After some time spent with them, befriending them, Danse began to experience this strange feeling when he looked at Naomi and Art, whether they were together or separate, a fondness began to grow inside of him.
He often caught himself staring, then hastily looking away, feeling guilty, reminding himself "she/he's your friend" but why did he have to remind himself? what did this feeling mean, and why did both of his teammates bring it up in him in the first place?
He ignores it for a long time.
it gets worse after all three of them are exiled from the brotherhood, and start building a life together in sanctuary, aided by the minutemen. things are calmer, even though Danse is grappling with his entire life being pulled out from under him. things are simpler. he has a lot of time to think.
That same feeling from before nags at him when he watches the couple from afar, but amplified now, after all they've done for him, gone through for him, risked for him. he catches himself smiling at the couple's affections with each other, his heart squeezing in his chest. he's happy at the sight of them, but guilt also coils in his gut. "they're your friends" he reminds himself again "and they're married." he knows he's intruding, so he keeps it to himself, despite now knowing what this feeling was.
he keeps it to himself, even when his thoughts start to swirl, bounce around in his mind and threaten to drive him insane with the longing.
Naomi is smart, quick witted, calm in tough situations, and he admires her for that, but gentle when she needs to be. She's funny and charismatic, the more talkative of the two, her charm seemingly working full time on Danse. He feels drawn to her, wishing he could feel her in his arms, hear that soothing voice coo at him. He loves when she says his name, her accent softening out the vowels. It makes his heart beat a little faster.
Artemis is a loose canon, often butting heads with Danse, but he's fiercely loyal, willing to lay down his own life for the ones he cares the most about, and Danse is lucky to have experienced that for himself. Art is tough, but sensitive, and annoyingly sarcastic, but Danse finds himself endlessly enamored by it. Art smiles more, laughs more when he's with Naomi. Danse wishes Art would grace him with that smile, that infectious laugh, too.
They're both so beautiful, and so dear to him, he can't stand it. But he keeps it to himself. he already has so much on his plate, too many emotions he's attempting to work through, and besides... he's intruding. he can't help but continuously feel like he's intruding on this perfect couple, two people who have been through hell together. who is he to insert himself into their space? they're his friends, they saved his life, and he's grateful enough just for that. he wouldn't be here without them, but he greedily wishes for more with the two most important people in his life. he tries to ignore it again, for their sake.
He's good at pushing it down for a while. He has to be, but sometimes it slips.
One day he finds himself in bed with both of them, either of them cuddled up to his side (which is not a rare occurrence, just something the three of them had fallen into over time. Danse tries not to dwell on it, think too far into it, keeping things as they are) and simply talking and laughing and being friendly. All three of them.
Things quiet down and the three rest in comfortable silence. Both of them have an arm over Danse's midsection, each of his own arms holding both of them close to him. Its warm. Its intimate. Suddenly Naomi is the one cuddling in close, his name on her lips, her hand on his cheek. He turns slightly to gaze at her. She's beautiful, like always, and she's wearing a serene, affectionate smile. She kisses him before he can react.
Danse is startled. He gasps, pulling back immediately at this action, glancing nervously between Naomi and Artemis. Sweat forms at his temples.
"Oh, Danse--" Naomi starts, looking worried, guilty for startling him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"
"What are you doing?" Danse asks, confused, though he can't lie and say he didn't wish to kiss her back, to savor the feel of her lips against his own. But Artemis, her husband, was right there and--
"It's okay," Art finally chimes in, hand at Danse's shoulder, voice calm in his ear. Danse finally looks at him fully, his big brown eyes wide with apprehension. "It's okay. I-- Well, we want to. We want to."
"What do you mean?" Danse asks.
The couple smile between each other, attempting to signal who should speak first. Naomi does, hand caressing Danse's own. Art continues to soothe at Danse's muscled arm.
She apologizes again for startling him, telling him she couldn't help herself with him looking so sweet. Danse blinks at her, face feeling hot, but she continues.
Gently, she attempts to explain that both her and Artemis had grown feelings for him over time. The couple had discussed it amongst themselves some time ago, agreeing that they wanted to include him, open themselves up, welcome him in and explore this new part of their lives with him. He was important to them.
Art speaks up now, telling him that they just didn't know how to tell him, and that they doubted if he'd even be interested, what with everything that had happened to him so recently. They wanted to give him space, but they also couldn't hide their feelings. He tells him that they'd been testing the waters, being affectionate with him, and seeing that he was receptive to it. Art tells him he can say no, that he can take all the time he needs. He says they're still his friends, they'll always be his friends, no matter what.
Danse is silent. He doesn't know what to say, how to process any of this. He feels like he's dreaming. This couldn't be real. How could they, both of them, possibly feel this way, return his feelings? Both of them...
He finally speaks, but he feels far away, his voice not seeming like his own. His heart is beating so fast in his chest. His hands are sweating.
"I am...receptive to the idea," he starts, swallowing, he can't look at either of them, so he stares at the wall, "But...I will ask that you allow me time to think on this, to make a decision."
The couple echo each other's "of course!" and they both look at him so sincerely, Danse finally glancing between them again.
Naomi's green eyes sparkle like emeralds, while Art's dark blue eyes swirl with a murky gray, like a storm on the sea. They both look so tired, and so beautiful. His heart squeezes. He loves them, as his friends, and perhaps more, time willing.
Naomi asks if he'd like them to leave him for a while, let him think. He very quickly says no, and asks her something in return.
"May I kiss you again?" he's embarrassed and he knows his face is visibly red, now.
Naomi gives him an excited, quiet and surprised 'yes', leaning forward, cradling his jaw again, meeting his lips again, soft and eager and perfect. Danse can't help a small, helpless noise in his throat at the embrace. he cant remember the last time he kissed someone, and he doesn't remember it ever feeling this good, his clumsiness aside. she feels good and sweet and warm and safe. His senses are only filled with her for a brief, blissful moment.
The kiss doesn't last long. Naomi isn't shy, but she doesn't want to overwhelm Danse, despite her own desires. She pulls away after a few moments, still cupping his jaw, still gazing at him with a look that Danse didn't realize he needed to see. Her thumb traces softly against his stubbled cheek.
He forgets about Artemis being there until he feels the man's hand rub at his bicep, encouraging and comforting. Danse turns his head slightly, being met with an expression on Art that he cant quite read, but it doesn't seem negative. Eager, longing, if anything. There's a few strands of long, black hair in his face, and Danse has the overwhelming urge to tuck it behind his ear. He doesn't act on it quite yet.
"Can I--" Danse starts, head buzzing with emotions he can't place, "May I-- With you, as well, Artemis?"
He hears Naomi giggle at his side, not meanly, but with affection, a fondness for his perceived shyness. Art breaks out into a gentle smile at the request, his sharp canines prominent against his lips, and Danse finds him exceptionally attractive in this moment, being so close.
"Hell yeah, c'mere..."
Art is a little more eager in his want, quickly replacing Naomi's hand with his own on Danse's cheek, pulling him in gently and pressing his lips into Danse's own. He feels just as good, just as electric, just as safe, perhaps even more so, with how deep his affection becomes. Danse makes another noise, barely being able to keep up with the heat, the obvious passion that Art has been holding in all this time.
Naomi sighs, a quiet noise, a breath that Danse feels against his skin, then she laughs again before chiming in.
"Arty...go easy on him, babe."
Art pulls away then, slowly, as if he's savoring the feeling of Danse's lips. The two men look at each other, faces in close proximity. Danse's cheeks burn, but he looks absolutely lovestruck, his eyes soft and pleading, needy. Art smirks, but looks blissful.
The three of them stay in that bed for hours, glued together, content to just live in this moment for a while longer, before the responsibilities of their new life rain down on them again and distract them, bringing them back to reality.
Danse needs time to think. A lot of time to think. Part of him fears the conversation he knows is coming between the three of them, that long, sensitive talk that he knows won't be easy, that will reveal his vulnerability when he's already so fragile, after everything. But... for now, for the first time in a long time, Danse is happy.
the flipside of this is that you can also like a character so much that you inadvertently start developing new fetishes. but what is to love if not to be changed?
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