Watchmen Fanfic TW!! [NC17]

[lieutenant]

This is me, kids, so it's gonna get dark. If you are scared of NC17, you'd best go read stories about bubbles.




On a side note: If you are stupid enough to suggest I am ripping off or even influenced by the 50 Shades books, please get a clue.
I was into BDSM before people were twisting it into hideous parodies of itself.

Chapter One Title: Order of Operations
Hi, this is Lieutenant. This is my first Watchmen fanfic. It's Ror/Dan slash set in a Xanthe-esque BDSMverse. If you're not familiar with it, it's a verse where BDSM is standard practice. Everyone is separated into their station at an early age. This is determined by personality. An Alpha is a completely Dominant person. A Beta is a mostly Dominant person. An Omega is a Submissive person. Some people are Switches, which means they go back and forth. It's rarer in the BDSMverse than it is in our universe. In this verse, homosexuality is neither here nor there.
 
Another thing. I am picking and choosing which details I want from the Movie and which I want from the GN. Ror has blue eyes and was born in 1950 in this fic. Deal with it.
 
 
 
The rain poured off the end of the abandoned subway tunnel. The weather had gotten warmer and now the flurry of snow had turned to a chilly drizzle. In the mouth of the tunnel stood a tall man. He didn't lounge against the cold brick walls, but shifted from foot to foot. His broad shoulders were hunched against the cold and anxiety that washed over him. Nite Owl adjusted his cape and watched the rain. The snow that had built up that morning was slush now; it would all be ice before morning, once the cold of night took back over from the warm afternoon.
 
A shadow detached itself from the darkness a few feet to his left. "Standing out in the open. Not safe." He tried not to jump when Rorschach made himself known, but his partner had probably seen it.
 
"Let's patrol," Nite Owl said. He looked at the state of his partner's trousers. They were wet almost to the knee. Trudging through this slush was easier for Nite Owl, with his longer stride and higher boots. "You're soaking wet."
 
"Am fine." Rorschach had a deep, gravelly voice. Sometimes Nite Owl wondered what it sounded like when he was just his normal self. Most of the Watchmen seemed to have a different tone to their voice when they were in their masks. Nite Owl himself had a slower, more authoritative voice when he was in uniform while Dan Dreiberg, his alter-ego, was much more soft-spoken. But then, Dan was a Sub in his daytime life. Nite Owl was an Alpha. Well, a Beta for sure. That was something he had never had to wonder about when it came to his partner: Rorschach was definitely an Alpha. No doubt about it. It was clear from the way he beat punishment into the criminals they fought every night. His alter-ego was surely just as aggressive and dominant.
 
Patrol went smoothly for the first couple hours. They put down a gang of Cx3's that had been getting too aggressive lately. Nite Owl watched his partner take down a man at least a foot taller than him and then hold him down with one boot pressed against his spine and the man's left arm wrenched up while the little vigilante snarled something into his ear. From across the alley he couldn't hear what Rorschach was saying, but the gang leader's frightened, "No, please, no, I'm sorry!" drifted over to where he was daisy-chaining fallen gang members to a fire-hydrant with zip ties. There was a wet crack when Rorschach smashed the guy's face into the curb. Nite Owl helped him drag the guy over into the heap of gangsters by the light pole.
 
He saw it first when one of the gangsters' eyes flicked open. He brought his boot up hard into Rorschach's lower back. Nite Owl stared in horror at the bloody blade sticking out of the guy's boot. Before his partner could whirl and punish the guy, Nite Owl's foot had slammed into his jaw, snapping his head back.
 
"Geeze!" he hissed. The blade was at least two inches long and he'd landed a good, solid hit. "That guy was just playing possum."
 
Rorschach groaned. His fists were balled in the pockets of his trench. There was a slick of wetness dripping down his back where the coat was sliced open. "You're bleeding pretty bad. Let's get back to HQ and pack that."
 
Back at the Nest, Nite Owl noticed a definite deliberateness in the other man's steps. When Dan pulled his cowl back and his goggles off, Rorschach looked away, just like every time. He stalked around the chair where Dan had seated himself with the first aid kit. "I can't help if you don't sit down." Rorschach shook his head, making another circuit around the kitchen table.
 
'Why doesn't he ever make it easy to help him?'  Dan wondered. He was getting sick of this behavior. 'Go away, Don't leave me.' Granted, Rorschach had never actually asked for help, but why walk all this way and then make it difficult for Dan to do anything? He wouldn't sit down, and once Dan had talked him into that, he wasn't going to want to take his coat off, so Dan could actually LOOK at the wound. Dan ground his teeth.
 
"Rorschach! Sit DOWN!"
 
Rorschach's mask shifted in that way that Dan had come to associate with surprise. He pulled a chair out and threw himself into it.
 
"Take the coat off." Rorschach untied the belt of his coat and shrugged out of one shoulder at a time. Underneath he was wearing that pinstripe three-piece. "That one, too, and the waistcoat." Dan pointed at the suit coat with the suture pliers. Rorschach looked down and pulled off his coat, folding it over the next kitchen chair and then added his waistcoat. His hand smoothed it down, touching the bloody hole in the rear left panel. Faced with further layers, Dan considered ordering him to remove those as well, but instead he just waved at them with the pliers. Rorschach raised his head and looked up at him, eyes burning through the mask. Dan spoke in his measured, Nite Owl voice. "Pull your shirts up so I can have a good look."
 
There was a hint of hesitation, this time, but he untucked the button down shirt and his undershirt and pulled them up high enough to give Dan access to the wound. As Dan inspected the wound, he noticed the strange quality of the blood. He leaned down for a better look. Rorschach went stiff, then leaned away. "Hold still," Dan growled. He smelled the wound. It was hard to tell past the normal scent coming off Rorschach’s skin, but he thought something was unusual.
 
Some of the other Watchmen, Silk Spectre II in particular, had made comments about the vigilante's odor, but none of them were there every night to see the progression of Rorschach smelling like chicken grease because he'd been knocked against a poorly secured barrel of fryer grease outside a KFC, and then the next week, as that smell faded, they had a case that had them army-crawling through a fish market on the docks, and then, there were the cases that led them through the sewers. It wasn't as though Rorschach could get his uniform dry-cleaned, it was too distinctive. So Dan, of all the others, understood and accepted the odor as a part of the pros and cons of working with the shorter, fiercer, mask. Many more pros than cons.
 
"Relax, I'm just trying to see if your kidney has been punctured." If possible, Rorschach stiffened even more at this. Dan touched the blood leaking from the wound. There was nothing odd seeming about it. Normal consistency. He smelled it again. "No, I think it's ok. I'm gonna stitch this up..." He stopped himself. He had been about to ask if that was ok, but so far, giving orders had been more effective than asking permission ever had.
 
Then he realized what he'd done. He'd given Rorschach orders. And the other man had responded. Had...obeyed. Dan ran that through his mind as he began to suture the wound. As he proceeded, it was increasingly difficult to keep a stupid-happy grin from crossing his face. He finished and taped on as small a gauze pad as he thought he could get away with. He brushed his fingers across the edges of the tape, making sure it was secure on all sides.
 
"Too much touching, Daniel." Rorschach growled. He turned and saw the bemused look on Dan's face. "What?"
 
Dan's eyes traveled up his partner's body to his ever-shifting mask as the other man pulled his shirts back down and tucked them into his trousers. "Rorschach." A silly, half restrained grin crossed his face. He had decided to present this information in a logical sequence, which his partner, as a detective, would have to accept. Evidence. "I told you what to do."
 
He pulled on his waistcoat, suit jacket and trench. "Are an Alpha, Nite Owl. Give orders to criminals and innocents all the time." He tightened his coat belt and pushed his hands into his pockets.
 
Dan stood and moved towards the door to the basement. "You did what I told you."
 
"Was bleeding, allowed treatment, couldn't reach wound." He stared at Dan levelly through the fascinating mask.
 
"Rorschach...why didn't you ever tell me you're a Sub?"
 
His partner's head dropped and he took half a step towards the basement, realized Dan had it pretty well covered and turned towards the door to the front hall. Before he could zip through it, Dan lunged forward and grabbed his arm. Rorschach exploded.
 
"LET GO!" The heel of his right hand slammed into Dan's chest and he twisted his arm, trying to wrench it free. His knee came up and slammed into Dan's thigh, in the weak point just between the protective cup and the Kevlar on the front of his thigh. Rorschach was at least a head shorter than Dan, and his dominant arm was being held in a vice-grip, but he struck out as fast as lightning with his right hand, targeting the joints in Dan's armor, but not in ways that would cause permanent damage. It was clear he was holding back. Dan's hand came up and stopped Rorschach's other hand from the rapid strikes against his unprotected face.
 
"Answer me!" He pressed his partner back against the wall. "And stop that, right now."
 
Rorschach jerked to a halt, head down, Dan could feel his pulse fluttering in his wrist, breath coming in slow, controlled drags. He waited for the answer to his question.
 
"Never tested. Always assumed was an Alpha." The infuriating way he phrased it left the interpretation open as to whether it had been Rorschach who assumed he was an Alpha, or the people around him.
 
Dan looked down at him and his mind whirled. "Everyone gets tested."
 
"Not Rorschach."
 
It clicked, then. In the same way that Nite Owl had never gotten officially tested, because he was an Alter-ego Dan had acquired after he'd entered adulthood, Rorschach had never been taken to a testing center and evaluated as to his personality and station in life. Whoever was under the mask had, but that didn't have a bearing, as Dan well knew.
 
Rorschach groaned. His voice was tight with strain. "Trusted you, Daniel. Betrayed me."
 
A stab of unbearable agony shot through Dan's belly. "There is nothing wrong with being a Sub, Rorschach. I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm certainly not going to hurt you..."
 
"Weak, should be strong."
 
Did he really believe that? That being a Submissive was weakness? Well, of course Rorschach would think that following orders was...but, then, it wasn't...Anyone who had experience with a good Dom would never...But that was the crux of the issue, wasn't it? "You've never been allowed to be a Sub, have you?" Daniel asked.
 
Rorschach made an agonized noise and tried to pull away again. "Will never be degraded that way."
 
Dan literally gaped. He mouthed the word degraded. "A Dom doesn't degrade his Sub. He makes his Sub stronger. He offers training and discipline and..." He had almost said 'love,' but that would be the quickest way to lose his audience. "And partnership. You have never degraded me..."
 
He jerked like Dan had slapped him. "Am NOT your Alpha, Daniel. Would never." He made another desperate noise.
 
"Would never, what? Trust me to obey you? We've worked together for years, and you've always been the lead."
 
"Not the same. Never gave orders. Suggestions. Never put you in..." His voice cracked. "Subspace." He spat the word and Dan's face twisted.
 
"Have you ever even been in Subspace? How can you damn something you've never experienced?" His face softened. Rorschach had a hard time trusting people. As far as Dan knew, he didn't even have a family at home. He didn't even trust the other Watchmen. He didn't even trust Dan with his identity, even though Dan had shared his years ago. No one knew he was a Sub. A Sub who had never experienced the joy of Subspace. A thrill of horror ran through Dan's body. To be denied that unparalleled level of trust and safety.... "Don't you ever want to feel it?"
 
"Have been in Subspace, Daniel. Betrayed."
 
Dan realized that Rorschach had used the same word a few moments before, when he'd exposed him as a Sub. Realized that he was even now crossing the line into his partner's carefully cultivated personal space. "I'm going to let you go, but Don't Move." He dropped his wrist and forearm, ready to snatch them again if Rorschach moved. He didn't, just kept his face to the ground.
 
"Would you trust me? To show you what a Dom is supposed to be like?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized he intended to say them, but after a moment's thought, he realized that was what he had wanted to ask since he realized what his friend's station was.
 
The floor dropped out from under him when he realized Rorschach hadn't snarled a denial, or thrown a punch at him, or bolted. The blots on his mask were flying, the same way they did when he was working on a particularly tricky connection between two clues.
 
"Not gay, Daniel."
 
"You know better than that. It's not about sex." He waited a moment, then realized Rorschach needed convincing, one way or another. "I would never hurt you. You can be what you are without having to worry about that. You've said before that you trust me. I understand if you aren't willing to give me this level of trust."
 
He still wasn't saying anything. Dan realized he was holding his breath. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to breathe. Not until Rorschach nodded. Just the tiniest inclination of his head.

[lieutenant]

Chapter Two Title: Acceptance
 
 
 
"Ok. Great. Tell you what; you've lost a lot of blood. Let's get some food in you before we do this. Give me some time to come up with a game plan, and time for you to change your mind." He was about to turn away, when he thought of something. "Rorschach, if you do decide to change your mind, that's ok. You have to take care of yourself first, ok? I always want to respect your boundaries. I know you're strong enough to stand up for them." Respecting his boundaries sounded a little hollow, in view of the fact that he had crossed the first line Rorschach had ever drawn in their relationship, that of not touching him. That gave Dan an idea of the first thing he wanted to do.
 
He turned away and started to fix macaroni and cheese from a box. Behind him, Rorschach settled uncertainly into his usual chair and pulled out his journal. He was scribbling away furiously by the time Dan mixed milk and cheese sauce with the noodles and turned around. It amused him. His partner often used the journal to sort through his impressions and hunches about a case. Dan wouldn't have expected him to make a decision this momentous without working logistics out on paper.
 
He handed him a bowl of steaming macaroni and cheese and sat down with a smaller one of his own. Recently, the other man had gotten freer about rolling up his mask to eat in front of Dan. At first it had been drawn up just long enough to pop in a sugar cube, his hand obscuring any view of the lower half of his face, but lately he had been more lax, leaving it up long enough to finish an entire can of beans. Now he sat staring at the bowl for a long time before slowly pulling his mask up to the bridge of his nose. It occurred to Dan that he was being shy. To establish a sense of normalcy, he discussed his impressions of the status of weapons deals in the area. Rorschach hunched his shoulders over his food and shoveled it into his mouth. That, at least, was normal.
 
When they were both finished, Dan put the bowls in the sink and ran water into them, not bothering to wash them. He was too keyed up by the prospect of what was about to happen. It was a very good sign that the other man hadn't abandoned the food and disappeared out the door. His mask was rolled back down into position, though.
 
They stood facing each other. "May as well get the preliminaries out of the way. Do you have a safe-word you prefer?" Rorschach's head dropped and he shook his head. "We'll just use the standards, then, Yellow for slow down, Red for stop." Dan stepped forward. He raised his hand slowly. Rorschach’s attention snapped to it.
 
"I'm not going to touch you. Hold still." He moved closer until his partner flinched away. "It's ok. I'm not going to touch you." He brought his hand up to within two inches of Rorschach’s mask. He moved it down along his shoulders, never getting any closer. He paid particular attention to which areas caused the most tension in the vigilante's body.
 
"You're doing a good job. Thank you for trusting me," he said, as he moved his hand past the side of his hip and saw the other bridle. He moved around behind him, holding his hand behind the back of his neck before moving back around in front of him. "Hold out your hands."
 
Rorschach tilted his head, but did as he was told. His hands were covered to the wrists in purple gloves and his arms covered by two coats and a shirt. None of his skin was showing.
 
"Did I touch you?"
 
"Hurm, no."
 
"Did I hurt you?"
 
"No."
 
"Do you trust me?"
 
The answer to this question took a little longer. "Yes."
 
"I'm going to touch your hand. I'm not going to hurt you."
 
Rorschach's stance shifted a little bit.
 
Dan touched the tip of his index finger to Rorschach's. He drew it slowly up the palm. "You can take this," he told him. "I'm not going to hurt you."
 
"Would rather be hurt."
 
The observation shocked Daniel a little. He looked up from what he was doing, but Rorschach was still looking at the floor. "I know. But this is not a fight. I'm not trying to provoke you." He took Rorschach's hand, wrapping his hand around it, feeling the muscles rippling under the surface of the skin and glove. "Just like shaking hands."
 
Rorschach nodded minutely.
 
Dan gave the hand a squeeze and let go, moving on to the other hand and repeating the process. "I know you don't like being touched, but if you're going to trust me, you're going to have to be able to tolerate basic human contact."
 
"Trust you, Daniel. Know you won't hurt me."
 
Something in his voice made Dan ask, "Are you afraid?"
 
He shifted again. "Yes."
 
Dan considered that. He reached his hand up to Rorschach's neck. "I'm going to touch your throat. You're not going to move or resist, because this is what I want. Because you want to give me what I want, don't you?"
 
The black spots on Rorschach's mask crowded over his cheeks and he nodded.
 
Dan stretched his hand across his partner's throat. He could feel tension and muscles and a jumping Adam's apple and his partner's hammering pulse. Then, Rorschach tilted his head back, baring himself. A breath shuddered out of him and Dan felt the pulse under his fingertips, still beating firmly, but much more slowly. 'Did he just drop into Subspace? Should I ask?'
 
"Yes..." Rorschach breathed.
 
"I want you to be strong for me. You're going to take it for me, aren't you?" Dan was certain, now. His partner was floating in that blissful peace that came with giving your trust to someone else completely. The willingness to take what comes.
 
"Yess..."
 
Dan squeezed lightly. Not enough to restrict airflow, just enough to let the other know that he was in control. He exerted downward pressure and Rorschach slowly dropped to his knees.
 
"Mmmf..."
 
"Tell me how it feels to be at my mercy. Tell me how it feels to give your control to me."
 
Rorschach's inkblots had smoothed out into a slow, lazy swirl. "Feels good. Trust you, Daniel. Love you."
 
They both realized what he'd said at the same instant.
 
The moment telescoped. It seemed like it took all day for Rorschach to roll off his knees and slam backwards into the fridge. He stumbled and Dan, who'd jerked his hand back as if he'd been burned, lunged for him before he could recover and escape. He grabbed the smaller man's shoulders. "STOP!"
 
Rorschach sent up a howl like a wounded animal.
 
Dan pinned him against the fridge. "STOP!" he yelled again. "It's ok. It's ok. You didn't do anything wrong. It's ok. Subspace takes some people like that. Listen to me!"
 
His partner was keening.
 
Dan jerked him forward and slammed him back against the fridge, just hard enough to knock down half the magnets and force his partner to take a deep breath. "RORSCHACH!" The other man's fingers were scrabbling against his arms, his head whipping back and forth. It took another slam against the fridge and several more deep breaths before he settled.
 
"Shouldn't have said that, is bad, is vile. Must hate me now."
 
"I will never hold your feelings against you. Never hate you for telling me the truth."
 
"Hit me, hate me, purge me."
 
"No," Dan breathed. "No," he repeated more firmly. He wanted to draw Rorschach closer and run his fingers through his hair and comfort him. That wouldn't work with this man. What would?
 
"No," he said again to buy time while he thought. The only thing he could think of that made Rorschach comfortable was fighting crime. He certainly wasn't going to attack him after reassuring him he wouldn't hurt him. Instead he put his hand back up to his throat.
 
"Hold still. There is nothing bad about what has happened here. You feel the way you feel. We will work with that. I do not hate you. I...you are my best friend. I care about you, so much. I want to protect you. I want to be your partner. I want to fight by your side."
 
And he realized something that had been trying to express itself to his mind for months.
 
"I love you, too. It's ok. But you are not going to be allowed to continue behaving like this. You are going to have to be stronger than this. That includes accepting and dealing with these feelings. I know you are strong enough to take anything. Aren't you?" He emphasized this with a little squeeze.
 
Rorschach's shoulders rolled back and he straightened.
 
"Am strong," he growled.
 
"I trust you to take this. Can I trust you?"
 
"Can trust me."
 
"Are you afraid?"
 
"Yes."
 
"That's ok. I'm going to protect you. And you are going to protect me. We're a team. You are going to obey me."
 
This time the growl was just a hoarse whisper. "Yes."
 
Daniel stroked his thumb up and down Rorschach’s throat. "So strong, so powerful, give me your control," he whispered.
 
From behind the mask, the whisper came again.
 
"Yes."

[lieutenant]

Chapter Three Title: Admission
 
 
 
It was several weeks before Rorschach appeared at the Nest again. He appeared at Daniel's side as he worked on the new grappling gun that he'd designed. Daniel managed not to jump out of his skin when he realized the other man was standing there. He finished screwing the CO2 cartridge casing in place, then turned and looked up at the smaller man looming over him.
 
"I'm ready for patrol." He stood up and pulled his cowl over his head, situating his goggles in place. In the enhanced clarity of his goggles, he saw that his partner was agitated.
 
"What's up, buddy?" Best to play things cool.
 
"When being sutured."
 
"What?"
 
"Asked when in Subspace before. Every time."
 
At this point in their partnership, Dan was pretty quick at deciphering cryptic comments, but this one was fairly obvious. "Every time I've sutured you...ever?"
 
He looked at the ground and nodded.
 
"Well that explains why you always refused painkillers."
 
"Pharmaceutical companies interested in profit, not consumer satisfaction or safety," Rorschach told him scornfully.
 
At least he was back to normal. Even if the topic of discussion was...unprecedented.
 
"Have decided will allow Submission again. Not on patrol. Here."
 
Dan's stomach jumped into his throat. He was going to allow it again. And he expected Dan to be able to patrol with that thought hanging over him all night? He gathered his control and nodded. "I will respect your request."
 
Fortune was on Dan's side, and the weather was bad, which meant most of the crime was going on indoors. Rorschach grumbled, but so much less than normal that Dan suspected he was just as apprehensive about what was going to happen when they got back to the Nest.
 
Dan fed them both again, and he was concerned it was a stalling tactic. He made passive conversation, to which Rorschach responded even less than he had on patrol.
 
"There's something I have to tell you. I am not going to put up with you going so far outside your comfort zone that you panic."
 
"Did not panic," Rorschach blurted.
 
"It's not good for you," Dan continued without pause. "It's not good for either of us. If you start getting overwhelmed, you need to use one of the safe-words. I know you want to jump in headfirst and to hell with the consequences, but I am not going to allow you to do that. We're going to get to that level, don't worry. But we need to start slower. This is unfamiliar ground for both of us. I am telling you to use the safe-words. I can't protect you from problems I don't know about. Alright, buddy?"
 
The other thought about it quietly for a moment, then nodded decisively.
 
Dan started out with the Not-Touching again, until his partner stopped flinching away from his hands. Then he gripped his hands, his forearms and biceps, slowly slipped his hand around the other's throat. "Is this too much?"
 
"Am fine."
 
This time, it took a little longer for Rorschach to get into subspace. When Dan felt the tension drain out of him, he said something he had been thinking over the entire patrol.
 
"Tell me what you want."
 
"Want to please Master." Every muscle in Dan's body tingled when he heard those words come out of Rorschach's mouth.
 
"I know it must have taken a lot for you to give me that, but I don't want it, not yet. I'm not your Master, and I asked what you want. Don't give me some bullshit answer."
 
Rorschach groaned. He was on his knees by now, and he shuffled them together and his fingertips dug into his thighs. "Can't tell, will hate me. Please, no."
 
"I won't hate you. I might not give you what you want, but I won't hate you."
 
His partner turned his face away and the whisper was so quiet, Dan was about to command him to repeat it, when it registered. No, he wouldn't be making him repeat that. It must have been agony to drag the words out the first time. He kept his grip on Rorschach's throat even. He settled down on his knees to be even with the man who was tearing his own heart out to share it with Dan. He touched his finger to Rorschach's cheek, turning his face forward again. He released his hold on the other man's throat and slid his fingers to the lower edge.
 
His partner's hands were grabbing his thumbs then, pressing them the wrong way. "Rorschach. Let go. If you are having a problem, use the safe-words." The hands released slowly.
 
"Yellow." His hands settled back on his thighs.
 
"Alright. I'm going to slow down. I'm going to touch you again. I am not going to take your mask off." He touched the lower edge of the mask again, and Rorschach made a visible effort to restrain himself. He trailed a finger up his neck, over his chin, and touched his mouth through the mask. A trace of black trailed after his finger, but the rest of the blots were fibrillating across his face. Dan leaned forward until he was barely an inch away from the other man's face.
 
"A kiss." He moved his finger from Rorschach's lips and kissed them.
 
It was strange to feel the fabric between his lips and the other man's, and for a moment Rorschach tensed and Dan felt a flutter of fear. But his partner relaxed and leaned minutely into the kiss.
 
Then his hands were off his thighs again. Dan tensed, thinking he'd pushed too far. But Rorschach rolled his mask up to the bridge of his nose and dove forwards, stopping a mere inch from Dan's face. "Please. Daniel, please," he murmured.
 
Dan took a deep breath and pressed his hand against Rorschach’s chest. "Calm down." He could see the lower half of Rorschach's face draw tight. "You've been doing really well. You deserve a reward. But it's going to be on my terms."
 
"Hurm, yes."
 
"Are you still in Subspace?"
 
"Yes, M...Daniel."
 
"We're going to try something new. Stay there." He stood and went to a kitchen drawer. From within, he withdrew a bandana and a zip-tie. "Put your hands behind your back."
 
Rorschach's mouth moved. He didn't quite frown, but he wasn't madly grinning, either. He looked apprehensive. It was interesting, watching his face, learning to interpret it without the benefit of the mask. He crossed his wrists behind his back and dropped his chin to his chest, taking a deep breath.
 
Dan knelt behind him, tying the bandana around his wrists tightly and then securing it with the zip-tie. "Criminals tend to come away with their wrists cut raw from these zip-ties, and I don't want that happening to you. Are you ok?" He realized this was a ridiculous question and asked the more important one. "Can you get loose?"
 
He shifted his arms around a little. Dan liked to think he had enough experience with restraining people that this would be more than a farce. "Could get out of the bandana, easily, can't break the zip-tie. Am ok. Good to know the scum aren't just humoring us."
 
"I suppose it is." Dan moved back in front of the now bound Rorschach. "I like seeing you tied." He brushed a finger up his partner's breastbone. "Someday maybe I'll hogtie you and see how long it takes you to escape."
 
Rorschach growled. Dan put his face dangerously close to his mouth, and whispered into his ear, "How does it feel being so vulnerable to me?" He flicked his tongue against his jugular, then swooped his head around the other side and licked the corresponding place on the other side.
 
"Feels good. Still love you."
 
"Kiss me."
 
His lips were thin and cracked in a couple places, he was a mediocre kisser at best, but Dan was lost in the feeling immediately. He opened his mouth a little and breathed hotly against Rorschach's lips. He flicked his tongue against his partner's lips. Rorschach emitted a little sound that in anyone else would sound nervous. His mouth opened ever so slowly. Dan dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, drawing more of those deep, ragged sounds out of him.
 
He said something Dan couldn't understand, so he pulled away a little. "Come again?"
 
"I want you to be my Master. I have for a long time."
 
Dan knew he had to collect his thoughts quickly, before this offer was retracted. "Do you know what that entails?" was what fell out of his mouth.
 
"Am aware of how the world works, Daniel. Would..." He was intently staring at the ground again. "Would give Submission. In." He took a breath. "Any way you ask. Would give you self. Body. Scared, but trust you, want this."
 
He could feel the Universe spinning around him. It was frightening. "Do you want me to collar you?"
 
"Collar is lifelong commitment. Understand if don't want that. If just want temporary relationship. Love you, will give what you want."
 
"Do you want me to collar you?"
 
He nodded quickly, then looked away.
 
This was all happening too fast. Of course he wanted to have Rorschach be a fulltime part of his life. But, he didn't even know the name of the man's alter-ego. He didn't know the first thing about his other life.
 
"What about your...daytime life? I don't even know who you are. Will you move in, here? We'll have to get one of those collars with a break link, because it would be incredibly dangerous for you to fight crime with a chain around your neck. Would you even wear it out on patrol? Of course, I guess Hooded Justice wore that noose and no one used that to strangle him. I've never had a Sub before. What if I mess up?"
 
Rorschach's mouth was hanging open. "Daniel. Have thought of all this already. Will introduce you to disguise. Will continue as we are as Nite Owl and Rorschach. Daytime identities will develop relationship more slowly. Will be embarrassed if any scum gets close enough to throttle with collar. They will be very sorry if they try it, but, yes, will have weak spot. Would wear collar always. No, have never had a Sub before, but have been a Sub, know how to Dom. Trust you, love you. Have never been a Sub before, will help you learn to Dom. Will forgive any faults. Could have more than one collar, for crime fighting and for disguise." It was the most Dan had ever heard from his partner in one sitting.
 
He leaned forward and touched his Sub's jaw line, kissed him deeply. "I would be honored to hold your leash. Would you allow me to collar you, Rorschach?"
 
"Would be honored, Daniel. Master."

[lieutenant]

Chapter Four Title: A Day in the Park

I almost always hate the way this is done in fanfics. So I'm probably going to annoy about 50% of my readers with this chapter. Keep reading, anyway.
 
 
 
Daniel walked out of the boutique. He had run his hand over almost every collar in the place, trying to make a decision. He'd kept in mind Rorschach's comment about two different collars. Since he didn't know anything about the daytime alter-ego, he hadn't bought a collar for him. But the white leather had grabbed his attention when he'd first walked in and hadn't let it go. It was thick and sturdy, but would ride low on his partner's neck, beneath the ivory scarf. Come to think of it, no one had ever used that to throttle him. So it ought to be ok if he wore a collar beneath it.
 
He tightened his grip around the bag the collar rested in. He couldn't help but wish more people would see it. He imagined the looks on the faces of the other Watchmen when Rorschach, terror of the underworld, walked into a meeting wearing Nite Owl's collar.
 
Silk Spectre II was a Sub and collared by Dr Manhattan. Both the Comedian and Ozymandias were Doms, and there had always been jokes about Nite Owl being a Beta. No one had ever dared suggest Rorschach was anything less than an Alpha.
 
Well. It wasn't any of their business what he and his partner did in the privacy of the Nest anyway.
 
But he was still nervous about the status of his relationship with Rorschach's alter-ego. Rorschach didn't even refer to them as the same person. How differently did he act during the day? Nite Owl was just Daniel Dreiberg in uniform, with a slightly different voice, acting out on his latent Dom behaviors.
 
That didn't seem to be the case with Rorschach. He still hadn't seen further under the mask than what showed while eating, and still didn't know what sort of name or profession he had while he wasn't being a vigilante. Did he manage to hold down a day job? Hollis had, and still managed to be the first Nite Owl. Dan was glad it wasn't required of him. Most nights when patrol was over, it was all he could do to shower and crawl into bed. He'd trained himself to only need a few hours of sleep, but the thought of getting up and working a second full-time job was exhausting just to think about. 'It would explain why Rorschach can get so cranky,' he told himself. 'Well, if he moves in with me, I will make sure he never needs to work again.'
 
Then a new worry occurred to him. Rorschach hadn't answered his question about whether he would move in or not. 'Of course he will. It would be ridiculous for us to live in two separate places.'
 
But he was more than a little paranoid about security. Living together in their daytime alter-egos and being partners at night would make it easier to draw a conclusion about their identities. He'd just have to get Rorschach to give him security pointers. He was always going on about the inferior locks on Dan's door.
 
He turned off the sidewalk to cut through the park.' I wonder what his lock looks like. It's probably a hardware store Master-lock,' he laughed to himself. Then, he tried to picture the door the lock was on, and the living space behind it. Somehow, he's always imagined it looking a lot like his brownstone, but all in black and white. When he considered it seriously, he realized how laughable this was. He was a trust-fund baby. Rorschach was decidedly not. Besides, there was no way the place would be as immaculate as Dan's building. Rorschach had this nasty habit of wiping spoons on his trench coat and putting them back in the drawer and setting equipment down wherever he happened to be at the time. No, his partner's place would look like a bachelor pad. Empty cans of beans on the coffee table and sugar-coated coffee mugs everywhere.
 
'I'll have to talk to him about that, if he comes to live with me. Rorschach, I'll say...except...I probably won't call him Rorschach. I'll probably call him...what?' Despite their newer, closer relationship, Rorschach still hadn't shown him his face or told him his name. He'd just assured him that he would introduce his 'disguise.' It was downright weird...
 
As he thought this, Dan felt a prickle up the back of his spine. The same kind of tingle he felt when surrounded by a gang of knotheads. He scanned the park around him. There was nobody around. Except... There was a kid on a bench that he'd just walked by. This kid was about 17 or 18 and holding a Wonder bread sandwich. There was a tatty looking satchel sitting next to him on the bench. And this kid was staring at him.
 
Then Dan saw the sign leaning against the bench. He knew, without being able to see the face, that the sign read "The End is Nigh." He'd seen him around. Now he recognized the sharp face and the bright red hair under the blue baseball cap. He was the only human being in sight.
 
He stared at Dan a little longer and then hurm'd and set his sandwich down on the bench beside him. He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his pants and walked towards him. It was mildly alarming for a moment, and then he realized this kid was a panhandler. He was just looking for a handout. Dan fumbled in his pocket for the change from grocery shopping earlier. The kid seemed determined, might as well give him a couple bucks. After all, he walked around with that stupid sign in the craziest weather. He looked at the cash and wondered what he could get away with.
 
"Came over to say 'hello.'" The kid's voice was exceptionally low and gravelly. Dan fumbled the bills in his haste to take a second look at this guy.
 
He was about 5'4, wearing slouchy clothes that hid a slim, well-muscled frame. His jacket was green, which clashed horribly with his hair, and the sleeves came down halfway over his hands. His shoes were just about worn through and, like most teenagers, the backs of his pant legs were dragging, mangled on the ground. He had eyes the color of the sea.
 
"Jesus." Dan just stood there staring.
 
The kid moved closer and dropped to one knee, picking up the scattered dollar bills. "Staring Daniel. Know I'm not pretty." He put the money back in Dan's slack hand, stayed kneeling.
 
Dan dropped to his knees. "How old are you? I always thought you were older than me."
 
The kid's eyes slunk away and his face turned pink, highlighting his copious freckles. He touched his Sub's jaw line and drew his face to him, kissing him deeply for the second time. This time he looked into the other's eyes. For the first time he saw the fear and pleasure in more than just black inkblots. The boy's eyes fluttered shut. Dan cupped his head in his hands, pulled his mouth away gently. "Answer me."
 
"Eighteen. Master."
 
Daniel felt a twinge. He had been 23 for several months. Rorschach was...oh god, he wasn't still living at home, was he? Then his mind turned to the sign. No, he was on his own.
 
Then he realized. They'd been patrolling together for almost two years...and Rorschach had been active even before he had. Suddenly, his mind flashed to a collar he'd seen in the boutique. It was a chain, with a masculine, flat line. He traced a finger over his Sub's neck. The boy shivered. No...18. He was a man in his own right. Even more than Dan had been at that age. The chain was a sort of three-pronged design that crystallized an idea that had been floating in his mind for quite awhile. "I've got something for you, back at the Nest. A couple things, as a matter of fact."
 
That blush again.
 
"Can you come now, or are you," he paused and waved at the sign, "Busy?"
 
"Daytime relationship must be slower. Should get back to work. Will come tonight."
 
Daniel was more disappointed than he ought to have been, but he nodded. "Alright. That will give me time to take care of some things." He drew him close for another kiss. "I love you...Rorschach..."

The blush turned scarlet. Daniel smiled. "Walter."
 
"I love you, Walter."
 
"Don't know that, just met."
 
Daniel stood and helped Walter up. "This is so cool." He murmured.
 
"Hurm, yes."

[lieutenant]

Chapter Five Title: Other Masks
 
Rorschach didn't show it, but Daniel could tell he was pleased when he was presented with the grappling gun. It had seemed an odd sort of addition to Nite Owl's uniform, but it fit Rorschach's MO nicely. It reminded him of the chain he'd gone back to buy for Walter after their meeting in the park. That was still a surprise. A collar for when Walter- he still didn't know Rorschach's last name- and Daniel Dreiberg became bound.
 
The white leather collar made Rorschach even happier. He knelt and allowed Dan to untie his scarf and clip the collar around his neck. After that, it seemed like he had a hard time keeping his hands off it. Every time Nite Owl looked over his fingertips were under the scarf, stroking it.
 
They had a meeting of the Crimebusters that night, and it gave Nite Owl a secret thrill to know what Rorschach was wearing under his scarf. He was so...giddy could be the only word. He hadn't realized that Rorschach was in Subspace until, upon arriving at the meeting, Rorschach loosened his scarf and knelt beside Nite Owl. The room went absolutely silent. His first reaction was to urge Rorschach back to his feet, but he couldn't bear to think about humiliating his Sub like that, after he'd made as huge a decision as admitting to being a collared Submissive, in front of the only people they could consider colleagues. So he put his hand on the back of Rorschach's neck and gestured to Ozymandias with a calm he did not feel. "Go on, Adrian."
 
"Oh fuck no," the Comedian blurted. "I didn't know you fags even had a sense of humor, but this is the goddamned funniest joke ever." He burst into a roaring belly laugh.
 
To Rorschach's credit, even though Nite Owl felt his entire body tense, he didn't do anything more than look askance at Nite Owl, who shook his head no.
 
"Strange, I thought it was your career that was the joke," Nite Owl retorted. He heard Silk Spectre II stifle a giggle.
 
Comedian snorted and carried on laughing. "Career. Heh. I was definitely wrong about your sense of humor."
 
Ozymandias gestured Dr Manhattan up to give his report about his and Silk Spectre II's latest cases. During which, Comedian pretended to fall asleep and jerk awake a couple different times. Then Ozymandias asked for a report on Nite Owl and Rorschach's territory.
 
Nite Owl stood and patted his chair, which Rorschach slid into, and walked to the front of the room. In this situation he went into lecture mode, made a precise, well-prepared speech and looked around when he'd finished. Everyone seemed to have forgotten his and Rorschach's new relationship and were listening; a tribute to his oratory skills.
 
"Do you have anything to add, Rorschach?" he asked, just like he did every time. Rorschach didn't stand, but raised his voice. "Don't forget LSD."
 
"Oh, yes. We've been encountering a greatly increased number of criminals on a substance called LSD. They tend to be peaceful, but can be disruptive if they are having a 'bad trip.' Also, there have been a number of incidents of public nudity, which of course, leads to a higher incidence of being victimized by other criminal elements." He looked at his partner who nodded. That seemed to about cover it. He returned to his seat and Rorschach slid easily onto the floor. Nite Owl pressed his knee against the other man's shoulder and whispered. "Thanks," Rorschach nodded silently.
 
At the end of the meeting, they were approached by Ozymandias. "No jokes, Adrian," Nite Owl warned.
 
"No, of course not, I can see this is still new. I just wanted to express my congratulations. It can be hard to find stability in this lifestyle." He looked Nite Owl in the eye. "Have you shared your news with Hollis?"
 
"Not yet. As a matter of fact, you guys were the first to know. Out of anyone."
 
Adrian nodded wisely and turned away.
 
The duo walked down the street, companionably silent. "Do you want to go with me, when I talk to Hollis?"
 
Rorschach's shoulders were hunched and his fists were jammed in his coat pockets. "Hurm."
 
"You have a right to be there, you know. You're my partner in more ways than one, now."
 
"Fine."
 
Rorschach didn't say anything when Nite Owl led them to the back entrance of Hollis's place. It was around midnight, but still relatively early for masked heroes, and the habit of living the nightlife didn't always change so easily. Hollis Mason, the first Nite Owl, opened his door to them.
 
"Hi Hollis. How are you?" Nite Owl pushed his cowl back and petted the leggy white puppy that was hopping around their feet.
 
"Phantom! Down!" The pup whimpered and lay down beside the man's recliner. "Doing well, Danny, how are you tonight? Hello, Rorschach. How are you?"
 
Rorschach nodded and remained standing. It was hard for him to let his guard down in a place he wasn't used to. Dan let it go. He sat in his usual place on the couch. "We're okay. Came to give you an update."
 
"Would you like a beer, boys?" Hollis gestured towards the kitchen.
 
"Not this time, thanks Hollis."
 
"Hurm. Don't drink." It occurred to Dan for the first time that the reason Rorschach didn't drink might be because he was underage. Then again he had a hard time imagining the man with a brew in his hand even if he was twenty-one. Funny, he'd always thought he was.
 
"Well," Hollis sat down heavily in his chair. "What brings you boys out here?"
 
Dan rubbed his hands over one another. "We've decided to try something new. Um..." He paused for so long that the expectant silence turned to something else.
 
Hollis looked back and forth between his protégé and the man he fought crime with.
 
"Hurm." Rorschach put his hand on Dan's shoulder. "Are together. Denied feelings too long."
 
The older man sat back in the chair. "Can't say I didn't expect this. You keep a Sub and a Dom together in close proximity like you two have been, and it's not surprising that you'd want to give him more than friendship, Danny." He looked up at the blotted vigilante, "Are you going to take good care of him?"
 
There was another moment of silence. "Oh. No," Dan said slowly, "See..." Hollis was still giving Rorschach an interrogating look.
 
Rorschach growled. He settled to his knees at Dan's side and untied his scarf again. "Daniel is Master. Love Master, will protect him."
 
"You..." He was flabbergasted. "Danny, you're not a Dom. And he's sure not...is he?"
 
It was finally Dan's turn to blush. "See, I guess I am, and he...is the most amazing Sub I've ever met," he reached down and entwined his gloved fingers with Rorschach’s, "And I intend to give him everything he ever dreamed of." His Sub's hand convulsed in his, and he suspected he'd gotten too sentimental in public. "So, what do you think?"
 
Hollis stood, a huge smile crossing his face.  "I'm so proud of you, Danny boy,” he clapped a hand on Rorschach's shoulder, "Both of you." Rorschach moved out from under the touch as soon as it was humanly polite. He stood and they both shook Hollis's hand. "Best wishes. Will you be having some kind of party? No, of course not. What am I thinking? Well," he buffeted them both, "You are both welcome here any time. Remember that, sonny." He pointed a finger under Rorschach’s nose.
 
He treated them to a couple stories about the old Minutemen days, for which Rorschach was most attentive during the case-solving portions, and Dan noticed for the first time that Captain Metropolis and Hooded Justice seemed to have had a remarkably close relationship, for two Alphas.

[lieutenant]

Chapter Six Title: The Dating Game
Since they each have two entirely separate lives, they are required to have two entirely separate relationships. Walter and Daniel cannot show up in a relationship with a person their daytime alter-ego has no reason to have ever even met. Also, I happen to love Rorschach as a prickly little bastard when it comes to any sort of kindness. This is a short chapter.
 
 
 
It took Dan a while to figure out a game plan for what to do about Rorschach's daytime alter-ego; his Walter disguise. His partner didn't seem to be giving him any hints as to how to go about it, so he made up his own mind. The next time he saw Rorschach with his mask off, trooping down the street with that ridiculous (…ingenious?) sign, he crossed his arms, leaned against a building, and looked at the redhead with as lecherous a look on his face as he could manage.
 
After a moment, though clearly Rorschach had known he was there the whole time, his head swiveled around and the two stared at each other. Dan stepped away from the wall and approached. "You look hungry, let me buy you a bowl of beans or something. What's your name? Do you have time to stop for lunch?"
 
The corners of Rorschach's eyes narrowed and he glared at Dan.
 
It occurred to Dan that the glare was easily as frightening as the blank shifting of the mask. He was amused that such a small muscular reaction was all it took to make him consider that, just maybe, he had crossed a line where no one wanted to go.
 
"Walter," The response was ground out reluctantly, "I have time for a break."
 
"Alright," Dan clapped a hand on his shoulder. Rorschach brushed it off, fast as lighting.
 
"Don't touch."
 
Of course. In this incarnation, they weren't comrades, hadn't known one another for years and fought side by side. 'Walter' didn't know Dan well enough to let him touch. A thrill went through Dan's chest as he realized he was going to have to court 'Walter's' favor. A whole world of possibilities opened up that hadn't occurred to him before. With a hum of pleasure, he thought, 'I'm dating Rorschach.'
 
He put his hands in his pockets and they walked to the Gunga Diner. When they reached the door, Walter started to turn in. Dan stopped and looked at him. He had something much more entertaining in mind than his favorite café. "Not here."
 
Rorschach stepped back from the door and moved back to his side. They walked in silence, though Dan was dying to start asking the kinds of personal questions one just didn't ask on a first…was this a date? He supposed it didn't quite count, since their cover was just a quick meal, but he intended to make something of it, nonetheless.
 
He led Rorschach into a steakhouse several blocks away. The hostess knew him, since he came in somewhat regularly, and was friendly when he did. She was less impressed with his lunch companion. Rorschach set the picket sign down in the entryway and unabashedly stared her down.
 
'Be nice,' Dan thought, 'in all likelihood you'll be seeing her again in the near future.' He just smiled his sweetest grin at the girl.
 
As soon as they were seated in the semi-privacy of the booth, Rorschach leaned forward and growled. "Throwing your money around, Daniel, not good."
 
He'd expected something to this effect. He measured his words in the Dominant cadence he was becoming used to using. "If you want second-rate treatment, you're going to have to look elsewhere." He studied the menu; Rorschach sat back and gawked at him.
 
When the waiter came, Dan didn't even let Rorschach try to order the cheapest thing on the menu; he informed the waiter they'd each be having the prime rib, but let Rorschach choose his own sides.
 
The angry silence lasted until the food came. After the waiter had set their plates down and gone, Dan reached out and put his hand next to Rorschach's. "I meant it. I'm not going to offer you less than the best. You're worth more to me than money."
 
The distress rang loud and clear on his friend's face, but he dropped his eyes and nodded. The silence was more companionable after that, until Dan’s grin broke over the wall into words.  “So, Walter, where did you go to school?”
 
“New Jersey.”  Rorschach sawed his meat without looking up.
 
“Okay.  What do you do with your free time?  Do you have any hobbies?”
 
“Justice.”  His tongue snaked out and licked up the stray meat juices running down his chin.
 
Dan mixed the sour cream with the potato.  He thought about tongues for a moment.  ‘Not an appropriate first date thought.’  He decided.
 
“What kind of music do you listen to?”  ‘Everyone likes music.’
 
Evidently not.
 
“Music gets people too excited, too sexed up.  They want to do that grind dance.  Won’t be part of it.”
 
“What about books?  You’re a reader, I know that.”
 
“Barry Goldwater, F.A. Hayek, Stears and Osten.”
 
Dan neatly sliced his prime rib.  He didn’t express his shock at the materials his partner read.  He knew the kinds of views the man held.   Once he thought about it, he was more shocked at the authors for writing books Rorschach would deign to read.
 
“Also read the newspaper.”
 
“The New Frontiersman.”  Dan nodded.  “I like the Gazette.”  He was thinking of something else it would be appropriate to talk about on a first date, when Rorschach spoke again.
 
“Have a friend who is an Ornithologist.  Have become interested in birds.”
 
“Excuse me, Mr. Dreiberg.”  The hostess leaned over and whispered to him.  “Some of the other customers are complaining about your guests’…apparel, and well, the smell, sir.”
 
“I, uh, I’m sure you can reassure them that we are paying customers, just like themselves.”  He read her nametag.  “Manette, I’m sure you’ll see your way clear to keep this sort of thing from bothering us again.”  He handed her a fifty dollar bill.  She set it down on the table.
 
A thick man came over.  “I’m the manager.  Is there a problem here, Manette?”
 
“These gentlemen are disturbing the other customers and they refuse to leave.”
 
Daniel stood up and threw his shoulders back.  “I have been a regular customer here for years.  I came in for lunch with my friend here and we’ve been subjected to rude service and even worse manners from your staff.  I demand an apology.  Now.”  He was using his best Nite Owl voice, but the manager had a lot more practice being an Alpha than Dan did.
 
“We would be happy to wrap your meal to go, but if you are disturbing other customers, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
 
“Forget it.  We’re leaving.  We aren’t going to be back.”  Dan strode across the floor, relieved to find Rorschach right beside him.  He swept out the door, holding it open for his friend, who retrieved his picket sign from the vestibule and proceeded into the street.
 
Dan ran his fingers through his hair.  “Walter, I’m so sorry about them.  That was inexcusable.”
 
“Was fine, Daniel.”  He turned and headed down the street.  Dan followed.  After a moment of silence, Rorschach asked, “What kind of bird is that?”
 
“A pigeon.”  Dan smiled.