2016 Prosfic Advent Calendar - Day 14 - Like a Thunderstorm, by Callisto

[freetraveller15.livejournal.com]

Like a Thunderstorm by callistosh65

Also available on AO3

Author's note:
“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” -Garrison Keillor, ‘Leaving Home’-

Doyle gets shot in the shoulder and suffers a broken arm during an op. Bodie, who unbeknownst to Doyle is battling Christmas demons from his past, surprises his partner by coming to visit him on Christmas Eve with food that is not take-away and needs to be cooked from scratch :) What follows is the memorable image of a potato-peeling Bodie in Doyle's kitchen, or rather, Doyle's thoughts as he relishes this image of his partner who not long before had insisted, "I told you, Doyle. I don’t do Christmas". And so the story explores the "compulsory" (or otherwise) nature of Christmas, how the lads navigate this holiday in different ways, their frustration, sense of guilt, concern for each other.
A heartwarming tale (told entirely from Doyle's POV) and a very enjoyable story, thanks to realistic, snappy dialogue, lots of canon-inspired lines and gestures, rich vocabulary and a "show, not tell" narrative technique.

My favourite passage:
And it was fucking wonderful. Not a scrap of tinsel, not a bauble in sight, no tree, no presents, all his cards forgotten at the hospital, and Doyle could not remember feeling this full of goodwill to all.
😊