Danny was equally exhausted and wide awake with the constant chatter inside his head. He dragged himself up Gloria's steps, each one taking him away from Lacey and sucking him back into a world that he wanted no part of.
He knew he had to stay focused, to think of a way out, but right now he just wanted to sleep and make all of the noise stop.
The house was quiet. Danny closed the front door gently, turned around and jumped as he found Doug standing there like a creep right behind him.
"Jeez!" Danny whispered harshly, "You scared me."
Doug waved Danny into the coat closet and began ripping off the wire.
"This wasn't where I taped it." Doug noted.
"Yeah, sorry, I got all wet and sweaty at work today it kind of came loose."
Doug shook his head no, "No it didn't. It only comes loose if you peel this tape off and try to reposition it."
"Well, okay, that happened too." Danny said smoothly, "It was pulling on my chest hair a little—" He exaggerated rubbing his chest to soothe his non-existent discomfort.
"Whatever."
Danny watched the awkward kid about his age carefully wrap up the different pieces. He wondered how Doug got involved with Gloria. Was he in trouble too? Was he just being paid for knowing tech stuff? Did he think Gloria was an agent? What about Rico? Danny's mind was on overdrive.
"You live here too, Doug?" Danny knew he wasn't supposed to be asking him questions but he couldn't help it.
"Yep." Doug never made eye contact and proceeded to rip off the extra strips of tape, making Danny flinch.
"You know the rooms where Archie and I are staying?"
"I guess."
"Are there cameras up there?"
Doug just shrugged.
"Were you up there last night?"
"No."
Doug packed up the wire and battery into a bag and took off to wherever his lair was in this ridiculous house.
"Good talk." Danny said to himself as he stood there alone.
Danny made his way into the Crane's massive kitchen and stood over the sink while he wolfed down one of the muffins that were nesting in a basket on the counter.
When was the last time he ate? Danny tried to remember as his body finally received some calories to fuel this high-strung man.
Danny grabbed another muffin and turned to head up toward his room, his eyes catching Archie waiting by the door. Great.
"Hey man." Archie greeted, hoping for the best.
"Hey." Danny responded as neutral as possible.
Danny didn't want to get into their issues right now, but for Archie, their issues were the only ones he had so they felt enormous to him and Archie wanted some sort of resolution.
"I think we need to talk."
"I'm beat, let's do this tomorrow."
Danny tried to keep moving but Archie was desperate and stepped to the side to block the stairs.
"Arch—"
"I'm sorry, okay? About Whit." Archie sucked in a breath and pulled his fingers through his hair as he set to say the rest, "I'm an idiot."
Archie fucked his ex and was thinking that his whole world was upside down. Other than smashing into a cop car while drunk, Danny wondered if Archie had ever had any real problems in his entire life.
"Archie, you and Whitney are my best friends. I don't give a fuck what you two do with your genitals." Danny tried to nudge Archie out of the way but Archie leaned in his direction and blocked him again.
"It seems like you care." Archie replied skeptically. He kept his arms folded across his chest, never sure what to do with his hands.
"Were you two fucking when we were dating?" Danny asked, already knowing the answer.
"No! No, never. I told you that—"
"Then whatever, this isn't high school."
"You're really not mad? Because it feels different—"
"I've got a lot going on, Arch."
Archie stared at his longtime friend and failed to see just how much was running through his head. He kept it about him because that's just how Archie was.
"You think I stole your money." Archie nodded, convinced he had just cracked the code.
"I haven't ruled anyone out yet." Danny admitted honestly, still not convinced Archie would steal from him.
"Dude. I didn't do it."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Are we done now?"
"D, man, seriously, I didn't take your money!" Archie's voice rose in exasperation.
"Shh—shut up!" Danny hushed, he did not want to deal with anyone else tonight.
"Did you ask Lacey?"
Danny's face screwed itself into a defensive scowl. He didn't like where this was going. Archie raised his eyebrows in challenge as he waited for an answer.
"We're done talking." Danny announced and wedged himself beside Archie in an attempt to climb the stairs.
Archie pushed Danny backward with enough force to get him to take a couple steps back.
"Lacey was in your room alone for a while last night."
"Stop talking." Danny really didn't want this stupid petty beef with Archie to keep growing but Archie wanted it to apparently.
"But she wouldn't do that to you, right?" Archie shook his head, "She hasn't liked me from day one, I bet she set this up. She was fucking Charlie, for YEARS. That's gotta tell you something—"
"Stay out of it!" Danny was shouting now.
"I'm telling you, as a friend, there's something more there."
Danny's nostrils flared and he got right in Archie's face.
"You're right there is more there and you can't have this one."
"Excuse me?"
"You're jealous. You liked her and she liked me." Danny tried to keep it simple.
"I thought this wasn't high school?"
"Keep her name out of your mouth." Danny warned.
"Oh or what? I've already seen your fighting skills." Archie smirked, "Lacey's a bitch."
Danny was already maxed and that was it. He knew Archie could easily kick his ass but it didn't matter, Danny saw red.
Danny punched Archie in the side of the head with his muffin hand, chunks of the premium baked good exploding all around them like some gluten-rich fireworks.
The two men grunted and struggled with each other at the base of the stairs like two brothers who were fighting over whose turn it was to sit in the front seat of their mother's minivan.
Archie was trying to restrain Danny knowing too that he would kill him in an actual fight. Danny did everything to release the rage he was holding inside. He slapped, he kicked, he bit and, eventually, Archie had to pin him to the ground in order to get him to stop.
"A muffin, really?" Archie panted above Danny as he looked around at the huge mess they had made.
Danny had no choice but to calm his breathing, Archie was too strong for him to escape his current position. Unfortunately for Archie, he didn't realize that Danny was just conserving his energy.
"I don't think you stole my money." Danny began, his voice soothing, sincere.
Archie released him and rolled to his feet, reaching a hand down help Danny up. Danny declined and peeled himself off the floor on his own, both of them brushing the crumbs off.
Danny bent forward to brush his legs off and charged at Archie, taking him down easily and knocking the wind out of him when he landed flat on his back. Danny looked down at him while Archie groaned and wheezed.
"Do not talk about her. Not with me."
"Got it. Jesus fuck—" Archie mumbled.
"By the way, Whitney said you suck in bed." Danny took a turn raising his eyebrows and shrugged, finally turning and climbing up the stairs.
Almost two hours later, Danny was showered and trying to relax enough to fall asleep.
He heard a knock at his bedroom door, his anxiety spiking as he wondered what bullshit was on the other side now. It was almost midnight.
"What are you—" Danny could barely get the words out before Lacey's lips were all over his.
"Hi." Lacey smiled after she nearly sucked his face off.
"Damn." Danny liked that and went back for more.
Lacey happily accepted, giving him everything he was searching for.
Danny's hands traveled everywhere, along her cheeks, around her neck, a squeeze to her shoulders, a tender caress around each breast, a generous grip on her ass before testing a swipe between her legs.
"You lose something?" Lacey panted as Danny's hands continued to roam a path around all of her southern attractions.
Danny moved his hands to Lacey's waist and smiled against her mouth, "Sorry." He nodded and moved to hug her tight instead.
Lacey giggled in his arms, that deep kind that made Danny warm all over, the kind he knew meant that Lacey was actually happy. He buried his face in her neck and enjoyed her warmth and her smell. She giggled again.
"I love you." Danny oozed into her soft skin.
"Jo says hello."
Danny's body language changed entirely. He pulled away and searched her face, she ticked her head to the side and gave him a soft smile. Something about knowing that Lacey had already gone to fill in the gaps with the Mastersons made his heart swell bigger. Her words meant more than 'I love you too' they were love in action.
"Thank you." He said as a layer of stress seemed to melt off of him and splash onto the floor around them.
He was thanking her for being there, for giving a shit, for loving him back. Danny trusted her on every level. He wanted her in his life forever.
"I got you." Lacey promised.
Lacey brought her hands up to carefully rub his chest through his shirt, no longer feeling the wire beneath. She looked up at Danny for validation.
Danny was too scared to speak the words out loud in fear that he was being recorded in some other way. Instead he reached down, grabbed the hem of his shirt and peeled it off over his head. He tossed it to the side and held his hands out for her inspection.
Inspection she gave.
"You've definitely got me." Danny confirmed.
Lacey could feel the heat in her cheeks grow. She sucked in her bottom lip as if it was the only way to keep her jaw closed. She reached out and ran her fingertips across his beautiful skin.
Danny's mouth did the opposite, his lips parting in order to draw in the breath he needed to accommodate his increasing heart rate.
They had made love a million times before. In beds, cars, in a tent and under the stars. They were in love every time, but not like this. It never felt this deep and never this hot.
"Prove it." Lacey challenged.
Danny stepped closer, the intensity of their pending union sending sparks flying everywhere for both of them. It worried Danny that he found crisis sex so exciting, something he imagined he'd talk about with a therapist once this was all over.
"Does Gloria know you're here?"
"Yep. Clara left her hoodie here after practice today so I'm here to get it. I asked if I could come and visit with you. Gloria's drunk and almost passed out in her sitting room, by the way." Lacey smiled coyly, hoping they could finally get this done.
"You really shouldn't be here."
"I know."
Lacey pulled Danny in for another hug. He nuzzled his face right into her neck like it always belonged there and ran his hands up her back tenderly.
"Lie down." Danny insisted playfully with all of his sweet Danny charm.
Lacey smirked and allowed Danny to back her up to the edge of his bed. She sat and climbed up toward the headboard while they both stuffed pillows in behind her.
"Comfy?" He asked seriously.
"Mhm." Lacey nodded and watched Danny walk away and lock the bedroom door.
Danny joined her, crawling up and nudging his knees in between Lacey's legs, sitting back on his heels. He teasingly slid his hands up her bare thighs and didn't hesitate as he reached the edge of her skirt, his hands slipping right underneath to find the waistband of her thong.
"You won't be needing these, can I take them off?"
"Well, if I won't be needing them—"
Lacey smiled big and Danny completed his first mission.
"I'm starving." Danny practically drooled as he pushed Lacey's knees apart further and moved himself down.
"Shit—" Lacey relaxed further as Danny's talented mouth latched onto her clit.
Lacey flipped the edge of her skirt up onto her belly so she could watch her man do one of her favorite things.
Danny knew exactly what Lacey liked and what she didn't. The pair had studied each other all summer and knew when they could take their time and build some super erotic climaxes and also when they just had to get the job done.
One thing they had both promised each other was that no matter how much time they had, if they decided to start something, they'd both get to finish.
Lacey's hips spiraled slowly as she enjoyed the suction, pressure and perfect rhythm Danny's mouth offered. She reached down and bunched his beautiful hair in her fingers, the tightness of her grip communicating to Danny how well he was doing.
"Danny—" Lacey whispered, eyes screwed shut when she came.
Danny kept his rhythmic suction going until Lacey stopped twitching and pulled him up on top of her.
Danny went straight for a kiss and pressed his mouth against hers, deep and dirty. Lacey's senses were raw, her body still buzzing from the mouth that was now on her own. She could taste herself, she could feel Danny's throbbing dick jabbing into her hip, she felt alive.
Lacey bent her knees and brought her feet up, stuffing her toes into the waistband of Danny's shorts and underwear, sliding them down with more agility and grace than either of them expected.
The passion in Danny's kisses increased as Lacey's feet worked to free Danny's lower half. He wanted to take his time, yet he knew he needed to hurry. She came once but she deserved so much more.
Danny's mind cycled through the possible outcomes of the next few days and almost every version ended with Lacey nowhere in his life. The only thing he could control at the moment was his mouth, his body. Her body.
Lacey reached down and guided his cock toward her entrance. Danny's lips popped off of hers for a moment as he was allowed inside. Danny kept his eyes connected with hers as she handled him, thankful that she always seemed to want him just as much as he wanted her.
"I get you twice in one day? How lucky am I?" Danny smiled gratefully.
"Oh it's definitely after midnight by now—" Lacey noted, "and I need it. I need you." She added, being vulnerable and sharing her needs honestly with the one she loved most.
Danny relished in the feeling he knew so well, his hips rocking into Lacey's as he worked to stretch her out. He could control this too, so he did.
"I love you." Danny gushed as he penetrated her as deep as he could, inching Lacey backward with every long and steady stoke inside of her, "I love you." He repeated, the second time dripping with lust.
He smelled so good, like fancy soap mixed with the scent of his own freshly washed skin. Once Danny was stimulated and warm this combination was intoxicating and Lacey swore that she could come from his pheromones alone.
Lacey smiled up at all of the love in Danny's expression which perfectly matched his careful movements. She may have giggled again, an action that was a bit unexpected in their current situation. Danny's face twisted into cautious curiosity, he didn't ask her what was up but it was obvious that he wanted an answer.
The answer was: she needed more.
"We going for vanilla tonight orrr—" Lacey gave him a full throaty laugh now.
"Va—? Wow. Seriously?" Danny's hips lost their train of thought and Danny debated on just stopping all together.
"Okay, wait—" Lacey tried to fix it before she lost the chance to get railed by Danny's beautiful body, "I mean, it's not, I guess it's more like—spicy vanilla?" She winced.
Danny turned his face down slightly, his eyes darkening as he silently told Lacey she should be careful what she wishes for.
"Uh-oh." Lacey knew exactly what she did.
Danny nodded, "Uh-oh."
Danny got to work.
Danny definitely knew what he was doing in bed, but Lacey loved pushing him. Danny's default sex mode was always love and tenderness. She felt safe with him, fulfilled.
Tonight she wanted him to let himself go. Lacey knew he'd never hurt her, but she kinda just wanted something delicious, something they hadn't done together before.
"Do it." Lacey encouraged Danny as his body amped up.
"You sure?" Danny bit the shell of her ear and sucked her ear lobe into his mouth.
"Fuck me—"
Fighting with Archie didn't release nearly as much tension as Danny had hoped. If he was going to fight he at least wanted to get something out of it, but intense sex with Lacey? Now this was an excellent way to work his shit out.
"This okay?" He didn't want to hurt her, scare her.
"Mnph! Harder, c'mon—" She whined.
Lacey's hands were everywhere, enjoying her boyfriend's ever-giving body as he worked more aggressively to make her come again. Danny's sweet nuzzles and intentional sucks were in sharp contrast to the hard thrusts his lower half punished her with.
"Wow, Danny. Don't stop—" Lacey begged lightly into Danny's ear, those words spurring him to go harder, deeper, "Please—"
Control. Control. Control. He chanted inside his own head.
"Knees back." Danny countered and Lacey stopped scratching her nails down his back in order to open herself up for him, "Wider, Lace." He coaxed and Lacey complied.
"Who is this?" Lacey smiled up at her typically not-so-dominate Danny, "I like him."
Danny slapped his body into hers making constant contact with her swollen clit. Lacey's hands found their way to his ass, squeezing hungrily and praising him for his effort.
"Holy shit—" Lacey couldn't take it, but at the same time she could. She was heading for somewhere big, thank god, she needed it.
"You're everything." Danny professed with an out of place tinge of sadness.
Mentally and emotionally they were in two different places with the same end goal. Lacey was used to that by now and ignored her boyfriend's emo rambling, too close to her epic release at this point to care about coddling him further. From the sound of Danny's grunts, he was ready too.
"Please, please—" She encouraged a sweaty Danny to keep destroying her.
Danny humped and rutted into her, his cock reaching inside as far as it could go. Lacey writhed below him, her hips searching for her climax in a firm counter-grind.
"Get it." Danny grunted, his head now resting beside hers from exhaustion, the rest of his body still fucking her the way he knew she wanted, "Your body is unreal—"
Lacey ground against him harder, the two of them loving this perfect collaboration.
"This dick. It's mine." Lacey hummed possessively, something neither of them ever did.
Lacey was the only woman he'd known that had the sexiest raspy voice even when reduced to a whisper. The fact that she was now using it to tell him she only wanted him made Danny's need for controlling his life even stronger. If she wanted it, he'd give it to her.
Danny leaned up, pried her hands from behind her legs and slammed her arms above her head.
"YES, Desai—" This was exactly what Lacey was craving.
Danny collapsed back down to kiss her before releasing her wrists. Lacey moaned and reached to grip the sheets on either side of her for dear life.
Lacey gasped in surprise as Danny took over spreading her legs open wide again. He pushed her knees up toward her chest and pressed her thighs down into the mattress with his strong hands, her arms now accidentally trapped at her sides.
"Shit—" Lacey loved this.
Danny continued fucking her while she could do nothing but take his probing length and have her clit milked over and over.
Control. Control. Control.
"Mine—" Lacey uttered again in a disjointed mumble as Danny's stronger thrusts finally sent her shooting off into space, "Fucking YES, Danny!"
Lacey could no longer feel her toes. Her vision went white, eyes rolling around from having her mind blown, mouth hanging open in disbelief, a face of hers that Danny knew well.
Danny released her legs and watched her enjoy her orgasm while he pumped her slowly and worked to control his own breathing. Watching Lacey's sated face edged with joy made his whole body respond. This was the intensity he was looking for. She loved him.
"Yours." Danny confirmed softly and kissed her dewy nose.
He could feel Lacey's gush of wetness surround his painfully hard dick and suddenly he was there, ready to come and join in the one feeling he created exclusively with her, but his brain said no. He slid himself out gently.
All of his fears about his current situation chose now to rage back into the forefront of Danny's thoughts and broke the spell. Control was a myth.
Danny dipped his face down and kissed Lacey again lovingly. He moved to slop a kiss to the side of her neck too, trying desperately to hold onto the moment, to keep himself centered and connected with her.
"You were close, I could hear it in your breathing." Lacey stared back at Danny carefully, curious why he didn't let himself go, majorly disappointed if she was being honest.
"This time wasn't about me." Danny tried to make it sound like it was no big deal as he slid his weight off of her and sat up on the edge of the bed.
Lacey struggled up, obviously frustrated. She flipped her skirt back down and squirmed her legs around so she could sit up next to him. She could see the precome oozing out of his tip and knew that he had to be aching down there.
"You showed me you love me, I get it, but that's not how this works. Not with me, you know that." Lacey said honestly.
"We made love." Danny shrugged and reached for his shorts, standing and pulling them on quickly before beginning to pace the room.
"Let me take care of you too, please?" Lacey insisted.
Danny pulled Lacey to her feet and into a hug. It was too tight. He was scared, she could feel it now. She hugged him back, rubbing her hands up and down his back as she tried her best to calm him.
"You are taking care of me. I love you, Lace. So much." He said into the side of her head before pulling back a little, "You should go now."
"Okay." Lacey peppered kissed onto his cheeks, "Okay."
Lacey shimmied back into her thong and made some other adjustments that included handing Danny a folded piece of paper and a lighter from inside her jacket pocket.
Danny's eyes widened in shock. He unfolded the paper quickly and recognized Chief's handwriting, 'BURN ME' written in all caps all around the edges. It was the plan, neatly written out on one single page. This was it.
Danny's eyes darted up to Lacey's face in disbelief and he found her calm steadfastness incredibly centering.
"Oh! One thing before I go?" Lacey asked, but not really.
She dropped down to her knees and yanked Danny's shorts down with her.
"Lacey—"
He was at half mast now but that changed quickly when Lacey stuffed him into her mouth.
"Fuck—"
Danny clutched the paper in one hand, the lighter in the other and just let it happen. All of his fears, worries, the unknowns, none of it mattered right now. This moment was all about Lacey's mouth wrapped around his unfinished dick.
He winced a little as his body got back in the game. The ache he felt intensified as his cock hardened again and his balls rebelled against all of the mixed messages. Lacey popped her mouth off of him for a moment.
"C'mon, D—" Lacey begged genuinely before sucking his tip back into her mouth.
She got her hands involved and toggled between jerking him and sucking him, a combination she knew drove Danny wild. He was so close and desperately wanted to feel good again.
Fuck it. Danny slid his hands through her hair and guided her head as he pushed into her mouth and exploded just a quickly as she had started.
When he finally stopped pulsing, Lacey bounced back up on her feet, dragging Danny's shorts up with her and tucking his precious bits back inside.
"Thank you?" Lacey smiled big and went right back into Danny's arms.
Danny responded with a much huskier giggle at their reverse manners in this case, "You were right, thank you."
"I'm always right."
"Don't come back here." He whispered into her ear, "You and Clara, don't come back." Danny clarified, his face dead serious, all of this bullshit now very real to him.
Lacey nodded and took a step away. She grabbed for the doorknob and then spun back around, "D—"
"Hm?" Danny stopped short behind her.
"I lied to you."
Danny looked at her quizzically and braced himself.
"Absolutely nothing about you has ever been vanilla." Lacey winked and walked away.
Danny smiled warmly and watched his whole heart disappear down the hallway.