#rat-that-writes

You find yourself wandering to the pool out back, an in-ground one, surrounded by bushes and a tall fence. You don't have any pool so easily accessible at home, so it's been a nice luxury. Some leaf litter has gathered on the surface of the water, and you locate the pool skimmer to collect them without getting your hands wet. If you don’t, there’s a chance it could build up and fall to the floor of the pool.

Your mind starts to wander, then, thinking about what else could potentially get into a pool: debris, animals… As you go to fling the leaves from the net into the bushes, you spot a towel that you forgot to put back last night after you spent most of the evening trying to ignore Murdock by swimming in the pool. He made that rather difficult for you. (He always does.) Hence, it’s hard to think about such trivial things as “towels.” It’s a dark color, which could easily be mistaken for an animal of some sort even in daylight, if you look too quickly.

That’s when your idea forms. What if there was an animal in the pool? What if you got him to investigate? And then when he gets to the pool… Glancing back at the house, you bring the towel to the deep end, skimmer net in your other hand. You set down the net, then bundle up the fabric and press it into the water, letting it get soaked before using the handle of the net to push it down. It’s not actually long enough, but you still manage to watch the towel sink to the bottom. You replace the net in its home and dry your hands on the sides of your shorts.

Frankly, you didn’t consider what you were actually going to say. You wish you could admit that you thought this through a bit more, but the idea is just too amusing. Making sure to put as much concern into your voice as you can, you call out, “Hey Murdock? Can you come here?” There's a good thirty seconds of silence, and while he's surely already on his way, you call again, “I think there's something in the pool.”

“I'm coming,” Murdock grunts, rounding the corner in a sleeveless mock turtleneck and his usual black jeans: the perfect clothing for your plan (and for you to check him out, but that's a given and beside the point). “You said there's something in the pool?”

You nod. “I didn't investigate yet. I didn’t want to get too close and have it bite me or something.”

He tries looking in the shallow end. “I don’t see anything.”

You point at the “animal” at the other side. “It’s over there. I saw it when I got debris out of the pool, and I didn’t want to do anything without you here.”

It’s subtle, but Murdock’s chest puffs up a little when you say that—and you did say that completely on purpose, just for that reason. Pride cometh before the fall, after all. “Let me look,” he says.

With practiced, measured steps, he walks forward, with you following close behind. His hand is outstretched on instinct, despite being empty. Murdock typically has a keen eye, but he doesn't seem to notice anything amiss about the lump in pool that he vocalizes. You hope it remains convincing when he gets closer. Your heart is beating loudly in your chest, your chances of pulling this off teetering with every step he takes. The gap closes, slowly but surely, until he's nearly reached the side of the pool. That's when he stops.

You frown behind him. That won't do. “You're gonna stop there? You've gotta get a little closer.”

He turns and gives you a look. “But you hadn't gotten any closer.”

“I hadn't because I was scared. But you can.” You more or less bat your eyelashes at him. “Please?”

He huffs quietly. “Alright.” Murdock moves closer, and you encourage him up a little more, so now his feet hang slightly over the edge of the wall. He's even leaning over a little to get a better view. You only have a split second to act before he realizes that you’ve tricked him, and only a second longer than that before he potentially puts together your little prank.

Men do not have an “even” center of gravity, located more in the chest, causing them to be more “top heavy.” Murdock is no exception. All it takes is one good push to send him tumbling into the pool, grunting in surprise, and you book it to the adjacent side towards the shallow end, giggling. Murdock splashes around, but it doesn't take long for him to get his bearings and his feet under him; and for as tall as he is, his head easily pokes out of the water just enough for him to breathe comfortably. The man glares at you, and the annoyance on his face has you stifling your laughter. You fail pretty easily, emboldened by him being stuck in the pool.

“You think that's funny, huh?”

There's genuine annoyance in his voice, but also that tinge of danger that tends to make itself known when he speaks low like this. You know it doesn't mean anything when he's talking to you, but there's an instinctual part of yourself that still goes mildly on alert every time. While normally you'd wonder what he's thinking, right now you're just pleased as punch that this worked, looking like a cat who got the cream. “Mmm, maybe just a little bit.” You bring your index finger and thumb close to each other when you say that, as if indicating the amount.

Murdock doesn't take his eyes off of you, pulling himself out of the pool using the edge almost a little too effortlessly. The intensity that rarely leaves him has you squirming on the inside, but outwardly, you continue smiling innocently. He doesn’t say anything for a while, water dripping loudly off of him, his shirt clinging to his muscles. You’re trying not to stare. “You think you’re clever, hm?”

You’re not fully sure that it’s just annoyance in his expression anymore. You pretend you don’t notice. “Well, yes, since I managed to get the jump on you.”

Now you wish you know what he was thinking as his eyes narrow slightly. Despite being somewhat far from him, his demeanor and his energy makes it feel like he’s right in your space. “And what do I do with you?”

Your grin widens, seeing an opportunity, and you utter those magic words: “You'll have to catch me first.”

In an instant, his expression darkens, a primal intent crossing his features, and you relish the way your stomach twists and your heart races suddenly as a familiar feeling makes itself known below. Murdock growls. “You have fifteen seconds.”

He's barely finished speaking and you're already running, taking off down the side of the house. You know exactly how this is going to end, and as much as you'll do your best to prolong it, you also can't wait.

~~~