discoveredinalj | Discovered in the Tinsel and Glitter – 20 December 2024

Happy holidays, everyone! Hope you enjoy the story.

Bodie was a famous (if not infamous) flirt. It didn't matter the age of the bird. It didn't even matter if she wasn't all that pretty. (Though, of course, the charm got ratcheted up a notch or two if she was a right looker.) It wasn't a sleazy kind of flirtation, either. Hard man Bodie was blessed with a surprisingly naive sort of charm. A boyish playfulness that either brought out a woman's maternal instinct, or quickly had her succumb to his bad boy allure. Combine this ability with his dark good looks and, well, the notches on his bedpost spoke for themselves. Bodie was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy. When and if he gave his love – or trust – it was hard won.

Doyle also did all right with the ladies. His looks could be called intriguing rather than classically handsome, but his lithe body and graceful movements more than captivated the eye of birds and blokes alike – especially on the dance floor. His personality was often more prickly than it was charming, but when he did decide to turn on the charm he could be downright sweet. Doyle was a 'heart on his sleeve' kind of guy. When he loved, he loved deeply. Sure, he had a bit of fun along the way, but what he truly craved was commitment.

When Cowley paired the two agents, it was with a twinkle in his eye.

Chalk and cheese, was the general consensus.

“Wait and see,” was his response.

It took longer than he'd thought it might, but he was the Cow: he was inevitably right, and he always got his way.

Sure enough, antagonism turned to friendship.

Friendship to brotherly love.

Brotherly love to...

Well, let's just say that there was little doubt in anyone's mind as to what their relationship had become. Not when that Christmas, under the twinkling fairy lights, Bodie pulled Doyle in close and kissed him senseless. And any remaining doubt vanished altogether when Doyle didn't utter a word of complaint, just grabbed Bodie's hand and hustled him away from the gaping audience of their fellow agents.

“Home. Now,” he growled, the words unnaturally loud in the hush that had fallen on the room.

“Finally.” Cowley smirked and poked his elbow in Macklin's ribs, causing the man's dropped jaw to snap closed. “I have just the op in mind for those two.”

Title: Twinkle

Author: melanieathene