Window Challenge by spuffyduds

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Author: spuffyduds
Title: Window on the Future
Pairing: Fraser/RayK
Episode: Looking back on "Burning Down the House"
Length: 350 words
Warnings: R for language and implied smut
Disclaimer: I don't own the fellas. I did have a burning car once, though.



You’d think the big memory from that day would be the rubber ducks everywhere, or getting shot, or, you know, driving a car that was on fire. Because, even in Fraserland, you don’t drive a car that’s on fire every day. Just maybe twice a month.

But every time Ray thinks back on it, what he sees first is that view out his front windshield. Before the igniter, uh, ignited. Big fucking crazy Mountie, upside down on the glass and the hood and looking so goddamn calm about it that for a second Ray thought that he was insane or confused or upside down, because Fraser looked so—-la la la, just checking for an explosive device, Ray, no problem here, perfectly normal for me to have my boots on the roof and my face in the grille, why so upset?

And sometimes he wonders: if he’d known, if he could step back and tell himself --“this is your future, buddy”—-what he would have done. If he’d guessed, then, that the whole life of Ray Kowalski from here on out was a big fucking crazy upside-down Mountie blocking his view of everything else and making him wonder if he was completely losing his mind. If he would have backed out, un-Vecchioed, re-Kowalskiated.

He doesn’t think so. He’s pretty sure not, even on the worst days, and he’s really really sure not on the best nights, when Fraser crawls in beside him and Ray nudges and tickles and pokes him until he swivels in the bed, feet on the pillow and head—-oh, right there is nice, right there is just great, buddy, and Ray mumbles, oh, god, I think I’m losing my mind. And Fraser stops, the evil bastard, looks up, starts saying something about feelings of disorientation during sexual congress being typical of a peak experience, and—

“Fraser. Shut. Up.”

“Understood,” with that little smile that he only has when he knows he’s being an evil bastard. And, thank you god, goes back to, uh. Looking for the igniter.

Comments

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Hee! That's brilliant. *g*

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Nothing popped up in my head for that prompt for the longest time--I was relieved when it finally did.

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Big fucking crazy Mountie, upside down on the glass and the hood and looking so goddamn calm about it that for a second Ray thought that he was insane or confused or upside down, because Fraser looked so—-la la la, just checking for an explosive device

La la la! Thank you for reminding me of the utter absurdity that is due South, spuffyduds!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Hee--it is trippy, isn't it? Thanks!

[mergatrude.livejournal.com]

This was such fun to read. Thank you!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thanks much! I had fun structuring it.

[sam80853.livejournal.com]

::grins::
Fraser is an evil bastard!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Isn't he though? But he's so PRETTY when he's an evil bastard.

[dewey3067.livejournal.com]

Mmm - upside down Mountie!

Lovely story here. Really like the way it circles around the different ways Fraser makes Ray lose his mind. And amazing how much you pack into so few words.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was having fun playing around with the structure--glad it came out feeling dense and not repetitive.

[lipstickcat.livejournal.com]

la la la, just checking for an explosive device, Ray, no problem here, perfectly normal for me to have my boots on the roof and my face in the grille, why so upset?

*loves* You know what? The thing with that scene is that Fraser makes it seem so normal, that I've only just realised this minute that it isn't! XD

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

He is so awesome at the deadpan weird that sometimes he slips it right by you, doesn't he? Thanks for liking!

[sundara.livejournal.com]

If he'd guessed, then, that the whole life of Ray Kowalski from here on out was a big fucking crazy upside-down Mountie blocking his view of everything else and making him wonder if he was completely losing his mind. If he would have backed out, un-Vecchioed, re-Kowalskiated.

This is just marvelous. Love the above bit particularly--how you use the image recounted previously (upside down Mountie) to such pointed effect to fully describe Ray's mental and physical state with Fraser in his life. Fabulous! Great little read.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! What kind comments. Really glad you liked, especially because I really wanted to post something for this challenge and was just getting NOTHING in my head for it for a couple of days. Until an hour before the challenge ended, of course. Argh.

[scriggle.livejournal.com]

Wonderful!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ::complimented dance::

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

If he’d guessed, then, that the whole life of Ray Kowalski from here on out was a big fucking crazy upside-down Mountie blocking his view of everything else and making him wonder if he was completely losing his mind.

Hee! That's the best metaphor ever, and the last line is just brilliant. :D

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you! You are very nice.

[hurry-sundown.livejournal.com]

How do you manage to pack so much into 350 words? Huh?

Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray. *sigh* Okay, now I'm in my happy place for the morning. Thank you kindly for your assistance. *smooch*

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Hee--I'm so used to drabbling that 350 words feels like a sprawl. Am I forgiven for the facesmushing last one?

[hurry-sundown.livejournal.com]

Please, like I would hold a grudge. *whistles* Just because I was practically sobbing into my coffee by the end of that one ...

Seriously. You keep writing, I'll keep reading, m'kay?

[mickeymvt.livejournal.com]

Oh hell yes! *grins* Great last line.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha! Great evil Fraser picture. Thank you for liking!

[china_shop]

Eeee! *HEARTS*

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! This was my second attempt at a RayK voice, and the first one had him in such a horrortastic situation that I sort of felt like I owed him a blowjob. So to speak.

[(Anonymous)]

*claps and whistles* Very well done! I love the upside-down-ness of it, and Ray losing his mind (first in an oh-god-I'm-going-CRAZY way, and then in a sex way) and then the idea that no, he wouldn't have backed out then knowing what he knows now. Terrific stuff.

[nos4a2no9.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was me failing at the login thing.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Hee, I do that all the time. Thanks very much for liking! I was tickled with this one (as we say hereabouts) because I had NOTHING until about an hour before the offical close, and then this one landed in my head with all this...prefab structure to it. Weird muse.

[leafy22.livejournal.com]

This is fantastic! Excellent evil-bastard-Fraser and I absolutely loved this bit

If he’d guessed, then, that the whole life of Ray Kowalski from here on out was a big fucking crazy upside-down Mountie blocking his view of everything else and making him wonder if he was completely losing his mind. If he would have backed out, un-Vecchioed, re-Kowalskiated.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Glad you liked. And he needs to come be an evil pretty bastard at my HOUSE!

[viciouscats.livejournal.com]

Heee, I love this! :)

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! It was fun to do.

[vienna-waits.livejournal.com]

*claps in delight* Whee, such fun! I laughed at the end of the first paragraph and at pretty much every sentence in the second paragraph, at "un-Vecchioed, re-Kowalskiated" in the third paragraph, and of course at "uh. Looking for the igniter" at the end. You hit such a great tone for Ray here, sort of admiring/thrilled/wtf? all at the same time. I really enjoyed this!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! I am a total slut for lengthy and specific feedback. (Especially when it's so nice!) And "admiring/thrilled/wtf?" beautifully sums up the way any person of any sense would be around Fraser...

[bertybertle.livejournal.com]

Oh this is lovely! And so much in just a few words. Well done indeed. *applauds*

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Due to spring allergies and insomnia, I am an Angry Zombie today, so it was especially nice to find this in my inbox.

[j-s-cavalcante.livejournal.com]

Ahahahahahaha! Looking for the igniter! Heeee!

Lots of lines here made me laugh out loud (at nearly 3 in the morning, this could be a problem for the rest of the household):

just checking for an explosive device, Ray, no problem here, perfectly normal for me to have my boots on the roof and my face in the grille, why so upset?

and

If he would have backed out, un-Vecchioed, re-Kowalskiated.

Hilarious and perfect. Love the whole thing. Hooray for upside-down Mounties. Who are very good at finding igniters. :)

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thank you extremely much! Great to see such kind commenting first thing in the morning.

[kill-claudio.livejournal.com]

You wrote F/K! *loves you even more* And it is wonderful. I'd never realised before how upside-down-on-a-car-Fraser is a great metaphor for their relationship. And 'looking for the igniter' has to be the best euphemism ever.

[kill-claudio.livejournal.com]

ALSO (I can't finish a thought in one post because I am lame, sorry), you had a burning car?! When? What happened?!

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Ooh, it's been maybe--19 years now? A green Plymouth Horizon. We were driving between Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC, to drop the hub off with some friends he was going to the beach with, so unfortunately he had a lot of luggage in the car. And there was a CLICK, and the gas pedal sank impotently to the floor, and he pulled off and we got out, at which point the flames started shooting out from under the hood. We never did figure out what happened, because it burned so thoroughly--by the time the fire department got there the TIRES had MELTED.

I did keep, for many years, a festive swag composed of several pairs of his underwear--the elastic had melted and fused them together.

[kill-claudio.livejournal.com]

I did keep, for many years, a festive swag composed of several pairs of his underwear--the elastic had melted and fused them together.

*dies of laughter* Oh, God. I'm sorry, I'm sure it must have been a pretty frightening experience at the time, not to mention having to buy a new car, but the images! Melted underwear.

There should be an F/K fic 'melted underwear'. Maybe for ds_aprilfools?

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Yay! It's nice to be loved thank you. ::beams:: I kind of started doing F/K both because I am now in LOVE with Kowalski and because if I pick the F/V back up I will have to write actual slash, and I'm askeered. Am gathering my courage, though.

[jenboo.livejournal.com]

LOL...very fun and sweet!

Igniter, huh? So that's what the kids are calling it these days. ;o)

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love to see comments pop up on old fic, yay!

[azamiko.livejournal.com]

...Did Paul Gross do his own stunts...?