[Written November 2009, after viewing season one.]
Sam Tyler doesn't know how it started and he doesn't know how to stop. They've taken to meeting in back rooms and dark alleys, wet filthy places, and for someone who always acts so macho, Gene Hunt never seems sure of himself in these moments. It's all quiet fumbling and awkward shuffling of jackets and scraping against desk edges or brick walls, then Gene's hold tightens—there'll be bruises tomorrow, but Sam always wears long sleeves in public anyway—and not sobbing into his shoulder, definitely not sobbing, but breathing fast and hot and—
They're done. There's a red mark on Sam's neck where Gene accidentally (never on purpose) hooked searching fingers into his necklace and pulled, hard, and Gene's blond hair is a mess thanks to Sam's reaching back to not urge him on, no, but to hurry up hurry up get it over with or someone's going to find them. They make some small talk about the wife and Annie and maybe some unimportant case they've been wasting time on, while they try to tidy themselves up in the small space without banging into each other. Miserable and cold, they don't say a word to each other, but they each know there'll be a next time, and they know that it'll be just the same.