Hydrophobe
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Runaways
Characters: Stein, Yorkes
Prompt: Future
Notes: For Table 4-Time of the 12 Stories challenge.
Disclaimer: This is me owning nothing.
Summary: Manifestation of a phobia.
12: Future
Dale sincerely wished Mr. Stein wouldn’t listen to his music while they were working on the Leapfrog. Really, A Cult of Sea Jam, or whatever, was doing neither of them any good. Especially underwater.
A fish bumped the glass and he almost threw up.
"Is there a problem?" Victor asked.
"No. No."
He smirked to himself, then sped up, sending them down a little faster than they had been and much faster than Dale wanted them to. This time a shark passed them and he did throw up.
Victor looked over at him. "Eurgh."
Dale didn’t respond. Just sat with his head in his hands, trying to make the vertigo go away.
"And we’re going back up."
They surfaced. Janet and Stacey were waiting on the beach. Dale misstepped on the ramp and fell into the water. Stacey ran over to help him up.
"Dale?" she called. "Darling?"
He was on his knees and perfectly still, gaping at the three inches of water pulsing around his hands like it was the end of the world.
Janet looked at her husband. Victor shrugged.
"Dale," Stacey said again. "Dale, look at me."
Dale didn’t move for a very long time. When he finally did, though, he gave her the most helpless look she’d ever seen. She reached down and grabbed his arm. Pulled him to his feet and helped him stumble onto the dry sand. The tide was starting to come up, so this was a little harder than she could have hoped, but they got there, nevertheless.
"Hey, what’s wrong with him?" Janet asked her.
"I have no Earthly clue."
Dale stared at the sea like it was going to swallow him up at any moment.
"Perhaps," Victor offered, "he is afraid of the water?"
Stacey scrunched up her nose. "He never was before." That didn’t mean it wasn’t possible, though.
Dale grabbed her hand and spoke his first words since rediscovering his breakfast in the Leapfrog. "Darling, let’s go home and leave that infernal contraption with Mum and Dad, over there."
Stacey checked to make sure the sea had gotten all of the mess off of him, then pulled him to his feet and hugged him.
"We’ll see you around," Janet said.
"Yes. Do come over sometimes," Stacey replied.
Dale very nearly dragged her up the stairs in his hurry to get away from the sea.
Fandom: Runaways
Characters: Stein, Yorkes
Prompt: Future
Notes: For Table 4-Time of the 12 Stories challenge.
Disclaimer: This is me owning nothing.
Summary: Manifestation of a phobia.
12: Future
Dale sincerely wished Mr. Stein wouldn’t listen to his music while they were working on the Leapfrog. Really, A Cult of Sea Jam, or whatever, was doing neither of them any good. Especially underwater.
A fish bumped the glass and he almost threw up.
"Is there a problem?" Victor asked.
"No. No."
He smirked to himself, then sped up, sending them down a little faster than they had been and much faster than Dale wanted them to. This time a shark passed them and he did throw up.
Victor looked over at him. "Eurgh."
Dale didn’t respond. Just sat with his head in his hands, trying to make the vertigo go away.
"And we’re going back up."
They surfaced. Janet and Stacey were waiting on the beach. Dale misstepped on the ramp and fell into the water. Stacey ran over to help him up.
"Dale?" she called. "Darling?"
He was on his knees and perfectly still, gaping at the three inches of water pulsing around his hands like it was the end of the world.
Janet looked at her husband. Victor shrugged.
"Dale," Stacey said again. "Dale, look at me."
Dale didn’t move for a very long time. When he finally did, though, he gave her the most helpless look she’d ever seen. She reached down and grabbed his arm. Pulled him to his feet and helped him stumble onto the dry sand. The tide was starting to come up, so this was a little harder than she could have hoped, but they got there, nevertheless.
"Hey, what’s wrong with him?" Janet asked her.
"I have no Earthly clue."
Dale stared at the sea like it was going to swallow him up at any moment.
"Perhaps," Victor offered, "he is afraid of the water?"
Stacey scrunched up her nose. "He never was before." That didn’t mean it wasn’t possible, though.
Dale grabbed her hand and spoke his first words since rediscovering his breakfast in the Leapfrog. "Darling, let’s go home and leave that infernal contraption with Mum and Dad, over there."
Stacey checked to make sure the sea had gotten all of the mess off of him, then pulled him to his feet and hugged him.
"We’ll see you around," Janet said.
"Yes. Do come over sometimes," Stacey replied.
Dale very nearly dragged her up the stairs in his hurry to get away from the sea.