Archive of Our Own

"I need a creepy friend to scare off the other creepy people."

Danny makes faces as he stumbles out into the alley. With dark smudges of liner ringing his eyes and glitter smeared over his skin, he should look like a train wreck, but flushed and panting from the press of the club, he manages to look sultry, instead.

Of course, Danny's back-up can't see any of that. All Matt knows is that Danny is grumpy and smelling of smoke and cheap cologne. Since Matt's been out in this alley for quite a while with a headache blooming between his eyes due to the thump of the bass beat, the resulting schadenfreude is sweet. He smirks from where he leans against the wall, arms folded over his chest, and raises an eyebrow.

"Oh? I thought you said you could take care of this by yourself?"

Grumbling, Danny runs a hand through his hair again as he strolls into the alley. He makes a disgusted sound when more glitter comes free in a shimmering cloud.

"They're all out of their minds in there. This one guy kept staring at my ass and repeating 'It's just a beautiful piece of artwork.'"

Matt can't see his pout, but he can hear it and it makes him smile. The dance music is headache-inducing, but its echoes trace the lines of Danny's face quite nicely. It would be a nice effect if it weren't so painful.

"Do you want me to come down with you next time?" Matt's smile gleams white and shark-like in the dim light of the alley. "I'd be honoured to be your creepy friend."

Danny snorts and rubs at his face, smearing the beads of sweat that have been trickling down the side of his jaw.

"There isn't going to be a next time. I'm pretty sure that just about everyone in the place managed to feel me up at some point tonight, but I picked up the info we were looking for."

"I guess we can go then." Matt kicks off from the wall and snaps his cane out, the very epitome of cool and collected, a direct contrast to Danny's rumpled look... until he smacks Danny's rear on his way by.

"Ack! What was that for?"

In response to Danny's yelp, Matt shrugs and grins.

"You said everyone else had done that already tonight. I was feeling left out."

Already off-balance, Danny hesitates just a bit too long before he says, "I didn't think you swung that way."

The comment is playful, but even with the background noise, Matt can tell that it's also strained. Unsure of how to respond, he shrugs and is carefully casual with his reply.

"I play both fields." He pauses, then runs a hand through his hair, smiling ruefully. "Well, I did more when I was in college. It's not like men smell bad or anything, it's just that the way things are now, women tend to come into my life more often. That's all."

"Smell bad?"

"Well, it's not like I'm going to judge prospective dates by their looks." The joke falls flat, so Matt hurries on to his explanation. "I date people who smell good. Gender doesn't really factor into the equation."

"Oh."

There's more information in that one syllable than Matt can fully understand, so he lets the conversation drop. The awkward silence hangs between the two of them even as they walk down the street, and the two men determinedly look everywhere except at each other. Well, mostly.

Danny glances at Matt surreptitiously as they walk, trying his best to keep from staring. His eyes flick over the curve of Matt's jaw, the flash of wrist peeking from behind his cuffs as he walks, the sweep of his coat around his legs. It's easier to do that, to take Matt in pieces rather than all at once. It's not as overwhelming and, if he were being painfully honest with himself, Danny would admit that he's way in over his head already.

He doesn't want to think about that, though. He and Matt are friends. They're really good friends and changing things when they've just settled into this comfortable partnership would be stupid. Danny can be content just staying at Matt's side, just like he was with Luke. It's enough.

As he searches for something to talk about and break the silence, Danny scratches at his jaw, sighing as he notices the sparkles rubbing off onto his hand.

"Man, I'm going to be sparkling in the weirdest places for the next week," he mutters to himself idly.

"Yeah?" Matt snatches up the topic change just a little too eagerly. "How bad is it?"

"I think I landed somewhere between overzealous pre-schooler art project and drag-queen."

Snickering at Danny's pouting, Matt taps him on the ankle with his cane.

"Well, better you than me."

Danny looks over at Matt from out the corner of his eye and suddenly decides that Matt's smirk ought to be wiped off of his face.

"Oh, but you know how they say pain shared is pain lessened?"

"No?" Matt's eyebrows rise up into his hairline and he starts edging away from Danny, but the other man is already on him, lunging in to smear glitter-covered hands into Matt's hair.

"Here, let me show you."

"Augh, get off! Get off!"

"But you pull off the look so much better than me, vampire-man!"

The two end up laughing and grabbing at each other as they stumble down the street, with Matt trying to dodge out of the way as Danny bats at him, trying to wipe glitter off onto his clothing. By the time they get to Matt's place, Danny has tears in his eyes from laughing so hard. Matt, meanwhile, is sparkling gently in the glow of the streetlights and sighing as he stands on his doorstep.

"You. I'm going to get you back for this."

Still chuckling, Danny shoots a grin up at his friend.

"What if I paid for dinner? Would that make us even?"

"Let me guess, Chinese takeout?"

"Would I get you anything less delicious?"

There's a beat, then Matt laughs.

"Only you, Daniel Rand. Only you." He unlocks the door and waves Danny in. "You know where everything is, so go take a shower. Maybe if you use enough soap, you can get most of the glitter off."

"You just don't want it on your couch, right?"

"Got it in one."

Grinning, Danny strolls in, feeling victorious. As he steps into Matt's bathroom and starts shedding his clothes, though, the smug sensation begins to fade. Now that he's no longer preoccupied with horsing around, his mind is whirling back into the circles that he'd been trying to forget about.

It really doesn't help that he's washing his hair with Matt's shampoo. Hanging around Matt always reminds Danny to pay attention to his other senses. It's normally a good thing to be doing in a fight, but now that he's surrounded by Matt's scent, things are just a little awkward.

Carefully, he reaches out and turns the water to cold.

==

When Danny goes off to shower, Matt flops down onto the couch, revelling in the blessed peace of his apartment. He then promptly realizes that all of his energy has drained away. It's one of the downsides of owning such a comfortable couch.

Grimacing, he tugs his tie off his neck and squirms out of his coat, then balls up the mass of fabric and tosses it somewhere in the general direction of the side table. Sprawled out like this, with the top few buttons of his shirt open and his shoes kicked off beneath the coffee table, Matt can stretch out and drop into that hazy state of contentment that floats just before falling asleep. This right here is Matt's little piece of heaven.

He tells himself that he'll only be here a moment. In a few minutes, he'll get up to go get the phone and order dinner. Of course, one moment stretches out into several and Matt is still sprawled out when the patter of the shower stops. Dimly, his mind registers that this is an important event, but even so, he starts when water drips onto his nose.

"Hey." Danny's smile shines through in his voice when he speaks. He's leaning over Matt, trailing the soft scent of steam in his wake. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Matt shakes himself and sits up, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses. "Just tired. Being in loud places really takes it out of me."

He cocks his head as Danny comes around to perch on the arm of the couch, puzzling out the strangeness about his silhouette. When the answer hits him, Matt smacks his palm to his forehead.

"Shoot, I forgot to grab you a change of clothes."

"Yeah, but don't worry about it. I'll just air dry." Laughing, Danny adds, "I think I can trust you not to try to sneak a peek, right?"

Matt laughs along, doing his best to hide his nervousness. "You're forgetting that blind people see with their hands."

He wiggles his fingers to illustrate and Danny snickers. "Yeah, keep those to yourself."

They settle back into quietness for several slow heartbeats, then Danny starts to speak, pauses, then laughs and ducks his head. Matt raises an eyebrow in response, curious.

"What?"

"Sorry." Danny rubs at his neck nervously. "I just was wondering... You were talking about how people smell different before and..."

"And?" Matt both does and doesn't want to know what Danny is about to ask. After biting his lip for a moment, Danny blurts, "How do I smell?"

"Uh." This time it's Matt's turn to pause, tongue-tied. "Well, right now you smell like my shampoo."

Internally, he's hoping that Danny will take that as a cue to let the topic drop. Of course, instead of taking the hint, Danny leans in, wheedling at Matt with what sounds like a pout on his face.

"I meant under that! You can smell that, can't you?"

There's a note of something more than innocent curiosity in his voice, but Matt can't identify what it is.

"Under the shampoo and the soap?"

"Yeah! How do I rate on the scale?" He can't see Danny's face well in the stillness of the room, but Matt still imagines the other man's playful grin. "Am I preeeeetty?"

Maybe it's his preoccupation with figuring it out or maybe it's just that his mind has dulled from weariness and the throbbing of his headache. Either way, Matt grumpily waves Danny off and blurts out an answer without thinking.

"Yes!"

Both men freeze where they are. Matt can practically hear the wheels in Danny's head turning, and he's sure that something has just clicked into place. Awkwardly, he clears his throat and tries to find his footing.

"Yes. You smell really good. And I'm not going to jump you or anything, but you asked and–"

"Hey, relax!" Danny pats Matt on the shoulder. "It's just me. We're cool."

He sits back on the couch, arms folded behind his head. Matt is agitated enough that he takes Danny's body language at face value, ignoring the tense undercurrent in the way Danny tips his legs up onto the coffee table.

"Okay. We're cool."

The pregnant pause swells, then Danny turns and nudges Matt with his shoulder. "So... how long have you thought I was preeeeeeeeetty?"

"Oh, for the love of pete..."

Danny laughs as Matt bats him upside the head with the palm of his hand, rolling into the couch and curling up to protect his head.

"Aah! Stop that! Why can't you just feed my ego?"

"Why are we even friends again?"

"Because-" Danny's laughter cuts in between his words as he squirms. "You looooooove me."

"I also think you're annoying."

"Maybe... But you think I'm preeeeeeeeeeeeetty," singsongs Danny.

Matt snorts.

"Yes, you smell gorgeous. That won't stop me from smacking you for being stupid, though. Just so you know."

"Aw, see? This is why I keep you around. Misty never told me I smelled pretty." There was a faint note of regret in Danny's voice when he said Misty's name, but he shook it off before Matt could ask him about it. "That's not the point, though."

"So, what's the point, then?"

"That you think I'm sexy." Danny pokes Matt in the nose, happily. After a beat, he adds, "And hey, don't get me wrong. You're hot too."

Matt can't help the blush from rising to his cheeks, but he tries to hide it by letting himself fall back onto the couch and tipping his face up to the ceiling.

"I'm not sure if I should accept your pity compliments," he drawls with a flash of teeth to soften the words. "They ring hollow to my ears."

"I'm not lying!" Danny waves his arm out in the air, smirking. "Look at us. Two hot guys sitting half-naked on a couch. Bet there'd be a whole lot of girls who'd pay money to see this."

"You're the one that's naked. I just took off my coat and tie."

"You're three-quarters and I've got a towel. It averages out to half."

"I see someone's rediscovered his enterprising spirit. Impressive."

"Yup!" Danny breathes in, then tips his head, as if he's considering something. "You know, they'd pay more if we kissed."

Matt chokes on his tongue, he's so surprised, doubling over to cough, while Danny whacks him on the back and makes concerned noises.

"What, is that such a bad idea?"

"No. I mean–" Coughing interrupts his train of thought, so Matt holds up a hand so that he can get his breath back. "That was unexpected. Also, if that was an attempt at flirting, it needs some work."

"Yeah, uh..." Danny laughs nervously. "I don't really flirt. That much. I mean, when I've met people before, we normally just fight. Then we make out."

"Uh-huh."

"Really!"

Matt pulls himself back upright with a huff of breath and tries to cut Danny's embarrassment with a joke. "Well, if you're going to jump me, give me a warning first, okay? I won't see you coming otherwise."

Instead of laughing, Danny pauses, then says, "Okay, this is your warning."

Suddenly, their faces are close enough that Matt can sense the heat rising in Danny's cheeks. For some reason, that makes his breath catch in his throat.

"I don't think you get what you're doing, Danny." Matt slides away, getting ready to stand up from the couch. "You're off with Misty right now, but jumping into a one-night stand isn't going to work–"

"Oh man, I'm going to have to talk it out, aren't I?" Danny grabs for Matt's sleeve with both hands. "Look, I'm not just going for a one-night stand here."

Something in Danny's voice nails Matt in place. He can't do anything but nod slowly and listen as Danny takes a slow, deep breath, heart pounding in his chest.

"I've been thinking. About... stuff."

Danny's smile dips for a moment as he tries to figure out the right words to say.

"I... I've been thinking about this for a lot longer than just tonight. I just didn't think you were interested until, well, now."

"Danny–"

Matt cuts himself off when Danny puts a gentle finger to his lips.

"Ah. Did I say I was done?"

Mutely, Matt shakes his head. After a beat to recompose himself, Danny moves his hand away from Matt's mouth, cupping his face instead.

"I know you'd agonize over this if I just left you to it, because that's just what you do. And even though I'm talking at you, you still think that I'm just jumping into things, right? But... Look, you know what I realized?"

Danny leans in and Matt can hear the grin in his voice.

"What?" he asks, helpless to stop his mouth from asking the questions he wants answered.

"I thought about it, and I don't care." A shiver runs down Matt's back as Danny's breath ghosts over his ear. "Because I want you."

His voice is soft and low, but Danny's words echo in Matt's ears and make his chest ache with tight, unexpressed emotion.

"Say that again."

He doesn't even realize that he's speaking the words until he hears Danny's little bark of a laugh, feels him let go of his sleeve and take hold of his hand. Danny's thumb strokes over Matt's knuckles and somehow that little movement is more intimate than a kiss might have been.

"I want you, Matthew Murdock, and I know you want me. Nothing else matters."

"Danny..."

Somehow Matt finds it in himself to try to be good, tipping his head up to the heavens and attempting to twist out of Danny's grip. Then Danny squeezes his hand.

"Please."

Once again, all it takes is one word from Danny's mouth to stop Matt in his tracks.

"Just this once. If it doesn't work, we'll forget all about it, but can't we just deal with all the stupid little details later and just jump in?"

Half turned away from Danny, Matt can still hear the quaver of uncertainty in his voice. All it would take to stop this is a step and a grunt and Danny would let go. Matt knows this.

"Okay."

A tiny thrill of glee dashes through his heart when he hears Danny's heartbeat start racing.

"So..." Danny trails off, and Matt can hear the smile in his words. "I'm going to kiss you now."

He would have nodded again, but Danny's mouth is already on his. The press of their lips is soft and tentative at first, but neither of them are any good at being patient, and soon the kiss takes on a desperate, hungry feel. Matt's heartbeat is thundering in his bones. He wants more, wants to hold Danny close and breathe him in, but what if something goes wrong? There's so much that can happen, so much to regret and worry about in the future and Matt realizes that he's probably going to end up even more screwed up than he already is--

"Shhh. Stop thinking," whispers Danny as he unbuttons Matt's shirt. "Just stop."

"I can't."

"You can. Do that later." He pushes Matt back onto the couch and cuts off his protests with another kiss while sliding his shirt off of his shoulders. "Do me now."

His hands are cool and still slightly damp from the shower. Matt grabs at Danny for balance as he sinks into the couch cushions and all at once, he remembers that Danny just got out of the shower. Danny is straddling Matt's lap wearing nothing but a towel. The towel is fluffy, flimsy and easily removed.

That's about the point when he gives up on fighting the battle to come up with a coherent rebuttal. It seems like a waste of time and energy that can be better used to reach out and tug.

"That's the spirit." Laughing, Danny starts fumbling open Matt's pants. Matt starts to reply, but then Danny slips a hand down under his briefs and the whirling guilt and what-ifs and thinking all give way to blessed incoherence.

==

Upon waking, Danny immediately notices that something is off. He sits up a little, just to make sure, then flops back onto his pillow.

"He started thinking about it."

With a sigh, he rolls onto his stomach to pout about the unfairness of life, stretching out into the cold, empty left side of the bed. His pillow is shimmering gently in the light of the rising sun.

"This is so ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous?"

Startled, Danny yelps and scrambles upright. Matt is standing in the doorway with a glass of juice in his hands.

"You are!" Danny huffs and crawls out of bed, crossing the room to poke Matt in the chest. "You are so ridiculous. I thought you had left!"

"I just got thirsty?" Matt pauses, then grins. "Can I make it up to you somehow?"

"Well..." Danny makes a show of thinking it over, then leers ever so slightly. "There is one thing you could do for me."

"Anything."

"Great." With that, Danny snags Matt's juice and starts sauntering back to the bed, finishing it with one long gulp. "Mm, that hits the spot."

Matt picks the empty glass up from the bedside table, raising his eyebrows at Danny. "You didn't even leave a little behind for me?"

"I was thirsty!" Danny taps at the corner of his mouth, smirking. "Mm, there might be a taste left right here, though."

"See if I ever make you breakfast." Matt mutters, but he's smiling as he crawls onto the bed to steal a kiss. "I might be ridiculous, but you are shameless."

Danny slides his hands onto Matt's hips and playfully tugs him down. "You love it."

"Yes, I do." Laughing, Matt lets himself fall into Danny's embrace.