Mates - Judd/Jones, Fletcher/Jones - Standalone
Title: Mates
Author: russsel
Part: 1/1
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Judd/Jones, Fletcher/Jones
Genre: AU, Angst
Summary: The boundaries of love and friendship in the eyes of three young men.
A/N: I don’t know how this one popped in my head, but I’m really glad it did. Right now, I’m really into unrequited fics, and this is sort of my contribution to that. This piece changes points of views, but it’s not too difficult to follow along after getting the hang of it, I think. :)
Beta: star55
Disclaimer: I do not own McFly in any way.
For the fourth time that week, Danny Jones found himself staring at the framed picture sitting on the drawer at the foot of their beds, and, just like all the other times, he couldn’t find it in himself to look away.
As of late, he’d been feeling a strong attraction for his roommate and best mate, Harry Judd, and it showed no signs of letting off.
At first, it was more like developing the urge to stare at Harry whenever he passed by, something he had quite the trouble of masking with a plausible pretense most of the time, and he would usually just laugh it off whenever the taller man would ask what the problem was. However, just when he was about to shrug it off as superficial fascination (because Harry worked out a lot and was always in great shape; something he greatly admired) and nothing more, that interest evolved into allure, and soon enough, whenever Danny found himself in a room with Harry, his heart would start racing and his face would heat up. Whenever Harry asked what was wrong, Danny just blamed it on the weather.
Just when he thought it would all stop there, evolution stayed true to its course, and allure merged with want to create obsession.
Harry began entering his dreams resisting all protests, and oh, what dreams they were. If they weren’t holding hands and running through strawberry fields, they were under the covers, the sheets fluttering softly around them as the bed creaked and their short breaths intermingled, creating an orchestra of such majestic sensuality. Danny would wake up drowning in sweat, and his growing erection pitching up a throbbing tent underneath the covers.
He titled his head, eyes unfalteringly transfixed on the picture, and bit the inside of his cheek, letting his mind drift off to last night’s dream.
Everything was hazy; all he remembered was a fancy dinner on a rooftop, possibly in Paris because he recalled a tower to their right, and of course, Harry sitting opposite him with a glass of wine dangling from the intersection of two fingers. But before he could recollect any more details, the door burst open, and he immediately flopped on his back right before Harry could see what he had been looking at.
“Alright there?” Harry asked amusedly, and when Danny turned his head to reply, he felt his throat constrict in a second, heart gathering speed like it always did. Harry stood in the middle of the room bare-chested, his wet t-shirt slung over his shoulder and a bottle of water tight in his hand. Sunlight from outside the window caught the beads of sweat running down his chest, settling in between the tufts of hair and creating the illusion of sparkling diamonds. Danny was breathless, and he felt his face heating up despite the air conditioning sifting around the room.
“Y-yeah,” Danny stammered, sitting upright to a better view as Harry made his way to his bed. A shirtless Harry wasn’t necessarily rare, but they were by no means frequent, so Danny savored the moments where he could see his god-like body all to himself. “Out running?”
“Yeah, I ran with Tim,” Harry replied with a wide smile, throwing the shirt on a pillow and twisting the water bottle open. Danny watched with his mouth ajar as the muscles in his arm expanded, and he felt his breath clogging his throat. He swallowed hard and exhaled a silent sigh.
“Was it nice outside?” asked Danny, trying to keep Harry too occupied to look for a clean shirt.
“Very nice,” Harry smirked, and he brought the mouth of the bottle to his lips, tipping it slightly to release a stream of water. Danny stared in fascination as the water dribbled down from the sides of his mouth, running complex networks along his chiseled jaw until they raced down all over his chest. The dream under the covers flashed in Danny’s mind for a moment, and he let out a soft, strangled moan before he could stop it.
“What was that?” Harry inquired distractedly, closing the bottle and sitting down on his bed. Danny blinked stupidly and stared for a few seconds before shaking his head and motioning for the bottle. He needed something to cool down his face with, which had become unnaturally warm in his mind’s absence.
“You should’ve come along, Dan,” Harry smiled as he extended a strong arm to give the bottle to Danny, “You’re always shut up in here doing God knows what.”
“Not true,” Danny laughed, reaching his hand in a contrived angle so that their fingers brushed for a moment during the transaction, creating tingles along Danny’s freckled arm like electric sparks. “I go out too.”
“Yeah, like, every three weeks,” Harry joked, sitting back using his palms as bulwarks as he watched Danny rolling the surface of the ice-cold plastic all over his face. “You need to live a little.”
“And what do you propose I do, then?” asked Danny smartly as he unscrewed the bottle cap. With a slightly trembling hand, he brought the opening to his lips and drank the frigid water, his tongue discreetly probing all around the ridges.
“Well, I’m going to Huck’s tonight. Want to tag along?”
Danny didn’t have to think twice about the proposal, but he figured he might as well bring Tom along with him, seeing as he was never quite right in the head whenever Harry was around. At least Tom could stop him before he could do something stupid.
“Sure,” he replied, emptying the bottle and replacing the cap. Throwing it on the bed, he added with a smile, “Mind if I bring Tom?”
“Oh, not at all,” Harry said, and he stood up and ruffled Danny’s hair playfully before walking across the room and into the bathroom. Danny brushed his messy mane and grinned dreamily to himself, and he laid back on his bed when he heard the rushing of water filling the air a minute later.
“Dan, would you drop it?” Tom asked as they walked along the park, his blond hair fluttering softly in the afternoon breeze, and Danny shook his head, still smiling to himself. “Do you even hear yourself talking?”
“Not a chance,” Danny replied, his smile intensifying, as they rounded the corner back into the sidewalk. “It’s the first time in weeks I’d seen him without his shirt. And what a sight-”
“-it is, Tom. How like a god,” Tom finished for him, hands dramatically waving in the air as though reciting in a play, and Danny laughed in amusement. He shot the freckled young man an irritated look, but neutralized the sharpness with a dimpled smile to tell him it wasn’t genuine. “You see! You talk about him so much, I’ve already memorized every single word!”
“You act like I care, Tom,” Danny said jokingly, reaching his hands behind his head and sighing deeply. Tom turned his head to him with his brows drawn together in worry, and he jammed his hands in his pockets before looking back to the road ahead. Danny always fell too fast, and he hated seeing him crumble in the end.
“You sure it’s healthy to keep this up?” asked Tom gravely as they shuffled along, and Danny turned his head a quarter of the way to look at Tom with curiosity.
“Keep what up?”
“Well, you know,” said Tom vaguely, and he didn’t need to look at Danny to know he was baffled. “Fancying Harry when you well know he has Izzy.”
Danny abruptly stopped walking and mused for a moment, leaving Tom walking a couple of steps ahead before he realized what had just happened. Spinning around and walking back, he faced Danny and shrugged, having said all he had to say about the matter. He didn’t want Danny hurting for someone who didn’t love him back, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Danny how he really felt. How could he? He wasn’t handsome like Harry. He wasn’t robust like Harry. Danny wasn’t attracted to him as he was to Harry. How could he contend with someone like that? Someone who held the very key to Danny’s heart?
“You’ve got a point,” Danny said matter-of-factly, and a bud of hope flourished in Tom’s heart that he would finally let Harry go, that he would finally get his chance after all this time. “But it never hurt to admire from afar, yeah?” The bud died out as soon as it appeared, much to Tom’s disappointment, and he huffed silently when Danny resumed walking. He wheeled around with a weight pressing on his chest and followed promptly.
Tom knew just how wrong that statement was.
“Oh yeah, I forgot!” Danny said brightly, wrapping an arm around Tom’s shoulder and pulling him close. Tom felt a burst of exhilaration in his stomach, and he managed a fleeting smile before he composed himself with a question mark etched on his face.
“What?”
“Do you want to go to Huck’s with me and Harry tonight?” he asked, and Tom quirked an eyebrow. Knowing Danny, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. Declining the offer would dishearten him, and he knew Danny wanted him there with him to help keep him from doing something stupid, as was always the case with his seemingly uncontrollable mouth.
Shrugging with a loud sigh, Tom nodded with a contrived smile. If Danny didn’t feel the same, then it was fine with him at least to be this close to him.
Night fell faster than Harry thought, and he immediately broke off the kiss he’d been sharing with Izzy for the last half-hour with a chuckle.
The brown-haired girl pouted, eyes fixed on Harry’s with a look of confusion and, while she scratched the top of her head, asked disappointedly, “What’s wrong?”
Harry wiped the wetness around his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned, satisfied, and he pinched her chin affectionately with a wink.
“Going to Huck’s, remember?” he reminded brightly, jumping to his feet on the carpeted floor and striding animatedly over to the closet. As he placed a hand on the golden knob pockmarked by a few globs of rust, he felt Izzy’s arms slinking around his waist like two snakes going in for the kill, her fingers meeting together on his stomach, holding him close. He felt her bury the side of her face in his back shortly after.
“Why do you have to bring Danny?” she asked with interest, but Harry noticed the clandestine attempt to mask the sharpness in her tone, as was always her way when talking about Danny, and he laughed amusedly at the remark.
He knew she was never quite fond of Danny right from the get-go; she’d always harbored a preposterous concern that Danny would somehow steal him away from her. Harry, however, noticed a major flaw in her logic, something she always failed to keep in consideration no matter how many times he’d told her: they were only friends. They had been since they were children. Moreover, as far as Harry knew, Danny was as straight as a nail-they would always check birds out and their chests during their free periods.
Izzy was far too paranoid for Harry to keep up with, but he thought it was a nice sort of quirk, something none of his other girlfriends had, and it was this over-protective mania that kept their relationship going this long.
“He needed to get out of the room,” he replied as he pushed his colorful collection of shirts aside to search for his favorite jumper. “So be nice to him tonight.”
“Right,” she said sarcastically, her tone equivalent to that of an eye roll, and, disentangling herself from him, she added languidly, “I will if he behaves.”
“Izzy, you are one paranoid bitch,” Harry joked, bumping her softly with his behind, and Izzy slapped him on the back of his head with playful reproach. Both burst out in laughter, and Izzy stepped in to help Harry with his ordeal.
“It’s over here, genius,” she said smartly, her hand gripping the brown jumper she had given him for his birthday, and Harry received it with an embarrassed smile.
“I knew that,” he said, slipping the garment on and pecking Izzy on the cheek. Wasting no more time, both made their way out of the room just as the clock on the wall hit eight o’clock.
“Alright, so we’re clear with the plan?” asked Danny for the third time since entering the bar, and Tom shifted impatiently in his seat, slightly fed up with his monotony. They were sitting opposite each other in a booth for four, and Danny would ask Harry to sit next to him when he arrived, leaving Izzy no choice but to sit next to Tom. Danny reckoned he wouldn’t mind, since she didn’t have a personal vendetta with the blond, but at the same time Tom was disheartened. It was always like this, and Tom felt lovesick every time he found each other so close, but so far away all together.
“Yes, Dan, I’ve got it,” Tom replied irritably, twirling a lock of his golden hair between two fingers. Through the strands, he saw Danny flash a bright grin, and at once, he felt his heart pulsating, warmth spreading uncomfortably on his skin. That smile never failed to make his knees weaken, and he was quite glad he was sat down before they gave out. Resisting the growing urge to scratch his face, he turned his head to the entrance just in time to see Harry, with Izzy slung around an arm, emerging from the glass doors.
“They’re here.”
Danny twisted his head so fast, Tom heard it crick, and soon enough, the two arrivals swept over to them with bright smiles plastered on their faces.
“Hey,” Tom said amicably to the couple, waving his hand twice before dropping it back sullenly on the table. Izzy nodded in his direction with a grin and completely ignored Danny, which Tom found slightly amusing. Izzy never liked Danny, and Tom was impressed that her dislike came from the right reasons.
Harry laughed and clapped Danny’s back, and he pushed his way into his seat. Izzy primly took the spot next to Tom and flipped her brown hair with an air of importance, doing her best to pretend Danny did not exist.
“Ready to have fun?” Harry declared, and Danny, practically jumping in his seat like an impatiently hungry child who couldn’t wait for his food, replied with a loud, “Oh, yeah!”
Bottles of beer littered the table in no time, the majority hoarded on Danny and Harry’s side, and both were chugging the beverages down as fast as their throats could allow. Danny had just challenged Harry on a drinking contest, his mind running frantically with thoughts of getting the other man drunk. If he couldn’t make his move on him sober, then he’d just have to take advantage of him in his most fragile state. He didn’t care; he was desperate to touch him, have him all to himself, just for a few hours if nothing else.
“Loser!” Danny yelled out as he finished his fourth, waving the bottle victoriously in the air, and Harry downed his own completely before laughing and punching Danny across the shoulder.
“Ah, I let you win!” Harry defended hysterically, the words nearly incoherent with the bellows of cackles, and the outburst was enough to let Danny know that he was mere sips away from getting his wish.
“Yeah, right!” Danny gambled, his mind swimming, and he thrust another bottle in Harry’s empty hand, his fingers lingering on Harry’s skin long enough to run his thumb affectionately along a vein. Pulling back, afraid that Harry had noticed the simple gesture enough to form a suspicion, he snatched a new bottle and popped it open. Raising it up in the air, he wrapped and arm around Harry’s shoulder and declared loudly, “To life!”
“To life!” Harry repeated with a chortle, returning Danny’s action as he took a mouthful of the strong liquid, almost choking when he tried to hold back a laugh.
Harry’s brain was buzzing with over-activity, not to mention he was completely ignoring his girlfriend as well as Tom, but he didn’t let that get in the way of drinking more of the beer Danny was happily offering. He wanted to Danny to loosen up a little, break free from the four walls that kept him from enjoying the good part of life, and he felt he could sacrifice his attention to give him a great night out. It was something that he needed, and what kind of a friend would he be if he put a stop to that?
Danny held up his bottle to Harry’s lips, and Harry pulled him closer as he caught the opening with his teeth and drank a mouthful of the beer.
Soon enough, everything went hazy, as though a cloud of fog exploded into existence before his eyes, and before he knew it, Danny was whispering nonsensical things in his ear, his lips brushing his skin softly. Even though he couldn’t exactly make out what the other man was saying, he felt the need to laugh anyway; so he did, a deep, hearty laugh, and the wide grin that lit up Danny’s face told him it was just what he wanted.
The rest of the night was filled with loud, incoherent jokes and soft touches, and as the drinks wore on, Harry found Danny inching closer and closer to him, a hand already settled comfortably on his thigh when the server came up with another large order of beer. He didn’t mind that Danny was getting a bit too busy with his hands; Danny was smashed and having fun. He didn’t want to ruin it all with a reminder about personal space or anything equally stupid.
Shifting his eyes opposite them, he caught Tom’s eyes as he sipped his beer softly, which were transfixed on Danny with deep concern. Not lucid enough to think anything hiding beneath the surface of his gaze, he shifted his attention to Izzy, who was also focused on Danny, though burning with aggravation rather than worry. Apparently noticing his eyes, Izzy huffed angrily, stood up, and stomped over to him.
“Harry, we need to talk,” she said sharply, folding her arms impatiently over her chest. Danny laughed and buried his head in Harry’s shoulder, and Harry himself felt the urge to laugh along with him. But he knew Izzy was serious, and he bit his tongue and pressed his lips inward, nudging Danny softly.
“Okay,” he said with a smile, and turning to Danny the moment he lifted his head up, he said as he pressed his lips against his ear, “I’ll be right back.”
He inched out of his seat, stood unsteadily beside Izzy, and both made their way to the bathrooms on the other side of the bar.
“What d’you reckon they’re talking about?” Danny asked interestedly, leaning his head close to Tom with a smile.
Tom had been too preoccupied with Danny’s taking advantage of Harry, and the moment Danny spoke up, he stared at him reproachfully, not having the energy to pull it back like he always did to put the other man at ease.
“I can’t believe you’re playing him like this,” Tom said, shake of his head disapprovingly, and at once, Danny’s smile curved downwards, and the frown that ensued disconcerted Tom greatly. He didn’t want to rain on his parade, but Tom felt the need to take the reins and reprimand Danny about his behavior.
“What are you talking about?” Danny asked, sitting back in his seat and watching Tom with eyebrows drawn together in incredulity. Tom exchanged the look almost immediately.
“You know bloody well what I’m talking about!” Tom exclaimed, getting agitated at Danny’s obvious denial. “Getting him drunk so he doesn’t notice you’re touching him! It’s not right, Dan, and you know that!”
“Why don’t you just mind your own fucking business and leave me alone!” Danny retorted angrily, jumping to his feet and slamming the palms of his hands on the table surface, knocking some bottles over. Tom looked at him in apprehension, ignoring the bottles’ journey to destruction on the floor, and he felt his heart being ripped to shreds. Danny had never shown him hostility, and the fury in his blue eyes made him consider the fact that his over-protection had probably gone too far this time.
Having nothing more to say, Danny stumbled past the shattered remains of the bottles and staggered his way in the same direction Harry and Izzy had just gone, and Tom buried his face in his hands, shaking his head hopelessly.
Danny found Harry and Izzy in the middle of a riveting conversation in the entrance to the bathrooms, Izzy’s arms flailing everywhere and Harry scratching his head in disagreement. He couldn’t deal with Tom’s nonsense at the moment, and he was eager to get Harry back next to him, not to mention curious as to what grinded Izzy’s gears in the first place. So he kept to the wall, being as discreet as possible and ignoring the confused looks of other customers, and listened intently.
“…the way he looks at you!” Izzy said, her voice bordering on hysteria, and Danny drew his brows together.
“Nothing’s going on between us, Iz! We’re only friends! Nothing’s ever going to go between us!” Harry defended, and something in Danny unsnapped and left him clutching his chest, gasping for air. The statement felt like a stab to the heart, and the damaged organ throbbed painfully against his ribs, threatening to explode.
“Sure as hell didn’t look like it earlier,” said Izzy angrily, her tone like a poison-tipped arrow, and Danny heard Harry scoff a second later. “He was all over you and you know it!”
“We were just having fun! That’s what mates do! He wasn’t all over me, he’s drunk! He can’t-he can’t think properly right now!”
“Friends don’t act like that around each other, Harry,” Izzy accused sharply, and Danny almost wanted to spring from his hiding place and maul her in a bear-like fashion. But something held him back, and he slid down the wall and sat on the floor instead, his heart constricting painfully.
“Izzy, I love you! No one’s going to take me away from y-”
“If you love me, you have to tell him to leave you alone,” Izzy cut in harshly like a sharp knife, the authoritative tone noticeably masking the fear beneath the surface. “I don’t want you having anything to do with him anymore.”
“Izzy, you can’t be serious!” Harry retorted, and Danny gasped to himself at the other man’s sudden exasperation. “Why are you being like this? You have me, don’t you?”
“I want him out of our life!” Izzy proclaimed, the intensity in her voice faltering in opposition to Harry, and Danny gritted his teeth in anger. Who was she to tell Harry to leave his best mate?
“You want him to leave me alone? Fine!” Harry bellowed, nearly shaking the entire bar, and as Danny’s eyes scanned the place, he saw people’s eyes fixed on the spectacle, a growing fear pressing down on his heaving chest. It was then that he noticed he had been breathing rather heavily for the past minute, and he made to stand up to get away from everybody’s scrutinizing eyes. Halfway to his feet, he heard stomping to his right, and from the arched doorway, Harry appeared, eyes wild with anger and hands balled up into fists. The moment those eyes landed on Danny, he felt his whole world crumble, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
“Harry…” Danny said softly, finishing the action and walking closer to the taller man, but Harry shook his head and took a few steps back.
“Just listen,” Harry hissed sharply, making the hairs on the back of Danny’s neck bristle, and Danny stopped at once. “Leave me the fuck alone, and don’t you dare talk to me. Ever. We clear?”
The impact of his words felt like a sledgehammer bludgeoning Danny’s heart repeatedly, and Danny breathed a shaky sigh, refusing to believe what he just said.
“No, Harry,” Danny whispered softly, his battered heart thrashing madly, and, mustering a stronger voice, he said, “Harry-”
“Are you happy?” Harry interjected, twisting his head to Izzy, who had been standing with her arms across her chest, biting the inside of her cheek, and turned back to Danny.
“Just leave me alone,” Harry said, neither furious nor calm, and without saying anything else, he zipped up his jumper and cooly strode out of the bar. Izzy shot Danny one last nasty look before slugging him on the shoulder while she stomped her way across the checkered floor, and Danny watched them leave with a ring of tears painfully hugging his eyes.
He didn’t know what to do; out of sheer desperation, he whimpered a weak, “Harry…,” half-hoping that Harry would turn back and apologize. But when he saw the empty street through the clear glass doors, it was like the whole world had turned its back on him.
Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he twisted his head just in time to see Tom getting up from his seat, worry digging deep groves in the skin between his brows, but Danny didn’t make a move towards the blond. Instead, he tightened his jumper around him, gave Tom one last fleeting glance, and sullenly walked out of the bar.
Walking through the empty hallway with his hands deep in his pockets, Tom listened to his echoing footsteps as he searched for Danny’s door.
He didn’t want to chastise Danny for yelling at him; his mind was far from that. All he knew was that Danny needed a friend at the moment, and seeing as Harry practically walked out of his life in one fell swoop, Tom was the only one left. Sure, things didn’t go well earlier at the bar, but Tom was able to look past that. Danny was drunk; he didn’t know what he was doing, and Tom was sure he would never had acted like that around him sober. At least, that’s what he should like to think so.
He stopped when he found Danny’s door wide open, a flood of faint light spilling from the inside, and, bracing himself with a sigh, he dug his hands deeper in their confines and trudged on through the door.
“Danny?” Tom asked as he took a step on the carpeted floor. The silhouette of Danny’s crying form caught Tom’s eyes immediately, his back convulsing with his head buried in his arms on the bed, and Tom felt his heart being pulled out at the soft sobbing filling the room.
“Danny?” Tom asked again, inching hesitantly closer to Danny with an arm outstretched, but Danny didn’t stir, and he almost dropped his hand in defeat and turned around to leave. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Danny didn’t need him all the time. Maybe he should let Danny stand on his own two feet for once.
“Tom?” Danny asked meekly, and Tom gave a slight start at the sound.
“Yeah, I’m here,” assured Tom, moving closer to Danny and sitting beside him on the bed.
“I’m-I’m sorry for yelling-”
“No, it’s fine, really,” said Tom, gently placing a hand on his back. Danny shifted under his touch, but relented after a while, and soon, Tom was rubbing his skin through his shirt.
“I, er…” Danny started, wiping his eyes with his wrist. “I really need a friend right now.”
Tom felt his heart speed up and slow down at the same time, and he stopped rubbing Danny’s back to collect himself. Sometimes, Tom would think that he’d never cross that boundary between friendship and love with Danny. That he’d always be just a friend to Danny. And sure, the reality of it saddened him; harboring these feelings for his best mate but never being able to tell him, unsure if he even remotely felt the same. But then he’d think about all the times he made Danny laugh, all the times he helped him when he was ready to give up on himself. He made Danny happy, and thinking about it, that’s all that really mattered to him. He could sacrifice his feelings for the moments Danny needed him the most, and accepting that once and for all, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m always here for you Danny,” Tom said, wiping the stray tear that had rolled down his cheek, and resumed rubbing Danny’s back with a teary smile. “I’m always right here.”
Author: russsel
Part: 1/1
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Judd/Jones, Fletcher/Jones
Genre: AU, Angst
Summary: The boundaries of love and friendship in the eyes of three young men.
A/N: I don’t know how this one popped in my head, but I’m really glad it did. Right now, I’m really into unrequited fics, and this is sort of my contribution to that. This piece changes points of views, but it’s not too difficult to follow along after getting the hang of it, I think. :)
Beta: star55
Disclaimer: I do not own McFly in any way.
For the fourth time that week, Danny Jones found himself staring at the framed picture sitting on the drawer at the foot of their beds, and, just like all the other times, he couldn’t find it in himself to look away.
As of late, he’d been feeling a strong attraction for his roommate and best mate, Harry Judd, and it showed no signs of letting off.
At first, it was more like developing the urge to stare at Harry whenever he passed by, something he had quite the trouble of masking with a plausible pretense most of the time, and he would usually just laugh it off whenever the taller man would ask what the problem was. However, just when he was about to shrug it off as superficial fascination (because Harry worked out a lot and was always in great shape; something he greatly admired) and nothing more, that interest evolved into allure, and soon enough, whenever Danny found himself in a room with Harry, his heart would start racing and his face would heat up. Whenever Harry asked what was wrong, Danny just blamed it on the weather.
Just when he thought it would all stop there, evolution stayed true to its course, and allure merged with want to create obsession.
Harry began entering his dreams resisting all protests, and oh, what dreams they were. If they weren’t holding hands and running through strawberry fields, they were under the covers, the sheets fluttering softly around them as the bed creaked and their short breaths intermingled, creating an orchestra of such majestic sensuality. Danny would wake up drowning in sweat, and his growing erection pitching up a throbbing tent underneath the covers.
He titled his head, eyes unfalteringly transfixed on the picture, and bit the inside of his cheek, letting his mind drift off to last night’s dream.
Everything was hazy; all he remembered was a fancy dinner on a rooftop, possibly in Paris because he recalled a tower to their right, and of course, Harry sitting opposite him with a glass of wine dangling from the intersection of two fingers. But before he could recollect any more details, the door burst open, and he immediately flopped on his back right before Harry could see what he had been looking at.
“Alright there?” Harry asked amusedly, and when Danny turned his head to reply, he felt his throat constrict in a second, heart gathering speed like it always did. Harry stood in the middle of the room bare-chested, his wet t-shirt slung over his shoulder and a bottle of water tight in his hand. Sunlight from outside the window caught the beads of sweat running down his chest, settling in between the tufts of hair and creating the illusion of sparkling diamonds. Danny was breathless, and he felt his face heating up despite the air conditioning sifting around the room.
“Y-yeah,” Danny stammered, sitting upright to a better view as Harry made his way to his bed. A shirtless Harry wasn’t necessarily rare, but they were by no means frequent, so Danny savored the moments where he could see his god-like body all to himself. “Out running?”
“Yeah, I ran with Tim,” Harry replied with a wide smile, throwing the shirt on a pillow and twisting the water bottle open. Danny watched with his mouth ajar as the muscles in his arm expanded, and he felt his breath clogging his throat. He swallowed hard and exhaled a silent sigh.
“Was it nice outside?” asked Danny, trying to keep Harry too occupied to look for a clean shirt.
“Very nice,” Harry smirked, and he brought the mouth of the bottle to his lips, tipping it slightly to release a stream of water. Danny stared in fascination as the water dribbled down from the sides of his mouth, running complex networks along his chiseled jaw until they raced down all over his chest. The dream under the covers flashed in Danny’s mind for a moment, and he let out a soft, strangled moan before he could stop it.
“What was that?” Harry inquired distractedly, closing the bottle and sitting down on his bed. Danny blinked stupidly and stared for a few seconds before shaking his head and motioning for the bottle. He needed something to cool down his face with, which had become unnaturally warm in his mind’s absence.
“You should’ve come along, Dan,” Harry smiled as he extended a strong arm to give the bottle to Danny, “You’re always shut up in here doing God knows what.”
“Not true,” Danny laughed, reaching his hand in a contrived angle so that their fingers brushed for a moment during the transaction, creating tingles along Danny’s freckled arm like electric sparks. “I go out too.”
“Yeah, like, every three weeks,” Harry joked, sitting back using his palms as bulwarks as he watched Danny rolling the surface of the ice-cold plastic all over his face. “You need to live a little.”
“And what do you propose I do, then?” asked Danny smartly as he unscrewed the bottle cap. With a slightly trembling hand, he brought the opening to his lips and drank the frigid water, his tongue discreetly probing all around the ridges.
“Well, I’m going to Huck’s tonight. Want to tag along?”
Danny didn’t have to think twice about the proposal, but he figured he might as well bring Tom along with him, seeing as he was never quite right in the head whenever Harry was around. At least Tom could stop him before he could do something stupid.
“Sure,” he replied, emptying the bottle and replacing the cap. Throwing it on the bed, he added with a smile, “Mind if I bring Tom?”
“Oh, not at all,” Harry said, and he stood up and ruffled Danny’s hair playfully before walking across the room and into the bathroom. Danny brushed his messy mane and grinned dreamily to himself, and he laid back on his bed when he heard the rushing of water filling the air a minute later.
“Dan, would you drop it?” Tom asked as they walked along the park, his blond hair fluttering softly in the afternoon breeze, and Danny shook his head, still smiling to himself. “Do you even hear yourself talking?”
“Not a chance,” Danny replied, his smile intensifying, as they rounded the corner back into the sidewalk. “It’s the first time in weeks I’d seen him without his shirt. And what a sight-”
“-it is, Tom. How like a god,” Tom finished for him, hands dramatically waving in the air as though reciting in a play, and Danny laughed in amusement. He shot the freckled young man an irritated look, but neutralized the sharpness with a dimpled smile to tell him it wasn’t genuine. “You see! You talk about him so much, I’ve already memorized every single word!”
“You act like I care, Tom,” Danny said jokingly, reaching his hands behind his head and sighing deeply. Tom turned his head to him with his brows drawn together in worry, and he jammed his hands in his pockets before looking back to the road ahead. Danny always fell too fast, and he hated seeing him crumble in the end.
“You sure it’s healthy to keep this up?” asked Tom gravely as they shuffled along, and Danny turned his head a quarter of the way to look at Tom with curiosity.
“Keep what up?”
“Well, you know,” said Tom vaguely, and he didn’t need to look at Danny to know he was baffled. “Fancying Harry when you well know he has Izzy.”
Danny abruptly stopped walking and mused for a moment, leaving Tom walking a couple of steps ahead before he realized what had just happened. Spinning around and walking back, he faced Danny and shrugged, having said all he had to say about the matter. He didn’t want Danny hurting for someone who didn’t love him back, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Danny how he really felt. How could he? He wasn’t handsome like Harry. He wasn’t robust like Harry. Danny wasn’t attracted to him as he was to Harry. How could he contend with someone like that? Someone who held the very key to Danny’s heart?
“You’ve got a point,” Danny said matter-of-factly, and a bud of hope flourished in Tom’s heart that he would finally let Harry go, that he would finally get his chance after all this time. “But it never hurt to admire from afar, yeah?” The bud died out as soon as it appeared, much to Tom’s disappointment, and he huffed silently when Danny resumed walking. He wheeled around with a weight pressing on his chest and followed promptly.
Tom knew just how wrong that statement was.
“Oh yeah, I forgot!” Danny said brightly, wrapping an arm around Tom’s shoulder and pulling him close. Tom felt a burst of exhilaration in his stomach, and he managed a fleeting smile before he composed himself with a question mark etched on his face.
“What?”
“Do you want to go to Huck’s with me and Harry tonight?” he asked, and Tom quirked an eyebrow. Knowing Danny, he knew he didn’t have much of a choice. Declining the offer would dishearten him, and he knew Danny wanted him there with him to help keep him from doing something stupid, as was always the case with his seemingly uncontrollable mouth.
Shrugging with a loud sigh, Tom nodded with a contrived smile. If Danny didn’t feel the same, then it was fine with him at least to be this close to him.
Night fell faster than Harry thought, and he immediately broke off the kiss he’d been sharing with Izzy for the last half-hour with a chuckle.
The brown-haired girl pouted, eyes fixed on Harry’s with a look of confusion and, while she scratched the top of her head, asked disappointedly, “What’s wrong?”
Harry wiped the wetness around his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned, satisfied, and he pinched her chin affectionately with a wink.
“Going to Huck’s, remember?” he reminded brightly, jumping to his feet on the carpeted floor and striding animatedly over to the closet. As he placed a hand on the golden knob pockmarked by a few globs of rust, he felt Izzy’s arms slinking around his waist like two snakes going in for the kill, her fingers meeting together on his stomach, holding him close. He felt her bury the side of her face in his back shortly after.
“Why do you have to bring Danny?” she asked with interest, but Harry noticed the clandestine attempt to mask the sharpness in her tone, as was always her way when talking about Danny, and he laughed amusedly at the remark.
He knew she was never quite fond of Danny right from the get-go; she’d always harbored a preposterous concern that Danny would somehow steal him away from her. Harry, however, noticed a major flaw in her logic, something she always failed to keep in consideration no matter how many times he’d told her: they were only friends. They had been since they were children. Moreover, as far as Harry knew, Danny was as straight as a nail-they would always check birds out and their chests during their free periods.
Izzy was far too paranoid for Harry to keep up with, but he thought it was a nice sort of quirk, something none of his other girlfriends had, and it was this over-protective mania that kept their relationship going this long.
“He needed to get out of the room,” he replied as he pushed his colorful collection of shirts aside to search for his favorite jumper. “So be nice to him tonight.”
“Right,” she said sarcastically, her tone equivalent to that of an eye roll, and, disentangling herself from him, she added languidly, “I will if he behaves.”
“Izzy, you are one paranoid bitch,” Harry joked, bumping her softly with his behind, and Izzy slapped him on the back of his head with playful reproach. Both burst out in laughter, and Izzy stepped in to help Harry with his ordeal.
“It’s over here, genius,” she said smartly, her hand gripping the brown jumper she had given him for his birthday, and Harry received it with an embarrassed smile.
“I knew that,” he said, slipping the garment on and pecking Izzy on the cheek. Wasting no more time, both made their way out of the room just as the clock on the wall hit eight o’clock.
“Alright, so we’re clear with the plan?” asked Danny for the third time since entering the bar, and Tom shifted impatiently in his seat, slightly fed up with his monotony. They were sitting opposite each other in a booth for four, and Danny would ask Harry to sit next to him when he arrived, leaving Izzy no choice but to sit next to Tom. Danny reckoned he wouldn’t mind, since she didn’t have a personal vendetta with the blond, but at the same time Tom was disheartened. It was always like this, and Tom felt lovesick every time he found each other so close, but so far away all together.
“Yes, Dan, I’ve got it,” Tom replied irritably, twirling a lock of his golden hair between two fingers. Through the strands, he saw Danny flash a bright grin, and at once, he felt his heart pulsating, warmth spreading uncomfortably on his skin. That smile never failed to make his knees weaken, and he was quite glad he was sat down before they gave out. Resisting the growing urge to scratch his face, he turned his head to the entrance just in time to see Harry, with Izzy slung around an arm, emerging from the glass doors.
“They’re here.”
Danny twisted his head so fast, Tom heard it crick, and soon enough, the two arrivals swept over to them with bright smiles plastered on their faces.
“Hey,” Tom said amicably to the couple, waving his hand twice before dropping it back sullenly on the table. Izzy nodded in his direction with a grin and completely ignored Danny, which Tom found slightly amusing. Izzy never liked Danny, and Tom was impressed that her dislike came from the right reasons.
Harry laughed and clapped Danny’s back, and he pushed his way into his seat. Izzy primly took the spot next to Tom and flipped her brown hair with an air of importance, doing her best to pretend Danny did not exist.
“Ready to have fun?” Harry declared, and Danny, practically jumping in his seat like an impatiently hungry child who couldn’t wait for his food, replied with a loud, “Oh, yeah!”
Bottles of beer littered the table in no time, the majority hoarded on Danny and Harry’s side, and both were chugging the beverages down as fast as their throats could allow. Danny had just challenged Harry on a drinking contest, his mind running frantically with thoughts of getting the other man drunk. If he couldn’t make his move on him sober, then he’d just have to take advantage of him in his most fragile state. He didn’t care; he was desperate to touch him, have him all to himself, just for a few hours if nothing else.
“Loser!” Danny yelled out as he finished his fourth, waving the bottle victoriously in the air, and Harry downed his own completely before laughing and punching Danny across the shoulder.
“Ah, I let you win!” Harry defended hysterically, the words nearly incoherent with the bellows of cackles, and the outburst was enough to let Danny know that he was mere sips away from getting his wish.
“Yeah, right!” Danny gambled, his mind swimming, and he thrust another bottle in Harry’s empty hand, his fingers lingering on Harry’s skin long enough to run his thumb affectionately along a vein. Pulling back, afraid that Harry had noticed the simple gesture enough to form a suspicion, he snatched a new bottle and popped it open. Raising it up in the air, he wrapped and arm around Harry’s shoulder and declared loudly, “To life!”
“To life!” Harry repeated with a chortle, returning Danny’s action as he took a mouthful of the strong liquid, almost choking when he tried to hold back a laugh.
Harry’s brain was buzzing with over-activity, not to mention he was completely ignoring his girlfriend as well as Tom, but he didn’t let that get in the way of drinking more of the beer Danny was happily offering. He wanted to Danny to loosen up a little, break free from the four walls that kept him from enjoying the good part of life, and he felt he could sacrifice his attention to give him a great night out. It was something that he needed, and what kind of a friend would he be if he put a stop to that?
Danny held up his bottle to Harry’s lips, and Harry pulled him closer as he caught the opening with his teeth and drank a mouthful of the beer.
Soon enough, everything went hazy, as though a cloud of fog exploded into existence before his eyes, and before he knew it, Danny was whispering nonsensical things in his ear, his lips brushing his skin softly. Even though he couldn’t exactly make out what the other man was saying, he felt the need to laugh anyway; so he did, a deep, hearty laugh, and the wide grin that lit up Danny’s face told him it was just what he wanted.
The rest of the night was filled with loud, incoherent jokes and soft touches, and as the drinks wore on, Harry found Danny inching closer and closer to him, a hand already settled comfortably on his thigh when the server came up with another large order of beer. He didn’t mind that Danny was getting a bit too busy with his hands; Danny was smashed and having fun. He didn’t want to ruin it all with a reminder about personal space or anything equally stupid.
Shifting his eyes opposite them, he caught Tom’s eyes as he sipped his beer softly, which were transfixed on Danny with deep concern. Not lucid enough to think anything hiding beneath the surface of his gaze, he shifted his attention to Izzy, who was also focused on Danny, though burning with aggravation rather than worry. Apparently noticing his eyes, Izzy huffed angrily, stood up, and stomped over to him.
“Harry, we need to talk,” she said sharply, folding her arms impatiently over her chest. Danny laughed and buried his head in Harry’s shoulder, and Harry himself felt the urge to laugh along with him. But he knew Izzy was serious, and he bit his tongue and pressed his lips inward, nudging Danny softly.
“Okay,” he said with a smile, and turning to Danny the moment he lifted his head up, he said as he pressed his lips against his ear, “I’ll be right back.”
He inched out of his seat, stood unsteadily beside Izzy, and both made their way to the bathrooms on the other side of the bar.
“What d’you reckon they’re talking about?” Danny asked interestedly, leaning his head close to Tom with a smile.
Tom had been too preoccupied with Danny’s taking advantage of Harry, and the moment Danny spoke up, he stared at him reproachfully, not having the energy to pull it back like he always did to put the other man at ease.
“I can’t believe you’re playing him like this,” Tom said, shake of his head disapprovingly, and at once, Danny’s smile curved downwards, and the frown that ensued disconcerted Tom greatly. He didn’t want to rain on his parade, but Tom felt the need to take the reins and reprimand Danny about his behavior.
“What are you talking about?” Danny asked, sitting back in his seat and watching Tom with eyebrows drawn together in incredulity. Tom exchanged the look almost immediately.
“You know bloody well what I’m talking about!” Tom exclaimed, getting agitated at Danny’s obvious denial. “Getting him drunk so he doesn’t notice you’re touching him! It’s not right, Dan, and you know that!”
“Why don’t you just mind your own fucking business and leave me alone!” Danny retorted angrily, jumping to his feet and slamming the palms of his hands on the table surface, knocking some bottles over. Tom looked at him in apprehension, ignoring the bottles’ journey to destruction on the floor, and he felt his heart being ripped to shreds. Danny had never shown him hostility, and the fury in his blue eyes made him consider the fact that his over-protection had probably gone too far this time.
Having nothing more to say, Danny stumbled past the shattered remains of the bottles and staggered his way in the same direction Harry and Izzy had just gone, and Tom buried his face in his hands, shaking his head hopelessly.
Danny found Harry and Izzy in the middle of a riveting conversation in the entrance to the bathrooms, Izzy’s arms flailing everywhere and Harry scratching his head in disagreement. He couldn’t deal with Tom’s nonsense at the moment, and he was eager to get Harry back next to him, not to mention curious as to what grinded Izzy’s gears in the first place. So he kept to the wall, being as discreet as possible and ignoring the confused looks of other customers, and listened intently.
“…the way he looks at you!” Izzy said, her voice bordering on hysteria, and Danny drew his brows together.
“Nothing’s going on between us, Iz! We’re only friends! Nothing’s ever going to go between us!” Harry defended, and something in Danny unsnapped and left him clutching his chest, gasping for air. The statement felt like a stab to the heart, and the damaged organ throbbed painfully against his ribs, threatening to explode.
“Sure as hell didn’t look like it earlier,” said Izzy angrily, her tone like a poison-tipped arrow, and Danny heard Harry scoff a second later. “He was all over you and you know it!”
“We were just having fun! That’s what mates do! He wasn’t all over me, he’s drunk! He can’t-he can’t think properly right now!”
“Friends don’t act like that around each other, Harry,” Izzy accused sharply, and Danny almost wanted to spring from his hiding place and maul her in a bear-like fashion. But something held him back, and he slid down the wall and sat on the floor instead, his heart constricting painfully.
“Izzy, I love you! No one’s going to take me away from y-”
“If you love me, you have to tell him to leave you alone,” Izzy cut in harshly like a sharp knife, the authoritative tone noticeably masking the fear beneath the surface. “I don’t want you having anything to do with him anymore.”
“Izzy, you can’t be serious!” Harry retorted, and Danny gasped to himself at the other man’s sudden exasperation. “Why are you being like this? You have me, don’t you?”
“I want him out of our life!” Izzy proclaimed, the intensity in her voice faltering in opposition to Harry, and Danny gritted his teeth in anger. Who was she to tell Harry to leave his best mate?
“You want him to leave me alone? Fine!” Harry bellowed, nearly shaking the entire bar, and as Danny’s eyes scanned the place, he saw people’s eyes fixed on the spectacle, a growing fear pressing down on his heaving chest. It was then that he noticed he had been breathing rather heavily for the past minute, and he made to stand up to get away from everybody’s scrutinizing eyes. Halfway to his feet, he heard stomping to his right, and from the arched doorway, Harry appeared, eyes wild with anger and hands balled up into fists. The moment those eyes landed on Danny, he felt his whole world crumble, and he felt his heart skip a beat.
“Harry…” Danny said softly, finishing the action and walking closer to the taller man, but Harry shook his head and took a few steps back.
“Just listen,” Harry hissed sharply, making the hairs on the back of Danny’s neck bristle, and Danny stopped at once. “Leave me the fuck alone, and don’t you dare talk to me. Ever. We clear?”
The impact of his words felt like a sledgehammer bludgeoning Danny’s heart repeatedly, and Danny breathed a shaky sigh, refusing to believe what he just said.
“No, Harry,” Danny whispered softly, his battered heart thrashing madly, and, mustering a stronger voice, he said, “Harry-”
“Are you happy?” Harry interjected, twisting his head to Izzy, who had been standing with her arms across her chest, biting the inside of her cheek, and turned back to Danny.
“Just leave me alone,” Harry said, neither furious nor calm, and without saying anything else, he zipped up his jumper and cooly strode out of the bar. Izzy shot Danny one last nasty look before slugging him on the shoulder while she stomped her way across the checkered floor, and Danny watched them leave with a ring of tears painfully hugging his eyes.
He didn’t know what to do; out of sheer desperation, he whimpered a weak, “Harry…,” half-hoping that Harry would turn back and apologize. But when he saw the empty street through the clear glass doors, it was like the whole world had turned its back on him.
Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he twisted his head just in time to see Tom getting up from his seat, worry digging deep groves in the skin between his brows, but Danny didn’t make a move towards the blond. Instead, he tightened his jumper around him, gave Tom one last fleeting glance, and sullenly walked out of the bar.
Walking through the empty hallway with his hands deep in his pockets, Tom listened to his echoing footsteps as he searched for Danny’s door.
He didn’t want to chastise Danny for yelling at him; his mind was far from that. All he knew was that Danny needed a friend at the moment, and seeing as Harry practically walked out of his life in one fell swoop, Tom was the only one left. Sure, things didn’t go well earlier at the bar, but Tom was able to look past that. Danny was drunk; he didn’t know what he was doing, and Tom was sure he would never had acted like that around him sober. At least, that’s what he should like to think so.
He stopped when he found Danny’s door wide open, a flood of faint light spilling from the inside, and, bracing himself with a sigh, he dug his hands deeper in their confines and trudged on through the door.
“Danny?” Tom asked as he took a step on the carpeted floor. The silhouette of Danny’s crying form caught Tom’s eyes immediately, his back convulsing with his head buried in his arms on the bed, and Tom felt his heart being pulled out at the soft sobbing filling the room.
“Danny?” Tom asked again, inching hesitantly closer to Danny with an arm outstretched, but Danny didn’t stir, and he almost dropped his hand in defeat and turned around to leave. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Danny didn’t need him all the time. Maybe he should let Danny stand on his own two feet for once.
“Tom?” Danny asked meekly, and Tom gave a slight start at the sound.
“Yeah, I’m here,” assured Tom, moving closer to Danny and sitting beside him on the bed.
“I’m-I’m sorry for yelling-”
“No, it’s fine, really,” said Tom, gently placing a hand on his back. Danny shifted under his touch, but relented after a while, and soon, Tom was rubbing his skin through his shirt.
“I, er…” Danny started, wiping his eyes with his wrist. “I really need a friend right now.”
Tom felt his heart speed up and slow down at the same time, and he stopped rubbing Danny’s back to collect himself. Sometimes, Tom would think that he’d never cross that boundary between friendship and love with Danny. That he’d always be just a friend to Danny. And sure, the reality of it saddened him; harboring these feelings for his best mate but never being able to tell him, unsure if he even remotely felt the same. But then he’d think about all the times he made Danny laugh, all the times he helped him when he was ready to give up on himself. He made Danny happy, and thinking about it, that’s all that really mattered to him. He could sacrifice his feelings for the moments Danny needed him the most, and accepting that once and for all, he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m always here for you Danny,” Tom said, wiping the stray tear that had rolled down his cheek, and resumed rubbing Danny’s back with a teary smile. “I’m always right here.”