FAKE Fic: Beneath The Stars
Title: Beneath The Stars
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Far from civilisation, Dee and Ryo have the secluded beach all to themselves, so why not enjoy a beach barbecue beneath the stars?
Word Count: 1156
Written For: Theme Prompt 113: Bonfire at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“Hey, Dee!” Ryo called from further up the beach. “Instead of just lazing around, why don’t you come and give me a hand with this? It’s heavy!”
Dee stirred from his half-doze and sat up to see his lover attempting to drag a massive chunk of driftwood across the sand. He was inching it across the loose, dry surface, putting all of his strength into it, and Dee frowned, baffled. Sometimes Ryo was downright weird
“Are you crazy? Whaddaya want that big stick for?”
Ryo paused for a moment, dropping the weathered branch, and standing bent over, hands on his knees, breathing hard. “Beach bonfire,” he finally said once he’d gotten his breath back enough to speak.
If anything, that baffled Dee even more. “Why would ya wanna build a fire when we’ve got a perfectly good stove on the boat?” Their cabin cruiser had a well-stocked galley with all the mod cons. As well as the stove they had a refrigerator, a small freezer, and a microwave.
The lovers had dropped anchor in this remote cove somewhere around mid-afternoon, deciding it was a good place to spend the night. Rowing the dinghy to shore they’d taken a walk to stretch their legs, then changed into their trunks and gone swimming before stretching out on the rocks to dry.
Now Ryo, still barefoot but dressed in jeans and t-shirt, was once again trying to drag his branch closer to the rocks. He glanced at Dee, an exasperated expression on his face.
“Look around you, we’ve got this whole beach to ourselves! I thought a bonfire would be romantic. We can bake potatoes, cook sausages and marshmallows over the flames, have a sort of beach barbecue while the sun goes down and the stars come out. Maybe we could even sleep out here, but if you’d rather not...” He dropped his branch, abandoning it with a shrug. “Might as well just go back to the boat and stay there.”
“What? No!” Dee scrambled down off the rocks, hopping on one foot and then the other as he tugged his jeans on over his trunks, which were dry by now, before stumbling over the loose sand towards his lover. “A beach barbecue sounds great! Ya couldn’t find somethin’ a bit more manageable though?” He eyed the massive dead branch. “There’s gotta be smaller pieces of driftwood.”
“There are, and I’ll collect some in a while, it just seemed sensible to get the biggest bit first.”
“Sensible? Not the word I would’a used, but I guess we’ll get a good blaze goin’ with this.” Dee got a grip on the branch, and between them, the two men managed to haul it over to a spot a dozen or so yards from the rocks.
Working together, they fetched some more large chunks of driftwood, and then several armloads of smaller pieces for kindling. Ryo dug a firepit, surrounding it with stones, while Dee broke the larger branches into more manageable pieces with the help of the small axe Ryo had stowed in the dinghy before leaving the boat. He’d brought along other essentials too, such as a six-pack of beer on ice, sodas, a pack of sausages, crammed into the cooler with their beverages, a saucepan and a can of beans, potatoes already wrapped in foil ready for baking, and a big bag of marshmallows.
“You had this all planned,” Dee accused as Ryo unloaded everything.
“Of course I did, you know I always prefer to plan ahead. Why don’t you put the potatoes at the edge of the pit, and I’ll get the bonfire lit, then we can get everything else set out while they’re baking. They’re going to need about an hour.”
Before long they had a good blaze going, and they set about making themselves a comfortable place to sit, spreading out a picnic blanket, and anchoring the corners with rocks. Then, while Ryo set out the plates, cutlery, and other utensils, Dee opened two beers, handing one to his lover. As the sun dipped below the horizon and twilight settled over the beach, they sat on the blanket watching the flames dance, and talking quietly, Ryo occasionally turning their potatoes with a long-handled barbecue fork.
When the potatoes had been cooking for maybe forty-five minutes, Ryo opened the can of beans, tipping them into the saucepan and setting it on a flat rock at the edge of the flames. Poking barbecue forks into a couple of sausages, he and Dee held them in the fire, listening to them spit and sizzle as they cooked.
“Somehow sausages always taste better cooked this way,” Ryo said a while later as they ate baked beans, jacket potatoes drenched in butter, and sausages that were almost black on the outside, but piping hot and juicy in the middle.
“Mm,” Dee mumbled, his mouth full. “S’good!”
“Worth the effort of gathering every stick of driftwood on the beach?” Ryo turned a teasing smile Dee’s way.
Dee grinned back at his lover. “We didn’t get all of ‘em, I think there were still a few branches down the far end, but yeah, well worth it. Are there any more sausages?”
Ryo passed him the packet. “Help yourself.”
“Don’t mind if I do. Wonder if I can cook two at the same time…” Dee jammed two sausages onto the long tines of his fork and held it in the flames, taking a swig from his second beer as he listened to the fire crackle. “All we need now is some music. Next time we take the boat out maybe I should bring my guitar.”
“Music… Knew I’d forgotten something.” Ryo abandoned his plate and made his way around to the other side of the rocks, where the dinghy had been pulled up on the sand, well above the high tide line. Rummaging about, he found the boombox they kept aboard the cruiser, checked the batteries, grabbed a case containing a few CDs, and returned to the bonfire. “Okay, here we go.”
Choosing a CD, he put it on, with the sound turned low. Quiet music drifted around them, blending with the crackling of the fire and the soft susurrus of the waves.
“Perfect.” Dee sighed contentedly as he took a bite from one of his sausages. “This was a great idea, babe.”
“I thought you’d enjoy it.” Picking up his plate again, Ryo continued eating.
Sitting there on their blanket in the gathering dark, basking in the glow from their fire, they fell into a companionable silence as they finished their meal. Ryo smiled to himself; nothing soothed away the stresses of their job better than getting right away from civilisation, where they could just kick back and do as they pleased. Here on their deserted beach, with the stars shining overhead undimmed by city lights, the rest of the world might as well have been a million miles away. It was bliss.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Far from civilisation, Dee and Ryo have the secluded beach all to themselves, so why not enjoy a beach barbecue beneath the stars?
Word Count: 1156
Written For: Theme Prompt 113: Bonfire at fandomweekly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“Hey, Dee!” Ryo called from further up the beach. “Instead of just lazing around, why don’t you come and give me a hand with this? It’s heavy!”
Dee stirred from his half-doze and sat up to see his lover attempting to drag a massive chunk of driftwood across the sand. He was inching it across the loose, dry surface, putting all of his strength into it, and Dee frowned, baffled. Sometimes Ryo was downright weird
“Are you crazy? Whaddaya want that big stick for?”
Ryo paused for a moment, dropping the weathered branch, and standing bent over, hands on his knees, breathing hard. “Beach bonfire,” he finally said once he’d gotten his breath back enough to speak.
If anything, that baffled Dee even more. “Why would ya wanna build a fire when we’ve got a perfectly good stove on the boat?” Their cabin cruiser had a well-stocked galley with all the mod cons. As well as the stove they had a refrigerator, a small freezer, and a microwave.
The lovers had dropped anchor in this remote cove somewhere around mid-afternoon, deciding it was a good place to spend the night. Rowing the dinghy to shore they’d taken a walk to stretch their legs, then changed into their trunks and gone swimming before stretching out on the rocks to dry.
Now Ryo, still barefoot but dressed in jeans and t-shirt, was once again trying to drag his branch closer to the rocks. He glanced at Dee, an exasperated expression on his face.
“Look around you, we’ve got this whole beach to ourselves! I thought a bonfire would be romantic. We can bake potatoes, cook sausages and marshmallows over the flames, have a sort of beach barbecue while the sun goes down and the stars come out. Maybe we could even sleep out here, but if you’d rather not...” He dropped his branch, abandoning it with a shrug. “Might as well just go back to the boat and stay there.”
“What? No!” Dee scrambled down off the rocks, hopping on one foot and then the other as he tugged his jeans on over his trunks, which were dry by now, before stumbling over the loose sand towards his lover. “A beach barbecue sounds great! Ya couldn’t find somethin’ a bit more manageable though?” He eyed the massive dead branch. “There’s gotta be smaller pieces of driftwood.”
“There are, and I’ll collect some in a while, it just seemed sensible to get the biggest bit first.”
“Sensible? Not the word I would’a used, but I guess we’ll get a good blaze goin’ with this.” Dee got a grip on the branch, and between them, the two men managed to haul it over to a spot a dozen or so yards from the rocks.
Working together, they fetched some more large chunks of driftwood, and then several armloads of smaller pieces for kindling. Ryo dug a firepit, surrounding it with stones, while Dee broke the larger branches into more manageable pieces with the help of the small axe Ryo had stowed in the dinghy before leaving the boat. He’d brought along other essentials too, such as a six-pack of beer on ice, sodas, a pack of sausages, crammed into the cooler with their beverages, a saucepan and a can of beans, potatoes already wrapped in foil ready for baking, and a big bag of marshmallows.
“You had this all planned,” Dee accused as Ryo unloaded everything.
“Of course I did, you know I always prefer to plan ahead. Why don’t you put the potatoes at the edge of the pit, and I’ll get the bonfire lit, then we can get everything else set out while they’re baking. They’re going to need about an hour.”
Before long they had a good blaze going, and they set about making themselves a comfortable place to sit, spreading out a picnic blanket, and anchoring the corners with rocks. Then, while Ryo set out the plates, cutlery, and other utensils, Dee opened two beers, handing one to his lover. As the sun dipped below the horizon and twilight settled over the beach, they sat on the blanket watching the flames dance, and talking quietly, Ryo occasionally turning their potatoes with a long-handled barbecue fork.
When the potatoes had been cooking for maybe forty-five minutes, Ryo opened the can of beans, tipping them into the saucepan and setting it on a flat rock at the edge of the flames. Poking barbecue forks into a couple of sausages, he and Dee held them in the fire, listening to them spit and sizzle as they cooked.
“Somehow sausages always taste better cooked this way,” Ryo said a while later as they ate baked beans, jacket potatoes drenched in butter, and sausages that were almost black on the outside, but piping hot and juicy in the middle.
“Mm,” Dee mumbled, his mouth full. “S’good!”
“Worth the effort of gathering every stick of driftwood on the beach?” Ryo turned a teasing smile Dee’s way.
Dee grinned back at his lover. “We didn’t get all of ‘em, I think there were still a few branches down the far end, but yeah, well worth it. Are there any more sausages?”
Ryo passed him the packet. “Help yourself.”
“Don’t mind if I do. Wonder if I can cook two at the same time…” Dee jammed two sausages onto the long tines of his fork and held it in the flames, taking a swig from his second beer as he listened to the fire crackle. “All we need now is some music. Next time we take the boat out maybe I should bring my guitar.”
“Music… Knew I’d forgotten something.” Ryo abandoned his plate and made his way around to the other side of the rocks, where the dinghy had been pulled up on the sand, well above the high tide line. Rummaging about, he found the boombox they kept aboard the cruiser, checked the batteries, grabbed a case containing a few CDs, and returned to the bonfire. “Okay, here we go.”
Choosing a CD, he put it on, with the sound turned low. Quiet music drifted around them, blending with the crackling of the fire and the soft susurrus of the waves.
“Perfect.” Dee sighed contentedly as he took a bite from one of his sausages. “This was a great idea, babe.”
“I thought you’d enjoy it.” Picking up his plate again, Ryo continued eating.
Sitting there on their blanket in the gathering dark, basking in the glow from their fire, they fell into a companionable silence as they finished their meal. Ryo smiled to himself; nothing soothed away the stresses of their job better than getting right away from civilisation, where they could just kick back and do as they pleased. Here on their deserted beach, with the stars shining overhead undimmed by city lights, the rest of the world might as well have been a million miles away. It was bliss.
The End