asphaltcowgrrl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2015-08-16 03:05 pm
asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2015-08-16 03:05 pm
Entry tags:
Ifs and Whys (Romani Detective original fiction)
Title: Ifs and Whys
Fandom: Romani Detective original fic
Pairing: Zayne Reyes/Hilary Maxwell
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,591
Summary: While waiting for news, Zeklos and Reyes have a heart to heart in the doctor’s office.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
1_million_words with a prompt of World Population Day. No idea why I went where I did.
“What are you reading?” Reyes leaned over Zeklos’ shoulder and scanned the magazine article. “Nineteen kids? Who the hell are these people?”
Zeklos made a face and set the People magazine to the side. They’d been sitting in the doctor’s waiting room for over an hour now, it was only natural that Reyes was restless. “Some overzealous religious cult hell bent on being as fruitful as possible, it seems.”
“Don’t these idiots know that the world is already overpopulated?” Reyes shook his head, disgusted. He gave Andrej a long look. “Some people just need to keep it in their pants.”
Zeklos figured his partner must be appalled by the idea of having nineteen kids and still wanting more. But then, this was Zayne he was talking to, so he very well could be put out by the idea of simply having children. “You’d better not be inferring myself in that last statement.” That Zek wouldn’t be reproducing anytime soon was well-established.
“Of course not,” Zayne said, patting Zek’s cheek. “I just meant in general. Too many idiots spawning without regard for the world’s future.”
“And you?” He was pretty certain how Reyes would respond to this, but the urge to goad him was sometimes more than Zeklos could resist. “You sure you don’t have any progeny running around?”
Reyes’ face approached something that landed smack between astounded and horrified. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Just checking,” Zeklos chuckled, picking the magazine back up. Zayne didn’t move away, however. Instead, he leaned in closer, his breath brushing wetly against Zeklos’ skin. “Is there something I can do for you, Reyes?”
“Naw, man,” he said, pointing a finger to a particular paragraph. “Good lord, their kids have even started to mass produce. What is wrong with this family?”
Turning his head marginally to the side, Zeklos grazed his blue eyes across Reyes’ serious face. “I have no idea. I do know this, however: as much as I hate hearing heterosexual couples referred to as ‘breeders’, this family unquestionably falls into that category.”
“I agree,” Reyes mumbled, continuing to read over Andrej’s shoulder. “Someone ought to call the UN and tell them the next theme for World Population Day should be this family.”
“Will you please sit down,” Zeklos sighed. “There’s a seat right here next to me.”
Frowning, Reyes came around the little bank of chairs that Zeklos had camped out in and chose the empty spot directly to the Romanian’s right. “You ever think about it, Zek? Having a baby?”
He folded the magazine closed, holding his spot with a finger before turning to his partner. “I have no way of having a baby, Zayne. I’m lacking certain essential accessories. Like a uterus.”
Zayne chuckled. “But you and Rollins could have a baby together,” he said, smiling at the thought of it. “It’d be a good looking kid, too. But man, the attitude.”
Zeklos smacked Reyes in the arm with the magazine he was still holding. “You are awful.”
“Yes I am, but you still love me,” Reyes teased.
“Always,” Zeklos replied with a weary sigh. “It’s a major character flaw that I seem to be unable to overcome. I suppose, if Trish asked, I would acquiesce, but I don’t think it’d be something I’d ever initiate.” He went quiet for a moment and a soft smile ghosted across his lips. “She’d make an excellent mother, however. As would Hilary.”
“Please don’t say that,” Reyes begged, stealing a quick glance at the door Hil had passed through over an hour ago.
Andrej opened the magazine and started reading again. “I have every faith that you’d make an excellent father as well, Zayne.”
The Texan visibly paled. “This is not funny,” he hissed.
“I never said it was,” Zeklos replied, shrugging. The outcome of what was going on in that exam room behind the door wasn’t any of his business – or his responsibility.
And yet, in an odd sort of way, it was both his responsibility and his business. His business because what affected his partner affected him, too. Also his responsibility because if something should ever happen to Reyes, he’d be the one expected to come around and give Hil a helping hand, should she ever need it. A smile curled up the corners of his mouth as a vision sprung forth of Hilary and Trish living together, raising Reyes’ baby as their own.
“Okay, now you’re laughing at me,” Reyes muttered.
“No,” Zek lied. “Not really. I was jus thinking…”
“About?” Reyes raised an eyebrow, green eyes shooting fire.
“About what would happen if Maxwell is indeed in the family way –”
“God, you’re so old fashioned,” Reyes interrupted. “You need to move into the modern era, baby.”
Zeklos frowned, but continued. “If Maxwell is indeed pregnant,” he amended, stressing the word ‘pregnant’, “and something should happen to you.”
“Now there’s a pleasant thought,” Reyes snapped, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “No wonder you were smiling.”
“Touchy,” Zeklos taunted. “I was smiling because it occurred to me that Rollins would more than likely move in and take over in your stead.”
An amused grin rose on Reyes’ lips. “You know, I don’t doubt that for one minute either. Trish would be all ‘but you need me’ and Hil would be ‘no I don’t’.”
“And then, one night, late, Hilary would call,” Zeklos said, rubbing his chin with a hand, “crying and begging for Trish’s company.”
“That’s all it would take, you know.” Reyes shook his head, smile only growing wider. “I think I could live with the two of them raising my kid like that.”
Something occurred to Reyes then and Zeklos watched as a tidal wave of emotions crossed Reyes’ face. “What just occurred to you?”
“Where will you be?” That emerald gaze was steady and full of questions.
“Where I always am, I suppose.” Although that was hard to promise because if something, anything, ever happened to the man next to him, Andrej wasn’t positive he’d ever recover. Pushing that thought aside, he shrugged. “Wherever I’m needed, that is.”
“But you’ll be here, for them, right?” Reyes leaned forward, resting a hand on Zeklos’ arm. “You’d take care of Hilary? And the baby?”
Something had really gotten under Zayne’s skin and it was starting to show. “Of course I would. She’s one of us, even if she wasn’t with you. I’d do for her what I’d do for any of our fellow officers.” But that wasn’t entirely true. He would help out where he was able for any of the others in their department, visiting wives, consoling children. Hilary, and by extension, Trish, weren’t just other detectives in their department either. “Even if Hilary wasn’t your girlfriend, she’d still be my friend and I’d do anything she needed me to do for her.”
“You promise?”
Zeklos nodded. “Of course.”
“Good,” he said, blowing out a relieved sounding breath. “She’s going to need all the help she can get if this doesn’t go the way we expect it to.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Zeklos said, opening the magazine yet again. “She will be bringing your child into the world after all.”
He could feel Reyes glaring at him, but Zeklos ignored the stare. Zayne couldn’t argue that point no matter how hard he tried, he’d even admitted to having been a handful as a kid. Carrying that man’s progeny only set the mother up for years of trouble. Not that Andrej had been a faultless child, far from it honestly, but there’d been much less to keep his active mind occupied in their tiny, poor village than in south Texas where Reyes came from. Mischief only came natural in that situation.
The door into the waiting room opened and Hilary stepped out. Her face was unreadable as she approached, worrying both Zeklos and his partner beside him. Six inches from Reyes’ feet, she stopped, looking down at him.
“So?” Reyes’ eyes were wide and cautious.
She shrugged a shoulder. “False alarm,” she said. “Doc says that as far as home tests have come over the years, they can still lie.”
Reyes pressed his palms to his face, slumping forward until his elbows landed on his knees. Laughing, Zeklos patted him on the back. “Poor Zayne, he thought his life was about to end.” He gave Hilary a curious look. “You okay?”
This time she smiled. “I think so. You never know how much you think you wanted something until you aren’t getting it. Know what I mean?”
“I do,” he agreed, rubbing circles along Reyes’ broad shoulders. “Why don’t you take him home and comfort him. I have a distinct feeling he might understand even better where you’re coming from right now.”
Grinning, Hilary held out a hand. “Come on, honey, let’s go home.”
Zayne nodded without taking his head from his hands. When he finally did look up, Zeklos realized he was closer to the truth that he’d thought. “Go on ahead, we’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay,” she said, shouldering her purse and exiting the doctor’s office.
“Please,” Reyes said, turning to Zeklos. “Don’t ever tell anyone about this.”
“I won’t,” Zeklos vowed standing and offering a helping hand.
“Thanks,” he said, grasping Andrej’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. “And don’t you ever forget the promise you made me either.”
“Not a chance.” His people may have a lot of shortcomings, but one thing they held to were promises made to those that mattered. Zayne and Hilary? They most definitely mattered.
Fandom: Romani Detective original fic
Pairing: Zayne Reyes/Hilary Maxwell
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,591
Summary: While waiting for news, Zeklos and Reyes have a heart to heart in the doctor’s office.
Author’s Note: Written for the weekend challenge at
1_million_words with a prompt of World Population Day. No idea why I went where I did.“What are you reading?” Reyes leaned over Zeklos’ shoulder and scanned the magazine article. “Nineteen kids? Who the hell are these people?”
Zeklos made a face and set the People magazine to the side. They’d been sitting in the doctor’s waiting room for over an hour now, it was only natural that Reyes was restless. “Some overzealous religious cult hell bent on being as fruitful as possible, it seems.”
“Don’t these idiots know that the world is already overpopulated?” Reyes shook his head, disgusted. He gave Andrej a long look. “Some people just need to keep it in their pants.”
Zeklos figured his partner must be appalled by the idea of having nineteen kids and still wanting more. But then, this was Zayne he was talking to, so he very well could be put out by the idea of simply having children. “You’d better not be inferring myself in that last statement.” That Zek wouldn’t be reproducing anytime soon was well-established.
“Of course not,” Zayne said, patting Zek’s cheek. “I just meant in general. Too many idiots spawning without regard for the world’s future.”
“And you?” He was pretty certain how Reyes would respond to this, but the urge to goad him was sometimes more than Zeklos could resist. “You sure you don’t have any progeny running around?”
Reyes’ face approached something that landed smack between astounded and horrified. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Just checking,” Zeklos chuckled, picking the magazine back up. Zayne didn’t move away, however. Instead, he leaned in closer, his breath brushing wetly against Zeklos’ skin. “Is there something I can do for you, Reyes?”
“Naw, man,” he said, pointing a finger to a particular paragraph. “Good lord, their kids have even started to mass produce. What is wrong with this family?”
Turning his head marginally to the side, Zeklos grazed his blue eyes across Reyes’ serious face. “I have no idea. I do know this, however: as much as I hate hearing heterosexual couples referred to as ‘breeders’, this family unquestionably falls into that category.”
“I agree,” Reyes mumbled, continuing to read over Andrej’s shoulder. “Someone ought to call the UN and tell them the next theme for World Population Day should be this family.”
“Will you please sit down,” Zeklos sighed. “There’s a seat right here next to me.”
Frowning, Reyes came around the little bank of chairs that Zeklos had camped out in and chose the empty spot directly to the Romanian’s right. “You ever think about it, Zek? Having a baby?”
He folded the magazine closed, holding his spot with a finger before turning to his partner. “I have no way of having a baby, Zayne. I’m lacking certain essential accessories. Like a uterus.”
Zayne chuckled. “But you and Rollins could have a baby together,” he said, smiling at the thought of it. “It’d be a good looking kid, too. But man, the attitude.”
Zeklos smacked Reyes in the arm with the magazine he was still holding. “You are awful.”
“Yes I am, but you still love me,” Reyes teased.
“Always,” Zeklos replied with a weary sigh. “It’s a major character flaw that I seem to be unable to overcome. I suppose, if Trish asked, I would acquiesce, but I don’t think it’d be something I’d ever initiate.” He went quiet for a moment and a soft smile ghosted across his lips. “She’d make an excellent mother, however. As would Hilary.”
“Please don’t say that,” Reyes begged, stealing a quick glance at the door Hil had passed through over an hour ago.
Andrej opened the magazine and started reading again. “I have every faith that you’d make an excellent father as well, Zayne.”
The Texan visibly paled. “This is not funny,” he hissed.
“I never said it was,” Zeklos replied, shrugging. The outcome of what was going on in that exam room behind the door wasn’t any of his business – or his responsibility.
And yet, in an odd sort of way, it was both his responsibility and his business. His business because what affected his partner affected him, too. Also his responsibility because if something should ever happen to Reyes, he’d be the one expected to come around and give Hil a helping hand, should she ever need it. A smile curled up the corners of his mouth as a vision sprung forth of Hilary and Trish living together, raising Reyes’ baby as their own.
“Okay, now you’re laughing at me,” Reyes muttered.
“No,” Zek lied. “Not really. I was jus thinking…”
“About?” Reyes raised an eyebrow, green eyes shooting fire.
“About what would happen if Maxwell is indeed in the family way –”
“God, you’re so old fashioned,” Reyes interrupted. “You need to move into the modern era, baby.”
Zeklos frowned, but continued. “If Maxwell is indeed pregnant,” he amended, stressing the word ‘pregnant’, “and something should happen to you.”
“Now there’s a pleasant thought,” Reyes snapped, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “No wonder you were smiling.”
“Touchy,” Zeklos taunted. “I was smiling because it occurred to me that Rollins would more than likely move in and take over in your stead.”
An amused grin rose on Reyes’ lips. “You know, I don’t doubt that for one minute either. Trish would be all ‘but you need me’ and Hil would be ‘no I don’t’.”
“And then, one night, late, Hilary would call,” Zeklos said, rubbing his chin with a hand, “crying and begging for Trish’s company.”
“That’s all it would take, you know.” Reyes shook his head, smile only growing wider. “I think I could live with the two of them raising my kid like that.”
Something occurred to Reyes then and Zeklos watched as a tidal wave of emotions crossed Reyes’ face. “What just occurred to you?”
“Where will you be?” That emerald gaze was steady and full of questions.
“Where I always am, I suppose.” Although that was hard to promise because if something, anything, ever happened to the man next to him, Andrej wasn’t positive he’d ever recover. Pushing that thought aside, he shrugged. “Wherever I’m needed, that is.”
“But you’ll be here, for them, right?” Reyes leaned forward, resting a hand on Zeklos’ arm. “You’d take care of Hilary? And the baby?”
Something had really gotten under Zayne’s skin and it was starting to show. “Of course I would. She’s one of us, even if she wasn’t with you. I’d do for her what I’d do for any of our fellow officers.” But that wasn’t entirely true. He would help out where he was able for any of the others in their department, visiting wives, consoling children. Hilary, and by extension, Trish, weren’t just other detectives in their department either. “Even if Hilary wasn’t your girlfriend, she’d still be my friend and I’d do anything she needed me to do for her.”
“You promise?”
Zeklos nodded. “Of course.”
“Good,” he said, blowing out a relieved sounding breath. “She’s going to need all the help she can get if this doesn’t go the way we expect it to.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Zeklos said, opening the magazine yet again. “She will be bringing your child into the world after all.”
He could feel Reyes glaring at him, but Zeklos ignored the stare. Zayne couldn’t argue that point no matter how hard he tried, he’d even admitted to having been a handful as a kid. Carrying that man’s progeny only set the mother up for years of trouble. Not that Andrej had been a faultless child, far from it honestly, but there’d been much less to keep his active mind occupied in their tiny, poor village than in south Texas where Reyes came from. Mischief only came natural in that situation.
The door into the waiting room opened and Hilary stepped out. Her face was unreadable as she approached, worrying both Zeklos and his partner beside him. Six inches from Reyes’ feet, she stopped, looking down at him.
“So?” Reyes’ eyes were wide and cautious.
She shrugged a shoulder. “False alarm,” she said. “Doc says that as far as home tests have come over the years, they can still lie.”
Reyes pressed his palms to his face, slumping forward until his elbows landed on his knees. Laughing, Zeklos patted him on the back. “Poor Zayne, he thought his life was about to end.” He gave Hilary a curious look. “You okay?”
This time she smiled. “I think so. You never know how much you think you wanted something until you aren’t getting it. Know what I mean?”
“I do,” he agreed, rubbing circles along Reyes’ broad shoulders. “Why don’t you take him home and comfort him. I have a distinct feeling he might understand even better where you’re coming from right now.”
Grinning, Hilary held out a hand. “Come on, honey, let’s go home.”
Zayne nodded without taking his head from his hands. When he finally did look up, Zeklos realized he was closer to the truth that he’d thought. “Go on ahead, we’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay,” she said, shouldering her purse and exiting the doctor’s office.
“Please,” Reyes said, turning to Zeklos. “Don’t ever tell anyone about this.”
“I won’t,” Zeklos vowed standing and offering a helping hand.
“Thanks,” he said, grasping Andrej’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. “And don’t you ever forget the promise you made me either.”
“Not a chance.” His people may have a lot of shortcomings, but one thing they held to were promises made to those that mattered. Zayne and Hilary? They most definitely mattered.
no subject
Good old Andrej, though; he'll always be there for him and Hil!
Excellent use of the prompt! ;-)
(no subject)
no subject
You comment below makes me think that Zek would take that responsibility as serious as they come. Ah, and as far as finding the man of his dreams, dare I dream that he already has?? :) Okay, sometimes nightmare ... LOL.
(*head slap* for some reason I read word population day and wondered what the hell was going on.)
(no subject)