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Ray pulled up in front of Benton's apartment complex, and looked out the window and up at the rows of windows. No way was he looking forward to walking up six flights just to give Benton's door a knock, not when they'd just be leaving a moment later. To top it all off he was...weirdly nervous. He hadn't been on a date, not one that meant anything,

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"For god's sake, Diefenbaker, you're not going to starve if I don't bring you back any leftovers. No! It would be foolish to spend money on a separate entrée! Who said you were coming along, anyway. This is a date. I--"

Fraser froze at the sound of an engine shutting off outside. He hadn't even chosen a shirt yet! He ran to the window and thrust out his head. "I'll be down in a moment!"

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"I don't believe I've ever had any. But I'd like to," Fraser was careful to add. His stare grew more intent as color spread over Ray's cheeks. It really was quite fetching, the effect.

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"Never?" Ray asked, eyes wide as he glanced over at Benton once more. "Wow. Never for real?" He looked amused by that, and pleased. He never got to introduce anybody to anything like a whole food group before.

"Hey, can I order for you?" he asked, glancing over.

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"Certainly." Fraser suspected the experience would not be the last thing he entrusted Ray with, and he did his best not to let the idea frighten him. "What's it like?"

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"It's great, it'll fill you up and make you feel fat for days," Ray exclaimed, like there was nothing else in the world better. "Mostly it revolves around meat, pork, and uh, kielbasa, which is like this Polish sausage. Lots of food's served with cabbage, and dumplings and noodles. The philosophy behind Polish food is that you take a long time to enjoy it."

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Fraser leaned back in his seat to comtemplate this. "I like that, Ray," he said after a moment. "Everything on this planet seems so fast, so...overly oriented in speed. Meals should be leisurely. Savoured."

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Ray glanced at his speedometer, 'cause he usually ended up going ten over the speed-limit. Woops. He slowed down some and looked over at Benton at the next red light. "Plus there's big proportions, so we can share," he said stupidly, reaching over and taking Benton's hand in his. "If you want."

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"Portions." Fraser smiled and looked down at the hand covering his own. "I'd like to share. Whatever selections from the menu you think are best."

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Ray gave Benton's hand a light squeeze before returning his hand to the wheel. "Definitely nothing with garlic," he said, grinning to himself.

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"Why not?" asked Fraser. "Garlic has many phytotherapeutic properties. It can be used as a broad spectrum antibiotic, for example, and when aged, makes a powerful anti-oxidant."

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Ray blinked slowly. There were about ten words Benton just said that he had no idea the meaning of.

"Yeah, but it gives you gross breath," he replied. "And I got plans for my mouth and your mouth."

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"I see." Fraser ducked his head, turning to look out the window as though it might hide the flush creeping over his cheeks. He supposed he could save healthy eating for the morrow, just this once. "I read some of that book, Ray."

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Ray was grinning again, like his face was gonna crack. "Was it hot?"

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Fraser made a high-pitched noise and cleared his throat. "I didn't...get far. The dialogue was improbable, and I confess I found the romance to be somewhat lacking."

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"What? Benton, you don't read those for the stories. You skip to the hot parts," Ray told him.

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"But I didn't believe in their love, Ray," said Fraser, fiddling with the door handle. "A socially withdrawn biochemist cannot simply approach an extreme sports enthusiast and expect to have an over abundance in common with him. Not that I believe opposites don't attract - science has already proven that theory to be correct, I'm simply saying that in this particular circumstance, I don't believe the author was interested in truly establishing their feelings for one another beyond the carnal."