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Beneath a Heart of Darkness	By : OpenPage Category: 1 through F > 21 Jump Street Views: 4657 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own 21JS or the characters. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. All characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is coincidental.

Chapter List
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Due to Tom’s reckless driving, the two officers arrived at their destination in record time. Neither man spoke as they liberated their duffel bags from the trunk of the Mustang and walked to the college administration office.
Sitting behind the counter was a sixty-something woman, who looked like she had time traveled from the 1950s. Dressed in an austere suit-dress, her tightly curled poodle haircut highlighted a sharp, hawk-like nose, and the heavy, cat eye glasses framing her watery blue eyes completed the retro outfit. She gave off an ascetic aura, and both men took an unconscious step back when she peered at them over her thick frames. “Yes?”
When Booker choked back a giggle, Tom threw him a withering look and taking charge, he stepped forward. “Um, Thomas Harris and Dennis Brody,” he introduced with an engaging smile. “We’re here to enroll and pick up our room keys.”
Ms. Circa Nineteen-Fifties took two forms from a neat pile on her desk and placed them on the counter with two ballpoint pens. “Fill these in,” she instructed in a voice that reminded Tom of fingernails scraping down a chalkboard.
By the time they had finished filling out the paperwork, the woman had returned with their keys. But when Tom looked at the room numbers, he noticed they were identical. “Er, I think there’s been a mistake. We want individual rooms.”
The woman pursed her thin lips together, the disapproving expression accentuating the wrinkles around her lipstick-smeared mouth. “This isn’t an hotel, Mister Harris,” she enunciated in an upper-class vernacular. “We have limited accommodation at Holbrooke. You should be counting your blessings that I did not place you in a six-bed dorm room.”
When Tom lowered his gaze and mumbled, “Yes, Ma’am,” in a submissive tone, Booker’s grin broadened. He had indulged in many sexual fantasies about Tom, and his favorite was the dom/sub role-play. But now he had witnessed Tom’s compliance, he knew the fantasy would be even more realistic than before. In his mind, he could picture Tom handcuffed to a bed, his naked body trembling with a mixture of fear and excitement, his expression desperate to please. It was a erotic vision, and for the third time that morning, his cock hardened. But he quickly realized he was once again heading towards dangerous territory and shifting his gaze, he stared at the admin officer’s beak-like nose. Fortunately, it was the remedy he needed and within seconds, his budding erection wilted, and a small sigh of relief escaped from between his lips. Although cruel, he could not help but wonder if she’d had that effect on men all her life. However, he knew what it felt like to be judged by others, and so he quickly pushed the prejudiced thought from his mind. If Ms. Circa Nineteen-Fifties was happy, what did it matter?
A look of resignation passed over Tom’s face, and he expelled a heavy sigh. “Thanks,” he muttered despondently and turning to Booker, he narrowed his eyes. “You’d better not snore.”
Once again, without even realizing it, Tom had given Booker the opening he needed to return a teasing reply. “Not that I’ve been told,” he grinned. “But I do have very vivid dreams, so if I call out your name...”
On cue, Tom’s face flushed crimson and snatching his key off the counter, he pushed through the line of students queuing behind them and stormed up the corridor. Mentally cursing himself for not keeping his mouth shut, Booker offered Ms. Circa Nineteen-Fifties an apologetic smile and picking up his key and a map of the campus, he followed Tom out of the building. When he entered the tree-lined, paved quadrangle, he saw Tom standing by a drinking fountain, his face still flushed with humiliation. But seeing Tom looking genuinely upset had a deep effect on him, and he decided perhaps he had taken the teasing too far. Although he was not one to offer apologies readily, he figured this time, one was in order and walking over to the fountain, he gave Tom a penitent smile. “Sorry, that was stupid. I don’t know why I said it.”
The unexpected verbal reparation was the perfect opportunity for Tom to confront Dennis and ask him outright if he had a crush on him, but he could not actually bring himself to utter the words because he was not sure he wanted to know the truth. Since Doug had divulged the open secret, he was hyper aware of every look the dark-haired officer gave him. Every smile, raised eyebrow or cheeky wink had a suggestive connotation behind it, and he was no longer able to ignore the thinly veiled signals. But what made it worse was he had been blind to it for so long. He was a cop, he was supposed to be able to read people, and yet Booker’s not so subtle advances had somehow not registered on his personal radar. The constant teasing was a sign of affection, not a way to get back at him, and he felt foolish he had not picked up on it. However, knowing Booker fancied him was extremely unsettling, and he almost wished he had never found out. But there was no turning back the clock, and if he and Dennis were to do their jobs properly, he was going to have to find a way to deal with it, or face the wrath of their captain.
Therefore, he decided to be the bigger man and blowing out his cheeks, he shoved his hands in his pockets and returned a small smile. “Yeah, well, I probably shouldn’t have overreacted.”
Surprised by Tom’s admission, Booker hesitated for a moment before holding out his hand. “Truce?”
Although not entirely prepared to let bygones be bygones, Tom knew that for the sake of the assignment, he at least needed to try to get along with Booker. Therefore, with a heavy sigh, he took hold of the proffered hand and shook it. “Truce.”
A bolt of pleasure shot through Booker’s body and his dark eyes lit up, his pupils sparkling with delight. He and Tom were finally making inroads in their relationship, but even though he knew he should let the matter drop, he could not resist making one last teasing comment. “You’re very pretty when you’re angry.”
With lightning speed, Tom snatched his hand away, the crimson hue returning to his cheeks, the blush heating his face. The smile that had graced his lips vanished, replaced by a less attractive scowl and his dark eyes flashed with anger. “You’re such an asshole,” he spat. “Does anybody really like you, or do they just pretend to be your friend?”
Taken aback by Tom’s harsh words, Booker felt a physical pain in his heart, and the sparkle slowly vanished from his eyes. Doug, Judy, and Harry were the only people he felt close to, and now he wondered if the friendships he valued so much, in fact, were based on a lie. He knew he could be abrasive; years of bullying had made him defensive, and it had become second nature to protect his ego by behaving in a rude and often conceited manner. Life had changed his personality, but he was starting to wonder if by hanging on to the past, he was needlessly acting in a self-destructive manner. He was no longer a frightened thirteen-year-old boy, he was a man and maybe the time had come to drop the act.
However, when Tom’s gentle fingers grasped his arm, he instinctively pulled away. “Don’t,” he muttered in a voice tinged with hurt.
Although he felt justified in his anger, Tom still felt like a complete prick and raking a hand through his hair, he struggled to find the comforting words that would make everything right. “Look, I’m sorry… it’s just… I don’t understand why you keep saying those things to me.”
Afraid he might reveal his true emotions, Booker once again turned to snark for self-preservation. “Don’t flatter yourself, Hanson,” he laughed, his mouth twisting into a cruel sneer. “I only do it ‘cause it pisses you off. Not everyone thinks you’re hot.”
“Nobody said they did,” Tom shot back with a sullen pout. “You’re the one who’s always going on about how I look and—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, get over it!” Booker exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. “I do it ‘cause it’s fun, nothing more.”
With his temper now rising, Tom took a step closer to Booker, invading his personal space. “So,” he murmured, his gaze narrowing as he stared into his adversary’s mocking eyes. “All this talk I hear about you having a crush on me isn’t true, is that it?”
Booker’s hands shot out, and he shoved Tom violently in the chest, the force sending the smaller officer staggering backward. “You’d better watch what you say, Tommy,” he warned with a growl. “Spreading rumors can get you into a whole lotta trouble.”
Unsure how their short-lived truce had escalated into a shoving match, Tom refrained from fighting back. Instead, he picked up his duffel bag and snatched the campus map from Booker’s hand. “I’m sick of this bullshit, I’m going to find our room.”
“Yeah?” Booker replied in a childish tone. “Well, I’m gonna find the campus bar,” and picking up his bag, he turned and sauntered up the paved pathway.
Tom closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. His body was shaking with frustration and anger, and he began to have serious doubts that he and Booker would ever be able to work together without coming to blows.
**
Without Booker by his side, Tom spent the day wandering around the campus, familiarizing himself with the layout. After he had eaten lunch in a funky off campus café filled with noisy students, he went back to their room and unpacked. With no sign of Booker, he decided to do some investigating on his own and after studying the notes he kept hidden in a secret pouch in his bag, he set off down the tree-lined streets until he found the Pi Tau fraternity house. The white, Folk Victorian with a gabled roof, stood majestically amongst the more modern American Foursquare designs and concealing himself behind a large oak tree across the street, he carefully studied everyone entering or leaving the house. Most of the male students were casually dressed in jeans and tees, but several others wore what Tom considered a more preppy mode of dress. Argyle sweaters coupled with light-colored pleated trousers and boat shoes appeared to be the attire of choice of those from the upper classes, and Tom’s lip twitched into a derisive sneer. The whole concept of a fraternity was offensive to him, and even though he had once dressed in a more conservative manner, he was now more comfortable in ripped jeans and a tee shirt. However, his change in appearance had not pleased everyone. His mother nagged him constantly, telling him that he was devolving with age instead of evolving, but he took no notice of her criticism. He had no doubt in his mind the Tom Hanson he was now was the Tom Hanson he was supposed to be, but most importantly, he was happy. At least he had been until…
Sighing heavily, his mind turned to Booker. Booker… Booker… Booker… even the name grated on his nerves. Never before had someone affected him in such a negative way. It was not just the thought of the annoying officer lusting after him that unnerved him; he was not even sure if that piece of information was true. What unsettled him was the man himself, his mocking eyes and scornful grin, the teasing intonation of his voice, everything about him set his teeth on edge. Except… except the pain that had briefly flashed in his eyes when he had made the friend comment had shown a glimpse of his vulnerable side, making him appear more tangible, more approachable. But knowing he could expose his weaknesses so easily did not make him happy. It had been a throwaway line, he knew very little about Dennis’ private life, and he had no idea if the dark-haired officer had any friends or not. However, his reaction hinted that he did not, and Tom could not help but feel sorry for him. Doug was his best friend, and he thanked the universe every day for bringing them together. He could not imagine his life without him, the fun-loving officer was his rock, his confidante, his drinking partner and his bowling buddy. He made him laugh, he also drove him batshit crazy, but most importantly, he made him feel loved. Without Penhall by his side, he was not sure he would have fitted in at Jump Street, and the sudden realization heated his face, reddening his cheeks a deep shade of crimson. Instead of holding a grudge against Booker, he should have offered him the hand of friendship once he knew he was on the up and up. But knowing he worked for internal affairs had made him wary, and his animosity had grown from there. On the outside, Booker appeared confident and conceited, but Tom was now starting to wonder if it was all an act.
Another sigh exhaled from between his lips and placing a hand on his lower back, he stretched out his cramped muscles. A cool breeze rustled the leaves above his head, and he realized he had been standing behind the tree for over an hour. With the sun making its descent towards the horizon, he decided to get something to eat and call it a night. They had a long day ahead of them, Fuller had organized their bogus invitation to pledge and Sunday would be the first time they would enter the hallowed grounds of the Pi Tau fraternity. Surprisingly, he felt nervous about what lay ahead, and he wondered if it was because he did not fully trust Booker. He was used to working with partners he could depend on, but given their relationship, there was no certainty that Booker would have his back if the situation got out of hand. How the dark-haired officer would react to the hazing rituals was an unknown, and all Tom could do was hope was that he would not let him down.
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Beneath a Heart of Darkness