Title- Day's Dawning, Skin's Crawling

Author- Katt

E-mail- R

Pairing- Vic/Dutch

Series- Undertow Part 5a?

Feedback- Like it or loathe it let me know

Archive- Archived at the Shield Fanfiction Archive.

Disclaimers- I don't own any of the characters of The Shield, they all belong to Shawn Ryan and FX. "Pure Morning" is performed by "Placebo" and was written by Brian Molko.

Day's Dawning, Skin's Crawling – "Blowback"

"A friend in need's a friend indeed,

A friend with weed is better,

A friend with breasts and all the rest,

A friend who's dressed in leather,

A friend in need's a friend indeed,

A friend who'll tease is better,

Our thoughts compressed,

Which makes us blessed,

And makes for stormy weather."

He watched them bathed in the warm golden glow of light that spilled through the open door into the night. Dutch hadn't been able to resist waiting to see Danny's "friend", he'd known a brush off when he'd heard one, and sure that she hadn't been telling him the truth he'd been curious. Now he wished he'd just gone home so he'd have been spared watching this scene. Even now he could drive away, but he found that he couldn't, he was rooted to the spot watching the little drama caught in the spotlight framed by Danny's front door, playing out, it seemed, for him alone.

They were talking, Vic hanging back on the doorstep, seeming to be unwilling to take the next step over the threshold. Danny reached out for him and pulled, but Vic stopped himself from moving forward. Dutch held his breath, wanting Vic to turn away and leave. The bitter twist of jealousy making itself felt in his gut. A potent, double twist of jealousy, as he felt resentment that Danny had lied to him, and that she was obviously not interested in him, and an even harsher stab of emotion at the thought of Vic in her arms, in her bed.

Dutch watched them, the moment balanced on a knife-edge. There was something between them, something intangible, stopping Vic from taking that final step, and then the barrier vanished as Vic leant forward and kissed her. Disappointment and disbelief flooded through Dutch as he muttered,

"Aw, you gotta be shittin' me."

"A friend in need's a friend indeed,

My Japanese is better,

And when she's pressed she will undress,

And then she's boxing clever,

A friend in need's a friend indeed,

A friend who bleeds is better

My friend confessed she passed the test,

And we will never sever.

Day's dawning, skin's crawling,

Day's dawning, skin's crawling,

Day's dawning, skin's crawling,

Day's dawning, skin's crawling,

Pure morning, pure morning,

Pure morning, pure morning."

Another night spent tossing and turning, getting no rest, thanks once again to Vic Mackey. His imagination running away with him, images of Vic and Danny together making his skin crawl on the one hand, while making him hard on the other.

He'd seen all the little looks, the smiles, the comforting touch in the break room after Detective Crowley was killed. He'd seem it and deep down he'd known what it meant. God knows he'd read enough books on interepting body language to know exactly the level of intimacy that those light touches signified. Yet he hadn't really seen it at all, or more likely he hadn't wanted to see it. From a Summer vacation so long ago spent with Andy Pritchard, to a marriage, the wounds of which still bled a little, with Lucy, he just never seemed to learn. Only he could be interested in two different people, two different sexes for Christ's sake, only to find they were having an affair with each other – what an idiot.

The thought of them together crept back into his head, making his hard cock throb. The thought of being there with them, and the images that produced in his mind, made his resolve crumble and his hand reached down under the covers.

"A friend in need's a friend indeed,

A friend with weed is better,

A friend with breasts and all the rest

A friend who's dressed in leather."