A/N: Yay! I managed to update within a week! I'm proud of myself. This chapter isn't as good as the first one (at least I don't think it is) because I had a bit of writer's block. So sorry about that. And I don't really know where this story is going exactly, but we'll find out eventually...
I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers. I also decided I'd respond to the anonymous reviewers right here.
MK: Thank you! And I can see that the problem of Tom's girlfriends is becoming a big issue, and don't worry, I provided a solution in this chapter. It's kind of a lame, safe solution, but... It's what I thought might be believable.
rubydoo: Thanks! I'm still not sure if I'm going to make this a Doug/Tom or something else... One of the main points of the story, though, is not Tom is gay and Doug isn't (at least a first...)
LilaGrace: Thank you, and like I said, I'm still not sure if it'll be Tom/Doug or not. And yeah, I addressed that issue in this chapter...
catwoman: Thanks so much, that made me very happy when you said it was an interesting idea. Because I realized in all of the other fanfics either Tom and Doug are together or Tom and Doug are straight, but I didn't see many where one is gay and the other isn't and has to deal with that... Was that coherent? It's late and I'm tired. D
A.: Thanks, for the praise and the suggestion. I decided to beta it myself, but if you keep on seeing easily avoidable errors than I probably should get another beta.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah, blah, blah, this is so depressing...
Chapter Two: A New Case
"Stay the night."
Doug looked at Tom, then at the clock. They had talked the whole day, and now it was too late for Doug to go back to his apartment.
"Um, I don't know…" Doug responded uncertainly. After everything he had learned, he couldn't help being wary of staying the night with Tom, in his apartment… After all, Tom was gay…
"C'mon, Doug, I'm not gonna do anything," Tom said with a crooked smile.
That man could read Doug's mind. They seriously knew each other too well. "Sure. I know. I'll just sleep here on the couch…"
"Okay. Sweet dreams," Tom responded. He went to his bedroom and started to get ready for bed. Doug just sat on the couch, thinking.
Doug was remembering what had happened earlier, around afternoon time. Pretty much right after Tom had stopped yelling and started answering Doug's questions.
Tom had just said, "Well, my mom does, and now you, but no one else knows and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Oh," Doug replied, still at a loss of what to say. "I see. Well, sure, Tom, I mean, of course I won't say anything."
"Good." Tom leaned back on the couch and flashed Doug a tired smile. Doug returned it uneasily, suddenly struck by the fact that he and his gay partner were on the same couch. It was a bit awkward, to say the least, but Tom didn't seem to notice.
Tom closed his eyes briefly and ran his hands through his hair unconsciously. Doug smiled. The action was so familiar. Tom was just the same, but… different. It was a really strange situation.
"Tom?" Doug suddenly asked; a weird thought had come to his mind.
"Hmm?"
"Well, I mean, if you've been… gay… all your life, what about Jackie and Amy?" Doug felt weird bringing Amy up. Everyone at Jump Street usually avoided talking about her. After all, Tom had become obsessive and almost crazy after her sudden death, he had taken it so hard and blamed himself for everything. But, if Tom was gay, then did he really love Amy and Jackie too?
"Oh. I had a feeling you'd ask that. Well, I mostly go for guys, but there were a few girls who I was attracted to also. Amy and Jackie were the special ones."
"So, you're… bisexual?" Doug felt weird discussing his partner's preferred sex. Again, Tom didn't seem to notice his partner's discomfort.
"You could say that, yeah. But mostly, homosexual." Tom looked at Doug again, wondering how he was taking this. He seemed pretty normal, but with Doug, you could never really tell. Tom was feeling perfectly fine discussing all this; it was actually quite enjoyable to him. He was finally able to talk about what he had hidden and kept deep down inside of him for so long, and to his best friend at that.
"I see." Doug was quiet. A million questions were running though his brain, but none that Tom could answer. How do I act around you now that I know you're gay? How can you be gay? Do you really love boys or do you just go out with them because it's different? Why did you never tell me this earlier? You don't like me, do you? God, he had no idea what he would do if Tom started hitting on him. That was stupid. How could he even think that? Of course Tom wouldn't do that. He was Doug's best friend and he wouldn't ruin their relationship like that. Doug was seriously overreacting.
Presently Tom came out of the bedroom, dressed in his sleepwear, interrupting Doug from his memories. "Do you need anything?" He asked.
"No, thanks," Doug replied. "I'll just sleep in these clothes."
"Okay." Tom could tell something was wrong but decided not to press it. He hoped to God that Doug would keep his mouth shut about the gay thing and that it wouldn't mess up their close friendship.
"Good night," Doug said softly.
"Good night." Tom went back to his bedroom and closed the door, turning off all the lights. Doug lay on the couch, trying, and failing, to sleep. He kept on thinking about Tom being gay, and about the next day. Monday. A workday. He wondered how he would face the rest of the group, and Tom, without giving anything away. Doug finally managed to fall asleep. His last thought was, If the rest of the force finds out, Tom's screwed. The Jump Street program isn't fully supported by the mayor as it is. The last thing it needs is for the mayor to find out that one of the officers that works there is gay.
Judy Hoffs couldn't concentrate on her paperwork. Too many things were on her mind.
First, she hated paperwork. It was nothing compared to the excitement of fieldwork.
Second, Tom and Doug were late. There was nothing unusual in Doug being late, but Tom being late was a very rare occurrence. He was always so punctual and tidy and… perfect.
That brought Judy to her third problem. She was falling for Officer Tom Hanson. He was so compassionate and kind, especially to her. He was always there with a shoulder to cry on and a few words of comfort, and he never raised his voice or said anything mean to her. Not to mention that he had unbelievable angelic good looks, with his messy dark brown hair and his big, brown doe eyes, and pale skin with a slight tan that seemed to suit him perfectly. He also seemed a bit vulnerable with his slender but wiry build, especially compared to Doug. She hated how she seemed like a lovesick teenager with her first crush, but this was different. Although Tom never seemed interested in a romantic relationship with her, she was sure they shared something special. Maybe she would ask him out to dinner tonight.
A loud crash and the sound of arguing jolted Judy from her thoughts and announced the arrival of Doug and Tom. Judy looked up from her unfinished paperwork and smiled. She could hear Tom's voice saying, "You said I had three feet of room, not inches! You can thank God the Mustang doesn't have a scratch or you'd be sorry!"
"Yeah, go ahead and blame me 'cause you're too embarrassed to admit you knocked over a trash can with your beloved Mustang because you didn't back up right." It was Doug's voice.
"Shut up," came Tom's reply.
Judy frowned slightly. Something seemed forced about the two best friend's usual morning banter. As she watched Tom and Doug entered the Chapel, Tom stumbled on the step and Doug caught him, then let go of him quickly and didn't make eye contact. It was weird, since when were Tom and Doug so awkward around each other?
"Hi, Judy," Tom greeted Judy when he saw her. "Hi, Iokage," Tom added when he saw Harry, who, Judy realized with a guilty start, had actually been working on his paperwork – not just daydreaming.
"Hi," Harry and Judy both responded to Tom's greeting. Doug gave them both a hearty wave.
"You're late," Harry said. "Fuller's gonna –"
"HANSON! PENHALL!" Came Fuller's stern voice from behind the Captain's door. "In my office."
"Uh-oh," Doug muttered, Tom nodding in agreement. Doug headed towards Fuller's office, Tom following after making an 'I'm dead' face to Judy and Harry. He completely ignored Booker, like he had since he had entered the Chapel.
Judy smiled again; Tom just had that effect on her. As he and Doug disappeared into Fuller's office, Judy resolved to ask Tom out for dinner right after work. She turned back to her paperwork, determined to get it finished if she and Tom would really be going on a date that night.
As Tom and Doug entered Captain Fuller's office, Tom sighed inwardly as he caught a glance of Fuller's stern face. Why is it always me? He thought tiredly. Fuller motioned for Tom and Doug to sit, and they obeyed.
"You're late," Fuller observed. Yeah, I know, why does everyone always have the need to tell me that? Are they excited because perfect cop Tom Hanson is not on time for once? If only they knew I was gay…They wouldn't think I was so perfect then.
"Yeah, we know that, Coach, you wanna tell us something new?"
Whoops. He had said his thoughts out loud. Him and his big mouth.
"Excuse me, Hanson?" Fuller said severely.
"You're excused," Tom muttered insolently. Doug shot him a surprised side-glance. This wasn't like Tom at all.
"Hanson, you'll need to drop the attitude if you want to do something other than paperwork these next few weeks."
"Yeah, okay Coach, I'm sorry," Tom mumbled, not sounding very sorry. "Just got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or something," he added with a glare at Doug.
Doug grinned, but his mind was elsewhere. It was weird talking to Tom so normally now that Doug knew his big secret.
"Well, that's no excuse." Fuller said sharply, and Doug looked up, trying to pay attention. "Listen up, you two. I have a case for you." Tom visibly brightened; finally, a case! Things could get back to normal.
Fuller handed the two officers their files and began to explain the case. "There have been a lot of gay men being attacked and beaten near this high school, Hamurst High. One of the victims, Evan McGurth, died last afternoon. The other victims have suffered broken bones and concussions. You two are two high school students, just transferred in. Both of you should get close to this boy, our head suspect. His name is Andrew Ryans and he has a record of violence and unsuccessful counseling. If needed, we can pull in Booker as a new gay student. All clear?"
"Yeah," Tom said shortly. This sucked too much for words. He just couldn't believe it. It was like some sick, twisted joke, that the case that was supposed to bring everything back to normal was a gay men beatings case. It had been bad enough the other time he had had to deal with a gay case. This time he ran even more risk of being caught or recognized. The Hamurst High School was close to one of the gay bars Tom used to hang out at.
"Are you sure?" Doug asked. Tom shot him a filthy glare. Doug knew how this might be hard for Tom and truly thought it would be better if Tom didn't go on the case. He was under risk of being recognized and even beaten, or his emotional reaction to this case might hinder his police investigation.
Doug could tell how much Tom wanted everything to go back to the way it was before Doug found out he was gay, but that wasn't going to happen, especially if Tom went on this case. "I think it actually might better if Harry did this case instead of Tom, because –"
"Doug," Tom hissed, his eyes flashing angrily. "Shut up!"
In a louder voice, Tom explained to his Captain, "He doesn't know what he's talking about. Just ignore him. I'm going on this case and that's that." Tom stood up from his chair and abruptly left the office, slamming the door shut behind him.
Fuller and Doug just sat there for a few minutes, staring stupidly at the closed door. Finally, Doug said desperately, "I can explain. See, he has some issues about homosexual men. I mean, his cousin –"
"Penhall," Fuller said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Don't worry about it; we can talk about this later. You're dismissed. I have some things to do."
Doug simply nodded and exited, leaving Fuller alone to ponder the reason for Tom's sudden exit.
Judy had been sitting in her desk when she heard the door slam and Tom came striding out of Fuller's office, looking pissed off. He sat down at his desk (conveniently next to Judy's, so she could admire him all day long) and began his paperwork in silence.
A few tense minutes had passed before Judy finally asked, "What happened?"
"Huh?" Tom responded distantly, automatically. His gaze switched from the paper to Judy as he understood what she was saying. "Oh. Well, Fuller yelled at us for being late and then gave us a new case. For some reason Doug didn't think I should do it. But he can't make me get off the case and I'm doing it no matter what, he's just being stupid."
As Judy took time to absorb that, Doug came out of Fuller's office, much calmer than Tom had been when he had exited. Tom looked up from his paperwork and a significant but unreadable look passed between him and Doug. Judy really wondered what had gone on between them.
Work was finally over. Judy loitered around until it was only she and Tom left in the Chapel. She was going to do it; she was going to ask him out to dinner. Before hadn't been a good time, others had been around and Tom had been in a bad mood. But now, they were alone and Tom seemed to have calmed down.
"Hey, Tom," Judy said softly, going over to stand by his desk.
"Hey," Tom responded without looking up from the file he was packing up.
"Can I ask you something?" Judy hated how her hands were sweaty and shaking and how she had butterflies in her stomach. She was not a lovesick teenager, she was 24 years old!
"Sure." Tom finally met her gaze, and his chocolate brown eyes took Judy's breath away and almost caused her to forget what she was saying.
"Can you go out to dinner with me?" Judy blurted, blushing slightly. Thankfully, it was hard to notice with her dark skin.
"Tonight?" Tom asked, unable to hide the surprise in his eyes.
"Yeah."
"As a," he hesitated, "As a date?"
"Um, kind of. I mean, we can go just as friends if you want." Oh, God, what if Tom didn't return her affection? What if he refused her offer? Why hadn't she thought of all of this before stupidly blurting out her invitation? She didn't even know what restaurant she wanted to go to!
"Okay, then. Just as friends. I'll pick you up at 6:30 PM." Tom's words relaxed Judy and temporarily banished all her worries. Trying to sound cool, she said, "So it's settled?"
"Yeah."
"Great! See you later." Judy said, trying to hide just how happy and enthusiastic she was. She grabbed her bags and hightailed it outta there, unable to believe her luck.
Okay, Tom thought. That was stupid. Rash. What was that, like a pity date or something? Why did I accept her invitation? Why did I give her false hope?
Tom was in his apartment and it was 6:00 PM. He was about to pick Judy up for dinner. And no matter how much he insisted that it was just a dinner between friends, he knew Judy wanted it to be more.
He had seen the way she looked at him. Almost lustfully. No, not lustfully. Judy wasn't like that. Judy was kind and pretty, not some kind of needy animal. But why did she have to crush on him, of all the guys at Jump Street? Why not Doug? He had just broken up with Dorothy. Or Ioki? Ioki was Judy's partner most of the time, and he was nice. Tom personally thought Ioki and Judy would be a great pair together. Tom didn't even consider Booker, the guy was a jerk and a womanizer.
Tom knew it was pointless wondering why, but he couldn't help it. He was really starting to think some all-knowing and all-powerful force was against him. Assigning him on a gay case, having him finally tell his biggest secret to his best friend and then having his best friend act weird as a result, and making a girl, a friend of his, crush on him when he was gay.
There was no way he could even pretend to return the affection. If Judy tried something, he'd just say, "Hey. Why can't we just be friends? I like you and all, but you're not really my type." Or something like that.
Oh God. This was such a weird situation. Judy didn't even know, she had no clue what turmoil she had caused him! Why had he said yes to her offer? Because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Well he'd hurt her more if he convinced her he cared for her in a romantic way and then refused or fended off all her advances!
He was getting ahead of himself here. He didn't even know if she would try any 'advances'. Maybe he was getting this all wrong and she honestly just wanted to talk with him. Hadn't she done things like that to the other officers at Jump Street?
Oh, well. It was time to go. He couldn't sit and worry forever. Tom grabbed a jacket from his closet and left his apartment. Driving to Judy's place in his beloved Mustang, Tom decided, I'll just have to wing it and see what happens.
A/N: Please review if you have any suggestions or questions or just feel like being nice! And sorry for the kind of sappy Judy paragraphs describing Tom, I couldn't help it. And I apologize for the lack of Booker and Ioki, I'll try to put them in more in the third chapter. I find Ioki a kind of flat character and Booker hard to write, but I'll try!