Msg # From: "Iris M. Gray" Date: Mon Mar 12, 2001 2:48 am Subject: FIC: "Something To Talk About" (1/1) Something To Talk About ( Bonnie Raitt ) People are talkin, talking 'bout people. I hear them whisper, you won't believe it. They think we're lovers, kept under covers. I just ignore it, but they keep saying, We laugh just a little too loud. We stand just a little too close. We stare just a little too long... Maybe they're seeing something we don't, Darlin' Let's give them something to talk about! Let's give them something to talk about! Let's give them something to talk about! How about love? --------------------------------------------------- "Hey, Starsk," said Hutch to his partner at the precinct one morning, "have you been listening to any of the station house gossip lately?" "Gossip? I don't listen to gossip, Blondie, you know that. Why?" "Well, maybe you should listen to this gossip. It's about us." "Us? What about us?" asked Starsky curiously. "People are saying that we're, uh, not just partners, Starsk." Starsky laughed. "Of course we're not just partners! You're my best friend, you know that." "They say we're more than partners or friends," Hutch continued. "Will you get to the point already? I'm not getting any younger." "Starsky, they say that you and I are lovers." Starsky spat his coffee all over the desk. "You and me? Lovers? Really?" He shook his head. "Where would anyone get that idea?" "They say we spend all our time together when we're off duty. That we're always touching each other. That we stand too close together! It doesn't help that neither of us has a girlfriend at the moment." "We do spend all our time together when we're off duty," Starsky pointed out. "So do lots of other people!" Starsky put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, this really has you upset. It's just gossip, Hutch! Don't let it get to you." Hutch shrugged off the hand. "Stop it," he grumbled. "That's just what they're talking about - the way you touch me all the time." Hurt, Starsky withdrew. Seeing the look on his partner's face, Hutch was instantly sorry. "Look, Starsky, I'm sorry. I just don't like being talked about." "Babe, they're gonna talk about us whether we like it or not. People talk - everywhere you go, there's a grapevine, a rumour mill, gossip. Ignore it. " "You're right," sighed Hutch. "I guess there's not much we can do about it." Starsky flung an arm around Hutch's shoulders. "C'mon, let's go to Huggy's. I'll buy you lunch." As the two detectives walked into the Pits, Huggy Bear ran to greet them. "It's about time the two of you showed up! I have a bone to pick with you! How dare you keep secrets from me?" Bewildered, Starsky and Hutch sat down across from Huggy at a table. "What secrets?" Starsky asked. "About the two of you! I haveta admit, I was surprised at first, but now all I can say is, it's about time!" "Huggy, we have no idea what you're talking about," Hutch said. Huggy lowered his voice. "About you two being lovers," he informed them. Starsky started to snicker. Hutch had a slightly pained look on his face. "Huggy, Starsky and I are *not* lovers." "You're not? But everyone that comes in here says that you are. They say they can tell just from looking at you!" "Then 'everyone' is wrong," Hutch stated. "It's just gossip," Starsky told him. "It's going around at the precinct too. We're this month's news item. Pretty soon they'll move on to someone else." "Can we order lunch now?" Hutch interrupted. After lunch, as the two men were leaving the Pits, Starsky stayed behind for a moment. "Hug," he said to his friend, "what exactly did you mean when you said it was 'about time'?" "Starsky, I've known you and Hutch a long time," Huggy answered. "I've seen you together. I can tell how much you love each other. I've been wondering when you would get around to actually doing anything about it!" "Of course we love each other," Starsky responded, "just not that way." He thanked Huggy for lunch, and left to catch up with Hutch. "Sure, Starsky," Huggy said when the cop was out of earshot. "Pull the other one." When Ken and Dave returned to the precinct, they discovered that Captain Dobey wanted to see them. When they walked into his office, the Captain closed the door and sat down. "Is there anything that you gentlemen would like to tell me?" he asked. "No, sir," Starsky answered. He turned to his partner. "You have anything you want to tell the Cap'n, Hutch?" "No," replied Hutch. "Was there something you wanted to see us about?" he asked Dobey. Dobey sighed. "Look, you know that I prefer that my men keep their private lives just that - private. But I can't ignore the talk that's been going around." "Oh no," Hutch groaned. "I personally don't care what the two of you do when you're off duty. But if it starts to affect your work - " "Captain, you have my word that nothing Hutch and I do in our off duty time will affect our work," Starsky promised him. "Good," Dobey growled. "Now listen, you should try to do a better job of keeping this quiet. The department doesn't have any official policy on gay cops yet, and I don't want to see the two of you become the target of a witch hunt." "We'll do our best, Cap'n," Starsky stated before Hutch could say anything. "All right then. Go back to work," Dobey said, dismissing them. Then he called them back again. "Off the record, I just wanted to say congratulations. I'm happy for you both." Hutch opened his mouth to say something but Starsky grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the office. "C'mon, Blondie, let's go. The Captain has work to do." The blond detective didn't dare say anything while he and Starsky were still in the squadroom, but as soon as they were outside he let his partner have it. "You let him think the rumours were true!" Hutch exclaimed. "How could you let him think that we - that we're lovers?" "I was just having some fun," replied David. "If they're going to talk about us, we may as well give them something to talk about." Hutchinson sighed. No matter how much Starsky infuriated him, he found it impossible to stay mad at him, and Starsky knew it. "All right," he said. "But next time you want to give people something to talk about, warn me in advance, okay?" "Okay," Starsky laughed. They parted in the parking lot, each heading to his own car. As Starsky walked toward his Torino, a uniformed officer passing by sneered at him. "Faggot," he muttered. Hutch grabbed the man and pushed him up against the car. "Do you care to repeat that?" he asked. Starsky pulled his partner off the other cop. "Whoah, take it easy! Hutch, calm down. Hutch!" Finally, Hutch released the man. Deciding that he didn't want to deal with the both of them, the uniform quickly hurried away. "Are you okay?" Starsky asked in concern. "I should be asking you that," Hutch replied. "I'm fine. Why did you go after that guy like that? You'll be lucky if he doesn't file a complaint against you." "I was afraid he was going to hurt you," answered Hutch. "Oh, Blondie," Starsky sighed, shaking his head. "I am capable of looking after myself, you know." "I know." But Hutch still looked upset. Starsky unlocked his car door. "Get in. I'll take you home. No, don't argue with me - I'll pick you up and drive you to work tomorrow. Your car will be fine where it is - I highly doubt anyone would want to steal it, even if it wasn't in the police station parking lot." When they arrived at Venice Place, Starsky insisted on going upstairs with his partner. Hutch seemed troubled by something, and he wanted to know what it was. "Starsk, do you think maybe these rumours started because other people are seeing something we don't?" Hutch asked him when they were inside. "Like what?" Starsky asked. Hutch sat on the couch next to him. "Like, the way we look at each other. The way we're always together. The way we touch each other. Even when we're not together, we may as well be because I think about you all the time. The thought of someone hurting you makes my blood boil. Maybe there is some truth to those stories after all." Starsky reached over and took Hutch's hand in his. "You want to know why I didn't bother trying to correct Dobey when he assumed we were lovers? It was because I wanted it to be true. I kinda hoped you might feel the same way." Hutch laughed. "I never even thought of it that way. I didn't understand what you were doing, but I do now. " He leaned forward and kissed Starsky, gently at first, then more demandingly. The two men continued to kiss, their hands roaming freely over each other's bodies. Soon their clothing was removed and they were lying naked on the couch. Starsky rolled on top of his lover and adjusted his hips so that their cocks were aligned. He thrust forward and a gasp from Hutch told him that the other man liked it, so he started thrusting more forcefully. Hutch moved under him, thrusting upward, trying to keep the sensation going. As the feelings built up inside him, all Starsky could do was gasp out his lover's name before falling over the edge. Hutch quickly followed. When Starsky got his breath back, he found that he was wrapped securely in Hutch's arms. "I love you, Blondie." "Love you too," replied Hutch, laying a gentle kiss on his forehead. "I guess we're really gonna give them something to talk about now, huh?" END