For snoopypez by pixiecatfish

Kowalski sighed. Here it was, 4:45 on Christmas morning, and this is how he was spending his holiday. Was he in bed sleeping, while visions of sugarplums danced through his head? No.

Was he sleeping off an eggnog and Christmas cookie buzz? No. He was in a cold car in a freezing alley, waiting for some drug deal to go down. What the hell kind of drug dealer worked on Christmas morning, anyway?

And to top it all off, he wasn't even in his own car. He had lost the coin toss, so now he was freezing his nuts off in Vecchio's Riviera.

Vecchio looked over at the sound of his sigh and grinned. "Enjoying your Christmas, Stanley?"

"Oh yeah. Why be in the company of family and friends in a nice warm house when I can freeze to death in a scummy alley with you?"

"Oh come on. I'm good company at least."

Kowalski snorted and turned to look out the side window.

"Kowalski, you know the drill," Vecchio said. "We're single, so we get this shift so the married cops can spend the holiday with their families. And we got to go to Midnight Mass with Ma and the family. And she moved dinner to later tonight so we can sleep this afternoon and then join them."

Kowalski looked back over at him. "Vecchio, we took Fraser to the airport last week so he could go celebrate Christmas in the frozen north with the caribou and reindeer. Can we please let the Pollyanna act stay up there with him?"

Vecchio sighed and shook his head. "Ray, Ray, Ray..."

Kowalski punched him on the shoulder, and Vecchio laughed, and turned the engine on and turned on the heater.

Kowalski sighed again. "These drug dealers aren't going to show. I bet there isn't even a drug deal going down tonight. We're being punished for that Anderson fiasco last month."

Vecchio thought for a minute, then nodded. "Probably. The brass weren't too happy with us, were they?"

"No," Kowalski said, then he broke out into a grin.

Vecchio grinned too, then started laughing. "Totally worth it."

"Yeah," Ray agreed. He let out a long sigh. "Still, I can think of much better ways to spend my Christmas Eve."

But what was bothering Kowalski the most is that he wasn't very upset about his current situation. He was all alone with Vecchio, in very close proximity, could feel his body heat next to him, could smell him for God's sake, and it was driving him nuts. But he was enjoying it, too. Something like the pain/pleasure principal Fraser had babbled on and on about that time.

But he could definitely think of better ways to spend his Christmas Eve, and they also involved Vecchio, but they sure as hell didn't take place in a car. And there Vecchio sat, three feet away, completely oblivious. God, he must have fucked up big time in some previous life to be getting this kind of punishment.

He glanced back over at his partner to see him looking at him with a very strange look on his face. "What," he snapped.

Vecchio shook himself. "Nothing," he said. He reached out and turned off the heater, then cut the car engine. "It's too damn hot in here," he muttered.

Kowalski closed his eyes and rubbed them. Suddenly the pain was starting to outweigh the pleasure. "How much longer do we have to do this?"

"No longer. These assholes aren't going to show." Vecchio radioed into patrol, telling them that the suspects had not shown, and he and Kowalski were curtailing surveillance for the night. "Let's get the hell out of here."

He pulled the Riv out of the alley and headed towards Kowalski's apartment.

They got to Ray's apartment and Vecchio pulled the Riv to a stop at the curb. Suddenly, Kowalski didn't want to see Vecchio drive away. "Do you want to come in for some coffee?"

Vecchio looked at him with that strange look again, then shrugged. "Sure."

Kowalski could feel a stupid, happy grin on his face, but he couldn't stop it. "Cool."

Ray grinned right back at him. "Let's go."

They went inside, and Kowalski started the coffee, and Vecchio put the cinnamon rolls his mother had sent on the stakeout with them into the oven to heat up; then crossed the room and turned on the stereo to a station playing Christmas carols.

"You're so corny." Kowalski rolled his eyes as he set out the coffee cups.

"Yeah? Big talk for a man who has a Christmas tree set up. And lights in the window. And what's this? A Nativity scene! How precious."

"Shut up, Vecchio, that was my Grandmother's."

Vecchio just looked at him with a grin, raising his eyebrows. He walked to the doorway in the kitchen, his grin widening. "Mistletoe, Stanley? Corny."

Kowalski snorted. "Yeah. And a hell of a lot of good it's done me."

"It didn't get you lucky," Ray laughed.

"No. But I have seen the turtle eyeballing me a few times."

Vecchio laughed again, then abruptly stopped, and swallowed heavily. "Then why don't you get on over here," he asked, his voice shaky.

Kowalski just stared at him for a second, wondering if he was playing some kind of mean, sick joke.

But Vecchio's smile was nervous and unsteady, and his hands were shaking.

Kowalski walked slowly over to him until he was standing directly in Vecchio's personal space.

"That's just what I need for Christmas," he said, his voice as unsteady as Vecchio's had been, "a pity kiss."

Vecchio shook his head. "You're such a moron," he whispered; but his voice was teasing and full of affection.

Then Vecchio leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kowalski's, and Ray's planned reply left him completely.

The kiss was nervous and tentative at first, but it quickly grew bolder and more heated, and Kowalski eagerly opened his mouth to it.

He grabbed Vecchio's shoulders and pulled him even closer, then let his hands roam down to his hips and around to his ass, which felt as wonderful as he had always hoped it would.

Vaguely, he wondered where Vecchio had been keeping his other three arms all this time, because his hands were everywhere, running up and down his back, holding his face, gripping his arms... Kowalski moaned quietly. Oh God, it felt so good!

He brought his hands up to Vecchio's head, running his hands over the close-cropped hair; and he smiled. It felt so soft under his hands, he could definitely get to used to this.

Finally, the need to breathe made him break the kiss, and he rested his head against Vecchio's shoulder, panting slightly.

Vecchio wrapped his arms around Kowalski's waist and rested his head on top of Kowalski's. "Did that feel like pity to you, Stanley?"

Ray could feel the words rumbling in Vecchio's chest, and he smiled. "No, it didn't."

"Good." Vecchio pulled away and smiled at him. "Then this won't either." He shifted their positions slightly, pressing his groin up against Kowalski's, and Kowalski could feel the hardness.

He smiled and pressed his groin tighter against Vecchio's so Vecchio could feel his hardness, too.

Vecchio smiled at him. "I guess it's going to be a Merry Christmas after all."

Kowalski laughed and pulled Vecchio into another kiss.

After a minute Vecchio pulled away and took Kowalski by the hand.

"Come on, Stanley, let's go into the bedroom and make the turtle really jealous."

THE END