The Professionals Circuit Archive - Matched Set	Matched Set

 

by Windy

  
 Snooker, or pool as Americans termed it, wasn't Doyle's favorite indoor
sport and while he was quite good at it, but Bodie was fantastic with a
cue. Therefore it was safe ground.

Doyle had learned in the back parlors of the East Side, becoming good
enough to make spending money and pay his way into art school. It was a
matter of pride with his gang for Doyle to be the best in the East End.

Bodie had learned in Africa, in the ports where mercenaries waited for a
new war, a new assignment. He'd had to become the best, he couldn't afford
to lose. He'd had no money and rape wasn't his idea of covering a bet, so
Bodie had become an excellent pool player.

The scene had all the components of a classic confrontation and tonight
was the culmination.

The 'Shady Pool and Pub' was a little known gay gathering place in the
East End and well known to Ray Doyle from his time in the Met. It was
considered safe ground for gay men of all backgrounds and jobs who were
unable or unlikely to visit some of the more blatant watering holes in
other parts of London. You could meet men with government positions
chatting up prospects from the art world, the theater, or foreigners
looking for a safe one-nighter. The management was in sweet odor with the
local police and kept to themselves. All in all, a pub made for a pair of
CI5 agents who were not only partners but lovers as well.

For all its sobriety, the pub was a pickup spot and most of the men there
were on the prowl. Bodie and Doyle had only been in the pub a couple of
times, not wanting to become well known there. They had quickly learned to
avoid offers by settling for a table near the front of the room, close to
the pool tables, establishing themselves as a couple, aloof from the
crowd.

Tonight, Bodie was tired and just beginning to relax and unwind. He was
far from serene and Doyle was hyper and exasperating. The job they had
just finished had been months long and was finally done. They were
Cowley's fair-haired boys (at least for this evening), so Bodie had a
glass of his favorite scotch and the very best company, even if said
company was being a bit verbose and perverse.

Working and sleeping with Ray wasn't enough for Bodie. He really liked
Doyle, liked to talk to him, explore the serpentine twists of his mind.
There was little time for the small unimportant things that slipped so
casually into an ordinary relationship. There was so much more to Doyle
than the wiry body, mad hair and green eyes. His mind was perhaps one of
the most attractive, intriguing thing about him. And they got few nights
out like this, to enjoy each other's company without fear of discovery or
of work intruding...and Doyle was doing his level best to ruin it for the
both of them by being a berk.

"Oy!"

So it began. Bodie blinked lazily at Doyle's grinning face and smiled
slowly, seductively. Maybe he could sidetrack the silly sod before he had
to brain him.

No chance. Doyle leaned over and drew a gentle finger over his lips,
removing the faint residue of foam from them, then stuck it into his mouth
and sucked with noisy enthusiasm.

"Tastes fantastic," he said softly, green eyes twinkling wickedly.

Bodie eyed him pensively and decided to try him at his own game. He leaned
over, very near to the smiling face. "Are you sure you don't want to go
home, sunshine? These games aren't for Joe Public, even 'ere." He laid a
firm hand on the thin thigh pressing his and tried to look stern.

Bodie knew he had failed miserably but Ray did finally move away an inch
and grabbed up his drink instead of Bodie. Ray then reached over and
covered Bodie's hand which had started to wander returning it to the table
where he gave a small squeeze before releasing it.

"Naughty Bodie, get me goin' here and you will come to regret it! Let's
play pool!" Doyle's eyes narrowed as he turned to survey the men near the
tables, waiting for a game. A lithe, tall, bearded man in his late
thirties caught his eye and nodded towards a newly vacant table. Doyle
considered briefly, glanced over at Bodie who merely smiled, so Doyle
nodded acceptance. He could feel Bodie stiffen, then relax. He glanced
once again at Bodie then shrugged, rose briskly to his feet and sauntered
over to the cue rack.

Bodie quickly regretted his show of nonchalance for Ray immediately became
the target of three quarters of the eyes in the room. Doyle was prime
material in age and looks and his walk was an open incitement to rape.
Ray's pool companion lit up like a bloody Christmas tree when he had
agreed to play.

Bodie watched silently and seethed as the game commenced and became what
could only be described as a mating dance. To and fro, bad and forth, side
to side. Ray was moving easily about the table, bending and stretching,
clearing the table with flair while his companion played little and looked
his fill.

Bodie knew that Doyle was totally conscious of what was happening and
occasionally the curly mop would turn in his direction and Bodie would be
teased by a wicked green gleam. Ray liked to tease him and Bodie would
allow him most anything at home. But not here. Here was dangerous and
reckless and very much no go. Bodies patience was getting very, very thin.
He glared around the room to avoid staring at Ray's marvelous rear and met
the blue eyes of a handsome young man, 21 at most, seated near the bar
tables and smiling openly at him.

The young man picked up his drink and saluted Bodie with it, indicating
the vacant chair beside him. Bodie eyed Doyle's oblivious back, and made
the decision. He gathered up his drink with elaborate casualness, circled
Doyle to get his attention, then joined the unknown young man. Bodie
smiled at the blonde and let him open the conversation.

"I'm Chad," the young man said in a flat American accent. "Is he going to
kill me?" he demanded half seriously, nodding his head in Doyle's
direction. Bodie looked and saw that Ray's brows had lowered and he was
looking remarkably disgruntled. He was now occupied in destroying his pool
partners' faint hope of ever getting a shot and then staring right through
the man. Bodie was pleased.

"I've only seen you two here once before," Chad interrupted his thought
cheerfully. "He's the jealous type?"

"On rare occasions." Bodie chuckled, "he simply doesn't enjoy getting a
large taste of his own medicine. Imperious little sod that he is."

"Sounds like he can be a real handful." Chad observed.

Bodie eyed him and decided that he didn't mean that negatively. "He is,"
he allowed himself to say fervently.

"Do you have a name? Or do I have to guess?" Chad rested his chin in his
hand and studied the splendid man before him. This fellow was not only
gorgeous, he was mysterious and very self-contained. He was nothing like
the men Chad usually met.

"No." Bodie's slow answer could have been in response to either question.
He was beginning to regret listening to his inner devil and coming over to
irritate and perhaps even punish Ray. This question and answer session
wasn't quite what he had imagined. This kid was curious but on the make?
No, he wouldn't say so. At least not at this time.

Chad tried to probe a little about these two fascinating men. "You two
local?" Bodie merely shook his head.

Chad ignored Bodie's closed expression and continued, "Wish you were,
spruces the place up a bit. Been together long?" Even while asking, Chad's
eyes were wandering to Doyle's thunderous expression with ill concealed
amusement. He cocked a sandy eyebrow at Bodie and admitted with a laugh,
"I'm just curious, my cautious friend. I can see quite clearly that you
two are a matched set. I never break up sets. Even in fun. I was just
interested in meeting someone different. Besides," and now his tone became
faintly stern, "no one dragged you over here."

Bodie winced and smiled. "Too true, mate," he acknowledged the hit. "I'm
Bodie, he's Ray, and we've been together 6 years." He didn't mention
though that they had only been lovers for about fourteen months. Bodie
glanced over and saw Doyle's rigid back and knew if he didn't act now the
situation would explode very soon. Ray wasn't usually a jealous man but
Bodie had hit him hard and below the belt, so to speak. Chad was blonde,
blue eyed, beautiful and young...and Bodie had never strayed before.

Ray was exhibiting all the signs of a dangerous temper on the rise.

Bodie had lost all sense of amusement at the situation and became wary.
Doyle was impulsive when angry or hurt and Bodie didn't want a scene nor
did he want to deal with a ferocious Doyle when they got home. He watched
as Ray smiled coldly at his companion, then glanced at Bodie, demanding
his attention.

Bodie smiled at him but a touch on his arm distracted him back to Chad
briefly.

"I suspect he could become difficult about tonight, Bodie. And as I have
said, you two are a set. So I retire to the sidelines...reluctantly." For
the first time something sexual stirred in his light eyes. "I would say
your Ray wants you, right now." The twinkle had returned and was proof of
his double meaning this time.

Bodie chuckled, punching his arm lightly and said, "All the time, mate,
all the time." He drained his cup and got up. Shaking hands with Chad, he
said, "Thanks for the company, Chad, I've enjoyed it." Then he walked over
to lean on the wall next to Doyle's table, there to stare at Doyle, with
his arms crossed over his chest, a brooding air about him.

Doyle blew his next shot.

On his next turn he cleared the table with finesse, collected his winnings
and said his goodbyes much to his confused pool companion's dismay. Then
Doyle walked over to Bodie, stood very close, and ostentatiously tucked
the money into his pants pocket slowly and carefully. "Come on sweetheart,
let's go home," he commanded, eyes hooded, tension radiating from him.

"With pleasure, sunshine," Bodie answered promptly, sliding a hand down
Doyle's tense arm and giving his elbow a reassuring squeeze. Doyle
silently turned on his heel and Bodie found himself standing alone. Shit.
Ray must be madder than a hornet and Bodie sighed to himself as he
admitted that he had no one to blame but himself. He could see little hope
of getting Ray to understand his motives for the whole charade, either.

Bodie walked out to the car and found Doyle curled up in the passenger
seat, waiting quietly. *The quiet before the storm*, was Bodie's thought
as he got in and waited for the deluge.

Doyle's amused snort startled him. The tense figure relaxed, uncurling
long lags, settling them along the dashboard, leaving him spread out and
available. Then Doyle sighed loudly, dragged a hand through his hair and
settled his other hand over Bodie's where it now rested on the gear shift.

"Touche, you bloody bastard. Sometimes I think we act like a couple of
bloody teenagers, we're so clumsy. Jealousy, for christ's sake! My green
eyes were quite appropriate tonight." He shook his head in amazed
disbelief and sat back, grinning at the stunned look on Bodie's face. "Got
to thinking with my head finally, not me balls, didn't I," he offered
wryly.

"Worked a treat, did it?" Bodie offered faintly, still not quite believing
he was off the hook.

"Do it again, you bastard and I'll do you." Doyle warned softly as his
grip tightened briefly.

Bodie breathed out sharply, then smirked, relieved that Ray had reverted
to normal. "No way, Sunshine. It's like I told Chad, you are all I need
and all I care to cope with."

Ray blinked at him, uncertain, and Bodie smiled reassuringly.

" I was simply offered a game of pool," Doyle stated flatly, still wary
about the tensions of the evening.

Bodie nodded wisely, "Maybe so sunshine, but what were *you* offering
him?" He raised an expressive eyebrow when Doyle began to splutter. "His
eyes were hungry and they had a feast. It was a fair trade."

Doyle slumped back into his seat. "Costs nothin' to look, Bodie." He
shrugged it off. "You sat down with the pretty child."

"He just wanted to have a chat, Ray," he said firmly. "Said we were a
matched set and while he was interested he know he could only look."

While Ray was digesting that answer, Bodie gently disengaged his hand from
Ray's and started the car. He reached over and patted Ray's broken
cheekbone. "He's right, you know. You should never break up a set,
specially a matched one."

A sharp prod in the side barely disturbed his smug expression and Doyle
snuggled deeper down in his seat and muttered, "Maybe we should get
ourselves a carved case to sleep in. Some nice soft velvet would suit..."
His eyes closed and then Bodie heard him softly say, "A set, just like
salt and pepper, bacon and eggs, Chuck and Di..."

"Chalk and cheese," Bodie finished the sleepy litany, mouth quirking into
a tiny smile of contentment as he turned the car and headed for home. 

-- THE END --

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