Chapter Text
“Grace, Tanner, Charlie, let’s go. Get a move on. Grab your bags, lets go.”
Danny’s voice filled the house; the mad scramble to get the kids dressed, fed, and into the car and make it in time for school was made slightly more hectic with Steve and Danny taking over the whole morning routine for the time being. Penny shifted, with Danny holding her on one hip, still dressed in her pyjamas, eyes glassy with fever, lying her head on Danny’s shoulder.
“Not you. You are going to stay here, watch some Bluey, take some naps- sounds like a good plan, Birdie?”
Danny kisses the top of her head when she gives a little nod. “Seriously, guys, lets go.” He calls again and tries not to wince when Tanner and Charlie stumble down the stairs of Steve’s house, Frank moving in after his house got torched during a case.
“Can you guys be any louder?”
“Sorry, Dad.”
“Sorry, Danno.”
He levels the boys with a look, only a couple years apart, and thick as thieves when not at school, Tanner giving him an apologetic smile that was pure Frank Langdon, and made him look twice as adorable as the little boy already was.
“Just-just get in the car,” he commands while Steve jogs down the stairs after the seven- and five-year-old, with a look to Danny.
“These children are animals, animals.”
“You think I don’t know that, Steven? What do you think I’m doing? Sipping my coffee and having a leisurely breakfast? No, I’m packing lunches and yelling.”
“You should have packed the lunches last night, like I said, and maybe you wouldn’t have to do it this morning.”
“And have their sandwiches get all soggy? No wonder they’re animals; you’re raising them to be animals. Charlie, shoes, Tanner, other feet buddy. Grace, lets go.”
“Here, give me her.” Steve is reaching for Penny before Danny can take a step back, his arms tightening around the little girl.
“Why? You’re taking the kids to school.”
“Me? I’m not driving them to school; I thought you were driving them to school. Why would I be driving them to school?”
Penny lets out a sick little giggle when Steve reaches for her once again, the taller man looking more than done with his partner, only for Danny to smack his hand away. “What do you mean, why? No, you’re not taking my kid.”
Steve’s eyebrows raise towards his hairline, and he can only blink at Danny. “Your kid? She’s not your kid; if anything, she’s my kid, and you hate my driving; you constantly complain about it.”
“I love your driving, Uncle Stevie.” Danny turns and looks at Tanner, the little boy looking painfully earnest, and gives a little nod.
“No. No, you do not love his driving. You hear me? You’re too young to love his driving. He drives like a maniac, Tanner, and I refuse to have your impressionable smart little brain corrupted into thinking his driving is acceptable in any way.”
Grace snorts when Danny grabs his keys, hands Penny to Steve, gives him a quick kiss and was halfway through ushering them out the door when he stops Tanner, grabbing his brightly colored shark backpack and picking him up.
“You just said you liked Steve’s driving so he could stay home with your Daddy and Penny, didn’t you?”
“I could have told you that,” Grace snarks, pushing past, holding Charlie’s hand, with a smile and an eye roll.
“Seriously, kid?”
Tanner lets out a sigh. “I just wanted you to take me to school, Danno.”
“And you didn’t think to ask?”
“I didn’t want to hurt Uncle Stevie’s feelings…”
“You’re trouble, you know that, kid? I genuinely worry about when you get big; you’re going to be so much trouble; I just know it. Like a competent little Steve. I hope you can live with that; I really hope you can.”
Tanner just smiles, and Danny feels his heart start to melt all over again. “Okay, Danno.”
“Okay, Danno. Okay, Danno.” Danny grumbles, setting the boy down and lightly pushing him to the SUV, still grumbling, Tanner taking off like a shot. “You’re slowly killing me with cuteness and high blood pressure, but sure, okay, Danno.”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Steve’s voice is sure and unmistakable, stopping Frank where he was walking down the hall, a blanket wrapped around himself, hair sticking out at odd angles, scruffy with three days’ growth, shuffling around in a hoodie and pyjama pants and one of Steve’s rarely worn hoodies.
“Laundry.”
The look of disbelief is unmistakable on the older man’s face, Steve crossing his arms and staring at Frank, who blinks back. “Are you serious right now?”
“Penny’s napping, Tanner’s at school. It’s the perfect time.”
“The perfect time to do laundry? Unbelievable. You’re not doing laundry right now, Frank. Or anything else. I can’t believe I have to explain this to you. No, you know what?”
Frank can feel himself shriek in surprise when he’s suddenly thrown over Steve’s shoulder, the man rolling his eyes. “You’re fine, Frankie.”
“So set me down.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Frank finds himself tossed gently onto the sofa next to a pile of soft blankets and stuffed toys, Steve pointing at him with a stern expression. “You don't move; I can do laundry and anything else.”
Frank flops back against the sofa and sticks out his tongue, earning a low “Watch it” from the man. “You’re sick, Frank.”
“I have influenza A, Steve; I’m not dying. I would know; I am a doctor, plus it’s only a matter of time before you and Danny are called on a case, so…”
It took all of a half hour for Steve’s phone to ring, Penny waking up just after Steve left, snuggling up to Frank with a tired yawn, carrying the stuffed animal Steve bought her after their house burned down, and everything in it, the man who tried to murder Frank and his family because Frank was a witness to his murder, now six feet in the ground. Abby had flown home from assignment long enough to make sure all three of them were safe, her ex having full custody of the children. Steve insisted on Frank and the kids moving in with him as an apology and to help out until Frank could find a new place to live. Abby’s apartment was too small for all three of them to live in comfortably long-term.
“Did Uncle Stevie go to work?”
“Yeah, baby.” Frank shifts on the sofa, moving so Penny can lie against him, the little girl letting out a sigh. “When is he going to be home?”
“I don’t know, pumpkin. Why?”
“I miss him. Can we call Danno?”
It took approximately two days after moving in for Steve and Danny to turn into Uncle Stevie and Danno full-time, something that Frank had tried to stop out of respect, only for both men to shoot Frank down with such intensity that someone would have thought Frank had insulted Grace and Charlie Williams.
“Sure, baby, but he might not answer.”
“Can we leave a message?”
“We can leave a message.”
Danny picked up on the first ring. “Hey, everything okay?”
“Hi, Danno.”
Frank tries not to feel all warm and tingling at the way Danny’s voice softens immediately. “Hey, birdie, how’s my girl feeling? Huh?”
“Is that Penny? What happened? What’s wrong?”
Frank can’t help but snort at Steve’s voice in the background, fully imagining the expression on the man- Frank was quickly learning was surprisingly overprotective- face, no doubt reaching for the phone and Danny pushing him away.
“What’s going on, Birdie?”
“I miss you. When are you and Uncle Stevie coming home?”
“I promise, Birdie, we’ll be home as soon as we can, okay?”
“Fiiiiiinnnnnne.” Penny whines, sounding completely spoiled, going limp against Frank, looking up at him with her large blue eyes.
“Fiiiiiiine? Fiiiiine?” Danny whined into the phone light hearted earning a giggle from Penny. “I promise you, birdie, I personally will be home as soon as I can, dinner time. Think you can survive until then?”
“I can survive.” Penny sighed, “I love you, Danno.”
“I love you too, baby. Try to get some more sleep. Okay? Pass the phone to Daddy?”
Frank takes the phone, but doesn’t shift from his spot; instead, he snuggles deeper into the sofa, everything he was planning to do while everyone was gone, fading away.
“We’re fine, Danno. Steve left before Penny woke up from her nap, and she didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Makes total sense, although you know I’m going to have to remind Steve at every possible chance that Penny called me, and not Steve. You are aware of that, right?”
There is something warm and fluttery in Frank’s chest that has nothing to do with his fever. “I want sushi for dinner.”
“You’re wrong; sushi when you’re sick is just wrong, but sure, Frankie, sushi for dinner it is.”