Challenge: Crowd
Title: July 4th
Pairing/Characters: Colby
Word Count: 249
Spoilers: mention of Janus List
It was July 4th morning and Colby was contemplating how to spend the day. He’d left the hospital a few days earlier after the events of the Janus List. He hadn’t had time to mend fences with his family and friends. When he called his mom the last time, she needed more time to get over the whole FBI agent - spy - hero rollercoaster.
Megan was the only member of his team who had visited him in the hospital, but she wasn’t in the city. She’d gone stargazing with Larry, planet counting or other Fleinhardt - things. The last three years, Colby spent the 4th with David. They’d gone to the festivities, ate hot dogs and hamburgers at the beach, and watched the fireworks; but to call David was out of question.
Even without David, Colby decided to do the same this year, pretending his friend was somewhere nearby, only a few meters and a few people between them. He managed to get through the day even though the hours felt longer than the usual 60 minutes. He made a mental note to ask Larry how this could be possible, while the fireworks burst overhead.
“Oh boy,” Colby thought as the people around him cheered the last sparks on the dark sky - illuminating the flaw in his own façade. David wasn’t there, he might never be again if Colby didn’t set things right. That’s when he spoke into the night, “How can you be so alone in such a big crowd?”