Consumer Tendencies      Consumer Tendencies

 by Rushlight

  

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

 Disclaimer: No harm, no foul.

 Author's Notes: Many thanks to Beth for the beta-reading.

 Story Notes: Once again, this series features a D/s relationship between
Fraser and Ray (no pain involved!). If that's not your thing, then you
might want to move on. :)

 This story is a sequel to: Reconciliation 

 

 Fraser in Chains 4 - Consumer Tendencies by, Rushlight 

 Fraser looked up from the book he was reading and frowned when Ray came
into the living room. Ray had just gotten out of the shower, which usually
meant he'd be ready to settle down and watch TV for the evening, but there
was a distracted air to his movements that immediately caught Fraser's
eye. 

 "Can I help you find something, Ray?" he asked. 

 Ray glanced up from where he was shuffling through the pile of papers on
the bookshelf at the other side of the room, barefoot in a loose T-shirt
and cut-off shorts. His hair was still damp, and it stuck up in a series
of sharp spikes that looked even more haphazard than usual without the gel
to hold them in place. 

 It was quite an endearing look for him, actually. 

 Ray blinked at him. "What? Hey, yeah. Do you still have that laptop you
brought home from work last week?" He rocked forward onto the balls of his
feet, looking faintly nervous. 

 Fraser lowered his book onto his lap, holding his place with one finger.
"Yes," he said, feeling intrigued. Ray had never shown much of an interest
in computers before. "It's in the bedroom." 

 "Great! Can I borrow it?" 

 "Of course." Far be it for him to stand in the way if Ray wanted to
stretch his technological wings. He stood up and made his way into the
bedroom, shadowed closely by Ray. "May I ask what you're planning to use
it for?" 

 "There's a website I want to check out." Ray fidgeted impatiently in the
doorway while Fraser ruffled through the pile of paperwork stacked neatly
on the table next to the dresser. His eyes gleamed when Fraser emerged
with the thin silver case of the laptop firmly in hand. 

 Feeling even more intrigued, Fraser picked up the loop of telephone cord
for the modem connection and followed Ray back out into the hall. "Where
would you like me to set it up for you?" 

 "In the living room's fine." Ray was fairly bouncing with enthusiasm now,
and he grinned when he caught the curious glance Fraser leveled at him. 

 The man was being deliberately cagey. Stifling his smile, Fraser set up
the computer on the coffee table in front of the couch and booted it up. 

 "Coolness." Ray cracked his knuckles eagerly and sat down, gesturing for
Fraser to join him. "Come on, I want you to take a look at this, too." 

 Fraser did as Ray requested, feeling their thighs brush together as he
sat down on the couch. He was honestly curious to see what had Ray so
excited. He watched in silence as Ray loaded the browser and typed a URL
into the navigation field, apparently from memory. 

 Even before the page began to load, Fraser felt the skin between his eyes
tighten. "Bondagedreams.com?" he said doubtfully. 

 The look Ray cast at him was impish. "Relax, Frase. I just thought we'd
check it out. You know, see what's out there." 

 Fraser glanced self-consciously at the reflective pane of the window, as
if he honestly expected someone to catch him looking at this website with
Ray. Which was ridiculous; there was nothing wrong with viewing whatever
they wanted inside the privacy of their own home. Firmly, he clamped down
on his reflexive embarrassment and turned back toward the computer screen.


 Feeling a decided lack of enthusiasm, he waited for the site homepage to
finish loading. Despite his fears, it was tastefully decorated in soothing
earth tones, without any of the ... garishness ... he'd been expecting.
But even though the overall appearance of the site seemed to be fairly
harmless, he couldn't stop the warm flush that rose in his face when he
saw the main menu options. 

 "Okay," Ray said, rubbing his hands over his thighs. He leaned forward to
get a better view of the screen. "You got your floggers, you got your
whips, you got your cat-o'-nines. What the hell's a hog slapper, anyway?" 

 "Ray," Fraser protested, feeling scandalized. His face felt like it was
on fire. 

 "Hey, relax." Instantly, Ray's teasing demeanor faded. His hand settled
on Fraser's knee, rubbing soothingly. "We're just kind of window shopping,
all right? I heard about this site at work today, and I thought it would
be fun to check it out. Just a little harmless fun. Right?" 

 The concern in Ray's eyes was touching. Fraser breathed out slowly,
trying desperately to get his skittering nerves under control. What could
it hurt to look, if it made Ray happy? "Please tell me you weren't asking
around at the station for recommendations on internet bondage sites." 

 Ray's smile took on a wicked edge. "Sure," he said, without missing a
beat. "You should have heard some of the suggestions I got from Dewey." He
smirked, thumping Fraser once on the knee with his fist. "Nah, I just
happened to overhear a conversation from some guys down in Vice. Thought
it sounded interesting enough to check out." 

 Feeling somewhat mollified, Fraser turned back toward the screen. He
winced as he saw the menu again. "Really, Ray. 'Pure leather floggers with
exotic hardwood handles'?" 

 "That's not what we're here to see." Apparently satisfied that Fraser
wasn't going to freak out on him, Ray turned his attention back to the
computer and scrolled down to the bottom of the menu. "Here we go." 

 "Restraints," Fraser read aloud, as Ray clicked on the appropriate
button. A slow shiver made its way down his spine, causing him to shift
almost imperceptibly in his seat. 

 "Yeah." Ray flashed a tight grin at him and waggled his eyebrows
suggestively. "Sounds interesting, doesn't it?" 

 Yes, it did, actually. Fraser's eyes narrowed as he peered down at the
screen. 

 The page showed a startling array of cuffs and collars and other bondage
paraphernalia, and Fraser felt the warmth in his face deepen as Ray
scrolled down the page. He glanced sideways briefly and saw that Ray was
focused intently on the screen, eyes gleaming. 

 He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't share Ray's interest. But
it was mostly sensationalistic curiosity. Wasn't it? Ray couldn't possibly
be considering buying any of these things. 

 "Heh." Ray pointed with one finger at a short paragraph on the screen. "A
'full body elastic restraint sack'. We must not get out enough, Frase." He
glanced at Fraser and grinned. "See anything you like?" 

 The question caught Fraser off-guard. Ray's hand was still on his knee,
stroking him lightly through the fabric of his jeans, somehow countering
the rapid pounding of his heart. It looked like Ray wasn't just "window
shopping" after all. 

 He honestly had no idea what to say in response to the question, so he
let his gaze slide back toward the screen. Ray helpfully continued to
scroll through the page so he could see everything that was available. 

 "We don't have to go all out," Ray said, sounding strangely earnest. His
gaze flickered toward Fraser briefly, as if checking his reactions. "But I
am not using my handcuffs on you again, and I thought it would be nice to
have something we could use. If you wanted to, that is." 

 There was a glimmer of uncertainty in his gaze now, and Fraser realized
for the first time just how unsure Ray must feel about these new changes
in their relationship. To be honest, he hadn't given Ray much to go on,
and he felt suddenly guilty about that. Ray was always so honest, so open
with his emotions, in a way that Fraser envied. It was one of the things
Ray was teaching him, how to open up about what he felt, what he wanted.
What he needed. 

 "I'd like that," he said, somewhat surprised that the words made it out
before he could change his mind. 

 The smile Ray gave him was blinding, and he leaned in for a quick kiss
before turning back to the screen. "Coolness. You pick whatever you want,
and I'll buy. Think of it as an early birthday present." 

 Fraser cocked an eyebrow at him but refrained from commenting that the
present didn't seem to be for him alone. Ray'd had as much fun cuffing him
as he'd had being cuffed. The thought of being able to do that again
brought a warmth to his face that didn't have anything to do with
embarrassment. 

 So okay, then. Feeling a tightening in the pit of his stomach (fear?
excitement?), Fraser turned back to look at the screen. The sheer variety
of products available was overwhelming at first, but he soon focused on
one particular item that caught his eye. 

 Black leather cuffs with a buckle closure, padded with black wool
shearling. He glanced down at his wrists, trying to picture them on him.
The image made his breath quicken slightly. 

 "So? You find anything?" Ray's voice was eager. 

 Fraser pointed at the object in question, wanting to hear Ray's opinion
on it. Ray grunted softly without taking his eyes away from the screen. 

 "Simple," Ray said thoughtfully. "And elegant. It's you, Fraser." He
smiled, squeezing his hand over Fraser's knee. 

 Fraser's heart was pounding. "Ray, I'm not really sure...." 

 Before he could put his distress into words, Ray reached for his hand,
turning it over and stroking two fingers up the inside of his forearm. "I
think they'll look beautiful on you," Ray said, pressing a soft kiss to
the inside of his wrist. Fraser shivered deeply, at both the words and the
caress. 

 "Yes," he whispered, not sure if the word was agreement or permission, or
something else entirely. 

 Satisfied, Ray turned back to the computer and set about filling out the
ordering information. Fraser watched curiously, still feeling somewhat
detached from the scene that was unfolding around him. 

 "So they'll mail them right here to the apartment?" 

 Ray's smile quirked as he typed. "Sure, unless you want to have them
shipped to the Consulate." The flash of panic that statement caused must
have been visible on his face, because Ray suddenly hugged him, laughing
against the side of his neck. "I was kidding. Kidding, Frase. Jeesh." He
turned back to the computer, still chuckling. 

 Sometimes, Ray's sense of humor could be somewhat ... exasperating. 

 Still, Fraser found himself rubbing absently at his wrist where Ray had
touched him, wondering how the new cuffs would feel against his skin. He'd
begun to believe he would never know what it was to be possessed by Ray in
that way again, but now it looked like he was going to get the chance
after all. Slowly, excitement began to replace his lingering apprehension,
and he smiled when Ray looked up to catch his gaze. 

 He couldn't wait. 

 The End
 2/14/02 

End Consumer Tendencies by Rushlight: n_sanity75@hotmail.com

Author and story notes above.