Work Text:
Danny had never realized just how much he had come to rely on Steve being relatively unemotional. Steve’s current emotional instability was really unnerving for Danny, it was supposed to be him that had the constant sheen of tears in his eyes, him that was spending every spare minute sitting at Grace’s side, but he couldn’t seem to do it. He couldn’t afford to do it. Watching his strong, silent partner slowly unraveling before his eyes wasn’t something he expected or even knew how to deal with.
Finding Steve spilling his fears out to a penguin was the last straw. A fucking penguin of all things. That was the moment that Danny had realized he had been handling this all wrong. Just because Steve was usually the strong, stoic type didn’t mean that he didn’t fall apart in his own way. Danny of all people should know that better than anyone, he’d seen it before he didn’t know why he’d disregarded it in this instance.
He’d dragged the surprisingly compliant SEAL to the hospital to visit with their little girl; he’d stood in the doorway and watched the gentle devotion of his fearsome partner. Seeing him sit by the bed and hold her small hand in his, listen to him telling her about his day, his voice hoarse and strained, strangely omitting the fact that he had spent his evening drinking and talking to penguins in desperation, or the fact that his partner, the man he loved beyond reason refused to listen to his silent struggle to come through the other side of this debacle unscathed.
He never in his life thought he would ever find anyone as devoted to his daughter as he was, but the last months had taught him that Steve could not be more devoted to her if he were her genetic father. Not only did he almost kill himself trying to save her, but now his devotion was slowly killing him. Danny couldn’t allow that to continue. As Steve’s head slumped forward on the bed, Grace’s tiny hand laying over his knuckles, Danny stepped forward to rouse his partner for long enough to get him home, before he stopped in his tracks, stunned at what he saw.
Grace’s fingertips were brushing back and forth across Steve’s knuckles. His eyes moved to his daughters face surprised by what he saw there. Her eyes were still closed but her brow was furrowed into a frown. He couldn’t help himself smiling, he didn’t know when it would happen, but he knew his daughter would come back to them soon. Leaning in, he pressed his thumb against her brow and smoothed the frown lines with gentle strokes, watching quietly as the frown dissipated. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before he stood and gently shook Steve’s shoulder.
“C’mon big guy.” He whispered into Steve’s ear. “We’re going home.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun was higher in the sky than Danny liked by the time he pulled into the driveway. Steve followed behind him silently as he made his way into the house and upstairs. Watching as Steve walked into the bed room and dropped onto the side of the bed, Danny shook his head, wondering just how much harder he had been making life for his partner.
Kneeling at his side, Danny quickly unlaced the boots, frowning at the flecks and stains on the toes. Steve’s feet bare, Danny stood, wincing at the nagging pain in his knee, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Steve’s forehead. Looping his fingers under Steve’s chin, he tilted his face up until he could look into Steve’s eyes.
“Are you in there somewhere, babe?” Danny asked softly. Receiving no response, he chattered on nervously, Steve’s eyes watching him myopically. “I was wrong, you know, I shouldn’t discourage you. I know you love her; I know you couldn’t love her more if she was yours. I should have known that before. I’m sorry I’ve let you down. Keep letting you down.”
Danny pulled at the bottom of Steve’s tee-shirt, his fingers trailing across bare flesh as he pulled it upwards; Steve lifted his arms complacently allowing Danny to pull it over his head. Danny tossed the shirt to the corner of the room, Danny’s hands slipped down to unbuckle Steve’s belt, and moved on to open his button fly. Pulling Steve to his feet he pushed the cargo pants and let them fall the rest of the way to the floor. Reaching behind Steve, he flicked back the bedclothes and pushed Steve back onto the mattress.
Walking around the bed, Danny dropped his own clothes as he went until he climbed into his own side of the bed clad just in boxer shorts. Pulling the top sheet up over the both of them, he pulled Steve’s against him, curling his body into Steve’s, until his chin was resting on Steve’s shoulder.
It seemed like it had been forever since they had snuggled together in bed. Since the accident Steve had shown no interest in reciprocating any sort of intimacy, even kissing was not something they shared much. Maybe that was part of the problem. The pair of them were so busy worrying about everything else that they had forgotten to deal with their relationship.
Danny nuzzled against Steve’s neck gently. A reaction from him, any reaction would settle Danny’s frazzled nerves; he could almost feel Steve pulling away from him with every silent minute that passed.
“I’m sorry, Babe. I never meant to let you think that I didn’t believe you. That it didn’t mean anything to me what you were feeling.” Danny sighed, his lips crushing against Steve’s neck with every word. “I need to tell you something that I need to know that you’re here for, babe.” Danny slid his hands around Steve’s waist and couldn’t help the small smile that creased his worried face as Steve slid his hands over Danny’s and squeezed tightly.
“I know she’s waking up. I know she’s worried about you. I’m worried about you. She needs to know that you’ll be here when she wakes up. I know that this has been harder on you than probably any other person, but I need to know you’re still with me babe. I can’t do this and wait for her without you.”
Steve rolled in his arms and pressed his face to Danny’s chest. “I’m here.”
Danny kissed the top of his head. “I thought you had left me.” Danny closed his eyes and let his arms tighten around Steve’s torso. “I was trying to decide how I was going to survive without the two most important people in my life.”
“Neither of us is leaving you, D.” Steve murmured, his eyes drifting slowly closed.
“Ever.”