[fic: "dogs and cats, living together", rated Teen, Kowalski/Vecchio]
Title: Dogs and Cats, Living Together
Author: Sionnain
Fandom: due South
Pairing: Kowalski/Vecchio
Rated: Teen
Warnings: Um, it's K/V. By me. So probably there will be some sap and cuteness? :D? Ghostbusters and Disney movie references? You know, the usual.
Summary: Ray accompanies Vecchio to adopt a pet for Frannie's kids at the humane society. While there, he finds some potential pets that seem kind of familiar...
AN:Thanks to the lovely Waltzforanight for the beta! Title shamefully stolen from Ghostbusters.
Dogs and Cats, Living Together
Ray kind of hated the humane society. He knew it existed for a good reason--matching pets with their forever homes!--but it still looked like animal jail or something. Animals whose only crime had been abandonment by dickhead humans. Ray paused beside a dog pen with a sleepy, sad-eyed looking creature inside and scowled. He wondered if he could flash his badge and find out who owned the dog before, and then go kick them in the head because look at its little face, how could anyone just take the dog and give it away and--
Vecchio, who was attuned to Ray's moods like some kind of thing-that-attuned-itself-to-other-things-real-good, stopped his complaining about the smell long enough to say, "I told you that you could've stayed in the car, Kowalski."
Ray scowled, shoving his hands into his pockets. So what if he'd just said that thing about its little face...! out loud? "I'm fine, Vecchio. Really. Oh, and um, the smell bothers you 'cause your nose is...big."
Vecchio eyed him. "That was lame, Stanley. I mean, I expected the bad smell/big nose joke, but you're off your game if that's as good as could do."
Ray tried to come up with a comeback to that. He settled on a muttered shut up, Vecchio, which was about as original as his insult had been.
Vecchio sighed and moved closer to him, running his gloved hand up Ray's back. "Hey. Look, I know you're--um. I know that you got issues with--that you don't like it when--I know you don't like this place on principle," he finished hastily. It wasn't like Vecchio to talk all stuttered like that, which meant he was trying not to hurt Ray's feelings, which definitely meant he thought Ray was upset.
Ray crossed his arms, trying for a scowl. He ended up sort of pouting, but whatever. This place was sad. "I'm a Chicago detective, I can handle some sad looking animals," he said defensively. But he leaned back a little against Vecchio's hand and blurted out, "I just don't get why people get rid of animals, you know how much they love you, it's unconditional, how can anyone just give that up--" he stopped talking and flailed his hands wordlessly.
"I know, Ray," Vecchio said, his voice low and warm, which just made it worse. Vecchio was being nice to him, that wasn't fair!
"You're supposed to make fun of my abandonment issues and start comparing me to one of the dogs or making bad jokes about me being a bitch," Ray muttered, resting his head briefly on Vecchio's shoulder. "That's why I love you, you know. 'Cause you get that gallon humor is sometimes the best way to make people not-sad."
Vecchio patted his back again, then reached up and drew his leather-clad fingers through Ray's hair, which felt really good and made Ray want to thump his foot like a pleased rabbit. "Gallon...oh, right. Yeah, I know. It's just...this is kind of my fault, us being here. Although, you were the idiot who watched Fox and the Hound last night, you know what that movie does to you, Kowalski--"
"They're friends despite the odds of the animal kingdom being stacked against them!" Ray exclaimed, his voice rising, glaring hotly at Vecchio. "It's supposed to be uplifting and heartwarming!"
"There's no such thing as an uplifting Disney movie, especially when it involves animals. You know that, why do you keep watching them? Still, I shouldn't have asked...I could've just done this on my own, you get all weird at Goodwill about the stuffed animals."
Bringing up the Goodwill thing was totally unfair. "It's just that some kid used to love those stuffed animals and sleep with them and stuff, and they end up in a huge bin and...look, I had to come with you," Ray said, sighing and shaking his head. "You don't really like animals."
"I like them fine," Vecchio said grimly, looking around. "When they're not jumping on me, shedding on me, or putting muddy paws on my coat or my upholstery. Or when there isn't about eighteen of them in a small confined area where they smell, seriously, does no one bathe them around here? What is this, solitary confinement at Joliet?"
The thing about Vecchio was that he could always, always make Ray laugh. That was pretty much how they ended up together, actually; Ray had wanted to hate him when Vecchio came back from Florida. He'd been ready to hate him, already-prepared-dialogue and carefully-constructed-insults ready. And then Vecchio had walked in and made some joke at Dewey's expense, complained for ten minutes straight about the coffee, then looked right at Kowalski and said, "If you skip the punch you're thinking about throwing 'cause of me and Stella, I'll buy you a sandwich. What do you say, Kowalski? It'd piss everyone off if we got along, you know they think we're gonna throw down right here in the bullpen. Don't you want to ruin everyone's day? You can even drive, if you want."
How did you hate a guy who came up with that awesome plan? (Even if the you can drive part was just because Vecchio didn't have his most recent Riv yet.) You didn't. You went to lunch with him and made fun of your mutual friend the Mountie, and you caught a few Bulls games together and worked on your cars on Saturdays so you could share your tools. One day you invited him over to watch a Twilight Zone marathon and ended up making out during Eye of the Beholder, your heart in your throat because what if all those signals you thought you were getting were just Vecchio being weird? And Vecchio was weird, but he kissed you back and you had sex for the next three days and barely left your apartment. Then you fell in love and moved in together, and sure, you had to get another partner 'cause of the whole love thing, but it was okay. Because when you went home there was someone there who ordered take-out and could recite Ghostbusters with you in the dark when you couldn't sleep.
What was a trip to the pound compared to that?
They were there because Frannie wanted to get her kids a pet, but she wanted Vecchio to pick it out (so she'd have someone to blame if something bad happened). Vecchio had agreed to do this because of that hamster incident from childhood that he was still trying to make up for, even though he would deny it if anyone (i.e. Ray) suggested that.
As they walked around looking for a suitable pet (hard to scare, didn't mind loud noises or kids trying to ride it), Ray was starting to wonder if he could talk Vecchio into taking an animal home for them, too. He was going through all the reasons why it was a good idea in his head before he presented them out loud, along with all the things he could offer to get Vecchio to agree. He was thinking about working the this will help my abandonment issues and Fraser would approve of us adopting a needy animal, you know angle, along with the I'll give you more blowjobs than you can shake a stick at one, when Vecchio stopped in his tracks in front of a Dalmatian.
The dog was staring at them, its ears sticking up, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He was bouncing in his cage, like he had springs for legs, barking excitedly. Ray grinned at him. The dog made a whoof sound and wagged his tail and bounced up and down some more. Ray was immediately infatuated. "Hey, look at this dog," he said, bouncing up and down on his heels, too.
"Dalmatians are great dogs," a young woman wearing a Volunteer tag said to them cheerfully. "Very playful and energetic. Pepper is a super energetic dog--especially considering he's not a puppy anymore."
Vecchio snorted.
"What's he in for?" Ray asked, ignoring his boyfriend.
"Oh, his owner had to move for his job and couldn't take Pepper here with him. Sad story, you know? Happens so often, people just move on into new places and new phases of their lives. And it's sad, because Dalmatians are so loyal, so it's really hard on them when they're left behind."
"Yeah. I know." Ray smiled at the still-bouncing Dalmatian. "I bet someone wanted to make a coat out of you," he said jokingly to the dog, and caught the eye of the shelter volunteer who was looking like maybe Ray should leave very quickly. "The movie--101 Dalmatians? I'm an uncle. My nieces and nephews, they watch the same movie a million times. Last month it was that. I'm not--my coat's not made out of animals," Ray told her quickly.
"Let me know if you want to take him outside or anything," was all she said before moving away, and Ray muttered about how can someone who works with dogs not know 101 Dalmatians, for fuck's sake. Seriously, if he called a beagle Snoopy would she just think he had bodies in the back yard and was worried the dog was nosy?
"It could be that she's just nervous you're looking at dogs at talking about coats, Kowalski. And, hey--your coat's made out of leather," Vecchio reminded him.
"So?" Ray stopped as they entered the area where the cats were.
"That's--you know, never mind. Here, look, check out these cats and see if you think any of them would be good. Cats are easier to take care of than dogs."
"Yeah, that's what I hear." Ray walked around, peering in at the cats. They peered back disdainfully, because they were cats. There were a few kittens, but mostly they were older cats who were asleep or staring at Ray like they wanted to eat his soul. In the last cage, there was some weird mix between a Himalayan and a Siamese, all fluffy hair and bright green eyes. It was meowing constantly, and somehow it managed to sound really annoyed and sort of whiny.
Ray read the little sign on the cat's cage, which said, I'm part Siamese! I'm good with people and kids, but I'm very vocal, so you'll always know when I have an opinion or need something! I also am very proud of my coat, which needs daily grooming, so I require effort to maintain my appearance. Ray looked over at Vecchio, who was muttering about why does fur gravitate right towards me, why, and swiping his hand down his wool coat, over and over. Ray started laughing, but when Vecchio asked what was so funny, Ray just shook his head.
Vecchio came over to look at the cat. "This one won't shut up," he said, peering at it through the cage.
Ray laughed so hard, his eyes started tearing up. "Yeah. I noticed."
"What's so funny? You're weird. God, I bet this cat is seriously high-maintenance, look at it's coat, you probably have to comb it every day and really, is something wrong with it, why is meowing so much--okay, seriously, you gonna let me in on the joke, here, Stanley?"
"It's nothing," Ray gasped, waving a hand, but when he looked and saw Vecchio and the cat giving him the same offended look, he broke up all over again.
Vecchio sighed. "You like any of these cats?"
Ray nodded, still grinning, then walked right up to Vecchio and kissed him soundly. "I sure do."
Vecchio kissed him back, but he pulled back and gave Ray a weird look. "Should we get one for Frannie's kids, then?"
Ray shook his head and said, "Nah, I think she needs something a lot more laid back than a cat. Her kids would chase the thing under the couch and it'd never come out, or else it'd make a break for it the minute someone opened the front door. Come on, let's go look at the dogs again."
Vecchio looked like he wanted to say something, but he just shrugged and followed Ray out of the cat room and back towards the dog runs.
In the end, they found a bulldog who seemed to be perfect. According to the sign on her cage, Snufflepuff was easy-going, great with kids of all ages, and half-deaf due to a birth defect. "That'll serve you well in that household," Vecchio told the dog seriously, then went to fill out the paperwork to adopt him.
While he did that, Ray wandered back and checked out the cat, and then the Dalmatian again. The nice shelter volunteer noticed this, and asked him if he wanted to adopt either of them. Ray admitted he did but he couldn't make up his mind about which one. "I like that dog, but I'm kinda really fond of that cat, too."
"Hmm. Well, Pepper is really hyper and likes a lot of attention, so he can be a lot of work to keep up with. And Riley, he's...well, just as much work, just in a totally different way. He's vocally demanding and very particular about his coat. So, you know, I guess it just depends on what kind of high-maintenance pet you're in the market for," she said with a laugh.
It's okay, high maintenance is the order of the day in my house. "What if I adopted both of them? You think they'd get along?"
The girl paused, thinking about it. "Huh. I don't know. They're both...very particular animals. They'll either hate each other, or they'll bond and be the best of friends. It's just impossible to tell. You'll have to probably take them home and give them a few days to adjust, see if they can get along."
Ray smiled, thinking about the hyperactive, needy puppy and the vocal, opinionated cat. They're friends despite the odds of the animal kingdom being stacked against them! "Yeah. I'll do it," Ray said, nodding decisively.
The shelter volunteer smiled. "You're a brave man," she said, grinning. "Dogs and cats, living together."
"Mass hysteria," Ray said, quoting Ghostbusters without pause. The girl might not get his reference, but Vecchio would, and hey--that was really all that mattered.
Author: Sionnain
Fandom: due South
Pairing: Kowalski/Vecchio
Rated: Teen
Warnings: Um, it's K/V. By me. So probably there will be some sap and cuteness? :D? Ghostbusters and Disney movie references? You know, the usual.
Summary: Ray accompanies Vecchio to adopt a pet for Frannie's kids at the humane society. While there, he finds some potential pets that seem kind of familiar...
AN:Thanks to the lovely Waltzforanight for the beta! Title shamefully stolen from Ghostbusters.
Dogs and Cats, Living Together
Ray kind of hated the humane society. He knew it existed for a good reason--matching pets with their forever homes!--but it still looked like animal jail or something. Animals whose only crime had been abandonment by dickhead humans. Ray paused beside a dog pen with a sleepy, sad-eyed looking creature inside and scowled. He wondered if he could flash his badge and find out who owned the dog before, and then go kick them in the head because look at its little face, how could anyone just take the dog and give it away and--
Vecchio, who was attuned to Ray's moods like some kind of thing-that-attuned-itself-to-other-things-real-good, stopped his complaining about the smell long enough to say, "I told you that you could've stayed in the car, Kowalski."
Ray scowled, shoving his hands into his pockets. So what if he'd just said that thing about its little face...! out loud? "I'm fine, Vecchio. Really. Oh, and um, the smell bothers you 'cause your nose is...big."
Vecchio eyed him. "That was lame, Stanley. I mean, I expected the bad smell/big nose joke, but you're off your game if that's as good as could do."
Ray tried to come up with a comeback to that. He settled on a muttered shut up, Vecchio, which was about as original as his insult had been.
Vecchio sighed and moved closer to him, running his gloved hand up Ray's back. "Hey. Look, I know you're--um. I know that you got issues with--that you don't like it when--I know you don't like this place on principle," he finished hastily. It wasn't like Vecchio to talk all stuttered like that, which meant he was trying not to hurt Ray's feelings, which definitely meant he thought Ray was upset.
Ray crossed his arms, trying for a scowl. He ended up sort of pouting, but whatever. This place was sad. "I'm a Chicago detective, I can handle some sad looking animals," he said defensively. But he leaned back a little against Vecchio's hand and blurted out, "I just don't get why people get rid of animals, you know how much they love you, it's unconditional, how can anyone just give that up--" he stopped talking and flailed his hands wordlessly.
"I know, Ray," Vecchio said, his voice low and warm, which just made it worse. Vecchio was being nice to him, that wasn't fair!
"You're supposed to make fun of my abandonment issues and start comparing me to one of the dogs or making bad jokes about me being a bitch," Ray muttered, resting his head briefly on Vecchio's shoulder. "That's why I love you, you know. 'Cause you get that gallon humor is sometimes the best way to make people not-sad."
Vecchio patted his back again, then reached up and drew his leather-clad fingers through Ray's hair, which felt really good and made Ray want to thump his foot like a pleased rabbit. "Gallon...oh, right. Yeah, I know. It's just...this is kind of my fault, us being here. Although, you were the idiot who watched Fox and the Hound last night, you know what that movie does to you, Kowalski--"
"They're friends despite the odds of the animal kingdom being stacked against them!" Ray exclaimed, his voice rising, glaring hotly at Vecchio. "It's supposed to be uplifting and heartwarming!"
"There's no such thing as an uplifting Disney movie, especially when it involves animals. You know that, why do you keep watching them? Still, I shouldn't have asked...I could've just done this on my own, you get all weird at Goodwill about the stuffed animals."
Bringing up the Goodwill thing was totally unfair. "It's just that some kid used to love those stuffed animals and sleep with them and stuff, and they end up in a huge bin and...look, I had to come with you," Ray said, sighing and shaking his head. "You don't really like animals."
"I like them fine," Vecchio said grimly, looking around. "When they're not jumping on me, shedding on me, or putting muddy paws on my coat or my upholstery. Or when there isn't about eighteen of them in a small confined area where they smell, seriously, does no one bathe them around here? What is this, solitary confinement at Joliet?"
The thing about Vecchio was that he could always, always make Ray laugh. That was pretty much how they ended up together, actually; Ray had wanted to hate him when Vecchio came back from Florida. He'd been ready to hate him, already-prepared-dialogue and carefully-constructed-insults ready. And then Vecchio had walked in and made some joke at Dewey's expense, complained for ten minutes straight about the coffee, then looked right at Kowalski and said, "If you skip the punch you're thinking about throwing 'cause of me and Stella, I'll buy you a sandwich. What do you say, Kowalski? It'd piss everyone off if we got along, you know they think we're gonna throw down right here in the bullpen. Don't you want to ruin everyone's day? You can even drive, if you want."
How did you hate a guy who came up with that awesome plan? (Even if the you can drive part was just because Vecchio didn't have his most recent Riv yet.) You didn't. You went to lunch with him and made fun of your mutual friend the Mountie, and you caught a few Bulls games together and worked on your cars on Saturdays so you could share your tools. One day you invited him over to watch a Twilight Zone marathon and ended up making out during Eye of the Beholder, your heart in your throat because what if all those signals you thought you were getting were just Vecchio being weird? And Vecchio was weird, but he kissed you back and you had sex for the next three days and barely left your apartment. Then you fell in love and moved in together, and sure, you had to get another partner 'cause of the whole love thing, but it was okay. Because when you went home there was someone there who ordered take-out and could recite Ghostbusters with you in the dark when you couldn't sleep.
What was a trip to the pound compared to that?
They were there because Frannie wanted to get her kids a pet, but she wanted Vecchio to pick it out (so she'd have someone to blame if something bad happened). Vecchio had agreed to do this because of that hamster incident from childhood that he was still trying to make up for, even though he would deny it if anyone (i.e. Ray) suggested that.
As they walked around looking for a suitable pet (hard to scare, didn't mind loud noises or kids trying to ride it), Ray was starting to wonder if he could talk Vecchio into taking an animal home for them, too. He was going through all the reasons why it was a good idea in his head before he presented them out loud, along with all the things he could offer to get Vecchio to agree. He was thinking about working the this will help my abandonment issues and Fraser would approve of us adopting a needy animal, you know angle, along with the I'll give you more blowjobs than you can shake a stick at one, when Vecchio stopped in his tracks in front of a Dalmatian.
The dog was staring at them, its ears sticking up, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He was bouncing in his cage, like he had springs for legs, barking excitedly. Ray grinned at him. The dog made a whoof sound and wagged his tail and bounced up and down some more. Ray was immediately infatuated. "Hey, look at this dog," he said, bouncing up and down on his heels, too.
"Dalmatians are great dogs," a young woman wearing a Volunteer tag said to them cheerfully. "Very playful and energetic. Pepper is a super energetic dog--especially considering he's not a puppy anymore."
Vecchio snorted.
"What's he in for?" Ray asked, ignoring his boyfriend.
"Oh, his owner had to move for his job and couldn't take Pepper here with him. Sad story, you know? Happens so often, people just move on into new places and new phases of their lives. And it's sad, because Dalmatians are so loyal, so it's really hard on them when they're left behind."
"Yeah. I know." Ray smiled at the still-bouncing Dalmatian. "I bet someone wanted to make a coat out of you," he said jokingly to the dog, and caught the eye of the shelter volunteer who was looking like maybe Ray should leave very quickly. "The movie--101 Dalmatians? I'm an uncle. My nieces and nephews, they watch the same movie a million times. Last month it was that. I'm not--my coat's not made out of animals," Ray told her quickly.
"Let me know if you want to take him outside or anything," was all she said before moving away, and Ray muttered about how can someone who works with dogs not know 101 Dalmatians, for fuck's sake. Seriously, if he called a beagle Snoopy would she just think he had bodies in the back yard and was worried the dog was nosy?
"It could be that she's just nervous you're looking at dogs at talking about coats, Kowalski. And, hey--your coat's made out of leather," Vecchio reminded him.
"So?" Ray stopped as they entered the area where the cats were.
"That's--you know, never mind. Here, look, check out these cats and see if you think any of them would be good. Cats are easier to take care of than dogs."
"Yeah, that's what I hear." Ray walked around, peering in at the cats. They peered back disdainfully, because they were cats. There were a few kittens, but mostly they were older cats who were asleep or staring at Ray like they wanted to eat his soul. In the last cage, there was some weird mix between a Himalayan and a Siamese, all fluffy hair and bright green eyes. It was meowing constantly, and somehow it managed to sound really annoyed and sort of whiny.
Ray read the little sign on the cat's cage, which said, I'm part Siamese! I'm good with people and kids, but I'm very vocal, so you'll always know when I have an opinion or need something! I also am very proud of my coat, which needs daily grooming, so I require effort to maintain my appearance. Ray looked over at Vecchio, who was muttering about why does fur gravitate right towards me, why, and swiping his hand down his wool coat, over and over. Ray started laughing, but when Vecchio asked what was so funny, Ray just shook his head.
Vecchio came over to look at the cat. "This one won't shut up," he said, peering at it through the cage.
Ray laughed so hard, his eyes started tearing up. "Yeah. I noticed."
"What's so funny? You're weird. God, I bet this cat is seriously high-maintenance, look at it's coat, you probably have to comb it every day and really, is something wrong with it, why is meowing so much--okay, seriously, you gonna let me in on the joke, here, Stanley?"
"It's nothing," Ray gasped, waving a hand, but when he looked and saw Vecchio and the cat giving him the same offended look, he broke up all over again.
Vecchio sighed. "You like any of these cats?"
Ray nodded, still grinning, then walked right up to Vecchio and kissed him soundly. "I sure do."
Vecchio kissed him back, but he pulled back and gave Ray a weird look. "Should we get one for Frannie's kids, then?"
Ray shook his head and said, "Nah, I think she needs something a lot more laid back than a cat. Her kids would chase the thing under the couch and it'd never come out, or else it'd make a break for it the minute someone opened the front door. Come on, let's go look at the dogs again."
Vecchio looked like he wanted to say something, but he just shrugged and followed Ray out of the cat room and back towards the dog runs.
In the end, they found a bulldog who seemed to be perfect. According to the sign on her cage, Snufflepuff was easy-going, great with kids of all ages, and half-deaf due to a birth defect. "That'll serve you well in that household," Vecchio told the dog seriously, then went to fill out the paperwork to adopt him.
While he did that, Ray wandered back and checked out the cat, and then the Dalmatian again. The nice shelter volunteer noticed this, and asked him if he wanted to adopt either of them. Ray admitted he did but he couldn't make up his mind about which one. "I like that dog, but I'm kinda really fond of that cat, too."
"Hmm. Well, Pepper is really hyper and likes a lot of attention, so he can be a lot of work to keep up with. And Riley, he's...well, just as much work, just in a totally different way. He's vocally demanding and very particular about his coat. So, you know, I guess it just depends on what kind of high-maintenance pet you're in the market for," she said with a laugh.
It's okay, high maintenance is the order of the day in my house. "What if I adopted both of them? You think they'd get along?"
The girl paused, thinking about it. "Huh. I don't know. They're both...very particular animals. They'll either hate each other, or they'll bond and be the best of friends. It's just impossible to tell. You'll have to probably take them home and give them a few days to adjust, see if they can get along."
Ray smiled, thinking about the hyperactive, needy puppy and the vocal, opinionated cat. They're friends despite the odds of the animal kingdom being stacked against them! "Yeah. I'll do it," Ray said, nodding decisively.
The shelter volunteer smiled. "You're a brave man," she said, grinning. "Dogs and cats, living together."
"Mass hysteria," Ray said, quoting Ghostbusters without pause. The girl might not get his reference, but Vecchio would, and hey--that was really all that mattered.