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asphaltcowgrrlTitle: Rope and Regrets
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos + Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13 for language and dangly boy parts
Word Count: 2,490
Summary: Zayne’s gotten himself into a spot – again – and of course, called Andrej to come rescue him.
Author’s Note: Written for a prompt of I bet you're wondering how I ended up in this predicament at comment-fic. And of course, who else but the cowboy would ever utter these words?
“So,” I said, shifting one booted foot out of the way of my partner’s face. “I bet you’re wondering how I ended up in this predicament.”
Zeklos lifted his eyes and frowned at me. I hate it when he looks at me like that, all disappointed and shit. “No, actually, I do not,” he said, tugging at the rope holding my leg to the wooden ladder behind me. “I am curious, however, why someone would have something like this built into their living room wall.”
“Yeah, well, there’s an interesting story behind that…” He cut me off before I could get to the good part, however. Asshole. It’s no wonder he’s hooked up with that boring ass narco. Zek has no sense of adventure.
“I do not want to know, Zayne.” He smacked his hand against one of the lower rungs and nodded. “Very solid, I am impressed.”
I sighed while Zeklos continued to work at the knot. “I might have to cut this.”
“Just be careful,” I begged. “These boots are new, and they were kinda expensive.”
Huffing, Zek left me tied to the wall and returned quickly with a large knife. Panic rose in my gut, although I knew Zek wouldn’t ever hurt me. Would he? Shit. Maybe I ought to be nicer to him, not tease him so much? Damn. “Do not move or I might cut you. And if you keep wiggling your man parts in my face, I might cut you on purpose.”
OUCH. “Sorry, man,” I said, grimacing. “But I can’t exactly cover myself either.”
Zek gave me another one of those damn disapproving looks, and I wanted to kick him. I mean, I wouldn’t, I’m not that much of a prick, but I also wish he’d stop looking at me like that. I felt bad enough without those parental glances.
“You should not be tied to a ladder wearing nothing but your cowboy boots either,” he hissed, jerking roughly at the rope as he sawed at it with the knife. “However, here we are.”
Okay, yeah, he was pissed. I knew he’d be annoyed at being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, but I’m not sure what else I could have done. Called Maxwell? Hell no. She’d have left me here. Literally hanging. Calling your ex in a situation like this was not a good idea. Ever.
A thought occurred to me then. Zek was into guys and although I’d known this for years, and he’d seen me naked more times than I could count, he’d never had his face so close to my junk either. Not that he was the type to take advantage, god no. But shit, what if he thought I was lacking? Hil never said anything, nor had any of the other women I’d ever been with but… Wait, why am I even thinking about this now? For the love of god, Reyes, get a grip.
“I do not like how quiet you are,” Zeklos muttered, giving another harsh tug. “It is never good when you are silent.”
“Woolgathering,” I said. The rope broke and I nearly kicked Zek in his face. “Yikes, sorry about that.”
“It is okay,” Zek said, rising to his feet. His face looked more annoyed than I’d ever seen it before. “It is the only thing I am going to let slide tonight because you could not have helped that.” He locked his eyes on mine and I swear they were lit with blue fire. “But the rest of this? You had better not ask me for anything for a very long time. Înțelegi?”
“Da,” I replied in what was practically the only Romanian I knew. Yes, no, I love you, and idiot were the others. Please don’t ask me how I now idiot. I’d rather not discuss that at the moment, okay? Oh, wait, there was one other thing I knew, and it was something I ought to be saying a lot currently. “Mulțumesc.”
“Do not thank me yet,” he said, giving me a knowing look. “I have not gotten you completely free yet.”
He had a point. Zeklos moved towards my left side, taking the knife and gently working it against the rope. I guess he figured that he could be more aggressive with my lower extremities because who needed two ankles, am I right? At least he seemed less likely to slash out angrily at my tender bits.
“You need to be more careful,” he said, tucking the knife under his arm so he could work on loosening the rope.
“He really should,” a deep male voice confirmed. “But then, I’ve come to understand men are complete idiots when sex is on the line.”
I turned and winced when I saw who the voice was attached to. “Really man, I didn’t know.”
“Unfortunately, I believe you,” he said. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at me and I thought for a minute that I was going to legit burst into flames. “You’re not the first I’ve found naked and alone here. My wife apparently has issues.”
Zeklos turned around. “You have found others tied up here?”
“No,” the guy laughed. “No, this is a first. Usually, I just find the guys asleep in my bed. This is new.” He shook his head. “And to think I believed her when she said she wanted this so she could put her books on it.”
“In her defense, there were two hardbacks on here when I arrived. One fell on my face.”
“Is that where the black eye came from,” Zeklos muttered. “Interesting.”
“Yeah, that shit hurt, too,” I tossed out. I looked at the apparent husband of the woman I’d picked up in the bar earlier that night and tried to arrange my face into its most apologetic look. “We didn’t have sex. I swear. She tied me up here and then took off on me.”
“Oddly enough, I believe that, too,” he said. “All that work for nothing.”
“You built this,” Zeklos asked him, tapping the rung behind my head with his knuckle. “It is excellent workmanship.”
“Thanks,” the guy said, practically blushing at Zeklos’ compliment. “I work as a carpenter to pay the bills, but stuff like this is my passion.”
“Hmm,” Zeklos said, running his hand along the ladder. “I have been thinking of having some bookshelves built in my bedroom.”
“I can do that,” the guy offered. “Give me your number and we can arrange something later.”
“Oh my god,” I spluttered. “Are you two really making a business transaction right now?”
“Now, Zayne,” Zeklos said, chastising my ass. “Mr. Hunt did not have to call me when he found you here. He could have just as easily called the police and had you arrested. He did us both a favor since I do not relish the thought of explaining this to our captain. It would serve you well to be a bit more polite.”
I really hated it when his ass was right. “I’m sorry,” I offered. “But this is a bit of a new situation for me and I’m not at my best right now.” My arm fell forward as Zeklos freed it from the rope. I flexed my fingers and rotated my wrist a few times. “God, that feels good. One more to go.”
“Do not push your luck,” Zek said darkly. “I might leave you here if you do not start to behave.”
I shut my damn mouth because I was way too close to freedom to fuck it up now. Zeklos continued to cut me free while he and Mr. Hunt discussed the best wood for bookshelves. I was about to cite the Geneva Convention’s policy on torture when my last remaining body part was freed from the wall.
“Oh god, I think I love you, Zek,” I gushed, moving to hug him out of gratitude. He stopped me with a hand.
“Please, get dressed first. You can hug me later.”
“Right,” I said, grabbing my clothes. I excused myself to the bedroom, so I didn’t have to sit my naked ass down on the couch to remove my boots. He could wash the sheets; he couldn’t exactly wash his cushions.
“You know,” I heard Hunt say as I was reentering the living room. “He’s actually one of the better-looking men I’ve ever found in my house.”
“He is very handsome,” I heard Zeklos agree. “It is one of the few things that keeps me from hitting him in the face with whatever is handy.”
Hunt laughed. The asshole.
Zeklos spotted me and made a face I couldn’t quite decipher. Although, it did look an awful lot like one my mama would give me anytime I got my young self into some kind of stupid trouble. “I think I’m ready.” I looked at Hunt and wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you for not killing me. And for listening to me and calling my partner instead of the police.”
“Well, I found your wallet in the bedroom and I saw you were a cop, so I thought I’d cut you a break.” He shook his head. “I think I need to find a lawyer. This is getting to be a hassle.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
“I have a friend who might be able to help you out,” Zeklos said, giving me the hairy eyeball for my amusement.
“That’d be awesome. I’ll cut you a deal on the bookshelves if you can hook me up with someone good that won’t rob me blind.”
Zeklos smiled. “I have the perfect person in mind.” He turned his gaze to me, and the smile faltered. “I did not see your truck outside. Where is it?”
“Still at the bar,” I groaned. “She wanted to drive, and I’d had a couple, so I let her.” It hit me then that I had missed a huge red flag. “I guess she didn’t want to tip you off,” I said to Hunt. “I’m sorry. It’s not a band-aid, but I’m really a dumbass sometimes.”
Thus, how I know the Romanian word for idiot.
“Like I said,” Hunt began, “this isn’t the first or even the tenth time she’s done something like this. It’s on her more than it’s on you.”
Zeklos handed Hunt one of his cards. “Please, call me in a few days. I will speak with my friend in the morning so I should know by the afternoon if he’ll be able to help.”
Hunt tucked the card into his wallet and grinned. “Can’t have her finding you now, can we?”
I laughed again and Zek frowned at me. He was going to get wrinkles if he didn’t stop that. “She’d be safe with him at least.”
“He is not wrong,” Zek said, sighing. “Now, may we leave?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I think if we stay any longer, I might be tempting fate.”
That made Hunt laugh.
I climbed in to Zek’s car and watched his profile as he backed out of the driveway. “Are you sure you don’t want to know?”
“I am positive,” he said, his eyes on the road. He was always overly cautious. Second reason why he took the safe bet and started dating the narco.
We rode in silence and one thought kept returning to my mind. “Zek?”
“Yes,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road.
“What did you think?” I couldn’t believe I was even asking this, but I couldn’t stop wondering, either.
“Think,” he asked, confused. “Think about what?”
“You know,” I said, waving a hand that included my torso and waist area. “Me.”
Zek flicked his eyes over towards me as he slowed for a red light. He let them linger and I could feel a stirring of heat low in my belly. What the fuck that was about, I don’t even want to know. “It will do,” he said, tearing his heated gaze off me and relocating it back onto the road.
The fuck? But I guess I had asked for that after all. “I’m sorry,” I said, wishing that I had the words to tell him how grateful I really was. Not just for tonight, but for all the times he’s saved me from myself. “You didn’t have to come get me in the middle of the night. But I appreciate it.”
Zeklos shrugged. “I will finally get my bookshelves,” he said. “I ought to make you pay for them.”
“I could do that,” I said, not sure if my finances would actually allow for it or not. Zek had grown up extremely poor and had since acquired a taste for the finer things in life. I snorted as something else hit me.
“What is so funny?” He pulled into the bar where I had left my car and parked beside my old truck.
I unbuckled, then opened the door. Looking back at him, I said, “I was just thinking that you have a real taste for nice things.”
“I have worked hard for the things I have, Zayne.” He was defensive and I couldn’t blame him one bit.
“I know,” I said, smiling at him. “But that’s not what I was getting at.”
“Then what did you mean,” he asked me. His face was all cute and confused and shit. Cute? What?
“I just meant that you prefer good food, nice clothes, all that shit.”
“And?”
“And,” I said, sliding one leg out of the car. “And yet, you still call me your friend. Go figure.”
“Even I do not understand that, Zayne,” he said, looking away. “Are you okay to drive home?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s been,” I checked my watch. “Four hours since I left here. I’m good.” Never mind the fact that being abandoned while you’re tied helplessly to a fucking ladder is more than enough to sober up the drunkest of idiots.
“Okay,” he said. “I would say call me if you need anything, however, I am not sure I owe you any more favors tonight.”
“You don’t,” I said, climbing out and shutting the door behind me.
He drove away and I looked at my truck. It needed a bath, badly. Zeklos was an honest man who not only hated liars, but detested lying himself, even over the little things that didn’t matter. Which is how I knew he’d been fibbing when he said he didn’t know why he put up with my stupid ass. There’d been something in his eyes when he’d said it that had tipped me off. I’d have to ask Hilary about it in the morning. If anyone knew what Zek wasn’t telling me, it’d be her.
I tugged open the door of my truck and climbed in. After briefly considering a nap on the front seat, I pulled out of the parking spot and headed home. Maybe I’d stay home next weekend.
Nah. Where’s the fun in that?
Fandom: Romani Detective Original Fiction
Pairing: Andrej Zeklos + Zayne Reyes
Rating: PG-13 for language and dangly boy parts
Word Count: 2,490
Summary: Zayne’s gotten himself into a spot – again – and of course, called Andrej to come rescue him.
Author’s Note: Written for a prompt of I bet you're wondering how I ended up in this predicament at comment-fic. And of course, who else but the cowboy would ever utter these words?
“So,” I said, shifting one booted foot out of the way of my partner’s face. “I bet you’re wondering how I ended up in this predicament.”
Zeklos lifted his eyes and frowned at me. I hate it when he looks at me like that, all disappointed and shit. “No, actually, I do not,” he said, tugging at the rope holding my leg to the wooden ladder behind me. “I am curious, however, why someone would have something like this built into their living room wall.”
“Yeah, well, there’s an interesting story behind that…” He cut me off before I could get to the good part, however. Asshole. It’s no wonder he’s hooked up with that boring ass narco. Zek has no sense of adventure.
“I do not want to know, Zayne.” He smacked his hand against one of the lower rungs and nodded. “Very solid, I am impressed.”
I sighed while Zeklos continued to work at the knot. “I might have to cut this.”
“Just be careful,” I begged. “These boots are new, and they were kinda expensive.”
Huffing, Zek left me tied to the wall and returned quickly with a large knife. Panic rose in my gut, although I knew Zek wouldn’t ever hurt me. Would he? Shit. Maybe I ought to be nicer to him, not tease him so much? Damn. “Do not move or I might cut you. And if you keep wiggling your man parts in my face, I might cut you on purpose.”
OUCH. “Sorry, man,” I said, grimacing. “But I can’t exactly cover myself either.”
Zek gave me another one of those damn disapproving looks, and I wanted to kick him. I mean, I wouldn’t, I’m not that much of a prick, but I also wish he’d stop looking at me like that. I felt bad enough without those parental glances.
“You should not be tied to a ladder wearing nothing but your cowboy boots either,” he hissed, jerking roughly at the rope as he sawed at it with the knife. “However, here we are.”
Okay, yeah, he was pissed. I knew he’d be annoyed at being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, but I’m not sure what else I could have done. Called Maxwell? Hell no. She’d have left me here. Literally hanging. Calling your ex in a situation like this was not a good idea. Ever.
A thought occurred to me then. Zek was into guys and although I’d known this for years, and he’d seen me naked more times than I could count, he’d never had his face so close to my junk either. Not that he was the type to take advantage, god no. But shit, what if he thought I was lacking? Hil never said anything, nor had any of the other women I’d ever been with but… Wait, why am I even thinking about this now? For the love of god, Reyes, get a grip.
“I do not like how quiet you are,” Zeklos muttered, giving another harsh tug. “It is never good when you are silent.”
“Woolgathering,” I said. The rope broke and I nearly kicked Zek in his face. “Yikes, sorry about that.”
“It is okay,” Zek said, rising to his feet. His face looked more annoyed than I’d ever seen it before. “It is the only thing I am going to let slide tonight because you could not have helped that.” He locked his eyes on mine and I swear they were lit with blue fire. “But the rest of this? You had better not ask me for anything for a very long time. Înțelegi?”
“Da,” I replied in what was practically the only Romanian I knew. Yes, no, I love you, and idiot were the others. Please don’t ask me how I now idiot. I’d rather not discuss that at the moment, okay? Oh, wait, there was one other thing I knew, and it was something I ought to be saying a lot currently. “Mulțumesc.”
“Do not thank me yet,” he said, giving me a knowing look. “I have not gotten you completely free yet.”
He had a point. Zeklos moved towards my left side, taking the knife and gently working it against the rope. I guess he figured that he could be more aggressive with my lower extremities because who needed two ankles, am I right? At least he seemed less likely to slash out angrily at my tender bits.
“You need to be more careful,” he said, tucking the knife under his arm so he could work on loosening the rope.
“He really should,” a deep male voice confirmed. “But then, I’ve come to understand men are complete idiots when sex is on the line.”
I turned and winced when I saw who the voice was attached to. “Really man, I didn’t know.”
“Unfortunately, I believe you,” he said. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at me and I thought for a minute that I was going to legit burst into flames. “You’re not the first I’ve found naked and alone here. My wife apparently has issues.”
Zeklos turned around. “You have found others tied up here?”
“No,” the guy laughed. “No, this is a first. Usually, I just find the guys asleep in my bed. This is new.” He shook his head. “And to think I believed her when she said she wanted this so she could put her books on it.”
“In her defense, there were two hardbacks on here when I arrived. One fell on my face.”
“Is that where the black eye came from,” Zeklos muttered. “Interesting.”
“Yeah, that shit hurt, too,” I tossed out. I looked at the apparent husband of the woman I’d picked up in the bar earlier that night and tried to arrange my face into its most apologetic look. “We didn’t have sex. I swear. She tied me up here and then took off on me.”
“Oddly enough, I believe that, too,” he said. “All that work for nothing.”
“You built this,” Zeklos asked him, tapping the rung behind my head with his knuckle. “It is excellent workmanship.”
“Thanks,” the guy said, practically blushing at Zeklos’ compliment. “I work as a carpenter to pay the bills, but stuff like this is my passion.”
“Hmm,” Zeklos said, running his hand along the ladder. “I have been thinking of having some bookshelves built in my bedroom.”
“I can do that,” the guy offered. “Give me your number and we can arrange something later.”
“Oh my god,” I spluttered. “Are you two really making a business transaction right now?”
“Now, Zayne,” Zeklos said, chastising my ass. “Mr. Hunt did not have to call me when he found you here. He could have just as easily called the police and had you arrested. He did us both a favor since I do not relish the thought of explaining this to our captain. It would serve you well to be a bit more polite.”
I really hated it when his ass was right. “I’m sorry,” I offered. “But this is a bit of a new situation for me and I’m not at my best right now.” My arm fell forward as Zeklos freed it from the rope. I flexed my fingers and rotated my wrist a few times. “God, that feels good. One more to go.”
“Do not push your luck,” Zek said darkly. “I might leave you here if you do not start to behave.”
I shut my damn mouth because I was way too close to freedom to fuck it up now. Zeklos continued to cut me free while he and Mr. Hunt discussed the best wood for bookshelves. I was about to cite the Geneva Convention’s policy on torture when my last remaining body part was freed from the wall.
“Oh god, I think I love you, Zek,” I gushed, moving to hug him out of gratitude. He stopped me with a hand.
“Please, get dressed first. You can hug me later.”
“Right,” I said, grabbing my clothes. I excused myself to the bedroom, so I didn’t have to sit my naked ass down on the couch to remove my boots. He could wash the sheets; he couldn’t exactly wash his cushions.
“You know,” I heard Hunt say as I was reentering the living room. “He’s actually one of the better-looking men I’ve ever found in my house.”
“He is very handsome,” I heard Zeklos agree. “It is one of the few things that keeps me from hitting him in the face with whatever is handy.”
Hunt laughed. The asshole.
Zeklos spotted me and made a face I couldn’t quite decipher. Although, it did look an awful lot like one my mama would give me anytime I got my young self into some kind of stupid trouble. “I think I’m ready.” I looked at Hunt and wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you for not killing me. And for listening to me and calling my partner instead of the police.”
“Well, I found your wallet in the bedroom and I saw you were a cop, so I thought I’d cut you a break.” He shook his head. “I think I need to find a lawyer. This is getting to be a hassle.”
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
“I have a friend who might be able to help you out,” Zeklos said, giving me the hairy eyeball for my amusement.
“That’d be awesome. I’ll cut you a deal on the bookshelves if you can hook me up with someone good that won’t rob me blind.”
Zeklos smiled. “I have the perfect person in mind.” He turned his gaze to me, and the smile faltered. “I did not see your truck outside. Where is it?”
“Still at the bar,” I groaned. “She wanted to drive, and I’d had a couple, so I let her.” It hit me then that I had missed a huge red flag. “I guess she didn’t want to tip you off,” I said to Hunt. “I’m sorry. It’s not a band-aid, but I’m really a dumbass sometimes.”
Thus, how I know the Romanian word for idiot.
“Like I said,” Hunt began, “this isn’t the first or even the tenth time she’s done something like this. It’s on her more than it’s on you.”
Zeklos handed Hunt one of his cards. “Please, call me in a few days. I will speak with my friend in the morning so I should know by the afternoon if he’ll be able to help.”
Hunt tucked the card into his wallet and grinned. “Can’t have her finding you now, can we?”
I laughed again and Zek frowned at me. He was going to get wrinkles if he didn’t stop that. “She’d be safe with him at least.”
“He is not wrong,” Zek said, sighing. “Now, may we leave?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I think if we stay any longer, I might be tempting fate.”
That made Hunt laugh.
I climbed in to Zek’s car and watched his profile as he backed out of the driveway. “Are you sure you don’t want to know?”
“I am positive,” he said, his eyes on the road. He was always overly cautious. Second reason why he took the safe bet and started dating the narco.
We rode in silence and one thought kept returning to my mind. “Zek?”
“Yes,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road.
“What did you think?” I couldn’t believe I was even asking this, but I couldn’t stop wondering, either.
“Think,” he asked, confused. “Think about what?”
“You know,” I said, waving a hand that included my torso and waist area. “Me.”
Zek flicked his eyes over towards me as he slowed for a red light. He let them linger and I could feel a stirring of heat low in my belly. What the fuck that was about, I don’t even want to know. “It will do,” he said, tearing his heated gaze off me and relocating it back onto the road.
The fuck? But I guess I had asked for that after all. “I’m sorry,” I said, wishing that I had the words to tell him how grateful I really was. Not just for tonight, but for all the times he’s saved me from myself. “You didn’t have to come get me in the middle of the night. But I appreciate it.”
Zeklos shrugged. “I will finally get my bookshelves,” he said. “I ought to make you pay for them.”
“I could do that,” I said, not sure if my finances would actually allow for it or not. Zek had grown up extremely poor and had since acquired a taste for the finer things in life. I snorted as something else hit me.
“What is so funny?” He pulled into the bar where I had left my car and parked beside my old truck.
I unbuckled, then opened the door. Looking back at him, I said, “I was just thinking that you have a real taste for nice things.”
“I have worked hard for the things I have, Zayne.” He was defensive and I couldn’t blame him one bit.
“I know,” I said, smiling at him. “But that’s not what I was getting at.”
“Then what did you mean,” he asked me. His face was all cute and confused and shit. Cute? What?
“I just meant that you prefer good food, nice clothes, all that shit.”
“And?”
“And,” I said, sliding one leg out of the car. “And yet, you still call me your friend. Go figure.”
“Even I do not understand that, Zayne,” he said, looking away. “Are you okay to drive home?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s been,” I checked my watch. “Four hours since I left here. I’m good.” Never mind the fact that being abandoned while you’re tied helplessly to a fucking ladder is more than enough to sober up the drunkest of idiots.
“Okay,” he said. “I would say call me if you need anything, however, I am not sure I owe you any more favors tonight.”
“You don’t,” I said, climbing out and shutting the door behind me.
He drove away and I looked at my truck. It needed a bath, badly. Zeklos was an honest man who not only hated liars, but detested lying himself, even over the little things that didn’t matter. Which is how I knew he’d been fibbing when he said he didn’t know why he put up with my stupid ass. There’d been something in his eyes when he’d said it that had tipped me off. I’d have to ask Hilary about it in the morning. If anyone knew what Zek wasn’t telling me, it’d be her.
I tugged open the door of my truck and climbed in. After briefly considering a nap on the front seat, I pulled out of the parking spot and headed home. Maybe I’d stay home next weekend.
Nah. Where’s the fun in that?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2020-11-25 04:15 am (UTC)He was lucky Andy came at all. He was very lucky the lady wasn't into kinky shit. He was very, very lucky her husband was a stand up guy and not into revenge.
Boy howdy. Hopefully, he learned something.
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Date: 2020-11-25 01:55 pm (UTC)Absolutely. He has no idea just how easy he got off, even if he does wind up paying for Andrej's bookshelves. LOL
Hopefully, but doubtful. Because... Zayne. :D
no subject
Date: 2020-12-01 05:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-01 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-04 12:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-04 01:54 pm (UTC)I have to admit - I love writing these kinds of things so I can go back and torture Andrej with his feelings. Although it is a lot of fun poking at Zayne's feelings he never knew he had. Hahaha.