This is a day/week/month of BLARGH.

[ifreet]

... at least, it seems that many people I know are not having fun simultaneously. It's like an anti-party. /o\

My own complaints are relatively minor and largely self-inflicted. So instead of worrying (ha! okay, in ADDITION to worrying), I'm stealing calathea's meme and offering fic. Kindof.

Give me a pairing and the title of a story in this format

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[ifreet]

Frannie had been having a Terrible, Very Bad, No Good Day. The kind of day where every little thing went wrong, from staplers jamming to a missing report to creepy perps hitting on her. And when Fraser came in to help her "brother," well... he didn't blow her off, which she supposed was something because on a Terrible, Very Bad, No Good Day like today, she wasn't sure how she'd have handled something really big, like Fraser being rude. But he didn't really talk with her either, beyond "hello" and "excuse me," and "excuse me" and "goodbye."

She sighed, because that little Fraser was almost worse than no Fraser at all. Ray came over with a frown and a giant brown file folder. "Frannie, you gotta let go."

"I've already heard this speech, 'bro.'" Frannie's voice was low and angry. "I get it, okay? Guys like him don't end up with girls like me. That's the dream." She flung a hand out towards the door, then gestured at her cluttered desk. "This is the reality."

The anger started to drain away, quick as it had come, leaving disappointment so great she thought she might cry. She blinked down at her reality for a moment then grabbed some papers at random. "I have to go to records." She barely glanced at him before taking off.
***

Frannie shifted her grip on the foil-topped casserole dish to knock on the door. Food made apologies easier, and Ray deserved an apology. She'd dumped her issues with her brother on him, and that wasn't fair. Only... he had been warning her off Fraser more lately. Which was funny, Ray I've-loved-Stella-forever telling anyone to give up. Unless--

Ray opened the door, just as she made her hop of logic. She bustled past him, putting the casserole down on his counter, with a flurry of re-heating instructions that she didn't even need to think about. Which was good, because she had something else to think about. Why would a man who was all, 'one true love for all time,' start telling other people to give up? Because he'd fallen in love with someone else. Frannie wasn't sure what to do with that. The man was pretending to be her brother, so she'd never really given him a thought (though, to be honest, with Fraser around she didn't give a lot of guys a second thought).

But now she was thinking about him, and Ray was a good man: decent, handsome in a scruffy way, and employed--legitimately. And he was interested.

Frannie turned. Ray had followed her across the room, and he was watching her with this bemused expression. She stepped up to him, close as she could, said, "Okay."

And she kissed him. And because it was just that kind of day, the door opened just as his arms slid around her waist.

Fraser choked out an apology, in his I'm-so-embarrassed-I-might-die voice, and pulled the door back shut.

Ray started after him, stopped, pointed at her. "You wait right here." And without waiting for her answer, he took off after Fraser. She felt pretty embarrassed herself. Fraser had to know she'd been interested in him, but he'd never done anything about it, so it wasn't like she'd done anything wrong, but she still wanted to crawl under Ray's couch and hide.

Actually, considering the visible dust in the corners of the room, no, she didn't want to crawl under there.

So Ray dragged Fraser back into the apartment and made them both eat dinner with him, and somehow neither of them died of embarrassment. Ray treated both Frannie and Fraser the same as always. And after awhile, it was almost like nothing had happened, except Fraser kept darting these little looks between Frannie and Ray. Like he was... not puzzled-- intrigued, that was the word. And every time, Frannie could feel her face pinking up, and she stumbled on her words.

[bluebrocade]

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Oh, Frannie!!!

Fraser choked out an apology, in his I'm-so-embarrassed-I-might-die voice, and pulled the door back shut.

I lurv it!

[ifreet]

Yay, you like it! ♥ right back at you!

[the_antichris]

OMG, poor Frannie! But lucky Frannie too! <3

[ifreet]

Ultimately lucky, I think. Thanks!