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musing_way 's 42nd prompt. Naturally.Title: The Gift
Rating: PG
Fandom: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Continuity: Early in book 1, just after Ford & Arthur get picked up by the Heart of Gold
Characters/Pairings: Ford, Arthur, hints of unrequited (as far as he knows) Ford/Arthur
Summary: Ford wasn't even sure why he'd picked the thing up in the first place. But if it stopped Arthur sulking, he was more than willing to pass it on
Wordcount: 619
Disclaimer: Not mine
The Gift
Ford wasn't sure why he was doing this. It wasn't like he owed Arthur anything. Quite the opposite, in fact. If he hadn't showed up and spirited the Earthman down to the pub, then right this second Arthur would be merrily streaming around the universe as a whiff of ozone, and quite unable to sulk at all ...
On second thoughts, that wasn't a subject Ford wanted to bring up, even with himself. He blamed the clenching in his chest on the bottle of Old Janx Spirit, and hastily moved on.
He wasn't sure why he'd even picked the thing up in the first place. With a Vogon bloody Deconstructor Fleet incoming, and an annoying Earthman to hustle from in front of a bulldozer and down to the nearest source of alcohol, he'd had other things on his mind. But he'd seen it lying there, beside a workman's battered lunchbox, and picked it up. Maybe it was just habit, the way his hand automatically reached out for any convenient towels, maybe it was having spent more than five minutes in England, maybe it was having spent quite a lot of that more-than-five-minutes in the fascinating and vaguely appalling company of one Arthur Dent ... but the fact was, he'd done it. Minutes before the destruction of the entire planet out from under them, he'd spied it lying there, and stolen it.
And now, he found himself standing outside Arthur's door, wanting to pass it on. Now, he found himself contemplating giving it to that same annoying Earthman, who was currently engaged in the longest, most politely pervasive sulk Ford had seen since the summer of '82 and that one night stand with Sherl Harris.
Not that Ford blamed him, exactly. Not that there wasn't a part of him, the part that had quietly and determinedly locked itself off after the first twelve dozen times he'd been asked what a Hrung was and why it should have chosen to collapse where it had, that believed firmly that not only had Arthur every right to be a bit upset about his planet getting blown up and himself caught by Vogons, but also that Ford might well consider joining in. Earth had been a prison at best, for him, but there was fifteen years to consider, and the simple fact of Arthur himself ...
And, really, it wasn't like he was being altruistic, or anything. It was just to stop the Earthman's moping. Marvin was quite enough to handle in that respect, and if this went on there wasn't going to be any alcohol left on the ship. And Ford was in absolutely no mood for enforced sobriety, and really, really didn't want to see this Trillian person try it. So really, it was just self-preservation, when it came down to it. Not any sort of squishier feeling (that, he was blaming on the Improbability Drive, and their rather abrupt return to normality, and the curried-chip he'd had just before leaving Earth).
Mind made up, he buzzed his way into Arthur's room, pointedly ignored the tear-stains on that crumpled, bemused face, and held out his offering with both hands and a determined, devil-may-care smile. He very carefully said nothing at the expression of awe and gratitude and something disturbingly close to lust that crossed Arthur's face, very carefully did not feel a little clench in his chest at how it seemed to be directed at him. Not what he was here for, after all. Still, he rather thought the image would stay with him for a long, long time.
Honestly, he'd never seen anyone look so happy at the gift of half a thermos of stone-cold, orange tea nicked from a builder's lunchbox. But then Arthur always had been unique.
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BRAVA!!!!
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Thank you!
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And awww, Ford is such a darling. Or froody, which he might prefer. *grin*
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*grins* Ford is. He just doesn't want to admit it.
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And while I remember, Happy Birthday!
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*beams* Thank you!