“See you poor schmucks on Tuesday,” Dee called cheerfully to his colleagues as he and Ryo got ready to leave work. They had three blissful days off ahead of them, while their friends would all be working. “Think of us, loungin’ on the deck of our boat while you’re all workin’ your tails off!” It might not have been the most tactful thing to say, but Dee couldn’t resist rubbing it in just a little.

“It’s alright for some,” Ted grumbled good naturedly. “Livin’ it up on the ocean wave while the rest of us are busy trying to keep our little corner of the city safe. Bet we won’t even cross your minds.”

“You’ve got that right,” Dee said, smirking. “We’re gonna be way too busy enjoyin’ ourselves, lazin’ on deck in the sunshine, to think about anything to do with work.”

“If you were any kind of friend, you’d take us with you from time to time.”

“And who’d be left here to do the work?” Dee teased.

“Asshole.” Ted shot his friend an unamused look.

“Our boat isn’t big enough for that,” Ryo pointed out, smoothing things over. “There’s only one cabin.”

“I wasn’t talkin’ about overnight or anything, just for an afternoon, a fishing trip maybe.”

“We don’t fish,” Dee pointed out. “Neither do you, far as I know. ’Sides, the one time we let you aboard, you got seasick. We never even left the Upper Bay.”

“Wasn’t seasickness, I had a hangover!”

“That’s your excuse. Face it, Ted, you and boats just don’t mix. You think the water was rough that time, try bein’ out in a six-foot swell, and that’s just an average day offshore, when the water’s calm. Ryo and me, we love it, but bein’ out at sea isn’t for everyone.”

“Yeah, well, doesn’t mean I can’t get envious. Some people have all the luck. Just don’t go fallin’ overboard while you’re out there lazin’ about.

“Not gonna happen. We’re smart enough to wear lifejackets if conditions get a bit rough. Doesn’t pay to take chances at sea. Hell, we roped ourselves to everything didn’t move the one time we got hit with a bad storm. Now that was scary, it came up outta nowhere! Anyway, we already wasted enough time listenin’ to you guys gripe and moan. Gotta go, see ya in a few!”

“Have a great time!” JJ called cheerfully. “Don’t forget your sunscreen!”

“As if!” Dee laughed. “That was the first thing Ryo packed! He has a checklist.”

“It was not!” Ryo protested, “It was the second!” He didn’t elaborate on what the first item on his list had been, though. They left the squad room to the accompaniment of laughter. Pretty much everyone could guess what had topped the list, probably put there by Dee.

Three hours later, all the essentials stowed onboard and everything properly secured, Dee took the helm, steering their boat between the marker buoys, down the river, through the upper and lower bay, and finally out onto the open ocean. There was a fresh breeze blowing, taking the edge off the heat, and the sun was gradually sinking towards the horizon somewhere behind them, although with it being midsummer, they still had another three or four hours of daylight left. Plenty of time to make some decent headway.

They planned to head north, since they only had three days. Get as far as someplace in Maine and enjoy a lobster dinner ashore at a good restaurant before turning for home again. They’d done it before, several times; it was a fairly easy jaunt in good weather, no need to rush. There were plenty of small coastal towns up that way. Maybe they’d try Rockland this time, they hadn’t stopped there before. Or maybe they’d get as far as Bar Harbor. Didn’t really matter where they spent their brief shore leave, since the whole point was to enjoy being out on the water, leaving all the troubles and cares of their working lives far behind.

Later, as the sun was setting, and with the boat’s course set on autopilot, they sat on the foredeck, eating a late dinner and sipping the single beer they allowed themselves. It was no wiser to drink and sail than it was to drink and drive, and conditions at sea could be unpredictable, so one beer each a day was their limit. The rest of the time, it was coffee, tea, fruit juice, soda, or bottled water.

They could let their hair down a bit over their restaurant dinner, order a couple glasses of wine with their meal, maybe a brandy after, because they’d be sleeping it off moored safely in a slip at a marina and be completely sober by the time they cast off the next morning. When they were in charge of a boat on the open water though, it was essential to keep their wits about them. So far from sure, they only had themselves to rely on if they encountered unexpected problems.

“I kinda feel bad for the others,” Ryo mused, tipping his head back to look up at the darkening sky where the first stars were just becoming visible. “We’re so much luckier that they are.”

“Yeah, I know, but if they wanna take a fishin’ trip or whatever that badly, they could pool their resources and rent a boat for a few days, just like we used to do before Biks hit the bigtime and set us up with our own,” Dee reminded his lover.

“Except that none of them have any idea how to handle a boat. They’d have to charter one instead of just renting, complete with someone to sail her and keep them out of trouble. That would cost more.”

“Still doable. JJ could afford it all by himself. Hell, his folks probably own a boat, maybe more than one, but ya don’t hear anyone beggin’ him to take them sailin’, and he’s not fool enough to offer. Who wants to deal with a bunch of rowdy, drunken cops rockin’ the boat? Don’t get me wrong, they’re great guys, but in a confined space, a mile or two out at sea…” Dee trailed off, pulling a face. “Not my idea of a good time. We come out here to escape our stressful lives, don’t wanna bring ‘em with.”

Ryo smiled ruefully. “You have a point.”

“Damn right I do. Anyway, enough talk of our friends. They’re not here, and we promised never to talk about work when we’re at sea. All that stuff gets left behind.”

“You’re right.” Ryo finished his beer. “It’s a beautiful night, we should be making the most of it. Three days isn’t all that long; it’ll be over before we know it.”

“So we don’t dwell on that. Just live in the moment.”

Ryo glanced at his lover, faintly illuminated by the boat’s running light. “If you mean what I think you mean, I’d better clear the dishes away. We don’t want to lose half the contents of the galley overboard.”

“I’ll give ya a hand gettin’ everything washed and stowed, then grab a blanket. Don’t wanna waste a night like this cooped up in our cabin.”

Being on their boat meant total freedom. They could spend all night on deck if they wanted. Maybe they would.


The End