ds_flashfiction | Jewelry Challenge

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It's not Ray/Fraser. It's not rated NC-17. And it's not really about - well - jewelry, actually.

It is Fraser, though. And it is betaed by

brooklinegirl. And it is for

pearl_o.

So maybe that makes up for it.

1205 words

Graduation

Benton thought, not for the first time, that people were either under the misconception that he didn't hear the words that were whispered every time he walked past them, or they just didn't care much if he heard them or not.

He knew that he didn't fit in with the other RCMP cadets at the training academy in Regina. Growing up in relative solitude of the North with only his grandparents for company did very little in preparing him for the noticeably quicker pace down in Regina. People here moved fast and spoke faster. They had quick hands and sharp tongues, and their close friendships sometimes baffled Benton.

When he first arrived at the training academy, he had thought that maybe he'd find someone to talk to. Surely he wasn't the only cadet from an isolated home in the North. He'd packed up his few belongings from home; his journal and some well-read books. His father's knife and his grandfather's pocket watch (which was a new gift, actually, given to him by his grandfather just before Benton lifted his bag and left home for the last time).

By the time the results of the first exam were posted, Benton realized just how foolish he was to think he'd find any friends here. Boys didn't want to be friends with the smartest person in the class. The smartest person did nothing more than make them look bad, (and really, was it Benton's fault that they found more pleasure in playing cards in the dark with each other than studying the assigned reading for the night?) And what few girls there were in the academy stayed together (not that Benton blamed them. As much as he heard people talk about him, he heard them talk about the girls, as well).

So Benton kept to himself. He studied and took his tests. He ate his dinner at the assigned time, and then returned to his room with his books and his journal and pen. Twenty-four weeks can seem like a lifetime when you're eighteen, and by the time graduation came, he was more than ready to say goodbye to Regina and head up to his posting in the Territories.

He graduated first in his class, which came as no surprise to anyone. As he passed the snack table in the hall where their graduation party was being held, he heard what was by now an all-too familiar snicker.

"Fag."

Benton's cheeks burned and he tightened his jaw and kept walking, making sure not to turn his head even the slightest bit towards where a group of his classmates were sitting. He squeezed the plastic cup of punch he held in his hand and quickly made his way to the other end of the room, pushing open the heavy door and walking out into the cold night air.

The smell of fresh snow relaxed him, and he let out the breath he'd been holding with a soft sigh. He kicked aside some snow from the stoop and sat down, pulling on his gloves before taking a sip of his drink. The punch was sweet and cool, and he drank quietly, keeping his eyes focused on the snow in front of him and the trees far off in the distance.

Someone inside the building said something - he could hear their voice dull and muted through the door - and then there was a chorus of male laughter rising high above the music. Benton pressed his lips together and tensed as he heard the door behind him open, letting out a gust of heat and a sliver of light before slamming shut again.

He knew who it was without even turning around, but remained facing forward until she took a few steps forward, her small boot kicking the snow to the side much like he had done.

"Here, let me," Benton said, and reached out with a gloved hand, clearing a spot for her next to him.

"Thank you, Benton," Anna said as she sat down, and he finally turned his head to look at her, nodding as she smiled at him quickly.

They each sipped their drinks in silence, and after a few minutes Benton felt her shoulder bump against his.

"Congratulations on graduating first in the class," she said.

Benton turned and saw that her hair, which she normally kept pulled back in a tight clip during class, was hanging loose around her shoulders. A flash of silver winked out at him as she moved her head, and when she pushed a thick lock of hair behind her ear, the reflection of the snow glinted off the gleaming silver of her tiny, hoop earrings.

He smiled quickly at her, and dropped his eyes. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Congratulations to you as well."

Anna's shoulder moved against his in a shrug. "It's not first in the class, but it's fifth, which is probably good enough for a decent posting." She paused a minute, and Benton lifted his eyes to look at her. "And you?" she asked. "Do you know your posting yet?"

"Back up toward the Territories," Benton answered.

"Oh." Anna nodded, then looked away. "When are you leaving?"

Benton shrugged and turned to look back at the snow. He crushed the empty cup he was still holding in his hands, and placed it next to him on the stoop. "As soon as possible, I suppose. Not really anything for me to stay here for."

Anna made a soft sound of what he guessed to be agreement, but said nothing. Her body was warm where it was pressed against his side, and he could smell a faint trace of flowers from her shampoo.

"They say you like boys more than girls," Anna said suddenly. Benton's body tensed, and kept his gaze fixed firmly in front of him. "They say lots of things, actually," she continued, "But that's what they say the most."

"They do, do they?" Benton could see Anna nod from the corner of his eye. "Yes, well. Maybe they're right, at that," he said softly, turning his head away from her, watching the snow drift and fall from the sky.

Inside, someone started playing some music. Something upbeat, filled with strumming guitars and a chorus of voices, and when Anna put her hand on his cheek, Benton turned toward her slowly.

Snowflakes were sprinkled on the top of her head, the white shockingly bright against her dark hair. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and as he watched, she bit her lip and leaned forward, closing her eyes.

Her lips were chapped and slightly rough, but her breath was warm against his mouth. Benton closed his eyes and touched her face with his glove, the tips of his fingers stroking down her cheek.

When she pulled back, he opened his eyes and found her smiling at him, her dark eyes twinkling in the night. "I'm sorry, Benton Fraser, that I didn't get to know you better," she said as she stood up from the stoop.

He looked at her, and smiled, and when she ran a hand over his hair and walked back inside the building, he turned around to watch her go.

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From:

pearl-o.livejournal.com

I LOVE YOU TIMES INFINITY.

Seriously, if I manage to get online tonight I'm going to glomp you and give you reasons and reasons for my love, but for now I have to run back to work, so I can just repeat: LOVE.

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