ds_flashfiction | Oh, well.

lamardeuse.livejournal.com posting in

Okay, I was just planning to write wall-to-wall smut, I swear. I’m starting to wonder if I can. NC-17, about 1300 words.

Too Close
by lamardeuse

“Let me go, dammit! I want to see him!”

In spite of the big orderly who currently had his hands full holding Ray down on the bed, there was more than a little nervousness peeking through the doctor’s patronizing facade as he stood a safe distance away. “Detective Vecchio, you have suffered a blow to the head. Now, the MRI didn’t show anything to be worried about, but we’d still like to keep you for observation. We’ll have someone report to you on Constable Fraser’s condition as soon as possible—”

“Fuck that,” Ray spat, making another attempt to wriggle out from beneath the gorilla’s big hands. He briefly considered kneeing him in the nuts, but that probably wouldn’t get him anywhere but strapped to the bed. “What the hell kind of hospital is this, anyway? Don’t you know we’re cops? Why the fuck can’t you tell me my partner’s status the moment I wake up?”

“Because we didn’t realize you were partners,” the doctor grated, patience finally slipping. “After all, you were found unconscious on the bridge, while Constable Fraser was found a considerable distance downstream—”

Kowalski’s thoughts flashed back to that terrible moment—god, had it only been six hours ago?—when he’d watched Fraser topple into that raging, rain-swelled river from a height of at least twenty feet. He’d yelled Fraser’s name with a volume and intensity worthy of his namesake, then climbed up on the railing to jump in after him, to hell with bagging the bad guys—when the one who’d thrown Fraser over conked him on the back of the head and everything faded to black.

Jesus, Jesus, Ray prayed, just tell me he’s okay. Let him be okay and I’ll do anything, I’ll shave my head and hand out flowers at the fucking airport for the rest of my life, just please—

Right in mid-prayer, there was a commotion in the hallway directly outside the room, and Ray strained to see out the half-open door. He could hear fragments of voices, one female and one male, pitched too low now for him to recognize.

“—you shouldn’t be up—”

“—forgive me, but I can assure you—”

“—understand your concern—”

“—don’t think that you do—”

“—tive Vecchio is resting—”

Ray heard a dry, choked laugh that made his heart seize in his chest. “Resting? You don’t know Detective Vecchio.”

“Fraser!” he yelled, summoning all his strength. “In here!”

A split second later the door burst all the way open, and Fraser stood there in a goofy turquoise hospital gown, chest heaving, face pale as a ghost, smile radiating light brighter than the sun.

“Ray,” he breathed. “God, Ray.”

Ray locked gazes with Gorilla Boy. “Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me,” he growled, and something in his face must have communicated his frame of mind, because the guy stepped back like Ray had electrified his skin.

Fraser strode forward—or tried to, but he was a little shaky on his pins—and stopped at the edge of Ray’s bed as Ray sat up and swung his legs over the side. Fraser reached up and placed his palms on either side of Ray’s head, cradling his face as if it were the most precious thing his hands had ever held. Fraser’s own face was sad and disbelieving, like maybe this was all a cruel joke and he was going to wake up any second.

Ray’s hands went to Fraser’s hips, pulling him in closer until his knees bracketed Fraser’s thighs and bare feet brushed Fraser’s hairy calves. “Yeah, I’m here,” Ray said softly. “You okay?”

“Fine, I’m fine,” Fraser whispered, fingers threading in Ray’s hair. “The current carried me about a quarter of a mile, and then I was lucky enough to pass under an overhanging branch—”

“Your back? You hurt your back when you hit the water?”

Fraser shook his head. “I managed to turn mid-air and execute a straight dive.”

And that was so Fraser, Ray had to laugh. “You’re a regular Mark Spitz.”

“Actually, Mark Spitz was—”

And Ray didn’t even bother to say ‘shut up, Fraser’ because kissing him was a much better way to achieve the same results.

When he came up for air, he remembered there were other people in the room. He took a look around, but they were alone, the door now closed.

Ray chuckled. “Well, they get points for that, anyway. Sorry about the PDA.”

“I didn’t even notice they were there,” Fraser husked, mouth trailing over Ray’s cheekbone, nose, eyes. “And if I had, I wouldn’t have cared.”

“Mister Propriety kissed his boyfriend in front of the nice hospital staff and didn’t care?” Ray said, mocking disbelief in his tone. “What would the Mountie handbook say about that?”

“To hell with the Mountie handbook,” Fraser murmured, mouth hot against Ray’s once more. “God, Ray, that was—”

“—too close,” Ray finished for him.

Fraser frowned thoughtfully. “We’ve been in worse situations than that.”

Ray shook his head. “Not since we—”

“—became lovers?” Fraser said, and the word delivered in that low, raw voice sent a shiver up Ray’s spine.

“Hmmm,” Ray agreed, fingers now engaged in finding the bumps along Fraser’s spine. “Yeah, since then. It makes it different, being your partner. Seeing you—get hurt.”

“It’s more—difficult.”

Ray pressed his lips to Fraser’s collarbone as he deftly untied one of the knots holding Fraser’s hospital gown together. “Yeah.”

“More painful.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Fraser’s body jerked when Ray loosened the last tie and drew back to pull the gown off those broad shoulders. “Ray, perhaps we should—”

Ray skewered him with a look. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. I’m not giving you up, no matter how hard it gets. Not when I just found this, found you.”

Fraser’s expression grew fond, and he traced Ray’s lips with the pad of a thumb. “Ray. I was only going to suggest that perhaps we should close the curtain.”

Ray released a grin. “I knew you’d get prim and proper on me,” he teased, the grin widening when he saw the heat flare in Fraser’s smoky blue eyes.

Fraser’s gown fell to the floor right before his knees touched down on the linoleum. Strong hands glided up Ray’s thighs, baring warm, living flesh as they went.

The cool air kissed Ray’s cock. Fraser’s lips followed close behind.

Ray groaned and leaned back on his elbows, legs spreading at Fraser’s urging. His brain reeled with the events of the day, the emotional roller coaster flinging him skyward as surely as it had cast him down into the muddy water with Fraser scant hours ago. Despite what he said about it being different, Ray’s world had been one constant thrill ride since the day he’d met Fraser, and it didn’t show any signs of letting him off soon. Whatever happened next, Ray could be damned sure it wasn’t going to be boring.

Or easy.

Fraser’s eyes met his as that wide, warm mouth took him in, and Ray gasped at the look as much as the sensation. Ray had been the focus of Fraser’s laser-sharp intensity before, but never quite like this. Fraser was communicating something without words, telling Ray with eyes and lips and teeth and tongue that he was here, that he was alive, and that he was staying.

“Don’t leave,” Ray choked between gulps of air. “Don’t ever leave.” One desperate hand fisted in Fraser’s hair, and Fraser closed his eyes and moaned around the part of Ray inside him, and that did it. Ray threw his head back and let the roller coaster take him wherever it wanted.

End

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: QAF Season Three Soundtrack