AN: This story started out as some self-indulgent, head cannon smut... but it's actually developing much further. I have around 6 Chapters so far, and... I swear, Danse and Quinn are going to set the Commonwealth right. Until then, please enjoy aforementioned self-indulgent, Danse sexiness. 3

Part Two

POV – Quinn

My mouth was still tingling from the first kiss that I shared with Danse. I'd imagined it in my mind more times than I could remember, but the reality of it was better than any dream I'd ever had. I'd felt an attraction to Danse since the first moment that I'd seen him without his helmet on. That gruff voice had smoothed out, and I saw his light brown eyes alight with fire. Even with his rough looks, he was the most beautiful man that I'd ever met.

The Commonwealth was a daunting place – it had only seemed like a few minutes had passed. I'd watched Nora shot in front of me, and my son Shaun taken away. Nora, I had already begun to get over. I'd only married her because it was expected that I do so – there was no love between the two of us. The town, my family, my father… everyone had expected me to find a pretty, blonde bride. I'd complied. Though we'd gotten along well enough to begin with, I knew that Nora could sense that something wasn't right between the two of us. We tried, we pretended… but the relationship wasn't there. I would avenge her because she was my partner, and though we hadn't been truly in love, we had at least cared for one another.

I would avenge her, because I thought that it was the only way that I would ever find Shaun…

Now that I had found my son, I wasn't sure about anything anymore.

The only thing that I was sure of was the man whose arms were slowly creeping around me.

Danse.

Danse, even though he was a synth…

Danse, even though he had wanted to die as an example to the brotherhood…

Danse had always stood strong beside me.

Everything came back to Danse, and I wasn't going to give up the only thing that made sense to me in this post-apocalyptic world. I'd known that from the moment that Maxon had asked me to hunt him down. I was only happy that he hadn't sent someone else to do it; I didn't want to think about what would have happened if anyone but myself had found him.

He'd wanted to die.

Just the thought of that caused my chest to ache, and I pulled him closer. I knew that my emotions were rippling over my features, and Danse pulled away from me again. "What is it, Quinn?"

Hearing him say my name caused me to melt just a bit on the inside. He usually called me soldier, or some other military name. I couldn't count the times that he'd actually said my name… and I savored the sensation that it gave me. I only had a second to do so, because Danse was already pulling back from my embrace. "Should we stop this? I don't want to make you uncomfortable." His voice was quick to answer, and I could tell that there was pure paranoia and nerves in his response. I shook my head quickly and took his hand in my own. I wouldn't force too much too quickly on him, even though my entire body was aching, begging me to go back to tasting his lips.

"I was just thinking of how shitty this world would be without you in it, Danse." I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you decided to stay with me."

He only paused for a moment, and then answered. "I'm glad that you convinced me." I could see that he was sincere by the look on his face, and I chuckled.

For a moment, we stood in the silence. There were a thousand words that could have been said, and a thousand things that I could have done… but I knew that this new relationship was something that I would have to take slowly. Trepidation wasn't really the correct word, but walking a fine line was necessary. I didn't want to scare him off. Everything in Danse's world was changing, and I wasn't going to make him feel like I wasn't a rock that he could rely on.

Even if that meant that I had to suppress my need to jump him then and there.

Instead, I flicked my eyes to the doorway. "It was getting dark when I got here. We should rest for the night, and then maybe we can start out again tomorrow." I saw the smile twitch his lips, and I knew that it was because I spoke as though nothing had changed.

I wasn't going to let anything change.

If I had anything to do with it, I'd find a way to get him back onto the Prydwen… Maxon was wrong about this, and at least I knew it. Convincing my former Paladin to go along with me was going to be another matter altogether.

During my absence, Danse had managed to clean up the bunker a bit. There was one sleeping station set up, and when he led me to it, he turned to glance at me awkwardly. "I… uh… wasn't sure that you'd be coming back." I gave him a flat look, and he quickly added, "Tonight. Maxon might have sent you on another mission. You can take the sleeping arrangement, and I'll just stand guard." He turned to go back to the door, and I had to hold in a chuckle.

"How about we just sleep here together?" I saw his shoulders tense in a rigid line, and I added in a gentler tone, "We don't have to do anything… but it would be nice to know that you're beside me." I knew Danse – if I made it about him being a comfort, helping me, protecting me, shielding me? He would always be there for me. There wasn't an instant that I could remember where he hadn't stepped in front of me during a fight while I used a Stimpak. He was always there, making sure that I was okay. Honestly, there was truth to it. I hadn't even had the chance to talk about what had happened in the Institute – not that I told Danse a lot about my past. I'd been trying to pretend that it didn't bother me, trying to act strong and roll with the punches. My revelation about Shaun, about the Institute… about everything? It chilled me to the bone. The only thing that I wanted was to lay down next to the man who I'd just confessed my feelings for and rest.

For a moment, I wanted to pretend that the world wasn't a mess, and that I was just a normal man sleeping next to the person he loved.

Danse seemed to read every emotion as it flew across my features. I saw his lips turn down into a frown for a moment, and he quickly stepped forward. At first, I thought he was going to pull me into his arms, but instead he moved past me. In a movement that wasn't graceful (I could tell that he felt awkward out of his power armor) he laid himself down on the bedroll. With a glance to make sure that there was enough space beside him, he pat the mattress.

"Come on then. I'll still keep guard for you." Of course, he'd put me against the wall. He was going to take the outside of the mattress, to make sure that nothing could get to me. My throat felt tight, but I nodded. I carefully slipped into the small space beside him, feeling the instant warmth of his well muscled back against my chest. I let out a small, shuddering sigh of relief, and slowly slipped my arm around his taut waist. For a moment, he was tense, but he quickly relaxed.

"You're safe, Quinn. Nothing's going to harm you while I'm here to stand guard. Try to rest." He didn't turn to look at me, but I felt his warm hand come up and take my own. He pulled my fingers up along his chest and brought them to rest over his heart.

Maybe he was a tin man, but I could still feel that sweet beat, pulsing slightly faster than usual at our proximity. I wanted to speak – wanted to say something to let him know what this meant to me. I wanted to tell him that he was more of a man than anyone I'd met since waking up… that he was more human than most of the people I'd encountered in my life… but words failed me. I was sucked into the sweet scent of his body, the warmth of his back, and the tender sensation of him holding my hand.

Without meaning to, I fell into a deep sleep.

My dream was different than usual. Nightmares were no new face to me, but they had always involved Shaun as a young child, calling my name. Asking for my help. Sometimes Danse was there, sometimes the other people that I'd met in the Commonwealth. They were always crying out my name, always asking for some kind of help… and I was always trapped in a Cryosleep machine, unable to get to them.

This time, it was Danse who called out my name. I saw Shaun there – but not the young child that I had so often wished for. It was the older man, and there was a wicked smile on his features. He leaned forward, injecting Danse with a long needle. Instantly, I saw his features begin to distort, his body shifting and changing – a Super Mutant.

His voice was gruff when he spoke, his eyes haunted. "Kill me. I should be an example, not an exception."

"Danse, no!" My voice was an ache as I spoke, and I pounded against the glass of my prison. Shaun simply chuckled, and pulled out a plasma pistol.

"As you wish, synth."

"No!" I beat harder against the glass, but I couldn't escape as Shaun took aim and pulled the trigger. "Danse!"

A hand on my shoulder, shaking me roughly, woke me from my fitful sleep. My fingers instantly went for the pistol's I kept at my hip, and two strong arms pinned me down. I fought for just a moment, before the sweet scent of Power Armor grease, sweat, and the smoky smell unique to Danse filled my senses. I opened my eyes, and he was there on top of me. He had used his body to pin down my own, and his hands pulled my arms up along either side of my head. I saw fear on his face, and concern. Behind that, there was a hotter emotion, but I couldn't read it.

"Quinn? Are you all right?" He didn't get off of me, but he shifted his hips so that his body straddled mine without the full pressure of his weight against me. "You were screaming and punching." He looked at my hands, and I felt a sharp sting. "You made yourself bleed."

I didn't care about the pain, or my wounds. I only cared about the fact that Danse's head hadn't been turned to red dust. I leaned up, but his arms kept my body pinned down and restrained.

"Danse, let me up."

"You were screaming my name." His face was so sincere, and I had only noticed that he'd stripped down to just his pants, the top half of his jumpsuit hanging off of his hips, slung low so that I could see the line of his pelvis forming into a perfect V.

"I was having a nightmare." My voice was soft and distant. Now that I saw his exposed upper body, I couldn't help but to admire the well-muscled frame.

"About me?" His voice was soft, and the tone instantly jerked my gaze up to his own. Whatever he was thinking, it wasn't kind to himself.

"About someone taking you away from me. About the Institute hurting you." I still didn't want to mention Shaun, not yet. But I wanted to take the pain from his eyes. I attempted to push myself up again, but he still held me down. There was such strength in his arms – he seemed not to realize that he had such power. His armor had given him the confidence to stand strong, but he didn't realize his own strength.

"You sounded so frightened. I've never heard your voice like that." His tone was still soft, but there wasn't an undercurrent of self-loathing anymore.

"I never want to lose you." My voice was ragged, and I saw his face change. His lips parted for a moment, and he slowly lowered his body. Danse's hands kept my arms pinned above my head, but it was his lips that found my own this time. The kiss was rougher than what I'd expected, and I realized that he really didn't know what he was doing.

He was approaching this in the same way that he approached everything else – with strength, power, precision… but I could feel the way that his body shook and trembled, and I could feel it as he instantly pulled back at the small sound that spilled from my chest.

"Did I hurt you?" His eyes were full of concern, and a ghost of my usual smile flicked across my lips.

"Not at all – you just surprised me." I could feel the length of him, hard beneath his jumpsuit. Though he didn't say anything, his body told me what he wanted. His hands kept me pinned down, as though he didn't trust himself to my touch. "Please, don't stop?"

If I had to do it this way, at his pace, on his terms, I would take it. He looked at me questioningly for a moment, and his dark black hair was falling forward into his eyes. Those eyes were full of some darker heat, something that I'd never really seen from him before. The only thing that could possibly compare was the look he got when we were clearing out a nest of Super Mutants – ferocity, strength, tribulation… need.

That need was directed at me, and it made my stomach squirm.

He slowly lowered his head again, whispering words softly. "Stay still, Quinn. Let me do this…" As though, even now, he could still teach me. He could still take control. It was funny, because I had a feeling that Danse had never done anything like this before. But here he was, trying to take charge, trying to show me that he was strong enough to be there for me… and I wasn't going to stop him.

His mouth found mine again, and it was just as fierce as the first time. When I moaned, his teeth found my lips, and he bit against the sound hungrily as though he meant to drown it down. I could feel the heat of his skin against my own, like a fire was beginning to burn between us. He pushed my wrists together, holding them in one hand – I was forced to realize yet again that his fingers were so much larger than mine. He was such a big… man…

His free hand came down, cupping my cheek, sliding behind my neck to tilt my head back. My mouth fell open at his touch, and his tongue hungrily invaded my mouth. He licked and lapped like a man starving, like the taste of me was the first drink that he'd had in his entire life. It was he who moaned this time, and when he pulled back from the kiss, his eyes were wild. They were full of heat and panic, fear and passion… he was a man on fire, and I knew that he wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Danse…" My body was burning, and I heard my voice fall into a soft whimper. "Please? Danse…" I was panting, squirming beneath him, and I could see that it took every bit of restraint to stop himself from spilling forward again. A soft sheen of sweat glistened on his body in the twilight of the room, and I wanted to taste it with my tongue.

Still, he hesitated before me. His eyes were like fire, and I was burning from the inside out. I saw a brief flicker of pain cross his face, but it was quickly overwhelmed by the heat that was licking higher and higher with each second that our bodies were pressed to one another.

"Quinn…" His voice was husky, gruff, sexy… and he leaned down to claim my lips again.