TRUTH OR DARE

A late night stakeout means a bored Starsky and a bored Starsky is never a good thing. So he decides to play a game.

It was almost three in the morning and they had another three hours to go before they could sign out and go home. It was the third night in a row that they had been staking out an empty warehouse because of an anonymous tip that a big drug shipment was supposed to be delivered by a major player. So, far all they had done was sit in the car and try to keep awake for their eight hour shift. As a result, Starsky was bored and restless, never a good combination.

Hutch was leaning back in his seat, trying to keep from yawning. It didn't help that the neighborhood was deserted with no stores close by and traffic was non-existent. If one of them needed to take a leak, they had to duck into a near by alley. Since there was no carryout to get snacks or coffee their shift, Hutch had brought a large thermos and something for both of them to eat.

"This sucks. I wanna go home." Starsky whined, rubbing his eyes with both fists. It was an endearing gesture that always reminded Hutch of a little boy who was tired from playing all day but who didn't want to go to sleep.

"Hey, you heard Dobey before we left. If nothing goes down tonight, then we can call off the stakeout." Hutch said trying to pacify his cranky partner. He sighed as he stared out the window. Most people seemed to think that their job consisted of high speed car chases and shoot outs. They had no idea how much of their time was occupied by boring stakeouts like this one, paperwork, and just cruising up and down the streets in their district.

"I hate stakeouts." Starsky muttered as he folded his arms across his chest sullenly and glared out the window at the empty warehouse. He glanced at Hutch hopefully. "Are there any more of those cookies left?"

"Sorry, buddy." Hutch told him "You ate the last of 'em a couple of hours ago. There's an apple and some carrots left."

"I want some real food not that rabbit food you eat." Starsky complained with a pout.

"Well, when our shift's over, come back to my place and I'll scramble us some eggs, then you can crash on the couch."

"But I'm hungry now." The brunet whined plaintively. "I want a cheeseburger and fries."

"You're always hungry, Gordo." Hutch scolded him good naturedly. "And there's no place open this time of morning to get a cheeseburger and fries."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a big meanie, Blondie?" Starsky said, sticking his tongue out at his partner. Hutch couldn't help smiling. Sometimes, Starsky was nothing but a big kid. In spite of the tragedies he had suffered in his life, he had still managed to retain a childlike innocence and enthusiasm that very few people besides Hutch was ever allowed to witness. It was just one facet of his unique personality that made Hutch treasure his friendship.

There was a heavy silence for several minutes, broken only by several equally deep sighs from Starsky. Finally, Hutch said, "Why don't you crawl in the back and try to get some sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy. I'm bored." Starsky answered in a testy voice.

"I would never have guessed." Hutch said patiently. "So, what are you going to do for the next two hours? Complain?"

"Let's play a game." Starsky suggested "There's nothing else to do."

"What kind of a game?" Hutch asked suspiciously.

"How about truth or dare?"

Starsky, we're in a car. How are we supposed to play truth or dare in a car?"

"You don't wanna play with me?" Starsky said with that puppy dog look that he knew got to Hutch every time.

"I didn't say that. I said how are we supposed to play truth or dare in the car?"

"Simple, we just make sure if one of us takes the dare, then the other one has to make it something we can do in the car." Starsky said.

A thousand possibilities filtered through Hutch's mind at that comment and he blushed self-consciously. He wasn't sure that he really wanted to play this game with Starsky. It could be more embarrassing than when he was thirteen and got hard the first time he kissed a girl.

"Why don't we just get through this shift and go home? We can play truth or date when we get back to my place if you want to."

"See," Starsky said with another, more pronounced pout, "I knew you didn't wanna play with me."

Hutch sighed in defeat. He knew if he didn't agree to play the game with him, then he would have to deal with not just a bored Starsky but a whiny one too. He could already feel a headache starting to throb in the back of his head. He threw his hands up in surrender, "All right…I'll play with you."

Starsky grinned and quipped, "Hey, I'll have you know that I don't do that on the first date…especially when I'm with a big blond that doesn't exactly have the right equipment for me to play with."

"Starsky!" Hutch exclaimed "If you're going to do everything you can to embarrass me, then I'm not going to play your stupid game with you."

"You calling me stupid?" Starsky asked in a hurt voice. Hutch started to answer until he saw the amused twinkle in Starsky's sapphire eyes.

"Just play the game, buddy." He said in a resigned voice.

"Okay, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever eaten a bug?"

"What?" Hutch exclaimed, surprised at the question. It was the last thing he had been expecting Starsky to ask. "No. Have you?"

"No, but I made Nicky eat one once." Starsky said with a grin. "Your turn."

"Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Why did you make Nicky eat a bug?"

"Cause I was bored and he was there." Starsky gave a casual shrug of his shoulders. "He was four and I was nine. He'd told Ma on me for skipping school and I was grounded." He grinned. "My turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Did you ever walk in on your parents when they were having sex?"

"God, no." Hutch chuckled at the thought. "I'm not sure my mother ever had sex. It might mess up her hair or ruin her nails."

"She must have done it at least once or you wouldn't be here. I walked in on my folks a couple of times before they finally put a lock on their bedroom door."

"Truth or dare." Hutch said, continuing with the game.

"Dare." Starsky said with a mischievous grin.

Hutch paused, trying to think up something suitable to dare Starsky to do in the car. He hadn't been expecting him to say dare and it caught him off guard. "Touch your nose with your tongue." He finally said for lack of a better idea.

Starsky grinned and stuck out his tongue as far as he could, curling it up towards his nose and crossing his eyes at the same time. Hutch burst out laughing but his laughter died abruptly when Starsky began wiggling his tongue suggestively and making moaning sounds in his throat. The brunet giggled at the look on Hutch's face and stopped.

"Truth or dare."

"Truth." Hutch said. He decided he would rather be embarrassed by Starsky's questions than take a chance on any dare that the rascal might think up for him to do.

"Did you ever fuck Angie down in records?" Starsky asked, mentioning a cute little blonde officer that they both flirted with outrageously every chance they got.

"No." Hutch admitted "Have you?"

"Hey, I don't kiss and tell."

"You have, haven't you?" Hutch demanded "When?"

"Last Friday night." Starsky said with a grin. "She does this thing with her tongue that you wouldn't believe…"

"I don't wanna know." Hutch held up his hand to silence his partner before he started bragging about his sexual conquest. The two were competitive by nature and had frequently dated the same woman in the past. While Hutch preferred to keep the details of his love life more private, Starsky had no qualms about describing his exploits in great detail. He grinned at his partner. "My turn. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you ever met a woman you didn't go to bed with?" Hutch chuckled when Starsky bowed his head in embarrassment.

"Of course I have." He said defensively. "You know that."

"Hey, this game was your idea. Remember?" Hutch chided him good naturedly. It wasn't often he could get the best of his partner; it was usually the other way around.

"Okay." Starsky said, raising his head and looking at his partner, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Now it's my turn. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." Hutch said immediately in spite of his reservations about the wisdom of that choice.

Starsky rubbed his hands together gleefully. He thought about it for a minute and then said, "Get out of the car, run around it three times, and howl at the moon."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Hey, you agreed to play the game, so you have to play nice and follow the rules."

Hutch sighed and opened the door, easing his long lanky body out of the front seat. Glancing back at Starsky, he said, "Hey, you said we had to choose something the other one could do in the car!"

"So I lied." Starsky said in obviously enjoying his partner's discomfort. "If you don't do it, I'll think up something really embarrassing for you to do the next time."

"Who said there was gonna be a next time?" Hutch muttered under his breath as he straightened up.

Taking a deep breath, he began to run around the car, throwing back his head and howling at the moon like a dog. His face was burning with embarrassment when he climbed back into the car and Starsky was laughing his fool head off. Hutch vowed to find a way to get even with him. He decided to choose to tell the truth from now on. It was safer that way.

He scowled at his hysterically laughing partner and held up his finger in warning. "You tell anybody at work about this and you're gonna be sorry!"

"You should have seen yourself, Hutch. It was priceless." Starsky said as he struggled to get his laughter under control. "That ought to be good for a few favors."

"Like what?" Hutch asked suspiciously

"Like paying for lunch for the next two weeks and letting me pick where we eat."

Hutch grimaced as he thought about two weeks of heartburn from eating at Starsky's favorite taco joints and dives. But it was a small price to pay to avoid the ridicule of his peers if they ever found out about their little game.

"I don't wanna play no more." Hutch grumbled as he settled back into the seat. It's almost time to sign out anyway."

"Spoil sport." Starsky said his good nature restored. He reached out to slap his friend on the back. "Thanks, Blondie. That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Hutch said sourly as he reached for the mike to log them off duty. Starsky drove to Hutch's apartment and they went inside. As they tossed their leather jackets over the back of the sofa, Hutch said, "Why don't you grab a shower while I scramble the eggs?"

Starsky nodded and headed for the bathroom. Hutch was just finishing up the scrambled eggs and toast when Starsky came out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.

"Hey, Starsk? Would you mind looking out the door and see if the paper's here yet?" Hutch said with an innocent smile.

Starsky opened the door and peered into the stairwell and on the landing looking for the morning paper. He yelped in surprise when Hutch grabbed the towel from around his waist and then shoved him out the door, shutting it behind him and turning the lock.

"HUTCH!" the brunet yelled desperately from the other side of the closed door. "This ain't funny! Open up and let me in!" Hutch ignored his pleas, whistling to himself as he dished up the food and set the plates on the kitchen table.

"HUTCHHHH…" He heard Starsky begging desperately from the landing as he pounded loudly on the door. "PLEASEEEEE…LET ME IN!"

Hutch smiled again as he fingered the key stuffed in his pocket, the one he usually kept over the front door frame. Finally, he decided Starsky had had enough and opened the door. The embarrassed brunet darted inside and slammed the door shut, breathing heavily. He stomped into the bathroom and slammed that door too, obviously pissed off. Hutch smiled as he sat down to eat his breakfast. He had no doubt that Starsky would find a way to make him pay for his little stunt but it would be worth it.

THE END