Talk of You and Me

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And would it have been worth it, after all...
among some talk of you and me...
to say: "I am Lazarus, come from the dead, come back to tell you all...."

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. T.S. Eliot

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'Detective Hutchinson! My office!'

Captain Dobey turned without waiting to see if Hutch was following. Hutch tossed the report he'd just finished typing onto his desk, and got up with a sigh.

Dobey was standing behind his desk, looking thunderous.

'Yes, Captain? You wanted to see me?'

'I did, Detective. What does this mean?'

Dobey handed Hutch an official looking paper. Hutch barely glanced at it.

'It means I'm resigning, Captain. At the end of the month, after I've cleared up as much work as possible, so that my replacement won't be facing....'

'Hutchinson! I don't give a damn about you clearing up work, or your replacement. I want to know why you resigned, without discussing it with me? Tell me that.'

'But, Captain Dobey! I did try to discuss it with you. You wouldn't listen. You brushed me off, and sent me out on another case.'

Dobey sighed. He sat down at his desk, and put his head in his hands.

'Sit down, Hutch,' he said. 'I'm sorry about that. I didn't think you were serious. I thought you were depressed because Starsky hasn't recovered as quickly as we'd hoped.'

'Starsky isn't coming back here, Captain,' said Hutch. 'Oh, he's fine, just fine. He says he's not up to the strain of being out on the streets,' Hutch closed his eyes for a moment. 'His heart stopped beating, you know. They were about to pronounce him dead. If he doesn't want to face that again, I don't blame him. He's earned a rest.'

Dobey nodded. 'I agree, Hutchinson. But that doesn't mean you have to quit.'

'Yes, Captain. It does. Starsky is my partner. Not was. Is. I can't work with someone else.'

'You have been working with other partners,' said Dobey. 'Several other partners. Were they that bad?'

Hutch laughed. 'No, Captain. They were fine. It's nothing against them. But Starsk and I....'

'I know,' said Dobey. 'You were something great. Something that only comes along once in a lifetime.'

'Yes,' said Hutch, firmly. 'Now, it's time to move on. I'm not going to hang around here, moping and wishing things were different. Starsky and I are looking for other jobs. I'm sure you'll give us recommendations.'

'Of course,' said Dobey. 'You'll lose your pension, though.'

Hutch shrugged. 'I almost lost much more,' he said.

Dobey nodded. 'Okay,' he said. 'But there's one other thing I wanted to talk to you about. First of all, have you heard about the task force being set up?'

'Task force? No, Captain. I guess my mind's been on other things.'

'The Commissioner has decreed a task force, to look into the missing prostitutes. You know there's been a big public outcry that we've been ignoring the case, because it's only hookers who've gone missing?'

Hutch sighed. 'There may be some truth to that,' he said. 'Not on my part. Not on your part. But the Commissioner? The Mayor? Maybe.'

'Maybe,' the Captain agreed. 'But now they've done the right thing. There hasn't been a public announcement yet. The Commissioner asked me to recommend someone. I thought of you.'

'Thought of me for what?' asked Hutch.

'To lead the task force, of course,' said Dobey.

'Me?' asked Hutch. 'I'm just a Sergeant.'

'Not if you agree to lead the force, you're not. You'll be promoted to Lieutenant, on a temporary basis. You can write the exams as soon as you have a spare minute, and then it will be official.'

'Lieutenant?' Hutch asked, slowly.

'Yes,' said Dobey. 'You've heard of the rank?'

'Well, of course, but....'

'You're certainly qualified. This case is an important one. Do you want to find out what happened to these missing women? Maybe save some lives? Or take a job in an office somewhere, pushing paper? The complete executive, or whatever your plans were?'

'I didn't really have any plans, Captain,' Hutch admitted.

'Well, then here's a plan,' the Captain pointed out. 'And speaking of plans,' he added. 'I ran into Starsky earlier.'

'Oh, yes?' said Hutch, casually.

'He told me you're planning on moving in together.'

'Yes,' said Hutch. 'Since we were both going to be unemployed until we got new jobs....'

'Oh,' said Dobey. 'I see. Well, that's good then. Why don't you discuss this with him tonight? Let me know in the morning?'

Hutch thought for a moment. What harm could it do? He shrugged. 'Sure, Captain,' he said at last. 'I'll talk it over with Starsky. See what he thinks.'

Dobey smiled. 'You do that,' he said. 'Now, get out of my office, and finish those reports. You'll need to leave a clear desk for your replacement, when you move into your new office.'

************************

'What were you thinking?' Hutch asked plaintively.

Starsky looked confused. He examined his clothes. The tight jeans and T-shirt. Clean this morning, but now stained with Spaghetti sauce. Okay. Messy, but sexy. He glanced around the kitchen. Everything was Kosher, as far as he could tell. What else had he done today?

'Captain Dobey called me into his office,' Hutch informed him.

'Oh, yes?' asked Starsky, brightly. The mystery was about to be solved. That was quick.

'Oh, yes. He asked me to be a Lieutenant, but....'

'That's great, Hutch. When do you take the exams?'

'I don't think I will. That's not the point....'

'What the Hell do you mean that's not the point. That's great, I'm tellin' you. No way are you chickening out.'

'Chickening out? I'm not chickening out!'

Oh boy, thought Starsky. Here we go. Finally he's going to start treating me like always. We're getting back to normal.

'Well, it sounds to me like you're chickening out,' he growled. 'Too scared to write a little test? Think you might flunk? Too scared to take on the responsibility of being promoted?'

'Too scared to go on being a cop alone, Starsky. You know that.'

'You're not alone, Hutch. I'm here for you. Always.'

'What? Like some kinda cop's wife? What's this about? We were getting out. Together. Maybe start our own business. And then there's the other thing. You made me forget. Dobey said you told him we were moving in together.'

'Yeah?' said Starsky, still pissed off that Hutch hadn't blown up at him. He couldn't pick a fight with his Hutch to save his life these days. 'What about it?'

'Was that wise?'

'I dunno, Hutch. Why wasn't it wise? It's true, isn't it? Are we gonna hide it? Pretend we're living in separate apartments, when we have the same address? How can we do that?'

'No. Of course we can't. I guess I was just surprised, that's all. We haven't even started looking yet. And now this thing with the task force.'

'Task force? They want you on a task force?'

'They want me to lead one. To look into the missing prostitutes.'

'Hutch! Hutch, you have to do this. You hafta, Hutch.'

'Yes. I guess I do.'

'Babe? What's wrong? Don't you want to....'

'I wanted to get out, Starsk. I wanted to live with you. To have something I've only dreamed of.'

'We'll do that, Babe. What makes you think we won't. I haven't changed my mind.'

'Starsky. Remember IA? They'll find out we're living together.'

'And it's none of their damned business. We're not partners now. If they try to fire you over it, we'll fight it. Bring a lawsuit. Do good on this task force, and you'll be a hero. Again. They won't dare fire you.'

Hutch turned away, unable to look into Starsky's eyes. Those eyes so full of belief in him. Belief in their love, and the rightness of it. Starsky came up behind him. He put his arms around Hutch, and rested his head against his back.

'You always looked like a golden lion to me. So strong and brave. My partner. The one who would never let me down, not even if he was at the point of death. Are you gonna let me down now, Babe?'

'No,' said Hutch, roughly. He turned, and pulled Starsky into his arms. 'I'll never let you down. I couldn't do that, and go on breathing.'

'I'll never let you down, neither,' said Starsky. 'Now that's settled. You're gonna take the job. You're gonna find out what happened to those hookers. We're gonna live together, and IA can go fuck themselves. But first of all, you know what you're gonna do?'

'No,' said Hutch. 'What?'

'You're gonna teach me more poetry.'

*********************

'A golden lion,' said Starsky. 'I read in a book that lions, male lions I mean, like to do it with each other.'

'Oh, yes?' asked Hutch. 'You're a fountain of information.'

Starsky reached out, and took hold of Hutch's cock, firmly.

'Ouch!' said Hutch.

'Don't give me that,' said Starsky. 'No, I mean, give me this, but don't tell me I'm hurtin' you.'

'You're always hurtin' me. You hurt me every moment of every day. You're a hurtin' kinda guy.'

'Ah. Poor baby. Let me kiss it better.'

Starsky bent and took Hutch's cock in his mouth. Hutch gasped. Starsky released his cock with a loud smacking noise.

'What's the matter?' he asked. 'No one ever did this before?'

'Not as good as you,' Hutch told him.

'That's right,' said Starsky. 'No one does this as good as me. You just remember that, and keep flattering me. And give me poetry, Hutch. Remember the poetry?'

Starsky bent down, and started sucking on Hutch's cock in earnest. Hutch tried to think of poetry. The only words that came to mind were far too obscene to qualify as poetry.

'Oh, God,' he managed. 'Suck harder.'

Starsky laughed, and the vibrations shot from Hutch's cock, to what was left of his brain.

************************

Hutch stroked his lover's strong thighs.

'Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enameling
To keep a drowsy emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.'

'What's gonna come, Hutch?' Starsky asked.

'This maybe?' asked Hutch, tickling Starsky's knee. 'Or this?'

He moved up Starsky's thigh, slowly. Taking his time. Letting his fingers map every inch of skin. Finding tiny scars. Rising over blue veins. Threading through the wiry, black hairs. Moving up.

Starsky's cock was hard, and erect. It quivered in his hands. Starsky's balls were firm. He licked them, while he played with the head of his cock.

'More poetry,' said Starsky.

'Aren't you ever satisfied?' asked Hutch.

'More poetry, Hutch.'

'This lunar beauty
Has no history
Is complete and early;
If beauty later
Bear any feature
It had a lover
And is another.'

'Hmm. You mean that perfection is cold, and unlovable. If you've been loved, it shows?'

'Yes,' said Hutch. 'It shows.'

He licked down the length of his lover's cock, enjoying the roughness of the veins, the smell of sweat, the way Starsky's thighs shook, and his voice grew rough as he begged for release.

It shows, thought Hutch. It shows. Oh, God. It shows.

*** The End ***

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