(no subject)
Some say Love, it is a River
by sakesushimaki and rinmonsterer
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Chapter 1
It was a crisp day in Prague. Brian Kinneycek sat on his perch, overseeing his section of the river. Brian was a lifeguard at Vltava, and he took his responsibility very seriously. That very fact wasn’t exactly a given, oh no. He just had to look one perch farther to see his best friend Michael Novotnik deeply engrossed in yet another comic book. All the admonition from their superior, Mitch Buchannonka, hadn’t helped a bit. On several occasions Brian had heard Lt. Mitch discussing Michael’s work ethics with other people, but nothing ever happened. While Brian was happy to have his best friend working with him, he also saw how his irresponsible behaviour could cause serious danger.
It was no secret that they were dramatically understaffed and that people didn’t exactly envy them for their job. The pay was passable at best; the hours could easily get tedious. He found his point approved when yet another boat crammed full of tourists passed him, the people taking photos of him and waving wildly. The only real perk was the lifeguardish sex appeal that came with the job. In more than one way, Brian had used this image to his advantage in the past two years. In two and three ways, actually.
On an almost daily basis he would take an admirer to one of the bathroom stalls at the tourist center just above the promenade or maybe under one of the bridges if he was doing a night shift. He never had anyone twice though, there were no repeats. It was a rule he lived by, part of his personal moral code. The tattoo across his shoulders embodied another one of those rules. “No apologies, no regrets.” it said, proudly adorning his upper back. The most important of his mantras though, the most personal, was encrypted by little Chinese symbols gracing his upper arm. Cordially, they would probably translate into “Sorry is bullshit.”
The “thinking capacity” the job provided was actually one of the things that intrigued him the most in the beginning. After what happened two years ago, he needed that kind of time to ponder, wanting to sort some things in his life out. From his for-shit parents, over the resulting, awful childhood, to what happened at his previous profession. He had thinking to do. He had to come clean.
Sometimes, Brian wondered why it was that they were guarding sections of the river where there was practically no beach, nor were there people in the water at any time of the year. But Mikey stuck with saying that there surely had to be a reason and that they weren’t supposed to question things like that, and Brian believed him. After all, Michael had always been there for him, offering his unlimited support and friendship, and Brian owed him a lot. The second person he trusted to no end, happened to be his best friend’s mother, Debbie Novotnikova. He would forever be grateful for how she always welcomed him to her home, loved him like her own son and fed him his favourite meal in the whole world, Tuna Macaronicka, a traditional Czech dish. Something his real mother would never have bothered cooking for him.
A cold puff of wind hit Brian at that moment, sending a shiver down his whole body. ‘Damn these uniforms!’ he thought, trying to fight the chilliness of the early November air. That’s another thing he never got to understand. Why did they have to wear those bright red bathing trunks all year through? Especially with such temperatures? The complimentary jacket could provide some warmth, but alas, they weren’t allowed to zip it up under any circumstances.
Trying to take his mind off the icy feeling on his naked chest, Brian Kinneycek turned to his right, gazing at the mighty Karlov most, the “Charles Bridge”, how the English and American tourists call it. Something about this historical and beautiful landmark always had him wandering off to his standard, nevertheless still very prominent, fantasy.
He let himself dream of owning a gorgeous mansion, somewhere outside a city. It sometimes frightened him how clearly he could see it in front of him. A big, beautiful house, with some timber-framed details, a vault or two blending into the frontage. There is a generous amount of nature surrounding it, a pool out the back. Some days, he could even imagine a tennis court and a set of stables, topping off the vision of his country manor. Once during sleep, not quite a month ago, the perfect name found its way into his head. “Britin”.
He didn’t know how, when or who, but deep in his heart he knew he had to find a “tin” to complete everything. The problem was that he didn’t know where or how to search for it.
Brian sighed from a place deep within and climbed down from his perch. “I’m breaking off for lunch, Mikey. Will you keep an eye or two on things?”
“Sure,” his friend and colleague responded, not even lifting his gaze from the comic book.
“I mean it, Michael. There can’t be another incident like last week’s aggressive duck on your watch, understand?”
“Sure, sure.”
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-> Chapter 2 (written by rinmonsterer)
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