Title: Kiss Me
Author: homesweethomicide13
Rating: T
Pairing: Jarda
Warning: Slash
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own these men
Summary: Barda isn't feeling his best and Doom takes it upon himself to cheer him up.

Kiss Me

Doom gazed out of a palace window at the lush green gardens and smiled. Jasmine had picked out the best gardeners for the palace, and directed them well. His eyes found the large oak tree set against one wall, where a simple wooden swing hung from a thick branch some distance from the floor. His smile grew slightly when he saw the tall man sat on said swing, rocking back and forth gently. His smile faded, however, when he saw the downcast expression on the man's face.

Curious, he walked out into the gardens and made his way to the swing. He watched the man on the swing rocking back and forth and sighed. What had gotten Barda so down? He didn't like to see the man so downcast.

"Smile, it does not hurt." Doom murmured as he reached the tree. Barda looked up from the floor and met Doom's eyes. His lips twitched slightly, but there was no trace of a smile. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing." Barda replied with a shrug. "Just do not feel like smiling." Doom leant against the tree and watched Barda, who was still rocking the swing.

"That does not sound like you, Barda." He said quietly. "And what brings you here, of all places?" Barda's gaze returned to the floor.

"I used to come here all the time when I was younger." He explained. "Even before they built the swing. I would climb up into the tree and just… think." He tilted his head back and looked up at the leaves above him. "I could sit up there for hours and no one would bother me." Doom smiled lightly. He liked hearing about Barda's youth, because the man rarely spoke of it.

"What would you think about?" He asked quietly.

"Everything. Anything. Whatever was on my mind that day." Barda shrugged. "I guess it was my hiding place, too. For when I did not want to be comforted, I mean." He sighed heavily. "It was the only place where I could let go." Doom frowned slightly. What did he mean?

"Let go?"

"I was always seen as this tough, strong boy. People saw my father in me, and it scared them, I guess. They all regarded me with this… awe, all because I was training to be a palace guard at a younger age than most. And I held up that image wherever I went, because it earned me respect. But sometimes I just needed to drop the act, you know? So I would come here, climb up where I could not be seen, and just… break down." Doom's eyebrows lifted at this. Barda had never admitted to something like that before. "No one would bother me here. Not even my mother." The mention of his mother seemed to spark something inside, because he lowered his head once more, and his hands gripped tightly at the ropes holding the swing up. Doom walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I think it is one of those times, hmm?" He asked with a smile. Barda looked up questioningly. "To break down." Barda's face showed his surprise, but Doom's smile did not falter. "You should not be ashamed to admit it, you know. Everyone does it now and then. Even I need to break down sometimes." He looked up at the tree. "Come on." He walked over to the trunk and easily climbed up onto the lowest branch.

"Where are you going?" Barda asked, watching him.

"Climbing up to where we cannot be seen. Come on." Doom climbed higher, hoping that Barda would follow him and not remain on the swing. Sure enough, once he had seated himself high up in the tree, Barda climbed up and sat beside him. "Now, no one can see us here." Barda just sighed. "Now, what is wrong? And do not say nothing." Barda didn't speak for a long while. Then, he sighed again.

"Everything." He murmured. "I just… I feel so alone right now. Lief and Jasmine are planning their wedding, and it is almost as though the three of us were never… well, the three of us. It is like we have gone from three to two." Doom understood what he meant. Lief and Jasmine had been rather caught up in each other recently. "It is almost as if they have forgotten that I was ever there. You would have thought I would be used to feeling alone but… I guess I got used to having the two of them with me all the time."

"You are not alone, Barda." Doom murmured. Barda turned to him, frowning slightly. "I know Lief and Jasmine are a little distracted right now, but Sharn will always be there for you, and Lindal seems to have taken quite a liking to you." He smiled at that, but Barda remained downcast. "And besides…" He trailed off slightly. "There is always me." He added in a quieter voice, almost a whisper. Barda smiled ever so slightly when he heard this.

"I know I am not physically alone, Doom but… I just feel it." He sighed again. "And with that day coming up…" Doom knew what day Barda meant. The anniversary of his mother's death. It was a hard day for everyone, too, because Barda was all but unapproachable, and his mood affected everyone. It pained everyone to see Barda so down. It was just so unlike him that it was almost frightening. Doom, lost in his thoughts, didn't notice the shine in Barda's eyes until a single tear escaped and began its journey down his cheek. He was shocked at first. He'd never seen Barda cry.

It was beautiful.

Just the way those deep blue eyes filmed over with shimmering tears, and how gracefully the tears slipped out, tracing his high cheekbones and carefully circling around those beautiful lips… Doom reached out without realizing it and carefully brushed the tears away. Barda drew a sharp breath and turned to face Doom, who quickly withdrew his hand.

"Sorry… it is just…" Doom's voice was little more than a whisper. "It is beautiful." Barda blinked, causing more tears to slip from his eyes. Doom, consciously this time, lifted his hand to wipe them away again. He let his hand linger there, and to his surprise Barda didn't make any move to pull away. Then, as if suddenly realizing he was crying, he jerked back and turned away, running the back of his hand over his eyes furiously. "Hey…" Doom edged closer, and turned Barda's face towards him with a smile. "Do not be ashamed to cry. I know you think it is not particularly manly to cry but… by Adin, Barda, you are beautiful." Barda gasped slightly, and looked momentarily stunned. He studied Doom's face for any sign of a joke, but when he saw Doom's sincere smile, he realized that Doom truly meant it.

"Doom…" Doom shook his head slowly.

"That is not my name, Barda." He said, still smiling. Barda understood instantly.

"Jarred," Doom's smile widened at this, "t-thank you." He murmured. Doom shrugged it off lightly.

"Well it is just the truth, Barda… I do not know how I missed it until now… probably because you were always hiding behind that beard…" He laughed lightly. "So glad you got rid of it at last, this clean-shaven look suits you more. Brings out those eyes of yours. I have never seen eyes bluer than yours-," Barda placed a finger to Doom's lips to stop him talking.

"Jarred," Barda murmured. "Kiss me." It was Doom's turn to be surprised.

"W-what?" He stammered. Barda leant closer to him.

"Kiss me." He repeated. Doom licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed hard. Barda was deadly serious. "Please." That single word, uttered in a desperate, pleading tone, did it for Doom. He leant forward and brushed his lips against Barda's ever so gently. Barda kissed back, one hand tangling itself in Doom's hair. Doom circled an arm around Barda's waist, holding him close as Barda's hand found its way back into his hair. When the need for air arose, they pulled apart but remained close. Doom's eyes met Barda's and he smiled. And then it happened, the thing Doom had been working towards from the start.

Barda smiled back.

"I love that smile." Doom told him. Barda grinned in response and pulled him back for another kiss. This one was deeper, and more passionate. Of course, sitting in a tree isn't the best place for a passionate kiss, as they both found out when they leant too far into each other and overbalanced.

They landed in a tangle of limbs on the floor, grateful that they hadn't had to climb too far up and that the ground hadn't been too far away. After the initial shock had worn off, they both broke out in laughter.

"Well that is certainly something I will not forget." Doom grinned. "The day I kissed Barda, I fell out of a tree." Barda, who had landed on the bottom – and would no doubt be nursing an injured back for the next few days – grinned back and tugged him down for another kiss. He didn't care that they were out in the open for all to see. This man had turned his mood around by saying words that no one had ever said to him.

When someone cleared their throat, they pulled apart and looked up from their position on the floor. Lief and Jasmine were standing by the tree, both watching them with amused expressions on their faces.

"In public, honestly. Do you two have no decency? And with small children around, too!" Lief laughed.

"Tch, Barda, you are not going to run off with my father and abandon us, are you?" Jasmine grinned. "Just when we were going to ask you to stand at Lief's side at our wedding, too!" Barda was surprised at this last statement. "Did you really think we would leave you out?"

"I could not think of anyone better to stand at my side." Lief smiled. "Jasmine noticed you were looking a little off, so we thought we would come and cheer you up… but it looks like Doom got there first."

"I guess he did." Barda grinned, sneaking a quick kiss to Doom's cheek. Doom turned to smile at him. "And I would be honoured, Lief." He added.

"Then it is settled." Happy with Barda's answer, Lief slipped his hand into Jasmine's and they turned to walk away. "But I think you two had better take that inside, before you get disciplined by the guards for indecency." They walked off, laughing, as Doom climbed to his feet.

"Well I guess they are right." He held out a hand and helped Barda to his feet. "Shall we take this elsewhere?" Following Lief's lead, he slipped his hand into Barda's.

"Jarred?" It still felt so good to hear his real name from Barda's lips. "Thank you." Another quick kiss had Doom grinning.

"Oh, it was worth it."

Author's Note: This is REALLY old. Like, about four years old. So I apologise if it's not to my usual standards. But we needed to get more semi-decent stories onto the front page, so I dug out some of my old unpublished stuff, touched it up a bit, and decided to post it. So far this is the only one I'm happy with uploading. XD