Some Things Never Change

Just a brief moment with my favorite guys.

“Thanks,” Starsky mumbled through a mouthful of the donut he was eating, not looking up from the file he was reading as a fresh cup of coffee appeared next to his elbow on his desk as if by magic. Hutch smiled fondly in return and patted his partner on the shoulder before moving around to take his seat across from him, sipping carefully from his own steaming cup as he picked up the top folder from his own stack of files. The last several days had been unusually quiet for the two Metro detectives, and they were putting their “free time” to good use by going over and organizing their notes for several cases they had worked that were coming to trial later in the week, for which they knew they would be called to testify. Hutch had no sooner settled in for a quiet morning when the door to their superior’s office opened and the stout black man stuck his head out into the squad room.

“Starsky, Hutchinson, get in here!” he called gruffly.

“I didn’t do anything! Did you?” Starsky whispered as he stood up and moved around their desks to stand beside his partner.

“Yeah, sure, Starsk! I’ve done something to tick Dobey off!” Hutch smirked softly in reply as he also stood up and took a moment to stretch before making his way toward the still partially open door. “By the way, wasn’t that donut you’re eating the last one in the box?”

Starsky stopped walking and looked down at the half-eaten pastry in his hand and blushed. “Oops!” he grinned guiltily, just before stuffing the last remaining bites into his mouth all at once, hoping to destroy the evidence before facing his irate superior. Hutch chuckled at the results—Starsky’s cheeks were both sticking out like a gopher’s.

“That’s good, partner! Dobey’ll never be able to figure out who took it now!” he teased.

“Oh, shuddup!” Starsky managed to get out, spitting crumbs down the front of his shirt. Hutch chuckled again as he proceeded his partner through the doorway, hopefully giving him a few more critical seconds to swallow before Dobey caught sight of him. He needn’t have worried. Dobey barely spared them a glance as he waved them both to take a seat in front of his desk, too involved in the conversation he was having on the phone. Starsky grimaced and quickly swallowed twice more then, remembering that he’d left his own coffee cup on his desk, reached and took Hutch’s from him to wash the last remnants of the stolen donut down. “Thanks!” he mouthed as he handed the cup back.

“No problem!” Hutch mouthed back, shaking his head in amusement at his friend’s antics. Even after all the years they’d been together, some things never changed. Thank God!