Woah, crap. I get so distracted with all these different prompts. D: I wish part three would be opened up. *Cries*
pg3 pt2
He heard the quiet shuffle of feet before he heard the voice, soft, fragile, and completely unbidden.
"Shaun?"
He turned around to snap at the annoying American idiot, but the words died in his throat when he saw him. His eyes were watery, large teardrops rolling down his cheeks as he bit the inside of his lip to keep it from trembling too terribly. His eyes were red and puffy, and his hands were shaking as they clung to a bright blue box. Shaun's eyebrows narrowed with worry, and he rose, walking over to him. Desmond held out the box.
"Can we—Can we play?"
He looked down at the box and grimaced. It was the Blue's Clues game Lucy had picked out from a junk sale to keep Desmond and Rebecca entertained. It was an incredibly stupid game, and Shaun thought it provided more entertainment for people watching than people playing. He looked back at the newest recruitment's face and almost kicked himself.
He was crying softly, his lip trembling despite his best efforts, and in the silence of the room, Shaun could hear the pieces shifting from the shaking of his hands. Desmond looked absolutely terrified and crushed at the same time.
"Please? I don't want to wake up in Italy again."
Shaun's mouth fell open, and it was several seconds before he could close it, watching helplessly as the fat tears rolled down Desmond's cheeks.
"Please?" His voice broke, and dear God, so did Shaun's will to say no.
He nodded and felt his heart break at the smile that came across Desmond's face, the tears never stopping as he pulled the historian into a hug. It was then Shaun realized how badly he was trembling as he wrapped his arms lightly around his waist. He could feel the man sag in his arms, sobbing into his shoulder as his arms wrapped tighter around him. Shaun could feel his hands fisting in the back of his sweater vest around his neck.
"Desmond…"
He was, for once, at a loss for words. All he could do was stand there, holding Desmond close and let him cry into his sweater. When he heard Desmond sniffle, he pulled away and got him a box of Kleenex and the trashcan, leading him over to a sleeping bag and sitting him down. He watched Desmond blow his nose, still sobbing, and Shaun sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close.
He let him cry well into the night on his shoulder, not even blinking when he realized half the tissues were gone. After several hours, he heard Desmond take a shaky, but deep, breath and swallowed thickly.
"'M sorry I ruined your sweater," he mumbled into a tissue.
Shaun hugged him close. "It's all right, Desmond. These can be replaced."
They sat in silence for several more minutes. The newest assassin leaned heavily into him, and Shaun almost felt like his protector as he kept his arms around him. The loud racket of the crickets and the frogs outside seemed to soothe Desmond a bit. When he was sure Desmond was a little more composed, he extended his leg to reach the game.
"Now, how about that game, if you still feel like playing?"
Desmond offered a small smile as he pulled away.
He was so caught up in the tiny amount of hope in that smile that Shaun almost missed the quiet, "Sure."
And you know, I actually own that Blue's Clues games. I almost had them play "Trouble" instead, but the noise from the popper would've waken everyone up, and the BC game, I can imagine, would be even funnier if played drunk. XD Drunk!Shaun and Drunk!Desmond playing that ridiculous thing.
