Danny woke slowly, not sure what had disturbed him. His brain was fuzzy from not enough sleep, and his body was stiff, like he'd been on a fruitless all-night stakeout. It was blessedly quiet, and the pillow beneath his head held the faint scent of sandalwood he noticed occasionally when standing close to Martin.
He struggled up to lean on one arm, blinking furiously as his eyes adjusted to the darkness that was broken only by the sliver of light shining under the door. The room was unfamiliar, tidy and clean, nothing out in the open that he could see well enough to identify its owner. The drapes were tightly closed, and were apparently thick enough to keep even full daylight out.
The covers fell to his lap as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and scratching at the scruff on his jaw. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and his sock-clad feet sank into the soft carpet. He wiggled his toes and looked at the bedside table; a green LED said 11:49.
He discovered his dress shirt, jacket and tie on a chair when he stumbled into it, stubbing his toe and landing hard against the door. He swore under his breath until a soft knock startled him. "Danny?"
He fumbled with the doorknob, the silk tie in his hand slipping over the metal. "Yeah?" His voice sounded groggy and hoarse, and his mouth was bone dry.
The doorknob turned under his hand. He stepped back as the door opened far enough for him to see Martin on the other side. The sudden strong smell of freshly brewed coffee made his mouth water.
"You okay?"
"Yeah." He stifled a yawn with the back of the hand holding his shirt and jacket, then stepped further back to allow Martin to open the door completely.
"Thought you might like some coffee," Martin said as he held out a hand. Danny blinked slowly at Martin before he realized both of his hands were full. He dropped the tie in Martin's open palm, then took the proffered cup. He closed his eyes in bliss as he inhaled the fragrant steam rising from the mug, and gingerly took a sip. The coffee was strong and harsh, a jolt to his overly tired system that brought him fully awake. Martin had somehow managed to take the jacket and shirt out of his hand as well, and had draped everything over the arm of the couch.
Danny took another drink as he stood in the doorway to Martin's bedroom; the coffee was nearly as strong as he made it himself, with just enough sugar to cut the bitterness to a tolerable level. His gaze flickered around the living room and he squinted a little at the bright sunshine coming through the picture windows on the opposite wall. The room was tidy and organized, like the bedroom; all the furniture matched and everything had a place. Even Martin fit in with the décor, the very picture of a young urban professional reading the morning paper on his day off. The only items that obviously didn't belong in the room were Danny's.
"There's pizza in the kitchen if you want something to eat." Martin's voice seemed unnaturally hushed, as if he was afraid he'd startle Danny if he spoke too loudly.
"Thanks." He blew gently on the coffee and took another sip. He felt off-balance and out of place, and still too exhausted to deal with everything that had fallen apart the day before.
Martin turned a page, the rattle of newsprint loud in the still apartment. Traffic noises filtered faintly up from the street, nothing like the dull roar that sometimes overwhelmed Danny's building.
This place was so different from his home; ordered, quiet, and elegant in an understated manner. Not sterile, but not messily lived-in, either. It was very—Martin. Though he didn't see an equivalent to Martin's ridiculous checked shirts anywhere, he thought with a small grin.
"Nice place." Danny took another sip of coffee. Martin folded up the paper, having apparently decided Danny now had enough caffeine in his system to make coherent conversation.
"Thanks." Martin flashed a reserved smile at Danny, then looked down at his hands where they were fiddling with the newspaper. They stilled as he looked back up at Danny. "What are you going to do next?"
Danny tensed and turned away from Martin's friendly scrutiny. As unobtrusively helpful and steady as Martin had been, Danny had felt every concerned glance thrown his way as they found out what Raffie had done. "I'll go see Sylvia this afternoon and we'll work out how to deal with everything."
"If you need anything—"
"I'll take care of it, thanks."
Martin folded the paper in half length-wise again, his movements slow and deliberate. "Okay."
Danny finished his coffee and stared at the bottom of the empty cup, grateful Martin didn't push the issue. He owed Raffie so much he didn't think he'd ever be able to repay it all, but maybe today he could start.
An upturned hand in his peripheral vision startled him out of his thoughts. He focused on Martin again, standing patiently in front of him, hand extended to take the empty cup. Danny gave it to him and watched as Martin walked away.
Martin had on a pair of jeans that looked like they'd been through the wash one too many times and a faded T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. His bare feet made no sound on the thick carpet as he padded toward the kitchen, and Danny wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around Martin and bury his nose in the hair at the nape of Martin's neck.
This whole situation was intimate in a way Danny had never felt around Martin before. Sure, they were comfortable with each other, and knew to deal with the horrors that they saw every day with a manly pat on the shoulder and light-hearted teasing, but this was so much bigger than that. Martin had set aside his jealously guarded privacy and let Danny into his sanctuary, asking nothing in return except to give Danny coffee and let him have the peace and quiet he needed to deal with the fallout from Raffie's latest screw-up.
Danny moved out of the bedroom doorway to the couch, grabbed his shoes and sat down on the cushion Martin had just vacated. He put them on quickly and stood. He shrugged into his wrinkled shirt, then grabbed his jacket and stuffed the tie in a pocket. He turned to face the kitchen and saw Martin standing in the doorway, hands in the front pockets of his jeans.
"Hey, I've got to go. Thanks for letting me crash for a bit. I—really appreciate it."
The carefully aloof expression on Martin's face gave way to the gently amused look he'd seen more and more often lately. "Sure, no problem. Want a ride back to your place?"
"Nah, I'll take the subway." A few moments passed in silence before Danny moved to the door, grabbing his cell along the way. Martin followed, reaching to catch the door as Danny stepped out into the hallway.
Danny took a few steps before turning back around to face Martin. "Hey."
"Yeah?"
"I wish—I wish I could stay."
"Me, too."
"But Raffie and his family—I have to fix things with him first, okay?"
A small, shy smile twisted Martin's mouth. "Yeah, I know. It can wait."
Danny grinned, then turned and strode down the hall with a spring in his step.
Feedback: email.