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ds_flashfictionA negligible amount over the word count. Fraser/Kowalski. Mute Fraser.
Ray let himself into the consulate and walked straight into Turnbull first thing.
"Oh, Detective Vecchio! Welcome to Canada, may I-"
"No, no, and no, Turnbull," Ray said, side-stepping around the red uniform with his head down. "I'm good. Go back to... whatever." He waved a hand in Turnbull's direction as he began the trek back to Fraser's office.
Behind him, Turnbull carried on his half of the conversation as if Ray had actually stuck around and asked for the details. "Well, you see, Detective Vecchio, how the wood paneling-" Whatever else he said was lost as Ray got distracted by his collision with another body, this one smaller and feminine, and definitely one he wasn't interested in seeing at the moment.
"Detective," Inspector Thatcher said. "If you're here to see Fraser-"
"Look, it'll only take a minute okay? I just have to tell him some stuff and then I'm gone, so I won't keep him from his work, okay?" Ray flashed her a quick, brittle smile and dodged around her. She kept talking like Turnbull had done, but Ray tuned out the words and quickened his strides to get him to Fraser's office that much quicker.
The door was open and Fraser was at his desk, hard at work like a proper Mountie should be. Ray stopped in the doorway, in no rush to get past the sudden barrier of the distance between them. Behind him lay the most obvious of his obstacles, but this was the one he'd been dreading. Now there was nothing between the two of them to keep him from saying what he'd come to say. He looked around for Dief, wanting nothing more than to put this off for another few seconds, but there was no deaf half-wolf in sight.
Fraser tapping on the top of his desk caught Ray's attention and he looked back at him. Fraser was alert now to his presence and he smiled in welcome at Ray, but offered no verbal greeting. Ray pushed away from the doorframe and stepped up to the other side of Fraser's desk, then leaned over it. "Hey, Fraser, I've got some things to say, okay?"
The Mountie nodded agreeably, his eyes intent as he looked back at Ray, giving him his complete attention.
Ray swallowed hard against the sudden constriction of his throat, coughed once, quiet as he could, and then said the words that had been trying to get out for days. Possibly weeks. "Listen, you're my partner - yeah, unofficial, but whatever - and you're my friend, probably the best friend I've ever had, ever, okay? And I don't want to do this, but you have to know. You have every right to know, so here it is." And he stopped, the words disappearing for a moment as he caught sight of Fraser's confused frown.
He must have realized Ray was having problems, though, because Fraser stopped frowning and smiled again, waving his hand in encouragement. Ray reached out and took his hand, needing the contact to steady himself, needing to show Fraser just how real and important this was.
"The thing is that I love you, okay? And you've seen me with Stella, but I promise I won't be like that. If you say no, then that's fine, that's it, we're good. Buddies, partners, whatever you want." Another pause, this one while he tried to work up some spit in his suddenly dry mouth.
Fraser didn't say anything, just squeezed his hand gently and waited with the patience of a fucking saint.
Ray drew a ragged breath. "But if you love me, too, or maybe you're just interested... then maybe we can try this thing? We can be a duet like this, too." It had taken him forever to come up with half of this, though he knew the best parts of his speech, the parts promising eternal love and devotion and loyalty and promises of going off to Canada to live happily ever after in the freezing snow of the Artic, weren't going to come out. He couldn't find those words, so he squeezed Fraser's hand back and hoped he'd get the message anyway. Fraser was good at things like that.
However, Fraser just stood there and stared at him, looking lost and confused and none-too-happy with Ray's announcement, declaration, confession, whatever the hell that mess had just been.
Ray jerked his hand back and nodded. He didn't need to stick around to know what Fraser would do next. He'd seen it enough with Frannie and the other poor women who happened to fall for the red and the eyes and the innocence. He could catch that show from a distance, he didn't need it suddenly up close and too personal. Fraser wasn't saying anything, so Ray spoke quickly, hoping to leave as quickly as he'd arrived. "Okay, then. I'll catch you later."
He spun around and started to leave, only to trip across Dief and catch himself on the door the damn wolf must have shut. Fraser's hands pulled at him a second later, touching him tenderly, as if he could have done great damage with the fall that didn't actually happen. Fraser was in his space, crowding him against the door, and Ray held still as Fraser reclaimed his hand.
That was a good sign, or he thought it was, but Fraser wasn't saying anything and it was driving Ray nuts. "What, Fraser?"
Fraser just smiled with all the patience and tenderness in the world and brought Ray's hand up to his throat. He shook his head and waited, but Ray shrugged, not comprehending whatever message Fraser was trying to get across. Fraser moved Ray's hand up to his mouth then, and shook his head again, but Ray was distracted by the moist heat of Fraser's breath against his fingertips and he shivered. They stood that way for a moment, Fraser breathing on Ray's fingers, before Fraser copied Ray's shrug and moved Ray's hand to the serge, pressing Ray's palm above Fraser's heart. He nodded before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Ray's mouth.
Ray let himself into the consulate and walked straight into Turnbull first thing.
"Oh, Detective Vecchio! Welcome to Canada, may I-"
"No, no, and no, Turnbull," Ray said, side-stepping around the red uniform with his head down. "I'm good. Go back to... whatever." He waved a hand in Turnbull's direction as he began the trek back to Fraser's office.
Behind him, Turnbull carried on his half of the conversation as if Ray had actually stuck around and asked for the details. "Well, you see, Detective Vecchio, how the wood paneling-" Whatever else he said was lost as Ray got distracted by his collision with another body, this one smaller and feminine, and definitely one he wasn't interested in seeing at the moment.
"Detective," Inspector Thatcher said. "If you're here to see Fraser-"
"Look, it'll only take a minute okay? I just have to tell him some stuff and then I'm gone, so I won't keep him from his work, okay?" Ray flashed her a quick, brittle smile and dodged around her. She kept talking like Turnbull had done, but Ray tuned out the words and quickened his strides to get him to Fraser's office that much quicker.
The door was open and Fraser was at his desk, hard at work like a proper Mountie should be. Ray stopped in the doorway, in no rush to get past the sudden barrier of the distance between them. Behind him lay the most obvious of his obstacles, but this was the one he'd been dreading. Now there was nothing between the two of them to keep him from saying what he'd come to say. He looked around for Dief, wanting nothing more than to put this off for another few seconds, but there was no deaf half-wolf in sight.
Fraser tapping on the top of his desk caught Ray's attention and he looked back at him. Fraser was alert now to his presence and he smiled in welcome at Ray, but offered no verbal greeting. Ray pushed away from the doorframe and stepped up to the other side of Fraser's desk, then leaned over it. "Hey, Fraser, I've got some things to say, okay?"
The Mountie nodded agreeably, his eyes intent as he looked back at Ray, giving him his complete attention.
Ray swallowed hard against the sudden constriction of his throat, coughed once, quiet as he could, and then said the words that had been trying to get out for days. Possibly weeks. "Listen, you're my partner - yeah, unofficial, but whatever - and you're my friend, probably the best friend I've ever had, ever, okay? And I don't want to do this, but you have to know. You have every right to know, so here it is." And he stopped, the words disappearing for a moment as he caught sight of Fraser's confused frown.
He must have realized Ray was having problems, though, because Fraser stopped frowning and smiled again, waving his hand in encouragement. Ray reached out and took his hand, needing the contact to steady himself, needing to show Fraser just how real and important this was.
"The thing is that I love you, okay? And you've seen me with Stella, but I promise I won't be like that. If you say no, then that's fine, that's it, we're good. Buddies, partners, whatever you want." Another pause, this one while he tried to work up some spit in his suddenly dry mouth.
Fraser didn't say anything, just squeezed his hand gently and waited with the patience of a fucking saint.
Ray drew a ragged breath. "But if you love me, too, or maybe you're just interested... then maybe we can try this thing? We can be a duet like this, too." It had taken him forever to come up with half of this, though he knew the best parts of his speech, the parts promising eternal love and devotion and loyalty and promises of going off to Canada to live happily ever after in the freezing snow of the Artic, weren't going to come out. He couldn't find those words, so he squeezed Fraser's hand back and hoped he'd get the message anyway. Fraser was good at things like that.
However, Fraser just stood there and stared at him, looking lost and confused and none-too-happy with Ray's announcement, declaration, confession, whatever the hell that mess had just been.
Ray jerked his hand back and nodded. He didn't need to stick around to know what Fraser would do next. He'd seen it enough with Frannie and the other poor women who happened to fall for the red and the eyes and the innocence. He could catch that show from a distance, he didn't need it suddenly up close and too personal. Fraser wasn't saying anything, so Ray spoke quickly, hoping to leave as quickly as he'd arrived. "Okay, then. I'll catch you later."
He spun around and started to leave, only to trip across Dief and catch himself on the door the damn wolf must have shut. Fraser's hands pulled at him a second later, touching him tenderly, as if he could have done great damage with the fall that didn't actually happen. Fraser was in his space, crowding him against the door, and Ray held still as Fraser reclaimed his hand.
That was a good sign, or he thought it was, but Fraser wasn't saying anything and it was driving Ray nuts. "What, Fraser?"
Fraser just smiled with all the patience and tenderness in the world and brought Ray's hand up to his throat. He shook his head and waited, but Ray shrugged, not comprehending whatever message Fraser was trying to get across. Fraser moved Ray's hand up to his mouth then, and shook his head again, but Ray was distracted by the moist heat of Fraser's breath against his fingertips and he shivered. They stood that way for a moment, Fraser breathing on Ray's fingers, before Fraser copied Ray's shrug and moved Ray's hand to the serge, pressing Ray's palm above Fraser's heart. He nodded before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Ray's mouth.
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