FAKE Ficlet: Subway Sardines
Title: Subway Sardines
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, OCs.
Rating: G
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: On a cold winter day, Dee and Ryo have to take the subway home during the evening rush hour.
Word Count: 608
Written For: My own prompt ‘FAKE, Dee/Ryo, taking the subway,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“I hate havin’ to take the subway in rush hour,” Dee muttered as they made their way down the stairs in the midst of the teeming crowds of other commuters. “Packed in like sardines in a can, pushin’ and shovin’...”
“I’m not thrilled at the prospect either,” Ryo admitted, “but it’s either the subway or try to find a taxi, and in this weather that’s not likely.”
That was true enough. Heavy snow meant that half the city’s busses weren’t running, taxis were few and far between, and the subway was the only sensible option unless they wanted to walk. It was just their bad luck that they had to travel during the busiest part of the day.
“Maybe we should’a just stayed at the precinct until rush hour was over. Then at least we might stand a better chance of gettin’ home in one piece.” Dee dodged quickly to avoid being hit by a large parcel someone was carrying over their shoulder, only to get his foot trodden on. Ryo could sympathise; he’d been elbowed in the ribs three times already and they hadn’t even reached their platform yet.
Not that things improved any when they made it that far. The platform was so packed that people were having trouble getting off the train that had just pulled in, and when it pulled away again with a fresh load of passengers, the situation didn’t seem to have changed much. Three more trains came and went before Dee and Ryo managed to squeeze onto one, and even then it was standing room only. They stood, wedged in near the door, which as far as either of them could tell was really the only stroke of luck they’d had. At least it meant they wouldn’t have to force their way past the other passengers when they wanted to get off. Of course, it also meant that at every stop before the one they wanted, they had to hold on tight to avoid being dragged off by the tide of disembarking bodies, then try to keep from being shoved further into the carriage by the people getting on.
Reaching their station was a relief; they’d both been pushed, shoved, elbowed, and stepped on so often, not to mention being practically head-butted by a belligerent elderly woman, that they were probably a mass of bruises, and their arms had almost been pulled out of their sockets trying to keep their place by the doors. They all but fell out onto to the platform, stumbling and grabbing hold of each other in order to keep their balance. Forcing a path through the crowd of people waiting to board the train, they reached a clearer area at the bottom of the stairs, where they paused to catch their breath, using the few minutes’ respite to adjust their coats and put on their scarves, which they’d removed earlier to avoid being accidentally strangled by them.
“Ready to brave the weather?” Dee asked with a grin.
“As I’ll ever be,” Ryo replied with an answering grin.
They still had a three-block walk to Ryo’s building, where Dee would be staying overnight since Ryo’s place was closer to the precinct than Dee’s, but the worst of their homeward journey was behind them. A walk through the snow, while cold, was still preferable to what they’d just endured. Neither of them was looking forward to having to go through all that again in the morning, but maybe by tomorrow the roads would have been plowed so they’d be able to drive to work instead. Negotiating the rush hour traffic, though annoying, was still better than the subway.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, OCs.
Rating: G
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: On a cold winter day, Dee and Ryo have to take the subway home during the evening rush hour.
Word Count: 608
Written For: My own prompt ‘FAKE, Dee/Ryo, taking the subway,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“I hate havin’ to take the subway in rush hour,” Dee muttered as they made their way down the stairs in the midst of the teeming crowds of other commuters. “Packed in like sardines in a can, pushin’ and shovin’...”
“I’m not thrilled at the prospect either,” Ryo admitted, “but it’s either the subway or try to find a taxi, and in this weather that’s not likely.”
That was true enough. Heavy snow meant that half the city’s busses weren’t running, taxis were few and far between, and the subway was the only sensible option unless they wanted to walk. It was just their bad luck that they had to travel during the busiest part of the day.
“Maybe we should’a just stayed at the precinct until rush hour was over. Then at least we might stand a better chance of gettin’ home in one piece.” Dee dodged quickly to avoid being hit by a large parcel someone was carrying over their shoulder, only to get his foot trodden on. Ryo could sympathise; he’d been elbowed in the ribs three times already and they hadn’t even reached their platform yet.
Not that things improved any when they made it that far. The platform was so packed that people were having trouble getting off the train that had just pulled in, and when it pulled away again with a fresh load of passengers, the situation didn’t seem to have changed much. Three more trains came and went before Dee and Ryo managed to squeeze onto one, and even then it was standing room only. They stood, wedged in near the door, which as far as either of them could tell was really the only stroke of luck they’d had. At least it meant they wouldn’t have to force their way past the other passengers when they wanted to get off. Of course, it also meant that at every stop before the one they wanted, they had to hold on tight to avoid being dragged off by the tide of disembarking bodies, then try to keep from being shoved further into the carriage by the people getting on.
Reaching their station was a relief; they’d both been pushed, shoved, elbowed, and stepped on so often, not to mention being practically head-butted by a belligerent elderly woman, that they were probably a mass of bruises, and their arms had almost been pulled out of their sockets trying to keep their place by the doors. They all but fell out onto to the platform, stumbling and grabbing hold of each other in order to keep their balance. Forcing a path through the crowd of people waiting to board the train, they reached a clearer area at the bottom of the stairs, where they paused to catch their breath, using the few minutes’ respite to adjust their coats and put on their scarves, which they’d removed earlier to avoid being accidentally strangled by them.
“Ready to brave the weather?” Dee asked with a grin.
“As I’ll ever be,” Ryo replied with an answering grin.
They still had a three-block walk to Ryo’s building, where Dee would be staying overnight since Ryo’s place was closer to the precinct than Dee’s, but the worst of their homeward journey was behind them. A walk through the snow, while cold, was still preferable to what they’d just endured. Neither of them was looking forward to having to go through all that again in the morning, but maybe by tomorrow the roads would have been plowed so they’d be able to drive to work instead. Negotiating the rush hour traffic, though annoying, was still better than the subway.
The End