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31_days2015-03-28 11:09 pm
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2015-03-28 11:09 pm
[March 28th] [The Man From U.N.C.L.E.] If Life is Only Once
Title: If Life is Only Once
Day/Theme: March 28th - Happiness is just a life away.
Series: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (specifically, The Odd Man Affair episode)
Character/Pairing: Mr. Ecks, Mr. Wye
Rating: K/G
By Lucky_Ladybug
As Ecks started to open up around Wye, he began to reveal more of his thoughts and much more of his displeasure with the tasks at hand. Sometimes Wye was surprised by the depth of what was going on in his mind.
“Do you believe in reincarnation?” Ecks asked out of the blue one day, as he signed his name to a report and set down the pen.
“Eh? Not hardly,” Wye grunted. “Sometimes I barely believe in this life.”
“I don’t believe in it either,” Ecks said. “Reincarnation, that is. But sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good thing. If one life goes sour, you could always look forward to another that might go better.”
“Only it wouldn’t really be you experiencing another life,” Wye pointed out. “Them religions what believe in that kind of thing, they have it that the soul and the spirit are two different things and it’s a different spirit going through each life.”
“Oh really?” Ecks blinked. “I didn’t know. I’m kind of surprised that you do.”
Wye shrugged. “I’ve learned about a lot of different things. Some stuff, like that, is just random facts I’ve picked up along the way.”
“And then I suppose the soul is some sort of overarching being?” Ecks shook his head. “It seems like things would get crowded with all those spirits being part of it. Or that there’d be an identity crisis or something.”
Wye laughed. “I’ve wondered about that myself. I’m guessing the idea is that to have inner peace in the afterlife, you have to accept that all those spirits are you or somethin’. But since I don’t think any of that’ll happen, it’s a moot point.”
“Do you think anything will happen after this life?” Ecks wondered curiously.
“Who can say, except those who’ve claimed to have died and come back.” Wye looked and sounded flippant and uninterested. “And even those people don’t always agree on what it’s like. We’ll know eventually, just like everyone else. But if there is anything else, I’m guessing that for blokes like us, it wouldn’t be better than Earth life. Probably worse.”
Ecks sighed and propped himself up on an elbow. “I wish this Earth life would be more than this. Sometimes I don’t mind the spy work so much, but I’ve never known anything but this. I want more.”
Wye patted him on the shoulder. “I wish I could give it to you,” he said sincerely. “For now, at least, we’ll have to just be satisfied with doing our jobs right.”
Ecks looked up at him. “But there is no way out for us, is there?” he asked. “This isn’t the kind of place where you can just go up to the boss and deliver your resignation. What with everything we know, Zed’s reaction would probably be to have us shot. And record it while he was doing it, so he could watch it over and over.”
Wye smirked a bit but looked rueful. “Yeah, that’s probably about the size of it. I’d kind of like to think that he’d feel some regret for gettin’ rid of us, after all we’ve done for him, but overall we’re expendable, like everybody else.” He sat down at the table. “But as for whether there’s any way for us to ever get out of this set-up alive, well, there are ways. I’d rather not use them unless we absolutely have to, like playing dead so’s they won’t come after us.”
Ecks nodded. “It doesn’t sound pleasant to always have to worry that they might catch up with us someday,” he said. “But if that’s the only way out, I might be willing to try it.”
“Let’s say we’ll keep it in mind for the future,” Wye said, “but not seriously think about doing it, at least not right now.”
Ecks paused. “You wouldn’t have to come with me, you know,” he said. “You joined voluntarily; you must like it here.”
“I don’t necessarily like or dislike it,” Wye replied. “It’s just another chapter in my life. And if you decided to get out, Duck, I wouldn’t be averse to coming with you. If you wanted me along, of course.”
Ecks rolled his eyes at the nickname, which Wye had only recently started to bestow on him. “I’d like you there,” he admitted.
Wye smiled. “Then it’s settled. We’ll both go, someday.”
“Just one question,” Ecks said. “Am I just ‘another chapter’ in your life? That makes it sound so trivial.”
That caused Wye to sober. “Meeting you was another chapter, of course,” he said, “but some characters in books hang around for a lot longer than a chapter or two. Let’s say I’m figurin’ on you being a main player for a good, long time.”
Ecks smiled. “So do I.”
“I thought you would,” Wye offered.
****
Ecks was laying on the porch swing on the old wooden porch, one arm draped across his head as he slowly swung and gazed off into the distance.
“So here you are,” Wye grunted, opening the screen door and stepping outside. “What’re you doin’ out here?”
“Just thinking,” Ecks said, sounding very far away. “Do you remember how I once inferred that there wouldn’t be any happiness for us—or at least me—in this life and it was a pity in some ways that we couldn’t live more than once?”
“Of course I do.” Wye leaned on the banister railing, folding his arms. “That was one of the first times you confided in me with something deep.”
“Well, in reality that wasn’t quite true, yet in another way, it was. The organization seems very far removed from this.” Ecks indicated the porch and swing. “It barely even exists any more at all, thanks to U.N.C.L.E.’s infiltrator. And we both died and came back to life. Since then, we’ve been creating a new existence for ourselves. It is like another life.”
“I guess it does at that,” Wye conceded.
“Another chapter for your book,” Ecks said wryly. “And I’d be happy if said book would continue in this vein indefinitely.”
“You know, I would be also,” Wye said, his tone gruff but happy. “Or at least something similar to this.”
“I suppose it won’t, though,” Ecks said, far away again. “So we’d better make the most of it while we can.”
“And that we’ll do,” Wye promised. “I think I might have found you a good deal on a couple of beasts for you to train.”
Ecks looked over, surprised and pleased. “Really?”
“Yeah. Some bloke in Queens put in an advert about two Rottweiler pups. Those are the kind you liked back at HQ, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Ecks sat up straight. “I’ll want to see that. Meanwhile, I have some news for you as well. We’ll need certain equipment to start this ‘consulting’ business. I’ve found some deals on items we shouldn’t be without.”
“Have you now.” Wye looked pleased too. “Then things are comin’ along right fine, I’d say.”
“Fine indeed,” Ecks smiled.
Day/Theme: March 28th - Happiness is just a life away.
Series: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (specifically, The Odd Man Affair episode)
Character/Pairing: Mr. Ecks, Mr. Wye
Rating: K/G
As Ecks started to open up around Wye, he began to reveal more of his thoughts and much more of his displeasure with the tasks at hand. Sometimes Wye was surprised by the depth of what was going on in his mind.
“Do you believe in reincarnation?” Ecks asked out of the blue one day, as he signed his name to a report and set down the pen.
“Eh? Not hardly,” Wye grunted. “Sometimes I barely believe in this life.”
“I don’t believe in it either,” Ecks said. “Reincarnation, that is. But sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be a good thing. If one life goes sour, you could always look forward to another that might go better.”
“Only it wouldn’t really be you experiencing another life,” Wye pointed out. “Them religions what believe in that kind of thing, they have it that the soul and the spirit are two different things and it’s a different spirit going through each life.”
“Oh really?” Ecks blinked. “I didn’t know. I’m kind of surprised that you do.”
Wye shrugged. “I’ve learned about a lot of different things. Some stuff, like that, is just random facts I’ve picked up along the way.”
“And then I suppose the soul is some sort of overarching being?” Ecks shook his head. “It seems like things would get crowded with all those spirits being part of it. Or that there’d be an identity crisis or something.”
Wye laughed. “I’ve wondered about that myself. I’m guessing the idea is that to have inner peace in the afterlife, you have to accept that all those spirits are you or somethin’. But since I don’t think any of that’ll happen, it’s a moot point.”
“Do you think anything will happen after this life?” Ecks wondered curiously.
“Who can say, except those who’ve claimed to have died and come back.” Wye looked and sounded flippant and uninterested. “And even those people don’t always agree on what it’s like. We’ll know eventually, just like everyone else. But if there is anything else, I’m guessing that for blokes like us, it wouldn’t be better than Earth life. Probably worse.”
Ecks sighed and propped himself up on an elbow. “I wish this Earth life would be more than this. Sometimes I don’t mind the spy work so much, but I’ve never known anything but this. I want more.”
Wye patted him on the shoulder. “I wish I could give it to you,” he said sincerely. “For now, at least, we’ll have to just be satisfied with doing our jobs right.”
Ecks looked up at him. “But there is no way out for us, is there?” he asked. “This isn’t the kind of place where you can just go up to the boss and deliver your resignation. What with everything we know, Zed’s reaction would probably be to have us shot. And record it while he was doing it, so he could watch it over and over.”
Wye smirked a bit but looked rueful. “Yeah, that’s probably about the size of it. I’d kind of like to think that he’d feel some regret for gettin’ rid of us, after all we’ve done for him, but overall we’re expendable, like everybody else.” He sat down at the table. “But as for whether there’s any way for us to ever get out of this set-up alive, well, there are ways. I’d rather not use them unless we absolutely have to, like playing dead so’s they won’t come after us.”
Ecks nodded. “It doesn’t sound pleasant to always have to worry that they might catch up with us someday,” he said. “But if that’s the only way out, I might be willing to try it.”
“Let’s say we’ll keep it in mind for the future,” Wye said, “but not seriously think about doing it, at least not right now.”
Ecks paused. “You wouldn’t have to come with me, you know,” he said. “You joined voluntarily; you must like it here.”
“I don’t necessarily like or dislike it,” Wye replied. “It’s just another chapter in my life. And if you decided to get out, Duck, I wouldn’t be averse to coming with you. If you wanted me along, of course.”
Ecks rolled his eyes at the nickname, which Wye had only recently started to bestow on him. “I’d like you there,” he admitted.
Wye smiled. “Then it’s settled. We’ll both go, someday.”
“Just one question,” Ecks said. “Am I just ‘another chapter’ in your life? That makes it sound so trivial.”
That caused Wye to sober. “Meeting you was another chapter, of course,” he said, “but some characters in books hang around for a lot longer than a chapter or two. Let’s say I’m figurin’ on you being a main player for a good, long time.”
Ecks smiled. “So do I.”
“I thought you would,” Wye offered.
Ecks was laying on the porch swing on the old wooden porch, one arm draped across his head as he slowly swung and gazed off into the distance.
“So here you are,” Wye grunted, opening the screen door and stepping outside. “What’re you doin’ out here?”
“Just thinking,” Ecks said, sounding very far away. “Do you remember how I once inferred that there wouldn’t be any happiness for us—or at least me—in this life and it was a pity in some ways that we couldn’t live more than once?”
“Of course I do.” Wye leaned on the banister railing, folding his arms. “That was one of the first times you confided in me with something deep.”
“Well, in reality that wasn’t quite true, yet in another way, it was. The organization seems very far removed from this.” Ecks indicated the porch and swing. “It barely even exists any more at all, thanks to U.N.C.L.E.’s infiltrator. And we both died and came back to life. Since then, we’ve been creating a new existence for ourselves. It is like another life.”
“I guess it does at that,” Wye conceded.
“Another chapter for your book,” Ecks said wryly. “And I’d be happy if said book would continue in this vein indefinitely.”
“You know, I would be also,” Wye said, his tone gruff but happy. “Or at least something similar to this.”
“I suppose it won’t, though,” Ecks said, far away again. “So we’d better make the most of it while we can.”
“And that we’ll do,” Wye promised. “I think I might have found you a good deal on a couple of beasts for you to train.”
Ecks looked over, surprised and pleased. “Really?”
“Yeah. Some bloke in Queens put in an advert about two Rottweiler pups. Those are the kind you liked back at HQ, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Ecks sat up straight. “I’ll want to see that. Meanwhile, I have some news for you as well. We’ll need certain equipment to start this ‘consulting’ business. I’ve found some deals on items we shouldn’t be without.”
“Have you now.” Wye looked pleased too. “Then things are comin’ along right fine, I’d say.”
“Fine indeed,” Ecks smiled.