Fandom: Lost
Title: Fear
Characters: Charlie/Hurley
Rating: PG
Prompt: 08 Phobia
Word Count: 600
Disclaimer: own nothing, wish I did, yadda yadda


Hurley knew what he was afraid of. Hurley was terrified of getting off this island, returning to society, to real life and have it all crash down on him again.

Hurley had no stronger desire than to get off this island, to escape from the horrifying world he’d found himself in. He was just as terrified of the island as he was everything outside the island.

None of those seemed like the right answer though so he paused at Charlie’s question, at Charlie’s seemingly innocent query, “What’s your biggest fear?”

‘Losing you,’ tripped on the tip of Hurley’s tongue, Hurley knew that phrase would only get him derision and maybe even anger. Charlie wanted absolute sincerity or complete disrespect. A baring of Hurley’s soul or a flippant joke, nothing in between would do.

“What scares you?” Hurley attempted to buy time.

“Nope, I asked you first.”

The two of them were a tangled mass of limbs, one of Hurley’s arms wrapped around Charlie’s neck, Charlie’s leg slung around Hurley’s torso. They sat, more or less in each other’s laps, gazes locked.

There wasn’t anywhere for Hurley to look, no where to glance to give him just a moments respite. Charlie was staring intently.

“The world out there, that’s what scares me, returning to it and discovering that everything has changed, or worse, nothing has.”

Charlie’s eyes didn’t flicker away and there was no reproach in them. Hurley had passed the test, Charlie had accepted his answer. As if to prove so Charlie leaned forward and kissed Hurley gently.

Hurley felt relieved, felt a glimmer of warmth in his chest. He’d answered the question adequately, he didn’t need to be frightened of the repercussions anymore, there weren’t going to be any.

“So, what about you?” Hurley asked, half teasing and all serious. “What terrifies you?”

Charlie looked at him surprised, this wasn’t supposed to go both ways. This moment was Charlie seeking out more information on Hurley, this moment was Charlie learning what he needed to know, why was Hurley asking questions?

Hurley sighed—in relief—at Charlie’s pause, if Charlie could take a moment to think it was alright that Hurley had, that was only fair.

“Not knowing,” Charlie said eventually and Hurley tried to reflect the emotions Charlie had shown him earlier back to him now.

Charlie didn’t need his approval though, this wasn’t a test of Charlie. Hurley began to realize that and in response to the judgment he realized had been directed at him he pulled Charlie closer, engulfed Charlie in his arms.

Charlie didn’t resist at all, he felt the enveloping warmth that was Hurley and embraced it, after all, Hurley had passed.

“Why did you ask?” Hurley worked to keep the sharpness out of his voice, worked to keep the rage at his testing at bay, it wouldn’t do any good to spoil his results by yelling now.

“I had to know I could trust you,” Charlie’s voice was muffled by Hurley’s shoulder, he burrowed deeper into it with each word and Hurley felt the scalding wetness of tears begin to leak through his shirt. “I had to know I could trust you.”

Hurley was still unsure of what had just happened, still unsure of how Charlie’s simple question had become so dire. Hurley didn’t understand.

Charlie cried softly into Hurley’s shoulder, his fingers straying up to play with Hurley’s hair, weaving their way through it.

The two of them, inseparable, leaned closer together.

Hurley vowed not to think of this moment again, not to analyze it, because he was certain he would be scared by whatever he came upon.