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asphaltcowgrrl ([personal profile] asphaltcowgrrl) wrote2020-01-28 02:58 pm

In the Blood (Romani Detective Original Fiction)

Title: In the Blood
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos/James Rosewood/Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 730
Summary: Andrej thinks about human nature and how some things are instinctual.
Author’s Note: Written for the A to Z Challenge at 1_million_words. I went with blood for the letter b, but behavior might also work.

Our natures are curious things, Andrej thought as he watched Zayne smile at the young girl working the coffee cart. Although Zayne was in a happy, committed relationship, his natural urge to flirt couldn’t be stifled. Most of the time, he could ignore it, mainly because his partner’s jovial personality is what had drawn Andrej to him in the first place. And then there were days like today when he wanted to slap Zayne upside the head for making him jealous as hell.

He looked over his shoulder at Zayne and rolled his eyes. The girl couldn’t be more than twenty, close to half Zayne’s age, and yet, Zayne remained undeterred. Andrej knew his boyfriend was only being friendly and yet it still annoyed him. He sometimes wondered how he put up with it all. Why he put up with it all.

Sometimes, love wasn’t a good enough reason. But then, Zayne had gone from a real threat to anything female, to being mostly harmless.

James, on the other hand, didn’t have a wandering eye. No, he was quite the opposite, Andrej realized. The redhead zeroed in on what he wanted and refused to give up until he had it. Andrej knew that one firsthand as James had not only pursued him rather relentlessly, but he’d also tried to ward off Zayne. That last bit hadn’t worked too well, as evidenced by the fact they were in a rather messy polyamorous relationship currently.

That didn’t mean Andrej wasn’t happy, because he was. Honestly, he was happier than he’d ever been in recent memory and it was all due to his boys. No, the trouble was with his own blood, his own nature.

That damn Romani urge to wander.

Andrej had been settled for most of his life. His family had stopped traveling shortly after his brother Tobar was born. Apparently traveling in a small vardo with two rambunctious young boys and an infant was more than his parents cared to deal with. However, the desire – need – to roam was still flowing through his veins. The fact he’d landed in the US by way of Paris was confirmation of that.

He sipped his iced coffee and glanced over at Zayne who was finally making his way over to where Andrej stood, waiting. Times like this, when he was stuck waiting – on Zayne, on James, on warrants, whatever – his need to go really reared its ugly head. Fidgeting, he chided himself for even thinking along these lines. He had a nice home, good friends, a stable job, and two amazing boyfriends. Why would he want to leave any or all of that behind?

“Not leave it behind,” he muttered. “Not for good anyway.”

“What was that,” Zayne asked. “Can’t tell if you were muttering in Romanian or just mumbling incoherently.”

“Did you not tell me the other day that they were the same thing?”

“Only because Romanian is not one of the languages I speak currently,” Zayne clarified. “So, truthfully, it’s all incoherent to me.”

Andrej laughed and allowed Zayne to lead him back into the station. “We will have to work on that, nu?”

“Da,” Zayne replied, grinning that he wasn’t completely ignorant. “Seriously though, yeah.”

“Good,” Andrej said, bumping his shoulder into Zayne’s, “because I would love to take you home with me some day.”

“Some day,” Zayne teased. “I saw those travel books you thought you were hiding in your desk. Tell me you’re not planning a trip sooner than ‘some day’.”

“I cannot help but want and dream,” Andrej said. “It does not mean I am making any plans.”

“Yet,” Zayne said, grabbing the door into the homicide bullpen and holding it open.

“Maybe,” Andrej said, going into the bullpen ahead of his partner. “But nothing is for certain. Maybe we will take a trip somewhere closer, first.”

After all, his wanderlust wasn’t directed towards home, only to the goal of not becoming stagnant in one place forever.

“Yeah, that would work, too,” Zayne said.

“That is good to know,” Andrej said, shaking his head. “You and Jay and I can talk about it later, over dinner.”

“Now that’s a plan,” Zayne said, sitting down at his desk. “Much better than this crap anyway. But, it’s a living, right?”

Andrej thought about his home for a moment and sighed. “Yes, it is a living, a good one, too.”

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-02-09 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Love it!

Grand Canyon day trip?

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-02-09 11:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Not sure you could do a day trip the Grand Canyon from here. I mean, you could fly to Phoenix and go, but that might be rushing things some. They could take a couple days... It's a good idea! But I'm drawn to the idea of Zayne in Tombstone. LOL (Plus, I've been there so there'd be less research involved.)

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-02-10 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
I have no idea... but yeah that would work.

I love the idea of Tombstone... I'd like to visit some day. And go back to Texas and see the Alamo.

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-02-10 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
They'd need to take a couple days either way. I hope you get to go. Tombstone was so much fun and it's a great little town. Ah, the Alamo would be great, too. Honestly, I just want to go back to Texas.

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-15 04:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I spent like 6 days in Texas, but never saw much of anything... just parts of Dallas. I'd like to actually VISIT.

Yes they would. The thing with Texas is... does Zayne's family get dragged in?

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-03-16 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
I lived in a suburb of Houston for a little over a year. Visited Plano about 14 years ago for a book signing, too. It's a great state, I hope you get back to visit soon.

It would depend, it's a big state after all. Oh, and they know Andrej already, it's James that would be tough to explain (although they are aware of Zayne's unusual living arrangements).

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-22 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Nice. I have friends in Texas. He'll be in Waco soon, not sure exactly where now. (I'm sure he's told me, but my brain is a seive.) I'd like to visit... got plans to go to New Orleans after college graduation.

It is a big state! Like Hella BIG! Oooh they are? Well that might make things easier...

I feel like there will be a lot of shenanigans if Zayne's family gets involved...Spanish/Romanian offs?

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-03-22 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, cool. Nice to have friends when you go visit somewhere new. I'd love to visit NOLA some day. My parents honeymooned there and Troy went once for Mardi Gras with his parents.

Yeah, it takes two days to drive across it. LOL Yeah, I wrote a fic sometime back where Zayne goes home and breaks the news about Andrej at least. Now that I'm thinking about it though, he might have left James out of the equation at the time. Oops.

Oh, Zayne's family plus Zayne plus James plus the girls... Andrej might go back to Bucharest.

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-22 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I've always enjoyed that... so then they can show me around. I've had plans a couple of times to visit NOLA, but they fell through. So this time, I'll go by myself if I have to. But I've got at least one friend who wants to go... not until 2025 or something though.

That's just... a HUGE state. Oh I remember that. Whoops! That might be an issue.

LOL only if he has to deal with them all at once.

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-03-22 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly. Take you to all the places you'd never find as a tourist. That sounds like me. I want to take a trip somewhere, but it won't be anytime soon.

Yes, yes it is. I flew to Texas back in like 2006 for a book signing. Flew into Houston and then drove with a friend to Dallas and that trip alone took most of the day. I'm thinking it'd be less of an issue now than it would have been before. They've had some time to get used to Zayne being with Andrej. What's one more boy in the mix? :D

ROFL - true!

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-24 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Percisely. One of my friends has visited NYC twice. One time with me and one time with another friend of his. He said it was good to have a "local" show him around.

I might go north in November? Depends on if my friend gets married or not.

Hahaha sure just toss another boy in!

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-03-24 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
NYC, LA, Vegas - they're all good to have a local connection.

Oh that would be a nice reason to go!

Why not? The more the merrier, right?

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-24 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly! Best visit I ever had to NYC? A friend took us to Chinatown and we ate at a place her family normally ate it. She grew up in Chinatown.

It will be!

LOL exactly!

[identity profile] asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com 2020-03-24 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
That sounds like a great trip.

A wedding after all this crap is just what everyone needs.

:)

[identity profile] shanachie-quill.livejournal.com 2020-03-29 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
It was. That was when I lived in the city (for about 8 months).

It really is. She hasn't mentioned anything about it lately, but I'm sure she's hella busy.