Danny inevitably found himself tapping his foot to the sounds of the band playing, despite the fact he was still pissed off at Lindsay.
"Guess you didn't know him as well as you thought."
The snarky comment just kept playing over and over again in his head, hounding him that he really didn't know a couple things about Mac. So, naturally, he was relieved when Lindsay excused herself for the night, mumbling something about a cat and don't do anything irrational.
Irrational, my ass. Danny slugged another beer down angrily, more in frustration with himself that he could have been so stupid. I knew he'd been busy Wednesdays, but I never bothered to ask doing what. Some friend I am. Danny liked to think of himself as pretty close to Mac; not nearly as close as Stella, but still close. Well, at least until the shit hit the fan. But Danny tried to believe things were getting better between them, that things were still amiable because every time he knew he let Mac down, the look would come. That look. The one that sunk a thousand ships in its tragic disappointment.
However, Danny started looking up for camaraderie again because Mac had stuck his neck out for him. He had done the rarest thing… he laughed. Laughed at Danny's stupid pun or joke or whatever the lousy thing was called, but the point was, Mac laughed. And it made Danny feel better. Not great… just better.
Danny pulled out of his thoughts long enough to notice his foot-tapping and tried to stop, focusing on something else to keep his mind of the music. But the only thing there worth watching was Mac. Mac's fingers were escalating up and down on the guitar as smooth as can be. Up and down they moved, plucking at the strings delicately, yet also as if their lives depended on it. Danny blushed furiously at the thought of what else those fingers could be capable of, but the thought was pushed quickly from his mind by his own internal monster of guilt, berating him for not knowing Mac was so talented. So beautiful, Danny thought.
Fuck you, Lindsay. Now you've mucked it all up again. Danny pulled out a few bills to leave when he heard Mac speak again. "Thank you, New York, and good night." SHIT! Danny slammed the bills on the table and soundlessly made his way to the exit. He knew the lights were coming back on, and he sure as hell didn't want Mac to know he'd been there, watching. Danny nearly made it to the door but was halted by the flowing mass of other people herding out. After all, it was New York City on a busy night at a popular club. "Hey, people, can we move it a bit?"
Suddenly, a hand gently grasped his shoulder and pulled him backwards. "Danny?" Danny closed his eyes, not needing to see the face to know he had lost one fight. But he set his jaw, steeling himself for the next one about to come, one with himself, his heart.
"Yeah, Mac?" Danny spun around, facing his boss, but surprisingly found a smile settling on the older man's lips, allowing him to ease a bit of the pent-up tension
Mac paused for a moment, just staring into Danny's eyes, searching for something lurking within the shadows of Danny's heart. He inhaled as he seemed to find it, as well as his voice, after a few more shoves and excuse me's out of people clamoring to get out of the club. "Umm… so how'd you find out about… well… this?"
Danny chuckled nervously, looking at his toes. "Actually, it was Lindsay who made the connections in her head; she just decided to point them out to me."
Mac's eyes flashed, but the look went as quickly as it had arrived on the detective's face. "Hey, can we go someplace a little quieter? I think we need to talk…"
Danny nodded, knowing better than to disagree with a Taylor, and let Mac lead him carefully out to the street at which he hailed a cab. Danny slid in hurriedly and looked at his boss who took the seat next to him. "Where to?"
Mac's green eyes smiled even though his face did not. "My place." Danny's heart leaped about fifty feet in the air while Mac gave the cabbie directions. Both were silent after that during the whole cab ride, listening to the cabbie go on about his life story and his recent audition for American Idol. Only in New York.
At long last, the cab pulled up to a small apartment complex. "You live here?" Danny questioned. Mac just nodded and tipped the cabbie.
Stepping out, he whispered, "Wait here." The subservient man (only to Mac) as he was, Danny waited, only to be pleasantly surprised when Mac appeared at the window and graciously opened his car door for him.
Danny grinned like a fool. "I learn new things about you every day… actually more of today…" The grin faded away to a frown, contorting his features into a cocktail of agonized self-loathing and despair. "Mac, I-I'm… sorry."
Mac's forehead crinkled in confusion. "About what, Danny? Oh… could you hold that thought until we get inside? I can't have you catch your death of cold; I need you at the office too much to die."
It was meant as a joke, but Danny heard three words that begged to differ.
"I need you."
The two CSIs walked into the apartment. Mac flipped on the lights, allowing Danny the first glimpse into a new world of Mac. A world which excited Danny, as well as saddened him that he hadn't discovered it sooner. "You live here?" Danny asked once again. "But Mac, it's hardly even furnished! You-you don't even have a TV! I know you can at least afford a 12..." But Danny stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the depressed look Mac gave the room.
He had just rediscovered his boss. The one who works innumerable hours with only a few hours of sleep. The one who thrives on coffee and never leaves work until the case breaks. The one staring at the dusty room with deep circles under his eyes, sullen and morose.
Oh, Mac. Why did I forget about you? When did I stop noticing? Was it after the Tanglewood incident? Oh, God I have to fix this.
"Mac, you need to stop working yourself into the ground. You're gonna burn ou..." Mac held up his hand, silencing him.
"Danny, I didn't invite you here to talk about me. I don't give a shit about me. What I'm worried about is you. Why did you say outside that you're sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?" Mac pleaded with Danny's stubborn attitude silently, motioning him to sit down on a withered, navy blue couch.
"Mac, it's just… I hate… that I don't… that I don't know you!"
Mac laughed heartily. "What do you mean, 'Not know me'? We work together!" Mac silenced himself when he noticed the unusual tears welled in the icy blue eyes, poised to fall at any moment. "Danny… what's wrong? You know me! And I know you!"
Danny grimaced and sucked in a breath. Shit, I can't cry in front of Mac. It's just not me. Amazingly, the tears listened and stayed put, testaments to the Messer will of iron. "No, Mac I don't know you. I didn't even know you played bass or performed or lived in a crappy apartment or was losing sleep again and… and…"
"Hey… hey… look at me." Mac slowly raised his hand to Danny's downcast face. His fingers trembled lightly at the touch of sandpaper scruff. "You did notice. You knew I was busy on Wednesdays, right?" A nod. "You recognized sleep loss before?" Another nod. "Then that's good enough for me. I'm actually flattered… I mean… you care enough to be interested in my life, but sometimes… you get caught up in emotion and become oblivious. Hell, I do it. I-I know I've been tough on you lately, and Lindsay isn't helping things at all, but I want to get to know you too, Danny."
Danny sighed and allowed himself to lean into the calloused fingers, which now began to snake across the contours of his jaw, down to his Adam's apple and then down his arm, eliciting shivers at every feathered caress, until they came to rest at Danny's hand, grasping it firmly, as if Mac was afraid Danny was about to leave him. "Mac, I… I don't know what to say…" His face was flushed and his breathing was heavy from the near-erotic touches Mac had given him, but he remembered what Mac said.
Sometimes… you get caught up in emotion and become oblivious.
For the first time that night, Danny looked with an open heart back at Mac and noticed a similar labored breathing, and a similar blush, but most of all, a similar look a longing and desire.
Mac was the first to speak. "Then… don't say anything. Actions speak louder than words." Mac moved across the small space between them on the couch, hungrily and quickly towards Danny, and kissed him passionately, deeply, sensually. Danny felt himself fall from his sitting position to have Mac on top of him, devouring his lips in the frenzied kiss. Mac's lips moved away from Danny's, causing Danny to whimper at the loss, until he began mimicking his hand's earlier trip down Danny's body. He kissed and breathed every part of Danny's jaw, not missing a bit of its abrasiveness, which galvanized the fire in Mac.
He began to lick Danny's neck, swirling around the Adam's apple and nibbling on the side. Danny purred, sending magnificent vibrations into Mac's mouth. Mac brought himself back up to Danny's ear, whispering coyly, "Having fun, Danny?"
Oh God, if this is a sin, then I'll gladly go to hell for it. Danny moaned, "Yesss…" just as Mac returned to his feast of neck. "Mmmmm, don't ya think we should… ohh, that was naughty… don't ya think we should move to the bedroom? You do have a bed, right? I mean, you don't have a TV, so should I not be too disappointed if you don't have a bed?" Danny smiled, his first true one of the night.
Mac laughed, "Yeah I have a bed, and if you aren't in it in the next three seconds, you're fired." Danny didn't need a second warning and pulled himself from beneath Mac, to turn and attack the unaware man, seizing him into a fiery kiss, as they traversed to the bedroom.
This is going to be a wild getting-to-know-you.