For fuzzicat. Muchas gracias to Basingstoke for the beta, and to Livia for the title.

Started with a ride home. Stella and me started in a bank where I wet myself. Vecchio and me started when I got shot in the knee giving him a ride home.

He had no car, see - he wanted a new Riviera, hadn't found one. So I gave him a ride home from watching hockey with Fraser on the big TV in the consulate. After Fraser and me got back from Canada, we kinda - well, Vecchio's his friend, and Fraser likes his friends to be friends, so we got along. Sorta. After smacking each other around a few times.

Anyway, ride home, and some bad guys in an alley were whaling on some girl, so off we go, Vecchio and me, because Fraser's white-knight thing is kinda infectable.

And the girl's OK, but the guys got away, and one of them shot me in the knee.

So I'm in the alley, and Vecchio pulls me up, leans me on his style-pig shirt, and goes "I got you, Kowalski."

"Fuck you," I want to say, but don't, because in a minute his hand is in my hair and he's kissing me. Which even though my leg hurts like hell feels great.

And then he pulls away and the ambulance is there, and I pass out.

I wake up in the hospital, and Vecchio is there, staring at the wall and blushing. Fraser comes in and worries at us both for a few minutes, and when I chase him out with being an ass Vecchio just shrugs and follows him.

My dad takes me back to my apartment, where my mom has done all my laundry and cooked enough for sixteen guys. They get me settled on the couch and take off. I'm alone, and all I think about is my knee hurts and what the hell is with Vecchio.

Knock on the door, which I hobble to get to, and it's him, and he stands there and says "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Shut up, style pig," I say, and grab his style-pig shirt and drag him inside. I nearly fall over because of my knee, but then he's holding me up and the wall hits my shoulders from behind, and he's kissing me again, and it's good.

So. That's how it started, me and Vecchio. Vecchio and me. He says he didn't mean it to. That it never worked before, him and guys. That he was freaked out with me shot.

I say, however it started, it's here now. Every time I do, every time, he smiles.