Danny and Steve were out eating wings the day after they closed the case, and Danny brought up their conversation from the previous day.
"See," he said, gesturing with the chicken wing in his hand. "I knew you wanted to get wings, babe."
Steve shook his head with a smile. "The wings thing is more of a thing you made happen. You brought it up, and I haven't had any in a while, so I thought that sounded good."
Danny chuckled. "But it's not just the wings. I know you inside and out, backwards and forwards. And I can always read your mind."
Steve sighed. "C'mon, Danno, you can't always read anyone's mind, no matter how well you know them." He took a sip of the soda he was having with his wings and tried not to think about the things he hid from his partner, which were few in number but very crucial.
Danny put the wing back in his basket and leaned forward with a smirk. "Yes, I can. All I have to do is look at your face, and I know exactly what you're thinking."
Steve leaned a fraction closer to Danny, preparing for a challenge. "Oh, yeah? Tell me what I'm thinking right now."
Steve let his mind wander more than he normally would, feeling confident that Danny wouldn't be able to read this particular thought. After all, it had been almost seven years, and he hadn't yet. Steve stared into Danny's eyes and thought that Danny was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire life. He thought that Danny's blue eyes must be even more gorgeous when he woke up in the mornings, especially if he woke up in Steve's bed and looked at him with soft, tired affection. He thought that if things were different between them, he would lean forward just a few more inches to kiss the wrinkles at the edges of Danny's eyes. Or maybe he would start with Danny's lips, which were curved up in a tempting fashion. Steve forced himself to not gaze at Danny's lips and quirked his own in a fond smile.
"Well, Danno? Did I stump you?"
Danny blinked as if he were coming out of some kind of trance. "I, uh, yeah, I guess so."
Steve grinned. Danny was so adorable when he was confused. "But I thought you knew everything about me?"
"Almost everything. I mean, I know aneurysm face, sad face, happy face, and hungry for wings face, but that particular face I've never been able to figure out." He laughed to himself. "I mean, if I didn't know better, I would swear that was your in love face."
Steve clenched his mouth shut and white-knuckled the edge of the restaurant table. Fuck, he does know me too well.
Before he had a chance to hide his reaction, Danny looked up again, and his eyes widened with shock. "Steven, why do you look scared shitless right now?"
Because I am! Steve choked out a weak, pitiful laugh and gazed fixedly at the wood grain on the table. "Scared? I'm fine, Danny."
"Then why won't you look at me right now?"
Steve wanted more than anything to run away at that moment. But that would prove Danny's point. So, instead he sat frozen like a statue, more terrified than he had ever been in his life. He was more frightened of this than he had been when he tried to play his guitar in front of an entire school at his tenth grade talent show, than he had been when he had been captured and tortured by Wo Fat or terrorists, more than he had been when he was bleeding out on that plane after getting shot. All of that was small potatoes compared to the fear he felt now that he couldn't safeguard this secret from Danny. This is what it must be like for Danny to be sealed in a tight box, Steve thought. Steve felt like he couldn't breathe.
He could hear Danny sigh, and he startled when Danny's hand covered his own. Steve bit his his bottom lip to contain a sob. Did Danny really have to touch him that way right before he told him there was no hope?
"Steve, look up at me." His voice sounded firm, but not angry.
Steve looked up, and saw Danny's eyes were filled with compassion and concern and thankfully not outrage or disgust. Steve inhaled a deep breath, summoning more courage than he ever had in his entire life.
"I was wrong. You can read my mind. I'm sorry."
Danny's expression was pinched in a frown. "Why the hell are you sorry?"
Steve gritted his teeth. Why was Danny torturing him like this? "You were right about what my face said. You're not gonna make me say it out loud, are you?" Steve didn't think he could do that, rip his heart out more than he already had.
Danny shook his head. "No, that's not what I was asking."
Steve looked up in confusion, and Danny grinned. Steve didn't know what he could find so amusing about this situation. "Wow, babe, you really can't read minds." His eyes sparkled as he let out a light laugh. "I'm in love with you, too."
It didn't take a mind reader to see that Danny was being sincere. Steve leaned across the table to kiss the wrinkles at the corner of Danny's left eye.
"Steve, what are you--"
"This is what I was thinking earlier. That I wanted to kiss you there..." He switched over to the corner of Danny's other eye "and here..." He licked his own lips and stared down at Danny's. "On that gorgeous mouth of yours..." He leaned down to kiss Danny's lips, drawing away with a smile when Danny moaned against his mouth. "And everywhere else," he finished.
Danny looked even more amazing with flushed cheeks and slightly parted lips. He raised his eyebrows and gave Steve a heated gaze before he picked up one of the two chicken wings he had left. "You know, it's a good thing we're almost done here. I'm pretty sure if you want to kiss me everywhere, we should be somewhere other than a restaurant." Danny grinned and let his tongue trail over the sauce that had dripped onto his index finger before he ate the wing, gazing right at Steve the entire time.
Steve gulped and crossed his legs under the table. He picked up his last chicken wing, determined to finish his meal and his drink quickly so that he could take Danny back home and kiss him all over.
Danny and Steve were out eating wings the day after they closed the case, and Danny brought up their conversation from the previous day.
"See," he said, gesturing with the chicken wing in his hand. "I knew you wanted to get wings, babe."
Steve shook his head with a smile. "The wings thing is more of a thing you made happen. You brought it up, and I haven't had any in a while, so I thought that sounded good."
Danny chuckled. "But it's not just the wings. I know you inside and out, backwards and forwards. And I can always read your mind."
Steve sighed. "C'mon, Danno, you can't always read anyone's mind, no matter how well you know them." He took a sip of the soda he was having with his wings and tried not to think about the things he hid from his partner, which were few in number but very crucial.
Danny put the wing back in his basket and leaned forward with a smirk. "Yes, I can. All I have to do is look at your face, and I know exactly what you're thinking."
Steve leaned a fraction closer to Danny, preparing for a challenge. "Oh, yeah? Tell me what I'm thinking right now."
Steve let his mind wander more than he normally would, feeling confident that Danny wouldn't be able to read this particular thought. After all, it had been almost seven years, and he hadn't yet. Steve stared into Danny's eyes and thought that Danny was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his entire life. He thought that Danny's blue eyes must be even more gorgeous when he woke up in the mornings, especially if he woke up in Steve's bed and looked at him with soft, tired affection. He thought that if things were different between them, he would lean forward just a few more inches to kiss the wrinkles at the edges of Danny's eyes. Or maybe he would start with Danny's lips, which were curved up in a tempting fashion. Steve forced himself to not gaze at Danny's lips and quirked his own in a fond smile.
"Well, Danno? Did I stump you?"
Danny blinked as if he were coming out of some kind of trance. "I, uh, yeah, I guess so."
Steve grinned. Danny was so adorable when he was confused. "But I thought you knew everything about me?"
"Almost everything. I mean, I know aneurysm face, sad face, happy face, and hungry for wings face, but that particular face I've never been able to figure out." He laughed to himself. "I mean, if I didn't know better, I would swear that was your in love face."
Steve clenched his mouth shut and white-knuckled the edge of the restaurant table. Fuck, he does know me too well.
Before he had a chance to hide his reaction, Danny looked up again, and his eyes widened with shock. "Steven, why do you look scared shitless right now?"
Because I am! Steve choked out a weak, pitiful laugh and gazed fixedly at the wood grain on the table. "Scared? I'm fine, Danny."
"Then why won't you look at me right now?"
Steve wanted more than anything to run away at that moment. But that would prove Danny's point. So, instead he sat frozen like a statue, more terrified than he had ever been in his life. He was more frightened of this than he had been when he tried to play his guitar in front of an entire school at his tenth grade talent show, than he had been when he had been captured and tortured by Wo Fat or terrorists, more than he had been when he was bleeding out on that plane after getting shot. All of that was small potatoes compared to the fear he felt now that he couldn't safeguard this secret from Danny. This is what it must be like for Danny to be sealed in a tight box, Steve thought. Steve felt like he couldn't breathe.
He could hear Danny sigh, and he startled when Danny's hand covered his own. Steve bit his his bottom lip to contain a sob. Did Danny really have to touch him that way right before he told him there was no hope?
"Steve, look up at me." His voice sounded firm, but not angry.
Steve looked up, and saw Danny's eyes were filled with compassion and concern and thankfully not outrage or disgust. Steve inhaled a deep breath, summoning more courage than he ever had in his entire life.
"I was wrong. You can read my mind. I'm sorry."