Hangover Plot (for Fraser)

[speakscanadian]

The gentle sway was almost enough to tempt Ray into a deeper sleep but the incessant sting against his face put the kibosh on that. The salty spray from the water forced him onto his side, where his cheek met with prickly fluff. It wasn't his first time experiencing such a thing, so he did what he usually did and shoved at the source of the irritation, grumbling about a stupid dog.

When no bark of retaliation was forthcoming, he creaked open an eye and wondered where they had gotten a multicolored hound from. Memory the wrong side of hazy, Ray hoisted himself up onto an elbow and shaded his eyes with a hand, cogs in his brain slow to start grinding. The sun was low in the sky, so it must have been morning. Congratulating himself on solving that puzzle, his gaze travelled the short distance to the horizon and then lower. To the ocean. And then lower. To the shawn off ends of logs. And then lower. To red knee high boots and yellow spandex currently adorning his bottom half.

Ray's reaction was so violent that it got stuck in his throat as he shot up, coming out as little more than a strangled shout. The raft rocked dangerously with such sudden movement and he clung tightly to whatever he could find.

Comments

[dueright]

"We are not tens of miles from the Island, Ray." And the exaggeration was nothing if not completely expected. "Three, four at the absolute most. And when's the last you've heard of a shark attack here? You'll be fine, I promise. One sign of a dorsal fin and it's back on the raft we go."

[speakscanadian]

"Nobody hears about shark attacks because the only witnesses are those being eaten, that's how everybody disappears," Ray ranted with increasing momentum, stabbing an accusatory finger down at the ocean. "Now I am not getting in the water without at least a life-jacket, a whistle and a nose clip. You want me in there any sooner, you're gonna have to push me in."

Which Fraser the polite Mountie would never, ever do, of course.

"How 'bout you push this bozo in first and keep the raft for yourself," Ray's Pop suggested, giving Fraser beside him a disapproving look. "Out here it's every man for himself. You take the raft, he's shark bait and I can get some peace and quiet. Badda bing. Everybody's a winner."

"You can go drown yourself is what you can do," Ray sniped back.

[dueright]

"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears, but there's no need to get snippy." That wasn't going to get them back to the island any faster. And at this point, with no idea how or why they were even out there, Ray had no grounds to assume it was Fraser's fault and to be angry at him for it. It very well could have been, but neither of them knew that for certain. He was innocent until proven otherwise.

[speakscanadian]

"I'm not getting snippy!" Ray replied, frustration growing. If his Pop wanted him to stay on the raft, then Ray knew what he had to do. He dropped his legs over the side and into the water. "Let's go. I need to pee anyway."

[dueright]

Since Ray seemed to have found his nerve, Fraser decided not to press the matter, and instead took Ray's lead and mirrored him on the opposite side of the raft.

He paused before actually heading in. "Do you think we've eaten within the hour?"

[speakscanadian]

With half a groan, Ray rolled his eyes and dropped into the water without replying. They widened at the temperature, having imagined sinking into a warm bath. It was a freaking desert island, for God's sake!

"Fraser, I'm tired already," he told him after dipping his head to get it over with. It didn't do much for his headache.