Author's Notes: Thank you to Brooklinegirl and Dira for the beta!

"No, see - you're not listening to what I'm saying," Ray argued as he pushed open the heavy glass door of the mall. He held it with one hand and waited for Fraser to pass through, before letting it swing heavily closed behind them. "All I'm saying is the Cubs need one break - just one break - and bam! Pow! That's it. They're on a roll and no one can stop them."

Fraser made a sound that was way too close to a snort to make Ray happy and said, "Well, no. Unless, of course, you count the other four teams which are currently ahead of them."

Ray shot him a look and held up a hand, palm out. "Fraser, please. Do not go there. I'm telling you - this is the year-"

And just once, it would be nice, Ray thought, to go out with Fraser for more than ten minutes without there being gunfire. Just - go to the mall. Pick up a pair of new boots. Have a hot dog and call it a day.

That day, however, was obviously not today.

They were no more than fifteen feet inside the mall entrance when there was the crack of a gunshot from about ten stores down. Ray looked at Fraser, and took off running toward the gunshot, while Fraser took off in the other direction.

They'd done this so many times it was practically second nature. Ray would go running full out, directly at the guy with the "I'm crazy - don't fuck with me look" on his face, and while he was chasing the guy down from the front, Fraser'd just pop out from behind the creep's back with his, "Oh, excuse me, sir, but you seem to be holding up a lingerie shop," and then he'd whack him on the side of the head and the guy would fall down. One, two, three - bad guy go boom. Dief was hot on Ray's heels, barking as Ray ran, and Ray grinned at the fact that for whatever reason the wolf had chosen to hang with him on this one. "Ok, Furface. Let's go," Ray called over his shoulder, and sprinted through the panicked crowd.

The gunman was running for all he was worth right ahead of him, and Ray quickened his pace and gained some ground before Dief shot out from behind him and lunged at the gunman's legs. The guy yelped in surprise as Dief sank his teeth into his calf, and the gun slipped from his fingers as he stumbled and stupidly tried to pry Dief's face away from his leg. Ray barely slowed down as he scooped the gun up and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Police! Freeze!" he shouted, but the guy, still dragging Dief behind him, took a quick look around, saw Ray coming from his one side and Fraser from way down on his other side, and jumped right into the huge, marble fish pool.

"I said: Freeze!" Ray shouted again, and without giving it a second thought, jumped right in the water after him.

Fat, spotted, orange fish swam in and out between his legs, and Ray reached for the guy's shoulder, but the guy was too quick and pulled away at the very last second. "Motherfucker," Ray cursed, and he made a wild grab, finally catching the back of the guy's jacket. The heel of Ray's boot skidded on the bottom of the pool (and that's why they were fucking here. To get new boots because these sucked), and Ray cursed again, tightened his grip, and when he fell ass-first into the stinky fish water, he dragged the gunman right in after him.

Dief barked from the outside edge of the pool, and Ray splashed, sitting up in the water and pointing a finger at him. "You, shut up."

"You talkin' to a dog?" the gunman asked, and Ray yanked him closer with one hand, while he dug his cuffs out of his jacket with the other.

"He's a wolf, and if you keep it up I'm gonna drop a fish in your jeans and tell him it's time for dinner. Got it, fishy-man?" Ray asked, and slapped the cuffs on the guy's wrists.

The guy mumbled something (and even though he couldn't really hear him, Ray was pretty sure it wasn't "Thank you kindly, officer"), and Ray gave him one last shove before he stood up, water dripping from every inch of his body. He looked up just in time to see Fraser reaching the edge of the pool. "I don't wanna hear it," Ray said, pointing a finger at him.

Fraser raised his hands, palms out in surrender. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Ray narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. Well, that's good." He walked over to the edge of the pool, taking Fraser's hand when it was offered, and yanked himself out. "Did you call for backup?" Ray asked. He stomped his feet and water ran out from under the legs of his jeans. Perfect.

Fraser was quiet, and when Ray looked back up he found Fraser watching him, his eyes gone serious and the corners of his mouth pinched just like they did when he was thinking about something that was confusing him.

"Hey." Ray snapped his fingers in front of Fraser's face. "You with me here?"

"Yes, I apologize Ray. I'm afraid..." Fraser trailed off, and Ray noticed that his cheeks and the tips of his ears were pink. What the hell...

"You're afraid..." Ray rolled his hand in the air, flicking drops of water at Fraser's face. "Come on, come on. While I'm young here."

"I wasn't paying attention. That's all," Fraser said, and with a quick shake of his head, the pinched-mouth, pink-eared Fraser was gone; and regular, normal Fraser was back. "Yes, backup should be here-"

"Christ, Vecchio. You smell like Tom," Huey said from behind.

Ray turned around and grinned sourly at him. "Yeah, well, at least I got an excuse. Other than just being a stinky guy."

"Who's a stinky guy?" Dewey said as he walked up to them and Ray rolled his eyes and turned to complain to Fraser - but Fraser was already gone.

` ` ` ` `

Ray tipped the last sip of his beer down his throat and dropped the empty bottle on the coffee table. He stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at the ankles and laid back, arms folded neatly across his chest.

Something was up with Fraser.

After the debacle at the mall this morning, Ray had to go to the station to fill out all sorts of forms and reports and paperwork to get Mr. Trigger-Happy behind bars. Fraser had disappeared from the mall with Dief right after Huey and Dewey got there, which was weird. Fraser usually stuck around long enough to bring the perp to the station and he'd almost always want to be there to lecture the guy about, "the consequences of endangering the lives of others." And: "once you have time to think about what you've done, I'm sure you'll be more than happy to repay your debt to society, sir."

But not today. Today Fraser took the first opportunity he had to high-tail it outta there, and Ray hadn't seen or heard from him since.

Ray sat up and dropped his feet to the floor. Think. Think.

You were in the mall, chasing the guy. You went one way, Fraser went the other. Dief bit the guy, the guy jumped in the water, you jumped in after him--

Ray stopped his train of thought and dropped his head down, sticking his nose against his chest and sniffing. No - it had taken about three showers, but no stinky fish smell anymore.

Ok. Back to the chase. In the water, cuffed the guy, stood up, Fraser pulled you out. Clothes were wet. Fraser was quiet. Fraser wasn't paying attention. Fraser was -

Wait - rewind.

Ray banged his fist lightly against his forehead.

Wet. Standing up. Fraser there. Fraser wasn't paying attention.

What was Fraser paying attention to?

Rewind - look at Fraser. Fraser was - he was - what was he looking at?

Ray sat perfectly still, and then he smiled. And then he stood up from the couch, grabbed his keys, and left.

` ` ` ` `

With a screech of tires, Ray pulled the GTO to a stop in front of the Consulate and threw it into park. One, two - a bunch of steps to the Consulate door, and then he was knocking - well, okay, banging on the thick mahogany.

"Hey, Frase. Open up."

Ray waited, and waited, and then the door swung open and there was Fraser, in a blue flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, looking about as comfortable as a nun in a whorehouse.

"Ah. Well. Good evening, Ray."

"You were checking me out," Ray said abruptly, and watched Fraser's eyes widen slightly.

"Excuse me?" he stammered.

"Today. At the mall. When I got out of the water-pool-fish thing you were looking at me."

"Well, yes, of course I was looking at you," Fraser said, clearing his throat. Then he dropped his eyes and flicked a thumb across his eyebrow. "I was helping you out of the water, and to do so - well - obviously I had to look at you to see where you were."

Ray shook his head. "No, see, that's not what I'm talking about." Ray stepped into the Consulate and pushed the door closed behind him. Fraser took a step back, glancing quickly to his side, but after all this time Ray knew the Mountie's moves, and he backed him up against the wall, one arm next to his head, the other against his chest.

"Honestly, Ray-"

"You - were checking - me out." Ray said slowly, staring at Fraser's face. Fraser's eyes were blue - bluer than Ray had ever thought, and he wondered if anyone else had ever had Benton Fraser look at them like that. If anyone else had ever been that lucky. "I caught you, Frase," Ray said softly. "You fucked up and I caught you."

Fraser swallowed once, then took a deep breath, his eyes never moving from Ray's, never even blinking. "Yes. Very well then. You caught me." He paused, and then, "I apologize."

Ray shook his head. "Oh, you apologize, do you?" Fraser opened his mouth, but Ray jabbed a finger at his chest and interrupted him. "Yeah, well, guess what? I don't accept. You hear me? Apology not accepted."

"Well," Fraser said sarcastically, the edges of his mouth twisting into a frown. "I do appreciate your being so accommodating in the matter." And, oh yeah. Ray knew he was onto to something good when Fraser let go of the Polite Mountie mask and said what he actually felt.

"Yeah, that's me. Mr. Accommodating," Ray said as he leaned in closer, his nose brushing the side of Fraser's cheek.

Fraser sucked in a breath, and then Ray felt Fraser's hands on his back. "Ray, do you..." Fraser started to ask softly, and Ray nodded his head.

"Yeah, Frase," he said thickly. "Yeah, I do."

"I didn't know," Fraser murmured.

Ray pulled back and looked at Fraser. Fraser's hands smoothed up Ray's back, and then he sank one hand into Ray's hair, and pulled his head closer.

Fraser kissed him and Ray closed his eyes and let everything he always wanted to say to Fraser come out in that kiss. How he thought Fraser was probably the smartest guy he'd ever known, and how much he loved hanging out with him even when he was being all bookish and geeky. How no matter what Ray said, he loved all of Fraser's quirky, funny, weird ways of saying things and doing things. How when Fraser put on the uniform, he was the sexiest thing Ray had ever seen, until the next time Ray saw him without the uniform and then that became the sexiest thing Ray had ever seen.

How he was glad that Fraser had finally let him know - even if it was by accident - that he was thinking about Ray, and maybe wondering a few of the things Ray had been wondering himself. The way Fraser's eyes flicked over his wet jeans; the way his ears turned pink when Ray caught him looking. Not too many people had looked at Ray the way Fraser looked at him today, so when he really stopped to think about it, Ray knew.

"Fraser," Ray groaned, and shifted his body so he was full against Fraser, his cock hard and snug up against Fraser's hip. God - he was losing it. He kissed Fraser once and he was already ready to come in his jeans like a horny teenager for the first time since - god, since he was a horny teenager. Fraser knotted his fingers more tightly in Ray's hair and kissed him harder, and Ray lost any sense of control he might have still been hanging onto, and moved his hands to Fraser's hips, tugging him even closer forward.

"Yes," Fraser breathed, over and over again in this soft, hot, sexy voice that Ray was sure he'd never get tired of hearing. "Yes," every time Ray grunted or moaned or breathed into his mouth. "Yes," as Ray popped the buttons on Fraser's jeans, slipping his hand inside the cool cotton of Fraser's boxers. And then it was "Ray." "Ray," as he stroked Fraser's cock, rubbing his thumb across the wet head. "Ray," as he tightened his fist, and shortened his strokes, sensing from Fraser's gasps and moans that he was close. "Raaaaay," as Fraser bit his lip and closed his eyes, and came all over Ray's hand, looking like the hottest fucking thing Ray had ever seen, and the person Ray wanted to spend the rest of his life making feel this good, all at once.

And he wanted to hold it, he really, really did. He wanted to kiss some more, and fuck some more, and hold it until he had the best, longest, mind-blowing orgasm ever. But as soon as Fraser was done, he looked up at Ray with these hot eyes, and reached his hand down into the front of Ray's jeans. Ray's jeans, which were still completely buttoned and zipped. That he hadn't opened or taken off yet, even. And he stuck his big, hot hand down the front of Ray's briefs, and Ray gasped and moaned and came all over him in about four seconds flat.

When they both looked at each other again, they just kind of grinned, and Ray reached down and wiped his hand off on his jeans. Fraser started to argue and pull away, so Ray just reached out and grabbed Fraser's hand, wiping it on his jeans next to the come streaks Ray had already left. "Wouldn't want to get your nice jeans all mucked up," Ray said, nodding his head at Fraser.

"Yes, well. Thank you kindly." Fraser paused, and then, "So," he said, a little anxiously. "All this time...?"

Ray nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

"But you - I never - I mean, I had no idea -" Fraser stammered.

"Yeah, well, I'm a lot cooler than you are," Ray said, and grinned as Fraser rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you are, are you?"

"Yep," Ray said, twining his fingers with Fraser's and tugging him slowly down the hall to Fraser's office. "That's me. Mr. Cool."

"Hmm. That's funny," Fraser scratched his head. "I thought you were Mr. Accommodating."

"Nah." Ray shook his head. "That's only on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Ah. I see," Fraser said, and smiled. "I'll have to remember that."

Ray just smiled back at him, and pulled him into Fraser's office, and Fraser's bed. "Don't you worry, Frase. I won't let you forget."