#rayxdouglas

@lylahammar i know you already read/saw this but. Feast your eyes. I’m posting it.

Am I posting fic of characters that I barely know the personality of? Yes. Will it stop me if I get them incredibly wrong? no <3

~~~

Douglas clicked through his desktop, sorting through the different files that had taken their home in Douglas’s download folder. Most were memes that he’d stored away, either to send to Robin and Teddy or maybe even to send to Quinn. They’d gotten close since the incident with Gemma, especially when they realized they lived in the same apartment complex. Others were pictures that he’d found and sent to Ray. That being said… There was a folder titled ENGL 431, and he couldn’t help but get curious as to what those were. He clicked on it, and there were a bunch of mp3 files. They weren’t named by anything specific, just VG_001 all the way to VG_050. He had no clue what they were. So naturally, he clicked on the first one, and it opened up the media player.

“Hi everyone, it’s Douglas Flanagan, and this is my co-host, Ray Domenico-”

“Do I really have to be a part of this?” Ray’s voice came in, sweet from off the camera, and the screen moved shakily to focus on the shorter Chinook person, looking how Douglas would admirably describe ‘as fruity as usual,’ and Video Douglas laughed.

“Come on, I have to do this vlog for class, and it needs to be about someone’s life. It’s to prepare for documentary work. I know our life better than anyone else’s, so why not?”

“I mean… do I have to be involved?” Ray picked at the bandages on their fingers, and Video Douglas’s hand came up into the picture, taking Ray’s hand in his.

“Yes you do, because you’re a big part of my life.” The camera rattled, and Video Ray made a noise of surprise, making Douglas laugh. Video Douglas did the same, endeared by it. The screen showed the smiling man, popping a wheelie in his chair to do a 180 and start rolling.

“Alright, so. This vlog is going to be a sort of slice-of-life thing, we’re going to detail what we do, how we handle things, all that stuff.”

“I know what a vlog is, Douglas.”

“Good, then this should be easy!”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Rick to get here? I mean, he’s part of this, too, right?”

“Yes, but he said he’s not feeling good today, so I’m not going to force him.”

“Rick had a choice?” Ray sounded exasperated.

“Yes. Now, come on, cameraperson, we’re going to go to the kitchen.”

Douglas scrubbed a couple of seconds past, and the next scene was a poorly edited transition into Video Ray and Video Douglas sitting at the table. Jesus, what did he use to edit this, Windows Movie Maker? He knew way better than this now.

“So… what do we do?”

“Tell the class about your job. Powell’s.” Video Douglas rested his head on Ray’s shoulder, and Ray fidgeted with his hands a little, once again picking at the bandages on his fingers. Video

Douglas reached over and took both of Ray’s hands in his, and he seemed to relax a bit in their posture.

“Well… I work as a stocker at Powell’s. I’m in charge of putting out the new books, making sure they’re alphabetized.”

“He has the entire Dewey Decimal system memorized. Pssh, what a nerd.”

“Doug-”

“Ugh, disgusting, fine. It’s kinda cute, though.”

Douglas smiled towards the screen as he watched Ray’s face in the video turn a shade of red that he would consider a fine shade between tomato and cherry.

“Keep- Keep talking, Douglas.”

“Sure thing! Ray works at Powell’s book store, and I actually took up an internship in the art department.”

“Is this how I was supposed to find out you got the internship?” Ray looked genuinely shocked, eyes wide.

“Surpriiise~” Douglas grinned, and Ray shoved his shoulder gently.

“You fool! You should have told me, I would have door dashed something for celebration.”

“Well, we can just celebrate tonight.”

“You bet we are. And we’re watching Princess Mononoke. All three of us.”

“Again?” Douglas didn’t sound very upset, just looking at Ray with a raised eyebrow.

“Wh- What?”

“We’ve watched it three times this week.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all. I’m happy to make it four.” He leaned up so their noses were touching. “Can I?”

Ray sighed and grabbed the camera, and the video ended.

Douglas sat on the ending frame, with him leaning in for a kiss and Ray with that cute little half-smile on a face, the kind that they get when they’re tired of Douglas being… well, Douglas, but they couldn’t ask for anything else. The scene was adorable, heartwarming, even, but it made Douglas’s heart pang with… well, with something. He didn’t really know what to call it. Loneliness? Sadness? What was it?

This was back in college, four years ago. When Ray and Douglas were still dating. Rick was still in the picture, as well.

Ray and Douglas were still great friends, of course. That never changed. But even with such an amicable breakup, Douglas still couldn’t help but think of what could have been. He wondered what would have happened if not for everything. If not for the hospitalization, and the fire, and-

A bzzz shocked Douglas out of his reverie, and he checked his phone. Ray, of course. Texting him late at night.

'Coming over. You pick the movie, I pick the snack. See you soon.'

It wasn’t phrased like a question anymore. Ray and Douglas were close enough that they basically had the key to each other’s places. The bellhop and receptionist both knew Ray on a first-name basis, and they knew he was always there to see Douglas. It made it easy for Ray to just head on up when they got there.

'Of course,' Douglas responded, then sent a follow-up text. 'Pick me up some garbage bags while you’re at it, I’m running out <3'

'I’m not your Instacart. '

'Okay but consider. You love me?'

Ray started typing, then stopped. Then started, then stopped again. Then: 'I GUESS so. You want the smell-good ones, right?'

'Yes pleeease, thanks, bestie'

Douglas watched as Ray reacted to his message with a thumbs down, and he laughed out loud to himself. God, he would never get over Ray’s visceral, genuine responses to everything. He was so easy to tease, and maybe that was why Douglas found himself so endeared to Ray, even after everything. He couldn’t get over it.

Back to his regularly scheduled thoughts, though, and the smile that sat on his face went away. Back to ruminating, he sat at his desk, staring at the end frame of the vlog. His eyes trailed over to the text messages between him and his best friend, and he sighed. More thought, just… wondering what could have been. He knew it wasn’t healthy to indulge those thoughts, because wasn’t it better that they were still friends? That’s completely fine, better than most exes. But still…

He didn’t hear the door open, and he didn’t hear Ray’s gentle knock on the door before they entered. It was only when they felt Ray’s hand on his shoulder, tentative and soft, that he was startled out of his daydream. “Ah- Oh, you’re here! Perfect.”

“Hey, you didn’t answer, so I assumed the worst. As I normally do.”

“Oh shush.” Douglas hummed and reached over to put his hand on Ray’s. Before Douglas could, though, Ray flinched his hand away, and Douglas kind of knew why Ray had sent that text message. Ray never texts first with that kind of message.

“Something’s wrong.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“No, don’t… I can tell, Ray.”

Ray hesitated, then sighed. “... God, I hate therapists.”

“Jokes on you, I’m not even a therapist.”

“No, but they’re all rubbing off on you.”

“I’ve always been able to tell, you know that. Do you want a distraction? Or do you want to resolve it?”

“... I want a distraction…” Ray was quiet, then looked down at his feet. “Please.”

“I hear you loud and clear, Dominator Domenico.”

“Please never call me that again, you’re disgusting.”

Douglas laughed a little, and he led Ray to the bed, getting into it and making himself cozy under the covers. “Come sit with li’l ol’ me, RayBans, we’ve got some Hayao Miyazaki to watch.”

“Wait… You mean-”

“Your favorite, Princess Mononoke.”

“Jeez…” Ray hid his smile behind his hand. “You’re too fucking good at this.”

“I know my best friend very well. Come on, sit down, we’re gonna watch it.”

“Thanks, Douglas…”

Ray got into the bed and curled up under the covers, picking at his nails. Douglas reached over into his bedside drawer and pulled out a fidget toy, handing it over to Ray. He looked at him, then took it gingerly.

“Seriously?”

“I’m always prepared, Ray, you know this.”

“Yeah… yeah, I do. I guess it just surprises me. You did this even back in college.”

“Yeah, and why would it change?”

“I… guess it wouldn’t.”

“Exactly. Come on, fool. Cuddle time?”

“... This is more for you than it is for me, isn’t it?”

“Mutually beneficial. Consider it symbiotic.” Douglas wrapped his arm around Ray, who eventually relaxed into the cuddling and laid their head on Douglas’s shoulder. Douglas put on the movie, and they relaxed. Having something to focus on, taking their mind off of the issues internally, made Ray feel better. As for Douglas?