A/N: These chapters are getting shorter, but they're still all longer than
what I had originally planned on. Go figure.
Part: 8/10
#8: PACE
The ocean calmed her, as it always had. She watched the eternal rhythm of the blue-green waves against the yellow-white of the sand, the steady march of the white tops to bubbling form. The advance and ebb of a thing so immense that it covered much more than fifty percent of the Earth.
Before coming to this planet such things as love had seemed frivolous, pointless. It was simpler to have short flings with no emotional attachments. Less painful.
Even as an adolescent she had never had aspirations to find someone to fall head over heels in love with. It wasn't something she wanted to complicate her life with. Let the other girls dream about matrimony and babies.
It all came back to haunt her now. If she had been more concerned in such passing trivialities and sweethearts would it have better prepared her for her current situation? If she'd had more than casual love affairs would this choice even exist?
She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, and watched the waves some more.
There was no way to compare the two men, they were complete opposites, and they both called to her soul. She rubbed her arms against the chill of the air, which tossed her cinnamon hair around her head. Trying to answer this question with her head was getting her nowhere.but all other options seemed strange and unlikely.
She closed her eyes, intending on some soul searching, and missed Flash's appearance below her, his quick look around before darting off again.
She didn't know what to do.
Yes she did.
*
Flash had given up. Shay was, apparently, extremely good at hiding, especially when given someplace as large as Earth to disappear into. He was frustrated, and darted around the kitchens, cleaning in an attempt to distract himself.
The air felt thick, and the only way he could seem to breathe was to keep moving. He was worried and heart-sore. He'd had his share of women, sure, but none of them were anything like Shay.
" Jay?" John had stepped into the room to find Flash staring into space, a bottle of off-brand glass cleaner in one hand, and a wad of paper towels in the other. The younger man blinked his green eyes several times, and turned to face John.
Jay's black-eye had become rather pronounced during the last few hours, and John would have felt guilty if he didn't feel like a car had ran over his lower back.
" That's what they call me," Jay had turned back to washing the wall, and John bit his cheek and decided not to comment. He had often wondered how the walls stayed so clean, and now he knew. He supposed when one moved as fast as Flash did they had to come up with something to do with their time.
" I love her, you know," John's voice was rough, low, the words escaped without him planning to say them. It seemed somehow wrong that he would admit that first to Flash than Shay, but it was too late, he could not take them back. Jay had paused in his scrubbing, turned to face the taller, broader, man.
" You and me both, see, otherwise there wouldn't be a problem, ya know?" Jay was smiling crookedly, but there was a curious darkness in his eyes. John winced.
" Don't mock me," he hissed, green fire leaping from his eyes.
" Don't order me," Jay turned back to the wall, and John could see the tenseness in the other man's jaw.
" This doesn't have to.to destroy us," the words felt strange in John's throat, as though suggesting peace meant he was giving up.
" What's that supposed to mean?" Jay's voice had an edge to it, a sharp bitterness that surprised John. The older man shifted, wondered if he should even bother.
" It means I don't want teamwork compromised because of this mess," John managed to grind out, before turning and walking away. The frustration of the last few days, coupled with the searing memory of Shay's kiss was getting to him. His nerves felt utterly and totally decimated.
" John!" He paused, but didn't turn back to Jay, there were to many emotions swelling in his chest. After a moment Flash cleared his throat, and went on, " We'll still be friends, man. Whatever it is that happens."
John nodded, and flew from the room, the anger and frustration and want boiling inside him. He needed something to hit. He needed this mess to be over. He needed. God, he needed Shay.
He jerked his head to the side when alarms suddenly began blaring threw the station, accompanied by J'onn's voice and the information that they were under attack.
Damnit.
Part: 8/10
#8: PACE
The ocean calmed her, as it always had. She watched the eternal rhythm of the blue-green waves against the yellow-white of the sand, the steady march of the white tops to bubbling form. The advance and ebb of a thing so immense that it covered much more than fifty percent of the Earth.
Before coming to this planet such things as love had seemed frivolous, pointless. It was simpler to have short flings with no emotional attachments. Less painful.
Even as an adolescent she had never had aspirations to find someone to fall head over heels in love with. It wasn't something she wanted to complicate her life with. Let the other girls dream about matrimony and babies.
It all came back to haunt her now. If she had been more concerned in such passing trivialities and sweethearts would it have better prepared her for her current situation? If she'd had more than casual love affairs would this choice even exist?
She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, and watched the waves some more.
There was no way to compare the two men, they were complete opposites, and they both called to her soul. She rubbed her arms against the chill of the air, which tossed her cinnamon hair around her head. Trying to answer this question with her head was getting her nowhere.but all other options seemed strange and unlikely.
She closed her eyes, intending on some soul searching, and missed Flash's appearance below her, his quick look around before darting off again.
She didn't know what to do.
Yes she did.
*
Flash had given up. Shay was, apparently, extremely good at hiding, especially when given someplace as large as Earth to disappear into. He was frustrated, and darted around the kitchens, cleaning in an attempt to distract himself.
The air felt thick, and the only way he could seem to breathe was to keep moving. He was worried and heart-sore. He'd had his share of women, sure, but none of them were anything like Shay.
" Jay?" John had stepped into the room to find Flash staring into space, a bottle of off-brand glass cleaner in one hand, and a wad of paper towels in the other. The younger man blinked his green eyes several times, and turned to face John.
Jay's black-eye had become rather pronounced during the last few hours, and John would have felt guilty if he didn't feel like a car had ran over his lower back.
" That's what they call me," Jay had turned back to washing the wall, and John bit his cheek and decided not to comment. He had often wondered how the walls stayed so clean, and now he knew. He supposed when one moved as fast as Flash did they had to come up with something to do with their time.
" I love her, you know," John's voice was rough, low, the words escaped without him planning to say them. It seemed somehow wrong that he would admit that first to Flash than Shay, but it was too late, he could not take them back. Jay had paused in his scrubbing, turned to face the taller, broader, man.
" You and me both, see, otherwise there wouldn't be a problem, ya know?" Jay was smiling crookedly, but there was a curious darkness in his eyes. John winced.
" Don't mock me," he hissed, green fire leaping from his eyes.
" Don't order me," Jay turned back to the wall, and John could see the tenseness in the other man's jaw.
" This doesn't have to.to destroy us," the words felt strange in John's throat, as though suggesting peace meant he was giving up.
" What's that supposed to mean?" Jay's voice had an edge to it, a sharp bitterness that surprised John. The older man shifted, wondered if he should even bother.
" It means I don't want teamwork compromised because of this mess," John managed to grind out, before turning and walking away. The frustration of the last few days, coupled with the searing memory of Shay's kiss was getting to him. His nerves felt utterly and totally decimated.
" John!" He paused, but didn't turn back to Jay, there were to many emotions swelling in his chest. After a moment Flash cleared his throat, and went on, " We'll still be friends, man. Whatever it is that happens."
John nodded, and flew from the room, the anger and frustration and want boiling inside him. He needed something to hit. He needed this mess to be over. He needed. God, he needed Shay.
He jerked his head to the side when alarms suddenly began blaring threw the station, accompanied by J'onn's voice and the information that they were under attack.
Damnit.
