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

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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.

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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.

"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.

"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.

"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.

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."

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.

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?"

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."

To tell the truth, all the excitement did make Ray need to pee a little but he shook his head quickly, smile still in place.

"Sounds perfect." He didn't think it was too presumptuous to keep a hold of one of Asher's hand as they went. The more moments that passed, the more relaxed Ray got, like everything as just how it was supposed to be. Why fight that? "Y'know, I uh, I've never said this to a guy before but uh," he turned his head to give Asher a quick appraisal, let out a whistle, "you look great."

He really wished he'd realised that yesterday. Nothing said I wanna woo ya like a singing telegram from a flying baby.

It was Asher's turn to blush and blush he did, though he did try to play the embarrassment down and not pay too much attention to it as he laughed. "Have you ever said it without the little whistle?" Asher teased, quirking an eyebrow and then returning the appraisal, taking his sweet time while doing so.

"You're not so bad on the eyes yourself," he said, pressing his tongue to the tip of a fang.

Christ, that laugh made Ray think things he'd never thought before in his life. Things his Ma would send him to Confession for, things he should repent with a few hundred Hail Marys. But it was hard to care about his eternal soul burning in hell when Asher was doing that with his tongue. Talk about distracting.

Going with his gut, working entirely on instinct, Ray dragged him the rest of the way into the kitchen and dodged around the corner, pressing his back against the wall and catching his breath around the last few remnants of his own easy laughter.

"No need for a hat anymore, huh?" He flashed a grin and tugged Asher towards him, ignoring the din of voices in the background. Everybody else seemed to just melt away.

Asher dropped his head, eyes screwing shut tight as he tried to suppress his laugh. "Yeah... Fuck. How about we just pretend that's been covered by the clean slate thing? Never happened. Or should I go ahead and bring out some of the insults you've slung my way?" Vampire stripper came to mind almost immediately, which wasn't too horrible, he guessed. And who knew, if Ray played his cards right...

"None of this is very conducive to ever actually getting coffee, you know," he informed him, moving closer still despite that, his lips just ghosting over his jawline.

Who needed coffee? Ray was pretty damn sure he could give up caffeine for the rest of his life and just wake up to this every morning instead. It made him feel more awake, more alive, than anything in a cup ever could.

Eyelids fluttering shut, he took a slow, deep breath, taking in the smell of Asher. "I think I've found something I want more," he admitted, moving his head a little to brush the tip of his nose feather-light over Asher's cheek. While there was a part of him freaking out that this was a guy, there was a much bigger part that told the former to shut the hell up. Ray could just tell he had something good here, something real, and nobody, not even himself, was going to take that away from him.

"Need more," he added, gasping quietly when his lips grazed the corner of Asher's mouth.

Asher had zero trouble answering that request, a hand moving up to settle gently at the back of Ray's neck. Lips just barely swept over one another for a few brief seconds before he finally kissed him soundly, sparks of electricity soon zipped up and down his spine and his entire body feeling like it had gone up in flame like flash paper. Not the most appealing thought to someone who'd spent centuries avoiding meeting a fate not much different than that, but this was different; there wasn't a single cell in his body that wanted to avoid any part of this.

"Coffee's overrated," he decided when he reluctantly pulled back, letting out the words on a shaky breath against Ray's mouth. He felt a little lightheaded; too much of that and he thought he'd probably fucking pass out or something.

Give me my sin again. Ray was no English major but old classes had the horrible tendency of popping into his head at the most inappropriate moments. Or maybe it was appropriate; he couldn't be feeling any less than Romeo and Juliet had. Even if Asher definitely didn't kiss by the book. Thank God.

"Uh huh," he agreed, struck dumb by the intensity, keeping his eyes shut so he could keep a hold of it. "Wow." Hands that hadn't known where to go the first time gripped at Asher's waist now, like he thought he'd go poof if he let go. His chest twisted desperately, and he lifted one to Asher's jaw, touched the soft pad of his thumb where the thought a fang would be. Asher certainly knew how to use those without them being dangerous. But then Ray had always found a little bit of danger really, really hot.

"These are nice," he whispered, finally opening enlightened eyes, only to close the gap again and press his own kiss to Asher's lips. "On you. I like these." It was all happening so fast. "I like you. I lo...I, I..."

"That works for now," Asher told him quietly, fangs gently pinching his bottom lip. If Ray had never really complimented a guy on their looks, then it wasn't very likely that he'd said The L Word, the one that actually mattered.

Love. Asher knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that's what he felt, but it was so much so soon and he didn't want to risk the chance that he'd scare him away. "I... like you, too." He flashed a pointed smile at him, hoping it said what he hadn't for him.

"Come on," he said, shifting back from the wall. "Any more of this and you'll have to arrest me for lewd and indecent behavior in public." And even though cuffs were an interesting thought, Asher knew he wasn't cut out for jail.

Head over heels didn't even begin to cover it. His own love for Asher was almost too much for Ray to handle but to have it reciprocated had been beyond even his wildest dreams. But that dream had just come true and in that moment, Ray realized something of which he was certain: this was for ever.

"Tempting," he admitted with a gentle smirk but his eyes revealed his honesty for him. "Do you have uh, plans for today?" He couldn't bear the thought of not seeing Asher all day. "I have a couple of patrols to do later but the rest can wait..." he trailed off, hope in his voice.

"Nope. My schedule is wide open." He didn't think Del would mind watching the twins without him for a while, or maybe Joey or Stephen would be willing to. And Danica... well, whatever her Grievance of the Day was, she'd have to give him the CliffsNotes version. He always put her first, but if there was ever a time to put his own wants and needs ahead of hers, this was it.

"We can meet up afterward... if you want," Asher suggested, pulling two mugs down from the cupboard and filling them bote with coffee and returning the pot. "How do you take it?"

"I want," Ray insisted, perhaps a bit too eagerly. When the temptation to just reach out and take Asher back into his arms got to much, he slipped his hands into his pockets, but remained close. "However you wanna give it to me. I trust you," he added, then ducked his head at how that sounded, heat rising in his face again. "Uh, sweet, please."

Before he could make a complete fool of himself, he changed the topic. "So um, we could watch a movie." Together. "Or go for a walk." Together. "And I heard there's a party later, if you, y'know..." He rubbed his thumb over an invisible spot on the table top. "...wanna be my date."

What Ray really wanted to do was spend some time with Asher alone but he didn't really know how alone two people could get on the island and he didn't want to assume that Asher would want the same thing. Even if everything else had worked out so far.

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said, leering at Ray once he'd tracked down the sugar and spooned it into one of the mugs. "You're cute when you blush."

Once the sugar was good and dissolved, Asher held the coffee out to Ray before taking a sip of his own and milling over the idea of a party. He was usually miserable at those things, but if he went with Ray he didn't see how that would even be possible. Of course, he wasn't too sure how he felt about have to share him with anybody else. "I don't think it's written anywhere that we can only do one thing... We can check out the party for a while, but then you'll just have to trust me on what comes after that." Which really wasn't asking too much, not after Ray already insisted that he did trust him.

"A surprise?" Ray asked, sipping at his drink and licking his lips. He wasn't usually a fan of surprises, he liked to have more control than that but when he was absolutely guaranteed to love it, he couldn't see the harm.

Excitement started to bubble in his stomach, a shiver making his skin prickle. He looked down into his mug, at the contents swirled together, dissolving into each other, becoming one. It had been a long time since Ray had had someone in his life that he thought he could share it with, make one life together instead of two separate ones.

That was it. What he wished beyond all else: to make sweet, sweet coffee with Asher.

He looked back up with a growing smile. "I think I can live with that."

"Great. It's a... a date then." And that was sort of a terrifying thought. It wasn't like Asher had been on many of those in the last few hundred years, not proper kind with some one he actually had genuine feeling for, at least. The gears in his head were already in motion and he knew he had a lot to do, but it would all be worth it in the end. Ray was worth it, and he wanted everything to be perfect.

... Holy shit he had a date.

What the fuck was he going to wear?

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

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