The familiar green archway with a lit sign was just down the sidewalk. The light coming from underneath breaks the dark City Street. It was this bright eye sore that was even brighter because of its white tiled walls. It was now just a couple of steps away. In a lot of ways, it signaled the end of the night.
It was almost 5 in the morning and he knew by 7am everything will be back to normal. He'll walk back home, where his mother will be nagging him about where his brother was. His pops will most likely be drunk, asleep or both. Mac will be on the next train to wherever his platoon may be docked. Maybe he'll spend the rest of his fleet week sight seeing, highly unlikely but he could only hope the marine would actually have some fun before he leaves for another war zone. Whatever may happen, he knows this'll be the end of it.
"There's something else I would have liked Andrew to know, or at least his adoptive family." The brunette broke the silence, again he normally wouldn't talk this much, but he felt he might as well after what happened earlier.
"What would that be?" the other man asked curiously.
"I wanted him to know that it would have been ok." He answered. "I've heard Claire say she'd want to look for him when he turns 18." The other man just nodded. "If he decides to look for Claire, he wouldn't be unwelcome. If he has questions or if he needed anything from us. We'd be happy to help him."
"Maybe he'll just take you for that offer." The blonde said as he kindly slung his arm around the brunette's shoulder. "I can't vouch for him personally, but any kid would have questions. You don't know. One day, in a couple of years, you and Claire might just get a call from him."
"You think I should let them know it would be ok?" he asked genuinely confused. "For me and Claire."
"Personally… I don't think you should." He replied and put took back his arm and put both hands in his pockets. "I just think you should let him decide if he wants to look for you. If you just give him this open invitation, he might feel obligated to search you out." He explained delicately, not wanting the other man to take his words for the worst. He waits for any sign of a reply and only gets a nod and a look of sincere understanding. "But that's just me…"
It took a while. The marine wasn't normally this confused. "You think so?" he asked.
The younger man shrugs with a looked almost like a perplexed child. The other man was just about to take that as his only reply, when he said. "A wise man once told me: 'do what you want to do. Be what you want to be as long as you can live with the consequences'."
"Are you going to repeat everything I've told you tonight?" he asked in a jokingly annoyed way.
"Not everything" he replied playfully. "But they're good words."
The two smiled to each other as the reach the bright white sunken stairway. Both men looked at it like it was the first time they've ever seen one. In a way it was the first time they've ever seen it in this situation: the end.
"So this is It.," the uniformed man said.
"This is It." he repeated.
The green-eyed man turns to him and raises his hand out for one last handshake. "Thanks for…" he searches for the right word. "…Tonight."
He takes the older man's hand in his and gives it a respectable shake. "Don't mention."
They let go of each other. The marine turns to the subway and slowly, but carefully descend the tiled stairway. The New Yorker was just about to turn around when.
"Danny." That familiar voice calls him out. He got his attention and looks at the older man standing in the middle of the stairs turned to face him. "I meant what I said." He, at first, doesn't understand. The other man said a lot of things. "About family. It doesn't have to be perfect to work."
The words reminded him of the Andrew's family in 323 Edmund Street. He remembers the heartwarming image of the doll like figure being comforted. He feels a tightening grip of that green-eyed monster in his chest. He was jealous. "Yeah, well I think my family's imperfections is beyond workable." He said with a disappointed sigh. "Andrew's lucky, he's got a good family."
"Yeah he does." He agreed. "Maybe you'll find yours."
The last statement causes the blue eyed man to make that same questioning face and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, Andrew found his family." He answered as he grabbed the steel railing. "It may not be his biological family, but they love him and they're good to him. He wasn't born into it. They found him… If he can find his, you'll find yours."
"What, you mean like find a girl? Settle down? Have me some of my own?" he asked a little sarcastically. "Don't mean to offend you Mac, but you're starting to sound like my mother." he joked.
He only smiles. "I do mean that, but I don't just mean that." he replied. The slightly cryptic reply got the younger man's more serious attention. "I mean, we'll meet a lot of people in our lifetime. I just met you tonight. There's going to be a lot of people in our lives. Contrary to popular belief; we can chose our own family. We don't have to be born into them. We could just meet them." He explained. "We'll meet people. Some bad, but the good ones, the really good ones, we'll want to be a part of our lives, and I'm sure someone will want you to be a part of theirs." He said with a smile.
He didn't know it then, but those few simple and sincere words were what the younger man's been waiting to hear ever since he needed to hear them. It pulled at his heartstrings. It even got him a little choked up. He'd never let the other man see him weak, but he hoped that Mac could see the appreciation on his face.
It wasn't like his earlier grins and smirks. His smile was smaller this time, but in a way it made it all the more sincere. Most of his expressions of the night were genuine, but this felt more. The brunette couldn't explain it. It was like seeing someone smile for the first time. He knew he did something right. He only hoped that it was enough to make up for what the New Yorker's done for him in the pass four hours.
"Thanks Mac." He said.
"Don't mention It." he replied.
The civilian shrugged his shoulder and gave the other man a knowing nod, which the marine replied with the same act. They didn't need to say anything now. They've said what everything they've needed to.
The brunette lets go of the railing and turned back into the depths of the city. The blonde stays until the other man's figure disappears into tile sunken stairway. It took a couple of seconds, but he couldn't see him anymore.
They may never see each other again, but whatever happens after this. Tonight would be the night both men met a stranger and gained a friend.
Hey! Thank you so much for all the positive feed back. This really helped me in my confidence in writing. I'm an amateur, wannabe writer.
I actually planned this to be the end of he fic, but if I get requests for a sequal I'd be happy to write something. I really want to, but only if you guys want to read it. Please tell me what you think.
BM D