"I'm fine."
"Benny, what are you doing in there?" Ray pressed his ear to the small washroom that consisted of a toilet and sink. Ray thought he heard the rustle of paper, not toilet but newspaper. The small lines between the eyes creased together as Ray wondered what was keeping Benny so long to keep Ray sitting and waiting in that hard wooden chair for half of an hour to take him to work.
Ray thought, 'The Dragon Lady will not be happy.' and he knocked again.
"Come on Fraser, it's either you come out or I'm coming in."
Waiting for five seconds, Ray pushed his jacket out of the way and reached for his gun and cocked it. Benton opened the door dressed in the calmer tones of the brown uniform. His mouth wide open watching Ray weapon out of its holster, "Ray, would you shoot your gun? In a building full of..."
Ray put the safety back on and shrugged casually, "Who knows? It got you out didn't it?" Ray walked back towards his coat.
Benton shook his head and forgot what he was holding, once realizing it he tried to hide in the kitchen drawer, nevertheless it was too late as Ray buttoned his coat up and asked. "Okay what kind of book is that?" jutting out his chin towards the drawer Benton finished closing.
Eyes round, head tilted to the side and then looking everywhere but Ray, a minuscule movement of his shoulders replied to Ray, "Oh? It's nothing." Ben checked his watch, "Oh look we're going to be late." He went into the closet and pick out to his dark pea-coat. From inside he continued casually, "So Ray, how is your mother?"
Ray's green eyes shined, the same way it did when Benny asked him about going undercover as a car salesman and as before he knew when he was being snowed, he smiled and went to the drawer, and talked back in the same casual manner, "Oh you know ma, she wants me home at a decent time, to feed me and bring that nice young man that I hang around with, as she thinks he's too thins for her taste. Can you come over tonight?"
"Yes, I would enjoy seeing your mother. Umm, Ray..."
Benny came out, closed the close door behind and turned in time to watch Ray reading the cover to an oversize book. "What is this?"
"Nothing." He tried to take it back but Ray was wily and they both ended up near the bed; Ray sat down. "I'll give it back if you just tell me." Ray looked at the picture on the front. It had superheroes on the cover. "What it is? A comic book?" flipping through the pages it was most, if not all text. The pictures weren't comic book style but pencil illustrations and as Ray really focused on what was he reading Ben sat down next to him and kept checking his watch. He thought to himself as he was definitely late and thinking past the room and wondering how long he was standing guard duty today. Considering yesterday and well the week worth of bad mood from his superior...
He wondered if Ray could say he was sick, with a deadly disease.
Even today he wanted to avoid Inspector Thatcher. They didn't call her the Dragon Lady and well similar connotations behind her back for nothing.
Heavy into his daydreaming, Ray brought him back only when Ben saw the beige page with blurry text flashed, shaking vigorously in front of his face and Ray who was looking at him like he was the creature from "The Black Lagoon". Shaking his head that was diverting into movie trivia, concentrated on Ray question. "Pardon?"
Ray sighed bringing the book back down on his lap, "The book? Where? What kind of book is this?"
"Oh, I found it."
Ray sat there watching...
"Oh, um I found it on the street when I came home from work last night," Ray stared and Benny relented, "A couple of nights ago when you couldn't pick me up. You know I believe someone lost it but luckily it had a card with the owner's name. I was planning on bringing it back today after my shift."
Ray growled, "Benny, so God help me..."
"Oh, oh... I... It's called a fanzine. I went on the computer in the library and there are fascinating articles about the history of fan appreciation and development around..." Benny thought he could actually see Ray glazing over if his ears wasn't so red from the roundabout.
Ray spoke softly and slowly as he was talking to one of his nieces. "Benny, in this "fanzine" it has Superman screwing Batman in the Batcave."
Benny's fingers pried his collar, just a little. "Well yes." Ray popped off the bed with the book in his hand, reading other passages inside the pages. "Hmm, this is how they meet each other and," flipping around again, "while finding a mutual attraction deciding to stay friends. This one looks like a sad ending when one finds happiness with someone else."
"Yes, I thought that was sad."
Ray sat back down on the bed and turned to him. Ben continued, "You know they knew each other for years but Batman didn't want to upset the balance of his life, his mission and left whatever attraction, feelings he had to neglect. From the author's writing, he sounded surprised when the man he loved had married another."
It was Ray who looked everywhere except Benny, "Yeah, well, Batman is like that from what I remember. Superman seems like a guy who wanted to be friends with Batman but every time he tried to show him, he didn't return back any friendship, no, I'm wrong, any true affection so I guess in the end Superman decided to find it somewhere else, to find someone who would want what he was willing to give to him."
"I guess Batman can be foolish, so dedicated to one thing that he misses another, something that could make him better but he's stuck in his ways until its too late. Ray..."
Ray got off the bed, shaking the fanzine in his hands, "Let's ditch work. I don't have much today and your shift would be over by now so why don't we go looking for the owner of this fanzine and return it."
"Ray, I know Welsh added another homicide case to your workload, you said yourself yesterday you needed to get on it quickly. Ray?" He glanced to his partner. Ray's lifted eyebrow and smile waited for Benny to catch up.
"Ah, not the point of this endeavor." Fraser placed the stetson under his arm. "And then..." Benny got up as well off the bed and stood quite close to Ray.
"And then," Ray smiled that goofy smile Ben simply adored, "we'll thank them for letting us read it."
"And then..." Benny, if possible stood much closer into Ray's space.
Swiftly kissing him on the lips, Ray ducked before Ben's arms went around him and hiked it to the door, turned the knob and making a gallant gesture to the outside. Ray smiled again, "Ask her or him how to get more."
Ben shook his head and laughed at Ray's silliness and wondered if he'll see this new side to Ray which he hoped because he needed someone to balance his seriousness. He was glad he read the fanzine because even though Batman loses his partner to another, Benton took the lesson at heart and wanted Ray to interfere in his "mission" but also knowing that Ray would help him carry out what he wanted to do. Benny walking out of the door kissed Ray on the cheek and walked out to the stairs and with Ray's closing the door following behind.
Batman might of lost his Superman but Benton Fraser has no intention of neglecting Raymond Vecchio out of his life anytime soon.
"You know Benny, I used to write a lot as kid and I even wrote one story where Arthur and Tristan fell in love."
"Really Ray?"
"Oh yeah, I was very into Arthurian Legend when I was a kid."
"Well we'll ask if there a fanzine for that as well."
Reaching outside Ray smiled at him. "Good, that would be cool."
Story Notes:
I think this is babble then turned in drabble which begat somewhat of a fic.