Riptide 1sentences - A View from the Horizon
OMG this was so much fun. Come play, peoples!
Title: A View from the Horizon
Fandom: Riptide
Pairing: Nick Ryder/Cody Allen
Theme set: Alpha for
1sentence
Rating: NC17
Genre: Pre-Slash, Slash
Warning[s]: Creative use of punctuation.
Disclaimer: Not mine. No money being made. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Not a story. Fifty sentences, depicting events which begin in Vietnam and fit with what's happened in my Horizons series where Nick and Cody get together shortly after the end of Echoes. I have done some creative filling in of / guessing about canon blanks in this. These sentences are in order of the events depicted by them, not the prompts. If I've made a mistake/taken liberties with canon order, please excuse me.
A View from the Horizon
#03 - Soft
People that don't know Nick well think he's rough, unsympathetic, maybe even a bit of a bully, but Cody saw through the tough-guy front the first day they met - saw his softer side, his compassion and how much it hurt him that he couldn't change what was going on - and they were buddied up before the sun went down.
#21 - Life
Nick used to be afraid of the future, he knew from experience that life was damn good at leaving you with nothing; but the day he met Cody Allen turned a lot of things he'd believed upside down.
#27 - Blood
Cody used as much of their water as he dared to bathe the blood off Nick's face; he was relieved when Nick spoke but the only answer he could give was that they were stuck on the ridge, and the only thing to do was keep their heads down and pray Pitbull got through.
#31 - Home
Cody never shuts up about home and the damn boat he's planning to live on if they ever get out of here alive; but Nick prefers not to think of going back to the good old USA and a future that doesn't have Cody in it.
#45 - Hell
The night air was stifling and every sound was Charley creeping closer; he'd heard guys call it hell and in a way it was, but if it meant Nick beside him, he'd choose hell over just about anywhere else he could think of.
#42 - Clouds
Since he got back from Vietnam, the sky's been cloudy and his mood's been as dark as the weather - he's not sure which is hardest to take, the nightmares that won't let him sleep or the hollow pain when he turns to speak to Cody and he's not there.
#23 - Hands
Cody reported for duty with the Military Police without really knowing what to expect; when he was introduced to his partner he only nodded and said "Ryder", and all Nick said was "Allen", but their clasped hands said a hell of a lot more.
#17 - Tears
Nick's mother died when he was away in Vietnam, but he'd been back a year when it really hit him - he went straight to a bar with no plans to ever come out again, until Cody, dodging his drunken punches, fetched him out and took him home; then held him when he finally cried.
#32 - Confusion
The war left him confused about a lot of things he used to think were set in stone, and he misses having Nick around to talk stuff through with; he has a lot of fun with Byron, but Byron's not a vet and doesn't get it - doesn't get him.
#43 - Sky
The sky's a big place, and you'd think somewhere in all that space he'd be able shake off any kind of bad memories; but every time he closes his eyes he sees Cody Allen's face and wishes that things had turned out differently.
#15 - Touch
It is a nice boat, Nick admits, and Cody's as excited as a little kid at Christmas, showing off his new toy; he's stroking the railing and Nick suddenly thinks he must touch a woman that same way - he means to look away but somehow he can't.
#24 - Taste
Nick unloads his stuff, tasting the salt in the air; he never thought he'd ever live on a boat, let alone be happy about it, but he can't wipe the grin off his face, even when Cody asks where he parked the pink garbage truck.
#19 - Wind
The wind is fierce even in the harbor, and they've got the Riptide well battened down; they're settled in with beer and a movie, ignoring the storm and enjoying how damn good it feels to be together again.
#09 - Telephone
Tina calls and says she doesn't want to see him anymore, and Cody thinks he should be upset; but when Nick tells him to forget the stupid bimbo and why don't they blow the tourists off this weekend and take a fishing trip instead, he starts the Riptide's engine feeling happier than he has for months.
#36 - Market
The tourism market sure isn't the goldmine they hoped it would be, in fact it's damned hard to make ends meet, and that's the only reason Nick agrees to go along with Cody's hare-brained Hardy Boys scheme; that, and he's always been a sucker for Cody's grin.
#16 - Weakness
There's nothing they haven't done for each other, one time or another; war's got a way of exposing weakness, and they've learned how to see each other through damn near anything.
#18 - Speed
More than once, Cody catching his eye at the right moment has stopped Nick from rushing into something he knows he would have ended up regretting.
#30 - Star
Cody took a hard knock and he's still seeing stars, but Murray arrived with Quinlan in time; Cody brushes off Nick's concern, saying he's fine, but he's secretly glad when Nick refuses to be brushed off and puts a supporting arm around him.
#25 - Devotion
Nick can tell there's something screwy about Sheila, but Cody won't listen - he never does when Nick warns him about women, he's got some kind of mental block when it comes to pretty girls - and Nick knows he'll just have to wait it out, like he's done often enough before, and be ready with tequila and a shoulder when Cody needs him.
#10 - Ears
Cody was concussed and beat up, but there was nothing wrong with his ears; and Nick's words made him wonder, for the first time, just why he'd ever thought Sheila was so important.
#07 - Chocolate
Nick's bought Peggy flowers and chocolate, and Cody's not sure why he's irritated about that - once Nick goes out he heads next door to see if flirting with Tammy will improve his mood.
#04 - Pain
The way he and Cody had fought over the whole Tricor thing hurt a hell of a lot more than the bullet had, and Cody's supporting arm as they boarded the Riptide eased more than the pain in his side.
#28 - Sickness
The bullet wound's not serious, but Nick's feverish and uncomfortable, and when Cody starts fussing with a cool wash-cloth it feels so good to have him close that Nick hardly protests at all.
#29 - Melody
Any time Doo Wah Diddy Diddy comes on the radio they think of Murray's lie detector and trade a grin.
#39 - Smile
Janet wants him to stay and maybe they could even make it work, but it doesn't feel right and he tells her no; he knows he has a lot of good reasons but when she asks him why, the first thing he thinks of is Nick's smile.
#13 - Death
There were two times Cody thought he'd lost Nick - once in Vietnam, and once, before Deke died; somehow, he'd always known Renee wasn't a threat.
#37 - Technology
Murray's explaining an important result he's found with the Roboz and Cody's trying to understand; but he can see Nick looking at him over Murray's head and somehow he can't concentrate on anything except the blue of Nick's eyes and the shape of his smile.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
There's thunder in the distance and Cody can't help worrying, even though Murray's told him at least six times that Nick's not due back for an hour, he knows Nick's a great pilot and Nick always says Sikorskys can handle any kind of weather; he knows he's over-reacting but until he hears the Mimi coming in he can't relax.
#35 - Bonds
About once a year, they have a fight bad enough one of them threatens to leave, but deep down they both know it's just posturing; they've tested their bond pretty thoroughly over the years and it won't - can't - break.
#41 - Completion
They'd been so close for so many years that they didn't need words any more - one glance at Nick was all Cody needed to complete his thought.
#08 - Happiness
He's tried - real hard - to fall in love with a girl and get a shot at happiness, and a couple of times he even thought he was getting somewhere; but if he's honest with himself he knows it's Nick, always been Nick, since the day they met.
#33 - Fear
It's getting a lot harder for him to pretend to himself that friendship is all there is between them, especially now he's started to realize that the idea of losing Cody is a whole hell of a lot more frightening than the idea of loving him.
#02 - Kiss
Nick's lips felt as good against his as he'd always believed they would - on his cock, they felt better than anything he'd ever imagined.
#12 - Sensual
Every time they kiss, Cody loses himself in the sensual pleasure of Nick's tongue exploring his mouth, knowing, confident, lewd.
#01 - Comfort
Two grown men wedged into one narrow bunk isn't always comfortable, but it's home and there's nowhere else they'd rather be.
#40 - Innocence
They worried to begin with that Murray wouldn't understand, but it turned out he was a lot less innocent than they thought - he'd known all along, loved them for it, and had a secret of his own.
#47 - Moon
They're anchored in a secluded cove, and while Murray's downstairs working on some project (they're still shy about touching too much in front of him) they make out on deck in the moonlight, feeling like guilty teenagers.
#05 - Potatoes
Nick was peeling the potatoes, not thinking about anything much, when Cody came up behind him and kissed him; moments like that still left him light-headed.
#06 - Rain
It does rain in Southern California, no matter what the freaking song says, and he's soaked to the skin and grumpy about it - but when Cody follows him into the bathroom and locks the door behind them Nick forgets to scowl.
#11 - Name
His name on Cody's lips is magic, Nick thinks; the single syllable can turn any moment from pandemonium to perfection.
#14 - Sex
The sex is great, mind-blowing even, but what's even better is what comes afterwards - Cody's never felt as secure as he does when Nick holds him and whispers in his ear.
#20 - Freedom
Sometimes they ache for the freedom to walk down the pier holding hands or to kiss on the beach - instead they make do with the occasional weekend anchored somewhere private, when Murray's away at a conference.
#22 - Jealousy
Nick, watching his face, hates that women who didn't care - stupid women who hurt Cody - have seen him at this moment of vulnerability, this precious instant that should be Nick's alone.
#26 - Forever
The Vietnam nightmares still come, and the years haven't dimmed the pictures even a fraction - he figures they'll haunt him forever - but when he wakes up and Nick's holding him there's nothing he'd do differently; not one thing.
#38 - Gift
The way Nick gives himself, open and trusting, tells Cody more surely than any words that Nick loves him, wants him, belongs to him; he likes to believe it's a gift only for him, that Nick was different, with women; and maybe it's true.
#44 - Heaven
This can't be heaven because neither of them fit any description of angels he's ever heard of, and anyway, God wouldn't be dumb enough to locate heaven right in Redondo where anyone could find it, but when Cody looks at him that way Nick thinks God just might be on their side.
#46 - Sun
They often sit together on deck and watch the sunset; they don't touch in case the neighbors see, but they're together and that's enough.
#48 - Waves
The sweetest lullaby he's ever heard is the lap of waves against the Riptide's hull and Nick's heartbeat next to his ear.
#49 - Hair
Cody loves Nick's hands in his hair and Nick knows it, and makes a point of tangling his fingers through the golden strands, until what Cody's doing destroys his co-ordination.
#50 - Supernova
Nick thrusts into him and a supernova flings him outside the world; he's lost in space with no way back but Nick - Nick, the only one who can take him there and the only one who can bring him home.
Horizons | No Fear (First Story in Horizons)
More Stories
Title: A View from the Horizon
Fandom: Riptide
Pairing: Nick Ryder/Cody Allen
Theme set: Alpha for
1sentence
Rating: NC17
Genre: Pre-Slash, Slash
Warning[s]: Creative use of punctuation.
Disclaimer: Not mine. No money being made. No copyright infringement intended.
Notes: Not a story. Fifty sentences, depicting events which begin in Vietnam and fit with what's happened in my Horizons series where Nick and Cody get together shortly after the end of Echoes. I have done some creative filling in of / guessing about canon blanks in this. These sentences are in order of the events depicted by them, not the prompts. If I've made a mistake/taken liberties with canon order, please excuse me.
A View from the Horizon
#03 - Soft
People that don't know Nick well think he's rough, unsympathetic, maybe even a bit of a bully, but Cody saw through the tough-guy front the first day they met - saw his softer side, his compassion and how much it hurt him that he couldn't change what was going on - and they were buddied up before the sun went down.
#21 - Life
Nick used to be afraid of the future, he knew from experience that life was damn good at leaving you with nothing; but the day he met Cody Allen turned a lot of things he'd believed upside down.
#27 - Blood
Cody used as much of their water as he dared to bathe the blood off Nick's face; he was relieved when Nick spoke but the only answer he could give was that they were stuck on the ridge, and the only thing to do was keep their heads down and pray Pitbull got through.
#31 - Home
Cody never shuts up about home and the damn boat he's planning to live on if they ever get out of here alive; but Nick prefers not to think of going back to the good old USA and a future that doesn't have Cody in it.
#45 - Hell
The night air was stifling and every sound was Charley creeping closer; he'd heard guys call it hell and in a way it was, but if it meant Nick beside him, he'd choose hell over just about anywhere else he could think of.
#42 - Clouds
Since he got back from Vietnam, the sky's been cloudy and his mood's been as dark as the weather - he's not sure which is hardest to take, the nightmares that won't let him sleep or the hollow pain when he turns to speak to Cody and he's not there.
#23 - Hands
Cody reported for duty with the Military Police without really knowing what to expect; when he was introduced to his partner he only nodded and said "Ryder", and all Nick said was "Allen", but their clasped hands said a hell of a lot more.
#17 - Tears
Nick's mother died when he was away in Vietnam, but he'd been back a year when it really hit him - he went straight to a bar with no plans to ever come out again, until Cody, dodging his drunken punches, fetched him out and took him home; then held him when he finally cried.
#32 - Confusion
The war left him confused about a lot of things he used to think were set in stone, and he misses having Nick around to talk stuff through with; he has a lot of fun with Byron, but Byron's not a vet and doesn't get it - doesn't get him.
#43 - Sky
The sky's a big place, and you'd think somewhere in all that space he'd be able shake off any kind of bad memories; but every time he closes his eyes he sees Cody Allen's face and wishes that things had turned out differently.
#15 - Touch
It is a nice boat, Nick admits, and Cody's as excited as a little kid at Christmas, showing off his new toy; he's stroking the railing and Nick suddenly thinks he must touch a woman that same way - he means to look away but somehow he can't.
#24 - Taste
Nick unloads his stuff, tasting the salt in the air; he never thought he'd ever live on a boat, let alone be happy about it, but he can't wipe the grin off his face, even when Cody asks where he parked the pink garbage truck.
#19 - Wind
The wind is fierce even in the harbor, and they've got the Riptide well battened down; they're settled in with beer and a movie, ignoring the storm and enjoying how damn good it feels to be together again.
#09 - Telephone
Tina calls and says she doesn't want to see him anymore, and Cody thinks he should be upset; but when Nick tells him to forget the stupid bimbo and why don't they blow the tourists off this weekend and take a fishing trip instead, he starts the Riptide's engine feeling happier than he has for months.
#36 - Market
The tourism market sure isn't the goldmine they hoped it would be, in fact it's damned hard to make ends meet, and that's the only reason Nick agrees to go along with Cody's hare-brained Hardy Boys scheme; that, and he's always been a sucker for Cody's grin.
#16 - Weakness
There's nothing they haven't done for each other, one time or another; war's got a way of exposing weakness, and they've learned how to see each other through damn near anything.
#18 - Speed
More than once, Cody catching his eye at the right moment has stopped Nick from rushing into something he knows he would have ended up regretting.
#30 - Star
Cody took a hard knock and he's still seeing stars, but Murray arrived with Quinlan in time; Cody brushes off Nick's concern, saying he's fine, but he's secretly glad when Nick refuses to be brushed off and puts a supporting arm around him.
#25 - Devotion
Nick can tell there's something screwy about Sheila, but Cody won't listen - he never does when Nick warns him about women, he's got some kind of mental block when it comes to pretty girls - and Nick knows he'll just have to wait it out, like he's done often enough before, and be ready with tequila and a shoulder when Cody needs him.
#10 - Ears
Cody was concussed and beat up, but there was nothing wrong with his ears; and Nick's words made him wonder, for the first time, just why he'd ever thought Sheila was so important.
#07 - Chocolate
Nick's bought Peggy flowers and chocolate, and Cody's not sure why he's irritated about that - once Nick goes out he heads next door to see if flirting with Tammy will improve his mood.
#04 - Pain
The way he and Cody had fought over the whole Tricor thing hurt a hell of a lot more than the bullet had, and Cody's supporting arm as they boarded the Riptide eased more than the pain in his side.
#28 - Sickness
The bullet wound's not serious, but Nick's feverish and uncomfortable, and when Cody starts fussing with a cool wash-cloth it feels so good to have him close that Nick hardly protests at all.
#29 - Melody
Any time Doo Wah Diddy Diddy comes on the radio they think of Murray's lie detector and trade a grin.
#39 - Smile
Janet wants him to stay and maybe they could even make it work, but it doesn't feel right and he tells her no; he knows he has a lot of good reasons but when she asks him why, the first thing he thinks of is Nick's smile.
#13 - Death
There were two times Cody thought he'd lost Nick - once in Vietnam, and once, before Deke died; somehow, he'd always known Renee wasn't a threat.
#37 - Technology
Murray's explaining an important result he's found with the Roboz and Cody's trying to understand; but he can see Nick looking at him over Murray's head and somehow he can't concentrate on anything except the blue of Nick's eyes and the shape of his smile.
#34 - Lightning/Thunder
There's thunder in the distance and Cody can't help worrying, even though Murray's told him at least six times that Nick's not due back for an hour, he knows Nick's a great pilot and Nick always says Sikorskys can handle any kind of weather; he knows he's over-reacting but until he hears the Mimi coming in he can't relax.
#35 - Bonds
About once a year, they have a fight bad enough one of them threatens to leave, but deep down they both know it's just posturing; they've tested their bond pretty thoroughly over the years and it won't - can't - break.
#41 - Completion
They'd been so close for so many years that they didn't need words any more - one glance at Nick was all Cody needed to complete his thought.
#08 - Happiness
He's tried - real hard - to fall in love with a girl and get a shot at happiness, and a couple of times he even thought he was getting somewhere; but if he's honest with himself he knows it's Nick, always been Nick, since the day they met.
#33 - Fear
It's getting a lot harder for him to pretend to himself that friendship is all there is between them, especially now he's started to realize that the idea of losing Cody is a whole hell of a lot more frightening than the idea of loving him.
#02 - Kiss
Nick's lips felt as good against his as he'd always believed they would - on his cock, they felt better than anything he'd ever imagined.
#12 - Sensual
Every time they kiss, Cody loses himself in the sensual pleasure of Nick's tongue exploring his mouth, knowing, confident, lewd.
#01 - Comfort
Two grown men wedged into one narrow bunk isn't always comfortable, but it's home and there's nowhere else they'd rather be.
#40 - Innocence
They worried to begin with that Murray wouldn't understand, but it turned out he was a lot less innocent than they thought - he'd known all along, loved them for it, and had a secret of his own.
#47 - Moon
They're anchored in a secluded cove, and while Murray's downstairs working on some project (they're still shy about touching too much in front of him) they make out on deck in the moonlight, feeling like guilty teenagers.
#05 - Potatoes
Nick was peeling the potatoes, not thinking about anything much, when Cody came up behind him and kissed him; moments like that still left him light-headed.
#06 - Rain
It does rain in Southern California, no matter what the freaking song says, and he's soaked to the skin and grumpy about it - but when Cody follows him into the bathroom and locks the door behind them Nick forgets to scowl.
#11 - Name
His name on Cody's lips is magic, Nick thinks; the single syllable can turn any moment from pandemonium to perfection.
#14 - Sex
The sex is great, mind-blowing even, but what's even better is what comes afterwards - Cody's never felt as secure as he does when Nick holds him and whispers in his ear.
#20 - Freedom
Sometimes they ache for the freedom to walk down the pier holding hands or to kiss on the beach - instead they make do with the occasional weekend anchored somewhere private, when Murray's away at a conference.
#22 - Jealousy
Nick, watching his face, hates that women who didn't care - stupid women who hurt Cody - have seen him at this moment of vulnerability, this precious instant that should be Nick's alone.
#26 - Forever
The Vietnam nightmares still come, and the years haven't dimmed the pictures even a fraction - he figures they'll haunt him forever - but when he wakes up and Nick's holding him there's nothing he'd do differently; not one thing.
#38 - Gift
The way Nick gives himself, open and trusting, tells Cody more surely than any words that Nick loves him, wants him, belongs to him; he likes to believe it's a gift only for him, that Nick was different, with women; and maybe it's true.
#44 - Heaven
This can't be heaven because neither of them fit any description of angels he's ever heard of, and anyway, God wouldn't be dumb enough to locate heaven right in Redondo where anyone could find it, but when Cody looks at him that way Nick thinks God just might be on their side.
#46 - Sun
They often sit together on deck and watch the sunset; they don't touch in case the neighbors see, but they're together and that's enough.
#48 - Waves
The sweetest lullaby he's ever heard is the lap of waves against the Riptide's hull and Nick's heartbeat next to his ear.
#49 - Hair
Cody loves Nick's hands in his hair and Nick knows it, and makes a point of tangling his fingers through the golden strands, until what Cody's doing destroys his co-ordination.
#50 - Supernova
Nick thrusts into him and a supernova flings him outside the world; he's lost in space with no way back but Nick - Nick, the only one who can take him there and the only one who can bring him home.
Horizons | No Fear (First Story in Horizons)
More Stories