Dating Challenge by joandarck

[joandarck.livejournal.com]

Thanks to malnpudl for terminology check!
Rating: G, gen
Length: 260 words
Summary: Fraser doesn't get out much.



Moonrise


There was a scratching at the window, and Fraser pushed his chair back. It didn't take two hands to lift the sash, but he used them.

"Forget something?" he said dryly.

Diefenbaker, unabashed, hopped over the sill and trotted to the far side of the bed, returning dragging a battered blue-grey blanket in his teeth.

Pausing by the window, lips curled delicately back, the half-wolf tossed his head a few times until the tail of the blanket flipped up and settled across his shoulders, then leapt out, passing Fraser close enough to hit him - probably accidentally - with his tail. The fire escape shook with metallic protest, rapidly quieted.

"Didja tell him to be home by nine?"

Fraser ignored his guest, watching Dief make his confident way down the alley, the black and puddled pavement like a photographic negative of his native snowfields. The blanket stayed lodged across his back, a few safe inches from the ground.

"Must be the greyhound," he said.

"Come on, it's freezing in here."

It might have been, but it was stuffy with the window closed. Fraser crossed back to where Ray sprawled at the card table, placed directly under the light that buzzed noticeably at the threshold of his hearing and flickered almost to nothing every four minutes and thirty-five seconds.

Ray flicked his cards impatiently. "You in or not?"

There would be time for about two more hours of poker, complaints, and case talk before Ray went home at eleven ("Ma worries.")

Fraser trapped his thighs under the folding table and picked up his cards.
 
 
 

Comments

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Awwwww!!! *sappy happy grin*

And Dief fic! Much yay! :-D

[mondschein1.livejournal.com]

PUPPY! PUPPYPUPPYPUPPYPUPPYPUPPY!

...I'm not here. You didn't see me.

[tigs.livejournal.com]

Dief! Yay! How totally adorable!

[hieronymousmosh.livejournal.com]

yay, Dief fic! He's so considerate of his lady friend *g*

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Oh, Fraser, you make me sad.

[lorem_ipsum]

hee!

[loz]

Am I the only one who's getting bittersweet vibes from this? Because, really, it's depressing me like hell. ... is that just me?

[china_shop]

Yay!!! Dief!!!

Vecchio!!!

[eledhwenlin]

Yay Dief! :D

[sam80853.livejournal.com]

Dief!!!!!!!!!!!

Cute!

"Didja tell him to be home by nine?"

[shihadchick.livejournal.com]

i have two main responses here, the first being "awww, Dief" and general squishy puppylove type noises (and him hitting Fraser with his tail! he totally would, too. oh, Dief), and the second being "oh, Fraser". because, ow. i actually physically winced at the matter-of-fact observation about the lightbulb flickering, and Fraser just being so... constricted (though "Ma worries" is a total dialogue winner) and just... it makes me want to go watch CotW so I can see that look on his face in the ice field. I can't believe this is only two-hundred-some words - you pack a LOT of character in here, Joan. Great piece.

[bertybertle.livejournal.com]

So CUTE! Dief!fic! *loves it muchly*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_unhurt_/]

dating dief is cute, but poor wistful fraser watching him go.

They would have about two hours of poker, complaints and case talk before Ray went home at eleven

oh, fraser. it's not enough, is it?

[whitepuppy.livejournal.com]

Dief fic!!! SOOOO CUTE!

[akite.livejournal.com]

Dief! You dog, you! ;) I stand behind my icon, though.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

The Dief stuff was cute but, man, this was very sad to me. Fraser "trapping" his thighs under the table; feeling stuffy with the windows cloased. And I love your description of the pavement as the negative of the snow.

[mrsronweasley.livejournal.com]

You just...you have this way of painting a scene, laying it all out there for the reader to see and try to understand for him/herself the underpinnings of it, and I love that. It's like...you present it, there it is, and I can see it, and then you step back and allow us to think about it and decide for ourselves. Because while Dief dating is undeniably adorable (he's such an alpha, omg), Fraser's lack of a love life is such a strong contrast to that. I mean...if Fraser didn't care, it'd be one thing, but he clearly does feel lonely and trapped and it just hurts so much. I think I even like thinking of him living in the Consulate better than the old apartment. Because while it's his own apartment, he never really feels at home there. And you showed that so well. He doesn't even care enough to change the light bulb. Oh, Fraser.

And RayV! Ha. That was unexpected. *g*

I can't believe that was only 260 words. ARE YOU SURE?

[mergatrude.livejournal.com]

Oh, I adore this! Dief's life is an expanse, no matter where he is, whilst Fraser has hemmed himself in at the behest of others.