Ray Vecchio - I CH-CH-CHOOSE YOU [for Asher; plot: ILU Day]

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15 February 2010 @ 03:20 am

I CH-CH-CHOOSE YOU [for Asher; plot: ILU Day]

Ray had always been a fan of Valentine's Day - it was the best excuse to try and schmooze a woman without losing too much face. This year though, he hadn't really found himself in the schmoozing mood, so he'd just eaten candy hearts and slurped down coffee all day, pouring over the remaining reports he still had to catch up on and avoiding the scary little cherubs embarrassing people left, right and centre. Luckily, when he'd gotten his message, it had been received in the relative privacy if the IPD office. He had a fair idea who mighta sent it, even glanced around to see if he was right. No luck.

The next day didn't start much different, unless you counted the fact it began two hours earlier than normal due to a not-so-peaceful night's sleep. Ray had two things on his mind as he left his hut: coffee and doctors. Cooper wasn't expecting a visit but that was what made Ray hopeful - catch him off-guard and maybe there'd be something to spill. His hunch was still firmly hunched but he was no further forward in knowing what it was he was looking for. There was just something about the Talos siblings that simultaneously fascinated him and made him suspicious as all hell.

Slipping on sunglasses to shield his tired eyes from the bright light, he made his way to the Compound, caffeine-anticipation spurring him on. With one holiday out of the way and the winged Cupid guy having not caused too much trouble on the island, there was at least one thing for Ray to be thankful for today.

Tags: asher, plot: valentine's day, tr

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asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 05:53 am (UTC)

If Asher was anything like his sister he would have gone looking for a confrontation two days ago, back when Stephen had let it slip between whining about Frank that 'the bald cop' had been asking questions about him and Danica. But he wasn't like her. He thought before most actions, which was definitely to both his and Vecchio's benefit.

Two days ago he would have said or done something incredibly stupid, he was sure of it. Today, though, cooled down with a slightly more level head, there was only about a forty-five percent chance that he'd do something he'd wind up regretting.

Maybe it was a little close to fifty.

Returning to the compound from Del's, Asher couldn't help but roll his eyes; he'd know that bald head anywhere, and what was worse was the fact that the bastard had the nerve to wear shades while the sun was bouncing off of his head, practically blinding Asher as he reached the stairs a few paces behind him. "Jackass, how 'bout you do the rest of us a favor and try sporting a hat."

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 06:24 am (UTC)

Back when he was playing at being a stable boy Ray had learned that Asher had more in common with Kowalski than just the head: neither man was the type of person Ray could deal well with in the mornings and seven of those in a row not too long ago had taught him not to bother trying anymore.

Pressing his lips in a flat line, he pushed open the Compound door and hoped it swung back in time to hit the guy behind. "Sure, just as soon as you fix the muzzle back over your trap," he shot back, ripping off his shades as soon as he'd gotten inside and rubbing his eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

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asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 06:48 am (UTC)

"I thought you liked hearing people talk," Asher said, slipping through the door before it closed, never even having to bother to pull his hands from his pockets. It was probably safer if they stayed in there. "Granted, probably not as much as you like hearing yourself talk, but that's an issue for another time."

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 07:08 am (UTC)

"Yeah, y'know what?" Ray hooked an arm of his shades down the front of his shirt and turned around, pretty sick and tired of being fobbed off by one Talos and definitely not in the mood today to get fobbed off by another. "I do like hearing people talk," he told him, more aggressive than he'd intended to be, but at least with Asher he had no qualms about getting up close and personal, "so maybe you and I oughta have a little chat and..."

Asher's eyes were so blue, how had he not noticed that before? It was beautiful, like staring into a crystal clear ocean, only Ray was pretty sure an ocean had never made him want to get down on both knees and beg a man to love him back before.

"...get to know each other better," he finished on a breath, which was practically a medical impossibility because Asher had taken it away as soon as he'd seen those baby blues. His own eyes brightened at the thought, his entire body having been given a new and overwhelming lease of life.

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asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 08:08 am (UTC)

"Okay," he replied almost immediately, his defensive posture seeming to melt away in an instant, suddenly compelled to tell Ray just about anything he wanted to know and wanting to know absolutely everything about him in return.

His chest hurt, though it wasn't the sort of pain he wanted to go away; he felt better with it there, complete, as strange as that idea was. He hadn't felt anything like it in centuries, but it didn't really take a rocket scientist to figure out what that feeling was.

"Your eyes are hazel," he said dumbly, like it was something Ray might have missed over the course of his entire life. Before now, Asher had just always written them off as being some unspectacular shade brown or another, but they were most definitely hazel.

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 02:03 pm (UTC)

Ray was finding it really hard to figure out why he'd been a jackass to Asher, what with the way his heart was skipping beats and his face was heating up and his hands were getting clammy with nerves. Sure, he could remember why but he couldn't believe he'd ever been suspicious. Not of Asher. The guilt was almost as powerful as the fluttering in his stomach and he was about to blurt out an apology and ask him if he could ever, ever forgive him when...

...Asher had to go and say that. Ray ducked his head instantly, blush rising and oh God, this was so embarrassing. Act cool, Vecchio, but all he could think about was how Asher was probably, maybe, definitely the most beautiful person he'd ever seen, both inside and out, and with the Puppy Love lyrics circling his head, it took a moment for his tongue to actually work.

He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, a small laugh escaping with it as he looked back up. "You noticed. I've kind of...really, really wanted you to notice." For a whole thirty seconds now but time was irrelevant in matters of the heart. "They're my thing," he admitted, extremely conscious of the fact he was a whole lot closer to Asher now than a moment ago.

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asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 07:15 pm (UTC)

"I noticed," he echoed quietly. It was pretty damn hard not to (the past three months not withstanding), even before the loss of most of the personal space between them. Asher didn't miss a single inch of it when it was gone.

"Where were you, uh... headed?" He probably could have stood there all day and just stared at him without getting tired of it, but that probably would have gotten in the way of much more important things Ray could have been doing. Unlike Asher, he was a productive member of island society.

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 08:39 pm (UTC)

"To the bathroom," Ray answered, tripping over his words, then immediately felt bad again about the lie. But he didn't want to leave, not yet. He was magnetised. "You wanna...come with?"

To the bathroom. Dio mio, that would not impress Asher. But he couldn't tell him he'd been on his way to see Dr. Cooper to investigate him, could he? He couldn't risk losing what felt like the best thing that had ever happened to him in his entire life. Not so fast.

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asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 09:17 pm (UTC)

"Do I want to come with you... to the bathroom?" Yeah, it sounded just as strange when he said it, too, but he had to make sure that he heard it right. Was that some sort of weird test or something? If he answered yes then Ray was going to write him off as some sick fuck? Who could blame him if he did? He'd probably do the same.

"Uh... what about after that?" There. He couldn't get the answer wrong if he never actually gave one.

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 09:37 pm (UTC)

So many questions; Ray's head was spinning. If Asher didn't already know Ray was lying then he would any second now and dishonesty could destroy a relationship, if he even dared to hope that maybe one day this could become something like that.

"I was going to find Dr. Cooper to ask him about you," he admitted quietly, earnest gaze flicking up to Asher's. "I am so sorry, I'm so stupid. And I uh, I respect you too much to lie to you so, that's where I was going." That was it. Ray could feel himself crying a river inside, a river filled with shame and loss. But he was a Vecchio, dammit, and Vecchios fought for what they wanted. "But before you tell me to fuck off please just," he grabbed Asher's forearms in desperation, "please gimme another chance. It won't happen again, I swear."

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asher_talos: Ignore that sinking feeling.

asher_talos on February 15th, 2010 10:32 pm (UTC)

Asher's brows knitted together, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure how well these sorts of things turned out in the end when one person was suspicious of the other. Not just suspicious, though, but practically running some sort of actual investigation. First Stephen and now the Pretty Boy Doctor? It hurt, a little, but what was worse was the fact that Ray was right to have those suspicions.

Part of him wished that he could be as honest as Ray was being just then, but he couldn't. He knew he was going to hate himself for it, and he'd just have to live with that option. It was a lot easier to stomach than the thought of Ray hating him.

"Don't... You're not stupid. You're just doing your job. I can't blame you for that." Never mind the fact that he had been looking to do exactly that only a few minutes ago, not that it mattered much to him now.

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speakscanadian.livejournal.com on February 15th, 2010 10:50 pm (UTC)

Relief flooded Ray but he was still eager to prove that he was sorry.

"Yeah, well not anymore," he insisted, offering Asher a smile. "I had nothing more to go on than my own pig-headedness anyway. I shouldn't have jumped to...conclusions..." He trailed off, distracted by his own hands still wrapped around Asher's arms. He swallowed. "Uh..." Slowly, Ray let his hands drift down each arm until they reached Asher's wrists, where they disappeared into his pockets. Since he hadn't been shoved away yet, he rubbed a thumb minutely over skin much paler than his own. "Clean slate?"

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asher_talos on February 16th, 2010 02:01 am (UTC)

Asher's gaze drifted down between them and he finally pulled his hands from his pockets, threading his fingers with Ray's before looking back up at him. "That does seem to be the overall theme of this place." Blank slates and new beginnings and, sure, he'd been there for over three years now, but maybe it was never too late for a fresh start. It wasn't too hard to believe that when the chance at one was staring right back at him.

"Do you... wanna go get a cup of coffee or something? It can wait till after, if that thing about the bathroom wasn't completely a cover up."