Chapter Text
PROLOGUE
If there was anything Nicholas Angel hated, it was being late and disappointing Danny, and right now, he was on the verge of doing both.
It was Nicholas and Danny’s third anniversary. With his past relationships, Nicholas had given little thought to anniversaries (and birthdays and parties and dads’ funerals…), but what he had with Danny was a million times more special than all his previous relationships combined. Nicholas was still surprised he had gone three years without driving Danny away, and figured that was worth celebrating in itself. But another typical day of dealing with Sandford’s most notorious pranksters, juvenile delinquents, and petty thieves had left both Nicholas and Danny buried up to their elbows in paperwork. Nicholas had graciously taken on Danny’s portion to allow his partner to leave work at five to prepare “the surprise.” Nicholas had no idea what it was, but given their history, it was bound to be something sweet and romantic, a trait of Danny’s Nicholas found he enjoyed more than he’d expected. Nicholas was still learning to get in touch with his romantic side, but he knew his present of a Die Hard jumper and the Point Break Steelbook Blu-ray would make up for his romantic ineptitude.
None of that would matter if he didn’t finish his paperwork and get changed. Danny had been very mysterious in his planning, only telling Nicholas to trust him, which Nicholas did wholeheartedly. As the clock ticked nearer to 6, for once in his life, Nicholas rushed through his work. He was fairly sure he spelled several names wrong and might have put the cow down as an accomplice, but he finished with five minutes to change and try to look semi-decent for Danny.
Doris gave Nicholas a once-over when he emerged from the locker room a few minutes later. Danny had given him firm instructions not to wear anything too fancy, which Nicholas was secretly relieved about as he hated wearing anything close to formal wear. Instead Nicholas had opted for pair of khakis and a light blue button up shirt; he knew Danny liked it when Nicholas wore things that couldn’t be easily mistaken for police issue clothing.
“Lookin’ good, Chief,” Doris told him, winking. “Danny’s gonna have to hold himself back.”
“Thank you, Doris,” Nicholas replied, trying not to sound exasperated. He wasn’t used to having his relationship so intertwined with his work life. No one on the team minded when he and Danny started dating, but he was still getting used to the occasional comments from his officers about his personal life. He knew, for all the ribbing they gave him and Danny, they meant well, and were truly happy for the pair. “Is Danny here yet?”
Before Doris could reply, the door to the station opened and the man in question walked in, looking very proud of himself. When he caught sight of Nicholas, his face broke into a grin, and Nicholas had to refrain from pulling Danny in for a passionate kiss (at least until they got away from Doris, who was watching the two with great interest, her own paperwork sitting forgotten by her computer).
“Hey, Nicky,” Danny said, planting a quick kiss on Nicholas’ lips before taking hold of his hand. “Ready to go?”
Nicholas couldn’t help but grin back; Danny just had one of those smiles that was infectious, which was one of the many reasons Nicholas loved him.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” he said softly, letting Danny eagerly tug him towards the door. He barely heard Doris’ farewell as the door shut behind them.
The summer evening air was warm and breezy; not so hot that Nicholas worried about sweating through his shirt, not so cold that he wanted to go home to grab a sweater; the fewer layers between him and Danny that night, the better. He just hoped Danny had thought to grab the condoms before leaving the house, because it had completely slipped his mind that morning.
As soon as they were by their car in the safety of the mostly-dark car park, Nicholas put down his gift bag and pulled Danny towards him
“I’ve been waiting for this all day,” he whispered, before pulling Danny in for a proper snog. Danny gasped, allowing Nicholas to slip his tongue in and taste him.
Danny’s surprise quickly turned to desire; his fingers gripped onto Nicholas’ hips and he moaned into Nicholas’ mouth before sucking his lower lip. When Nicholas turned his attention to Danny’s neck, one hand still tangled in Danny’s hair, the other making its way towards his arse, Danny had to muster up all his resistance and pull back. Nicholas let out a frankly adorable whine of protest and Danny felt himself throb, but he ordered his hormones to stand down for now.
“Nicky, we’ve got plans, remember?” he whispered, rubbing Nicholas’ shoulders soothingly and trying not to be turned on anymore than he already was by the desire in Nicholas’ eyes. “’Sides, you don’t want to get off in the car park, yeah? Not real romantic.”
Nicholas laughed and nodded, picking his bag up and heading to his side of the car.
“Knowing our luck, the Andes would pull in right when it was getting good,” Nicholas remarked, opening the door and sliding into the passenger’s seat beside Danny. He reached over and squeezed Danny’s knee. “I want you all to myself.”
“You’ll get that and more,” Danny replied, placing his own hand over Nicholas’ and squeezing back. Then he started up the car and pulled out onto the road.
A few minutes later, Danny took a right and headed for a hilly, wooded area. Nicholas had by this point become familiar with most of Sandford, but he had rarely ventured into the more rural parts of the area. One look at the tree roots and rocks sticking out of the ground assured Nicholas this would be an easy place for one to twist an ankle or get more seriously injured. But the excited look on his partner’s face eased his worries and he told himself to let Danny take control.
A few more uphill turns, and suddenly they were at a clearing overlooking the village. The ground here was noticeably less treacherous, covered in nice soft layer of grass with nary a rock or root in sight. Though a moment later, Nicholas’ attention was diverted from the ground to line of yellow tape stretched over most of the clearing, tied securely at both ends to nearby trees.
“Danny, did you cordon off this area with police tape?” he asked, trying not to sound miffed.
“Yeah, just in case; had to keep teens and whatnot from setting up shop here,” Danny replied. Nicholas noted that, for his part, Danny did sound sheepish, and he decided the ends, at least tonight, justified the means, so he let the matter drop. Nothing said “mood killer” like a poorly-timed lecture on the proper use of police equipment.
“What is this place?” Nicholas asked, changing the subject for Danny’s sake. His partner grinned and turned off the car.
“C’mon, I’ll show you.”
They got out of the car, and Danny quickly removed the police tape while his partner inspected the area. Nicholas could see a large, fluffy blanket spread out of the ground, and he felt his heart squeeze. Before he could say anything, Danny took his hand and led him to the edge of the clearing, giving him the full unobstructed view of the village down below. Sandford was beautiful and deceptively peaceful, all lit up under the setting sun, which had turned the sky a gorgeous mix of orange, pink, purple, and red. Nicholas felt Danny’s arms reach around his waist and his chin rest on Nicholas’ shoulder. Nicholas leaned back comfortably into Danny’s solid frame.
“It’s lovely, Danny,” Nicholas whispered, turning his head so he could rest his forehead against the side of Danny’s head.
“I always wanted to take you here,” Danny told him. “But it had to be for something special. Then things kept getting in the way. But we’re finally here.” He kissed the back of Nicholas’ neck and squeezed him tightly.
“It’s perfect, Danny, thank you,” Nicholas said softly.
“That’s not all, a’course,” Danny revealed, pulling away reluctantly and heading back to the car. “We’re gonna have a picnic!” He popped open the trunk and pulled out a basket brimming with food.
Nicholas grinned at Danny’s enthusiasm and joined him on the blanket; it was so thick and fluffy he couldn’t even feel the ground underneath. Danny plopped down next to him and set the picnic basket between them.
“Did you make all this yourself?” Nicholas asked as Danny started laying out the basket’s treasures on the blanket. There were sandwiches, quiche, salad, a plate of cut veggies and fruits, a small cake, a plate of cookies, and a bottle of wine with two glasses. Danny smiled at Nicholas.
“Most of it,” he admitted, blushing. Nicholas had found that, when not living the lifestyle of a slovenly bachelor, Danny could be a surprisingly good cook. He had taken Nicholas’ vegetarianism as a challenge, and had come up with some delicious meat-free alternatives to his best dishes. Nicholas put his hand on Danny’s neck and pulled him in for a soft kiss.
“You’re amazing,” he told Danny. Danny blushed even harder.
“I learn from the best.”
The next hour was spent wining, dining, and watching as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. The dinner was one of the best Nicholas had ever tasted, though whether that was because of the food or the company, he couldn’t say. The wine Danny had brought was impressively decent by Sandford standards, and Nicholas found himself asking for a refill as they finished off the cake. Nicholas typically didn’t go in for sweets, but Danny had opened up his repertoire of acceptable foods. And, Nicholas admitted, watching Danny out of the corner of his eye, he did enjoy helping Danny clean up by licking frosting off his fingers and lips.
As Danny finished putting away the remnants of their picnic back in the basket, Nicholas set his glass of wine on the ground beside him. Once Danny sat back down, Nicholas crawled into his lap, facing him and taking his face in his hands. Danny smiled softly and his hands travelled up Nicholas’ sides, subtly untucking his shirt as they went. Nicholas bent down and kissed Danny, hard, deep, and with far more lust than he would normally display in public. He pushed his tongue into Danny’s mouth, who did the same to Nicholas, while his hands succeeded in removing Nicholas’ shirt from his trousers. While Danny’s hands roamed freely over Nicholas’ heated skin, Nicholas turned his attention to Danny’s neck, picking up where he’d left off in the car park, kissing and nipping and sucking at the skin above his collar.
Danny’s desire to see Nicholas’ skin in the moonlight forced him to push Nicholas back just so he could pull his lover’s shirt up over his head. Nicholas skin was as flawless and gorgeous as ever, the moon glinting off his medallion and giving him an untamed, wild beauty.
“Fuck, Nic’las, I fuckin’ love you,” Danny whispered, grabbing Nicholas by his hips and kissing his chest, sucking and licking at each nipple, enjoying the moans this elicited from his lover. Nicholas leaned his head back, letting out a breathy “Love you too” as Danny’s tongue drove him to distraction. Danny’s breath hitched as Nicholas’ hips started grinding into Danny’s at an awkward angle, and he pulled back, panting. Nicholas stared at Danny with dark eyes, then reached between them and rubbed the heel of his hand over the bulge in Danny’s trousers.
“So why don’t you show me how much you love me?” Nicholas panted, enjoying the loud moan Danny released at the touch of Nicholas’ hand. He almost didn’t notice Nicholas deftly unbuckling his belt, then he snapped back to reality.
“Wot, here? In…public?” Danny asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. He had a thing for having sex in public; the thrill of getting caught just made the whole thing that much more exciting, especially if he was doing it with Nicholas, who never so much as jaywalked if he could help it. Except for a blowjob in the locker room on Danny’s birthday, Nicholas was very much against this particular fixation of Danny’s. But not tonight.
Nicholas slowly smiled at Danny, pulling him in for a soft kiss as his other hand undid Danny’s trousers, allowing him to slip his hand inside and grip Danny through his pants. Danny groaned into Nicholas’ mouth, a sensation which shot straight to his crotch, making him fully hard.
“Yes, Danny,” Nicholas said, in between placing kisses on his jaw and chin and neck. “I want you. I want you to fuck me right here, on this blanket, in front of the whole fucking village.”
Danny felt like a million fireworks had gone off his head. This was the sort of thing that happened in his dreams, the type of dreams that woke him up in the middle of the night, hard and sweaty and tempted to wake up Nicholas for some 3am sex. But it was really happening, and it was far hotter than he had ever imagined.
“…k,” he managed to get out. “I…in the basket…there’s…stuff…” Danny was having a hard time forming thoughts and sentences as Nicholas’ hand kept going to work on him. If he wasn’t careful, Danny would be finished before they’d even started.
“Condoms?” Nicholas whispered in his ear, somehow making the word seem sexy. But instead, it made Danny freeze. Nicholas noticed the change in his partner and pulled back, eyes searching Danny’s face for an answer.
“…fuck,” Danny answered meekly. “I…I meant to grab some…shit, I’m sorry Nicky, I’ll go-”
“No, no, Danny, don’t,” Nicholas replied, his mind working quickly to analyze the situation. He was half-undressed and had his hand down Danny’s trousers; the last thing he wanted to do was stop so Danny could run to the store. Besides, who knew how long they had this spot to themselves? The later it got, the greater the likelihood some randy teenagers looking for a good time would pull up and catch the pair going at it. Both had been tested so they knew they were clean, and it was hardly the first time they’d had sex without protection, so really, what was the chance something would happen this time? The heart-broken look on Danny’s face sealed it for Nicholas; he had gone to so much trouble giving them the perfect anniversary, he wasn’t going to let a little thing like this ruin the night.
“Danny, babe, it’s alright,” he whispered, cupping Danny’s face with his free hand. “I don’t care. I said I want you and I mean it. Right here, right now.” He smiled as sweetly as he could, trying to ease Danny’s worry.
“You – you sure, Nicky?” Danny asked, his hands still unmoving at Nicholas’ sides.
“Yes,” Nicholas replied, rubbing the back of Danny’s neck and unabashedly grinding his hips into Danny’s again. “Fuck me.”
That tone of voice was alchemical; it turned sweet, bumbling Danny into Sergeant Butterman, Sanford’s finest. His grip on Nicholas got surer, he laid back and pulled Nicholas with him. Danny rolled them over and looked down at Nicholas, with his bare shoulders against the blanket. Nicholas blinked owlishly as the wine settled in his head. That slightly dazed look, the furrow of his brow, the little frown, it always drove Danny crazy: it made him wonder how somebody so beautiful and clever and… everything... was all his.
Nicholas pulled his head down for a kiss, a gentle touch of his lips against Danny’s. A promise, like he could read Danny’s mind: All yours.
“Need those trousers off,” Danny said. (Tenderness only lasted so long when you were as hard as he was.) He kissed that freckle on Nicholas’s jawline, nosed down to bite at the one on his neck. He helped Nicholas with the zip on his khakis and dragged them down. He leaned over to kiss the bows of Nicholas’s hipbones and the hollow of his stomach, followed the little trail of hair down his belly to the band of his pants. He slipped both of his hands in the band and slid those down too, and Nicholas felt the warm wine in his brain and the cool air on his skin.
Danny’s hand nestled between Nicholas’s legs. He cupped Nicholas with his big hand, rubbed him up and down, and grinned.
Nicholas sat up to kick off his shoes and get the khakis free. He hooked off his socks in the same motion, and then he really was completely naked, wearing nothing but his St. Michael medallion and the moonlight and the red brands of Danny’s bites.
Danny’s eyes swept over him. He licked his lips. “Hell, Nic’las.”
Nicholas smiled. “Happy anniversary.” Then, because without his clothes it was a little colder than he’d thought, he grabbed Danny by the collar and yanked him closer. “I think I asked you to fuck me, Sergeant.”
Danny had the bottle ready. He opened the cap and squeezed some onto his fingers. Nicholas lay back and Danny stretched out beside him, face to face, close enough to keep him warm.
Nicholas hooked a knee over Danny and let Danny play with him again. Danny brushed his hip with the back of his hand and reached through Nicholas’s legs to start to stretch him. They traded kisses while Danny used his free hand to stroke Nicholas’s serious face, his neck, his temples, gentle touches to relax Nicholas while he kept his fingers inside. Between the kisses Nicholas started unbuttoning Danny’s collar. He wanted a little more of his partner, too. He opened the rest of the buttons and pushed the dark green shirt back off Danny’s shoulders.
In the dark, Danny’s scars were almost invisible. They had shaved him in the hospital, somewhere in the endless bouts of surgery. His chest hair had come back thicker and darker, but there were hairless creases and pale white lines, like cracks in a pavement, streaked stains on a carpet. They went down his stomach almost to his navel. Nicholas touched Danny’s chest, let his palm linger over Danny’s beating heart for a second.
Danny didn’t mind his scars. He minded when Nicholas looked at them and got quiet. And this was a night to celebrate; he didn’t need Nicholas to start thinking. Especially not about this. “Hey.”
Nicholas looked up.
“Love you.”
That seemed to shake him out of it. Nicholas kissed him again. He gave Danny’s lip a bite. “I’m ready.”
Danny sat up. He got himself out of his trousers and suddenly Nicholas was grabbing the lube out of his hand.
“Let me,” he said.
Danny leaned himself back on his elbows. Nicholas grabbed him and worked him slowly, spreading the lubricant with a sure hand. He spread it down and back up the shaft with a steady rhythm, coating him from his balls to the head, back down and up again. He squeezed Danny’s sack, gave it a nice scratching rub, and grinned when Danny growled his name in warning.
“I want to see you,” Danny said.
Nicholas climbed on top. Danny watched him sink down, the flex and tighten of his lean thighs, the lovely look of concentration on his face.
Nicholas huffed a little when he got Danny in. He grabbed his partner’s heavy shoulders while he adjusted, breathing in and out to fight off that fluttering, urgent feeling. Not quite pain, but not pleasure, either, just too much, too quick.
“I’m gonna move,” Danny said.
Nicholas nodded.
Danny sat up. Nicholas winced and Danny smiled sympathetically. Silly git. Nicholas always moved too fast.
“Relax, relax, relax,” Danny whispered, right at his ear. He traced up Nicholas’s spine with his hands and rubbed his tense shoulders. With Nicholas flush against his chest, Danny wrapped his arms around Nicholas’s chilly back and waited with him. He snaked his hand in between them, wrapped his finger and thumb around Nicholas and caressed him hard again. Nicholas relaxed and he sank another inch, got Danny a little deeper.
Suddenly they heard voices in the dark, young ones, a group of them. The pale beams of two electric torches winked to life in the trees. Nicholas froze. “Danny.”
“Shh,” Danny said. His eyes sparkled. Nicholas could feel just how exciting he thought this was.
Really, Nicholas couldn’t have planned it better if he had tried. He peeked over Danny’s shoulder at the torches in the woods. (He hoped they didn’t come this way; it would almost certainly ruin the mood, having to book himself and Danny on public indecency.) Danny kissed him and rocked him gently on his lap, and Nicholas couldn’t help himself, he made a desperate little noise.
Nicholas swatted him on the shoulder. Danny giggled. They held each other until the voices faded and the lights disappeared in the trees.
Nicholas laughed in relief, and Danny grinned again.
“Just some kids,” Danny said, and kissed Nicholas to bring him back to the moment. He slid his tongue into Nicholas’s mouth and swiped at Nicholas’s, an aggressive little sally that made Nicholas squirm and clench.
“Look at that,” Danny said, and Nicholas turned his head.
Sanford was lit up below, a honeycomb of orange and white lights against the black fields. The stars were bright and warm - they always looked too bright to Nicholas, like something from a painting (he still had a city boy’s aesthetics). The view was immense, like the sky had fallen to earth, like they were very, very small, and Nicholas turned away. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Danny, Danny biting at his shoulder and Danny hard inside him. He ground down and Danny groaned his name.
He started to sway his hips, side to side, warming up to a few thrusts. He made eye contact with Danny as he moved; he could feel Danny’s pulse quicken as he rocked on him and squeezed. It was a slow dance, with one of Danny’s hands on his hip and the other flat on the ground to keep them steady. He put his lips against Danny’s and toyed with Danny’s nipples in that soft fur.
He picked up his pace. Their kisses got clumsy, lips, chin, jaw, finally Nicholas pulled away to have another look; Danny looked half-stoned, gazing up at him in something like wonder.
“Come on, partner.”
Danny pulled his knees up, bringing Nicholas closer, changing the angle, and Nicholas forced himself down on Danny’s slicked-up shaft. Every inch of it rubbed right over the patch of nerves that was already tingling. He could hear how close Danny was in the hitch of his breathing, in the sounds he was making as Nicholas moved on him. Nicholas clenched tight and rolled him again, hungrily - Nicholas lunged to kiss him, got his fingers in Danny’s dark hair for purchase. His brain switched off. Everything felt so right, the way Danny was in him, massaging him inside with every rock of his hips. His legs were shaking from the strain, the intensity, the building pressure in the pit of his stomach and the twitching nerves radiating out to his curling toes and fingertips.
Danny couldn’t hold out any more; he grabbed Nicholas to help guide him, following him through the motions. He bucked up under Nicholas as he came and that was the point of no return, Nicholas felt the unstoppable rush and the hot waves and the fall, plunging, cold air and a thrash of limbs and the stars went supernova.
Danny caught him as he floated back to earth, or maybe Danny had been holding him the whole time. Nicholas came back to himself slowly. His head was nice and fuzzy and he felt gloriously empty, wrung out. He’d made a mess between them.
“Happy anniversary,” he said again, dumbly.
Danny laughed. He liked this Nicholas, starry-eyed and weak as a kitten and not a whole thought left in his brain. “You too.”
Danny put his chin on Nicholas’s head and looked at Sanford glowing below. He decided he would probably remember tonight for the rest of his life.
(He was right.)