Taking a deep breath of the delicious aroma that had been wafting around his apartment since he'd first come out of the bedroom, Martin decided that he'd go on and eat the food the guys had brought. He grabbed the bag off of the side table and headed for the kitchen so he could see just what they'd selected. Once there, he got the nice surprise of finding another bag of food. They'd been sincere in bringing dinner for him. For them.
Martin felt a pang of guilt over the fact that he was standing there and contemplating eating without them, keeping them locked out in fact, and they'd gone to all the trouble of buying food that he liked. Oh, he knew that it was bribery, but he was hungry and was willing to deal with that later. They'd even gotten chopsticks, which Martin hoped meant that they hadn't planned to use plates, but had wanted to eat out of the containers.
Shaking his head slightly, Martin decided to let them join him for dinner, and he headed back into the living room. He was almost to the door when he heard someone inserting a key into it, and then it was roughly pushed open.
"I swear I'm going to fucking tan your hide for that…what the Hell?" Danny's voice cut off as the door came to an abrupt stop and the chain pulled taut. "Martin! Dammit, let us in!"
Martin grinned and approached the door. "My key first."
"I'm not in the mood for this, Martin. We just spent ten minutes being interrogated…"
"Give him the damn key, Danny." Martin could hear Chris's voice, but he didn't see him, and he stepped closer until the man came into view. Neither man looked happy, and that just made Martin's grin even broader.
"Yeah, give me the damn key, Danny. I still have to secure my weapon, something that I'd asked to be able to do before all this started. Oh hey, maybe if you'd have given me my weapon back when I asked for it, and let me put it away, this could have all been avoided."
"Fuck you," Danny spat out, but he at least shoved the key ring through the gap.
"We tried that once. You chickened out, remember?" Martin said as he took the keys from him. "Be right back."
"Martin! Let us in! Damn you!"
Martin ignored Danny's ranting as he took his weapon to the bedroom and put it and the ammo clip away. Once he was satisfied that everything was in its place, Martin put his keys on the nightstand and returned to the living room.
Danny was pushed up against the door, his arm snaked through the opening as he tried to undo the chain from the inside side of the door.
"It's sad when a Federal Agent is reduced to breaking and entering, isn't it? Back up so I can unlock the door."
Danny scowled at him, but pulled his arm back through and took a step back. Martin pushed the door closed and undid the chain, then opened the door and stood to one side. "Come on in. The food's getting cold, so we should eat now."
"We should take the food and leave," Danny was practically snarling as he entered the apartment. Martin knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't help but chuckle over it.
"Don't." Danny waved his finger in Martin's direction. "After the ten minutes from Hell that we just spent with Officer Turner, just don't. I swear, I was half-tempted to tell him exactly how you got those marks on your body."
"Why not?" Martin asked, trying his best to suppress his smirk. "I told Officer Olds about them."
Danny turned toward Chris, who wasn't yet to the point of snarling, as Danny was, but Martin could see that the man was close to the limits of his patience. A few days ago, he would have cared about that, but not today. Well, at least not right then. Maybe later.
"I told you he was out to get us, didn't I?" That finger of Danny's was wagging all over the place, and Martin quickly shut and locked the door before that finger started poking at him.
He'd no sooner closed the door than Chris had him by the arm and was pulling him toward the sofa. "Go to the bathroom or wherever it is that Martin keeps his antiseptic and bandages and bring them back here. You bit him, it's up to you to treat it and make sure that it heals properly."
Okay, so Chris's bad mood was more aimed toward Danny than him, Martin thought. He could live with that. Then Chris pushed him down onto the couch. "Take off your shirt and just stay quiet."
"Stay quiet? I don't…" Martin was cut off as Chris placed his hand over Martin's mouth, a little rougher than he probably should have, at least in Martin's opinion.
"Just. Be. Quiet."
Chris moved his hand away, and Martin wanted to argue the point, since it was *his* apartment after all, and he should be allowed to talk in his own home. But he'd seen that look in Chris's eyes before. Granted it was just one time, but it, and what had happened when Martin had pressed the issue then, made him hesitate to argue with Chris now. Yes, he liked being spanked, but as part of sex and not as a true punishment.
"Now, take off your shirt and lay back so Danny can put the bandage on that bite." Chris's glare spoke a lot more than his words did, and Martin quickly pulled off the T-shirt, knowing that he'd really be walking on the razor's edge if he tried Chris's patient any more than necessary.
Danny returned to the living room, a box of bandages in one hand and the antibiotic ointment in the other. He stopped at the end of the couch, watching as Martin stretched out on his back. He didn't look as angry, and Martin thought that was probably a good thing since the man was supposed to be rubbing that cream over his wound, and he didn't think that an angry Danny would be as gentle as he could be while doing so.
"Get over here and take care of him," Chris said, his glare shifting from Martin to Danny. "One of the cardinal rules, Danny, is that if you hurt your sub, then it's your responsibility to take care of him."
"Yeah, yeah. I already had the lecture from Jack on this." Danny sounded defiant, but he didn't step any closer to Martin or Chris. Martin tried to determine which seemed to be the oddest, that Jack had lectured Danny about something like that, or that Danny seemed to be reluctant to come near him. Maybe it was Chris he didn't want to be near, the closeness they'd apparently achieved while Martin had been napping now gone after their time together in the hallway.
Chris reached out and grabbed Danny by the arm and pulled him over to where Martin was. "Sit down and wait here. You'll need to clean the wound first."
Chris headed for the bathroom, and as Danny slowly sat down on the coffee table, Martin could hear water being run in the other room.
Martin turned his head and looked up at Danny. "What did you do to piss him off so badly?"
Danny seemed to choke, or maybe he breathed wrong, because he had to cough before he could answer. And when Danny did talk, Martin realized that he must have asked the wrong thing, because that finger was going again, punctuating the air several times despite the grip Danny had on the tube of ointment.
"Me? What did *I* do to piss him off? I'm not the one who had the local cops escort the two of us into the hallway where they proceeded to stare at us as if we were the scum of the earth and not deserving to breathe the same air. No, if definitely wasn't me. If Chris is pissed off, then you need to be lookin' in the mirror, Martin."
Martin struggled upright, resting on his elbows as he glared at Danny. "Excuse me for thinking that I had a right to privacy in my own home, Taylor. And for having the silly idea that it was my responsibility to ensure that my weapon was securely under lock and key."
Danny looked as if he was about to argue, but Chris returned then, with a wet wash cloth and a towel.
"Down," Chris ordered as he tossed the cloth onto Martin's belly. Martin gasped slightly since the cloth had been soaked in hot water, but he obeyed Chris as quickly as his dignity would allow.
"Wash the bite, then dry it. And be gentle." Chris instructed Danny. He then lifted Martin's legs, sat down at the other end of the couch and let Martin's legs rest in his lap. "Go on, we haven't got all day here, Danny. As Martin said before, the food's gettin' cold and I'd like to eat."
Chris didn't sound as pissed off as he had before, and Martin was glad of that. If only Danny would calm down, then dinner might actually be a pleasant experience.
Danny seemed a bit reluctant as he put the bandage box and ointment aside and reached out for the wash cloth. Chris though, kept on talking.
"While we were out, we realized that things can't stay as they are, Martin. You and I need to discuss what we're going to do now that you've met Vin and he's more or less indicated that he's in love with me. And then you and Danny need to have a long talk about what happened last night and where the two of you are going to go from here. Although," Chris grinned down at Martin, "If recent events are anything to go by, the two of you should either be fucking wildly before the day is over or killing each other."
Martin grinned. "I'm all in favor of the wild fucking…ouch!" Danny would have to pick that moment to drag the roughest part of the wash cloth over the most sensitive area of the bite wound. Martin frowned up at Danny, who seemed to be doing his best to keep his attention on Martin's belly and nowhere else.
Chris chuckled, then reached over and lightly punched Danny in the arm. "Gentle, remember? You want him to want to play with you again, not go running when he sees you."
"I'm pretty sure that I'll always want to play with Danny," Martin protested.
"Yeah, I know," Chris said, his tone almost gentle as he began to lightly massage both of Martin's calves. "And while that attitude is one of the things I love about you, it's also one of the things that scares the shit out of Danny."
Danny glanced sharply at Chris, then he returned his gaze to Martin's skin. His touch though, did seem gentler now. But there was something besides Danny's touch that had caught Martin's interest. Chris had actually used the word love, and that didn't make much sense at all to him. Despite Buck Wilmington's beliefs to the contrary, Martin was now pretty sure that Chris had only picked him for a sex partner because he looked like Vin. It stung, but not as much as it had hurt when he'd first met Vin Tanner. But, despite Chris's motives in asking Martin back to his hotel room, Martin knew that they did need to talk about the future, because if he was related to Vin Tanner in some way, then they'd see each other again, and there couldn't be anything between them. Martin wouldn't dream of coming between Chris and Vin.
Martin felt conflicted. He wanted to hear what it was that Chris wanted to do about them and the future, but he also wanted to know more about what it was Danny feared. He remembered all too clearly Danny saying that he didn't trust Martin to tell him if he got too rough, and supposed that was what Chris meant. If so, then that meant that Danny and Chris really had done one Hell of a job of bonding in such a short time. It also meant that Danny really didn't trust him, and that hurt. At the time, Martin had thought that Danny was exaggerating to make a point. True, it had hurt a bit at the time, but the thought that it wasn't really meant had lessened that pain. The pain and hurt over that had eased, but not gone completely away. Now though, Martin wasn't sure what to think or feel.
If was safer to talk about him and Chris, Martin decided. He looked at Chris, "So let's talk. I'll even let you start."
"Mighty polite of you," Chris commented with a smirk.
Martin grinned back. "My parents raised me to be polite."
Danny dropped the wet wash cloth to the floor and softly drew the towel over the wound, drying it. Chris seemed to be more intent on watching Danny than talking, but Martin didn't really feel like pushing him to talk. What Danny was doing felt nice, almost too nice. Come to think of it, Chris's hands seemed to be moving upward, because he was now massaging the area just below Martin's knees. Maybe he should push things, provided talking would distract Chris from what he was doing. At the rate things were going, Martin was going to be hard as a rock, and he doubted if wild fucking was really on the agenda for later. Or any time in the near future.
Martin opened his mouth to ask Chris just what he wanted to talk about, but Chris spoke first, directing Danny on what to do. "Smear the anti-bacterial ointment on the bandage, then apply it. Make sure that all of the adhesive edges are touching his skin."
Chris looked back at Martin. "As for us, I think we need to be honest with Vin. According to Danny, he already knows that I was with a guy last week, and I don't see any reason in keeping your identity a secret."
Martin's eyebrows rose as he considered Chris's words. On one hand, he agreed with the man that it was best to be honest. On the other hand, he knew how used he felt when he'd first seen Vin, and now that there was a chance that Vin might be a relative, he couldn't help but think that Vin would feel horribly betrayed.
"You don't agree?" Chris asked, his expression not giving Martin any hints as to how Chris felt about that.
"I'm not sure," Martin replied. He winced slightly as Danny applied the bandage, the cool of the ointment a small shock against skin that had been warmed with the wash cloth. "On one hand, I agree with you. It would be a difficult secret to keep, especially if Vin and I do turn out to be related and keep seeing each other. On top of that, Buck knows about us, too. Now, I don't know how good he is at keeping secrets, but…" Martin shrugged, and Chris didn't offer any insight as to how close-mouthed Wilmington might be.
The bandage now in place, Danny got to his feet and picked up the debris from the short first-aid course, then headed toward the bathroom, still silent. Feeling both relieved and saddened that Danny was no longer touching him, Martin pulled his legs away from Chris and swung them around as he got into a seated position in the middle of the couch. He picked up his T-shirt and put it back on, glad to have yet another layer between himself and the two men he knew could undo him with just a touch or a look.
"And on the other hand?" Chris finally asked.
"On the other hand, I remember how it felt when I saw Vin for the first time, how betrayed and used I felt. He knows you were with someone, and now he's met me. He's going to be shocked and maybe even feel betrayed when he learns the truth. He might love you now, but are you willing to risk losing that if he can't handle it?"
Chris looked thoughtful, then he shook his head. "I can't see that happening with him. If he ends up feeling betrayed, then it'll be him feeling that way about you, not me. I could see it happening if he'd met you before you and I ever did anything. But Vin's fair enough to not hold it against me that I spent time with you, Martin. He is however, sensitive enough, and don't ever tell him that I even hinted at him bein' sensitive, to feel hurt about you not telling him about us when you were in Denver."
Martin smiled slightly when Chris said that Vin was sensitive. He often felt the same way about Danny, and knew that Danny would argue the point if Martin ever bothered pointing out that he could be sensitive at times. It stung a little though, when Chris pointed out that if Vin was going to feel betrayed by anyone, it would be him. Deep down he knew Chris was right about that, and as Martin remembered how easily Vin had laughed at the jokes his teammates were telling at dinner, he hated the idea of being the person who put pain in those eyes.
"Even knowing that you met me before I met him, Vin's still going to second-guess things, Chris," Martin said, hoping to explain things better this time around. "I know he's going to feel as if I was deliberately lying to him, and that's something the two of us will deal with when the time comes. But, at the time, I really thought that Danny had told Vin about you and me, and since Vin wasn't bringing it up, I just followed his lead. And another thing, is that you've got to see how it might look to Vin, Chris. He knows you spent a week with another guy. He met me, and knows we look alike. Then you're going to come home, ready to tell him that you love him, and oh, by the way, the guy you had been with just happened to be the Fed he met over the weekend. Do you really expect him to believe you at first? To believe that you really and truly love him and aren't just glad to have him handy because he looks like me and loves you?"
The sound of a heavy sigh caught Martin's attention, and he glanced up to see Danny standing behind the couch, a saddened look in his eyes and on his face. "Martin, why is it so hard for you to belief that Chris cares for you and wasn't using you as a replacement for someone else?"
"That wasn't what I said, Danny. I said that…"
"Shush." Chris placed his fingers over Martin's mouth, softly silencing him. "I know what you said, and you've got a point. I'll just do what I have to do to prove to Vin that I loved him before now. Just as I'll do what I have to do to prove to you that you were never a substitute for Vin, not in my bed and not in my heart. When I asked you to go back to the hotel with me, I was asking Martin. I wasn't asking some guy who just happened to look like the guy I loved."
Danny had come around to the front of the couch as Chris had been speaking, and he sat down on Martin's other side, but he didn't say anything else.
Chris removed his fingers. "Let me ask you something. At any time during this past week, did I ever call you Vin?"
Martin shook his head, unable to recall a single incident of that happening. He did feel half tempted to bring up the time that Chris had called him 'Junior', but since that was such a popular term for a younger man, Martin was willing to give Chris a pass on that one. There was no need for Chris to think that he'd slipped up and used one of Vin's nicknames while speaking to him.
"And be honest with me. At any time during this past week, did you ever think of Danny when you and I were…well, when we were enjoying each other's company?"
Martin noticed Danny shifting positions but he didn't dare look at his partner. While there had been times when he'd thought of Danny, those times had not been when he and Chris were fucking, or doing other pleasurable things. No, Danny would enter his thoughts before something like that happened, or shortly afterward, more as a wish that it could have been Danny and not Chris. But during? Never.
Martin shook his head. "No. I always knew who I was with."
Chris smiled and nodded. "And I always knew who I was with, Martin. My intent had been to pick up a stranger, but that went right out the window when I asked you to come back. By Friday morning, I felt as if I knew everything there was to know about you, and yet I was still planning on leaving here with us not knowing the other's last names. I wanted you to be a pleasant and wonderful memory. But, things changed, didn't they? We know names now, and you've met my team, and Vin. And I've met your team, and Danny. You've loved Danny for a while now, right?"
Martin nodded. He could see where Chris was going with this, and the feelings of being a pale substitute for Vin Tanner began to fade away. Chris had wanted him, Martin Fitzgerald, and had been with him. It was true that Chris loved Vin, just as it was true that Martin loved Danny. But during the week they'd shared, neither man had known that their love was returned. It would always be a special memory for Martin.
"I have. And I see where you're taking this. Me loving Danny didn't keep me from going out and finding pleasure where I could. Just as you being in love with Vin didn't keep you from doing the same thing. It doesn't mean that we were using the other as a substitute for who we thought we could never have."
Chris smiled. "Exactly. So, you're okay with me telling Vin about you?"
Martin nodded. "Yeah, I am. There's just one problem."
Chris's smile faltered. "And that is?"
"Well, we're being honest here, right?" Chris nodded, and from his other side, Martin could tell that Danny was also nodding. "Well, as you probably noticed when you showed up earlier, I have a difficult time resisting you. There's no way that you or I can assure Vin that nothing will ever happen again between us. Well, maybe you can. But I can't."
Martin heard Danny's sharp intake of breath and he knew that his words had hurt the other man. He felt badly about hurting him like that, but it was the truth, and needed to be said. Martin wasn't going to make promises that would be all too easy to break.
Chris reached over and lightly brushed the backs of his fingers against Martin's cheek. The contact sent a shiver through Martin, and he could see Chris's eyes change hue as they looked intently at each other. "I know," Chris said. "But I can assure Vin that I won't go out of my way to seek you out. And I don't think you'd have a problem making that same kind of promise."
"No," Martin softly agreed as he reluctantly pulled away from Chris's touch. "I wouldn't have a problem making that promise."
Chris lowered his hand, but he was smiling once more. "Then that's settled, right?"
Martin nodded, although he already missed the warmth of Chris's touch.
"Good. Let's eat. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving."
Martin got to his feet, stepping around Danny's legs to get around the coffee table. "Me, too. I put the bags in the kitchen." He did feel a lot better about things with Chris now, but there was still Danny to deal with. Martin definitely needed to have that headache fully gone before then, and was confident that getting food in his belly would do the job. "I'll grab the drinks if you guys will set out the food. I've got beer, soda, water and juice."
"Soda for me," Danny said, and Martin felt pleasantly pleased with himself because he'd known that Danny would choose that.
"Chris?" Martin asked as he headed for the kitchen.
"Nothing for me. I'm just going to grab what I ordered and head back to the hotel," he sounded inordinately pleased with himself. "I think that I'll just be in the way while you two talk."
Danny nodded, and Martin felt conflicted yet again. On one hand, he was glad that Chris was going, because the man was just too much of a distraction, and he did want to be alone with Danny. On the other hand, he had no clue as to what would happen once he and Danny were finally alone.
"Well, you should take a drink with you," Martin said, resorting to polite manners in the face of his own uncertainty.
"Beer then," Chris said as he stepped past Martin and went into the kitchen.
As Danny reached him, Martin turned to go into the kitchen as well. Chris was at the counter, looking through containers, trying to find his order, Martin thought. Opening the refrigerator, Martin pulled out two sodas and one beer, which he handed to Chris.
Passing one of the sodas off to Danny, Martin stood with his back against the refrigerator. His kitchen was on the small side, and the quarters were close enough when two people were in it. They were even worse with three people, although Danny and Chris didn't seem to mind as Danny squeezed his way in and went to help Chris with the food. Of course, squeezing his way in meant that Danny had to brush up against Martin, and that, coupled with having both men touching him earlier, was almost too much for his body to handle right then.
"I'll be in the living room," Martin said as he made a hasty retreat. Even though Danny and Chris knew that they could easily get him hard, Martin didn't really want them looking at the evidence. He could hear whispering behind him as he left the room, and wondered if they'd even noticed that he'd spoken, let alone that he'd left the room.
Part Twenty-four