Author's website: http://freespace.virgin.net/jodie.mouse

Disclaimer: not mine - they are borrowed.

Author's Notes: thanks to Pita Patter for suggesting the idea (and thanks for Take the Lead) - and thanks to those on lists who gave feedback etc on earlier version. thanks D.

Story Notes: basically an 'undercover in a gay club' story. suggestions for any other typical slash situations you'd like me to try are most welcome ;-)

"Obvious"
By Jodie Louise

"You can't really want me to go undercover as a...well...who's gonna believe me? I mean I can see how they'd think that about Kowalski, I mean I've thought that about Kowalski..."

I shift in my seat to look at Vecchio when he says this. He turns an' looks at me.

"I mean look at you. Dyed blond hair, the white T-shirt and jeans -- mean it's obvious isn't?" he says gesturing at my clothes.

"What's obvious, Vecchio?" I ask sweetly.

"Well, you know."

"Nah I don't."

"Vecchio -- Kowalski -- d'you think we could get back to business here?" Welsh says glaring at us both.

"Vecchio you're doing this case with Kowalski. The mountie's gone back to Canada and neither of you have got a partner. I'm putting you together on this case. I'm putting you together as partners. Deal with it."

"But..." begins Vecchio.

"You are going undercover to catch these guys. You are gonna pretend to be a gay couple because all the targets have been gay men." says Welsh - staring at Vecchio, then me, "You are doing this `cos I've got pressure on me to get results. Three are in hospital one has died. You are both good Detectives and I want you working together on this."

"Yes sir." I say.

Welsh nods. Vecchio is mumbling into his hand. I get up and take the files from Welsh's desk. Vecchio is still sitting there mumbling into his hand. I touch him on the shoulder and he flinches.

"C'mon Vecchio, it`s gettin` late. We'll go back to mine, get a pizza in and some beers go over the files."

He looks up at me. I lean in close to his ear.

"We could even practise some of that undercover stuff we'll need to be doin' if ya like."

"Kow--" begins Vecchio.

"Detective Vecchio. I think Kowalski has the right idea. Now why don't you two go back to his apartment to get a handle on this case." Welsh interrupts.

I try not to smirk wondering if Welsh heard my other little suggestion. Vecchio gets up from his chair mumbling stuff under his breath. Stuff `bout fags I think.

"Don't worry Lieu -- I'll be gentle with him." I say winking.

"Kowalski..." begins Vecchio, he shuts up when I tap him on the ass and push him outta Welsh's office.

"Stop touching me, Kowalski."

"No can do Vecchio. Ya heard Welsh -- we gonna be doing a lot of touching on this case."

"But you're a..."

"I'm a what, Vecchio?" I ask giving him one of my best `don't mess with me' looks.

"Nothing."

I grin - he can't even stand to say the word. This is gonna be an experience for him.

I pull some beers outta the fridge as Vecchio comes into my apartment with a box of pizza. Don't recognise the name of the place he got it from.

"Where did ya get that?"

"I've got proper Italian pizza, Kowalski. Not having any of that shit you eat."

"Wha's wrong with the pizza I have? It's Italian."

"Does it look like this?" Vecchio asks pulling the lid off.

It is thin. With black round things on -- olives? Great splodges of white cheese dotted around and green vegetables. Little leafy green dots on it too.

"Wha are the little green things?"

"Herbs - you know - oregano, basil that sort of thing."

Don't normally like green stuff, still since Vecchio paid and is sorta tryin' to be nice, well, I thought I wouldn't complain too much. So I hand him a beer, sit on the couch, and take a slice of pizza while pulling one of the files off of the coffee table.

I have a mouthful of the pizza.

"Wha's this grey-purple stuff?"

"Egg plant."

"S'nice." I say taking another bite.

We both eat in silence for a while.

"I'm not sure if I'm happy with doing this thing Kowalski. I mean you're a..." Vecchio trails off.

"Jus' say it Vecchio. Say whatcha think I am."

He takes a swig from his beer.

"Ya can't, can ya?" I ask.

A pause.

"Did you ever sleep with Benny?" he says real quick.

I turn and look at him. I lean back on the couch and look through narrowed eyes.

"D'ya think I did? That I corrupted the mountie's little ass or something?"

"You were up in Canada for a long time all alone -- just you and him."

"Ya making some kinda innu-- assumptions here? Did ya ever have that nice piece of mountie ass?"

"No."

"Betcha wanted to though Vecchio."

He looks at me - a mixture of fear and anger. Then I get it. These macho guys are all the same.

"Mountie confused ya did he? Not the only man he's confused -- Huey told me 'bout the time he had a wet dream 'bout Frase. Wanted to see if he was really into both sides with a willing partner if ya get wha I mean."

That was one interesting night. Huey had been a quick study. Think he got it on with Dewey after that `cos he never came back to see me.

Vecchio looks all wide-eyed at me.

"Since ya are so interested Vecchio, I go both ways. Know wha they say dontcha? Takes one to know one."

I wink at him. Vecchio looks like I've jus' grown horns or something. I put the files back on the table and leave my beer there too. I swivel `round `til I'm almost facing Vecchio and let our knees touch.

"Ya ever been with a guy before, Vecchio?"

He shakes his head. Think I've silenced him for once.

"Would ya like to?" I ask him rubbing his thigh, "'Cos I think you're real pretty with those green eyes and that."

Vecchio's breathing has become heavy, laboured. I move my hand up towards his groin. Don't try and shake me off. Unzip him and take his cock into my mouth. Lick. Suck. Lick. Suck.

An' I feel his hand on the back of my head pushing me into him. Thrusting into my mouth an' I go down harder on him. Suck harder.

He is groaning - I know he is near. An' I'm swallowing every last drop of him. I pull away and wipe the back of my hand over my mouth. Look up into his face. His eyes are closed. Could have been thinking of a woman. I want him to think of me.

Vecchio opens his eyes.

"Changed ya mind `bout the case? Ya liked that didn't ya?" I asked.

He sits up on the couch an' stares at me.

"Kowalski, you're a slut, d'you know that?"

"Yeah but ya liked that Vecchio. Makes ya a slut too."

I pull out another slice of pizza from the box and start eating it.

"It don't mean I'm a fag."

"Of course not Vecchio. I mean fags don't like having their cocks sucked by other fags now do they?"

I splutter out pizza as Vecchio grabs and pulls me close.

"I am not a fag."

"Jeez. Okay. Get the fuck off of me."

"I am not a fag." Vecchio says, releasing me.

He notices his zipper is still undone so tidies himself up. Maybe if he repeats `I'm not a fag' enough times he'll actually believe it's true. Dunno why he's doing it `cos sure as hell doesn't convince me.

I throw one of the files at him.

"Ya do realise ya gonna hafta kiss me for this assignment?"

He scowls at me but opens the file and starts flicking through it. I'm right `bout him - closet case. Tell by the way he holds himself - lotsa tension. I like challenges.

Fraser was a challenge. Classic closet case jus` like Vecchio. Think perhaps they probably had a thing for each other but were too scared to do anything. That wouldn't surprise me. Took a whole lot to get Frase into my bed I can tell ya. An' we go up to Canada and he runs off with some Steve guy he used to know years back. Thanked me like the freak he is for getting me in touch with his -- `homosexuality' -- he called it, so he could love Steve how he always wanted to love him. Started goin' on 'bout Greeks or summat. Those Greeks were freaks I can tell you. He kept goin' on 'bout this god having sex with a bull.

Don't mind Fraser breaking it off that much - was good while it lasted. I s'pose I did my bit for true love an' all that. Mean I didn't love Fraser. Dunno if I can love anyone after The Stella.

But he's left a hole inside jus' like Stella did. But he wasn't mine to stop goin' if I didn't really love him was he?

So now I've become Kowalski the slut. An' I've jumped my new partner, Vecchio. Think this is getting as weird as one of those Greek stories since he had a fling with Stella an' now I've sucked his cock and want his tight ass.

An' then the moment's gone. Back to Kowalski the Detective. We're back to normal talking `bout the case. Well, sorta talking `bout the case. Avoiding certain parts of the case, for the moment. But I'm not gonna let him forget `bout those parts. Oh no.

The deal is there's this guy that sells duff drugs. Ya go outside with him an' get done over. `Cept the last guy weren't so lucky. After looking at the files and shaking up some contacts we're pretty sure Jonny Ellis is involved.

We go to the bar in the club where the guys were last seen before they got beat up. I've got my hand wrapped around Vecchio's waist and yeah he's doin' this undercover thing good. Not like he's a closet case anymore or maybe it`s `cos he`s a closet case that he's doin' so well.

I order our beers and pull his face to me, kissing him. He don't use his tongue but I use mine on him. Tasting Vecchio. I grope at him an' he is hard. I break the kiss and smile taking the beers from the barman an' giving him the money. I then look `round the club trying to spot one of the guys from the files or may be Jonny himself.

I turn an' look at Vecchio. He is miserable. I swear he is mumbling `I'm a fag' under his breath. Somewhere along the way he lost the `not'.

I like Vecchio, lust after him an' that, an' even sorta care `bout him (but don't tell him). He was confused `bout stuff when he met the mountie and he wouldn't have got so hard when I sucked him if he hadn't been into it. He's into guys -- he's into me.

An' I can see him looking `round the club. He's not jus' looking for leads -- he's looking at ass too.

"Ain't that the Jonny guy over there?" I ask pulling at Vecchio's elbow.

"Why don't you wear your glasses? That's a woman."

I pull my glasses on.

"Jeez. So it is."

"Don't you ever wear contacts?"

"Hurt my eyes -- too much fuss."

"You better not ever get me shot 'cos you don't pull your glasses out quick enough." Vecchio says, looking `round the club some more.

"Ya spent a long time running 'round with an unarmed mountie - at least I've got a gun and am a good shot."

"There he is."

I look over to where Vecchio is gesturing, an' then look back at him and nod. Take my glasses off and pocket them. Go on to the dance floor and start doin' some moves. Outta the corner of my eye I see Vecchio disappear into the shadows. Know he's watching Jonny.

Slowly I move closer to the guy, still dancing. Turn an' catch his eye. He nods at me and gestures me over.

"You're a dancer." he says.

"Wha are ya?" I ask, moving close.

"A salesman of quality goods. Something to loosen up ya stuffy boyfriend."

"Well, I'm all for a bit of loosening up. Whatcha got?"

Jonny gets real close to me and presses a small plastic bag into my hand. I look down at it.

"S'good stuff?"

He nods.

"How much?"

"Fifty."

"Better be good for fifty." I pocket the drugs and hand over the cash.

"Oh it is." Jonny says winking at me.

"Got anything else to help my boyfriend relax a bit?"

"Come with me."

I follow Jonny through the crowd and outta a side door into an alleyway. Not sure if Vecchio followed or not. Don't feel so hot now. `Specially when I can tell there's another guy in the shadows. I go to run but the Jonny guy grabs me and hauls me against the wall. The other guy comes into view.

Hits me. Jeez. Can't breathe. Hits me again with something hard. Baseball bat? Spinning. Jeez where the fuck is Vecchio? A kick. I'm coughing now. Everything is fuzzy. I'm on the floor. I can hear running. An' hands on me. Blackness.

There is a knock at my apartment door. I carefully haul myself up to open it.

"Vecchio."

He comes into my apartment. I almost collapse an' he catches me, picks up and steers me towards the couch.

"Jesus, Kowalski. You shouldn't have checked out of the hospital."

"Don't like hospitals. Was getting bored."

"Got the case cracked. Welsh is gonna bust their asses tonight."

"Wanna be there."

"Jesus. No. Ya still not better you can hardly stand up right and you should still be in hospital." Vecchio narrows his eyes, "You got out `cos ya told the doctor someone was looking after you here didn't you?"

I turn away from him, curl up on the couch. Vecchio comes over and kneels down on the floor beside me.

"I'm sorry `bout the fag stuff, Kowalski."

I look at Vecchio.

"I'm sorry I teased ya and jumped ya." I say.

Vecchio then does something I totally did not expect. He runs his hand through my hair and kisses my forehead.

"You were right though. I did want Benny in that way but I never did anything `bout it and now he's hitched up with Steve in Canada. Should've realised that time what was going on, but I didn't. I took the undercover job `cos my feelings for him were getting too much, wanted to run away...and now...when I got back the whole precinct was full of rumors that you and him were an item. Missed my chance."

"Ya loved him." I say taking Vecchio's hand, "If it makes ya feel better don't think either of us loved each other. We were jus' foolin' around. An' then Fraser met that guy again."

"I'm a coward. I could be with Benny now if I'd just..."

I pull Vecchio to me and hold him. The tears come like I thought they would.

"You knew. All the time." he chokes between sobs.

"Yeah."

We stay there for a while in silence.

I wake up to find Vecchio asleep snuggled up against me on the couch. Jeez I ache. I pull him gently off me an' go to take a shower. My muscles are screaming.

Make the water hot an' try not to look at all the bruises on my body. Soap myself up. Hurts. Don't stay in for long. Get out, get dry and wrap a towel `round myself. Come outta of the bathroom. Vecchio is awake, sitting on the couch and staring at my body. I go to move to the bedroom but he's on his feet now, stopping me from going any further.

"Let me see. I should've got there sooner. I want to see what they did, all of it."

"S'not your fault, Vecchio."

"Please Kowalski, Ray."

No Stanley, but Ray. I sigh and drop the towel to the floor and let him look at all the bruises.

"S'okay now?"

His hands skims along my skin. Feather light over purples, blues and blacks.

"Yes."

An' then he's kissing me. Using his tongue this time an' I kiss him back.

"Kowalski -- Ray, I find you kind of pretty. You know with the blond hair and that."

I smile and grab Vecchio's ass. I think this is gonna be one hell of a partnership.

End Obvious by Jodie Louise jodiemouse: jodie.mouse@virgin.net

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