The Professionals Circuit Archive - Deaf in the Afternoon Deaf in the Afternoon by Slantedlight *Written for the April two-day drabble challenge on the discoveredinalj livejournal community* ****** Doyle's ears rang. They hurt with the ringing, they screamed in unison with the ringing, until his head pounded counterpoint and his heart thrummed *nearly* and his nerves stretched to their limits. Too much noise, in the un-sound that was all he could hear, and... Except...one word, over the madness of it all. It was a whisper of a word. A caress of a word. It was hands on his face, it was closing his eyes, it was giving up the cacophony of *how* for the glory of *why*. It was lips against his temples, cool and soothing. *Missed.* -- THE END -- *April 2008* Archive Home