A Brian Lives drabble that lead to a chapter fic. I won't be using it in said chapter fic, so enjoy!
Rated only for swearing, cause nothing will convince me a near death experience doesn't deserve the F-bomb.
Sane People Don't Jump Out of Airplanes
Brian pulls his reserve too close to the ground. He knows it before he ever touches dirt, but when he does… There's no crunch of bone and he manages to contain his momentum into a few body rolls. His lungs are on fuckin' fire and his shute is a tangled mess.
The medic that arrives orders him still. He happily complies because his body fucking hurts. It's more obvious just how much when the medic starts feeling him up.
"No obvious wounds or broken bones," the medic isn't talking to him, "need x-rays and maybe an MRI to be sure there's no damage."
"Ambulance is 1 mike out."
That's the instructor. Not Seaver, the Senior Chief that was assisting with the jumps.
His head's swimming a bit as he takes in his surroundings. He can make out a number of figures - his teammates probably - closing in from all sides.
The medic flashes a light in his eye and he flinches.
"Possible concussion."
No shit. Brian was double checking every parachute from now on. God, no wonder sane people didn't jump out of planes.
He'd made the landing zone though. Barely, but missing would've been worse.
-.-.-
When Brian opens his eyes it's to find himself in the infirmary. Clay is not quite falling out of the chair beside his bed. He looks like crap - there's a non-zero chance that he's been there just as long as Brian has. Which, given the darkness outside the window, has been at least 12 hours.
"Seriously Spenser?" Brian calls out, enjoying the way Clay jumps from the chair like a loaded spring. "Keeping vigil by my bedside? The guys'll talk."
Clay's eyes narrow on him, "Fuck you, Armstrong." The blond is smiling.
"That sort of language doesn't help." Clay rolls his eyes.
"Just for that," Clay gets up, stretches, "I'm getting the doctor."
Brian endures the exam and interrogation that follows. He endures two separate speeches about how lucky he is - one from the doc, the other from Seaver. One had mentioned that had he not pulled his reserve when he did, he'd be dead. The other said that if he'd broken any bones he'd have had to try again with the next class.
Personally, Brian would have taken the former over the latter. Saying as much had gotten chuckles out of Clay and some severe looks from the doctor.
Clay manages to spend all three nights with Brian in the infirmary. The guys actually did start talking. Mostly speculatively, about the size of Spenser's heart.
Which had brought to the attention of all of Green Team that Clay Spenser had never seen The Grinch.
"This is the weirdest welcome back ever," Brian caught some popcorn he'd thrown in his mouth. Clay shushed him. Three eyebrows went up. Money quietly exchanged hands. And Clay hummed the Whoville's Christmas Hymn for a full week.
Death might have been preferable to that last bit.
Thanks for reading! Reviews Appreciated!