(Semi)Professional Fangirl

Only a few more minutes passed before there was another knock on your apartment door, revealing Daniel with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in hand and a handsome smile on his lips. "Hey," he said as he walked in when you opened the door more for him to enter.

"Hey," you said in return, giving him a quick hug and kiss before pulling away.

With things still so new between the two of you, Daniel was bashful as he prepared to ask you to the ball, shifting his weight between his feet nervously as he presented you with the flowers. "So, there's this ball the Mayor and Mrs. Fisk are throwing. I was just wonderin' if you'd like to be my plus one."

Even though you knew what was coming because of Buck's warning, you couldn't help the smile that landed on your lips when Daniel asked. It felt like you were in high school all over again being asked to prom. So, you nodded quickly, breathing a quiet, "I'd love to."

"Awesome," he said, leaning in for another kiss, this one lingering longer than the first as he held you close. When he pulled away, you walked into the kitchen to begin searching for a vase or something to hold the flowers. As you did, he gave you a few details, saying, "Formal wear is expected just like the fundraiser. Black and white is the theme, so stick with those colors. I'm sure whatever you find will be drop dead gorgeous."

"You flatter me…" you mumbled as you began trimming the stems of the flowers so you could place them in the water you filled the vase with.

"That's my job," he told you, coming to stand behind you and wrapping his arms around your middle. "Wanna join me for lunch before I have to get back to work?"

"Of course," you told him, making a quick trip to your bedroom to store the flowers there before leaving the building with him.

Later that evening, when BB returned to the apartment, you motioned toward the envelope on the coffee table, telling her, "Hey, you got an invite to an event the Fisks are throwing. Personally delivered by Buck Cashman himself."

"Oh?" she asked, carefully opening the envelope and reading the details of the event. When she got to the bottom, she said, "It says I get to bring a plus one. Would you want to-?"

"I'm…already going. With Daniel," you replied quickly, keeping your eyes on the TV as the show you were playing for background noise continued onward. A bluff felt reasonable considering her previous reaction, so you finished with, "He texted me earlier and asked. Thought it would be a good idea considering all the information we got when I went to the fundraiser with him."

"Right," she said with a nod. "Thanks for that by the way. I've been digging up a lot of stuff on so many of those guys. I'm still waiting for some things to pan out with my source, but I think that some of it can maybe even lead to Fisk."

"Awesome!" you said, happy to turn the subject from you attending the ball with Daniel. It was something you didn't want to get into with BB at the moment, the fact that you and Daniel were dating. She had been clear on her stance before and you were still just…trying to figure out the best way to broach the subject. Until then, you decided that you would let her continue thinking that you were simply going to this event with him for optics and to get information.

The ball began without a hitch. Daniel had sent for a car to pick you and BB up, meeting the two of you outside the mansion to walk in together. Just like at the fundraiser, Daniel worked the room, turning his charm up to a crazy level that had you holding yourself back from swooning in front of BB. Somewhere a little bit into the evening, an MC had stood at a podium, tapping the mic to get the room's attention before he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed New Yorkers. Welcome to the Black and White Ball."

"Here we go," Daniel said, leading the two of you to stand on the outskirts of the dance floor where you'd get a clear view of the couple entering.

A path was cleared by security as a door opened, revealing the Fisks as the announcer said, "May I present your hosts, Mayor Wilson Fisk and First Lady of New York, Vanessa Fisk."

Daniel whistled as the couple came out hand-in-hand. You clapped appreciatively as you took in their attire, the Mayor wearing an all white suit and the First Lady wearing a showpiece of a red dress. "Wow…" you whispered, seeing how she stood out against the rest of the crowd. You wondered if it was for security purposes…

After their announcement, the party continued on in full-swing. You watched as BB worked the room, clearly taking down mental notes of who all was there and things she overheard while Daniel was working, too. As he shmoozed with the socialites at the ball, one by one, you watched as they were escorted to a private room by the Mayor. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in there…

As Fisk swept yet another person into the private office, Daniel commented, "See that? That's power. There's five hundred people in this room and all of 'em either wanna be in that room or are shittin' their pants afraid he's gonna call 'em into it. Straight up boss power."

"Or corruption…" BB mumbled as she watched on with the two of you.

Daniel shook his head before asking, "Why do you do that? Every time I get stoked about something, you do that."

"My uncle used to say that we should speak truth to power. Is that what you're doing? Is that what we're doing? With the BB report?" she challenged.

"Look, I dunno, BB," Daniel said. He sighed before telling her, "I'll try not to be an asshole."

You couldn't help but laugh, same as BB as she said, "Okay. That works for me."

"Good," he said. "And you?" he asked, turning his attention toward you.

"You already know my answer," you said, sending him a soft smile.

BB's eyes glanced over the two of you as you and Daniel shared a look, but something else caught her eye behind you in the distance: Commissioner Gallo. Without a second thought, BB looked toward your empty glass and said, "Daniel, can you go get us all another round? Shots?"

"Shots!" Daniel agreed, a wide smile making its way onto his face before he made his way toward the bar at the center of the room.

Once he was gone, BB turned to you said said, "I'll be back. Gonna run to the restroom."

"Yeah, for sure! I'll watch your drink til you get back!" you agreed, casting your eyes over to the bar to admire Daniel once you were alone.

When he was back by your side, he placed the third drink on the surface of the tall table in front of you. "Where'd BB go?" he asked as you accepted your drink from him, his then empty hand wrapping around your waist and landing on your hip.

"Restroom," you replied, holding a hand over the top of her drink.

He nodded before sighing a little, saying, "You know, I don't think she's as excited for my promotion as you were. I just don't get why. I even told her that it really is all thanks to her!"

You shrugged a little, leaning up to kiss his jaw before saying, "You know how she is."

"Yeah, I know…" he mumbled. He gave your hip a light squeeze as he said, "Thank you for all your support, though."

"Of course."

By the time BB had returned, there was a spotlight being shown on Mayor and Mrs. Fisk at the head of the room. All eyes were on them as the crowd started converging on the dance floor for the first dance of the night. Music came from the band on stage, the muted trumpet providing an old-school dance hall feel as people crowded around to watch the couple dance. The singer's voice was like butter as she sang a classic song about the city and you couldn't help but sway as you listened.

It was…odd watching them dance at first. How was this the couple that was rumored to run the city's underworld for years? The man practically giving heart eyes to his wife as he blew her kisses had allegedly brutally murdered so many people. Was this all a front? A show to make people believe that they were good people? That-

You were pulled out of your thoughts when you felt Daniel pulling you toward the dance floor to join the couple as other members of the cabinet did with the song change. "D-Daniel, I-" you started to say, a sudden fear filling your body as you glanced back to BB, now standing alone in the crowd.

"Hey, just relax. I know there's a lotta people here, but pretend it's just you and me," he said as he pulled you close, his hands landing on your hips as he gently swayed and tried to get you to relax into his embrace. You were hesitant at first, but when you looked into his eyes and earned a bright-as-ever smile from him, your stiff arms finally relaxed onto his shoulders. "There ya go…" he mumbled, nuzzling his nose with yours in a show of affection that made your heart flutter.

Suddenly, as you shared the same air, it truly felt like it was just the two of you in the room. The chatter of the crowd disappeared into the background, the singer's beautiful voice a mere echo as you focused on him and him alone. An accidental bump into another couple knocked you out of your bubble of peace, your eyes darting around as you remembered the setting you were in and who was standing on the outskirts of the dance floor.

Feeling you tense up once again, Daniel said, "Hey. Just focus on me." When his efforts were only met with partial relaxation, he decided to kick things up a notch, leaning in for a tender kiss that he knew would make you melt. In the shocked seconds you took to react to him kissing you in front of so many people, out of the corner of your eye, you saw BB shake her head and duck away, disappearing into the crowd. This caused you to tense further before Daniel doubled down his efforts in kissing you, deepening the kiss to get your attention. That was what finally kicked you back into the moment, tangling one hand in his hair as he continued to sway you back and forth. Fuck it, you thought, this was the man you had chosen to be yours and he chose you to be his. Nothing else mattered.

When a more upbeat tango song started being played by the band, Daniel began leading you in a different style of dance, this time more playful and joyful as he took you around the dance floor. You both shared the same bright smile as you kissed him between stepping on his feet, giggling and apologizing every time. He chuckled after nipping your bottom lip, saying, "I didn't know you had two left feet. If I did, I'd've gotten us dance lessons before tonight."

"Oh, hush," you huffed out, intentionally nudging his foot with yours as you did. "My co-workers always call my work clogs ankle-breakers, but I've done fine in them all these years. I'm thinking the real ankle-breakers are these damn heels…"

"Your ankles will stay unbroken if I've got anything to say about it," he told you, chuckling a little before carefully spinning you outward and pulling you in so your back was pressed up against his front. Once you were in this position, he held you close, his hands resting on your hips as he nuzzled into your neck, placing a few gentle kisses on the sensitive skin. The feeling, so long since the last time you had felt anything like that sent a shiver down your spine, a shaking breath passing your lips before you whispered, "Daniel-"

You couldn't finish the sentence, though, as suddenly the unmistakable sound of a gun going off cracked through the air. In the moments that followed, you froze, unsure where the sound came from, not knowing where the nearest exit was, and not having anywhere to hide in the middle of the dance floor. Daniel shouted your name and pulled you toward the ground, looking over your dress for any sign of blood, over your body for any sign of injury. As fear took over your body, all you could do was hold onto Daniel as chaos unfolded around you.

The ringing in your ears tuned out his voice after a few seconds, your eyes darting every which way to find the shooter so you could path a way out, but his gentle tapping of your cheek brought you back to reality. He brought your head into the crook of his neck as he kept his head down and began leading you in the direction Buck was attempting to usher cabinet members in the chaos of the crowd.

When you were finally back to reality as he moved you away from the dance floor, your instincts kicked in, pulling away from him and turning to head back toward where the victim was. With pure adrenaline coursing through your veins, you grabbed a linen from a nearby table, balling up the fabric as you kneeled down beside the man who was on the floor, a pool of blood steadily streaming out from the wound that penetrated his chest. The woman beside him on the ground was near-hysterical, her breathing ragged as she held his hand and said his name in worry over and over again.

As you placed the linen on the wound and pushed down with steady pressure, you told the couple your name, saying, "I'm an ICU nurse at Metro General. I'm gonna put lots of pressure on this wound until the paramedics get here, okay?"

"M'kay…" the man groaned, his voice strained in pain. "Fuck, that hurt…"

"I would be concerned if it didn't," you tried to joke, your voice trembling as you let out a light laugh, trying to lighten the mood. The man strained around a chuckle of his own, squeezing his partner's hand to show that he was still with her.

It was then that you finally looked up to see that Daniel had come to stand protectively over you, a look in his eye you couldn't quite place before he started looking around to watch for any threats to your safety. "Need anything?" he asked.

"Can you make sure an ambulance gets called?" you asked. As you saw blood beginning to seep through the linen and onto your hands, you applied more pressure, causing your voice to strain a bit as you said, "And get an ETA…"

You could see Daniel's hesitation when you asked this, not willing to leave your side to go ask - after all, phones had been taken away before entry into the event, so he would have to seek someone out. Sensing his hesitation, you kept a sense of urgency in your voice as you prompted, "Daniel, now, please. With pressure like this, I can slow the bleeding enough to stabilize a little just from blood clotting when the vessels are pushed together, but it isn't gonna fully stop without interventions."

"Y-yeah, yeah. For sure," he replied, clearing his throat before turning away and jogging through the crowd in the room that was still running around like ants through a hill that was kicked.

"They better fuckin' hurry…" you muttered quietly once he was gone, taking a deep breath and applying even more pressure as you said to Matt, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know it hurts, but I gotta try and slow this down…"

Time felt like it flew by but also crawled to a halt as you waited for the ambulance to show up. By the time they did, the paramedic took over holding pressure on the wound and the man was carted away with his partner following. When you let go of the pressure, you collapsed onto the floor, your chest heaving as you stared at the puddle of blood you were in. At the blood that coated your hands. That got under your nails. You hadn't seen this much blood pooled under someone in months. "Fuck…" you breathed, unable to control the shaking that started to take over your body as you came down from the adrenaline high.

"You okay?" Daniel asked as he finally made his way back to your side after talking with a Task Force member about the ambulance and just what the hell had happened.

"I…I dunno…" you whispered, attempting to take deep breaths to push away the nausea that threatened to overtake you. You were only mildly successful, barely getting one deep breath in per about five shallow ones.

Everything felt like it started to spin as your shallow breathing allowed less and less oxygen to travel to your brain, swaying into Daniel's arms as you continued to stare at the blood on the ground. His response was immediate, wrapping his arms around you as he murmured, "Hey, hey, hey. I'm right here. Come on. Come back to me."

"Daniel…" you whispered, your eyes finally focusing back in as you turned your head toward him.

"I'm right here. You're safe. The building's clear. We're safe," he said, running a hand up and down your arm. "Here, let's get these things off," he offered, adjusting so he could get your heels off of your feet before helping you stand. You were barely able to help in getting yourself up, your limbs feeling like lead as anxiety continued to riddle your body. "Let's go get you cleaned up," he said as he began guiding you to a nearby private restroom.

You were silent as you scrubbed the blood from your hands, the motion furious and fast as you tried to get it off of your hands as soon as you could. Daniel watched you work meticulously, not saying a word as you focused on getting every crease and crevice clean. When you finally had scrubbed your arms up to the elbows like a surgeon, you leaned against the sink and closed your eyes for a moment, a shaking breath heaving from your chest as you took another moment to let your adrenaline come down.

"What can I do to help?" Daniel asked, finally breaking his silence when he saw your breathing starting to slow down.

"I-I don't know. I'm just really, really anxious right now. But I-I shouldn't be. I-I deal with traumas all the time at work, I- Fuck…" you whispered, your breathing starting to pick back up. All at once, your mind began flashing through every mistake you had ever made since becoming a nurse, from minor ones like misspeaking to a patient, to being embarrassed by a doctor in front of someone, to stupid medication errors you barely caught before they reached the patient, to something that you had been told time and time again was something you couldn't prevent but ended in a patient death… Every one of them hit you like a truck and you damn near collapsed onto the floor as your knees gave out with the impending panic attack.

"You did what you could to save that man," Daniel offered gently, coming to stand beside you, his soft hand brushing over your lower arm to notify you of his presence. Trying to find the root of the anxiety, Daniel went out on a limb, asking, "Never been that close to a gunshot before?"

"Yeah…" you whispered. You shook your head as you mumbled, "We were so…so close to it. What would have happened if…"

"It wouldn't have been us, I promise," Daniel said in an attempt to comfort you. He slowly moved behind you and pulled you back into his warmth, gentle arms only lightly holding you so you wouldn't feel restricted. He shook his head as he said, "That psychopath was after the Mayor. One shot. That's all he took. It was targeted, not mass casualty."

"I hope they get him…" you whispered, closing your eyes and leaning more into his embrace.

"Me, too…" he said, turning his head to kiss your temple.

Suddenly, Daniel shifted, one of his hands moving from holding you to digging his phone out of his pocket. You weren't paying attention to the call, still trying to work through your anxiety as he spoke with whoever was on the other line. The rumble of his chest against your back felt nice, so you focused on that feeling as you took one breath after another. You were broken out of the stupor when Daniel started to shift away from you, taking your hand and saying, "Mayor called an emergency meeting. I gotta go to that. I'm gonna get a driver to take you back to your apartment, okay?"

"O-okay…" you whispered, blowing out another breath as you forced yourself to follow him out of the bathroom and through the now mostly abandoned ballroom.

As he ushered you toward the back passenger seat of the car, you noticed not only the driver standing by the vehicle, but also a member of the Task Force. You sent the officer a wary smile as Daniel said, "I want you to text me when you get home, okay? I don't know when I'll be able to answer, but I just wanna know when you get back."

"Got it," you said in a far away voice with a nod.

"Good. Be safe," he told you, planting a gentle kiss on your lips before helping you into the car.

a/n: hold you guys, this one's about to get messy... i'm telling you, plotting this was like playing 4D chess, so i'm very very thankful for @loveroftoomanyfandoms for helping me out so much with the plotting on this whole thing! this chapter is one of three events that happen on this night, so get ready for a wild ride over the next few chapters!

it was kinda funny, as i was writing this, @loveroftoomanyfandoms has been writing her Buck fic, in which Reader is Fisk's daughter, so it was interesting coming at the ball from two very different perspectives, specifically when it comes to seeing the Fisks on the dance floor. my Reader is confused as hell by it because of the reasons listed, but her Reader knows how in love Fisk is for Vanessa and how much he dotes on her. it was just a little funny thing we made note of while writing our respective fics!

The thought of him seeing you like this made your heart jolt, shaking your head as you said, "Y-you don't have to. I'll- I'll be fine."

"But I want to. Somethin's wrong and it sounds like you need some company. That okay?"

BB had gone out for what you assumed would be most of the day, citing meeting with 'an old source of Ben's,' so that left you all alone in the apartment on arguably the worst day of the year for you to be alone. So, in desperate need of connection, you nodded, whispering, "That's fine. Thank you…"

"You need me to stay on the phone?" he asked, the concern ever-present in his voice.

"I think I'll be okay 'til you get here. Make myself presentable and all…"

"I'll see you soon," he said before the line went silent and you were once again left with your thoughts.

You managed to get your face washed and changed into something more presentable than your pajamas by the time Daniel was knocking on the apartment door. When you opened the door, you saw him with a bag from a nearby bodega, telling you, "I…I wasn't sure what typa situation I was comin' into, so I just kinda got a little bit of everything."

As you looked into the bag and saw pain killers, chocolate, and a few other items, you couldn't help the tearful laugh that escaped your chest. "Thank you, Daniel," you said as you accepted the bag and brought it over to sit it on the coffee table. While you sat down on the couch, you told him quietly, "It's not that, though."

"You wanna talk about whatever it is, then?" he asked as he tentatively sat down on the couch beside you, ensuring to keep a respectful distance between the two of you.

"It's just…" you whispered, hugging your arms to your middle as you stared at the ground. You took another shallow breath before pushing forward, telling him, "Today's the anniversary of my dad's passing… It hits me hard every year, but this year's just…it's different because…" The image of the patient you had taken care of yesterday at work flashed through your mind, making a shiver run down your spine and another sob fall from your lips.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry…" Daniel whispered. As he did, you felt the couch shift a bit as he moved toward you, giving you every chance to move away as he leaned in to wrap his arms around you. You tensed up for a second as you remembered BB's warning weeks before when he invited you to be his plus one to the fundraiser. All of that went out the window when you felt his arms wrap around you in a warm embrace. It was soft and comforting and everything you needed in that moment, so you gave in and relaxed into his arms. "What happened? If you don't mind my askin'…"

Your voice continued to be unsteady as you told him, "Cancer. Just…everywhere. He was fine just a few months before, coaching my softball team and everything. But then…then he just kept getting sick. They diagnosed him with stage four and he only lasted a few chemo treatments before the doctors gave up… He was gone in two months…" By the time you were finished telling him that part, you were full-on crying, but you powered through, adding, "This week…at work, I… I had this patient. Same diagnosis. Same prognosis. But he wanted aggressive treatment. He wanted everything done, including CPR and a ventilator, all of it. I coded him three times yesterday. I…I don't even know if he's still alive… Dad, he…he tried to fight, but he just got tired. He just wanted to have peace and dignity when he went. Didn't wanna go in the hospital. So…that's what we did. When he got out of the hospital the last time, Mom and I took him home and that's…that's where he died."

When you finished the tale, your crying only got worse, but as it did, Daniel's hold on you got tighter. He laced his fingers through the hair at the base of your neck with one hand while the other ran in soothing patterns up and down your arm. His own voice was unsteady as he said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. All of it."

"Thank you…" you whispered, curling your fingers into the fabric of his shirt.

It took a few minutes of the two of you just sitting like that before Daniel finally asked, "Is…is he buried in the city?"

"Yeah," you whispered.

"Wanna go visit him? That's what we do when we're missin' my old man," he offered, pulling away to gauge your reaction to the offer.

"Oh, Daniel, I didn't know your dad…had…"

"Yeah… I was young when it happened. Don't remember much of 'im. I know Ma loved him, though." He cleared his throat as he put the barest amount of distance between the two of you, asking, "So?"

"I think I'd like that…" you replied, a small smile on your lips as you nodded.

When the two of you got to the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers in hand, you couldn't help but let out another audible sob when you saw someone else at your dad's grave. "Mom…" you whispered, the quiet sound traveling on the wind and catching her attention.

She turned around and sent you as much of a smile as she could muster, saying back, "Hey, baby…"

As you walked toward her, Daniel stayed at a respectful distance, letting the two of you have your moment in each others' arms. Your body shook with sobs, your voice broken and raw and you whispered, "I miss him so much…"

"Me too, baby. Me too…" she said in return, holding you that much tighter for a few seconds.

Once she released you, you looked down at the ground and saw that she had brought a blanket to sit on while she spent some time at the grave. You took a seat as she did, gesturing for Daniel to come sit with the two of you. As he approached with the bouquet of flowers in hand, you told your mom, "Mom, this is Daniel. My…friend. He works in the Mayor's office."

"Nice to meet you," he said as he sat down beside you on the blanket, resting the flowers against the grave.

"You as well," she replied, sending him a small smile. She cleared her throat before saying, "I hate that it's under these circumstances, but… I'm glad she's not alone today. Thank you, for taking care of her."

"Of course," Daniel said, like it was the easiest thing in the world, because, well…to him it was. Taking care of you and being there for you had started to feel like second nature to him, especially after the night at the fundraiser, and he was glad to be with you on your toughest day of the year.

A few moments of quiet passed, the three of you just listening to the rustling of the nearby trees before your mom broke the silence by asking, "Remember that one time at the lake?"

You couldn't help but laugh a little as you groaned, droning, "Don't remind me…"

"I sense a story," Daniel said, a little grin on his face as he took in your reaction to the reminder.

"Yeah, an embarrassing one…" you mumbled, averting your eyes from his as your mom laughed.

You were happy she was smiling, though, as she told Daniel, "We had taken a vacation upstate and had been on the lake all day. She was so tired out, but her dad decided to let her get the last of her energy out by riding in her little Barbie jeep. I looked down for maybe two minutes and what do I see when I look back? Her asleep behind the wheel, driving in circles, and her dad filming!"

"No way," Daniel said with a laugh, gently shoulder checking you as you flushed with embarrassment.

Your mom nodded, a gleeful smile on her face at the memory. "I'll have to dig through some things and see if I can find it. He always kept those home videos. We'll have to show you them some day, Daniel…"

"I'd like that…" he told her, a reflective tone in his voice as he allowed himself a few moments to think of…of a future with you. One where you watched home videos from your childhood in your mom's living room, where both of your moms shared recipes in the kitchen, and the two of you snuck kisses while they weren't looking.

After a good hour of reminiscing with your mom at your dad's grave, the three of you stood to leave. You kissed your hand before placing it on the headstone, saying, "I miss you, Dad. And I love you."

Your mom began to walk away toward the entrance of the cemetery and Daniel began to follow her before he realized that you had lingered. When he turned around, he saw you pulling a single flower from the bouquet, so he asked, "What's that for?"

"I wanna go visit one more person real quick," you replied, following the familiar path to another grave site. When you got there, you crouched down to lay the flower on the grave, collecting the old, dried flowers that had been placed there weeks before. "Hey Uncle Bun," you mumbled with a quiet laugh. It was what you and BB had called him growing up because when you were young you both couldn't quite pronounce 'Ben' so it just stuck.

Daniel's voice was quiet as he said, "Ben Urich. The reporter. BB's uncle, yeah?"

"Yep," you told him with a nod. "He was like a father to me even before Dad died, but then…it was only two years later when he…passed."

"God, that's fuckin' rough, I'm sorry," Daniel said, wrapping an arm around your waist and ghosting a kiss into your hair.

"We do what we do in their memories. Dad's journey is why I became a nurse. There were some really good ones while he was in and out of the hospital and so…well, here I am now. Trying my best to be that for other people."

"You are, I just know it," Daniel said, giving you a little squeeze before releasing you from his hold.

Soon after, the two of you left the cemetery and planned the rest of your day. As the warming sun started to shine brightly over the two of you, Daniel asked, "Wanna get some ice cream? I thought I saw a parlor on the way here."

"I'd like that," you said, fishing your keys out of your purse.

The little parlor was smaller than you even thought it looked from the outside, a single aisle worth of space being the only room in the business. So, as the two of you waited in the small space that was starting to fill with people wanting to cool off, it was inevitable that your hands brushed a few times. The feel of his soft hands on yours sent a kaleidoscope of butterflies off in your stomach, the gesture that used to be so…clinical and a tool you used to get close to him suddenly feeling more…vulnerable. Right before Daniel could reach out and lace his fingers in yours, your order was called and the two of you graciously took the confections from the man behind the counter.

Neither one of you wanted the day to end after ice cream, so as you got into the car, you asked, "Where to next?"

"Brooklyn," he replied, typing the address into your GPS after you set up the music for the ride.

"What's in Brooklyn?" you asked curiously.

"My new place," he replied.

"Your new- When did this happen?" you asked, a smile forming on your lips. "Congrats!"

"Only just got moved in not too long ago." You could hear the proud smile in his voice as he said, "I got a promotion that came with a sick penthouse. You're sitting next to the new Deputy Mayor for Communications!"

"Shut up!" you said, excitement in your voice for him. "See, I told you you'd get a promotion!"

"That you did."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? We should be celebrating!"

"Well, that's what I was calling about this mornin', but your thing was more important," he admitted.

"Daniel, you're too sweet…" you mumbled as your heart fluttered at the fact that he was more concerned about you than anything. Once you regained your composure, you said, "We should celebrate."

"How 'bout we celebrate with Chinese takeout and a movie night? The best way to break in a new apartment," he offered.

"Sounds like a plan to me," you replied.

"Okay, that food was amazing," you breathed as you relaxed into Daniel's entirely too comfortable couch.

"Right? I've heard great things about it, but I never really came to Brooklyn before. But now…"

"There's so many new restaurants to try," you said as you scrolled through a list of nearby ones.

"Let's make a bucket list, then. All the restaurants we wanna try and we'll get 'em," he said. "You come over, we watch a movie, try some new food. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great," you told him, closing your eyes momentarily as he selected a movie to watch on the massive TV in front of you.

You weren't sure when it happened, but at some point during the movie, you had drifted into Daniel's side, his arm slung around your shoulders as he traced absent patterns on your arm. By the time the credits were rolling, you snapped out of the warm stupor you found yourself in, looking up at Daniel and sending him a tired smile as you said, "Thank you for today. I really needed it."

"Of course," he whispered, his eyes flicking down to your lips for a split second.

You weren't sure who started leaning in first, but moments later, your lips met his in a tender kiss. It was soft and gentle, only lasting a few seconds before you both pulled away, your hearts racing in sync. Whether it was out of fear or anxiety over the topic of what happened, neither of you said a word after, instead focusing on the next movie that began playing on the screen. Daniel's arm never left its place around your shoulders, though, and soon enough you had fallen asleep, braced against him as the most comfortable pillow.

The next morning, you stirred awake before Daniel did. With how deep the couch was, the two of you somehow ended up spooning, his arm wrapped protectively around your middle as he continued to sleep soundly. Your heart skipped a beat as you started to come to terms with what had happened the previous day. Daniel had come to your aid when he didn't even know what was going on, he held you as you told him about the most vulnerable part of your life, and spent the evening with you without any distractions besides each other. And…and you had kissed.

You couldn't help the smile that formed on your lips as you remembered the feel of his on yours, his touch tender, gentle, and…sweet. You had tried pushing down your confusing feelings for Daniel for a while, but after last night, you knew there was no turning back. You had fallen for Daniel Blake and all his humor and charm. For a moment, there was a thought that crossed your mind that you were a fool, but you shook that thought away. You weren't a fool for this. You weren't stupid or weak or anything of the sort. You were human, and as a human, sometimes you can't help who you fall for.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation, Daniel stirred a bit in his sleep and began to turn over onto his other side. You took that moment to slip from the couch, padding as quietly as you could to the kitchen to see if there was anything you could prepare for breakfast for the two of you. Pleased to find a box of pancake mix, you began making some of those, the sweet smell wafting through the apartment, making Daniel finally stir awake from his peaceful slumber.

When he walked into the kitchen and saw you at the stovetop making pancakes, Daniel's heart gave a little stutter, feeling like this was all a dream that he was waking up to. One that he had been having for months. "Mornin'," he mumbled as he started making a pot of coffee.

"Good morning," you replied, sending him a quick smile over your shoulder.

Daniel was quiet for a few seconds as he gathered his thoughts and the coffee began to brew. He finally broke his silence a minute or so later by asking, "What…what exactly are we doin' here?"

You took your time responding, concentrating on flipping a pancake before saying quietly, "I…I don't know, but… Would it be too much to say that I like whatever it is?"

The smile on Daniel's face was immediate, his voice bashful as he said, "Nah. I like it, too." He took a deep breath as he took a step closer to stand behind you, wrapping his arms around your middle as he asked, "Would…would it be too much to ask to make…whatever this is…official?"

"I like the sound of official," you replied, a shy smile on your face as you leaned back into him, his warmth enveloping you and making you feel incredibly safe.

So, that was how you spent the morning: with your boyfriend, pancakes, warm embraces, and slow kisses that you didn't truly realize how much you wanted until now…

a/n: eeeee! it's happening! they're finally together! so far, i've been easing you guys into Daniel being a romantic, but over the next few chapters, that side is coming out in full force!

the barbie jeep thing is based on a true story from when we were hanging out at my neighbors' house when i was younger lol i have never been able to live it down

i'm gonna be honest, writing some of the stuff surrounding Reader's dad's death has been hard, especially in one of the last chapters, but i do think it's been helping me cope with my own trauma surrounding my dad dying. i know these discussions are hard, so take care of yourself and hug your loved ones a little tighter next time you see them <3

all that being said, i hope you all enjoyed! likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3

As the two of you approached the door, Daniel hooked his arm in yours, the motion bringing you closer to him and into the range of his cologne. You couldn't really describe the scent, but it felt…right for him. The thought made you subconsciously relax into his embrace as he stopped to chat with the man playing security at the door. "Good evening, Daniel," the man said, his English accent and crisp appearance cluing you into his identity. "I see you've brought a guest."

"That I did," he confirmed with a bright smile. He gave him your name, saying, "She should be on the list. I told Jessika that I'd be bringing a plus one."

"And I see…she indeed is," the man said as he cordially nodded with a curt smile.

"See ya in there, Buck!" Daniel said before gesturing for the two of you to start moving forward into the ball room.

"He seems…intense," you said as you dared a quick glance back to the man you now had confirmation was Buck Cashman.

"Ahh, don't worry about it. He's always like that. Part of the job as Fisk's personal security detail," Daniel told you, although the statement didn't assure you as much as he probably intended it to. "Champagne?" he asked, flagging down one of the waitstaff who were walking around with trays of the bubbling beverage.

"Don't mind if I do," you said as you graciously took a glass from the gentleman who approached. After taking a sip, you couldn't help the quiet groan of appreciation in response to the taste. "Holy shit, is that the real deal? Like…actual champagne from Champagne?"

"Only the best from the Fisks," Daniel said with a wink before taking a sip from his own glass.

"So, what exactly do you do at an event like this? I'll admit I'm a little out of my depth here…"

"Just talk, shmooze with the rich folks. We're trying to raise funds to help with the port project, after all." He raised his glass to a gentleman who was passing by, adding quietly to you, "The amount of wealth in this room is ridiculous. If we can sucker even a little out of everyone, the project's as good as funded and then some!"

"Oh, wow!" you breathed. "And who was that gentleman who passed us before?"

"That was Jacques Duquesne. He's always been filthy rich, but when he was framed for murder a little while back, he got a big, fat settlement of millions for defamation of character."

"Holy shit…"

"Yeah, and don't even get me started on Miss Wendy Garland over there…" he droned as he glanced over at a brunette woman across the room, sporting a necklace that took up most of her exposed neckline. He tipped his glass subtly toward a couple on the other side of the room, whispering, "Them I'm not sure of, but-"

"Doctors Maxwell and Hibara. Surgeons at Metro General," you mumbled as you eyed them with disdain.

"You know 'em?"

You scoffed. "Let's just say I hate having their patients…" you mumbled.

"Oh? You not liking certain patients?"

"No, no, it's not the patients I dislike, it's just…them." This was something you had discussed at length with your nurse manager and it got you heated every time, so you couldn't help but just…talk about it, telling Daniel, "There's been multiple occasions where I feel like they put me in a bind when it comes to caring for their patients. When a patient can't make their own decisions and there's no next of kin or we can't contact them in an emergency, two doctors are allowed to sign off on procedures to say that the treatment is medically necessary. They always sign off for one another when it comes to that. I mean, not that it isn't the right procedure that needs to happen sometimes, but…"

"They still get paid for the procedure, even if the patient doesn't make it, huh?" he asked.

"Right. Then the rich get richer. Both of their kids are in medical school right now, too. If all four of them end up at Metro, that's the day I leave…" you mumbled before finishing off your first glass of champagne. "Oh, fuck, here they come…" you whispered when you accidentally caught their eye and they started making their way across the room. You kept a smile on your face as you said through gritted teeth, "Don't bring up what I just said. They aren't my bosses, but they can make my work life a living hell…"

"Got it," Daniel said, slipping his empty glass onto a passing waiter's tray and adjusting his hold on you so his arm was around your waist.

You held your fake smile toward the couple as they approached, greeting them with, "Hey, docs! How are you guys tonight?"

"We're doing well, thanks!" Doctor Maxwell said as he and his wife came to a stop in front of you.

Doctor Hibara, the far less pleasant of the two gave you a stiff smile before saying, "I didn't know an event like this would have…caught your attention."

Daniel could feel you stiffen up beside him, so he offered out his right hand to the couple, saying brightly, "She's here as my plus one. Daniel Blake. Communications team for Mayor Fisk. Can I just say how grateful he is for you to be here? To have two esteemed surgeons such as yourselves! It's an honor!"

The conversation went on like that for a good five minutes, with Daniel lathering on the compliments to the couple and telling them all about the project the fundraiser was for, answering any questions they had in regards to it. By the end of it, he had Doctor Maxwell pulling out his pocketbook and writing a check with even more zeros than you could imagine having to your name…

"Holy shit…" you whispered as he turned the two of you toward a private area where he could pass the check off to the person collecting donations.

"The rich aren't so rich anymore," he smarted off with a small smirk on his lips.

As the two of you made your way to speak with a different socialite, you caught Buck staring at you. You couldn't help but get an unsettled feeling in your gut, so you commented under your breath, "I don't think Buck likes me all that much…"

"That's just how he is. Don't let it get to ya," he tried to reassure you. You tried to have faith in the statement and really hoped that Daniel hadn't told him how BB had gotten the information on the Clean Green Haulers that caused her to write the article she did…

And that was how the next hour or so went, with you on Daniel's arm while he schmoozed as many rich people out of money as he could while you remained in Buck's line of sight almost constantly. Some of the socialites didn't bite, but others offered generous sums of money to revitalize the Red Hook port. In between every few guests, you excused yourself, claiming that the champagne was going right through you or else you were on the lookout for some other refreshment or hors d'oeuvre being served, but in reality, you were taking down any and every name that you could remember being at the party so BB could look into them.

At one point, right as you slipped your phone back into your clutch, Daniel appeared beside you, his voice wary as he said, "Hey, I'm sorry to end this early, but something came up and I gotta head out. Let me get you a ride back."

"O-okay! Yeah, for sure," you replied, taking his arm once again as he ushered you quickly toward the exit. "Everything okay?"

"For sure, it's just a work thing," he replied as he took out his phone and texted someone. "Nothing you did. I promise. You were - are - perfect."

By the time you had emerged from the building into the air of the city, there was already a car waiting at the curb, the driver posted at the back passenger side door ready to let you in. Daniel glanced at his latest text from Buck, and in his distraction, he didn't even think about what he was doing when he got you to the car, kissing your cheek once you were safely inside. "Get home safe, okay?" he asked.

"Promise," you breathed, feeling your heart climbing into your throat as the feeling of his lips on your cheek lingered.

"Daniel!" you heard Buck's English accent calling from nearby.

"I'm comin'!" he shouted back, stepping away and letting the driver close the door behind you as he rushed off to join Buck in getting into a separate SUV.

"Where to?" the driver asked as he got behind the wheel of the car and pulled away from the curb.

You told him the address in a far-off voice, still in shock over the kiss Daniel had landed on your cheek. Not because it was surprising, but because…you liked it? Shit…

By the time you got to the apartment, you had pulled yourself together, pushing away the realization you had after Daniel had kissed your cheek, instead focusing on the intel you had for BB. As you got yourself out of your dress and makeup, BB started to take down the names of people you had typed into your phone, asking clarifying questions about some of them and taking notes on what you remembered.

When she looked at the clock, her eyebrows furrowed as she said, "It's still early. What're you doing back? Isn't the event still going?"

"I think so? Maybe…" you replied with a shrug. "Daniel said he had to go early. Some quote, unquote work thing. Seemed urgent. Buck and him took off in an SUV right after I left."

"I've gotta figure out what happened…"

It didn't take too long to figure out, because the next morning, you both sat in the living room watching on the TV as Mayor Fisk announced something called the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. It was a group of hand-selected, no doubt by who, officers who were being tasked with the takedown of any vigilante activity. This group was brought on by the fact that two more people had been murdered the night before by the city's latest serial killer, Muse. Maybe that was what Daniel and Buck had rushed off to address and why Daniel had been so worried about you…

"God, this is such a headache…" BB muttered later that evening as she filtered through her notes on the takedown of Muse that afternoon. It was already being reported on, obviously, but she wanted to be the first with the details. "I wish we had-"

"Inside information?" you asked as your phone began ringing with a call from Daniel. You gestured for her to keep quiet as you answered and put the call on speaker, greeting him with a, "Hey Daniel! Busy day?"

"You don't even know the half of it…" he muttered. "I promise that I'll make it up to you soon, but right now I kinda gotta ask a favor."

"What's up?" you asked curiously, trying to keep your expression neutral. As much as you hated to admit it, the butterflies were soaring around in your stomach in full force as you listened to him speak, and you knew you had to hide it from BB…

"Do you think you could get BB to come to City Hall? I've got something that I wanna run in the BB report. An exclusive directly from the Mayor's office."

BB's eyes widened immediately and she began packing her stuff into her bag quickly so she could rush over. She gestured for you to answer in the affirmative, so you cleared your throat and said, "Yeah, for sure. I'll send her now."

By the time Daniel had thanked you, BB was already pulling on her shoes and heading out the door, her ears deaf to him saying your name quietly in a question. "Yeah?" you asked, taking the phone off of speaker so he wouldn't hear the door closing without hearing you talk with your roommate.

"Again, I'm sorry for how last night ended. It was abrupt and I was distracted and-"

"Hey," you said gently, stopping his rambling apology. The smile was evident in your voice as you whispered, "It was perfect."

"Awesome…" he replied brightly and you could just imagine the wide smile on his lips.

You cleared your throat again before telling him, "BB should be on her way once I tell her. Where do you want her to meet you?"

"Just tell her same place as every time," he told you before you both said your goodbyes and hung up.

When BB got back, she looked deep in thought, a look of…concern on her face. "What happened? You okay?" you asked, pausing what was steaming on the TV to give her your attention.

"I mean…kinda?"

"What does that mean?"

"Daniel, he…he cashed in his IOU and asked me to…lie…on the BB report."

"Lie? What about?"

"The Muse takedown. Anyone with common sense knows it was Daredevil that took him down. The Mayor's office wants the story to be ran that the Task Force was responsible, though. And…"

"And…?" you asked when she paused to look out the window over the city lights.

"Basically…they want the BB report to be in Fisk's pocket. And like with all things Fisk, it feels like I don't have a choice in the matter…"

"Oh, shit…" you whispered, shaking your head.

She sighed, closing her eyes as she said, "We knew this was dangerous going in, though. We just…we just have to play the game. I just hate that that means practically giving up the BB report because it's losing all integrity!"

"Then start another. Write under a different name. It wouldn't be the first time," you suggested. You stood up and gave her a hug, whispering, "I'm sorry about the BB Report. Maybe…maybe this can all work out."

"I hope so…"

a/n: you guys, the kiss on the cheek thing happened so organically and it was just so CUTE! it had me kicking my feet and giggling! like @loveroftoomanyfandoms said last night when we were discussing the last chapter, Daniel tends to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Reader and i'm absolutely here for it 100000%! SO cute and sweet! we've got lots of breadcrumbs dropped in this one that i'm honestly very proud to have come up with! it's gonna be exciting!

"No, but I can. Just one sec," you said, putting him on speaker but then muting your phone's microphone so he couldn't hear as you asked BB, "What's he talking about?"

"I ran the story you got him to talk about this morning," BB told you simply as she pulled up her laptop so you could see the article.

Your heart dropped when you saw it, widening your eyes as you said, "BB, I was going to try and get more out of him after the meeting!"

The argument couldn't continue as Daniel's voice came through the phone, saying, "Mayor Garbage. C'mon! I was drunk and high and told you something in confidence! What the hell?"

"Goddamnit!" you whispered, wracking your brain for an excuse. You gestured for BB to keep her mouth shut as you turned off the mute feature, telling him in as sincere of a tone as you could muster, "Daniel, I am so sorry. Look, I didn't know what would come out of that conversation and I had BB on the phone with me like I always do when I'm heading home or anything like that. It's for my safety. We've done it since we first got cell phones."

You heard him sigh, muting the phone again as you sighed dramatically in relief that he seemed to have bought the lie. The frustration was still evident in his tone as he said, "Fuck… I didn't mean to blow up, I'm sorry. It's just been a long-ass day and I got in deep shit with Fisk because of that article. Another screw up like that and I'm out."

BB's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head in response. The two of you couldn't afford for Daniel to lose favor with Fisk. You unmuted the phone again, sighing before reiterating, "I'm sorry, Daniel. Really. How can I make it up to you?"

"You owe me. You both do. I'll talk with BB when I need to cash that favor in," he bargained. When she heard this, BB gave a thumbs up before silently making her way from the living room, relief evident in her body language. You took the moment to take the phone off of speaker, holding it back up to your ear as Daniel said, "As for you, though, I'm thinking dinner and drinks. Somewhere nice, not some shitty-ass diner."

"Whatever it takes to make it up to you," you told him quietly.

The promise of dinner and drinks had to be rain checked three times, much to Daniel's dismay. The first night you both became available happened to be St. Patrick's Day, which meant there was a lot of foot traffic on the way there once he had swung by your apartment to get you. As you both sat down in a booth at one of the nicer restaurants you could get a reservation at, the waitress asked, "Can I get any drinks for the happy couple? While we aren't doing any green beer, I can offer you some more traditional Guinness or an imported Irish whiskey!"

After the two of you placed your drink orders, you began looking at the menu in search of something that sounded good to eat. When Daniel spoke, you could practically hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Well, since this is our first date as a, quote, happy couple-"

"This isn't a date," you interrupted, your eyes glancing up from the menu to give him a look that said drop it. "This is a dinner I'm taking you to as an apology for fucking up."

"Who says it can't be both?" he asked casually as he browsed the menu.

"You're jumping the gun, Blake."

"So you're sayin'-"

You couldn't help but laugh as you playfully shoved his menu up to block his view of you, saying, "Look at the menu, not me."

"But you're-"

"Daniel!" you warned, pulling your menu up just a bit to avoid his eyes as the very real subject of his feelings toward you got brought up again.

With as long as this had been going on, you were toeing the line between this being beneficial to your cause and having to actually break the guy's heart. It was something you had tried to avoid because if you hurt him, then you lost access to him and therefore Fisk, but you also were starting to feel bad about leading him on. Your calls had become daily, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. And just as the cherry on top, after you had told him about the "reason" for the phone call on the way to his place from the club, he had started to keep you on the phone on your commute. He never said that it was to make sure you got home safe, but that had to have been the reason. You felt like you were heading toward something inevitable in hurting him, but you were determined to keep things as casual as you could until there was something more solid BB could get out of Fisk.

Unsurprisingly, the dinner was fabulous. The drinks paired perfectly with the food and by the time the two of you had polished off your shared dessert, you were ready to throw in the towel. Daniel seemed to have other plans, though, asking as the two of you left the restaurant, "Wanna head to that bar over there? Looks like a good time."

You thought about the offer for a second before nodding, asking, "Why not? It's only one time a year I get to drink artificially green beer."

"Hell yeah it is," he said gleefully before leading you to the nearby bar that was packed with rowdy patrons.

As you finished off your first drink, one of the many TVs in the bar started playing some infomercial about one of Fisk's latest initiatives. The strong Irish booze in your system had started to catch up to you, leaving you without as sharp a filter as you usually had, so you rested your chin on your hand as you asked, "Why do you support him? Like…what made you look at Fisk and say 'oh yeah, that's the guy I wanna stand behind'?"

"I mean, he's a great businessman to start," Daniel said before noticing he was behind on his drink.

"But he was found guilty of racketeering," you pointed out as he finished off his drink, trying to keep your tone light as you spoke.

"And then later acquitted on all charges," Daniel countered before waving to the waitress for another round. While the two of you waited, he added, "And besides, look at the promises he campaigned on! At the promises he's working on as we speak! The city's always been fucked up, and even more so since those aliens wrecked the place back in twenty-twelve. With Fisk, some of that shit's finally gettin' fixed!"

"Only took over a decade for something to happen…" you muttered, pushing away the bitter feelings The Incident brought up, considering you were sure all that foreign matter your dad helped clean up was what caused his cancer…

Your mind was brought back to the present when Daniel snapped his fingers and said brightly, "Exactly! Fisk is making the moves to fix things that the mayors of the past didn't care enough to bother with. He cares about the city! What's not to like about that? I just wanna see some good come to this place we call home. So does he. So, that's why he got my vote." He ended the statement with a casual shrug, giving the waitress a smile as she came by with your second round of drinks.

So, it was blissful ignorance. Daniel seemed to have no idea about all the bad Fisk had been speculated to be a part of. The mobs, the underground "businesses," the killings. He didn't seem to be aware of any of it. He just liked the guy because it seemed like the best choice for the city and for business within the city… Huh…

After a couple more rounds of drinks, Daniel had a bit of a hundred yard stare to him, so you asked, "Hey, everything okay?"

He shook his head to get the thoughts he was having away, asking, "Have you ever fucked up at work?"

"Well, yeah. Of course I have. Fucked up for my job versus yours may be totally different ball games, though, so how are we talking?" you asked before taking the last sip of your beer.

"Well, I guess I'm more so talkin' about doing somethin'…embarrassing or somethin' that makes other people think less of you."

You snorted out a laugh before deadpanning, "Daniel. I've been a nurse since before I could legally drink. Yes, I've done embarrassing shit at work." Sensing that there was something deeper going on that didn't need to be handled with humor, you asked in a gentler tone, "Is this about what happened to…for this night to happen?"

"No, that one lands more so in the fucked up category," he explained. He ran a hand through his hair as he detailed, "Sometimes when we're at work, I just…say stupid shit that makes…certain people look down on me. Tell me that I'm not cut out for this and all."

"Hey," you said, reaching across the table to gently squeeze his hand, withdrawing it before he could really react. Thinking back to the first morning you got coffee together, you asked, "How many signatures did you canvas to get Fisk on the ballot?"

"Two thousand…" he said, looking anywhere but you as you picked apart his dilemma.

"And that's what got you the job! That's so many signatures! That's like going to a small hospital and getting every single staff member to sign, like going to a high school and getting every one of those kids onto your side! Clearly you know what you're doing and you're great at convincing people of things!"

Sensing that this conversation probably warranted another drink, you busied yourself catching the waitress for another round as Daniel muttered under his breath, "Yeah, everyone but you…" When your eyes finally landed back on him, he sighed, a small smile starting to line his lips as he said, "I guess you might be right…"

"I know I'm right. Just ignore what those people say and keep your head in the game like I know you do. One day you'll prove 'em wrong. Maybe even get a promotion!"

"Sure…" he said, a quiet laugh breaking up the lingering sadness in his tone.

When the waitress returned with your drinks a few moments later, you held yours up to his and clinked the glasses together, telling him sincerely, "Seriously. You're amazing at what you do, Daniel. When you put your mind to something, you can do amazing things. You just gotta believe in yourself as much as you believe in the Mayor."

"Right," he said, a little more cheerfully. "Now, about those embarrassing work stories…"

"Oh, brother…" you said, already cringing at the memory of a specific one.

A little while after you were dropped off back at the apartment by Daniel, you heard your phone chime with a text notification. You dried your face and hands off from when you had washed your makeup off while getting ready for bed, checking the phone to see Daniel's name on the notification bar. As the phone recognized your face to unlock, you saw the content of the text that read Hey. I know tonight wasn't a date, but I was just wondering if you'd wanna be my plus one to the Stronger New York fundraiser?

As you read the message, an unexpected fluttering sensation filled your gut. What the hell?

You quickly pushed the feeling down and shook your hands out before heading out of the bathroom and into the living room where BB was working on her latest article on a bank robbery that had happened that afternoon. "Hey, look at this," you said, hoping your voice was stronger and more stable than it sounded to your own ears.

BB read the text before saying, "Well, you have to go." She quickly looked up the event and said, "Anyone who's anyone in the 'business' world will be there. We need that guest list. If we get it, I can start making connections between them and Fisk. Between them and…wow, really anything unsavory they've been a part of. This is huge!"

"Yeah, totally," you said, taking back the phone with a slight shake in your hand as you thought about the implications of his text and the outing itself.

As your thoughts began to run wild without your consent, BB sent you a look as you started at the phone. She studied your facial expression and body language for a few moments before saying your name in a sort of warning tone. That snapped you out of your mind, humming in acknowledgement as your eyes finally met hers. "I know that look," she said sternly, "and you can't. Not with him."

"I'm not-" you tried to counter, but were cut off.

"You might not be intentionally, but I know that look. It's the one you've always gotten since you were a kid when you had a crush on someone." She took the phone out of your hand and sent Daniel back a text that said I'd like that! Text me the details! before saying, "You cannot catch feelings for this guy. It's dangerous and you know it. You catch real feelings and if we get more information and Fisk finds out? You're dead. And so is he. Just like Ben."

"BB…" you said, still actively fighting everything swirling around in your head as she handed your phone back.

"Just…lock in. Be objective. If it'll help, I'll set you up on a date with someone else afterward. Okay?"

"Okay," you said, the phrase slipping out simply to appease her in the moment. You weren't sure what the butterflies were about nor why you were so anxious about the way he implied that the fundraiser would be a date, but you knew that BB was right. In the game the two of you were playing, there was no time for actual feelings, not if you didn't want to end up six feet under next to your dad.

a/n: shoutout to @loveroftoomanyfandoms for helping me plot this out and make more sense of the cascade of events that took us to...butterflies. for daniel? surely not! it's gotta be the booze talking! also, we got more information about Reader's dad, why he's been referred to only in the past tense, and what happened! (totally not me using this as a way to cope with my own dad's death but that's what my therapist told me to do so here we aaaarrreee)

"And…?" you dragged out, impatiently awaiting her answer.

"I've got an interview with Fisk tomorrow morning!"

"Hell yeah!" you cheered, waving your wooden spoon in the air in celebration.

BB laughed before settling back against the counter, telling you, "I don't know what you did to soften Blake up, but whatever it is, keep it up. It didn't even take much persuading on my part."

You shrugged in response, saying, "A little flirting goes a long way with guys like him. The way he talked about his position, he seems pretty close with Fisk, all things considered. Maybe it isn't too much of an ask, who knows."

"Well, all that matters is that the meeting is a-go."

After you had gotten everything plated up and on the small dining table, you and BB continued the conversation, with you asking, "So, what exactly do you plan on asking or getting out of Fisk during this meeting? He isn't just gonna give you information you want. I think you'll have to at least offer something of substance before he'll tell you anything, really."

"Well, it's a good thing I spent the majority of the day chasing a rumor I heard the other day," she said with a slight mysterious tone to her voice.

"Oh? Do tell."

"So, the other day when I was out chasing a different story, I heard some police officer mention that he heard that Commissioner Gallo was talking about stepping down because of Fisk. I went to a source I have in a different precinct and they said that what I heard is true. Gallo's been talking with some of the captains of certain precincts to test the waters on what the reaction would be if he stepped away."

"And?" you asked when she paused, not even realizing that you had started to lean in closer to her as she spoke.

"Let's just say that if Commissioner Gallo steps away, Fisk would be in a huge bind. The people love Gallo, the police love Gallo. Best case scenario, the cops protest and Fisk loses support of the people."

"Well, best case for people like us who want him out," you pointed out.

"Exactly." She took a bite of her meal as she thought, saying afterward, "But if there's threat enough of losing support, there's a chance that he'll make changes that are of benefit to people like us. People who don't support him."

"And what if he doesn't take the bait?"

"Then…things stay the same as they are. Then I'll find something else. Get another interview. Rinse and repeat until something big enough comes up and we're able to boot him out. At some point, someone's gonna screw up or slip up. They have to. And I think our best bet is-"

"Daniel," you finished for her with a nod. "He's proud of his position and he seems loyal as hell to Fisk for whatever reason. He got like…two thousand signatures to get him onto the ballot for election."

"Then you'll have to be extra careful," BB warned. "If you're dealing with someone that loyal to Fisk, then if you slip up, it's your head on the chopping block. We can't risk that. It can't happen. Not…not again."

"I know. I'll be careful, BB. Promise."

The meeting with Fisk didn't turn out as fruitful as BB had hoped, her short five minutes ending even sooner than she wanted when she was promptly kicked out after mentioning Mrs. Fisk. It wasn't all for naught, though. Daniel and BB had a meeting to discuss the BB report and how she keeps the attention of the audience she does before inviting the two of you out to the club the next evening.

As the two of you got ready, BB commented, "Depending on how tonight goes, we might be able to get some information out of him."

"Alcohol tends to have that effect on people," you said with a laugh. "What are you hoping to get out of him?"

"Don't know, don't care how big it is, but I just need something," she replied as she pulled her purse over her shoulder. While the two of you headed for the door and you grabbed your keys, she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with being the DD? I wouldn't want to put you out or anything. Plus, how much fun are you really gonna have if you're stone cold sober?"

"I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun, even without alcohol. It's honestly sometimes more entertaining to see you drunk than anything," you smarted off. "Plus, if Daniel does blab about something, one of us has to be sober enough to remember it. That's kinda the whole point of this."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get this party started!"

The night went on without a hitch, with BB even reconnecting with an old friend from college while out at the club. The two were desperate to continue the night, even when Daniel finally - at around four in the morning - decided that he needed to call it. When he made the announcement, BB groaned. No matter how much liquor she had encouraged into him, he still hadn't spilled anything. In an attempt to keep him longer or force something out of him, BB said, "Oh come on! Fisk is riding you way too hard! This whole in by eight thing-"

"Seven, actually!" he corrected, looking at his watch, his eyes closing with a sigh as he realized the time. "So, I gotta go."

"See! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Any normal job, we'd take a few more shots, hit up that spot on twenty-third, sleep on the train, take a shower, go to work, and do it all again the next night!"

"What kind of normal routine is that?" he asked, shaking his head. He pointed to you as you were sipping on your…who knew how many...fifth of sixth virgin cocktail of the night. "She's got a normal job and I definitely don't see her doing this on the regular." He pointed to BB as he asked you, "Does she do this a lot?"

You couldn't help but laugh a little as you nodded, telling him, "Yes, and there are some days I worry about her! Some nights she isn't even back by the time I'm taking off for work."

"Oh, don't you start now, you Debbie Downer!" BB told you with a playful roll of her eyes. "College changed you!"

"Becoming a healthcare professional changed me," you told her while digging out your keys.

"Whatever! Come on, you two! Let loose and live a normal life!"

"Again, there's nothing about this," he said, gesturing to his watch and the club, "that's normal!"

"And working for Fisk is?"

"Listen, I dunno what to tell ya, I love the guy!"

"God…" BB's friend groaned, stealing the shot from Daniel's hand and taking it.

"I'm for real! We have this real important meeting this afternoon that I can't miss! I need at least some sleep for it, especially if-" When Daniel cut himself off, he looked over your shoulder and said in a slightly aggressive tone, "Hey! Back off!"

You snapped around, trying to see if someone was after you, but you didn't see anyone anywhere close. Daniel, however, continued to advance toward you, wrapping an arm protectively around your waist. With your eyebrows furrowed, you looked at BB with a confused look on your face. She looked just as confused, so you wiggled around in Daniel's grip and said, "Hey, look at me."

"But-"

"Daniel. I said look at me. Let me see your eyes," you said softly, reaching up and putting gentle pressure on his jaw to make him turn his attention to you. When you finally got his eyes on you, you saw that his pupils were absolutely blown out, so much that you could barely see the brown of his irises. "Did you take something?"

"I- It's just-"

You kept your voice gentle as you said, "I don't care if you did, I just need to know. I'm not judging you."

"Yeah…" he admitted, his eyes flicking away from yours for a moment. "Someone at the bar had some Super K and I just…I dunno why I took it, I just did, and-"

"Hey," you said with a quiet laugh, "it's okay. Let me get you home?" The wolf whistle from BB's friend brought you out of the conversation, suddenly realizing how close the two of you still were. He seemed to notice too a few seconds later, his reaction time delayed by all the liquor and drugs in his system. When you pulled away, you jingled your car keys and said, "We're gonna head out. You two coming or are you going to get food?"

"Food," BB said as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders. She gave you a pointed look as Daniel went to the bar to pay his tab, telling you, "Keep trying. Call me on your way. Maybe he'll slip when there's less people around. Find out what that meeting's for."

"I got it. No prob," you said quickly, stopping the conversation as Daniel returned.

BB and her friend began turning in a different direction from the parking garage you had found earlier in the night, her friend letting out yet another wolf whistle and calling out, "Go get you some!" before drunkenly giggling with BB.

"Sorry about them," you mumbled as you found your car and unlocked it. "In college, it was always the two of them that would stay out the longest."

"Don't worry about it," he said as he settled into the passenger seat, his movements uncoordinated as he went.

Before you pulled out of the spot, you reached into the backseat of the car, your hand returning with a bottle of water and offering it to him. "Drink. It'll help everything clear your system faster."

He simply nodded, cracking the bottle open and beginning to work on it as you started the car and turned the radio on for some background noise. You made sure that your phone wasn't connected to the bluetooth before discreetly dialing BB and putting her on speaker. Now that the two of you were alone, it was time to see if he'd slip.

"Where to?" you asked when your tires hit the asphalt of the one way road the club was on.

"Oh, you can just get me to the Staten Island ferry."

You shot him a concerned glance for a second, telling him, "Absolutely not. You aren't getting on a ferry by yourself while you've got ketamine and a shit-ton of liquor in your system."

"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he said with a shrug.

"No, I will worry about you. Remember that list of things I won't do or take precautions for because of my job?"

"Oh, come on, don't quiz me now…"

"I'm being serious! You could fall over the side of the ferry and into the water, get assaulted, lost, among so many other things."

"I have a feelin' you aren't gonna give this up, huh?"

"Not a chance. You're stuck with me for now."

Although you couldn't hear it because you turned the radio up the slightest bit to listen to part of the song on the radio that you liked, Daniel commented under his breath, "I wouldn't call it stuck…"

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before you finally asked curiously, "You said you had an important meeting this afternoon? You could have rain checked, you know."

"Nah, it's all good. I never really need an excuse for a night out." Especially with you… Daniel shook his head before saying, "But yeah, we've got this real important meeting with this company called the Clean Green Haulers. They're a new tech company with a dope recycling idea!"

"Oh really? That could be cool. Less stuff in the landfills. Maybe help clean out the Hudson a bit, too," you replied, your heart skipping a beat as you realized that you might be onto something.

"Exactly! You get it! And it'll help decrease garbage output in the city! It's genius!"

The first thing that came to mind when he mentioned the decrease in garbage output was something your dad had said to you years ago, even years before he got sick. Listen kid, he had told you, Everyone around here's got a job and a purpose, even if it's something that you don't think is that great. The bodega workers keep everyone stocked up on their odds and ends, the street cleaners keep things looking as nice as they can, the garbage workers make sure the dumpsters don't dirty up the alleys too much. Everyone's got their role to play to keep this city running, and if just one thing changes, the whole damn thing could go belly up!

A huff of air left your nose as you remembered the conversation, offering up the counter, "The only thing with that is the unions. One thing goes out of whack and the whole operation goes belly up. Least, that's what my dad would say to that."

Daniel brushed you off, asking, "Ahh, don't worry about that. That's why we're startin' in the ports! Dual jurisdiction and all that. Mayor Fisk's got it all under control!"

"Right. Fisk can fix it," you forced out in a chipper tone, your eyes flicking to the screen on your smart watch to make sure BB had heard all of that on the call. Sure enough, right as your eyes landed on the screen, the call ended and you got a text that said, You're AMAZING! That was what I needed!

When it felt like it was inevitable that Daniel was going to fall asleep on the car ride to Staten, you got the address from him and connected your phone to the car in order to navigate to his place. By the time the car came to a stop in front of the building, he was stirring awake. "Morning," you said as he stretched as much as he could in the car. Something about the sudden wakefulness and the stirring of muscles made Daniel nauseous, his face twisting as the feeling overwhelmed him. "Okay, let's get you inside!" you said, noticing his face get impossibly paler as his body threatened to hurl.

You made your way over to the passenger side of the car, pulling the door open just in time for him to lean over the side and puke on the sidewalk. It was by sheer experience that you managed to dodge the spray, your shoes coming out of the encounter clean. Daniel had a look of complete and utter embarrassment on his face when he sat back up, his apology immediate as he said, "Oh my God, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

His words were interrupted by another bout of vomit making its way out of his mouth. When he came up again, you rubbed his back lightly, joking, "You think it's out of your system now?"

"Ha, ha, very funny," he said as he took the hand you offered to help him up. When he glanced down, he noticed that a bit of the vomit from the second bout had gotten onto your shoes, an embarrassed groan passing his lips as he said, "God, I'm so sorry…"

You looked at the shoes, not the ideal ones to clean up, but you shrugged nonetheless, telling him, "I've cleaned up worse. Just another day in the office for me."

"You're a goddamn saint, you know that?" he asked as you opened the rear passenger seat door to dig through a bag you had back there. When you returned to your full height on the sidewalk, you gave him something before crouching to start wiping your shoe off with a cleaning wipe. As Daniel turned the small silver package over in his hand, he asked, "Isn't this stuff prescription?"

Tossing the soiled wipe into a nearby trash can, you shrugged, telling him, "Yeah, but it's just Zofran. It's not like I'm giving you-"

"Ketamine?" he asked, finally cracking a smile while holding back a laugh.

"Not where I was going with that, but I think that's funnier than what I was about to say," you replied, shaking your head at his antics. You gestured toward the front door, adding, "Come on. Let's get you inside and cleaned up. Take a shower and then I'll drive you back." You checked your watch and nodded. "If we leave right after your shower, we should be able to make it to City Hall at a decent time so you aren't late."

Daniel said your name as you helped him balance on the way up the steps, telling you, "You really don't have to do that. I've already taken you so far out of the way."

"You're my charge right now. I'm gonna make sure you're sober enough before going into work," you told him as he unlocked the door to let the two of you in. As you both crossed the threshold into the cozy home, you added, "See, if you would have gone on the ferry, you might've gone overboard. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I knew I could've prevented that."

Before he could smart off, Daniel heard footsteps approaching from his mother's bedroom, a groaned out, "Ah shit…" leaving his lips.

You could tell the woman was still tired by the way she yawned and rubbed her eyes, her voice still a little groggy as she said, "Oh, Daniel, baby! You brought someone home with you!" Before Daniel could stop her, she plowed forward, saying, "Oh, you must be that girl Daniel hasn't stopped talking about! The, uh… I'm sorry, I'm blanking, it's so early… The, uh…" She snapped her fingers trying to jog her memory as you looked on with an entertained grin. "The ICU nurse!"

It was impossible for Daniel to hide the red flushing his cheeks and neck as he mumbled, "Yeah, she's the ICU nurse, ma. Can I go now? Can she go? I'm sure we'd all be more comfortable anywhere but here…"

"Go ahead," she said, shooing him up the stairs that he took slowly with his hand gripping the railing the whole way up.

When you were left alone with her, she introduced herself. "It's so nice to finally meet the girl who's made my Daniel so happy lately! I'm Gloria."

You gave her your name before telling her, "You have a lovely home," trying your best to ignore the part about Daniel possibly having feelings toward you. You would have to tell BB about it when you both got back to the apartment for the day. Sure, you had been flirting with Daniel in order to see if he would let any information on Fisk slip, but you didn't intend for this to happen.

"Thank you, sweetheart! Lots of love in this house!" she said. "Can I get you a coffee? While you sip on that, I can pick your brain on something!"

"Oh, sure!" you said in surprise, following her toward the kitchen where she began brewing a pot of coffee.

The strong smell was heavenly as it wafted through the kitchen and you knew that she had some quality coffee on her hands. As the smell got stronger, she asked, "Have you ever heard of Vital Spectrum?"

With your eyebrows furrowed a little, you shook your head as you replied, "I can't say I have."

Gloria scoffed, reaching into the cabinet for mugs, filling two as she said, "Haven't heard of- Well, I think you're in for a treat! How do you take your coffee?"

"Sweet and strong."

"Ahh, so you like your coffee like you like your men, I see," she said off-handedly as she put some sugar into your mug. You couldn't help the flustered blush that made its way onto your cheeks, but were glad to ignore the comment as she said, "Anyways! Vital Spectrum! It's the vitamin and supplement company I work for! We've got all sorts of goodies to keep you running in top shape, but I just wanted to pick your brain on the specifics so I know how to best advertise to customers."

"Hit me," you said as she handed you the mug of steaming coffee.

By the time Daniel emerged back down the stairs from his shower, you were deep in conversation with his mother about Vital Spectrum and the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals. As he prepared himself a to-go cup of coffee, Daniel groaned, saying, "She got her claws in you, didn't she?"

"Oh, stop it, Daniel. This is a conversation between two professionals about the benefits of nutrition!" she countered, staring at him over her mug.

He laughed good-naturedly as he checked his watch, telling her, "Well, we gotta go. I've gotta be at the office soon. It was good to see you this morning, ma." He gave her a hug as you stood from your chair and grabbed the Vital Spectrum bag full of vitamins you had purchased from her.

When the two of you were heading back to the car, Daniel gestured toward the bag as he said, "You didn't have to do that, you know. She gets a little crazy about that business."

You shrugged, telling him with a smile, "I needed to restock on vitamins anyway. With work, sometimes it's hard to eat right. A lot of the time, you're just eating between checking on patients or helping someone else. So, vitamins go a long way in helping make sure I'm not malnourished."

"Jesus, that's intense," he said as he settled into the passenger seat once more.

"It is, but I'm doing what I love, so I don't mind it all that much," you told him, offering him another bottle of water and a handful of the vitamins his mom had sold you. After he looked at the handful of pills, he gave you an incredulous look that you responded to with, "I can't exactly give you an IV and banana bag in my car. This is the next best thing."

"You two are teamin' up on me!"

"Just looking out for you," you countered as he took the pills and you started up the car.

The clock read 7:04 by the time Daniel got into the office, a little winded from his run to get in. He had wasted precious time thanking you and fishing for some cash to give you for gas and to get some breakfast, but giving you that cash was non-negotiable to him, even though you were reluctant to take it until you realized what time it was. "I am so sorry I'm late, I didn't mean to be! I was out with this girl and then-"

Buck gestured for him to begin walking to the car awaiting them as he said, "Daniel, I really don't need the details of your affair."

"Affair? Hey, wait, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend as far as I know. Besides, it isn't like that. Not yet anyway…" he said as he adjusted his jacket and tie once more. His tone was off-handed as he said, "I've just gotta be patient. Think I can-"

The two came to be in step with Mayor Fisk and Sheila as Buck cut him off once more, telling him, "As fascinating as your love life is, we've business to attend to."

"Right. Sorry…" he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he trailed behind the others, who all walked with a purpose to the car awaiting their arrival.

a/n: okay this one was so fun to write, especially the interaction with Gloria! oh, how i love her! i hope you enjoyed!

as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3

As you walked up to the Starbucks Daniel requested to meet at, he greeted you with a wave and a bright smile. "Hey!" he said, holding the door open for you as you approached. "It's nice to see you in, you know…normal lighting!"

"If you're trying to call me pretty, I'd refine the compliment a little," you joked as you brushed past him, your fingertips ghosting over his own as you did.

"I didn't wanna come on too strong," he admitted as he joined you in the line heading toward the counter, the baristas working quickly to get through each order.

"You say to the girl who made the first move by buying your drink at the club," you teased, gently bumping your shoulder into his as you laughed lightly.

The two of you made small talk throughout your time in the line, hitting the usual topics of the Mets season, the weather, and foot traffic on the sidewalks to get to the shop. The conversation was interrupted when you got to the counter and were greeted by the barista with a smile. You returned it before saying, "Hey! Could I get a venti iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso with two extra shots? And then a…double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich?"

"Of course! Anything else?" she asked, turning her attention to Daniel, who stood slightly behind you.

Before you could take a breath to say anything, he told the barista his order and pulled out his wallet, paying for both of you. As he paid, you huffed out a quiet laugh before saying, "Thanks, Daniel. You didn't have to."

"'Course I did! What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't?" he asked as the two of you made your way over to a table in the corner of the bustling shop.

When his name was called for the order, Daniel made his way to the counter to grab everything, careful not to drop anything on his way back. As he sat the drinks down, he eyed the label on your drink, his eyes going wide as he said, "Holy shit that's a lot of espresso! You're gonna be bouncin' off the walls all day!"

You laughed before taking a sip of your drink, the flavors melting in your mouth as deliciously as they always did. When you looked back at him, you said, "This has become my normal amount of caffeine to maintain sanity." With a shrug, you added, "Occupational hazard."

"Occupational…? What exactly do you do that needs that much espresso to function?" he asked as he unpackaged his own breakfast sandwich.

"ICU nurse over at Metro General," you replied simply. "Between how understaffed we are and how many people seem to end up in critical condition in this city, I don't think I'll ever be out of the job, fortunately."

"That'll do it," he said, sending you an impressed look now that he knew your career path. After taking a bite of his sandwich, he asked, "What's the craziest shit you've seen someone come in for?"

"How strong's your stomach?" you asked, eyeing his sandwich, a small smirk lining your lips in challenge.

"Like fuckin' iron," he replied. "I regularly eat that shit-ass street food you're so against. I think I can handle a little medical tale."

"Suit yourself…" you said with a quiet laugh. Before starting the story, you look a sip from your drink, the taste somehow bringing back the memories of that crazy day even more vividly. Making sure to keep your voice down to a socially acceptable level, you leaned in a little closer to Daniel across the small table as you told him, "So, there was this one time I had this older guy. He was like…in his seventies at least. Came to us with sepsis and needed to be intubated and put on a ventilator because the infection got so bad his organs started shutting down. Wanna know how he got the infection?"

"How?"

"Dude stuffed a massive," you gestured your hands a good nearly two feet apart, "fuckin' sex toy up his ass and tore through his intestine! Got a nasty infection because of the literal shit in there and he was with us for a good while before he got well enough to send back to the stepdown unit."

You weren't sure if Daniel's expression was from amusement or disgust, but you watched his reaction play out in what felt like slow-motion as he processed the story. Finally, he settled on holding back a laugh as he held his hands out about the same distance you had, asking, "This big? You're kidding!"

"Not kidding and I wish I was," you told him. "Guy had to have it surgically removed. I was told that once he was well enough and working with PT on the floor, he still had a limp!"

"No way!"

"Way," you said before taking another sip of your drink. When you sat it down, you joked, "Moral of the story: always use lube."

"I feel like you're gettin' the wrong moral outta this guy," he said with a chuckle as he shook his head.

"I've got lots of morals from lots of people. They're the main reason I don't take certain meds. Why I won't ever get on a motorcycle. Why I'm so paranoid when walking back to the apartment any time of day, really. Also why I hate open flames and candles."

"Candles?"

"Candles. I've seen some shit."

"Shit as in up the wrong end or…?"

"First of all, there's no correct end for a candle to go in, but second of all, let's just say that you wouldn't ever wanna be on a burn unit," you told him, a shiver running up your spine as you remembered one of the worst burn victims you had ever encountered who had a good night end very poorly because of a candle. When the shudder passed, you shook your head before resting your chin on your hand, saying, "I think that's enough about my job for right now, though. What do you do for a living?"

"I actually work over at City Hall," he told you, a proud look on his face as he started speaking about his job.

"Oh really? What kind of work do you do there?"

"I'm in communications. You know, help run what gets to the press, help draft speeches, manage social media, stuff like that," he detailed.

"That's pretty sick, actually! How'd you go about getting that position? Seems like a pretty important role."

He shrugged casually, telling you, "Well, I got over two thousand signatures to help get the Mayor onto the ballot. That seemed to catch the attention of Fisk's political advisor, so she hired me on. Gave some good advice from this generation's point of view and now I'm in pretty damn close with the cabinet! Pretty sweet gig, if you ask me."

"Sounds like," you said, nodding your head as you processed everything you were just told. You let a few moments of silence pass as you both took bites of your sandwiches before asking, "Are you the youngest on the team?"

"Seems like it," Daniel replied, thinking about everyone else in the cabinet. "I help keep everything balanced, I'd like to think. Fisk and Sheila have their old-school way of doing things, but when it comes to reaching the younger demographic, I'm their main man!"

"You know what I think could help reach even more people?" you asked thoughtfully, keeping your voice casual as you posed the question.

"What?"

"Reaching out to someone who has a large audience of your target population watching and reading in every week," you told him vaguely. You took a pen and sticky note out of your bag as you said, "My best friend is actually journalist with a pretty large following of people our age and younger. If there's something you wanna get out to that demographic and can't because none of us actually buy newspapers anymore, I would definitely reach out to her!"

"Sweet! Thanks!" he said, taking the sticky note from you and putting it in his coat. After pocketing the note, he pulled his sleeve up and checked his watch, sighing a bit before saying, "Shit, I didn't realize what time it was. I gotta get into the office soon."

"Of course. Duty calls," you agreed, beginning to stand up and grab your drink.

As the two of you walked to the door to leave, Daniel held it open for you and asked, "When can I see you again?"

"Well, I work the next three days, then I'm off for two and then back on for three. I'll text you when I know how dead-tired I'm gonna be after those shifts."

"Always keepin' me on my toes, huh?" he asked as he hailed a cab for you.

You shrugged, a small smile lining your lips as the cab pulled up. He once again opened the door for you and while you got in, he slipped the cabbie some cash for your fare. With the constant gestures, you couldn't help but be flattered, so you told him in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Daniel. For everything this morning. It was nice."

"It was. Thanks for coming out of your way to meet me here. I try to stay close in case there's an emergency before I'm supposed to come in."

"You're a good man," you told him. "Have a good day at work. I'll text you later. Don't forget about my reporter friend!"

"You got it. I'll text her now. Have a good day!"

And with that, he shut the door and the cab began the journey back to your apartment. As you settled into the seat for the ride, you were grateful for how smoothly that seemed to have gone. Now you just hoped that he was, in fact, reaching out to BB.

a/n: always use lube, kids, and always use appropriately sized and shaped sex toys! that tale was based on a true story! i hope you enjoyed the humor that comes with writing Daniel! he's been a BLAST to explore!

as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3

"The Mets haven't had the best last few seasons, but I've just got this feeling they're gonna make a comeback this year," you said with a quiet laugh as you adjusted the strap on your wrist that was attached to your clutch.

"What else?"

"He's a sneaker-head, I just bring up whatever shoes he's got on and I'm set for at least half an hour."

"And if he asks about you?"

"Give him enough to be curious and end up offering his number. Flirt from across the room after excusing myself. If anyone tries to make a move on me, get away and then find him across the room again," you replied, recalling every move you had seen in movies and TV shows over the years that tended to always land.

"What about sex?"

You laughed, telling her, "Tell him he's gotta earn it."

"I think you're ready," BB said, giving your shoulders a squeeze like a proud mother would her child. "Make sure you have your phone on you at all times, don't leave your drink alone, and call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, Mom," you teased with a laugh as she jokingly flipped you off.

As you walked into the crowded club that had music bumping loudly, you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw one of your co-workers standing at the bar, her arm around her partner's waist as they waited for their drinks. "Hey!" you called as you approached her, a bright smile on your lips. You gave both of them a hug, saying, "I'm glad you two could make it!"

"Hell yeah! I didn't know you knew how to let loose, so when you invited us out…" she replied.

After you placed your own order with the bartender and gave him your debit card for the tab, Holly's partner asked, "Did you bring anybody? Or are you looking?"

You turned your back to the bar, casually leaning against it as your eyes turned toward the crowded club, looking for one face in particular. With a small smile on your lips, you told her simply, "Looking."

"Ooh!" they both said at the same time, causing all of you to laugh.

Between talking about annoying coworkers and workplace rumors, you finally saw your target enter the club. He walked in with two friends, each laughing at something he said as they walked over to the bar. So he's funny, you thought to yourself as your eyes trailed after the little posse. You guessed you weren't that subtle with your glances, because before you could even bring yourself back to the conversation at hand, Holly's fingers were snapping by your ear as her partner said, "I think I know who she's got her eyes on…"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to space out," you apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck as you did.

"No, no, spacing out is good!" Holly said, sending you a wink.

Before you could even think, her partner was gently nudging you back toward the bar, telling you, "Go! Go tell the bartender that you're paying for his next drink or something!"

You laughed at their antics as they both shooed you off toward the bar, grateful all the while that you had invited them because you would have been clueless otherwise. You can spout off what you'd seen in movies, sure, but putting it into practice was a whole other beast... After ordering another drink and informing the bartender of your intentions, you made your way back to your coworker, the three of you dancing to the upbeat songs as they came over the speakers.

You kept your eyes on the bar over the next few minutes, trying to spot when the bartender made Daniel's next drink. You suspected that he opted for shots the first round, because the second drink he ordered came rather quickly. You watched as he stood talking to the bartender, who pointed you out across the room. When Daniel turned to look at you, you subtly raised your glass, lining your lips with what you hoped was a sweet, yet mysterious smile.

He didn't immediately come your way after he got his second drink and sent his friends back to the bar for their own second round. Respectful, you thought as you realized that he had only ordered for himself on your dime and not his friends, too. Over the next short while, you kept glancing over in his last known direction, seeing if you were also in his sights. As luck would have it, every time you looked his way, you made eye contact with him before intentionally moving your little group to a different area of the club to see if he would track you.

While you danced with your friends within the sea of bodies on the dance floor, you felt a hand suddenly on your waist. Turning to see who it was, the man hovering behind you wasn't who you'd hoped it was, instead being a guy who looked incredibly wasted and overly confident with himself. "Hey, sweetheart, 'ow's about you and me get out 'f 'ere?" he slurred, pushing his body against yours as his hand began trailing up toward your chest.

"How's about you fuck off?" you said firmly, shrugging him off and shaking your head as the three of you moved yet again to a different area of the dance floor. As you went, you couldn't help the smirk that lined your lips when you saw Daniel's friends hooping and hollering and shoving him toward the bar. You hoped that was a good sign because you were getting close to your limit for the night and you weren't sure how long you could hold out for him to approach you.

After a particularly excited rendition of the Taylor Swift mix that the DJ played, Holly and her partner excused themselves to the restroom, leaving you alone with your third drink of the night and the swimming in your head. You made your way toward a wall to lean against for balance, starting to think that when Holly went to the bar after you, she changed your last order to a double.

You weren't alone for long, though.

As you stood against the wall and people watched, you heard a voice from beside you ask, "Espresso martini, huh? Little fancy for a place like this, don't ya think?"

Turning toward the strong Staten accent, you sent Daniel a smile before saying, "Well, if I'm already gonna have a headache, it might as well not be from caffeine deprivation."

"How's about another? To make up for the drink you got for me?" he asked as he eyed the near empty glass in your hand.

In an attempt to be bold, you lightly brushed your fingertips over his lower arm as you started toward the bar, telling him, "My hope was to get a chance to talk with you, but if I'm also getting a free drink out of it, then I'm in for sure."

As the two of you settled into standing at the bar, he said, "I come here pretty often, if we're honest, and I've never seen you before. What's your name?"

You gave him your first name, watching the smile grow on his lips as you asked, "What about you?"

"Daniel," he replied.

Giving him a quick once-over, you noticed that his outfit was nice, far nicer than the t-shirts and jeans his friends were wearing. It was chic yet casual, but still paired with a nice looking pair of high tops. Bingo. When your eyes met his, you subtly shifted to hold your balance against the bar as you nudged the toe of your shoe against his, saying, "I like your sneakers, they look really cool!"

Daniel's face lit up at the compliment, his voice just as excited as he told you, "Thanks! They're a limited edition run that my favorite brand did a few months back! Super supportive yet stylish! Just what you want in a sneaker!"

"Very cool! What kind of support do they have?" you asked, leaning in a little closer to him as more people gathered at the bar. Your knowledge on sneakers was limited, even with how often you heard one of your coworkers talk about his collection, but you knew about supportive shoes, so you started there.

Just as you predicted, Daniel went on for a good while about sneakers and all the kinds he had in his collection. Between tangents you both got off on during the conversation, you realized how easy it was to talk to him. He was funny, kind, passionate. It was a wonder he was working for someone like Fisk…

You hadn't even realized how much time had passed until Holly and her partner were coming toward you and Daniel as you stood on the outskirts of the dance floor chatting. They both gave you wide smiles before giving you a hug, with Holly saying, "Thank you for inviting us out! It was great! But we've gotta head out!"

Her partner, who had gone the route of taking shots instead of sipping on drinks, giggled and hooked onto Holly's arm, slurring, "And by that, she means head out to our apartment so we can fu-"

"Alright, let's not finish that sentence in front of strangers," Holly said with a laugh and a blush on her face as she wrapped an arm around her partner's waist to begin the walk to the door. "See you next week!" she called over her shoulder as you laughed and waved back.

"Well, she's got her hands full for the rest of the night," you said with a laugh as you watched their retreating backs. When you turned your attention back to Daniel, you asked, "Your friends give you the slip, too?"

He chuckled before nodding, saying, "They went to a different club right after I came to talk to you."

"What friends we have, huh?"

"Yeah, almost like they planned it," he replied.

"Well, the night doesn't have to end because they left," you told him, hoping that he would get the drift and offer to leave the achingly loud club atmosphere.

"You have anything in mind?" he asked as the two of you began drifting toward the exit of the building.

"I'm gonna be honest, as long as there's food and less noise involved, I'm game," you replied, giving the bouncer a small smile as you made your way out the door and into the cool night air. As the air hit your face, you took a deep breath and sighed, closing your eyes as your head finally felt like it wasn't being bombarded with noise.

"Hey, there," came Daniel's voice as he reached forward to balance you when you started to stumble as your sense of sight was temporarily gone.

Your eyes snapped open when you felt his hands on your waist, fumbling out a quick, "Oh, sorry, I- Wow, I guess I'm a little further gone than I thought…"

"I bet some food'll put you right," he suggested, his hands lingering on your waist for a few seconds more before letting you take a few steps on your own.

Despite the hour of the night, Daniel managed to locate a street vendor and bought the two of you a hot dog each, presenting yours to you as you sat on a nearby bench. You eyed the food warily, earning an exasperated, "Oh, c'mon! You can't tell me you've never had a street dog before!"

"The fact that they're called street dogs is what scares me," you said with a laugh as you took the hot dog from him. You sent a look toward the cart and didn't see any steam or grill smoke or anything, so you joked, "I'm off for the next three days, if this street dog is what lands me at work early, I'll never forgive you."

"Ah, don't worry about it! It'll be fine!" he said before taking a bite of his own. He swallowed his bite before asking, "What kind of work do you do?"

"The kind where I've seen enough- Actually, I won't finish that sentence while we're eating…" you mumbled before shaking the thought from your head and taking a bite of the hot dog. When you finished your bite, you said, "I'll have you know that, yes, I have had these before, but it's been at least…seven years since I've had one."

"Seven years?" he asked incredulously, his eyes widening. "How do you live in this city and go seven years without having street food?"

"Find out what kind of work I do and maybe you'll realize," you teased as you stood from the bench and began walking down the sidewalk toward a busier area where you'd be able to flag down a cab.

"Well, if you'd just tell me, then I'll tell you about my job," he bargained as he followed beside you.

You hummed thoughtfully before shaking your head as you said with a smirk, "That sounds like a chat for sober me, seeing as I can barely filter my brain from blurting out things most people don't like hearing about." Right as you finished the statement, you noticed a cab and raised your hand to flag it down, turning back toward Daniel expectantly while you waited.

He looked at you for a moment before getting the hint, handing you his phone to put your number in as the cab pulled up. As you typed it in, he asked, "How about coffee? Tomorrow or the day after? I've got work, so it might have to be a bit early, but… I'd like to see you again."

"Coffee sounds great," you replied as the cab pulled up beside you. Before you could even reach for the handle, Daniel already was, opening the door for you and putting a steadying hand on your waist as you ducked down into the back seat. You sent him one last smile as he went to close the door, telling him, "Goodnight, Daniel."

"Night," he replied, closing the door and watching the cab pull away from the curb. Your phone buzzed moments later with a text from an unknown number that said Thanks again for the drink! As you replied the same in return, he smiled. He hadn't planned on his night ending the way it did, but man, was he happy it did.

a/n: gosh, i love how playful and funny these two are together! and it only gets better from here!

as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3