FAKE Fic: The River Wild
Apr. 16th, 2026 07:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedTitle: The River Wild
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Word Count: 1509
Summary: There’s nothing better than escaping the city for a long weekend of kayaking.
Written For: Weekend Challenge at
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
1_million_words.Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Getting out of the city for a few days was always welcome, it gave Dee and his lover a break from the stresses and strains not just of their jobs as detectives, but of city life in general. It also gave them a chance to breathe cleaner, fresher air, and get closer to nature, although Dee would have happily skipped that last part. Not that he didn’t enjoy being among the trees, listening to the birds singing, and watching squirrels running up and down tree trunks, frolicking happily among the branches, but there were certain other aspects of wildlife that appealed to him far less, mostly the biting insects and the snakes.
Insects, for obvious reasons, couldn’t be avoided; no matter where you went, they’d find you, but in Dee’s experience, snakes kept mostly to land. He worried less about snakes when he and Ryo were paddling their way down a river, or shooting the rapids. Although he’d never claim to be an expert on the subject, he knew some snake species could swim, but he considered it unlikely that any swimming snake would try to get into their kayak with them, and they’d probably avoid the rapids, wouldn’t they? He wasn’t sure about that last part, but it made sense to him. Fish could handle rough water because it was their natural environment, but snakes breathed air, so in theory, they could drown.
Whatever. As far as Dee was concerned, the water was the safest place to be. Not that he didn’t enjoy camping and hiking, because he did, even though he missed certain home comforts. But on land you had to be very vigilant, not leaving anything lying around that a snake might slither into, and making sure to zip the tent securely. You could never be too careful; snakes were sneaky.
Still, snakes were the last thing on his mind right now as he and Ryo paddled their rented kayak down a smooth stretch of greenish water towards the next set of rapids, a mile or two downstream. They’d left their car where they always did, taken the specially arranged bus upriver to the rental place, and got themselves kitted out in all the necessary protective gear. That hadn’t taken long since they were regulars, familiar with the safety precautions and the river, so barely half an hour after they’d arrived, they’d lowered their kayak into the water to begin the long, leisurely river run. Well, leisurely except for the whitewater sections, when it would be frantic activity, steering themselves through narrow gaps, over and around the tumbled boulders, breathless with exhilaration, and soaked by the spray.
They would camp on shore, of course; their tent and other gear were stowed in the bottom of the kayak, wrapped in a waterproof groundsheet, and tied down so they wouldn’t cause problems by shifting around at an inopportune moment, potentially overturning the kayak, or causing injury. For now though, it was just the two of them against the river, and the rapids were just ahead. This was always the best part!
Halfway through, as Ryo pushed off from a boulder, the blade of his paddle caught momentarily in a cleft, wrenching it from his hands. It sprang loose, bounced off a rock and into the air, but as Ryo grabbed for it the kayak lurched beneath him, and he missed.
“Dammit!”
“Welp, now we’re up the creek without a paddle,” Dee joked.
“This isn’t the best time for jokes, Dee!”
“Sorry. Hold on!” Dee shouted from behind his lover, glad he was experienced enough by now to handle such unforeseen complications. He guided the kayak through a narrow gap, then passed his paddle forward to Ryo, and while Ryo kept them on course, fumbled the spare paddle out from under their gear. The whole incident took only two or three minutes, and then the two of them were working together to steer the Kayak safely though the rocks and out onto a calmer, wider section of the river.
As soon as the boat stabilised, Ryo stood up, scanning the water, searching for the errant paddle, and pointing. “Over there!”
Sitting back down, he dug his paddle into the water and Dee did likewise, the two of them working smoothly together to catch up with the stray, getting ahead of it, and turning broadside on, drifting sideways on the current. The next couple of minutes were spent hooking at their lost paddle with the other two until Dee, with his greater height and longer arms, was able to reach out and snag it, pulling it onboard.
“Is it damaged?” Ryo asked over his shoulder as he turned the kayak’s bow downriver again.
Dee examined the blade first, and then the shaft. “Doesn’t look like it, but just to be safe we’ll keep it in reserve, only use it if we have to.” He grinned. “Nothin’ like a bit of excitement to work up an appetite. Whaddaya say we tie up for a while and grab a bite to eat?”
“Sounds good to me,” Ryo agreed. “We’re gonna need all our strength for what’s ahead.” The next set of rapids was one of the longest and most challenging on this stretch of river. “It’s about lunchtime anyway.”
Digging their paddles in, they steered over to a spot where the bank was low enough for them to get out and tie up. Ryo climbed out first, then Dee untied their cooler and passed it to his lover before scrambling up to join him, checking the mooring lines were secure. They flopped down in the shade of a tree, taking off their helmets and lifejackets.
“Whoo! That was fun!”
Ryo snorted. “Which part, me losing the paddle, or both of us fishing to get it back?” He shook his head. “I should’ve held onto it.”
“Hey, that wasn’t anyone’s fault, least of all yours. Shit happens. If you’d been holdin’ on any tighter, you might’ve followed the paddle, and THAT would’a been a problem.”
“I know, you’re right. Best thing to do in that kind of situation is to let go.”
“Damn straight. Don’t wanna wind up with a broken arm or a dislocated shoulder way out here. There’s a reason we always have a spare paddle. It’s easy to lose one that way. I’m only surprised it hasn’t happened before. I mean this is, what, our seventh trip down this river?”
“Something like that,” Ryo agreed.
“And we’ve only lost a paddle once. We even got it back! Reckon that’s more that most folk could say.”
“You’re right! I shouldn’t feel bad about it.”
“That’s what I said. C’mon, let’s see what we got in here.” Dee pulled the cooler closer and opened the lid, passing his lover two cold bottles of water and the sandwiches they’d bought at the rental place, then sealing the lid again. Going back to the kayak, he unearthed a backpack and dumped that down beside Ryo, opening it to pull out bags of chips, then peering back into it. “Tough decisions…”
“What about?”
“Cookies, or course. Got Tagalongs, Samoas, and Adventurefuls…”
“You packed Girl Scout cookies?”
“Yup! Bought ‘em off Marty’s eldest. Girl Scout cookies are practically designed for campin’ trips, I just don’t know which box to open first. Can’t even flip a coin ‘cause they only have two sides, and we got three kinds of cookies. Help me out here, they’re all so good!”
Ryo shook his head. “Only you would have a cookie decision crisis.”
“C’mon, babe!” Dee pleaded. “Be my cookie decision maker!”
“Fine,” Ryo relented. “Since we only just started out on this adventure, how about we open the Adventurefuls today?”
“Good choice. I knew I could count on you!” Dee took the box out of the backpack and set it between them, unopened. “Dessert is served, but I guess we better eat our sandwiches first.” He tore open the packaging eagerly. The rental place made their own sandwiches to order, nothing pre-packed, and he’d gotten himself sliced beef and salad on rye sourdough. They made their own bread as well.
Ryo had gone for ham and cheese with salad, on a seeded sourdough. He loved anything with seeds in it: Sunflower, pumpkin, poppy seeds… “How perfect is this?” he said, unwrapping his own sandwich and taking a bite.
“’Bout as perfect as it can get.”
They’d have two nights of camping before they reached the endpoint of their river run, two and a half days of kayaking before they had to pack up and return to the city and their jobs, hopefully feeling refreshed, unwound, reenergised… Still, there was no mad rush; as long as they got to the landing stage before dark two days from now, they’d be fine. The important thing was to enjoy every last moment of this break from their day-to-day lives, because who knew how long it would be before they got a chance at another long weekend break away from it all?
Until next time, they’d have to make do with their memories.
The End
Insects, for obvious reasons, couldn’t be avoided; no matter where you went, they’d find you, but in Dee’s experience, snakes kept mostly to land. He worried less about snakes when he and Ryo were paddling their way down a river, or shooting the rapids. Although he’d never claim to be an expert on the subject, he knew some snake species could swim, but he considered it unlikely that any swimming snake would try to get into their kayak with them, and they’d probably avoid the rapids, wouldn’t they? He wasn’t sure about that last part, but it made sense to him. Fish could handle rough water because it was their natural environment, but snakes breathed air, so in theory, they could drown.
Whatever. As far as Dee was concerned, the water was the safest place to be. Not that he didn’t enjoy camping and hiking, because he did, even though he missed certain home comforts. But on land you had to be very vigilant, not leaving anything lying around that a snake might slither into, and making sure to zip the tent securely. You could never be too careful; snakes were sneaky.
Still, snakes were the last thing on his mind right now as he and Ryo paddled their rented kayak down a smooth stretch of greenish water towards the next set of rapids, a mile or two downstream. They’d left their car where they always did, taken the specially arranged bus upriver to the rental place, and got themselves kitted out in all the necessary protective gear. That hadn’t taken long since they were regulars, familiar with the safety precautions and the river, so barely half an hour after they’d arrived, they’d lowered their kayak into the water to begin the long, leisurely river run. Well, leisurely except for the whitewater sections, when it would be frantic activity, steering themselves through narrow gaps, over and around the tumbled boulders, breathless with exhilaration, and soaked by the spray.
They would camp on shore, of course; their tent and other gear were stowed in the bottom of the kayak, wrapped in a waterproof groundsheet, and tied down so they wouldn’t cause problems by shifting around at an inopportune moment, potentially overturning the kayak, or causing injury. For now though, it was just the two of them against the river, and the rapids were just ahead. This was always the best part!
Halfway through, as Ryo pushed off from a boulder, the blade of his paddle caught momentarily in a cleft, wrenching it from his hands. It sprang loose, bounced off a rock and into the air, but as Ryo grabbed for it the kayak lurched beneath him, and he missed.
“Dammit!”
“Welp, now we’re up the creek without a paddle,” Dee joked.
“This isn’t the best time for jokes, Dee!”
“Sorry. Hold on!” Dee shouted from behind his lover, glad he was experienced enough by now to handle such unforeseen complications. He guided the kayak through a narrow gap, then passed his paddle forward to Ryo, and while Ryo kept them on course, fumbled the spare paddle out from under their gear. The whole incident took only two or three minutes, and then the two of them were working together to steer the Kayak safely though the rocks and out onto a calmer, wider section of the river.
As soon as the boat stabilised, Ryo stood up, scanning the water, searching for the errant paddle, and pointing. “Over there!”
Sitting back down, he dug his paddle into the water and Dee did likewise, the two of them working smoothly together to catch up with the stray, getting ahead of it, and turning broadside on, drifting sideways on the current. The next couple of minutes were spent hooking at their lost paddle with the other two until Dee, with his greater height and longer arms, was able to reach out and snag it, pulling it onboard.
“Is it damaged?” Ryo asked over his shoulder as he turned the kayak’s bow downriver again.
Dee examined the blade first, and then the shaft. “Doesn’t look like it, but just to be safe we’ll keep it in reserve, only use it if we have to.” He grinned. “Nothin’ like a bit of excitement to work up an appetite. Whaddaya say we tie up for a while and grab a bite to eat?”
“Sounds good to me,” Ryo agreed. “We’re gonna need all our strength for what’s ahead.” The next set of rapids was one of the longest and most challenging on this stretch of river. “It’s about lunchtime anyway.”
Digging their paddles in, they steered over to a spot where the bank was low enough for them to get out and tie up. Ryo climbed out first, then Dee untied their cooler and passed it to his lover before scrambling up to join him, checking the mooring lines were secure. They flopped down in the shade of a tree, taking off their helmets and lifejackets.
“Whoo! That was fun!”
Ryo snorted. “Which part, me losing the paddle, or both of us fishing to get it back?” He shook his head. “I should’ve held onto it.”
“Hey, that wasn’t anyone’s fault, least of all yours. Shit happens. If you’d been holdin’ on any tighter, you might’ve followed the paddle, and THAT would’a been a problem.”
“I know, you’re right. Best thing to do in that kind of situation is to let go.”
“Damn straight. Don’t wanna wind up with a broken arm or a dislocated shoulder way out here. There’s a reason we always have a spare paddle. It’s easy to lose one that way. I’m only surprised it hasn’t happened before. I mean this is, what, our seventh trip down this river?”
“Something like that,” Ryo agreed.
“And we’ve only lost a paddle once. We even got it back! Reckon that’s more that most folk could say.”
“You’re right! I shouldn’t feel bad about it.”
“That’s what I said. C’mon, let’s see what we got in here.” Dee pulled the cooler closer and opened the lid, passing his lover two cold bottles of water and the sandwiches they’d bought at the rental place, then sealing the lid again. Going back to the kayak, he unearthed a backpack and dumped that down beside Ryo, opening it to pull out bags of chips, then peering back into it. “Tough decisions…”
“What about?”
“Cookies, or course. Got Tagalongs, Samoas, and Adventurefuls…”
“You packed Girl Scout cookies?”
“Yup! Bought ‘em off Marty’s eldest. Girl Scout cookies are practically designed for campin’ trips, I just don’t know which box to open first. Can’t even flip a coin ‘cause they only have two sides, and we got three kinds of cookies. Help me out here, they’re all so good!”
Ryo shook his head. “Only you would have a cookie decision crisis.”
“C’mon, babe!” Dee pleaded. “Be my cookie decision maker!”
“Fine,” Ryo relented. “Since we only just started out on this adventure, how about we open the Adventurefuls today?”
“Good choice. I knew I could count on you!” Dee took the box out of the backpack and set it between them, unopened. “Dessert is served, but I guess we better eat our sandwiches first.” He tore open the packaging eagerly. The rental place made their own sandwiches to order, nothing pre-packed, and he’d gotten himself sliced beef and salad on rye sourdough. They made their own bread as well.
Ryo had gone for ham and cheese with salad, on a seeded sourdough. He loved anything with seeds in it: Sunflower, pumpkin, poppy seeds… “How perfect is this?” he said, unwrapping his own sandwich and taking a bite.
“’Bout as perfect as it can get.”
They’d have two nights of camping before they reached the endpoint of their river run, two and a half days of kayaking before they had to pack up and return to the city and their jobs, hopefully feeling refreshed, unwound, reenergised… Still, there was no mad rush; as long as they got to the landing stage before dark two days from now, they’d be fine. The important thing was to enjoy every last moment of this break from their day-to-day lives, because who knew how long it would be before they got a chance at another long weekend break away from it all?
Until next time, they’d have to make do with their memories.
The End
