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crack_van2011-10-24 06:17 pm
hazelwho.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2011-10-24 06:17 pm
First One Thing, Then the Otter by Alex51324 (teen)
Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: ~13K words
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
alex51324
Author Website: Alex's dS fic is a bit spread out, but can be found on her LJ, at the Due South Archive, and now at AO3
Why this must be read: This story was originally written for Team Whimsy for Match 2008, and it's just as playful and joyful and amusing as you would expect a whimsical piece to be. Alex also weaves canon seamlessly into her strange and wonderful world. I don't want to give too much away in case there's someone out there that hasn't had the pleasure of reading this story for the first time yet, but the basic premise is that the guys are investigating a crime scene and find what appear to be otter tracks. For some reason, Fraser doesn't seem to want to investigate. So when Ray finds an otter in the trap that the zookeeper set...
He shrugged out of his coat and spread it out on the backseat. If the otter was going to pee or be carsick on something, at least the coat could be dry cleaned. “Okay, buddy, you’ve probably never been in a car before. Just relax, don’t freak out, and it’ll be over soon.”
The otter chirped back at him. It kept making noise the whole way back to Ray’s apartment--mostly the chirping, but with some squeals and grunts thrown in, and once even something that sounded like a bark. Ray had the strangest feeling that it was complaining about his driving.
At home, he put the otter trap to one side and tried to get on with his evening--he put something on the stereo, opened a beer, looked in the refrigerator. But the whole time, the otter cheeped, chirped, and pushed against the opening to the trap with its nose and paws. Otters were way more trouble than turtles, or even wolves, Ray decided.
Poor little guy. The trap was barely big enough for him to turn around, and he couldn’t be comfortable in there. “Why don’t you take a nap,” Ray suggested. “I’ll wake you up when Fraser calls.”
The otter didn’t take his advice. It kept chirping and rattling the cage the whole time that Ray was washing the dishes and trying to think of something to fix for dinner.
Finally, it occurred to him that the otter might be thirsty. He filled a small bowl with water and examined the opening to the cage, figuring out how to open it. “Okay, back up, buddy. I’m just going to slide this in there….” He eased the trap door open just enough to get the bowl inside. “Nice drink for you, just a seco--shit!” Somehow, the otter squeezed through the narrow opening and out of the cage.
Ray would have thought that a wild animal would panic when it found itself in an apartment, but the otter seemed to be enjoying the game as Ray chased it around and around, never getting within arm’s reach of the otter. If he stopped moving, the otter would stop too, and watch him, grooming the fur on its belly, until he resumed the chase.
Ray wasn’t sure how long he chased the otter before giving up. Clearly, he’d have to use his superior intelligence to recapture the otter.
You all can imagine how well that ends up going for Ray. =)
First One Thing, Then the Otter
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: ~13K words
Author on LJ:
alex51324Author Website: Alex's dS fic is a bit spread out, but can be found on her LJ, at the Due South Archive, and now at AO3
Why this must be read: This story was originally written for Team Whimsy for Match 2008, and it's just as playful and joyful and amusing as you would expect a whimsical piece to be. Alex also weaves canon seamlessly into her strange and wonderful world. I don't want to give too much away in case there's someone out there that hasn't had the pleasure of reading this story for the first time yet, but the basic premise is that the guys are investigating a crime scene and find what appear to be otter tracks. For some reason, Fraser doesn't seem to want to investigate. So when Ray finds an otter in the trap that the zookeeper set...
He shrugged out of his coat and spread it out on the backseat. If the otter was going to pee or be carsick on something, at least the coat could be dry cleaned. “Okay, buddy, you’ve probably never been in a car before. Just relax, don’t freak out, and it’ll be over soon.”
The otter chirped back at him. It kept making noise the whole way back to Ray’s apartment--mostly the chirping, but with some squeals and grunts thrown in, and once even something that sounded like a bark. Ray had the strangest feeling that it was complaining about his driving.
At home, he put the otter trap to one side and tried to get on with his evening--he put something on the stereo, opened a beer, looked in the refrigerator. But the whole time, the otter cheeped, chirped, and pushed against the opening to the trap with its nose and paws. Otters were way more trouble than turtles, or even wolves, Ray decided.
Poor little guy. The trap was barely big enough for him to turn around, and he couldn’t be comfortable in there. “Why don’t you take a nap,” Ray suggested. “I’ll wake you up when Fraser calls.”
The otter didn’t take his advice. It kept chirping and rattling the cage the whole time that Ray was washing the dishes and trying to think of something to fix for dinner.
Finally, it occurred to him that the otter might be thirsty. He filled a small bowl with water and examined the opening to the cage, figuring out how to open it. “Okay, back up, buddy. I’m just going to slide this in there….” He eased the trap door open just enough to get the bowl inside. “Nice drink for you, just a seco--shit!” Somehow, the otter squeezed through the narrow opening and out of the cage.
Ray would have thought that a wild animal would panic when it found itself in an apartment, but the otter seemed to be enjoying the game as Ray chased it around and around, never getting within arm’s reach of the otter. If he stopped moving, the otter would stop too, and watch him, grooming the fur on its belly, until he resumed the chase.
Ray wasn’t sure how long he chased the otter before giving up. Clearly, he’d have to use his superior intelligence to recapture the otter.
You all can imagine how well that ends up going for Ray. =)
First One Thing, Then the Otter