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Steve is pissed. Danny is acting like a man slut around the models, and it was the only reason he threw Gabby coming back in his face. Despite his team coming to his rescue at the last minute, and yes he had an exit strategy, he just needed a few more minutes. Now though, Danny is pushing all his buttons. It is hard to keep a professional look on his face when Danny is asking about phone numbers. The son of a bitch is purposely trying to get a rise out of Steve. Hell, if it wasn’t for Gracie and the hundred or so people backstage, Steve would show Danny exactly what buttons to push!
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After pulling his jacket off and hanging it up, Steve removed his button-down and tossed it into the hamper. It was late and he just wanted to go to sleep. Danny was putting Grace to bed in her room after she’d fallen asleep in the Camaro on their way home from the fashion show. Steve had carried her to her bedroom and let Danny put her to bed.
Sitting on the bed to take off his shoes Steve heard Danny enter the room and close the door behind him. Both men proceeded to do their nightly bedroom routine. Usually, Danny takes Grace home to his apartment, but they were all going surfing in the morning so Danny and Grace were staying at Steve’s.
They both crawled into bed and Danny turned onto his side. Steve was lying on his back with his arm over his head.
“Okay, spill,” Danny says.
Sighing, Steve answered, “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? You threw Gabby in my face today, so don’t you tell me it’s nothing!” Danny’s words were soft and a bit accusatory, but not angry.
Rubbing his face, Steve rolled onto his side. “I guess I’m just a little,” Steve paused searching for the word. Steve knew he wasn’t that great with words and feelings but actions he could do. “Shocked and worried.” He finally finished.
Danny reached out and touched Steve’s face. It was lined with worry and Danny tried to smooth out the lines on Steve’s forehead. “about what babe?” Danny asked curiously.
“You, today, all of it I guess,” Steve admitted, as he closed his eyes and let Danny caress his face. He enjoyed being Danny’s total focus. Not that Steve would tell the blonde man that, sometimes Steve needed more than reassurance from others and it seemed Danny understood this because the man was currently rubbing Steve’s neck and stroking/petting his hair. Leaning into the touch, Steve realized how much he needed this. Being with Danny all day made Steve more needy than usual.
In the silence, Danny just watched Steve while scratching his head. “I missed you, too! But there’s more. You wouldn’t be so tense if that was all,” Danny squeezed Steve’s neck in emphasis.
“You and the models, drooling like that,” Steve paused and opened his eyes to finally look at Danny. “You were like a man slut.” Steve blurted then waited for the fallout. Angry Danny was one he could handle. Maybe he just needed a good fight with Danny.
Instead of anger though, Danny started to laugh, deep and long. “Man slut?” Danny asked still laughing deeply. Wheezing it out again, Danny simply stated “Man slut.”
Steve’s face melted as the tension eased. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t as if he had self-esteem issues, it’s just that their relationship was still a bit rocky. They’d only been just the two of them for a few weeks. “You aren’t mad?” Steve asked. It was quiet, and Steve was sure Danny didn’t hear it over his laughter.
“No, not mad Steve, concerned. You were kidnapped by a hired killer, partnered with Kono, who, I think is going to take over the world, and chased a naked drug addict all over Honolulu. Also,” Danny paused taking his hand and putting it on Steve’s chest, “you called me a man slut. So tell me what is going on in that brain of yours?”
“It’s nothing. I promise.” Steve didn’t want to have this discussion. He wasn’t thrilled with how Danny acted with the models this morning and he knew it was just Danny being Danny, but he could have been less obvious about it.
“That, my friend is a lie. So talk to me.” Danny smiled encouragingly at Steve.
Taking a breath, Steve then let it out through his nose. It came out more as a snort, but he didn’t care. “You drooled all over my shoes this morning when Arlo called us.” There. It was out. Now he would deal with the fallout. Danny would be pissed and probably go sleep with Grace. Steve’s insecurities would just push the other man away.
But instead, Danny leaned over and kissed Steve on the lips. “You silly goof. I can appreciate beauty without touching. And as for the drool, they were very beautiful. Do not tell me your tongue didn’t drool a little bit too. I know you, Steve. Those women also turned you on, but you didn’t ‘drool’ as you so sweetly stated.”
Huffing, Steve leaned away from Danny’s lips and stated, “We were there in a professional capacity. You should have been professional.”
“I was Steven.” Danny leaned back out of his space. “I was completely professional!”
“Until you wondered if you could get Behati’s number.”
Danny chuckled. “So, that is what this is really about,” Danny said with realization. Propping himself up on his arm, Danny looked down at Steve who was refusing to even look at Danny, his gaze fixed firmly on Danny’s chest. “I was joking Steve. To get a rise out of you. I was pissed that you, once again put yourself in danger for a case.”
“Me? You single-handedly took down a stalker. No backup, nothing!” Now Steve was looking at Danny’s face. He was upset. He was more than upset with Danny, he was pissed!
Danny shook his head. “ ‘Mr. I Followed a Hired Killer into the Jungle’ is bitching that I took on a woman with a knife? Cordova took you into the fucking JUNGLE Steven, to kill you!”
“No, he wanted to commit suicide by cop,” Steve growled out.
“Doesn’t matter. He still had a gun trained on you. I don’t care that he gave your weapon back. He still was playing like it was a shootout at the OK corral! Do you know how I felt seeing the two of you with guns drawn on each other?” Danny had quieted down. He wasn’t loudly ranting. He was quiet. Steve knew when Danny was truly pissed it was quiet and dangerous. “Do you not get that you are human you stupid goof? That son of a bitch wanted to die and he would have taken you with him if he could.”
Shaking his head in objection Steve interrupted. “No, he handed my gun back and offered to let me kill him. No witnesses.”
“Well, hell I was wrong. You were completely safe.” Danny says sarcastically. “You weren’t in the jungle with a hired killer whose life was spent in lies and half-truths. Sure, he would have JUST let you shoot him! If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you!” Lying back down Danny looked up at the ceiling. “Don’t you get it, you idiot? He would have killed you without a second thought.”
They weren’t going to agree on this. Steve’s gut told him the guy wanted to die and wanted Steve to pull the trigger. Cordova had spent so much time dying he was done. He would have died one way or the other. Having Steve take him out would have been the easiest way. “Danno, I don’t think he would have killed me.” Putting his hand over Danny’s mouth to stop him from talking Steve continued. “For a time, yes, I did believe that maybe this was a stupid move on my part, but I did have a plan to disarm him, but, what was going through my mind was you. How we were supposed to go surfing tomorrow. I promised Grace help with getting your Christmas present. Thoughts about how we hadn’t had a lot of time together and I was going to go down fighting because I don’t know any other way.” Steve lifted his hand from Danny’s mouth. “I love you, Daniel Williams. I would have come back to you!”
Shaking his head with a goofy grin Danny said softly, “That wasn’t what I was looking for, and don’t think I have forgotten you played Russian roulette with a contract killer. But maybe,” Danny paused and smiled tenderly at Steve, “maybe I can forgive you for being a crazed Navy SEAL today and going into a fucking jungle with a contract killer.”
“What about you? Being a man slut?” Both men laughed at that. Steve turned to look at Danny and Danny propped himself back up on his arm.
“So, maybe I had some,” Danny admitted.
Steve cut him off, “SOME?”
“Okay, a lot.” Pausing, Steve nodded and waved for Danny to continue. “Of resentment. For being an ass and getting yourself into danger again. Also, it didn’t help my sanity that I wasn’t there today to be your backup. After all who is supposed to keep you on the legal side of the line?”
“I did have Kono.”
Shaking his head, Danny admitted, “I think she has learned too much from you Steven. She is going to take over the world one of these days and none of us will notice until it is too late. You have taught her too well the ‘ways of the SEAL’.” Chucking, Danny reached out to lay his hand on Steve’s chest. “I will, begrudgingly, admit I was being an ass because you scared me.”
“An ass? I Wouldn’t say that.” Steve smiled brightly at Danny.
Smirking back at the taller man Danny said, “If not an ass then what was I being Steve?”
“A jackass, asshole, shithead, jerk, cruel,” Danny’s hand suddenly covered Steve’s mouth.
“Okay. Okay. I get it. I was being a big dumb jerk.” Danny conceded. Steve licked Danny’s hand and the blonde man just wiped the hand on Steve’s chest. “Are we good? Or more importantly are you good?” Danny asked for some illumination to make sure he and Steve were on the same page emotionally.
Nodding Steve rolled back up onto his side, “Yeah, Danno, I’m good.” Steve leaned over and affectionately kissed Danny.
Danny chased Steve’s lips and lay down on the taller man. Leaning back Danny lay on Steve’s chest. “Good SuperSEAL. You know I love you right?” It was said softly and tenderly.
Steve nodded in confirmation at Danny’s words. Steve was, admittedly still a little upset, but he didn’t know what to do. Danny had acted like an ass and it hurt. “Yeah, I know Danny. I know.”
A look crossed Danny’s face at Steve’s words, “But you are still upset?”
A look of confusion came across Steve’s face as he asked. “How did you know?”
Danny chuckled as he leaned down to kiss Steve’s chest, “Your worry lines. You bunch up your eyebrows and it leaves some lines. So tell me what is really bothering you. We covered the trigger-happy part of our days. So talk to me. You know this is how this works. We communicate.”
“I just thought that with us being in a relationship you wouldn’t,” he faded out. Steve is embarrassed to even feel like this. He felt needy and like his boyfriend had to make him feel better.
Softly Danny says, “I wouldn’t what?”
“Be so blatant,” Steve admitted, trying to telepath what he didn’t want to say out loud.
Danny knowing Steve smiled at him. “With the models?” At Steve’s nod, Danny sighed. Steve felt so stupid that it was getting to him. He did, but he wanted Danny to reassure him. It felt so stupid even feeling that he needed this, but Steve had never truly been in love. “Okay. How to say this? I wasn’t trying to be blatant. You left me hanging in the shower this morning for Arlo’s call. I admit freely that I am in love with you, but I can appreciate beauty. I wasn’t trying to be an ass on purpose. I was horny and my boyfriend jumped out of the shower and made me go save some models for an old friend. Which made me a touch cranky.”
Steve sighed in relief. Danny wasn’t going to leave him. It was all Steve’s imagination and he was just being insecure. “Okay.” He stated feeling a hundred times better. Danny smiled, “We good now Steven?”
“Yes.”
Finis