A/N — a glimpse into Sasha and Danny's friendship prior to the events in the Bookworms/Choices universe. I'm hoping to get some updates out soon. xoxo — kals

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Title: Friends without Benefits

Location: Classified

Date: Classified

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Danny stared at the coffeemaker, snapping the power button on and off, and wondering why the damn thing wouldn't start. He understood why the team couldn't be seen in base. There was "off-the-books" and then there was any mission involving Sasha, the later giving true meaning to the phrase I-could-tell-you-but-then-I-would-have-to-kill-you. But you would think that the powers-that-be could stick them in a half decent place, rather than this shithole.

He hated this country.

Well, that wasn't completely accurate. The kebobs he had last night were amazing, even better than the ones he'd had in Turkey. And the strudels weren't half bad. Franke claimed that the beer selection at the watering hole down the block was top notch, although Danny thought the draw was the bartender rather than the drinks given Frankie's absence. Still, it wasn't Germany that he hated.

It was a particular German.

Danny pretended that he didn't hear the rhythmic thumping from the room next door. It was Sasha's business what — or who — she did. But, seriously, Prince Frogface? Her taste in men was atrocious.

Giving up on the coffeemaker, Danny opened the cabinet, expecting bare shelves and pleasantly surprised to see a jar of Skippy peanut butter. Sending up a silent thanks to the prior inhabitant of the flat, Danny tore off several hunks of bread saved from their late-nite dinner upon their arrival on friendly soil and settled at the kitchen table. Pulling out his phone, he began skimming through messages. He had sent his parents a text the night before, knowing how much they worried when he was in the field, and his mother had responded with a barrage of questions about where he was and when he would be home. Rebecca, on the other hand, had yet to answer either the text or email that he sent. He was debating sending her another message when he felt movement behind him.

"If you touch the peanut butter, I will gut you."

Behind him, Prince Karl chuckled. He moved past Danny, reaching down to plug the cord into the coffeemaker, before looking back at Danny with a smug smile. "Not in the mood for coffee, Zelenyy?"

Unplugged. Damn it all.

Pretending that he wasn't already salivating over the thought of fresh, hot American coffee, Danny spread peanut butter on another slice of bread. "Nobody offered you a cup."

Karl, of course, only chuckled. "After all this time, I hardly think that I need an invitation. Well, more of an invitation."

Only the mouth full of peanut butter stopped Danny from saying something that he would no doubt regret later. Despite being smart enough to understand that Karl enjoyed getting a rise out of him, Danny almost inevitably found himself taking the bait.

The guy was such a dick.

Sasha picked that moment to appear, wearing a shirt that said Green across the pocket. Danny thought that he saw Karl's mouth tighten slightly before the man nodded to Sasha. "Coffee?"

"I can get my own," Sasha said, brushing past him to take two mugs from the cabinet. She paused, meeting Karl's eyes. "Did you need something else?"

But instead of shriveling under the obvious dismissal, Karl merely grinned. "I'll be in town for the remainder of the week." He leaned forward to brush a kiss against Sasha's cheek. He switched to Russian then, the ploy to exclude Danny a little too obvious.

"I know how to reach you," Sasha replied in English, setting a cup of coffee in front of Danny. One that he refused to touch out of principle.

Karl ignored the dismissal and ensuing silence, slowly sipping his coffee. The mug finally empty, he nodded at both of them before disappearing into the bedroom to collect his clothes. Five minutes later, he was finally gone.

"About time," Danny muttered as the door closed behind him. He finally picked up his now slightly cold coffee. "Do you deliberately pick assholes or are you trying to drive me crazy?"

Sasha snorted. "Would you prefer that I brought home Hammond?"

Sputtering, Danny pictured the kid — allegedly an operational officer despite looking about twelve — who showed up at their last briefing. The kid had taken one look at Sasha and fallen in love. Never mind that the kid was terrified of Sasha, he would definitely have jumped at the chance to come back to the apartment with them last night. Getting rid of him this morning would have been a different story. "Has he popped the question yet?"

"I'm married, remember?" Sasha said, a trace of amusement in her voice. "He would never be so forward."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yes, what would Nicholas think of our guest last night?"

"I'm sure he would disapprove almost as much as you." Her head tilted slightly. "I'm a big girl, Kotenok. You and Benz don't have to babysit me."

Yes, they did.

"That is actually my job," Danny pointed out. "Making sure that you make it from point A to point B without involving a body bag."

He was here babysitting, for lack of a better word, because they were a team. From the moment they left US soil to the moment they returned, all of them were his business. And if that meant listening to her and Hans of the Southern Seas have loud, obnoxious sex at seven in the morning well, it could be worse. He could be stuck with Benz.

And Sasha knew it.

"Worried that Karl will strangle me mind-orgasm?" Sasha asked casually.

Choking, Danny tried to banish the idea of Sasha and Prince Fishface mid-sex. Still, Sasha did have a point. Five minutes ago, Danny would have said that he didn't believe a thing that came out of Karl's mouth — and that was still true — but he trusted Karl with her physical safety. When the shit hit the fan, Karl had come through for them. His highness might be a pretentious ass with questionable morals, but his loyalty to his country was without question. More importantly, Karl was practical.

Never screw over someone that you might need.

"You're too useful to kill," Danny replied. "I, on the other hand, fall somewhere slightly above roadkill. You might want to consider that the next time you feel the need to scratch an itch."

"Feeling sorry for ourselves, Kotenok?" Sasha smiled, an amused glint in her eyes. "Karl mentioned that a new McDonalds opened two blocks away. We could get breakfast. Unless you prefer to wallow in self-pity?"

Danny was standing up before Sasha finished talking, mouth watering at the idea of an egg mcmuffin, even if Draco Malfoy was the one to mention the place. "Let's go."