Due South: Fanfic: G
Title: Catwalski
Characters: RayK/Fraser, Dief and OCC (original cat character), Frannie and Willie
Rating: G
Summary: Ray finds a kitten.
Word Count: 3,418
An: For thisisteal who wanted a fic about Ray getting a cat and being embarrassed by it. Sorry it took so long to full your prompt.
Ray woke up on a bright spring day and rolled over thinking that he would snuggle with Stella. When his hand laid on the empty side of the bed he remembered that he and Stella were divorced and there would be no snuggles.
Stella always used to joke that he liked snuggling more than baseball and he couldn't disagree. Stella was soft and always smelled good. Thinking about Stella still hurt but not as much as it used to.
He rolled over and stared at his ceiling. The plaster was light blue and had a crack running across it that looked like and elephant on roller-skates.
He went to the kitchen and chopped up some lettuce. At least his turtle, Turtlewalski, would be happy to have him. At least he liked to think so; Turtlewalski's happy face was the same as every other face.
He dropped the lettuce into the tank and watched as the turtle pulled its head out of its shell and made its way to the lettuce. Ray let Turtlewalski eat and then he picked him and rubbed its head. Turtlewalski just blinked. He put Turtlewalski back in its tank.
He walked back to his bedroom and got dressed. He picked up his gray t-shirt and sniffed it. It smelled but not too bad. It good enough to wear. He threw it on along with jeans with a rip on the knee.
Ray was walking to his car when he heard it. A horrible crying sound that seemed to be coming from his car. As he popped the hood he was ready for a demon to pop out with sharp claws and dark eyes, instead he saw big, green eyes staring at him.
'What the hell?' Ray said as he looked down at a small kitten surrounded by wires and metal.
'Come on, little guy. Get outta there.'
The cat just stared up at him and mewed. Its pink nose sniffed the air.
He had an idea, he rushed back to his apartment and grabbed a can of chicken he kept just for Fraser. He opened the can and went back to his car.
He held out the chicken and the cat jump out of his car. He sat the can down and the cat went to town. He grinned. Dief wasn't the only chew hound.
After the cat finished the chicken he rubbed up against Ray's leg.
'Sorry, buddy. I don't need a cat. I'm more of a dog guy.'
With that the cat climbed up Ray pants. He picked the cat up, those little kitty claws stuck like Velcro and it licked Ray's nose.
'Well, I just I can keep you until I find you a home.'
Walking into his apartment he sat the cat down. It sniffed the air and looked around.
He took a moment to look at the cat. It was white with orange spots and big green eyes. Its tail seemed longer than its body.
He went over to his phone and called The Consulate.
'Hello, this is the Canadian Consulate. Constable Turnbull speaking.'
'Hey. Let me talk to Fraser.'
'Of course and who may I say is calling?'
Ray rolled his eyes. He had called enough that Turnbull should know his voice by now. 'It's me, Ray.'
'Just a moment Mr. Ray.'
After a moment Fraser picked up the phone.
'Hey, Frase. I won't be able to come over right away.'
'Oh,' Fraser said disappointed.
'Yeah, I found a kitten and I don't want to leave him alone.'
'Ah, I see. Perhaps I should come over to your apartment.'
'Cool. Cool. You know a lot about cats?'
'I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I do have limited knowledge.'
He grinned. Leave it to Fraser to know about cats. The only thing he didn't seem to know about was street lingo, but that was something Ray knew about. That was what a duet was all about, both people brought skills to the party.
He hung up and looked for the kitten, but he was nowhere to be found. For a moment he was afraid it had somehow gotten out of the apartment. He was about to rush outside when he happened to look up and he saw the cat sitting on top of the fridge.
'How the hell did you get up there?'
The cat mewed.
'Okay. Have fun up there.' He figured if the cat could get up there then he could also get down.
He sat down on the couch and turned on the t.v. There was an old vampire movie on and he settled back to watch it, even if he was more of a wolf man guy.
After several minutes the cat got down from the fridge and jumped onto Ray's lap. It settled down and closed its eyes. Ray rubbed its head with one finger and it started purring. Ray always wondered why his dad said the GTO purred like a kitten, but now he knew.
He was still petting the cat when there was a knock at his door.
'Come on in, Fraser.'
Fraser walked into the apartment carrying plastic shopping bags and a litter box. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and tight jeans.
'What's all that?' Ray asked.
'I thought you might need supplies for your new cat.'
Ray felt his cheeks heat up. It was ridiculous to be embarrassed about having a cat, but hearing Fraser say it it sounded embarrassing. He was a Chicago hard guy and hard guys didn't have cats. It was a good thing Ray wasn't keeping the cat.
Dief came up to the kitten on Ray's lap and he sniffed it. The cat sniffed him too and licked Dief's nose. Dief sneezed.
'Hey now. No funny business,' Ray said with a laugh.
Fraser sat down on the couch and the cat jumped on his lap. It rubbed its paws on his jean clad lap and snuggled into the fabric.
'So what you know about cats?' Ray asked.
'I can sex them.'
'Sex them huh? That isn't something kinky is it?'
'Of course not. It's a way of determining the gender.'
'How you do that?'
Fraser picked up the cat and looked at its butt while lifting its tail.
'Oh, dear,' Fraser said. He put the cat down. It settled onto Fraser's lap.
'What? Something wrong with the little guy?' Even though he wasn't keeping the cat he still hoped it was okay.
'No, except for the fact that its a girl not a guy.'
'Really. You can tell its a girl by looking at its butt?'
'Oh yes. The gender of a cat can be determined by the positioned of the anus.'
'Neat. You wanna watch the game?'
'Of course. Have you chosen a name for your cat?'
'Nah. I just found it, doesn't mean I'm gonna keep it. You don't want her do you?'
Fraser looked down at the sleeping kitten and rubbed its head with his finger. 'I would take her, but Turnbull has an allergy to cats. Cats and maple syrup.'
'Oh. Well, if you know anyone who wants a cat let me know.'
'Of course.'
They sat back and tuned to a baseball game. The Cubs won and the pizza they ordered had plenty of pineapple. After a while, Dief fell asleep on Ray's lap and the cat snuggled into Dief's fur.
After Fraser left, Ray pulled off his clothes and got ready for bed. When he laid down the cat jumped on the bed and laid on Ray's chest.
'Hey. Come on off the bed.'
The cat just purred and Ray didn't have the heart to kick her off the bed.
The next morning, Ray woke up to the cat still sleeping on his chest. He petted the cat and its ear twitched. He picked up the cat and sat on it bed.
He got up and put on his clothes. He put his pants on and as he pulled his shirt over his head he heard a mewing sound. He popped his head out of the head of his shirt and saw the cat sitting on the floor next to his feet.
'You want some breakfast?'
The cat mewed and climbed up Ray's pants.
He picked up the cat and carried her to the kitchen. He opened a can of the cat food Fraser had bought as the cat danced around his feet. Ray grinned as he dumped the meat in a bowl and sat it on the floor.
The cat started eating like she had never eaten before. She then went to the litter box in the middle of the room and used it.
'That's my girl.'
Ray got ready for work while the cat seemed to be chasing dust bunnies.
Once at work Ray tried to do paperwork while waiting for Fraser. After several minutes of putting his chicken scratch on the paper he gave up and decided to bug Frannie. He might only be pretending to be her brother, but she was still like the sister he never had. It was his duty as her pretend brother to bug her.
He walked up to her desk and sat on the edge. He picked up a pen and begin playing with it.
'You want something?' Frannie asked.
'Nah. Hey, you don't want a cat do you?'
'A cat?'
'Yeah I found a kitten.'
'I don't know, Ray. Are you sure it doesn't belong to someone?'
He hadn't even thought of that, but he had to admit she was right.
He bugged Frannie for several more minutes until he saw Fraser come in. He grinned because even though he knew Fraser was coming to work seeing him just made Ray's day better. It reminded him of how as a kid he would go to school just to see Stella.
'Hey, Fraser,' Ray said as he came to Fraser and Dief.
'Hello, Ray. How is the cat doing?'
'Good. Good. You ready to go hit the street? I got new information about the Donnelly case.'
'Of course.'
As walked out of the station and got into Ray's car. It was time for work.
The Donnelly case had been surprisingly easy to crack. Old man Donnelly and burned down his flower shop for the insurance money.
That night when he got home the cat came up to him and rubbed his leg. Ray bent down and scratched its head. He then decided to get to work.
He went to his closet and pulled out his old Polaroid camera. It had a plastic case that was covered in dust; the strap was frayed. He went out to the living-room and pointed it at the cat.
'Hey, cat. Smile.'
The cat looked at him and he snapped a picture. He waited for it to develop and when it did he thought it was good enough for a found poster.
He taped the picture to a piece of paper, he wrote 'Found a kitten orange and white if it's yours contact Ray Vecchio 555-4594' and went to the copy shop.
Gil's Copies was in a small red brick building in the middle of town. The hand painted sign had an orange fish on it.
He walked into the shop and saw a girl with blue hair at the counter. Her hair reminded him of how he had had a green Mohawk in high school.
'May I help you?' The girl said.
'Yeah I need some posters made.'
'Sure. How many would you like?'
'I don't know. A hundred?'
'Okay. If you want to save some money you get a price break at five hundred.'
He thought about it but with five hundred posters he could cover all of Chicago. 'No thanks just a hundred.
Once the posters were ready he didn't know what to do. He might had made the poster, but he was not looking forward to posting them. Maybe he could talk Fraser into doing it.
The next day he walked out of his apartment and saw Willie standing in the hallway. He was probably there to steal the lightbulbs in the hallway and Ray was struck by an idea. Willie might have a record but he was a good kid. Ray had known kids like Willie, hell he had been a kid like Willie. If things had gone different Ray might have ended up like Willie.
'Hey, Willie. Shouldn't you be in school?'
'It's a holiday.'
Ray rolled his eyes. 'Yeah sure it is. You wanna do something for me?'
'Sure. What is it.'
'I got these posters I need you to put up around town. You wanna do it?'
'Okay for twenty bucks.
'Ten,' Ray might not want to do it, but that didn't mean he still didn't want a good deal. For a kid, Willie sure was a negotiator.
'Fifteen'
'Deal,' Ray said with a grin. He handed over the posters and went off to work. He wasn't going to pay until he saw the posters around town; it wasn't that he didn't trust Willie he just wanted to give him some incentive not to just dump the posters in the nearest trash can.
Over the next week the cat became a part of Ray's life. She would lay on him at night and during the day she would run around the apartment. When he was having a bad day he would pet her and it made him feel better.
He waited for someone to call say they had lost her but no one did.
Now, Ray was laying in bed with the cat on his stomach. She was purring as he rubbed her ears. It might not have snuggling with Stella, but it was still good.
'Come on, girl. I gotta get up and go to work.'
The cat just looked at him and snuggled in deeper. Ray grinned and picked her up. She purred and Ray just grinned. He sat her down and got ready for work.
Once at work Frannie came up to him.
'Hey, Ray? Do you still have that cat?'
'Yeah.'
Frannie grinned. 'Great! If you still need a home for it I'll take it.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. I thought my sister's kids might like it.'
He hadn't really thought about giving the cat away, but now he didn't see any reason not to give it to Frannie.
'Sure you can come and pick it up tonight.'
'Great! Thanks Ray.'
'Yeah. Yeah. Don't mention it.'
Throughout the day Ray felt weird. He always told himself that he would get rid of the cat, but now that he was going to actually do it it felt strange.
That night he played with the cat until he heard a knock at the door.
Frannie walked into his apartment and her eyes went big as soon as she saw the cat.
'Oh! It's so cute!'
Frannie picked up the cat at rubbed it against her cheek.
Frannie and Ray packed up the cat's stuff and Frannie left with the cat.
Ray didn't know what to do so he called Fraser.
Fraser came over. They sat on Ray's couch and watched a ball game. During a commercial break Ray felt like he had to say something
'Hey, Fraser? You ever have a pet?'
Fraser turned to look at Ray. 'Oh yes. My Grandfather raised chickens and I grew very attached to the rooster. I named him Steve.'
'Really that's cool.'
'Oh yes I remember one time Steve ate all the cornbread my Grandmother had made and...'
Ray settled back against his couch and let Fraser's voice wash over him. Fraser's voice was like being wrapped in a big warm blanket.
The next morning Ray woke up to an empty bed. There would be no more cat snuggles.
He got up and made his way to the kitchen. He gave his turtle a carrot and went to work. On the way to work he was at a stoplight when he saw one of his found posters on a light pole. The picture was faded by the sun, but he could still see the cat. His heart sank. He might not have wanted the cat to begin with, but he wanted it now.
'Is something the matter,?' Fraser asked from the passenger seat.'
'Nah. It's just... Just... You ever miss someone when they're gone.'
'Oh yes. Is there anything I can do for you?'
'Nah.'
Ray drove to the station and tried to push the cat out of his mind.
Ray walked into the police station and was met by Frannie. She looked tired and pissed.
'Ray you need to take your cat back.'
Ray'a stomach dropped. 'Why? Something happen to it?'
'Yeah. All it did last night was meow at the front door and this morning it scratched me.'
'Okay. I'll take it,' Ray tired to keep the grin off his face, but he couldn't. He felt bad that Frannie and been scratched but he was going to get his cat back. As soon as he thought about it being his cat it felt right.
That night Frannie brought the cat back. The cat ran to Ray and climbed up his pants. He just petted it. Ray invited Fraser over.
They were watching a curling match. Ray had no idea what was going on, but it seemed to make Fraser happy.
After the game Ray sat back and petted his cat.
'Have you decided on what you're going to name your cat?' Fraser asked.
Ray hadn't really given it any thought but now that he thought about it there was really only one name for it.
'Catwalski,' Ray said. Catwalski lifted her head. Ray just laughed. It looked like she already knew her name. Leave it to his cat to be smart.
'That's a wonderful name.'
'Thanks it just came to me. Hey, you wanna a glass a milk or something?'
'Milk would be wonderful. If it's not too much trouble.'
'Nah. That's what buddies do.'
Ray went to his kitchen and got the milk out. He sniffed it to see if it had gone bad and it passed the sniff test.
Once he got back to his living room he saw Fraser holding Catwalski. She was on her back in his arms and he was smiling down at her. It made Ray smile. Fraser just looked so happy.
'Here's your milk.'
'Thank you kindly,' Fraser said as he sat Catwalski down and picked up his milk. He took a sip.
'You love my cat?'
'Of course. She's very lovable.'
'You love me too?' Ray asked as a joke.
Sat down his milk and looked at Ray. He rubbed his neck and licked his lips. 'Of course.'
'You mean like a brother, right?'
'Not as such.'
Fraser leaned forward and brushed his lips against Ray's. Ray's eyes went wide and his brain went offline. It came back on just in time for him to see Fraser pull away, a look of horror on his face.
'Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. I should leave, you obviously don't return my feelings. Please don't let this affect our friendship.'
Fraser got up and made his way to the door. Ray ran after him and caught up just as Fraser had his hand on the doorknob.
'Wait. Wait a minute. Who says I don't return your feelings?'
Ray had never given it much thought, but now that he said it he realized that he loved Fraser more than as just his friend and partner. Fraser was handsome, but he was more than that; he was honest and kind and sometimes he drove Ray nuts, but that was greatness. It even made sense that they were friends first; he and Stella had been friends.
Fraser turned to look at Ray. 'You do?'
Ray shrugged. 'Yeah. I guess I do. I guess you do to, huh?'
'Oh yes. I always hoped you felt the same way but I never dreamed it would actually happen.'
'Why not?' Ray asked. He really wanted to know because it seemed like most of Chicago was attracted to Fraser and he could have anybody.
'I've never been lucky when it came to matters of the heart.'
Ray grinned. 'So you're saying that because of me you hit the love jackpot?'
Fraser kissed Ray's cheek. 'It appears I have.'
Ray turned his head and their lips met. It looked like Ray had also won the love jackpot and not just because he had Catwalski.
Characters: RayK/Fraser, Dief and OCC (original cat character), Frannie and Willie
Rating: G
Summary: Ray finds a kitten.
Word Count: 3,418
An: For thisisteal who wanted a fic about Ray getting a cat and being embarrassed by it. Sorry it took so long to full your prompt.
Ray woke up on a bright spring day and rolled over thinking that he would snuggle with Stella. When his hand laid on the empty side of the bed he remembered that he and Stella were divorced and there would be no snuggles.
Stella always used to joke that he liked snuggling more than baseball and he couldn't disagree. Stella was soft and always smelled good. Thinking about Stella still hurt but not as much as it used to.
He rolled over and stared at his ceiling. The plaster was light blue and had a crack running across it that looked like and elephant on roller-skates.
He went to the kitchen and chopped up some lettuce. At least his turtle, Turtlewalski, would be happy to have him. At least he liked to think so; Turtlewalski's happy face was the same as every other face.
He dropped the lettuce into the tank and watched as the turtle pulled its head out of its shell and made its way to the lettuce. Ray let Turtlewalski eat and then he picked him and rubbed its head. Turtlewalski just blinked. He put Turtlewalski back in its tank.
He walked back to his bedroom and got dressed. He picked up his gray t-shirt and sniffed it. It smelled but not too bad. It good enough to wear. He threw it on along with jeans with a rip on the knee.
Ray was walking to his car when he heard it. A horrible crying sound that seemed to be coming from his car. As he popped the hood he was ready for a demon to pop out with sharp claws and dark eyes, instead he saw big, green eyes staring at him.
'What the hell?' Ray said as he looked down at a small kitten surrounded by wires and metal.
'Come on, little guy. Get outta there.'
The cat just stared up at him and mewed. Its pink nose sniffed the air.
He had an idea, he rushed back to his apartment and grabbed a can of chicken he kept just for Fraser. He opened the can and went back to his car.
He held out the chicken and the cat jump out of his car. He sat the can down and the cat went to town. He grinned. Dief wasn't the only chew hound.
After the cat finished the chicken he rubbed up against Ray's leg.
'Sorry, buddy. I don't need a cat. I'm more of a dog guy.'
With that the cat climbed up Ray pants. He picked the cat up, those little kitty claws stuck like Velcro and it licked Ray's nose.
'Well, I just I can keep you until I find you a home.'
Walking into his apartment he sat the cat down. It sniffed the air and looked around.
He took a moment to look at the cat. It was white with orange spots and big green eyes. Its tail seemed longer than its body.
He went over to his phone and called The Consulate.
'Hello, this is the Canadian Consulate. Constable Turnbull speaking.'
'Hey. Let me talk to Fraser.'
'Of course and who may I say is calling?'
Ray rolled his eyes. He had called enough that Turnbull should know his voice by now. 'It's me, Ray.'
'Just a moment Mr. Ray.'
After a moment Fraser picked up the phone.
'Hey, Frase. I won't be able to come over right away.'
'Oh,' Fraser said disappointed.
'Yeah, I found a kitten and I don't want to leave him alone.'
'Ah, I see. Perhaps I should come over to your apartment.'
'Cool. Cool. You know a lot about cats?'
'I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I do have limited knowledge.'
He grinned. Leave it to Fraser to know about cats. The only thing he didn't seem to know about was street lingo, but that was something Ray knew about. That was what a duet was all about, both people brought skills to the party.
He hung up and looked for the kitten, but he was nowhere to be found. For a moment he was afraid it had somehow gotten out of the apartment. He was about to rush outside when he happened to look up and he saw the cat sitting on top of the fridge.
'How the hell did you get up there?'
The cat mewed.
'Okay. Have fun up there.' He figured if the cat could get up there then he could also get down.
He sat down on the couch and turned on the t.v. There was an old vampire movie on and he settled back to watch it, even if he was more of a wolf man guy.
After several minutes the cat got down from the fridge and jumped onto Ray's lap. It settled down and closed its eyes. Ray rubbed its head with one finger and it started purring. Ray always wondered why his dad said the GTO purred like a kitten, but now he knew.
He was still petting the cat when there was a knock at his door.
'Come on in, Fraser.'
Fraser walked into the apartment carrying plastic shopping bags and a litter box. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and tight jeans.
'What's all that?' Ray asked.
'I thought you might need supplies for your new cat.'
Ray felt his cheeks heat up. It was ridiculous to be embarrassed about having a cat, but hearing Fraser say it it sounded embarrassing. He was a Chicago hard guy and hard guys didn't have cats. It was a good thing Ray wasn't keeping the cat.
Dief came up to the kitten on Ray's lap and he sniffed it. The cat sniffed him too and licked Dief's nose. Dief sneezed.
'Hey now. No funny business,' Ray said with a laugh.
Fraser sat down on the couch and the cat jumped on his lap. It rubbed its paws on his jean clad lap and snuggled into the fabric.
'So what you know about cats?' Ray asked.
'I can sex them.'
'Sex them huh? That isn't something kinky is it?'
'Of course not. It's a way of determining the gender.'
'How you do that?'
Fraser picked up the cat and looked at its butt while lifting its tail.
'Oh, dear,' Fraser said. He put the cat down. It settled onto Fraser's lap.
'What? Something wrong with the little guy?' Even though he wasn't keeping the cat he still hoped it was okay.
'No, except for the fact that its a girl not a guy.'
'Really. You can tell its a girl by looking at its butt?'
'Oh yes. The gender of a cat can be determined by the positioned of the anus.'
'Neat. You wanna watch the game?'
'Of course. Have you chosen a name for your cat?'
'Nah. I just found it, doesn't mean I'm gonna keep it. You don't want her do you?'
Fraser looked down at the sleeping kitten and rubbed its head with his finger. 'I would take her, but Turnbull has an allergy to cats. Cats and maple syrup.'
'Oh. Well, if you know anyone who wants a cat let me know.'
'Of course.'
They sat back and tuned to a baseball game. The Cubs won and the pizza they ordered had plenty of pineapple. After a while, Dief fell asleep on Ray's lap and the cat snuggled into Dief's fur.
After Fraser left, Ray pulled off his clothes and got ready for bed. When he laid down the cat jumped on the bed and laid on Ray's chest.
'Hey. Come on off the bed.'
The cat just purred and Ray didn't have the heart to kick her off the bed.
The next morning, Ray woke up to the cat still sleeping on his chest. He petted the cat and its ear twitched. He picked up the cat and sat on it bed.
He got up and put on his clothes. He put his pants on and as he pulled his shirt over his head he heard a mewing sound. He popped his head out of the head of his shirt and saw the cat sitting on the floor next to his feet.
'You want some breakfast?'
The cat mewed and climbed up Ray's pants.
He picked up the cat and carried her to the kitchen. He opened a can of the cat food Fraser had bought as the cat danced around his feet. Ray grinned as he dumped the meat in a bowl and sat it on the floor.
The cat started eating like she had never eaten before. She then went to the litter box in the middle of the room and used it.
'That's my girl.'
Ray got ready for work while the cat seemed to be chasing dust bunnies.
Once at work Ray tried to do paperwork while waiting for Fraser. After several minutes of putting his chicken scratch on the paper he gave up and decided to bug Frannie. He might only be pretending to be her brother, but she was still like the sister he never had. It was his duty as her pretend brother to bug her.
He walked up to her desk and sat on the edge. He picked up a pen and begin playing with it.
'You want something?' Frannie asked.
'Nah. Hey, you don't want a cat do you?'
'A cat?'
'Yeah I found a kitten.'
'I don't know, Ray. Are you sure it doesn't belong to someone?'
He hadn't even thought of that, but he had to admit she was right.
He bugged Frannie for several more minutes until he saw Fraser come in. He grinned because even though he knew Fraser was coming to work seeing him just made Ray's day better. It reminded him of how as a kid he would go to school just to see Stella.
'Hey, Fraser,' Ray said as he came to Fraser and Dief.
'Hello, Ray. How is the cat doing?'
'Good. Good. You ready to go hit the street? I got new information about the Donnelly case.'
'Of course.'
As walked out of the station and got into Ray's car. It was time for work.
The Donnelly case had been surprisingly easy to crack. Old man Donnelly and burned down his flower shop for the insurance money.
That night when he got home the cat came up to him and rubbed his leg. Ray bent down and scratched its head. He then decided to get to work.
He went to his closet and pulled out his old Polaroid camera. It had a plastic case that was covered in dust; the strap was frayed. He went out to the living-room and pointed it at the cat.
'Hey, cat. Smile.'
The cat looked at him and he snapped a picture. He waited for it to develop and when it did he thought it was good enough for a found poster.
He taped the picture to a piece of paper, he wrote 'Found a kitten orange and white if it's yours contact Ray Vecchio 555-4594' and went to the copy shop.
Gil's Copies was in a small red brick building in the middle of town. The hand painted sign had an orange fish on it.
He walked into the shop and saw a girl with blue hair at the counter. Her hair reminded him of how he had had a green Mohawk in high school.
'May I help you?' The girl said.
'Yeah I need some posters made.'
'Sure. How many would you like?'
'I don't know. A hundred?'
'Okay. If you want to save some money you get a price break at five hundred.'
He thought about it but with five hundred posters he could cover all of Chicago. 'No thanks just a hundred.
Once the posters were ready he didn't know what to do. He might had made the poster, but he was not looking forward to posting them. Maybe he could talk Fraser into doing it.
The next day he walked out of his apartment and saw Willie standing in the hallway. He was probably there to steal the lightbulbs in the hallway and Ray was struck by an idea. Willie might have a record but he was a good kid. Ray had known kids like Willie, hell he had been a kid like Willie. If things had gone different Ray might have ended up like Willie.
'Hey, Willie. Shouldn't you be in school?'
'It's a holiday.'
Ray rolled his eyes. 'Yeah sure it is. You wanna do something for me?'
'Sure. What is it.'
'I got these posters I need you to put up around town. You wanna do it?'
'Okay for twenty bucks.
'Ten,' Ray might not want to do it, but that didn't mean he still didn't want a good deal. For a kid, Willie sure was a negotiator.
'Fifteen'
'Deal,' Ray said with a grin. He handed over the posters and went off to work. He wasn't going to pay until he saw the posters around town; it wasn't that he didn't trust Willie he just wanted to give him some incentive not to just dump the posters in the nearest trash can.
Over the next week the cat became a part of Ray's life. She would lay on him at night and during the day she would run around the apartment. When he was having a bad day he would pet her and it made him feel better.
He waited for someone to call say they had lost her but no one did.
Now, Ray was laying in bed with the cat on his stomach. She was purring as he rubbed her ears. It might not have snuggling with Stella, but it was still good.
'Come on, girl. I gotta get up and go to work.'
The cat just looked at him and snuggled in deeper. Ray grinned and picked her up. She purred and Ray just grinned. He sat her down and got ready for work.
Once at work Frannie came up to him.
'Hey, Ray? Do you still have that cat?'
'Yeah.'
Frannie grinned. 'Great! If you still need a home for it I'll take it.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. I thought my sister's kids might like it.'
He hadn't really thought about giving the cat away, but now he didn't see any reason not to give it to Frannie.
'Sure you can come and pick it up tonight.'
'Great! Thanks Ray.'
'Yeah. Yeah. Don't mention it.'
Throughout the day Ray felt weird. He always told himself that he would get rid of the cat, but now that he was going to actually do it it felt strange.
That night he played with the cat until he heard a knock at the door.
Frannie walked into his apartment and her eyes went big as soon as she saw the cat.
'Oh! It's so cute!'
Frannie picked up the cat at rubbed it against her cheek.
Frannie and Ray packed up the cat's stuff and Frannie left with the cat.
Ray didn't know what to do so he called Fraser.
Fraser came over. They sat on Ray's couch and watched a ball game. During a commercial break Ray felt like he had to say something
'Hey, Fraser? You ever have a pet?'
Fraser turned to look at Ray. 'Oh yes. My Grandfather raised chickens and I grew very attached to the rooster. I named him Steve.'
'Really that's cool.'
'Oh yes I remember one time Steve ate all the cornbread my Grandmother had made and...'
Ray settled back against his couch and let Fraser's voice wash over him. Fraser's voice was like being wrapped in a big warm blanket.
The next morning Ray woke up to an empty bed. There would be no more cat snuggles.
He got up and made his way to the kitchen. He gave his turtle a carrot and went to work. On the way to work he was at a stoplight when he saw one of his found posters on a light pole. The picture was faded by the sun, but he could still see the cat. His heart sank. He might not have wanted the cat to begin with, but he wanted it now.
'Is something the matter,?' Fraser asked from the passenger seat.'
'Nah. It's just... Just... You ever miss someone when they're gone.'
'Oh yes. Is there anything I can do for you?'
'Nah.'
Ray drove to the station and tried to push the cat out of his mind.
Ray walked into the police station and was met by Frannie. She looked tired and pissed.
'Ray you need to take your cat back.'
Ray'a stomach dropped. 'Why? Something happen to it?'
'Yeah. All it did last night was meow at the front door and this morning it scratched me.'
'Okay. I'll take it,' Ray tired to keep the grin off his face, but he couldn't. He felt bad that Frannie and been scratched but he was going to get his cat back. As soon as he thought about it being his cat it felt right.
That night Frannie brought the cat back. The cat ran to Ray and climbed up his pants. He just petted it. Ray invited Fraser over.
They were watching a curling match. Ray had no idea what was going on, but it seemed to make Fraser happy.
After the game Ray sat back and petted his cat.
'Have you decided on what you're going to name your cat?' Fraser asked.
Ray hadn't really given it any thought but now that he thought about it there was really only one name for it.
'Catwalski,' Ray said. Catwalski lifted her head. Ray just laughed. It looked like she already knew her name. Leave it to his cat to be smart.
'That's a wonderful name.'
'Thanks it just came to me. Hey, you wanna a glass a milk or something?'
'Milk would be wonderful. If it's not too much trouble.'
'Nah. That's what buddies do.'
Ray went to his kitchen and got the milk out. He sniffed it to see if it had gone bad and it passed the sniff test.
Once he got back to his living room he saw Fraser holding Catwalski. She was on her back in his arms and he was smiling down at her. It made Ray smile. Fraser just looked so happy.
'Here's your milk.'
'Thank you kindly,' Fraser said as he sat Catwalski down and picked up his milk. He took a sip.
'You love my cat?'
'Of course. She's very lovable.'
'You love me too?' Ray asked as a joke.
Sat down his milk and looked at Ray. He rubbed his neck and licked his lips. 'Of course.'
'You mean like a brother, right?'
'Not as such.'
Fraser leaned forward and brushed his lips against Ray's. Ray's eyes went wide and his brain went offline. It came back on just in time for him to see Fraser pull away, a look of horror on his face.
'Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. I should leave, you obviously don't return my feelings. Please don't let this affect our friendship.'
Fraser got up and made his way to the door. Ray ran after him and caught up just as Fraser had his hand on the doorknob.
'Wait. Wait a minute. Who says I don't return your feelings?'
Ray had never given it much thought, but now that he said it he realized that he loved Fraser more than as just his friend and partner. Fraser was handsome, but he was more than that; he was honest and kind and sometimes he drove Ray nuts, but that was greatness. It even made sense that they were friends first; he and Stella had been friends.
Fraser turned to look at Ray. 'You do?'
Ray shrugged. 'Yeah. I guess I do. I guess you do to, huh?'
'Oh yes. I always hoped you felt the same way but I never dreamed it would actually happen.'
'Why not?' Ray asked. He really wanted to know because it seemed like most of Chicago was attracted to Fraser and he could have anybody.
'I've never been lucky when it came to matters of the heart.'
Ray grinned. 'So you're saying that because of me you hit the love jackpot?'
Fraser kissed Ray's cheek. 'It appears I have.'
Ray turned his head and their lips met. It looked like Ray had also won the love jackpot and not just because he had Catwalski.