Rating: PG-13

Detective Jim Ellison sat on the only chair that wasn't piled high with books and papers, in the small ex-storage room that his best friend called his office, and waited. Blair Sandburg was taking his new on-loan assistant around the university -- again. Janice Cooperman appeared to be the archetypal dizzy blonde. This was, what? must be the third time Blair had had to show her the way from his room to the library and even Blair's indomitable patience seemed to be wearing thin.

Jim suspected she just wanted to get his friend alone somewhere nice and cozy, and work some 'womanly wiles' on him. He frowned. Knowing Sandburg, she wouldn't have to work too hard. Just a shame his friend didn't walk the other side of the track. Jim'd love to show him of his own wiles.

He sighed and picked up the newspaper. He'd arrived early for their lunch 'date' and didn't have to get back until two. He had plenty of time to kill as long as the bad guys in the city played fair for once. It was pleasantly warm in the office, peaceful too, and Jim relaxed. He'd noticed that wherever Blair was, he felt at home and comfortable. It was the sort of information he didn't want to share with his roomie, just in case his roomie got the wrong -- or in this case, the right -- idea. He had this fear that if Blair ever found out just how much Jim really did care about him, there'd be an empty space beneath his bedroom, and a larger one in his heart.

As he leafed through the paper, he noticed the teaching fellow had circled one small article on the lifestyle page. 'Experts have stated that a sandwich filled with a mixture of figs, honey, ricotta cheese and orange can put you in the mood for love.'

Ha! So the professor is at it again, Jim thought. Planning another romantic meal for some lucky lady.

He remembered the seven course aphrodisiac dinner that Blair prepared for the neighbor from Hell, aka Iris. That 'lucky lady' never got to enjoy Blair's gastronomic delights, because after kidnapping him, twice, and threatening to kill him, at least once, the fragrant Iris ended up safely behind bars. So that left him and Jim to partake of the meal.

As it happened, Simon and Joel invited themselves to dinner. As they tucked in, Joel laughingly commented that its aphrodisiactic qualities didn't work for him. However it left Jim with some pretty erotic dreams that night.

Of course that could be due to indigestion. No need to tell Blair that the dreams involved me and my said roomie getting down and naked together... Then there was that dessert the other evening, 'Bananas Siu Timtim' with yogurt, maple syrup and vanilla, very tasty. Funnily enough, I had the same sort of dreams that night too. Jim adjusted himself as he remembered the details of those dreams. I'll have to watch what I'm eating in the future before Sandburg notices something and wants an explanation. I am really not prepared to do any experiments on what excites a sentinel. Well, not the kind of lab experiment Sandburg would want to do. He sighed again. As Blair might say, unrequited love sucks, big time.

The door opening put a brake on those thoughts and Jim hastily coved his groin with the newspaper and willed his erection away.

"Sorry about that, Jim." Blair looked flustered. "I hate to say it, but even if I drew Janice a map, she would still never find her way around campus."

"Maybe she wants a bit more of your personal attention, Chief?" Jim suggested.

Blair shook his head. "No, man. She's much more interested in the college jock type. Not that I would turn her down, you know?" His eyebrows waggled in a suggestive way that had Jim smiling while shaking his head. "But though she's well stacked, and beautiful, I'd prefer someone with some sense of direction."

"Like you, you mean?" Jim said, caustically.

"Hey! That was one time, man, and if we hadn't gone the wrong way, we might not have gotten back in time to help Simon out of that hotel."

Both of them remembered the mess they found Simon in at his high school reunion. They'd barely got him out of that hotel with his life, though his cigar was a total loss.

"Anyway, I hope you don't mind coming over here for lunch," Blair was saying. "It's been one of those days and I couldn't get away, so I ordered in some sandwiches and we can talk and eat at the same time." Blair pulled over a small cool box and removed two clear plastic containers. "It's a new place, just starting up. They'll make just about anything up for you. So I thought we could try this." He handed one to Jim.

"What is it?" The detective lifted the carton up to his nose, and tentatively took a sniff as he opened it.

"Oh, ricotta cheese blended with honey, figs and orange."

Jim frowned. "Isn't that the recipe from your paper?"

Blair's eyes went widely innocent. "Oh, is that where I got the idea from? I knew I'd seen it somewhere. Sounds sweet but tasty, don't you think?" And he took a bite of his own sandwich.

Jim was still frowning, but he took a small bite. It was surprisingly refreshing and creamy. He noticed Blair studying him over the top of his sandwich, waiting for Jim's verdict.

"Not bad," Jim said, wiping his fingers on the paper napkin provided. "Bit chewy and sweet, though, and the fig pips..." he poked around his teeth just a little, more to wind his partner up than anything else.

"Yeah, those little seeds are a real pain for guys with dentures, aren't they?" Blair dodged the carton that was thrown at him, with a broad grin. "But otherwise it's a success?"

"Yeah. Guess so." Jim grinned back, feeling too good to complain about anything. "So, Chief, if you ordered in lunch, does that mean I get to order in dinner? What's it to be... Chinese? Pizza?"

"Nah. How about we go out to that seafood place, down by the bay? Their lobsters were really good last time."

Thank God, he didn't suggest oysters! Jim thought, remembering his dreams. "Sure, why not. You're paying."

"Jim...." Blair whined. "You know I'm only a poor student, we could 'go Dutch' though...."

The lobster was good, but watching Blair eat with his fingers was a huge mistake, especially as he insisted they have the special dressing of parsley, chopped ginger and Tabasco sauce. Time seemed to slow right down as Jim watched, his sight zooming in on Blair's tongue as it snaked out and licked up each of his fingers, starting at the second knuckle, and finally sucking just the tip inside that sinful mouth. It had to be the most erotic show Jim had ever seen, well, apart from that night Blair had made a special salad -- one he said he'd wanted to try for a friend -- warm spinach and asparagus tips, in butter. Jim almost groaned when he remembered that scene. The way Blair had leaned his head back to suck the dripping tip into his mouth. Jim had to make some excuse to leave the loft quickly and ended up at the gym, beating off in their empty showers -- yet Blair seemed to be unaware of how much Jim was aroused by his behavior. Which was probably not a bad thing. The kid would probably run if he knew. Or would he?

Once the thought was in his head, Jim began to put the clues together. The next day, in the interests of research, he ran a search on his works computer for aphrodisiac foods -- and had a big surprise. Most of the meals Blair had cooked up or ordered for them, had some aphrodisiac element to them, from the powdered nutmeg and fresh apricots, to the steak with pine nuts.

It would have made some kind of sense if Blair had fixed them a meal, and then gone out with someone, or just suggested that it was in the line of research for a forthcoming date, but as far as Jim could remember, no girl seemed to 'benefit' from Sandburg's meals. The nights when the culinary delights were served up, they'd both stayed in and enjoyed each other's company.

Next question, just when had this all started? Jim remembered the Narwhal horn and how Blair had tried to get Simon to allow him to test it for certain qualities. Now he came to think of it, Blair had shot him a glance while asking the captain. At the time, Jim thought it was just Blair trying to be circumspect. Now, though, that encounter took on a whole new light. And the meal for Iris... Blair hadn't really been soaking the dates for a few weeks. A) Jim would have smelt it, and B) Blair'd only just met Iris, he'd had no time to plan that far ahead... so his comment to them when he'd served dessert was just a joke, right? Except... Blair didn't eat any dessert, and the guys more or less invited themselves over. It should have been just him and Blair eating that meal and he did have those ingredients in the cupboard. Of course that could have been his friend planning for any contingence, after all, he did have to go searching for the vine leaves...

There was only one way to test Jim's conclusions. That night he brought home some fresh fruit -- bananas, strawberries and peaches. They sat and ate a spicy Chinese take-out, discussing the usual stuff; work, the Jags, the latest new recruit to the precinct. Then, after clearing away, Jim took the glass fruit bowl over to the couch and as Blair sat down beside him and began to scan through a reference book on some obscure tribe that may or may not have sentinels, Jim began to put his plan into action.

He picked up a nice, round, juicy peach. For a moment he held it up to the light, watching as the light perfectly caught the 'fur' on the peach's skin. "What'd you think, Chief? Isn't that a perfect peach? So soft, round, and just the right color." Once he was sure he had Blair's attention, Jim bit into the fruit, allowing the juice to overflow and dribble down his chin. He noticed Blair's heartbeat pick up. Jim carefully wiped his chin with the back of his hand and then lapped the juice from it, taking his time, before taking another bite of the peach. The juice again worked its way out of his mouth as Jim made an appreciative 'mmmm' sound. Before Jim could wipe his chin again, Blair was there beside him, leaning in and licking the juice from Jim's mouth with one swipe of his tongue.

"Whoops!" he said, looking like a deer in the headlights, his face flushed as he pulled away, though, Jim noticed, not quite as far as before.

"Whoops?" Jim tried to sound innocent.

"I was hoping you'd jump my bones, not vice versa."

Jim smiled. "Ah, you thought I might prefer to do the seducing rather than be the seduced?"

Blair nodded, still looking wary. "Not that I mind doing the jumping... the seducing, if you'd prefer..."

"Now, there you go making assumptions, Chief, sometimes I like to be the sausage, and sometimes the bun." He waited, his gaze pinning Blair to his seat, as the younger man's eyes grew rounder.

"You mean...?" Blair swallowed. "You'd be the bun to my sausage, the donut to my jam?" He was obviously enjoying this conversation far too much.

"Yeah, lap it up, Laughing Boy." Jim started to get up, abandoning his idea of seduction.

Blair put his hand on Jim's arm. "No, wait, Jim. I'm sorry; you just took me by surprise. I never thought you'd roll over for anyone, least of all me. From what Mike said..."

Jim leapt up. "Mike? Mike Lewis? You spoke to one of my old bo...friends?" He wasn't shouting, he wasn't!

"Freeze right there, Jim! We are not going down the same road as when I talked to Carolyn! I didn't know he was talking about you. He didn't even mention a name at first and then he just mentioned a Jim, no surname. I thought it was a big coincidence. Then I started to put things together from the things he did say. Truth is, I never thought you'd even look at me. But I had to try, hence the meals. I had this idea that if I loosened you up, so to speak, you might see me in a different light." His voice trailed off.

Jim sat down again. "How did you meet Mike in the first place?" He felt calmer now.

"He tends the bar at Raffles these days."

"The gay bar over on 1st?"

"Yeah. I went in there to drown my sorrows because I didn't think I'd have any chance with you." Blair's smile was crooked and didn't reach his eyes.

Jim's eyes softened. "You always had a chance with me, Chief. It's just with all the ladies around you, I thought you were on the straight and narrow."

Blair scoffed.

Jim wiped his hand on a cloth and then gently pulled his willing partner over to kiss him.

The soft graze of lips to lips wasn't enough and both men went back for seconds -- Blair's hands going straight to Jim's short hair, pulling him closer to better experience his kiss.

"You taste so good!" Blair gasped out when they retreated a little to breathe.

"It's the peach aftertaste," Jim suggested.

"No, I don't think so. I think it's the pure taste of Jim."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You don't think you should have another taste test to be sure?"

"Well, as a scientist, I should really do multiple testing, to be positive of my findings." Then Blair's eyes narrowed. "I thought you hated tests?"

Jim shrugged. "This one test, I'm willing to allow you to repeat as often as you like -- purely for the interests of science, of course."

"Of course!" Blair eagerly leaned forward and licked Jim's bottom lip slowly, with just the tip of his tongue. "Got to savor each flavor," he whispered. "First a lick, then a suck." He put his words into action, "before tucking in."

By the time the two men broke away again, Blair was lying horizontally under Jim. Both men were aware of how hard the other was.

Jim gently ran his fingers through Blair's hair, taking care not to pull at the curls. "So, your cunning plan wasn't a complete wash out."

"No, I guess not, judging by our positions."

"It gave me the clues to work out just what you wanted."

"A long slow screw against the wall?"

Jim's eyes narrowed. "You could have gotten that anywhere, in any bar. You want me."

Blair grinned, his own hand stroking over Jim's head, to the back of Jim's neck. "Yeah, I do, heart, soul and senses, oh and that great looking body." He pulled Jim into another kiss.

Jim looked dazed. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So my next question would be, for how long?"

"Ah, Jim," Blair stroked Jim's face gently. "You should have worked that one out. I've never put this much time and effort into wooing someone before. This isn't just sating an appetite, scratching an itch. It's just you for me, man, until you get bored with my cooking, or kick me out of your bed."

"Never gonna happen, Chief, not while you keep feeding me food like... bananas -" he planted a kiss on Blair's nose. "Peaches," a light kiss to Blair's smiling mouth. "And maybe strawberries dipped in chocolate and cream."

Blair pulled him back down and kissed him enthusiastically, nipping at Jim's mouth as he released his lover. "I know a much better use for melted chocolate and cream," he whispered into Jim's left ear, "although we'd need to get naked for that and knowing you, you'd probably want to put a plastic sheet over the couch first." Then he nibbled lightly on the earlobe so close to his mouth.

Blair's voice and his nibbling went straight to Jim's libido and his eyebrow rose in a good impersonation of Mr. Spock. He smiled. "Chocolate, cream and Blair-skin, sounds like a prefect recipe for love." He ground his groin into Blair's, obtaining a groan and Blair's hips rising to meet his.

"God! If I'd known you'd be this easy, I could have saved all that time and money." He looked into Jim's eyes. "But it was worth all the effort. You're worth the effort, Jim."

His eyes sparkled. "Now how about we discover just how spicy food affects the libido?"

"Upstairs?" Jim asked.

"Upstairs."

Jim eased himself reluctantly off his partner and held out his hand. "By the way, I did some of my own research into aphrodisiacs."

"Yeah?" Blair was walking -- rather stiffly, Jim noted with some satisfaction -- towards the stairs.

"Yup. Did you know that some experts say that donuts and even green M & Ms can 'stimulate your appetite' for sex?" Jim followed, his eyes focused on Blair's ass.

"Donuts. Why do I think those experts were found hovering around your favorite 'Dunkin' Donuts' chain?"

"Because you're a cynic? Are you really going to doubt the experts, Sandburg?"

"Heaven forbid, Jim!" Blair turned at the top of the stairs, stopping Jim from climbing any further, and framed his man's face with his hands. "I'm just saying, for purely selfish reasons, I want you around for a good long time. So how about we swap that particular oral delight for another kind?"

His lips stroked over Jim's, and for the first time since he was a teenager, Jim's legs turned to Jell-O. He pulled back a little and took a deep breath. "If you want me to last a long time, it might be better if you allow me to get upstairs. I really don't want you have to explain to the paramedics just why I happened to fall down the stairs."