Rent challenge by pixiecatfish
May. 1st, 2008 07:27 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
pixiecatfish.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ds_flashfictionTitle: Splitting the Rent
Author: pixiecatfish
Pairing: Kowalski/Vecchio
Rating: PG
Length: 1,139 Words
Ray Vecchio sighed and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he sat in the Riv, waiting for the light to change.
What he was doing now was either the best idea or the biggest mistake of his life. Ray sighed again, impatiently. He was carrying on for nothing. This was a good idea. It was a great idea.
After being forced to work a few cases together, he and Ray Kowalski had fallen into the habit of spending their off-hours together, and to their mutual great surprise, they both really enjoyed it.
It had started with watching baseball games on TV while having pizza and beer. They had then progressed to actually going to the ballpark to catch a few games, then expanded to going to the movies and out to dinner.
From there, it had just seemed like a natural progression that their off-hours activities would move to the bedroom.
After too many nights of Vecchio having to pick his wrinkled clothes up off the floor and put them on to sneak home, or having plans ruined and not being able to spend any time together due to some case or other exploding, Kowalski had suggested they move in together.
Vecchio had agreed right away. It was a great, practical idea. The best part was that with the two of them contributing to the rent, they could get a place much nicer than Kowalski's current apartment for a reasonable sum for each of them.
That was something Vecchio had insisted on- they needed to get a new place all their own, and not live in Kowalski's "flea-bitten tenement."
The hunt for the new apartment had been surprisingly easy, with only two blow up fights that had ended in near-violent makeup sex.
Vecchio was heading to the new apartment now, with the last load of his clothes in the trunk. Kowalski was waiting at the new place, where he was unpacking his stuff and waiting to sign for the delivery of the new bedroom set they had purchased together.
Vecchio blew out a quick breath as he turned the corner onto their new street. Yeah, this was a great idea; two friends sharing an apartment together. Friends with benefits of course, but just friends nonetheless.
But if it was just friends, then why were there two filet mignons sitting in the grocery bag in the backseat? And why had he stopped and bought a $150 bottle of wine to go with them? And a Frank Sinatra CD?
Vecchio swore and hit the steering wheel, then told himself to calm down. There was a perfectly rational explanation for all his purchases. He just wanted to have a nice dinner with his new roommate the first night in the apartment. There was nothing wrong with wanting to get things off to a good start.
As Ray pulled the Riv into his assigned space outside the building (for which he was paying an extra $100 a month), he smiled, and felt his heart do a slow turn over in his chest.
Kowalski was hovering nervously outside the door, trying to look calm, and like he wasn't hovering. But he reminded Ray of nothing so much as himself as a boy, waiting to go downstairs and open gifts on Christmas morning.
"Hey," Kowalski said as Vecchio got out of the car.
"Hi roomie," Ray grinned. He opened the trunk and pulled out his suitcase and a couple
of suit bags.
"Need any help there," Kowalski asked.
"You are not touching my clothes," Vecchio answered. "You can bring in the groceries. He nodded at the back seat.
"Whatever," Kowalski muttered, but got the bags out of the back seat and carried them inside.
"Did the furniture get here okay," Vecchio asked as they headed up the stairs.
"Yeah," Ray answered. "Everything is all set up."
They entered their third-floor apartment and Kowalski dumped the grocery bags on the counter, and both men went into the bedroom.
Vecchio dropped the suitcase on the floor and put the suit bags on the bed. Then he paused, staring at the bed in surprise. There were new sheets and blankets and a new quilt on the bed.
He walked to the head of the bed and ran his hands over the sheets, then gasped in surprise and delight. They were the softest, most comfortable sheets he had ever felt in his life. He turned to look at Kowalski.
"Yeah, well," said Kowalski, who was having troubled meeting Ray's eyes. "I know you like nice sheets, and I wanted you to be comfortable here."
Vecchio just looked at him, a smile crossing his face.
"But mostly," Ray continued, "I didn't want to have to listen to you bitching and whining about scratchy sheets every night for the rest of my damn life."
"Thank you, Stanley," Vecchio said, giving him a kiss.
"Yeah, well..." Kowalski shrugged, then unzipped one of the suit bags. "Am I allowed to help you unpack? I saved you plenty of room in the dresser and closet."
"Thanks. I hope I didn't put you out too much. I would hate to crowd the two pairs of jeans and four t-shirts you own."
"Bite my ass."
Vecchio raised his eyebrows. "Maybe later."
********************
Once they had Vecchio's clothes put away, the two Rays went into the kitchen and started unloading the bags Vecchio had brought.
Kowalski looked at the bottle of wine and whistled. "This is good stuff."
Vecchio looked at him in surprise. "You know wine?"
"Nah," Ray grinned. "But I can't pronounce the name on the bottle, so it's got to be the good stuff."
Vecchio laughed and pulled the filets from the bag. Kowalski took them from his hands, smiling. "I do know meat, and this is definitely the good stuff."
Vecchio grabbed him and rubbed his groin against Ray's. "Yeah, you know good meat, all right."
Kowalski pushed him away. "Get off me, you freak." But he was grinning. He found the Sinatra CD in the next bag. "Nice. Can I put it on right now?"
"Sure, go ahead," Vecchio shrugged.
Kowalski went into the living room, and Vecchio stayed behind in the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers, getting himself acquainted with where everything was in the new kitchen.
He started the dinner preparations as Sinatra sang about flying away with him and Kowalski danced around the living room, unpacking boxes.
Vecchio was cutting up the vegetables for the salad when he heard Kowalski dance into the kitchen; and he felt a kiss placed on the back of his neck. "Welcome home, roommate," Kowalski whispered. He wrapped his arms around Ray's waist and rested his chin on Ray's shoulder.
Vecchio leaned into the embrace and let his head fall back to rest against Kowalski's. Yes, this had been a great idea.
THE END
Author: pixiecatfish
Pairing: Kowalski/Vecchio
Rating: PG
Length: 1,139 Words
Ray Vecchio sighed and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel as he sat in the Riv, waiting for the light to change.
What he was doing now was either the best idea or the biggest mistake of his life. Ray sighed again, impatiently. He was carrying on for nothing. This was a good idea. It was a great idea.
After being forced to work a few cases together, he and Ray Kowalski had fallen into the habit of spending their off-hours together, and to their mutual great surprise, they both really enjoyed it.
It had started with watching baseball games on TV while having pizza and beer. They had then progressed to actually going to the ballpark to catch a few games, then expanded to going to the movies and out to dinner.
From there, it had just seemed like a natural progression that their off-hours activities would move to the bedroom.
After too many nights of Vecchio having to pick his wrinkled clothes up off the floor and put them on to sneak home, or having plans ruined and not being able to spend any time together due to some case or other exploding, Kowalski had suggested they move in together.
Vecchio had agreed right away. It was a great, practical idea. The best part was that with the two of them contributing to the rent, they could get a place much nicer than Kowalski's current apartment for a reasonable sum for each of them.
That was something Vecchio had insisted on- they needed to get a new place all their own, and not live in Kowalski's "flea-bitten tenement."
The hunt for the new apartment had been surprisingly easy, with only two blow up fights that had ended in near-violent makeup sex.
Vecchio was heading to the new apartment now, with the last load of his clothes in the trunk. Kowalski was waiting at the new place, where he was unpacking his stuff and waiting to sign for the delivery of the new bedroom set they had purchased together.
Vecchio blew out a quick breath as he turned the corner onto their new street. Yeah, this was a great idea; two friends sharing an apartment together. Friends with benefits of course, but just friends nonetheless.
But if it was just friends, then why were there two filet mignons sitting in the grocery bag in the backseat? And why had he stopped and bought a $150 bottle of wine to go with them? And a Frank Sinatra CD?
Vecchio swore and hit the steering wheel, then told himself to calm down. There was a perfectly rational explanation for all his purchases. He just wanted to have a nice dinner with his new roommate the first night in the apartment. There was nothing wrong with wanting to get things off to a good start.
As Ray pulled the Riv into his assigned space outside the building (for which he was paying an extra $100 a month), he smiled, and felt his heart do a slow turn over in his chest.
Kowalski was hovering nervously outside the door, trying to look calm, and like he wasn't hovering. But he reminded Ray of nothing so much as himself as a boy, waiting to go downstairs and open gifts on Christmas morning.
"Hey," Kowalski said as Vecchio got out of the car.
"Hi roomie," Ray grinned. He opened the trunk and pulled out his suitcase and a couple
of suit bags.
"Need any help there," Kowalski asked.
"You are not touching my clothes," Vecchio answered. "You can bring in the groceries. He nodded at the back seat.
"Whatever," Kowalski muttered, but got the bags out of the back seat and carried them inside.
"Did the furniture get here okay," Vecchio asked as they headed up the stairs.
"Yeah," Ray answered. "Everything is all set up."
They entered their third-floor apartment and Kowalski dumped the grocery bags on the counter, and both men went into the bedroom.
Vecchio dropped the suitcase on the floor and put the suit bags on the bed. Then he paused, staring at the bed in surprise. There were new sheets and blankets and a new quilt on the bed.
He walked to the head of the bed and ran his hands over the sheets, then gasped in surprise and delight. They were the softest, most comfortable sheets he had ever felt in his life. He turned to look at Kowalski.
"Yeah, well," said Kowalski, who was having troubled meeting Ray's eyes. "I know you like nice sheets, and I wanted you to be comfortable here."
Vecchio just looked at him, a smile crossing his face.
"But mostly," Ray continued, "I didn't want to have to listen to you bitching and whining about scratchy sheets every night for the rest of my damn life."
"Thank you, Stanley," Vecchio said, giving him a kiss.
"Yeah, well..." Kowalski shrugged, then unzipped one of the suit bags. "Am I allowed to help you unpack? I saved you plenty of room in the dresser and closet."
"Thanks. I hope I didn't put you out too much. I would hate to crowd the two pairs of jeans and four t-shirts you own."
"Bite my ass."
Vecchio raised his eyebrows. "Maybe later."
********************
Once they had Vecchio's clothes put away, the two Rays went into the kitchen and started unloading the bags Vecchio had brought.
Kowalski looked at the bottle of wine and whistled. "This is good stuff."
Vecchio looked at him in surprise. "You know wine?"
"Nah," Ray grinned. "But I can't pronounce the name on the bottle, so it's got to be the good stuff."
Vecchio laughed and pulled the filets from the bag. Kowalski took them from his hands, smiling. "I do know meat, and this is definitely the good stuff."
Vecchio grabbed him and rubbed his groin against Ray's. "Yeah, you know good meat, all right."
Kowalski pushed him away. "Get off me, you freak." But he was grinning. He found the Sinatra CD in the next bag. "Nice. Can I put it on right now?"
"Sure, go ahead," Vecchio shrugged.
Kowalski went into the living room, and Vecchio stayed behind in the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers, getting himself acquainted with where everything was in the new kitchen.
He started the dinner preparations as Sinatra sang about flying away with him and Kowalski danced around the living room, unpacking boxes.
Vecchio was cutting up the vegetables for the salad when he heard Kowalski dance into the kitchen; and he felt a kiss placed on the back of his neck. "Welcome home, roommate," Kowalski whispered. He wrapped his arms around Ray's waist and rested his chin on Ray's shoulder.
Vecchio leaned into the embrace and let his head fall back to rest against Kowalski's. Yes, this had been a great idea.
THE END
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 02:00 am (UTC)they are so cute! i could read about them being domestic ALL DAY EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE and it would still be the cutest thing ever. kowalski bought nice sheets!
also i like how they are "friends with benefits" who um, bought a bedroom set together. yes, NOTHING about that screams commitment. Really.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-02 04:43 am (UTC)Thank you!!
also i like how they are "friends with benefits" who um, bought a bedroom set together. yes, NOTHING about that screams commitment. Really.
Our Rays are masters of living in denial, aren't they?
I can see them living a very long, loving, happy life togehter, denying each and every day of it that they are in love.