Fic: Sometimes Things Break (Fandom: Riptide, Pairing: Nick/Cody, Rating: R)
Title: Sometimes Things Break
Author: oddmonster
Fandom: Riptide
Pairing/Characters: Cody Allen/Nick Ryder, Murray Bozinsky
Crossposted: pier56
Prompt: Love
Rating/Category: R/Slash
Word Count: 2048
Beta: tinx_r, who stands bravely by with the tense-net at 1am.
Summary: This is a love that breaks things.
The first time was right after they got back from the hospital.
He and Murray had driven all over San Pedro looking for Cody. Nick silent and focused, Murray intent on the data in front of him, looking up nervously every now and then as they cut people off with ruthless efficiency. The transmitter's intermittent bleep reminded Nick too much of a heart monitor, and as it slowed, fading, Nick thought he might rip the steering wheel right out of its mounting. Murray poked and prodded his portable computer in frustration, troubleshooting with logic. Nick preferred troubleshooting by force, so he gave the terminal a quick jab as they cut right down Beacon. Contrary to Murray's concerned shout, the tracker picked back up, loud and clear. Sometimes it's all about the delivery.
The transmitter, hidden in Cody's shoe for the day, was the only part of the case that had gone right. It led them past the lighthouse, north, past Cabrillo Beach and the tourists clogging the marina, farther north to the airport. Nick spun the Vette in a quick circle, brakes squealing and leapt out, running for Barrett's private hangar.
Nick would never forget the sight of Cody tied to a chair in that sweltering hangar office, Greg Barrett trying to beat information out of him. He'd dropped the guy with a flying tackle and would have pounded his face into the cement if Murray and Quinlan hadn't pulled him away. Anyone but Murray and he wouldn't have stopped, that's for sure. Quinlan spun some line of crap about trespassing and private property as Murray knelt by Cody and untied his hands, even as the EMTs were trying to find out how bad it was.
None of which Quinlan believed anyhow, back at the station, preferring to accuse Nick and Cody of some weird bondage thing. Well yeah, they tied each other up from time to time, it made things pretty interesting in fact, but only an idiot would have seen what had happened to Cody as the work of someone who loved him.
After the doctors pronounced Cody as fit as someone who'd been worked over and dehydrated possibly could be, they'd all gone back to the Riptide and Cody'd gone straight to bed. Nick showered and changed, and after looking in on Murray--deep in the middle of something with the machines, typing away with those big bra-cup headphones on, half-singing in a key known only to geeks--he went and checked on Cody. Nick knew he had so much more to offer than just this, but this was what Cody would never ask for, despite how bad he needed it.
Cody lay in his bunk, shaking, and Nick did his best to smooth away the pain, hands and lips gentle over everywhere Cody hadn't been hurt, and then as his partner relaxed and reached for him, over everywhere else too.
Nick felt the tension and fear in Cody's body at war with the pleasure he gave him. Nick gently slid the tip of Cody's cock against the base of his palm and heard Cody hiss through clenched teeth. Come for me, babe, Nick thought. Just let go. Let go. Which Cody finally did in three great racking sobs. He collapsed against Nick's chest, breathing deeply, his whole body softer and more relaxed as Nick's fingertips continued roaming his partner's skin, gently, rhythmically.
The second time was later that night.
They both woke simultaneously, sometime after midnight, loud drunk tourists outside congratulating themselves on having found such a beautiful harbor. With boats in! And a moon and water! Imagine that. The two of them snickered, listening, then Cody reached for Nick again, sliding on top and pinning him. Nick had no complaints. This time was more energetic but with no less tenderness, and they took their time, mouths everywhere, deep and hot and perfect, until they both collapsed, sweaty and wet and exhausted, into a deep sleep.
And the third time was this morning right before breakfast.
Nick felt Cody hesitantly kiss his forehead before he got out bed. The humming was a good sign and the sound of the shower an even better one, so Nick pulled the pillow over his head and figured he could get some actual sleep in the meantime. He was still half-asleep when he felt Cody pull back the covers and gently slide a hand up his thigh. Nick took the pillow off his head.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"I feel like a million bucks," Cody answered, straightening up and tying the sash of his bathrobe. "Maybe I should get the crap kicked out of me more often."
Nick looked up suspiciously.
"What?" Cody asked.
"C'mere." Nick slid over to the wall and patted the bed next to him. Cody sat, turned away from his partner.
"Babe?"
"Yeah?" Cody didn't turn around.
"How you really feeling?" Nick reached a hand out to Cody's back then stopped, waiting for the answer.
Cody went quiet for a couple seconds. Overhead, Nick heard Murray trying to creep about silently, probably thinking not to disturb them.
"I don't know," Cody finally answered. "When Barrett had me in that office and I saw his eyes. I knew there was nothing I could say to get through to him. He wasn't going to tell me where the drugs were, he wasn't going to tell me who his supplier was and he wasn't going to let me out of there alive."
Behind him, Nick clenched his jaw.
"He started wailing on me and I knew I just had to wait it out. That's the funny thing about all this," Cody continued. "I knew if I just held on, you guys would find me. I just had to hold on."
Cody went quiet again but this time Nick recognized the bad kind of quiet and sat up quickly, scooting to the edge of the bed to sit next to his partner. "Get this straight." He leaned in towards Cody, both his hands clasping Cody's arms. "I will always come for you. Always. Got it?"
"I know," Cody said, his voice little more than a whisper. "Nick, I..." Cody trailed off. "You know..." he tried.
"Yeah," Nick answered softly. "I know. However many tries it takes."
Cody smiled, then looked down at the floor for a second then back up at Nick. "But next time don't be so slow about it, okay?"
Nick was speechless. He gave up with a groan and flopped back on the bed, replacing the pillow on his head. He definitely needed more sleep.
Still, it came as a welcome relief when he felt Cody slide back into bed next to him, this time without the robe. Cody took the pillow and tucked it under his head, resting on Nick's shoulder, sliding an arm across Nick's stomach, settling in gently.
That lasted for, as near as Nick could tell, about ten minutes, then Cody's hand slid down his stomach. He'd seen Cody eyeing the jar of lube on the night table earlier and, even though he thought it might take roughly a gallon of coffee to get his tray table into an upright and locked position ever again, there was no way he would have said no.
Cody ran a hand down Nick's thighs and pushed his legs apart, pulling back to rub his cock slowly along the line of Nick's ass, his breath hot on Nick's shoulder. Nick reached back for a handful of his partner's beautiful legs, savoring the clench of muscles just under skin, Cody's moan as Nick moved his hand. Nick took a minute to savor this--they both made it back alive again, and the feel of Cody against him, holding him close, was confirmation he'd put the pieces of his partner back together just right, one more time. Then he stopped thinking all together, lost in the movements of Cody's hand on his dick, knowing and dirty.
Nick wound up on his knees on the bunk, bracing himself against the outside wall, Cody stroking into his ass fast and furious, one foot on the floor, hands tight on Nick's hips. They'd both forgotten anything about trying to be quiet on a boat this size and were crying out at intervals, overwhelmed by this moment, the nearness and heat and how damn good they were together.
Which is right about when the bunk breaks.
----
Murray stares at them. "It just broke."
They both nod, sitting in the booth in the salon, having a late-morning breakfast. The booth is easily big enough for four or five but Nick and Cody sit pressed together at one end as Murray stands over them incredulously. Nick looks up, unconcerned. "Middle of the night, no warning, it broke," he says. Cody stares off into space and takes a gulp of hot coffee. Nick smiles and drinks from a matching mug. "Hey, it happens," he continues.
Murray starts again. "I can check the marine forecast for last night, see if we had any abnormally violent wave activity--"
Cody chokes on his coffee and has to set the mug down. Nick hands him a napkin.
"--but a structural failure of the type you're describing is, well, it's virtually unheard of!" Murray walks over to the terminal resting in a tangle of wires under the window. Behind his back Cody gives Nick a look. Nick lays his hand over Cody's.
"Well NOAA here says last night was fairly uneventful, meteorologically speaking. You know, wave activity of the type necessary to cause that type of destruction is very rare. Did either of you notice any particularly jarring movements? Any big dips or shudders?"
This time they both choke on the coffee.
"Let me go downstairs and take a look, see if I can pinpoint the exact angle and point of impact. You know, it's pretty amazing, guys, I didn't notice a thing. I rewrote a portion of the kernel that had been bugging me---bugging me, ha!" Murray walks toward the stairs and as he does so, Cody and Nick exchange a glance.
Nick gets up from the table quickly and intercepts Murray in the middle of the room, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Boz, I'm not surprised you didn't feel it. You know how you get when you're chasing bugs," he says.
"You're right, Nick! I remember once I was working on a new type of protocol for file transfer--"
"That's great. Look, Murray, sometimes...things randomly break and--"
"Well yeah, Nick but the probabilities involved in something like a bunk--"
"Murray!"
Murray stops talking. Nick looks him directly in the eye and speaks slowly, deliberately. "Sometimes, things just break. And then they need fixing."
Murray looks at Nick. He looks over to where Cody's still sitting at the table, drinking coffee. The skin around one of Cody's eyes has already come out green and blue and there's a nasty cut across the back of the hand without the coffee cup, the one resting on the table, calm and relaxed.
"We're just letting you know so you don't worry when you hear hammering."
Murray offers Nick a shy smile. "Gotcha. Thanks for letting me know." He looks between the two of them one more time, then turns and heads for the kitchen, calling out to Roboz about the next project on his neverending list of inventions, improvements and experiments. Nick shakes his head and goes to sit back down next to Cody. The two of them drink their coffee in silence for a minute, listening to Murray and the Roboz banging about in the kitchen. Outside in the harbor the day's already in full swing, a chorus of shouts and seagulls, transistor radios, laughter and one very loud splash. Neither of them turn to investigate.
Nick looks at Cody, who's smirking off into space. "What?" he asks.
"Three times," Cody answers wolfishly. "And we broke the bunk."
Nick stares at him, cup halfway to his mouth. "You complaining?" he asks.
Cody puts his own cup down and kisses Nick, soft and slow, a lingering, gentle kiss, and Nick feels the heat from Cody's face, so close to his own, resonate somewhere under his breastbone.
At last, they pull apart and go back to their coffees.
"Didn't think so," Nick says.
Author: oddmonster
Fandom: Riptide
Pairing/Characters: Cody Allen/Nick Ryder, Murray Bozinsky
Crossposted: pier56
Prompt: Love
Rating/Category: R/Slash
Word Count: 2048
Beta: tinx_r, who stands bravely by with the tense-net at 1am.
Summary: This is a love that breaks things.
The first time was right after they got back from the hospital.
He and Murray had driven all over San Pedro looking for Cody. Nick silent and focused, Murray intent on the data in front of him, looking up nervously every now and then as they cut people off with ruthless efficiency. The transmitter's intermittent bleep reminded Nick too much of a heart monitor, and as it slowed, fading, Nick thought he might rip the steering wheel right out of its mounting. Murray poked and prodded his portable computer in frustration, troubleshooting with logic. Nick preferred troubleshooting by force, so he gave the terminal a quick jab as they cut right down Beacon. Contrary to Murray's concerned shout, the tracker picked back up, loud and clear. Sometimes it's all about the delivery.
The transmitter, hidden in Cody's shoe for the day, was the only part of the case that had gone right. It led them past the lighthouse, north, past Cabrillo Beach and the tourists clogging the marina, farther north to the airport. Nick spun the Vette in a quick circle, brakes squealing and leapt out, running for Barrett's private hangar.
Nick would never forget the sight of Cody tied to a chair in that sweltering hangar office, Greg Barrett trying to beat information out of him. He'd dropped the guy with a flying tackle and would have pounded his face into the cement if Murray and Quinlan hadn't pulled him away. Anyone but Murray and he wouldn't have stopped, that's for sure. Quinlan spun some line of crap about trespassing and private property as Murray knelt by Cody and untied his hands, even as the EMTs were trying to find out how bad it was.
None of which Quinlan believed anyhow, back at the station, preferring to accuse Nick and Cody of some weird bondage thing. Well yeah, they tied each other up from time to time, it made things pretty interesting in fact, but only an idiot would have seen what had happened to Cody as the work of someone who loved him.
After the doctors pronounced Cody as fit as someone who'd been worked over and dehydrated possibly could be, they'd all gone back to the Riptide and Cody'd gone straight to bed. Nick showered and changed, and after looking in on Murray--deep in the middle of something with the machines, typing away with those big bra-cup headphones on, half-singing in a key known only to geeks--he went and checked on Cody. Nick knew he had so much more to offer than just this, but this was what Cody would never ask for, despite how bad he needed it.
Cody lay in his bunk, shaking, and Nick did his best to smooth away the pain, hands and lips gentle over everywhere Cody hadn't been hurt, and then as his partner relaxed and reached for him, over everywhere else too.
Nick felt the tension and fear in Cody's body at war with the pleasure he gave him. Nick gently slid the tip of Cody's cock against the base of his palm and heard Cody hiss through clenched teeth. Come for me, babe, Nick thought. Just let go. Let go. Which Cody finally did in three great racking sobs. He collapsed against Nick's chest, breathing deeply, his whole body softer and more relaxed as Nick's fingertips continued roaming his partner's skin, gently, rhythmically.
The second time was later that night.
They both woke simultaneously, sometime after midnight, loud drunk tourists outside congratulating themselves on having found such a beautiful harbor. With boats in! And a moon and water! Imagine that. The two of them snickered, listening, then Cody reached for Nick again, sliding on top and pinning him. Nick had no complaints. This time was more energetic but with no less tenderness, and they took their time, mouths everywhere, deep and hot and perfect, until they both collapsed, sweaty and wet and exhausted, into a deep sleep.
And the third time was this morning right before breakfast.
Nick felt Cody hesitantly kiss his forehead before he got out bed. The humming was a good sign and the sound of the shower an even better one, so Nick pulled the pillow over his head and figured he could get some actual sleep in the meantime. He was still half-asleep when he felt Cody pull back the covers and gently slide a hand up his thigh. Nick took the pillow off his head.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"I feel like a million bucks," Cody answered, straightening up and tying the sash of his bathrobe. "Maybe I should get the crap kicked out of me more often."
Nick looked up suspiciously.
"What?" Cody asked.
"C'mere." Nick slid over to the wall and patted the bed next to him. Cody sat, turned away from his partner.
"Babe?"
"Yeah?" Cody didn't turn around.
"How you really feeling?" Nick reached a hand out to Cody's back then stopped, waiting for the answer.
Cody went quiet for a couple seconds. Overhead, Nick heard Murray trying to creep about silently, probably thinking not to disturb them.
"I don't know," Cody finally answered. "When Barrett had me in that office and I saw his eyes. I knew there was nothing I could say to get through to him. He wasn't going to tell me where the drugs were, he wasn't going to tell me who his supplier was and he wasn't going to let me out of there alive."
Behind him, Nick clenched his jaw.
"He started wailing on me and I knew I just had to wait it out. That's the funny thing about all this," Cody continued. "I knew if I just held on, you guys would find me. I just had to hold on."
Cody went quiet again but this time Nick recognized the bad kind of quiet and sat up quickly, scooting to the edge of the bed to sit next to his partner. "Get this straight." He leaned in towards Cody, both his hands clasping Cody's arms. "I will always come for you. Always. Got it?"
"I know," Cody said, his voice little more than a whisper. "Nick, I..." Cody trailed off. "You know..." he tried.
"Yeah," Nick answered softly. "I know. However many tries it takes."
Cody smiled, then looked down at the floor for a second then back up at Nick. "But next time don't be so slow about it, okay?"
Nick was speechless. He gave up with a groan and flopped back on the bed, replacing the pillow on his head. He definitely needed more sleep.
Still, it came as a welcome relief when he felt Cody slide back into bed next to him, this time without the robe. Cody took the pillow and tucked it under his head, resting on Nick's shoulder, sliding an arm across Nick's stomach, settling in gently.
That lasted for, as near as Nick could tell, about ten minutes, then Cody's hand slid down his stomach. He'd seen Cody eyeing the jar of lube on the night table earlier and, even though he thought it might take roughly a gallon of coffee to get his tray table into an upright and locked position ever again, there was no way he would have said no.
Cody ran a hand down Nick's thighs and pushed his legs apart, pulling back to rub his cock slowly along the line of Nick's ass, his breath hot on Nick's shoulder. Nick reached back for a handful of his partner's beautiful legs, savoring the clench of muscles just under skin, Cody's moan as Nick moved his hand. Nick took a minute to savor this--they both made it back alive again, and the feel of Cody against him, holding him close, was confirmation he'd put the pieces of his partner back together just right, one more time. Then he stopped thinking all together, lost in the movements of Cody's hand on his dick, knowing and dirty.
Nick wound up on his knees on the bunk, bracing himself against the outside wall, Cody stroking into his ass fast and furious, one foot on the floor, hands tight on Nick's hips. They'd both forgotten anything about trying to be quiet on a boat this size and were crying out at intervals, overwhelmed by this moment, the nearness and heat and how damn good they were together.
Which is right about when the bunk breaks.
----
Murray stares at them. "It just broke."
They both nod, sitting in the booth in the salon, having a late-morning breakfast. The booth is easily big enough for four or five but Nick and Cody sit pressed together at one end as Murray stands over them incredulously. Nick looks up, unconcerned. "Middle of the night, no warning, it broke," he says. Cody stares off into space and takes a gulp of hot coffee. Nick smiles and drinks from a matching mug. "Hey, it happens," he continues.
Murray starts again. "I can check the marine forecast for last night, see if we had any abnormally violent wave activity--"
Cody chokes on his coffee and has to set the mug down. Nick hands him a napkin.
"--but a structural failure of the type you're describing is, well, it's virtually unheard of!" Murray walks over to the terminal resting in a tangle of wires under the window. Behind his back Cody gives Nick a look. Nick lays his hand over Cody's.
"Well NOAA here says last night was fairly uneventful, meteorologically speaking. You know, wave activity of the type necessary to cause that type of destruction is very rare. Did either of you notice any particularly jarring movements? Any big dips or shudders?"
This time they both choke on the coffee.
"Let me go downstairs and take a look, see if I can pinpoint the exact angle and point of impact. You know, it's pretty amazing, guys, I didn't notice a thing. I rewrote a portion of the kernel that had been bugging me---bugging me, ha!" Murray walks toward the stairs and as he does so, Cody and Nick exchange a glance.
Nick gets up from the table quickly and intercepts Murray in the middle of the room, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Boz, I'm not surprised you didn't feel it. You know how you get when you're chasing bugs," he says.
"You're right, Nick! I remember once I was working on a new type of protocol for file transfer--"
"That's great. Look, Murray, sometimes...things randomly break and--"
"Well yeah, Nick but the probabilities involved in something like a bunk--"
"Murray!"
Murray stops talking. Nick looks him directly in the eye and speaks slowly, deliberately. "Sometimes, things just break. And then they need fixing."
Murray looks at Nick. He looks over to where Cody's still sitting at the table, drinking coffee. The skin around one of Cody's eyes has already come out green and blue and there's a nasty cut across the back of the hand without the coffee cup, the one resting on the table, calm and relaxed.
"We're just letting you know so you don't worry when you hear hammering."
Murray offers Nick a shy smile. "Gotcha. Thanks for letting me know." He looks between the two of them one more time, then turns and heads for the kitchen, calling out to Roboz about the next project on his neverending list of inventions, improvements and experiments. Nick shakes his head and goes to sit back down next to Cody. The two of them drink their coffee in silence for a minute, listening to Murray and the Roboz banging about in the kitchen. Outside in the harbor the day's already in full swing, a chorus of shouts and seagulls, transistor radios, laughter and one very loud splash. Neither of them turn to investigate.
Nick looks at Cody, who's smirking off into space. "What?" he asks.
"Three times," Cody answers wolfishly. "And we broke the bunk."
Nick stares at him, cup halfway to his mouth. "You complaining?" he asks.
Cody puts his own cup down and kisses Nick, soft and slow, a lingering, gentle kiss, and Nick feels the heat from Cody's face, so close to his own, resonate somewhere under his breastbone.
At last, they pull apart and go back to their coffees.
"Didn't think so," Nick says.