[Invisible Man] Shack Attack: Invisible Man #1, by Arduinna

NOTES
Written as part of the Great Shack Challenge of 2001. If you haven't checked out the main page for this yet (101 Ways to Wind Up in a Canadian Shack), do! It has 30 authors in 62 fandoms, and I guarantee there are fandoms you never dreamed of there, as well as some of your favorites. They're short (500-600 words), and they're good. These eight were my contribution.
All of my shacks are collected here.

written December 2001; posted December 31, 2001

Shack Attack: Invisible Man #1

by Arduinna

Darien zipped up, fast but careful, and turned to retrace his steps to the cabin. The door opened before he got anywhere near it. He stopped, holding his breath.

"Give it up, Fawkes, I can see your footprints, you're right there," Hobbes called, pointing straight at him.

Busted. He started walking again. Damn, but it was cold. The Official was gonna pay for sending them here. 'You'll be fine, boys. Piece of cake. Just meet the contact and come back home, nice and quiet.' In Canada, yet! Like they even had jurisdiction here!

Hobbes closed the door behind him to keep any more heat -- such as it was -- from escaping. "You know you're not supposed to-- Dammit." He crouched to tie his right boot, glancing up at Darien sternly. "You're not supposed to be going invisible for the hell of it." Hobbes' voice trailed off toward the end, and a grin spread across his face. He pushed up off the ground with both hands and rose back to his feet.

"Yeah, well, quicksilver makes for good waterproofing. It's still snowing like hell, if you hadn't noticed. And what's so funny, anyway?" Suddenly suspicious, Darien moved a hand to his fly, then was exceedingly grateful that Hobbes would never know he'd been that idiotic.

"Relax, pal, it's not like I'd know if your fly was open," Hobbes said, smirking slightly.

Man, they really had to stop spending so much time together. "Yeah, right, Hobbes, like I really thought that. What, then?"

Hobbes leaned carefully back against the door. "You remember the sasquatch thing? Bigfoot?"

Darien stopped again, glaring. "Yes. And thank you so much for reminding me."

"Now, Fawkes -- you know you can't choose your family."

Darien took a deep breath. "So is there a reason you brought that up, or are you just bored and torturing me?"

"Appealing though that sounds... no. It's just, now I know why it's also known as the Abominable Snowman." With that, Hobbes whipped a snowball from behind his back and straight at Darien, laughing his head off.

Darien looked down at his snow-outlined self and started to grin. He raised both arms and howled, rushing at Hobbes, who whooped and dove at him.

Within a few seconds Darien had shed the quicksilver; no sense pushing himself closer to madness, and Hobbes could see him anyway. Too late, he realized he'd made a tactical mistake. Hobbes was wily and quick and only too willing to drop snow down Darien's now-visible back, grinning like a demon as he danced back out of Darien's longer reach.

"You want me, partner? Come get me," Hobbes taunted, arms spread wide.

He always had loved a challenge.

The wrestling match got him warm for the first time since they'd gotten stuck in this godforsaken shack, and fifteen minutes later, sitting naked in front of the fire ("Jeez, Fawkes, don't get the blankets wet! We'll freeze later."), he reveled in it.

"This is nice," he said, glancing over at an equally naked Hobbes.

Hobbes wasn't exactly meeting his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

He looked at Hobbes looking at him for a few seconds and smiled slowly. Maybe nice was gonna get nicer. "You want me, partner?" He stretched, feeling his smile turn feral as Hobbes' eyes followed the movement.

Hobbes licked his lips and raised gleaming eyes to meet Darien's.

"Come get me."

Hobbes always had loved a challenge.

(572 words)

~ fin ~

Feedback of any sort, from one line to detailed crit, is always welcome, at arduinna at trickster dot org.

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