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sweetandshortTitle: Salve
Fandom: L.A. Confidential
Characters: Bud White/Ed Exley
Rating: Teen
Prompt: Park
Word Count: 493
Summary: Bud drops Ed off at home after a bust.
Bud put the car in park in front of Ed's building. He kept the motor running, but Ed was showing no sign of wanting to leave.
Ed opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, stared out the window for a moment.
“You going to condemn my tactics?” Bud asked, turning off the ignition and waiting for the lecture.
Ed gave him a slight smile. “Would it do me any good?”
Bud smiled back. “Probably not.”
“Does your hand hurt?”
“No more than usual.”
“I've got some salve. Upstairs. In my apartment. You can put it on your knuckles.”
Bud stared at him, wondering what the play was. “You have salve.”
“Never know when things might get out of hand.”
“Have you ever broken the seal on the bottle?” Bud teased.
“Forget I said anything.” Ed reached for the handle and popped open the car door.
“Wait,” said Bud.
Ed turned back and shot him an exasperated look from the passenger seat.
“My fingers are starting to tighten up a bit. A little salve couldn't hurt.”
“Okay.”
Bud followed Ed into the apartment building and up three flights of stairs to Ed's apartment. Bud had been here once before, when he returned from Bisbee, but hadn't been back since.
Ed gestured to the couch. Bud sank into it. It faced a large window with a view of the city. Bud almost wanted to get up and check out the view, but the couch was so comfortable he didn't feel like moving.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Beer if you got it.”
“Sure.”
Bud could hear Ed moving around in the kitchen and then further into the house. Ed came back into the room carrying two bottles of beer and a jar of some fancy ointment that was “guaranteed to relieve tension”.
“Does that stuff actually work?”
“I don't know,” admitted Ed. “I've never broken the seal on it.”
“Do you have a bed?” Bud blurted out.
“Pardon me?”
“It's just that this couch is comfortable enough to sleep on.”
“Yes, I have a bed. This is for entertaining.”
“And the bed is for what? Solitary pursuits?”
“It depends on how the night goes.”
Bud raised the beer bottle in a silent toast.
“I appreciate you letting me handle things today,” Bud said.
“It seemed... efficient.”
“Hmm. Edmund J. Exley. No longer going by the book.”
“Justice was served. That's all I care about.” He opened the jar of salve, sniffed it, and made a face. “Oh, that's horrendous. I can't believe I spent money on that.”
“Let me.” Bud lifted it partway toward his nose and then set the jar back down.
“Well, hell. I'm sorry.”
“I'm not. I'm definitely more relaxed now. I don't know if it's the beer or the couch or the company, but...” Bud glanced toward the door.
“I could offer to kiss it and make it better,” Ed said.
"Why don't you do just that," Bud replied.
Fandom: L.A. Confidential
Characters: Bud White/Ed Exley
Rating: Teen
Prompt: Park
Word Count: 493
Summary: Bud drops Ed off at home after a bust.
Bud put the car in park in front of Ed's building. He kept the motor running, but Ed was showing no sign of wanting to leave.
Ed opened his mouth to speak, closed it again, stared out the window for a moment.
“You going to condemn my tactics?” Bud asked, turning off the ignition and waiting for the lecture.
Ed gave him a slight smile. “Would it do me any good?”
Bud smiled back. “Probably not.”
“Does your hand hurt?”
“No more than usual.”
“I've got some salve. Upstairs. In my apartment. You can put it on your knuckles.”
Bud stared at him, wondering what the play was. “You have salve.”
“Never know when things might get out of hand.”
“Have you ever broken the seal on the bottle?” Bud teased.
“Forget I said anything.” Ed reached for the handle and popped open the car door.
“Wait,” said Bud.
Ed turned back and shot him an exasperated look from the passenger seat.
“My fingers are starting to tighten up a bit. A little salve couldn't hurt.”
“Okay.”
Bud followed Ed into the apartment building and up three flights of stairs to Ed's apartment. Bud had been here once before, when he returned from Bisbee, but hadn't been back since.
Ed gestured to the couch. Bud sank into it. It faced a large window with a view of the city. Bud almost wanted to get up and check out the view, but the couch was so comfortable he didn't feel like moving.
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Beer if you got it.”
“Sure.”
Bud could hear Ed moving around in the kitchen and then further into the house. Ed came back into the room carrying two bottles of beer and a jar of some fancy ointment that was “guaranteed to relieve tension”.
“Does that stuff actually work?”
“I don't know,” admitted Ed. “I've never broken the seal on it.”
“Do you have a bed?” Bud blurted out.
“Pardon me?”
“It's just that this couch is comfortable enough to sleep on.”
“Yes, I have a bed. This is for entertaining.”
“And the bed is for what? Solitary pursuits?”
“It depends on how the night goes.”
Bud raised the beer bottle in a silent toast.
“I appreciate you letting me handle things today,” Bud said.
“It seemed... efficient.”
“Hmm. Edmund J. Exley. No longer going by the book.”
“Justice was served. That's all I care about.” He opened the jar of salve, sniffed it, and made a face. “Oh, that's horrendous. I can't believe I spent money on that.”
“Let me.” Bud lifted it partway toward his nose and then set the jar back down.
“Well, hell. I'm sorry.”
“I'm not. I'm definitely more relaxed now. I don't know if it's the beer or the couch or the company, but...” Bud glanced toward the door.
“I could offer to kiss it and make it better,” Ed said.
"Why don't you do just that," Bud replied.
