Writer: Sabaku No Kel
Fandom: Hellboy
Pairing: past Hellboy x John Myers
Title: Call
Words: 2617
Rating: Overall rating M (This chapter T)
Warning: OC minor character use, reference to Het
Disclaimer: I don't own Hellboy or it's characters and do not make any money out of writing this.
AN1: Hello lovelies! Now I know I said I'd write smut for this week but I heard this song at work (
lips of an angel by
Hinder) and then the plotbunnies got me and wouldn't leave me alone until it wrote this here. Now this is intended as a two-parter so this is really more like the prologue but I hope you like it anyways. Enjoy.
000 Call 000
He was lying awake again, mindlessly staring up at a ceiling he couldn't even see. Night after night his thoughts would keep him from his rest, tormenting him with past mistakes and regrets. He willed sleep to come to him as he silently counted the sheep jumping around in his head.
He was having trouble falling asleep lately, ever since John had moved out and Liz had tried to take his place in his bed as well as in his heart. Needless to say it wasn't really working. Funny, months ago he would have been jumping with joy to have the fire starter beside him but not anymore.
Everything had changed after he'd met John, his little nanny had grown on him in a matter of days after the whole Russia ordeal and though Liz had left the Bureau again to 'find herself' John stayed with him. John comforted him and helped him deal with his heartache, spending every free moment of his time with him, watching a movie or simply sharing the silence. They became friends quickly and jumped into something more even quicker and though it was awkward and more then a little weird in the beginning they could no longer deny the growing attraction between them.
Their relationship was one of fire and passion, and lasted for two months before Liz returned once again and he was left with doubts. She was the one he'd always wanted but now that she was back he didn't even know what he felt for her anymore. He needed some time alone to think about his feelings, both for John and Liz.
After a quick break out and a relaxing night outside with a six pack of beers he had made a decision. He would continue his relationship with John. It didn't matter that Liz was back, not when his lover had been there for him when she wasn't, John loved and accepted him for who he was and that was all he ever really wanted.
He returned to the Bureau, a slight skip in his step as he searched for his agent, ready to swoop the kid into a kiss and tell him right on the spot that he loved him. When he found John in his office waiting for him his enthusiasm dimmed some though, not liking the look on his lover's face as an awful sense of foreboding hit him like a ton of bricks.
He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but John stopped him before he got the chance, raising his hand in a signal of silence. Everything after that was merely a blur, he remembered John telling him he was going away, that he had requested a transfer himself and was leaving in a few hours. Saying that he couldn't bear the thought of seeing him and Liz together though he didn't want to stand in the way of his happiness by forcing him to be with someone he didn't love either.
He remembered the feelings going through him at that very moment, anger, hurt and pure rage were at the forefront of his mind, covering the betrayal in his heart from being seen. He had yelled at his lover, no,
former lover in fury, words of hate spilling from his lips without his full realization as something inside of him just snapped.
John had stood proud and accepted every word though, his face an emotionless mask as he threw insult after insult at the young agent until he ran out of words to say and stormed out of the room. He barely caught sight of the tears rolling down John's face but he forced his body to keep moving, trying desperately to convince himself the kid deserved every word even as his heart broke further apart.
He ran into Liz on the way back to his room, dragging her along and into his room though she didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
That day he had used her as a means to drown his sorrows, something that would make him forget all about John even though he knew it to be impossible. They had been together ever since.
That was nearly four months ago and he'd suffered many sleepless nights ever since. There were of course rare occasions when he did get a few hours of sleep in, sometimes he simply passed out from exhaustion but other times he fell asleep with a smile on his face and warmth in his heart as soon as his head hit the pillows. Those were the nights when he'd heard the voice of his beloved all the way from the top of world.
You see, almost a month after John's transfer and their, though still undeclared, break up he had finally mustered up the guts to give the kid a call. He had to apologize for his words even though he had thought them justified in the moment he realized they were nothing but cruel, as well as completely untrue, almost instantly after they'd been spoken. His pride had kept him from apologizing for this long and though the wounds in his heart still hurt he knew he couldn't live with the guilt of his outburst for any longer.
After hours of trying to get through to the Antarctic base piled on top of his weeks of lonely heart ache he was so happy to finally hear John's voice again he nearly blurted out those three little life altering words. He managed to restrain the urge just in time though, realizing it simply wouldn't do to confess his love to the agent without him even knowing who was on the other end of the line. After a few seconds of trying rather uselessly to gather his courage he broke the silence.
Their first conversation since their fight was awkward to say the least though it made him happier then he'd been in weeks, simply knowing John was on the other end of that phone line seemed to start the process of healing his broken heart. After both parties had exchanged apologies for their behavior they fell back into easy conversation in a matter of minutes. It was as though their argument and days apart had never occurred as they exchanged pleasantries and small talk about the current chain of events in their lives well into the middle of the night. After hours of catching up they had to let go of each other once again, John to catch up on his missed hours of paperwork and he to finally get some sleep for the first time in days though they promised to stay in touch on a regular basis from now on.
Every conversation they had shared after that had been a blessing and though it was sometimes hard to get a hold of each other, John's new location being a snowy wasteland not really making it easy on them, he still cherished every static filled moment.
There was only one thing that still bothered him and that was the fact that he still hadn't confessed his love for the agent. He'd tried on numerous occasions to bring up the topic of their relationship though every time he so much as hinted at their unresolved feelings John quickly changed the subject. Not one to give in without a fight he kept trying to breech the subject until one day John told him he was now dating one of his colleagues, Mike.
Frankly to say he didn't like the guy, not just because he was now dating John instead of him but also because he didn't like some of the things he'd heard about him from the other agent. Sure John had tried to convince him he was a really nice guy once you got to know him but he didn't quite believe that. Mike was apparently known for his bad temper and trigger happy attitude out on the field so it didn't really sit well with him that John was off parading around with a guy who was obviously bad news, unfortunately it wasn't his place to tell John who he could and could not date since he still hadn't broken it off with Liz.
It was with a heavy heart he had decided not to interfere in John's love life anymore, even though he loved the agent with every fiber of his being he wanted to give him a chance of finding real happiness even if he wasn't the one to provide it. They continued their over phone friendship and though they definitely acted like more than just friends he was content with what he had.
He was shaken from his thoughts as his phone rang, luckily it was on vibrate so the sound wasn't loud enough to wake Liz but she still shifted for a moment before settling down again. He reached for his mobile phone and checked the caller id, John's name glaring back at him as confusion and a tickling of worry almost made him forget about the fire starter sleeping peacefully beside him.
"Scout? Why are you calling so late?" He said, trying to keep his voice down to a whisper even as he sat upright in bed, body tense as he expected the worst.
"
I know it's probably the middle of the night over there and I'm sorry for calling at such an unreasonable time but I really needed someone to talk to right now." Hellboy frowned at the sound of John's voice, he sounded like he was on the verge of tears at the very least, a choked sob coming from the other end of the line only confirming his discovery that the agent was indeed crying.
"Why are you crying, is everything alright?" He asked as he got out of bed, knowing that if he stayed in bed he might wake up Liz and there'd be hell to pay if he did. He moved as silently as he could, which wasn't very quiet at all he noticed as his hooves made clicking sounds on the floor.
"
Mike and I had a fight… about you, about us." John said through his tears, the sound of his love in such anguish reminding him all too cruelly of the day when he had been the cause of that pain, a pain he didn't want the agent too feel ever again. The urge to fly, hitchhike or even run to Antarctica to pummel the living daylight out of the little fucker who had hurt his love was great, the only thing stopping him from doing so however was the knowledge that John needed him right now, the kid had come to him for comfort and he would provide it.
"I knew that guy would turn out to be a jerk." He said angrily before getting on with the comforting part. "Listen to me John, if he wants to give up the greatest thing that's ever happened to him then that's his loss but you shouldn't cry for him, he's not worth it." Hellboy said, convinced that since whatever the bastard had said or done was obviously bad enough to bring John to tears he was nothing more than a scumbag who didn't deserve someone as wonderful as John. The agent probably didn't agree with him on that though, the kid was too kind hearted to see the fault in anyone else so more often than not he would blame himself for the things that went wrong.
"
It wasn't all Mike's fault though, most of what he was saying was
true." John said as his sniffles died down, defending the other despite the hurt inflicted upon him by that same man. Hellboy frowned.
"Still, if he made you cry he obviously said something that went too far." Hellboy protested, not nearly as willing to just forgive and forget the other as John was. He sighed. "You deserve better than him, kid." The demon said, though he was sure that even if John found someone the rest of the world considered absolutely perfect he still wouldn't be good enough for John. No one was good enough but as long as the agent was happy Hellboy could live with that.
There was silence for several long seconds and his first thought was that a sudden storm might have hit the Arctic base, cutting their call before John could respond.
"John? You still there?" Hellboy asked and this time it only took a second before he heard a sound from the other end, meaning their line hadn't died a tragic death.
"
Yeah, I just…" John started but cut himself off, something in the sound of his voice telling the demon he wasn't going to like whatever the agent wanted to say. "
Do you think it's me? That I'm the one who can't keep up a relationship?" John asked, sounding both hurt and confused. "
I mean it was like this with the girl I dated in high school and my boyfriend in college, heck even you-" John declared as the demon felt a spike move through his heart at that statement. Hellboy ignored it. "-
and now I'm ruining things with Mike too." John declared, groaning.
The demon's shoulders drooped, fingers tightening around his cellphone as he realized that the agent was blaming himself for the failing of his past relationships, including the one he'd had with the demon. He would have to make sure the kid knew that he wasn't to blame for any of that, that sometimes those things just happened because they were unavoidable.
"Just because a relationship has ended doesn't mean it's your fault, kid. Some couples work some couples don't but it usually takes a while for the two people who are right for each other to actually
find each other." Hellboy said, hoping that maybe one day John would find that person even if that meant that he wouldn't have the person who was perfect for
him.
There was silence again and he hoped that meant the kid was at least thinking over his words. "What I'm trying to say is; sometimes you have to sift through the bad apples before you find the one you like the most." He declared, rubbing the back of his neck when he realized how stupid it sounded using apple bobbing as a metaphor for dating.
John chuckled and the sound brought a smile to his face, all too glad to sound like a complete fool if it made the agent laugh. "I thought we were talking about people?" John asked, smile growing now that the agent was no longer upset.
Hellboy snorted. "Potato, tomato, it's all the same." The demon joked, pulling another laugh from his love.
"
Thanks for cheering me up Red." John said after a moment of silence, voice so filled with emotion that he thought for a second that the agent might start crying again until he realized it wasn't sadness he was hearing. It sound like happiness, gratitude and, dare he dream it, love mixed together.
"Anytime, Boy Scout." Hellboy smiled as they breeched the topic of lighter, easier conversation. They talked for at least another half hour until John reminded him of the time and though he hadn't wanted to hang up just yet the agent went all nanny mode on him and send him off to bed anyways. They said their goodbyes and ended the call a few seconds later.
Hellboy yawned loudly as he returned to his bedroom, placing the phone on his nightstand as he slid under the covers without another sound. Falling asleep within a matter of seconds, his last thoughts before oblivion claimed him were of his agent.
000 Call 000
AN2: Well now that you've all reached the bottom it's time for a little announcement. Keep an eye on fanfic updates next Tuesday because I will be uploading a new Hellboy x John fic! It will be rated M (I will settle for no less) and will consist out of multiple chapters (no idea how many, haven't planned that far ahead yet).
Hope you all liked to read and see y'all next week (and Tuesday hopefully!).
~~~Read long and prosper,
Sabaku No Kel~~
