Lost Fic: It Is Always Nice to See Old Friends (Sun/Sayid)

[ozmissage]

Title: It Is Always Nice to See Old Friends
Characters: Sun, Sayid (Sun/Sayid if you tilt your head and squint)
Rating: PG-13
Words: 2,005
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Sayid pays Sun an unexpected visit.
Warning: Kind of angsty.
A/N: Written forzelda_zee who requested Sayid/Sun. I wanted this to be Sayid’s POV, but Sun wouldn’t let him drive. I hope you don’t mind.

 

It has been a long night. Sun can feel the hours in the angry blisters forming on the backs of her heels and in the painful sting of her bra straps digging into the skin of her shoulders. Her cheeks ache from the practiced smile she has learned to keep in place for these functions. The smell of expensive cologne clings to her much as the old, rotund businessmen who wore it had on the dance floor.

She is grateful to finally be returning to the safe haven of her hotel room, to end another day of pretending to be someone she is not. She knows the charade is necessary. If she wants to contact Widmore she must position herself in his circle. She has already learned that he is a man that respects power, so she goes to these functions and she dances with important men. She plays the game, hoping that she can find a way to make Benjamin Linus pay for what he took from her.

Tonight she is already imagining the relief a warm bath will bring to her aching feet. She doesn’t bother to turn on the light when she enters her room; instead she stands in the dark and slips out of her high heels.

“Hello, Sun.”

Sun gasps and fumbles for the light switch. She hits it and the room is flooded with light. She takes in the sight of Sayid Jarrah lounging in the over stuffed arm chair provided by the hotel. She has not seen this man in two and half years, not since they parted ways after the press conference. Even in her current state of confusion she can see that he has changed. His hair (always so wild on the island) is straight now and immaculately combed. He looks as at home in a tuxedo as he did in the worn tank tops she was accustomed to seeing him in. He looks older and more guarded than she remembers, but the expression on his face is so calm it’s almost unnerving.

“Sayid! What are you doing here?”

“I was waiting for you,” he replies as if his presence in her hotel room is a natural occurrence.

“How did you know where to find me?” Sun asks.

“I saw you downstairs in the ballroom dancing with a gentleman whose acquaintance I would very much like to make.”

There’s a coolness in Sayid’s words that alarms Sun. She has always known Sayid could be a dangerous man, but this is the first time she has ever been frightened of him. She keeps herself close to the door. Sayid is watching her carefully.

“I would never hurt you Sun, you know that.”

There is the barest hint of sadness in his voice. Sun feels a blush spreading across her cheeks. She moves away from the door feeling slightly ashamed. It is not her fault; her new life has taught her it is best to air on the side of caution even with people you used to trust without question.

“I do not know that, Sayid. I don’t know you anymore at all. How did you get into my room?”

Sayid smiles faintly.

“I told the maid outside that I forgot my key.”

“This hotel is supposed to have good security. I should report her.”

“It’s not her fault. I can be very persuasive.”

Sun hears the amusement in his voice and feels herself relax a little. Maybe he is still the same man she once knew. Despite herself, she smiles at him and crosses over to sit on the edge of her bed.

“Where have you been, Sayid?”

He stands up and crosses over to the window and looks out at the lights of Paris. Sun follows his gaze, it is a very nice view; she had been pleasantly surprised to be able to see the Eiffel Tower from her window. His reflection in the window looks pained, as if he takes no pleasure in the scene before him.

“I’ve been everywhere. Berlin, Stockholm, Tokyo…I passed through Moscow last month. It’s lovely this time of year. Where have you been, Sun?”

He doesn’t turn to look at her as he speaks. There’s something in the tone of his voice that suggests that he knows all of the places she has been and all of the things she has been doing. Sun tries to push the feeling away.

“I took over my father’s company. I travel a lot for business now. I was in Sydney last week; it rained for two days.”

Sayid turns away from the window and joins her on the bed. He sits just close enough that she can feel the warmth coming off of him, but not so close that they touch. She is torn between a desire to close the gap and a desire to move as far away from him as possible. She still can’t quite wrap her head around the fact that he is here in her room when she had barely thought of him at all in the last two years.

“How well do you know the man you were dancing with tonight?” Sayid asks seriously.

Sun shakes her head, unsure of the direction the conversation is taking.

“I danced with several men tonight. Which one are you referring to?”

“The tall man with the dark hair, you danced with him twice.”

Sun shivers. She realizes that Sayid must have been watching her all night. The feeling is disconcerting.

“His name is Nikolas Boklov, I believe he is an economist.”

“Is that really what you believe, Sun?”

Sun feels defiant suddenly. Sayid is speaking to her as if she is a child playing with a box of matches. She can see the changes in him, but she is beginning to understand that he does not see any change in her.

“Please stop playing games with me. Why do you want to meet Mr. Boklov?”

Sayid studies her for a moment before answering her question with a question of his own.

“Are you aware that your Mr. Boklov had five people killed in the last year alone under the direction of a Mr. Charles Widmore or that his own son-in-law is rotting away in a prison in Thailand because he failed to follow his father-in-law’s instructions? Or that he has files on each of us, including Aaron, in a locked box in the drawer of his desk? Can you see now why I would like very much to meet with him?”

Sun takes a shaky breath and lets it out heavily. She wants to ask Sayid how he came to know all of these things, but she thinks better of it.

“I only knew that he worked for Widmore.”

Sayid nods. “I have been keeping an eye on you for some time now. It was brought to my attention that you were involving yourself with some very dangerous people. What are you trying to accomplish Sun?”

Sun turns slightly so that she is facing Sayid on the bed. The strangeness of being so close to him after so many years of not seeing his face had faded. Now it was a sort of comfort to sit with him. For the first time in a very long time Sun feels like she is not alone. Sayid clearly has his own agenda and she imagines it is not so different from her own.

“I want to find Ben and I want to make him pay for what he took from me and my daughter. I want to find him and I want to kill him.”

Sun hates that she can not hide the quaver in her voice. This is the first time she has spoken her intentions out loud. Sayid covers her hand with his. The contact surprises her; they had not touched once since the conversation began.

“There is no need to get blood on your hands. It will not bring Jin back and he would not want you to become a murderer in his name. Killing Ben will not make the pain stop, Sun. Believe me I know.”

She had heard about Nadia’s death. At the time she had considered reaching out to him, but in the end she decided against it. She had distanced herself too much from the rest of them to return to that fold. Looking at the pain etched across his face, she regrets her decision. Maybe she could have helped him. Maybe he could have helped her. She thinks it’s too late now for the both of them.

“I have to do it, Sayid,” she says finally.

He shakes his head sadly.

“Do you know where I can find Mr. Boklov?”

Sun contemplates lying to him. She has the distinct feeling that if she reveals Mr. Boklov’s location the man will not live to see another day. Then she remembers what Sayid said about the files and thinks of Ji Yeon, miles away asleep in her crib.

“He is staying at the Royal Medoc. I believe he said he was in the penthouse.”

Sayid nods and stands up.

“Thank you, Sun.”

Sun stands as well and catches Sayid’s hand.

“Why are you doing this, Sayid?”

“To keep us safe,” he replies grimly.

“I don’t need your protection. I can take care of myself and my family.”

Sayid squeezes her hand gently.

“I know that, but you have it none the less.”

Sun remembers suddenly how tired she is and that she had to call the maid to help her fasten her dress earlier in the evening. It is a beautiful gown, but unfortunately impractical. She did not want to call for the maid at this hour and more than that, she is not ready to see Sayid leave.

“Before you go, would you mind helping me with my dress? The clasps…” she says vaguely.

Sayid smiles. “Of course.”

She turns her back to him and feels his fingers work the complicated buttons until the cool air of the room hits her exposed back. Her breath hitches when she feels Sayid undo the clasp of her bra as well. His fingers gently rub the bright red marks the straps left on her skin. His touch is soothing and she can’t help but lean into it. He steps closer to her until his mouth is next to her ear.

“Promise me you will be careful, Sun. You have too much to lose to continue playing these games.”

“What about you?”

“I have nothing left to lose.”

“Sayid…”

He pulls away from her and his absence makes her ache. By the time she turns around he is already at the door.

“It was nice to see you Sun. You looked beautiful tonight.”

She wants to ask him to stay with her. She had not realized how much she missed seeing her old friends until now. She wants nothing more than to pour him a drink and spend the rest of the night talking about old times, but she knows he won’t stay. She can see in his eyes that he has already left, so she does the only thing she can, she says goodbye.

“Take care of yourself, Sayid.”

He gives her one last smile before he leaves her alone again. She sighs and tries not to think about how Sayid will spend the rest of his night. Instead, she lets her gown fall to the floor. She’s too exhausted for a bath tonight and the smell of the cologne seems to have faded away.

Her skin is still tingling from Sayid’s touch as she climbs under the covers of her bed, if she closes her eyes she can almost feel him beside her again. The thought comforts her as she drifts off to sleep. She can almost pretend that she is not alone for once, that she is not plotting to take a man’s life, that she is still the Sun that he knew. It is nice to pretend, even if it is only for tonight.

Comments

[zelda-zee.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful! I really enjoyed reading it. You capture both characters so well - descriptions and characterizations are crystal-clear. I love the quiet sadness that pervades this piece - the sense that they both long for connection but won't allow themselves to bridge the space that separates them.

We actually picked up on some of the same things in writing these two characters together. If you're interested, I wrote a fic called You Were as Flowers and your fic reminds me of a scene in it. Great minds think alike!

Thank you so much! I loved this!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! I've never thought about writing Sun/Sayid before so it was fun to try my hand at a new pairing.

Your fic blew me away. I wish I could bring that depth of understanding to Sayid. It was really amazing.

[zelda-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you, hon. I've obsessed over Sayid for years, which is why I can maybe portray him fairly well in fic. God knows, with all the time and effort I've put into him, I hope that's the case! :)

[tellshannon815.livejournal.com]

This is a time in Sun's life I'd have liked to have seen more of, so this was interesting, great job!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you and I totally agree. It seemed like such an interesting period, I wish the show had explored it a little more.

[siluria]

I really like this meeting, and it fits in so perfectly with canon that I can easily see it as a missing scene.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Aww, thank you so much!

[valhalla37.livejournal.com]

*needs Sun or Sayid icon*

Wow, this is such a pitch-perfect intepretation of both characters ... it reads just absolutely in tune with each of them. This is so fantastic because they manage to connect, deeply, without it being oversentimental (which wouldn't fit them) or overdramatic, though they're both so tragic in what they've become post-island. Great work!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Sayid is a tricky guy to write for just that reason, he's so calm most of the time. I always worry that he comes a little stale in my fics, so I'm glad you enjoyed this.

[elliotsmelliot.livejournal.com]

I heard both of their voices so well here that I could have been eavesdropping from dark corner of the hotel room. (Luckily Sayid did not spot me and kill me with his knees.) I liked how far these two started off in the scene, and through an appreciation for mutual quests and their loneliness, they drew closer by the end. The scene where Sayid unhooks her dress clasp was very tender. Great work!

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Your feedback is always so thoughtful. The dress unhooking scene was really what inspired the fic. I just couldn't get the image out of my head.

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

Aww :( Poor lonely Sun! But...

She can almost pretend that she is not alone for once, that she is not plotting to take a man’s life, that she is still the Sun that he knew. It is nice to pretend, even if it is only for tonight. Great last line! :D

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the last line. I always fail at ending stories, so I'm excited that I actually got one right. :)

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention I liked the rest of it too :O

I know my ship is distrustful and has a lot of issues but I still ship Sun/Jin :p This was a good "new beginning" for her though!

(see there? two comments of praise, lol)

[bold-seer.livejournal.com]

Their meeting feels so real, is so fitting, that I'm convinced it must have occurred at some point.

[ozmissage.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm flattered! Thank you so much for reading and commenting, I'm glad you enjoyed it.