Chapter Text
Danny’s mother always told him to be careful what he wished for because he just might get it. Never had that been more self-evident than right now. When he had finally convinced Steve to purchase a new mattress, he thought they would go to the closest store, test out two or three, buy one, and arrange for delivery. One hour tops. How naïve he was. They were now at their third mattress store and were lying on what had to be the forty-fifth mattress of the day. At least he was lying on the bed, Steve was bouncing. Danny sighed. Who knew there were so many choices? There were pillow-tops, inner spring, memory foam, gel foam, even latex. Danny had refused to even consider Steve’s waterbed suggestion. He could barely tolerate living near the water, much less sleeping on it.
“Quit that. What are you, eight?” he reached out and grabbed Steve’s arm in an attempt to hold him still. “Will you please just choose a mattress already so we can go home? It should not be this difficult.”
Steve stopped bouncing and looked over at him. “But, Danny, this is a major investment. We want to make sure we get one we both like. Don’t forget, this was your idea. You can’t get frustrated because I want to consider all the options before choosing the mattress we’ll be sleeping on, among other things,” Steve’s eyebrows actually moved up and down suggestively, “for the next ten years.”
“This from a man who spent most of his adult life sleeping on ships and in war zones.” Danny rolled off the bed and stood up. He looked down at his partner and when Steve gazed back with a look of pure innocence, Danny knew he had been played. “You ass, you’re being difficult on purpose,” he pointed an accusing finger. “You are trying to make me blow my top. Well guess what?” he threw up his hands, “it worked. Now pick or I’m going to pick for you. You’ve got two minutes.”
“The third one at the first store,” Steve said immediately.
“What?” Danny yelled, ignoring the looks his raised voice garnered from the couple two beds down.
“I said I like the third one we tried out at the first store we went to,” Steve explained with a grin as he rolled nimbly to his feet.
“What the hell, Steve?” Sometimes Danny thought he was crazy to actually be in a relationship with this putz. Maybe that made him the putz. “You know your little joke just backfired don’t you?”
“How so?” Steve grinned smugly.
“Because we are going back to that store, we are going to purchase that mattress, we are going to arrange for delivery, and then you, my friend, are going to sleep in it alone for at least a week. No cuddles.” Danny turned and marched out of the store.
“No cuddles? But, Danny, it was just a joke, come on. Danny? Danno? You know I can’t sleep without my cuddles.”
Danny grinned to himself as Steve continued to follow behind him pleading for forgiveness. Payback may be a bitch, but it sure was fun when you were the one dishing it out.
End.