[identity profile] zamaxfield.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] discoveredinalj
I love everyone's challenge responses so much and read them all the time on the Circuit Archive.  I thought I'd add my modest endeavors here, hoping no one sticks pins in my little Voodoo doll of love for the Lads... I hope it's okay for me to join the fun... if it's not contact me privately please and I'll go away...

Here's a short story for the Discovered Out of Context Challenge using "You can't go back to the way things were, cause they were never that way in the first place." The Pursuaders...

Really, this is so apt as to seem almost trite, isn't it?

You Can Leave Your Hat On

“I spent the night on my knees in front of the toilet if you must know,” said Doyle, holding a wet rag to his aching head.  

“What?” Bodie reacted with a percussive burst of sound that gave Doyle’s aching head a ringing slap even though he stood four feet away.

“Shut it!” hissed Doyle.  “Loud.”  He turned and sank back onto the couch.  

“All this because of—”

“Shut it,” Doyle repeated, this time more quietly, his eyes closed against the sunlight streaming in from the windows.  “Don’t.”

Bodie advanced farther into the room and slid the drapes shut, blocking out at least the light that concentrated on Doyle’s face.  “You couldn’t even draw your own curtains?” he asked.

“Couldn’t get up, could I?” Doyle winced.  “Easier to throw an arm up.”

“Like the undead, you hiss and sizzle until you’re nothing but ash and a blot of grease on the pavement.”

“Very funny that.  I’ll laugh when I can.”

“For Ann.”  Bodie sounded disgusted.  “All this?”

“I said—”

“And I heard you,” said Bodie.  “I just didn’t listen.  I take it you don’t give fuck all for the job?  Should I call Cowley and tell him I want Murphy?”

“Oh, you want Murphy, do you?” Doyle rose from his couch like an animated pile of rags, his face ashen, with blue smudges under his eyes.  “Like Murphy’s going to watch your backside when you take one of your notions.”

“My notions?”

“Yeah.  You know.  When you decide that loyalty is more important than common sense and keeping your thick bloody head from getting shot off.”

My thick bloody head?” Bodie was looking, but he knew he’d never seen this Doyle before.  “Who in hell are you?”

“Ah, shut it,” Doyle said again, and pulled himself to standing so he could move ever-so-slowly and carefully into the kitchen.  “Coffee?”

“Ta.” Bodie said carefully.  Doyle as a wild animal, backed into a corner, was new.  

Doyle placed the kettle on the hob, and they waited together in strained silence while it came to a boil.  The piercing whistle caused Doyle to shudder and Bodie turned to hide a laugh.  

With that first dug-from-the-jar spoonful of instant coffee Bodie felt civilization return to Doyle’s thin frame, and he accepted a mug from him and reached for the sugar.  Doyle glared at him, and went for the milk in the fridge, giving it a suspicious sniff before placing it on the counter between them.

“Now,” Bodie ventured.  “Tell uncle.”

Doyle rested a tired head on what Bodie privately thought was a rather slim and delicate wrist.  It was one of the many parts of his partner Doyle: a deceptive physical delicacy, implacable courage, unassailable honesty, and childlike faith in the goodness of people.  All of which seemed so at odds with the unvarnished truth that Doyle was essentially a killing machine.  

“I don’t know mate, it was…the fantasy.  Like being an accountant or a solicitor or something.  Courting a woman, thinking it could be more.”

“She didn’t like what you were, Doyle.  Wanted to change you.  Put you in front of the fire like a lap dog.”

“What do you know about it,” Doyle said, not combative now, sipping his coffee, resigned.

“I know what you are,” Bodie offered.  “I know what you’re worth.”

“And what’s that.  I can stop a bullet with the best of them, eh?”

Bodie’s eyes rested on his partner.  “Not while I’m around.”

Doyle closed his eyes.  “She listened to me like I had something to say.  Not just… joking around.  You know?”

Bodie’s lips lifted in a surprised smile.  “Ah, love.  You’re deep water and we treat you all shallow-like.”  He saw in the flicker of his partner’s eyes that he was stung.  “Didn’t mean it like that, mate,” he said gently.  

“I just, wanted it.”  Doyle’s hands clenched and unclenched around his mug.  “Soft places.  More.  Should have known.”

“Should have.  Yes.  Should have known you were worth twelve of Ann Holly.”

“I beg your pardon?” Doyle’s lips pursed.

“What’s she done?  How does she even sleep at night?  Puts on her cool suits and fine airs and drops you bang, for what?  Doing your job.  Likes to wake up at the mercy of drug smugglers and arms dealers, does she?”

“She doesn’t know the first thing—”  

“That’s right, she doesn’t.  Should have trusted you.  Should have seen you for who you are.  Couldn’t see your heart even though it’s on your sleeve for the whole bleeding world to take a shot at.”

“Nah,” said Doyle.  “Not the whole world.”

“The conscious ones then,” Bodie grumbled.  “Doyle—” he broke off.

“What?”

“It’s possible that when I met you I thought now here’s a plodder, Detective Constable Doyle.  Here’s a man who doesn’t have the faintest; he’ll be dead before the week’s out.”

The green eyes rolled.  “Oh, sure, because you’re an international man of mystery, you are.  The remorseless killer with the eyes of a shark, cold and dead.” Ray snorted.  “Bloody merc.”

“And yet,” said Bodie.

“And yet,” agreed Doyle.  “You sayin’ I’m like you?”

“Are you sayin’ you think you’re not?”

Doyle took a sip of his coffee.  “P’raps I’m saying you’re more like me than at first suspected.”

“Bollocks.”

“Never try to tell me it’s been easy.”

Bodie looked down.  “No.”

“What then?”

“Maybe you wanted something soft and more.  Ann wanted to take you home and remove your bits so she could watch her big, dangerous man read the paper over tea and toast every morning.”

“She seemed to rather like my bits.” Doyle remarked dangerously.

“Doyle,” Bodie rose.  “Maybe I should…”

“Say what you’ve got to say, Bodie,” sighed Doyle.  “Not like I haven’t heard it before.”

“Oh!” snapped Bodie.  “You’ve heard it all before.”

“I have, mate, you are nothing if not persistent.”

“You’ve heard the part where I tell you we’re more alike than you know.”

“Oh, yeah, I have.”  Doyle sipped his coffee, crinkling his eyes.  Bodie knew, he knew, that Doyle’s coffee was getting cold and he didn’t care for it.  

“You’ve heard the part about me coming to respect you on the job, and how I like having a mate like you when the job’s done and the nightmares aren’t far off.”

“Yes.”  Doyle eyed Bodie, who came around the counter and loomed, backing him into a corner.  “Like you ever dream.”

“You’ve heard me say Ann was a bloody waste of human skin and that for a farthing I could make you feel four hundred times more alive than she could.” At that, Bodie was a breath away from Doyle.  Doyle’s surprised eyes rose to meet his and didn’t look away.

“I would say I haven’t heard that before.”

“At last.” Bodie whispered.  “I’ve surprised even former Detective Constable Doyle, PC plod.”

Doyle licked his lips and Bodie felt the change come over his own face; he couldn’t help it.  It went from menacing to… what?  He felt the corners of his lips lift in a vaguely predatory smile.  Ah.  That.  Doyle could always change things with a look, whether he liked it or not.

“Who are you calling a plod?” Doyle murmured against Bodie’s mouth as it descended.  

Bodie caught Doyle’s curly head between large hands and held it, kicking the man’s narrow feet apart and stepping into the cradle of his lean thighs.  “Heard me say this, did you?”

After an impossible, heart-stopping moment, which to Bodie felt vaguely like leaving the Earth’s atmosphere and coming home all at the same time, Doyle broke the kiss for a breath.  “You never!”

“I did.  You just didn’t hear it.”  Bodie made his message loud and clear, grinding into Doyle’s body so he could hardly fail to understand.  He let Doyle go then, to slump against the counter.  Doyle braced himself with one hand and pushed the hair away from his face with the other.

“My G—”

“Just Bodie will do.” Bodie leaned in and took a last kiss, in case his plod should kill him where he stood.  To be fair, he probably deserved it, but he had no regrets.

“How long?” Ray was still thinking hard; Bodie could almost see the fug as he churned in it, trying to comprehend.

“Always.” Bodie whispered.  “Never.”

“Well,” Doyle said at last.

“You want soft and more.”  Bodie shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

“You think you’re the more?” Ray raised his eyebrows.

“I hope to fuck I’m not the soft,” Bodie grinned.

Ray reached out and caught the collar of Bodie’ caramel leather jacket.  Shaking his head, he pulled Bodie into another kiss.  Bodie pushed Doyle up to sit on the worktop and settled himself for a nice bit of friction and a kiss that caused Doyle’s head to collide loudly with the cabinet.  

“Bodie,” Doyle’s brows met in a ‘v’ over his hooded eyes.  “What if I’d blacked both your eyes, and mind you I’m not saying I still won’t…what was your plan for going back to the way things were?”  The way his hips rocked against Bodie’s took the sting from his words.

“You can't go back to the way things were, cause they were never that way in the first place.”  Bodie gripped his backside hard and pulled him in for a long stroking slide that made Ray gasp and smile and bump his head again.

“Oi,” Doyle barked.

“Wait right here,” said Bodie as he ran up the stairs like a lunatic.  “Just wait,” he called from Doyle’s bedroom as he rummaged around in the old wardrobe opposite the bed.  He found what he was looking for and raced triumphantly back down the stairs with it hidden behind his back.

“What,” said Doyle, who looked suspicious.  

Bodie skidded to a halt at the sight of Doyle’s lips, richly red and swollen.  Doyle’s ruined cheek carried a bit more of a blush than usual.  The breath Bodie felt escape from his chest left him with only enough strength for a wilted sort of half smile as he took in the sight of Ray Doyle, legs sprawled, arms wrapped protectively around himself as he sat on the worktop, dazed and clearly aroused.

“Ah, Raymond,” Bodie sighed.

“This was your idea. Have you lost the thread of where you were going with it?”  Green eyes mocked and challenged him simultaneously.

“Lost the thread, Sunshine?” Bodie took up his position again, nudging firmly into Doyle with a smooth and easy grace.  “Nah.”  He pulled what he was hiding out from behind his back and seated it firmly on Ray’s head, brushing the curls around, and tucking them behind the man’s ears just so.  

The hat, with it’s shiny black visor and checkered stripe, a remnant of Ray’s chameleon work under cover for CI-5 and not the actual one he’d worn as a copper, sat on his head like a triumph of Bodie’s will over Ray’s evolution.  

“Ah,” said Doyle, watching as Bodie impatiently fumbled with the belt and buttons of his blue jeans, freeing Doyle’s cock into his waiting hands.  “This explains a lot.”  Bodie looked up at him, grinned, then bent his head

“Duthen ti jutht,” murmured Bodie against Doyle’s cock as a hand snuck back behind his balls to explore deeper places.

“Ahhh, hahah,  Hah,” Doyle jumped.  “Bodie, either don’t talk with your mouth full or fucking sing!”  His head hit the cabinet again, this time hard.  “Oh, shite!” he melted into Bodie’s hands for what seemed like a long time until Bodie drew a protracted orgasm from him.

Doyle put his hand automatically on his hat so it wouldn’t fall off, years of habit, Bodie supposed.   He then fell over Bodie’s shoulder bonelessly.  Bodie shrugged and hoisted him up in a fireman’s carry, making for the steps, which, even with his burden he managed to take two at a time.   

“Ann fucking Holly do this?” Bodie muttered as he reached the top of the stairs, not even winded.

Dangling upside down behind Bodie’s back and powerless to do anything but keep his hat on, Doyle grabbed a fistful of Bodie arse and gave it a painful nip.  “Ann fucking who?”


Title:  You Can Leave Your Hat On
Author:  Abstractrx
Slash or Gen:  Bodie/Doyle
Archive at ProsLib/Circuit:  Yes
Author's Name for Archiving (if different to above): 
Disclaimer:  Oh, I don't own them... they own me...
Notes:  Rated R-ish for a brief passage and some language.
 

Date: 2008-06-09 04:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com

I will be back to read in a while -- I'm running between meetings -- but the only requirement to post here is to be a member of DIALJ which I believe you are, so no worries. :D People are welcome to comment whether members or not.

Thanks for deciding to play, and again, I look forward to reading your story! :D

Here's your swiss roll!

Date: 2008-06-09 04:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com

In an effort to encourage participation I'm handing out virtual swiss roll. :D

Well that sounds like one heck of a hangover cure.

Like this: “My G—”

“Just Bodie will do.”


Thank you!

Re: Here's your swiss roll!

Date: 2008-06-09 07:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] draycevixen.livejournal.com

I'm glad you went with the instant coffee. That's pretty much the way it was most commonly available in 1970s England. There's a reason why we were a nation of tea drinkers. :D

Date: 2008-06-09 04:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hambelandjemima.livejournal.com
If I had any kind of dolls of the lads, I wouldn't be sticking pins in them, I can assure you :D

I like this very much. Poor Doyle with his hangover and feeling sorry for himself. Trust Bodie to come up with a way of cheering him up ;)

And the last part...
“Ann fucking Holly do this?” Bodie muttered as he reached the top of the stairs, not even winded.
Dangling upside down behind Bodie’s back and powerless to do anything but keep his hat on, Doyle grabbed a fistful of Bodie arse and gave it a painful nip. “Ann fucking who?”

...was priceless! Thank you! :)

Date: 2008-06-09 04:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] probodie.livejournal.com
Hahahah loved it, particularly that last paragraph. Fucking wonderful! *g*

Date: 2008-06-09 05:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] probodie.livejournal.com
Thank you, I made it a while ago now. Just needed making LOL

Date: 2008-06-09 05:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] msmoat.livejournal.com
Oh, I liked this! Funny, yet with an edge of danger, and real emotion running underneath it all. Yeah! And lovely use of the prompt, too! Thank you! This was a wonderful suprise to find waiting for me. I can so see this happening....

Date: 2008-06-09 05:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] msmoat.livejournal.com
Oh, hey, mutual admiration--I like mutual admiration. *g*

Where does she get all those marvelous CODAs...
Running! I attribute it to running. I mean, there I was this morning. "Fall Girl" taken care of...and no clue what's going to happen next. I have vague ideas about some episodes far into the future, but not at all for the near future. Eek. And yet, half-way through my run, this idea popped into my head for "Purging"...

Of course, I'm insane to be attempting this at all.

Now I can't even watch without adding what you've said the previous week into the story line.
That's bad in some ways *g*...but I have to admit I'm glad you did it for this week. Because there was no way I could really slip in anything explicit about the distance Bodie is maintaining early on in the episode. But I was playing to that when I developed this "cooling off" period for them. So, you've just made me very happy.

But mostly I'm happy to have this new story from you. Nicely done!

Date: 2008-06-09 06:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] msmoat.livejournal.com
Go on. You know you want to...

And, hey, if I can do a coda a week, you can DIALJ prompt a week, right? You know, for inspiration purposes?

Date: 2008-06-09 06:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com
Hot and funny - I love hot and funny! Apart from the tiny detail of the milk in the fridge that dracevixen already mentioned, it sounded perfectly true to them - I hope to fuck I'm not the soft - oh yeah! Lovely, and thank you so much for coming out to play for our delight! (and I'm crazy about your use of keeping the hat on, that was too funny)

Date: 2008-06-09 06:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] callistosh65.livejournal.com
“I don’t know mate, it was…the fantasy. Like being an accountant or a solicitor or something. Courting a woman, thinking it could be more.”
“She didn’t like what you were, Doyle. Wanted to change you. Put you in front of the fire like a lap dog.”
Just about the best sunmation of the Ann Holly debacle I've ever read. Or heard, because I heard the pair of them so clearly throughout this. Wow, what a start to your life in Pros! Hot, funny, and with an edge. Just my kind of fic.

Date: 2008-06-09 06:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sc-fossil.livejournal.com
What a fine job you did. Really nice. I loved the talk, the banter. And Bodie knowing he was what Doyle needed. Now what's not to love about that?

“Ann fucking Holly do this?” Bodie muttered as he reached the top of the stairs, not even winded.

Dangling upside down behind Bodie’s back and powerless to do anything but keep his hat on, Doyle grabbed a fistful of Bodie arse and gave it a painful nip. “Ann fucking who?”


I really liked the ending. Thanks!

Date: 2008-06-09 07:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] siskiou.livejournal.com
Fantastic read!
Bodie being supportive the Bodie way: tough on the outside, but his thoughts reveal so much.

I love this line (among many others that have already been mentioned): With that first dug-from-the-jar spoonful of instant coffee Bodie felt civilization return to Doyle’s thin frame.
As a coffee addict, this made me smile and secretly agree. :)

It's great so see new writers still taking on The Professionals, and I hope you'll stick with them for a long time to come!

Date: 2008-06-09 11:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] byslantedlight.livejournal.com
Post-Involvement fic, yeay! Love Doyle's solution, and I like Bodie's solution even better - cheers! *g*

Date: 2008-06-14 01:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jgraeme2007.livejournal.com
You didn't tell me! This is great. Really enjoyed it. Very nice touches all the way through.

Date: 2008-06-14 01:47 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jgraeme2007.livejournal.com
Ooh, and Oh Squee! He enjoyed it! *tiptoes off to squee to family and friends*

One of my most brilliantly self-serving moves was to introduce talents like you to Pros. *g* Be careful, I'm one step from giving you my story wishlist.

Date: 2008-07-05 03:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] justacat.livejournal.com
I've been a bit unusually out of it the past few weeks and have fallen way, way behind, so I'm sorry for the late response...but I really enjoyed this! I always like Bodie goading Doyle out of his self-pitying funk... And I love Doyle's “You never!”, and Bodie's “I did. You just didn’t hear it.” So glad you've been convinced to write Pros; hope to see more!!

And a quick question for you - do you want to include an email address in your contact info on the Circuit Archive (I encode them to prevent spybots)? Just let me know - you can comment here or drop me a line at archivist at thecircuitarchive dot com or justacat66 at gmail dot com.

Thanks!! (Oh, and just fyi, I announce on the [livejournal.com profile] circuit_archive LJ when I add stories to the Archive.)

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