Shy in the Face of Danger - 2

Shy in the Face of Danger
Rating: PG13
Summary: Set in a Neo-Victorian/Steampunk America, a young boy experiences a culture clash that will change his life while on a family road trip.
Warnings: Homosexual relationships (nothing explicit).
---------

Shy did not speak to anyone else the rest of the day. Save curt answers to his parents’ questions he was dead silent. He locked himself up in his hotel room and packed and re-packed his things to try and keep his mind off the dark skinned man who had probably already forgotten about him.

The next morning he was just as silent as he stood on the train platform with his family. His gaze kept wandering back toward the town and the direction of Danger’s village. He did not know what he was hoping for. After all, he was fairly certain the man would not be coming after him. If he had wanted to, wouldn’t he be here already? Or would he not have said something the night before?

The train rolled to a stop before them with a hiss of steam and a creek of breaks. Shy let out a sigh as he picked up his bags and followed his parents up the stairs onto the train. He spared one last glance back over his shoulder, but there were only the other tourists getting back on the train. It really was too late, now, so the boy turned back around and followed his family to their cabin.

His mother asked him what was wrong when they were putting their baggage in the racks, but he just said that he was overly tired from the heat. Thankfully they all seemed to believe this. That was good, because Shy really did not feel like talking to anyone right now. He much preferred wallowing in his own heartbreak.

The train let out another sigh and hiss of steam as it prepared to start moving again, but despite the creak of gears as the wheels started turning the train only lurched forward a few feet before jerking to a stop again. The passengers were jostled and instantly Shy’s mother began to worry that there was something wrong with the train, but the boy’s sister noticed something outside the window where she was plastered. “That man is late,” the young girl declared, “Doesn’t he know you have to be on time?”

“What man?” Shy asked, his heart leaping into his throat as he leaned over her to see out the window. He could hardly believe his eyes, but there, running down the boarding platform, was the very same man he had thought he would never see again. “Danger,” he breathed, eliciting a confused sound from his sister. Pushing away from the window he stood up and headed for the door to their cabin, “I…. I am going to get something to drink,” he stated as he pulled the door open and went out into the hall.

Once away from his family he took a moment to calm his racing heart. And then he started toward the door where he had seen Danger come in. The further he walked the quicker his steps became as he grew more desperate to see the man. Halfway down the third car he searched, the door at the other end opened and the dark skinned man stepped through. Shy skidded to a stop, only a few paces away from the man, his breath stolen away by the sight of him.

The man stopped as well, and Shy thought he even looked a little surprised. For a moment neither of them spoke. And then Shy managed to get a few words out. “You… Followed me.”

Danger opened his mouth to reply, but at that exact moment the train lurched forward again, starting off on its trip. Shy lost his balance, and Danger reached out to catch him, but a second lurch sent him off balance as well and both toppled to the floor. Shy landed flat on his back with Danger atop him.

Instantly, the boy’s face turned bright red and his breath caught in his throat as he looked up at the man. He could not help but notice how suggestive their positions were, and even Danger seemed, for a moment, at a loss as what to do.

When the man’s mind returned to him he climbed to his feet and held a hand out to help Shy off the floor. “Sorry,” he said softly.

“It is alright,” Shy mumbled as he tried to collect himself. He fidgeted with his clothes, straightening them over again. When finally he regained his composure, at least a little bit, he looked back up at Danger. “Why did you come after me?” he asked.

“Because I realized that I needed to see you again,” the man told him. “I am sorry about yesterday. There was a lot I needed to think about.”

“It is alright,” Shy said again, and the two fell into a strange silence. The boy felt awkward. He straightened his jacket again self-consciously. “Do… I told my parents I was getting something to drink… Do you want to go to the dining car?”

Danger smiled, “I would like that. But first, will you help me find my cabin?” he asked, and his smile turned a bit sheepish. “I am afraid that I have never actually traveled by train before.”

Shy was surprised to hear this, although he supposed he should not have been. If Danger had been born in that small desert town there was no reason he should have been on a train before. The town had only one station, and the trains came only once a day. But it was also a little odd for Shy to have finally found something he knew that the man did not. “What is the cabin number?” the boy asked, and Danger handed him his ticket, clearly unsure how to read it properly; and Shy was more than happy to help him. “It is in the car next to mine,” the boy told him happily, and turned to head back the way he had come.

Shy lead the man back down the train, not really realizing how far he had wandered until they finally reached the car where his family was. “This is my cabin,” he told the man, pointing to the number over the door to make sure Danger noted it. “Yours is in the next car,” the boy continued as they passed the cabin, and only a moment later they were standing outside the smaller cabin that had the same number as Danger’s ticket.

“This one is mine?” the man asked, and Shy nodded as he handed the ticket back. Danger opened the door and looked in. The cabin was small, with only a single bed and nothing more. The man dropped his one bag, on the bed and took the key that hung on a hook beside the door. After the door was locked again he turned back to Shy. “Thank you,” he said, “Shall we go to the dining car now?”

“Yes. I think it is this way,” Shy replied, pointing down the hall.

---

The dining car was empty, which was no surprise considering they had been traveling for less than an hour and it was still morning. Shy and Danger sat down at a table in the corner. Shy did not get anything to drink because he wasn’t actually thirsty. Even if he had been he would have been more than happy just to sit with Danger.

“I suppose I should explain what happened yesterday,” the man said before Shy had a chance to even open his mouth. “I am sorry, again, that I did nothing at the time. There was a lot that I needed to think about; a lot that needed to be sorted out before I followed after you.”

Shy nodded silently. He should have known that. Danger had a life and a job; he could not just drop everything to run after some boy he had just met.

“But I thought about everything,” Danger continued, “And I realized that if I did not follow you I would probably regret it for a very long time.”

Shy felt his heart skip a beat. The man had felt as cheerless upon his leaving as Shy had? “Wh… Why?” he asked softly, not knowing what else to say. He just wanted to be certain that he was not reading too much into the man’s words; that he wasn’t imagining things.

Danger smiled softly, seeming a little amused. “That kiss on the bluff did not mean nothing,” he said, “And I assume the one you gave me at the museum did not, either. When you told me you were leaving I had to realize that I would never see you again if I did not follow you. I should have said something then, but I had to talk to my family and the people I worked for. I did not want to get your hopes up if I was unable to follow you.”

“I am glad you did,” Shy breathed softly, smiling across the table at Danger.

The man’s own smile widened a bit, and he reached across the table to gently take the boy’s hand in his own. “As am I,” he replied, bringing Shy’s fingers up to his lips and kissing them softly.

The boy blushed faintly, but he could not have been happier. If this was not love he didn’t know what was. But he knew he had to keep this from his parents for a little longer. He doubted if they were believers in love at first sight. And even if they were they probably would not want their son to be in love with a foreign man he hardly knew. Not that he blamed them. Shy himself was a little apprehensive, but he was falling fast and hard. And even if this turned out to be a disaster, he knew he would never regret it.

---

The train ride was, on the whole, relatively uneventful. Shy did not spend much time with his family. This was something which was strange for him on these trips, but though his mother worried his father told her than their son was growing up and it was normal for teenagers to want to spend less time with their parents.

Shy was incredibly thankful that no one ever asked what he was doing when he was not with them. If he had said even that he had made a friend they would want to meet that person. And Shy was still afraid of how they would react if they knew he was spending all his time with someone like Danger. Though Shy was certain that the man would never take advantage of him he did realize that Danger was much older and more world-wise than he. His parents would worry about things like that. His father might do something rash. No, introducing Danger to them could wait until they reached their next destination.

The trip was only a few days, less than a week before Shy’s parents told him they would be getting off at the next stop. They were half way through Nevada; in the middle of nowhere in the desert again. Were all fossils in the desert? It certainly seemed that way to Shy.

But while he was glad to be off the train, the boy was also worried. Apparently their destination was more off the beaten path than their previous. It would be another full day by steam-car to reach the nowhere town where the fossils were located. He was concerned, because he did not know what to tell Danger. Could he really expect the man to just follow him around like this? Like a dog?

That was what he told Danger, mere hours before the train would arrive at their destination. “Apparently we are going even further,” Shy said as they sat in Danger’s cabin. “Another day, at least; heading North this time.”

“Another day?” the man asked in surprise. “What is out so far that your parents would hire a car?”

“More dinosaur bones, I’m certain,” the boy answered, rolling his eyes a little in exasperation. This whole trip was pointless in his opinion. Well it had been pointless, until he met Danger. “You do not have to follow. You have come this far… And we’ll come back to catch the train again in a few days, I’m sure…” Shy trailed off because in all honesty he wanted the man to follow him.

Danger nodded thoughtfully. At times like this Shy was never able to tell what the man was thinking. His face was unreadable; something that occasionally worried the boy. It made Shy remember just how short their acquaintance had been so far; he still knew very little about Danger. The man spoke little unless he deemed it necessary or he was poking fun at Shy. So the fact that he was silent was not strange, but Shy often worried about what the man was thinking when he was silent.

“Do,” Danger said after a long moment of thoughtful silence, “You want me to come?”

That surprised Shy. He had never thought to say what he wanted; he had been too worried that it might make Danger feel forced to come along. When the man asked outright Shy couldn’t lie to him. But Shy had fears, mostly about his parents, and thought it might be better if Danger stayed behind for now in order to avoid questions. Even though, in truth, he did want Danger to stay by his side.

“I do,” The boy admitted, unable to lie. “But you have already come this far, I would not ask you to go so much further out of your way. Especially with the cost…” Shy, admittedly, did not know how much their train tickets and the hired cars had cost them, but he also did not know how much money Danger had to spend.

“Why should I not come?” Danger asked, not uncurious as to the boy’s reasoning. “I have come this far. Perhaps you could introduce me to your parents and I would not have to hire a car for myself.”

Shy did not fail to see the logic in this suggestion, but the very notion of introducing Danger to his parents terrified him. “Well, I,” the boy stammered as he tried to come up with an explanation. “My parents are very… old fashioned when it comes to… relationships.”

The dark skinned man stared at Shy curiously for a moment, as though he did not understand what he meant. And by all means he may not have. Shy realized belatedly that Danger had been raised in a different culture, and the customs of another might not make sense to him. “You think they will not approve of me because of my race?” the man asked.

“Yes,” Shy replied, “And because of how short our acquaintance has been; and many other things besides. I… I think it might be better to wait a while longer.” He felt ashamed admitting these things, especially since Danger did not seem worried in the slightest.

“And what if you were to introduce me as merely a friend?” Danger asked curiously.

This was something Shy had never thought of before. In fact, he had put very little thought into how he would introduce Danger to his parents when the time came. What were they? Certainly they could not be called lovers. And there had not even been anything in the way of courtship as Shy was accustomed to. He was not entirely certain Danger even thought of them as more than friends; he had never bothered to ask. And despite what had happened in the desert, nothing of an even remotely romantic nature had happened since.

“I think that may go over well enough,” Shy told him awkwardly, and with a little shame. He would have to ask the man later where he believed this acquaintanceship was going, but for now the boy had to return to his own car and prepare to make leave again.

-----

When the train pulled into the station in Austin, Nevada Shy disembarked with his family. He helped his father to get their bags out of the baggage compartments and onto a trolley. Old fashioned as ever, his father insisted neither his wife nor daughter do any sort of manual labor. It annoyed Shy, but he put up with it, too anxious now to bother putting up any sort of argument.

While his father went off to find the car that they had hired for the next few days Shy waited with his mother and sister. The boy scanned through the crown that bustled too and from the train, searching for the tall man with the long hair and dark skin. Danger should be getting off at this station as well, unless he had changed his mind and wanted to go home.  

There was no sign of the Native, though. Danger should have stood out amidst the crowd; with his dark skin and his unconventional clothing. So where was he?

“Shy?”

The boy jumped in surprise and spun around. He had not heard the man come up behind him, and had not expected it either. Danger stood there, a small amused smile on his features. The man had pulled his hair back into a pony tail at the base of his neck, buttoned up and tucked in his shirt and washed the smudge of face paint from his cheek. He still wasn’t wearing proper shoes, but just these small changes to his appearance were enough to make him look almost proper and sophisticated.

Danger stared at the boy expectantly for a moment, until it became clear that the boy was not going to say anything for a moment. “Is this your mother?” he asked, turning to the woman with a charming smile.

“Oh, Y-yes!” Shy was jolted back to reality. “Mother this is Danger. Danger this is my mother, Mrs. Ainsworth, and my sister Sophia.”

“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Danger said, taking the woman’s hand and kissing her knuckles politely. “And you too, little miss,” he added, doing the same for Shy’s sister.

Mrs. Ainsworth looked up at the dark skinned man in surprise, clearly surprised and flustered. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you as well,” she replied out of courtesy. “How is it that you know Shy?”

“I met him on the train. He helped me to find my cabin,” Danger informed them. “And he kept me company for the journey.”

“Oh, so then you are why he was running off at all hours and not joining us for meals,” the woman said. She looked pointed over at her son, who knew enough to look ashamed for doing so.

Danger smiled, “I am afraid so. I am sorry if I caused you any trouble. It is only that I am traveling alone and it can be quite lonely at times.”

“Where are you traveling to, if you do not mind my asking?”

“Just exploring,” the Native replied. “I have never been West before. When Shy told me that his family was stopping here I thought that I would take a break and see what there was to see as well; and to meet you, of course. He speaks of his family so often I found myself eager to meet you.”

Danger shared a few more words with Shy’s mother, and the boy was amazed at how easily he was able to spin a tale that told only half the truth. He was not outright lying, except maybe about Shy talking about his family, but he made their acquaintance sound much more innocent. The man had clearly taken to heart Shy’s comment that his parents might be skeptical about him, and had put a lot of thought into his story.

Shy was also surprised by the eloquence with which Danger spoke. Even when they had first met Shy had never heard him talk like this. He sounded like a properly schooled gentleman, not at all the barbarian Shy was afraid the dark skinned man would appear to his parents.

And when Mr. Ainsworth returned to bring them to the car the Native was introduced and not a word was said about the oddness of his name (except by little Sophia, who was quickly quieted by her mother). Shy was utterly shocked. He had never expected it to be this easy to introduce Danger to his parents, and yet he had hardly had to do anything at all.

Maybe this whole thing would work out after all.