Chapter Text
'I'm not wearing those, nor am I painting whiskers on my face,' Alex asserts, as he gazes down at the pair of cat ears Danny has just purchased.
Playfully, Danny pleads, 'I think it would be about the cutest thing in the whole world.' As he speaks, Danny wraps his arms around Alex's waist, one hand slipping beneath his shirt, thumbing the dimple in the small of Alex's back.
Alex exhales, and rests his head on Danny's shoulder, hugging him as tightly as possible. 'I don't know. I've never been to a Halloween party.'
'That's okay. It'll just be me, Sara, and Pavel. A few drinks, and hopefully you in some cat ears.'
And Alex laughs. He can't help it now. It happens, like breathing. He doesn't stop to think about it, doesn't hold back, not with Danny. All of the previous moments when Danny would pinch or tickle him, tell some crap joke, or give a colorful retelling of a night out, these moments had accrued in Alex and had given him courage to be more open, to laugh, and to hold Danny without being afraid that he'd somehow evaporate in his arms, without being afraid that these past few months hadn't been some prolonged delusion. So Alex laughs.
'Does that laugh mean yes?'
Alex laughs again, 'Yes, but no whiskers.'
Danny jerks back, hands on Alex's hips, 'Oh no that's the best bit!'
Alex smiles, 'Maybe after a shot of that awful liquor you have in that mermaid bottle.'
Danny grins, 'Hey! Don't knock it. It helps, does it not?'
Alex presses a quick kiss on Danny's lips, 'Yes, it does.'
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After consuming far too many nachos, Cadbury chocolate bars, and commencing the annual re-watch of The Night of the Living Dead, Alex, drowsy from food, and yes, a couple shots, agrees to let Danny paint on some whiskers, and even a little cat nose.
'Oh you love perfect!' Sara says.
'Yeah, very cute,' Pavel teases.
Alex blushes, 'Oh no, I'm not sure.'
'One sec!' Danny says as he runs back to his room.
'Doesn't it look a bit ridiculous?' Alex asks cautiously. His stomach began to hurt. Whenever he was feeling anxious or nervous, it tended to do that. He hated feeling cagey, like he could be laughed at. Alex felt he had been fighting that nervous sickness all his life, trying to keep calm, maintain control, keep whatever of himself to himself that he could.
'Turn round!'
Alex, surprised, twists his body immediately, and sees a camera flash.
'Yes! This is now documented forever,' Danny says triumphantly.
Alex covers his face with his hands. 'No no. Please don't post it anywhere.' He brings himself to look at Danny, whose face has turned serious at the tone of Alex's voice.
Danny cozies up to Alex on the couch. 'Of course not. I promise. This picture is for me. Is that all right?'
Alex exhales, and nods. Being with Danny never felt like giving up something. It never felt like he was giving himself away. It never felt like he was being taken from. Remembering that, his stomach settles a bit, and his cheeks turn a bit rosier.
'I promise,' Danny repeats, and gives Alex a lingering kiss.
'All right you two,' Sara moans, 'back to the film!'
Danny breaks away from Alex, 'You do look very, very cute.'
Alex laughs again, pressing his body into Danny, and turns to the television screen.
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Eventually, Danny develops the picture, using it as a bookmark for whatever he's reading, so that he's always carrying it. The edges become worn. The color fades. It's been bent here and there. Danny takes other pictures of Alex over the years, many, of course, taken by surprise, and so many more when Alex is not paying attention, and when Alex presents himself willingly to the camera, knowing that Danny would never selfishly take from him. But this first one will always be Danny's favorite. A reminder of those first few months when they were simultaneously feverishly learning everything about each other, and slowly revealing and understanding all of their insecurities and fears and desires. It was luminary in a way nothing else can be.