Teaching Elijah – Epilogue
Pairing: Ian/Elijah
Disclaimer: Don’t know these people. No offence intended or money made.
It was on their return to New Zealand for re-shoots that it had finally happened. Elijah had come to Ian, his heart in his eyes, stood in front of him, arms wrapped around himself, a picture of miserable confusion. He didn’t speak; he didn’t have to.
Ian had realised that it couldn’t last forever, and he loved Elijah enough to let him go gently, making sure he wasn’t hurt as he broke free.
He had gone, not without tears and the occasional backward glance, but his heart hadn’t been broken. He hadn’t wanted to stay.
"What’s his name?" Ian had asked, pushing the dark hair back from Elijah’s face, from habit more than anything else.
"Adam. He’s on the crew."
"Adam. The first man, eh? Didn’t quite manage that, did he?"
Elijah had laughed shakily and wrapped himself around Ian, not seeing Ian’s eyes close from the pain of contact.
"I didn’t want him to be," Elijah had said. "I wanted that to be you." He had pulled away, and looked up, still looking twelve, still looking like every sin in the book. "Thank you, Ian. Thank you for everything." He tucked his head under Ian’s chin in a way that was so painfully familiar Ian had almost laughed. "It’s been the best year of my life, you know? I love you."
"And I, you, you reprobate." Ian found it in himself to push Elijah away. "Be happy, Lij. Just that. Be happy." And then he had smiled and kissed Elijah, and watched him go, his heart hurting so much that for an awful moment he thought he was actually dying.
He watched Elijah now, leaning against Adam’s chest, looking so small against the huge frame that he couldn’t help smiling. He was like a terrier; he may be small, but he ran the show; whatever he said would go. You only had to look at Adam’s face to know that to be the truth.
As he tore his eyes away his glance travelled across Sean’s fixed stare, and the two men shared a moment of something nameless and painful.
Sighing, Ian picked up his book and, echoing Elijah without even realising it, opened it randomly, and read the first sentence he saw.
‘Red shift is light travelling away from you.’
He looked up, blinking suddenly and watched as Elijah and Adam walked away, oblivious to the rest of the world. After a while they disappeared behind the mass of tents and other paraphernalia of this ridiculous set
Light travelling away.
The End
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