Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/138677.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Without_a_Trace
  Relationship:
      Martin_Fitzgerald/Danny_Taylor
  Character:
      Martin_Fitzgerald, Danny_Taylor
  Additional Tags:
      Rape/Non-con_References, Child_Death, Child_Abuse
  Stats:
      Published: 2006-12-18 Words: 1104
****** Bad Endings ******
by Kirsten
Summary
     It was a bad end to a bad case. It happened.
Notes
     Please pay attention to the warnings.
They'd found the little girl dying in a trash can. She'd been beaten and raped
and stabbed in the stomach. She was unconscious, and Danny had been thankful
for small mercies. She died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
It was a bad end to a bad case. It happened.
Martin was sitting at his desk by the time Danny made it back to the office.
Martin's tie was loose and his jacket was slung over the back of his chair.
Danny knew that his mouth would taste like stale coffee, because Martin had
been practically inhaling the stuff all weekend.
"You tell the orphanage we found her?" Danny asked.
"Yeah." Martin was shoving papers into one of the case files. "Like they care."
"They got a lot of kids," said Danny. "They can't save 'em all." He didn't add,
Neither can we. That was the kind of thing didn't need to be said.
Martin nodded and got to his feet. Danny watched the way Martin put on his
jacket, the way Martin didn't straighten his tie and left a glimpse of his
throat open to Danny's gaze. What a fucking tease and Jesus, it had been a long
day when Danny was getting turned on by Martin's throat.
"You wanna get a drink?" Danny asked.
Martin paused and considered, and then said, "Sure. You're driving."
"The hell I am," declared Danny. "I'll pay for a cab."
Martin smiled his quiet smile and followed Danny out of the office. Danny hoped
Martin was checking him out, but that's all it was, just an idle hope to pass
the time of day.
Danny took him to a little Italian place he knew from years back. The bourbon
was good, not that Danny drank it any more, and the music was quiet enough it
left them room to talk. Neither of them actually did talk, but they could have
if they'd wanted to. Danny paid for Martin's first drink and Martin paid for
Danny's second, and then Danny paid for his own third orange juice because
Martin stopped at two.
"You're a total lightweight," Danny said at that point, and he couldn't help
snickering a little at Martin's expense.
"Hey, I've got nothing to prove," Martin said, and kept sipping at his second.
Danny finished up after his third. It was no fun getting trashed alone, and
Martin was pretty to look at but he wasn't real great company tonight. They
went outside and stood on the sidewalk, waiting for a cab to drive by.
It was the bourbon made him do it. "Wanna come back to my place?" Danny asked,
and he wanted to kick himself in the head for putting his oh-so-idle hope out
there in the open.
Martin paused and considered, and then he said, "Sure," just like he did back
in the office, like he was agreeing to a couple of drinks with a colleague.
Danny knew his jaw had dropped a little. "You know I'm hitting on you, right?"
"I'm not an idiot," Martin said, and he smiled again. "You're drunk enough to
ask and I'm drunk enough to say yes. We're going back to your place."
Danny shut his mouth and nodded and hailed the first cab that came by. He sat
beside Martin in the back and stared straight at the back of the cab driver's
head, because if he looked at Martin, he'd go ahead and jump on Martin, and
Danny didn't think Martin was the kind of guy would go for kissing another guy
in the back of a cab. So he sat beside Martin and Martin sat beside him, their
knees just barely touching and the smell of bourbon and a day's work
percolating through the air.
Martin paid the driver and Danny led him into his building and up the stairs to
his apartment. Danny opened the door and then dragged Martin inside, kicked the
door closed and pushed him up against the wall. He kissed Martin's mouth, his
jaw, licked and bit at Martin's damned teasing throat. He tugged at Martin's
tie and shirt, pushed Martin's jacket from his shoulders and let it drop to the
floor. Martin did the same to Danny's jacket, his fingers just as eager. He
tore open Danny's shirt, and Danny broke away from kissing him just long enough
to say, "You're so buying me another shirt."
"No, I'm not," said Martin, and pulled him back into the kiss. Martin's hands
were on Danny's cheeks, rubbing over his hair and down his back. Danny shrugged
out of his shirt and helped Martin get out of his. He didn't know where
Martin's tie had gone, but he'd find it later. Ties could be fun, if Martin was
into that.
Martin pushed at him impatiently and swung Danny around so that he was back
against the wall. Danny grabbed Martin's ass and held on while Martin thrust
and jerked against him, and he thrust and jerked right back against Martin.
Martin was hot and strong and powerful against him, and Danny couldn't get
enough of the taste of him, the scent of him. Danny wanted to get down on his
knees and put his face right at the centre of him, but they were moving too
fast, neither of them naked, still in their pants and socks and shoes like
idiot teenagers. Danny didn't mind, though, didn't mind coming like this, up
against the wall, Martin grinding against him hard enough to bruise. It was
good, it was the best thing ever.
Danny slumped against the wall when it was over. He put his hands on Martin's
shoulders, held Martin kind of loose and comfortable, and Martin breathed
heavily and pressed his face into the curve of Danny's shoulder.
"We're gonna make it to the bed at some point, right?" Danny had to make sure.
Martin's laugh was warm over Danny's bare flesh. "You bet." He lifted his head
and Danny met his eyes. Martin's lips were swollen and red, and his cheeks were
flushed. Danny touched Martin's cheek, stroked him gently.
"You know this is a one time thing, right?" Martin's voice was quiet. "I can't
… I can't give you more than this."
"I know," said Danny. He did know, and he'd take what he could get, but that
didn't mean his desperation didn't cut. "Bedroom?"
"Sure," Martin said, and he seemed content to let Danny lead the way. Danny
took him by the hand, thinking, This right here could be everything I'd ever
need.
A great night, another bad end. Sometimes life just worked that way.
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