A Little Coffee
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He was a good man, in a dirty city.
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Part of the First Kiss Series
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Lindsay reached up into the cabinet in the break room, wrapping her fingers around Danny's mug, and setting it down on the counter, filling it with fresh coffee before filling her own. They'd been working on a quadruple murder for three shifts now, and neither of them had gotten any sleep since the call had come in, nearly 48 hours previously. It was a meek offer, but hopefully the pot of espresso-strength brew would hold them over until they could collaborate their reports, and fall asleep on the subway in the middle of the morning rush hour. She couldn't help but grin at the sight of the decal; it amused her to no end.
On the front was a black and white photograph of Joe DiMaggio, cap tilted back, bat over his shoulder, mischievous smirk across his face, against a backdrop of what Yankee Stadium used to look like, years and years ago. A quote from the famous Yankee had been printed on the back, in simple, typewriter text. 'The test of an outfielder's skill comes when he has to go against the fence to make a catch,' visible when hot coffee was poured into it. His motto, she mused. He knew a few things about hitting the fence with your back.
She couldn't help but smile, thinking of the identical grin usually found its way to Danny's features, causing a dull ache in her chest. He was a good man, in a dirty city, and she continued to be astounded by the white in his heart, the sparkle in his eyes, even if she spent a year and a half convincing herself it was only the reflection of the fluorescent lights overhead.
Lindsay twisted, and bent, retrieving the cream from the refrigerator that had not yet reached it's expiration date, dropping a dollup in the brown mug beside it, proudly displaying the insignia of the University of Montana. She took a sip from her own mug, cringing at the potency of the brew, kicking the door of the fridge shut, and making her way out into the hall, both cups in hand. She had left Danny in the AV lab, where they were scanning hours and hours of surveillance footage from the lobby of the Waldorf-Astoria, in search of their suspect.
Rounding the corner, she smiled wearily at Adam, who was leaning against the doorway to the lab, suppressing a grin. At the arch of her eyebrow, he stepped back out into the hallway, gesturing to the lab.
"You get the shaving cream, I'll get the Sharpies." Adam chuckled as Lindsay brushed past him, catching sight of Danny's slight build, slouched in the small-backed office chair. She could tell, even from ten or so feet away, that he had fallen asleep, arms folded comfortably against his chest, head tilted to the side. His tell were his glasses, they'd slid down his nose only just.
"Pass." She smirked, amused, and shook her head at him. "Between the both of us, we've gotten five hours of sleep since this call came in. You'd be tired, too."
"Well, wake him up before he starts drooling on the keyboard." Lindsay mumbled an affirmative, tossing him a smile sweetly as he made his way back into his own lab, and out of sight. Letting out a sigh, she crossed the room, setting their mugs down on the table, out of the way of the equipment.
"Dan." She spoke softly, taking in his peaceful expression as he slept, breathing easily, the rise and fall of his chest rhythmic. "Danny." She shifted her weight, running a hand affectionately through his hair.
"Hmm?" He started to wake up, unfolding an arm and rubbing at his eye, wincing and rolling his head with delicate touch of her fingers, biting his lip as her fingers settled on his shoulder. She came to stand against the back of the chair, not even realizing what she was doing until her thumbs were kneading into his neck gently, alleviating the tension in his shoulders, her eyes scanning the video footage over his head. "Ah, good lord." He breathed, his voice husky.
"Brought you some coffee." She bent, speaking softly into his ear, making him smile. He turned towards the mug on the table, suppressing the urge to groan as she pressed a chaste kiss to his temple. "Lemme know when you're awake enough for me to tease you about falling asleep over the equipment." He chuckled, pleased that she hadn't pulled away from him, her fingers playing absently with the hair at the base of his neck, in dire need of a cut. He couldn't help but grin at the feel of her hand on his shoulder.
"I found three men who fit our victim's description, but the only one who fits the window of opportunity is Senator Grey, and he's got Bloomberg as his alibi. Flack's runnin' with it, but it's gonna check out. Ah, my cuppa 'Joe.'" He cracked a grin and leaned over, wrapping his fingers around the handle of his mug before leaning back against her, taking a long sip.
"Cute." She deadpanned, making him laugh.
"And you're a genius. An entire cup of espresso."
"Trick I picked up in college. I'll sleep when I'm dead." She reached for her mug as well, holding it in her free hand, her attention caught by the images on the screen. "So Senator Grey is out. You able to ID the other two men?"
"Nah. Not yet. Runnin' through facial recognition on one, took a peek at the camera. Tryin'a get the bellhop to remember the other. Flack's also on that. Could be a while." She smirked at the thickness of his accent, slipping her fingers beneath the collar of his shirt, listening to his breath hitch in his throat. He opened his mouth to say something, just as her pager went off, beeping shrilly.
"Adam with the trace from the exit wound." She slipped her hands from his shoulders, ruffling his hair affectionately. She made to step away, but he caught her, his fingers touching her arm. "Keep on the video feed, we'll-" He tugged on her arm, leaning up and catching her lips lightly with his. He flashed her a hesitant smile, before settling back into the office chair after a moment, he turned his gaze back to the screens, taking a sip of coffee.
"Thanks for the coffee, Linds."
Good man, indeed.
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A/N: thank you so much for all your amazing reviews.