Chapter Text
“Shh…shh… I know, baby,” Steve said, rocking a sobbing John. “I know it hurts. Daddy’ll be right back with Boo-Boo Bunny and it’ll be all fixed up.” He kept up his one-sided conversation, trying to keep his guilt at bay. ‘Kids get hurt,’ Danny had reminded him. That didn’t make the forming bruise on John’s leg any easier for Steve to take, especially since it had been his fault.
In his rush to get out the door, he had failed to notice John crawling toward him. When Steve’s boot collided with John’s leg, the screaming could have come from them both. Danny assured Steve John was more scared than hurt but his sobs hadn’t slowed.
“Here we are, baby,” Danny said with in soothing voice. He had Boo-Boo Bunny, an ice cube tucked securely in his tummy. “This is will make it all better.” He handed the bunny to Steve who placed it carefully on the bruise on John’s leg. The discolored splotch was no bigger than a dime but to Steve’s eyes, it covered his entire calf.
“I’m so sorry,” Steve said as he held the bunny on his leg.
“He’s fine, Babe. You’ll both recovery and it will be forgotten,” Danny assured him, smoothing John’s downy hair. His sobs had turned to hiccups, his fists tightly twisted in the front of Steve’s tee shirt.
“I just can’t believe….” Steve shook his head, no words adequate for how badly he felt about what had happened.
“Stop beating yourself up,” Danny said gently. “He’s fine. He was more scared than anything. Go and change your shirt and you can get to work.”
“Okay,” Steve agreed, standing to hand a much calmer John to Danny. “I think he needs to be changed.”
“Scared the crap of him, did you?” Danny teased, following Steve upstairs. John was holding tight to his ‘blankie’ which was really an old pair of Danny’s flannel boxers. It was almost as wet with tear as Steve’s shirt.
“Apparently,” Steve agreed, pulling off his wet shirt. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop,” Danny said, reaching up to kiss him. “He’s fine.”
“I know,” Steve sighed, buttoning up a fresh shirt.
“I’m going to change him. You go to work and stop perseverating,” Danny said.
“Right,” Steve agreed, kissing John on the head one last time. He had to smile when John took hold on his shirt like he couldn’t stand the thoughts of his father leaving. “I have to go bye-bye, John-John. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Later,” Danny said as Steve went downstairs and Danny carried John into his room to change him. John chewed on his boxers as Danny cleaned him up. By the time he was finished, John’s tears had completely stopped. The bruise on his leg was turning purple but it really was tiny, even on John’s little leg. That it could have been so much worse was a thought Danny stopped himself from having. Lesson learned. He knew Steve would never allow it to happen again.