Work Text:
Danny lay on his back in their bed, his arms folded under his head. Moonlight lit the room enough for him to count the boards in the ceiling, but not quite enough to count the nails. The breeze from the windows carried the tang of salt air from the beach and lifted the gauzy curtains to flutter away from the windows. It was funny how he didn’t mind the ever present smell of beach anymore. It had taken him a while but he had come to realize that the smell was something he associated with Steve. So now, he waited. Steve had been gone for two hours now. It wasn’t that Danny didn’t know where he was. He knew exactly where. Steve’s new mission in life was clear, to Steve at least. While he wasn’t making Oahu safe for the public he was with Grace.
It wasn’t that Danny didn’t understand why he spent so much time with her. Danny understood and in a world where he didn’t have Steve, it would be Danny sitting so faithfully at her side. Now, however, no matter how much he loved Grace, Steve needed him too. And if that meant that he spent less time with Grace, he knew she would understand because she loved her Uncle Steve as much as she loved her Danno.
At the moment, Steve was his biggest concern. He might be brushing it aside, hell, for all Danny knew he was denying it even to himself, but the man was definitely not himself. Half of Oahu knew that he really wasn’t back to even half fitness, but Steve had pushed himself so hard that no one had the heart to stop him. Danny saw it more than the others. The way Steve dragged himself into bed at the end of each day. Then there was the way he needed time to work the pain out of cramped muscles and bones that ached no matter how much rest they got after he pushed himself out of bed in the morning. And the way that Steve thought he was being discrete as he was popping pain pills like they were skittles. His Steve. That in itself was unheard of, SuperSEAL actually taking pain medication? It also appeared that his newfound affection for pain relief was killing his already minimal appetite and he was losing weight.
As the trucks headlights swung in a bright arc across the roof, Danny turned to look at the clock. 1.06am. He closed his eyes briefly in annoyance at his lover. No doubt he’d be dragging himself out of bed sometime around sunrise for his morning swim. Granted lately his swim had been slower and thereby shorter, but it was still time that Steve could be relaxing. Hearing Steve’s slow step on the stairs was enough for Danny to know that he was exhausted, he watched as Steve walked across the room to the bathroom, pulling his shirt over his head with a groan as he did, throwing it onto the lid of the washing hamper.
Slipping out of bed, Danny padded into the bathroom behind Steve. Seeing his partner at the toilet, his pants hanging slackly around his hips, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion, Danny wanted nothing more than to walk up behind him and slip his arms around his waist and make him feel better.
“How was she?” Danny asked softly, wincing as he saw Steve jump in fright, which was disturbing enough in itself.
“Jesus, D, Don’t do that.” Steve looked over his shoulder, the skin under his eyes looking bruised with the shadow of not enough sleep.
“Sorry.” Danny shrugged, finally giving in to the urge to wrap his arms around Steve.
Steve let his pants fall to the floor and turned in Danny’s arms, holding him tightly.
“Do you need a shower?” Danny asked quietly.
“Should but I can’t be bothered.” Steve murmured.
“Then it’s a good thing I can stand your stench then.” Danny smiled against Steve’s bare chest.
He maintained his hold on Steve long enough to see him step out of the cargo pants pooled at his feet, before he reached around his back to flush the toilet. Molding himself to Steve’s side like he was meant to be there, Danny walked with him to the side of the bed, where he waited for Steve to lower himself to the mattress. As he swung his bare legs up onto the mattress, Danny stripped the socks from Steve’s feet. He watched Steve’s eyes slip closed as he finally released his tight hold on abused muscle and relaxed into the bed.
Danny sat down beside him and brushed his hair back from his slightly feverish forehead.
“Babe, we need to talk.” Danny started quietly.
“That’s never a good start.” Steve murmured, his eyes staying closed as he spoke.
“It’s not really bad.” Danny wriggled closer and let his fingers trail across Steve’s face.
“Then why now?”
“Because you’re exhausted and that is what this is about.” Danny sighed.
“I’m dealing with it.” Steve responded, his eyes opening as he turned his head to look at Danny.
“No you’re not. You’re not inconsequential in this whole equation. If you push yourself too far, what are we going to do, Babe?” Danny asked gently.
“I’m capable of looking after myself, Danny.” Steve tried to push himself up on the pillows, only to be held down by Danny’s careful hand on the middle of his chest.
“No you’re not, or you wouldn’t be living on a diet of coffee and pain meds.” Danny exhaled noisily.
“I eat.” Steve exclaimed.
“Really?” Danny answered letting his fingers trail across Steve’s rib cage. “What was the last thing you ate?”
Steve frowned, his brow furrowed as he tried to remember his last food. “I think….” He trailed off.
“I can tell you Babe.” Danny responded, “It was that Malasada I made you eat in on the way to work. You know? Almost twenty four hours ago. The one you grudgingly ate to appease me.”
“I’m not hungry. That’s all D.” Steve rolled towards Danny.
"Maybe you would if the pain killers and coffee weren't making you nauseous."
"Not at all. I'm just not hungry."
“I know you’re worried about being work fit. I know it tortures you that Gracie is where she is. And I don’t want to put anything more on your shoulders when you’re like this. But what about me?”
Steve’s eyes widened. He pulled himself up to sit upright closing his arms around Danny. “What’s wrong?”
“You.” Danny whispered. “I’ve already nearly lost you once. I can’t do it again.”
“You’re not losing me.” Steve frowned, his hands stroking over Danny’s bare skin softly.
“Really? Have you looked at yourself recently? You’re disappearing babe, you need to look after yourself or you won’t be here when Grace wakes up.”
“I’ll never leave either of you Danny.” Steve pressed a kiss to the side of Danny’s face. “Not now that I’ve found home.”