Don't worry...
Jun. 2nd, 2003 10:45 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
lamardeuse.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ds_flashfiction...Note the part one. There's another one coming, because you *know* I don't do unhappy endings!
Inertia: Part One
by lamardeuse
"So, like, here's the thing."
"Ray?"
"No, let's get one thing straight, no interruptions here, okay? No harm, no foul."
Fraser cast a quick glance around the squad room. Susan Aglukark was busily working on the computer, and a couple of the other officers were discussing a case in the opposite corner. They were paying him no mind, or so he hoped.
"Hello, Fraser? You still there?"
"Yes." He frowned. "I thought you said no interruptions."
"Yeah, right, I did, only--okay, I lost my momentum here, gotta get it back--"
A tiny smile tugged free of Fraser's scowl. It was difficult to imagine Ray at a standstill. Momentum was his middle name.
But here, in the Northwest Areas, Ray had met an immoveable object, immune to his inertia. Stopping him dead in his tracks. Cancelling him out.
Fraser closed his eyes briefly.
"Look, I just wanted to say, I don't know what the fuck happened there, at the airport, but whatever it was, I'm sorry."
Whatever it was?
"It was a kiss, Ray."
"Jeez. I said--"
"--no interruptions. I apologize."
"All right, okay." The sound of a ragged breath being drawn. "Yeah, bonus points for you, it was a kiss. And I had no right--I mean, it wasn't what I--it just happened, right? And I can't take it back."
Do you want to?
"Not that I want--fuck, fuck, fuck."
Silence.
"Ray?"
"Still here. Man, I thought this would be easier somehow, you a thousand miles away--"
"Actually, the distance between Inuvik and Chicago is--"
"Shut up. It's like you're here, you're still here, or I'm still there, I don't know, but even after three weeks of distance I can't shake you, can't get you out of my head. It's not just your mouth, though Christ--"
Air hissed across Fraser's front teeth, chilling them to the point of pain. Susan looked up briefly from the monitor, then returned her attention to the glowing screen.
"--not like I haven't been thinking about that, too. It's that I can still hear you and see you, and God, smell you. The only other human thing in that whole goddamned place, and I could close my eyes and find you with one good sniff--"
Ray, Ray, Ray--
"Can you imagine what that's like? To live your entire life trying not to smell stuff, because you live behind the packing plant, or it's two a.m. and you're in an alley with a guy who's been dead for a week and a half? And then to be stripped clean, stripped bare, like you're fucking being reborn, and all your senses wake up and take notice--"
"I understand, Ray. You don't have to explain--"
"Explain what? What am I explaining?"
Fraser summoned his strength. He'd spent a great deal of time formulating a probable cause for Ray's behaviour at the airport, and Ray's words seemed to be corroborating his theory.
"You experienced a perfectly natural reaction to being under extreme stress. You were thrust into an alien, hostile environment, and I was your only link to the life you knew. It's normal to imprint upon the person whom you, whether consciously or unconsciously, feel that you depend on for survival."
A dry chuckle wafted to him over the distance between them. "See, it's a measure of how royally fucked up I am that I actually get that. But there's a tiny hole in your theory, Mountie-man."
A pause. Fraser licked his lips. "And what's that?"
"I was the one who thrust myself. I was the one who said, ‘let's go find that hand'."
Fraser was suddenly conscious of the slow, thudding beat of his heart.
"I was the one who knew I was crazy about you, before we even went on that adventure."
Fraser forced the word out. "Before?"
"Yeah, before." Ray sounded relieved, calm, just when Fraser was ready to burst.
"H-how long before?"
"What the fuck does it matter? You taking a poll? How Long it Takes for your Partners to Fall Head over Heels?" Ray's words were angry, but his tone was sad now, resigned.
Fraser had finally managed, contrary to the laws of physics, to stop an irresistible force.
"Ray?"
"Yeah?"
I wish I could.
I wish I could--
--move.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Ray said, and Fraser could see his long, thin fingers scrubbing through the spiky hair on his head. "Yeah, me too."
And Fraser was left with a dial tone.
End
Next: Inertia: Part Two
Inertia: Part One
by lamardeuse
"So, like, here's the thing."
"Ray?"
"No, let's get one thing straight, no interruptions here, okay? No harm, no foul."
Fraser cast a quick glance around the squad room. Susan Aglukark was busily working on the computer, and a couple of the other officers were discussing a case in the opposite corner. They were paying him no mind, or so he hoped.
"Hello, Fraser? You still there?"
"Yes." He frowned. "I thought you said no interruptions."
"Yeah, right, I did, only--okay, I lost my momentum here, gotta get it back--"
A tiny smile tugged free of Fraser's scowl. It was difficult to imagine Ray at a standstill. Momentum was his middle name.
But here, in the Northwest Areas, Ray had met an immoveable object, immune to his inertia. Stopping him dead in his tracks. Cancelling him out.
Fraser closed his eyes briefly.
"Look, I just wanted to say, I don't know what the fuck happened there, at the airport, but whatever it was, I'm sorry."
Whatever it was?
"It was a kiss, Ray."
"Jeez. I said--"
"--no interruptions. I apologize."
"All right, okay." The sound of a ragged breath being drawn. "Yeah, bonus points for you, it was a kiss. And I had no right--I mean, it wasn't what I--it just happened, right? And I can't take it back."
Do you want to?
"Not that I want--fuck, fuck, fuck."
Silence.
"Ray?"
"Still here. Man, I thought this would be easier somehow, you a thousand miles away--"
"Actually, the distance between Inuvik and Chicago is--"
"Shut up. It's like you're here, you're still here, or I'm still there, I don't know, but even after three weeks of distance I can't shake you, can't get you out of my head. It's not just your mouth, though Christ--"
Air hissed across Fraser's front teeth, chilling them to the point of pain. Susan looked up briefly from the monitor, then returned her attention to the glowing screen.
"--not like I haven't been thinking about that, too. It's that I can still hear you and see you, and God, smell you. The only other human thing in that whole goddamned place, and I could close my eyes and find you with one good sniff--"
Ray, Ray, Ray--
"Can you imagine what that's like? To live your entire life trying not to smell stuff, because you live behind the packing plant, or it's two a.m. and you're in an alley with a guy who's been dead for a week and a half? And then to be stripped clean, stripped bare, like you're fucking being reborn, and all your senses wake up and take notice--"
"I understand, Ray. You don't have to explain--"
"Explain what? What am I explaining?"
Fraser summoned his strength. He'd spent a great deal of time formulating a probable cause for Ray's behaviour at the airport, and Ray's words seemed to be corroborating his theory.
"You experienced a perfectly natural reaction to being under extreme stress. You were thrust into an alien, hostile environment, and I was your only link to the life you knew. It's normal to imprint upon the person whom you, whether consciously or unconsciously, feel that you depend on for survival."
A dry chuckle wafted to him over the distance between them. "See, it's a measure of how royally fucked up I am that I actually get that. But there's a tiny hole in your theory, Mountie-man."
A pause. Fraser licked his lips. "And what's that?"
"I was the one who thrust myself. I was the one who said, ‘let's go find that hand'."
Fraser was suddenly conscious of the slow, thudding beat of his heart.
"I was the one who knew I was crazy about you, before we even went on that adventure."
Fraser forced the word out. "Before?"
"Yeah, before." Ray sounded relieved, calm, just when Fraser was ready to burst.
"H-how long before?"
"What the fuck does it matter? You taking a poll? How Long it Takes for your Partners to Fall Head over Heels?" Ray's words were angry, but his tone was sad now, resigned.
Fraser had finally managed, contrary to the laws of physics, to stop an irresistible force.
"Ray?"
"Yeah?"
I wish I could.
I wish I could--
--move.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Ray said, and Fraser could see his long, thin fingers scrubbing through the spiky hair on his head. "Yeah, me too."
And Fraser was left with a dial tone.
End
Next: Inertia: Part Two
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no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 07:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 07:59 am (UTC)"H-how long before?"
"What the fuck does it matter? You taking a poll?"
And the speech about his rediscovery of smell, which moves seamlessly from a sensual image to that of a dead guy in an alley -- well, all I can say is, you've GOT it. You're in the Ray groove, and I can hardly wait for more.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:13 am (UTC)Lovely, great voices and love Fraser's reactions and thoughts to what Ray is saying.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:29 pm (UTC)have I mentioned...
Date: 2003-06-02 08:33 am (UTC)Loved this: "Hello, Fraser? You still there?"
"Yes." He frowned. "I thought you said no interruptions."
"Yeah, right, I did, only--okay, I lost my momentum here, gotta get it back--"
A tiny smile tugged free of Fraser's scowl. It was difficult to imagine Ray at a standstill. Momentum was his middle name.
Perfect, yes, Ray is ever in motion, isn't he? I love that.
Now get to work on a lovely happy ending for us, my dear. Please?
Re: have I mentioned...
Date: 2003-06-02 08:31 pm (UTC)*sigh*
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:42 am (UTC)But since you're going to write a happy ending eventually, I don't have to do that. :o)
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:34 pm (UTC)Don't hurt my P-I mean my Frase!
Sorry, feeling kind of protective, since I met PG today.
Oh, did I mention I met Paul Gross today?
Re:
Date: 2003-06-02 11:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-03 01:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:35 pm (UTC)AIIEEEE!
no subject
Date: 2003-06-03 01:58 pm (UTC)The full report is over on my LJ. The only thing I forgot to mention was the hair (which was impeccable, of course!) *g*
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 11:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 11:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:38 pm (UTC)Ummm...there will be. Soon.
I promise!
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 12:20 pm (UTC)wowowowowowow. (that's all i have to say) wowowowowowow. and part 2 is. . .when???
(BTW - do you have a-team slash somewhere? pleaseplease?)
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:41 pm (UTC)My A-Team stuff is at:
A-Team Fic (http://poutinette.tripod.com/ateam/index.htm)
The first one's het, second one's gen, and everything else is F/M slash. Enjoy!
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 12:43 pm (UTC)::tap::
::taptap::
::tappetytaptaptap::
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:43 pm (UTC)Over, and over, and over.
I should be in recovery by tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 01:29 pm (UTC)::::looking forward to the happy part:::::
no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 05:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-06-02 08:54 pm (UTC)I cannot *believe* you wrote that!
It's five to one in the morning and I think I'd better get myself to bed. I should be better tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2003-06-03 02:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-08 01:28 am (UTC)