Discovered During a Test Match

[tears-of-nienna.livejournal.com]

Cricket whites just didn't stay white very long. It was a bit mad, after all, for any sport to insist upon pristine white uniforms. It seemed like every other day Bodie was dropping his off at the cleaners for one reason or another.

One white jumper, tea-stained.

It wasn't his fault. He'd just happened to look across the pitch in time to see Doyle sitting in the stands. It was surprise that made him choke on his tea, of course, and not the fact that his partner had shown up with a gorgeous blonde. He wasn't bothered by it. Furtive hand-jobs after a rough assignment didn't constitute a relationship, after all. So he had no reason to be jealous.

No reason at all.

One white polo-shirt with Guinness stain.

It had been Bodie's round, halfway through the celebration of his side's stunning victory. He'd stepped up to the bar, and a voice had spoken up from beside him. "I'll have a pint--on his tab," Doyle said.

Bodie cast him a sidelong glance, but didn't refuse.

Doyle leaned against the bar. "It was a good match."

"You noticed? Thought you'd be too busy with your hand up that blonde's skirt. Where'd she go, anyway?"

"Home," he said casually.

"What, not a cricket fan, was she?" Bodie asked, sounding sarkier than he'd meant to.

"She's a nurse. Had to work."

"Fine story, that," he replied with a smug smile. "More likely you're just worried that if she met me, she'd realize she'd landed the wrong partner."

"Or maybe I just wanted to--" Doyle cut himself off as the barmaid set the drinks down. He glanced from the glass to Bodie, and shook his head. "Forget it," he muttered, shoving the glass of beer back across the bar to collide with the other glasses in front of Bodie. Foam sloshed over the side, spilling onto Bodie's shirt as he stared after Doyle's departing figure.

Second white polo-shirt, torn, bloodstained.

But of course CI5 managed to interfere with cricket as with any other part of Bodie's life. A call forced him to leave the pitch just before his turn at bat, to much grumbling from his teammates. Doyle pulled into the lot a moment later, and Bodie grabbed his rig and slid into the passenger seat without a thought for a spare set of clothes.

Cricket whites proved to be an unfortunate choice of apparel for a warehouse shootout. Doyle's shouted warning saved him from anything worse than a graze, but Bodie's sleeve was torn, and he doubted if the cleaners would ever manage to get the blood out of it.

Doyle ranted at him all through the trip to the hospital and back. His voice shook at first, but he gained momentum as they drove, only finishing when he pulled up in a squeal of tyres outside Bodie's flat. Bodie opened the door and winced as the motion shifted the bandage on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Doyle staring straight ahead, his knuckles white around the steering wheel.

"Hey," Bodie said, and Doyle started at the sound of his voice. "You coming up?"

Slowly, Doyle's grip on the wheel loosened, and he nodded. "Yeah, all right."

One pair white trousers, grass stains, both knees.

The pitch was empty when Bodie emerged from the locker-room after the match. The lads had already gone down to the pub, but Bodie had seen Doyle waiting just beyond the boundary, and had told the others to go on without him.

"Your girl had to work again?" he asked, not unkindly.

Doyle shook his head. "Came alone."

Bodie winced. "Dropped you, did she?"

"Wouldn't have worked, anyway. She spends all her time fixing bullet holes in people, and we spend most of ours--"

"--putting those holes into people. I know."

"Speaking of that, how's your arm?" Doyle asked.

"Seemed all right, didn't it?" he countered, a faint grin lighting his face. He'd done well for his side, and the victory celebration at the pub would be one for the ages. Strangely, he didn't much care that he was missing it.

Doyle seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Don't you want to catch up with your mates?"

Bodie shrugged. "Rather..." grab a takeaway with you, sit on the sofa and watch the late film, get down on my knees and-- Bodie cut off that train of thought with a grimace.

Doyle gave him an expectant look, waiting for him to finish the sentence, but Bodie shook his head. "Never mind. I am sorry about your girl."

"I'm not," Doyle said quietly. He reached out, his fingertips not quite brushing Bodie's cheek, then let his hand fall. "Bodie, I--"

"Oh, shut up, Ray," Bodie said. He stepped in close and kissed him. Doyle grabbed a handful of Bodie's thick white sweater, pulling him closer and kissing him as though he'd been waiting weeks to do it.

A long while later, Bodie stepped back, grinned, and dropped to his knees.

It was a different sort of victory celebration. A bit quieter than the pub, and a good deal more exclusive, but then, they had more to celebrate, too.

Title: Test Match
Author: Sarah K
Slash or Gen: Slash
Archive at ProsLib/Circuit: Yes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pros, and everything I know about cricket, I learned in the last four hours.

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh excellent - thank you... I love the idea of Bodie getting more and more mussed and grubby as the cricket season goes on... and yeay for quiet celebrations! *vbg*

And with my umpire's hat on, it looks like you posted three and a half hours after claiming, so yeay for your fun! Plus I'm awarding you a six for being brave enough to go first (hit the ball over the boundary without it bouncing - especially since you didn't know cricket at all!). *g*

[tango65.livejournal.com]

Very nicely done. Wouldn't have believed in your lack of cricket knowledge, it didn't show. Liked the play on the laundry and stains angle - very clever. You've set a very high standard to start the next innings. Well done!

[andreathelion.livejournal.com]

Now that was lovely :D I really, really enjoyed reading it.
Thank you!

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

We-ell... I've just got coffee, it's quiet at work, and no one has bagsed the next innings yet, so I shall have a go! Starting at 11.40 Lad's time - so I'll need to be done before 15.40!

[constant-muse.livejournal.com]

That's an unusual way to get grass stains on the knees, but a lot more fun than playing cricket! Well done you for going in to bat, and that was well worth a six.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, nice. I like how they came together in this, catalogued through Bodie's laundry. *g* Thank you!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of Ray ranting at Bodie all the way back to his flat, and getting progressively more wound up. Very nice job! I rather enjoy the thought of Bodie in his cricket whites, too, even if they don't stay white for long.

[m31andy.livejournal.com]

Ooh, fantastic! Loved it a lot and the last couple of lines were killers!!!

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like this. The progression through Bodie's outfit is well done, and the way the relationship slowly develops along with it works very nicely.

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

Love it love it love it! The moment I saw the division into laundry reports, I was agog to see what was going to get stained/damaged and more importantly how and why - so when I saw grass stains, both knees I was happy! A well-earned celebration there! *g*

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

That was just grand. I really like how you separated the sections, with each article of clothing and how they became stained. Nicely done. Thanks so much.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Loved their relationship as seen through Bodie's laundry! Lovely, and bravo, your lack of cricket knowledge didn't show at all.

[the-cornettist.livejournal.com]

I loved this. I loved the bite-sized chunks, each one detailing a mishap to an article of Bodie's cricketting apparel, and the build up to the private celebration. Very well done, especially given the time limit.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this story of Bodie's cricketing whites, it put a smile on my face. Great opening!

[squeeful.livejournal.com]

You, my dear duchess, have been holding out on me.

[hambelandjemima.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about cricket, but I know that I like this very much :) Well done, you, for starting off procedings and for setting a high standard :)

[probodie.livejournal.com]

Ooh nice! Having chance to catch up now on these marvellous cricket fics. I giggled at Bodie's green stained knees too, but I enjoyed it all. Thanks for sharing it.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Lovely! Especially the way the clothes get dirtier and dirtier! And a satisfactory ending.

[zana16.livejournal.com]

I know I'm a bit late commenting, but I wanted to say this was lovely. Thank you!