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Of Powers and Persuasions
for Aingeal
Author's Notes: Thank you very much to LJ user cocoajava for beta-reading this for me.
Ray moves against me, his body warm and his heartbeat dashing out a rhythm which reminds me of Gershwin. The case we're on has come to a dead end, quite literally, and I am equal parts dazed and confused that our suspect has disappeared. My confusion is only amplified by the sudden pulse of my heart-rate due to the close proximity of Ray's body to my own.
"You okay, Benny? You're looking a little pale."
"I'm fine, Ray. I just need to catch my breath."
"You? Super Mountie? In need of oxygen? I can hardly believe it."
I concentrate on regulating my heartbeat and try not to show my displeasure with Ray's sarcasm. I have never implied that I am in any way possessed of super powers; it is only Ray who says such things. I'm perfectly aware of my limitations and contrary to popular belief, I don't have an endless supply of energy. I think I succeed in masking my annoyance, but Ray gazes at me for a moment, expecting some kind of response.
"We did just run seventeen blocks, Ray."
The alley we're in is closed off on three sides by tall brick walls; the exteriors of worn-down apartment blocks. I walk forward and tap on the far wall. The bricks in front of me look solid, impenetrable. MacGuffin couldn't have gone through them, nor right over the top of them, so where did he go?
I look up and see a metal rod extending two feet out of the wall, approximately two and a half metres high. Above it, there is what looks to be a window. I judge the distance and jump, thrusting my arms up and connecting my hands with the metal. From here, I manage to swing upright, until I stand on the bar. I can see that the window just above me is open. All I would have to do is reach out, dig my toes into the mortar and drag myself up. If I could do it, MacGuffin could too.
"Fraser, what the hell are you doing? I was only joking, Fraser. I didn't expect you to actually, you know, start using your super powers."
"He escaped this way, Ray. I'm sure of it."
"So he's in the next building?"
"Yes."
I begin to reach up for the window.
"Fraser! Get down. We can go through the front door."
Looking down at Ray in a moment of annoyance, I realise how far up I am. I feel slightly faint at the thought of it. I wobble slightly, only to hear Ray emit a high-pitched squeak. This steadies me and I drop down to sit on the metal - steel, I think - before jumping from there into a crouching position next to Ray on the concrete.
I can tell from the way he is looking at me that Ray's thinking about telling me off. Familiar words of "are you insane" and "I do not want squished Mountie for Christmas" echo through my mind. Luckily, we don't have time for a long and involved conversation. We start running towards the front of the building and as I predicted, Ray begins to jabber, half to himself and most probably half to me.
"Why'd I have to get an insane Mountie for a partner? Why not someone like Huey? You know, a nice, normal, way-too-lazy-to-jump-several-feet-in-the-air Chicago cop?"
I can't help but respond. "You love me really, Ray."
"Well maybe. Yeah, okay, I do love you, but that doesn't mean you don't scare the hell out of me. Hey, it makes it even worse."
I ring the bell to gain access to the apartment building, with Ray stepping in to answer for me as I get caught up trying to explain exactly which apartment we want to enter and why. As we run up the flights of stairs, my mind wanders to the conversation Ray and I have had. He has admitted he loves me. Yes, perhaps it is in a moment of jest, and yes, it is due to my prompt, but Ray is not one to lightly use words like love. This revelation twists something deep inside me. Something I wasn't even aware I was holding onto. My enjoyment of Ray's company not only has more of a physical component than I had ever imagined, but something deeper too.
I am startled out of my reverie by Ray knocking on an apartment door. He has little concern for what has passed between us. His only role is to catch MacGuffin.
"Come out, MacGuffin, we have you surrounded," Ray calls, his shoulder against the door and his gun in his hand.
"That's not strictly true, Ray."
"Back-up should be here any minute."
"When did you call back-up?" I rasp. The air is sharp against my throat. Ray quirks an eyebrow at me, gives me that smug smile I know too well. It tugs at a loose thread in the back of my mind and I'm tempted to lean in and kiss the expression off his face.
"Haven't you been paying attention?"
"I don't think so, Ray."
"We need to get in here, Benny. Can't you kick the door down or something?"
I do as Ray asks, only briefly wondering why the task falls to me. MacGuffin launches himself out of the apartment at speed, slamming into the wall behind us and running down the corridor, back towards the stairs.
"Oh, for Christ's sake," Ray mutters, and I share his sentiment, if not the phrase.
"MacGuffin would appear to be resistant to our arrest, Ray," I say, opening my eyes slightly wider and heaving in a deep breath
"See, now you're just being an asshole," Ray smiles back.
We run again. There are moments when I am only too happy to be on guard duty as opposed to haring down streets, up stairs, over rooftops and everywhere in between. These moments are brief, but they're there. I feel like I could do with one of those moments right now.
By the time we catch MacGuffin, other members of the Chicago PD have shown up. Ray attaches himself to MacGuffin's back, pinning him down and asking me to get the cuffs from his back pocket. I awkwardly extract the cuffs, trying not to touch Ray, even though I want to.
The arrest is a success. MacGuffin is convicted of three counts of burglary. Lieutenant Welsh is pleased and commends Ray and myself for fine work. During the car ride back to my apartment, I try not to think too much about the taut line of Ray's shoulders, the graceful curve of his neck as he tilts his head to the left.
Ray comes into my apartment, absent-mindedly reaching down to pat Diefenbaker as I pay Willie the money I owe him. When we are alone, he fixes me with a steady gaze.
"You've kinda been acting odd all day, Benny," Ray says, and he's looking at me with warmth, patience.
"I'm sorry, Ray."
"Don't be sorry. Just tell me what's wrong."
"It was what you said before," I say, unable to completely mask the note of fear in my tone.
"The super powers thing? I was joking, Benny. You know that."
"Not the super powers thing."
"What, then?"
I wonder how juvenile it would be to say something akin to "it was about the `l' word, Ray." I stop as Ray walks over and presses a hand onto my shoulder, his fingers caressing my neck.
"Benny?"
Suddenly, I see. It hasn't just been me who has been receiving signals relating to more than friendship. All of those moments I was disconcerted by Ray's shoulder against my own or his tendency to close any space between us whirl into focus. I was positive that he forgot about personal space because he was comfortable around me. And he is comfortable around me. For the same reasons I am comfortable around him.
"Ray."
I lean forward and Ray ducks back. I stop, hesitant. Perhaps I was wrong after all. A frown creases Ray's brow and he looks from my face down to my boots, before gazing back into my eyes.
"Benny," he says again. His voice is thick and deep; unrecognisable.
I lean in once more and Ray mirrors the action, pushing forward to place his lips on mine. We kiss, our bodies forming an arc. He swings me against the cupboards as my tongue flicks against his. My oxygen is on low supply, but at this moment, I don't particularly care, I just want us to stay like this, wrapped together. Ray has other ideas and pulls away, staring at me in disbelief. It's difficult to gauge his reaction.
"Wow, Benny."
"Yes, Ray."
"I had no idea."
"Really? None?"
"Maybe a little."
"Me too, Ray."
The corners of my mouth tug up and I can't help grinning at Ray. This is so strange. And yet, it feels natural.
"You know, I bet you have other super powers," Ray says and there's a slyness there which is disingenuous. He is faking bravado. I let him.
"I'm sure you have a few of your own."
I smother his "we'll have to find out" with a hot and heavy kiss. I don't think he'll mind.
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