10Disclaimer: As much as I adore the movie series, none of the characters are mine. Though it would be AWESOME if they were. Originally written as a prompt challenge for the word "smile".
Grin and Bear It
Every time she saw him, she wanted to punch that smile off of his face.
She never knew how he could do it. Just stand there, so calmly with that slight hint of a smile playing upon his lips while his entire world was falling apart. While his wife, his kids, all grew to hate him. When she climbed out of the car and started screaming at him for ruining her date with her not-boyfriend. He argued, he fought back with her, but there it was, fuelling her anger all the more. That stupid little smile, hidden in the corner of his mouth.
And it wasn't just her who noticed. When Matt came over for dinner once, she'd had time to chat with him on the small landing outside the apartment while her father insisted on doing the dishes. Of course, they were sitting in front of the window so that he had a clear view of anything that occurred. But they talked about him, her father, the heroic John McClane. And Matt told her the same thing. He'd noticed it too about him. That smile.
"I thought it was strange," he says, "I mean, the whole city comes screaming to a halt, cars everywhere and he's smiling at the FBI agent while he's talking to him. I mean, not an open grin like he's just cracked into the Harvard database, which is SO easy to do..." Matt stops as he realizes he's trailing off and corrects himself. She smiles as he continues, "But like even when we were driving, or when we got caught in the tunnel with the lights going off. He's smiling. No, not even that."
He's getting into his story now, turning to face her better, his hands now becoming involved for effect. She grins at his enthusiasm. "Okay, I come running over to him after he launches a car at a freakin' helicopter. And he's totally bleeding, all over like, everything. All over the concrete and his head is bleeding... and he's laughing!" He grins at the memory. "Shit, he's sitting in the middle of like, automobile carnage, and he's laughing! I just... I couldn't believe it. I mean... shit."
He shakes his head and looks back up at her, remembering what had started their conversation. "But yeah, I totally noticed it. This, like, hidden smile. He's always got it on. But you know," he says, moving closer, "You know when he lost it? I mean was completely not smiling? When that asshole said that he had you. He like put your picture up on the screen while we were at this other hacker's place. And your dad just... he just shut down."
She doesn't get the chance to ask him any more details. The imaginary boundary that should exist between her and Matt has been broken, and John McClane is banging on the window. They jump apart and soon after Matt says goodnight. But she thanks him for the information. She had a working theory, but she wanted to make sure she had a second witness.
She'd noticed it too, the absence of his smile. Not after he'd shot through himself to get at Gabriel. But as the stress wore off, and his body started to relax. When the pain started to kick in.
On the way to the hospital, after she'd questioned him as best she could about Matt without getting her overprotective father upset, she saw it. She realized why he smiled. Because when she looked at him, and before he had the chance to look away, she'd seen it.
A small tear in the corner of his eye, dampening the crow's feet that made his eyes crinkle. Moistening that scar under his right eye that barely anyone saw, from his first big fight at a Christmas party years ago. She knew now why he smiled. Why he always smiled, even when there was no reason to.
It was all he could do to keep from crying. All he could do to stop from breaking down.
So he fought. He struggled. And he smiled the whole way through.
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