A/N: And here's chapter 4! Please don't expect another chapter for a few days because the next one is complex. But I am a firm believer in quick updates so stick with me people! I love you all desperately!
Doesn't it piss you off when an author leaves you with a cliff hanger and doesn't update until two months later? That's my pet peeve, so I've made it my mantra to keep writing often.
xoxoxo
ShadowPassinThru- thank you for replying and they really are cute together. i'm glad you like the fic!
katastrophic88- i'm so honored! thank you! fluff doesn't come naturally to me so i'm glad you found it okay. and the ending... well, we've got a ways to go before then. it's gonna be a 10 or 11 chapter fic so, we haven't even hit the half way point yet!
kikvws- you betcha!
Kitty in the Box- i aim to please honey. i was originally going to name the lab something else, but when i was writing, it just came to me. i'm so glad this is considered one of the best by you. that means a lot to me. :-)
earthangel3- "I love JJxDrake fics. There isn't enough of them." Amen to that! it seems that all the pairings i like don't get any fiction time at all! oh well, one frontier at a time...
xoxoxo
Chapter 4:
September is always beautiful in New York. The leaves turn all the right colors, from light amber yellow to deep blood red, and fall to make graceful heaps on the sidewalks. The weather becomes colder, but not freezing. Just cool enough that you need a coat, but no gloves or heavy socks. This month signals the end to the summer and hints at the approaching winter, with children going back to school and adults settling in for months at work. September is so beautiful when you take a step out of your door and just observe.
"No way in hell!"
"Well, I'm not listening to your crap!"
"How dare you call U2 and the Rolling Stones crap?! They're light-years ahead of that... that... Benny D person!"
"That's Kenny G you ignorant moron!"
"Well I don't give a fuck what he's called! No, No, and NO!"
"We're in my car and we'll listen to what I want!"
Drake and JJ seemed to be missing the beauty of September while they bickered during a stake out. They were parked outside an abandoned warehouse, waiting for their prep to show up. Surprisingly, the old saying "they always return to the scene of the crime" wasn't working for them. Life had been good the first hour of looking out, because they had both come back from a filling lunch at a Thai restaurant in downtown New York. But rolling into their third hour, nerves were being frayed.
As Drake rubbed his temples, he grimaced, "JJ... I know we agreed to try and understand each other and all. And so far, it's been great. We get along better than ever. But THIS IS WHERE I PUT MY FOOT DOWN! NO JAZZ!"
JJ retorted with the same determination, "Well, Eric Clapton is NOT my ideal car music, Drake. Why can't you just shut up and respect my tastes?" And with a hint of laughter in his voice, "It won't make you gay you know."
Drake looked horrified, "I never said that!"
"But you were thinking it," JJ said in his most annoying sing song voice.
"Was not! I'm totally secure in my masculinity thank you very much!"
"Oh, of course you are sem-paaiiiiii," JJ drawled sarcastically.
"Do you do that just to get a rise out of me?" Drake sighed, exasperated.
JJ had to hold back all the dirty jokes that floated instantly to the front of his mind. I haven't had this much fun in years! Letting Drake know me these past few weeks has been wonderful. I finally feel like I can just talk to him about anything, so maybe I won't push it this time... "Why else would I tease you except for my own entertainment? You get flustered so easily. I barely have to do anything to get you all roused up."
"Haha, very funny. Well, I'm onto you, so you can try anything you want," said Drake as he turned to face the window on the passenger side. He knew that JJ enjoyed teasing him, and he did want to see JJ cheerful more often, but to be the victim every time? Heh, he'll get his due...
"Aw, now don't pout Drake. Here," JJ leaned over and switched off the radio, "We'll just talk instead."
"I'd rather hear the jazz," Drake replied as he leaned back in his seat.
"Oh, really now?" mocked JJ as his hand extended toward the power button.
"NOOO!" Drake quickly grabbed JJ's out stretched hand and put it unceremoniously back into his lap. "I was just kidding."
"I know." For awhile, silence filled the little car. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence or filled with tension, it was simply a chance to breathe for a moment and be grateful for each other's company. JJ and Drake had been spending more and more time with each other since JJ's birthday. Usually Drake joined JJ and October for a walk in the nearby park after work, but occasionally they would go and have dinner somewhere. There was a Japanese restaurant near the precinct, that Ryo recommended, which had become their usual hang out.
The other fortunate thing that had subconsciously occurred was that this new found friendship affected their work as detectives. Things just seemed to go smoothly and without hassle. The work days seemed shorter, the paperwork seemed more bearable, and Dee somehow got a lot less annoying. Neither could tell how it happened exactly, just that it had. And they knew each other's whereabouts at all times.
"Hey, Drake?" JJ asked.
"Yeah?" Drake answered.
"Do you... do you have any family? Well, I know you have family, but what are they like?" JJ spoke out on a question that he'd been dying to ask for long time.
Drake rubbed the back of his neck and thought for a moment, "Well, both my parents died years ago. My mom had a stroke and my dad followed after in a few months by natural causes. He said that he wanted to follow her wherever she went, so I guess that applied to death as well."
JJ nodded gently to show he understood. Drake grinned and kept going, "I also have two sisters, both older than me. They're married with kids out in California so I don't get a chance to talk to them often. I mean, plane tickets and phone bills can be kind of a reach for my wallet."
"That's easily fixed. Less drinking, more saving," JJ stated.
Drake playfully punched JJ's arm, "Just because you don't drink a lot of beer, doesn't mean that the rest of us have to."
JJ chuckled, "Or maybe it's because I have such a low tolerance that I get drunk a lot cheaper?"
They both laughed together before Drake said, "And what about you huh? What's your family like?"
Instantly JJ stopped laughing and began to look somber. Drake thought, Oh shit! I've done it again. Was that the right thing to ask? Apparently not since his home life doesn't seem too happy. Damn, what to do... what to do..."You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, JJ. I'll understand."
JJ shook his head, "No, it's okay. I want to tell you. It's just not as... simple as yours."
He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm an only child, so I had a lot of pressure from my parents to succeed and be wealthy when I grew up. It was hard trying to achieve every goal they set for me, because it wasn't what I wanted to do. I never really saw them at all, I doubt if they even saw each other, so I grew up by myself really. But one day during high school they came home early and... and..."
JJ's face burst into a bright rose color and he bit his lip. Drake was suddenly intrigued and pressed for more, "And what huh?"
The next words came out so softly that Drake barely caught them at all, "caught me... inbedwithanotherguy."
Now it was Drake's turn to have pink blush across his cheeks, "Oh" was the best he could manage to get out.
"So, they told me to get out of the house. Bought me an apartment on the other side of the city, sent me checks for money once in awhile, but never talked to me again. They're divorced now... I don't even know if they're still alive," JJ whispered as an afterthought. Maybe that was too much. God, I should have just kept it to myself. Drake doesn't need all the angst that my sorry life brings. I hope he doesn't pity me. Oh please let him not pity me! I can't stand anyone else's sympathy like that!
Drake was looking off in the distance at the crumbling warehouse, deep in thought. JJ had begun to think that Drake had blown off the whole incident, until, "You did good JJ, real good. I bet your parents would be proud of you've become, no matter where they are now."
The car again sat in silence. JJ was so flabbergasted at Drake's statement that all words simply failed him. Out of all the things he could have said... how do I respond? That was so endearing, I just can't... I don't know... what should I?
"Maybe just a 'you're a good person too Drake'?" commented Drake with a smirk. Drake was beginning to recognize the different faces that JJ had, and the easiest of them all was confusion. JJ had this cute way of squinting his eyes and staring over your shoulder as he struggled for words. It was almost as good as his get-back-to-work-NOW-because-you're-slacking-off-again face. Both of them made JJ look like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum.
"All right then. You're a good person too Drake," said JJ and he meant it sincerely. Drake genuinely cared about his friends past superficiality in a way that was unique to him. But just because Drake would take a bullet for him, didn't mean he was excluded from JJ's taunting. "What else would women date you for? Because it's definitely not your looks."
Drake grinned from ear to ear. The new JJ is back! Whatever, I'll take his remarks as long as he keeps his dimple... "Maybe my looks aren't that great, JJ, but I make up for it."
"Oh yeah? And how do you make it up exactly?"
"Use your imagination," Drake suggested huskily before he broke out into laughter.
Even though JJ was sniggering right along with Drake, something clicked in the back of his mind. He knew that Drake was a slight homophobe, even if he didn't condemn gays outright. JJ could tell that he was uncomfortable with the idea of a homosexual partner the first time they were introduced. JJ had tendency to be stereotypically flamboyant, while Drake did his best to look the other way. Lately however, he seemed more comfortable with Dee's erotic jokes towards Ryo and made a few lighthearted ones of his own. Weird...maybe this friendship is doing us both a world of good...
"We should really get back to the station. We've already been here for three hours and a half," JJ remarked as he glanced at his watch.
"Yeah you're right. It's six fifteen, so we're technically off duty now," replied Drake.
JJ put the car into gear and drove off, "So are you coming over tonight? I've got to go pick up October from my neighbor, but then we can go out or something."
"Sure, let's just go for a light walk. I've got to start burning off the calories from lunch."
"Trust me Drake, it would take more than a light stroll in the park to counter act those three donuts."
"Sure, sure. You're just jealous because I'm... DON'T TOUCH THAT TUNING DIAL!"
A/N: YAY! Chapter 4 completed! I really don't know what happened there! It was totally different then I originally intended, but c'est la vie. I hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter is going to be a Ryo, Dee, Drake, JJ, Marty, and Ted scene that's bound to take a wild turn so...
Write me a reply and tell me how you like it! I JUST ADORE REPLIES! :-D
Oh! And from here on out, it gets more serious. I'm so excited!