2015 Birthday Promptathon - Day Two
*sigh* Looks like I'm not getting anything crossposted. Awesome. And LJ is running super slow for me. Well, here's today's post, at least.
Another fic today! I got several very interesting prompts from ride_4ever. I actually started a different one, which I will post if I can get it cleaned up to my satisfaction. In the meantime, this fic hit me hard last night. And then, I got the other POV this morning. I couldn't decide which I liked more, so after a discussion with my braintwin hazelwho, I'm posting both.
So here you go, Ride, a fic in my krkavec verse that takes place after everything posted so far.
The prompt that chose me was, Prompt: "Together they have built a world, a lot of it is real, and we are here to ease them through the parts they can't conceal." - The Headstones
Seemed like a perfect fit for a Trickster.
There was someone out there, in the darkness. And Fraser knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who it was.
“I should be angry with you,” he said into the still of the evening. Just as the silence started to make him feel foolish, Ray stepped out of the shadows. If Fraser didn’t know better, he’d say they clung to him, trying to keep Ray out of the light. Actually, he didn’t know better; the thought made him frown.
“You telling me you aren’t?” Ray was smirking, but even in the low light Fraser could see his heart wasn’t in it.
Part of him was definitely angry. But it was more than that, a mix of hurt, worry, confusion, frustration… a tangle of emotions he hadn’t yet completely unknotted. “I’m a lot of things,” he finally replied. “Anger is definitely somewhere on that list. Just not at the top at the moment.”
Ray just nodded. Fraser sighed inwardly as he realized he was apparently going to have to work for any answers he wanted.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Fraser said. It was true, and was as good a place to start as any.
“I’m always all right, Fraser.”
Fraser huffed a laugh. “I’m beginning to see that.” He took a step closer; Ray stayed where he was, his stance wary, as if he wasn’t sure of his welcome.
Ray rubbed a hand over his face, and Fraser could see how weary he was. “So now you’ve seen me. You know I’m good. So all those feelers you’ve putting out, trying to find me? You can stop it.”
“I wasn’t sure you knew about that. The information I’ve been getting back has been… suspect.”
“You don’t say.” Ray’s reply was too nonchalant, confirming Fraser’s suspicion that he’d had something to do with all the false leads he’d been given.
“Well, as you’re here and not in,” Fraser started counting off on his fingers, “Detroit, New York, Phoenix, or, and this one’s my personal favorite, Paraguay, I’d say suspect is the correct term.”
Ray smiled as Fraser spoke. It brought Fraser’s anger right back to the surface.
“You think this is funny.”
“Isn’t it?”
Fraser narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you set out all those false trails?”
Ray, because he was being deliberately annoying, mirrored the move. “Do you think I did?”
“Could you kindly stop answering my questions with questions?” Before Ray could respond, Fraser held up a hand. “Please. I don’t want to fight.”
“What do you want, Fraser?”
“I read your police report.” Ray looked surprised; Fraser was too, a little; he hadn’t known what he would say when he saw Ray again. “I stopped at the station when I was trying to find you. It was elegantly done. If I hadn’t been there, I’d have believed it completely.”
“You make any corrections?”
Fraser shook his head. “What could I have put that would have been taken seriously? Your only lies were those of omission.”
“And there was the part where what I did saved your life.”
“There was that,” Fraser agreed. “Why did you do it, Ray?”
“Save you?”
“No. Yes. I honestly don’t know.” He took a deep breath, tried to settle his roiling emotions enough to have a real conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ray cocked his head, then shook it slowly. “Best if I plead the 5th on this one, I think.”
“Best for who?”
“For you, believe it or not. The less I say, the better.”
“For my sake.”
“For us both.” Ray shot back, then sighed deeply. “Just, trust me on this, Fraser. Please.”
It was Fraser’s turn to shake his head. “I don’t know what I can trust anymore.”
Ray looked like he wanted to protest, then slumped, resigned. “I’m not that different. I’m still Ray.”
“Are you?” He had to ask. “Is Ray actually your real name?”
“It’s a name. It’s real. I answer to it.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s a lot better one than most folks would get.” Ray sighed again. “What does it matter? You’ve known I wasn’t who I said I was from day one. You need to let it go, Fraser.”
“Letting go isn’t in my nature.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ray muttered. “Maybe it’s time you learned. There are questions that should never be asked.”
Something in the tone of Ray’s voice opened a whole new set of concerns for Fraser. “If I’ve put you in harm’s way-”
Ray cut him off. “It’s not me I’m worried about. I told you. I’m fine. And I’ll keep on being fine. You, on the other hand, are going to get yourself killed.”
“That’s nothing new.” And it wasn’t. He’d heard that argument so many times from so many people, Ray included.
“Except that it is. And that’s all I’m gonna say. For your sake.”
The wind picked up, curling around them, laced with just a hint of winter’s chill. Ray closed his eyes and hunched in on himself.
“Come inside,” Fraser said, gesturing toward the door. “Let me be the judge of what I can and can’t handle.”
Ray shifted, the move putting him farther from the door. “Not a good idea. I’ve stayed longer than I meant to, anyhow.”
“You mean that on a bigger scale than just tonight, don’t you?” Fraser realized. “You’re leaving.”
Ray’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked up at the starry sky. “Looks like a good night to travel.”
“And if I wanted you to stay?”
“If wishes were horses, Fraser. But the sentiment is appreciated.”
He turned to go. Fraser stepped forward and put a hand on his arm to stop him, nearly recoiling from the shock of power he felt under the leather of Ray’s jacket.
“Ray.” Fraser stopped, searching for the right words. “How much of this was real?”
Ray looked down at Fraser’s hand, and when he smiled again, it looked more heartfelt. “More than you think, less than you’d like.” Ray covered Fraser’s hand with his own, squeezing it once. “And I’m sorrier than you know, but I gotta fly.”
The wind picked up, whipping around them. There was a flurry of blackness and the sound of wings, and Fraser was alone in the courtyard.
He blinked up at the sky, looking for… why was he out here again? He shook his head and started back into the Consulate. Perhaps Inspector Thatcher was right; he was spending too much time at the precinct, overworking.
A good night’s rest, he was certain, would put a new spin on everything.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ray stayed where he was when Fraser came out into the courtyard behind the Consulate. He should have known that Fraser would know he was there, no matter how well he hid.
Maybe he did know. Maybe, subconsciously he wanted to be found. That thought told Ray he’d made the right decision.
“I should be angry with you.”
Interesting opening volley. Ray waited, but that’s all Fraser said. He hesitated, then just as Fraser was turning to go back inside, he steeled himself and shifted to stand in the dim light of the open doorway. The inky darkness behind him was a comfort; part of him wanted to step back and let it envelop him. As it was, he felt the blackness like a shadowy representation of his wings. It was less comforting than it should be.
“You telling me you aren’t?” he asked.
Fraser didn’t startle, but his expression shifted from resignation to relief to a mix Ray couldn’t read.
“I’m a lot of things,” he finally replied. “Anger is definitely somewhere on that list. Just not at the top at the moment.”
Ray just nodded, unsure of what to say to that. He had no reassurances, no apologies. That wasn’t why he was here.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Fraser said.
“I’m always all right, Fraser.”
Fraser huffed a laugh. “I’m beginning to see that.” He took a step forward; Ray tensed, then made himself relax. This was Fraser. He wasn’t looking to hurt Ray.
Fraser stopped at Ray’s reaction, looking hurt and confused. Ray rubbed a tired hand over his face.
“So now you’ve seen me. You know I’m good. So all those feelers you’ve putting out, trying to find me? You can stop it.”
“I wasn’t sure you knew about that. The information I’ve been getting back has been… suspect.”
It better have been, or Ray’d lost his touch. “You don’t say.”
“Well, as you’re here and not in,” Fraser started counting off on his fingers, “Detroit, New York, Phoenix, or, and this one’s my personal favorite, Paraguay, I’d say suspect is the correct term.”
Ray couldn’t help the tiny smile the list provoked.
“You think this is funny.”
“Isn’t it?”
Fraser’s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you set out all those false trails?”
Ray mirrored the move, mostly to see Fraser fight an eyeroll when he did it. “Do you think I did?”
“Could you kindly stop answering my questions with questions?” Before Ray could give a snarky, definitely still in the form of a question reply, Fraser held up a hand. “Please. I don’t want to fight.”
Truth be told, neither did Ray. “What do you want, Fraser?”
“I read your police report.” It wasn’t what Ray expected. Fraser either, if the look on his face was any indication. But he went with it. “I stopped at the station when I was trying to find you. It was elegantly done. If I hadn’t been there, I’d have believed it completely.”
“You make any corrections?” Not that it would matter now, but Ray was curious.
Fraser shook his head. “What could I have put that would have been taken seriously? Your only lies were those of omission.” The this time was unspoken, but Ray heard it loud and clear. Ray wondered just how many reports Fraser went back and read.
“And there was the part where what I did saved your life.”
“There was that,” Fraser agreed. “Why did you do it, Ray?”
Ray pretended to misunderstand. “Save you?”
“No. Yes. I honestly don’t know.” Fraser took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ray cocked his head, then shook it slowly. “Best if I plead the 5th on this one, I think.”
“Best for who?”
“For you, believe it or not. The less I say, the better.”
“For my sake.” Fraser said, flatly.
“For us both.” Ray shot back, then sighed deeply. “Just, trust me on this, Fraser. Please.”
It was Fraser’s turn to shake his head. “I don’t know what I can trust anymore.”
You know, given what he was, that shouldn’t have hurt. Reality was a bitch sometimes. “I’m not that different,” he told Fraser with a resigned shrug. “I’m still Ray.”
“Are you? Is Ray actually your real name?”
“It’s a name. It’s real. I answer to it.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s a lot better one than most folks would get.” He sighed again. “What does it matter? You’ve known I wasn’t who I said I was from day one. You need to let it go, Fraser.”
“Letting go isn’t in my nature.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ray muttered. “Maybe it’s time you learned. There are questions that should never be asked.”
Ray could practically see the frustration melt away, replaced by concern. “If I’ve put you in harm’s way-”
“It’s not me I’m worried about. I told you. I’m fine. And I’ll keep on being fine. You, on the other hand, are going to get yourself killed.” Or worse, he barely kept from saying.
“That’s nothing new.”
“Except that it is. And that’s all I’m gonna say.” He repeated Fraser’s earlier words, putting all the honesty and worry he could muster into the tone. “For your sake.”
The wind picked up, curling around them, laced with just a hint of winter’s chill. Ray closed his eyes and hunched in on himself, fighting the urge to let it take him away.
Fraser misinterpreted his body language. “Come inside,” he said, gesturing toward the door. “Let me be the judge of what I can and can’t handle.”
“Not a good idea. I’ve stayed longer than I meant to, anyhow.”
He saw the moment Fraser put it together. “You mean that on a bigger scale than just tonight, don’t you?” he said, shock lacing his words. “You’re leaving.”
Ray’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked up at the starry sky. “Looks like a good night to travel.”
“And if I wanted you to stay?”
“If wishes were horses, Fraser. But the sentiment is appreciated.”
He turned to go. Fraser stepped forward and put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“Ray.” Fraser stopped, gaze locked with Ray’s. “How much of this was real?”
Ray looked down at Fraser’s hand, then looked back at Fraser with a smile. “More than you think, less than you’d like.” Ray covered Fraser’s hand with his own, squeezing it once and sending a tendril of his power through Fraser’s body. “And I’m sorrier than you know, but I gotta fly.”
The wind picked up, whipping around them. Ray pulled the shadows to him, and in flurry of blackness and the fluttering of wings, left Fraser in the courtyard.
Ray perched on the roof of the building next door until long after Fraser was safely inside to give in to the urge to spread his wings.
It was time.
Another fic today! I got several very interesting prompts from ride_4ever. I actually started a different one, which I will post if I can get it cleaned up to my satisfaction. In the meantime, this fic hit me hard last night. And then, I got the other POV this morning. I couldn't decide which I liked more, so after a discussion with my braintwin hazelwho, I'm posting both.
So here you go, Ride, a fic in my krkavec verse that takes place after everything posted so far.
The prompt that chose me was, Prompt: "Together they have built a world, a lot of it is real, and we are here to ease them through the parts they can't conceal." - The Headstones
Seemed like a perfect fit for a Trickster.
There was someone out there, in the darkness. And Fraser knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who it was.
“I should be angry with you,” he said into the still of the evening. Just as the silence started to make him feel foolish, Ray stepped out of the shadows. If Fraser didn’t know better, he’d say they clung to him, trying to keep Ray out of the light. Actually, he didn’t know better; the thought made him frown.
“You telling me you aren’t?” Ray was smirking, but even in the low light Fraser could see his heart wasn’t in it.
Part of him was definitely angry. But it was more than that, a mix of hurt, worry, confusion, frustration… a tangle of emotions he hadn’t yet completely unknotted. “I’m a lot of things,” he finally replied. “Anger is definitely somewhere on that list. Just not at the top at the moment.”
Ray just nodded. Fraser sighed inwardly as he realized he was apparently going to have to work for any answers he wanted.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Fraser said. It was true, and was as good a place to start as any.
“I’m always all right, Fraser.”
Fraser huffed a laugh. “I’m beginning to see that.” He took a step closer; Ray stayed where he was, his stance wary, as if he wasn’t sure of his welcome.
Ray rubbed a hand over his face, and Fraser could see how weary he was. “So now you’ve seen me. You know I’m good. So all those feelers you’ve putting out, trying to find me? You can stop it.”
“I wasn’t sure you knew about that. The information I’ve been getting back has been… suspect.”
“You don’t say.” Ray’s reply was too nonchalant, confirming Fraser’s suspicion that he’d had something to do with all the false leads he’d been given.
“Well, as you’re here and not in,” Fraser started counting off on his fingers, “Detroit, New York, Phoenix, or, and this one’s my personal favorite, Paraguay, I’d say suspect is the correct term.”
Ray smiled as Fraser spoke. It brought Fraser’s anger right back to the surface.
“You think this is funny.”
“Isn’t it?”
Fraser narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you set out all those false trails?”
Ray, because he was being deliberately annoying, mirrored the move. “Do you think I did?”
“Could you kindly stop answering my questions with questions?” Before Ray could respond, Fraser held up a hand. “Please. I don’t want to fight.”
“What do you want, Fraser?”
“I read your police report.” Ray looked surprised; Fraser was too, a little; he hadn’t known what he would say when he saw Ray again. “I stopped at the station when I was trying to find you. It was elegantly done. If I hadn’t been there, I’d have believed it completely.”
“You make any corrections?”
Fraser shook his head. “What could I have put that would have been taken seriously? Your only lies were those of omission.”
“And there was the part where what I did saved your life.”
“There was that,” Fraser agreed. “Why did you do it, Ray?”
“Save you?”
“No. Yes. I honestly don’t know.” He took a deep breath, tried to settle his roiling emotions enough to have a real conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ray cocked his head, then shook it slowly. “Best if I plead the 5th on this one, I think.”
“Best for who?”
“For you, believe it or not. The less I say, the better.”
“For my sake.”
“For us both.” Ray shot back, then sighed deeply. “Just, trust me on this, Fraser. Please.”
It was Fraser’s turn to shake his head. “I don’t know what I can trust anymore.”
Ray looked like he wanted to protest, then slumped, resigned. “I’m not that different. I’m still Ray.”
“Are you?” He had to ask. “Is Ray actually your real name?”
“It’s a name. It’s real. I answer to it.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s a lot better one than most folks would get.” Ray sighed again. “What does it matter? You’ve known I wasn’t who I said I was from day one. You need to let it go, Fraser.”
“Letting go isn’t in my nature.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ray muttered. “Maybe it’s time you learned. There are questions that should never be asked.”
Something in the tone of Ray’s voice opened a whole new set of concerns for Fraser. “If I’ve put you in harm’s way-”
Ray cut him off. “It’s not me I’m worried about. I told you. I’m fine. And I’ll keep on being fine. You, on the other hand, are going to get yourself killed.”
“That’s nothing new.” And it wasn’t. He’d heard that argument so many times from so many people, Ray included.
“Except that it is. And that’s all I’m gonna say. For your sake.”
The wind picked up, curling around them, laced with just a hint of winter’s chill. Ray closed his eyes and hunched in on himself.
“Come inside,” Fraser said, gesturing toward the door. “Let me be the judge of what I can and can’t handle.”
Ray shifted, the move putting him farther from the door. “Not a good idea. I’ve stayed longer than I meant to, anyhow.”
“You mean that on a bigger scale than just tonight, don’t you?” Fraser realized. “You’re leaving.”
Ray’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked up at the starry sky. “Looks like a good night to travel.”
“And if I wanted you to stay?”
“If wishes were horses, Fraser. But the sentiment is appreciated.”
He turned to go. Fraser stepped forward and put a hand on his arm to stop him, nearly recoiling from the shock of power he felt under the leather of Ray’s jacket.
“Ray.” Fraser stopped, searching for the right words. “How much of this was real?”
Ray looked down at Fraser’s hand, and when he smiled again, it looked more heartfelt. “More than you think, less than you’d like.” Ray covered Fraser’s hand with his own, squeezing it once. “And I’m sorrier than you know, but I gotta fly.”
The wind picked up, whipping around them. There was a flurry of blackness and the sound of wings, and Fraser was alone in the courtyard.
He blinked up at the sky, looking for… why was he out here again? He shook his head and started back into the Consulate. Perhaps Inspector Thatcher was right; he was spending too much time at the precinct, overworking.
A good night’s rest, he was certain, would put a new spin on everything.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Ray stayed where he was when Fraser came out into the courtyard behind the Consulate. He should have known that Fraser would know he was there, no matter how well he hid.
Maybe he did know. Maybe, subconsciously he wanted to be found. That thought told Ray he’d made the right decision.
“I should be angry with you.”
Interesting opening volley. Ray waited, but that’s all Fraser said. He hesitated, then just as Fraser was turning to go back inside, he steeled himself and shifted to stand in the dim light of the open doorway. The inky darkness behind him was a comfort; part of him wanted to step back and let it envelop him. As it was, he felt the blackness like a shadowy representation of his wings. It was less comforting than it should be.
“You telling me you aren’t?” he asked.
Fraser didn’t startle, but his expression shifted from resignation to relief to a mix Ray couldn’t read.
“I’m a lot of things,” he finally replied. “Anger is definitely somewhere on that list. Just not at the top at the moment.”
Ray just nodded, unsure of what to say to that. He had no reassurances, no apologies. That wasn’t why he was here.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Fraser said.
“I’m always all right, Fraser.”
Fraser huffed a laugh. “I’m beginning to see that.” He took a step forward; Ray tensed, then made himself relax. This was Fraser. He wasn’t looking to hurt Ray.
Fraser stopped at Ray’s reaction, looking hurt and confused. Ray rubbed a tired hand over his face.
“So now you’ve seen me. You know I’m good. So all those feelers you’ve putting out, trying to find me? You can stop it.”
“I wasn’t sure you knew about that. The information I’ve been getting back has been… suspect.”
It better have been, or Ray’d lost his touch. “You don’t say.”
“Well, as you’re here and not in,” Fraser started counting off on his fingers, “Detroit, New York, Phoenix, or, and this one’s my personal favorite, Paraguay, I’d say suspect is the correct term.”
Ray couldn’t help the tiny smile the list provoked.
“You think this is funny.”
“Isn’t it?”
Fraser’s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you set out all those false trails?”
Ray mirrored the move, mostly to see Fraser fight an eyeroll when he did it. “Do you think I did?”
“Could you kindly stop answering my questions with questions?” Before Ray could give a snarky, definitely still in the form of a question reply, Fraser held up a hand. “Please. I don’t want to fight.”
Truth be told, neither did Ray. “What do you want, Fraser?”
“I read your police report.” It wasn’t what Ray expected. Fraser either, if the look on his face was any indication. But he went with it. “I stopped at the station when I was trying to find you. It was elegantly done. If I hadn’t been there, I’d have believed it completely.”
“You make any corrections?” Not that it would matter now, but Ray was curious.
Fraser shook his head. “What could I have put that would have been taken seriously? Your only lies were those of omission.” The this time was unspoken, but Ray heard it loud and clear. Ray wondered just how many reports Fraser went back and read.
“And there was the part where what I did saved your life.”
“There was that,” Fraser agreed. “Why did you do it, Ray?”
Ray pretended to misunderstand. “Save you?”
“No. Yes. I honestly don’t know.” Fraser took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Ray cocked his head, then shook it slowly. “Best if I plead the 5th on this one, I think.”
“Best for who?”
“For you, believe it or not. The less I say, the better.”
“For my sake.” Fraser said, flatly.
“For us both.” Ray shot back, then sighed deeply. “Just, trust me on this, Fraser. Please.”
It was Fraser’s turn to shake his head. “I don’t know what I can trust anymore.”
You know, given what he was, that shouldn’t have hurt. Reality was a bitch sometimes. “I’m not that different,” he told Fraser with a resigned shrug. “I’m still Ray.”
“Are you? Is Ray actually your real name?”
“It’s a name. It’s real. I answer to it.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s a lot better one than most folks would get.” He sighed again. “What does it matter? You’ve known I wasn’t who I said I was from day one. You need to let it go, Fraser.”
“Letting go isn’t in my nature.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ray muttered. “Maybe it’s time you learned. There are questions that should never be asked.”
Ray could practically see the frustration melt away, replaced by concern. “If I’ve put you in harm’s way-”
“It’s not me I’m worried about. I told you. I’m fine. And I’ll keep on being fine. You, on the other hand, are going to get yourself killed.” Or worse, he barely kept from saying.
“That’s nothing new.”
“Except that it is. And that’s all I’m gonna say.” He repeated Fraser’s earlier words, putting all the honesty and worry he could muster into the tone. “For your sake.”
The wind picked up, curling around them, laced with just a hint of winter’s chill. Ray closed his eyes and hunched in on himself, fighting the urge to let it take him away.
Fraser misinterpreted his body language. “Come inside,” he said, gesturing toward the door. “Let me be the judge of what I can and can’t handle.”
“Not a good idea. I’ve stayed longer than I meant to, anyhow.”
He saw the moment Fraser put it together. “You mean that on a bigger scale than just tonight, don’t you?” he said, shock lacing his words. “You’re leaving.”
Ray’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He looked up at the starry sky. “Looks like a good night to travel.”
“And if I wanted you to stay?”
“If wishes were horses, Fraser. But the sentiment is appreciated.”
He turned to go. Fraser stepped forward and put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“Ray.” Fraser stopped, gaze locked with Ray’s. “How much of this was real?”
Ray looked down at Fraser’s hand, then looked back at Fraser with a smile. “More than you think, less than you’d like.” Ray covered Fraser’s hand with his own, squeezing it once and sending a tendril of his power through Fraser’s body. “And I’m sorrier than you know, but I gotta fly.”
The wind picked up, whipping around them. Ray pulled the shadows to him, and in flurry of blackness and the fluttering of wings, left Fraser in the courtyard.
Ray perched on the roof of the building next door until long after Fraser was safely inside to give in to the urge to spread his wings.
It was time.