Just A Drabble With The Theme Of Summer Set During Ganymede Elegy

Just a drabble with the theme of Summer set during Ganymede Elegy

***

He could claim it was simply too beautiful outside to busy himself with repairs in the hangar. It was the plain truth, after all. Deciding to tune up the Swordfish II on the deck had nothing at all to do with the fact that Faye has chosen to lounge out there in a swimsuit that barely covered anything.

And, he reasoned, he could keep an eye on Ed this way. Make sure the kid didn't fall off the ship into the water. Spike wasn't sure if she could swim and anyway it was especially deep here in the harbor where ships docked.

Faye was obviously preoccupied with getting a tan and wasn't paying any attention to Ed, so naturally Spike had to.

Of course, Ed was perfectly happy doing her own thing which was apparently fishing. Until she got distracted by Faye and went over to rub her face on Faye's leg, making Spike guffaw behind the cover of his zipcraft.

He hadn't thought anyone heard, but when he nearly fumbled a tool over the edge when Donnelly called, Spike could clearly hear Faye snickering to herself.

It was a hot day with the sun beating down. Summers in Ganymede were notorious for the heat. It would have been an ideal vacation planet if it only had some beaches, but the floating cities had very crucial walls built up around them to keep the oceans out. There could be no sandy transition between water and land simply because land did not truly exist here.

He could have whiled away a few hours doing maintenance on his ship, enjoying the sunshine and the tempting spectacle that was Faye Valentine. He knew she was doing it on purpose - laying there right on the flight deck. Even if he hadn't chosen to work on his zipcraft out there, if he'd wanted to go anywhere he would still need to utilize the flight deck to launch. Faye knew that perfectly well. No, she had intentionally set herself up to be ogled.

So, covertly, he'd done exactly as she hoped. Really, it would have been rude not to. But when the information about the bounty came up, all the playful teasing atmosphere began to disappear. Real life - and the chance to make some money - would always take precedence over this little game of cat and mouse they sometimes played.

Although Spike could at least get the last laugh this time around. She thought she'd made herself impassable? He'd prove just how well he could work in a tight spot by taking off right over her head!

Day 13: flip flops / thongs

***

"How disturbing! This is not the place for that!" A voice exclaimed, catching Faye's attention as she walked past a parking lot while nursing Lupin.

Stopping in her tracks, she turned to glare at the offended couple.

"Excuse me?"

Spike sighed as he came to a stop beside Faye and Lupin's little mouth popped off his mother's nipple as the baby tried to roll over towards whatever - or in this whoever - had caught his mother's attention and ire.

"Having those out on display is entirely inappropriate!" The man went on, glaring at Faye's chest.

"Oh? And yet flip flops and a thong is fancy enough attire for a family friendly public beach?" Faye demanded, pointing at the man's companion - a woman a third his age with a teeny tiny set of triangles perched precariously on her breasts and with a thong bikini bottom that disappeared up her backside curves.

"You're someone's mother!" The young woman cried, scandalized.

Faye frowned at her. "Yeah? What of it? It's 40 degrees out with no breeze! And this is a nude beach to boot! In fact, you know what?" Grumbling, Faye passed Lupin over to Spike and aggressively untied her own top and then for good measure shimmied out of the bottoms too. "How do you like me now?! Fuck, being someone's mother makes the fresh air on these nipples even better than it was before I had a kid!" She stood proudly before the pair, took a deep breath in, and let it out peacefully. "Try it before you knock it or judge anyone else!"

With that, Faye turned on her heel and strode on down the beach, leaving Spike - grinning bemusedly and still holding Lupin - to follow.

"You know …it's not actually a nude beach, right Faye?" Spike chuckled as he caught up to her, shifting Lupin in his arms as the baby began to fall asleep. "Ed put up those signs to fuck with people."

Faye let out a sheepish laugh. "That girl I swear… Well, let's get further down the beach so I can put my suit back on. I don't want those prudes to see me climbing back into clothes as if I'm in the wrong."

"Baby, you make wrong look so right," Spike teased, waggling his brows at her lasciviously.

Day 1 of 31 Prompts

* * *

Midnight

It’s late when he starts to make his rounds. Later than it would be if they were on Mars, TJ, or Earth. Days on Io last 42 hours and the crew makes the most of them the same way they would anywhere else… eating, smoking (with the exception, as always, of Ed and Ein himself), researching bounties in the area then tracking them down, and napping in whatever downtime a person could find.

But there are always a few who don’t nap very often, or who get their sleep cycle confused to an unhealthy point. It’s hard for humans to ignore their biological clock that tells them to be alert and active during sunshine hours. Sometimes they stay awake for so long that they have difficulty falling asleep when darkness finally engulfs the land.

Such is the case for Jet Black.

When Ein finds the captain of the ship, the man is sitting on the bridge with bleary eyes as he runs a check of the coolant system and ventilation. Necessary tasks whenever they’re planet-side or at a star base. There’s nothing more important than being able to breathe and not freeze when they’re out amongst the stars. But Ein knows they aren’t leaving anytime soon, not when there’s been such an abundance of small fries to scrounge up in the area. There’s technically no need for Jet to be doing these checks now - it’s merely force of habit that insists he attend to every little thing on a regular basis.

Ein appreciates the dedication of the man, but he also wants to see Jet get some much deserved rest. So he makes his way to Jet’s side and rears up to put his forepaws on Jet’s leg, panting loudly to ensure he gets Jet’s attention.

Blinking bloodshot eyes, Jet looks down with a frown and then the wrinkles clear from his forehead as he smiles. Reaching down with his good hand, Jet ruffles Ein’s fur gently.

“Well hey, boy,” Jet rolls his neck and straightens his posture. “Uhhh. You telling me it’s time for bed, huh? All right, this can all wait til we’re closer to leaving anyway.” He stands up, prompting Ein to return to all four paws on the metal floor, and then stretches again. “Lead the way, buddy,”

Spike is sprawled out on the couch when they pass through the living area. That’s one human Ein has never needed to remind to sleep. He’s spent many hours curled up by Spike’s side to try and ward off nightmares though. The lanky cowboy doesn’t thrash in his sleep nearly as often when Ein is resting nearby. But he’s nearly motionless now save for the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and Ein knows that means his dreams are calm.

When they reach the door to Jet’s room Ein gives a little yip of goodnight, earning a chuckle from Jet, and he trots merrily off down the hall to see to the other crew members.

Faye’s door is shut but Ein can hear the beta max playing inside. He cocks his head trying to hear if Faye herself is still awake watching but it’s useless. At any rate, he can’t hear her mumbling or crying and he decides that she must have passed out. Turning away, he heads back the way he came and makes his way to the kitchen. There’s not often scraps to be found on the floor - though it’s always worth checking for - but he knows it’s where he will find Edward.

She’s been holed up in the kitchen on her computer Tomato for days now, sleeping in snatches here and there, scouring the internet for whatever she can glean about this bountyhead or that to make the job of the others easier. Usually she sets up elsewhere but part of the appeal of the kitchen - aside from gobbling up whatever hits the deck, something Ed is certainly guilty of doing as often if not more than Ein himself - is the fact that it is always warm in that room and the food smells linger even when all food is gone.

Ed has discussed the matter of hunger with Ein on many occasions and they both agree that the presence of an aroma can often do wonders to ward off hunger - though sometimes it just makes the belly ache with how good it would be to eat said smell.

Sure enough, she’s cross legged in front of her computer and there’s no shortage of crumbs on her lap and the ground around her. That’s a good sign - it means she’s eaten recently and that there was enough to eat where she wasn’t concerned with slurping up every single crumb. The fact that her typing is about as slow as Spike’s hunt-and-peck style of accessing information online is also soothing. It means she’s not far from slumber herself, and about time too.

Snuffling at the crumbs around her, Ein cleans the floor before clambering into her lap and tilting his face up so he can lick her chin in greeting.

Ed gives a giggle of delight and slides her goggles up onto her forehead before wrapping both arms around Ein and burying her face in the fur of his neck.

“Ein has come to snuggle! Bed time, bed time, go and rest your head time!” She moves as she sings, uncrossing her legs and shifting into a reclining position right there on the metal floor. It’s neither cold nor hot, and while not exactly comfortable for most folks it’s more than adequate for Ed and Ein. He’s glad that she’s not a picky person about where she plops down because he’s frankly exhausted as well. Keeping up with this crew can take a lot out of a tiny dog with short legs!

But everyone is accounted for and off to the land of nod. The ship itself is not going anywhere anytime soon so there’s no need to worry about monitoring the sensors. All is peaceful for now - a thing not guaranteed to last - and Ein gives a little sigh of contentment as he curls up with Ed and joins her in adventures asleep.

Day 12: Garden

***

"Yo Faye, were you messing around in the workshop?"

Faye glanced up from her magazine where she'd been reading an article on 'health and beauty tips for the working woman' to see Spike looking puzzled at her from just inside the round doorway.

She arched a brow at him inquisitively. "Why would I bother going in there?"

Looking back at her magazine, she could practically hear him rolling his eyes at her response. "Of course, why would I ever expect you to do something as critical as cleaning your gun."

"Why would I need to? We have a deal, don't we? I clean your wounds, you clean my gun." She shrugged. "Not my fault one needs doing more than the other. What's the matter anyway?"

He sighed. "I'm missing some flex cables. Have you seen any around?"

Faye frowned at that and sat up on the couch, laying her magazine down open-faced on the table in front of her to give him her full attention.

"I'm missing some nail polish myself." She shot a quick look at his nails - void of any color - and then peered up at his bemused expression. "All right, I'll accept your innocent stance at this time."

"If it wasn't you fucking with shit then…"

With identical expressions of mutual realization, they spoke the obvious answer together. "Ed."

***

"Hey now, that's looking pretty good!"

Faye, eyes slanted suspiciously, shared a curious look with Spike as they made their way down the hall towards the sound of Jet's voice coming from the bonsai room.

"Wahoo! The fairies will love this garden!" Ed's voice exclaimed.

Reaching the doorframe, Faye leaned over to peek around while Spike sidled up behind her to look over the top of her head. Faye felt her jaw drop when she saw the goings-on in the plant space.

Jet was crafting tiny pieces of furniture - a rope ladder, a chair, a hammock - out of twigs and pieces of string. Ed, meanwhile, was laying out pieces of dried beans painted in lurid - and very familiar - shades. The pathway she was creating with the beans was lined on either side by cable wires that looked too similar to Spike's missing flex cables to be anything else.

"What's going on in here?" Spike's voice boomed out above her, startling Faye as much as it spooked the other occupants of the bonsai room. Even Ein, who had apparently been asleep on the floor by Jet's feet, gave a surprised bark as he scrambled to all four paws.

"Edward is making a fairy garden! Fairies come to gardens and bring good luck, prosperity, and good health!" She gestured giddily to the chipped tokoname pot on the bottom shelf, which she had apparently appropriated for her own purposes.

There was a golden gate ficus bonsai tree happily ensconced in a corner of the soil there, though now a tiny swing hung in the space between the lowest and next highest arch of the double S shaped tree. Ed had made a gated trail with the nail polish painted beans and cables from the tree to the coffee pot whose lid had broken recently. The interior of the coffee pot bore varying levels of stains from the previous contents and had been filled with peat moss, various stones, glitter and small glow in the dark stars. Bits of dog fur had been clumped up into the rough shape of a mattress inside the coffee pot next to a miniature bedside table (obviously a piece Jet had made earlier using part of an empty cigarette pack) and there was a dented flat scrap metal from somewhere on the Bebop that was clearly intended to serve as a sort of porch for the furniture Jet was making with meticulous care.

"Mm. Well, that's real mystical and all, but I'm gonna need those cables back." Spike declared after dutifully inspecting Ed's little nature scene.

"Oh no! Ed's got something from everyone so everyone gets something from the fairy!" The teen wailed.

Faye eyed up the lanky bounty hunter as she straightened up from her own crouched position to look at the pot filled with treasures. Spike was running a hand through the back of his hair, looking discomforted over upsetting Ed. He was wearing his workout clothes which gave Faye an idea. She smirked and reached out to untie and rip off the cord that held the pants cinched around his lean waist.

Spike yelped and grabbed at the hem to keep his bottoms in place.

"Faye, what the hell!"

"Here Ed," She offered the drawstring to the girl. "I'll trade you, then you'll still have something from Spike." She glanced at the man in question. "Cheaper to replace this than that, I assume." She nodded towards the cable that Ed was already removing.

Spike grumbled. Jet snickered. Ein, who had gone back to sleep when it became clear that the interruption earlier was only the other crew mates arriving in the room, gave a snort and snore. Ed sang a little song of nonsense as she worked and Faye smiled as she gave herself a mental pat on the back for damage control.

BONUS PROMPT: Abandoned 

@mx-sinisters

***

It never occurred to her that she had been abandoned.

Her earliest memories were vague. Warm hands, soft voice, laughter. The feeling of love and protection.

Then came the brighter memories of playing games with the kids in daycare, of sharing in discoveries and meeting milestones, of being brought to various homes depending on who had space for her at the time.

Wanderlust called her away one day when she was still probably too young to be on her own.

If anything, she was the one who did the abandoning at that point.

Leaving the daycare and her playmates in the dust, she made her way out into the world by following strangers and dining on the feasts that restaurants threw out at the end of the night. Occasionally she’d even stumble across a garden that she could loot for fresh vegetables. Best of all was whenever she’d happen across bushes of wild berries or orchards - once well tended - that were unkempt and overflowing with oranges or apples or whatever fruit the trees bore.

She lived well off the fat of the land.

And then she found herself distracted by a new group of playmates. Children nearly as feral as she was. It was exciting to meet new friends - ones her own age and with imaginations as vast and outrageous as her own. She was welcomed into the orphanage with open arms by Sister Clara who simply added another plate to the table and gave her a blanket to wrap up in at night.

Days passed, weeks passed, years passed by. She found a love for chess, for hacking, for daydreaming about the worlds out there in the sky - all the places humanity had made a foothold. All the potential and possibility! The internet could only show her so much, but what she could find was enticing…no, it was irresistible!

But she couldn’t get there from where she was. Sister Clara had no ship. The other kids didn’t have any skill at flight or engineering or construction beyond the projects that they sometimes built to keep themselves busy during the day. If she ever wanted to reach the stars, she’d have to come up with a way there herself.

One day, she simply left. No goodbyes, just gone. Technically she was abandoning everyone again. But she’d never learned that word. Never understood how her actions could be taken personally by the people who became part of her past when once they’d been her entire present. There was just… a time to be somewhere and then a time to be elsewhere. No harm meant, no foul intended, no hurt at the heart of her actions. She just acted on whatever whim encouraged her to do whatever came next.

It was the only way she’d ever lived and she honestly didn’t understand why no one else seemed to live like she did.

Even here on the planet, there was so much to see! So many places to explore, so many foods to eat, so many people to befriend. How anyone could just… stay in one place… was beyond her. Illogical. Inconceivable. Who would want to curtail their existence to such a degree?

She had goals. She had capabilities. She had a plan.

One day, she would abandon this world. One day, she would adventure among the stars.

Whoops already fell behind on posting here 🤷‍♀️

Here's the prompt from Day 2: Summer Nights

***

[Spoken:]

[Boy:] On a hot summer night...Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

[Girl:] Will he offer me his mouth?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] Will he offer me his teeth?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] Will he offer me his jaws?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] Will he offer me his hunger?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] Again, will he offer me his hunger?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:]And will he starve without me?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] And does he love me?

[Boy:] Yes

[Girl:] Yes

[Boy:] On a hot summer night…Would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?

[Girl:] Yes

[Boy:] I bet you say that to all the boys

The drums crashed and sent the song into a straight jam as Spike and Julia, laughing and falling over each other, began to dance wildly on the stage. The music drowned out the cheers and jeers of the crowd and everything dwindled around them until there was only the two of them. Spike, clad in jeans and a plain button up shirt and tie, dropping down onto his knees on the stage as he stalked towards Julia, in her dark leather pants and short white dress-turned-shirt with a belt cinched at her natural waist, as she baited him by shimmying her entire body.

Their jackets were long forgotten in the booth where Vicious still sat, nursing a bourbon and smiling his Mona Lisa smile at his associates. Their antics were the highlight of the night for many of the patrons of Renee's Respite. Not quite a property of the Dragons but not exactly clean of association with the syndicate either, it was one of a handful of bars where the fledglings were welcome as long as things didn't get too out of hand.

Naturally, Spike and Vicious had been kicked out of this place a time or two for getting into brawls. Not the way Vicious preferred to fight, but Spike was a fan of letting off some steam with his fists and feet, and Vicious would always back him up. Besides, technically the last time they'd been made to leave had been Vicious's fault. The issue had been another patron - not a regular - who simply wouldn't say the bar's name right no matter how many times Vicious had corrected him. Reh-spit, not re-spite. Eventually he'd had to remove the man's tongue when it became clear he'd never say it properly.

[Sung:]

It was a hot summer night

And the beach was burning

There was fog crawling over the sand

When I listen to your heart

I hear the whole world turning

I see the shooting stars falling

Through your trembling hands

Meanwhile on the stage Spike was singing along word for word with the karaoke song, gesturing out over the crowd as if to build the scene of the lyrics. Julia obligingly raised her hands in front of her and towards the heavens, shaking ever so slightly, her eyes wide and full of delight as she pretended to gaze at the sky.

You were licking your lips

And your lipstick shining

I was dying just to ask for a taste

We were lying together in a silver lining

By the the light of the moons

You know there's not another moment

Not another moment

Not another moment to waste

Acting out the song, Julia stepped into Spike's personal space as he rose up from the crouch he'd been in to lean heavily over her. As if in a call-and-answer, he then tilted back as she pressed forward to lean over him in turn. The crowd hooted and hollered as they strutted across the stage with not an inch of space between their heaving chests.

You hold me so close that my knees grow weak

But my soul is flying high above the ground

I'm trying to speak but no matter what I do

I just can't seem to make any sound

Julia ran her hands up Spike's arms to cradle his face between her palms and Spike lifted his own hands to cover hers as he continued to sing, first to her and then he turned slightly to shift his focus on the crowd as if singing now to the audience.

And then you took the words right out of my mouth

Oh it must have been while you were kissing me

You took the words right out of my mouth

And I swear it's true

I was just about to say I love you

And then you took the words right out of my mouth

Oh it must have been while you were kissing me

You took the words right out of my mouth

And I swear it's true

I was just about to say I love you

By now some of the other patrons had begun to sing along. Vicious shook his head in amusement and raised his tumbler of liquor to quietly toast his partners as they ate up the attention they were getting. Julia was grinning ear to ear, not nearly as breathless as Spike who was both singing and dancing.

Now my body is shaking like a wave on the water

And I guess that I'm beginning to grin

Oh we're finally alone and we can do what we want

The night is young

Ain't no-one gonna know where you

No-one gonna know where you

No-one's gonna know where you've been

You were licking your lips

And your lipstick shining

I was dying just to ask for a taste

We were lying together in a silver lining

By the the light of the moons

You know there's not another moment to waste

Letting his body quake and his lips spread into a smirk to rival the one on Julia's face, Spike dropped back to his knees and then rose up as he sang, hands tracing up Julia's leather clad calves, thighs… his hands gripped her hips briefly, squeezing and eliciting a sharp laugh.

Vicious knew Spike would pay for that later. Julia hated to be tickled.

And then Spike was kissing along her neck in between words of the song, still swaying against her as Julia danced her way backwards toward the brick wall behind them. Teasingly, she grabbed his tie and yanked his face to hers, taking him in a dominating kiss before releasing him so she could spin him around and shove him away all in the same smooth move.

And then you took the words right out of my mouth

Oh it must have been while you were kissing me

You took the words right out of my mouth

And I swear it's true

I was just about to say I love you

And then you took the words right out of my mouth

Oh it must have been while you were kissing me

You took the words right out of my mouth

And I swear it's true

I was just about to say I love you

Once again breaking the fourth wall, Spike sang to the onlookers. Julia crept up behind him, hands reaching around his ribcage to grasp him in a sort of hug as her chin came to rest on his shoulder while the song drew to a finish. Then Spike and Julia both collapsed to the stage floor together, laughing uproariously, as the crowd thundered with appreciative cat calls and stomping feet to indicate the intensity of their approval.

Tripping over themselves as they made their way back to Vicious, Julia slipped into the space beside him as Spike settled in across from the white-haired man. Draping herself half onto his lap, Julia snuck the bourbon from his grip and tipped it back to drain the remaining contents while Spike, still breathing heavy, pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket.

Grabbing the smokes from the green-haired enforcer, quick as a snake, Vicious drew out his own lighter to bring one of the cigarettes to life before passing it off to his winded comrade. Spike gave him a wink and half a grin as he accepted the lit smoke graciously.

"Those things will kill you one day," Vicious said then, letting a hand creep up Julia's thigh to splay possessively upon her upper leg.

Exhaling a noxious cloud, Spike shrugged. "You feel this to be true and yet you help me on my way to the grave,"

"Vice is nice, and sin is in." Julia interjected then, flashing a toothy smile at both men. "Let's blow this joint, the scene is dead."

Vicious raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "And you've some better idea of how we ought to spend our time?"

"Our incredibly valuable time," Spike threw in. "We're highly important men, you know."

She scoffed. "You boys? Surely you jest." Drumming her fingertips on the tabletop, she frowned prettily as she thought. "Oh! I've got it! Let's go crash the soirée at the governor's mansion. We'll find out real quick who Mao's favorite is when he's gotta come bail us out."

"Of the three of us, only Vicious comes close to meeting that dress code," Spike demurred, waving a hand negligently at the man himself, clad in a pale three piece suit with a lilac colored silk scarf upon his shoulders.

Julia grinned fiercely. "Aww you don't think you can make it past the gate, hey? Shame, shame… what kind of syndicate man can't access places he should not be?" She touched her own chest fleetingly, adding innuendo to her taunt.

Spike rolled his eyes over to Vicious who shrugged elegantly.

"Nothing quite like pissing off the Elders," Spike muttered then, giving in to the inevitable.

Snatching the still burning cigarette out of Spike's mouth, Julia slid from the booth and hooked her jacket on her free hand. Stepping a few feet away towards the exit, she turned back to give them a hard stare as she puffed on the cigarette and set a hand jauntily on her hip. "Well?"

Sharing a look which communicated their situation as 'damned if you do, damned if you don't,' the pair moved as one to follow.