Cole gulped down the questionable-looking coffee with a slight grimace, swirling the remnants of the muddy brown drink around in his Styrofoam cup. Sighing heavily, he slouched further into the cushioned chair, rubbing at his temples with a hand.
"You alright over there?" Violet called out. She swung around in her swivel chair, a wide grin gracing her features as her hair flew in all directions.
"Peachy," Cole grunted, daring to take another swig of his drink.
"Your friend has been in there for a long time," the secretary chirped, her large smile never wavering. "Maybe the boss has a crush on him."
The detective abruptly choked on his coffee, grabbing at his throat as he gagged. "I doubt it," he managed to gasp out, setting the offensive cup aside on a nearby end table. "He's not much to look at."
Violet's grin stretched into a smirk. "Oh, but he is," she insisted. With a dramatic sigh, she placed a hand over her heart. "Those blue eyes would make anyone melt."
Cole rolled his eyes and leapt to his feet. "You're making me sick," he accused, launching his empty cup over to a trash bin.
"Don't tell me that you've never bothered looking at him," Violet pouted, interlacing her lanky fingers.
"I've looked at him," Cole explained exasperatedly. "I've just never looked at him."
"There's a difference?" the secretary asked, confused.
"Of course there is," the detective huffed, stalking over to the sputtering coffee machine in the corner.
"Then what is the difference?" Violet demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Cole ignored her and snatched up another plastic cup. He thrust it under the stained coffee spout and jammed a few buttons until some sort of thick, black sludge began to ooze into the cup. Wrinkling up his nose, the detective delicately picked up his coffee and took an experimental sip.
Violet watched him choke down his fourth cup of coffee with an impatient scowl painted on her face.
"Well?" she prompted, drumming her pointed fingernails against the smooth desk.
The detective shot the secretary an exasperated glare before moving back to his seat.
Violet huffed. "You know," she exclaimed, clearing her throat, "they say that the coffee here was made from dirt, instead of cacao beans."
"They are probably right," Cole admitted sourly, scrunching up his face as he glanced down as the viscous fluid that was supposed to be his drink.
Violet caught sight of the detective's disgusted grimace and countered it with an ear-splitting grin.
"It makes me feel more connected to the great Mother Earth," she exclaimed grandly, excitement dancing in her glittering eyes.
Cole snorted. "Right," he shot back, abandoning his cup in order to stalk over to the secretary's desk. "Because it's not enough to have constant dirt under your fingernails when you're out in the country."
Violet's cunning smile widened by a fraction. "You don't like earth?" she prodded gleefully.
"It's why I live in the city," Cole bit out. "Here, everything is manufactured and processed, definable and unnatural. Out there, it's all dirt and mud and rocks, and trees. It's much more difficult to work in an environment like that."
"But of course, silly!" Violet crowed. "You're in IT, you couldn't possibly work in the outdoors!"
Cole leaned away from the furnished desk and shrugged his shoulders.
Yeah, he thought sullenly. IT. That's me.
Violet opened her mouth to say something more, but was abruptly cut off as a door creaked open.
Cole whipped his head around at a painful speed, narrowing his gaze in on Jay as the ex-Deputy ambled out of the small office room.
The detective's eyes darted up and down Jay's lithe figure, noting the fact that the ex-Deputy's knuckles were white as he kept a tight hold on his briefcase. Jay's eyes looked flighty and unfocused, and Cole could easily tell that the auburn-haired rookie had sweated through his pristine, dark blue suit jacket.
Harumi sidled up next to Jay, a large smile gracing her features.
"Thank you for your time, gentlemen," Harumi stated kindly, dipping her head once as a sign of respect.
Cole stiffly returned the gesture as Jay hurried over to his side.
"I will call you when we determine whether or not the two of you are fit for this job," the interviewer continued, lacing her fingers together and placing them in front of her tight gray skirt.
"Alright," Jay stated softly, his voice quiet and small.
The detective refused to glance down at his partner, even though Jay's practically frightened tone had piqued his curiosity.
Harumi dismissed the pair with a wave of her hand, strutting back to the darkened office.
As soon as the interviewer's sleek, vibrant white hair disappeared from view, Cole chanced a look at his partner. He quickly averted his eyes when he found himself looking directly into Jay's imploring gaze.
"I'll probably see you again, boys!" Violet chirped from behind the secretary's desk. "Lord knows you'd be a perfect fit for this job."
Jay tossed the secretary a genuine smile. "It'd be nice to see you again," he admitted. "You seem like a wonderful person."
Violet preened under the praising words, performing a brief lap around her desk in her swivel chair out of excitement.
Cole bit out a hasty goodbye before practically dragging his partner over to the elevator, almost throwing Jay inside before joining him in the confined space.
"You stayed with Harumi for an extra thirty-two minutes," Cole accused, fingers flying over the elevator control pad. "What were the two of you doing?"
"Doing?" Jay echoed incredulously. "We weren't doing anything. She asked me a few questions and then talked to me a bit about company policy." The ex-Deputy set down his briefcase as he spoke, rolling his tense shoulders around in their sockets.
A nasty retort edged its way to the tip of Cole's tongue, but he found himself biting it back.
"What questions?" the detective asked instead, tilting his head.
"The basic stuff that I practiced for," Jay answered vaguely, lazily gesturing with one hand.
"And the company policy?" Cole pressed, narrowing one eye. He arched one of his dark eyebrows.
"Tardy policy and vacation days," the ex-Deputy explained, avoiding Cole's searching glare.
"And?" the detective prodded.
"And nothing," Jay retorted with a sense of finality in his words.
Cole shook his head sharply. "I don't know what your problem is," the detective bit back. "Afraid of Harumi or something?"
Jay's face flushed. "Of course not," he fired back indignantly.
Cole leveled his partner with a sharp stare, abruptly breaking off his prying gaze when the elevator door slid open.
In seconds, Jay was gone, striding purposefully towards the swinging doors that marked the entrance to the headquarters. The silent receptionist followed the ex-Deputy's departure with his eyes. Cole grimaced as he hurried after his partner, fighting to convince himself that the creepy man at the desk did not just lick his lips.
Jay marched off in the general direction of the Blacksmith Detective Agency, jerkily swinging his briefcase at his sides.
The detective sighed and lengthened his strides, easily catching up to his huffy partner.
"You're being childish," Cole reprimanded snidely, turning up his nose at Jay's quick glare.
"And you're not?" the ex-Deputy shot back.
Cole said nothing, merely giving Jay a fierce look that could have burned liquid nitrogen.
Jay dropped his challenging gaze, focusing instead on the slightly worn case he still had clutched in his hands.
"So what did Harumi talk to you about?" Cole prodded insistently, resisting the urge to elbow his partner in the side.
"Company policy," Jay reiterated firmly, keeping his eyes pointed straight ahead. He veered off to a side street and hurried his pace as Cole fought to keep up with him.
"Fine," the detective stated finally, drawing in a breath. "If you want to be all mysterious, go ahead. I'll probably find out soon enough anyway."
At Cole's decisive words, Jay canted his head to the side, struggling to hide the slight blush that crawled up his neck.
The two continued on in taut silence.
The brief rattling of a tin trash can lid shattered the quiet, and both Jay and Cole perked up at the noise.
A short, stubby tabby cat ambled out from behind the garbage bin. Its fur was rough and patchy, and its sharp green eyes were wide and accusatory as it focused its shimmering gaze on the two case partners.
Jay honest-to-God squealed at the sight.
"A kitty!" he chirped excitedly, haphazardly flinging his briefcase to the side and dashing over to the small cat.
Cole yelped and hastily ducked his head as the leather case soared past his ear.
Jay fell to his knees, uncaring of the grime that was surely coating the knees of his trousers. "Hi there," the ex-Deputy cooed, reaching out a hand for the tabby to investigate.
The cat did just that, and followed the dainty sniff up with a sharp set of claws. With a hiss, the tabby raked his sharp nails across Jay's outstretched palm.
Jay yelped and scrambled away from the cat's vicious paws, scrabbling to keep his injured hand out of the irritated tabby's reach.
Amused, Cole dropped to the asphalt beside his case partner, glancing curiously at the set of small cuts that littered the ex-Deputy's palm.
Jay whined pitifully as Cole shooed the tabby away, eying the droplets of blood that oozed from the wound.
"Keep your hand on your opposite shoulder," the detective instructed. "Palm out."
Jay chanced a look at Cole, who was busily digging through his Belstaff pockets. "What are you doing?" he asked, shifting closer to the detective.
"Shoulder," Cole commanded gruffly.
Jay grumbled something about moody detectives before reluctantly complying under his partner's stern stare.
Cole let out a small grunt of triumph as he fished an emergency medical kit from his leather coat. He set to work tearing the plastic covering off with his teeth as Jay looked on.
"I don't need a bandage or anything," Jay insisted as his partner snapped the blue, plastic lid off the kit. "I'll be fine."
Cole glared at his partner once more, effectively silencing him. "I don't want the cuts getting infected," he explained, ripping open a packet of antiseptic gel. "You're no good to me if your hand is out of commission."
"Well thank you for your concern," Jay huffed sardonically, hastily stopping himself from crossing his arms over his chest.
The detective's only response was a short, incomprehensible grumble as he snatched up a small bandage.
Jay opened his mouth to once again insist that he was fine, but abruptly snapped his jaw shut as Cole delicately took hold of his injured hand.
The ex-Deputy fought down a fierce blush with all of his willpower as the detective gently dabbed away the blood that was dripping from the cuts.
Cole set the bloodied tissue aside and carefully applied several helpings of the gel onto the wound, brows furrowed with concentration.
Jay swallowed once as he caught sight of the intensity in the detective's eyes as he cleaned up the cuts.
The detective methodically smoothed a dab of gel across the reddened flesh, lips pursed in concentration.
He could've done this himself, you know, Cole's mind told him slyly as the detective added a bead of antiseptic onto an untouched part of Jay's palm.
Shut up, Cole shot back.
His partner let out a sharp gasp and flinched away from Cole's probing fingers.
"What is it?" the detective demanded quickly, peering at Jay's face.
"It just hurts is all," the ex-Deputy explained, gritting his teeth together.
Cole ignored the small lurch that his traitorous heart gave at the sight of his partner's vulnerability.
Jay's glittering blue eyes found Cole's earthen brown ones as the detective finished applying the stinging gel to the cuts. Taking a chance, the ex-Deputy leaned slightly forward, tilting his head closer to Cole's smooth, olive cheeks.
Unmasked surprise flashed in the detective's gaze, and Jay glanced curiously at the chocolate eyes that were so close to his own azure ones.
Cole could feel his heart pounding much faster than it should have been. Every nerve was alight with sensitivity, and the slightest touch burned his skin.
Jay deftly took the unwrapped bandage and secured it over his cut. "Thanks for taking care of me," he praised in a low, soft tone.
Cole shivered at the rumbling words, inwardly cursing himself for it.
For some reason, he couldn't think of any insult to throw back in the ex-Deputy's smug face. It was almost like he didn't want to.
The gratitude that shined in Jay's peerless eyes was genuine, and soft. Cole couldn't bring himself to question it.
I struggle with trust, in particular.
Does he trust me? Cole pondered briefly, this time not questioning the words as they floated through his mind.
One look into the depths of Jay's eyes answered the detective's question.
A wave of calm washed over Cole as he continued to hold his partner's gaze.
This time, they weren't trying to prove something to each other. They weren't trying to outdo the other.
They were just looking. Each was studying the other's defining features.
Jay's scar that was split in half by his right eye was impressively detailed up close.
It dimly registered somewhere in the back of Cole's mind that the two of them were still holding hands.
Jay's hand was warm, and the light calluses on his fingertips were firm and rough.
There was a thin line of raised, scarred tissue running up the back of the ex-Deputy's palm, and it disappeared into Jay's crisp sleeve.
Cole wanted to know where this new scar came from.
Jay leaned impossibly closer to the detective, his imploring stare never wavering as he inclined his chin. His eyelids fluttered briefly as he dropped his gaze.
Cole unconsciously licked his lips, shock and something else pooling low in his abdomen as he saw Jay's blue eyes darken.
Maybe I could… Cole thought to himself, vividly imagining himself leaning forward. He cut his own thoughts short as his partner lightly brushed his thumb across the detective's callused palm.
I could …
A memory, unbidden, crashed to the forefront of Cole's mind.
No.
With all the speed of a frightened greyhound, Cole dropped Jay's hand, his body crying out at the loss of such a comforting warmth. The detective shot to his feet, mind racing.
Jay blinked once in disbelief before slowly standing up, curiously trying to meet Cole's panicked eyes.
The detective averted his gaze, instead marching stiff-legged over to Jay's fallen briefcase, roughly snatching it up from the asphalt and tossing it back to his partner.
Startled, Jay quickly caught it with his good hand and half-heartedly began brushing the street gravel off of it.
"Make sure you watch the wound for infection," Cole explained, mentally cringing at his quiet, rough tone of voice.
"I will," Jay agreed softly, shoulders sagging with defeat.
I'm sorry, Cole bemoaned, staring at his case partner with dismay spelled out across his face.
I can't.