A/N: Hey, folks. Honestly, I haven't worked on this one for a long time because of a lack of interest in it kind of killed my interest. So please, please, if you like this one and want me to keep working on it, would you leave a review and say so? Pretty please, with sugar on top? -DL
Chapter 5
It was a great evening. Matthias really enjoyed himself. Joshua was an interesting conversationalist; the life of a homicide detective was fascinating. Of course, he was aware that it could also be horrible and stressful as well, but every job came with its drawbacks. And, clearly, the detective really loved his work and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Drawbacks and all.
After dinner, they went for a walk together in a park nearby. It was pretty much empty at this time of night, and Matthias found the pace and quiet very refreshing. He was glad that they'd chosen to do this rather than going to a movie or a dance club. His breath fogged in the rather chilly evening air as he looked up at the sky, wishing that he could see more stars.
They arrived at the children's playground. Joshua laughed and pointed at the jungle gym. "Want me to give you a boost up?" he teased.
Matthias snorted. "Just keep up the 'short' jokes, pal. See where that gets you," he said dryly.
The cop laughed. "I like how short you are," he replied sincerely.
The jockey turned to look at him in the dim light provided by a street lamp at least a hundred yards away. "You do?"
"Yeah. Maybe it's the 'tall guy' syndrome, you know where tall guys marry really short women? Only gay. I guess it makes us feel like protectors or something. Weird, huh?"
"No, I suppose I can see that," Matthias surprised him by saying. "Truth be told, I've always liked really tall guys. Which is stupid, considering the fact that I practically have to stand on a box to kiss one of you."
"Or a jungle gym?" there was wicked tone on Joshua's voice, and before Matthias could move he found himself being picked up and set on one of the metal bars of the jungle gym. He grabbed at two more of them to keep himself in place, all the while giving the cop a dark look.
Joshua grinned widely. But before Mathias could explode at him, he leaned forward a little and closed his mouth over the jockey's. And Matthias forgot all about his ire as he lost himself in the kiss, opening his mouth so that Joshua's tongue could glide inside and caress over his own. He moaned breathily, completely lost. His hands stopped gripping the metal rungs, and he reached out instead to twine them around Joshua's neck. He held on for dear life, as the kiss went on and on.
He was panting by the time they drew apart. The cop's eyes gleamed in the dim light, and he was smiling. "Better than a box, wouldn't you say?" he remarked.
Matthias had to agree. "Help me down now," was all he said aloud, though.
Joshua chuckled and lifted him to the ground. "Want me to push you on the swings now?"
The jockey gave him a cold look. "I may be short, but I'm not a little kid."
"Hey, we're all little kids at heart," Joshua replied promptly. "And there's nothing wrong with that. You grow old before your time if you let go of that kid. Besides, I'd swing on the swings too, if I could fit on them. But I'll just have to content myself with pushing you instead."
Matthias considered his words. "Why not?" he said with a shrug.
They went over to the swings, and he sat down on one of them. Joshua leaned down to grasps his waist and pull him backward. "I like this," he remarked in Matthias's ear, just before his tongue traced over the rim. The jockey gasped, then squealed a little as Joshua pulled him back even further and let him go. He swung forward, and remembered the pumping motion with his legs from his childhood that would help him swing even higher.
He started to really enjoy himself as Joshua pushed him higher and higher. He laughed, his head going back. He saw Joshua's grin on each downswing as the cop pushed him yet again. This was almost as much fun as riding a race horse, he thought dimly. He giggled, stretching his legs out in front of him. He loved the feel of Joshua's strong hands on his back, pushing him each time he swung back.
He lost track of time as he swung. Finally, though, Joshua grabbed a hold of him and stopped his swinging. "Had enough?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, for now," the jockey replied, standing up. "That was fun."
They walked together along the path toward Joshua's car. "So..." the cop began after a moment's silence, "If I were to ask you out again, what would you say?"
Matthias pretended to think about it. "I don't know," he said at last. "I'm pretty busy most days..."
Joshua chuckled. "I think you can find time for me," he said complacently.
The jockey snorted. "What if I don't want to?"
"I think you do," Joshua commented. "But if you don't, I'll do what I said and start coming to the track every day to harass you until you give in and say yes."
Matthias shook his head. "That's blackmail."
"Sure, it is. Is it working?" the cop asked with interest, as they came up to where his car was parked.
Matthias mock-sighed. "Yes," he replied in pretend exasperation. "I don't want to be harassed, so I guess I'll have to say yes after all."
"Good," Joshua said in satisfaction.
The cop left him in on his doorstep with a goodnight kiss, which took some strategic maneuvering on both of their parts. Matthias felt happy as he walked into his bedroom to take a shower and get ready for bed. Sure, he still felt sad about poor Julie, and he hoped fervently that Joshua and his partner managed to catch the awful person who had shot the stable girl in the back. But he still couldn't help but feel a glow of contentment as he stripped off his clothes and hopped in the shower. He already liked Joshua - a lot. And he suspected that that liking would only grow as they got to know one another better. Although it made him feel a bit guilty that it had taken Julie's murder for him to meet Joshua, but it wasn't as though he'd shot her himself just to improve his love life...
It rained the next day. Matthias was mud-splattered, weary, and grumpy as he trailed off the track after the second race of the day. His mount hadn't liked the mud at all; she'd slogged sulkily around the track, coming in a miserable eighth with her head down and her ears laid flat against her head. Her jockey wasn't in a much better mood; he was tired from trying to urge and push her into a faster pace - futilely- and his arms ached from fighting her. What a lousy day! It was like the very skies themselves were crying for the murdered stable girl.
He weighed out and went to take a shower and change. With the weather this bad, they'd probably cancel the final few races. Which was fine by him; sure, he couldn't really afford to lose any more money this week. But he wasn't looking forward to trying to race in ankle-deep mud again later today, so he'd take the hit to his bank account and be glad of half a day off.
He came out of the locker rooms, and stopped short when he saw a familiar figure lounging outside waiting for him. Joshua's lips lifted in a small grin. "I watched your race," he said. "That horse did NOT look happy."
"She wasn't," he replied tartly. "And neither am I. What are you doing here?"
"My job, of course," the detective replied promptly, straightening up. "There are a couple of more people that we didn't talk to, so I told Gabe I'd do those interviews while he works on another one of our cases. He was happy to let me do so; he hates this case a lot," he added with a shrug.
"I see. Was that what you were doing just now? Interviewing someone?" Matthias asked, nodding at the wall that Joshua had been lounging against.
"No, I'm taking a break. I wanted to see my favorite jockey run his race. I even bet on you," he went on with a grimace.
Matthias found himself laughing. "That was stupid," he remarked. "You should have asked me before you bet on my mount. I could have told you that she hates to run in mud."
"I'll do that next time," Joshua agreed. "Want to go get a cup of coffee?" he asked hopefully. "My treat."
"Sure," he said. "That sounds great." And it did. Really great.
They went to the sports bar and grill that was a part of the racetrack concourse, rather than to the jockey's room, because the coffee was better there. Joshua ordered himself a sandwich, and asked Matthias if he wanted anything to eat. The jockey ordered a turkey salad with no dressing, which made Joshua grimace in a humorous manner at him when the server had departed with their orders. "I think I'll have some pie for dessert," he said, elaborately peering at his menu. "Or some cheesecake. Which do you think I should get?"
"I think you should get the ice cream cone," Matthias said in exasperation, "And then I'll show you where you can shove it."
Joshua chuckled, his eyes gleaming. "You're fun to tease, Matty," he said.
The jockey blew out a long breath. "If you say so."
"I do. Anyway, I wanted to ask you where you wanted to go on our next date. Any thoughts?"
"Not really. I enjoyed yesterday, though," Matthias admitted.
"I'm glad. So did I. How about tonight? You want to go out again tonight?"
"I'd love to say yes, but if I have to ride in three more races today, I'm going to be exhausted by tonight. I'm already tired. Can I call you later and let you know if they cancel the rest of the races because of the weather? If they don't, I'm going to be too tired to want to go out on a date."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Here's my cell number," Joshua wrote it down on a napkin and slid it across the table to Matthias.
"Thanks. I really don't want to ride anymore today - this weather is awful - but at the same time, I know that I should because I need the money. Jockeys only get paid if we ride, and I lost two races on the day Julie was killed."
"That's tough," Joshua said sympathetically. "Tell you what - how about we move the date to tomorrow night no matter what? You can just take a night off and rest. I'll call you later and we can talk or something."
"That sounds wonderful," Matthias replied in relief. "Thank you for understating, Josh."
"I'm a very understanding guy," the cop agreed drolly. "It's one of my best qualities."
"I can agree on that," Matthias said, his tone of voice implying that Joshua had very few other good qualities.
The cop grinned at him, and winked very slightly. Matthias shook his head, but he was smiling as well. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself this much just by being with someone else. Life, despite the murder mystery that had taken place in their stables just two days ago, was definitely looking up. Definitely.
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Chapter 5
It was a great evening. Matthias really enjoyed himself. Joshua was an interesting conversationalist; the life of a homicide detective was fascinating. Of course, he was aware that it could also be horrible and stressful as well, but every job came with its drawbacks. And, clearly, the detective really loved his work and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Drawbacks and all.
After dinner, they went for a walk together in a park nearby. It was pretty much empty at this time of night, and Matthias found the pace and quiet very refreshing. He was glad that they'd chosen to do this rather than going to a movie or a dance club. His breath fogged in the rather chilly evening air as he looked up at the sky, wishing that he could see more stars.
They arrived at the children's playground. Joshua laughed and pointed at the jungle gym. "Want me to give you a boost up?" he teased.
Matthias snorted. "Just keep up the 'short' jokes, pal. See where that gets you," he said dryly.
The cop laughed. "I like how short you are," he replied sincerely.
The jockey turned to look at him in the dim light provided by a street lamp at least a hundred yards away. "You do?"
"Yeah. Maybe it's the 'tall guy' syndrome, you know where tall guys marry really short women? Only gay. I guess it makes us feel like protectors or something. Weird, huh?"
"No, I suppose I can see that," Matthias surprised him by saying. "Truth be told, I've always liked really tall guys. Which is stupid, considering the fact that I practically have to stand on a box to kiss one of you."
"Or a jungle gym?" there was wicked tone on Joshua's voice, and before Matthias could move he found himself being picked up and set on one of the metal bars of the jungle gym. He grabbed at two more of them to keep himself in place, all the while giving the cop a dark look.
Joshua grinned widely. But before Mathias could explode at him, he leaned forward a little and closed his mouth over the jockey's. And Matthias forgot all about his ire as he lost himself in the kiss, opening his mouth so that Joshua's tongue could glide inside and caress over his own. He moaned breathily, completely lost. His hands stopped gripping the metal rungs, and he reached out instead to twine them around Joshua's neck. He held on for dear life, as the kiss went on and on.
He was panting by the time they drew apart. The cop's eyes gleamed in the dim light, and he was smiling. "Better than a box, wouldn't you say?" he remarked.
Matthias had to agree. "Help me down now," was all he said aloud, though.
Joshua chuckled and lifted him to the ground. "Want me to push you on the swings now?"
The jockey gave him a cold look. "I may be short, but I'm not a little kid."
"Hey, we're all little kids at heart," Joshua replied promptly. "And there's nothing wrong with that. You grow old before your time if you let go of that kid. Besides, I'd swing on the swings too, if I could fit on them. But I'll just have to content myself with pushing you instead."
Matthias considered his words. "Why not?" he said with a shrug.
They went over to the swings, and he sat down on one of them. Joshua leaned down to grasps his waist and pull him backward. "I like this," he remarked in Matthias's ear, just before his tongue traced over the rim. The jockey gasped, then squealed a little as Joshua pulled him back even further and let him go. He swung forward, and remembered the pumping motion with his legs from his childhood that would help him swing even higher.
He started to really enjoy himself as Joshua pushed him higher and higher. He laughed, his head going back. He saw Joshua's grin on each downswing as the cop pushed him yet again. This was almost as much fun as riding a race horse, he thought dimly. He giggled, stretching his legs out in front of him. He loved the feel of Joshua's strong hands on his back, pushing him each time he swung back.
He lost track of time as he swung. Finally, though, Joshua grabbed a hold of him and stopped his swinging. "Had enough?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, for now," the jockey replied, standing up. "That was fun."
They walked together along the path toward Joshua's car. "So..." the cop began after a moment's silence, "If I were to ask you out again, what would you say?"
Matthias pretended to think about it. "I don't know," he said at last. "I'm pretty busy most days..."
Joshua chuckled. "I think you can find time for me," he said complacently.
The jockey snorted. "What if I don't want to?"
"I think you do," Joshua commented. "But if you don't, I'll do what I said and start coming to the track every day to harass you until you give in and say yes."
Matthias shook his head. "That's blackmail."
"Sure, it is. Is it working?" the cop asked with interest, as they came up to where his car was parked.
Matthias mock-sighed. "Yes," he replied in pretend exasperation. "I don't want to be harassed, so I guess I'll have to say yes after all."
"Good," Joshua said in satisfaction.
The cop left him in on his doorstep with a goodnight kiss, which took some strategic maneuvering on both of their parts. Matthias felt happy as he walked into his bedroom to take a shower and get ready for bed. Sure, he still felt sad about poor Julie, and he hoped fervently that Joshua and his partner managed to catch the awful person who had shot the stable girl in the back. But he still couldn't help but feel a glow of contentment as he stripped off his clothes and hopped in the shower. He already liked Joshua - a lot. And he suspected that that liking would only grow as they got to know one another better. Although it made him feel a bit guilty that it had taken Julie's murder for him to meet Joshua, but it wasn't as though he'd shot her himself just to improve his love life...
It rained the next day. Matthias was mud-splattered, weary, and grumpy as he trailed off the track after the second race of the day. His mount hadn't liked the mud at all; she'd slogged sulkily around the track, coming in a miserable eighth with her head down and her ears laid flat against her head. Her jockey wasn't in a much better mood; he was tired from trying to urge and push her into a faster pace - futilely- and his arms ached from fighting her. What a lousy day! It was like the very skies themselves were crying for the murdered stable girl.
He weighed out and went to take a shower and change. With the weather this bad, they'd probably cancel the final few races. Which was fine by him; sure, he couldn't really afford to lose any more money this week. But he wasn't looking forward to trying to race in ankle-deep mud again later today, so he'd take the hit to his bank account and be glad of half a day off.
He came out of the locker rooms, and stopped short when he saw a familiar figure lounging outside waiting for him. Joshua's lips lifted in a small grin. "I watched your race," he said. "That horse did NOT look happy."
"She wasn't," he replied tartly. "And neither am I. What are you doing here?"
"My job, of course," the detective replied promptly, straightening up. "There are a couple of more people that we didn't talk to, so I told Gabe I'd do those interviews while he works on another one of our cases. He was happy to let me do so; he hates this case a lot," he added with a shrug.
"I see. Was that what you were doing just now? Interviewing someone?" Matthias asked, nodding at the wall that Joshua had been lounging against.
"No, I'm taking a break. I wanted to see my favorite jockey run his race. I even bet on you," he went on with a grimace.
Matthias found himself laughing. "That was stupid," he remarked. "You should have asked me before you bet on my mount. I could have told you that she hates to run in mud."
"I'll do that next time," Joshua agreed. "Want to go get a cup of coffee?" he asked hopefully. "My treat."
"Sure," he said. "That sounds great." And it did. Really great.
They went to the sports bar and grill that was a part of the racetrack concourse, rather than to the jockey's room, because the coffee was better there. Joshua ordered himself a sandwich, and asked Matthias if he wanted anything to eat. The jockey ordered a turkey salad with no dressing, which made Joshua grimace in a humorous manner at him when the server had departed with their orders. "I think I'll have some pie for dessert," he said, elaborately peering at his menu. "Or some cheesecake. Which do you think I should get?"
"I think you should get the ice cream cone," Matthias said in exasperation, "And then I'll show you where you can shove it."
Joshua chuckled, his eyes gleaming. "You're fun to tease, Matty," he said.
The jockey blew out a long breath. "If you say so."
"I do. Anyway, I wanted to ask you where you wanted to go on our next date. Any thoughts?"
"Not really. I enjoyed yesterday, though," Matthias admitted.
"I'm glad. So did I. How about tonight? You want to go out again tonight?"
"I'd love to say yes, but if I have to ride in three more races today, I'm going to be exhausted by tonight. I'm already tired. Can I call you later and let you know if they cancel the rest of the races because of the weather? If they don't, I'm going to be too tired to want to go out on a date."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Here's my cell number," Joshua wrote it down on a napkin and slid it across the table to Matthias.
"Thanks. I really don't want to ride anymore today - this weather is awful - but at the same time, I know that I should because I need the money. Jockeys only get paid if we ride, and I lost two races on the day Julie was killed."
"That's tough," Joshua said sympathetically. "Tell you what - how about we move the date to tomorrow night no matter what? You can just take a night off and rest. I'll call you later and we can talk or something."
"That sounds wonderful," Matthias replied in relief. "Thank you for understating, Josh."
"I'm a very understanding guy," the cop agreed drolly. "It's one of my best qualities."
"I can agree on that," Matthias said, his tone of voice implying that Joshua had very few other good qualities.
The cop grinned at him, and winked very slightly. Matthias shook his head, but he was smiling as well. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed himself this much just by being with someone else. Life, despite the murder mystery that had taken place in their stables just two days ago, was definitely looking up. Definitely.
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