Daniel wasn't prone to worrying. It wasn't something he had much time for, and besides, it never did any good. In his line of work, he couldn't afford to worry too much, as his friends and coworkers went into dangerous situations every day. He just did what needed to be done, and tried not to think about things he had no control over.

Well. Usually.

Today he'd been a ball of nerves from the moment he woke up. It wouldn't have been so bad if he had been going into danger, but the fact that it was someone else somehow made it worse. He worked out hard and pushed himself into his work, pulling records on the men Ethan had mentioned and trying to get a feel for how they worked. They all had some minor infractions, but mostly a history of being arrested for charges that, when examined closer, couldn't stick thanks to some slippery lawyers. He kept the scanner on, especially after 5, listening to hear if any break-ins that fit his profile happened.

He told Garrett about the whole plan, agreed when Garrett said he didn't like it.

"This isn't even close to by the book," Garrett said, hunched over his sandwich at the cafe they'd gone out to in order to discuss this away from their colleagues. "You know I'm not normally a hardcore rules guy, but this just isn't like you, Daniel." Daniel grimaced around his bite of salad.

"Yeah, I know. I just… I have a feeling about this." Garrett didn't looked convinced.

"Does that feeling have anything to do with how good your ex's ass looks in those jeans he was arrested in?" Daniel glanced up in shock, and Garrett threw his hands up. "Hey, I'm a professional, but I'm not dead," he said, shrugging. "Also, he's your ex, I'm sure there's some bro code that prevents me from going there."

"Probably," Daniel agreed, his mouth quirking up in a wry smile. "I realize I might be… a little biased," he admitted. "But I really think this is going to pay off." Garrett looked at him hard, but nodded.

"Alright," he agreed. "I trust you, so I'll go along with it."

"Thank you," Daniel said, and meant it.

He waited (and waited, and waited) for a call from Ethan.

To be honest, he'd expected Ethan to let him know what Steve had said, so he'd have an idea of where he was going to be, and when that hadn't happened by the time the sun started to set, he started to get a little twitchy. He told himself it was just because he didn't want to lose this lead, but deep down he knew it was something else. Just their history together, surely. He didn't even really know Ethan, anyway, not any more, so why should he be this wound up about something happening to him?

By the time he'd sent the second text message to no reply, he was really worried. He had no idea where Ethan might have met Steve, no way to contact him if he wouldn't answer his phone. With a huff of impatience, he shrugged on his coat and headed out.

Picking locks wasn't a skill Daniel had much opportunity or reason to practice, but Ethan's door was hardly state of the art security, so it was easy enough to nudge the tumblers into place, the metal giving a satisfying click against his small tools. The door swung open, revealing an empty apartment -- not surprising, since no one had answered his knocks.

Daniel spent a few minutes pacing around the apartment -- and yeah, okay, maybe he checked out the medicine cabinet, he was only human -- before settling on the couch, checking his phone once more for a response. Nothing.

He'd only been sitting a few minutes when he heard the door knob rattle, and stood as the door swung open. He put his hand on his weapon out of sheer habit, but relaxed when he saw it was only Ethan -- who looked absolutely baffled at Daniel being in his apartment.

His face went from confusion, to understanding, to frustrated, and he held up a finger to his lips as he moved to the bathroom. Daniel heard the water turn on and the door click shut as Ethan strode back into the main room.

"What the hell was that?" Daniel asked, confused.

"That was me putting my phone in another room and creating white noise, since they likely bugged it. What the hell are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your texts," Daniel replied gruffly, flopping back onto the couch. "And you never let me know where you were going." Ethan snorted in amusement as he shut the door behind him.

"You're as bad as a clingy girlfriend," he said, peeling his beaten-up leather jacket off and draping it over a nearby chair. Daniel caught himself admiring the motion, and looked away before he could be caught at it.

"Right," Daniel replied. "I mean, you're only infiltrating a criminal organization. What is there to worry about?"

"Wow, the police academy does let you keep something like a sense of humor," Ethan said. Daniel couldn't see his face, as he was currently leaning into the refrigerator, but he could hear the smile in his voice.

"I'd wager they let us keep more than organized crime does," Daniel countered. When Ethan appeared at the end of the couch with two beers, his face was sober, and Daniel almost regretted the barb.

"You might not be wrong." Ethan sank onto the couch beside him and handed him a beer. Daniel almost turned it down, but, well, he was off-duty right now anyway. He accepted it and took a swig; it was cheap but cold, and the company made it more enjoyable.

"So what happened?" Daniel questioned. "Were you able to get a meeting?" Ethan nodded.

"I got more than I bargained for, actually, for my first night back. I figured I'd have to talk to Steve and set up an appointment with the new boss, but I was basically taken straight to the head honcho." Over the next fifteen minutes, Ethan detailed what had happened during the night, stopping partway through to grab them another beer. When he finished, Daniel let out a low whistle.

"Wow. Sounds like they want you back bad." Ethan nodded.

"Seems like, yeah. Don't know why." Daniel cocked an eyebrow at him.

"You're good at what you do. Always have been," he pointed out. "You could have done amazing things…" He paused, then shook his head. "You can help us end this now, though. Can you actually do the thing he asked with the tracker?" Ethan nodded.

"Yeah, I think so. Most of the ones sold online are made to be pretty weak on purpose, but designs definitely exist that improve them. I can use their base design and just improve upon it," he said with a shrug, like it was no big deal. Daniel forced himself to look away. What could Ethan have done with his life if he hadn't gone down the wrong path? It was almost heartbreaking to think about.

"Well, that's good. You didn't see anything expressly illegal tonight, so you need to keep going for a bit." He hesitated. "We need as much solid evidence as possible," he finally said. "Records, hard copies or digital, physical evidence of any kind that you can get your hands on, but…. But safely," he said, stressing the word. "Don't put yourself in danger for this." Ethan let out a full-bodied laugh, the kind Daniel hadn't heard since college. It resonated somewhere deep in his chest, and he felt something in him crave to hear that sound more often.

"Just stepping foot in there is dangerous," he said, chuckling. "I've never killed anyone, never hurt anyone, but I'm definitely in the minority there. These guys wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in my head and drop me in the harbor."

Daniel wasn't sure when his hand had moved to Ethan's leg, but if he had to guess, it was about the time he mentioned being shot in the head. He realized his grip was a little tight, and forced his fingers to relax a little.

"Don't," Daniel said harshly. "I know it's dangerous, but don't joke about that. It's not funny." Ethan stared at him, eyes wide.

"Sorry," he said after a long moment. "It's how I deal." His lips quirked up on one side before he added, "It's been a while since anyone cared if I lived or died."

Daniel wasn't sure if it was the way that statement made something in his chest tighten, or the vulnerability in Ethan's gaze, or maybe even the beer he didn't usually drink, but he didn't seem to have any control over himself as he leaned in, ducking his head slightly to press his lips to Ethan's.

There were no fireworks, no chorus of angels, but there was warmth, starting where their lips met and spreading rapidly down through his chest, where his heart fluttered at the contact. Ethan responded almost immediately, his hands landing on Daniel's waist as his soft lips opened invitingly under his own.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the logical part of Daniel's brain was screaming at him, telling him this was a bad idea, this would backfire, there was no reason to pursue this. But, oh, Ethan moved against him, just slightly, and he was lost in the moment, lost in how familiar the other man tasted, despite the ten long years between them.

Daniel reached out, threading his fingers through Ethan's hair. There was more of it now, but that didn't change how much Ethan loved the sensation of it being tugged and played with, if the pleased hum against his lips was anything to go by. Ethan's tongue was darting, twisting, tangling with his own, at once teasing and threatening to take control.

He wasn't sure how much time they spent pressed against each other, but when Daniel finally pulled away, both men were panting, and Ethan's lips were reddened and spit-slick, slightly swollen in a way that made Daniel have to fight against leaning in to capture them again.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Ethan's hands didn't leave their light perch on Daniel's waist until Daniel stood abruptly.

"That was a mistake," he said shortly. "It was unprofessional of me. I apologize." His tone was clipped and cold, even to his own ears, and he had to fight the urge to take the words back, because none of what had happened felt wrong.

"That was inevitable," Ethan replied a moment later. Daniel looked back at him to see him running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to fix it, the movement looking all too sexual. Daniel sucked in a deep breath, steadying himself, and headed for the door.

"It was a mistake," he repeated. "Call me tomorrow," he said. "Daily check-ins are not negotiable. If I haven't heard from you by 9 p.m., I'll be doing a welfare check."

"Is that a euphemism?" Ethan called after him, but Daniel ignored it as he closed the door behind him and very pointedly did not run down the stairs.