Happy Valentine's Day
He looked at the calendar; it was nearing the 14th of February. Sinclair smiled and looked at the sleeping man besides him. Johnny Topside looked so peaceful asleep, not like he was once a ruthless big daddy. Sinclair's hand came up to the diver's short blond hair, and he leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead, then his hand ran over one of the countless scars. It was where Delta shot himself ten years ago on Lamb's command.
He got up as quietly as he could and picked up his clothes to change, he had work and Sinclair didn't like being late. The southern man headed to the bathroom, feeling slightly dizzy as he walked, but shook his head to lose the feeling of his world spinning.
He coughed roughly and his throat felt sore. He thought it would probably go away after his usual cup of coffee, maybe he was coming down with a cold. No matter what it was Sinclair ignored it and started preparing for his day.
Once Augustus had changed he walked out of the bathroom, fixing his tie. When he lifted his head he saw that Johnny was now awake and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Mornin' there sport." Johnny's face remained emotionless and did he say a word. But still Sinclair walked to the man and sat next to him. "I'll get breakfast done an' ya wake the girls up, I'll be headin' off to work after that okay?"
John nodded and yawned; he then gave Sinclair a quick kiss and pushed him off the bed gently as a gesture to get a move on. Sinclair chuckled. "Alright, alright John, I'm goin'." He headed to the kitchen and Johnny went to wake the girls and Tenenbaum. John had saved five little sisters from the darkness of Rapture and they were now use to living with him along with Doctor Tenenbaum and little Eleanor Lamb. Ever since they escaped Rapture their life seemed better and more normal, though John didn't really have a job anymore and Eleanor had to start school next year. Then there is the matter of the five little sisters.
By the time everyone woke up and got ready for breakfast. Food ready and set on the table. The smell of eggs and bacon attracting the little sisters and making them run to the table with Johnny right behind them walking calmly and taking his seat on the table.
Sinclair cleared his throat, he tried to stop himself from coughing again, John blinked at him and once Sinclair caught his gaze he smiled. "It's jus' a cold chief, sit down an' eat now before it gets cold." He said reassuringly before taking a sip of his coffee and with his other hand handed John his own cup. "I'll be goin'," he kissed Topside's cheek and took his coat from the hanger. While walking to the door he couldn't hold his coughing anymore.
Johnny looked at Tenenbaum with concerned eyes, sure he couldn't show it much but he tried his best to display his worries. Tenenbaum nodded. "I'll check it after herr Sinclair returns home…" The man smiled to show his appreciation. He was glad to have Tenenbaum with them, she was like a nanny to the little sisters and a good friend to Johnny, Eleanor seemed to love her too.
"Mr. B?" One of the little sisters called. "Can we go to the park?" The other sisters cheered and gathered around the former big daddy. "Yeah Mr. Bubbles, take us to the park please?" They all begged with puppy dog eyes.
Tenenbaum gathered the little sister and pulled them away from Johnny. "I'll take you to zhe park und zhen ve can get some ice-cream" The girls cheered and ran off to their rooms to get ready.
Eleanor smiled. "Father? Won't you be joining us?
Johnny nodded; he went to get ready as well. Usually the time Sinclair spent at work Johnny would spend it either alone or with the little sisters or even with just Eleanor and he enjoyed it. It felt like he could live with no worries.
Sinclair tried his best to focus despite the horrible coughing, it was either that distracting him or being too excited to just finish work and getting a Valentine's Day present for John. He cleared his throat again. "Mister Sinclair, why don't you go home sir? You seem very tired" One of the men said.
Sinclair just chuckled. "I'm jus' fine don't'cha worry…" he refused to leave though they did offer to reschedule till he felt better, no matter how tired he felt he tried his best to shake the feeling off.
The little girls screamed as they ran they were enjoying a game of hide and seek with Eleanor. Tenenbaum and Johnny were sitting and watching them from a distance, the two were usually quiet. John glanced at his watch from time to time, he felt bored but he didn't want to ruin the little sisters' fun. He yawned and Tenenbaum began to sense his boredom. "Girls, let's go und get your ice-creams now, zhen ve are going home"
The girls gathered around Tenenbaum, Johnny walking behind them alone. While walking he noticed a man selling flowers and he thought of getting one for Sinclair but he feared looking Cliché and he didn't think it was right to give a man a flower. So he just walked away. "Don't be afraid of getting him a flower even if it's just eins flower," Tenenbaum said then put up a single finger. "One," she smiled. "He vould love vhat ever you choose to give him."
John felt encouraged by Tenenbaum's words and decided to get a flower, he bought a single red rose, and even though it was just one it looked unique on its own, it smelled fresh, some droplets of water on the sensitive red petals, it was wrapped well and there was a matching red ribbon on the end. He hoped that Sinclair would come home to a nice surprise today.
Sinclair had just left work, he was heading to get the gift he wanted for his lover, he had already knew what he wanted and it wasn't something anyone could get, but John was special to him and the other man was worth everything, he picked the present up from the store and got in the car to get back home. Once he got in he felt the coughs tickling his throat and he couldn't stop himself from coughing again, he covered the rough coughs with the sleeve of his shirt. Once he felt like the coughing would stop for now he removed the shirt's sleeve. His hands started shaking when he saw the little drops of blood staining the white fabric and he swallowed, tasting the metallic fluid in his mouth. Not long after he began to cough again and even when he tried to stop he couldn't. He quickly reached for a tissue and covered his mouth, when he looked at the tissue he saw the splatters of red blood, his head started spinning and before he knew it everything turned black and he was out cold.
John was finally home, he went to his and Sinclair's room and left the rose he got on the table, he felt sort of excited and he couldn't wait till his lover gets home. Johnny wasn't usually very romantic and Sinclair didn't seem to mind that, he loved John with all his flaws and that's what made John love him in return, after all… he was the only person other than Eleanor to believe in him and his humanity. Treated him like a human with a heart and mind.
He sat down on the bed for what seemed like hours then looked at the watch. Sinclair should have been home by now. The phone rang but Johnny didn't bother to go and answer it anyway, from a distance though he could hear Tenenbaum answering it. He sighed and closed his eyes, maybe he could take a nap till Sinclair gets home, when he does he'll wake Johnny up for sure. Before he could fall asleep he heard Tenenbaum closing the phone and then running… The footsteps became louder and they were coming closer, the door to the room was slammed open.
"Herr Delta!" She yelled and his eyes snapped open. "You have to hurry! It's Sinclair, zhe hospital just called und he's in zhe emergency!" John's eyes widened and he quickly gathered the girls and they all headed to the hospital.
"Aunt Tenenbaum? Is Mama Sinclair feeling okay?" one of the little sisters asked and Tenenbaum smiled.
"Of course he is, but Sinclair is just a little sick" she explained trying her best not to scare the little ones. Eleanor looked at John who was too focused on driving to notice anything else, she wanted to tell him that everything was fine and that they went through worse but she decided against it and just sat back till they arrived.
John passed the doctors and nurses even though they told him that it was forbidden to enter the emergency without permission from a specific doctor. He looked through the glass of the rooms, looking for Sinclair's room.
His heart stopped when he saw the doctors at Sinclair's side while the man was coughing, an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth and it was soon covered in blood. John knocked on the window like how a big daddy use to knock on a vent to get a little sister's attention, he tried to talk, to make a sound but he couldn't. One of the doctors opened the door to tell John to just be patient and wait but the doctor was pushed aside and John ran into the room and to Sinclair's side.
Sinclair looked at him with half lidded eyes, and even though the doctors tried to pull John out of the room Sinclair reached weakly for his lover's hand. John pushed the doctors off and held the southern man's hand, his eyes pleading for Sinclair to get up and be alright.
"T-Thank god ya showed up chief… I was afraid I'd die alone…a-an' without seein' ya again…" Sinclair said weakly and John shook his head, holding Sinclair's hand together in his grip. He wanted to talk, to tell Sinclair that he wasn't going to die, that if he would just shut up and save his energy he would be fine, but his lips didn't make a sound.
Slowly Sinclair's hand came up to Johnny's face, stroking his cheek. "Y-You're one o' a kind John, a-an' you're beautiful, don't let anyone ever tell ya otherwise" John nodded, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes, but Sinclair could still see them. "Hush now… D-Don't cry, please…" Sinclair closed his eyes and breathing seemed to get harder to him, still he fought. He smiled and he placed something in Johnny's hand. "I-I got… got this for ya" then he closed John's grip. "I-I wanted…. Wanted to spend Valentine's Day with ya sport…"
John opened his hand to see a small pocket watch, it was golden and it had the symbol "Delta" carved on it, he opened it and saw a picture of him, Sinclair, Tenenbaum and the little sisters on top of the clock. "I…. I'm sorry…." His sentence was interrupted by several coughs before he continued. "You're not alone…. I… I love ya, ya know that don't'cha sport?" again John nodded and he kissed the back of Sinclair's hand. "T-Take care o' everyone could ya? An' tell Eleanor I'm sorry…. I won't see her grow up an' become a beautiful lady"
John could feel Sinclair's breathing slow down which only made the tears gather in the corner of his eyes and they pushed trying to fall one after another but Topside didn't allow them.
"Stay… Stay strong, a-an' don't be upset… I love ya" with that his body went numb, his grip on John's hand loosened and his eyes closed, his breathing stopped and his body turned lifeless and cold. Johnny shook him gently hoping that Sinclair would open his eyes but nothing, the man didn't move, didn't breathe… he was gone… dead.
John stood up, holding the pocket watch Sinclair gave him tightly in his hand, he turned around as the doctors covered his lover's dead body and announced the date and time of death. He tried leaving the room without breaking down, and it took everything to do so. He wouldn't cry in front of Eleanor… or the little sisters.
But once they got home and John locked himself in his room he cried, he let all the tears escape and he tried to scream, his mouth wide open but no sound came out, it was just the echoing sound of an endless scream followed by tears. He held the watch close and he let his weakness show. He fell to his knees surrendering to his pain.
"Johnny?" Came a sound and he could feel someone shaking him gently.
A gasp
And John opened his eyes.
He was panting but couldn't believe his eyes….
It was all just a dream.
Sinclair was there, looking at him with concerned eyes. "Ya alright chief?" John's hand quickly came up to hold Sinclair's face, he looked his lover in the eyes and Sinclair stared back. Johnny smashed their lips together and at first Sinclair was surprised but then he kissed back. Once they parted he chuckled. "Bad dream I reckon?" Johnny nodded feeling his heartbeats slow down and recover from the shock.
He held Sinclair's hand in his tightly. "S…Sin….Sinclair," he said after some struggle. Sinclair's eyes widened in both surprise and happiness.
"What did ya jus' say?" He asked wanting John to repeat his name.
"S-Sinclair… I…I love you," Johnny pulled Sinclair into a hug, and Sinclair hugged back. "S-So…So much" his hand held on tightly to the Southern man's shirt not wanting to part or let go.
Sinclair laughed. "An' I love ya too Johnny," he said, staying completely still, and waiting for Johnny to pull away, he felt that the other man was comfortable in his embrace so he let it be. But Sinclair turned his head to the side to kiss Johnny's temple. "Ya wanna tell me what made ya so scared?" John shook his head; he'd rather enjoy his day and forget he ever dreamed today. "I jus'… can't believe ya talked, I thought Tenenbaum said ya couldn't. But anyway, since we're all up now, ya should get dressed, its valentines an' I wanna take ya out"
Johnny nodded and he kissed Sinclair again before running off to get dressed leaving the Southern man confused, yet Sinclair just laughed it off and shook his head. John was always so mysterious but it was one of the things Sinclair loved about him.
END