Chicago Is So Two Years Ago by Minervacat (NC-17)

[brynnmck.livejournal.com]

Fandom: Due South
Pairing: Vecchio/Kowalski
Author on LJ: minervacat
Author Website: when the floods roll back

Why this must be read:

Immediately upon discovering this story, I decided that my friendslist—nay, the entire world—was fired for not informing me that a fic existed that involved Ray and Ray and baseball. Honestly, they probably could've spent the whole time eating babies and kicking puppies and I still would've loved it. But fortunately for, well, everyone, probably, this story doesn't involve either of those things, and instead there's humor and heart and banter and baggage and sweetness and a little sadness and a slow, bumpy road and these two guys kind of falling together and finding out they fit, in a beautifully mundane way. Both Rays are so spot-on and wonderful that I was filled with glee from beginning to end. And Minervacat's clear knowledge and love of Chicago just shines throughout, grounding and enriching the story. (And for those of you poor souls who aren't baseball fans, worry not—the game is used as a framing device, and an elegant one, delightful if you're a fan and neatly functional if you're not.) And maybe best of all, it's a longish fic, making it perfect to dive into to make a boring Friday pass more quickly or to curl up with and savor on a lazy Saturday morning.

An excerpt:


"You got a mouth on you when you're drunk, Vecchio," Ray said.

"You should hear me in bed," Vecchio said, climbing a nearby no-parking sign and clinging to it with all his weight once he was back on his feet.

"And see, Vecchio, that is the thing," Ray said. "That is the thing we are going to talk about now, because you are fucking up my life, and as it turns out, you are not such a bad guy when you are not acting like a big girl, and apparently you are not as straight as you claim, which is more than I can say for other people of our acquaintance."

"Stella was very straight," Vecchio said sadly.

"Yeah," Ray said. "We are not talking about Stella, though, and we are not talking about Fraser. We are talking about you, and we are talking about me. And we are talking about the fact that this is two straight … dates, two of them, and you have made passes at me after both of them, and I am starting to see a pattern here, Vecchio, okay, and I would just like some clarification."

Vecchio said, "Lots of big words for a drunk guy," and then he let go of his no parking sign and lurched toward Ray and grabbed the front of Ray's jacket again.

Then Vecchio kissed Ray, tongue and all, and slid an arm around Ray's waist, inside his jacket, fingers tightened around Ray's holster, just like he had in the bar.

"Okay," Ray said, when Vecchio had stopped kissing him and was just leaning against Ray, breathing on Ray's neck. "That is pretty clear."


Find it here: Chicago Is So Two Years Ago (link goes to Part I; Part II is linked at the end of the entry)

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