ship_manifesto

Title: Sex Without Touching
Author: Neko
Spoilers: Everything up to the end of season two.
Email: neko@nekosmuse.com
Personal Website: http://www.dannyandmartin.com

I confess; the first time I saw Without a Trace, I didn't like it very much.

I started watching on the advice of a friend, someone who thought I might enjoy the standard het pairing on the show. I never saw it. I was actually about to give up when Silent Partner (episode 1.06) finished downloading. I watched it. I fell in love. All it took was one little line.

"He took a little breaking in, but he's a good guy."

Said by Danny, along with a smirk that I soon discovered was his trademark. He was, of course, speaking of the then rookie, Martin.

That was it for me. The het pairing I'd been searching for was forgotten and I instantly became a Danny/Martin fan. It was love, pure and simple, written out in every touch, every glance. Accentuated by banter and teasing. Made solid by subtext so vivid, it could have been text.

So, of course, I squeed, my entire body trembling with an excitement I hadn't felt in months. The discovery of a new pairing, a new show, a new fandom, it was bliss. I immediately began searching for fic.

The euphoria of seeing Danny and Martin subtext soon vanished, replaced by disappointment at the lack of an organized fandom. Sure, there were a few stories, here and there. Some of them were good, some of them were amazing, but you had to hunt for them. Search high and low and there was still no sense of community. No sense of, well, fandom.

So, I did the only thing a slightly crazy fangirl can do. I bought a domain. Within twenty-four hours, I'd opened the first Danny and Martin slash archive. I began seeking people out, pimping them into a central location, and before long, Danny/Martin slash wasn't just some small fringe offshoot of the WaT fandom, it was a fandom all on its own.

Of course, that wasn't good enough, fic needed to be written. Not just one story --there was no testing the waters for me-- but several, and then several more. Story after story that I justified as a valid way to pass the time while I waited for the rest of season one to download.

Within seventy-two hours, I had my archive, I'd read everything there was to read, I'd seen the first season in its entirety, and I'd written several stories. I almost lost my job in the process, but it was worth it. They were worth it. It was obsession in its purest form and I'd never been happier.

I imagine you're wondering why I'm telling you all this. I'm sure, to most people, this seems unimportant, but for me, a girl who'd spent the better part of her fandom career lurking, this was something new. This was something real, terrifying and passionate and I knew, just knew, I had to be part of it. Danny and Martin turned me into a slasher, and I can't thank them enough.

This is where I should probably ramble a little about Without a Trace and what it's about. But let's face it; I don't watch the show to see five FBI agents hunting down missing persons. I watch the show to see Danny and Martin and all those little moments that pass between them.

I watch the show to see Martin perched on the edge of Danny's desk. I watch the show to see Danny lean into Martin's space and confess his addiction to alcohol. I watch the show to catalogue every touch. I watch the show to memorize every look, and to feel my heart swell every time they're in a room together.

Danny and Martin aren't just two pretty boys who would look good fucking each other. They have actual chemistry. They flirt. They touch. They banter. They eyefuck. I've never, not once in my ten years of fandom, found a pairing this believable, this real, this, there really are no words. They are perfection.

And okay, this probably hasn't helped you learn exactly who Danny and Martin are, and why they're so absolutely perfect together. So, this is where I get a little more technical and share some background.

The Show:

On the whole, Without a Trace is really just your standard crime drama. The formula is fairly predictable; someone goes missing, the team searches for them, throw in a red herring or two, and their missing person is found. The one thing that WaT is fairly good at is giving you traces of the character's backgrounds. They do it subtly, so that you're not overwhelmed, but enough that you care. It also gives us fic writers a lot to work with.

Which brings us to our characters:

Martin Fitzgerald began the series as the rookie. He'd just transferred to the team from White Collar Crimes in Seattle. We learn right off the bat that daddy dearest is the Deputy Director for the Bureau, which explains so many of Martin's issues. It also sets up quite a lot of interesting tension between Danny and Martin as they feel each other out. Danny, as you'll see, isn't a big fan of Martin getting a free ride off his name.

Martin's got a bit of a hero complex, okay, a complete hero complex. It leads him to do stupid things, like chase after suspects on his own, tackle people, and wrestle guns out of suspect's hands.

The boy obviously has issues. At first glance, he comes across as the straight laced member of the team. He's got kind of this dorky, clueless school boy thing going on. This of course changes as we get to know a little bit more about Martin. He's got this edge to him that seems to come out of nowhere, but you can easily imagine it has everything to do with wanting to get out from under his father's shadow.

At times, he can be quite unstable, in fact, I have a feeling there's a breakdown somewhere in Martin's future. That being said, he's dependable, reliable, smart as hell and really proves himself to be an asset to the team. Sure, he screws up, but he always faces the music, even when he doesn't like the punishment.

Let's face it, Danny Taylor is just hot. He bleeds sex. He smirks and flirts and has no concept of personal space. He's constantly touching Martin and smiling at Martin and leaning into Martin's space. Hell, Danny is the reason Danny/Martin works. It's pretty obvious, right from the beginning, that he'd gladly tear Martin's suit off and fuck him against a wall.

Don't believe me? Ask Enrique Murciano, the actor who plays Danny. Fortunately for us, Enrique is slash friendly, and has suggested on several occasions that he'd love to see something play out between Martin and his character. Yeah, we really love Enrique.

Danny's actually a lot more than just sex on legs and, although we tend to forget that sometimes, he's very good at reminding us. A recovering alcoholic whose parents died when he was a kid, he spent his youth growing up in foster care, fighting on the streets and getting into all sorts of trouble. He's still street savvy and the team uses that to their advantage.

Eventually he cleaned up his act and found himself at the Bureau. He's an amazing agent, with incredible instinct and insight into some of the seedier places they're forced to visit. He's also incredibly compassionate and is the only male character on the show to openly cry. Cases involving kids hit him the hardest and your heart just bleeds right along next to his. Danny also has this incredible ability to put everyone around him at ease. He's beyond charming.

And did I mention living, breathing sex? Cause yeah, guh.

The (sub)Text:

If you talk to most Danny/Martin slashers out there, and ask what episode converted them, they'll tell you Silent Partner. Before that there was a lot of posturing, a lot of territory marking, and a lot of ruffled feathers. Silent Partner marks this subtle shift in their relationship. They head out to a foreign city on a case, just the two of them and discover that, yes, they can work together. More than that, they work surprisingly well together. It helps that it's accompanied by a lot of touching, a lot of flirting and a lot of innuendo.

Over the course of season one, the boys get closer as each episode passes. They begin joking around in the office, spending a lot of time staring at one another and just in general forming a friendship. Sure, they have their fights, but their fights are half the fun and when they make up, proposals are involved. I am of course referring to the make up scene in Are You Now or Have You Ever Been:

The department's under OPR investigation and Martin's on his way to tell off the investigator.

"Good luck, man," Danny says, watching Martin walk by his desk.

"Thanks," Martin replies, not getting in another step before Danny interrupts him.

"Martin... when this is all over, and you and I are looking for our next gig, I just want you to know that, I... I think we make a hell of a team," Danny practically stutters.

"Doing what? Selling shoes?" Martin asks, smiling softly over at Danny.

"Shoes, boots, pumps, whatever," Danny replies, grinning back.

"Sounds good to me," Martin replies before turning around to leave.

Danny watches him go, a soft smile playing across his face.

The nice thing about the pairing is that you're pretty much guaranteed to get at least one scene an episode. It can be something really simple, like Danny bringing Martin fast food, or Martin offering to get Danny a coffee. And at times, it can be really complicated, like Martin stumbling for words when he sees Danny's red rimmed eyes or the soft looks that pass between them when a case ends well.

This behaviour continues into season two, including cute little scenes like Danny asking Martin if he's done time and making the internationally recognized sign for 'tie me up and fuck me hard'. They're not all playful, though. On the odd occasion they can be quite serious, hinting at problems and confessing all their darkest secrets. As far as we know, Martin's the only person Danny's told about his drinking problem.

I could go on, but we really would be here all day. It's so hard to pinpoint all the subtext/text, because there's just so damn much of it. Perhaps a better way to demonstrate would be to show them in action. And so I give you...

Photographic Evidence

This first picture should say it all, I mean, come on, co-workers don't sit that close, and they certainly don't stare at each other like that.

~

Look, they're reading porn together. Isn't that just the cutest thing ever?

~

More eyefucking, because really, if they don't eyefuck at least six times an episode, I have to check to make sure I'm watching the right show.

~

They take coffee breaks together.

~

They have the most amazing arguments, which always involve a lot of touching.

~

They walk on the beach together. Dude, if that's not gay and in love, I don't know what is.

~

Then, of course, there's the gazing.

Need more? Why not:

Now, if that doesn't convince you, maybe we should start talking about fanfiction.

The absolute best part of this pairing, aside from there being lots of canonical evidence to work with, is the fact that they're not just about sex. Don't get me wrong, the sex is amazing and hot and very orgasm worthy, but they have substance. There is this potential for an actual relationship, this knowledge that they can bring completion into each other's lives and it's, well, beautiful.

They're amazing to write, because taken alone, they're both compelling lead characters with tons of issues. But taken together, they're this force, it's just all encompassing and completely overwhelming and they literally make your knees weak.

There's sex and angst and humour and fluff and darkness, all rolled into these two fictional characters that are just such a delight to put onto paper. Words cannot express just how incredibly perfect they are for one another.

Or perhaps words can, so let's rec some fic.

The "Just" series and the "Keeping" trilogy by Perpetual Motion and Julian was one of the first series I read. Set early on in season one, it doesn't exactly follow canon, but it's still a delightful read. Funny and light, it's definitely a good starting place.

Just Danny
Keeping Counsel
Just Friends
Just Sex
Keeping Tabs
Just Martin
Keeping Honest
Just Them

Touch, by Alethia is one of those must read fics. It's the perfect introduction to Danny and Martin's relationship. It shows exactly the way it all started, and where it all led.

Just Smile and Nod, by Caroline Crane is one of those fics that makes a bad situation better. I'd actually recommend all her fics, but we'll stick to this one because, unfortunately for us, the powers that be seem bound and bent and forcing a little love triangle between Samantha, Jack, and Martin. We of course want nothing to do with this, which is why this fic is amazing. It gives us a Martin/Sam friendship and a Danny/Martin ship. Now that's my kind of show.

Smile, by Carleton is one of those stories that'll just make you smile. It's adorable and hot and completely encompasses exactly who Danny and Martin are and why they're so perfect together.

Cocaine, by Elina is another amazing story. It's about addiction, and Danny and Martin's relationship can completely be seen that way. That first taste that keeps them coming back for more and yeah, just yeah.

A Game of Moments, by Whitelight is such a wonderful story. It parallels canon and almost dances around this inevitable relationship as it unfolds. It's really worth reading, maybe even twice.

Cross Up , by Veronica is another one of those stories that just leaves you with a smile on your face. It takes place immediately after the episode Clare de Lune and Veronica has this incredible ability to tell a story from Martin's point of view but actually get inside Danny's head. It's definitely worth a read.

Until , by callmecayce is a beautiful story that touches on just how stubborn Danny and Martin can be. It follows them through casual sex and into something more, and she handles the transition with a flare unlike any other.

Under Every Star , by Dirty Diana. This is one of those fics I wish I'd written. It's wingfic, so it may not work for everyone, but the imagery is stunning and her prose left me breathless.

Foursquare , by Julianlee is another one of those fics that makes a bad situation better. I admit, I love the concept of Martin and Sam as friends. Julianlee pulls this off perfectly with this playful, fun story.

At First Glance , by Melanie. Set in an alternate universe, this story explores the development of a relationship between our boys without having to worry about the sometimes bothersome canon. It's adorable and really quite brilliant.

Hold Your Breath a Little Longer , by Goldatamera is another one of those stories I wish I'd written. Powerfully moving, this story will leave you numb for days. I openly wept while reading this story. I really don't have words for how amazing it was. It's one of those stories that makes fanfiction worth reading.

I fell in love with Benediction by Fifteenways the second I read it. It's set in an alternative universe and follows Danny and Martin through a chance meeting, a blooming friendship and finally a relationship. It's quite simply a wonderful read.

A River Bends, by, well, me. Now, normally I wouldn't rec my own fic, but let's face it, I probably have at least four stories to everyone else's one. What can I say, I'm obsessive. This isn't my favourite story, but it's certainly my most popular.

There is of course tons of other amazing fics out there, and I could really be here all day pointing you to them. Best starting place, Pretty FBI Boys. It's got fic, graphics, vids, clips of the show, screencaps, episode summaries, you name it, it's there.

Actually, while I'm at it, some non fic favourites:

By the very talented Djuna.

By the lovely Nadia.

Icons, by Ash

If you're looking for music vids, I've made several, all of which can be downloaded here, although, Weakened State is my own personal favourite.

I'm sure I could go on, but if you're not convinced yet, you're probably not a slasher and I'm not going to convert you. Or maybe I have, I know Danny and Martin converted me. They are, by far, the most plausible slash pairing I have ever seen. It's like finding water in the desert and, apparently, I was thirsty.

Neko, 2004