Topic: Grunion Run!

Dirk Stevens

Date: 2009-08-08 10:07 EST
Just a short preamble to the story. Growing up in Los Angeles County, we would go to the beach on certain nights between March and July. The family would gather and we'd all go down. These were my father's favorite times, and mine as well. To see my grown father, acting the child and laughing, dancing around, encouraging us kids...I know I'm rambling, but it's one of the fondest memories I have as a child.

I lost my father little over two years ago, just before my birthday in March. The day before the grunion season was to open, I do believe. So, Daddy, this one's for you. I love you.

Thank you to Paris' player for going along with me on this incredible journey. Without you, this would not have been possible.

N

For more information about grunion runs, you can visit this site, or Google it. If you're ever in the Los Angeles area between March and July, I highly suggest going to one. If you do nothing more than watch what?s going on, it's worth the time.

http://golosangeles.about.com/b/2009/03/24/the-grunion-are-running-at-cabrillo-beach.htm

Dirk Stevens

Date: 2009-08-08 10:07 EST
"I'm glad you left the ring back at the hotel. I'd hate for it to have gotten lost." Dirk smiled as he sat on the sand, watching as the tide began to roll in. It was 1 am and the sky was an inky black. A few stars twinkled softly in the sky and the moon was two days past it's full stage and waning. There were others on the beach and there was a quiet, picnic like atmosphere. But, it was 1 am.

"Yes, though now my finger feels naked." He teased at Dirk and smiled, green-blue eyes glancing out over the water, his hands back in the sand as he was leaning back, fingers curling in the tiny beads of rocks to have it squish between them. "This is truly nice, Dirk." Murmured as he looked back over towards the beach and gave some of the humans there a intent look, eyes narrowing. "What exactly is about to happen?" Because sometimes you can just sense that some things were going to happen, or perhaps it was the little kid wandering around and poking at the sand and then looking towards the water that had Paris relising it, but if Dirk asked, it was intuition.

Dirk had never heard of a grunion run before. It was something that the concierge at the hotel had recommended. It was something different, and that's what Dirk wanted. Something different. People go to clubs and dancing all the time in the wee hours. And Dirk knew that they would spend their fair share of time in those clubs. But this day was special and filled with firsts for them both. So he took the concierge's advice.

Wearing a pair of swim trunks and a t-shirt, Dirk looked around and wondered what was going on. People were milling about, what few there were. Nobody close enough to set Paris off. And then he heard the strangest thing. Two things, actually. First was a wave crashing up, onto the sand with an unusual plopping sound. Then a shrill scree of a child "They're here! They're here!"

"What?" Paris' eyes went back to Dirk just in time to hear the child squealing about them being there. The once calm crowd seemed to jump, all at the same time, into a crazed dance that landed them all in the water. Jumping and splashing, grabbing, laughing, screaming. None of them swimming. Dirk looked closer and stood up. "They're fish!" he glanced to Paris, then back to the maddening scene unfolding in front of him. "They're catching fish with their bare hands!"

Dirk took one look back at Paris, then took off down, towards the water. He fell to his knees and started grasping the long, silver fish in his bare hands. Holding one up in each hand, he laughed out loud to Paris. "They're fish!"

And Dirk was up off the sand, Paris' eyes snapped towards where the yelling and laughing was coming from and then Dirk was running out there as well. Was he to stay or go after him' "Fish." Paris laughed and stood up from the sand, a dusting of his own shorts and he was soon following after Dirk, kneeling down and giving a look over the tiny fish he had caught.

"I like fish." Paris grinned and leaned in to give Dirk a quick kiss before he was up and over to the side, digging in the sand and grabbing one of his own, slight glance around to be sure no one was looking, and then that fish was dropped down into Paris' waiting mouth and swallowed whole. Green-blue eyes landed on Dirk, brows lifted. "Mmm." His foot moved to nudge at Dirk's knees and then Paris was laughing and bending to try and catch another fish.

But Dirk, he was grinning as Paris ran up and snatched up a single grunion and popped it into his mouth. "God, that was hot."

Small, thin, silver fish flopped by the thousands up onto the beach in the shallow water of the waves. The other people were falling over themselves and not paying much attention to anything but the fish they caught and placed into buckets with the salt water in it. There was a slight lull in the laughter as people were starting to get serious about snatching up as many of the grunion as they could.

The fish in Dirk's hands were still wriggling when he followed Paris' lead. Head leaned back and first one, then the next, were swallowed down. He was not going to cheat, of course he could grab them easily, but it was more fun to let them squirm away and try to snatch them as they slipped past. More laughter erupted from Paris while Dirk was also swallowing some fish.Then Dirk bent, hopped, and reached for more of the flopping mass that was at their feet.

"Hot?" Paris glanced back at Dirk and laughed as he was bent over and having all those small fish slipping past his fingers. Slippery though, just when he thought Dirk had his hand on one, it slipped away. Paris was not going to cheat, of course he could grab them easily, but it was more fun to let them squirm away and try to snatch them as they slipped past.

Dirk wasn't watching where he was going and when he ran into Paris, he fell over, into the water, soaking himself. Sitting up, he was surrounded by the flopping fish. Paris looked up and laughed out loud. He was looking back down when he felt the sudden impact of a body against his own, laughing and getting tangled with Dirk as they both fell to the wet sand. "You did that on purpose." Hand rose to give Dirk's shoulder a playful shove. It was truly wonderful how they could have their serious moments but then be having such playful times between.

"Did not!" he couldn't contain his happiness and laughter as Paris, too, was on his bum in the sand with fish flopping all about him, too. "You did so." Paris laughed. Fingers caught yet another fish, it wriggled as he held it up right over Dirk's mouth. "Open wide." Paris murmured with a smile. "Aaah!" Dirk grinned and leaned over, mouth wide. Curling his fingers, he caught a fish and did the same for Paris, holding it up over his head. Feeding each other on the beach in the middle of the night. Dirk would remember it the rest of his life. Paris tilted his chin up and opened his own mouth to get Dirk's offer of fish in his mouth as well, he of course bit at Dirk's fingers just to get at Dirk, and then laughed when he swallowed. "Salty." He swallowed the offered fish down and grinned. Then his fingers were being nipped at and he laughed out loud again before jerking his hand back. "Ow!" Dirk shook his hand and put it back down into the watery sand. "You did that on purpose." His shoulders shook with laughter.

Arms reached around for Dirk, pulling him close so that Paris could apply a press of his lips on Dirk's cheek and traveled to his jaw, then to the corner of his mouth. Rumbling growl in Paris chest as it rose up his throat and a nip to Dirk's bottom lip. Happily his arms looped around Paris and he sighed contently as their lips met. Dirk felt so complete in that moment.

But the moment was over quickly as Paris was back up and grinning, though the fish squirming under his feet got his nose wrinkling and he started laughing. And Dirk was getting up as well. He was dripping wet, head to toe, t-shirt plastered to his chest. The squirming fish were carefully avoided. It was their mating season and Dirk believed in live and let live. "Can you believe all of this?" Dirk laughed and turned to watch the others on the beach, scrambling and laughing and tackling each other in the water. "Amazing."

"It is rather interesting." Paris lifted one foot to let the fish slither on through and then laughed as it bumped right into his other foot. So, Paris was a wee bit ticklish and the fish at his feet had him laughing. Moving back over to Dirk, he grinned. Hand caressed against Dirk's shoulders, from one to the others. "Oh, Dirk." Lips soon met with Drk's ear and he breathed heated exhales there. Sudden movement, well, Paris was down reaching for a slimy fish, yanking the hem of Dirk's shorts back and in went the fish.

Dirk was busy attempting to catch another elusive fish when Paris moved over. He had no idea how sneaky his lover was and when those heated whispers into his ear were delivered, he grinned goofily. But then his shorts were being opened and fish slithered into the back of his shorts! "Ah! You!" he hopped about from one foot to the next, smacking his own behind. "Out out! Stop! Tickles! Ah!" He was laughing and dancing about, trying to free the poor, terrified fish trapped in his shorts. Finally, he simply tugged the shorts down to his ankles to let the fish swim away. "Poor thing! You scarred it for life!" Laughing, he tugged his trunks back up and made a flying tackle towards Paris.

"Oh, this is just too good." Paris stood there, arms crossing over his bare chest as he watched Dirk running around and laughing. As Dirk dropped his shorts, Paris' brows perked, shoulders shaking as he was laughing. "I believe the fish enjoyed it, Dirk, oh yes." Green-blue eyes opened wider as he realised that Dirk was coming for him, he chose to let him have his way, let get a good tackle. Arms came up to grab for Dirk and with the combined weight, well, the heavier they are, the harder they fall and Paris went down hard into the sand, laughing.

To the wet sand they fell, Dirk landing on top of Paris. He sat up quickly and scooped up sand and fish, only to deposit it in the middle of Paris' chest with a wet plopping sound. "You are so evil." He laughed out loud. Hand dipped to the side of Paris' head and he picked up a long fish by it's tail. "Open wide, baby." He grinned and held the fish above Paris' mouth.

Green-blue eyes grew wide as Dirk scooped up fish and so nicely plopped them on Paris' chest. His mouth was already wide open with laughter from the fish squirming all over him. Dirk's body was grabbed for, his own fingers dancing over Dirk's sides, though Paris did lift up and snatch that fish with his teeth, swallowing it and then giving Dirk's behind a nice hard smack for the effort. "And you say I am evil." Paris chuckled.

"You are!" Dirk jumped up then and glanced around. The other people were starting to leave and the last of the grunion were slipping back out to sea. With a soft sigh, he looked down and offered his hand to Paris. "Come on, let's get back to the hotel and into something dry."

Pulling Paris to his feet, his hands slid up Paris' chest and then curled around his strong shoulders. As predicted, he looked up into those amazingly green blue eyes. "I love you, so much." He whispered softly before canting his head and placing a soft kiss to Paris' lips. Hand grabbed for Dirk's and he lifted up from the sand, arms wrapped around Dirk's waist and he nuzzled in for the kiss. "I love you." Whispered back with a smile. Hands gave gentle rubs of Dirk's back and then he hefted Dirk right up and over his shoulder. "My turn to carry you back." Paris laughed, while he trudged through the sand to get them back to the hotel. Thoughts of holding Dirk and keeping him in his arms for the rest of the night was what had the larger appeal.