At the beach
Aug. 15th, 2009 04:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maculategiraffeAnother quick Slave Breakers fic-for-art vignette. fantasy_1988's prompt:
in the last chapter of Lee Jer told Andrei that he should take Lee to the beach sometime and Lee said he'd like that. I was wondering if you could write a little scene of Andrei and Jer taking Lee to the beach and his reaction to the waves.
Lee picked his way forward across the oddly yielding sand, feeling self-conscious in the thin, light, black tunic Andrei had bought him for the occasion. He wasn't supposed to worry about getting it wet or covered with sand, since that was what it was for. Jer and Andrei had both tried to talk him into wearing what they called a bathing suit-- a tiny scrap of fabric that barely covered his genitals-- but he'd flatly refused to go out in public in anything that skimpy. Andrei hadn't worn one either, in the end, because he said he didn't want to go in swimming. Jer was wearing one under his tunic, and Lee had a sneaking suspicion that Jer wasn't done trying to persuade him to get into the water, bathing suit or no.
"Look up at it," said Jer, and Lee lifted his eyes from his bare feet to the ocean.
It was very big. Lee didn't think he'd need to get out into it to realize that. He'd never imagined so much water all in one place. It was intimidating, and he couldn't imagine having the urge Jer had described, to "really get out in it." It was beautiful, too, though-- a strange blue-green color, with flashes of white, that sparkled and churned closer to the shore, where the waves broke, making the rushing, spilling sound he'd been hearing ever since they got close.
"Come on," said Jer, and took Lee's hand, drawing him on, past men and women and children sunning themselves or digging in the sand, towards the water.
The sand grew damp under their feet, and Lee watched with trepidation as the water rushed at him; he held his ground, but yelped faintly when the water hit his feet and swirled around his ankles, cool and quick, pulling away as rapidly as it had advanced.
"The waves aren't as big as I remembered," said Andrei, behind Lee, and Lee looked up at him and smiled as Andrei kicked mildly at a wave. His feet were bare, too, and even more pinkly vulnerable than Lee's, since he almost always wore his boots. Lee liked boots and shoes, too, but he was glad he'd left them in the car; he was liking the feeling of wet sand and sudden, restless water on his feet.
"Come on out with me," said Jer to Lee, tugging his hand gently. "Just a little ways."
Lee balked; it wasn't very much further in that the waves began to look alarming, crashing with a noisy violence that Lee didn't want to absorb the impact of.
"Come on," Jer urged. "Just up to your knees. Feels good."
"It'll knock me down," said Lee, looking at the waves.
"And the wind will blow you away," said Jer, laughing. "You're not that skinny, not any more. Come on."
Lee waded, flinching at each step and clinging to Jer's hand, further into the water. The waves broke against his legs, but not too hard; he wasn't anywhere near being knocked down, although a child might have been. When the waves were breaking against the edge of his tunic, he stopped.
"Come on," said Jer again, and Lee squinted up at him.
"I don't have a bathing suit," he pointed out, rather obviously. "I can't even swim."
"Doesn't matter. I'll keep hold of you, and you can keep your feet on the ground. Don't you trust me?"
"Yes," said Lee doubtfully.
"Well, that was heartfelt."
"Of course I trust you," said Lee, squinting up at Jer; the sun was bright and hot, pounding down on them. Andrei had put lotion on Lee that was supposed to protect him from getting sunburned, and had slathered it onto himself, saying something about a redhead complexion, but Jer hadn't put any on; he was already pretty brown.
"You really don't want to go in?" Jer sounded disappointed.
"Well," said Lee, "not too deep," and let Jer lead him further into the water.
When a wave hit his groin, he yelped, but Jer pulled him in further and deeper, the wet tunic clinging and flowing and sticking to his body, and when he was shoulder-deep in water, the waves seemed less prone to crash on him. On the other hand, "shoulder-deep" was only an average, and the waves, even when they weren't breaking, seemed awfully likely to go over his head. But the first time a big one came, Jer took hold of him and lifted him over it, and he couldn't help laughing at his own weightlessness and the brightness of the water all around him.
"That's my boy," said Jer, pleased, and Lee turned his head towards the shore, looking back at Andrei, a little startled to see how far away he looked. He waved, and Andrei waved back, just as Jer grabbed Lee again and lifted him over another wave.
"You want to get your head wet?" Jer asked, and Lee shook his head, still peering at Andrei's red-haired form. "Okay. You want to get out?"
"Yes, please," said Lee, and Jer turned and walked with him back to shore, steadying him when the waves hit his back, and the backs of his legs, where the black tunic covered up his scars.
When they reached Andrei, Lee sat down, a little shaky, and Andrei put an arm around him.
"I'm going back in, okay?" said Jer, and Lee nodded. Jer stripped off his wet tunic and dropped it carelessly on the sand, then walked back out into the waves in his green bathing suit, dove under a wave and reappeared much further out. He let the next wave push him over onto his back and drifted, feet towards the ocean; Lee flinched when a wave came, but Jer's body slid over it with no apparent effort.
"Was it fun?" Andrei asked, and Lee said, "Yes."
"You didn't want to stay in longer?"
"No," said Lee. "It was a little scary."
"It looks scary from here," said Andrei. "Beautiful, though."
"Yes," Lee agreed, watching Jer as he flipped onto his stomach and took a few lazy strokes forward. "Beautiful."
He looked around at the beach, at the other people around; no one was looking at him and Andrei oddly. There were other people swimming, too; the three of them seemed to blend in fine, even with Lee having gone into the water in his clothes. It was nice. The warm sun was drying him rapidly. He put his head down on Andrei's shoulder, still watching Jer. They sat in silence for a long time, Andrei's body warm against Lee's; he was getting Andrei's clothes wet, but Andrei didn't mind, and the sun would dry them soon, too.
"If you ever wanted to go with him," said Andrei, eventually. "I mean-- away. For a while. I'd understand. I'd-- I'd worry. And I'd miss you. But it would be okay. And you could always come home."
"I know," said Lee. "Thank you, Andrei."
Jer went under, swamped by an enormous wave, and then came back up, grinning and gleaming in the sun. Lee lifted his head.
"Let's build something," he said to Andrei. "Like those kids. In the sand."
"A sandcastle?" Andrei asked, smiling. "I'm not sure I know how."
"We'll figure it out," said Lee. "Come on. If some kids can do it, we can."
"All right," said Andrei, and reached out his soft hands, dragging a pile of sand towards them. "We should have brought Mona. She's really good at making things."
"We're not so bad, either," said Lee, and smiled up at Andrei. "Come on. Let's get started."
fantasy_1988's prompt:in the last chapter of Lee Jer told Andrei that he should take Lee to the beach sometime and Lee said he'd like that. I was wondering if you could write a little scene of Andrei and Jer taking Lee to the beach and his reaction to the waves.
Lee picked his way forward across the oddly yielding sand, feeling self-conscious in the thin, light, black tunic Andrei had bought him for the occasion. He wasn't supposed to worry about getting it wet or covered with sand, since that was what it was for. Jer and Andrei had both tried to talk him into wearing what they called a bathing suit-- a tiny scrap of fabric that barely covered his genitals-- but he'd flatly refused to go out in public in anything that skimpy. Andrei hadn't worn one either, in the end, because he said he didn't want to go in swimming. Jer was wearing one under his tunic, and Lee had a sneaking suspicion that Jer wasn't done trying to persuade him to get into the water, bathing suit or no.
"Look up at it," said Jer, and Lee lifted his eyes from his bare feet to the ocean.
It was very big. Lee didn't think he'd need to get out into it to realize that. He'd never imagined so much water all in one place. It was intimidating, and he couldn't imagine having the urge Jer had described, to "really get out in it." It was beautiful, too, though-- a strange blue-green color, with flashes of white, that sparkled and churned closer to the shore, where the waves broke, making the rushing, spilling sound he'd been hearing ever since they got close.
"Come on," said Jer, and took Lee's hand, drawing him on, past men and women and children sunning themselves or digging in the sand, towards the water.
The sand grew damp under their feet, and Lee watched with trepidation as the water rushed at him; he held his ground, but yelped faintly when the water hit his feet and swirled around his ankles, cool and quick, pulling away as rapidly as it had advanced.
"The waves aren't as big as I remembered," said Andrei, behind Lee, and Lee looked up at him and smiled as Andrei kicked mildly at a wave. His feet were bare, too, and even more pinkly vulnerable than Lee's, since he almost always wore his boots. Lee liked boots and shoes, too, but he was glad he'd left them in the car; he was liking the feeling of wet sand and sudden, restless water on his feet.
"Come on out with me," said Jer to Lee, tugging his hand gently. "Just a little ways."
Lee balked; it wasn't very much further in that the waves began to look alarming, crashing with a noisy violence that Lee didn't want to absorb the impact of.
"Come on," Jer urged. "Just up to your knees. Feels good."
"It'll knock me down," said Lee, looking at the waves.
"And the wind will blow you away," said Jer, laughing. "You're not that skinny, not any more. Come on."
Lee waded, flinching at each step and clinging to Jer's hand, further into the water. The waves broke against his legs, but not too hard; he wasn't anywhere near being knocked down, although a child might have been. When the waves were breaking against the edge of his tunic, he stopped.
"Come on," said Jer again, and Lee squinted up at him.
"I don't have a bathing suit," he pointed out, rather obviously. "I can't even swim."
"Doesn't matter. I'll keep hold of you, and you can keep your feet on the ground. Don't you trust me?"
"Yes," said Lee doubtfully.
"Well, that was heartfelt."
"Of course I trust you," said Lee, squinting up at Jer; the sun was bright and hot, pounding down on them. Andrei had put lotion on Lee that was supposed to protect him from getting sunburned, and had slathered it onto himself, saying something about a redhead complexion, but Jer hadn't put any on; he was already pretty brown.
"You really don't want to go in?" Jer sounded disappointed.
"Well," said Lee, "not too deep," and let Jer lead him further into the water.
When a wave hit his groin, he yelped, but Jer pulled him in further and deeper, the wet tunic clinging and flowing and sticking to his body, and when he was shoulder-deep in water, the waves seemed less prone to crash on him. On the other hand, "shoulder-deep" was only an average, and the waves, even when they weren't breaking, seemed awfully likely to go over his head. But the first time a big one came, Jer took hold of him and lifted him over it, and he couldn't help laughing at his own weightlessness and the brightness of the water all around him.
"That's my boy," said Jer, pleased, and Lee turned his head towards the shore, looking back at Andrei, a little startled to see how far away he looked. He waved, and Andrei waved back, just as Jer grabbed Lee again and lifted him over another wave.
"You want to get your head wet?" Jer asked, and Lee shook his head, still peering at Andrei's red-haired form. "Okay. You want to get out?"
"Yes, please," said Lee, and Jer turned and walked with him back to shore, steadying him when the waves hit his back, and the backs of his legs, where the black tunic covered up his scars.
When they reached Andrei, Lee sat down, a little shaky, and Andrei put an arm around him.
"I'm going back in, okay?" said Jer, and Lee nodded. Jer stripped off his wet tunic and dropped it carelessly on the sand, then walked back out into the waves in his green bathing suit, dove under a wave and reappeared much further out. He let the next wave push him over onto his back and drifted, feet towards the ocean; Lee flinched when a wave came, but Jer's body slid over it with no apparent effort.
"Was it fun?" Andrei asked, and Lee said, "Yes."
"You didn't want to stay in longer?"
"No," said Lee. "It was a little scary."
"It looks scary from here," said Andrei. "Beautiful, though."
"Yes," Lee agreed, watching Jer as he flipped onto his stomach and took a few lazy strokes forward. "Beautiful."
He looked around at the beach, at the other people around; no one was looking at him and Andrei oddly. There were other people swimming, too; the three of them seemed to blend in fine, even with Lee having gone into the water in his clothes. It was nice. The warm sun was drying him rapidly. He put his head down on Andrei's shoulder, still watching Jer. They sat in silence for a long time, Andrei's body warm against Lee's; he was getting Andrei's clothes wet, but Andrei didn't mind, and the sun would dry them soon, too.
"If you ever wanted to go with him," said Andrei, eventually. "I mean-- away. For a while. I'd understand. I'd-- I'd worry. And I'd miss you. But it would be okay. And you could always come home."
"I know," said Lee. "Thank you, Andrei."
Jer went under, swamped by an enormous wave, and then came back up, grinning and gleaming in the sun. Lee lifted his head.
"Let's build something," he said to Andrei. "Like those kids. In the sand."
"A sandcastle?" Andrei asked, smiling. "I'm not sure I know how."
"We'll figure it out," said Lee. "Come on. If some kids can do it, we can."
"All right," said Andrei, and reached out his soft hands, dragging a pile of sand towards them. "We should have brought Mona. She's really good at making things."
"We're not so bad, either," said Lee, and smiled up at Andrei. "Come on. Let's get started."
