Author's website: http://www.slashcity.org/~rushlight

Disclaimer: No harm, no foul.

Author's Notes: Thanks go to Beth for giving this a pre-posting read-through. :)

Story Notes: For Kathleen. Happy birthday!

The Moments Worth Living For
by, Rushlight

Warm sunlight flooded Fraser's apartment with a near-golden luminescence, glinting a touch of bronze on the bracings of his father's chest at the foot of the bed. It was the first thing he saw as he opened his eyes, and he squinted against it, giving in to the temptation for a moment to simply be, without having to worry about what the day held in store for him.

A faint stirring beside him brought his attention to the fact that he wasn't alone.

He couldn't hold back a slight smile as he turned to gaze down at the sleeping figure beside him. In repose, Ray was a beautiful creature, all long lines and smooth contours. The light favored him this morning, catching on the edges of the long lashes that dusted across his cheeks, deepening the dusky hue of his skin. Fraser couldn't resist the urge to press a kiss to the soft slope of the shoulder that showed above the edge of the sheet in front of him, and Ray stirred slightly, murmuring softly in his sleep.

And from there, there was really nothing to stop him from pressing another kiss to that warm skin, and another, and Fraser's hand moved as if of its own accord to feel the smooth slope of Ray's waist through the sheet. Ray reacted predictably to the warmth of his hand, half-turning toward him with an approving sigh even as his body rebelled against the inevitable slide into wakefulness.

Fraser supposed he should have felt guilty for waking him so early on their day off, but he didn't.

He flickered his tongue lightly across the smooth tapestry of skin in front of him, and he barely registered Ray's low moan of pleasure as the warm, rich taste exploded through him. Both the sound and the taste brought with them a barrage of memories that had him immediately hard and aching and thrusting gently against the warm body in his arms.

"God, Benny." Ray's voice was little more than a breathless sigh, and he bent his head forward bonelessly as Fraser dragged his tongue up the long slope of his neck, dampening the edges of his hair. Ray's back was still pressed to his chest, and Fraser hugged him, closing his eyes against the low thudding of the heartbeat he could feel vibrating through his skin.

"Ray," he said by way of reply, and something in his voice made Ray shudder deeply against him. Fraser's hand slid down Ray's side to curl over his hip, and he pulled that lean body back against him, groaning helplessly as his erection ground against the smooth, hot curves of his lover's skin.

Ray was sweating now, a soft sheen of moisture that made his skin gleam beautifully in the early morning light. Fraser bent his head to taste it, feeling Ray's answering moan shiver up through his tongue, and then Ray was pressing back against him, all vestiges of sleep forgotten.

"Jesus, Benny, if you don't do something quick I'm gonna shoot you, I swear to God." Ray's voice was tight with a curious mixture of frustration and anticipation.

Fraser chuckled softly, tightening his hold on Ray's hip, feeling the impatient flexing of the muscles underneath his palm. It was tempting to resist Ray's urging, to increase their eventual pleasure by prolonging the torment for them both, but his own body's needs were as impatient as Ray's this morning. Resisting them with Ray lying so willingly in his arms would take more willpower than one Benton Fraser, RCMP, possessed.

There wasn't much room on his small bed to maneuver, but he and Ray had done this before on numerous occasions, and they both knew by now how to move to ensure that neither one of them ended up on the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Ray was an inferno against him, all sharp need and frustrated yearning, and Fraser did what he could to soothe him, trailing kisses across his chest and throat as he gently guided Ray onto his back.

"God, Benny," Ray said again, as his head fell back against Fraser's pillow. His eyes were wide and dark as they gazed up at him, and Fraser moistened his lips in anticipation when he saw the blatant need there. Ray's eyes flickered down to look at his mouth, and Fraser smiled, leaning in to kiss him.

Dear Lord, Ray felt good against him, skin against skin, and it took a pronounced effort of will to remember that he did in fact need to breathe. Fraser thrust his hips slowly against the willing body beneath him, feeling the pleasure rise in a slow tide within him, warming him just under the surface of his skin. Ray's cheeks were flushed with arousal now, and his eyes were half-lidded with lazy pleasure as he rubbed his hands encouragingly over Fraser's back.

Fraser buried his face against the side of Ray's neck, breathing in the sheer, unadulterated presence of him. He felt drugged on the pleasure that was coursing through him, unable to let go of this feeling now if his life depended on it. Only with Ray could he show this kind of reckless need, this kind of wild abandon that burned through every fiber of him and threatened to consume him whole.

And he could never get tired of seeing this, of seeing Ray lying so open before him, so willing to trust and to love and to be loved in return. There were times when Fraser couldn't believe his good fortune, and he had to consciously remind himself that yes, it was real, that Ray had chosen him. That thought was foremost in his mind as he bent to claim another kiss, shivering when he felt Ray's tongue slide in hot and wet beside his own.

He'd wanted to take this slow, to make it last, but already, the urgency was creeping into his movements, filling him with the desire for completion. Fraser slid his hands down Ray's sides, mouthing wetly at the skin of the shoulder in front of him, and closed his eyes as Ray's answering moan shuddered through him. Ray was breathing hard now, his hands pressing with irresistible urgency against the small of Fraser's back, urging his hips into the rhythm that Ray wanted, a rhythm that would rapidly bring them both to completion.

Fraser gave in to the rhythm with a low groan, losing himself in the sweaty friction of their bodies. Ray's scent was heavy around him, and he breathed it in eagerly, feeling his arousal deepen. Ray was moaning steadily in time with the movements they made now, and without warning, the thighs pressing tight around Fraser's hips went abruptly rigid as Ray's body bowed against him, flooding the dark crevice between their bodies with slick heat. The scent and feel of it hit Fraser like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of him.

It didn't seem enough suddenly to simply make love to this man; Fraser wanted to crawl up inside of him and never come out again, wanted to feel this sweetness and this acceptance forever, for as long as he lived. He came with a choked sob, drowning his cry against the skin of Ray's throat, and Ray's arms squeezed hard around him, holding on to him tightly as he fell over the edge. It seemed for a moment that his entire world consisted of nothing but Ray, of Ray's scent and Ray's heat and Ray's taste as their mouths moved together, tasting each other in the fading aftermath of their passion.

When sanity returned, he found himself curled in against Ray's side. Ray's arms were tight around him, holding him, and one of Ray's hands was moving rhythmically over the back of his head in a soothing caress.

Fraser's eyes felt strangely warm, and he blinked rapidly, breathing in the scent of the sweat-dampened skin underneath him.

"I love you, Ray," he said, and Ray's arms tightened around him.

"I love you, too, Benny."

Ray's voice was warm, and there was a smile in it. Fraser closed his eyes against the beauty of the moment, losing himself in the feel of the body in his arms. He couldn't imagine how he had ever lived without this kind of certainty, this affirmation. Ray was more than a lover to him, more than a partner, more than family or friend or a thousand other things.

"I know," Ray whispered to him, pressing a light kiss against his ear. "I know, Benny."

And that felt right, too, that Ray would hear the things he couldn't find the words to say. Fraser smiled and nuzzled in against the curve of Ray's shoulder, breathing out heavily. The morning was young, and there was no particular reason to leave the warm haven of their bed.

After all, these were the moments worth living for.

The End
11/14/01

End The Moments Worth Living For by Rushlight: n_sanity75@hotmail.com

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