Title: Masks
Author: Third Charm
Fandom: Babylon 5
Pairings: Marcus/Neroon
Story Type: Snippet
Rating: All
Disclaimer: Babylon 5 and all subsequent major characters, plots, and ideas are the property of J. Michael Straczynski, Babylonian Inc., and Warner Brothers. This story was written only for the purposes of entertainment. No income has been made.
Warnings: AU, not beta read, slash
Spoilers: None
Summary: This is an answer to the Carnival Word Prompt Challenge set for Lady Q's birthday. The word chosen is "mask".
Mask
Masks. Everyday they each wore masks. Masks that showed the universe the "Perfect Ranger" and the "Perfect Warrior"; masks that showed everyone the "Incessant Clown" and the "Taciturn Satai"; masks that showed every being they came into contact with exactly what they wanted to see. Oh, yes. They had masks. They each had an infinite collection of masks. They both had a mask perfectly designed to fit each and every single occasion that they encountered.
But here, in this place, in this refuge, all the masks came off. Here only the unadorned faces were seen; each scar, both physical and spiritual, was displayed with without fear of letting anyone down. Here there were no politics, there was no duty, and there were no obligations. Here in these quarters, there were only two beings. Here there were only two men, one Human, one Minbari, that had somehow found friendship at the hands of Archangel Azrael.
Here there were only two war and life weary veterans; two flawed, wounded, sarcastic, cynical old soldiers that were trying to rebuild their shattered lives; lives the rest of known space saw as no worse than their own, and in many cases much better. One life had been shattered by war, by loss, by grief, and by the cruelty of the Universe. The other had been shattered by that soldier's own hand. It had been shattered by anger, by uncontrolled vengeance, by jealousy, by hubris, and by self-delusion.
Here, on this ship of war that had somehow become a home, two self-convicted souls were trying to pardon each other of the their respected life sentences of guilt. Oh yes, some of that guilt was honestly earned. Most of it, though, was not. And only here in this finally reached refuge, the two men saw this truth in the other, even if they could not see it in them selves. So here, in this unexpected oasis, two wounded hearts were trying to forgive the other's sins. And, perhaps, in do so they might just be able to forgive their own.
Finally, here in this place of peace, there were only two lovers that had never thought that they deserved to be loved. Here, in this finally reached sanctuary, there was only Marcus and Neroon. For with each other, there was no need for masks.
