ficlet for dkwilliams
Moving Day
F/V/K; 770 words; rated G
Prompt 34 for dkwilliams (prompt follows at end)
Thanks to china_shop and justbreathe80 for wonderful last-minute betas!
"Ma-"
"Raimundo-"
"Look, I know you don't like it. I'm sorry about that-"
"Oh-oh-oh, wait no! Dang it!" Frannie shouted, running into the foyer from the front living room and pressing an armload of squirming toddler into Ray's arms. Out on the front porch, Vincent, her eight-year-old, was wrestling a large box of clothes toward the steps. "Vince, I told you to wait!" she yelled, running through the open front door. But Fraser was already there, scooping the cardboard box up like it weighed nothing and carting it back to the U-Haul, where Kowalski took it out of his arms and loaded it in.
The kid in his arms, Michael, kicked out, and his hard white sneaker landed dangerously close to Ray's balls. Ray bit down on a snarl and said, "Here, baby, you want to go to Grandma? Let's go to Grandma," but the kid started wailing and Ray's ma folded her arms and gave him one of her looks that normally guilted him into doing whatever was best for the family, no matter what it cost him.
Outside, Frannie was still yelling at Vincent, and Maria was in the kitchen riding herd on the rest of the little monsters. Christ, he was a selfish bastard.
He shifted Michael in his arms, bouncing him a little until he stopped with the screaming. Biggest guilt trip since Vegas, but this one he couldn’t blame on anybody. This was him tearing things apart all on his own.
The kid pressed a sticky hand against his cheek, and in his head, Ray heard his Pop's voice: Personally, I think alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.
Stomach roiling, Ray walked through the front door, down the steps, crossed the yard, and sat down on the back ledge of the van. "I'm an asshole," he announced.
"Yeah, big surprise there." Kowalski came up from where he was rearranging the boxes in the front half of the U-Haul. He was in shirtsleeves and sweating, even though it was late autumn. He rubbed a hand over the top of Ray's bald head, then bent and kissed his scalp above his left ear. "They'll get over it."
Ray grunted and Michael cooed against his chest.
They'd been through it a thousand times. Either Ray's family would cope or they wouldn't. It just killed him to see his ma glare at him like he was destroying the family. And maybe he was. The only person happy about it was Vince, since all the shifting meant he'd be getting his own room. Everybody else was grim.
Fraser appeared with a box from the stack in the driveway, slid it toward Kowalski, and eased up to sit on the steel floor of the van next to Ray. He didn’t say a word, just laid a big, warm hand on Ray's back and held it there. Kowalski stowed the box, and came back, kissing the top of his head again, and then Fraser's. Michael snuggled closer.
Ray shut his eyes. The breeze smelled like firewood, and he hated how autumn always felt like endings. Angie'd left him in autumn. Stella'd left him in autumn-they'd made it all of six months before calling it quits.
Then he opened his eyes and Frannie was standing there. At least she didn't look mad. She looked up at Kowalski and smiled; she didn't look at Fraser. "You can baby-sit whenever you want," she told Ray, and the hint of teasing in her voice put a wry smile on his face despite himself. She smiled back. "Seriously, Ray. I'm not going to pretend I get it, but…" she trailed off, waving a hand helplessly.
"Thanks, Frannie," he said, because it was all he could say.
She shrugged and said, "I'm going to go put this one down for his nap," so Ray dislodged the kid, who was just about asleep, and aimed him at his mother. Somehow, he didn't start bawling when Frannie took him, and then she was casting a brief smile at them and walking back to the house.
Ray sighed and glanced down. There was Michael-drool all over his shirt. He looked up again, and Fraser slipped his hand around Ray's neck and planted a kiss on his mouth. Then Kowalski crouched down behind him and leaned in to kiss him, too, fast and firm.
"Let's finish this and get out of here," Kowalski said.
Fraser stood up, nodding in agreement, and Ray said, "Yeah, okay." He pointed Kowalski and Fraser toward the driveway, and then he went to get the last load from the house.
34. Fraser/RayK + Vechhio (Vecchio can either be in relationship with them or just a friend, your choice). Prompt: "Personally, I think alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."
F/V/K; 770 words; rated G
Prompt 34 for dkwilliams (prompt follows at end)
Thanks to china_shop and justbreathe80 for wonderful last-minute betas!
"Ma-"
"Raimundo-"
"Look, I know you don't like it. I'm sorry about that-"
"Oh-oh-oh, wait no! Dang it!" Frannie shouted, running into the foyer from the front living room and pressing an armload of squirming toddler into Ray's arms. Out on the front porch, Vincent, her eight-year-old, was wrestling a large box of clothes toward the steps. "Vince, I told you to wait!" she yelled, running through the open front door. But Fraser was already there, scooping the cardboard box up like it weighed nothing and carting it back to the U-Haul, where Kowalski took it out of his arms and loaded it in.
The kid in his arms, Michael, kicked out, and his hard white sneaker landed dangerously close to Ray's balls. Ray bit down on a snarl and said, "Here, baby, you want to go to Grandma? Let's go to Grandma," but the kid started wailing and Ray's ma folded her arms and gave him one of her looks that normally guilted him into doing whatever was best for the family, no matter what it cost him.
Outside, Frannie was still yelling at Vincent, and Maria was in the kitchen riding herd on the rest of the little monsters. Christ, he was a selfish bastard.
He shifted Michael in his arms, bouncing him a little until he stopped with the screaming. Biggest guilt trip since Vegas, but this one he couldn’t blame on anybody. This was him tearing things apart all on his own.
The kid pressed a sticky hand against his cheek, and in his head, Ray heard his Pop's voice: Personally, I think alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.
Stomach roiling, Ray walked through the front door, down the steps, crossed the yard, and sat down on the back ledge of the van. "I'm an asshole," he announced.
"Yeah, big surprise there." Kowalski came up from where he was rearranging the boxes in the front half of the U-Haul. He was in shirtsleeves and sweating, even though it was late autumn. He rubbed a hand over the top of Ray's bald head, then bent and kissed his scalp above his left ear. "They'll get over it."
Ray grunted and Michael cooed against his chest.
They'd been through it a thousand times. Either Ray's family would cope or they wouldn't. It just killed him to see his ma glare at him like he was destroying the family. And maybe he was. The only person happy about it was Vince, since all the shifting meant he'd be getting his own room. Everybody else was grim.
Fraser appeared with a box from the stack in the driveway, slid it toward Kowalski, and eased up to sit on the steel floor of the van next to Ray. He didn’t say a word, just laid a big, warm hand on Ray's back and held it there. Kowalski stowed the box, and came back, kissing the top of his head again, and then Fraser's. Michael snuggled closer.
Ray shut his eyes. The breeze smelled like firewood, and he hated how autumn always felt like endings. Angie'd left him in autumn. Stella'd left him in autumn-they'd made it all of six months before calling it quits.
Then he opened his eyes and Frannie was standing there. At least she didn't look mad. She looked up at Kowalski and smiled; she didn't look at Fraser. "You can baby-sit whenever you want," she told Ray, and the hint of teasing in her voice put a wry smile on his face despite himself. She smiled back. "Seriously, Ray. I'm not going to pretend I get it, but…" she trailed off, waving a hand helplessly.
"Thanks, Frannie," he said, because it was all he could say.
She shrugged and said, "I'm going to go put this one down for his nap," so Ray dislodged the kid, who was just about asleep, and aimed him at his mother. Somehow, he didn't start bawling when Frannie took him, and then she was casting a brief smile at them and walking back to the house.
Ray sighed and glanced down. There was Michael-drool all over his shirt. He looked up again, and Fraser slipped his hand around Ray's neck and planted a kiss on his mouth. Then Kowalski crouched down behind him and leaned in to kiss him, too, fast and firm.
"Let's finish this and get out of here," Kowalski said.
Fraser stood up, nodding in agreement, and Ray said, "Yeah, okay." He pointed Kowalski and Fraser toward the driveway, and then he went to get the last load from the house.
34. Fraser/RayK + Vechhio (Vecchio can either be in relationship with them or just a friend, your choice). Prompt: "Personally, I think alligators have the right idea. They eat their young."