Discovery: Disclosure
Yawning, Nash glanced over at the man sitting in the passenger seat of the 'Cuda. Harvey had the grace to look slightly guilty. "Sorry, Nash."
Nash reached over and laid a comforting hand on Harvey's thigh and assured, "I'm not, bubba. That was definitely a nice way to wake up in the morning."
He was certainly feeling the lack of sleep, though. His eyes felt gritty and tired, and his mind sluggish. Spotting the garage, Nash slowed down and asked, "Is this the place?"
"Yeah." Harvey had dropped off the Ranchero the day before to have some routine maintenance done. Nash agreed to drop him off this morning to pick it up, so they'd show up at the SIU in different vehicles. They wanted to wait a little while before telling anyone about their newfound relationship.
Parking the 'Cuda, Nash followed Harvey inside. Waving his hand at a grease-covered mechanic, Harvey called out, "Hey Jerry, the Ranchero ready yet?"
Looking past the two men, Jerry spotted the bright yellow Barracuda in the parking lot. "Holy cow. Is that a Hemi 'Cuda?"
Nash chuckled at the young man's reaction. "Yes it is."
"Wow." Shaking his head and getting down to business, Jerry waved them into the office and over to the counter. "Hey, Harvey, you're gonna be needing new tires soon, man. You gotta stop getting into
high-speed chases."
"Yeah, well, tell it to the bad guys." Glancing at the invoice Jerry handed to him, Harvey pulled out his checkbook. Filling out a check, he passed it to the mechanic with a sigh. He dearly loved the Ranchero, but it could sure be hell on his bank account.
When Jerry stepped back into the garage to get the keys, Nash nudged Harvey with a smile. "Did you pick him because of his name?"
"Huh? Oh!" Harvey laughed when he realized what Nash was talking about. "No. The owner of the garage used to take care of it, but he retired. Jerry's the head mechanic and loves to work on the older cars. He'd probably give his right arm to be able to get under the 'Cuda's hood."
"I'll keep that in mind, if my own mechanic retires." Nash checked his watch, glanced around to see if anyone was looking, and gave Harvey a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna get going. Wouldn't do for the boss to be late to work, would it?"
Laughing, Harvey shook his head. "No, it wouldn't. I'll be there in a few minutes."
"See you there, Harve."
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When Harvey finally arrived at work, Nash was already seated at his desk and on the phone. Trying to keep a straight face, Harvey called out his usual, "Good mornin', boss." It was going to be hard to keep his mind on his work, and not thinking about the night before. And that morning.
The SIU was its usual bustling, noisy atmosphere. Coming in right behind Harvey, Joe paused at Nash's desk to wish him a good morning. When his partner hung up the phone, however, Joe smiled. "You look like you had a long night, Nashman. Do I know her name?"
Nash resisted the urge to glance in Harvey's direction, and shook his head. "No."
"Oh, come on, Nash. You can tell me."
Dropping his arm across his best friend's shoulders, Nash smiled mysteriously. "Let's just say, I had the best night, and morning, of my life."
Grumbling, knowing he wasn't going to get any details, Joe went over to his own desk looking for all the world like a pouting kid. Laughing, Nash wandered over to get some much-needed coffee.
Evan chuckled at Joe's expression and turned to say something to his partner, but stopped and looked closer at Harvey. Pointing to his partner's neck, Evan asked, "Harvey, is that a hickey?"
Laughing when Harvey rubbed his neck self-consciously, Evan tried to get a better look. "It IS a hickey! You got laid last night, didn't you?"
"Geez, Evan. Mind your own business." Harvey's face flushed from embarrassment as the whole barge seemed to stop and stare at him.
"You did, you lucky dog. Who is she?"
Seeing Harvey's discomfort, Nash took pity on his lover. "Evan, leave him alone. And next time, remember where you are before grilling Harve about his love life. Not that it's any of our business."
"Sorry, boss." Properly chastised, Evan went back to his desk and started on the morning's reports.
Catching Harvey's eye, Nash gave him an encouraging smile. His heart melted at the brilliant smile Harvey returned. Turning to sit back down in his chair, Nash caught the speculative look Joe was giving him. Uh-oh. Joe saw that. He had to be more careful.
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Trudging back to his desk after returning from their second gang murder of the day, Harvey could almost feel Joe's penetrating gaze behind his back. He couldn't understand it, but he'd been getting funny looks from him all day. As if Joe was mad at him for some reason. Choosing to ignore the glare, Harvey dropped down in his chair and turned on his computer. He'd ask Nash about it later.
Nash hadn't been oblivious to the tension between his partner and his lover. He suspected that Joe had put two and two together...and didn't like what he found. Nash knew it wasn't because Joe didn't like Harvey, but because he felt his friendship was threatened. It was time for a heart-to-heart.
"Hey, Joe, let's go grab some lunch, bubba."
"Right behind ya, Nash."
Joe was unusually silent on the drive to the restaurant. Nash decided he might as well be the one to break the ice. "You got something on your mind, there, Joe?"
Still confused about the look he'd seen exchanged between Harvey and Nash, Joe wasn't sure how to start. "It, uh, it's-"
Smiling at his partner's hesitation, Nash gave him a nudge. "It's what? What's the matter?"
"It's, uh, Harvey...he-" Again, Joe petered off, not sure how to say it.
"What about Harvey?"
"You'd tell me if...if you...what I mean is-"
"For heaven's sake, Joe, just spit it out."
Getting frustrated, and a little angry, Joe finally just blurted out, "Are you having sex with Harvey?"
Smiling a little, enjoying baiting Joe, Nash answered, "You know I don't kiss and tell, bubba."
Crossing his arms, Joe felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. "Come on, Nashman. I'm your best friend. Is there something going on between you and Harvey?"
Becoming serious, Nash pulled the car over and tried to read what Joe was feeling. "And if there was, what would it mean to you?"
Joe knew then what the answer was. "I don't know."
"Would it make a difference in how you think of me? Or Harvey?" Nash needed to know they'd still be friends.
Joe's next question echoed those thoughts. "We'd still be best friends, right?"
"Joe, we've been best friends for twenty years. Nothing and nobody could change that. Lisa didn't. Kelly didn't. And Harvey won't. He understands our friendship, and he's glad I have someone like you who cares about me and watches my back on the job. Just like I understand his friendship with Evan."
Rocked a little by Nash admission of the relationship, Joe rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. Trying to get used to the idea, and reassure Nash, he laughed. "So, how was he?"
"I told you, it was the best night of my life." Putting the 'Cuda back in gear, Nash pulled the car back out onto the street and chuckled. "I'm going to have to slip him a mickey tonight, though, if I want to get any sleep."
Moaning dramatically, Joe held out his hand. "Too much information, Nash."
Nash wanted Joe to understand that the relationship meant more to him than just sex, though. His face became serious and he said quietly, "Joe, I love him. He loves me. I hope we're together for a very long time. I need to know that you're okay with this."
"I'm okay with it, bubba. If the two of you love each other, then that's all there is to say. I'm happy for you Nash. I mean it."
"I'm glad to hear it, Joe. You're my best friend and I'd hate to lose you. I do need you to do me a favor, though."
"Name it, bubba."
"Stop glaring at Harvey. You're making him paranoid," Nash answered, chuckling.
Joe smiled wryly. "Sorry. I guess I was jealous."
"You guess?"
"Okay, I WAS jealous. Keep your eye on the road."
Feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Nash relaxed in his seat. He had known he would eventually tell Joe, he just hadn't expected Joe to figure it out so soon. At least now he didn't have any secrets from his best friend. Now, he just had to talk to Harvey about telling Evan. He hoped that conversation would
go as well as this one had.
And he almost did seriously consider slipping Harvey a mickey.
The End.
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