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The first time they’d met, Daniel had quite literally fallen for Connor. The blond had been a frantic mess in the college library, late with turning in the first paper of the semester. Juggling a few books and a folder in his hands, Daniel was scurrying across the room when his foot caught something, and it sent him sprawling on the floor.
“Are you alright?” Someone gripped Daniel’s arm, helping the blond back up to his feet.
“Yeah, yeah… I’m fine. Sorry.” Daniel’s face was a bright red, feeling embarrassed. When he was properly balanced on his feet again the brunette that helped him stand knelt down to help gather what Daniel had dropped back up. “I didn’t mean to trip over your feet. Really.”
“It’s alright, Busy with schoolwork?” Daniel nodded in response as he accepted the offered books, hugging them close to his chest.
“I… Yeah. Overdue already, it’s only the first few weeks in and I’m already behind…” Daniel let out a weak chuckle, shifting his stuff to one arm to sheepishly rub the back of his neck. “I’m Daniel.”
“My name is Connor.” The brunette smiled, chuckling softly. “Sometimes stress gets the better of us. If your professor was nice enough to give you an extension, I would suggest working on it. Instead of… Well, tripping over someone else’s feet.”
Daniel’s cheeks burned a bit of a brighter red, the blond letting out a soft cough. “Yeah… Thanks, Connor, sorry again.” He mumbled, dropping his gaze before continuing his frantic scurry through the library. He glanced briefly back to see Connor sitting back down with his book in his hands, almost like nothing had happened. He figured, and partially hoped, that this was the first and last time he’d see Connor. He was wrong.
He ran into Connor again a few weeks later, this time in the cafeteria. He’d been talking to Simon, not paying attention to where he was walking when he ran straight into someone.
“Connor! I’m so sorry!” Daniel’s voice cracked as he spoke, seeing the brunette gaze quizzically down at his now-ruined shirt. A large blob of mustard and a piece of lettuce had decided to now call it home, and Daniel could feel his face burning again. “I didn’t mean--”
“It’s okay, Daniel.” Connor reassured the blond, chuckling as he knelt to clean the sandwich that had been knocked out of his hands. “We should really stop meeting like this, you know. Calling my name is fine, if you would like to talk to me.”
Simon's laugh made Daniel wish he could just melt into one of the walls and hide, too flustered to even form any words as a response. Connor bid them both goodbye, heading back to the dorms to change.
"You know, I could see if Markus knows his number…" Simon offered, receiving a shove to the arm from his twin in return. Daniel never wanted to see or talk to Connor again.
"Hey Daniel." The blond looked up at the sound of his name, coffee cup stalling on midair. Connor had a small smile on his face as he walked up, holding his hands up when he spotted the cup in Daniel's hand. "You might want to be careful with that."
Daniel's face tinted pink at Connor's tease, tightening his grip on the cup ever so slightly. "Hey, Connor. What do you want?" That came out a lot more hostile than he'd meant it to. Oops.
"I thought I'd come and say hello.' Connor replied, thankfully seeming to dismiss Daniel's accidental hostility. "If you don't mind, of course. I just thought it would be nice to have an actual conversation. Do you have class soon?"
"I have class in about fifteen minutes… We can walk and talk if you'd like." Daniel offered. Then again, the last time he did that, it hadn't ended well. Connor motioned for Daniel to lead the way before falling into step with him.
One conversation turned to two, then turned to several more over the next couple of weeks. Daniel learned that Connor had a twin of his own that had gone straight to the police academy, Connor having decided to take a few classes before he joined himself. He has a younger brother, too, and a dog named Sumo that he insisted was the best good boy in the world.
In return Daniel began to open up to Connor. The blond shared about how his father was sick, how anxious he'd been leaving New York to get his education. He wanted to be a teacher, while Simon planned to be a children's doctor. And while not having a preference for either cats or dogs, Daniel was happy when Connor promised that he could meet Sumo.
They'd shared their first kiss in the library entrance halfway into the semester. The sky had begun to suddenly pour, Daniel and Connor both sitting in the grass as they did a study session. They swiftly had to pack their bags, laughing as they ran to the building. They both ducked through the doors soaking wet, rainwater dripping from their hair. Connor lightly tugged Daniel to the side, pulling him away from blocking the doorway. Daniel stuck his tongue out at him, making Connor laugh and brush a bit of hair out of the blond's eyes.
Daniel let his head relax against Connor's hand as it cupped his cheek, the touch uncertain, yet gentle. Daniel smiled, reaching up to cover Connor's hand with his own. The brunette had a small scar on the left corner of his mouth that Daniel had never noticed before, it crinkled up a bit as a smile grew on Connor's face. The blond wrapped an arm around Connor's neck, pulling him into a gentle kiss.
The semester passed like a blur, a whirlwind of tests, tender kisses, and dates that stretched late into the night. Though the dates tended to consist of sitting on one of their beds, generally Connor's. Connor would be on his laptop as Daniel did a variety of schoolwork, leaning up against or with his head in Connor's lap. Daniel wished it could last.
He'd planned on staying in Detroit for the fall between semester, staying at Connor's house instead of heading home at his father's request. But that was before his father had the stroke, sending both Daniel and Simon scrambling to get home.
Connor was the one to drop them both off at the airport, bidding them goodbye. He sent Daniel off to New York with the remnant sensation of a kiss on his lips, and a promise to call when he settled in back home.
Daniel never called when he got home. Or answered any of his calls or texts. He was busy helping take care of his father between working a part time job, bills had to get paid, after all. Though it made him feel guilty the longer he spent not talking to Connor. They'd never discussed either remaining a couple or splitting apart, but breaking up with Connor hadn't even been something he was planning to do. Something he hadn't wanted to do.
When the end of winter came around Daniel urged Simon to return to Detroit, to finish his classes as well as to see Markus again. His twin had argued with him for over a week before finally giving in. Daniel transferred his credits to a college nearby and signed up for online classes, Connor barely a thought in his mind as his father's condition got worse.
Connor had called him three times a week since Daniel had left Detroit. He would always watch it ring, listening to the small tune he'd picked out for Connor one night. Nearly two months after starting his new semester in New York Daniel rested his phone on his desk, waiting for Connor's call. But the call never came.
.......
Daniel once again stepped off the plane in Detroit nearly four years after he'd first left, invited to Simon and Markus' wedding. The latter had even paid for the entirety of Daniel's trip without the blond knowing, something he knew was probably Simon's idea. When he was settled into the hotel, one that Daniel was pretty dang sure wasn't a very cheap one, he decided to explore the city again since he hadn't nothing else to do for the night. He had only been in the city for a year and a half the first time, so Daniel hadn't had that good of a grasp on where most things were, and now he knew even less about the city.
The city wasn't very busy with it being early evening, and Daniel made a note on his phone whenever he turned a corner so he could hopefully make it back to his hotel before the sun set. The walk had actually been fairly nice as he strolled along, until another rounded corner made him stop in his tracks.
He'd stumbled upon the café that Connor had brought him to on their first date, when he accidentally dropped and broke the coffee mug he had been drinking from due to nerves. Connor had only seemed amused after he'd made sure Daniel wasn't hurt, he'd even paid extra for the mug.
Connor. While he had crossed Daniel's mind on occasion over the past few years thanks to how busy he'd been, the sight of the café right in front of him made Daniel's guilt return at full force. How he had just… left Connor without even a proper breakup. A proper goodbye. The blond bit back the desire to break down in tears, spinning around to head back to the hotel and hide for the night.
....
Daniel had to admit that Markus and Simon had good taste, something he never expected from his twin. What he also didn't expect was having to comfort Simon from his cold-footed panic not even ten minutes before he had to be at the altar. Daniel practically had to shove his brother out the door before leaving to take his place as the best man.
He had known that Simon's fears would prove inconsequential, the ceremony had gone beautifully. One of the best weddings Daniel had ever seen, disregarding the fact that it was the first one he'd even been invited to. The reception had been nice too, at least until Daniel smacked someone in the face with the bathroom door as he was walking out.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry!" Daniel darted around the door at the sound of the startled shout, freezing in his tracks when he came face to face with Connor. The brunette looked surprised, but Daniel had a feeling that had to do more with the fact that he'd had a door slammed into his face rather than seeing the blond. "C-Connor-!"
"Hey Daniel." Connor gave him a weak smile, though it was barely visible under the hand he was using to cover where his face had been hit. Daniel flashed him a small smile in return, feeling like he had in the library. Back when they'd first met.
"You're… hi. You're here." Daniel mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. It was… kind of surprising, truthfully. Why was Connor here if he and Daniel weren't together anymore?
"Simon invited me. I've been talking to him for… a few years." Connor replied, shifting on his feet as a bit of blood began to trickle out of his nose. Daniel was more surprised than he should have been, he should've expected that Connor would've become friends with his brother and Markus. A few years, though... had it been after Daniel had stopped talking to him with no warning?
"Oh, I… didn't know. I, I gotta go, Connor. It was nice to see you, sorry about your nose." Daniel fled down the hall, ignoring Connor as he called his name.
Connor came out of the bathroom with a paper towel pressed to his nose, Daniel's eyes following the brunette to his seat and not leaving him unless Connor's eyes drifted to him. Daniel had to wonder how long Connor had known he was here, where he had been sitting. He found himself feeling tense over the next few hours of the reception, tearing a napkin into pieces as he sat there.
After the grooms had their first dance of the night, the guests were able to make their way to the dance floor. Daniel was watching Markus laugh as he danced with Carl, his father's wheelchair decorated with silver and gold ribbons, when a light tap on his shoulder got his attention.
Connor was looking down at Daniel, shuffling his feet a little when the blond looked up at him. His nose had stopped bleeding at least, but a bruise had started to form on the bridge of it. Daniel just hoped that he hadn't broken it. "Would you… like to dance?"
"Dance?" Daniel echoed, surprise creeping into his voice. Connor wanted to dance? "With me?"
Connor let out an anxious-sounding laugh, smiling weakly. "Yes, Daniel… with you, if you'd like to."
Daniel hesitated before taking Connor's offered hand, letting the brunette guide him to the dancefloor. More people had gathered there by now, thankfully, making it less likely for them to be stared at or to embarrass themselves.
Everything was awkward at first. Connor's hand went from Daniel's lower back to his hip before finally resting up on his side, the two uncertainly rocking back and forth. The conversation went as well as the dance did at first too, Daniel realizing he knew do little about Connor now while the brunette seemed to know so much about him thanks to Simon.
By the time the reception was over, though, the two had relaxed around each other. Daniel had learned about how much Connor's life had changed since he had unintentionally walked out on him, how the brunette was on track to become the youngest detective in Detroit's history within the year. Daniel realized how just how much Simon told Connor about him… And he knew they both realized how much they'd missed each other's company. They went out for dinner that night as friends, talking with ease now that the awkwardness had moved on. Connor had forgiven him, at least.
Daniel stayed in Detroit for an extra day before he really did have to return to New York, so he had enough time to rest before going to work the next day. It had almost been déjà vu, Connor had dropped Daniel off at the airport, sharing their goodbyes as he left the car…
"Hey Toaster, did you miss me?" Daniel smiled, reaching down and lightly scratching the kitten's head as she came to the door practically screaming at him. He set his phone down on the table sitting next to the couch, sitting down and letting Toaster climb into his lap.
"Let me know when you get home safe, okay?"
Daniel lightly scratched Toaster's ears, looking over at his cell phone. The black cat let out a meow as the blond reached over, picking it up and dialing the number. "Hey, Connor… I'm home."
Better late than never.