Flirt 
by R'rain 
 
"Hey," said Blair, flashing his winning smile at the Vice officer  
striding purposefully through Major Crime.  He didn't expect the  
officer to turn back and acknowledge him--most of the Major Crime  
staff just took his presence for granted and barely grunted in  
acknowledgment when he greeted them.  Funny how that discourtesy  
made him feel even *more* accepted there. 
 
"I'm sorry, did you want something?" he said, stopping and turning  
back for a moment. 
 
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry," offered Blair apologetically.  "I was just  
saying hi.  I didn't mean to disturb you or anything."  He smiled  
again and nodded briefly in the direction the officer had been  
heading as if to encourage him on his way 
 
"Oh, you didn't disturb me," he replied with a nod.  "Hi to you, 
too."  Flashing a wink at Blair, he was on his way again. 
 
"Rookies," muttered Jim from beside him, barely looking up. 
 
"What's that supposed to mean?" 
 
"Oh, nothing," said Jim.  "Are we gonna get some work done today,  
Chief?  Or are you just gonna sit there and gossip with everyone who  
passes by?" 
 
"What crawled up *your* butt?" muttered Blair, sliding off the corner  
of the desk and into his chair.  "Fine, had me those reports you need  
to finish filling out then.  After all, isn't that what I'm here  
for?" 
 
Jim almost scowled at him but, seeing the hurt expression Blair was  
trying to hide, he held back.  "All right," he said, not exactly  
kindly, but not harshly either.  "Let's go for an early lunch." 
 
Blair raised an eyebrow.  "Lunch?  Sure, I guess."  His voice was  
suspicious; Jim didn't take off early unless he was feeling really  
guilty--which he had no reason to right now--or he wanted to talk  
about something. 
 
"I need to talk to you about something," he added, reading Blair's  
mind.  Blair nodded and held his hand out for the jacket that Jim was  
already taking off the hook. 
 
They walked side by side down the street from the station to a small  
neighborhood park where Jim sprang for hot dogs and led Blair to a  
nearby bench. 
 
Blair looked at Jim with wide eyes before ever taking a bite out of  
his lunch.  "So?" 
 
Jim, who had been raising his own dripping hot dog to his mouth,  
slowly lowered it and nodded.  "Listen, Blair..." 
 
Blair waited a moment before prompting him.  "I am." 
 
"Could you just...could you just try and not do that at the station?" 
 
Blair looked at him blankly.  "What are you talking about?" 
 
"Flirting.  I mean, I don't care that you flirt with guys.  But not  
at the station, okay?"  Jim looked at him uncomfortably for a moment  
then took a large bite of his own hot dog to prevent him from having 
to say anything else. 
 
Blair's eyes widened further.  "Whoa, whoa, wait a second, Jim.  Back  
up here.  What are you *talking* about?  I mean, I wouldn't...I  
don't...I mean, I don't *mean* to..."  He had to wait for the other 
man to finish chewing and swallowing for any sort of assurance that 
Jim had meant something else entirely.  Assurance that he wasn't 
going to get. 
 
"I know that the station is still this foreign environment for you,  
but there are just things that you can't get away with there.  Which  
isn't to say I *agree* with that, just that that's the way it is."   
Realizing he was beginning to babble, Jim stopped there. 
 
"Yeah, but what makes you think..." 
 
"Blair," Jim interrupted him, "I don't just think...  I *know*.  You  
follow?" 
 
"I...I'm not sure that I do...I mean...you can't mean...." 
 
Jim took another, smaller, bite of his lunch.  "I think maybe people  
are starting to notice.  So I thought it was time to say something.   
That's all.  All right?" 
 
"Yeah.  I'll, uh, try and watch myself."  Blair's expression betrayed  
his bewilderment at the direction the conversation was taking.   
Seeing Jim wasn't going to say anything more, Blair began eating his  
own lunch, his eyes darting towards Jim every few moments as if  
expecting him to drop another bomb. 
 
Jim finished eating and brushed his hands off over the grass.  "His  
name's Kyle, and he's been with the precinct about 4 months," he  
offered quietly.  "I understand he spends his off hours at the 
Eclipse on 17th.  And that's the last thing I'm going to say about 
that."  Standing up, he began walking away, leaving Blair to catch up 
with him. 
 
Blair stuffed the last of his hot dog into his mouth and snatched his  
backpack up off the ground next to him, trying not to choke as he  
jogged up to Jim's side.  "Thanks," he said about a block later, and  
they walked the rest of the way back to the station in silence. 
 
   ***** 
 
"Hey there," Blair heard as he stepped through the station doors.   
Looking up, he saw a vaguely familiar head of brown hair. 
 
"Hey yourself," he said, flashing a smile so brief he had to hope  
that Kyle even saw it.  He got a brief wave in return as Kyle stepped  
out the doors in the opposite direction.  Blair turned to Jim a  
little sheepishly, but as it turned out his partner had his attention  
turned elsewhere.  Which didn't necessarily mean he hadn't noticed. 
 
"Jim?" he whispered under his breath a little nervously. 
 
Jim jerked his head in acknowledgment 
 
"We gonna talk about this?" 
 
"What's to talk about?" asked Jim quietly as they stepped onto the  
elevator. 
 
Blair shrugged and let it go, but Jim wasn't finished.  "Later," he  
added when they were a couple of floors up.  "Later." 
 
All afternoon, Blair was hard pressed to stay focused, especially 
since he was bored to tears.  He knew that police work wasn't all bad 
guys and car chases, but when they weren't on a case and he wasn't 
working with Jim's senses, it all seemed pretty banal.  It also gave 
him too much time to think. 
 
It was a relief when Jim started to pack it in, but it also gave  
Blair a dose of anxiety.  Everything had been pretty smooth up 'til  
today, and now Jim had thrown a wrench in the works.  Not necessarily  
one that would quickly work its way out, but one that could  
potentially shut the whole machine down.  Right now, Blair didn't  
know which it was going to be. 
 
Blair sat and watched Jim putter around the loft, putting things in  
place that were already in place, dusting things that were already  
dust-free, and waited for something--anything--to happen.  Finally he  
decided that the waiting was more painful than anything Jim said  
could be.  "I didn't know you knew," he said.  "You could have said  
something." 
 
"Yeah, well we both could have said something," said Jim, placing the  
cans on the pantry shelf in nice, neat rows. 
 
"Does it matter?" 
 
Jim turned to him and give him his first reassuring look.  "If it  
mattered--mattered the way you're *worrying* it matters--then I would  
have said something." 
 
"You did say something," Blair reminded him quietly. 
 
"Yeah, but...."  Jim floundered for some way to explain it.  "You're  
the one who goes on about how the station is the ultimate macho  
fraternal society.  Do I need to go on?" 
 
"No," said Blair.  "No, I get it.  But Jim...it takes two to tango,  
you follow?" 
 
"Rookies," muttered Jim again, as though that explained everything. 
 
"Jim, is this gonna be cool?  Seriously." 
 
Jim lay a hand on his shoulder.  "Yeah, everything's still cool,  
Chief.  Just be discreet.  I don't want things to be any harder for  
you than they already are, that's all." 
 
"Hey, I've been discreet all my life, what else is new?" he muttered,  
ignoring Jim's rather amused snort as he got up out of his seat.   
"I'm gonna start dinner, all right?" 
 
Jim looked surprised.  "Yeah, sure," he said, lifting his hand off  
Blair's shoulder and letting him go.  "Need any help?" 
 
"No, man, just take it easy.  I've got everything under control."  As  
Jim sat down in the spot Blair had just vacated, he turned away and  
smiled to himself.  Maybe things were gonna stay pretty normal after  
all. 
 
   ***** 
 
Blair tucked his shirt in as he studied Jim, looking for some  
indication of what his partner really wanted him to do.  When he'd  
told Jim he was going out, he'd seemed rather pleased with the idea,  
but it was just so hard to tell.  He adjusted himself in his tight  
jeans and, with a final once-over of Jim, he slipped out the door  
with a cheerful "Later!" and headed for the Eclipse. 
 
The night was thankfully clear and, thinking about the amount of  
alcohol he would potentially be consuming, Blair decided walking  
would probably be his best bet.  It wasn't really far, but far enough  
that he was a bit chilled by the time he stepped through the front  
door and started up the stairs to the second-floor club.  It  
certainly wasn't the first time he'd been here, but working with Jim  
there just hadn't been time to go out.  At least, not without clear  
plans ahead of time. 
 
Turns out he missed the place, in a way.  Missed the ambiance, the  
freedom, the brief thrill of running into old friends.  But even so,  
it didn't measure up with the satisfaction he got working with Jim.   
What would be perfect--just perfect--would be if he could have both. 
 
"Blair?  That really you, man?"  Blair grinned at the bouncer, who  
pulled him into a bone-crunching hug.  "Where have you been keeping  
yourself?" 
 
"Here and there," offered Blair.  "You know how it is."  Craning his  
neck a little, he scanned the crowd, but it was too hard to see  
anything just yet. 
 
"Cool, cool, I'll have to catch up with you later."  Blair noticed  
the group of college kids coming up the stairs behind him and nodded,  
stepping into the bar and taking another look around. 
 
There weren't a lot of familiar faces tonight, and he found he was a  
little disappointed by the fact.  He knew it had been a while, but he  
didn't think it had been quite *that* long since he had last been  
here.  Counting back, though, he realized it had been well over a  
year.  More than enough time for such a turnover. 
 
He got himself a beer and sat down at the bar, soaking up the  
atmosphere and becoming familiar with it again.  Slowly it began to  
encompass him, like an old friend, and he welcomed it.  It had been  
too long.  Just....too long.  He found he was closing his eyes and  
opened them again, glancing around to be sure that no one had  
noticed. 
 
As he did, by chance, he spotted Kyle coming in the front door.   
Alone.  Steeling himself, unaccustomed to being direct in this kind  
of situation, he stood up and...waited. 
 
"Blair!"  He was surprised his name came from that particular set of   
lips, not realizing that Kyle even knew it, much less that he  
was able to pick Blair out of a crowd. 
 
"Hey," he said casually, not concerned about letting his smile linger  
here. 
 
"Wow, how are you doing?" he asked, pushing his way to Blair's side  
at the bar.  "Can I get you something?" 
 
"Actually.." began Blair and held up his drink with a bit of a  
sheepish grin.  "But how about you?  You want something?  Beer?" 
 
"Beer?  Maybe later."  He leaned against the counter, far into  
Blair's personal space.  "Seeing as you're here, and I'm here, and we  
already practically know one another....how about we hit the dance  
floor?" 
 
"Dance?  I...uh....  Oh hell, why not.  I'm a bit rusty mind you...." 
 
"It's dark," said Kyle.  "No one will even notice."  Blair drained  
his beer and let Kyle lead him out onto the floor. 
 
The rookie looked even better in clubbing attire than he did decked  
out for the station.  It accentuated his body, let Blair see what had  
been hidden earlier.  All in all, it was a pretty inviting package.   
He'd be discreet, and not just because Jim asked, but he hadn't had  
an offer this good in...well, in a long time. 
 
Kyle's body ground against his on the packed floor, and Blair found  
he wasn't quite as rusty as he'd expected he would be.  Certainly not  
rusty enough to put the other man off.  When they finally left the  
floor, it was because they were both too exhausted to continue, not  
because they'd lost interest.  Not at all. 
 
Blair laughed as Kyle whispered something in his ear, slipping an arm  
around the other man's waist as they searched for an empty seat or  
two.  Blair reflexively scanned the room, and stilled as he spotted a  
familiar figure sitting at the bar. 
 
"Hey, you okay?" asked Kyle, noticing his companion's lack of forward  
motion. 
 
"Yeah," said Blair, his eyes locking with Jim's.  "I'm fine.  I  
just...I need a minute."  His arm fell away from Kyle, who moved just  
a short distance away and waited. 
 
In that moment, time stopped entirely.  Jim didn't do anything, he  
just sat there, patiently, waiting for Blair to decide what he needed 
to do.  Blair tried to tear his eyes away and look at Kyle, but he 
found he couldn't.  Suddenly, finally, it all made sense.  All of it.  
He reached out blindly for the man behind him. 
 
"Blair?" said Kyle, confusion apparent in his voice. 
 
"Kyle...Jim...I..."  Blair couldn't complete the thought, his mind  
just a few feet away.  "I'm sorry...." 
 
Kyle followed Blair's gaze and let out a soft sigh. "It's okay, I  
understand," he said gently.  Blair heard Kyle's voice fade as he  
moved away, and still he couldn't turn and look. 
 
For a long while neither Jim nor Blair moved, then finally Blair took  
the few steps necessary to make it to Jim's side.  Their long gaze  
had said everything that needed to be said, all Jim had to do was  
lean down and press his lips to Blair's.  The kiss lasted forever. 
 
"No more secrets," whispered Blair, his lips still bare millimetres  
from Jim's.  Jim nodded and kissed him again. 
 
"Come home, Blair," he said.  "There's so much more I should have  
said, but...  I'm sorry." 
 
Blair shook his head.  "Don't be sorry.  Let's just go home.  
There'll always be time later."  He couldn't resist giving Jim a last  
lingering kiss before they left the sanctuary of the bar and re- 
entered the cold world.  "We're still keeping this out of the station  
aren't we."  His voice wasn't regretful, just matter-of-fact. 
 
Jim didn't answer as he took Blair's hand and led him away, catching  
Kyle's eye across the room and giving him a brief nod of his head.   
They both knew the score.  "Later," he said quietly, and they stepped  
out the door. 
 
--the end, at least for now--