FAKE Ficlet: Hazardous Hike
Title: Hazardous Hike
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: Usually Dee enjoys hiking as much as Ryo does, but this time the terrain is proving hazardous.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Challenge 290: Thorn at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
Dee had nothing against hiking, really he didn’t. Even back when he’d still been a confirmed city boy, never venturing far outside his comfort zone, he’d enjoyed going for walks in Central Park. He was young, healthy, and reasonably fit, because being a detective working serious crimes involved a lot of legwork, including chasing suspects. Walking wasn’t a problem; he could walk for miles.
Of course, strolling through the park was a far cry from hiking in the mountains, because the park was mostly flat, with nice, level, paved paths, while mountain trails were obviously neither flat nor paved. When Dee had first started joining Ryo on camping trips and other forays beyond the city limits, he’d had to get used to scrambling up and down steep slopes. The first few times had made his legs ache like crazy, but as with most things, the more he did it the easier it got. These days he enjoyed the exercise, relished the fresh, clean mountain air, and the views from the ridgetops were well worth the climb.
This time out was proving less fun, however, and Dee wasn’t entirely sure why. The weather was fine, dry, and not too hot, the views were as spectacular as ever, they’d brought plenty of food and drink with them, and he wasn’t any more tired than usual. In fact, he felt great. Mostly.
This wasn’t an area they usually hiked though, and the trails weren’t as clearly marked as he was used to, which had led to him wandering off course a few times. In most places that might not have mattered much, but around here there seemed to be an awful lot of thorn bushes, and Dee was beginning to feel like he’d made the acquaintance of each and every one of them. Maybe this was how pincushions felt.
Ryo looked back over his shoulder. “You okay, Dee?”
“Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. It’s just, you’re not usually so quiet.”
It was true. Dee usually chatted happily as they walked, pointing things out, asking questions, making comments about Ryo’s ass in the jeans he favoured for hiking, but today he was mostly biting his tongue to keep from swearing every time he snagged himself painfully on another of the vicious, man-eating bushes.
“Don’t worry ‘bout me, I’m just concentratin’ on not gettin’ ripped to shreds. Think the bushes are winnin’ though. OW! Dammit!” Scrambling up an especially steep stretch of path, Dee had put one hand on the ground, right on some kind of sharp, spiky burr. He straightened up, wincing.
Ryo slid back down the path to join him. “What happened?”
“Got a thorn in my paw.” Dee held his hand out. “The plants around here are lethal!”
Carefully, Ryo teased the burr out of Dee’s palm and tossed it aside. Bright blood immediately welled out of the punctures.
“Poor Dee. There are quite a lot of thorns around here.”
“Next time we hike this trail, I’m wearin’ leather.”
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: Usually Dee enjoys hiking as much as Ryo does, but this time the terrain is proving hazardous.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Challenge 290: Thorn at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters.
Dee had nothing against hiking, really he didn’t. Even back when he’d still been a confirmed city boy, never venturing far outside his comfort zone, he’d enjoyed going for walks in Central Park. He was young, healthy, and reasonably fit, because being a detective working serious crimes involved a lot of legwork, including chasing suspects. Walking wasn’t a problem; he could walk for miles.
Of course, strolling through the park was a far cry from hiking in the mountains, because the park was mostly flat, with nice, level, paved paths, while mountain trails were obviously neither flat nor paved. When Dee had first started joining Ryo on camping trips and other forays beyond the city limits, he’d had to get used to scrambling up and down steep slopes. The first few times had made his legs ache like crazy, but as with most things, the more he did it the easier it got. These days he enjoyed the exercise, relished the fresh, clean mountain air, and the views from the ridgetops were well worth the climb.
This time out was proving less fun, however, and Dee wasn’t entirely sure why. The weather was fine, dry, and not too hot, the views were as spectacular as ever, they’d brought plenty of food and drink with them, and he wasn’t any more tired than usual. In fact, he felt great. Mostly.
This wasn’t an area they usually hiked though, and the trails weren’t as clearly marked as he was used to, which had led to him wandering off course a few times. In most places that might not have mattered much, but around here there seemed to be an awful lot of thorn bushes, and Dee was beginning to feel like he’d made the acquaintance of each and every one of them. Maybe this was how pincushions felt.
Ryo looked back over his shoulder. “You okay, Dee?”
“Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. It’s just, you’re not usually so quiet.”
It was true. Dee usually chatted happily as they walked, pointing things out, asking questions, making comments about Ryo’s ass in the jeans he favoured for hiking, but today he was mostly biting his tongue to keep from swearing every time he snagged himself painfully on another of the vicious, man-eating bushes.
“Don’t worry ‘bout me, I’m just concentratin’ on not gettin’ ripped to shreds. Think the bushes are winnin’ though. OW! Dammit!” Scrambling up an especially steep stretch of path, Dee had put one hand on the ground, right on some kind of sharp, spiky burr. He straightened up, wincing.
Ryo slid back down the path to join him. “What happened?”
“Got a thorn in my paw.” Dee held his hand out. “The plants around here are lethal!”
Carefully, Ryo teased the burr out of Dee’s palm and tossed it aside. Bright blood immediately welled out of the punctures.
“Poor Dee. There are quite a lot of thorns around here.”
“Next time we hike this trail, I’m wearin’ leather.”
The End