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infinityhype · 8 years

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Staying Gold (3/6)

Bee I finally got around to writing this next installment I didn’t forget it just...took forever to come up with something, oops.

Part of the “Five Times” meme requested by @dezemberzwolf of “Daniel Law being happy and smiling”

May I Buy You a Drink?

Daniel Law did not usually go drinking alone because it was, for lack of a better term, reckless.

However, his day had been so awful he decided the benefits outweighed the risks. Someone mugging him in a back alley would only make his day slightly worse at this point.

Hell, it would probably make it better to be perfectly honest. At least he would have a good reason to beat the shit out of someone.

Daniel tried not to drink when he’d had a bad day. It wasn’t a good coping mechanism, but he could only smoke so many packs a day before Kemper started leaving nicotine gum and pamphlets with titles like “Quit Smoking in a Month!” all over his desk.

He was on his first drink when a man sat down next to him (on his right, where he could see the guy), offered Daniel a pleasant smile, and ordered a drink for himself. Interest and caution prickled at the back of Daniel’s mind.

Daniel finished off his drink and asked for another. The man next to him handed the bartender a credit card and asked for a tab.

“And pick his up too,” he said, motioning to Daniel.

So he is interested, Daniel thought as he raised his second glass to the man and drained the contents. He turned so he was facing the guy and leaned on the bar. A little flirting might perk up Daniel’s ego, or ruin his night completely.

Either way, it couldn’t make the day he’d had any worse.

Well, much worse.

“If you’re gonna pick up my tab I should at least know your name,” Daniel said.

“It’s Evgeny Abrakov,” the man replied.

Evgeny wore a gray suit with a blue vest and a yellow tie. He was roughly the same size as Daniel, give or take a couple of inches and pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Defined cheekbones, perfectly coiffed hair, a nice voice...

Worse people had bought him drinks.

“Daniel Law. Nice to meet you.” They shook hands and nursed their drinks in silence for a while. Daniel lit up a cigarette and thought about how to proceed. He’d been so busy with work the past few months it hadn’t left him much free time, and his skills in the art of romance were passable at best.

“So what do you do, Evgeny?”

“I’m an accountant for a firm in Manhattan. I specialize in helping small businesses. I don’t do corporate tax law, because fuck--” He seemed alarmed the word slipped out of his mouth.

“You can finish your sentence,” Daniel said with a laugh. “I’m not offended.”

“--corporate loopholes, they’re terrible.” Evgeny picked up his drink in an attempt to look cool. “What do you do, Daniel?”

“I’m a detective. Organized crime, so you don’t get your hopes up for gristly Homicide stories.”

“Detective Law, then,” Evgeny said.

“Just Daniel,” he replied. “You are buying me drinks after all.”

“Well then, Daniel. I suppose it’s a good thing you’re not a homicide detective. To be honest I’m not interested in the gory details of humanity’s dark side. I can’t even watch the evening news most of the time. I want to be informed, but it’s just depressing.” Evgeny placed his right elbow on the bar and leaned on it, mirroring Daniel.

Daniel exhaled a cloud of smoke. He noticed a series of small cuts on Evgeny’s knuckles and wondered what he could have done to get those.

“The job’s absolute shit sometimes. Most of the time. But I keep going because there’s a lot of good people worth protecting out there. I dunno. I just hate to see people get hurt. I was the kid who always fought the playground bullies even if it meant getting my ass kicked. It probably helps my brother was kind of a wimp.”

Evgeny laughed. That was a sound Daniel could get used to. “Is it just you and your brother?”

“Oh no. I have—” Daniel did a quick count on his fingers. “Six siblings. One older sister, a twin brother, one younger brother, and three younger sisters.”

Evgeny’s eyebrows shot up. It was a common enough reaction Daniel didn’t even notice it most of the time. “That’s a lot of siblings!”

“Yeah. Everyone told me New York was loud and crowded. But with the house I grew up in, it doesn’t bother me in the least. I’m just glad to have my own apartment where I don’t have to fight anyone to shower in the morning. You got any siblings?”

Evgeny shook his head. “Nah. My parents adopted me and decided one was enough. I guess I was a bit of a handful when I was a kid. What’s it like, being a twin? I’m sorry, I’m sure you get asked that a lot.”

Daniel shrugged. He was starting to feel the effects of the whiskey. “It’s fine. My brother’s name is Marcus. He’s the better looking of the two of us. Nicer too. I’m the funny one. And older. That’s pretty much all I have going for me in terms of comparison.”

“I can’t compare you two because he’s not here, but statistically a lot of people think less of their abilities when compared to others, especially a sibling close to them in age, so I’m sure you balance each other out instead of him being better than you—” Evgeny came to a hard stop in the conversation and blinked. “Sorry, once I get on something I talk a lot, especially if I’ve been drinking, and definitely when I’m trying to impress someone I think is cute.”

“You gesture a lot too,” Daniel said, making a motion with his hands. Evgeny folded them and put them in his lap. “I don’t say that to make you stop, it’s just you’re very…animated. And I like it. I like you.”

The words slipped out before Daniel could catch them. Was that all it took to disarm him? A couple of drinks and some conversation?

At this point, did he really care?

“Thanks,” Evgeny said with a smile. “I like you too.”

—

They closed the bar down that night, and Daniel didn't drink as much as he thought he would. If anything, he was pleasantly buzzed, his shitty day at work stored in the back of his mind. The cool, crisp air nipped at him, and he shoved his hands in the pocket of his coat.

“Where do you live? I’ll walk you home,” he said. He moved in front of Evgeny, so they were facing each other, and stopped.

Evgeny laughed, and Daniel tried not to think too much about the flash of white teeth and the flush on Evgeny’s cheeks.

“I live in Brighton Beach. I just come here because I like the atmosphere and no one I know from work hangs around here. Subway station’s a few blocks away. I can make it home.”

“Well I...I live about a block away. You can stay the night, if you want. I’d feel a lot better if you did.”

Evgeny threw his hands up. “Oh I couldn’t impose on you like that. I already talked your ear off for hours at the bar--”

“It’s not an imposition. It’s two in the morning, and it’s not safe for you to go back alone. So just.” Daniel grabbed Evgeny’s hand and began to lead him down the street.

“Oh I...okay.” Evgeny said. He caught up and laced his fingers between Daniel’s.

“Just make sure I don’t run into a pole or something, okay? I can’t see out of my left eye anymore.”

---

Evgeny didn’t quite expect Daniel’s apartment to look the way it did. The place was a bit unkempt, with the desk and couch half buried in paperwork, but was otherwise spotless. Pictures were hung on the wall perfectly straight. A shadow box of Army medals caught his eye. He failed to mention he’s a war hero, Evgeny thought.

“I’d offer you the bed but I haven’t washed my sheets in a while. I hope the couch works.”

Evgeny pulled himself away from his thoughts and nodded. “I can sleep wherever. It’s not a big deal.”

“All right.” Daniel disappeared into his room and came back with a stack of items. A pillow, a blanket, a well worn NYPD shirt, and a pair of sleep pants.

“Wouldn’t want your suit to get all rumpled.”

“Thanks.” Evgeny started the long process of getting undressed, and set everything on the back of a kitchen chair. Daniel started to walk away when he caught a glimpse of Evgeny’s back.

“Something the matter?” Evgeny asked.

“What? No, sorry. I shouldn’t stare.” Daniel berated himself, and at the same time thought what kind of accountant has a physique like that?

“I’m a boxer,” Evgeny said, almost as if he could read Daniel’s expression. “I won the championship my junior year. I still keep up with it because I like it.”

“It must get you a lot of ladies,” Daniel said.

God, this had been a bad idea. He started stacking files and putting them behind the couch, trying not to think about how long it had been since he’d had an extended conversation with someone other than his subordinates or the upper brass, much less—

“Plenty of guys who appreciate it too,” Evgeny said as he pulled the NYPD shirt on. He slipped out of his loafers and Daniel made sure to turn away while he changed pants.

Focusing on the task at hand, Daniel thought, and soon the couch was cleaned off and ready to go.

When he turned, Evgeny was a few feet away from him. Head tilted to the left, dressed in Daniel’s borrowed clothes.

“I uh…I don’t…want to do anything if you don’t want to, and I might be misreading the situation but would it…” Evgeny faltered. Daniel leaned in and kissed him.

“I went to all that effort of loaning you clothes, and you went to all that effort of putting them on, but I would really like it if you took them off and got in bed with me,” Daniel said.

“I’d be happy to oblige,” Evgeny replied.

——

Daniel reached over Evgeny’s sleeping form and grabbed his crumpled pack of cigarettes. The lighter took a little more effort because it was just out of Daniel’s grasp and he didn’t want to wake up his bedmate, but he eventually managed to catch it with his fingertips and pull it into his hand.

He lit up and leaned back against the headboard, breathing out smoke. He could see sunlight begin to stream through the window on the opposite wall. The smoke danced in eddies and whirls, like ink in water.

I should get up and make breakfast, Daniel thought before he remembered he hadn’t gone to the grocery store in a couple of weeks. The contents of the fridge were condiments, some leftovers from three days ago, and dubious milk. The pantry wasn’t much better.

He could make coffee. Coffee was breakfast for him on those days when everything went to shit and he had to get down to the precinct before his boss threatened to put him back on Patrol for twenty minutes.

“Hey Ev.”

“Mmmhmm?” The covers shifted and revealed Evgeny in all of his bed headed glory.

“I don’t have anything to eat around here so we’re gonna have to go out. That okay with you?”

“Yeah, that’s fine with me,” he said, rolling up in the covers.

“Ev, you’ll have to get out of the bed first. And give me back my blankets, you have literally all of them right now except the flat sheet.”

“But your bed is so comfy,” Evgeny replied. “And my nickname is Zhenya. I’m not French.”

“Oh yes, you’re Rrrrussian,” Daniel said with an accent. Evgeny wrinkled his nose.

“Please tell me you’re not serious. That’s the worst impression I’ve ever heard.”

“If you have a problem with it, come over here and stop me,” Daniel said.

Evgeny frowned, tossed the blankets aside, and pinned Daniel’s wrists to the bed. Daniel grinned. He did not mind this view one bit.

“Is this where I read you your Miranda Rights?”

“You don’t read people their rights when you arrest them,” Daniel replied. “Just when you’re about to question them. While Law and Order makes for compelling television it’s not accurate at all.”

“All right then. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law…something about an attorney…okay, what the hell was that accent?”

Daniel laughed.

Evgeny Abrakov was officially number one in the “Daniel Law’s Best Tipsy Decisions” category, right above…well, every other person he’d ever gone home with or brought home with him.

“Should we get up and around?” Daniel asked.

“…I could stay in bed for a few more minutes, if you’re up for it,” Evgeny replied.

Daniel didn’t object in the least.

—

When they left Daniel’s apartment, it was close to noon. They found their way to a diner that served breakfast all day and had a booth in the back corner open.

When they got their drinks (black coffee for Daniel, tea for Evgeny) Evgeny slid into the booth beside Daniel.

“Not that I mind, but are we already at that weird “couple who sits on the same side of the table” portion of our relationship?”

Evgeny shrugged. “ I just figured three eyes were better than one when it comes to watching the exits.”

Daniel nearly choked on his coffee.

—

#mads writes #daniel law #whoops I did it again #pairing an OC with a canon character #dezemberzwolf

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