Nicholas felt a little smile travel across his lips as he opened his eyes to see Danny concentrating intently on something.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain through his neck as he pushed himself off his desk.
"Late night Angle?" one of the Andies sneered as he sat down at his desk with a bowl of jelly.
Nicholas still had trouble working out which Andy it was at a glance so he replied with a sharp, "Detective Constable, I'm still catching up on the paper work from the NWA disaster. Feel free to help out."
"I will," Danny said casually, distracted by the lure of gelatinous sugar. He dropped his pen to his desk and went in search of the jelly's location.
"Thank you Danny but I got most of it finished last night and the rest I will do this morning. You should get on with your own paperwork." He yawned and sat back in his chair, rubbing his neck. The ache slowly lessened.
Danny plopped down on Nicholas' desk with a bowl of jelly in each hand. He pushed the green one out to Nicholas as he knew it was his favourite.
"Why do we have jelly again?" Nick asked.
"It's to celebrate you becoming the big cheese around here. Remember," Danny prompted. "Well actually, it's to celebrate that we finished the cheese that we bought to celebrate you becoming the big cheese."
Nicholas chuckled to himself. He liked the way Danny would always explain things, no matter how silly they seemed. When Danny had finished his jelly he looked up at the clock to see it was already 10:30.
"Lunch?" Danny asked in a way that only he could.
"It's not even eleven!" Nicholas replied.
"You look shattered mate. Doris can hold the fort here with Cartwright," said Danny
Nicholas peered over his shoulder to see that it was in fact Cartwright. "Where to then?"
"Pub?"
xxxxx
Nicholas sat with his head slumped down onto his hand. He was cradling his cranberry juice, wondering how Danny could possibly be having a beer before noon. Normally he would object to his drinking during the work day but he couldn't muster up the effort and he could tell it was going to be a slow day anyway. He peered around the pub that was virtually empty. Not unusual for this time of morning, especially in a small town.
Danny sat with his light beer in hand watching as Nicholas' eyes glazed over.
"What ya thinkin'?" asked Danny.
Nicholas snapped out of his thoughts and turned to answer Danny. "I was wondering how you could be drinking so early," he said. It was dull but easier than lying.
"It's only a light one plus there's not going to see much action today. I can tell," replied Danny.
Nicholas looked the worst he had in a while. The mounds of paperwork that he had refused to let anyone help with were taking their toll. He was sure that Nicholas had slept at the station the past two nights and he was genuinely worried about his friend.
"You're coming to my place tonight," he said.
"Can't, paperwork." Nicholas managed to spit out.
"Leave it, I'll do it tomorrow. Tonight is going to be filled with action flicks. Good ones too. We could watch the Die Hard Trilogy!" Danny said with a big grin.
How could Nick refuse that face? He knew that Danny was just worried about him and if he said no he would end up there anyway. "Fine, but I need to get a good night's sleep."
"Slim chance of that, my friend!" Danny replied with a chuckle. He was sure that as soon as Nicholas lay on his couch he would be out like a light and that was exactly what he intended.
xxxxx
At about three, Angel had received a call from a distraught Peter Staker. Peter Ian Staker to be exact. He wondered if his parents had thought at all when they had named their poor child.
"What's the problem Mr. Staker?" Nicholas asked professionally.
"It's Hubert! He's gone and I can't find him anywhere!" he almost screamed down the phone.
Nicholas paused. "Is Hubert by chance a swan?" he questioned.
"He is not just a swan, Sergeant Angel. He is my prize swan and is worth more than to me than my right arm!"
Nicholas pondered for a moment the value of the man's right arm. He wondered if it was worth more than his left. He had seen the man in a t-shirt but thought there to be nothing special about his arms.
"I have your address, someone will be there shortly," Nicholas reassured him. He placed the phone back into the cradle and stood from his desk. He eyed Wainwright, sitting idly with a bowl of jelly in hand.
"Detective Constable Wainwright." Andy turned his head with the spoon hanging from his mouth.
"What?" he asked, annoyed that he had only just found out about the jelly.
"Staker's swan is loose again," he announced. "Take Doris to round it up will you."
Wainwright grunted and dropped the bowl to the desk. "Doris!" he yelled as he exited the room.
Nicholas turned to see Danny absorbed in his work, the same way he had been earlier.
"What are you doing?" he asked casually.
"Just some paperwork," Danny offered, hoping it would be enough.
"Not from the NWA pile?" he asked in an annoyed tone. Danny stayed silent.
"It better bloody not be, you have your own work to do!" exclaimed Nicholas.
"Well you won't come round otherwise!" Danny replied with a slightly raised voice.
Danny looked around and was glad the room was empty. He thought Nicholas would be happy with the smaller workload for the time being but obviously he was wrong.
"Just go lie down in one of the cells!" Danny snapped. "You look like a wreck and you could do with some sleep."
Nicholas took a deep breath and leaned forward ready to crack it at Danny but stopped himself just in time. He turned on his heel and stormed off to the holding cells. He had spent nights in there before but only because he was too tired to drive home after working into the night. He knew that cell four had the best bed and hadn't been used for a while so it would be clean.
He pushed the door open and nearly fell into the room. He really did need some sleep and his body was starting to give in. He took out his keys and locked it behind him, then flopped down onto the bed to kick off his shoes. He dug the heels of his hands into his eye sockets till he could see stars and started to calm. He heard the sound of footsteps pass the door and assumed it was just Sergeant Turner going to get another book from his locker.
He turned onto his side and pulled his legs up as far as his uniform would allow. He instantly thought of Danny and how he had reacted to his friend's help. He lay there for a while is a state of self-loathing before he finally fell asleep.
Danny came to check on him a few hours later. He turned his key silently in the lock and quietly stepped into the room. The door closed with a sharp click but it didn't seem to have any effect on Nicholas. Everyone else had clocked off and headed down the pub to celebrate the capture of Hubert the swan. 'We do an awful lot of celebrating round here,' Danny thought to himself.
He moved over to the wall of the cell. There was only a small sink in the corner and Nicholas had taken the entire bed. Danny slowly slid down the wall and got comfortable. He thought he would wait till Nicholas woke up then he would drive him back to his place for a nightcap.
He sat and examined the sleeping man's face. He seemed so at peace with the world, Danny mused. All the stress of the day had faded away and what was left was a serene calmness. This man was no longer the stressed out Sergeant Angel, he was just Nicholas. Danny felt the small smile creep up his face and pried his eyes away from the unwary man. He too was tired from the last of the paperwork but he was glad he had done it for Nick.
Nicholas murmured something into his pillow. Danny turned to face him, unsure if he was awake or not.
"Don't go Danny," he said rather clearly as his hand reached out to grasp at the air. His eyes were closed but visibly moving under his eyelids. "Stay here."
Danny was stunned. He had no idea whether he should wake him or let him continue dreaming. Nick's hand fell back to his side as he let out a gasp. Danny watched him intently and eventually sighed when he realised that whatever it was, it was over.
xxxxx
Nicholas woke and peered down at his watch. It was almost eleven and he was in no state to drive home. If any one asked he would just say he had come in early again. He turned onto his back, hoping to regain some feeling in his legs. He jumped a mile and sat up on the bed when he saw a figure slouched against the wall. He stifled his breath and leaned forward trying to get a better look at whoever it was in the dim light. He could vaguely make out that it was a man, with short hair, in a police uniform. As this information slowly clicked in his tired mind, he swung his now tingling legs over the side of the bed.
"Danny?" he asked quietly.
The slouched officer remained silent. Nicholas moved over to the wall and slid down a foot or so away from him. "Danny," he said as he shook him lightly by the shoulder. Danny woke with a start and was disoriented by his surroundings.
"It's okay Danny, you're at the station with me," he reassured him and ran his hand calmingly up and down his arm. Danny visibly relaxed into the wall.
"Why are you still here?" Nicholas asked.
"I wasn't going to leave you here alone now, was I?" he replied.
They both sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Danny said, "You spoke in your sleep."
Nicholas turned to face him. "What did I say?"
Danny paused, unsure if he wanted to repeat it. He looked up at Nicholas and decided to let it out. "You said 'Don't go Danny. Stay here."
Nicholas turned tomato red and was grateful the poor lighting hid him well.
"I'm a known sleep talker," he replied after a long silence.
"What was the dream about?" Danny asked almost instantly, curiosity crushing any hesitation.
"Umm," let out Nick. "We were, lying in bed together," he said timidly, hoping that Danny would only think of it as a dream. "Then you were getting dressed and leaving."
Danny was now a matching tomato. "Where did this come from?" he asked.
"It's just a dream, it doesn't mean anything," replied Nicholas.
Nicholas knew that was a blatant lie. He had had the same dream near nightly since the night he had held the blade up to the young mans throat. He had never intended to hurt Danny but he was never the less troubled by it.
"I think that dreams can't be clouded like thoughts," Danny replied turning his body to face the smaller man with a slight glint in his eyes.
"What are you implying?" Nicholas chuckled lightly.
Danny had thought about this before and without conscious control his hand had moved up and cupped Nicholas' face. His thumb ran gently over his cheekbone then the hand slid up into his hair. Nicholas reached up and grabbed Danny's hand. Danny immediately dreaded what he had done. Nicholas saw this on his face and reached out to hold his other hand. Danny's concern softened at the touch.
Nicholas instinctively moved around until he was under Danny's arm against the wall. Danny lay his head down against the short, blonde hair and breathed deeply through his nose. The smell made him feel safe.
xxxxx
Nicholas sat in Danny's arms until the sun had begun to rise. Danny had fallen asleep leaning against his head but he didn't mind in the slightest. He pried one hand from Danny's to rub the sleep from his eyes. The slight movement caused Danny to stir and then wake.
"Alright?" he asked in a groggy voice.
"Yeah. How's your neck?" he asked when he noticed Danny wince as he sat up.
"It'll be right, just a little stiff."
Nicholas's hand slid up to the man's neck and gently pinched at the tight muscles. It always helped to calm him and he hoped it would have the same effect on Danny. Danny winced again slightly but felt the tension slip away under the soothing, warm hand. The room was still quite dim as the only window in the cell was rather small and very high up.
Danny looked down to Nicholas and his breathing hitched as he saw he was looking straight back at him. Nicholas had been Danny's hero since the day they met. He couldn't do a thing wrong in his eyes and he was always knew what to do. He studied his eyes and noted that he was still just Nicholas, his Sergeant Angel side hadn't kicked in yet. He felt as though the blood was boiling beneath the skin in his neck where Nick's hand had now come to rest.
Nicholas gazed intently back at Danny hoping for the slightest invitation to make a move. He had felt this way since the night he held a knife to him. Not for that reason though. He felt it because Danny had saved him. Saved him from certain death with a fake stabbing. He had always thought the plan was genius when he looked back on it, though, for some unknown reason, he never told Danny that.
Danny's lips parted slightly as he realized that breathing was in fact necessary. Nicholas pounced at the opportunity and their lips connected within seconds. Danny was too shocked to move, he couldn't believe what had just happened. How did Nicholas know this is what he had wanted from the moment he saw him? His fit body and capturing eyes always made Danny struggle to keep his hands to himself when they were on patrol together.
Nicholas noted that Danny had frozen beneath him and slowly pulled back averting his eyes. Danny's hand shot up into the short blonde hair and pulled him back for another long-awaited kiss. Both struggled for control for a moment, and Nicholas was certainly stronger than he looked, but Danny's overpowering arms took hold of the smaller man. Nicholas' tongue ran across Danny's lip and was quickly granted access. Even if Danny was bigger, he would never have control over the little fox.
Nicholas had never experienced a kiss like this. His tongue explored every millimetre of Danny's mouth before Danny's tongue copied. The two muscles ground together and the sensation was quickly becoming overwhelming. Nicholas quickly pulled away and began to plant a trail of kisses across Danny's jaw and down his neck. He stopped at the boundary of his collar and began to suck at the sensitive skin. After leaving a small mark just out of sight he travelled back up the same path to attack his mouth again. Danny quickly deepened the kiss and pulled in Nick's head as hard as he could. Nicholas' hands ran through the brown hair and ventured round to begin to undo his collar.
Danny quickly pulled back. "Not here. It's almost eight and Turner will be into do the inspections in a few minutes." Reluctantly Nicholas slid off him, surprised by his lack of control. He knew Danny was right and they could not be caught together, especially at work. Danny planted an affectionate kiss on Nick's forehead before standing and straightening his uniform. He passed across the shoes that lay by the bed and pulled Nicholas to his feet. The both stood bewildered for a minute before Nick came to his senses.
"Coffee?" he asked as he unlocked the cell door.
"Umm, sure." Danny replied. He wasn't sure how to react. It seamed as though Nick wasn't going to acknowledge what had just happened. Danny quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, their eyes met.
"Can we finish this later?" he asked, not wanting to sound too forward.
"Yours, after work." He said quietly and placed a chaste kiss to his hand.
The both left the cell and began the normal daily regime with a coffee, minds buzzing.
xxxxx
Just after noon, a call had come in informing the station that Hoodies were vandalising street signs. Nicholas didn't like this one bit. He thought that he and the Hoodies had come to a truce when they helped him take out the security cameras. Never the less, he had to put a stop to them before they did something stupid.
Wainwright and Cartwright had been called to look over a town event. They always seemed to slack off when they were together but if Nicholas separated them he would be in for a tongue-lashing. It was easier to let them go together and it wasn't like anything serious would break out anyway.
The others were working mindlessly around the station. Many days were spent filling in time as nothing ever really happened in Sandford. Except for when it did, but that was quite rare.
Danny was washing the patrol cars when Nicholas walked out, ready to take on the annoying teenagers.
"Where you off to then?" Danny asked as he dropped the sponge into the bucket by his side.
"Hoodies," Nicholas replied as he found the car that corresponded to the keys.
"Can I come? I need to go to the shop," he asked.
"Alright, get in then," Nicholas responded in a hurried tone.
As the sat in silence scanning the streets for the harmless yet bothersome youths, Danny felt compelled to ask.
"Do you like me?" he questioned like a little girl.
Nicholas blushed slightly and fought away the smile. "Why do you ask?" he said in a controlled voice.
"Mainly cause of the snogging, then the promise of more snogging later," he replied more bravely.
"Maybe I do," he tried to keep it ambiguous in case Danny didn't return the feeling but he couldn't help a small smirk.
A satisfied grin emerged on Danny's face as he went back to scanning the streets. He noticed a 60 sign had been turned upside down so it read: 09. "Got 'em," he said as he pointed.
Nicholas turned into the street and sure enough just up the road was a mob of grey hoods and a trail of upside down signs. They rounded them all up and got them into the back of the wagon. By now it was after two and the officers were getting rather peckish. A quick rifle through the glove box fixed that though. Someone had left a packet of crisps and Nick was sure it would have been the oh so messy Danny.
Danny called and spoke to each of their parents as Nicholas lectured them on town pride. School was already over, so one by one the Hoodies were returned home. There were only seven of them but they lived on the opposite sides of the town and driving around the small roads could get a bit tedious in the bulky wagon.
Once they were all home it was about 4:30. Enough time to get back to the station, fill in the necessary paperwork and still get home on time. When they got back to the station they were surprised to find two men in the cells. They asked Turner what had happened but he responded with his normal disgruntled, "Nobody tells me nothing."
Apparently a fight had broken out at the event the Andies were covering. Wainwright seemed all too impressed with himself but Cartwright had sustained a black eye from a ruthless swing by his partner. No charges were going to be laid but the Andies weren't going to be working together for a while.
Danny and Nicholas quickly got the paperwork done and had a nice bowl of jelly each. By the time six o'clock had rolled around every one was ready to leave. Nicholas and Danny got changed into their 'streets' as Danny liked to call them, and headed to the car park.
Nicholas wandered over to his little car in the poorly lit parking lot. He fumbled through his keys one by one but none seemed to fit. Danny slowly walked up behind him as quiet as he could. He pressed up against Nicholas' back and whispered in his ear, "Take mine."
Nicholas turned and caught him in a kiss whilst pushing his keys back into his pocket. They slowly moved over to Danny's car and eventually managed to separate themselves for the short ride home.
They fell thought the door now locked in each other's arms. Neither wanted to say anything that could potentially ruin what was about to happen.
xxxxx
