OTA

[london_spy]

He hadn't exactly left London after he'd vanished on Hex. Instead he'd just slipped by under the radar, working quietly to uncover what, exactly, had happened to Alex. Along the way he'd lost Scotty. ...Or, rather, Scotty had been taken from him. By the end, even once he had his answers, it had been for nothing. No one wanted to hear it. Nothing changed. Nothing was fixed.

So when Hex's friend Q (which was still definitely not a name) had reached out to him to go see Hex, he'd accepted. Now, after weeks of watching Hex struggle to recover from the mess he'd made, Danny was slowly slipping out of the shadows he'd been lurking in. Though it didn't stop though shadows from following him around.

For a while everything had changed. Less drinking, no more drugs that weren't prescribed. He'd kept it up as well, not just for his own health, but for Hex's. The last thing the man needed in his life was a junkie. ...And yet here Danny was, in the bar just after noon, drinking and all too aware of the little baggy of powder in his pocket.

Sitting at the bar, his gaze looked slightly blank. He was well dressed, a thick blue knitted jumper keeping the creeping august chill at bay and hiding his slightly too thin frame. The dark circles under his eyes seemed lighter, and he'd recent had his hair trimmed. The pills were doing their best to keep him healthy, and it showed. He looked better than he'd looked in some time- He only wished he felt as well as he appeared.

Finishing his beer, he pondered having another, then glanced outside. He could really fancy a smoke as well. A habit he was still trying to kick.

(ota- Find Danny at the bar or outside having a smoke)

Comments

[just_hex]

"Did you win?" Hex asked, assuming Danny was naturally playing against someone.

[london_spy]

"No. No I certainly didn't win at all," Danny assured him, frowning at himself.

[just_hex]

"We'll the point is to have fun," he said, letting go of Danny so he could open the door for them.

[london_spy]

Danny said nothing to that, he simply shrugged and headed into the chip shop, hoping they could speak of something else.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. "I know that stuff isn't easy on your body," he added softly.

[just_hex]

It was Hex's turn to shrug and try to play it off as less than it was.

"I'm alright. Bit of an ache, but it's not bad," he said unconvincingly.

[london_spy]

"Maybe just chips," he suggested, not believing that for a moment. "Go easy, yeah?" he said with a soft smile- And feeling like shit as he remembered Hex was only going through this because of him.

[just_hex]

"Yeah, probably," he agreed. "You got an appetite? You should eat something good."

[london_spy]

Danny never ate much, and he offered an uncomfortable smile.

"I think just chips for me as well, actually."

[just_hex]

Hex laughed softly. "Big spenders," he said, then went to place the order, opting for plain, no gravy. Then he joined Danny to take a seat.

"Do you want to do something tonight?" Hex asked, toying with the salt packets.

[london_spy]

"Sure, what do you have in mind?" Danny asked curiously, even though he'd be happy enough if they just stayed in. He knew they both needed to get out more.

[just_hex]

"I heard Kubo and the Two Strings is really good. Feel like the cinema?" he asked. The counter girl brought them water and straws. "Or, maybe we could rent something? Let me see how I feel after I eat."

[london_spy]

Danny waited until they were alone, then wet his lips.

"Or, we could just enjoy one another..." he suggested casually. "I mean, if you're feeling up to it, that is. I know you've not been at your best lately."

[just_hex]

He didn't know from moment to moment what he'd feel up for. He was powering through work but that made it so when he got home he just wanted to rest. Still, the idea of intimacy, in any form, made him smile.

"I'd like that," he said. "A night in it is then. But one day I'll take you on a proper date, yeah? Not just chips and the tube."

[london_spy]

"What if I like chips and the tube?" Danny asked with a small smile. "What if I'm happy just to be with you? Everything else is just icing- And I never cared that much about icing."

[just_hex]

"You say the nicest things," Hex said, blushing again.

[london_spy]

"I say true things," Danny assured him.

[just_hex]

"I know you do. I don't think I've ever met anyone as honest as you are, Danny. I love that about you," he said with a soft smile and affection in his gaze.

[london_spy]

Danny smiled at that, reaching across the table to take hex's hand in his, squeezing gently.

"I hope you know you can be honest with me too," he said softly.

[just_hex]

"I am. I try," he said, though the worst he ever did was a lie of omission, and even then he usually came round to the truth. He just...he didn't want Danny to worry about his health because of these meds. He wanted to take them for both their sake's.

The chips came out then and he looked at the server and smiled, then when she walked away he was immediately back on Danny.

"You want some sauce?" he asked, looking at the caddy of bottles.

[london_spy]

"Just the vinegar, yeah?" Danny said, watching Hex, then deciding to leave things be for a bit in favour of eating.

[just_hex]

He passed Danny the vinegar and put a little brown sauce down for himself. It only took one chip for him to decide eating wasn't the best idea. But he kept picking. Little bits, crispy corners.

"There's no meeting tonight," he said. "Not nearby, I mean. There's almost always a meeting going somewhere in the city. But not tonight."

[london_spy]

Danny immediately thought of the baggy in his pocket, and couldn't help but feel a bit sickened by his own behaviour.

"Maybe we should look for one. ...I could go with you."

[just_hex]

Hex looked at him, a bit in shock.

"You'd come to a meeting with me?" he asked, deeply touched that Fin would come be bored out of his skull just for him.

[london_spy]

Danny couldn't accept that grateful glint in Hex's eyes though, and he hesitated before reaching into his pocket and showing Hex the bag.

"You might not be the only one who needs it," he admitted quietly.

[just_hex]

He slowly put the chip he was holding back down. Hex was transparent as glas and confusion gave way to understanding, each thought clear on his face.

He met Danny's eyes.

"We'll find one, then," he said simply. No questions, only support.