FAKE Fic: Trip Of A Lifetime
Title: Trip Of A Lifetime
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee, mentions Bikky.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Recovering from injury, Dee and Ryo set sail for an extended vacation on their boat.
Word Count: 1175
Written For: Theme Prompt: 056 - High Seas at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“I still can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Ryo said, leaning on the bow rail and gazing dreamily out across the sparkling blue-green water.
“It was your idea,” Dee reminded him.
“I know; it just doesn’t quite seem real.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda like a dream, isn’t it? Almost too perfect to be true.” Dee came to lean against the rail beside his lover, handing Ryo a cold drink and sipping at his own, watching the sunlight reflecting off the rolling waves and feeling the faint, steady thrum of the engines through the deck
This was a much bigger boat than their first one, a yacht rather than the original cabin cruiser, with greater range and more space below decks, so they could take their whole family out on pleasure cruises without being cramped and uncomfortable.
Technically Bikky owned her, but she was moored at a marina in New York and they had the use of her any time they wanted, since Bikky never went sailing without having his dads along to pilot. He loved being out on the boat but hated having to navigate, read the charts, keep an eye on the weather, and deal with the sails. He preferred to have Ryo and Dee, who were both much more experienced at such things, do the difficult stuff so he and Carol and the kids could just relax.
Right now Dee and Ryo had the Free Spirit to themselves, and what felt like all the time in the world to enjoy her. They’d both been injured helping the FBI take down a terrorist cell a few weeks earlier, and now, after a period in hospital followed by rehab, they were enjoying a two-month sabbatical afloat to complete their recovery. What could be better for that than sunshine and fresh sea air?
So here they were, cruising down the East Coast at around eight knots, not in a huge hurry because they had plenty of time. They’d reckoned on taking a couple of weeks to reach Fort Lauderdale with a few stops along the way to see the sights, then around the tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico, and spend a week or so in New Orleans, a city they’d both long wanted to visit. Maybe they’d sail as far as Galveston before starting back; neither of them had ever been to Texas either.
Most of that was still ahead of them though; they were happily drifting along off the coast of South Carolina, far enough out on the ocean that the land was little more than a faint line off to their right. Seabirds wheeled above them on the brisk breeze, and riding their bow wave were four or five dolphins, leaping and diving, like they were having the best time ever.
“Look at them!” Ryo laughed, delighted.
“Would be hard not to!” There was nothing much else out here to see, but even if there had been the dolphins easily captured both men’s attention. It wasn’t the first time they’d enjoyed the sight in their years of sailing up and down this coast, and a few times they’d even seen whales, but sights like this were something they would never tire of.
“They’re amazing!” Ryo flashed Dee a giddy smile. “They look so happy! Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a dolphin, swimming free in the oceans.”
“Probably looks more fun than it is,” Dee mused. “Huntin’ for food all the time, riskin’ gettin’ caught in some trawler’s nets.” They’d passed a few fishing boats on their trip already, keeping well out of their way, although most had been either just heading out or on their way back to shore with teir catch.
“I guess, but nobody can say they don’t know how to have fun when they get the chance.”
“Wiser than most humans,” Dee agreed.
Finishing his drink, Ryo set the empty glass aside and raised his camera, snapping off a few more shots of the sporting dolphins. He’d load the picture onto his laptop later, and back up copies to the cloud the next time they were somewhere they could get wifi reception. That was the beauty of digital cameras; you could look at your photos right away instead of having to wait for the film to be developed.
Not to be outdone, Dee pulled out his phone to capture them on video; he’d send the footage to their friends back home in New York, give them yet another reason to be envious of their colleagues, off on the trip of a lifetime.
“Just be careful you don’t lose your phone over the side,” Ryo teased. Dee had managed to do precisely that a year or so ago, much to his embarrassment, leaning over trying to film a curious seal. The worst part was that the phone had bounced off the seal’s head, scaring the poor thing away.
“Hah, not gonna happen!” Dee grinned triumphantly, displaying the safety strap securely attached to the phone and looped around his neck. He’d learned his lesson the last time; replacing his phone had been a pain, especially since not everything stored on the old one had been backed up.
Ryo grinned. “Clever!”
“I have my moments.”
Taking a deep breath of the salty air, Ryo tipped his head back and closed his eyes, keeping a firm grip on the railing so he wouldn’t lose his balance as the yacht rode the swell. He felt better than he had in weeks; taking an extended vacation had definitely been a wise decision. By the time they went home he and Dee should both be back to full health, ready to get back to fighting crime on the streets of New York, but in a tiny corner of his mind Ryo wondered if that was what he really wanted to.
Police work had been his life for almost twenty years, but it wasn’t getting any less dangerous. How many more times could he and Dee recover from injury and still be fit enough not just to do the work but to enjoy their lives? Maybe it was time they started thinking about retiring from the force; neither of them was exactly old, but they weren’t getting any younger either, and there was always the chance one or other of them might some day be a little too slow to react to danger. Even the most experienced cops could get killed in the line of duty.
It was something worth thinking about, but not right now; he didn’t want to spoil their trip by brooding over what might happen. There’d be time enough to discuss the idea with Dee when they got back home. For now, he had the sun, the sea, the dolphins, and the man he loved by his side; what more could he wish for? The next few weeks stretched out before them, full of promise and adventure, and he intended to enjoy every second, making memories that would stay with them both for the rest of their lives.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee, mentions Bikky.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Recovering from injury, Dee and Ryo set sail for an extended vacation on their boat.
Word Count: 1175
Written For: Theme Prompt: 056 - High Seas at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“I still can’t believe we’re really doing this,” Ryo said, leaning on the bow rail and gazing dreamily out across the sparkling blue-green water.
“It was your idea,” Dee reminded him.
“I know; it just doesn’t quite seem real.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda like a dream, isn’t it? Almost too perfect to be true.” Dee came to lean against the rail beside his lover, handing Ryo a cold drink and sipping at his own, watching the sunlight reflecting off the rolling waves and feeling the faint, steady thrum of the engines through the deck
This was a much bigger boat than their first one, a yacht rather than the original cabin cruiser, with greater range and more space below decks, so they could take their whole family out on pleasure cruises without being cramped and uncomfortable.
Technically Bikky owned her, but she was moored at a marina in New York and they had the use of her any time they wanted, since Bikky never went sailing without having his dads along to pilot. He loved being out on the boat but hated having to navigate, read the charts, keep an eye on the weather, and deal with the sails. He preferred to have Ryo and Dee, who were both much more experienced at such things, do the difficult stuff so he and Carol and the kids could just relax.
Right now Dee and Ryo had the Free Spirit to themselves, and what felt like all the time in the world to enjoy her. They’d both been injured helping the FBI take down a terrorist cell a few weeks earlier, and now, after a period in hospital followed by rehab, they were enjoying a two-month sabbatical afloat to complete their recovery. What could be better for that than sunshine and fresh sea air?
So here they were, cruising down the East Coast at around eight knots, not in a huge hurry because they had plenty of time. They’d reckoned on taking a couple of weeks to reach Fort Lauderdale with a few stops along the way to see the sights, then around the tip of Florida into the Gulf of Mexico, and spend a week or so in New Orleans, a city they’d both long wanted to visit. Maybe they’d sail as far as Galveston before starting back; neither of them had ever been to Texas either.
Most of that was still ahead of them though; they were happily drifting along off the coast of South Carolina, far enough out on the ocean that the land was little more than a faint line off to their right. Seabirds wheeled above them on the brisk breeze, and riding their bow wave were four or five dolphins, leaping and diving, like they were having the best time ever.
“Look at them!” Ryo laughed, delighted.
“Would be hard not to!” There was nothing much else out here to see, but even if there had been the dolphins easily captured both men’s attention. It wasn’t the first time they’d enjoyed the sight in their years of sailing up and down this coast, and a few times they’d even seen whales, but sights like this were something they would never tire of.
“They’re amazing!” Ryo flashed Dee a giddy smile. “They look so happy! Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a dolphin, swimming free in the oceans.”
“Probably looks more fun than it is,” Dee mused. “Huntin’ for food all the time, riskin’ gettin’ caught in some trawler’s nets.” They’d passed a few fishing boats on their trip already, keeping well out of their way, although most had been either just heading out or on their way back to shore with teir catch.
“I guess, but nobody can say they don’t know how to have fun when they get the chance.”
“Wiser than most humans,” Dee agreed.
Finishing his drink, Ryo set the empty glass aside and raised his camera, snapping off a few more shots of the sporting dolphins. He’d load the picture onto his laptop later, and back up copies to the cloud the next time they were somewhere they could get wifi reception. That was the beauty of digital cameras; you could look at your photos right away instead of having to wait for the film to be developed.
Not to be outdone, Dee pulled out his phone to capture them on video; he’d send the footage to their friends back home in New York, give them yet another reason to be envious of their colleagues, off on the trip of a lifetime.
“Just be careful you don’t lose your phone over the side,” Ryo teased. Dee had managed to do precisely that a year or so ago, much to his embarrassment, leaning over trying to film a curious seal. The worst part was that the phone had bounced off the seal’s head, scaring the poor thing away.
“Hah, not gonna happen!” Dee grinned triumphantly, displaying the safety strap securely attached to the phone and looped around his neck. He’d learned his lesson the last time; replacing his phone had been a pain, especially since not everything stored on the old one had been backed up.
Ryo grinned. “Clever!”
“I have my moments.”
Taking a deep breath of the salty air, Ryo tipped his head back and closed his eyes, keeping a firm grip on the railing so he wouldn’t lose his balance as the yacht rode the swell. He felt better than he had in weeks; taking an extended vacation had definitely been a wise decision. By the time they went home he and Dee should both be back to full health, ready to get back to fighting crime on the streets of New York, but in a tiny corner of his mind Ryo wondered if that was what he really wanted to.
Police work had been his life for almost twenty years, but it wasn’t getting any less dangerous. How many more times could he and Dee recover from injury and still be fit enough not just to do the work but to enjoy their lives? Maybe it was time they started thinking about retiring from the force; neither of them was exactly old, but they weren’t getting any younger either, and there was always the chance one or other of them might some day be a little too slow to react to danger. Even the most experienced cops could get killed in the line of duty.
It was something worth thinking about, but not right now; he didn’t want to spoil their trip by brooding over what might happen. There’d be time enough to discuss the idea with Dee when they got back home. For now, he had the sun, the sea, the dolphins, and the man he loved by his side; what more could he wish for? The next few weeks stretched out before them, full of promise and adventure, and he intended to enjoy every second, making memories that would stay with them both for the rest of their lives.
The End