Title: Beautiful isolation
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: Teen?
Length: 1200 words
Content notes: Off-screen sex, pre-fic violence
Author notes: Spies!AU but before these two are spies, Zazu/Ascot hiding out after Ascot got injured.
Summary: If only Ascot were well, this… might actually feel like a proper holiday, Zazu thought, wistfully.



oOo

It took longer than Zazu had planned to get everything set up in the back of the van he’d bought – he got things set up enough that they could sleep, and wouldn’t be murdered by half-built flat-pack furniture, but between grabbing enough sleep that he was safe to drive and then doing the actual driving, taking them further and further north and then sneaking across the border in the early hours of the morning, far off road in the middle of some managed woodland, Ascot fast asleep in the seat beside him.

He wasn’t letting Ascot heal until that gunshot wound was healed enough that heavy painkillers and antibiotics weren’t in the equation. So Zazu was doing all the driving himself, despite Ascot’s occasional protests that he was sure he could do a bit of driving himself, it didn’t hurt that much…

But they made it, getting up to a huge wilderness area up in the mountains, where they could look just like any other tourists here on holiday. It was too early in the year to be busy, and it wasn’t school holidays for anyone, so there was just enough other people about for them to blend into the area, but not have to share any campsites. Especially once Zazu turned them up onto the higher mountain roads.

Theirs wasn’t even the only converted van Zazu had seen on the road up here, and slowly his shoulders began to relax.

The fourth day he got into a place he thought might do for a bit – it was a smaller, one-pitch site available as an off-shoot from a larger site that took something like thirty RVs a couple of miles down the road. So there was a large showerblock and facilities they could go use down there, if they wanted to, but up here there was one rather rustic out-house and no one else.

(Well, there were probably bears, but he’d read all the leaflets and had the bear spray stuff with them, and anyway there apparently weren’t many around.)

The site was completely out of view of the roads, a clearing in the middle of the trees, and he spent most of the day finishing off the furnishings while Ascot drowsed on the folding lounger they’d picked up.

That night, Ascot woke up enough to cook for them over the actual firepit, and they sat watching the stars come out as sparks from the dying fire flickered up into the night sky.

If only Ascot were well, this… might actually feel like a proper holiday, Zazu thought, wistfully.

Then Ascot started to nod off again, body obviously working hard to heal up, and Zazu bustled them both back into the van for the night.

oOo

Ascot woke up slowly, feeling more rested than he remembered being in years. Zazu lay beside him, still fast asleep, curled in on himself and half-cocooned in the duvet they’d ended up buying instead of sleeping bags. Ascot vaguely remembered insisting it would be cosier; he’d been pretty out of it at that point, but he’d also been right.

Thin morning sunlight was trickling into the van through a crack in the hastily-rigged curtains Zazu had strung up between the cockpit and the body of the van, and outside he could hear nothing but birdsong.

Gingerly, he pushed himself upright; his side twinged, but the sharp stabbing pains didn’t make a return.

He wasn’t entirely sure how many days it had been since they’d escaped the shooting incident and abandoned city, state, and country. Long enough he hopefully wouldn’t need as much pain relief today; it left him feeling very foggy each time, and he didn’t think it had helped him stay awake.

Zazu made a soft noise as the mattress shifted, curling up harder, clutching the duvet like a lifeline. The light just about reached his head where it lay on the pillow, gleaming on the tousled mess of his dark hair. It was getting a bit longer than usual, and Ascot’s fingers itched to run through it.

Instead, he carefully got himself up, and found a soft jacket he could pull on without too much trouble before heading to the little kitchenette area at the back of the van, and trying to remember how Zazu had said the power worked.

Half an hour later, sat with his legs dangling out the side of the van and a mug of tea warming his hands, he heard Zazu roll over with a thump and looked back to see a set of very sleepy eyes blink at him.

“…Ascot?”

“Morning,” Ascot said, smiling at him. “I worked out the kettle. Would you like some coffee?”

“…Please?” Zazu said, and then shook his head, waking up further. “No, I mean, that’s fine, I’ll get it. You stay there – you should have woken me up, I could have made you tea-“

“I was fine,” Ascot told him, and caught Zazu’s arm as he came past, tugging him down next to him. “I’m feeling a lot better today.” The morning light made his eyes gleam almost golden, and Ascot ran a hand up into the soft tangles of his hair, leaning in to kiss him.

“Mmpf?” Zazu wobbled, and pulled back, eyes wide. “Ascot-“

“Thank you,” Ascot said, and smiled at the flush that flooded across Zazu’s face. He was just – too cute, and he’d done all this while Ascot was mostly unconscious, to keep him safe.

Ascot pulled him back in to kiss him again, and Zazu shuddered against him, hands welded to the mattress below them like he was about to fall out of the van if he didn’t hold on.

“How about you lay back down?” Ascot suggested, fingers tightening in Zazu’s hair.

“But – your side-“ Zazu’s voice was rough, cracking on the words, and Ascot grinned at him.

“I’ll be careful.”

“Someone might – see?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone out here but bears, and I don’t think they’ll care if I’m thanking my husband for looking after me,” Ascot said, but he conceded enough to pull his legs back in and close up the door, setting his tea safely aside in the little kitchenette.

“Still – ah!” Zazu lost his balance while trying to keep out of the way and ended up flat on his back in the rumpled covers, t-shirt rucked up to bare his stomach.

Ascot shifted closer, eyeing the space he had to work with, and grinned. “Yeah, that’ll work,” he murmured, and leaned carefully in.

oOo

Some time later, the sun was high enough that a shaft of light came through the middle of the van, falling across Zazu again as he lay against Ascot’s uninjured side and tried to catch his breath.

“…Give me a few minutes and I can reciprocate?” Zazu offered, making an obscene and eloquent gesture with the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Ascot.

“That’s fine. I’m not sure I’m up for that quite yet,” Ascot said, and silently blamed too much time with Caldina for his nearly laughing at the innuendo. “Maybe tomorrow?”

Zazu twisted to look at him, still shuddering slightly. “But you’re okay? You didn’t wrench anything when-“

“I’ve no regrets.” Ascot kissed him again, enjoying the way Zazu leaned into the touch instantly, a moan caught in his throat. “Not about being here, or anything else. And my side is fine as it was this morning.” Another kiss, open-mouthed. “Maybe tomorrow. We’ve got time, haven’t we?”

“Plenty,” Zazu promised, and kissed him again, fingers gentle as they ran up into Ascot’s hair. “As much time as you want.”

“Perfect.”