Disclaimer: I do not own 21 Jump Street.
A/N: I thought of this while making a banner based on the episode "A Big Disease With a Little Name" and then, after I rewatched the episode, I just...wrote it. Enjoy. Slight bit of slash, too, btw.
Touch the Sun
They're just standing there, by the falls, the running water all but drowning out Harley's sobs, and Hanson thinks maybe he should say something. Something encouraging, something a friend would say, but he doesn't want to break the moment.
He doesn't want to sound like a cop, and he knows a cop would start talking, so he keeps quiet and wraps his arms tighter around Harley's body, oddly relieved by the feeling of their bodies pressed together.
I'm happy he's alive, he tells himself. I'm glad he didn't do it. And that's how he explains it to himself even as he feels Harley bury his face deeper into his shoulder and he tilts his own head to lean it against Harley's.
But before he's even really sure what he's doing, he's tilting his head a little more and pressing his lips to Harley's ear, and he's whispering words he wasn't even aware he was thinking.
"Do you still want to touch the sun?"
There's a moment when neither of them move or speak, but then Harley's nodding his head and pulling away, looking up at Hanson with a puzzled expression on his face. Hanson forces a smile, but he knows it's a sad attempt when Harley starts to laugh. And soon he can't help but laugh himself, because it's so amazing to see Harley's smile, to hear his laugh, after all the kid's been through.
"What're you gonna do, Hanson?" Harley asks, once the moment passes and they're somewhat serious again (though his sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed by Hanson). "Teach me to fly?"
Hanson thinks for a few minutes, exaggerating his facial expressions and 'hmming', watching out of the corner of his eye as Harley tries to suppress another smile, before he answers.
"You know what, maybe I will," he says. "C'mon." He takes Harley by the arm and leads him closer to the fence, pressing their bodies up against it and looking down at the water below.
"This ain't flying, Hanson," Harley says, and Hanson tries not to laugh as he watches the falls meet the river.
"It's the closest I've ever been," he says, shifting his gaze up to the gray sky. "How about you?"
There's silence for a few moments, and if Hanson didn't have his fingers wrapped around Harley's forearm he'd think the kid had run off. But, when Harley does answer, his voice is so low and quiet that Hanson doesn't hear him at first and he turns his head to find Harley's eyes on him.
"What?" he asks, realizing just how close they really are.
"I said yeah," Harley replies. Hanson nods slowly, and he feels Harley shift positions, pressing their bodies closer together.
"I, uh…," Hanson starts, but he doesn't have a chance to finish. His heart races as Harley somehow pins him against the fence, tilting his head ever so slightly as his face nears Hanson's and, before Hanson can really figure out what's happening, their lips are pressed together.
It's nothing fancy or life shattering, just a brief moment of lips pressed to lips before Harley backs away, head bowed and cheeks flushed.
"Sorry," he whispered. "I just, I…," he trails off and gazes out at the falls again. Hanson takes a moment to collect his thoughts, his feelings, before he steps up behind Harley, hands on the young man's shoulders, and finishes the sentence.
"You just wanted to touch the sun."