"She Stoops to Conquer" (Beach Boys, 1987)
Jan. 2nd, 2013 08:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
riptide_asylumTitle: She Stoops to Conquer
Rating: PG
Summary: The Contessa was a game for them, with set rules and safe boundaries, at least while Mama Jo was the Captain.
The Contessa was a game for them, with set rules and safe boundaries, at least while Mama Jo was the Captain.
Her few absences heralded wine-heavy parties, soft music, conversation late into the night. Guys and girls in cramped quarters. Plenty of fun, plenty to brag about on the beach next day.
But Max, the new captain, ran the ship less like a galleon and more like a sorority. Which left Tammy in the Riptide’s salon at 2am while Nick hid his yawns and Cody sat toying with his half-full wineglass, sneaking glances at Nick.
Tammy was sprawled against him, her own glass dangling empty from her fingers. She wasn't drunk, or not drunk enough for Cody to walk her home. Cody wasn't drunk either, at least not drunk enough to take her below.
And Nick had long since sobered up, so much so that he recognized the challenging glint in Tammy’s eyes. She’d had just enough wine to feel bold.
“It’s such a shame about Bambi,” she said with a sigh. “I never thought she’d really do it.”
“Yeah,” Cody answered. “A real shame. Nick’s all broken up about it. Aren’t you, buddy?”
To avoid strangling his partner, Nick rose and crossed to the coffeemaker by the stairs and set about making a fresh pot. “Luckily I’m told time heals all wounds.” He opened the window for good measure, hoping the crisp night air would help sober up their guest. Or at least clear her head.
“Brrr,” said Tammy with a shiver. She scooted closer to Cody, onto his lap nearly, so he was forced to put an arm around her or fall out of the booth.
Nick glowered at the backs of their heads. So much for that idea. “You wanna borrow a sweater, Tammy?”
“No, I’m fine, Nick. I think Cody’s got it under control,” she called over her shoulder.
“I’ll just bet he does,” Nick muttered. Nick had learned a helluva lot from the Army, but the skill he was secretly proudest of was brewing coffee that could keep an entire camp awake for three days on a couple cups. He swore by the stuff, and while Cody sometimes pulled a face at the first sip, more often than not, he was the one who suggested Nick put on a fresh pot. Smirking, Nick clicked the basket closed and filled the machine’s reservoir from the carafe filled with water.
“I mean, Tad’s okay, you know. I mean, he’s pretty good-looking, and he works out and everything. He’s got a pretty nice car, too.”
“Oh come on, he’s got a Sentra,” Nick called as he stabbed the brew switch.
“Don’t be jealous,” Tammy responded. “I mean, you could always sell the Vette. Or maybe Cody would let you borrow the Jimmy.” She and Cody both snickered.
Nick glared as he returned to the table. “I should be so lucky.” He slid into the booth across from Cody. “So what else’s this Tad guy got that I don’t have?”
“Besides Bambi?” Cody answered cheekily. He and Tammy dissolved into a fresh fit of snickering.
“Oh the usual,” she said. “A trust fund, a great job at his dad’s brokerage house...an IQ of 100.” Her eyes gleamed with wicked humor. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, everyone knows you guys are a great catch.”
“Catches,” Cody answered. “There’s two of us, remember?”
“It’s hard to forget! I mean, you guys are all the Contessa girls can talk about. Nick and Cody this, Nick and Cody that. If I was the jealous type, I’d really be worried.”
Nick bit back a grin and said nothing. The warm, burnt toast aroma of fresh coffee had begun to fill the room.
“So whaddaya think, Cody?” Tammy continued. “What should I tell the girls about Nick’s next perfect date? You’re his best friend, you know him best, you tell me: what’s Nick’s dream girl like?”
For a moment, Nick thought Cody might have a stroke. Nick watched as he composed himself with an effort. “Nick’s...dream girl, should be, I would say, more than reasonably attractive.”
Nick cracked up and Tammy joined him.
“What?” Cody tried. “Come on, you guys. You asked me a serious question--”
“Okay okay,” Tammy said, laying a hand on Cody’s arm. “Keep going. You’re doing great so far.”
Nick bit his lip, but Cody shot Tammy a small smile then turned his eyes to the Riptide’s ceiling for inspiration. “She should be relatively smart but not too smart, not like Murray-smart--”
Nick gave him a look.
“No Nick, just-- remember Natalie and how well that went? Remember her?” Cody turned to Tammy. “He’s clearly not comfortable around women who are smarter than him. Let alone attracted to them.”
Clearly, Nick thought across the table, narrowing his eyes. Nor do I like jack-asses. Where’re you going with this?
“She should like driving, and working on cars,” Cody continued hurriedly. “And helicopters. But no pilots, because Nick gets jealous of other helicopters like they’re other guys, see. Like with Denise. Remember Denise?” Nick nodded and Cody turned back to Tammy. “Denise was this girl we met on a case, and she’s a pilot, but she doesn’t fly the same kind of helicopters Nick flies. Man, you should’ve seen the look on Nick’s face when she told him her helicopter was better than his! I thought for sure he’d never speak to her again but next thing you know--”
“Cody,” Nick tried.
“He’s gotta try her helicopter out! And of course he was right and it crashed and--ow!” Cody shot Nick an injured look, reaching a hand down to rub his shin where Nick had kicked him.
Nick gave him his best thin ice, buddy look. Tammy stifled a giggle.
Cody glared at Nick and Nick glared right back.
“It was a bad bird,” Nick said finally. “If it hadn’t crashed for us--”
“You mean if you hadn’t crashed it--”
“Then a lot of innocent people would’ve been killed. A lot of green pilots, not knowing any better, just seeing how shiny that chopper was, would’ve gone up and been killed by that thing. Can you imagine if it had gone into production? If it had been sent into action? Sikorski’s are the safest birds out there. Sixty years of testing, Cody. Sixty years!”
“Okay okay,” Cody said, he laid a hand on Nick’s arm and left it there. “You made the right call on Baxter’s Bells. You were right about the tail rotor.”
For a moment no one said anything. Then Tammy said: “My grandparents have been married for sixty years as of last summer. That’s nearly three times as long as I’ve been alive.” She looked down at the tabletop, a little unfocused from either the wine or the late night. Nick remembered the coffee and rose, returning to the sideboard. He busied himself with pouring coffee into mugs, ignoring the longer silence. He had no idea how Tammy took hers, but there were a couple pink packets of that Sweet n’ Low crap, and some milk in the mini-fridge that was probably still good. If it wasn’t, then the coffee was probably hot enough to kill anything growing in it anyway.
“She’s gotta be loyal,” Cody said softly. “The thing a lot of people don’t get about Nick is that once he gives you his heart, there’s no turning back. He’s in it to the end. There’s not a lot of people who’d do that, who’d be that daring.”
Nick froze, milk carton in hand.
“An’ I don’t wanna see him get hurt. So whoever Nick winds up with, they’d better be...”
Nick didn’t dare breathe.
“They’d better be...” Cody took a deep breath. For a moment, everything seemed to stop, and Nick would’ve sworn even the Riptide was waiting to hear Cody’s answer.
“They’d better be everything,” Cody said softly. “I mean, the best at everything. If only so they understand what a deal they’re getting with Nick.” He ducked his head. “Nick only deserves the best,” he said softly.
Nick stared. Cody’s hair was getting long in the back, and it was starting to curl under where it met the nape of his neck. It was blond and a little shaggy despite the fact that Nick knew Cody’s hair was actually kind of a light, mousy brown. The more time he spent in the sun, the lighter it got. Nick kept on staring, coffee forgotten.
“I think that’s my cue,” Tammy said softly. She nudged Cody until he slid out of the booth and let her rise, stretching her back and shoulders with a loud crack and a yawn. Cody yawned too, and Nick set his jaw against the urge to follow suit.
“Thank you both for a wonderful evening,” Tammy collected her keys from one of the hooks mounted next to the stairwell. Her flip-flops flapped softly up the stairs as she went, and she closed the hatch behind her with a very soft thump. Nick watched as Cody exhaled softly.
“Cody,” Nick began.
Cody slipped out from behind the table and crossed the room. He disappeared down the stairs to their stateroom without a backwards glance, shutting the door behind him with a bang.
Nick looked down at the coffee, noticing for the first time that he’d only poured two mugs, not three. He looked up towards the stateroom, wonderingly.
It was the work of only a few moments to dispose of the coffee in the mugs. He left what remained in the pot, but turned the burner off. It would be just as good in the morning, if not better. They’d recently installed a simple latch for the aft hatch, for all the good that did them, but Nick dutifully jogged up the stairs and made it fast, then returned to the salon and killed the lights as he crossed the room.
From the top of the stairs, a weak light escaped under the stateroom door, and Nick guessed Cody had his reading light on, but that by the time Nick made it down there, he’d be feigning sleep. The door to the stateroom swung wide, and Nick was proved right on both counts. An open magazine lay facedown on Cody’s chest, rising and falling with his breaths.
“Faker,” Nick said. He kicked his deck shoes off at the foot of his bed, but Cody’s only response was a quickening of his eyelids, a flutter anyone else might’ve missed.
Nick wanted to say something glib, maybe a little teasing, but it really wasn’t necessary. Never had been; he and Cody had never needed a lot of words to get through to one another. Leaning over Cody’s bunk, Nick allowed himself a quiet smile as he watched Cody keep pretending to be asleep. He snapped off the light, and darkness flooded the small cabin.
He pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor, then grinning, he crawled onto the bunk.
Rating: PG
Summary: The Contessa was a game for them, with set rules and safe boundaries, at least while Mama Jo was the Captain.
The Contessa was a game for them, with set rules and safe boundaries, at least while Mama Jo was the Captain.
Her few absences heralded wine-heavy parties, soft music, conversation late into the night. Guys and girls in cramped quarters. Plenty of fun, plenty to brag about on the beach next day.
But Max, the new captain, ran the ship less like a galleon and more like a sorority. Which left Tammy in the Riptide’s salon at 2am while Nick hid his yawns and Cody sat toying with his half-full wineglass, sneaking glances at Nick.
Tammy was sprawled against him, her own glass dangling empty from her fingers. She wasn't drunk, or not drunk enough for Cody to walk her home. Cody wasn't drunk either, at least not drunk enough to take her below.
And Nick had long since sobered up, so much so that he recognized the challenging glint in Tammy’s eyes. She’d had just enough wine to feel bold.
“It’s such a shame about Bambi,” she said with a sigh. “I never thought she’d really do it.”
“Yeah,” Cody answered. “A real shame. Nick’s all broken up about it. Aren’t you, buddy?”
To avoid strangling his partner, Nick rose and crossed to the coffeemaker by the stairs and set about making a fresh pot. “Luckily I’m told time heals all wounds.” He opened the window for good measure, hoping the crisp night air would help sober up their guest. Or at least clear her head.
“Brrr,” said Tammy with a shiver. She scooted closer to Cody, onto his lap nearly, so he was forced to put an arm around her or fall out of the booth.
Nick glowered at the backs of their heads. So much for that idea. “You wanna borrow a sweater, Tammy?”
“No, I’m fine, Nick. I think Cody’s got it under control,” she called over her shoulder.
“I’ll just bet he does,” Nick muttered. Nick had learned a helluva lot from the Army, but the skill he was secretly proudest of was brewing coffee that could keep an entire camp awake for three days on a couple cups. He swore by the stuff, and while Cody sometimes pulled a face at the first sip, more often than not, he was the one who suggested Nick put on a fresh pot. Smirking, Nick clicked the basket closed and filled the machine’s reservoir from the carafe filled with water.
“I mean, Tad’s okay, you know. I mean, he’s pretty good-looking, and he works out and everything. He’s got a pretty nice car, too.”
“Oh come on, he’s got a Sentra,” Nick called as he stabbed the brew switch.
“Don’t be jealous,” Tammy responded. “I mean, you could always sell the Vette. Or maybe Cody would let you borrow the Jimmy.” She and Cody both snickered.
Nick glared as he returned to the table. “I should be so lucky.” He slid into the booth across from Cody. “So what else’s this Tad guy got that I don’t have?”
“Besides Bambi?” Cody answered cheekily. He and Tammy dissolved into a fresh fit of snickering.
“Oh the usual,” she said. “A trust fund, a great job at his dad’s brokerage house...an IQ of 100.” Her eyes gleamed with wicked humor. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. I mean, everyone knows you guys are a great catch.”
“Catches,” Cody answered. “There’s two of us, remember?”
“It’s hard to forget! I mean, you guys are all the Contessa girls can talk about. Nick and Cody this, Nick and Cody that. If I was the jealous type, I’d really be worried.”
Nick bit back a grin and said nothing. The warm, burnt toast aroma of fresh coffee had begun to fill the room.
“So whaddaya think, Cody?” Tammy continued. “What should I tell the girls about Nick’s next perfect date? You’re his best friend, you know him best, you tell me: what’s Nick’s dream girl like?”
For a moment, Nick thought Cody might have a stroke. Nick watched as he composed himself with an effort. “Nick’s...dream girl, should be, I would say, more than reasonably attractive.”
Nick cracked up and Tammy joined him.
“What?” Cody tried. “Come on, you guys. You asked me a serious question--”
“Okay okay,” Tammy said, laying a hand on Cody’s arm. “Keep going. You’re doing great so far.”
Nick bit his lip, but Cody shot Tammy a small smile then turned his eyes to the Riptide’s ceiling for inspiration. “She should be relatively smart but not too smart, not like Murray-smart--”
Nick gave him a look.
“No Nick, just-- remember Natalie and how well that went? Remember her?” Cody turned to Tammy. “He’s clearly not comfortable around women who are smarter than him. Let alone attracted to them.”
Clearly, Nick thought across the table, narrowing his eyes. Nor do I like jack-asses. Where’re you going with this?
“She should like driving, and working on cars,” Cody continued hurriedly. “And helicopters. But no pilots, because Nick gets jealous of other helicopters like they’re other guys, see. Like with Denise. Remember Denise?” Nick nodded and Cody turned back to Tammy. “Denise was this girl we met on a case, and she’s a pilot, but she doesn’t fly the same kind of helicopters Nick flies. Man, you should’ve seen the look on Nick’s face when she told him her helicopter was better than his! I thought for sure he’d never speak to her again but next thing you know--”
“Cody,” Nick tried.
“He’s gotta try her helicopter out! And of course he was right and it crashed and--ow!” Cody shot Nick an injured look, reaching a hand down to rub his shin where Nick had kicked him.
Nick gave him his best thin ice, buddy look. Tammy stifled a giggle.
Cody glared at Nick and Nick glared right back.
“It was a bad bird,” Nick said finally. “If it hadn’t crashed for us--”
“You mean if you hadn’t crashed it--”
“Then a lot of innocent people would’ve been killed. A lot of green pilots, not knowing any better, just seeing how shiny that chopper was, would’ve gone up and been killed by that thing. Can you imagine if it had gone into production? If it had been sent into action? Sikorski’s are the safest birds out there. Sixty years of testing, Cody. Sixty years!”
“Okay okay,” Cody said, he laid a hand on Nick’s arm and left it there. “You made the right call on Baxter’s Bells. You were right about the tail rotor.”
For a moment no one said anything. Then Tammy said: “My grandparents have been married for sixty years as of last summer. That’s nearly three times as long as I’ve been alive.” She looked down at the tabletop, a little unfocused from either the wine or the late night. Nick remembered the coffee and rose, returning to the sideboard. He busied himself with pouring coffee into mugs, ignoring the longer silence. He had no idea how Tammy took hers, but there were a couple pink packets of that Sweet n’ Low crap, and some milk in the mini-fridge that was probably still good. If it wasn’t, then the coffee was probably hot enough to kill anything growing in it anyway.
“She’s gotta be loyal,” Cody said softly. “The thing a lot of people don’t get about Nick is that once he gives you his heart, there’s no turning back. He’s in it to the end. There’s not a lot of people who’d do that, who’d be that daring.”
Nick froze, milk carton in hand.
“An’ I don’t wanna see him get hurt. So whoever Nick winds up with, they’d better be...”
Nick didn’t dare breathe.
“They’d better be...” Cody took a deep breath. For a moment, everything seemed to stop, and Nick would’ve sworn even the Riptide was waiting to hear Cody’s answer.
“They’d better be everything,” Cody said softly. “I mean, the best at everything. If only so they understand what a deal they’re getting with Nick.” He ducked his head. “Nick only deserves the best,” he said softly.
Nick stared. Cody’s hair was getting long in the back, and it was starting to curl under where it met the nape of his neck. It was blond and a little shaggy despite the fact that Nick knew Cody’s hair was actually kind of a light, mousy brown. The more time he spent in the sun, the lighter it got. Nick kept on staring, coffee forgotten.
“I think that’s my cue,” Tammy said softly. She nudged Cody until he slid out of the booth and let her rise, stretching her back and shoulders with a loud crack and a yawn. Cody yawned too, and Nick set his jaw against the urge to follow suit.
“Thank you both for a wonderful evening,” Tammy collected her keys from one of the hooks mounted next to the stairwell. Her flip-flops flapped softly up the stairs as she went, and she closed the hatch behind her with a very soft thump. Nick watched as Cody exhaled softly.
“Cody,” Nick began.
Cody slipped out from behind the table and crossed the room. He disappeared down the stairs to their stateroom without a backwards glance, shutting the door behind him with a bang.
Nick looked down at the coffee, noticing for the first time that he’d only poured two mugs, not three. He looked up towards the stateroom, wonderingly.
It was the work of only a few moments to dispose of the coffee in the mugs. He left what remained in the pot, but turned the burner off. It would be just as good in the morning, if not better. They’d recently installed a simple latch for the aft hatch, for all the good that did them, but Nick dutifully jogged up the stairs and made it fast, then returned to the salon and killed the lights as he crossed the room.
From the top of the stairs, a weak light escaped under the stateroom door, and Nick guessed Cody had his reading light on, but that by the time Nick made it down there, he’d be feigning sleep. The door to the stateroom swung wide, and Nick was proved right on both counts. An open magazine lay facedown on Cody’s chest, rising and falling with his breaths.
“Faker,” Nick said. He kicked his deck shoes off at the foot of his bed, but Cody’s only response was a quickening of his eyelids, a flutter anyone else might’ve missed.
Nick wanted to say something glib, maybe a little teasing, but it really wasn’t necessary. Never had been; he and Cody had never needed a lot of words to get through to one another. Leaning over Cody’s bunk, Nick allowed himself a quiet smile as he watched Cody keep pretending to be asleep. He snapped off the light, and darkness flooded the small cabin.
He pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor, then grinning, he crawled onto the bunk.
