ds_flashfiction | Insult challenge, by prudence

prudence-dearly.livejournal.com posting in

Title: Note to Self
Author:

prudence_dearly
Pairing: gen (possibly pre-slash) RayK/RayV
Rating: PG (I'm guessing… there's some language)
Word count: 1,037

So many thanks to

akamine_chan for very kind and helpful beta and newbie-hand-holding J

I'm having some weird computer issues, so really hope this posts properly...

"You're such a goddamned pussy."

"You really think name-calling is gonna do the trick, here? I'm not going in there. I wouldn't go in there if you paid me. I wouldn't go in there if you blew me. I wouldn't go in there –"

"Why don't you just say it? Come on, Vecchio. Just do it, say what you really wanna say."

Vecchio stopped mid-bitch. They were in the GTO, half a block down from the club where reliable information had Johnny Marconi cruising for hot and desperate young men. A blue light lit up the doorway of the club and its heavily-muscled bouncer. Most of the streetlights on this block were out; plenty of the guys coming and going didn't want to be seen.

Ray gripped the steering wheel. This had been his idea. OK, sure, they could have tried to snag Marconi on his way out of church tomorrow, but there was no guarantee he'd be there, even though his mother made Ma Vecchio look easy-going. There was a guarantee, though, that he'd be here, trying to score some coke and some ass, in that order. Marconi had his priorities all set up: coke, fuck, God. Of the three, Ray figured Marconi would let God slide. God could take care of himself. Coke and hot guys waited for no man.

"I am saying what I want to say," Vecchio said. "Trust me, Kowalski, I'm not one to hold back."

"Bullshit. You don't wanna go into the club because you're scared of gay guys. What, do you think they're gonna jump your ass? Because trust me, you do not need to worry."

Vecchio narrowed his eyes.

"I don't want to go into the club," he said, in his calm, could-snap-at-any-moment voice, "because we know the Feds are watching it, and we don't want to go fucking up their operation because if we do, they'll fuck us up, right back. This has got nothing to do with liking or not liking queers."

There was a small, charged silence, and then Ray burst out, "Come on, Vecchio, we can waltz right in there, grab the guy, and get the information – "

"You are out of your mind! We'll get shot! We'll get arrested!"

"Hell, if we're real lucky, we'll get laid."

"You're not funny, Kowalski."

"At least I'm not gutless."

"You're calling me gutless? I regularly get in a car with you, without wearing protective equipment. I got guts."

"Which is it you're more afraid of? Having the Feds squeal on us to Welsh, or getting your ass grabbed by a fag?"

"What is with your preoccupation with my ass?"

"Fine, that's it, I'm going in without you."

"The hell you are!" Vecchio grabbed his arm, yanking him back into his seat before he could even get the door fully open. There was a tussle, in which Ray bruised his elbow on the car door and discovered that Vecchio was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked. Ray had just swivelled and gotten a grip on Vecchio's jacket, ready to rip the fancy fabric right off him, and Vecchio was struggling to hold him down in his seat or maybe climb on top of him, or something, Ray wasn't sure – when there was a crack, three cars screamed past them and screeched to a halt outside the club, and suddenly the place was crawling with Feds.

Ray and Vecchio slumped back at the same time, and stared at the hive of activity that had erupted around the club. More cars and vans arrived on the scene, and someone was shouting incomprehensibly through a megaphone.

"Huh," said Ray.

They sat for a few moments, watching the Feds storming the building. There were a few gunshots, and lots of shouting. Headlights lit up the street.

When the first of the club's clientele was hustled out of the front door and into a waiting van, Ray pulled himself together, and gunned the engine.

"OK, let's get out of here."

Vecchio rolled his eyes.

"Don't you think they might want to stop any cars speeding from the scene?"

"OK, let's sit here quietly and hope they don't notice us." He switched the engine off, and they sat in the dark and silence of the car, while outside everything was flashing lights and noise and movement.

"We would have been in there, you know."

Ray shifted uncomfortably. Vecchio went on, "We would have been busted and arrested and outed and when Welsh found out he would have torn us a couple of new ones and maybe even fired our sorry asses."

"I guess it's a good thing we stopped to have a fight, then."

"Guess so."

"We should make a note of that. Always stop to fight."

"With you around, I doubt I'll need a written reminder." Vecchio slid him a smug look. "So, we can agree, in this situation, that I was entirely right, and you were entirely wrong."

Ray sulked. He would've preferred to maintain a haughty silence, but he'd never been able to pull that off, so he settled for sulking. Which was fair enough, since Vecchio wasn't exactly a gracious winner. He was giving Ray his biggest shit-eater smile.

"Aw, Stanley, don't take it so hard. Come on, I'll buy you a burger and we can figure out how to get to Marconi now the Feds got him stitched up nice and tight."

"Make it a pizza," said Ray.

"You are such a sore loser." More of the club-goers were being hustled out into waiting police cars and vans. Vecchio drew in a breath. "OK, fine, pizza. But no pineapple. And we figure out how to get 'round the Feds. Because you know Marconi's momma isn't gonna tell us who her little boy's been making friends with lately."

Ray started up the GTO again.

"OK. And Vecchio…"

Vecchio looked over, eyebrows raised.

"I was wrong. What I said before."

Vecchio's face creased into a frown of disbelief. Ray flashed him his killer grin.

"Your ass is just fine. Just don't go taking that ass into a gay bar without me there to protect it."

Ray reversed, swung the car around, and was heading for pizza before Vecchio could figure out a retort.

-- The end --

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

china_shop

Oh, yay! This is wonderful! I especially enjoyed your Vecchio, all calm and smartass and on top of things, and with such a great, distinctively Vecchio voice:

"You really think name-calling is gonna do the trick, here? I'm not going in there. I wouldn't go in there if you paid me. I wouldn't go in there if you blew me. I wouldn't go in there –"

♥♥♥ YAYAY!

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Insult challenge, by prudence_dearly

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