Once Upon a Midnight

by Raine Wynd

Disclaimers and Notes: Top Cow owns the Witchblade characters and concepts. Not too sure if the ‘blade knows it’s owned, but you never know with that thing…

Thanks to Lori J. for the beta read.

Warning: mildly explicit homoerotic situations ahead.

“Oh, there you are,” Sara exclaimed as she entered the office.

“Sorry I’m late,” Danny said without turning around as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. “The washing machine broke, and I had to do something with it before I came in. I told Sue I’m a cop, not a repairman, but she seems to think I can fix things. I got so wet, I had to change clothes and still call someone.” He turned then.

“Well, you’re supposed to be able to fix things, you’re the man of the house,” Sara returned, smiling. “You weren’t here for the morning briefing, so I have the pleasure of informing you that we have been selected for the training of the newest rookie.”

Danny looked at her. “All right, what have you done to annoy the captain this time?” he joked.

“Maybe I should be asking you that,” Sara returned. “All right,” she called out into the hallway. “Time to come in, rookie.”

The shock of recognition that passed through Danny nearly caused his knees to buckle, but he somehow managed to stay upright. Still, he swallowed, hard, even as the memories shot through him.

“Hello, Jake,” he greeted, forestalling the introduction.

“Hello, Danny.” Jake’s voice was warm, knowing.

“You two know each other?” Sara glanced at them in turn.

For a long minute, neither answered her question. “We met,” Jake explained finally, “about seven years ago.”

Aware that Sara had questions, Danny added, “We both got stranded at an airport one night; got to talking about things and discovered we had a lot in common.” And the airline stuck us in a hotel that was overbooked, so we split a room and then things got complicated, Danny thought, but didn’t say it aloud. He could tell from Jake’s expression that Jake was remembering that part.

“Uh huh. So, I take it you two were typical guys and couldn’t call or write?”

“Of course,” Danny said. “We’d hate to not keep up our end of the tradition.”

“Oh, so it’s tradition?” Jake joked. “I thought it was just a sacred duty.” That earned him a roll of the eyes from Sara, which made him grin. He turned to Danny, extended a hand. “Good to see you again. Nice to know you made it back to New York.”

Danny shook hands, amused at the formality. Jake held his a moment longer than necessary as the electric current of attraction surged through Danny. The older man saw the question in Jake’s eyes. He shook his head slightly and let go reluctantly. With a bit of effort, he forced himself to focus on work. “Yeah. So you’re a rookie now.”

Jake grinned. “Yeah. You gonna teach me all I need to know?” he asked, his eyes gleaming as he stared directly at Danny.

Suddenly, Danny was back in the past, hearing that line again, except this time, he was the one saying it.

*****

Nerves. That’s what Danny remembered most about that night. Nerves layered over an incredible sense of right, like the first time he’d scored with a girl in the backseat of his father’s old Nova. Maybe it wasn’t so different after all; certainly, kissing wasn’t all that different.

Except he was vividly aware of how strongly masculine Jake was, how he fit against Danny, especially now that the younger man was staring at him with such avid hunger. He wanted to say something, to sound suave and experienced; to do something, but neither words nor actions would come. Swallowing, he tried to speak, but what came out wasn’t what he thought he was going to say.

“You gonna teach me all I need to know?” Surprised at himself, Danny tried again. “I mean, I don’t usually do this, but I’ve always wondered-”

Jake smiled lazily. “It’s okay,” he said, closing the distance between them and kissing Danny reassuringly. “But if you want to stop— ?”

“No,” Danny said huskily. He’d always held that attraction knew no gender, and tonight, he didn’t want to think about the life he was going home to tomorrow. It was almost midnight, and he wasn’t the coachman at Cinderella’s ball… just a man, in need of the kind of reassurance he couldn’t find elsewhere.

There were nights that Danny felt old, older than he should be, and he knew part of it was from the things he’d seen, things he’d done. Tonight, he knew, was one of them, and he knew as well that he was indulging himself by allowing this curiosity, this lust to take hold of him. Lust wouldn’t banish the shadows entirely, but it certainly would occupy his mind and his time.

He closed his mind to the thoughts swirling around his head, thoughts that said what he was doing was going to feel a hell of lot emptier in the morning, and focused on the man before him.

Leaning forward slightly, he kissed Jake as Jake had kissed him earlier, with intent, and Jake responded. Passion came surprisingly easy now as Jake took what Danny offered and upped the heat and intensity. With a rough tenderness Danny hadn’t suspected, Jake steadily aroused him, using hands and tongue and even his whole body to ignite and enflame him, until Danny was begging to be stroked and held and handled. Until clothes were a memory and all Danny could feel was Jake’s hard, muscular chest against his own smooth one, Jake’s right hand pumping his cock, aligning it against Jake’s and then taking Danny’s hand and pressing it so that he held both of their cocks together.

Even as the lust overtook him, Danny was conscious of Jake’s urgently issued commands to touch him here, stroke him harder, encouraging him, searing the memory of this night, this uncharacteristically wanton act into his brain. Danny shuddered, once, twice, as his senses filled in the details – the musky scent of their sweat, the pervasive odor of sex in progress, the feel of another man against him, touching him, tasting him, taking him oh my God deeper into his warm mouth as a hand pressed firmly against Danny’s ass, keeping him steady. Danny shuddered again, coming hard, as he closed his eyes, unable to bear the moist heat and the insistent pressure of tongue against the tip of his cock, unable to watch Jake any longer as the younger man knelt before him, taking what Danny had to give.

*****

From a long way off, Danny heard Jake’s voice. “I suppose you will teach me, won’t you?” Jake was saying.

Abruptly, Danny was brought back into the present. “Of course,” he answered now. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t.”

“Uh huh,” Sara chimed in. “Since when did you get to be all Mr. Standards and Practice? Or is that your wife’s influence on you again?”

Automatically, Danny responded, but his gaze lingered on Jake a moment longer, and he knew the two of them would have to have a talk soon, in private. He saw the look of dashed hope flash through Jake’s eyes, and shrugged slightly in response. Life never worked out the way one expected it to, Danny knew, and the past didn’t always stay buried. Sometimes people walked into your life and made it better for a while, and then were gone, only to return when you least expected them to do so. Jake was one of them, and Danny could only hope that, for the sake of memory of the passionate night they’d once shared which Danny had treasured, Jake would handle their new relationship well. Time would only know.

— -Finis — -