Author's Note: Written for Krysana, who also wrote one (that is, a RanKen fic in a canoe).
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Weiss Kreuz.
Warnings: RanKen? But everything I write is...
In A Canoe
by Seph Lorraine
He was panting hard, his boots pounding against the dark pavement as he turned the corner of the large warehouse. He had been trying to shake these guys for ten minutes now, and despite his extensive athletic abilities, he was quickly losing his steam. Though, if it kept him from being shot, he could handle the breathlessness and the ache in his sides.
He could hear them racing behind him. Running fast to keep up. Aiming their guns and firing off close shots that flashed past his ears and arms in gusts of warm air. They were too slow to catch him, and every minute he ran, they fell back a little more.
Though that hardly mattered when they had long-range weapons.
He cursed the idiot in Kritiker who had decided against just giving them all guns.
He had almost come to one of the four the building's next corner, and the lake they had passed on coming was coming slowly into vision just beyond. It wasn't exactly a promising getaway, but there weren't that many options left at this point. He would have to go swimming, it seemed.
He always knew those goggles he wore would one day serve a purpose.
As he sprinted along the side of the building towards the opening that led to the large lake, a silhouetted figure appeared, stepping around the corner with perfect grace and stealth. Violet eyes widened.
CRASH
"Oof!"
"Nngh!"
The redhead was thrown back with the force of the brunette's running body as it smashed into his chest. Strangely, though, he had no time to lose balance or even glare at the younger man as his hand was grabbed and he was drug along behind his teammate, whom had yet to stop running despite their impact.
"Siberian, what--"
"Not now, Aya! We're going swimming!"
"What--"
The sound of approaching gunfire answered his question before he could vocalise it, and he increased his pace to catch up with the brunette, as they ran towards the lake.
Violet eyes quickly scanned the area for alternatives of escape, but found none aside from the lake that stretched out mere metres from them. At this rate they would probably both be shot or drown. Yet, as he looked down to his left he caught sight of a small dock, in which were fastened three small canoes.
Without pausing in his stride, the redhead pulled his teammate to his left, running towards the boats, their pursuers still a ways back. The brunette seemed to have caught on to his not yet fully-formulated idea, and hurried along with him towards the small narrow boats, each tethered tightly to on of the short wooden dock posts.
Their feet pounded against the boards of the dock as they ran, making Aya mentally wince at the sound. It would be no good if their followers knew where they went. They were lucky to have the darkness to hide them, but that didn't do a lot for the world of sound.
Ken reached the first canoe before him, untying it quickly from one of the posts and jumping in without hesitation.
The canoe rocked dangerously, knocking the brunette onto his back along the length of the inside of the small narrow boat with a few choice curses. Ran took no time in stepping down, more gracefully, and grabbing one of the oars, with which he pushed against one of the posts and cast them off.
"Aya, I'm not sure this thing is stable--"
"Shhh!" The older man snapped, pulling at the oars and sending them out farther along the right side of the lake and into the trees.
"But--"
Aya gave the brunette a narrow glare, which he only rolled his eyes at, and continued to row.
"You're such an arse." The brunette whispered, unable to pull himself up from Aya's current position on his legs.
"And you're a fool." The older man muttered under his breath.
The sound of their pursuers approaching the lake was distinctly heard by both men, and the redhead moved quickly, pulling the oars into the boat and stretching himself alongside his shorter teammate at the bottom of the boat. Hopefully in the darkness the boat would be overlooked, or seem unoccupied.
They were as silent as was possible for the situation, laying side by side, Aya partially draped over the younger man beneath him. They listened quietly despite their labourous breathing. They simply lay, drifting idly along the right side of the lake.
Aya frowned at the feeling a the otherman's elbow digging into his side and adjusted himself lightly, causing the man half-beneath him to intake breath sharply as the boat rocked dangerously.
"Don't do that! You'll tip us over!"
The redhead reached forward, clamping a hand over Ken's mouth for silence and shot him a mild glare before pulling it away again. He continued to listen silently for a while longer. Moving really hadn't helped him anyway, now there was an oar handle pressing distinctly at a place where it shouldn't be.
The water made small lapping sounds and splashes against the sides of the small boat, yet it was barely audible above Ken's panted breathing. It was obvious the other man had been running for a while before they had collided. He could hear Ken's breathing at his side vividly amoung all other small noises. The scene instilled a sense of peace in the redhead, like all those nights he lay in the darkness, both his and Ken's harsh breathing an echolalia in his ears. Though, that wasn't exactly the result of running.
Aya frowned. He was on a mission, he didn't have time to be thinking about that right now.
He unintentionally drew in a breath when the brunette turned his head slightly, his breathing falling in whispers of warm air over his ear and down his neck, causing all of the small hairs in the sensitive area to rise. In response, he turned his head to find himself face to face with the younger man. His eyes were closed for the moment, seemingly captured by the same thoughts, and he was breathing deeply through lightly parted lips, his chest moving as he did so.
He felt himself move closer unintentionally, pulling at his legs and turning to face the brunette directly. A hand drifted up slowly, brushing some hair from his eyes, and watching lightly as brown eyes opened to stare at him blankly.
"We have to find a way to get to shore without being spotted." He kept his voice at a whisper, not moving his eyes from their gaze with the younger man's. His hand, however, drifted slowly down the side of the other man's face.
Ken grinned suddenly, "You're having homosexual thoughts again, Aya."
The redhead rolled his eyes at that, "You wish."
"I am, too."
"Then stop."
"I can't." This time the brunette pushed himself closer, turning onto his side, leaving them chest to chest at the bottom of the canoe.
Ran rolled his eyes, lifting himself lightly to peer out over the rim of the small boat. The shore was abandoned. Their followers must have simply concluded that they got away, "They're all gone."
"Well then we better find a way to get to shore." Ken spoke quietly, fingers idly winding themselves into his parter's red hair, with the vague feeling he had heard it somewhere before.
The redhead felt a growl rising in the back of his throat and was seriously considering tossing the younger man out to save himself by his own aquatic skills, when he felt it again. The rising of that tickling feeling against his neck, and the fingers running lingerly through his hair. His abusive thoughts came to a steady halt when two practiced lips brushed against the sensitive skin at the base of his neck, a tongue darting out to mark the spot and trail up to his left ear.
He felt more shifting against his side, and this time he was being pulled to lay against the floor of the canoe. Ken adjusted himself to straddle the redhead, knees pressing-- admittedly somewhat uncomfortably-- into the sides of the redhead's waist and the tough walls of the boat. He reached forward tilting his lover's face back in his direction and leaned down from above the redhead, pressing their lips together soundly. He kissed the slightly older man sweetly, tongue demanding access as he focused his talented lips on Aya's own, fingers roaming. There was a spark evident in brown eyes, despite the darkness. One hand ran down the skin of his firey-haired lover's neck and over the wrinkled fabric of his shirt, slowly dragging itself against the pale skin before it set work to one of the heavy buckles on the redhead's long leather jacket.
Aya, himself, felt compelled to keep from breaking the kiss as the younger man made quick work of his jacket, fingers now grasping the belt-loops of his fastly tightening pants, and quickly moving towards the button. However, the other man's knees were really beginning to hurt his sides. Without a hint at his movement and forgetting that you can't exactly roll over in a canoe, he pushed the younger man back, pulling him down at his side, and turning to reverse their situation with him on top.
Ken blinked in surprise at finding himself looking up at the redhead instead of down, and the side of the canoe against his back again. Yet strangely, the side of the canoe seemed to have become the bottom of the canoe very quickly, and he seemed to be getting very wet.
The canoe, unable to stable itself after the sudden movement, capsized.
The birds in the trees, slightly startled, quickly molted and flew south.
They were in a tangle of limbs beneath the water, each pulling to withdraw from the other and reach the surface. Air was a necessity, and neither was particularly fond of inhaling any more water than they already had from falling in. The redhead reached the surface first, gasping for air and coughing, paying no mind to the noise anymore. If they were going to be caught, someone would have heard the splash anyway.
After a moment or two and a series of bubbles, Ken poked his head up from the water, his jacket billowing out at his sides, his hair soaked and dripping into his eyes, and his hands drifting jerkily through the water as he tried to keep himself afloat.
What really irked the redhead, though, was the fact that the other man was laughing, despite the pain in his nose.
"He he! You tipped the canoe! Way to go, Grace!" More chuckling, possibly because it was such an ungraceful action for someone as graceful as Fujimiya Aya.
The redhead shot him a cool violet glare.
The brunette continued to snigger despite this, merely choking a bit when the redhead suddenly reached forward and shoved him back under again.
Sighing, and trying his best to just forget about what had been about to transpire (the cold temperature of the lake and brunette's sudden giggle-spell having completely ruined the mood) the redhead calmly began swimming towards the bank of trees, growling, "Well at least we weren't shot."
Gunfire and yelling began again across the lake, as a flurry of men started down towards the docks. The laughter had stopped, and frantic swimming was heard as the brunette quickly began in his direction, knowing what was coming. Aya could feel a destinct twitch beginning in his right eye.
"Shit."