finally went past the kissing stage. That served to fluster Daniel way past normal, and it was that he remembered when Sean arrived at his door the next night. He didn't have food. All he had was a grieving expression on his face and an air of palpable sorrow around him. Daniel ushered him in, guiding him to sit, and after ascertaining he wasn't on duty tonight, handed him a beer. He didn't ask stupid questions, just popped the tab on his own beer and waited. He thought he knew what this was about. Will had only just left, carrying news of deterioration in Charlie and Carol's premature baby, a sentence of only a few days to survive. They couldn't tell what was wrong with the little mite, but they knew he was losing the battle to live. Sean was so close to Phil, close to the whole family, and had been asked to be godfather to little Edward. They didn't actually talk about the baby, but Daniel moved back
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