𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗼 Shorts

♔ BSK - D x OC - 4

I startled awake when someone poked me in the ribs.

"Hey," I grumbled sleepily, batting the hand away.

Someone sighed in relief. "I thought you had a concussion. You've been gone for an hour."

I rubbed my eyes sleepily and blinked away the blurriness to be met face-to-face with Danny. I squawked and pushed his chest to let me get up.

I brushed off the lose moss clinging to my trousers. "What? Why'd you think I had a concussion?"

He frowned. "You didn't wake up when I called for you, Erica. You sleep like the dead."

"Well, thanks for the compliment," I said dryly. "Where's everyone else?"

He shrugged and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. His clothes were now completely dry, but his hair was a little damp, making it curl close against his head. "Last I heard they were trying to think of someone they could match up with Plug."

I picked up my bag and took two steps towards the edge of the curtain of leaves. "And you didn't want to be involved?"

"Not really. It's impossible, isn't it?"

I gave him a sharp look. "Don't say that. Plug just needs..."

"Plastic surgery?"

I scowled. "No! He needs support! If you're setting him up with a blind date-" I cut myself off and a grin slowly spread over my face. "That's it: he needs a blind date!"

Danny's eyes widened, as did his smile. "That's brilliant!"

"Let's go tell them; hopefully 'Erbert might know someone-"

Danny held his hand up. "Hold up. I brought you lunch," he said. "Everyone else ate, so..."

I turned my body to face him fully. "Why are you doing this?" I asked bluntly.

He feigned ignorance. "Doing what?"

"Being nice. It's not normal."

He crossed his arms, his eyes flashing. "So I'm not allowed to actually be nice sometimes? I'm expected to just ridicule and scrap with everyone around me?"

"No, it just..."

"What? Because that's what everyone says? Because that's all I'm ever going to be?"

"No-"

He shook his head. "You might as well say it. Everyone else does."

"You don't like it," I said bluntly.

He rolled his eyes. "Of course not! Do you think we want that reputation any more?"

I analysed his face, taking in the bags under his eyes, and the smudge of ink on his jaw.

I let out a deep breath. "Have you told anyone else? About how you feel?"

His head snapped up. "No. And you'd better not-"

I closed the distance between us and held out my pinky finger.

His blue eyes darted up to mine searchingly. "You know what will happen if ou break it," he warned.

I rolled me eyes. "That's why I'm offering it, Captain Kilswift."

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "I'm not that tyrannous, am I?"

"Not as much as Monty Bistoe," I said. "That title goes to Spotty, I'm afraid."

He shook my pinky. "Well I am honoured that you named me as the lesser evil," he joked.

His smile was infectious; before I knew it, I was smiling too, and then he was getting out the food that he saved from lunch for me.

We sat side-by-side with our backs to the broad tree trunk. Danny tilted his head back and closed his eyes while I ate the ham sandwich and the slice of cake that he had saved for me. I was constantly reminded of his presence by the heat of his upper arm against mine, warmer than the summer air and yet still giving me goosebumps.

The ink on his jaw was really bugging me. My eyes kept being drawn to it as I glanced at him. It was just underneath his jawline, hidden in a depth of shadow but still visible, like a hole in a jumper or an indentation in an exam table - you just want to touch it, feel the frayed edges, examine the colour and the pattern and the feel of the dip and the softness of skin-

I blinked out of my thoughts to see his eyes were open and he was staring sideways back at me, smiling.

"I can model for you, if you like," he said. "You'll be able to stare at me for longer."

Heat singed my cheeks and I shook my head furiously. "No! I mean- no- it's just, there's ink on your jaw, and-"

Little lines appeared in his forehead as he turned to me fully and scrubbed at his cheek. "Gone?"

I shook my head. "Down a bit- right- not that far!"

He scrubbed the left of his face red with his fingers, unable to locate the spot.

"It's here," I said frustratedly, touching my finger to his jaw.

His eyes met mine and for a split second I was rendered speechless. I could feel a vein flickering under my finger, feel the warmth from his scrubbed cheek, feel the smoothness of his skin and the soft flesh beneath, and I was struck with the thought that if I had put more pressure behind my finger it would have sunk into the soft, vulnerable area like it was clay.

I gulped and took my finger away. "You see?" I said, my voice ever so slightly higher pitched than normal.

"Yeah," he breathed.

I turned away from him to rifle through my bag and hide my blazing skin. Finally I found my hand sanitiser and some tissue, and held them out to him.

He looked down at them in confusion.

"To clear it off," I explained. "Sanitiser takes ink out of skin well."

"Uh... Could you?" He asked. Seeing my expression, he backtracked. "I mean I know where it is but I can't see it or anything, so I won't see if it's gone, you know?"

I grasped the sanitiser tightly. "O-okay."

I put a pea-sized sphere of sanitising gel on my finger before blotting it on the ink smudge. Danny flinched at the coldness but he seemed to relax as I rubbed the sanitiser into the area, watching the gel become coloured as the ink was drawn out of his skin. I was careful not to press too hard, but his skin was supple and my fingers moved of their own accord around the area, feeling up his sharp jawbone.

After a minute I used the tissue to blot away the gel, leaving behind only the faintest outline.

"Done," I said. My voice sounded slightly wobbly.

"Thanks. That must have been Plug yesterday when his pen exploded."

"Yeah. Alright." I got up and dusted myself off. "We'd better go. They'll be looking for you by now."

He mirrored my actions. "And looking for you," Danny reminded me.

There wasn't any point in arguing with him, not after such a questionable moment. Was it even a 'moment' at all? "Come on."