Work Text:
Disclaimer: The characters from the show aren't mine, they belong to others. No copyright infringement intended. Any characters you don't recognize are mine. Feedback would be nice, positive feedback would be nicer. Enjoy!
Category: The Sentinel angsty h/c fic
Rating: Older adults/R
Characters: Jim/Blair/Simon mostly
Series: No
Spoilers: None...not canon
Summary: Fairgrounds. Bright lights, loud music, smells. Not a good place for a sensitive Sentinel.
Archive: Just tell me where it's going
Additional 'stuff': Assumes Jim is still working on controlling his abilities. This came to me after a recent visit to a fairground.
Title: Un-fair
Blair sat on the couch, sock-clad feet tucked up, book in hand. He looked up briefly as Jim took the call, listened to the one-sided conversation then slid a bookmark into the book and got up. 'Where are we going?'
Jim shook his head. 'A girl's been kidnapped from the fairground. I got it.'
Blair frowned. 'You sure you don't want me...'
Jim reached down and squeezed Blair's shoulder gently. 'You've been working hard all day. I'll be fine.'
Blair smiled, squeezed Jim's hand gently and returned to his book. By the time Jim called 'Bye' from the door, Blair was already back in the world of Harry Potter.
********************
Jim saw Simon already waiting at the entrance to the fairground as he pulled up. The background volume was high and Jim had to listen carefully as Simon explained that a group of young men had pulled the girl off a merry-go-round half an hour earlier.
Jim looked around, squinting against the brightness of the zillions of fairy lights, larger brighter bulbs and other light sources. Somewhere nearby, the sound of several slot machine jackpots sounded all at once and the mingling scents of hot dogs, popcorn, diesel, grass and myriad other smells assailed Jim's rapidly overloading senses.
'Jim? Jim! JIM!!' Simon's irritation became unease then full-blown panic as Jim dropped to the ground, curling into a tight ball. He snatched Jim's phone off his belt and scrolled the speed-dial options until he got 'Blair'. He dialed and waited, cursing softly as the line rang and rang.
Finally, Blair's sleepy voice answered: 'Uh...hello?'
'Blair, Jim's in trouble.'
'Simon? What happened?'
Simon explained as much as he could - which wasn't much - and asked: 'Do you want me to call an ambulance?'
'No!' Blair was emphatic. 'You're at the fairground? I'm on my way.'
***************************
Blair knelt beside Jim, reaching out cautiously to rest his hand on Jim's shoulder. Beside the muscle being as hard as rock, Blair felt the shivers as Jim shook with the effort of keeping himself tensed up. Simon's explanation of Jim's sudden 'collapse' meant only one thing. His senses were overloaded. Kneeling in the center of the fairground, Blair understood why.
'Hey buddy...it's okay...just dial it down.'
'Can't!' Jim forced out through clenched teeth.
'Okay...one at a time...let's do the sounds first...' Blair listened, trying to separate the noise. 'Ferris wheel...dial it down...okay...now...uh...slots...that's it...shooting range...yeah...there ya go buddy...'
Blair felt the slight relaxation in the muscle under his hand as Jim separated and reduced each noise he could hear which, cumulatively, had been overwhelming. 'Okay...now, light...the white bulbs...dial 'em down...there...okay Jim...uh...fairy lights...good.'
Blair's nostrils twitched as the smell of burning onions assailed his own senses. 'Food...okay...hot dogs...onions...popcorn...dial 'em down...that's it...better?'
After a moment, Jim swallowed hard, took a deep breath and looked up. 'Yeah.'
Simon listened on the radio and laughed. 'The boys got a flat just outside the fairground...ran over some broken glass. It wasn't a kidnapping...well...frat initiation...get the prettiest girl in the fair and bring her back to the dorm.' He sighed and shook his head at the stupidity of the prank. He would be yelling at the boys as soon as he left the fairground. 'Hey, you two gonna be okay?'
Blair nodded, relieved. 'Yeah Simon.'
Jim looked up sheepishly. 'Sorry Simon.'
'Don't worry about it Jim. See ya tomorrow.'
Jim nodded, forcing a smile. 'Night.' He leaned heavily on Blair as they made their way to the car. 'Sorry.'
Blair shook his head. 'No. You can't help it. It's gonna happen sometimes. But next time you get a call to a fairground, I'm coming along, okay?'
Jim nodded. 'Yeah.'
End