Fic: Bar Lights and Headstones

[ozmissage]

Title: Bar Lights and Headstones
Pairing: Boone/Miles
Setting: Pre-series
Words: 5,363
Rating: R (Sexual content, language)
Summary: Boone meets Miles in a bar and decides to make use of his talents.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.
A/N: Forjanie_tangerine. I’m sorry this is late, but what I intended to be a ficlet turned into a full-blown fic. I’m not at all confident about releasing this fic into the wild—it’s not only the first time I’ve written Boone, but also the first time I’ve written slash. It’s also kind of long, so this is vaguely terrifying. I hope I didn’t mess up your favorite character too much.

 

It was around eleven when Boone arrived at the grungy, little dive bar. From the outside it sure as hell didn’t look worth the effort it took to drive all the way out to Encino to get there. At the time it had seemed easier to give in to Nicole when she called oozing with excitement about the place.

“God, Boone, there’s like Hell’s Angels here, oh and I think I saw a blood stain outside the ladies’ room. You have to come!”

He was planning on getting drunk tonight anyway; he figured he might as well not drink alone. Of course, he knew the reason Nicole and her preppy friends had chosen a crappy bar in the middle of nowhere was because rubbing elbows with so called unsavory types made them feel like they were doing something dangerous, which never failed to turn them all on. He figured if he could make it an hour they’d get bored and he could be back in L.A., inside an overpriced nightclub drinking expensive wine by 12:30.

The old, wooden door to the place gave a pitiful creak when he pushed it open. Inside, the bar was smoky and lit with red lights that made Boone feel like he had stumbled into a Scorsese film. From Nicole’s excitement on the phone he had half expected the patrons of the bar to be a healthy mix of muscled bikers engaging in knife fights and mafia types making shady deals in dark booths. Instead, the bar was filled with completely average looking working man types indulging in celebratory end of the week beers.

It wasn’t hard to spot his friends. They were the loudest people in the bar, taking up a table right in the center of the place. They were all over-dressed, wearing designer dresses and jeans that cost more than any of these people made in a week. It’s not like I’m any better, he thought as he looked down at his own Dulce and Gabona blazer.

He sighed as Nicole spotted him and waved him over. To be honest he wasn’t sure why he was still spending time with these people. No, that’s not true; he knew exactly why he was still spending time with these people. Because it was expected of him, it was his duty, as his mother so loved to point out. He was part of society and being part of society meant maintaining friendships with people who bored you so much you would rather stab yourself in the eye than spend an afternoon with them all because their mothers frequented the same country club as yours.

Still, he couldn’t help thinking coming here was a mistake as he made the slow walk to their table. He really didn’t want to spend this night of all nights with his so-called friends who hadn’t quite caught on to the fact that none of them were nineteen anymore. He was not in the mood for mindless prattle; he was in the mood for drinking and nothing else.

“Boone! I’m so glad you made it. Isn’t this place the best?” Nicole gushed. Boone forced a smile that looked more like a grimace as he pulled a chair over to the table and sat down.

“It’s definitely something. Hey guys.” He nodded at the others---Ryan, Darrin, and Missy--- who were too busy discussing which nightclubs they were going to hit after this to pay him much attention. He took that as a good sign.

Nicole looped her arm through his and leaned in so that her mouth was just a few inches away from his face. He could smell cheap beer and menthol cigarettes on her breath. He fought back the urge to pull away.

“I’m really, really glad you came,” she stressed. She always got like this when she was drunk. Her free hand was currently making its way up his thigh. He was going to need to start drinking soon if he planned on going along with this. He reached down and removed her hand.

“I’m glad I came to,” he assured her. “But let’s take it slow, okay?”

She leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips into an exaggerated pout.

“Spoil sport.”

Boone started to respond, but the door of the bar opened, momentarily distracting him. He turned to see a short, Asian guy saunter in like he owned the place. The man looked to be around his age, maybe a little older. He must have been a regular because he strolled across the room and addressed the bartender by name.

“Hey Larry, set me up.”

Boone turned his attention back to Nicole with the intent to make nice, only to find her nearly bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement.

“You guys, I know him, “she hissed as she gestured to the man now sipping a beer at the bar. Her eyes were glinting in a way that Boone had come to associate with impending trouble. Shannon had a similar look. She leaned forward, clearly enjoying having all eyes on her.

“Some officer at the police station gave my Dad his number after my Grandpa Douglas died. Remember how my Dad was convinced Aunt Lois had poisoned Grandpa for the insurance money?”

“How could we forget? It was all we heard about for a month,” Ryan said. The others snickered.

“Well the guy at the station said that man was the person to call if he wanted answers.”

“What is he, like a detective?” Boone asked.

Nicole paused for dramatic effect. “He talks to the dead.”

The others all snorted and grumbled their dismay. Ryan chimed in the loudest.

“Bullshit. He probably just conned your dad out of a lot of cash.”

Nicole shook her head so fiercely her oversized earrings jingled.

“No, it was totally true. He went down to the funeral home before the wake and cleared the whole thing up. Aunt Lois was so relieved. It was pretty spectacular.”

The others looked unconvinced.

“Fine, I’ll call him over, and then you’ll see. God, what was his name? Something with an ‘M’… Michael? No, it was definitely Mitchell.”

She turned around in her chair and shouted “Mitchell “so loudly that half of the patrons in the bar looked up in response. When the guy turned around, Nicole gestured for him to come over.

As the man got closer, Boone couldn’t help but notice he was rather attractive. He was short, much smaller than Boone, but there was an ease in the way he carried his small frame that made him seem much bigger. His face was guarded, with an air of knowing. It was like he had the whole world figured out, and he just couldn’t be bothered to share the information with the rest of them. He had the ghost of a mustache above his lip, and a glint in his eyes that looked like he had already lost patience with them before any of them had even said a word.

“It’s Miles, actually,” he said by way of greeting.

“Right, Miles. My Dad hired you to talk to my Grandpa, remember? I told these guys about what you can do and they didn’t believe me. Tell them, will you?”

Boone found himself watching Miles’s face. His lips quirked upward in a smile as he deadpanned, “I see dead people.”

Nicole looked triumphant.

“I told you.”

Ryan rolled his eyes.

“Come on man, you’re full of shit, right? You see dead people?”

Miles reached into his jacket pocket and produced a white business card. He leaned across the table to pass it to Ryan, and his body pressed against Boone in the process. Boone wondered if it was his imagination, or if Miles had actually given him a private smirk as he pulled back.

“See, I’ve got a card and everything. Got any dead relatives you want to chat with, I’m your man.”

“Whatever,” scoffed Ryan.

“I’m talented in a number of areas, right Natalie?”

The table went silent. Nicole blanched. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Miles’s smile widened and Boone noted that the guy was clearly enjoying screwing with Nicole.

“Of course you don’t.” Miles’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Boone found himself suppressing a laugh as Nicole’s face turned a bright shade of red. He wasn’t one to take pleasure in someone else’s pain, but he couldn’t remember anyone ever speaking to Nicole so brazenly before.

Ryan rushed to her defense.

“Don’t be a smartass.”

Miles feigned innocence. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Maybe you should just go back to your bar stool and leave us the hell alone.” Ryan was fond of posturing. Boone tried to hide his amusement. Ryan may have been a good foot taller than Miles, but if this came to blows his money was on the smaller guy.

“You were the ones who called me over here. But, hey, I’ve never been one to stay where I’m not welcome. Feel free to give me a call if anymore of your relatives drop dead, Natalie.”

“Nicole,” she mumbled.

Miles nodded slowly, a wicked grin firmly in place.

“Right.”

Boone was failing miserably at hiding his laughter now. Miles must have noticed because he gave Boone a quick wink before heading back to his seat. Now it was Boone’s cheeks turning red. Luckily, everyone was too busy comforting Nicole to notice.

“Are you okay, sweetie? God, that guy was unbelievable,” Missy said.

“I know, right?” Nicole sniffled dramatically. “I was just trying to be nice.”

Boone stole a glance at Miles at the bar. He was intrigued by the man. There was something alluring about him. Maybe it was the randomness of running into a man who talks to ghosts when you’ve been thinking about a dead woman all day, or maybe it was just that Miles was hot. Boone wasn’t sure what it was, but he wanted nothing more than to talk to him.

He turned his attention back to Nicole and tried to look sympathetic as he patted her hand.

“Hey, why don’t I go order us another round of drinks?”

She gave him a lopsided smile.

“Boone, that would be amazing. You’re such a sweetheart.” She leaned over and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. He got up quickly, thankful for an excuse to head over to the bar.

He tried to look casual as he placed his order. “Hey, can you send another round of beers to my table, and a vodka and tonic for here, if you’ve got it.” The bartender nodded. Boone could feel Miles watching him.

“You’ve got lipstick on your cheek, Pretty.”

Boone turned to look at him. Miles was sitting sideways in his seat with one elbow propped on the bar, staring at Boone with amusement.

Boone rubbed self-consciously at the stain on his cheek in an attempt to remove it.

“You know, you really were being an ass over there.”

Miles considered this. “You didn’t seem to mind a few minutes ago.”

Boone attempted to sound indignant. “That’s my friend you were talking about.”

Miles snorted. “Your “friend” screwed me in the back of her car in the parking lot of the funeral home during dear old grandpa’s wake.”

That seemed a bit much, even by Nicole’s standards. “Maybe she was just upset.”

“Oh yeah, she seemed real broken up.”

Boone was quiet as the bartender returned to pass him his drink. He hadn’t come over here to talk about Nicole’s love life. He had never been one to believe in supernatural crap, but he couldn’t help but be curious about Miles. It seemed like the guy was too blunt to be able to make much of a career out of lying.

“Can you really talk to the dead?”

Miles didn’t miss a beat, “If the price is right.”

Boone shook his head. Maybe he was wrong about this guy. “You really are full of shit, aren’t you?”

Miles just shrugged and took a sip of his beer. “Maybe I am. Did you have someone in mind, Pretty?”

“Boone.”

“What?”

Boone closed the space between them and extended his hand. Miles shook it. Boone was surprised by how warm and firm the other man’s fingers felt wrapped around his own. Miles held on just a little too long and the gesture made Boone’s heart quicken.

“My name is Boone.”

Miles arched an eyebrow. “Whatever you say, Pretty. Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk business?”

Boone was keenly aware of his friends muttering behind him, but he found that he really didn’t care. He sat down on the stool next to Miles.

“So, who do you want to contact? A dead girlfriend, a parent?”

“What makes you think I want to contact anyone? Maybe I’m just curious.”

“Maybe. But probably not.”

Boone looked down at his drink. This is not at all how he had wanted this evening to go. He had hoped he would be on at least his third drink by this time. He wanted his brain to feel fuzzy and his body warm. He wanted to feel stupid and light. He did not want to still be thinking about a twisted body, lying broken at the foot of the stairs.

“It’s just…” he took a deep breath and tried again. “There was this woman I knew when I was a kid. She had an accident and then she died,” he explained vaguely.

It felt strange to talk about Theresa out loud. Most of the time he tried not to think about her, but even when he did think of her, he didn’t talk about her. It was a private thing he kept buried. But being the night that it was, she was currently the only thing on his mind. Somehow, the fact that Miles was a stranger made it easier to open up to him. At least until he opened his mouth.

“She pop your cherry?”

“I was six,” Boone replied flatly. “She was my nanny.”

Miles looked thoughtful.

“Sure, I can talk to her for you. It’ll cost you at least a grand though.”

Boone choked on his drink.

“A grand? Are you insane?”

“Come on, don’t tell me your Daddy’s not good for it.”

Maybe he wasn’t as all knowing as Boone had originally thought.

“Mommy,” Boone said softly.

“Excuse me?”

“Mommy’s good for it, “daddy” hasn’t been in the picture for awhile now.”

“So even rich kids have dead beat dads? Good to know.”

Boone caught the hint of resentment in Miles’s voice, but he didn’t comment on it.

“What would a grand get me?” Boone asked, barely believing he was entertaining the thought of hiring a medium.

“I’ll pass a message along to your nanny if you want. Ask her any questions you have, the standard stuff.”

“You really expect me to believe this?”

“Hey, you’re the one hiring me, Pretty.”

“I haven’t hired you yet.”

Miles gave him a smug look that seemed to suggest it was only a matter of time.

“What’s so special about this nanny?”

Boone shrugged. The bar seemed incredibly hot all of a sudden, and the smoky air was starting to sting his eyes. He could hear the shrill sound of Nicole’s laugh behind him. He finished the rest of his drink in one swallow. The liquid burned his throat and he began to cough. Miles patted him roughly on his back.

“Easy there, Buddy.”

Boone took a shaky breath. Miles was watching him with curiosity.

“She fell down the stairs. It was my fault.”

“You pushed her?”

“No, God, it wasn’t like that. It was an accident. I was sick, I had this bell and I kept ringing it, making her go up the stairs and then down again. I thought it was funny. Then she tripped and fell. She broke her neck.”

“That’s rough.”

“I was being a brat and all she wanted to do was take care of me.”

“You were just a kid.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

The bartender set another drink in front of Boone. He nodded his thanks and took a swallow. He could feel the alcohol starting to soften him. The crappy Journey ballad playing on the jukebox was beginning to sound good, and he found himself suddenly fascinated by the length of Miles’s eyelashes. He was well on his way to being drunk and he couldn’t have been more relieved.

He fixed Miles with a serious gaze.

“I want you to tell her I’m sorry and that I wish I could do it over. Tell her I wouldn’t be such an ungrateful little bastard this time.”

“You want me to tell her now?” Miles asked clearly bemused.

“Could you?”

Miles laughed. “That’s not how it works. It’s not like she spends her afterlife following you around. We’ll have to go to her.”

Boone felt embarrassed. “How am I supposed to know how this works?”

“I need to be near the body. If she’s already buried, which given the fact that she’s been dead for over a decade I’m guessing she is, it’ll cost you double. I charge extra if I have to go to a graveyard.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like cemeteries.”

Boone started to laugh and he found he couldn’t stop.

“That seems like it would be a problem in your line of work,” he managed to choke out.

“I make do,” Miles replied.

Boone suddenly became aware of a small hand pressing against his back. Nicole was beside him, carefully ignoring the fact that Miles was leering at her.

“Boone,” she whispered urgently. “We’re getting out of here now, are you ready?”

Boone looked into her wide, childlike blue eyes. He then took in the sight of her over-coiffed hair and too tight dress and he started to laugh again. He realized suddenly that she looked a giant doll. For some reason the image was the funniest thing in the world at the moment. Nicole set her lips into a straight line. She clearly didn’t see the humor in the situation.

“I’m sorry…It’s not you.” Boone tried to get the words out between bouts of laughter. Nicole looked unconvinced.

Boone could feel Miles leaning forward behind him. He was close enough for Boone to feel his breath on the back of his neck. His stomach tightened.

“I think he’s staying here, aren’t you, Pretty?”

“Yeah,” Boone said with a grin. “I think I am.”

“Whatever,” said Nicole before leaving in a huff. Boone watched as she and the others left the bar.

“They’re going to be so pissed at me,” he muttered.

“Do you really care?”

“Not really.”

A slow, mischievous grin spread across Miles’s face, before he simply said, “Good.”

 

***

Three hours later and the two men had moved to a booth in the back of the bar. Boone had discovered a number of things about Miles in the interim. For one thing, when he wasn’t busy ghostbusting he liked to go to concerts. Boone had also found out that he lived in an apartment a block away and he came to the bar at least twice a week. Most importantly, he had found out that Miles was a hell of a good kisser.

The two men were sitting on the same side of the booth, and Miles had Boone pressed against the wall. One of Miles’s hands was tangled in Boone’s hair, and he was tugging it just enough to sting. His other hand was snaking up under Boone’s shirt, his fingers trailing down Boone’s rib cage causing Boone to shiver. Miles was kissing him hard. By the time he took Boone’s lower lip between his teeth and tugged gently, Boone had forgotten where they were. He let a low groan escape his lips.

“You want to get out of here?” Miles asked.

Boone nodded slowly. “Let’s go.”

The boys walked the short distance to Miles’s apartment without saying a word. If he had been sober Boone might have questioned what he was doing. He would have weighed his options and in the end he would have done the sensible thing. But he was drunk and horny and when Miles’s hands were trailing down his spine he couldn’t think about Theresa. He couldn’t think about anything at all and right now that was the best feeling in the world. This is what happens when you follow white rabbits, he thought wryly.

Boone didn’t have much time to look around the place because the moment Miles opened the door he was pulling Boone towards the bedroom. He barely had time to note that the bed was unmade before Miles pushed him on it and straddled him.

Boone sat up and kissed him while he wriggled out of his expensive blazer and dropped it to the floor. Miles grabbed the hem of Boone’s t-shirt and tugged it over his head.

“That’s better,” Miles smirked.

“Your turn,” Boone replied as he pushed Miles’s jacket off his shoulders. Miles grinned and pinned Boone down on the bed. Boone let out a low hiss as Miles began kissing his way down his chest, stopping to run his tongue over one of Boone’s nipples. Miles had just made it to Boone’s belt buckle when Boone’s cell phone rang.

Boone groaned.

“Don’t answer it,” Miles ordered as his fingers made quick work of Boone’s belt.

Boone pulled the phone from his pocket anyway and checked the caller ID. Shannon, of course. He hadn’t heard from her in three months and she had to pick this particular moment to call. He sighed and sat up, much to Miles’s dismay. He flipped his phone open.

“Hey Shan,” he said. “What’s up?”

He listened as Shannon sobbed on the other end of the line. The guy she was currently living with had decided to take his wife back, leaving Shannon stuck in Paris with no money. She needed Boone to come pick her up.

“Shannon, calm down…there’s nothing I can do tonight…I’ll get a flight out tomorrow..hey, it’s going to be okay.”

He sighed and snapped the phone shut.

“That was my sister. She’s in Paris; I’ve got to fly out to get her tomorrow.”

“Tell her I said she has excellent timing when you see her,” Miles grumbled.

Boone suddenly remembered their conversation from earlier, and thoughts of Theresa came flooding back. In that moment, he desperately wanted a chance to talk to her, and he wanted it to be sooner rather than later.

“Can we go to the graveyard in the morning, before I leave?”

Miles sat up behind him and kissed the base of his neck.

“Sure. First thing.”

Miles reached around Boone and slipped one hand down Boone’s jeans, causing his breath to hitch.

“You don’t have to go anywhere tonight, then?” Miles squeezed him gently as he spoke.

Boone gasped, thoughts of Shannon and Theresa already seemed far away. He gritted his teeth and turned around pushing the smaller man back on the bed. He leaned down so his lips were next to Miles’s ear, “I’m not going anywhere.”

***

The next morning Boone woke up with his head throbbing, and Miles’s arm draped over his waist. He sat up slowly trying to orientate himself. He looked at the clock and realized that if he was going to go to the cemetery he needed to leave in the next thirty minutes.

He looked at Miles who was snoring lightly. Now that the sun was up and his head wasn’t foggy from too many vodka tonics, the idea seemed ridiculous. Was he really going to give Miles two grand to talk to his dead nanny?

Miles chose that moment to wake up. He sat up with a yawn.

“Morning, Pretty. Is it time to go?”

Boone tried to not to sound too uncertain when he said, “Yeah. Let’s get going.”

***

The two of them walked back to the bar to pick up Boone’s car so that Boone could drive them. The cemetery was a good hour away from Encino. They didn’t talk much on the ride over. Instead, they sipped coffee and listened to the radio. Boone was feeling increasingly apprehensive. He had the distinct feeling he had gotten himself into a rather absurd situation. Watching Miles sit beside him, tapping his fingers along to the rhythm of a Clash song, the idea that the guy could talk to the dead seemed utterly ridiculous. It’s too late now, Boone thought to himself as he pulled up to the curb outside of the cemetery.

Beside him, Miles immediately reached into his pocket and took out a set of ear plugs. Boone raised an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

Miles looked grim. “For the noise.”

Boone didn’t hear anything, but nodded like he understood. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Miles put out a hand to stop Boone from getting out of the car. “Money first.”

“Seriously? After last night you think I’m going to cheat you?”

“That was pleasure. This is business. Money first.”

Boone sighed and reached into the glove department. He pulled out his checkbook and quickly made out a check for Miles. Doubt gripped his stomach as he passed the check to Miles. This did not seem to be the best use of two thousand dollars.

“Thank you,” Miles slipped the check into his pocket and popped his ear plugs in place. “Now we can go.”

They crossed the cemetery quickly, dodging graves as they went. The air was unusually chilly, and Boone found himself burying his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders against the breeze. Beside him, Miles didn’t seem to notice the weather at all. His jaw was set and his face that had been so full of mischief the night before was deadly serious now.

Boone put out a hand to stop him when they reached Theresa’s plot. “This is her,” he said softly. Miles took a deep breath and removed his ear plugs. He winced a little.

“What’s wrong?” Boone asked.

Miles pointed to a fresh grave a few rows over. “That guy over there is screaming about his kid. Sounds like she was in the accident with him.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep,” Miles said as he crouched down to examine Theresa’s grave. He ran his fingers over the date and turned to look at Boone. “That’s yesterday’s date.”

Boone avoided Miles’s eyes. “It was the anniversary of the day she died. It’s been eighteen years.”

Miles turned back to the grave and closed his eyes. Boone watched as he brought his hand up to his face, his fingers moving quickly in the air. He could hear Miles mumbling to himself but he couldn’t make out any of the words, he seemed to be in a trance. Boone couldn’t shake the feeling that he was intruding on something private. He looked away and stared off into the distance instead.

After a few minutes, Miles stood up.

“She says she doesn’t blame you. She told me that she wants you to stop feeling guilty, that she’s at peace. She wants you to be happy.”

Boone watched Miles carefully. He could feel tears burning his eyes, and that just pissed him off.

“Why are you lying to me?”

Miles looked startled.

“I’m not lying, Boone.”

Boone rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. You really are an asshole you know. Is this what you do? Take people’s money just for telling them what they want to hear? And I fell for it. God, I actually fell for it.”

“What makes you think I’m lying to you?” Miles’s voice was maddeningly calm.

“She just wants me to be happy? Are you fucking kidding me? I’m the reason she broke her neck, there’s no way in hell she just wants me to be happy. You know what? You can find your own way back to Encino.”

Boone turned and started walking quickly through the graveyard. Miles had to run to keep up.

“Boone, stop. Just wait!” He caught Boone’s elbow and Boone turned and shoved Miles’s chest hard.

“Don’t touch me, man.”

Miles held his hands up.

“Take it easy, will you? Yeah, I lied, but it’s not for the reason you think.”

“Really?” Boone snapped.

“I can’t talk to the dead. I listen to them. After people die I can hear their last thoughts, feel their last feelings. The more recent the death, the louder the thoughts are. That’s why I can’t stop hearing Mr. Arbuckle over there. Your nanny’s been dead for years, there wasn’t a whole lot to hear, so I made up something that I thought might make you feel better. Clearly, that was my bad.”

Boone was still skeptical, but despite that, he asked, “So, you did hear something?”

“Just one word: Banjo. Was she in a folk band or something?”

Boone felt his chest tighten.

“That was her dog. It was this little Chihuahua. She used to bring it over to the house for me to play with. It drove my Mom nuts. She hated dogs.”

“Well, she must have been thinking about it before she fell.”

Boone looked at Miles, whose expression was both pained and slightly guilty.

“Why didn’t you just tell me that?”

Miles sighed and shook his head.

“No one wants to really hear what their loved ones last thoughts were. People die thinking, “hey man why is that guy pointing a gun at me?” or “Did I forget to turn the oven off?” Stupid shit. It’s not profound, it’s not comforting, it’s just boring. People don’t want boring; so when I have to, I lie. I tell them what they want to hear because maybe they need that a little more than the truth. Besides most people wouldn’t pay me to tell them that their dear Aunt Peggy’s last thought was, “Crap, did I feed the cat?” ”

Boone was silent. Part of him wished that Miles’s message had been true, that he could have believed the lie. He was tired of carrying the guilt around with him, but at the same time he couldn’t imagine who he would be without it.

The sun was higher in the sky now; it was getting close to noon. He had to be at the airport by 2:00. He looked back across the cemetery; he could just make out Theresa’s headstone from here. He knew he wouldn’t see her again until next year. He bowed his head and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

After a moment he turned back to Miles. “Thank you for trying.”

Miles nodded and the two men headed back to the car.

***

The drive back was just as quiet as the drive over. When Boone pulled up in front of Miles’s apartment building, Miles immediately reached for the door handle. He was clearly not one for long goodbyes.

“Next time I’m in Encino, I’ll stop by,” offered Boone.

Miles smirked.

“Why the hell would you be in Encino?”

Boone shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

Miles leaned over and gave him a quick, rough kiss.

“It was fun, Pretty.”

Boone laughed.

“Yeah, it was.”

Miles was halfway out of the car when he leaned back down.

“Good luck with your sister,” he said before giving Boone a wink and one last smirk.

Boone watched him walk away until he disappeared into his apartment. Part of him wanted to blow off Paris and follow Miles back to his place, but he remembered how desperate Shannon sounded the night before. He couldn’t leave her stranded. He gave Miles’s apartment one last glance, before pulling out into traffic.

It struck him that Miles spent everyday with the dead, that was his life. Boone spent one day every year thinking about a dead woman and it almost drove him crazy. He couldn’t imagine spending everyday like that. He saw the exit to LAX approaching in the distance and thought of Shannon. In a couple of hours, he would be in a hotel room in Paris with his sister sniffling on his shoulder. Miles and all of the rest of it would just seem like a strange dream.

Time to return to the living, he thought with a smile.

 

 

Comments

[joyyjpg.livejournal.com]

I pretty much knew once I saw the pairing that I would love this. Miles and Boone? Boone? *dies*

This is so well written! Miles is perfect - his voice, mannerisms, everything is just classic Miles. So is Boone, the way he resents the "rich kids" but has sort of accepted it in a way. I love the way you brought them together here and the way they interacted.

Um, did I mention the kissing? *dies again* And, god, this is your first time writing slash ever? Bravo!

I also really love the part at the end, at the cemetery, with Miles explaining why he lies about what he hears sometimes.

This is just amazing, really. Great job! ♥ ♥

[kayim.livejournal.com]

Not a pairing I would have dreamed of in a million years, but this was perfect! Loved it.

[janie-tangerine.livejournal.com]

UUUUH THIS WAS AWESOME.

Okay, first of all, don't worry for a second about how you write Boone because hell, this was so IC I can't even say. And you totally managed to hit everything on my favorite-things-about-Boone list, lol. First of all I love that you included Nicole in that, and I love that you included his Theresa guilt because there isn't enough fic in this world about that and it makes me seriously happy. That said, I loved that part at the beginning because it's totally so Boone to resent the whole rich kids lot and then realize he's technically one too. And as I said before, I just loved that as soon as he finds Miles his first thought is talking to Theresa. You totally made come through how guilty he feels about her death and just.. *heart breaks*

And mm, your Miles is delicious. I could totally hear him all the way and you did his snark so well. And the scene in the cemetery was so completely IC, I loved the dialogue and the dynamic and really everything else. And wow, first time writing slash too? Then wow because not only it was totally believable but also definitely hot. And major points to you for coming up with the pairing because it's totally too good for its own good. Also, damn Shannon I have to say. ;)

“Tell her I said she has excellent timing when you see her,” Miles grumbled.

And I kinda snorted for a while at that because hell, yeah, she always goes and ruins things for Boone in the worst moment, doesn't she? ;) Mm. This was a really great story, thank you so much for it! *loves and mems* ♥

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm not going to lie, I was worried about this one, so I'm glad it worked for you.
The cemetery scene is actually how this whole thing got started. The image just sort of popped in my head and before I knew it I had written 5,000 words of Boone/Miles fic. ;)

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you for such a wonderful comment, I'm so glad you liked it! I was a little concerned about pairing Boone and Miles because I wasn't sure how you felt about Miles, but the plot bunny would not go away.

Heh, Shannon does have terrible timing. ;)

[toestastegood.livejournal.com]

Ooh, this was awesome - I would never have thought of this pairing otherwise, but it totally works. What a genius idea to think of Boone needing Miles to get in touch with Theresa. Totally makes sense.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[valhalla37.livejournal.com]

This is SO GOOD. Wow. I was immediately intrigued by the pairing -- and even more after LOL-ing at your earlier post on slash-induced pronoun frustration -- but had an admittedly hard time picturing how it would work.

But this? Completely, completely worked, in so many different ways. I love that you're able to take two characters from completely different circumstances, and somehow make their encounter -- especially considering its nature -- totally organic and credible and IC. Great, great work. :D

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!
I thought the pairing was pretty cracktastic at first, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. I'm glad you liked it!

[zelda-zee.livejournal.com]

So excellent! This is such a well thought out, plausible encounter! All the little details of it were just right and I really enjoyed reading it.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it! And thank you for the slash writing tips, they definitely helped. :)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Wow, something seems to be screwing with the settings for this page - the only way I could get here was by selecting the text and then stopping at the post comment box. Weird.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that for so many worries about this being a first for you, you really can relax. You've done well. I like this very much and think it works just fine! Both Miles and Boone come across as very IC, and I could well see scenes like this (ha - if they ever let the guys screw each other!) in the show! Keep up with the good writing! ;-)

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Hmm, it seems to be working okay, now. Maybe Livejournal was being weird.

Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Weirdly - it's working for me now too, but that was a different computer so maybe it was something to do with that - who knows? Anyway, it's still a great fic! ;-)

[missy-useless.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous story! I love how it feels both adorable/snarky/fun and sad/heart-breaking. Oh, and hot. ;) Your Boone characterizations is wonderful, and I simply adore your Miles voice. Wow. I applaud you for making this quite unusual pairing work in such a plausible way. Wonderful job, really; I enjoyed reading this very much.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for such lovely feedback, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[music-writer.livejournal.com]

I wandered over to your journal from Lost_in_108, hope you don't mind :D I'm doing my internet ADD thing... where I start one place and end up somewhere else. :D

This is fantastic! Boone and Miles are so perfect... and together... awesome. Both are totally in character.

I loved the conflict Boone had at the end with him thinking about blowing off Shannon to stay with Miles.

Simply awesome!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you so much for such lovely feedback!

(And don't worry I have an open door policy at my journal, feel free to wander over anytime. ;))

[jaydblu.livejournal.com]

I started reading this because of the curiosity about the pairing, and I got sucked into the story. I love what you've done with this. And for it not being very graphic with the sexy, it was still pretty hot stuff. ;) Really nicely done.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :D