Trying to Understand

Fanfiction
Title:	Trying to Understand
Author(s):	Derry (derryderrydown)
Date(s):	2001
Length:
Genre(s):	slash, Bodie/Doyle
Fandom(s):	The Professionals
Relationship(s):	Bodie/Doyle
External Links:	Trying to Understand
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Trying to Understand is a Professionals story by Derry.

It was published in Priority A-3 #3.

Reactions and Reviews

The longest story in the zine offers a blend of a stakeout setting that varies somewhat from the usual, a case with a twist that I didn't see coming, and a first-time story. Some nice banter between the characters drew me in; I smiled at such things as Bodie's facetiously calling Doyle, "my little bundle of scrumptiousness." The story offers a variation on the theme of being undercover as a gay couple in that they improvise the cover due to circumstances, playing up the idea to exploit the stereotype that gay men are harmless. In the meantime, close quarters and a prior declaration by Bodie set Doyle to seriously pondering his relationship with his partner. I enjoyed their scrabbling, awkward, sorting-things-out, first- time sexual adventure. No fireworks, but a pleasant mix of tenderness, determination, and total ineptitude.

A case and a first timer, a combination that worked. The partners go undercover on a boat as a pair of teachers (Ray art, Bodie biology), and they are watching someone on another boat.

Before the case they go back to Doyle's after an unsuccessful evening on the town, they wrestle, Bodie gets a hard-on, but nothing happens, it's almost joked about. In the morning, the hard-on reappears and Doyle calls Bodie on it, and it suddenly becomes clear that Bodie wants Doyle, but that it isn't returned.

Doyle refuses to talk about it. Again kudos to Derry for making me swallow my disbelief in this scenario and to believe in it for the duration of the story. And yet, although Doyle doesn't want to talk about it, he won't let it go and keeps harping back to it, dragging it all back on poor Bodie. He's clearly not going to let it go, and asks Bodie all sorts of questions.

In between this we see the case and it's nicely balanced, a case and a first timer that work together, not too many of these do. They meet the mysterious Cartwright, the guy they are watching and ultimately decide that they had better camp it up a bit, pretend that they are lovers, basically to explain why they are on the boat.

Doyle starts a drawing of Bodie, and the drawing becomes very erotic, as Bodie is naked. As the story goes on, it is now clear that despite his protests to the contrary, Doyle is starting to think of Bodie as a potential bedmate. However, it isn't going to be simple, his thoughts make him angry and make him say things he probably wouldn't otherwise. Finally he does tell Bodie he fancies him and they go to bed, whilst they are meant to be watching the other boat. It's a dark sex scene, because there seems no tenderness in it, and you get the impression that neither man is going to get any enjoyment out of it, and yet it is inevitable. It ends with Doyle calling it a mistake.

They discover Cartwright has done a moonlight flit and they chase to the pub. A chase ensues, Cartwright catches Bodie, Doyle arrives yells at Bodie to get down, fires and... misses, but it's enough and Cartwright in captured. Bodie can't believe Ray missed and later we discover that Doyle deliberately shot away from Cartwright fearing he'd hit Bodie and is scared by that reaction, thinking he'd got over it when during the Georgi incident.

Finally back at Doyle's all works out okay and they once again kiss and caress and yet again, now there is more tenderness, less inevitability and more because they wanted it.

A good all round, well balanced story.Good case and first time plots that held your attention throughout. Not too much lightness in it, although there was some good banter in it, and some nice little bits, like Ray packing Bodie's polo neck jumper in his own bag. Ray was a good swing back and forth and it was interesting to see him unfold and to see the fight with himself.

I like how each man struggles, "trying to understand" not only his own feelings but that of his partner. How they do it is so Bodie and Doyle; Bodie, acting like it's no big deal. Doyle, sure that it is. And the banter is very well written, used to hide as well as show affection. I think the only thing I didn't like was the last two lines because I'm not sure what's meant by them. Do they forewarn of difficult times or are they just a cute throwaway?