Fic: Just Smile and Nod (WAT, Danny/Martin, R)
Title: Just Smile and Nod
Fandom: Without a Trace
Pairing: Danny/Martin
Rating: R
Summary: Office romances are always complicated.
He that is not jealous is not in love. - St. Augustine
Martin watched as Sam stormed out of Jack's office, not even glancing over at their desks on her way out of the room. For a second he considered following her; she looked like she could use somebody to talk to, but then again, if it was about Jack maybe she could use some space.
He didn't know if anybody else in the office knew about her and Jack; if they did, it was the only well-kept secret in the office. And if they didn't he wasn't going to be the one to broadcast it to the rest of the staff, not if he wanted to keep his job. Maybe his father and the rest of the bureaucrats in the D.C. office thought Jack was a wild card, but he was still in charge of Martin's career, and Martin wasn't stupid enough to get involved in his boss' love life.
As soon as Sam was out of sight he turned back to the report sitting open on his desk, doing his best to push all thoughts of his coworkers' romantic problems out of his mind. It wasn't any of his business, and even if it was he didn't need any more problems around the office. He was finally getting to the point where people didn't look at him and automatically think of his father, and he didn't want to do anything to screw that up. No matter how pissed Sam had looked when she stormed out of the office.
Half an hour later he was so engrossed in his report that he didn't even look up when Sam came back. He didn't notice her presence at all until she stopped next to his desk, drumming her fingernails against the wooden surface while she waited for him to look up. But when he did look at her she wasn't watching him; she was staring off in the direction of Jack's office, her mouth set in a firm line. "You…uh…did you want something?" Martin asked, his eyes a little wider than usual when she turned her glare on him.
"Yeah. I was just wondering if you still wanted to get that drink."
It took him a few seconds to remember when exactly he'd asked her to go for a drink; it had been months ago, not that long after they started working together. At the time she'd seemed like the safest option to reach out to, because Danny was still treating him like he couldn't be trusted. Sam was the only other person in the office his age, and at the time he'd thought it would be nice to have at least one ally at work. Once Danny decided that he was okay he'd forgotten all about his early attempts to strike up a friendship with Sam, but she looked pretty upset and he couldn't just leave her to wallow in her misery alone.
"Uh…sure," he answered, glancing down at the report he was in the process of filling out. "I can finish this tomorrow."
As soon as he got the words out she turned on her most charming smile, leaning close enough for him to catch the scent of her perfume even as she raised her voice loud enough for anyone within twenty feet to hear. "Great. I'll grab my purse."
He nodded mutely and leaned back in his chair, watching her walk toward her own desk. Obviously he was missing something important, because there was no way that Sam had just come on to him. By the time she picked up her purse and turned toward him again he managed to snap out of it long enough to shut the file on his desk and log off his computer. He stood up and pulled his jacket back on, switching off the lamp on his desk just as she stopped next to him again.
"Ready?"
"Let's go." He flashed what he hoped was a friendly smile, letting her walk a little ahead of him toward the elevators. As he passed Danny's desk he glanced over and paused for a second when he found the other man watching them. Reading Danny's expressions was practically impossible even after all the months they'd been working together, but for a second Martin was almost overwhelmed by the need to apologize. He managed to stifle the urge before he made a fool of himself, giving Danny a little wave and a crooked smile. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you," Danny answered, and Martin had to tell himself he was imagining the edge in the other man's voice.
Sam looked up at him as the elevator door opened and he smiled reassuringly, catching her elbow and steering her onto the elevator. They rode down to the lobby in silence, and when they found themselves on the sidewalk outside the building Martin realized that he didn't even know where they were going. "Did you have someplace in particular in mind?"
"There's a place right around the corner," she answered, gesturing vaguely in the direction of a bar Martin had seen a thousand times on his way to work, but never actually been to. He'd never really felt comfortable hanging out in bars by himself, and the only person besides Sam he'd ever considering inviting for a drink after work wouldn't be interested. In fact, even if Danny drank Martin wasn't sure he'd be interested in spending time together outside the office. Sure, they got along a lot better than they used to, but that didn't mean Danny wanted more from Martin than a decent working relationship.
He swallowed a sigh and followed Sam into the dimly lit bar, pausing just inside the door while their eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. The bar was starting to fill up with the after-work crowd, and it took them a minute to find an empty table. Sam gestured toward it and Martin nodded, following her to the back of the room. He slid into the seat across from hers and set his briefcase down next to his chair, taking his time getting settled before he finally forced himself to look up at her again.
"So."
"This is nice," she said, but he could tell by her smile that she was still distracted by whatever had been bothering her back at the office. Before he could ask the waitress approached their table, and he waited until she'd taken their orders and gone before he answered.
"It is," he said, hoping he didn't sound as confused as he felt about why he was suddenly sitting across a table from Sam after hours. "Any particular reason we're here?"
She shrugged and looked down at the table, and just for a second he felt almost bad for asking. Then she looked up at him again, and even though she was smiling he could see the tension lingering around her eyes. "We haven't really had a chance to get to know each other. Work's one thing, but there's not a lot of time to really talk while we're working a case."
"True," he answered, tensing a little as he tried to come up with the right way to ask his next question. "Look, Samantha, I don't mean to pry or anything, but if this is about you and Jack…"
"Me and Jack?" she interrupted, but even in the dark bar he could see the pink tint in her cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
"Come on. I overheard him and Van Doren talking during the Sydney Harrison case. I'm not judging you. I'm just saying if you want to talk, I'm a good listener."
He knew there was a chance that she'd get mad, maybe even storm out of the bar before he had a chance to apologize. It wasn't any of his business, but he didn't want her to think she could use him as a stand-in for Jack either. Before she had a chance to answer the waitress reappeared with their drinks, and he watched as Sam lifted hers and took a healthy swallow before she answered. "So what if I don't want to talk?"
She leaned a little further across the table and he felt his own blush rise; there was no denying that she was flirting with him, and he wasn't sure he was going to get out of this conversation without telling her the truth. "I'm a good listener," he repeated a little more firmly, hoping she'd take the hint and wouldn't make him spell it out.
"But you asked me out," she said, and he stopped just short of rolling his eyes. "I know it was awhile ago, but…oh God. This is embarrassing."
"Look, Sam, it's not that…I mean I'm sure I'd be interested, if circumstances were different." His cheeks burned a little hotter as she stared him down, and he found himself almost glad when comprehension finally dawned in her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're gay." She laughed and lifted her wine glass, but as soon as she registered his expression she set it right back down again. "Oh my god, you are."
He nodded and glanced around to make sure no one was listening, but despite the fact that the bar was crowded no one seemed to be interested in what they were talking about. "Would you keep your voice down?"
"Sorry. It's just…Jesus. I can't believe this. Why'd you ask me out?"
"I didn't mean it that way," he answered, shrugging helplessly when she raised her eyebrows at him. "I guess I should have known you'd take it that way. I just thought it would be nice to have at least one friendly face on the job. Vivian's got her kid, Danny didn't like me much back then, and Jack…well, you know."
"So, what, I was your fallback?" she asked, but he could tell by the laughter in her voice that she wasn't really offended.
"No…no, nothing like that." He grinned sheepishly and leaned forward. "I like you, I thought maybe we could be friends. But you had a date and it just never seemed right to ask again. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression about me, Sam…Samantha. I'm sorry."
She shook her head and lifted her glass, draining it before she signaled for the waitress. "Gay. That just figures, doesn't it? I can't believe I didn't know."
"Well it's not something I really advertise at work."
"No, I guess not," she said, but when she smiled at him this time she looked like she actually meant it. "So does anybody else know? Have you told Danny?"
"You're kidding, right?" he asked, suppressing a shudder at the thought of telling Danny. They hadn't been on friendly terms for that long, the last thing he needed was to throw that out there and give Danny reason to be suspicious of him again.
"Why not? You're friends, aren't you? Believe me, Danny would be okay with it."
He wanted to believe her; there were a hundred different times over the last few months when he'd wanted to tell Danny the truth just to see what would happen. And she seemed so sure, but if she was wrong…if she was wrong he'd probably have to transfer again, and that was the last thing he wanted. "It's not exactly the kind of thing that comes up in conversation."
She let out a low 'hmm' under her breath that told him she didn't really buy that excuse, but she let it go and that was all that mattered to him. "So does Jack know?"
"It's not in my file, if that's what you mean," he answered. It was possible that Jack had heard rumors; he was discreet, but these things had a way of getting out anyway. "Besides, even if it was my father would make sure it disappeared before anybody saw it."
"So your parents…"
"Let's just say it's one of the reasons I left D.C.," he interrupted, lifting his glass and staring down at the amber liquid so he wouldn't have to see her expression. He wasn't fishing for pity, in fact he was supposed to be cheering her up.
"Wow, that's rough. And I thought I had problems." Then again, if talking about his miserable family helped get her mind off Jack then maybe it was worth it.
"Speaking of which…"
"There's nothing to tell," she interrupted, her cheeks coloring a little. "We slept together a few times, he started to feel guilty. He's trying to work things out with his wife, and I'm trying to let him. Sometimes it's just hard to be around him, you know?"
"Yeah, I definitely know how that feels," he answered, but as soon as he saw her eyes light up he regretted it.
"Wait, don't tell me you have a thing for somebody at work."
That wasn't what he'd meant - not exactly, anyway, but he still felt himself blushing as he shifted in his seat. "Me? No way."
"Come on, Fitzgerald. We're friends now, right?"
He grinned and lifted his glass again, draining it before he answered. "Believe me, there's nothing to tell."
~
Martin looked up when someone slid into the seat next to him at the conference table, grinning when he recognized Sam. "Good morning."
"Morning." She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, then leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. "Listen, I really am sorry about last night. I shouldn't have put you in that position."
"It's okay, really," he answered, smirking at her contrite expression. "It's not like it would've worked anyway."
They both laughed at that, and all the tension Martin had been feeling since the night before lifted from his shoulders. After he'd left Sam and gone home he'd started to wonder if coming out to her was such a good idea; he'd left D.C. in the hope of leaving behind some of his inhibitions, but he was still an FBI agent and that meant he had a lot to lose. He wanted to be able to trust Sam, but until this morning he hadn't been sure he could. It meant he didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but now that he'd seen Sam again he felt a lot better. He was pretty sure he could trust her not to tell everybody else on the team, anyway, and it had been nice to go out and have a conversation that wasn't work related for once.
"I had a good time last night."
"Me too," she answered, flashing a brighter grin than he'd ever seen on her. He could definitely see what Jack found so irresistible that he was willing to risk his family, and just for a second he found himself regretting that he couldn't give her what she needed.
"Morning."
Martin started at the sound of the low, rich voice and dragged his attention away from Sam's smile. He shook himself and looked up, his grin fading a little when he found Danny glaring at them from across the table. Before he had a chance to ask what was up they were interrupted again, this time by Jack and Vivian. He cast another quick glance at Danny, but the other man was focused on Jack, and Martin found himself wondering if he'd just imagined the look.
Danny didn't look at him again while Jack briefed them on their latest case and handed out assignments, and by the time he stood up to follow Danny out of the office he was sure he'd imagined the brief flash of anger in the other man's eyes. There was no reason for Danny to be angry at him; they hadn't spoken since the night before when Martin left with Sam, and he was positive Danny didn't care what he did in his free time.
They rode the elevator down to the lobby in silence, then made their way to the parking garage and one of the unmarked cars at the back of the lot. Martin hesitated as Danny unlocked the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel, then let out a small sigh and rounded the car to slide into the passenger seat. "Tell me why it is you always get to drive."
Danny didn't even glance at him as he started the engine and backed out of the parking space. "Seniority."
"Seniority," Martin repeated, letting out a little laugh at the thought. "Last time I checked we've both been with the bureau around the same amount of time."
"Maybe so, but I've lived in the city my whole life. You've been here…what? Six months? Seniority." Danny finally looked over at Martin, but there was no hint of his usual teasing expression. "You look like shit, Fitzie."
"Thanks," Martin shot back, but he ran a self-conscious hand over his features. "Didn't get much sleep last night."
Danny let out a snort of what might have been laughter, but he didn't say anything. Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stole a glance at the other man's profile, wondering what exactly he'd done to piss Danny off. Yesterday everything had been fine between them, but this morning Danny was treating him the way he had when Martin first came to work for Missing Persons. "Look, is there a problem here?"
"No problem," Danny answered, glancing at Martin long enough to raise an eyebrow at him. "I slept like a baby last night."
Martin rolled his eyes as Danny smirked and turned his attention back to the traffic. So he wasn't going to get a straight answer; that much was obvious, but it was just as obvious that something was bothering Danny. It just figured that Martin would get stuck spending the whole day with him when Danny was in one of his moods. He considered briefly that Jack might have done it on purpose, but even if he had there was nothing Martin could do about it now. He stifled a sigh and settled a little further into his seat, glancing out the window as they merged onto the expressway. It was hard to believe he'd been in such a good mood just a few minutes ago, but somehow Danny had managed to bring Martin's mood down to the same level as his own.
"So you and Sam seem to be getting along pretty well."
The sudden break in the silence startled Martin into sitting up a little straighter, but when he looked over at Danny the other man was staring straight ahead. "Yeah, I guess so. She's a nice girl."
He couldn't help grinning as he imagined Sam's reaction to him calling her a 'nice girl'; he wasn't sure if she'd belt him or yell at him first, but he was pretty sure she'd get around to both eventually. But when he realized Danny was watching him his grin faded just as quickly as it had surfaced; if he didn't know any better he would have thought Danny was actually jealous, but as far as he knew the other man didn't have a thing for Sam.
"Yeah, she's great," Danny answered, but when Martin opened his mouth to ask what he was missing Danny just shook his head and reached for the radio controls. A second later the car was filled with some top 40 song, and Martin swallowed another sigh and went back to staring out the window. Whatever Danny's problem was he obviously wasn't going to talk to Martin about it, and if it had to do was Sam Martin was pretty sure he didn't want to know.
~
As much as Martin hated the often thinly-veiled barbs Danny had thrown at him back when they first started working together, he would have given anything for a decent shouting match by the end of the day. The silent treatment coming from Danny was a thousand times worse than any insult he could come up with about Martin's parentage or his qualifications for the job. Those things he could dismiss as Danny not knowing what he was talking about, but Danny not talking at all…that was so weird that by the time they got back to the office Martin was sure Danny was trying to drive him crazy.
He was long past worrying about what he'd done to piss off the other man; by the time they got back to the city all he wanted to do was get far away from Danny as soon as possible. The worst part was that Danny wasn't just in a bad mood. He'd been his usual charming, flirtatious self with everyone they'd spoken to that day, but when it came to Martin he clammed up again. The best he'd gotten out of Danny all day was one-word answers to work-related questions, and the few times Martin had tried to broach the subject of what was bothering Danny his questions had been completely ignored.
Well. That wasn't entirely true. Danny had managed to toss out a few sarcastic comments about Martin's vivid imagination, but Martin knew he wasn't imagining anything. At least he was pretty sure. It was hard to be positive when Danny was across the room, laughing over something with Vivian. Just a few minutes ago the temperature in their car had been chilly at best, but now that they were back in the office Danny was radiating his usual charm.
Martin shook his head at Danny's back and scanned the office, smiling for the first time in hours when he saw Sam sitting at her desk. He was so glad to see a familiar face that he didn't even think before he started toward her, and when she looked up at him and grinned some of his frustration began to fade. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," she answered. "How'd it go today?"
He shrugged noncommittally and stole a glance in Danny's direction; his conversation with Vivian had ended while Martin was focused on Sam, and now he was watching them as he walked toward his own desk. "It's not worth mentioning," he said, shifting his attention back to Sam. "So do you have plans for tonight, or do you want to grab some dinner?"
"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiled again and nodded toward her computer. "Just give me a minute to finish this."
Martin nodded and wandered back to his own desk, dropping into his chair and forcing himself not to look over at Danny. The longer he thought about it the angrier he got about the way Danny was treating him; he hadn't done anything to deserve it, and if it was about Sam then Danny could have just been straightforward with him. Martin would set him straight about him and Sam if he had to, but he wasn't about to offer that kind of information to Danny without a reason.
It was one thing to come out to Sam, but Danny was a different story entirely. It wasn't that he didn't think he could trust Danny to keep his mouth shut, but he didn't want things to change between them.f Except that they had anyway, and Martin wasn't even sure why.
It had to be about Sam; it was the only reason he could come up with for Danny's uncharacteristic behavior, and as much as Martin wanted to set the other man straight he couldn't bring himself to give Danny the satisfaction. If he told Danny they were just friends it would just give Danny another reason to be smug, and if he told Danny why they were just friends…well, he wasn't exactly sure how that would go over. He'd thought a lot about it over the past few months, but he still hadn't figured out how Danny would react if Martin told him he was gay.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Sam walking toward him until she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched and looked up at the contact. "Sorry," he said in answer to the question she hadn't asked yet. "Guess I'm a little jumpy today."
"Guess so," she said, smiling as she watched him stand up and straighten his jacket. "You sure you're up for dinner?"
"Definitely," he answered, sparing a quick glance at Danny as he followed Sam toward the elevators.
As soon as the elevator doors closed Sam shook her head, and he knew before she even opened her mouth what was coming. "You're sure nothing happened today."
"I told you, nothing worth mentioning," he answered, carefully avoiding her gaze. "Why?"
"Because the air turned a little chilly when you and Danny walked in. Kind of felt like old times there for a little while."
"Funny," he shot back, smiling grimly as he realized she was right.
~
"Hey."
Martin looked up to find Sam leaning on the table next to him, giving him that smile she usually reserved for suspects she was trying to charm out of information. In a way that smile reminded him a little of Danny, and he found himself grinning back at her. "Hey yourself. You're looking chipper this morning."
She shrugged and leaned a little closer, glancing over his shoulder for a split second before she turned back to him and smiled even more seductively. "Well I had a hot date last night."
He didn't have to look to know why she was flirting with him; he knew if he turned around he'd find Jack standing somewhere nearby, probably going over case details with Vivian. He wasn't surprised that Sam was using him to make Jack jealous, but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea to play along. Jack was his boss, after all, and no matter who Martin's father was Jack could hurt his career if he wanted to. Still, he felt for Sam; he'd been in a similar position before, and he knew how frustrating it could be to work alongside someone he had feelings for.
"I'm flattered," he said, leaning back in his chair and returning her smile. "Although I'm not sure a plate of pasta and a glass of house wine counts as a hot date."
She shrugged and pushed herself off the table, sliding gracefully into the chair next to him. "Close enough."
Martin stifled his grin as the rest of the team gathered around the conference table, clearing his throat and looking up just in time to find Jack watching him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat until the older man looked away and began running down what they'd put together so far about the case. Martin swallowed hard and prayed that no one would notice the color creeping into his cheeks; he'd been grateful for Sam's friendship, but not if it was going to cost him his assignment at Missing Persons. The last thing he needed was to get shipped back to White Collar Crimes or some other 'safe' assignment; if that happened his father would win, and Martin could kiss any freedom he might have found in New York goodbye.
He stole a quick glance at Sam, catching sight of Danny out of the corner of his eye when he turned. He did a double take when he realized the other man was watching him, his heart skipping a beat for an entirely different reason this time. This whole situation was getting a lot more complicated than he'd bargained for, and suddenly he wasn't sure if any friendship was worth making half the team hate him.
Danny raised an eyebrow and inclined his head slightly in Martin's direction before he looked away. Martin followed Danny's gaze just in time to hear Jack handing out assignments, and he swallowed a sigh of relief when he found that he'd be working with Vivian today. The last thing he needed was another repeat of yesterday; lately he'd actually started to look forward to the days he and Danny partnered, but he wasn't sure he could take another day of the silent treatment.
As it turned out, he and Vivian actually managed to stick to the case all day. Personal issues didn't come up once, which meant either Vivian didn't know what was going on or she wasn't willing to offer an opinion on the subject. Martin had a sneaking suspicion that the latter was probably the case, but either way he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
By the end of the day he'd actually managed to relax a little, so it was even more of a shock than usual when someone grabbed him as soon as he walked into the office. He shook his arm out of Danny's grip as soon as they got around the corner, scowling as he straightened his jacket. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Offering you a little advice," Danny answered, glancing down the hall to make sure no one was within earshot before he continued. "I saw you and Sam this morning. And I'm not the only one, Martin. You haven't been around that long so maybe you don't know, but you're playing with fire here, my friend."
And now this was just getting ridiculous; if Danny had a problem with him Martin wished he'd just come out and say it instead of playing games. "Give me a little credit, Taylor. I know all about that."
"Then you know what a bad idea this is," Danny said, and if he wasn't so angry Martin would have laughed at the other man's earnest expression. Danny looked so sincere, as though he was actually worried about Martin's career. Only that couldn't be further from the truth, and they both knew it.
"It's none of your business," he answered as he took a step backwards. "I can take care of myself."
He didn't give Danny time to argue; instead he turned on his heel and marched back down the hall toward the office, blood pounding against his eardrums and his heart racing as he turned the corner and nearly collided with Sam. He caught himself just in time, his anger at Danny fading a little when he caught her expression. "What's wrong?"
She sighed and glanced over her shoulder, and when Martin followed her gaze he found Jack watching them. As soon as their eyes met Jack looked away, but Martin's heart sank into his stomach as he realized what Sam was so upset about. "It's nothing. Look, I owe you an apology for this morning."
"Don't worry about it," he said, surprised to find that he actually meant it. He'd been a little bothered by the fact that she'd been using their friendship to try to make Jack jealous, but he couldn't be mad at her when she looked so miserable.
She smiled gratefully and Martin couldn't help grinning back at her in spite of the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "Well if it makes any difference it didn't work. He told me he's glad I'm moving on."
He laughed when she rolled her eyes, but he regretted it when he realized how hard that must have been for her to hear from Jack. "You deserve better, you know."
"Don't we all?" she asked, but she returned his smile and he knew she was going to be okay. She was a strong woman, after all, and there was only so much brooding she could do over Jack before she finally realized she was worth more than what he had to offer.
"Listen," he said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Danny hadn't followed him before he continued, "has there ever been anything between you and Danny?"
For a second she just stared at him, then she let out a short laugh and shook her head. "Why would you think that?"
"Because he's been acting weird ever since we went out for that drink. He won't admit it, but I think he's jealous."
"Trust me, Martin. If Danny's jealous it's definitely not about me."
She stared back at him, waiting for her words to sink in. When they finally did he flushed a little and looked around again, making sure no one was listening before he answered. "We're talking about Danny Taylor here. There's no way."
"Look, all I know is that there's nothing between me and Danny. Whatever's bothering him doesn't have anything to do with who I go out with, that much I can guarantee you."
"So are you saying…?" He trailed off, leaning a little closer as he spoke so they wouldn't be overheard.
Instead of answering she held up her hands in mock surrender and took a step backwards. "I'm not saying anything. All I know is it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with me."
Before he could ask her what she meant she was walking away, and he knew if he went after her he'd just end up drawing even more attention to them. Still, what she was implying didn't make any sense. If Danny was…but he wasn't; there was no way Danny was gay. Sam and Vivian were always teasing him about his conquests, and he flirted with every woman he came in contact with. Then again, he flirted even more with the guys they came across on the job, and up until yesterday he'd been flirting with Martin too. Martin had always chalked it up to Danny's personality, but now he wasn't so sure. The problem was that there was no way he could find out without coming right out and asking, and if Sam was wrong he'd make things even worse than they already were.
~
On Friday Jack assigned Danny and Martin to work together again. Martin wasn't sure how he felt about spending the day alone with the other man, but he didn't really have a choice. They hadn't spoken since Danny cornered him and tried to warn him about Sam and Jack, and the more Martin had thought about it the more he realized that Danny had probably just been looking out for him. They were friends - sort of, anyway - and now that he'd had time to think about it Martin was pretty sure he'd overreacted.
He waited until they were in the car and pulling into traffic before he spoke, clearing his throat and leaning over to turn down the radio. "Listen, about the other day - I'm sorry I overreacted. I know you were just trying to help."
Danny shrugged and spared a quick glance at him, but it was long enough for Martin to see that his smirk was firmly in place. "Yeah, well, you can take care of yourself, right?"
"Come on, Danny," Martin answered, frustration creeping into his voice as he realized Danny wasn't going to make this easier for him. "I'm trying to apologize here."
"All right, all right, apology accepted." Danny grinned and pulled onto the freeway before he continued. "So how are things going with you and Sam, anyway?"
"It's not like that," Martin said, the words escaping his mouth before he could stop them. Until he said it he hadn't really planned to tell Danny the truth, but now that it was out there he realized that part of him wanted to. "I mean we're friends, but that's it. I think she was just trying to make Jack jealous."
Danny let out a low whistle. "That's cold."
Martin grinned at the implication, shaking his head and relaxing a little more in the passenger seat. "Well it's not like I didn't know what was going on. Samantha's a nice girl, but she's not really my type."
"What, she's not good enough for you? Let me guess, the type of girl you go for usually hangs out at the country club."
It was a low blow, but Martin could tell Danny was actually a little offended for Sam. He didn't really want to come out and tell Danny the truth about why Sam wasn't his type, but it bothered him that after all this time Danny still thought of him as the spoiled rich kid. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Then enlighten me, man. Sam's a great girl and she likes you, so what's the problem?"
"I just told you, she was only trying to make Jack jealous. Besides, you sound pretty interested in her yourself."
"Me?" A soft laugh escaped Danny's throat as he shook his head. "Nah. I don't get involved in office romance. Too much drama."
And okay, that was a little disappointing, but Martin wasn't about to let it show. He'd known Sam was wrong about why Danny had been acting so weird all week; it wasn't as though he'd really thought he had a chance with the other man, but hearing Danny confirm it hit him a little harder than he'd expected it to. He turned to look out the window, watching the river roll by as Danny wove in and out of traffic.
Danny cleared his throat but Martin didn't look over. He didn't want Danny to see how much this whole conversation was getting to him, especially not now that he knew for sure that Danny wasn't interested. "So you and Sam…you're really not dating?"
"No," Martin answered, squaring his shoulders and turning to face forward again. "Like I said, we're friends."
Danny nodded and for a few moments neither of them said anything, then Danny cleared his throat again. "So have you ever dated anybody you worked with? Besides Sam, I mean."
Martin grinned at that, stealing a quick glance at Danny to find that the other man was smirking. He wasn't exactly sure what Danny was fishing for, but he'd always promised himself that if someone asked him directly he wouldn't lie about who he was. He'd done that enough when he was still living under his father's roof, and he hadn't uprooted his life and moved all the way to New York just to crawl back into the closet. "Once."
Danny pulled off the freeway and turned in the direction of their suspect's last known residence. When they reached the address he pulled the car over to the curb and parked it, but instead of getting out of the car he turned to Martin again. "So how'd it work out?"
"It was okay for awhile." Martin shrugged noncommittally and glanced down the street, his gaze landing on a man walking toward them. He knew he could avoid telling Danny the truth if he wanted to, but part of him just wanted to get it out there so he'd know one way or the other how Danny felt. He was pretty sure now that Sam had been wrong about the reasons for Danny's behavior over the past few days, but there was a tiny part of him that still hoped she was right. "When we broke up it was a little awkward at first, but then he took a transfer to California and got back together with his ex, so I didn't have to deal with him anymore. There's our guy."
He didn't wait for a response before he got out of the car and headed across the street, holding up his credentials as the guy they were looking for climbed the stairs to his house. He heard Danny a few steps behind him but didn't turn to look at the other man as he began questioning the suspect; if the truth was going to change Danny's opinion of him he'd find out soon enough, but for now they had a job to do.
~
Danny didn't act much differently around Martin for the rest of the day, but they spent most of the day questioning their suspect and then doing paperwork, so it was hard for Martin to tell what the other man was thinking. He thought he'd caught Danny looking at him out of the corner of his eye once or twice, but whenever he turned to look the other man was always focused completely on whatever he was doing. By the end of their shift Martin was almost sure he'd made a mistake, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He couldn't take it back, and even if Danny couldn't handle it Martin didn't regret who he was.
He finished his paperwork and dropped the file on Jack's desk before he headed for the elevators; he told himself he wasn't avoiding Danny, but the truth was that he wasn't really in the mood for an awkward conversation after the day they'd had. He was tired and all he really wanted to do was go home, watch the news and go to bed.
"Hey Fitz, wait up."
Martin groaned inwardly at the sound of Danny's voice, contemplating letting the elevator doors close for a split second before he reached out and stopped them. He was going to have to deal with Danny eventually, so he might as well get it over with so they could both get on with their lives. Danny stepped onto the elevator and Martin let go of the doors, watching them slide closed so he wouldn't have to look at Danny.
"Listen, I was thinking about grabbing some dinner. You busy tonight?"
A dinner invitation was the last thing Martin had expected, and it surprised him enough to make him look over at Danny. The other man didn't look anywhere near as uncomfortable as Martin felt; in fact, he looked almost hopeful, as though he really was worried that Martin might say no. "Uh…yeah, sure. I mean I'm not busy."
"Great. There's a great little Greek place around the corner. You like Greek food?"
Martin felt himself nodding, although he wasn't exactly sure what the question was. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Danny had just asked him out. And okay, it probably wasn't a date. It definitely wasn't a date, but Danny knew he was gay and he still wanted to be around Martin. That counted for a lot, and Martin wasn't going to screw it up if he could help it. He didn't have a lot of friends left after leaving D.C. for greener pastures, and making new friends in New York had proved a lot more challenging than he'd really expected.
He followed Danny out of the building and around the corner to the restaurant, his mind racing as he tried to decide whether this was Danny's way of showing that he didn't have a problem with Martin's sexuality, or if he just didn't get it. Maybe he'd missed the point completely, but not even Danny could be that dense, could he? Martin's stomach flipped as it occurred to him that maybe Danny hadn't even heard him; it was possible he'd already spotted their suspect by the time Martin started talking, and if that was the case he might have missed Martin's confession completely.
They waited for a table in silence, and once they were seated the waitress came over to take their drink order right away. Martin waited until she was gone to steal a glance at Danny, but if the other man was uncomfortable in Martin's presence he was hiding it really well.
"Good work today," Danny said as he lifted his water glass and took a sip. It was hard not to watch Danny's throat move as he swallowed, and Martin was glad for the low light in the restaurant when he felt himself flush. He cleared his throat and looked down at the menu, pretending to be absorbed in the list of entrees so he wouldn't have to look at Danny.
"You were the one who finally got him to talk."
"Yeah, but if you hadn't been playing bad cop he never would have made the mistake of trusting me." Out of the corner of his eye Martin caught Danny's grin, and his heart skipped a beat in spite of his resolution not to let the other man see how nervous he was. "We make a pretty good team."
Martin smiled but kept his attention focused on his menu; he could feel Danny's eyes on him, and he wished the other man would look away just long enough for Martin to pull himself together. He wasn't used to being caught off guard like this, and he was sure he was going to do something to embarrass himself if he wasn't careful.
"Try the moussaka. It's out of this world."
Martin nodded and closed his menu reluctantly. He was grateful for the suggestion considering he didn't know much about Greek food, but now that the decision was made he didn't have an excuse to avoid looking at Danny. When he did look up he found the other man watching him with a bemused expression, and Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and reached for his own water glass. "What?"
"You're a hard guy to figure out," Danny answered, and if Martin didn't know better he might have thought Danny was actually flirting with him. Only Danny flirted with everybody, so there was no way to tell if this was just Danny being Danny, or if it was something new. Martin had never met anybody like Danny before, and he had a sinking feeling that he'd never learn how to read him no matter how long they knew each other.
He shrugged and set his glass back down without taking a drink. "There's not much to know about me. I'm just here to do my job."
Danny shook his head, but before he could answer the waitress reappeared. Martin ordered the moussaka and listened while Danny ordered something called biftekia, watching while the other man flirted shamelessly with the waitress. It was amazing to watch how easily Danny slipped into that personality, and if Martin wasn't so busy being jealous he might have thought to ask how Danny did it. Instead he just sat there and stared, feeling vaguely disgusted with himself for being jealous of the attention Danny paid the waitress. It was hard not to be jealous of the attention Danny paid to other people, though, because when Danny was focused on someone he had a way of making them feel as though they were the only person in the room.
Martin knew exactly how that felt; he'd been on the receiving end of Danny's charm enough times to know why people always took to him right away. He didn't kid himself that he could ever be that smooth, but he had strengths that Danny didn't have and that was the reason they made such a good team. Danny was right about that, at least, and if nothing else at least Martin knew Danny valued him as a partner. It was something, anyway, and Martin wasn't too proud to take what he could get.
When the waitress disappeared again Martin leaned forward, a crooked half-grin lighting up his features. "So you've really never thought about asking Sam out?"
Danny laughed that low, rich laugh of his again, shaking his head and leaning forward to meet Martin's gaze. "No way. I was around during the whole thing with Jack, there's no way I'd get involved in that mess."
"She gave me the impression that nobody knew about it."
"Some agent I'd be if I couldn't pick up on a little office romance." Danny grinned and leaned back in his chair again, regarding Martin thoughtfully for a long moment before he continued. "Besides, she's not really my type either."
The rest of their dinner conversation consisted mostly of small talk about work, but throughout the meal Martin got the distinct impression that Danny was flirting with him. Not that that was anything new, but it felt somehow different now that they were out of the office. He had to remind himself several times not to get his hopes up, and every time the waitress appeared and Danny turned his charming smile on her Martin remembered exactly why he shouldn't be thinking about Danny that way.
If Sam wasn't Danny's type the waitress definitely was; she was tall and leggy, with long brown hair pulled back in a loose bun and a skirt that was short enough to border on illegal. Even Martin had to admit she was gorgeous, but that didn't make him feel any better about the fact that Danny seemed to think so too. When Danny took the check and paid for dinner Martin was sure he was only doing it so he could get her number, but Martin tried not to think about the two of them together. He tried even harder not to watch as Danny paid for their dinner, his smile practically lighting up the whole room as he said something to make the waitress laugh.
He couldn't help listening; they were barely two feet away from him, after all, so he was surprised when Danny never asked for a number. It was obvious even to him that the waitress was interested, but for all Danny's flirting he never took it further. That didn't mean he wouldn't come back later, though, when Martin wasn't around to watch him hit on the waitress. He wasn't sure why Danny would care that he was there, but he wasn't going to ask.
They left the restaurant together, and Danny waved off Martin's attempts to pay for his half of the bill. He knew Danny caught the same train out to Queens that he did, so he wasn't surprised when the other man turned toward the subway station. But when they reached his stop and Danny stood up Martin couldn't help hoping this was more than just two colleagues having dinner together. He'd been so sure that their dinner wasn't a date, but he couldn't think of any other reason why Danny would walk him to his door.
When they reached his building Martin stopped, taking a deep breath to quell his nerves before he turned to face the other man. "Do you want to come up?"
"Do you want me to?" Danny asked, and when he smiled Martin forgot all about the waitress and Sam and everything else that had been bothering him all day.
"Danny…what's going on here?"
He regretted the question as soon as he asked it, because he already felt stupid enough without actually admitting how confused he was. It didn't help any that Danny had looked perfectly relaxed all evening, but now that they were standing in the dim light outside his building he could almost make out the carefully guarded nervousness behind the other man's eyes. That made him feel a little better, and he reminded himself to breathe as he waited for Danny's answer.
The moment of silence stretched out into two, then three before Danny took a step forward and leaned into his personal space. Martin had always thought that was one of Danny's more unnerving habits, but right now he found himself hoping that it meant that Danny was thinking the same thing he was.
"Tell me if I'm way off base here," Danny murmured, and before Martin could react he was even closer, his lips barely brushing Martin's before he pulled back again. It was a little weird looking at him from this close up, but Martin couldn't think about that. He couldn't think about anything except for the fact that Danny Taylor had just kissed him. And there was no way this could be anything but a dream, but if it was a dream he was going to make it last as long as possible.
"You're not," Martin heard himself answer, although how he got his voice to work through the fog in his brain he'd never know. His entire body hummed with anticipation, and all he could think about was getting them both up to his apartment before he embarrassed himself in front of all his neighbors. He fished his keys out of his pocket and climbed the stairs to the front door of his building, glancing backwards once to make sure Danny had followed.
Somehow they managed to make it up to the third floor, then down the hall to his apartment. That was as far as they got before Danny's hand landed on his waist, and before he had time to register what was happening he found himself backed up against his door, Danny's lips pressed against his in a hard, insistent kiss. His keys were pulled out of his hand, and somehow Danny managed to unlock the door without ever breaking the kiss. They were still kissing when they stumbled into the apartment, and as soon as Danny kicked the door shut behind them Martin's hands slid under the other man's jacket, fingers sliding against soft cotton as he pushed it to the floor.
"I thought you didn't get involved in office romances," Martin choked out when Danny's mouth left his long enough to gasp for breath.
"First time for everything," Danny answered just before he surged forward again, claiming Martin's mouth with his own.
Martin's tie hit the floor next, followed by his jacket and then their shoes. A trail of clothes marked their path to the bedroom, and the whole time Danny's hands and mouth mapped every inch of Martin's skin he could reach. He was just as strong as Martin had always expected him to be, his mouth soft and his breath warm against Martin's skin when he laughed at each moan that escaped Martin's throat.
Martin forgot to be self-conscious, forgot to wonder how he'd missed this about Danny for all these months. It didn't matter now, because Danny was here in his bed and somehow he knew exactly where to touch Martin without having to be told. He did things with his mouth and hands that would make Martin blush to think about even days later, and when Martin finally came he was sure he was going to die from the intensity of it.
He didn't die, but he did black out for a second or two before he blinked his eyes open again to find Danny smiling down at him. They were both covered in sweat and sticky and his bed was a wreck, but Martin couldn't make himself care about any of that. All he cared about was the fact that Danny actually wanted him, and all those months he'd spent telling himself not to wish for something he couldn't have had been a waste of time after all.
~
Mornings after had never been Martin's strong point. He never knew what to say, and with Danny he had no idea where they stood. For all he knew this was a one-time thing, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Part of him knew that Danny was right; he'd tried office romance before, and it hadn't worked out that well in the end. Still, it had been good while it lasted, and Danny wasn't anything like the last guy he'd gotten involved with at work. The fact that they worked so closely together might actually help them, and it wasn't like they had a lot of time to go out and meet other people.
None of that mattered if Danny didn't want this to go any further, though, and that was the thought that had woken Martin up at 5:00 am. Since then he'd been staring at the ceiling, listening to Danny breathe and alternating between praying that this wasn't a one-time thing and telling himself that it would be better if it was.
Sometime around 7:00 Danny mumbled something and rolled over, and a few seconds later he opened his eyes to squint at Martin. "Morning."
"Morning," Martin repeated, not bothering to hide his shock at Danny's apparent lack of morning-after awkwardness. He only had a second to think about it before Danny pulled him close and pressed their lips together, and Martin couldn't help noticing the taste of himself mingled with the stale taste of Danny's mouth.
By the time Danny let him up for air Martin was panting and flushed, but he was too relieved to care how he looked. This definitely wasn't a morning after brush-off, at least not in Martin's experience. He'd had enough one-night stands to know that most of them didn't involve long, slow kisses or fingers carding gently through his hair the next morning.
"Mind if I take a shower?" Danny finally asked, but he didn't make a move to get up or even to let go of Martin.
"Of course not. There are towels in the closet," Martin answered, wracking his brain to try and remember if he'd actually gotten his laundry done. He hadn't exactly been planning on overnight guests, but he was pretty sure there were clean towels in the closet.
Danny smiled and pressed another chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth before he pushed himself off the bed and headed toward the bathroom. Martin watched him go until the door closed and the shower started, then he shook his head and got up. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed to the kitchen, running on automatic pilot as he made coffee and rifled through the fridge for something that might pass for breakfast.
A few minutes later all he'd come up with were three eggs and some questionable-looking cheese, but at the sound of the doorbell he forgot all about breakfast. He couldn't think of anyone who would show up at his place at 7:00 on a Saturday morning; he didn't really have any friends in town, and he only knew his neighbors well enough to nod when they passed in the hall.
When he pulled open the door he swallowed a groan and glanced automatically in the direction of the bedroom, but there was no sign of Danny yet. "Sam," he said, turning his attention back to his unexpected guest. "Sorry…Samantha. What are you doing here?"
"Peace offering," she answered, holding up a bag of bagels and two cups of coffee as she brushed past him into the kitchen.
"Peace offering? For what?"
"I still felt bad about that whole thing with Jack," she answered, setting breakfast on the counter before she turned and fixed him with a suspicious expression. "Why, can't I drop in on a friend for breakfast? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"No, of course not," Martin answered, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing toward the bedroom again. "It's just not a very good time. I was about to go for a run…"
"Right," Sam said, but it was obvious she didn't believe him. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him, and when Martin followed her gaze he knew why she wasn't buying his story. The clothes he and Danny had been wearing the night before were still strewn across his living room, the trail ending at his bedroom door with Danny's boxers. He wracked his brain to come up with a story she might actually believe, but before he could think of anything Danny himself appeared in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Morning," Sam said, her grin rivaling Danny's as they both turned to look at Martin. He could feel them staring at him, but he wasn't sure he could look at either of them without actually bursting into flames. "So you were saying something about a run?"
"I didn't hear anything about any run," Danny chimed in, and Martin could hear the amusement in his voice. "You should've said something, Martin. I would've brought my running shoes."
Martin sighed and forced himself to look up, ignoring the heat in his cheeks as he scowled at Sam. "Like I said, it's not exactly a good time."
"For what?" Danny asked, and Martin met his amused expression with his best Fitzgerald glare.
"I brought breakfast," Sam answered, ignoring Martin's murderous expression.
"Great, I'm starving." Danny headed for the kitchen, apparently unconcerned about the fact that he was wandering around Martin's apartment in nothing but a towel.
Martin swallowed a sigh and turned to face Sam again, sending up a quick prayer that she wouldn't drag out his humiliation too much longer. "Look, Sam, I appreciate the gesture and all…"
"Okay, I can take a hint." Sam rolled her eyes and took a few steps toward the door, stopping when she reached the kitchen.
"You're leaving breakfast, right?" Danny asked through a mouthful of bagel.
"Yeah, yeah. But you owe me, Fitzgerald," Sam said, reaching around Danny and grabbing one of the coffees. "And you can make your own coffee."
She was out the door before Martin could answer, but he caught her grin before she pulled the door shut behind her. For a long moment he just stood there and stared at the door, his cheeks flushing again when he thought about going into the office on Monday.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later."
He looked up at the sound of Danny's voice, his forehead furrowing in confusion. "What was?"
Danny waved vaguely in the direction of the door with the second half of his bagel. "Sam finding out about us. Everybody's going to figure it out eventually. It's not that big an office, it won't take much."
It took a few seconds for the meaning behind Danny's words to sink in, but when he finally realized what the other man was saying Martin forgot all about his embarrassment. He didn't really care who knew about them, not as long as there was a 'them' to know about. The fact that Danny didn't seem to care either was something Martin never would have expected, but suddenly he felt a lot better about the fact that Sam had just barged in on them.
"I guess not," he answered, smiling to himself as he closed the distance between them and reached around Danny for one of Sam's bagels. He poured them each a cup of coffee and handed one to Danny, getting a smile and a quick kiss for his efforts. So maybe Sam was going to be smug for awhile, he could handle that. He had a lot of questions for Danny too, but he was pretty sure he could handle waiting for the answers. In fact, right now he felt like he could handle pretty much anything.
Fandom: Without a Trace
Pairing: Danny/Martin
Rating: R
Summary: Office romances are always complicated.
He that is not jealous is not in love. - St. Augustine
Martin watched as Sam stormed out of Jack's office, not even glancing over at their desks on her way out of the room. For a second he considered following her; she looked like she could use somebody to talk to, but then again, if it was about Jack maybe she could use some space.
He didn't know if anybody else in the office knew about her and Jack; if they did, it was the only well-kept secret in the office. And if they didn't he wasn't going to be the one to broadcast it to the rest of the staff, not if he wanted to keep his job. Maybe his father and the rest of the bureaucrats in the D.C. office thought Jack was a wild card, but he was still in charge of Martin's career, and Martin wasn't stupid enough to get involved in his boss' love life.
As soon as Sam was out of sight he turned back to the report sitting open on his desk, doing his best to push all thoughts of his coworkers' romantic problems out of his mind. It wasn't any of his business, and even if it was he didn't need any more problems around the office. He was finally getting to the point where people didn't look at him and automatically think of his father, and he didn't want to do anything to screw that up. No matter how pissed Sam had looked when she stormed out of the office.
Half an hour later he was so engrossed in his report that he didn't even look up when Sam came back. He didn't notice her presence at all until she stopped next to his desk, drumming her fingernails against the wooden surface while she waited for him to look up. But when he did look at her she wasn't watching him; she was staring off in the direction of Jack's office, her mouth set in a firm line. "You…uh…did you want something?" Martin asked, his eyes a little wider than usual when she turned her glare on him.
"Yeah. I was just wondering if you still wanted to get that drink."
It took him a few seconds to remember when exactly he'd asked her to go for a drink; it had been months ago, not that long after they started working together. At the time she'd seemed like the safest option to reach out to, because Danny was still treating him like he couldn't be trusted. Sam was the only other person in the office his age, and at the time he'd thought it would be nice to have at least one ally at work. Once Danny decided that he was okay he'd forgotten all about his early attempts to strike up a friendship with Sam, but she looked pretty upset and he couldn't just leave her to wallow in her misery alone.
"Uh…sure," he answered, glancing down at the report he was in the process of filling out. "I can finish this tomorrow."
As soon as he got the words out she turned on her most charming smile, leaning close enough for him to catch the scent of her perfume even as she raised her voice loud enough for anyone within twenty feet to hear. "Great. I'll grab my purse."
He nodded mutely and leaned back in his chair, watching her walk toward her own desk. Obviously he was missing something important, because there was no way that Sam had just come on to him. By the time she picked up her purse and turned toward him again he managed to snap out of it long enough to shut the file on his desk and log off his computer. He stood up and pulled his jacket back on, switching off the lamp on his desk just as she stopped next to him again.
"Ready?"
"Let's go." He flashed what he hoped was a friendly smile, letting her walk a little ahead of him toward the elevators. As he passed Danny's desk he glanced over and paused for a second when he found the other man watching them. Reading Danny's expressions was practically impossible even after all the months they'd been working together, but for a second Martin was almost overwhelmed by the need to apologize. He managed to stifle the urge before he made a fool of himself, giving Danny a little wave and a crooked smile. "See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you," Danny answered, and Martin had to tell himself he was imagining the edge in the other man's voice.
Sam looked up at him as the elevator door opened and he smiled reassuringly, catching her elbow and steering her onto the elevator. They rode down to the lobby in silence, and when they found themselves on the sidewalk outside the building Martin realized that he didn't even know where they were going. "Did you have someplace in particular in mind?"
"There's a place right around the corner," she answered, gesturing vaguely in the direction of a bar Martin had seen a thousand times on his way to work, but never actually been to. He'd never really felt comfortable hanging out in bars by himself, and the only person besides Sam he'd ever considering inviting for a drink after work wouldn't be interested. In fact, even if Danny drank Martin wasn't sure he'd be interested in spending time together outside the office. Sure, they got along a lot better than they used to, but that didn't mean Danny wanted more from Martin than a decent working relationship.
He swallowed a sigh and followed Sam into the dimly lit bar, pausing just inside the door while their eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light. The bar was starting to fill up with the after-work crowd, and it took them a minute to find an empty table. Sam gestured toward it and Martin nodded, following her to the back of the room. He slid into the seat across from hers and set his briefcase down next to his chair, taking his time getting settled before he finally forced himself to look up at her again.
"So."
"This is nice," she said, but he could tell by her smile that she was still distracted by whatever had been bothering her back at the office. Before he could ask the waitress approached their table, and he waited until she'd taken their orders and gone before he answered.
"It is," he said, hoping he didn't sound as confused as he felt about why he was suddenly sitting across a table from Sam after hours. "Any particular reason we're here?"
She shrugged and looked down at the table, and just for a second he felt almost bad for asking. Then she looked up at him again, and even though she was smiling he could see the tension lingering around her eyes. "We haven't really had a chance to get to know each other. Work's one thing, but there's not a lot of time to really talk while we're working a case."
"True," he answered, tensing a little as he tried to come up with the right way to ask his next question. "Look, Samantha, I don't mean to pry or anything, but if this is about you and Jack…"
"Me and Jack?" she interrupted, but even in the dark bar he could see the pink tint in her cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
"Come on. I overheard him and Van Doren talking during the Sydney Harrison case. I'm not judging you. I'm just saying if you want to talk, I'm a good listener."
He knew there was a chance that she'd get mad, maybe even storm out of the bar before he had a chance to apologize. It wasn't any of his business, but he didn't want her to think she could use him as a stand-in for Jack either. Before she had a chance to answer the waitress reappeared with their drinks, and he watched as Sam lifted hers and took a healthy swallow before she answered. "So what if I don't want to talk?"
She leaned a little further across the table and he felt his own blush rise; there was no denying that she was flirting with him, and he wasn't sure he was going to get out of this conversation without telling her the truth. "I'm a good listener," he repeated a little more firmly, hoping she'd take the hint and wouldn't make him spell it out.
"But you asked me out," she said, and he stopped just short of rolling his eyes. "I know it was awhile ago, but…oh God. This is embarrassing."
"Look, Sam, it's not that…I mean I'm sure I'd be interested, if circumstances were different." His cheeks burned a little hotter as she stared him down, and he found himself almost glad when comprehension finally dawned in her eyes.
"Don't tell me you're gay." She laughed and lifted her wine glass, but as soon as she registered his expression she set it right back down again. "Oh my god, you are."
He nodded and glanced around to make sure no one was listening, but despite the fact that the bar was crowded no one seemed to be interested in what they were talking about. "Would you keep your voice down?"
"Sorry. It's just…Jesus. I can't believe this. Why'd you ask me out?"
"I didn't mean it that way," he answered, shrugging helplessly when she raised her eyebrows at him. "I guess I should have known you'd take it that way. I just thought it would be nice to have at least one friendly face on the job. Vivian's got her kid, Danny didn't like me much back then, and Jack…well, you know."
"So, what, I was your fallback?" she asked, but he could tell by the laughter in her voice that she wasn't really offended.
"No…no, nothing like that." He grinned sheepishly and leaned forward. "I like you, I thought maybe we could be friends. But you had a date and it just never seemed right to ask again. I didn't want to give you the wrong impression about me, Sam…Samantha. I'm sorry."
She shook her head and lifted her glass, draining it before she signaled for the waitress. "Gay. That just figures, doesn't it? I can't believe I didn't know."
"Well it's not something I really advertise at work."
"No, I guess not," she said, but when she smiled at him this time she looked like she actually meant it. "So does anybody else know? Have you told Danny?"
"You're kidding, right?" he asked, suppressing a shudder at the thought of telling Danny. They hadn't been on friendly terms for that long, the last thing he needed was to throw that out there and give Danny reason to be suspicious of him again.
"Why not? You're friends, aren't you? Believe me, Danny would be okay with it."
He wanted to believe her; there were a hundred different times over the last few months when he'd wanted to tell Danny the truth just to see what would happen. And she seemed so sure, but if she was wrong…if she was wrong he'd probably have to transfer again, and that was the last thing he wanted. "It's not exactly the kind of thing that comes up in conversation."
She let out a low 'hmm' under her breath that told him she didn't really buy that excuse, but she let it go and that was all that mattered to him. "So does Jack know?"
"It's not in my file, if that's what you mean," he answered. It was possible that Jack had heard rumors; he was discreet, but these things had a way of getting out anyway. "Besides, even if it was my father would make sure it disappeared before anybody saw it."
"So your parents…"
"Let's just say it's one of the reasons I left D.C.," he interrupted, lifting his glass and staring down at the amber liquid so he wouldn't have to see her expression. He wasn't fishing for pity, in fact he was supposed to be cheering her up.
"Wow, that's rough. And I thought I had problems." Then again, if talking about his miserable family helped get her mind off Jack then maybe it was worth it.
"Speaking of which…"
"There's nothing to tell," she interrupted, her cheeks coloring a little. "We slept together a few times, he started to feel guilty. He's trying to work things out with his wife, and I'm trying to let him. Sometimes it's just hard to be around him, you know?"
"Yeah, I definitely know how that feels," he answered, but as soon as he saw her eyes light up he regretted it.
"Wait, don't tell me you have a thing for somebody at work."
That wasn't what he'd meant - not exactly, anyway, but he still felt himself blushing as he shifted in his seat. "Me? No way."
"Come on, Fitzgerald. We're friends now, right?"
He grinned and lifted his glass again, draining it before he answered. "Believe me, there's nothing to tell."
~
Martin looked up when someone slid into the seat next to him at the conference table, grinning when he recognized Sam. "Good morning."
"Morning." She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, then leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. "Listen, I really am sorry about last night. I shouldn't have put you in that position."
"It's okay, really," he answered, smirking at her contrite expression. "It's not like it would've worked anyway."
They both laughed at that, and all the tension Martin had been feeling since the night before lifted from his shoulders. After he'd left Sam and gone home he'd started to wonder if coming out to her was such a good idea; he'd left D.C. in the hope of leaving behind some of his inhibitions, but he was still an FBI agent and that meant he had a lot to lose. He wanted to be able to trust Sam, but until this morning he hadn't been sure he could. It meant he didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but now that he'd seen Sam again he felt a lot better. He was pretty sure he could trust her not to tell everybody else on the team, anyway, and it had been nice to go out and have a conversation that wasn't work related for once.
"I had a good time last night."
"Me too," she answered, flashing a brighter grin than he'd ever seen on her. He could definitely see what Jack found so irresistible that he was willing to risk his family, and just for a second he found himself regretting that he couldn't give her what she needed.
"Morning."
Martin started at the sound of the low, rich voice and dragged his attention away from Sam's smile. He shook himself and looked up, his grin fading a little when he found Danny glaring at them from across the table. Before he had a chance to ask what was up they were interrupted again, this time by Jack and Vivian. He cast another quick glance at Danny, but the other man was focused on Jack, and Martin found himself wondering if he'd just imagined the look.
Danny didn't look at him again while Jack briefed them on their latest case and handed out assignments, and by the time he stood up to follow Danny out of the office he was sure he'd imagined the brief flash of anger in the other man's eyes. There was no reason for Danny to be angry at him; they hadn't spoken since the night before when Martin left with Sam, and he was positive Danny didn't care what he did in his free time.
They rode the elevator down to the lobby in silence, then made their way to the parking garage and one of the unmarked cars at the back of the lot. Martin hesitated as Danny unlocked the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel, then let out a small sigh and rounded the car to slide into the passenger seat. "Tell me why it is you always get to drive."
Danny didn't even glance at him as he started the engine and backed out of the parking space. "Seniority."
"Seniority," Martin repeated, letting out a little laugh at the thought. "Last time I checked we've both been with the bureau around the same amount of time."
"Maybe so, but I've lived in the city my whole life. You've been here…what? Six months? Seniority." Danny finally looked over at Martin, but there was no hint of his usual teasing expression. "You look like shit, Fitzie."
"Thanks," Martin shot back, but he ran a self-conscious hand over his features. "Didn't get much sleep last night."
Danny let out a snort of what might have been laughter, but he didn't say anything. Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stole a glance at the other man's profile, wondering what exactly he'd done to piss Danny off. Yesterday everything had been fine between them, but this morning Danny was treating him the way he had when Martin first came to work for Missing Persons. "Look, is there a problem here?"
"No problem," Danny answered, glancing at Martin long enough to raise an eyebrow at him. "I slept like a baby last night."
Martin rolled his eyes as Danny smirked and turned his attention back to the traffic. So he wasn't going to get a straight answer; that much was obvious, but it was just as obvious that something was bothering Danny. It just figured that Martin would get stuck spending the whole day with him when Danny was in one of his moods. He considered briefly that Jack might have done it on purpose, but even if he had there was nothing Martin could do about it now. He stifled a sigh and settled a little further into his seat, glancing out the window as they merged onto the expressway. It was hard to believe he'd been in such a good mood just a few minutes ago, but somehow Danny had managed to bring Martin's mood down to the same level as his own.
"So you and Sam seem to be getting along pretty well."
The sudden break in the silence startled Martin into sitting up a little straighter, but when he looked over at Danny the other man was staring straight ahead. "Yeah, I guess so. She's a nice girl."
He couldn't help grinning as he imagined Sam's reaction to him calling her a 'nice girl'; he wasn't sure if she'd belt him or yell at him first, but he was pretty sure she'd get around to both eventually. But when he realized Danny was watching him his grin faded just as quickly as it had surfaced; if he didn't know any better he would have thought Danny was actually jealous, but as far as he knew the other man didn't have a thing for Sam.
"Yeah, she's great," Danny answered, but when Martin opened his mouth to ask what he was missing Danny just shook his head and reached for the radio controls. A second later the car was filled with some top 40 song, and Martin swallowed another sigh and went back to staring out the window. Whatever Danny's problem was he obviously wasn't going to talk to Martin about it, and if it had to do was Sam Martin was pretty sure he didn't want to know.
~
As much as Martin hated the often thinly-veiled barbs Danny had thrown at him back when they first started working together, he would have given anything for a decent shouting match by the end of the day. The silent treatment coming from Danny was a thousand times worse than any insult he could come up with about Martin's parentage or his qualifications for the job. Those things he could dismiss as Danny not knowing what he was talking about, but Danny not talking at all…that was so weird that by the time they got back to the office Martin was sure Danny was trying to drive him crazy.
He was long past worrying about what he'd done to piss off the other man; by the time they got back to the city all he wanted to do was get far away from Danny as soon as possible. The worst part was that Danny wasn't just in a bad mood. He'd been his usual charming, flirtatious self with everyone they'd spoken to that day, but when it came to Martin he clammed up again. The best he'd gotten out of Danny all day was one-word answers to work-related questions, and the few times Martin had tried to broach the subject of what was bothering Danny his questions had been completely ignored.
Well. That wasn't entirely true. Danny had managed to toss out a few sarcastic comments about Martin's vivid imagination, but Martin knew he wasn't imagining anything. At least he was pretty sure. It was hard to be positive when Danny was across the room, laughing over something with Vivian. Just a few minutes ago the temperature in their car had been chilly at best, but now that they were back in the office Danny was radiating his usual charm.
Martin shook his head at Danny's back and scanned the office, smiling for the first time in hours when he saw Sam sitting at her desk. He was so glad to see a familiar face that he didn't even think before he started toward her, and when she looked up at him and grinned some of his frustration began to fade. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," she answered. "How'd it go today?"
He shrugged noncommittally and stole a glance in Danny's direction; his conversation with Vivian had ended while Martin was focused on Sam, and now he was watching them as he walked toward his own desk. "It's not worth mentioning," he said, shifting his attention back to Sam. "So do you have plans for tonight, or do you want to grab some dinner?"
"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiled again and nodded toward her computer. "Just give me a minute to finish this."
Martin nodded and wandered back to his own desk, dropping into his chair and forcing himself not to look over at Danny. The longer he thought about it the angrier he got about the way Danny was treating him; he hadn't done anything to deserve it, and if it was about Sam then Danny could have just been straightforward with him. Martin would set him straight about him and Sam if he had to, but he wasn't about to offer that kind of information to Danny without a reason.
It was one thing to come out to Sam, but Danny was a different story entirely. It wasn't that he didn't think he could trust Danny to keep his mouth shut, but he didn't want things to change between them.f Except that they had anyway, and Martin wasn't even sure why.
It had to be about Sam; it was the only reason he could come up with for Danny's uncharacteristic behavior, and as much as Martin wanted to set the other man straight he couldn't bring himself to give Danny the satisfaction. If he told Danny they were just friends it would just give Danny another reason to be smug, and if he told Danny why they were just friends…well, he wasn't exactly sure how that would go over. He'd thought a lot about it over the past few months, but he still hadn't figured out how Danny would react if Martin told him he was gay.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Sam walking toward him until she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched and looked up at the contact. "Sorry," he said in answer to the question she hadn't asked yet. "Guess I'm a little jumpy today."
"Guess so," she said, smiling as she watched him stand up and straighten his jacket. "You sure you're up for dinner?"
"Definitely," he answered, sparing a quick glance at Danny as he followed Sam toward the elevators.
As soon as the elevator doors closed Sam shook her head, and he knew before she even opened her mouth what was coming. "You're sure nothing happened today."
"I told you, nothing worth mentioning," he answered, carefully avoiding her gaze. "Why?"
"Because the air turned a little chilly when you and Danny walked in. Kind of felt like old times there for a little while."
"Funny," he shot back, smiling grimly as he realized she was right.
~
"Hey."
Martin looked up to find Sam leaning on the table next to him, giving him that smile she usually reserved for suspects she was trying to charm out of information. In a way that smile reminded him a little of Danny, and he found himself grinning back at her. "Hey yourself. You're looking chipper this morning."
She shrugged and leaned a little closer, glancing over his shoulder for a split second before she turned back to him and smiled even more seductively. "Well I had a hot date last night."
He didn't have to look to know why she was flirting with him; he knew if he turned around he'd find Jack standing somewhere nearby, probably going over case details with Vivian. He wasn't surprised that Sam was using him to make Jack jealous, but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea to play along. Jack was his boss, after all, and no matter who Martin's father was Jack could hurt his career if he wanted to. Still, he felt for Sam; he'd been in a similar position before, and he knew how frustrating it could be to work alongside someone he had feelings for.
"I'm flattered," he said, leaning back in his chair and returning her smile. "Although I'm not sure a plate of pasta and a glass of house wine counts as a hot date."
She shrugged and pushed herself off the table, sliding gracefully into the chair next to him. "Close enough."
Martin stifled his grin as the rest of the team gathered around the conference table, clearing his throat and looking up just in time to find Jack watching him. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat until the older man looked away and began running down what they'd put together so far about the case. Martin swallowed hard and prayed that no one would notice the color creeping into his cheeks; he'd been grateful for Sam's friendship, but not if it was going to cost him his assignment at Missing Persons. The last thing he needed was to get shipped back to White Collar Crimes or some other 'safe' assignment; if that happened his father would win, and Martin could kiss any freedom he might have found in New York goodbye.
He stole a quick glance at Sam, catching sight of Danny out of the corner of his eye when he turned. He did a double take when he realized the other man was watching him, his heart skipping a beat for an entirely different reason this time. This whole situation was getting a lot more complicated than he'd bargained for, and suddenly he wasn't sure if any friendship was worth making half the team hate him.
Danny raised an eyebrow and inclined his head slightly in Martin's direction before he looked away. Martin followed Danny's gaze just in time to hear Jack handing out assignments, and he swallowed a sigh of relief when he found that he'd be working with Vivian today. The last thing he needed was another repeat of yesterday; lately he'd actually started to look forward to the days he and Danny partnered, but he wasn't sure he could take another day of the silent treatment.
As it turned out, he and Vivian actually managed to stick to the case all day. Personal issues didn't come up once, which meant either Vivian didn't know what was going on or she wasn't willing to offer an opinion on the subject. Martin had a sneaking suspicion that the latter was probably the case, but either way he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
By the end of the day he'd actually managed to relax a little, so it was even more of a shock than usual when someone grabbed him as soon as he walked into the office. He shook his arm out of Danny's grip as soon as they got around the corner, scowling as he straightened his jacket. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Offering you a little advice," Danny answered, glancing down the hall to make sure no one was within earshot before he continued. "I saw you and Sam this morning. And I'm not the only one, Martin. You haven't been around that long so maybe you don't know, but you're playing with fire here, my friend."
And now this was just getting ridiculous; if Danny had a problem with him Martin wished he'd just come out and say it instead of playing games. "Give me a little credit, Taylor. I know all about that."
"Then you know what a bad idea this is," Danny said, and if he wasn't so angry Martin would have laughed at the other man's earnest expression. Danny looked so sincere, as though he was actually worried about Martin's career. Only that couldn't be further from the truth, and they both knew it.
"It's none of your business," he answered as he took a step backwards. "I can take care of myself."
He didn't give Danny time to argue; instead he turned on his heel and marched back down the hall toward the office, blood pounding against his eardrums and his heart racing as he turned the corner and nearly collided with Sam. He caught himself just in time, his anger at Danny fading a little when he caught her expression. "What's wrong?"
She sighed and glanced over her shoulder, and when Martin followed her gaze he found Jack watching them. As soon as their eyes met Jack looked away, but Martin's heart sank into his stomach as he realized what Sam was so upset about. "It's nothing. Look, I owe you an apology for this morning."
"Don't worry about it," he said, surprised to find that he actually meant it. He'd been a little bothered by the fact that she'd been using their friendship to try to make Jack jealous, but he couldn't be mad at her when she looked so miserable.
She smiled gratefully and Martin couldn't help grinning back at her in spite of the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "Well if it makes any difference it didn't work. He told me he's glad I'm moving on."
He laughed when she rolled her eyes, but he regretted it when he realized how hard that must have been for her to hear from Jack. "You deserve better, you know."
"Don't we all?" she asked, but she returned his smile and he knew she was going to be okay. She was a strong woman, after all, and there was only so much brooding she could do over Jack before she finally realized she was worth more than what he had to offer.
"Listen," he said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Danny hadn't followed him before he continued, "has there ever been anything between you and Danny?"
For a second she just stared at him, then she let out a short laugh and shook her head. "Why would you think that?"
"Because he's been acting weird ever since we went out for that drink. He won't admit it, but I think he's jealous."
"Trust me, Martin. If Danny's jealous it's definitely not about me."
She stared back at him, waiting for her words to sink in. When they finally did he flushed a little and looked around again, making sure no one was listening before he answered. "We're talking about Danny Taylor here. There's no way."
"Look, all I know is that there's nothing between me and Danny. Whatever's bothering him doesn't have anything to do with who I go out with, that much I can guarantee you."
"So are you saying…?" He trailed off, leaning a little closer as he spoke so they wouldn't be overheard.
Instead of answering she held up her hands in mock surrender and took a step backwards. "I'm not saying anything. All I know is it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with me."
Before he could ask her what she meant she was walking away, and he knew if he went after her he'd just end up drawing even more attention to them. Still, what she was implying didn't make any sense. If Danny was…but he wasn't; there was no way Danny was gay. Sam and Vivian were always teasing him about his conquests, and he flirted with every woman he came in contact with. Then again, he flirted even more with the guys they came across on the job, and up until yesterday he'd been flirting with Martin too. Martin had always chalked it up to Danny's personality, but now he wasn't so sure. The problem was that there was no way he could find out without coming right out and asking, and if Sam was wrong he'd make things even worse than they already were.
~
On Friday Jack assigned Danny and Martin to work together again. Martin wasn't sure how he felt about spending the day alone with the other man, but he didn't really have a choice. They hadn't spoken since Danny cornered him and tried to warn him about Sam and Jack, and the more Martin had thought about it the more he realized that Danny had probably just been looking out for him. They were friends - sort of, anyway - and now that he'd had time to think about it Martin was pretty sure he'd overreacted.
He waited until they were in the car and pulling into traffic before he spoke, clearing his throat and leaning over to turn down the radio. "Listen, about the other day - I'm sorry I overreacted. I know you were just trying to help."
Danny shrugged and spared a quick glance at him, but it was long enough for Martin to see that his smirk was firmly in place. "Yeah, well, you can take care of yourself, right?"
"Come on, Danny," Martin answered, frustration creeping into his voice as he realized Danny wasn't going to make this easier for him. "I'm trying to apologize here."
"All right, all right, apology accepted." Danny grinned and pulled onto the freeway before he continued. "So how are things going with you and Sam, anyway?"
"It's not like that," Martin said, the words escaping his mouth before he could stop them. Until he said it he hadn't really planned to tell Danny the truth, but now that it was out there he realized that part of him wanted to. "I mean we're friends, but that's it. I think she was just trying to make Jack jealous."
Danny let out a low whistle. "That's cold."
Martin grinned at the implication, shaking his head and relaxing a little more in the passenger seat. "Well it's not like I didn't know what was going on. Samantha's a nice girl, but she's not really my type."
"What, she's not good enough for you? Let me guess, the type of girl you go for usually hangs out at the country club."
It was a low blow, but Martin could tell Danny was actually a little offended for Sam. He didn't really want to come out and tell Danny the truth about why Sam wasn't his type, but it bothered him that after all this time Danny still thought of him as the spoiled rich kid. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Then enlighten me, man. Sam's a great girl and she likes you, so what's the problem?"
"I just told you, she was only trying to make Jack jealous. Besides, you sound pretty interested in her yourself."
"Me?" A soft laugh escaped Danny's throat as he shook his head. "Nah. I don't get involved in office romance. Too much drama."
And okay, that was a little disappointing, but Martin wasn't about to let it show. He'd known Sam was wrong about why Danny had been acting so weird all week; it wasn't as though he'd really thought he had a chance with the other man, but hearing Danny confirm it hit him a little harder than he'd expected it to. He turned to look out the window, watching the river roll by as Danny wove in and out of traffic.
Danny cleared his throat but Martin didn't look over. He didn't want Danny to see how much this whole conversation was getting to him, especially not now that he knew for sure that Danny wasn't interested. "So you and Sam…you're really not dating?"
"No," Martin answered, squaring his shoulders and turning to face forward again. "Like I said, we're friends."
Danny nodded and for a few moments neither of them said anything, then Danny cleared his throat again. "So have you ever dated anybody you worked with? Besides Sam, I mean."
Martin grinned at that, stealing a quick glance at Danny to find that the other man was smirking. He wasn't exactly sure what Danny was fishing for, but he'd always promised himself that if someone asked him directly he wouldn't lie about who he was. He'd done that enough when he was still living under his father's roof, and he hadn't uprooted his life and moved all the way to New York just to crawl back into the closet. "Once."
Danny pulled off the freeway and turned in the direction of their suspect's last known residence. When they reached the address he pulled the car over to the curb and parked it, but instead of getting out of the car he turned to Martin again. "So how'd it work out?"
"It was okay for awhile." Martin shrugged noncommittally and glanced down the street, his gaze landing on a man walking toward them. He knew he could avoid telling Danny the truth if he wanted to, but part of him just wanted to get it out there so he'd know one way or the other how Danny felt. He was pretty sure now that Sam had been wrong about the reasons for Danny's behavior over the past few days, but there was a tiny part of him that still hoped she was right. "When we broke up it was a little awkward at first, but then he took a transfer to California and got back together with his ex, so I didn't have to deal with him anymore. There's our guy."
He didn't wait for a response before he got out of the car and headed across the street, holding up his credentials as the guy they were looking for climbed the stairs to his house. He heard Danny a few steps behind him but didn't turn to look at the other man as he began questioning the suspect; if the truth was going to change Danny's opinion of him he'd find out soon enough, but for now they had a job to do.
~
Danny didn't act much differently around Martin for the rest of the day, but they spent most of the day questioning their suspect and then doing paperwork, so it was hard for Martin to tell what the other man was thinking. He thought he'd caught Danny looking at him out of the corner of his eye once or twice, but whenever he turned to look the other man was always focused completely on whatever he was doing. By the end of their shift Martin was almost sure he'd made a mistake, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He couldn't take it back, and even if Danny couldn't handle it Martin didn't regret who he was.
He finished his paperwork and dropped the file on Jack's desk before he headed for the elevators; he told himself he wasn't avoiding Danny, but the truth was that he wasn't really in the mood for an awkward conversation after the day they'd had. He was tired and all he really wanted to do was go home, watch the news and go to bed.
"Hey Fitz, wait up."
Martin groaned inwardly at the sound of Danny's voice, contemplating letting the elevator doors close for a split second before he reached out and stopped them. He was going to have to deal with Danny eventually, so he might as well get it over with so they could both get on with their lives. Danny stepped onto the elevator and Martin let go of the doors, watching them slide closed so he wouldn't have to look at Danny.
"Listen, I was thinking about grabbing some dinner. You busy tonight?"
A dinner invitation was the last thing Martin had expected, and it surprised him enough to make him look over at Danny. The other man didn't look anywhere near as uncomfortable as Martin felt; in fact, he looked almost hopeful, as though he really was worried that Martin might say no. "Uh…yeah, sure. I mean I'm not busy."
"Great. There's a great little Greek place around the corner. You like Greek food?"
Martin felt himself nodding, although he wasn't exactly sure what the question was. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Danny had just asked him out. And okay, it probably wasn't a date. It definitely wasn't a date, but Danny knew he was gay and he still wanted to be around Martin. That counted for a lot, and Martin wasn't going to screw it up if he could help it. He didn't have a lot of friends left after leaving D.C. for greener pastures, and making new friends in New York had proved a lot more challenging than he'd really expected.
He followed Danny out of the building and around the corner to the restaurant, his mind racing as he tried to decide whether this was Danny's way of showing that he didn't have a problem with Martin's sexuality, or if he just didn't get it. Maybe he'd missed the point completely, but not even Danny could be that dense, could he? Martin's stomach flipped as it occurred to him that maybe Danny hadn't even heard him; it was possible he'd already spotted their suspect by the time Martin started talking, and if that was the case he might have missed Martin's confession completely.
They waited for a table in silence, and once they were seated the waitress came over to take their drink order right away. Martin waited until she was gone to steal a glance at Danny, but if the other man was uncomfortable in Martin's presence he was hiding it really well.
"Good work today," Danny said as he lifted his water glass and took a sip. It was hard not to watch Danny's throat move as he swallowed, and Martin was glad for the low light in the restaurant when he felt himself flush. He cleared his throat and looked down at the menu, pretending to be absorbed in the list of entrees so he wouldn't have to look at Danny.
"You were the one who finally got him to talk."
"Yeah, but if you hadn't been playing bad cop he never would have made the mistake of trusting me." Out of the corner of his eye Martin caught Danny's grin, and his heart skipped a beat in spite of his resolution not to let the other man see how nervous he was. "We make a pretty good team."
Martin smiled but kept his attention focused on his menu; he could feel Danny's eyes on him, and he wished the other man would look away just long enough for Martin to pull himself together. He wasn't used to being caught off guard like this, and he was sure he was going to do something to embarrass himself if he wasn't careful.
"Try the moussaka. It's out of this world."
Martin nodded and closed his menu reluctantly. He was grateful for the suggestion considering he didn't know much about Greek food, but now that the decision was made he didn't have an excuse to avoid looking at Danny. When he did look up he found the other man watching him with a bemused expression, and Martin shifted uncomfortably in his seat and reached for his own water glass. "What?"
"You're a hard guy to figure out," Danny answered, and if Martin didn't know better he might have thought Danny was actually flirting with him. Only Danny flirted with everybody, so there was no way to tell if this was just Danny being Danny, or if it was something new. Martin had never met anybody like Danny before, and he had a sinking feeling that he'd never learn how to read him no matter how long they knew each other.
He shrugged and set his glass back down without taking a drink. "There's not much to know about me. I'm just here to do my job."
Danny shook his head, but before he could answer the waitress reappeared. Martin ordered the moussaka and listened while Danny ordered something called biftekia, watching while the other man flirted shamelessly with the waitress. It was amazing to watch how easily Danny slipped into that personality, and if Martin wasn't so busy being jealous he might have thought to ask how Danny did it. Instead he just sat there and stared, feeling vaguely disgusted with himself for being jealous of the attention Danny paid the waitress. It was hard not to be jealous of the attention Danny paid to other people, though, because when Danny was focused on someone he had a way of making them feel as though they were the only person in the room.
Martin knew exactly how that felt; he'd been on the receiving end of Danny's charm enough times to know why people always took to him right away. He didn't kid himself that he could ever be that smooth, but he had strengths that Danny didn't have and that was the reason they made such a good team. Danny was right about that, at least, and if nothing else at least Martin knew Danny valued him as a partner. It was something, anyway, and Martin wasn't too proud to take what he could get.
When the waitress disappeared again Martin leaned forward, a crooked half-grin lighting up his features. "So you've really never thought about asking Sam out?"
Danny laughed that low, rich laugh of his again, shaking his head and leaning forward to meet Martin's gaze. "No way. I was around during the whole thing with Jack, there's no way I'd get involved in that mess."
"She gave me the impression that nobody knew about it."
"Some agent I'd be if I couldn't pick up on a little office romance." Danny grinned and leaned back in his chair again, regarding Martin thoughtfully for a long moment before he continued. "Besides, she's not really my type either."
The rest of their dinner conversation consisted mostly of small talk about work, but throughout the meal Martin got the distinct impression that Danny was flirting with him. Not that that was anything new, but it felt somehow different now that they were out of the office. He had to remind himself several times not to get his hopes up, and every time the waitress appeared and Danny turned his charming smile on her Martin remembered exactly why he shouldn't be thinking about Danny that way.
If Sam wasn't Danny's type the waitress definitely was; she was tall and leggy, with long brown hair pulled back in a loose bun and a skirt that was short enough to border on illegal. Even Martin had to admit she was gorgeous, but that didn't make him feel any better about the fact that Danny seemed to think so too. When Danny took the check and paid for dinner Martin was sure he was only doing it so he could get her number, but Martin tried not to think about the two of them together. He tried even harder not to watch as Danny paid for their dinner, his smile practically lighting up the whole room as he said something to make the waitress laugh.
He couldn't help listening; they were barely two feet away from him, after all, so he was surprised when Danny never asked for a number. It was obvious even to him that the waitress was interested, but for all Danny's flirting he never took it further. That didn't mean he wouldn't come back later, though, when Martin wasn't around to watch him hit on the waitress. He wasn't sure why Danny would care that he was there, but he wasn't going to ask.
They left the restaurant together, and Danny waved off Martin's attempts to pay for his half of the bill. He knew Danny caught the same train out to Queens that he did, so he wasn't surprised when the other man turned toward the subway station. But when they reached his stop and Danny stood up Martin couldn't help hoping this was more than just two colleagues having dinner together. He'd been so sure that their dinner wasn't a date, but he couldn't think of any other reason why Danny would walk him to his door.
When they reached his building Martin stopped, taking a deep breath to quell his nerves before he turned to face the other man. "Do you want to come up?"
"Do you want me to?" Danny asked, and when he smiled Martin forgot all about the waitress and Sam and everything else that had been bothering him all day.
"Danny…what's going on here?"
He regretted the question as soon as he asked it, because he already felt stupid enough without actually admitting how confused he was. It didn't help any that Danny had looked perfectly relaxed all evening, but now that they were standing in the dim light outside his building he could almost make out the carefully guarded nervousness behind the other man's eyes. That made him feel a little better, and he reminded himself to breathe as he waited for Danny's answer.
The moment of silence stretched out into two, then three before Danny took a step forward and leaned into his personal space. Martin had always thought that was one of Danny's more unnerving habits, but right now he found himself hoping that it meant that Danny was thinking the same thing he was.
"Tell me if I'm way off base here," Danny murmured, and before Martin could react he was even closer, his lips barely brushing Martin's before he pulled back again. It was a little weird looking at him from this close up, but Martin couldn't think about that. He couldn't think about anything except for the fact that Danny Taylor had just kissed him. And there was no way this could be anything but a dream, but if it was a dream he was going to make it last as long as possible.
"You're not," Martin heard himself answer, although how he got his voice to work through the fog in his brain he'd never know. His entire body hummed with anticipation, and all he could think about was getting them both up to his apartment before he embarrassed himself in front of all his neighbors. He fished his keys out of his pocket and climbed the stairs to the front door of his building, glancing backwards once to make sure Danny had followed.
Somehow they managed to make it up to the third floor, then down the hall to his apartment. That was as far as they got before Danny's hand landed on his waist, and before he had time to register what was happening he found himself backed up against his door, Danny's lips pressed against his in a hard, insistent kiss. His keys were pulled out of his hand, and somehow Danny managed to unlock the door without ever breaking the kiss. They were still kissing when they stumbled into the apartment, and as soon as Danny kicked the door shut behind them Martin's hands slid under the other man's jacket, fingers sliding against soft cotton as he pushed it to the floor.
"I thought you didn't get involved in office romances," Martin choked out when Danny's mouth left his long enough to gasp for breath.
"First time for everything," Danny answered just before he surged forward again, claiming Martin's mouth with his own.
Martin's tie hit the floor next, followed by his jacket and then their shoes. A trail of clothes marked their path to the bedroom, and the whole time Danny's hands and mouth mapped every inch of Martin's skin he could reach. He was just as strong as Martin had always expected him to be, his mouth soft and his breath warm against Martin's skin when he laughed at each moan that escaped Martin's throat.
Martin forgot to be self-conscious, forgot to wonder how he'd missed this about Danny for all these months. It didn't matter now, because Danny was here in his bed and somehow he knew exactly where to touch Martin without having to be told. He did things with his mouth and hands that would make Martin blush to think about even days later, and when Martin finally came he was sure he was going to die from the intensity of it.
He didn't die, but he did black out for a second or two before he blinked his eyes open again to find Danny smiling down at him. They were both covered in sweat and sticky and his bed was a wreck, but Martin couldn't make himself care about any of that. All he cared about was the fact that Danny actually wanted him, and all those months he'd spent telling himself not to wish for something he couldn't have had been a waste of time after all.
~
Mornings after had never been Martin's strong point. He never knew what to say, and with Danny he had no idea where they stood. For all he knew this was a one-time thing, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Part of him knew that Danny was right; he'd tried office romance before, and it hadn't worked out that well in the end. Still, it had been good while it lasted, and Danny wasn't anything like the last guy he'd gotten involved with at work. The fact that they worked so closely together might actually help them, and it wasn't like they had a lot of time to go out and meet other people.
None of that mattered if Danny didn't want this to go any further, though, and that was the thought that had woken Martin up at 5:00 am. Since then he'd been staring at the ceiling, listening to Danny breathe and alternating between praying that this wasn't a one-time thing and telling himself that it would be better if it was.
Sometime around 7:00 Danny mumbled something and rolled over, and a few seconds later he opened his eyes to squint at Martin. "Morning."
"Morning," Martin repeated, not bothering to hide his shock at Danny's apparent lack of morning-after awkwardness. He only had a second to think about it before Danny pulled him close and pressed their lips together, and Martin couldn't help noticing the taste of himself mingled with the stale taste of Danny's mouth.
By the time Danny let him up for air Martin was panting and flushed, but he was too relieved to care how he looked. This definitely wasn't a morning after brush-off, at least not in Martin's experience. He'd had enough one-night stands to know that most of them didn't involve long, slow kisses or fingers carding gently through his hair the next morning.
"Mind if I take a shower?" Danny finally asked, but he didn't make a move to get up or even to let go of Martin.
"Of course not. There are towels in the closet," Martin answered, wracking his brain to try and remember if he'd actually gotten his laundry done. He hadn't exactly been planning on overnight guests, but he was pretty sure there were clean towels in the closet.
Danny smiled and pressed another chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth before he pushed himself off the bed and headed toward the bathroom. Martin watched him go until the door closed and the shower started, then he shook his head and got up. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants and headed to the kitchen, running on automatic pilot as he made coffee and rifled through the fridge for something that might pass for breakfast.
A few minutes later all he'd come up with were three eggs and some questionable-looking cheese, but at the sound of the doorbell he forgot all about breakfast. He couldn't think of anyone who would show up at his place at 7:00 on a Saturday morning; he didn't really have any friends in town, and he only knew his neighbors well enough to nod when they passed in the hall.
When he pulled open the door he swallowed a groan and glanced automatically in the direction of the bedroom, but there was no sign of Danny yet. "Sam," he said, turning his attention back to his unexpected guest. "Sorry…Samantha. What are you doing here?"
"Peace offering," she answered, holding up a bag of bagels and two cups of coffee as she brushed past him into the kitchen.
"Peace offering? For what?"
"I still felt bad about that whole thing with Jack," she answered, setting breakfast on the counter before she turned and fixed him with a suspicious expression. "Why, can't I drop in on a friend for breakfast? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"No, of course not," Martin answered, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing toward the bedroom again. "It's just not a very good time. I was about to go for a run…"
"Right," Sam said, but it was obvious she didn't believe him. In fact, she wasn't even looking at him, and when Martin followed her gaze he knew why she wasn't buying his story. The clothes he and Danny had been wearing the night before were still strewn across his living room, the trail ending at his bedroom door with Danny's boxers. He wracked his brain to come up with a story she might actually believe, but before he could think of anything Danny himself appeared in the doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Morning," Sam said, her grin rivaling Danny's as they both turned to look at Martin. He could feel them staring at him, but he wasn't sure he could look at either of them without actually bursting into flames. "So you were saying something about a run?"
"I didn't hear anything about any run," Danny chimed in, and Martin could hear the amusement in his voice. "You should've said something, Martin. I would've brought my running shoes."
Martin sighed and forced himself to look up, ignoring the heat in his cheeks as he scowled at Sam. "Like I said, it's not exactly a good time."
"For what?" Danny asked, and Martin met his amused expression with his best Fitzgerald glare.
"I brought breakfast," Sam answered, ignoring Martin's murderous expression.
"Great, I'm starving." Danny headed for the kitchen, apparently unconcerned about the fact that he was wandering around Martin's apartment in nothing but a towel.
Martin swallowed a sigh and turned to face Sam again, sending up a quick prayer that she wouldn't drag out his humiliation too much longer. "Look, Sam, I appreciate the gesture and all…"
"Okay, I can take a hint." Sam rolled her eyes and took a few steps toward the door, stopping when she reached the kitchen.
"You're leaving breakfast, right?" Danny asked through a mouthful of bagel.
"Yeah, yeah. But you owe me, Fitzgerald," Sam said, reaching around Danny and grabbing one of the coffees. "And you can make your own coffee."
She was out the door before Martin could answer, but he caught her grin before she pulled the door shut behind her. For a long moment he just stood there and stared at the door, his cheeks flushing again when he thought about going into the office on Monday.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later."
He looked up at the sound of Danny's voice, his forehead furrowing in confusion. "What was?"
Danny waved vaguely in the direction of the door with the second half of his bagel. "Sam finding out about us. Everybody's going to figure it out eventually. It's not that big an office, it won't take much."
It took a few seconds for the meaning behind Danny's words to sink in, but when he finally realized what the other man was saying Martin forgot all about his embarrassment. He didn't really care who knew about them, not as long as there was a 'them' to know about. The fact that Danny didn't seem to care either was something Martin never would have expected, but suddenly he felt a lot better about the fact that Sam had just barged in on them.
"I guess not," he answered, smiling to himself as he closed the distance between them and reached around Danny for one of Sam's bagels. He poured them each a cup of coffee and handed one to Danny, getting a smile and a quick kiss for his efforts. So maybe Sam was going to be smug for awhile, he could handle that. He had a lot of questions for Danny too, but he was pretty sure he could handle waiting for the answers. In fact, right now he felt like he could handle pretty much anything.