Secret Santa fic: Do They Know It's Christmas Time?

[nietie]

Title: Do They Know It’s Christmas Time?
Word Count: 2,383
Rating: 18
Characters/Pairing: Becker/Danny
Warnings: Smut and fluff (after all, this is Denial and this is Christmas *g*)
Spoilers: Set after 4.07
Disclaimer: Not mine, no money made, Primeval and its characters belong to Impossible Pictures                                                                                                                                Author Notes: Secret Santa fic for the lovely telperion_15. I mingled the prompts ‘Christmas on the job’ and ‘Celebrating Christmas alone (or are they?)’ Happy Holidays!

Thanks to fredbassett for the beta!                                                                                                                        

Sometimes working for the ARC was a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes it was plain boring.

Tonight it was plain boring.

The anomalies at the prison museum hadn’t stabilised yet. They came and went, sometimes tricking the locking devices and opening to either the Pliocene or a different era. 

So the ARC team had to monitor them in shifts.

And now it was Becker’s turn to watch the anomaly that had appeared in one of the prison cells. The locking device had worked so far. Nothing had happened in the past few hours.

Becker was bored. He’d already eaten the sandwiches and had drunk the lukewarm tea he’d brought.

There was nothing to do, nobody to talk to.

And worst of all, it was Christmas Eve.

This was the most boring and pathetic Christmas Becker was ever going to have. Alone in a prison and nobody cared. Well, technically the prison was a museum now, but it looked and felt like a prison.

Becker sighed and sat down on the folding chair, the only furniture in the cell.

He had to think of something else, or he was going to feel very sorry for himself.

What would the other team members be doing at the moment? Abby and Connor would probably be together, Lester would be with his family, just like Jess. And Matt? Well, Matt might even be feeling more pathetic than Becker, with Emily gone, back to 1867.

Becker didn’t care what Philip Burton would be doing for Christmas. Somehow he didn’t trust that guy. There had been a lot of tension since he joined the ARC.

Last year they’d had a company Christmas party. Lester could be a pain most of the time, but he knew how important team spirit was and he had initiated the party. It had been fun, with food, banter and laughter. One of the few relaxing moments during his job at the ARC.

Becker looked at his watch. Two more hours, then he’d go back to his flat, his empty flat. He would be celebrating Christmas alone this year. His parents were abroad on a holiday. Besides, he’d rather spend Christmas with Burton than with his parents.

He didn’t have any other family members. His granny had died during the year. Becker had adored her. She had been the sweetest and most caring person in the world. If he had to celebrate Christmas with his family, he would miss her even more.

So, this year Becker would spend Christmas alone. With beans on toast and maybe a good film on the telly. Oh wait, Connor had left the Star Wars DVDs at Becker’s. He could watch those again.

Oh hell, he was turning into a nerd now! Just like Connor and Jess.

Suddenly the lights from the anomaly changed.

Becker sprung from his chair and pointed his EMD towards the sparkling lights.

The anomaly opened.

At first nothing happened.

Becker kept his gun ready, trying to breathe quietly and even. He waited.

A figure appeared. It walked through the portal calmly.

Becker blinked.

“Danny, you’re back!”

“Hello, sunshine.” Danny grinned half heartedly.

Becker tried to relock the anomaly, but suddenly it pulsed and disappeared.

He turned and looked at Danny. He looked even more dishevelled than the last time he’d seen him, only two days ago. His plaid shirt was nothing more than rags and Danny looked exhausted.

“What happened? Where is Ethan, I mean Patrick?” Becker wanted to know.

Danny slumped into the chair and sighed.

“I’m sorry.” Becker said. “You must be knackered. Here, have some water. That’s all I have at the moment.”

Danny gulped down most of the water.

Becker waited patiently for him to start talking.

“Patrick’s gone,” Danny said softly with a sad, pensive look.

“What happened?” Becker knelt next to the other man, touching his knee.

“I... I killed him,” Danny whispered. “When I found him, I couldn’t get through to him any more. He was Ethan, the killer, the man who thought humans are only animals. Patrick was gone. I tried to talk to him and at first I thought he’d listened. I told him again and again that I’d never given up on him and that it wasn’t too late. But then... then he got that weird look in his eyes. He wanted to kill me. We fought and I... I killed him... With Molly.”

A sob escaped Danny’s throat. He threw Molly, the bone of a prehistoric mammal he was holding in his hands, into a corner of the prison cell.

Becker rubbed Danny’s knee. “I’m terribly sorry. That must be so hard.”

“I’d never given up on him!” Danny looked up, his eyes filled with tears.

“No, you hadn’t,” Becker reassured him. “You did everything you could. But like you said, Patrick was gone. He could not be saved.”

They sat in silence for a while.

Becker checked his watch. “I’m able to leave in an hour. Then somebody else will take the shift to watch this place. I’ll take you to the ARC then, if that’s okay with you.”

“No, no! Not the ARC. Like I told the others, Philip Burton is not to be trusted. Somehow he’s connected to Helen Cutter. I don’t want to face Burton yet. Or the others. For now I just want to get my thoughts and feelings together about what happened, rest for a bit.”

“Okay, you can stay at my flat for a few days then. It’s Christmas anyway. Maybe it’s for the best not to disturb Burton, Lester or the others.”

“Christmas?” There was a surprised look on Danny’s face. “Wow, I can’t remember my last Christmas. It must have been ages ago.”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up. I didn’t have time to buy a Christmas tree or to decorate my flat.  Or to go shopping for that matter, so it’ll be beans on toast for dinner.”

“Oh man, you can’t believe the times I’ve dreamed about beans on toast,” Danny said, licking his lips. He slapped Becker’s shoulder. “Thanks, mate. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” Becker answered, a bit embarrassed. “At least I won’t have to celebrate Christmas alone. I was already feeling very sorry for myself.”

“Aw, I bet you’re great company,” Danny grinned. “Besides, like I told you last time, you’re much cuter than I remember.”

Becker’s face was deep red now.

Danny chuckled.

Luckily Becker’s replacement arrived. After instructing the SF soldier not to tell anyone Danny Quinn was back, Becker and Danny left and Becker drove them to his flat in Fulham.

Danny could hardly stay awake, but Becker could see he enjoyed the ride through London.

“I didn’t realise it was almost Christmas the last time I was here,” Danny said, looking at the Christmas lights and decorations.

“Well, you had a lot on your mind, being away for so long and meeting your long lost brother again,” Becker said.

In the flat, Becker showed Danny around.

“Maybe you’d like to take a shower first. I’ll see if I can find some clothes that’ll fit you and then I’ll make us something to eat.”

“Thanks. I hope I don’t smell too much.”

“Well, I’ve smelled worse smells, but you could definitely do with a shower.” Becker grinned and handed his guest a few towels.

While Danny was washing off the dirt and remnants of a prehistoric era, Becker lit the fire in the sitting room and selected some jogging clothes, boxer shorts and socks from his wardrobe. He went to the bathroom, knocked on the door, opened it slightly and dropped the clothes on the floor. Then he went to the kitchen to see if he had anything edible at home.

After a while he didn’t hear any sounds coming from the bathroom any more. The shower had stopped running, but Danny hadn’t emerged from the room.

Becker knocked on the bathroom door.

“Danny? Are you all right? You haven’t fallen asleep, have you?”

No answer.

Becker opened the door and looked inside.

Danny was in the bathtub, steam rising from the foamy water. His eyes were closed.

“Danny!”

Danny opened his eyes reluctantly. “Dinosaurs don’t talk. So this must be a nightmare. Go away, leave me alone.”

“You could drown, sleeping in the bathtub like that. Besides, you’ll look like a dried and wrinkled prune.”

“You care how I look?” Danny said, winking. He stood up, unaware of his nakedness , whilst Becker handed him a towel.

“Here are some clothes that might fit. When you’re ready, go to the sitting room. I’ll fix us some beans on toast.”

Ten minutes later they were both munching on the food, sitting on the sofa, watching BBC News on the telly.

“Did I miss anything?” Danny wanted to know.

“New government, but same old shite.”

“Well, we’d better leave politics to Lester then,” Danny said, wolfing down the food. “This is delicious.”

“Thanks. I don’t know what I can round up for tomorrow. Maybe we should get some takeaway.”

“No problem with that.” Danny belched and put his feet onto the coffee table.

They both watched The Weakest Link. At first they answered the questions asked by Anne Robinson, the hostess who, according to Danny, had to be Lester’s twin sister, separated from him at birth.

But then Danny was silent again.

Becker looked at the man next to him and noticed he had fallen asleep. Again.

This time there was no chance of drowning or any other danger, so Becker got a blanket and carefully draped it over the sleeping man.

Then he retreated to the kitchen to wash up and, after taking a shower, he went to bed himself.

The next morning he was woken by piano music.

Dressed in his boxer shorts and T-shirt he walked into the sitting room.

Danny was playing Christmas songs on the piano.

“I didn’t know you could play,” Becker said and yawned, scratching his head.

“Well, we didn’t have much money, but my mother thought education was very important,” Danny said, whilst playing on. “Do you play?”

“Just a bit. I hated it.”

“Then why the piano?”

“I inherited it from my granny. She passed away earlier this year.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Mother wanted me to call her Grandmother instead of Granny, “Becker said, feeling a bit embarrassed that he showed the other man so much about his private life. He tried to change the subject.

“Wait, I think I remember a piano by four piece. Do you know The Dolly Suite by Gabriel Faure?”

Danny’s long fingers started playing the first notes.

Becker sat next to him on the piano stool and they both played a part of the piece, until they couldn’t remember it any more.

Their hands touched by accident. To Becker it felt as if electric currents were searing through his body .

They sat on the piano stool in an awkward silence.

Then Danny took one of Becker’s hands and looked at him.

“Thanks for taking me in.”

“Stop thanking me, Danny. Like I said, I would have been all alone this Christmas. You’re good company.”

“And like I said, you’re much cuter than I remember.”

They kept looking at each other.

Becker could have sworn there were actual sparks between them.

It was now or never, he thought. Danny did fancy him. Or he was fooling around with him big time.

There was only one way to find out.

He bent forward and kissed the other man. At first he was careful, touching the lips softly. But when Danny responded, their kiss turned into a very long and passionate tongue wrestle.

After a while they reluctantly parted, panting and grinning.

“Man, you look so hot in those boxer shorts with your messed-up hair,” Danny said, his voice sounding husky and very sexy.

“I thought you were teasing me when you said I looked cute.”

“I was, but I meant it too,” Danny grinned.

“What’s going to happen now? Where do we go from here?”

“I don’t want to think any further than today and any further than taking a shower. Together.”

“What? You haven’t taken a bath or shower for centuries and now you’re taking one every ten minutes?” Becker teased.

“I’ll use every excuse to see you naked,” Danny smirked and pulled the younger man into the bathroom.

Becker helped Danny undress. First he took off his T-shirt and then he pulled down the jogging trousers.

Danny’s cock was already interested and sprang out from the red curls.

Frantically, Becker took off his clothes too and they both stepped under the warm flow of the water coming from the shower.

Becker wanted to kneel down, but Danny stopped him.

“Kiss me, hold me,” he whispered.

They kissed and held each other, letting the warm water cascade over their bodies.

Their erect cocks were rubbing against each other.

Becker took them in his hands and started stroking them in unison, holding them against each other.

Pre-come and water mingled.

Danny rested his head on Becker’s shoulder and watched, mesmerised by Becker’s moves.

Becker kissed Danny on the back of his head, when Danny started moaning.

“Let it go. You can relax. Come for me,” he whispered and licked Danny’s ear.

Danny uttered a primeval scream and came hard.

Whilst Danny shuddered through his orgasm, Becker kept on pumping with his hands and within a minute he came too.

Danny kept his head on Becker’s shoulder, panting.

With some shower gel Becker carefully started to wash the other man.

The steam of the hot water from the shower enveloped them, making their world very small.

“I want this never to end,” Danny muttered, softly nibbling on Becker’s shoulder.

“It doesn’t have to, at least not today. Today is Christmas and you can have whatever you want.”

“Just hold me,” Danny said.

And they held each other, until the water turned cold and they retreated to Becker’s bed. They cuddled under the duvet, shutting out the rest of the world. For one day they didn’t think of lost relatives, the trials and tribulations of their work and the responsibilities they had.

They didn’t need a Christmas tree, presents or a huge meal. Becker and Danny had found each other and that felt like the most precious gift ever.