Guest rec: Rarepairs revisited
Happy July, everyone! I'm going to be guest reccer this month -- and I'm focusing on rarepairs. In this episode, one-shot characters need love, too! Or at least some hot sex.
Eric Kitikmeot/Fraser Around, Around by arrow00. Eric is a fascinating character, and Fraser becomes interestingly flexible around him. A lovely episode tag for The Mask from Eric's POV.
"Eric," Fraser said. Eric could tell by the half smile that he already knew about the switch. Probably he'd known even as he'd let David and Eric escape from the museum. Eric wasn't surprised. He was right, when he'd said the Mountie hadn't changed. He should have known that. Maybe he could even have trusted Fraser earlier, but trust didn't come easily to him, and the matter was too important for his people.
"Hello, Mountie," he said.
"I'm surprised to still find you here," Fraser said. A polite lie, like the many they had danced around for days now. But lies were no longer needed. The careful line had been kept, and they were safely through.
"No, you're not."
"No, I'm not," Fraser agreed, nodding his head.
Kowalski/Volpe Stop Me If You've Heard This One by shayheyred. Basically, I love the voice on this one -- it has the ramble and flow of a certain someone telling a story aloud.
No, wait. It goes like this:
Hey. Hey. Back up a little. There's this guy, let's call him Ray, and there's this other guy, let's call him. . .Ray. Well, anyway. This Ray, the second one, doesn't show up yet, so forget him for now. So this guy Ray - the first one, he has this friend, let's call him Volpe, only, see, they're not really friends, they're more like, say, guys that hate each other's guts, but this Ray guy, he owes this Volpe guy because the Volpe dude did some stuff for him. For the first Ray, got it? Okay, just hang in there.
Kowalski/Volpe and Fraser/Kowalski Asylum Redux (who's gonna ride your wild horses) by china_shop Volpe was dead: to begin with. But then, this is the world of due South -- that's really not as much of an obstacle as one might expect.
“I didn’t kill you.” Ray was practically hugging the headboard. “I was exonerated. That weasel Cahill did it.” His gun was in the living room, but he had a hunch if he could get to Fraser’s shirt, he’d be safe, as if the shirt had protective qualities woven into the blue and olive plaid. It was on the other side of the room, though. He’d have to get past. Better keep Volpe talking till he could maneuver his way around. “Anyway, you were a crook. You knew the score. This was an occupational hazard.”
“Same goes double for you, Vecchio,” said Volpe, prowling closer. “Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be pissed if someone whacked you.”
“Pissed?” Ray ducked away and fell off the far side of the bed with a thump. The cold wooden floor knocked the wind out of him. “I’d be dead,” he gasped. “I’d be too busy being dead to be pissed.”
“Nah.” Volpe shrugged and something moved behind him, a dark glassy sweep like a cloak billowing, faint and textured like feathers, whispering like wings. “It’s not as time-consuming as you’d think.”
Mark Smithbauer/Vecchio Hockey as an Offensive Weapon by izzybeth. Smithbauer gets name-checked in quite a few stories about Fraser's sexual history. But as far as I know, this is the only story that adds him to Ray Vecchio's. Even though Vecchio finds him intensely irritating.
After our impromptu game (they spotted me and the kid three goals and we still lost), we hit the bar. Which I think is a great idea-- numb my bruises with alcohol, good plan. We snag stools at the bar, and Fraser and Smithbauer spend a couple good hours swapping stories and nostalgia about Freezerland while I'm pretty much bored out of my mind. I have no idea how many beers Smithbauer is putting away (and I'm kind of fuzzy on my own consumption too so I'm not throwing stones here), but I'd be amazed if Fraser's even had half of his. It's just for form's sake. He's being nice. One of the boys.
Suzanne Chapin/Vecchio Love and Glory by brooklinegirl I love Vecchio's immediate, head-over-heels reaction to Chapin in the episode and his romantic framing of their entire, brief interaction. This fic recaptures the whirlwind romantic spirit of the original episode -- but it's set just as Ray is preparing to go to Vegas, so the overall feeling is bittersweet.
They didn't have to talk to understand each other, and that was something Fraser had never grasped. What Ray had with Suzanne had went deeper than that.
Vecchio/Frankie Zuko Like A Halfway House For The Mobster-To-Cop Transition by mizface Ray had to be changed by his time in Vegas. Zuko notices.
Before Vegas, he’d have done one of two things at this point - either quietly made his way out or (and this was more likely) gone over and made some sort of scene. Smarted off, pushed, anything to prove that while Zuko may own parts of the neighborhood, he didn’t own Ray Vecchio. Now, Ray just sits there, finishes his drink and waves the bartender over for a refill. He can feel the inevitability of the moment settle into his bones, weighing him down, as he waits for Zuko to come to him.
The bar’s pretty empty this late, so it doesn’t take long for him to be noticed. Zuko motions his goons to stay at the table as he walks over, all confidence and swagger. Ray just watches his approach. He doesn’t try to put on a Bookman glare, but he’s not sure he remembers how to be Ray. Ray’s changed, undercover has changed him, and he can see the second Zuko senses it, see how his step falters ever so briefly, how the contemptuous look is now laced with uncertainty. This is the second time Ray can remember shocking Frank Zuko, in all the years they’ve known one another. It still doesn’t feel like a victory.
Ok, that's my short and clearly incomplete list. A mention of Fraser/Smithbauer without links? No stories about Ian Macdonald or MacKenzie King? No Maggie fic? (In my defense, my bookmarking habits are atrocious.) So, help me fill it out -- what are some of your favorite stories featuring one-shot characters?
Tune in next week for office romance -- coworkers, support staff, and superiors.
Eric Kitikmeot/Fraser Around, Around by arrow00. Eric is a fascinating character, and Fraser becomes interestingly flexible around him. A lovely episode tag for The Mask from Eric's POV.
"Eric," Fraser said. Eric could tell by the half smile that he already knew about the switch. Probably he'd known even as he'd let David and Eric escape from the museum. Eric wasn't surprised. He was right, when he'd said the Mountie hadn't changed. He should have known that. Maybe he could even have trusted Fraser earlier, but trust didn't come easily to him, and the matter was too important for his people.
"Hello, Mountie," he said.
"I'm surprised to still find you here," Fraser said. A polite lie, like the many they had danced around for days now. But lies were no longer needed. The careful line had been kept, and they were safely through.
"No, you're not."
"No, I'm not," Fraser agreed, nodding his head.
Kowalski/Volpe Stop Me If You've Heard This One by shayheyred. Basically, I love the voice on this one -- it has the ramble and flow of a certain someone telling a story aloud.
No, wait. It goes like this:
Hey. Hey. Back up a little. There's this guy, let's call him Ray, and there's this other guy, let's call him. . .Ray. Well, anyway. This Ray, the second one, doesn't show up yet, so forget him for now. So this guy Ray - the first one, he has this friend, let's call him Volpe, only, see, they're not really friends, they're more like, say, guys that hate each other's guts, but this Ray guy, he owes this Volpe guy because the Volpe dude did some stuff for him. For the first Ray, got it? Okay, just hang in there.
Kowalski/Volpe and Fraser/Kowalski Asylum Redux (who's gonna ride your wild horses) by china_shop Volpe was dead: to begin with. But then, this is the world of due South -- that's really not as much of an obstacle as one might expect.
“I didn’t kill you.” Ray was practically hugging the headboard. “I was exonerated. That weasel Cahill did it.” His gun was in the living room, but he had a hunch if he could get to Fraser’s shirt, he’d be safe, as if the shirt had protective qualities woven into the blue and olive plaid. It was on the other side of the room, though. He’d have to get past. Better keep Volpe talking till he could maneuver his way around. “Anyway, you were a crook. You knew the score. This was an occupational hazard.”
“Same goes double for you, Vecchio,” said Volpe, prowling closer. “Doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be pissed if someone whacked you.”
“Pissed?” Ray ducked away and fell off the far side of the bed with a thump. The cold wooden floor knocked the wind out of him. “I’d be dead,” he gasped. “I’d be too busy being dead to be pissed.”
“Nah.” Volpe shrugged and something moved behind him, a dark glassy sweep like a cloak billowing, faint and textured like feathers, whispering like wings. “It’s not as time-consuming as you’d think.”
Mark Smithbauer/Vecchio Hockey as an Offensive Weapon by izzybeth. Smithbauer gets name-checked in quite a few stories about Fraser's sexual history. But as far as I know, this is the only story that adds him to Ray Vecchio's. Even though Vecchio finds him intensely irritating.
After our impromptu game (they spotted me and the kid three goals and we still lost), we hit the bar. Which I think is a great idea-- numb my bruises with alcohol, good plan. We snag stools at the bar, and Fraser and Smithbauer spend a couple good hours swapping stories and nostalgia about Freezerland while I'm pretty much bored out of my mind. I have no idea how many beers Smithbauer is putting away (and I'm kind of fuzzy on my own consumption too so I'm not throwing stones here), but I'd be amazed if Fraser's even had half of his. It's just for form's sake. He's being nice. One of the boys.
Suzanne Chapin/Vecchio Love and Glory by brooklinegirl I love Vecchio's immediate, head-over-heels reaction to Chapin in the episode and his romantic framing of their entire, brief interaction. This fic recaptures the whirlwind romantic spirit of the original episode -- but it's set just as Ray is preparing to go to Vegas, so the overall feeling is bittersweet.
They didn't have to talk to understand each other, and that was something Fraser had never grasped. What Ray had with Suzanne had went deeper than that.
Vecchio/Frankie Zuko Like A Halfway House For The Mobster-To-Cop Transition by mizface Ray had to be changed by his time in Vegas. Zuko notices.
Before Vegas, he’d have done one of two things at this point - either quietly made his way out or (and this was more likely) gone over and made some sort of scene. Smarted off, pushed, anything to prove that while Zuko may own parts of the neighborhood, he didn’t own Ray Vecchio. Now, Ray just sits there, finishes his drink and waves the bartender over for a refill. He can feel the inevitability of the moment settle into his bones, weighing him down, as he waits for Zuko to come to him.
The bar’s pretty empty this late, so it doesn’t take long for him to be noticed. Zuko motions his goons to stay at the table as he walks over, all confidence and swagger. Ray just watches his approach. He doesn’t try to put on a Bookman glare, but he’s not sure he remembers how to be Ray. Ray’s changed, undercover has changed him, and he can see the second Zuko senses it, see how his step falters ever so briefly, how the contemptuous look is now laced with uncertainty. This is the second time Ray can remember shocking Frank Zuko, in all the years they’ve known one another. It still doesn’t feel like a victory.
Ok, that's my short and clearly incomplete list. A mention of Fraser/Smithbauer without links? No stories about Ian Macdonald or MacKenzie King? No Maggie fic? (In my defense, my bookmarking habits are atrocious.) So, help me fill it out -- what are some of your favorite stories featuring one-shot characters?
Tune in next week for office romance -- coworkers, support staff, and superiors.