Author's website: http://www.trickster.org/kass/

Disclaimer: Boys are theirs, words are mine.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Sihaya Black for beta.

Story Notes: Written in response to the "movies" challenge at livejournal community ds_flashfiction.

When the movie ended, I just sat there on the couch, watching the credits roll. Still mesmerized.

After a moment, Fraser cleared his throat. I glanced his way.

"That was...longer than I expected." He sounded apologetic. "I hope you weren't--"

Bored, was what he was going to say, but I didn't let him get there. "That was amazing. Is it really like that?"

"Pardon?"

I waved my hands in a gesture that was supposed to mean Up North, but was probably sign-language for some completely other thing. "The Northwest whatsits. Is it really like that up there?"

His eyes softened, went a little nostalgic. "It used to be." Quietly, almost talking to himself. "Still is, sometimes."

"It's so -- so bare, so -- how do people live without trees, anyway?"

Fraser smiled. "They make do. The Inuit are a surprisingly resourceful people, Ray. Why, I once saw a man turn a walrus carcass into--"

"No, I mean -- I know you can make things with, like, sinews and bones. I mean, don't people go crazy without anything to look at?"

"Ah." Now he was getting my drift. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "Those who are...born to it...find the spareness beautiful, even comforting. For a native of the Arctic, the temperate forests of southern Canada would be quite overwhelming. The sights and sounds, the smells, the diversity of species, might seem to him like the din of an enormous crowd does to you."

Fraser looked...homesick. Like he was pining for the fjords, you know? Or the ice floes, or the tundra, or whatever.

"But you got used to being here," I offered.

His eyes startled slightly. "Eh? Yes, I suppose I have." There was a pause. "Although I have spent significant time with the Inuit, I'm not actually Inuit myself. I didn't belong that far north. Sometimes I think I don't entirely belong anywhere."

Ouch. Hearing that felt like a punch to the gut. I could only imagine what saying it felt like.

Just to find something to say to get us off that track, I came out with, "I'd like to see it sometime."

"The Arctic?" Fraser sounded shocked.

Suddenly it sounded like a great idea. "Yeah! Why not? I get to show you all my favorite parts of Chicago, you know, Vish's pierogi place and the lake and--" I was fumbling for places to name and couldn't think of any others. "Anyway, you ought to get to show me your favorite parts of Tuktoyuktuk."

He was really smiling now, so I ran with it.

"I mean, assuming you got favorite parts of Tuktoyuktuk. For all I know, there's nothing worth seeing up there, nothing but--"

"Oh, there's plenty to see, Ray."

Suddenly my palms were wet and my mouth was dry. Fraser has a way of doing that to me: he'll come out with a line like that and it sounds so damn much like he's flirting that I just can't help wanting to respond. I swallowed hard and did my best to push the thoughts out of my mind.

"All right, it's a deal, then. One of these days, I'll go back there with you."

It was just a lousy vacation I was agreeing to, I knew that, but somehow it felt like I was promising more. Like more was what he wanted.

Fraser offered his hand, a shake to seal the deal I guess. His palm was warm and his grip was firm and for that second I didn't want to let go.

(593 words)

End The Fast Runner by Kass: kass@trickster.org

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