Fic: On Sleepless Roads (WAT, Danny/Martin, NC17)
Is there anything more cliché than fic about two people trapped in a cabin with only their UST to keep them warm? I think it's beaten only by closet fic, which is actually my very favorite of all the cliché fics. But you probably noticed that already, given the amount of closet fic I've written. This fic was actually supposed to be one of the WIPs I was letting go yesterday, but nekosmuse and alethialia encouraged me not to. So really this is all their fault.
I made up a ton of Martin backstory for this thing which is sure to get completely Jossed any day now, but I've decided to be okay with that. That's right, dear readers, I have finally found my Zen Place within WAT fandom. It's a very, very smutty place. Lots of naked and not a whole lot of actual story. But it's very Zen. Porny and zen. Quite a combination.
If I'm feeling ambitious sometime in the future, there will be more installments to the cabinfic series. But for now, part one stands on its own. Danny/Martin, NC17. I haven't proofread yet because it's fifteen pages and I'm lazy, but I will. Eventually.
The snow was falling harder by the time they finally reached the onramp for the interstate, and Martin fought against the urge to tell Danny to slow down. It had been a bad enough day without being accused of backseat driving, and he was pretty sure anything he said right now would just set Danny off again.
It would help if he knew what Danny's problem was, but so far Danny hadn't volunteered that information, and when Martin asked the only answer he'd gotten was a gruff 'nothing'. He couldn't remember ever seeing Danny like this; granted, they were right in the middle of what was turning out to be a hopeless case, but even when work was trying Danny usually had a smirk or a sarcastic remark to offer. It wasn't like him to be so quiet - brooding, even, although Martin would never say that out loud - and it was starting to get a little annoying.
At first Martin had been worried, because they weren't exactly friends, but they were colleagues, and if there was something bothering Danny it could affect their case. Martin still hadn't forgotten Danny's lack of judgment on the Spaulding case, and he wasn't looking forward to another repeat of that just because they were frustrated about all the dead ends they kept running into. So far Danny hadn't done anything Martin could call strictly against procedure, though. All he'd really done was…be way too quiet. Still, Danny's bad mood wasn't a reason to risk both their lives, and when Martin saw brake lights ahead he instinctively braced his hand against the dashboard.
"That's a good way to break an arm," Danny said as he rolled to a stop at the end of what looked like a long line of traffic backed up on the highway.
Martin glanced over, mouth already twisted into a frown, but Danny wasn't smirking at him. He was staring straight ahead at the row of brake lights, and Martin swallowed a sigh and leaned back in the passenger seat. "Well if you'd slow down I wouldn't have to worry about a sudden impact with the back end of someone else's car."
"Martin, we're not even moving."
And that wasn't the point, but it had been a long day and he was tired of arguing every little detail with Danny. They'd been doing it since they started out that morning, and a whole day in the middle of nowhere hadn't done anything for either of their moods. The fact that they'd driven practically all the way to the Catskills for what turned out to be a wild goose chase just made the atmosphere in the car even more tense - they had at least another hour and a half in the car to look forward to, and that was if the traffic ever started moving again.
Eventually they did move again, but before long Martin noticed the cars at the front of the long line turning around and heading back in the other direction. For a few seconds he thought they might finally be on their way - he should have known better, especially when everything else about the day had gone wrong.
Danny rolled down the driver's side window as they reached the state trooper standing at the entrance to the highway, flashing his badge and turning on the grin Martin hadn't seen all day. He swallowed an irrational surge of jealousy at the fact that Danny could grin at some stranger but not him - it was stupid, and the only reason it bothered him was because Danny had been so miserable to him all day.
"Hey," Danny said, still smiling at the state trooper and God, Martin couldn't wait to get out of this car. "What's the problem?"
"Highway's closed, sir. I'm afraid you're going to have to turn back."
"Look, we've got to be back in the city tonight," Danny answered, his sunny smile faltering a little. Martin could hear the wind howling outside and he pitied the state trooper for having to stand around in the storm, but the last thing he wanted to do was find an alternate route that was going to add time to their drive back.
"Well you're not going this way," the trooper said, gesturing over his shoulder in the direction of the highway. "Avalanche blocked the road about a mile up."
"Is there another route back to the city?" Danny asked, and Martin could hear the exasperation in his voice. "A state highway, maybe?"
"The way this storm's moving in, your best bet's to wait it out. Last thing you wanna do is get stuck in a white-out. There's a motel about a half a mile north. Can't miss it, it's right off the main road."
Danny mumbled his thanks and rolled the window up, turning the car back in the direction they'd just come from. Martin reached in his pocket for his cell phone as Danny headed back into Hurley, flipping through his speed dial until he found Jack's number.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling Jack and letting him know we're not going to make it back tonight."
Danny rolled his eyes and slowed down, squinting through the snow as he pulled into a gas station. "We'll make it back tonight."
"That state trooper just said…"
"I heard what he said, Martin, I was there." Danny let out an exasperated sigh and parked in front of the gas station, leaving the engine running. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't call Jack."
Martin wanted to ask where Danny got off telling him what to do, but as soon as he finished talking he was out of the car, pulling his coat close against the snow. Martin contemplated calling Jack anyway - if he told their boss what the situation was Jack might talk some sense into Danny, but the truth was that Martin wasn't looking forward to being stranded overnight any more than Danny was. Not that he had anything to get back to, but Danny wasn't exactly good company and the last thing he wanted to do was spend the night staring at the ceiling in a motel room and wondering what the hell Danny's problem was.
A few minutes later Danny reappeared, tossing a map in Martin's direction as he pulled the door shut. "Find us another route."
And the ordering thing was getting old fast, but Martin just rolled his eyes and tossed the map on the dashboard. "Follow the signs for route nine."
Danny glanced at him long enough to raise an eyebrow, but instead of his usual amusement he just looked suspicious. "You know that without even looking."
"Yeah," Martin answered, glancing out the window at the snow swirling around them. At the rate it was falling he wasn't sure they'd be able to see the signs for route nine, let alone find their way home on a state road that was probably in much worse shape than the highway. He was pretty sure he still remembered the back roads well enough to find his way, though, and even if they were crawling home on a state road it was better than being stuck in a motel with Danny.
He could tell Danny wanted to ask why he knew exactly how to get out of town without using the highway, and maybe if Danny hadn't been such a jerk all day Martin would have told him. Making conversation with Danny was the last thing he felt like doing, though, and it was pretty obvious Danny didn't feel much like talking either. They lapsed into a tense silence as Danny made his way back out of town, squinting into the storm in search of their turn.
They were almost past it when Martin recognized the bend in the road, and he reached out without thinking and touched Danny's arm. "Turn here."
Danny shrugged out of his grip and slowed down to take the turn, and Martin told himself it didn't bother him that Danny didn't want to be touched. It wasn't personal - they were both a little tense because of the case and the weather, and all that mattered was getting back to the city where they could find another angle to work.
"Turn here," Martin said again a few miles down the road. It was almost impossible to see now, and Martin hoped he was remembering right. It had been years since he'd last made this drive - since his grandfather died, and he never thought the next time he'd be here would be with Danny.
And he almost wished he didn't know exactly where they were, because the storm was getting worse by the minute and Martin knew the road wouldn't be passable for much longer. If he didn't know the area as well as he did it would be easier to sit back and let Danny drive - at least if he didn't know each curve that was coming he wouldn't have to hold his breath and pray that this turn wasn't the one that would kill them. He should have argued with Danny - should have insisted they stop for the night in Hurley. Danny still would have been in a bad mood, but at least he wouldn't have to worry that they were going to die together in a government issue sedan.
"We should turn back."
"Isn't there a town ahead?"
The fact that Danny hadn't sneered at the suggestion let Martin know just how worried he was, and surprisingly enough that made Martin feel a little better. At least that meant he wasn't going to insist on pushing forward through the storm, probably killing them both in the process.
"No," Martin answered, shaking his head and glancing at the other man. "At the rate we're going we'll run off the road before we reach the next down. It's closer to turn around and head back to Hurley."
They'd been driving for over half an hour, but they hadn't made it that far from town, and Martin was fairly sure if they turned back now they could make it. He looked out the window at the wall of white surrounding them, suppressing the urge to suggest someplace closer where they could take cover for the night. Even if he wanted to get into that with Danny they couldn't go there - no one had been there for years, at least as far as Martin knew, and it was possible the cabin wasn't even livable.
He suppressed a sigh at that thought and turned to stare blindly out the front windshield as Danny slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, inching dangerously close to the edge so he could make the turn. Martin opened his mouth to warn Danny about the ditch, but before he got the words out the car was already sliding off the highway. He reached instinctively for the dashboard, bracing himself as the car pitched forward to land nose-first in the snow-filled ditch.
His first thought when the car finally stopped moving was that Danny had been right - his arm ached, and for a second Martin was sure he'd broken it in the crash. Only it had been more of a slide than an actual crash, and they hadn't impacted hard enough for Martin to break anything. Carefully he bent his arm, wincing a little at the movement, but letting out a relieved sigh when he realized it wasn't broken. It wasn't even sprained - he was pretty sure he'd jammed his elbow against the door when they crashed, but at the most he'd have some soreness and a bruise.
"Shit."
The sound of Danny's voice reminded Martin that he wasn't alone, and he looked over to find the other man rubbing his forehead with one hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Danny answered, pulling his hand away from his forehead and glancing down at it. There was no blood, at least - the last thing Martin needed was a cranky and bleeding Danny on his hands.
He reached into his pocket for his cell phone, and when he couldn't get a signal he opened the car door and stepped out into snow that came almost up to his knees. "Son of a…that's just great," he muttered, turning his attention back to the phone long enough to determine that there was still no signal.
It would be easy to blame Danny for this - he was the one who didn't want to stop when the state trooper told them to, but Martin hadn't exactly put up a fight. He'd wanted to get back just as much as Danny did - wanted to be away from this area that held way too many memories - and he was the one who should have known better. He hadn't spent much time in the Catskills during the winter, but he'd heard the stories and he knew how fast the weather could move in.
He leaned back into the car, expecting to find Danny trying his own phone. Instead he was still staring kind of blankly ahead, and suddenly Martin wasn't so sure he was okay after all. "Hey."
Danny blinked and looked over at him, moving in sort of slow motion and that definitely wasn't a good sign. "Yeah?"
"We're gonna have to walk. There's no way we're getting this thing out of the ditch without a winch and a tow truck."
"We can't walk all the way back to town."
He was right about that - they hadn't gone nearly as far as they should have thanks to the snow, but Hurley was still at least ten miles behind them. There was no way they could walk that far in the storm, but they couldn't just stay in the car and freeze to death, either. The last thing Martin wanted to do was the only thing he could do, at least if he wanted to keep them both alive. "I know a place. We can't stay here, Danny. Come on."
Under any other circumstances Danny would put up a fight, demand to know the plan before he followed Martin blindly into the storm. The fact that he just nodded and got out of the car would have worried Martin if he wasn't already terrified that they were going to freeze to death out in the middle of nowhere. It was a struggle to fight their way back up onto the road, and by the time they reached the shoulder they were both panting and soaked. And he knew how dangerous it was to wander through the storm when they could barely see two feet in front of them, but they didn't really have any other choice.
The access road was only half a mile ahead - there was a weight in Martin's chest that grew heavier with each minute they got closer to it, but now he wished it was even closer, because he had to get them out of the weather as quickly as possible, and even a half mile walk in the storm was too much. They weren't dressed for this - both of them were in suits and wool overcoats, and he was thankful Danny was wearing gloves because he didn't really want to deal with frostbite. They weren't wearing hats, though, and their dress shoes weren't exactly keeping their toes protected from the elements.
It was almost impossible to see anything, and Martin was so busy making sure Danny stayed within his line of sight that he almost missed the road they were looking for. 'Road' was a pretty generous term, really - mostly it was just a hard-packed dirt track, wide enough for one car and currently covered in huge drifts of snow. A few years of little to no use had taken their toll, but the tall trees lining either side of the road kept the worst of the storm at bay, and once Martin steered Danny into the shelter of the trees it was a little better.
"Something you wanna tell me?" Danny asked, his face red and wind burned when he glanced over at Martin. He looked less dazed than he had right after the crash, but his teeth were chattering and Martin reached out instinctively to grip his arm and tug him forward.
"Later," he answered through gritted teeth, keeping a firm hold on Danny as they made their way through the snow. He didn't really want to tell Danny anything, but he knew better than to think he could get around it. He might be able to avoid the conversation for awhile, but eventually Danny would remember and wear Martin down until he explained exactly why he knew where to find an abandoned cabin at the foot of the Catskills.
It took them longer than it should have to reach the cabin, but when they finally stumbled up two snow-covered steps and onto the porch Martin found the key exactly where he'd left it last. Part of him had been expecting to have to break in, or maybe to find the place wide open and trashed by teenagers who came out to the woods to party. He knew the local cops kept an eye on the place back when they were still using it regularly, but since his grandfather died and Martin stopped coming to New York had assumed they'd stopped.
And he'd have to remember to make a donation to the local policeman's fund, because all the windows were intact, and while it wasn't warm inside, at least it was dry. He closed the door behind them and dropped the key on a table next to the door, ignoring the sudden tightening in his chest when he looked around at the main room of the cabin. He didn't have time for sentimentality now, because Danny was still shivering next to him and he needed to get them both warm and dry as quickly as possible.
He shrugged his coat off, shivering as cold air hit his wet pants, and dropped it over the back of the nearest chair. His jacket went next, then his shoes, carefully peeling them off his numb feet. He was about to reach for the button on his pants when he remembered he wasn't alone, and he glanced over at Danny to find the other man watching him. "You need to get those clothes off," Martin said. "I'll go find some blankets and start a fire."
"Martin, what's going on here?"
"I'm trying to save us both from hypothermia," Martin answered, although he knew exactly what Danny was asking. That conversation could wait, though, at least until he got them reasonably dry. There was enough firewood stacked next to the hearth to get a fire going, at least, and hopefully it would burn long enough to let their clothes dry. "See if you can get a signal on your cell phone. I'll be right back."
He disappeared into the back of the cabin before Danny could answer, looking around as little as possible at the familiar furniture that hadn't been touched in years. When he finally reached the bedroom he paused, swallowing hard against a wave of regret before he pulled the blankets off the bed and headed back to the living room. He found Danny still standing near the door, his coat and jacket off, but the rest of his clothes still clinging to him. He was scowling down at his cell phone, punching buttons randomly and turning in a slow circle, looking for a signal.
"No luck?"
"No," Danny answered, glancing first at Martin, then the blankets. "Even if we weren't in the middle of nowhere, there's no way we'd get a signal in this weather."
They both knew it was true, but Martin's heart still sank at the thought of being stranded until the weather let up enough for them to walk all the way back to town. Even if someone found their car they wouldn't know to look for them at the cabin - from the looks of the dust on the furniture, no one had been here since the last time Martin left it.
"Here," Martin said, holding out the biggest of the blankets to Danny. "Get the rest of those clothes off and try to warm up a little."
That earned him his first smirk of the day, and he rolled his eyes before Danny even said the words. "You know, Martin, if you wanted to get me out of my clothes you could have just asked."
"Hey, if you want to catch pneumonia, be my guest. But there's no power and no fuel for the generator, and all we've got is the firewood that's already in here."
"Jesus, Fitzgerald, take a joke," Danny muttered, but he reached up and tugged his tie off. Martin scowled and dropped the blankets on the couch, suppressing a shiver as he turned toward the fireplace and laid some logs on the grate. There was a stack of old, yellowed newspapers tucked behind the stack of firewood, and he rolled a few brittle pages into knots and pushed them into the cracks in the fire. He reached for the matches still sitting on the mantle, sending up a quick prayer that matches didn't have some kind of expiration date before he struck one against the flagstone hearth.
He managed not to put it right out again with his relieved sigh when the match lit on the second try - instead he touched it to the brittle kindling, methodically lighting each bit of newspaper before he tossed the match into the fire and stood up. He watched the fire burn until finally the heat emanating from the flames reminded him of just how cold and wet he still was. A shiver rolled through him as he began working the buttons on his shirt open, peeling off the wet fabric and spreading it carefully on the hearth before he slid his pants off and spread them next to his shirt.
When he was down to his boxers he turned to reach for a blanket, flushing in spite of the chill when he found Danny watching him. Danny was already wrapped in a blanket, clothes tossed carelessly over a chair and looking a lot like a little kid all curled inside Martin's grandmother's old quilt. He remembered plenty of nights spent just like this, sitting wrapped in that quilt in front of the fire, listening to his grandfather's stories about growing up in Philadelphia.
He pushed the unwelcome wave of grief as far back as it would go, ignoring the weight of Danny's gaze and the way it made him flush in spite of the cold. He shivered again and reached for the other blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders and taking a seat on the far end of the couch. And he felt like he should be doing something, but there was nothing left to do but wait for their clothes to dry and the storm to stop howling outside.
"How's your head?" he asked after a few long moments of silence, glancing at Danny and swallowing a smirk at the sight of his normally suave partner looking lost inside the giant quilt.
"It's nothing," Danny answered, but he reached up to touch it anyway, wincing when his fingers pressed against the sore spot. "Must've hit it on the steering wheel."
And he knew he shouldn't say it, but he was tired and freezing and he still couldn't feel his toes, and none of that was helping to put him in a very charitable mood. "None of this would have happened if you'd listened to me and stopped when that trooper told us to."
"Don't give me that, Martin. You wanted to get the hell out of here just as much as I did." And it was true, but Martin knew his reasons for wanting to get back to the city, and he was positive they were a lot different than Danny's.
"What is your problem?" he asked, shifting on the couch until he was facing Danny. He felt a little ridiculous having this argument when they were both almost naked and wrapped in blankets, but they didn't have anything else to do and at least arguing would help keep them warm.
"I don't have a problem," Danny answered, the familiar smugness back in his voice and Martin felt his temperature creep up a few degrees. "I was just trying to get us home in one piece. You're the one who's got us breaking and entering. This can't be part of the Fitzgerald estate, there's not even any electricity."
Anger flashed in Martin at Danny's words, followed quickly by a surge of pride. "There's no 'estate'. You really think I grew up surrounded by country clubs and debutantes? If you believe that you know less about me than I thought."
For a second Danny actually looked a little surprised, but he recovered quickly and let his features relax into a crooked smile. "Okay. Since we've got nothing better to do, why don't you tell me what I don't know about Martin Fitzgerald. You can start with whose cabin this is. I think I have a right to know if I'm breaking any laws here."
"Right, because you're so above breaking and entering." The words escaped his throat before he could stop them, and he expected Danny to get mad. He expected a spark of anger in those dark eyes, but instead Danny just grinned and sprawled a little more comfortably on his end of the couch.
"I don't think you want to get into a debate about proper procedure."
Martin managed not to wince at the truth behind Danny's words - it was true that they'd all done things they probably shouldn't have in the heat of the moment, but it was a lot easier to dwell on other people's mistakes than to live with his own. He swallowed a bitter comeback and turned to look at the fire, letting a few long moments pass in silence before he answered.
"This was my grandfather's place. He died a few years ago and I haven't been back since."
"So it is part of the Fitzgerald estate."
And God, he hated himself for wanting Danny even more when he was being smug. "He left it to me, actually."
"Wait…so this is your place. You own a cabin in the Catskills? Do you know how much this land alone must be worth?"
Martin shrugged and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, wishing now that he'd taken his boxers off. At the time they hadn't really felt wet, but they were damp enough that the cold was sinking into his skin and keeping him from really getting comfortable. "Like I said, I don't come up here anymore."
He could feel Danny looking at him and he knew what the other man was thinking - he was crazy to hold on to this place and not do anything with it, sell it if he wasn't going to use it and buy into a decent co-op in Manhattan or something. "Was your old man pissed?"
Or maybe Danny understood better than Martin gave him credit for. "No. He never came up here, even when I was a kid. I doubt he cared one way or the other about this place. My sister was pissed, though."
"You've got a sister?"
"Yeah. She's got a couple kids, she and her husband wanted to get their hands on this place and redo the whole thing, make it into a private vacation resort." He grinned self-consciously and glanced over at Danny, his cheeks flushing when he found the other man watching him. "I spent a lot of time here with my grandfather, I guess he figured I was the only one he could trust not to tear it down and start over. He built this place himself."
He could hear the pride in his own voice, and it made him thankful for the lack of electricity so Danny wouldn't see him blush. If Danny heard it he didn't call Martin on it, though - instead he shifted until he was facing Martin, letting the blanket slip off his shoulders a little. "Uncle Martin, huh? I never would've pegged you for the type. I figured you were an only child."
Martin grinned in spite of himself and shook his head. "I wished I was a few times when I was growing up. What about you - any brothers or sisters back in Florida?"
"Not unless you count foster brothers and sisters. None I keep in touch with, anyway."
That was something Danny didn't talk about - Martin knew his parents had died when he was a kid, but he never mentioned them and Martin knew better than to ask. He knew what a private guy Danny was, at least about certain things, and he respected that. That didn't give Danny a right to jump to conclusions about Martin's past, though, and sometimes it bothered Martin that Danny thought he knew so much about Martin's family just because of his father's job.
"Is that why you're so crazy about kids - because you grew up in foster care?"
Instantly the wall went up - Martin could actually see it, watch Danny closing off in front of him. He tried to cover with a casual grin, but Martin had known him long enough to know when he hit a hot spot. "Just doing my job, Martin. Kind of like you were doing yours this morning."
Their morning had consisted of driving all the way to the Catskills to interview the ex-lover of their missing person, and after two hours of coaxing they'd finally come to the conclusion that she didn't know anything. Martin frowned at Danny's smug expression, telling himself he was imagining the challenge in the other man's eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You and Blondie this morning," Danny said, grinning now and Martin knew he was just warming up. "Tell me, Fitzie, you got a weakness for all blondes, or just the ones that are unavailable?"
It was a low blow, but Martin blushed anyway, hot and angry and this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have without his clothes on. Danny seemed pretty comfortable with the situation, though - his blanket was halfway down his arms now, revealing more chest than Martin really needed to see considering the circumstances. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really? So I've just been imagining you making eyes at Sam for a year? I hate to be the one to break it to you, Martin, but it's never gonna happen. She's had it bad for Jack for a long time."
He wasn't sure what was more insulting - the fact that Danny thought he'd been flirting with their witness or the fact that he really thought Martin was stupid enough not to notice how Sam felt about Jack. And he wasn't sure why Danny thought he'd been pining for Sam - he'd taken her out for one drink, and that was just to cheer her up about Jack. Granted, his lack of a love life had a lot to do with a certain coworker, but it definitely wasn't Sam.
"You're way off base, Danny. Just let it drop."
"Come on, Martin, there's nobody here but us. You can tell me - is it something about Sam, or do you just like pissing Jack off to see how far you can push him?"
"Funny, I always thought pushing people's buttons was your area."
Danny shrugged, smug smile still firmly in place, and Martin hated himself for thinking it was kind of cute. "We've all got our talents."
He'd spent way too much time trying not to imagine what Danny's talents were, and he wasn't going to start now. If this was a cheesy movie they'd be sharing body heat by now, but this was his life and it had never been that interesting. The most he could really hope for was that Danny would drop it, change the subject or maybe just shut up and let Martin pretend he wasn't there.
A few minutes passed in silence and Martin was beginning to think Danny was going to do just that. Then Danny cleared his throat and shifted again, somehow managing to move closer to Martin without really making an effort. "So what was it about her? This morning, I mean. I know you don't like them stupid - Sam's proof of that. It's not really just the hair, is it? Because I gotta say, Martin, I don't think she was a natural blonde."
He knew better than to take a swing at Danny. He'd never been the athletic type, but Danny was and there was no way Martin could take him in a fair fight. Not that he really wanted to fight Danny - he just wanted him to shut up. That was the only explanation he could come up with for what happened next, because he wanted to wipe that smug expression off Danny's face and if he couldn't do it with violence, he'd find some other way.
It didn't dawn on him until it was too late that kissing Danny was probably the worst thing he could do. He didn't even realize he'd moved until his mouth was pressed against Danny's, hot and angry and when Danny's lips parted under him he did the only thing he could do.
He didn't expect Danny to kiss him back. He'd only been trying to shut him up, really, and if he'd thought beyond that he probably wouldn't have gone through with it. So it came as a surprise when Danny's tongue slid into his mouth, a hand in his hair to pull him back a little, tilting his head just so until Danny was in charge. And that didn't surprise Martin at all, but he went with it because so far Danny hadn't punched him, and he was pretty sure that was a good sign.
"I don't like blondes," he murmured against Danny's mouth, earning a laugh and a warm hand pushing his blanket off his shoulders, leaving him shivering and burning up at the same time. Then Danny pushed him backwards onto the couch, and Martin forgot all about the cold when his grandmother's quilt fell away to display the fact that Danny had taken off his boxers.
He was hard, cock pressed against a perfect stomach, and Martin shivered for a whole different reason when Danny hooked his thumbs in Martin's boxers and yanked them down in one graceful motion. And just the idea of Danny wanting him was enough to make him painfully hard, but when Danny crawled over him and pressed their mouths together again Martin was sure he'd come from that alone. He didn't, but it took some effort to distract himself from the way Danny was moving against him.
Focusing on the way Danny kissed helped - it was softer than Martin expected, almost tender and it made him wonder just exactly how long Danny had been thinking about this. And he'd definitely been thinking about it, that much Martin could tell by the way Danny responded the first time Martin kissed him. It was almost as though he'd just been waiting for Martin to make his move, and if Martin had known - God, how long could they have been doing this?
Danny's mouth was hot against his, tongue thrusting lazily in and out of his mouth like they had all the time in the world. And they did, really, because no one was going to come looking for them until at least tomorrow. Which meant they had all night, long after this was over to think about what they'd done and what they couldn't take back.
He was pretty sure Danny wasn't a mind reader, but he pulled back anyway and looked at Martin, his smile soft for once as he traced Martin's jaw with the tip of his index finger. "You planning to regret this in the morning?"
"It's a little late for that now, isn't it?"
Danny shook his head and shifted on top of Martin, surprising a groan out of the other man as he settled more firmly between Martin's legs. "The way I see it, this could go two ways. Either we're starting something here that goes with us back to the city, or we blame it on the circumstances and nobody owes anybody anything."
"If you say anything about conserving body heat I'll kill you in your sleep." He was only half kidding, but he swallowed a sigh of relief when Danny laughed. His hand slid down Danny's back, fingers splayed across the base of his spine. "It would be messy."
"I like things messy."
Martin thought about making a joke about that, but he wasn't sure he could force a convincing laugh past the tightness in his chest. What Danny was asking - what they both wanted, and he never would have seen this coming - was huge. It wasn't just that they worked together - there was his father to consider, and the fact that they spent so much time together on the job. There was no telling how balancing a relationship would change that, but he'd never dreamed that Danny would offer, and there was no way he could turn it down.
Instead of answering he slid his other hand around the back of Danny's neck, pulling him forward for another kiss. This time Danny let him set the pace, taking his time learning the way the other man's mouth fit against his. Danny rocked gently against him, teasing rather than demanding more. It was different than Martin had always imagined it would be, but now that it was happening Martin wasn't sure why he hadn't predicted that Danny would be like this. Confident, playful, a little gentle and incredibly hot - all those things added up to Danny, and Martin should have known.
Then again, his imagination never would have lived up to the real thing, because even if he'd gotten the big stuff right he never would have come up with all the little details. Like the feel of Danny's laugh vibrating against his skin, the way his fingers felt stroking up and down Martin's sides, or the needy little sounds he made in the back of his throat when Martin thrust up against him. He liked the way Danny said his name, murmuring it absently against his mouth, like maybe it wasn't the first time he'd whispered Martin's name in the moments before he came.
That thought made Martin thrust up a little harder against the other man, hands sliding down Danny's back to pull him closer. He wanted…everything, wanted Danny inside him, wanted to hear Danny moan his name when he came. Only they were in the middle of nowhere, and he was pretty sure there weren't any condoms stashed in bathroom of his grandfather's cabin.
If Danny had thought that far ahead he didn't seem too worried, though, and when his mouth left Martin's to lick a hot stripe along Martin's neck he decided it wasn't worth worrying about. This was just the beginning of…something, after all, so there was plenty of time for the rest later. It was hard to think with Danny's mouth moving on his skin anyway, and when Danny's mouth finally closed around his cock Martin stopped trying.
He arched into the sensation, panting and clutching hard at the couch cushions with one hand as Danny sucked on the head of his cock. And he'd always known Danny could do a lot more with that mouth than talk - he had one of those mouths that was just made for this, but knowing that didn't prepare Martin for the experience. Nothing could have prepared him for the sensation of Danny sucking him off for the first time, and when a finger slid inside him he made a choked noise in the back of his throat and came.
It should have been embarrassing. He braced himself for Danny's laughter, eyes still closed as he panted for breath and waited for the inevitable jokes. But Danny's finger was still moving inside him, and when he felt kisses being pressed to the inside of his thighs he opened his eyes to see Danny watching him. "I want to fuck you."
"I don't have any…"
He trailed off when Danny grinned and pulled his fingers out of Martin, biting back a disappointed groan as the other man stood up long enough to rifle through his clothes. He found his wallet and pulled it open, retrieving a condom and dropping his wallet back on top of the pile of wet clothes.
"Always prepared," Danny said, grinning when Martin raised his eyebrows. "Hey, you don't have to be a Boy Scout to know these things."
"I'm pretty sure they don't teach this in Boy Scouts," Martin said as Danny crawled over him again, pressing hot kisses along his skin as he slid on top of Martin.
"You'd be surprised." The words were murmured against his neck, Danny's hips moving against him again and Martin wanted to ask if he had any more condoms stashed anywhere, because once definitely wasn't going to be enough.
He pulled the foil package out of Danny's hands, tearing the package open and dropping it on the floor somewhere near the couch. Danny's eyes were clouded when he pushed up to let Martin roll the condom down, a mixture of lust and something else Martin couldn't quite put a name to. He gave up trying to figure it out when Danny leaned in to kiss him again, kneeling between Martin's legs and pushing his knees back to slide inside.
It all happened so fast that the first press of Danny's cock inside him took him by surprise, and he gasped against Danny's mouth and pressed up into the sensation. Danny groaned above him and arched his back, neck elongated and Martin couldn't resist the urge to taste. He mouthed his way along Danny's neck, sucking hard at the hollow of his collarbone until Danny was moaning and thrusting harder inside him.
Martin pressed up to meet each stroke, his own cock twitching each time Danny found his prostate. He reached between them, closing his hand around his cock and stroking in time to Danny's thrusts, flexing hard against Danny to pull him in deeper with each thrust.
"Jesus, Martin," Danny murmured, and Martin couldn't help laughing because this whole situation was insane. He never would have expected to end up here, and definitely not like this. This kind of thing didn't happen to him - not ever, and definitely not with a guy like Danny.
A single bead of sweat trickled down Danny's neck, and Martin leaned up to catch it on his tongue, tasting salt and Danny in the second before Danny tensed and came inside him. His own orgasm hit him a few seconds later, and when he felt wet heat hit his stomach and sent up a quick prayer of thanks that at least his grandfather had the foresight to install indoor plumbing.
Not that there was any hot water, but at least he was pretty sure there was soap and maybe some toothpaste left in the bathroom. All things he'd see about later, because for now Danny was kissing him again, and nothing else really mattered.
~
Martin woke to the sound of a loud knock on the front door. He had a cramp in his neck and his elbow was aching from where he'd hit it in the car, and when he stretched out on the couch he realized for the first time that Danny wasn't there. They'd spent most of the night alternating between talking and…well, not talking, and when Martin sat up and reached for his pants he had to admit that he was probably too old for that much sex in one night.
Everything ached, but he ignored the protests his body was making and pulled his pants on, zipping them on his way to the front door. He pulled it open, shivering against the burst of cold air and squinting into the sunlight framing the police officer standing on his porch. "Morning, officer. I'm glad to see you, I was afraid we'd be stuck here for a few days."
"This your place?" the officer asked, and Martin realized suddenly how it must look to someone who didn't know him.
"Yeah. It was my grandfather's place, but he left it to me. Martin Fitzgerald."
"Can I see some I.D.?"
"Sure," Martin answered, digging his wallet out of his pants and handing over his badge.
"You're a Fed?"
"Yeah," Martin said, glancing unconsciously over his shoulder as he spoke. Danny still hadn't resurfaced, and unless he'd gotten tired of sharing the couch with Martin and decided to take his chances in the cold bedroom Martin had no idea where he could be. His clothes were gone, which meant wherever he was, he'd gotten dressed first, and Martin had a flash of panic when he realized Danny might have changed his mind about this thing between them and started back to town on his own.
Only he'd sounded pretty sure about it last night when he told Martin exactly how long he'd been thinking about this, and he hadn't complained when Martin was sucking him off. Martin swallowed an irrational surge of anger and turned back to the cop, wrapping his arms around his bare chest and taking a few steps backwards. "Look, do you want to come in? It's freezing out there."
The cop nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind him while Martin went in search of his shirt. "Is that your car out on the main road, Mr. Fitzgerald?"
"Yeah, we had a little trouble in the storm. Listen, is there any chance somebody can give us a lift back to town?"
"Us?"
"My partner," Martin answered, glancing over his shoulder again at the still-empty doorway that led to the back of the cabin. There was still no sign of Danny, though, and Martin pushed back a fresh surge of panic and turned back to the cop. "He's around here somewhere."
Right on cue Martin heard footsteps behind him, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to kiss Danny or kill him. He finished buttoning his shirt and glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough Danny was fully dressed and grinning like all was right with the world. "Hey, cavalry's here."
For a second the cop just looked at both of them, and Martin felt the blush creeping up his neck as he watched the wheels turning in the other man's head. Before Martin had a chance to panic the cop nodded, and Martin swallowed a sigh of relief. "I can give you a ride back into town. Gonna have to send a tow out for your car, though."
"Great," Danny said, "I'm starving. Danny Taylor, FBI."
Martin watched as Danny shook the cop's hand, then proceeded to charm him with the story of how they'd gotten snowed in. By the time Martin was finished getting dressed and putting out the remnants of the fire Danny was pointing at the bump on his forehead, laughing along with his new friend like they'd known each other for years. Martin rolled his eyes as he folded his grandmother's quilt and set it on the couch, pushing the memory of Danny wrapped in it to the back of his mind.
There would be plenty of time to think about what happened on the ride back to town, and he was pretty sure things between him and Danny were going to be okay. Danny was laughing like he'd never been better, anyway, and after yesterday that was definitely a good sign. Martin ducked his head to hide a grin and pulled his coat on, picking up the key to the cabin on the way out. He locked the door behind them before he stepped off the porch after the other men, climbing into the back of the cop's SUV.
Danny was still making conversation with the cop, but when Martin slid into the back seat he glanced over his shoulder and caught Martin's eye. His stomach did a weird little flip and he was glad he was already sitting down, and just for a second he almost regretted that they'd been rescued already. He wouldn't have minded another day or two alone with Danny, but neither of them had eaten since yesterday and besides, there was still the case to worry about. According to their chauffeur the highway had been cleared overnight, so as soon as someone dug their car out they'd be back on the road to the city.
He envisioned way too much paperwork and a lot of questions from Jack and the others, but once all that was done he was planning to take Danny home and forget about the rest of the world for as long as possible.
I made up a ton of Martin backstory for this thing which is sure to get completely Jossed any day now, but I've decided to be okay with that. That's right, dear readers, I have finally found my Zen Place within WAT fandom. It's a very, very smutty place. Lots of naked and not a whole lot of actual story. But it's very Zen. Porny and zen. Quite a combination.
If I'm feeling ambitious sometime in the future, there will be more installments to the cabinfic series. But for now, part one stands on its own. Danny/Martin, NC17. I haven't proofread yet because it's fifteen pages and I'm lazy, but I will. Eventually.
The snow was falling harder by the time they finally reached the onramp for the interstate, and Martin fought against the urge to tell Danny to slow down. It had been a bad enough day without being accused of backseat driving, and he was pretty sure anything he said right now would just set Danny off again.
It would help if he knew what Danny's problem was, but so far Danny hadn't volunteered that information, and when Martin asked the only answer he'd gotten was a gruff 'nothing'. He couldn't remember ever seeing Danny like this; granted, they were right in the middle of what was turning out to be a hopeless case, but even when work was trying Danny usually had a smirk or a sarcastic remark to offer. It wasn't like him to be so quiet - brooding, even, although Martin would never say that out loud - and it was starting to get a little annoying.
At first Martin had been worried, because they weren't exactly friends, but they were colleagues, and if there was something bothering Danny it could affect their case. Martin still hadn't forgotten Danny's lack of judgment on the Spaulding case, and he wasn't looking forward to another repeat of that just because they were frustrated about all the dead ends they kept running into. So far Danny hadn't done anything Martin could call strictly against procedure, though. All he'd really done was…be way too quiet. Still, Danny's bad mood wasn't a reason to risk both their lives, and when Martin saw brake lights ahead he instinctively braced his hand against the dashboard.
"That's a good way to break an arm," Danny said as he rolled to a stop at the end of what looked like a long line of traffic backed up on the highway.
Martin glanced over, mouth already twisted into a frown, but Danny wasn't smirking at him. He was staring straight ahead at the row of brake lights, and Martin swallowed a sigh and leaned back in the passenger seat. "Well if you'd slow down I wouldn't have to worry about a sudden impact with the back end of someone else's car."
"Martin, we're not even moving."
And that wasn't the point, but it had been a long day and he was tired of arguing every little detail with Danny. They'd been doing it since they started out that morning, and a whole day in the middle of nowhere hadn't done anything for either of their moods. The fact that they'd driven practically all the way to the Catskills for what turned out to be a wild goose chase just made the atmosphere in the car even more tense - they had at least another hour and a half in the car to look forward to, and that was if the traffic ever started moving again.
Eventually they did move again, but before long Martin noticed the cars at the front of the long line turning around and heading back in the other direction. For a few seconds he thought they might finally be on their way - he should have known better, especially when everything else about the day had gone wrong.
Danny rolled down the driver's side window as they reached the state trooper standing at the entrance to the highway, flashing his badge and turning on the grin Martin hadn't seen all day. He swallowed an irrational surge of jealousy at the fact that Danny could grin at some stranger but not him - it was stupid, and the only reason it bothered him was because Danny had been so miserable to him all day.
"Hey," Danny said, still smiling at the state trooper and God, Martin couldn't wait to get out of this car. "What's the problem?"
"Highway's closed, sir. I'm afraid you're going to have to turn back."
"Look, we've got to be back in the city tonight," Danny answered, his sunny smile faltering a little. Martin could hear the wind howling outside and he pitied the state trooper for having to stand around in the storm, but the last thing he wanted to do was find an alternate route that was going to add time to their drive back.
"Well you're not going this way," the trooper said, gesturing over his shoulder in the direction of the highway. "Avalanche blocked the road about a mile up."
"Is there another route back to the city?" Danny asked, and Martin could hear the exasperation in his voice. "A state highway, maybe?"
"The way this storm's moving in, your best bet's to wait it out. Last thing you wanna do is get stuck in a white-out. There's a motel about a half a mile north. Can't miss it, it's right off the main road."
Danny mumbled his thanks and rolled the window up, turning the car back in the direction they'd just come from. Martin reached in his pocket for his cell phone as Danny headed back into Hurley, flipping through his speed dial until he found Jack's number.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling Jack and letting him know we're not going to make it back tonight."
Danny rolled his eyes and slowed down, squinting through the snow as he pulled into a gas station. "We'll make it back tonight."
"That state trooper just said…"
"I heard what he said, Martin, I was there." Danny let out an exasperated sigh and parked in front of the gas station, leaving the engine running. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't call Jack."
Martin wanted to ask where Danny got off telling him what to do, but as soon as he finished talking he was out of the car, pulling his coat close against the snow. Martin contemplated calling Jack anyway - if he told their boss what the situation was Jack might talk some sense into Danny, but the truth was that Martin wasn't looking forward to being stranded overnight any more than Danny was. Not that he had anything to get back to, but Danny wasn't exactly good company and the last thing he wanted to do was spend the night staring at the ceiling in a motel room and wondering what the hell Danny's problem was.
A few minutes later Danny reappeared, tossing a map in Martin's direction as he pulled the door shut. "Find us another route."
And the ordering thing was getting old fast, but Martin just rolled his eyes and tossed the map on the dashboard. "Follow the signs for route nine."
Danny glanced at him long enough to raise an eyebrow, but instead of his usual amusement he just looked suspicious. "You know that without even looking."
"Yeah," Martin answered, glancing out the window at the snow swirling around them. At the rate it was falling he wasn't sure they'd be able to see the signs for route nine, let alone find their way home on a state road that was probably in much worse shape than the highway. He was pretty sure he still remembered the back roads well enough to find his way, though, and even if they were crawling home on a state road it was better than being stuck in a motel with Danny.
He could tell Danny wanted to ask why he knew exactly how to get out of town without using the highway, and maybe if Danny hadn't been such a jerk all day Martin would have told him. Making conversation with Danny was the last thing he felt like doing, though, and it was pretty obvious Danny didn't feel much like talking either. They lapsed into a tense silence as Danny made his way back out of town, squinting into the storm in search of their turn.
They were almost past it when Martin recognized the bend in the road, and he reached out without thinking and touched Danny's arm. "Turn here."
Danny shrugged out of his grip and slowed down to take the turn, and Martin told himself it didn't bother him that Danny didn't want to be touched. It wasn't personal - they were both a little tense because of the case and the weather, and all that mattered was getting back to the city where they could find another angle to work.
"Turn here," Martin said again a few miles down the road. It was almost impossible to see now, and Martin hoped he was remembering right. It had been years since he'd last made this drive - since his grandfather died, and he never thought the next time he'd be here would be with Danny.
And he almost wished he didn't know exactly where they were, because the storm was getting worse by the minute and Martin knew the road wouldn't be passable for much longer. If he didn't know the area as well as he did it would be easier to sit back and let Danny drive - at least if he didn't know each curve that was coming he wouldn't have to hold his breath and pray that this turn wasn't the one that would kill them. He should have argued with Danny - should have insisted they stop for the night in Hurley. Danny still would have been in a bad mood, but at least he wouldn't have to worry that they were going to die together in a government issue sedan.
"We should turn back."
"Isn't there a town ahead?"
The fact that Danny hadn't sneered at the suggestion let Martin know just how worried he was, and surprisingly enough that made Martin feel a little better. At least that meant he wasn't going to insist on pushing forward through the storm, probably killing them both in the process.
"No," Martin answered, shaking his head and glancing at the other man. "At the rate we're going we'll run off the road before we reach the next down. It's closer to turn around and head back to Hurley."
They'd been driving for over half an hour, but they hadn't made it that far from town, and Martin was fairly sure if they turned back now they could make it. He looked out the window at the wall of white surrounding them, suppressing the urge to suggest someplace closer where they could take cover for the night. Even if he wanted to get into that with Danny they couldn't go there - no one had been there for years, at least as far as Martin knew, and it was possible the cabin wasn't even livable.
He suppressed a sigh at that thought and turned to stare blindly out the front windshield as Danny slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, inching dangerously close to the edge so he could make the turn. Martin opened his mouth to warn Danny about the ditch, but before he got the words out the car was already sliding off the highway. He reached instinctively for the dashboard, bracing himself as the car pitched forward to land nose-first in the snow-filled ditch.
His first thought when the car finally stopped moving was that Danny had been right - his arm ached, and for a second Martin was sure he'd broken it in the crash. Only it had been more of a slide than an actual crash, and they hadn't impacted hard enough for Martin to break anything. Carefully he bent his arm, wincing a little at the movement, but letting out a relieved sigh when he realized it wasn't broken. It wasn't even sprained - he was pretty sure he'd jammed his elbow against the door when they crashed, but at the most he'd have some soreness and a bruise.
"Shit."
The sound of Danny's voice reminded Martin that he wasn't alone, and he looked over to find the other man rubbing his forehead with one hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Danny answered, pulling his hand away from his forehead and glancing down at it. There was no blood, at least - the last thing Martin needed was a cranky and bleeding Danny on his hands.
He reached into his pocket for his cell phone, and when he couldn't get a signal he opened the car door and stepped out into snow that came almost up to his knees. "Son of a…that's just great," he muttered, turning his attention back to the phone long enough to determine that there was still no signal.
It would be easy to blame Danny for this - he was the one who didn't want to stop when the state trooper told them to, but Martin hadn't exactly put up a fight. He'd wanted to get back just as much as Danny did - wanted to be away from this area that held way too many memories - and he was the one who should have known better. He hadn't spent much time in the Catskills during the winter, but he'd heard the stories and he knew how fast the weather could move in.
He leaned back into the car, expecting to find Danny trying his own phone. Instead he was still staring kind of blankly ahead, and suddenly Martin wasn't so sure he was okay after all. "Hey."
Danny blinked and looked over at him, moving in sort of slow motion and that definitely wasn't a good sign. "Yeah?"
"We're gonna have to walk. There's no way we're getting this thing out of the ditch without a winch and a tow truck."
"We can't walk all the way back to town."
He was right about that - they hadn't gone nearly as far as they should have thanks to the snow, but Hurley was still at least ten miles behind them. There was no way they could walk that far in the storm, but they couldn't just stay in the car and freeze to death, either. The last thing Martin wanted to do was the only thing he could do, at least if he wanted to keep them both alive. "I know a place. We can't stay here, Danny. Come on."
Under any other circumstances Danny would put up a fight, demand to know the plan before he followed Martin blindly into the storm. The fact that he just nodded and got out of the car would have worried Martin if he wasn't already terrified that they were going to freeze to death out in the middle of nowhere. It was a struggle to fight their way back up onto the road, and by the time they reached the shoulder they were both panting and soaked. And he knew how dangerous it was to wander through the storm when they could barely see two feet in front of them, but they didn't really have any other choice.
The access road was only half a mile ahead - there was a weight in Martin's chest that grew heavier with each minute they got closer to it, but now he wished it was even closer, because he had to get them out of the weather as quickly as possible, and even a half mile walk in the storm was too much. They weren't dressed for this - both of them were in suits and wool overcoats, and he was thankful Danny was wearing gloves because he didn't really want to deal with frostbite. They weren't wearing hats, though, and their dress shoes weren't exactly keeping their toes protected from the elements.
It was almost impossible to see anything, and Martin was so busy making sure Danny stayed within his line of sight that he almost missed the road they were looking for. 'Road' was a pretty generous term, really - mostly it was just a hard-packed dirt track, wide enough for one car and currently covered in huge drifts of snow. A few years of little to no use had taken their toll, but the tall trees lining either side of the road kept the worst of the storm at bay, and once Martin steered Danny into the shelter of the trees it was a little better.
"Something you wanna tell me?" Danny asked, his face red and wind burned when he glanced over at Martin. He looked less dazed than he had right after the crash, but his teeth were chattering and Martin reached out instinctively to grip his arm and tug him forward.
"Later," he answered through gritted teeth, keeping a firm hold on Danny as they made their way through the snow. He didn't really want to tell Danny anything, but he knew better than to think he could get around it. He might be able to avoid the conversation for awhile, but eventually Danny would remember and wear Martin down until he explained exactly why he knew where to find an abandoned cabin at the foot of the Catskills.
It took them longer than it should have to reach the cabin, but when they finally stumbled up two snow-covered steps and onto the porch Martin found the key exactly where he'd left it last. Part of him had been expecting to have to break in, or maybe to find the place wide open and trashed by teenagers who came out to the woods to party. He knew the local cops kept an eye on the place back when they were still using it regularly, but since his grandfather died and Martin stopped coming to New York had assumed they'd stopped.
And he'd have to remember to make a donation to the local policeman's fund, because all the windows were intact, and while it wasn't warm inside, at least it was dry. He closed the door behind them and dropped the key on a table next to the door, ignoring the sudden tightening in his chest when he looked around at the main room of the cabin. He didn't have time for sentimentality now, because Danny was still shivering next to him and he needed to get them both warm and dry as quickly as possible.
He shrugged his coat off, shivering as cold air hit his wet pants, and dropped it over the back of the nearest chair. His jacket went next, then his shoes, carefully peeling them off his numb feet. He was about to reach for the button on his pants when he remembered he wasn't alone, and he glanced over at Danny to find the other man watching him. "You need to get those clothes off," Martin said. "I'll go find some blankets and start a fire."
"Martin, what's going on here?"
"I'm trying to save us both from hypothermia," Martin answered, although he knew exactly what Danny was asking. That conversation could wait, though, at least until he got them reasonably dry. There was enough firewood stacked next to the hearth to get a fire going, at least, and hopefully it would burn long enough to let their clothes dry. "See if you can get a signal on your cell phone. I'll be right back."
He disappeared into the back of the cabin before Danny could answer, looking around as little as possible at the familiar furniture that hadn't been touched in years. When he finally reached the bedroom he paused, swallowing hard against a wave of regret before he pulled the blankets off the bed and headed back to the living room. He found Danny still standing near the door, his coat and jacket off, but the rest of his clothes still clinging to him. He was scowling down at his cell phone, punching buttons randomly and turning in a slow circle, looking for a signal.
"No luck?"
"No," Danny answered, glancing first at Martin, then the blankets. "Even if we weren't in the middle of nowhere, there's no way we'd get a signal in this weather."
They both knew it was true, but Martin's heart still sank at the thought of being stranded until the weather let up enough for them to walk all the way back to town. Even if someone found their car they wouldn't know to look for them at the cabin - from the looks of the dust on the furniture, no one had been here since the last time Martin left it.
"Here," Martin said, holding out the biggest of the blankets to Danny. "Get the rest of those clothes off and try to warm up a little."
That earned him his first smirk of the day, and he rolled his eyes before Danny even said the words. "You know, Martin, if you wanted to get me out of my clothes you could have just asked."
"Hey, if you want to catch pneumonia, be my guest. But there's no power and no fuel for the generator, and all we've got is the firewood that's already in here."
"Jesus, Fitzgerald, take a joke," Danny muttered, but he reached up and tugged his tie off. Martin scowled and dropped the blankets on the couch, suppressing a shiver as he turned toward the fireplace and laid some logs on the grate. There was a stack of old, yellowed newspapers tucked behind the stack of firewood, and he rolled a few brittle pages into knots and pushed them into the cracks in the fire. He reached for the matches still sitting on the mantle, sending up a quick prayer that matches didn't have some kind of expiration date before he struck one against the flagstone hearth.
He managed not to put it right out again with his relieved sigh when the match lit on the second try - instead he touched it to the brittle kindling, methodically lighting each bit of newspaper before he tossed the match into the fire and stood up. He watched the fire burn until finally the heat emanating from the flames reminded him of just how cold and wet he still was. A shiver rolled through him as he began working the buttons on his shirt open, peeling off the wet fabric and spreading it carefully on the hearth before he slid his pants off and spread them next to his shirt.
When he was down to his boxers he turned to reach for a blanket, flushing in spite of the chill when he found Danny watching him. Danny was already wrapped in a blanket, clothes tossed carelessly over a chair and looking a lot like a little kid all curled inside Martin's grandmother's old quilt. He remembered plenty of nights spent just like this, sitting wrapped in that quilt in front of the fire, listening to his grandfather's stories about growing up in Philadelphia.
He pushed the unwelcome wave of grief as far back as it would go, ignoring the weight of Danny's gaze and the way it made him flush in spite of the cold. He shivered again and reached for the other blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders and taking a seat on the far end of the couch. And he felt like he should be doing something, but there was nothing left to do but wait for their clothes to dry and the storm to stop howling outside.
"How's your head?" he asked after a few long moments of silence, glancing at Danny and swallowing a smirk at the sight of his normally suave partner looking lost inside the giant quilt.
"It's nothing," Danny answered, but he reached up to touch it anyway, wincing when his fingers pressed against the sore spot. "Must've hit it on the steering wheel."
And he knew he shouldn't say it, but he was tired and freezing and he still couldn't feel his toes, and none of that was helping to put him in a very charitable mood. "None of this would have happened if you'd listened to me and stopped when that trooper told us to."
"Don't give me that, Martin. You wanted to get the hell out of here just as much as I did." And it was true, but Martin knew his reasons for wanting to get back to the city, and he was positive they were a lot different than Danny's.
"What is your problem?" he asked, shifting on the couch until he was facing Danny. He felt a little ridiculous having this argument when they were both almost naked and wrapped in blankets, but they didn't have anything else to do and at least arguing would help keep them warm.
"I don't have a problem," Danny answered, the familiar smugness back in his voice and Martin felt his temperature creep up a few degrees. "I was just trying to get us home in one piece. You're the one who's got us breaking and entering. This can't be part of the Fitzgerald estate, there's not even any electricity."
Anger flashed in Martin at Danny's words, followed quickly by a surge of pride. "There's no 'estate'. You really think I grew up surrounded by country clubs and debutantes? If you believe that you know less about me than I thought."
For a second Danny actually looked a little surprised, but he recovered quickly and let his features relax into a crooked smile. "Okay. Since we've got nothing better to do, why don't you tell me what I don't know about Martin Fitzgerald. You can start with whose cabin this is. I think I have a right to know if I'm breaking any laws here."
"Right, because you're so above breaking and entering." The words escaped his throat before he could stop them, and he expected Danny to get mad. He expected a spark of anger in those dark eyes, but instead Danny just grinned and sprawled a little more comfortably on his end of the couch.
"I don't think you want to get into a debate about proper procedure."
Martin managed not to wince at the truth behind Danny's words - it was true that they'd all done things they probably shouldn't have in the heat of the moment, but it was a lot easier to dwell on other people's mistakes than to live with his own. He swallowed a bitter comeback and turned to look at the fire, letting a few long moments pass in silence before he answered.
"This was my grandfather's place. He died a few years ago and I haven't been back since."
"So it is part of the Fitzgerald estate."
And God, he hated himself for wanting Danny even more when he was being smug. "He left it to me, actually."
"Wait…so this is your place. You own a cabin in the Catskills? Do you know how much this land alone must be worth?"
Martin shrugged and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, wishing now that he'd taken his boxers off. At the time they hadn't really felt wet, but they were damp enough that the cold was sinking into his skin and keeping him from really getting comfortable. "Like I said, I don't come up here anymore."
He could feel Danny looking at him and he knew what the other man was thinking - he was crazy to hold on to this place and not do anything with it, sell it if he wasn't going to use it and buy into a decent co-op in Manhattan or something. "Was your old man pissed?"
Or maybe Danny understood better than Martin gave him credit for. "No. He never came up here, even when I was a kid. I doubt he cared one way or the other about this place. My sister was pissed, though."
"You've got a sister?"
"Yeah. She's got a couple kids, she and her husband wanted to get their hands on this place and redo the whole thing, make it into a private vacation resort." He grinned self-consciously and glanced over at Danny, his cheeks flushing when he found the other man watching him. "I spent a lot of time here with my grandfather, I guess he figured I was the only one he could trust not to tear it down and start over. He built this place himself."
He could hear the pride in his own voice, and it made him thankful for the lack of electricity so Danny wouldn't see him blush. If Danny heard it he didn't call Martin on it, though - instead he shifted until he was facing Martin, letting the blanket slip off his shoulders a little. "Uncle Martin, huh? I never would've pegged you for the type. I figured you were an only child."
Martin grinned in spite of himself and shook his head. "I wished I was a few times when I was growing up. What about you - any brothers or sisters back in Florida?"
"Not unless you count foster brothers and sisters. None I keep in touch with, anyway."
That was something Danny didn't talk about - Martin knew his parents had died when he was a kid, but he never mentioned them and Martin knew better than to ask. He knew what a private guy Danny was, at least about certain things, and he respected that. That didn't give Danny a right to jump to conclusions about Martin's past, though, and sometimes it bothered Martin that Danny thought he knew so much about Martin's family just because of his father's job.
"Is that why you're so crazy about kids - because you grew up in foster care?"
Instantly the wall went up - Martin could actually see it, watch Danny closing off in front of him. He tried to cover with a casual grin, but Martin had known him long enough to know when he hit a hot spot. "Just doing my job, Martin. Kind of like you were doing yours this morning."
Their morning had consisted of driving all the way to the Catskills to interview the ex-lover of their missing person, and after two hours of coaxing they'd finally come to the conclusion that she didn't know anything. Martin frowned at Danny's smug expression, telling himself he was imagining the challenge in the other man's eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"You and Blondie this morning," Danny said, grinning now and Martin knew he was just warming up. "Tell me, Fitzie, you got a weakness for all blondes, or just the ones that are unavailable?"
It was a low blow, but Martin blushed anyway, hot and angry and this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have without his clothes on. Danny seemed pretty comfortable with the situation, though - his blanket was halfway down his arms now, revealing more chest than Martin really needed to see considering the circumstances. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really? So I've just been imagining you making eyes at Sam for a year? I hate to be the one to break it to you, Martin, but it's never gonna happen. She's had it bad for Jack for a long time."
He wasn't sure what was more insulting - the fact that Danny thought he'd been flirting with their witness or the fact that he really thought Martin was stupid enough not to notice how Sam felt about Jack. And he wasn't sure why Danny thought he'd been pining for Sam - he'd taken her out for one drink, and that was just to cheer her up about Jack. Granted, his lack of a love life had a lot to do with a certain coworker, but it definitely wasn't Sam.
"You're way off base, Danny. Just let it drop."
"Come on, Martin, there's nobody here but us. You can tell me - is it something about Sam, or do you just like pissing Jack off to see how far you can push him?"
"Funny, I always thought pushing people's buttons was your area."
Danny shrugged, smug smile still firmly in place, and Martin hated himself for thinking it was kind of cute. "We've all got our talents."
He'd spent way too much time trying not to imagine what Danny's talents were, and he wasn't going to start now. If this was a cheesy movie they'd be sharing body heat by now, but this was his life and it had never been that interesting. The most he could really hope for was that Danny would drop it, change the subject or maybe just shut up and let Martin pretend he wasn't there.
A few minutes passed in silence and Martin was beginning to think Danny was going to do just that. Then Danny cleared his throat and shifted again, somehow managing to move closer to Martin without really making an effort. "So what was it about her? This morning, I mean. I know you don't like them stupid - Sam's proof of that. It's not really just the hair, is it? Because I gotta say, Martin, I don't think she was a natural blonde."
He knew better than to take a swing at Danny. He'd never been the athletic type, but Danny was and there was no way Martin could take him in a fair fight. Not that he really wanted to fight Danny - he just wanted him to shut up. That was the only explanation he could come up with for what happened next, because he wanted to wipe that smug expression off Danny's face and if he couldn't do it with violence, he'd find some other way.
It didn't dawn on him until it was too late that kissing Danny was probably the worst thing he could do. He didn't even realize he'd moved until his mouth was pressed against Danny's, hot and angry and when Danny's lips parted under him he did the only thing he could do.
He didn't expect Danny to kiss him back. He'd only been trying to shut him up, really, and if he'd thought beyond that he probably wouldn't have gone through with it. So it came as a surprise when Danny's tongue slid into his mouth, a hand in his hair to pull him back a little, tilting his head just so until Danny was in charge. And that didn't surprise Martin at all, but he went with it because so far Danny hadn't punched him, and he was pretty sure that was a good sign.
"I don't like blondes," he murmured against Danny's mouth, earning a laugh and a warm hand pushing his blanket off his shoulders, leaving him shivering and burning up at the same time. Then Danny pushed him backwards onto the couch, and Martin forgot all about the cold when his grandmother's quilt fell away to display the fact that Danny had taken off his boxers.
He was hard, cock pressed against a perfect stomach, and Martin shivered for a whole different reason when Danny hooked his thumbs in Martin's boxers and yanked them down in one graceful motion. And just the idea of Danny wanting him was enough to make him painfully hard, but when Danny crawled over him and pressed their mouths together again Martin was sure he'd come from that alone. He didn't, but it took some effort to distract himself from the way Danny was moving against him.
Focusing on the way Danny kissed helped - it was softer than Martin expected, almost tender and it made him wonder just exactly how long Danny had been thinking about this. And he'd definitely been thinking about it, that much Martin could tell by the way Danny responded the first time Martin kissed him. It was almost as though he'd just been waiting for Martin to make his move, and if Martin had known - God, how long could they have been doing this?
Danny's mouth was hot against his, tongue thrusting lazily in and out of his mouth like they had all the time in the world. And they did, really, because no one was going to come looking for them until at least tomorrow. Which meant they had all night, long after this was over to think about what they'd done and what they couldn't take back.
He was pretty sure Danny wasn't a mind reader, but he pulled back anyway and looked at Martin, his smile soft for once as he traced Martin's jaw with the tip of his index finger. "You planning to regret this in the morning?"
"It's a little late for that now, isn't it?"
Danny shook his head and shifted on top of Martin, surprising a groan out of the other man as he settled more firmly between Martin's legs. "The way I see it, this could go two ways. Either we're starting something here that goes with us back to the city, or we blame it on the circumstances and nobody owes anybody anything."
"If you say anything about conserving body heat I'll kill you in your sleep." He was only half kidding, but he swallowed a sigh of relief when Danny laughed. His hand slid down Danny's back, fingers splayed across the base of his spine. "It would be messy."
"I like things messy."
Martin thought about making a joke about that, but he wasn't sure he could force a convincing laugh past the tightness in his chest. What Danny was asking - what they both wanted, and he never would have seen this coming - was huge. It wasn't just that they worked together - there was his father to consider, and the fact that they spent so much time together on the job. There was no telling how balancing a relationship would change that, but he'd never dreamed that Danny would offer, and there was no way he could turn it down.
Instead of answering he slid his other hand around the back of Danny's neck, pulling him forward for another kiss. This time Danny let him set the pace, taking his time learning the way the other man's mouth fit against his. Danny rocked gently against him, teasing rather than demanding more. It was different than Martin had always imagined it would be, but now that it was happening Martin wasn't sure why he hadn't predicted that Danny would be like this. Confident, playful, a little gentle and incredibly hot - all those things added up to Danny, and Martin should have known.
Then again, his imagination never would have lived up to the real thing, because even if he'd gotten the big stuff right he never would have come up with all the little details. Like the feel of Danny's laugh vibrating against his skin, the way his fingers felt stroking up and down Martin's sides, or the needy little sounds he made in the back of his throat when Martin thrust up against him. He liked the way Danny said his name, murmuring it absently against his mouth, like maybe it wasn't the first time he'd whispered Martin's name in the moments before he came.
That thought made Martin thrust up a little harder against the other man, hands sliding down Danny's back to pull him closer. He wanted…everything, wanted Danny inside him, wanted to hear Danny moan his name when he came. Only they were in the middle of nowhere, and he was pretty sure there weren't any condoms stashed in bathroom of his grandfather's cabin.
If Danny had thought that far ahead he didn't seem too worried, though, and when his mouth left Martin's to lick a hot stripe along Martin's neck he decided it wasn't worth worrying about. This was just the beginning of…something, after all, so there was plenty of time for the rest later. It was hard to think with Danny's mouth moving on his skin anyway, and when Danny's mouth finally closed around his cock Martin stopped trying.
He arched into the sensation, panting and clutching hard at the couch cushions with one hand as Danny sucked on the head of his cock. And he'd always known Danny could do a lot more with that mouth than talk - he had one of those mouths that was just made for this, but knowing that didn't prepare Martin for the experience. Nothing could have prepared him for the sensation of Danny sucking him off for the first time, and when a finger slid inside him he made a choked noise in the back of his throat and came.
It should have been embarrassing. He braced himself for Danny's laughter, eyes still closed as he panted for breath and waited for the inevitable jokes. But Danny's finger was still moving inside him, and when he felt kisses being pressed to the inside of his thighs he opened his eyes to see Danny watching him. "I want to fuck you."
"I don't have any…"
He trailed off when Danny grinned and pulled his fingers out of Martin, biting back a disappointed groan as the other man stood up long enough to rifle through his clothes. He found his wallet and pulled it open, retrieving a condom and dropping his wallet back on top of the pile of wet clothes.
"Always prepared," Danny said, grinning when Martin raised his eyebrows. "Hey, you don't have to be a Boy Scout to know these things."
"I'm pretty sure they don't teach this in Boy Scouts," Martin said as Danny crawled over him again, pressing hot kisses along his skin as he slid on top of Martin.
"You'd be surprised." The words were murmured against his neck, Danny's hips moving against him again and Martin wanted to ask if he had any more condoms stashed anywhere, because once definitely wasn't going to be enough.
He pulled the foil package out of Danny's hands, tearing the package open and dropping it on the floor somewhere near the couch. Danny's eyes were clouded when he pushed up to let Martin roll the condom down, a mixture of lust and something else Martin couldn't quite put a name to. He gave up trying to figure it out when Danny leaned in to kiss him again, kneeling between Martin's legs and pushing his knees back to slide inside.
It all happened so fast that the first press of Danny's cock inside him took him by surprise, and he gasped against Danny's mouth and pressed up into the sensation. Danny groaned above him and arched his back, neck elongated and Martin couldn't resist the urge to taste. He mouthed his way along Danny's neck, sucking hard at the hollow of his collarbone until Danny was moaning and thrusting harder inside him.
Martin pressed up to meet each stroke, his own cock twitching each time Danny found his prostate. He reached between them, closing his hand around his cock and stroking in time to Danny's thrusts, flexing hard against Danny to pull him in deeper with each thrust.
"Jesus, Martin," Danny murmured, and Martin couldn't help laughing because this whole situation was insane. He never would have expected to end up here, and definitely not like this. This kind of thing didn't happen to him - not ever, and definitely not with a guy like Danny.
A single bead of sweat trickled down Danny's neck, and Martin leaned up to catch it on his tongue, tasting salt and Danny in the second before Danny tensed and came inside him. His own orgasm hit him a few seconds later, and when he felt wet heat hit his stomach and sent up a quick prayer of thanks that at least his grandfather had the foresight to install indoor plumbing.
Not that there was any hot water, but at least he was pretty sure there was soap and maybe some toothpaste left in the bathroom. All things he'd see about later, because for now Danny was kissing him again, and nothing else really mattered.
~
Martin woke to the sound of a loud knock on the front door. He had a cramp in his neck and his elbow was aching from where he'd hit it in the car, and when he stretched out on the couch he realized for the first time that Danny wasn't there. They'd spent most of the night alternating between talking and…well, not talking, and when Martin sat up and reached for his pants he had to admit that he was probably too old for that much sex in one night.
Everything ached, but he ignored the protests his body was making and pulled his pants on, zipping them on his way to the front door. He pulled it open, shivering against the burst of cold air and squinting into the sunlight framing the police officer standing on his porch. "Morning, officer. I'm glad to see you, I was afraid we'd be stuck here for a few days."
"This your place?" the officer asked, and Martin realized suddenly how it must look to someone who didn't know him.
"Yeah. It was my grandfather's place, but he left it to me. Martin Fitzgerald."
"Can I see some I.D.?"
"Sure," Martin answered, digging his wallet out of his pants and handing over his badge.
"You're a Fed?"
"Yeah," Martin said, glancing unconsciously over his shoulder as he spoke. Danny still hadn't resurfaced, and unless he'd gotten tired of sharing the couch with Martin and decided to take his chances in the cold bedroom Martin had no idea where he could be. His clothes were gone, which meant wherever he was, he'd gotten dressed first, and Martin had a flash of panic when he realized Danny might have changed his mind about this thing between them and started back to town on his own.
Only he'd sounded pretty sure about it last night when he told Martin exactly how long he'd been thinking about this, and he hadn't complained when Martin was sucking him off. Martin swallowed an irrational surge of anger and turned back to the cop, wrapping his arms around his bare chest and taking a few steps backwards. "Look, do you want to come in? It's freezing out there."
The cop nodded and stepped inside, closing the door behind him while Martin went in search of his shirt. "Is that your car out on the main road, Mr. Fitzgerald?"
"Yeah, we had a little trouble in the storm. Listen, is there any chance somebody can give us a lift back to town?"
"Us?"
"My partner," Martin answered, glancing over his shoulder again at the still-empty doorway that led to the back of the cabin. There was still no sign of Danny, though, and Martin pushed back a fresh surge of panic and turned back to the cop. "He's around here somewhere."
Right on cue Martin heard footsteps behind him, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to kiss Danny or kill him. He finished buttoning his shirt and glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough Danny was fully dressed and grinning like all was right with the world. "Hey, cavalry's here."
For a second the cop just looked at both of them, and Martin felt the blush creeping up his neck as he watched the wheels turning in the other man's head. Before Martin had a chance to panic the cop nodded, and Martin swallowed a sigh of relief. "I can give you a ride back into town. Gonna have to send a tow out for your car, though."
"Great," Danny said, "I'm starving. Danny Taylor, FBI."
Martin watched as Danny shook the cop's hand, then proceeded to charm him with the story of how they'd gotten snowed in. By the time Martin was finished getting dressed and putting out the remnants of the fire Danny was pointing at the bump on his forehead, laughing along with his new friend like they'd known each other for years. Martin rolled his eyes as he folded his grandmother's quilt and set it on the couch, pushing the memory of Danny wrapped in it to the back of his mind.
There would be plenty of time to think about what happened on the ride back to town, and he was pretty sure things between him and Danny were going to be okay. Danny was laughing like he'd never been better, anyway, and after yesterday that was definitely a good sign. Martin ducked his head to hide a grin and pulled his coat on, picking up the key to the cabin on the way out. He locked the door behind them before he stepped off the porch after the other men, climbing into the back of the cop's SUV.
Danny was still making conversation with the cop, but when Martin slid into the back seat he glanced over his shoulder and caught Martin's eye. His stomach did a weird little flip and he was glad he was already sitting down, and just for a second he almost regretted that they'd been rescued already. He wouldn't have minded another day or two alone with Danny, but neither of them had eaten since yesterday and besides, there was still the case to worry about. According to their chauffeur the highway had been cleared overnight, so as soon as someone dug their car out they'd be back on the road to the city.
He envisioned way too much paperwork and a lot of questions from Jack and the others, but once all that was done he was planning to take Danny home and forget about the rest of the world for as long as possible.