Chapter Text
Danny sighed as he heard the last call for his flight to New Jersey. He needed to get Steve to let go of him if he was going to make his flight.
For some reason, Steve had volunteered to drive him to the airport this time. He had been doing a lot of subtle things like that lately, like when his sister Bridget visited and Steve offered to pick him up from the hotel. Almost as if he was being some kind of old-fashioned gentleman trying to court Danny by “chauffeuring” him around everywhere. Which was a bit strange, because if Steve's version of trying to woo someone involved driving them places and not openly declaring his feelings, then he had been trying to court Danny going on seven years at that point.
Danny shook the thought out of his head. There was no way anyone could be that ridiculous, even Steve. People who pined for someone that long had to think it was hopeless. Danny knew from experience that it was, that someone wouldn't just wake up one day and suddenly feel the same way you did.
But it seemed a lot less hopeless with Steve clinging to him tightly, one hand placed between his shoulder blades and one hand pressed lower, on the middle of Danny's back. It wasn't quite as low as that guy, Spencer, had been touching Bridget, but the placement was still suggestive. Of course, Danny wasn't exactly extricating himself from Steve, and his own arms were wrapped around Steve's shoulders.
Danny sighed. He liked hugging Steve, and he had enjoyed doing it for much longer than they usually would. He didn't want to say this next part, but he had to.
“Babe, you're gonna have to let go, or I'll miss my flight.”
Steve dropped his arms and stepped away. He glanced down at Danny's suitcase, which Danny propped up so that he could wheel it forward, and then stared into Danny's eyes with a sad puppy dog expression.
Jesus Christ, how was he supposed to leave when Steve looked at him like that? “Steve, you know I'm coming back, right? I'm just being brought in to consult on this old case. I'll be back in a week, tops.”
Steve shook his head and shrugged, as if he was embarrassed about something. “I know. I just... I'm gonna miss you, is all.”
Danny didn't understand what was going on with Steve. Danny had left before on short trips to New Jersey, but Steve had seemed perfectly fine with it. Of course, until now, Steve had never actually dropped him off at the airport. Was it possible that this was how Steve always reacted to his departures?
Danny placed his hand on Steve's shoulder. The gesture seemed lacking and pathetic. With the way Steve was looking at him, the insane, irrational part of Danny was telling him to kiss Steve. Which was something Danny was definitely not going to do. He wouldn't jeopardize his friendship like that, and he certainly wouldn't just kiss Steve and leave without talking about it.
“I'm gonna miss you, too. But I'll be back before you know it, okay?”
Steve smiled a little, in that enigmatic way of his. It was the only expression in all of their years together that Danny had never been able to decipher, because the affection that it seemed to show was too much for how Steve probably felt about him.
Or, considering his recent behavior, maybe not. But Danny wouldn't be able to figure out until after this little trip. If he decided to broach the subject, it would require a long, in-person conversation.
“Alright. Bye, Danno.”
Danny plastered on a smile and removed his hand from Steve's shoulder. “Goodbye, Steve.” He turned around, making his way towards his gate and trying to ignore the sensation of Steve's stare burning against his back. When Danny came back home, he would try to determine what was going on with Steve. But for now, as he put his luggage into the overhead bin and settled into his seat with a book, Danny decided to focus on other things.