"Partners Means Sharing"
By Viridian5
10/9/00

RATING: R; Fraser/Kowalski. If m/m interaction bothers you, walk away now.
SPOILERS: None.
SUMMARY: Friends let friends talk drunk. Ice-breaking ensues.
ARCHIVAL/DISTRIBUTION: Hexwood and Serge. If some kind person feels that this story is appropriate for DSX and wouldn't mind posting it, that would be great as well. Anywhere else too, as long as you ask me first.
FEEDBACK: can be sent to Viridian5@aol.com
DISCLAIMERS: All things due South belong to Alliance no matter how much I want Ray K to belong to me. No infringement intended. Suing me would be a waste of time. Besides, I'd just kick you in the head.
NOTES: Thanks to Latonya for the title. Who said "Spy vs. Spy" never gave us anything?

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"Partners Means Sharing"
By Viridian5
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"I have something I want to tell you, Ray. It's important."

Seated, folded in ways that only a yoga master should have been able to attain, Ray smiled at me. "Sure, knock yerself out."

"My time in law enforcement was very different in the Northwest Territories. I patrolled and confronted criminals alone--" a whine from Diefenbaker interrupted me, "except for Dief, dependent on my wits and him. I knew no other way.

"Then I came to Chicago on the trail of my father's killer and unexpectedly found myself with a partner. It forced me to change my style a great deal, especially where using a gun is concerned, yet, also unexpectedly, I enjoyed the company and new viewpoints. I never realized that it could be like that.

"The successful conclusion of the Petrikov case and the way the 27th district included me in their celebration tonight.... My heart is full. While I've always known that I am part of something larger, tonight I felt it. But your partnership means even more to me, Ray. I have never felt as connected to another person as I do to you. Your honor, integrity, and compassion never fail to show me how lucky I am to be part of your duet, to have you as my partner. I love you, Ray."

"Ditto, guy." Ray grinned wider. "Ya know, most drunks just say, 'I love you, man.' Yer cute when yer snockered. I should do this more often."

It appalled me that he didn't take my declaration seriously, but I supposed the circumstances made it inevitable. I doubt I would have bared my soul in such a way if not for the lubricating properties of alcohol. If he chose to take it lightly, I had no choice except to go along. "Oh, no. This is the last time you trick me into getting drunk. 'Drinking to the queen,' indeed."

I'd resisted all of Dewey's earlier efforts at the bar to get me to drink. Ray, however, was a master of stealth. He'd even used Canadian beer. At least he chose to execute his plan in the privacy of his apartment.

"Hey, yer a smart man. It's not like I poured the stuff down yer throat. You should know on yer own when you've hit the point where you've toasted the queen too often and should stop." Ray laughed. "Knew I had you when you toasted the queen's underwear."

"I did not!"

"Oh, yeah, ya did."

"Didn't."

"Uh-huh, ya did."

"Oh, please."

"Would I do a toast saying, 'To the queen's knickers'? No, I would not."

I groaned. "They're going to take my uniform away. Tomorrow."

"They'll have to find it all first." At my look of horror, Ray continued, "Tunic, lanyard, belt, and straps are on the chair, boots in the kitchen. I won't tell 'em."

"How did my boots reach the kitchen?"

"You want a play by play?"

"They'll run me out into the street as a... as a blasphemer."

"How are they gonna know? I won't tell about that either."

"You won't be able to resist. I'm sure you've been waiting for just such a moment of vulnerability."

"Yer making me sound like some kinda arch-villain here twisting his mustache and saying, 'Now I have you at my mercy.' Won't tell. If I tell, I never get to see you do this again. Self-interest is a great mo-- motiv-- uh... damn. Well, it's a good reason."

"You were going to say it's a good motive?"

"Motivator! Yeah, that's the ticket."

If I would be safe, I might as well go all the way. "I meant what I said."

"Yeah, self-interest is a good motive."

"No, I meant earlier."

"You mean, 'I love you, you love me'? It's okay, Benton buddy."

"I did mean it." But I never claimed that he loved me.

"Of course ya did. But yer gonna wake up sober tomorrow and remember that yer into brunette women, and that's okay. You shouldn't even spare a moment to think of me and how I'll never be able to love again...." Ray mock-sniffled and put his hand over his eyes.

I smiled. "Ray...."

He waved me off with his other hand, still looking away. "No, I'll be fine."

Then he "fainted" onto the couch, which involved him somehow wiggling his head onto my lap and looking up at me all imploring. Sweet, really. It disordered his already experimental hair into a new form of chaos. Even his hair was drunk and disorderly. I resisted the urge to giggle. Ray, if he remembered it tomorrow, would never let me live it down.

"If this is your usual behavior after a few drinks, I'm never letting you go out drinking alone again," I said.

He grinned. "Promise?"

"I'm encouraging you, aren't I?"

"'Course you are. Oh, don't get yer..." Ray laughed, "yer *knickers* in a knot. Can't do this at bars. No comfy couches or Mountie laps there. Only the occasional lumpy couches and laps."

If I weren't so inebriated, my lap would be lumpy at this moment. I retained enough self-control to avoid saying that. However, I did not retain enough self-control to resist the allure of Ray's bare stomach, revealed by his t-shirt riding up. I put my palm down on smooth, warm skin and drew slow circles on it.

Ray wiggled under my touch. "Mmmm. 'Snice." He closed his eyes and licked his lips, leaving an inviting sheen of moisture there.

I shouldn't be doing this, yet I continued to stroke him anyway, enjoying the way he became ever more boneless and the way the lines of his face smoothed out as he wallowed. It amazed me how easily Ray surrendered himself to me and openly enjoyed it. He let me touch him in total trust and responded to an accidental dip of my fingers under his waistband with a happy sigh. As much as the heat there tantalized me, I backed off and returned to the less charged skin over his belly.

Or so I thought until I pressed on his navel a little. He actually moaned. Fascinated, I did it again and received a similar reaction. I wondered what would happen if I dipped a finger in and--

No. I was drunkenly molesting my drunken partner. "I'm sorry, Ray. I've taken liberties with you. I'll stop."

Ray opened his eyes. "Don't you dare." His voice sounded deep and almost strangled.

"Ray, tomorrow you'll be dreadfully embarrassed if--"

"--if I remember you finger fucking my belly button?"

He left me torn between horror and hysterical laughter. "Ray!"

"I like it. C'mon, we're taking advantage of each other. It's mutual taking advantage. Which means it's not taking advantage anymore. That's not wrong."

"Yes, it is. I remember someone in this room talking about how I'd change my mind when I woke up sober tomorrow morning."

"Wasn't anybody on this couch."

"Really."

Ray gave me his most imploring look, heady stuff indeed. "Fraser, you said you loved me."

"Ray!"

"I didn't mean like you had to prove it by doing me or anything! I just mean--" Ray started to giggle. Once again, inebriation saved me from an embarrassing physical reaction to his writhing in my lap.

"This is precisely why we shouldn't do this."

"Spoilsport. Tease." Ray cleared his throat. "I just meant that you said you said you loved me, and I love you, and where's the harm?"

"You love me."

"Uh-huh."

"You love me?"

"Uh-huh."

I still couldn't believe those words had passed his lips. "You--"

"Yes!"

"Oh. Will you still love me tomorrow?"

Ray grabbed my collar and yanked me down. "Much as I hate to break up a Motown moment, yes. Yes, uh-huh, yes, yeah."

"Oh." I seemed to have lost the ability to speak. He loved me? I would know tomorrow.

Ray sighed, let me go, and put his hand over his eyes. "But we don't have to do anything tonight, even though it's not like I have any honor to protect."

"I beg to differ."

"Shaddup. Ya know exactly what I mean. We'll go to bed. To sleep," he said before I could object.

"I don't know if I could get off the couch," I said honestly.

"You are cute."

I opened my eyes to a light that split my skull. I groaned and put my arm over my eyes. I heard an "ow!" at my side. "Did I slap you?" I asked, bringing my voice down to a whisper as the sound made my head hurt worse.

"Mmm-hmm." Ray burrowed further into my side.

I desperately needed to relieve myself and see if my stomach would stay in its place yet found myself unwilling to leave the couch and Ray. Still deeply asleep, he looked sweet.

I would punish him for my hangover and stiff neck later. At least he'd gotten me drunk knowing full well that neither of us had to wake up early for our jobs today.

Finally I had no choice. The problem came in freeing myself, since the narrow couch had forced us to wrap tightly about one another to fit. As I tried to untangle myself from Ray to get up, he clung tenaciously. "Ray!" I shouted, only to wince.

"Love you," he mumbled into my neck.

I fell off the couch, taking him with me. That woke him up. After we came to a stop against the coffee table's legs, he softly asked, "You trying to kill me, Fraser?"

"You surprised me."

"I try."

"You said something."

"Was it 'please, oh please, don't drop me'?"

"No."

Ray smiled. "I said, 'I love you,' which made more sense before you threw us to the floor. Now it looks like I got a death wish, but okay."

My face should break from how hard that made me smile. "I love you too." It almost made the hangover worth it.

"That's so cool. When I feel human again, maybe we can do something with that. Right now, my left arm's going dead under you."

"I'm so sorry." We struggled in a highly uncoordinated way until we managed to untangle ourselves. It left me atop him, straddling his waist.

"You are a tease."

"Later." I stood and wandered to the bathroom.

"That's great. Now that we got our I-love-yous out, the romance is already gone," he called softly from the living room.

"Just give me a chance, Ray."