The Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Friday morning

[betterthanaplan]

Duke didn’t know it, but all the clothing on the Rouge that wasn’t currently on his body vanished the moment he crossed into Fandom waters.

What he did know was that going from April 2010 to July 2020 was a much more obvious transition than it had been the other way around. It was like sailing into a vat of hot jello. He squinted into the sun, then stripped off his overshirt, letting it fall to the floor of the wheelhouse.

The overshirt vanished, too. That he noticed.

". . . Yeah, I'm definitely back in Fandom."

He sailed into port without managing to lose any more clothes, but the ones he was wearing (an undershirt and a pair of fairly threadbare cotton shorts) were rapidly going damp in the face of the sweltering, cloying air. He was hard-pressed as he dropped anchor and tied the Rouge down at her usual slip not to strip off the rest of his clothes and just dive straight into the water. He sent out a few texts, then flopped onto the deck to splay out like a starfish.

"Swear to god, if this place got invaded by a clothing-eating heat demon while I was away I will turn this boat around and go right back to Maine."

Well, no. He wouldn't. But he'd really want to.

[open! work is going to do its best to break me today, so some SP will be in effect BUT I NEED DISTRACTIONS]

Comments

[grenadesandohana]

Steve had made himself comfortable on the beach after his check-in at the police station: board shorts, sunglasses, no shirt, lukewarm beer at way-too-early-but-this-was-still-vacation o'clock.

He gave the ship a professional once-over as it docked and gave the captain a casual wave.

[betterthanaplan]

Oh hey. Who was the new beefcake?

Duke waved back. After sprawling on the deck for long enough to establish that, no, no matter how much he tried just lying around not moving, his clothing would not be drying out again, he got up and wandered over.

"Hey, how's it going?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Can't complain," Steve said, unlike some people, who complained incessantly. "Good day to work on my tan."

[betterthanaplan]

"Right. Sure."

Duke was wondering if this guy was the clothing-eating heat demon, yes.

"Name's Duke Crocker. You're new around here, right?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Affirmative," Steve said, nodding. "Arrived on Wednesday. It really is a small island, if you can figure out that I'm new from sight. And here I was thinking Lanai was little."

[betterthanaplan]

"Yeah, man, even my hometown looks huge compared to this place. And it's tiny."

Haven had like 20,000 people. It was perfectly reasonably sized.

"Spend a lot of time in Hawaii, do you?"

[grenadesandohana]

Steve nodded. "Born and raised there. Have you been?"

[betterthanaplan]

"A few times, yeah." He nodded back to the Rouge. "Been just about anywhere I can sail to at least once, but Hawaii's kind of a favorite. It's funny, you're the second guy to show up from there this summer."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve grinned. "Short, blond, talks with his hands?" he asked. "Danny's my partner."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke's eyes went wide. "Holy shit, you're the super-SEAL."

Your reputation preceded you, Steve.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve grinned. "He's been talking me up?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Did you really stash grenades in his glove compartment?"

That was a 'yes'.

[grenadesandohana]

"Of course I did," Steve said. "They bounce around too much in the trunk."

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah. Right. Of course, I should have thought of that." He maybe should have. It wasn't like he didn't have explosive ordinance tucked away on his boat.

Key word there was his though. He only stashed weapons on his own property.

Duke's eyes flicked up and down Steve's frame in a quick but clear once over. "You know, I can kind of see it."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve had boundary issues when it came to how Danny's stuff might not also be his stuff, somehow?

"You can see what?" Steve asked, taking another drink from his beer.

[betterthanaplan]

"Why Danny's practically incapable of not bringing you up every ten minutes."

Sorry, Danny. At least he wasn't jumping right into "he's in love with you"?

[grenadesandohana]

Steve arched an eyebrow up. "Can't believe he's still going on about the grenades."

He'd done a hundred different stupid things since then!

[betterthanaplan]

"He only really mentioned it once," Duke admitted. "It just kind of . . . sticks out."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve grinned. "It was expeditious. Grenades are great for opening locked doors."

So were keys, but where was the fun in that?

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah." Duke nodded. "I mean, there are more subtle ways of getting into places, but sure. Explosives."

[grenadesandohana]

"I knock sometimes, too," Steve said.

And then kick the door in!

[betterthanaplan]

"Oh, well. That makes the grenades all better."

[grenadesandohana]

"I only use the grenades if they don't answer," Steve said, nodding firmly. "Or I feel like it."

This was why Danny despaired, Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well. I'm sure people appreciate that level of discretion," Duke said. He sighed. "But yeah, I get the feeling you're going to fit in around here just fine."

[grenadesandohana]

"Danny said that too, but in not as complimentary a tone," Steve said.