Heyyy ladies and gentlemen!
I started writing this a couple of months ago, maybe further, but between school and various hiatuses(?), here is it! I mean *ahem* here you are c:
I might be writing a second chapter, but it will take such ooooong time, so, beware of the second chapterrr. Just in case. Yarr.
Fluffiness and maybe just a little bit, just a little pinch, of Daniel!OOC-ness? Or maybe not. (..)
*whispers* enjoy~
Now you see me, asleep.
Jack was already on the white leather couch when they arrived. His figure looked almost ghostly as the Moon's reflected light caressed him. His mouth was slightly open and there were bags under his eyes. Plus, the clothes he dressed up in for the earlier mission were still on him: the white V-neck t-shirt loose on his hips and partly hidden under the black leather jacket he adored. He would wear it everytime he could, without dangerously altering the possible undercover disguise, of course.
He was laying on his stomach, the face pressed on the red striped cushion, without any sheet or blanket covering him. One of his arms was under his face and the other was hanging loosely over the edge of the couch, while his legs were sprawled. He even left his black boots on.
Merrit was way too tired to give a damn about anything, so he just crawled to his bedroom in absolute silence, with half-closed eyelids.
"You better take him to his own bed and take his shoes off. You wouldn't want our sleight of hand to catch a cold, don't you?" whispered Henley to him, winking.
"Why me? Why don't you-"
But she cut the control freak off, faking a yawn and waving her hand to him:"'Night Danny."
He tried to reach towards her room's door with the hand raised in an attempt to stop her, exclaiming:"Stop right there, Henl-!" but it was too late, since the redhead had it already closed behind herself. He could bet that she was grinning.
As he heavily sighed Daniel heard a faint pant coming from the couch. He did speak a little to higher as he was trying to call Henley and this was the result.
Danny walked to the couch where Jack's form was different from before. Now he was facing the ceiling and his right cheek was striped red.
He almost let out a laugh, but muffled it with his fist. Then, he reminded himself of what he should actually do, as much as it bothered him.
He stood by Jack, watching him and planning on how to move him to his bedroom without waking him up. And what if he did? What he was gonna do when Jack would ask him 'What are you doing'?
He lost his train of thought when Jack flipped in the couch and almost fell out of it, but Danny's reflex was quicker than him.
Daniel crouched as quickly as he could and slipped his left arm under his fellow Horseman's shoulders, catching him at the right time. He didn't even realize he was holding his breath and he didn't dare to exhale until he was sure Jack was still asleep.
After a few seconds he turned his head in order to regain oxygen properly, then he turned again to face the young man. The cushion-striped face could still bring some laughter to him but now he could see how the darkness below his eyes was in contrast with his pale face. He was really exhausted indeed.
Who wouldn't? While undercover, they got busted by that man, Thaddeus Bradley, who wanted the Horsemen dead. Each of them went other ways to outrun Bradley's men. A lot of them went after the littlest of them all and that caused Jack to run through the darkened streets of Brooklyn, chased by the biggest group of bad guys. Lucky he grew in those streets so he could get rid of them easily, even in the night with only the Moon and some rare street light to bright the narrow alleys.
He was the sleight, after all.
While the other Horsemen were all gathered in the nearest building chosen by them, Jack was still out there. As they called for Dylan for support against Bradley's men, they ran to another building a few blocks away and they found him there. Maybe Dylan phoned him and he had the grace to answer the call, so he told him the new destination, too.
Once arrived, Jack didn't even phone them and went straight to the first comfortable piece of furniture he laid his eyes on. At least he had been lucky to have their building so close to him at the moment.
Daniel finished studying Jack's sleeping face and carefully reached under the other's knees. He heft him in his arms and steadied himself on his feet before starting to walk towards Jack's bedroom. He didn't weigh that much. Well, he was nothing compared to that redhead cow. No offense, though.
Fortunately, the door wasn't closed and Danny opened it with a little push using his right foot. But the real problem was the light. How he was even gonna reach the switch?
He tried to push it with his elbow but it didn't work and it only got worse: now the young man's head was pressed on his collarbones and his breath was making him all itchy, so he gave up and walked in his room, the lights out. This was such a pain, he had to make sure to properly thank Henley the morning after.
As he tried to remember how Jack's room was arranged, he moved slowly through it and almost without lifting his feet from the pavement.
Before he made it to the bed, he came across all kinds of laundry and even across some cards scattered on the carpet, that made him difficult not to lose his balance. But when he did, he gingerly laid down his fellow Horseman. He reached Jack's boots and undid the laces, then gently removed them and put them on the floor.
The next thing he did was to tuck Jack into his bed's sheets and all went well, considering that he was still sleeping. He just spent a minute or two observing the younger member of his team sleeping peacefully. He recollected the moment when he encountered him for the first time, his incredulous face as Jack saw him was glued into his brain like some kind of super-glue.
Suddenly his hand brushed with something he didn't expect.
"D-danny..? Is that you?" a weary voice escaped Jack's lips in the darkness of the room.
He truthfully didn't know how to respond, gears in his head running like crazy. But as the answer made it to his tongue, Jack spoke again
"Don't go away. Stay here.."
He realized that he wasn't completely awake and that he was probably talking out in his sleep, but his hand caught his. It was a bit cold and calloused. The grip was there and he didn't seem to let go. What the hell, Jack?
That's why Danny finally answered, after what seemed like minutes:"Yes, it's me, it's Danny.."
"..I'll stay here, Jack."
Daniel didn't acknowledged what he actually said and it didn't mattered to him so much because he was tired as well and nobody could hear him beside himself. Well, there was Jack but he considered him half-asleep. He won't recall anything of this, so might as well to satisfy him. He deserved it, after all the hard work he had done for the Horsemen.
He climbed on the king-sized bed, taking off his shoes using only his feet. They made little thuds when they encountered the floor.
He settled himself under the covers and wasn't surprised when Jack scooted towards him and rested his head in the crook of his neck and his shoulder. He infact closed his eyes and abandoned himself to that warm and fuzzy feeling that was building inside him. He questioned himself when was the last time he felt like this but he was way too exhausted to even think, so he drifted off to sleep almost instantaneously, content of him and Jack.
The Sun rose and Henley woke up first. She went to the bathroom first. Then, she remembered the earlier night. She walked through the hallway and got on the tips of her toes to see better over the sofa in the living room; Jack was not there.
A grin appeared on her lips and her cheeks colored red from glory and happiness as she arrived at Jack's bedroom's door, seeing him and Daniel snuggled in the bed together.
She almost awed at the sight but didn't, she didn't want them to wake up.
They seemed younger (as much younger as Jack can be) as the sheets embraced their bodies and Danny seemed to have lost that usually look of his when he was sleeping: his brows were not knotted together and his lips were not closed in a thin line. He seemed... content.
She also noticed that Danny's arm was resting over Jack's hip and that Jack's face was inches by his, hidden within his neck, along with his hands that he kept between his and Daniel's chest.
Henley was so enthusiastic about it that she really did want to take a photo of them, but the sound of keys made her turn and partially close the door.
The front door opened and Dylan Rhodes showed up. He was wearing his suit, as always, and his eyes were a little worried as well as his jaw was tightly shut. But as soon as he saw the smile upon Henley's face his features changed and he relieved himself from all the worst scenarios he could've thought of when he was driving there.
"'Morning Henley, you're all good?" he asked the redhead, wanting to take precaution.
"We're all safe and sound, just tired. I can't refrain to demand a vacation." she answered positively.
"Woah, I've just arrived and you already ask that to me?" he laughed quietly "Of course you'll be getting one. Not to mind your affairs, but why were you smiling so brightly?" he elicited a chuckle from the woman, who was now pointing her thumb backwords, towards Jack's bedroom's door.
Dylan frowned in a curios and playful way, walking zigzag across the living room to avoid the furniture and peeked in the darkened room.
He remained there for a few seconds admiring the two young men curled against eachother. He knew that Jack literally idolized Daniel and also knew that Daniel, deep inside, craved some love.
Henley spied from above Dylan's shoulder and enjoyed the view, again.
The prying duo was getting warm inside as another presence made its way into the living room, and spoke with a grumpy and hoarse voice, careless about who else might be still sleeping.
"What're ya doin? It's only 7.30 in the mornin, ya big-"
Unwary of it, the two jumped a bit. But they recovered quickly and hushed Merrit, who was standing right behind them in his slightly childish pajamas. He let out a big yawn and scratched his back. Then he leaned on the door jamb and watched, too, towering the others.
Jack's face inched closer to Daniel's, but he didn't wake and neither did Daniel.
Just a few moments passed and that was all the time Merrit took to understand the situation.
"I knew it, I knew it... You control freak and you little rascal, I knew it.." as he was talking with them, pointing at them with his finger. Henley and Dylan shooed him away.
But only few seconds passed and the two Horsemen chose not to disturb their sleep, as they very carefully closed the door behind them.