Who: Daniel and JD When: Sunday - 9/15/13 - Night Where: Daniel's apartment What: Catching up with a friend.
JD was still shaking his head a bit after comforting Zowie and letting her go to her boyfriend, as JD continued down the hall to Daniel's apartment. How could that have happened to his friend? How could he be a Zeta professor...and good god how was he going to behave himself knowing he could slap a matching bracelet on Daniel's wrist and make him do everything he ever wanted. Of course if he did he might lose his friend and that warred with his lifetime of sexual fantasies.
He cleared his throat and knocked on Daniel's door, curious if his friend was going to tell him what had happened to him or if he was going to have to bring it up himself. He had a bottle of scotch in his hand for his old friend, every time they got together a bottle would disappear so he figured he would restock Daniel's bar before they even started.
He smoothed a hand down over his jeans, Daniel was his best friend but on occasion he still made him nervous, especially now knowing what he knew about Danny's situation.
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Zowie had been more upset about things than even Daniel had been, and he was the one that was going to be subjected to any manner of things. But he could handle it. He was sure he could handle it. His son had, after all. Besides, he had been through far worse than most of these pricks could even imagine as a child.
He had barely gotten the last of things straightened up from Zowie's visit when he heard the knock on the door. He smiled, walking over to open it and see his best friend on the other side. Spotting what was in his hand, he laughed. "Great minds think alike," he remarked, a statement that would make sense later on. "Come on in," he said, taking a step to the side to allow JD entry.
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Daniel's daughter had been very distraught when he ran into her, and JD understood why. Her father, for all his faults was her hero and the idea of someone doing things to him against his will would be devastating to the young girl.
JD grinned at him when he spoke and then shrugged as he walked in. "It's kind of a prerequisite to bring alcohol when we meet up isn't it?" He joked and then set the bottle on the counter as he glanced around the apartment. "So are you glad to be teaching again? I was glad to get back, this place is more enjoyable than I realized." He laughed as he pulled off his leather jacket and threw it on the back of the couch.
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"Yes, yes it is." Daniel smirked, waiting for JD to notice the bottle of brandy that was on the table in the living room, the one with the bow tied around the neck and the note attached, the one that Daniel had gotten for JD for his birthday. Hence the great minds thing.
"Eh," Daniel closed the door and locked it, strolling through the apartment over towards the counter where he grabbed a couple of glasses for the alcohol. "It is what it is. Better than being unemployed, I suppose." Grabbing the bottle JD had brought in the other hand, he headed into the living room. "Did you happen to bump into Zowie on your way in, by any chance?"
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He did notice the brandy and chuckled to himself. "Ah I get it now." JD murmured as he pulled his boots off and then put his feet on the coffee table. JD had grown up rich, was taught the proper way to act, but often...went the other way when he was with people he was comfortable with.
"Well yes being unemployed does not work out well. I told you that we should sue that bitch, she can't leave the children with nothing. She can't touch their trusts right?" JD asked, genuine concern on his face. He did not like that Daniel's ex wife too money from the kids, Daniel had survived without before, he was tough...but JD knew those two children would not make it on their own, not yet.
He blinked when he asked about Zowie and then nodded. "I did...that's why it took me longer to get here, I had to calm her down a bit. She was...distraught." JD said softly.
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"Like I said, great minds." Daniel had to smirk. It amused him how very in sync the two of them could be from time to time. But they had known one another close to forever so that was to be expected. JD knew him better than anyone else did, better than anyone else ever had or, more than likely, ever would. It was good to have one person in one's life that that could be said about.
"No, no. She can't." He shook his head, taking a seat on the sofa and placing the glasses down before opening the bottle. "But until they turn twenty-five, they can't either so..." It was on him to take care of everything. It was a heavy burden to bear, but he was doing his best. He wouldn't allow his children, his daughter especially, to be subject to seeing how the other half lived.
"Yes, she is." He exhaled a sigh, pouring a glass and handing it to JD before pouring his own. "Did she happen to tell you why?" He was sure that she had. Zowie was not good at keeping secrets, and he'd not asked her to keep this a secret. If she told JD for him, then he wouldn't have to tell him. He wasn't dumb. He'd timed things the way he had intentionally, of course.
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JD honestly wouldn't know what to do if he ever lost Daniel, no one else in his life had ever been this close to him, including his ex wife and ex partner. Despite their very different childhoods, they clicked in almost every way.
"Good I'm glad, they will need it." JD said as he looked up at Daniel, wishing he could sue the woman's ass off for his friend. JD had already paid off all of Daniel's outstanding bills, not that the man was aware of it yet, but come the end of the month he would be. "I know you will take care of them, they won't want for anything." JD said, giving Daniel a look that told him with no words that he, meaning JD would make sure of it.
JD raised an eyebrow at his old friend, clicking in to what he had done. "You know damn well she did...jesus Danny. What are you going to do now? I mean...you don't know how to take orders from someone." He said with a sigh.
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Daniel knew that look very well. And though he was reluctant to accept help from anyone, if he was going to accept help from anyone, it would be JD. He sighed a little and then reached forward to give JD's leg a soft squeeze as he said, "You're a good man." He paused for a moment before adding, "And an even better friend." That was all that really needed to be said about that, though he would more than likely have some words for him when he realized he had paid up all of his bills.
Daniel smirked a little, but then covered it by taking a sip of his drink before he shrugged. "Con some sucker into giving me a mark so that I don't have to take orders from anyone?" If anyone could make that happen, it would be him. But he had his doubts that he would even need to do that. He knew the way that JD's mind worked. He knew that the man had been waiting for an opportunity like this one. How he would make use of it was the real question. Would he mark him simply for his protection or for his own gain? Of that, Daniel wasn't entirely sure.
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A lot of the time Daniel didn't get a choice about help from JD, the man could be a bulldozer if he wanted something bad enough. He smiled at Daniel, already quite aware what would happen when Daniel got his statements at the end of the month, but he didn't care, they were paid and over with.
JD sighed and looked at him. "Really you think you have to con some random person..." He said with a shake of his head. "All you had to do was ask me and I would give you the stupid bracelet, keep anyone else from bothering you." He said as he took a sip of his drink, his mind back to the tug of war that had been going on before.
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"Maybe," Daniel replied, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. "I don't know. I had thought perhaps you'd be willing to do it but..." He sighed dramatically before he concluded, "Then I remembered that I had been replaced by a younger model." He was referring, of course, to JD's relationship with his son, which he already knew more bout than he cared to. Smirking a little he glanced over at JD as he added, "I suppose I'll just have to go and prostrate myself to someone who doesn't mind a man that comes with a little bit age."
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JD looked at him for a moment and then frowned. Daniel would never forgive him for that, he liked to throw it in JD's face when he knew damn well it would hurt. "Well that younger model found a younger model of his own now didn't he." JD said coolly as he stood up and walked over to the bottle of alcohol, finishing his drink on the way so he could refill it. "Do what you want Danny, I'm sure someone else will jump at the chance to control you." There were things JD just wasn't interested in being teased about, and James was one of them.
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"I wouldn't know," Daniel admitted with a small shrug of his shoulders. "He doesn't speak to me. Though I can only assume you're referring to Mr. Nikolaevich?" Daniel had met him before. They'd had dinner, actually. He seemed like a nice young man. Intelligent, sincere and completely smitted with Daniel's son. He had a good feeling about him. But now JD was pouting and Daniel scowled over at him. "Come now, JD, don't skulk. You know I'm only teasing you." He smirked as he added, "You should be glad that's all I'm doing."
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"I am." He said as he filled the glass and then frowned into it. He had done everything he could to take care of James, and part of him still had a hard time letting him go. JD turned around and looked at Daniel when he spoke. "Yes I am glad for that." He said as he took a sip from his glass, eyes focused on Daniel. "But maybe lets not poke at things that hurts both of us." JD said before walking back over and sitting on the other end of the couch so that he wasn't as close to Daniel now, because partly it was true. He hadn't chosen james because he was a younger model, he chose him because he wasn't going to get Daniel in that way no matter how hard he tried...but of course it had bit him in the ass and James became much more to him than that.
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"Fine." Asking Daniel not to poke at something was like asking a person not to breathe. It came to him like second-nature and he couldn't really help himself, though why he chose to behave in such a way, he couldn't really say for sure. Perhaps it was part of his need to test people to ensure that they were really going to stick around and weren't going to turn their back on him, abandon him, the way that his mother had in his youth. Yes, Daniel McGaven had his fair share of issues. When the other man sat back down, though, Daniel couldn't help but to scoff. "So that's how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings so you're going to distance yourself from me?" He paused and then slid towards him just a bit on the couch. "And what if I don't let you? What are you going to do then?"
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JD knew Daniel's issues, he had been managing them for more years than he wanted to count. His friend had always been like this and often his behaviour had made JD mad but more often than not it just made him want him more. No one had ever made him feel off balance like Daniel could; JD was always in perfect control, unless he was with Daniel, then he was never sure what was going to happen. He gave the other man a look and then shrugged. "I can't stop you from coming closer, although I doubt you would come as close as I'd want you to." He said with a smirk. It was no secret how JD felt, Daniel had figured it out decades ago.
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Daniel paused in his gradual edging slide towards the other man, considering those words for a long moment. Swallowing somewhat hard, he replied, his voice a bit softer than it had been before, "You could make me." That was an option for him now, an option that hadn't existed in the past, though it could have, would have, if JD's family hadn't essentially taken Daniel in as their own and paid his way through college. "There's nothing really stopping you now."
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That statement made JD sit up a bit and set his glass on the table, the tone in Daniel's voice giving away the little bit of nerves in that statement. He sighed and then glanced at Daniel. "That's all very true, I could turn you into the toy the teenage version of me had fantasies about and no one would say a word. But you would end up hating me. This isn't what you want, what you like. The second you were free that's it, I'd lose my best friend. And I don't know if either one of us really trusts me with that kind of power." He said before picking his glass back up and downing it. This conversation was going to make him very uncomfortable because all he wanted to do was pull Daniel into his lap and kiss him breathless. Something that had been done with lots of alcohol years ago.
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Daniel exhaled a soft laugh as there were parts of that wording that he found amusing, but he had to be honest when he replied, "Maybe." It was hard to say for sure whether he would hate him or not. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe, and this thought was more frightening than the first, he would come to enjoy it. Daniel had secretly always feared that for the simple fact that things had happened, more than once, while they were drinking. People always said that the truth came out when you were drunk. It was a terrifying thought to think that perhaps they were right. "You can do me at least one favor, though." Daniel cleared his throat, straightening out his posture and trying to see confident when he suggested, "You can make it so no one else can do that either." It was asking a lot, and he knew it. But he'd rather dance on dangerous ground with JD than run the risk of being forced to do things he didn't want with people he had no respect for.
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They knew each other so well, but JD was surprised by that maybe. He looked at Daniel and imagined that he was going through all those nights here at Falls Church when they were wasted, one falling on the other. Sometimes it was just to make certain girls happy, some liked to watch guys making out after all. JD nodded at his mention of a favour. "Yes I'm sure I can." He said and then cleared his throat with a nod. "Yes...I can do that." It calmed something inside him to know that no one else could touch Daniel once he put that bracelet on his wrist.
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Those nights had kept Daniel awake more than once over the years. Not to say that he was fixated on them or anything, he just looked back at those days as the happiest days of his entire life. Of course you were supposed to be happy when you were young. Those were supposed to be the "best years", or so they said, but he imagined that they weren't for everyone. The people he knew, couples he knew, all seemed so happy. They became husbands, fathers, built up a career, and they loved every moment of it, but he wasn't like that. Daniel adored his children, yes, and he felt a great sense of pride where the both of them were concerned, but he couldn't look back at any part of his life with the same fondness as he did the years he had spent here at FCU with JD as his accomplice. "Thank you," Daniel replied, reaching over to take hold of JD's hand and give it a squeeze. He didn't let go of it right away, though. Instead, he continued to hold it as he finished the rest of his own drink.
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JD of course thought of them fondly, Daniel had made it nearly impossible for him to truly love another man...not that he knew that of course. JD wasn't letting him have that kind of information. He nodded and then smiled at the other man. "What else could I do, I need to protect you now don't I?" JD said with a chuckle and then lifted an eyebrow at the fact Daniel wasn't letting go of his hand. He smiled and squeezed lightly, not sure what to say at the moment...of course he could tell him he had a bracelet in his coat pocket but he waited.
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Daniel exhaled a soft laugh and then replied, "You always have." He couldn't begin to imagine the person that he might have become had he not had the fortune of befriending JD at a young age. Granted, he was far from perfect now, but he would have been perhaps an even more devious person had they never met. JD helped to keep him grounded, a task that no one else had ever managed to live up to. As for that little secret of his, Daniel already knew it. But he also knew that he had never loved, or better yet respected, another person as much as he loved and respected JD either. And that meant a lot, even if it might not mean exactly what the other man would wish for it to. "So tell me about your Summer. Where did you go? Did you have a nice time?"
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The younger man nodded with a laugh. "This is true, fuck knows where you would be without me." He smiled, he was just teasing him of course but they both knew it was kind of true. He looked at Daniel and then shrugged. "I was in Vegas." He said, JD had taken care of James once he was released from the facility. Someone had to be there, someone who would be able to control James...well somewhat anyways. "It wasn't bad, what about you?" He asked with a smile.
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"Hey now.. Don't get too full of yourself, there, old man." Daniel smirked. But yes, they both knew he would have been up shit creek more than once without him. "Vegas, huh?" That was the same answer he had gotten from Zowie when he had asked her where James had spent his summer. That made him suspicious, but he didn't say anything about it. He did let go of his hand, though, moving to pour himself another drink. "Well, I spent the first part of it working. And the second part I spent freaking out about finding work after the firm I'd taken a job with went under." He frowned a little as he added, "I should have never sold my firm. If there had been any other way..." But Julia had him. By the balls, no less. His hands had been tied.
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JD just winked at him and then licked his lips. They both knew where Daniel would be and it wouldn't be half as good as he was now. "Mmm Vegas for a most of it, visited my parents for the rest. My mother asked about you, told me she never liked that Julia." He smiled as he sipped his drink. "You know...I've never been one to want to hit a woman but Julia tests all my patience." He gruffed and then smiled at Daniel. "I could talk to her if you want...I know a lot of criminals if she doesn't listen to reason." He said with a small grin. JD would never hurt the mother of Daniel's children but a small part of him really wished he could.
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"Yeah? How are the folks?" Daniel asked with a smirk and then laughed. "That makes two of us. I never liked her much myself." Frowning a little, Daniel admitted in a lowered voice, "It doesn't do any good when it comes to her." He had always promised himself he would never be that type of man, the type that his mother often brought into their lives. But Julia had a way of bringing it out in him. More than once. He wasn't proud. Shaking his head, he leaned back in his seat with a new drink in hand. "There's no point in it. What's done is done. I'm here. She's there." He exhaled a soft breath and then added, "As long as that doesn't change, I'm fine with it." The less he had to do with her, the better. He'd be perfectly content to never have to see her or even speak of her again.
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"They are cantankerous, but dad says they entitled because they are old." JD said with a laugh and then shrugged. "Mom wants you to come visit them, I think she just wants an excuse to feed you." He said with a shake of his head. "I know you didn't." JD had tried to convince Daniel not to marry her, but she was pregnant and well he had no choice. He always had a theory that Zowie hated her mother so much because she always sensed it from her father and James, the two people whose opinion meant more to her than anything else...except when it came to her love life apparently. "So have you seen your daughter's boyfriend yet? Damn hyper that one." JD said, trying to change the subject.
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Daniel laughed. "That sounds about right." He adored JD's parents. They were good people. His dad, yes, he could be a bit caustic now and then, but he was right. They had earned it. They were old now. That meant they got to behave however they wanted to at this point. And it would only get worse from here. "I could go for a bit of your mother's home cooking." What was done was done. He had married a woman he didn't love, wasted his youth on her, had two children with her, and now he was middle-aged and struggling to keep his head above water. But that was life, wasn't it? "Mmm. I met him last year. He's... definitely something." He exhaled a soft laugh. "He bought me dinner. You'd think it was Christmas morning when he offered to pay for it and I allowed him to."
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"It does...of course mom shushes him when he says it and then smiles because she totally agrees." He chuckled and then nodded. "Me too, although I might have a box of her pumpkin spice shortbreads in my kitchen." JD said with a grin. He nodded when Daniel spoke of Max. "He just wants to make a good impression on you, anyone who talks to Zowie for ten seconds knows how much she worships you and your opinion would hold a lot of weight. But I think you should try to make nice with him, I don't think he's going anywhere." JD said.
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Laughing again, Daniel shook his head and then sighed. "God... When are we ever going to have that?" He didn't mean the two of them together, of course, just in general. It seemed like they had both had their fair share of complicated relationships. Well, JD moreso than Daniel as he had been married since pretty much forever, but he wanted that, what JD's parents had, more than anything. "And you didn't bring me any?" He scowled. "That's it. You're fired! I'm gonna have to find a new best friend." He smirked as he downed his second glass of brandy and then moved to pour another. "Clearly." Frowning for a moment, Daniel admitted with a sigh, "I'm not even sure which one is worse; the hyper boy or the angry lesbian." Tempest, of course. He wasn't her biggest fan.
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"I have no idea." JD said sadly, there were times when he missed his exes, they had been in love and having it fall apart had killed him a little bit inside. "It would be amazing though." He said softly before laughing. "You can easily come upstairs with me." He said with a smirk and then tapped his ring off of the glass. "The boy isn't a bad kid, he worships your daughter...but Tempest now she could be a lot of trouble, however Zowie loves her too it seems." He said with a bit of a frown.
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"You came close once," Daniel remarked, looking over at JD. "Not sure if that makes it better or worse for you." He scoffed a little before he added, "I can't say that I ever came close at all." There had never been any love between Julia and himself. It was sad, really, because she hadn't always been a terrible person, but they just weren't right together. There was no denying that. But that hadn't stopped her from trying. Arching a brow slightly, he smirked as he replied, "I bet you'd love that, wouldn't you?" He was teasing, of course. Though he certainly didn't think JD would complain any to have Daniel in his space. "Oh I know she is. And I know he does but..." He sighed. "I just hope she's careful. I don't want to see her following in the same footsteps as her mother and I." That worried him more than anything. He wanted more than that for her. And he also wasn't really ready to be a grandfather either.
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JD nodded and then frowned at his empty glass. "I did...I think it makes it worse." He said and then looked at Daniel with a smile. "You still have plenty of chances, you are young enough, handsome, charming...you could have a different date every night if you really wanted." JD said, trying not to sound annoyed by it, because if Daniel did that, JD would have been incredibly jealous. "Of course I would, I get to put my mark on you, take you upstairs." He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and then chuckled, JD knew nothing would happen. "Danny this is Zowie you are talking about, she is brilliant and responsible. I'm sure they take every precaution and plus that girl is determined this year, I think she's going to run for student council or a seat in Alpha Phi Omega...she's a female you when it comes to determination."
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"Ah, perhaps." Daniel smirked and then added, "But only with your permission, Sir." Was he maybe pushing JD's buttons a bit? Hmm. Yes. But he had a habit of always getting the other man wound up just enough to keep him dangling on the end of his hook. "And what would you do with me then, JD? After you've put your mark on me and taken me upstairs?" He wanted to play as though he would do something, then Daniel was going to call him on that. Though maybe, just maybe, some small part of him wanted to push him too far. "I know she is. But look where I ended up at her age." He had thought he had taken every precaution as well. "If she gets knocked up, she's having an abortion." That wasn't really for him to say, though he'd still like to think that it was. "She has no business having children or a husband or even a serious relationship until after she's finished with law school."
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That right there was not cool...JD swallowed but said nothing. Daniel was well aware of how JD ran his bedroom, he was a dominant, he liked power, he liked his partner to show him respect and that...yeah that was what he would want to hear. "Don't poke the bear Danny." JD said as he turned his head to look at him. His jeans were slightly tighter than they were a moment ago, thinking about what he could do to Daniel, but wouldn't. Luckily his shirt was covering his crotch at the moment. "I'm sure our princess will fight you tooth and nail on that one, she probably believes if it happens she will go to class until she delivers then will be back inside a month. There is nothing Zowie believes she can't do." He said and then nodded. "I agree she shouldn't be in anything serious but there she is, in a very serious 3 way relationship." JD said with a shake of his head.
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"Don't poke the bear?" Daniel smirked a little, a brow arching slightly as he asked, "Then what's the point in going to the zoo?" He laughed then, giving JD a bit of a nudge. "You're a mess, old man." A funny nickname considering that Daniel was actually a bit older than JD, almost a year older in fact, but what did that matter? Age was just a number and Daniel felt like a kid sometimes. "Little does she know..." He shook his head. "IT's not serious. They're all children. Tempest will.. run away to Broadway or something in another year or two and the boy..." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he'll move to South Beach to become a stripper? I dunno." He shook his head again. "It's not serious." It would take a miracle for him to admit otherwise so he changed the subject instead, pushing to his feet and asking, "So are you going to take me to the shortbread now or what?"
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JD huffed at him but he wasn't really mad, just frustrated with his own sexual attraction. "Yes aren't I though." He said flatly, but his eyes were amused as he pushed Daniel and then got up, way too tempted to hold him down in that moment. Daniel had called him old man forever, it wasn't something JD even noticed anymore. "Oh I'm sure it would an epic saga." He said and then nodded slightly, he didn't agree with Daniel, he had been around those kids last year. Max and Zowie had this intense connection and her and Tempest...well that was a love that would never die as far as JD was concerned. Best friends that fall in love like that...it sticks. But he knew what was going on, Daniel could handle James in love...but not Zowie. "Of course, but first." He said as he reached into his coat and pulled out one of the bracelets all alphas were given, two of each size, not that you were allowed 6.
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Daniel wouldn't want JD to be any other way. If ever there came a time where he didn't feel like he had the other man's attention, he'd be quite upset, as he had been by the situation between JD and James. He poked at the other man about it because it had hurt him. Deeply. In fact he couldn't think of a time when he had ever been hurt more by anyone. But he wouldn't just come right out and say that. Or at least he hadn't so far. And no, he wasn't ready to deal with Zowie in love, to think about the idea of his little girl growing up and having relationships and eventually even getting married and having a family of her own. He was too young for that. And while it wasn't that hard for him to fathom that idea when it came to James, it was different when it came to his little girl. Arching a brow slightly, Daniel had to laugh. "You came prepared." Licking his lips, he inhaled a breath, swallowed the lump in his throat, and then held out his hand. As much as he tried to calm his nerves, his hand was shaking a little, though he said nothing to point that out, of course.
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JD was well aware that Danny liked that he was in love with him, he gave him just enough to get to him sometimes. He also knew it was more than just James being his son that had hurt Daniel, he had lost JD's attention for the first time since they were fifteen and Daniel hadn't handled it well. JD shook his head and then sighed ."No it's not like I grabbed it on my way down, I have all six of them in here, I picked them up at the office this morning." He said softly. "I forgot they were in my inside pocket." He said quietly as he saw Daniel's hand shake. JD swallowed as he opened the bracelet and then took Daniel's hand in his. "I won't hurt you Danny...you know I won't." He said as he squeezed his hand, slipping the bracelet on, snapping it shut and turning the small tool to lock it.
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"Oh, right." That made more sense. It wasn't like he had known before he bumped into Zowie. That sort of thing wasn't exactly advertised. It spread mostly by word of mouth. Daniel didn't realize that he had started to hold his breath when JD unhooked the bracelet. But when the other man spoke, he realized it and took a deep breath as he nodded. "I know you won't." He smiled a little as he looked up at him and added, "You love me." And though he was always pointing that out just to be arrogant or cocky about it, he wasn't just now as his tone clearly indicated. When it clicked closed at last, the lock turned into place, he inhaled a breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm all yours now."
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Professors that had Zeta status did not usually advertise it, you found out when you saw the collar or word of mouth. He smiled when Daniel said those words, it wasn't meant to be a poking in a wound this time, he said with something else behind it. JD bit his lip at Daniel's words and then kissed his cheek. "Don't worry babe, I won't make you wear the little tag with my initials." He said with a wink, trying to make Daniel laugh.
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Daniel scowled at him, trying not to laugh as he gave him a little nudge. "Liar. You'll have that thing on order before you even go to bed tonight." He narrowed his eyes and added, "You forget, old man. I know you." He poked him in the ribs as he added, "Better than anyone." Of course, that thought led to another, and the humor sort of left his face as he inhaled a breath and exhaled slowly. "So... You know that James is on academic probation, right?" He was leading with that statement, the question an inevitable one. "Do you plan on giving one of those to him?" Did he want his son protected? Of course he did. But did he want JD to be the one to do it? No. Definitely not.
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JD gave Daniel wide eyes and shook his head. "I would never." He said with shock, but he pretty much would have a tag for Daniel as soon as possible. "You do know me and I bet you know what I wish i could do...but won't." He said as he put his arms around Daniel's waist loosely, not something uncommon for him to do when they were alone. JD frowned at the mention of James and then nodded. "I do know that actually." He said and then shook his head. "No, I think it's best to let him find his own way, his sister could easily mark him or tempest if zowie asked."
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"Uh huh." Daniel wasn't buying that. But he did smirk at the mention of what JD wished that he could do. "Hmm. Now you can't say that you wish that you could, because technically, if I wanna keep my job here..." He shrugged. "Now it's just a matter of what you will or won't do." He inhaled a breath and exhaled slowly before he added, "But I trust you. Always." The mention of James seemed to bring a frown to both of their faces each and every time that the boy came up, but he was bound to be a topic of conversation every now and again. "Yeah. Okay. That's... Good." And he was right. It wasn't as though James didn't have options if he chose to take them.
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JD shrugged and then bit his bottom lip, he couldn't deny Daniel wearing his initials around his neck turned him on more than...well anything James had done, not that he would tell the boy that ever. "Technically yes that is true, whatever I ask of you, you have to do." He murmured, resisting the urge to bite his throat just above the collar. "And I never would break that trust Danny." He said softly, his fingers rubbing against Daniel's hips. He nodded when Daniel agreed. "there are other people who can claim him for protection." He said quietly.
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Daniel swallowed hard, feeling a sudden tightness forming in his chest that he couldn't readily describe. He could only sum it up to emotion. "But you already have," he said softly. "Once." He inhaled a breath and added, "That's why I had to ask. I just... wanted to know where I stand, where we stand, now." He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze up to meet JD's own. "I know I've joked about it lot. And I've picked and poked and prodded at those wounds more than my fair share of times recently but... You know why." At least he believed that he knew. He had to know. If anyone would, it would be JD.
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Those words hurt, JD knew he had and he would never forgive himself for it. He let go of Daniel and stepped back, not able to hold onto him for this discussion. "I know what I did, and...I know why I did it. I wish I never had. You know where we stand...where we always have." He said as he chewed his lip and then sighed. "I know why...I understand." He said quietly and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "I will never do that again, he's not who I needed." JD said softly as he glanced at Daniel.
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Daniel frowned when JD pulled away from him. He didn't like that. He didn't want that. But if the man needed some space, he'd give it to him. He took a deep breath of his own while he had the chance, a hand moving up to run fingers through his hair, frowning a little at the added weight of the bracelet around his wrist. But he'd take it. He'd take that over what he'd felt before any day. "Okay," he replied, resisting the urge to say more, to point out things that weren't really necessary. Such as the fact that JD could have... whatever it was that he had with Daniel, or he could have the relationship he had had briefly with James. But not both. Maybe it was wrong, selfish even, for Daniel to feel that way, but that was the way that he felt and it wasn't likely to change any time soon. So as long as that was clear... "So let's go upstairs then. We can.... break open your birthday present," he remarked, picking up the bottle of brandy he had gotten for JD. "And gorge ourselves on shortbread." He smiled a little as he added, "We can leave this conversation here, be done with it."
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JD didn't want to pull away, but he felt so guilty over what he had done with Daniel's son that he needed that bit of space between them. He watched as Daniel ran his hand through his hair and then smiled a little at his okay. One day JD would like to be able to mend his relationship with James, at least so that they could talk better than they did now but that wasn't something he would discuss with Daniel. "I like your plan Danny, sounds like a good way to spend the evening." JD said with a smile, stepping in close to the other man again, just a breath away from his lips before moving and picking up his jacket.