Notes 1: For Susi. Hope I avoided the cliches. ;-) Thanks to Nicole for reading this over.
Notes 2: Written for the slash-writers list Vacation mini-challenge
and because of the TOTW. This is just a bit of fluff that I wrote
after being extremely sick for three days--but if it's a fever dream, it's
a mighty tame one. ;-) I dream of writing something with a plot someday,
but until then, I guess I'll have to settle for these occasional tritely-ended
vignettes. Feedback appreciated, but not expected jb7811@comcast.net
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"I still can't believe that I got you out here."
"You've mentioned it, Bobby."
"Oh, yeah. I guess I have." He smiled sheepishly and nudged Dominic with his shoulder. "Sorry. I'll shut up now."
After a long silent moment, Dominic said, "I'm not a workaholic."
Bobby snorted and picked his way around some jagged rocks. No way was he going to argue that one again--especially since Dominic pointed to his own schedule and Bobby realized he didn't have a very strong leg to stand on. "Didn't say you were."
"I'm not. It's just that there's always so much to do. There's always another case, another body, another grieving family..." Dominic trailed off when he met Bobby's understanding gaze. Being a coroner was very similar to being a cop in some respects.
"We'll go back home tomorrow and then it's back to work on Tuesday," Bobby said with a mixture of resignation and relief. He really wasn't cut out for vacations either. No matter how much fun he was having, a faint dread sat at the back of his mind about how much work was piling up back in the city.
Dominic stopped walking, looked around, and said, "What do you think, Bobby? This okay with you?"
Bobby scoped out the area--they'd walked a few hundred meters past the nearest people, around a bend in the narrow beach and this area was pretty much deserted. Since he saw no signs that they'd wandered onto private property, he nodded and pronounced it perfect. He shuffled his feet around in the sand to make sure it was free of big rocks, sharp sticks, or any other hard objects, and then spread the blanket out. He sat down, kicked his shoes off and made himself comfortable.
Dominic set the small cooler down in the sand behind them and sat down, taking off his shoes and socks and placing them next to Bobby's at the end of the blanket. He wiggled his toes in the cooling breeze until Bobby laughed at him. Dominic didn't say anything, but Bobby got worried at the way he looked around to make sure the coast was clear.
Just as Bobby was relaxing and getting lost in the various colors of the spectacular sunset, Dominic reached out and grabbed his ankle and started tickling The Spot. That little area on the side of his foot right above the arch set him off every time. He'd never known another person who was ticklish there, but Dominic's fingertips lightly stroking there had him laughing and kicking and trying to get away. Finally, he realized that distraction was the only way to go and snaked one hand down the front of Dominic's khakis.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Dominic said a bit wildly. "Jeeze, Bobby, it's not dark enough for that."
"There's nobody around." Bobby gave a little squeeze and felt Dominic's cock twitch in his hand. He knew that someone could come around the bend, looking for a good spot just as they had. He hoped no one would, of course, but just in case... He let go of Dominic and crossed his legs in front of him, sighing, "I guess we could eat instead."
"Probably be a good idea." Dominic turned and opened up the cooler, unloading two big ziplock bags before taking out a couple of plastic bottles of water.
Bobby opened up his plastic bag and took out a foil wrapped sandwich, an icy cold tangerine, and a thick handful of paper napkins. The delicious smell of seafood, spices, and sourdough bread wafting up as he opened the foil made his stomach growl loudly and Dominic snickered at him. He outwardly ignored it, but inside he was glad that they could play and laugh at each other like this. It was very different from how they were at home.
"You sure know how to pick 'em," Dominic mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich. He swallowed and took a sip of water. "This is even better than that place we went on Friday night."
"Yeah, I'm surprised it was still there and still run by the same people. My dad brought us to almost all of the islands at one time or another when I was growing up, but I haven't been out here since I made detective. I kept meaning to bring Gwen, but we just never found the time." Bobby took another bite and realized what he'd just said. He avoided Dominic's eyes by staring out at the water as he chewed. After a moment he came to the conclusion that it didn't hurt to mention Gwen, not even that little pang he still got when he found some small something of hers--a hairpin, the back of an earring, one of those little disposable cigarette lighters she always used. It was amazing how much had been left behind, even though he'd been sure that he and her mom had packed it all up when she came to take Gwen's body back to Portland.
"You okay, Bobby?" Dominic's voice was low and Bobby glanced over he saw that his eyes were fixed firmly on the horizon. Bobby shook his head at how much alike they could be sometimes.
"Yeah, I'm good," Bobby said as he scooted a little closer to Dominic.
Dominic nodded and leaned into Bobby's side as they finished their supper
in comfortable silence.
As the sun sank over the horizon, Bobby lightly nudged Dominic's leg with his foot and whispered, "Can you hear the sizzle?"
"Hmm?" Dominic sounded half asleep on Bobby's shoulder and Bobby couldn't help turning and pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"You know, the sizzle when the ocean puts out the fire of the sun? That's what my mom would always ask, 'Hey, Bobby, can you hear the sizzle?'"
Dominic raised his head and stared at Bobby for a minute, his brow crinkled and his mouth twitching. Then he kissed Bobby deeply on the mouth, his tongue insistently pressing for entry that Bobby was happy to give. The cool tangerine flavored kiss melted and warmed into something even sweeter. After a long breathless moment, Dominic pulled back and said solemnly, "Yeah, I hear it."
Bobby lay back and stared up at the stars becoming more and more visible as the sky darkened. "I never have," he confessed quietly, "but I always said I did because it made her smile. I think I hear it tonight though. Or maybe it's the wind."
"Yeah, maybe." Dominic took Bobby's hand as the first sparks of red and green shot across the sky with a loud crack.
With the next display, a barely perceptible whistle followed by a huge brilliant burst of white sparkles, Bobby tightened his grip on Dominic's hand and whispered, "Hey Dominic, have I mentioned how glad I am that you came out here with me?"
"Yeah, a time or two." Bobby turned just enough to see Dominic's grin before he said, "Happy Canada Day."
Bobby nodded as the sky lit up with orange swirls, white sparkles, and red starbursts. "Yep, has been so far. You know, if we drove down to the States Wednesday night, we could do this all again."
"We both have to work the next day. With the traffic and that... we'd be getting home pretty late."
"What, you got a curfew? Should I call your mother and ask permission?" Dominic smacked him in the chest with his free hand, then ruined the censure by rubbing the slight sting away. Bobby rocked the hand he still held back and forth between them and said, "You know you want to. I know where the best show is, and I'll get us home at a reasonable hour. We could even take Gabriella if she wanted to go."
"I'm sure she'll have plans." And right then, Bobby knew that Dominic would capitulate, even before he said, "But maybe you and I could go. Yeah, that sounds pretty good."
"That's why I suggested it," replied Bobby, relaxing back into the blanket,
watching the fireworks, and thinking that maybe after the show was over
he and Dominic could make some sparks of their own.
The End.