#Danny just catches Duke by himself and asks him not to tell.

[leafbracer98]

Everyone else: what is Red Robin doing out? Tim you have a cold!

Duke, who can see “Red Robin” glowing bright green: hey what the fu-

Short DPXDC Prompts #232

Danny starts as a low level intern in Wayne Industries and is very concerned when people keep referring to him as Tim and keep asking him to sign papers and attend meetings that aren’t remotely in his job description.

[caffeinatedvigilantewriter]

“And it’s an emergency?” Bruce asked her, brow furrowing in concern.

Dani tapped her foot. “Yes. I need to leave now.”

Bruce sighed. “I’ll contact our pilot, but I can’t guarantee that he be able to fly you to Illinois last minute.”

Dani smiled weakly, “Thanks Bruce.” She said as she walked out the door, running into Damian.

“Where are you going?” He demanded, Jerry the Turkey trailing behind him.

“There’s a family emergency I need to go to.” Dani explained, ruffling his hair, grinning when he squwaked and hit her hand away.

“When will you return?”

Dani hesitated, smiling fading, before she looked in Damian’s eye and forced a grin.

“That depends. But I’ll be back, you don’t need to worry.”

The study door opened, and Bruce poked his head out, phone in hand. “Dani, the plane will be ready right after dinner at the soonest. Where exactly are you going?”

“Amity Park, Illinois.”

~

Danielle’s ‘minor family emergency’ was a huge lie.

Damian saw her smile dim and her hands shake as she told him she would be back.

Danielle was in danger, he didn’t need Leauge training to be able to tell.

That dinner, Danielle’s suitcase and bag was right next to her chair as she ate, looking very distracted.

“Woah!” Duke yelped as he tripped over the bag, stabilizing himself on the wall. “What’s the bag for?”

“Sorry, I’m going to Illinois after dinner. Family emergency.” Dani sheepishly, kicked the bag under the table and out of the way, smiling apologetically at Duke.

“Family emergency? But I thought…” Duke trailed off awkwardly. He didn’t need to finish his sentence for everyone to know what he trying to say.

Dani shrugged but didn’t give them an answer.

Duke, Damian’s nd Bruce locked eyes with each other and shared a minuscule nod. They would be investigating in the cave that night.

“Ok, I’m heading out!” Dani said, giving each of them a hug that lasted longer than usual, as if she was leaving for the last time.

~

Dani’s flight was around 2 hours, and the only sound that was in The luxury cabin was the sound of her foot tapping.

She apologized to the pilot for the last minute notice, but he waved her off with a smile. Dani tipped him a couple hundred anyway.

The airfield was pretty far, so Dani called an ride to pick her up.

While she waited, she checked Danny’s message from this morning.

Prototype: Dani we need you in Amity

Protoype: The GIW are acting funny

“Tt. When is the car arriving?”

Dani froze, whipping her head around to see Damian holding a duffel bag and staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh-what? Damian?” Dani stammered in surprise, before she got angry. “Damian Thomas Wayne, why and how the hell are you here?”

Damian rolled his eyes. “I snuck on the plane and followed you, of course.”

Dani’s eye twitched and Damian got the feeling that this was a bad idea.

There was a long silence before Dani dragged him to the wall and whispered to him, “Damian, I have a reason for you guys not to come. A good reason. So you need to get a plane back to Gotham before it’s too late.”

Damian shook his head. “The pilots gone. And it is too late to catch another flight.”

Dani groaned, but was interrupted by her phone vibrating in her pocket.

She pulled it out and cursed as she read the message.

Dr.Jazz: Dani the GIW is closing down airports

Dr.Jazz: Nobody can get out or in

Dr.Jazz: are you here yet?

Fenton 2.0: I’m here

Fenton 2.0: with an unexpected guest

Her phone binged again, and she snapped her fingers to get Damian’s attention away from his phone- which he had pulled out when Jazz messaged her.

“Our ride is here.” She said curtly, picking up her bags and walking outside the terminal.

Dash Baxter was leaning against his car, searching the crowd. He caught sight of Dani and Damian, giving the younger girl a nod and the tween a raised eyebrow.

“You guys are lucky you got here when you did. The guys in white just closed everything down.” Dash said as he loaded their luggage into the back of his car.

Dani opened the backseat door and let Damian climb in before sitting down after him.

“What’s going on, Dash? Danny hasn’t been replying to my messages and Jazz is being extremely vague.”

Dash started the car and pulled into the freeway.

“Can’t go into detail. Too many cameras. We’re probably being followed.” Dash looked at Damon through the rewrite mirror. “Whos the tyke?”

“Damian. Damian Wayne.” Damian said as he wrinkled his nose.

“Dash Baxter. How’d you get caught up with the Waynes, Dani?”

“Bruce is fostering me. We just haven’t made an official announcement yet.”

Dash let out a whistle. “Nice. I won’t be able to drop you at the FentonWorks Lab, but Star and Paulina wanted to talk to you out anyway.”

Dash pulled into the park, and helped Dani and Damian with their bags before driving off.

There were GIW agents setting up cameras all around the park, in trees, lamp post, and they were even shoving warrants in the faces of home owners and setting cameras on their property.

Around 2/3 of the town was in the park, watching the GIW and talking in hushed tones. They all turned to stare at Dani and Damian as they walked through.

“Why are they stareing at you?” Damian asked, glaring at a boy his age, who squeaked and sprinted away.

“Because my family is rather well known.” Dani glanced at Damian. “And I have a Wayne with me.”

“Dani.”

They turned around to see two girls, one Latina dressed in pink and one blonde with large blue eyes.

“Paulina. Star. How’ve you been?” Dani smiled at them.

Star smiled at her, but it wasn’t real and plastic looking.

“I’m doing great. A little ghosty told me that the Fentons are waiting for you and Damian at the FentonWorks Lab.” Star eyed Damian with a curious eye and peered at Dani through her lashes.

“Don’t you think it’ll be to dangerous for the kid?” Paulina asked, ignoring the way Damian bristled at being called a kid.

Dani’s eye sharperned as she places a hand on Damian’s shoulder. “We have no choice. The GIW closed down the airport. He’ll have to learn how to survive.”

The girls faltered.

“W-what? But my dad is in New York! He..” Paulina stammered, and Star was at her side in a second, comforting her.

Dani and Damian walked away, Danis hand still on his shoulder.

They walked for some time in silence, until Dani stopped them and pointed at a GIW agent.

“Wanna help?” At Damian’s nod she smirked and continued. “Let’s put your training to good use. What do you think they’re doing?”

“You knew?” Damian asked her.

“You guys aren’t the only vigilantes in my family.”

Damian nodded and turned away from her, observing the agents in white.

“They’re setting up cameras. And cold sensors.”

Dani’s lips twisted into a small smile. “The GIW are officially called the Ghost Investigation Ward, but we call them the Guys in White.”

Damian raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize there were other ghosts.”

Dani’s eyes flashed green as she grinned.

“Well, Damian, you have a lot to learn. But yes, there are other ghosts.”

Damain nodeded and glanced back toward the Agents.

“Tt. If they investigate ghosts, why are they barricading the town?”

Dani’s face darkened and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Damian, there’s a lot I don’t know. But I can tell you this:”

She whispered her next few words.

“It’s about to go from bad to worse. Brace yourself.”

[aealzx]

_______________________

Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous Next

_______________________

Despite not being comatose anymore, Danny’s health still wasn’t the greatest. After getting introductions for who everyone was they had started to explain to him what had happened. Only for him to fall asleep again before they got very far. After being assured by Bruce and Leslie that it was normal for those who had been in a coma to not be able to stay awake very long in the beginning, the others had found ways to entertain themselves while letting him rest more. When he woke up again hours later they let him orient himself again before trying to pick up where they’d left off. They had to repeat the same sequence again two more times before they got through the entire two months worth of events.

The hardest part of catching Danny up on everything had been admitting they didn’t know what had happened to Maddie and Jack. During the third time of being awake Danny had asked where they were, being confused why they hadn’t shown up to see him yet despite everything. And when Jazz had finally admitted it was because they weren’t there, and they didn’t even know if they were okay, Danny had panicked slightly. If he’d been in better health Jazz knew she wouldn’t have been able to stop him from running out into the city to try and find them himself. Yet at this point he couldn’t even push himself upright without help, and changing forms or even floating seemed impossible. Which had left him collapsed in Jazz’s lap, sobbing, “You don’t get it, Jazz! None of this matters at ALL if the people I care about aren’t alive! That includes mom and dad! None of this matters if they’re not okay too!”

Jazz knew that Danny really only fought to keep certain people happy. He’d protect everyone, sure. But the reason he kept going, the only real motivation he had for throwing himself in harm's way all the time, was to protect his friends and family. He did a lot of crazy heroic things, but he didn’t want to be some big time famous hero like she had learned Batman and Superman were. It was hard to not be able to tell him that he hadn’t failed. Only Sam, Tucker, and Danielle had been able to get him to calm down by reminding him how resilient Jack and Maddie were. Despite all the fights they got in, it was very rare that those two got hurt. So odds were they were still just fine after this disaster too. It had been enough to calm him down at least enough to stop crying, and allow himself to rest more. But his words still rang in Jazz’s head the next day.

Throughout the days Leslie was present more, checking Danny’s vitals, drawing a little more blood for another panel, bringing him room temperature water to sip in the afternoon. She strangely didn’t try to get Danny to eat anything until the next day. When Jazz asked about it Leslie had explained that while Danny definitely needed to eat again, there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to handle it just yet. While the cryo stasis had helped him not deteriorate as much as anyone else would have over a two month coma, he still had. He was underweight, malnourished, and easily fatigued. And that included his digestive system. She tried to help by giving Danny another vitamin IV with a slightly different formula. But even with that the first time she’d let him try eating two plain crackers he’d ended up throwing up less than an hour later.

That was when Bruce happened to come check on them. With the biggest hurdles for now having been taken care of, most of his kids had gone back to their own homes, as they usually did. It was hard to keep them around for more than a few days, and while there was still the task of getting these displaced kids back home they all knew that could wait until Danny was feeling better. Especially after learning through bits and pieces of information that there was a government team back there that would just love to hunt him down the first chance they got. So with Duke and Damian currently at school that left the house rather empty, and Bruce found himself taking charge of checking on their visitors. He had learned a lot about them in the past two days. The kids were obviously used to helping patch Danny back up, without the help of any adults. But they still relied on Danny being okay to feel secure. Danny was the one that protected them. Danny was the one they relied on being okay to judge whether or not everything else was okay. When Danny was cracking jokes the others were at ease. But when Danny couldn’t force himself to reassure them, there was a harsh spike in their anxiety. And usually Jazz was the one that took charge, trying to keep them all calm and reassured.

It was an unfair, but understandable situation that didn’t allow for Danny to truly rest. And that was what motivated Bruce to enter the room and approach the kids this time, stopping by the connected bathroom to grab a soft towel first. Jazz was once again the only one sitting on the bed while the other three hovered nearby, waiting to be directed. Her hands were on Danny’s back and arm as he was curled over the bucket Leslie had made sure was left just in case, coughing and half heaving despite there being nothing left in his stomach. Bruce couldn’t imagine how much stress it must be to have an audience, so decided the first thing he’d do would be to get the others to disperse. When he raised his hand to Tucker’s shoulder he couldn’t blame Tucker for jumping in startle.

“D’dude! You scared me,” Tucker protested shakily.

“He’ll be alright,” Bruce chose to assure instead of apologizing for inevitably sneaking up on the kids. “Can you three go work with Alfred to find a change of clothes and bedding?”

The three almost jumped on being given something to do, a series of affirmatives before they scurried from the room. Bruce sent Alfred a text to request he keep the three of them occupied for a while then knelt down next to the bed and offered the towel to Danny. It seemed his stomach had decided to stop throwing a fit for now, and as Danny took the towel and buried his face in it Bruce relocated the bucket to the nightstand. He didn’t need to wipe his entire face, but from that angle Bruce hadn’t missed the tears, and realized Danny was hiding.

“Jazz, can you join the others?” Bruce requested on Danny’s behalf. “And find Leslie to help waterproof his injuries so he can have a bath?” Not only would that give Danny some time away from the others, but he actually really needed one too. A fact Bruce realized when he’d reached up to help pull Danny’s hair out of his face. He’d probably feel a little better after getting fully cleaned up for once too.

Jazz seemed reluctant to leave, but at least seemed to know when her presence was a detriment more than comfort. She knew her brother well, and after leaning down to give Danny a peck on the head and whisper a quick ‘I love you’ she headed out the door.

“...Am I even allowed to have a bath?” Danny’s question came after he was sure Jazz was gone, raising his head and looking and sounding as miserable and pathetic as he probably felt.

“Of course you are,” Bruce assured, using his thumb to brush away another tear that escaped when Danny blinked. “We’ll just have to waterproof your injuries and IV site. But then you should be fine to take one for as long as you want.”

“...Really?”

“Yes.”

The idea of getting some time to himself was welcomed, but after realizing what he was thinking Danny’s expression crumpled again, and Bruce had to raise a little to catch him as we swayed. He was a little surprised when Danny actually curled into him then, his form shaking.

“Sorry,” Danny whimpered, and Bruce couldn’t keep himself from gathering the boy up in a tight hug. “...I’m not okay.”

That sounded like it had been incredibly hard to say, and Bruce had to wonder if it was something someone had been working on with him. He’d heard from Jason that it was relatively recent that Danny’s parents even knew what he was, let alone what he’d been going through. Perhaps one of them had been the one to talk him into letting them know when he wasn’t doing well.

“...I know,” Bruce responded quietly as he moved to sit on the bed and pull Danny into a ball. Everyone knew Danny wasn’t doing well physically. But Bruce knew he wasn’t just talking about that part of his health this time. “You’re going to be okay though.”

It felt good to be held by someone he didn’t have to protect. Someone that he didn’t have to pretend he knew what he was doing for. Act like he was just fine and nothing fazed him. It had been something he had just started getting after his parents got involved with all aspects of his life, and he hadn’t realized how much he would miss it until they weren’t there to give him that comfort. Jazz had a habit of calling out the fact that he was just a kid, but she was too, and couldn’t quite give him what he needed. But Bruce was an adult. And someone who seemed to have also lived through similar injuries. Hearing him say he’d be alright felt like a stated fact instead of just a confident reassurance.

It didn’t take long for Leslie to arrive and expertly shoo Jazz away again to help Alfred with the others. She wasn’t surprised at all to hear that Danny had thrown up, and instead just assured him he was going to be okay, and to think of it like having the stomach flu. The comparison did wonders in helping Danny calm down more, to the point he was only sniffling quietly as she took care of dressing his wounds in a waterproof covering.

“Don’t scrub too hard on the edges of the bandages when you’re washing up, okay?” Leslie directed while rubbing the said edges of the last bandage she was placing around his arm to encase the temporarily detached IV. She’d taken some time to clean the sites that would be covered so Danny would be able to feel completely clean after his bath, and was pleased to see he was healing a lot faster now that he wasn’t in some sort of stasis mode. She wouldn’t be surprised if his wounds were completely healed by the end of next week at this rate.

Danny gave a small hum in acknowledgement, understanding that he couldn’t break the seal if the bandages were going to work properly. The desire for an actual bath was strong enough that he was willing to comply with their conditions, even if it meant he had to have Bruce in the bathroom with him, just in case. It made sense considering he couldn’t go to the toilet on his own just yet, but at least Bruce had promised to stay facing towards the door as long as he could. He also had his phone with him to work on his own projects, so wouldn’t even try to get Danny to talk to him.

It was exhausting, but Danny also didn’t realize just how much it would feel good to be clean. To not have his scalp itch, and skin feel like a layer of grime was coating it. And also just to lounge in the warm water, in the silence and almost complete isolation. He was there for a little over an hour - dang fancy rich people's tubs and their ability to keep the water just right - before it became uncomfortably apparent he wasn’t just imagining the aching starting to get worse. Which led him to reluctantly using his foot to nudge the plug out to allow the water to drain and reaching out to knock his hand against Bruce’s shoulder.

“Done already?” Bruce asked easily, glancing over his shoulder halfway.

“Morphine is wearing off,” Danny admitted with a grimace, resting against the side of the tub.

“Ah,” Bruce nodded in unfortunate complete understanding, turning his phone screen off and tucking it into his pocket while grabbing the towel and soft robe to hand to Danny. “Let me know if you need help.”

Danny hummed once again to acknowledge what was said, but stubbornly took care of at least getting the bathrobe on himself on his own once the water had drained. Unfortunately he had to ask for help to get out of the tub, still too weak to lift himself up or stand. But Bruce didn’t react differently towards this than if Danny had simply asked for help opening a jar or something. It was nice.

Alfred had already brought a pair of soft pajama pants and fluffy socks when he’d returned to change the bedding as well. And once Danny was dressed Bruce had carried him back to the edge of the bed where Leslie could double check that the bandages had worked, get the IV reattached and another dose of morphine going. He found he was so worn out from the simple task, but also found that once the morphine did its job taking away the aches and pain he did feel a lot better than before. Enough that Duke pausing in the doorway while returning home from school didn’t make him feel too wary.

“Oh- First post injury bath?” Duke asked, pointing a finger at Danny as he noticed the bathrobe on the bed and Danny’s still damp hair. When Bruce nodded, Duke grinned. “Nice! Those always feel amazing somehow. You should take him to the couch next.”

“The couch?” Danny couldn’t help asking. Was it just the family room couch or something different?

“In the study. It’s quiet in there, and being stuck in bed sucks,” Duke explained. “I bet he was actually already planning on taking you there. After living here I came to find out Bruce is actually really good at helping people feel better. Even though he’s not perfect, no one is, he still makes a nice dad-”

“Duke,” Bruce interrupted, a slight scowl hiding his embarrassment. “Make sure you have enough time to finish your homework before patrol.”

Other people may have been put off by the glower, but Duke just laughed. “Sure sure. I’ll meet you in the study?”

It took Danny a moment to realize Duke was talking to him, and couldn’t keep his shoulders from drooping. He didn’t really want to entertain people yet, he was already feeling physically drained on top of emotionally.

Surprisingly Duke picked up on the mood easily. “I’ll keep quiet. Promise. But trust me when I say it’s really nice,” he offered, easily picking up Danny’s anti-social vibes.

“...Sure. We can try,” Danny accepted, figuring he could at least attempt the idea since Duke didn’t seem to want to spend the time talking.

It was just a few more minutes for Leslie to finish giving him another routine checkup and add an anti nausea patch behind his ear before allowing Bruce to pick him up again. Danny inevitably felt tiny as Bruce was able to carry him with just one arm, leaving the other free to bring the IV pole with them. But he found he didn’t mind. It had only been two days of him being awake in that bedroom, but Danny found getting to leave the room was nice. The study was quite a ways down the hall, and when they reached it Alfred was already there.

“I’ve provided the usual snacks for Master Duke and Master Damian. There’s also a thermos of warm broth that Dr. Thompkins has approved for Master Danny to try if he’s up for it. I will continue to keep the rest of the children occupied until supper,” Alfred informed, bringing their attention to the mentioned food on the low table in front of the very plush couch.

“Thank you Alfred,” Bruce responded simply, heading further in the room to get settled.

There was a fire crackling gently in the fireplace, keeping the room pleasantly warm despite the autumn chill outside. There was already a slight frost on the windows, but the glass was the only thing that reflected that cold. All the colors of the room were warm, and the faux fur blanket Bruce grabbed to help bundle Danny up in only increased the cozy feeling the room had. It was quiet, as Duke had said, and comfortable. Even when Duke and Damian joined them to work on their homework they rarely spoke. And when they did it was in low voices, and to each other about their homework or school day.

Danny had accepted being brought there with the thought that he’d have to end up asking to go back to the bedroom later. But after having spent some time quietly looking around the room his gaze had settled on watching the fire. And slowly the crackle of the wood, soft scratch of pens and pencils, rustling of paper and quiet taps of technology muddled into a soft haze. Eventually Danny’s eyes drooped closed as the soft sounds and comforting warmth became a lullaby coaxing him to sleep. 

Duke was right. The couch was pretty nice.

_____________

This entire chapter was unplanned X'DD but I ain't complaining.

Bruce was as hard to draw as Dick was 8 | my art style is too cute coded for these rugged american comic characters.

Also I am extremely distracted translating a manga that not available in english just so I can know the story |D updates might be a little slower.

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Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep, @paranoid-ira

[clockwayswrites]

Rumors of a Prince - p1

“You could always ask Jason to pay her a visit,” Dick said from where he was lounging, mostly upside down, on the couch in Bruce’s study.

Bruce frowned at him. “I am not going to have Jason kill Vickie Vale.”

“Hey, you’re the one who said kill!” Dick held his hands up or, rather, given his position, down. “I just meant puts some fear into her. Maybe kidnap her for a few days so that she can’t write any more libel.”

Bruce found himself smiling, slightly and against his better judgment. It faded away when he looked back at his laptop. “At least in this case, it wouldn’t do much good. The stories is already out there and unfortunately, Vale’s take on it has captured the public’s attention.”

“Tim knows… and Babs.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“And if those two know, Steph knows. If Steph knows, she’s ranted to Cass.”

“Yes.” This family was impossible to keep things secret in.

“Welp,” Dick said and swung himself to be sitting up normally— or as normally as Dick ever sat. “Then I guess we better tell the others. How do you want to divide this?”

Bruce was grateful that Dick was willing to be his partner in this. “You would be best to take Jason. I’ll speak with Damian. Either of us can catch Duke when he returns from his patrol.”

Dick nodded. “And Thomas?”

“I think perhaps it would be best to have as much of the family in the manor as possible,” Bruce said after a moment. “If he destabilizes, I want him to know that we are around and that he is still safe.”

“Alright.” Dick slapped his knees once and stood. “I’ll drag Jason back then. You know he’ll come if it’s for Tom.”

“Make sure he reads the article before he comes over.”

Dick grimaced. “Yeah. Yeah, that would be best. I’m going to bring some food too. Good luck convincing Dami that he can’t go and stab Vickie Vale.”

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Dick chirped as he left for his task.

Bruce dropped his hand.

‘Gotham’s Pale Prince’ stared back at him from the screen.

---

AN: I'm actually surprised this one won the poll! But here we are. I don't expect this will be long.

For those who haven't read 'Shadow of a Bat' well, 1- do, I think it's my best fic. 2- Danny = Thomas and he's more ghostly than not.

Stay delightful darlings!

[sendryl]

Flufftober Day 4 - Market Day

Duke told Jason that he could handle this. He swore he’d got it. There’s no way that he can call Jason for help now, not if he ever wants the man to trust him again.

He’s just going to have to figure this out himself.

Now if Boogle would just tell him how to tell if this damn avocado is ripe!

Jason will kill Duke if he brings him unripe produce! Curse him and his desire for healthy food when he can’t go get it himself. Duke would never be at a market on his day off otherwise.

Duke steps forward to try to better see his screen in the sun, but he steps right into a puddle of water hiding beneath the stall.

“Eugh!” He says, stepping quickly backward to try to save his sock.

He trips over something behind him.

Duke flails wildly to try to keep from falling, but he’s a lost cause, and his phone goes flying out of his hand as the stall fades from view, replaced by the blue of the sky.

So. This is how he dies. Ignobly and at the goddamn farmer’s market.

He always knew it would end this way.

“Hey!” There’s a sudden deep shout, and Duke would sympathize with the person’s shock, but he’s a little busy considering his impending death.

Then his head connects with something soft, and someone wraps their arms tight around his shoulders, and Duke’s saved from dashing his head against the pavement. He hangs there for a moment, stunned, before his mortification catches up to him and his face grows hot with embarrassment.

“I’m so sorry,” he yelps, scrambling to get his feet beneath himself, realizing he’s probably going to drag the person who caught him down if he keeps struggling, but not quite able to stop himself.

But the person doesn’t budge. Instead they make a little sound and lift Duke to his feet in one smooth movement. Duke’s not exactly small, so he’s a little shocked.

“There ya go,” the person says, and when Duke looks over at them, he’s met with the sight of a man’s chest, muscles straining against a deep blue v-neck. His eyes slowly raise up to see a cocky smirk growing across a gorgeous face, long black hair framing bright blue eyes. “Well, hello there,” the man says. “I’m Danny, and you are?”

“Duke,” Duke manages to say, his voice small and mortified. “I’m sorry I fell on you.”

“I’m not.” Danny says with a wink, and Duke can feel his cheeks heat even more. “Not every day a handsome stranger falls for you.”

Duke manages to laugh a little at that line, and Danny gives him a real smile.

“Does that ever work for you?” He asks, smiling back.

Danny shrugs, “First time for everything.”

Danny holds out his hand, and for a moment Duke thinks he’s going for a handshake, even though they already introduced themselves. Then he sees what’s in Danny’s hand.

“My phone!” He gasps, taking it back from Danny. “Thank y– wait. How’d you catch my phone and me?”

Danny’s grin widens. “I’m very dextrous.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

Duke rolls his eyes, unable to keep from smiling. “That line was even worse.”

Danny laughs, running a hand through his long hair. “Sorry, you’re just very cute. I gotta shoot my shot, you know?”

Duke just shakes his head as he puts his phone away, looking to the ground to see if he managed to drop anything else.

…

There’s a coffee cup on the ground. And coffee splattered all over Danny’s jeans.

“...Did you drop your coffee to catch me?” Duke asks.

“Yep,” Danny says, unconcerned. “Worth it.”

Duke puts his head in his hands and rubs his eyes. “I am so sorry, Danny.”

“Eh, no harm, no foul,” Danny says, and when Duke peeks over his hands, the man looks entirely unbothered.

And. Well. He’s already been flirting with Duke, quite blatantly. There’s no harm in seeing what could happen, is there?

“I could make it up to you?” Duke offers, and it’s worth it just for the way Danny’s eyes light up.

“Wait, really?” He asks, his smile wide and happy, crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Yes! That sounds great!”

Danny steps back and offers Duke a hand, and Duke takes it.

[millylotus]

“You Taunt Me, I Chase You” “You Catch Me, Then Let Me Go” They Do It Again The Next Day

Bat x Cat

Catwoman has a Kitten following her around, and that Kitten just so happens to like messing around with Batman's Sunshine Birdy.

Maddie and Jack decide that Danny is spreading himself too thin between school and dealing with Ghosts and the GIW, also the excessive bullying is not helping at all. So they decide to send him to live in Gotham with Jack's cousin Selina Kyle. Danny's not extremely happy about this arrangement, but at least Jazz is going to Gotham University, and Sam and Tucker promise to visit during breaks. Selina is unsurprisingly, really cool and it gets even better when she's fine with the whole half-dead thing Danny has going on. One night Danny catches her coming back from a hunt and begs her to take him with her. After a few weeks of training Danny takes his first night on the town, and immediately bumps into Signal, who he may or may not have called hot once.

CLASS SCHEDULES

BOTH

BLOCK 1 | MR.LOGGE - Algebra 2 Teacher : Riko

BLOCK 5 | MRS.WILLIAMS - Spanish 3 Teacher  : Darcy

BLOCK 6 | MR.LE'STROD - P.E. Coach : Izzy, Troy, Dre

DUKE

BLOCK 2 | MS.KITSON - CP Physics Teacher : Izzy

BLOCK 3 | MRS.O'BRIAN - AP US history Teacher : Dre

BLOCK 4 | MR.CHAKRABORTY - AP English Teacher : N/A

DANNY

BLOCK 2 | MX.REAGAN - US history Teacher : N/A

BLOCK 3 | MX.LERROY JENKINS - AP Chemistry Teacher : Darcy

BLOCK 4 | MS.CHAU - English 3 Teacher : Troy

Jack and Selina are cousins on their moms’ side, they're parents were siblings, Selina's mom drifted away from the family.

They’ve never really talked to each other beyond a family gathering or two

Jack is vaguely aware that Selina isn’t really on the right side of the law, but who’s he to judge The Fenton family has never really been on “The Right Side” of the law

But Selina is surprised when she gets a call from Jack asking her to watch out for his daughter who’s going to Gotham U that year

And even more surprised when he calls her a week later asking if she could take care of his son while he stays in Gotham

Selina ends up agreeing but is definitely scepticall

[AN: The script kinda cuts off at the end so warning]

FIRST MEETING - DUSK

The sun is setting and DUKE has had a long day of patrolling Gotham under the sunlight.

DUKE sighs as he stretches near the ledge of a building, they need to get back to cave soon, do some homework, sleep. God Sleep would be wonderful.

DUKE’S shine golden for a second, and the vigilante moves quickly to the side baton up and ready to strike the person who’d attempted to attack him.

DANNY :

Whoa, okay no sneaking up on you then.

DUKE stared at the other boy. He wore a cowl that looked exactly like SELINA’S, the same with the rest of his outfit. Although it was accented with a more neon green then SELINA’S dark emerald green.

DUKE :

Who are you

DANNY :

What you can’t tell, I think it’s pretty obvious

His voice was light and teasing, he flexed his hands and claws popped out of his fingers.

DUKE :

Some wannabe Catwoman fanboy.

DUKE says sarcastically. The Catboy made an offended sound similar to a hiss even.

DANNY :

I’m not a wannabe!

The Catboy grumbled before calming himself.

DANNY :

I’m actually working with Catwoman I’ll have you know. I’m her apprentice.

DUKE :

(Sarcastically)

Oh really, so she’s just got you up here talking to me for no reason?

The Catboy grinned, DUKE did not like that one bit.

DANNY :

I actually do have purpose for being here.

DUKE immediately started looking around the area, and spotted SELINA crouching a few buildings away with a duffle bag over her shoulder and one next to her.

DANNY :

As a distraction

The Catboy kicks DUKE in the chest when he isn’t looking. Quickly moving away from the vigilante now on the ground.

DANNY :

By the way, the names Kitten, nice meeting you Babe

KITTEN runs quickly over to SELINA and takes the duffle bag next to her, he turns back and waves tauntingly at DUKE, sticking his tongue out at him.

The two Cats run off into the distance.

DUKE :

(Frustrated/Annoyed)

Oh mother fucker

BRUCE is so going to scold him for letting that happen and, DUKE just knows his siblings are going to endlessly tease him about KITTEN.

The Vigilante gets up and begins his way back to the Batcave.

SCENE TWO - CONTINUOUS

SELINA  and DANNY return to SELINA’S apartment through the window. DANNY collapse on the couch, surprising the cats, SAPPHIRE, a blue eyed fluffy white cat, jumps on top of DANNY’S back. DANNY groans.

SELINA picks up SEKHMET, a dark grey Lykoi cat with big ears.

SELINA :

Hello my baby, did you miss you mama?

SEKHMET meows at SELINA happily.

SELINA :

Hon could you got put our hunt away please.

DANNY groans loudly but gets up and moves the duffle bags into SELINA’S bedroom then behind the secret bed door into the vault room. He began to pull out the jewelry from the duffle bags, laying them out carefully on top.

As he works SELINA walks in, holding SEKHMET and with SAPPHIRE following and winding between her legs.

SELINA :

So... How was your little chat with Signal

DANNY :

Pretty normal I guess, he’s jumpier than I thought he’d be

SELINA :

(Teasing)

Didn’t I warn you about that

DANNY :

(Mumbling)

Maybe

SELINA laughs, and DANNY grumbles.

SELINA :

Notice anything... nice?

DANNY’S face flushes.

DANNY :

Nope, nah, everything was just normal!

SELINA :

Oh really

DANNY :

Yupyup, oh would you look at that! Finished laying out the jewels, better got to sleep!

DANNY gets up and walks stiffly out of the vault blushing aggressively. SELINA smirks playfully.

DANNY :

As you said Auntie sleep is important!

SELINA :

It’s alright if you think he’s pretty Danny! I’ll put in a good word with Bats for you!

SELINA yells after DANNY as he retreats to his bedroom.

DANNY :

Goodnight Selina!

SELINA :

Who knows, maybe I’ll have a nephew-in-law by the time you graduate!

DANNY slams the door behind him as SELINA cackles.

I DON’T HAVE A CAT THING! - CONTINUOUS

DUKE drives back into the Batcave, propping up his bike on its kickstand, pulling off his helmet. He dejectedly walks over to lockers where TIM is still getting ready to go out.

TIM :

So how was patrol?

DUKE groans loudy, hitting his head against the locker.

TIM :

Damn that bad?

DUKE lifts his head and nods.

DUKE :

Catwoman has an apprentice now.

TIM pause and stares at DUKE in shock.

TIM :

Bullshit.

DUKE :

He calls himself Kitten and he’s a fucking asshole

TIM raises an eyebrow

TIM :

An asshole you saw? What was he like?

DUKE :

Checky, he got me distracted long enough for Selina to steal like a third of the Jewels on Rock Street. Then he kicked me and then just ran off, can you believe that!

TIM grins, as DUKE rants about KITTEN not paying attention to his brother.

TIM :

Uh huh, what else?

DUKE :

He had this stupid smile and was all snarky and he looked sooo proud of himself for getting one over me. Then he called be “Babe '' before he ran, and just AUGH!

TIM smiles widens.

TIM :

Oh you’re down bad.

DUKE :

What?

TIM turns away from DUKE and to the rest of the cave.

TIM :

Selina’s got a kid and Duke has a crush on him!!!

DUKE’S face morphs into betrayal and he tackles TIM who’s laughing.

The others in the cave start yelling about the whole situation.

JASON :

What!

DICK :

Say sike right now!

STEPH :

Furry!

DAMIAN :

Thomas your standards!

BRUCE :

Selina has a what now!

DUKE whines and lets go of TIM. TIM gets up and drags DUKE to the center platform of the Batcave at the Batcomputer.

TIM :

I got him!

The others had gathered in the central platform, half dressed for patrol.

BRUCE :

Duke, could you explain please?

DUKE stands up properly and walks over to the Batcomputer and attaches his cam footage to it.

DUKE :

I was getting ready to finish up my last round of patrol when Kitten tried to jump me.

DUKE forwards the footage to the moment, pausing on a clear from of KITTEN’S face.

DUKE :

He said something dumb, I called him a “wannabe Catwoman fanboy” he got offended and said he’s Catwoman’s apprentice. I ask him what he’s doing, I realize he’s a distraction, next thing I know I’m on the ground and he and Selina are gone.

As DUKE speaks he fast-forwards through the footage to the last clear frame of KITTEN and SELINA running off.

CASS “SIGNING” :

Did he just call you Babe?

DUKE :

That is completely unimportant

TIM :

Oh I think it’s important

TIM slips past DUKE and rewinds setting the footage to it’s proper speed.

DIGITAL DANNY :

By the way, the names Kitten, nice meeting you Babe

JASON :

Damn Duke, didn’t know you’d be the one to inherit B’s cat thing

DUKE :

I do not have a “Cat Thing”!

DICK :

Keep lying to yourself Tommy, we all know how that ended for Bruce

BRUCE :

I don’t have a “Cat Thing”

DAMIAN :

Father don’t lie, you’re not very good at it

STEPH :

Ten bucks says we find them somewhere they shouldn’t be in two weeks.

CASS :

I say four, deal

DUKE :

Stop betting on my relationship with the Catboy!

CASS “SIGNING” :

When did we ever say we were talking about you and Kitten?

STEPH :

Thinking about your Catboy that much ‘ey Tommy?

The rest of the sibling begin to laugh and DUKE groans in annoyance. BRUCE pats his son’s shoulder in condolences.

BRUCE :

(Teasing)

It’s alright, just remember to clean your clothes regularly, cat hair is difficult to get out of Kevlar.

DUKE looks up at BRUCE in both disgust and betrayal. Before stomping away to the lockers

DUKE :

I hate you all!

The rest of the family laugh as he leaves.

SO GOTHAM’S A BIT WEIRD? - THE NEXT DAY/MORNING

DANNY stands outside of Middletown High staring up at it’s front building before sighing and making his way inside. There aren't that many people, just the front desk lady MS.CARTER. DANNY walks up to her.

DANNY :

Uh Hi,

MS.CARTER :

Hello

DANNY :

I’m, I’m the new student. Or like one of the new students I’m not sure.

(Awkward Laugh)

MS.CARTER :

(Sigh)

Alright, what’s you’re name?

DANNY :

Daniel Fenton.

MS.CARTER opens the filing cabinet under her desk. Moving some things around before pulling out a small folder.

MS.CARTER :

It’s a gold day so you have 1st 2nd and 2rd block today. Tomorrow is a gray day when you’ll have your last three blocks.

MS.CARTER hands DANNY his schedule and a school planner, DANNY stares at his schedule, reading through everything.

MS.CARTER :

Since you’re an Outsider you’ll have to attended the safety seminars, and read through this pamphlet.

MS.CARTER pulls out the procedure pamphlets.

MS.CARTER :

How long have you been living in Gotham?

DANNY :

About five weeks now, why?

MS.CARTER :

Did you get all your vaccines for Gotham specific aliments?

DANNY :

Yup, I got the Ivy ones, the smaller doses for the Fear gasses. Much smaller ones for the Laughing gasses. Bunch of the other I can’t name.

MS.CARTER :

You’ll want to know their names, understand.

MS.CARTER gives DANNY another pamphlet.

MS.CARTER :

This has everything you’ll need to know about the vaccine you could need and even some you might not.

DANNY :

Is that everything I’ll need to know?

MS.CARTER :

If need be you can change your schedule within the next few days, but you won’t have much freedom with it considering that you came in later in the school year.

MS.CARTER :

Also your first class is on the second floor in the green hallway. And your locker and password are on your schedule.

DANNY :

Okay, thank you Ma’am!

DANNY leaves the front desk area and goes through the door into the school. Nobody was there either, which was great for him, he didn’t want to bother having to deal with new people.

NEW CLASSMATE, WHO DIS? - CONTINUOUS

DANNY sits near the back of the classroom. The Algebra 2 teacher MR.LOGGE had put him in one of the empty seats once they got to school and opened up the classroom. A few other kids are already in the classroom and more are in the hallway outside. DANNY had found his locker, and after struggling for a while he got it open and stored his things.

People start to file in talking to each other, the bell rings and the class quiets down. MR.LOGGE stands up at the front of the classroom.

MR.LOGGE :

Good morning class, hope you’re all doing well. We just got back from fall break so lets do some introductions. Everyone up and around the room please.

The class moves and everyone stands back to the walls.

MR.LOGGE :

Your name and pronouns, favorite movie, and favorite food. Who wants to volunteer?

No one says anything

MR.LOGGE :

Alright, volun-told then

He pointed to a short Asian girl by one of the windows.

MR.LOGGE :

How bout we start with you

The girl sighs but speaks anyway

RIKO :

Riko Sheridan She/Her, my favorite movie is “The Devil Wears Prada”, and my fave food is chicken alfredo.

DEADLIGHTS MASTERPOST, GENERAL NOTES, MEMES, AO3

[filonikou]

The blob part 9

Excerpt from the story:

(Tim sees floating green blob)

He suddenly remembered, as if struck by lightning. Who in the family sees things that no one else can? Well, not counting Tim, but he usually can't see invisible things.

No other than Duke. He quickly traces in his mind where Duke would be. It is Thursday, and Duke goes to Gotham University; if Tim remembers right, he has classes until nightfall today. Tim looks out the window; there is still light streaming in. He doesn't want to go to the manor today, he needs to hurry if he wants to catch Duke before he leaves the university.

He eyes the blobs and asks, "Would you follow me?" there would be little point in rushing if the blobs are not coming. Although maybe even then it is. Duke can also see things in pictures.

He never understood that. If the cameras aren't able to capture the sight, then Duke wouldn't be able to see it, but if they do catch it, why isn't it showing up in the picture data? And how is he able to do that to printed photos?

He shakes his head. It's not the right time. He just gets confused every time he thinks about this. Duke attempted to explain to Tim that his ability does not work as Tim believes it does. However, he is unable to explain to Tim how it works instead.

They latch themselves onto Tim. "I guess that's an answer in itself," he chuckles.

He rushes out the door and dashes into his car. He is driving like a madman, but it's worth it.

Duke's class ends just before Tim arrives. Tim knows that Duke usually goes home alone because he doesn't want to bother anyone. Alfred wanted to oppose, but Duke was astute and played someone who desired independence rather than the truth.

Tim thinks Alfred knows it anyway but lets it go because he hopes Bruce takes on the task and does it himself. All of Alfred's comments so far have been in vain.

He gets out of the car and walks toward Duke, who is just saying goodbye to his friend. Duke is surprised to see Tim and opens his mouth to ask why Tim is here when he catches sight of the blobs. Duke drops his jaw.

"W-what is that?" he stutters.

Tim is very proud of himself. He smirks and says, "What is what?" he decides to prank Duke just because he is such a good bother.

"There is no way you don't see it, they're touching you," Duke finally whimpers after searching for the truth on Tim's face.

Damn, Tim pranks his brother too often; Duke can tell when Tim bluffs. Even Bruce would need more time to decide if Tim was telling the truth.

"You catch me, but I actually don't know what they are. Only I was able to see them until now." Tim pets Verde. Since Duke asked what they are, Neo has been hiding behind him.

"How are you not freaking out as it touches you? It looks horrifying." Duke shudders and even steps back from Tim.

"What? They're kind of cute, in my opinion. Tim defines the blobs. They grew on him.

Duke looks at him like he is crazy, which is not based on anything, nothing at all. Tim is totally sane.

"They look like they're from some kind of horror movie." Duke can't bear to look at Tim, so he turns away.

Tim definitely thinks that the blobs are weird, but not horrifying. "What exactly do you see?" he asks, tilting his head.

"There are two of them, one of whom is naked, and one whose body parts aren't connecting." Duke looks at Tim strangely as he explains.

"Who are you talking about?" Tim is astonished.

"The dead bodies that are clinging to you," Duke says as if it's obvious.

[cowandcalf]

Writer’s Month 2020 - To Find A Way

Prompt No.14 - Metamorphosis Part I

Chapter 1-6

Chapter 7

"Hey, Tanaka wants results on the case, asap. We need to come up with something useful today. He's pissed. He breathes down our neck. I hate it when he does that. We need hard proof to get that damn search warrant." Kono shoves a coffee to go under Danny's nose and hops up to sit on his desk.

Danny turns his phone upside down and pretends he hasn't been checking again if Steve had texted.

"What are you doing?" Kono's eyes are on his cell.

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh."

The hustle and bustle at HPD is intense with all the cops coming and going. An angry drunk shouts obscenities into the open space of the office where he sits cuffed to the chair next to Meka's desk. Danny watches the old woman who has lost her parrot. The poor woman clutches her purse and looks overwhelmed with what's going on at the police station.

"Kono, make sure Duke takes care of that lady over there. She's too old to sit for so long and she misses her pet. Can you do that?" Danny grabs his coffee and hopes Kono drops the thing with his phone. "Duke's always good with confused, old ladies. He'll make her feel safe and he'll find her bird."

"He's on his way back from questioning a witness. I'll call him and tell him. What's the plan for today?" Kono dials a number on her cell and looks expectantly at Danny.

"Let's check those bank accounts again. We need to find out how they get that money off the island. How they sell the puppies." Danny rattles down the points on their to-do list. He reaches for the case files with their suspects. "I'll comb through our interrogation protocols again to find the needle in the haystack. This lumberjack guy lies. We need some results fast. I wanna get back to the guy's house. I don't mind to punch the asshole in the face. We need to find the drugs and the puppies. God, I hate cases with puppy trafficking. People are so sick." Danny gets up and signals Kono to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Kono hops off the desk to catch up with him.

"I need a quiet place. I can't think in here. It's a mess and too loud. Let's go and sit at Kame's place. Maybe he knows stuff we don't. Let's work together."

"Tanaka wouldn't approve." Kono teases.

"I don't care shit about what Tanaka approves. He wants results. He'll get results. Come on, let's get out of here."

Danny checks his phone again. He can't fight that strong pull to just check on the incoming texts. It's pathetic and he's aware of that. But still. Damn it. Nothing. Danny senses the same dull tweak of disappointment when all he sees is the screensaver. It's Grace's picture. He loves Grace but still, he had expected a least one text from Steve. It's been days since he's watched Steve getting smaller in the rear mirror.

Grace's beloved face makes him smile of course. It's not that he doesn't love to look at a picture of his baby girl. But he would have liked if Steve had acted on that rain check. Steve hasn't texted in nearly six days. Not one lousy letter and it's messing with Danny's mood. No one needs to point out how stupid he behaves. Rationally Danny can deal with it, emotionally he can't. He worries Steve might have forgotten his number. But hey, he's ex-elite force. He should draw those few numbers from his mind with ease. And that leads Danny to the conclusion he tries to avoid. The one where the only logical explanation would be that Steve's just not interested and that he's forgotten about Danny.

Danny checks again, just to be sure he hasn't missed anything. He waits until Kono opens the door for him. His eyes are glued to the small display.

"Danny, we need to talk." Kono pushes the door open.

"About what?" He slips the cell into his back pocket.

"I've created a tally sheet to log how many times you've checked your phone since you've walked through that door this morning." Kono grins. "The log-ins are from five days. There's something going on. You never check your phone that often unless you expect something. It's not work-related I can tell. I smell romance in the air." Kono has this predator smile on her face Danny has learned to fear. She has tasted blood. Danny's in deep trouble. "You've met someone." That's not even a question. She's made a statement as if she sees right through him.

Danny's lost for words. "You did what? A tally sheet? What happened to privacy? And by the way, it's none of your business."

"You work with a bunch of crazy cops. Yes, it's my business. You're distracted all the time. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

"I don't know? I guess? Could you just shut up about it? It's nothing." Danny defends himself.

"Hey, you just stood there, waiting for me to open the goddamn door for you because you were so busy with checking your phone!" Kono shouts. "Tell me!"

"No."

"It's my business too when it affects your work."

"It doesn't affect my work!"

"I brought you coffee. Every damn day! Give me at least some details. The big picture! Who's this person who makes you forget about everything around you."

Danny stops dead in his tracks and gapes at her. "You brought me coffee hoping I would feed you some rom-com shit you just made up?"

"It was your favorite coffee, brah! Kamekona doesn't break either. He won't say a damn word!"

Danny can't even throw his hands in the air. He holds on to his coffee and to the files he picked from under his arm. "You did what??"

"I asked Kame what's up with you. He wouldn't say but his face twitched. You know the way it does when he hides something. But he wouldn't budge. So, that only means that something important is going on and you guys, have a secret you won't tell me. And that secret is related to you and the constant checking your phone!"

The smile splits Danny's face in half. "You're a damn good cop, Kono-san."

"Don't, nuh-huh, don't Kono-san me, not working, Danny! Who is it? You try to hide everything. It's extremely suspicious."

"Get it, shut up, and don't make me push you out the door when we're on the highway," Danny grumbles. "We take your car. You drive. I go through the files on our way to Kame." Danny inhales and rolls his eyes. "And no more questions, Kono, I mean it."

Danny's phone rings. He jerks to the unexpected sound. Kono snickers with her eyes all over him. She doesn't miss a single detail.

"Eyes on the road, Kono. Jesus!"

"You're smiling like a stupid idiot." She says.

Danny's too busy to reach for his phone. It's Rachel. His stomach drops fast. The disappointment makes him bite the inside of his cheek.

"That's not the person you have expected." Kono leans in and reads the caller ID on the screen. She has no feelings for personal boundaries. She's a pain in the ass today.

"Kono! For fuck's sake, watch the road!"

"Brah, you act strange. All tense and shit. I don't like it. Spill it already, dude."

Danny scoffs an answer but takes Rachel's call. "Rachel, what's up? Everything's fine? Is Grace okay?"

When he hangs up Kono just takes one look at him and is all serious again. "Danny? What's up? What do you need?"

"Can you drive me to the hospital?"

"Whoa! Something happened?" She shouts.

"No, God no. Nothing. Rachel's fine, Grace's fine." Danny runs his hand over his face. "You know, I told you Rachel undergoes in vitro fertilization because she and Stan can't get pregnant. She got the call. She has a two-hour window to harvest one of her eggs. She's at the hospital. Stan's in a meeting. She has Grace and she's scared and upset. I'm her backup if Stan can't be there.  I'll look after Grace when she's under. Can we make a detour to the hospital?" Danny explains.

"Sure, brah, whatever you need."

Kono drops him off and snatches the case files out of his hand. "Leave this to me. I'm at Kame's. Call me if you need anything. Be with Grace and let Rachel do what she came to do. Stan's on his way. I called the office. I'll come and pick you up. Call me, okay?"

"Thanks, Kono. I owe you." Danny's thoughts are already somewhere else.

"No, you don't owe me a single thing, Danny-san. You're ohana but you're not off the hook about your secret romance."

Danny sighs and shakes his head. He combs his fingers through the ruffled hairdo. He watches how Kono filters back into traffic.

The reception at the fertility center/the child birthing ward is painted in calm and friendly colors. The staff is always caring and supportive. Danny has mixed feelings to step into this realm where sadness and happiness are equally balanced. He and Rachel had never any difficulties getting pregnant. He feels deeply sorry for Stan and Rachel.

"Danno!" A loud, high-pitched voice called his name. With her pigtails flying Grace runs right into his open arms.

"Hi, monkey! Hey, love to see you, baby-girl. Everything's fine?"

"I don't like this place." Grace wraps her small arms around his neck.

"I'll make sure mommy is fine and then we head outside to check-out that awesome-looking playground, okay?"

Grace nods and holds on to him. Danny carries his daughter over to where Rachel gets checked her personal details. "Hi, Rachel, how are you?"

"Hi, Daniel. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I didn't have anyone else to call." She sniffs but stands tall. She's a brave woman. Danny's glad they've worked hard to become friends for the sake of Grace's happiness. They're good parents.

"Hey, everything's going to be fine. I'm here. I'll take care of Grace. Kono called Stan. He's on his way. You go and make sure you're one step closer to having a baby, okay?" Danny gently pets her shoulder. She seems so upset and nervous. Her eyes are big. She wears the stress like a cloak around her shoulders. The mood of her mother makes Grace cling to Danny. He holds her tightly to assure that everything is okay.

Rachel bites her lips. She shows a watery smile. "Thank you, a lot, Daniel. Can you – can you make sure Stan comes and finds me once he's here?"

"Yes, will do."

"Okay, I'll give you a call when I'm done." Rachel strokes Grace's back, "bye baby, mommy's back soon. Stay with Danno, okay?"

Danny and Grace wave Rachel goodbye. They watch until the automatic doors with the blinded glass close behind her back. Danny's gaze falls on a heavily pregnant woman who sits in the waiting area holding her round belly with her arms. She looks a bit stressed and her bangs are wet. Her cheeks are flushed. She sits there with her eyes closed and seems to breathe in a calming pattern. She's so young. Danny feels the distinct protective instinct kicking in. He hopes she's not alone and there's a loving husband who takes good care of her.

Grace wiggles in his arms. "Danno, can we go now?"

"Of course, monkey. Let's go and have some fun."

The automatic doors open again and a tall, dark, handsome man walks over to the blond, young woman. He wears cargo pants, dark, solid boots, and a rumpled navy-blue V-neck shirt hanging out of his pants. Danny recognizes the tattoos first. The way the guy walks over to the pregnant woman looks so familiar. Danny imagines bare feet and worn blue jeans and a lot of dirt.

Steve.

Danny hears Grace babbling and complaining. He holds onto her and watches Steve. He carries a bottle of water and sits down next to the beautiful-looking soon-to-be-mama. He gently brushes at the wet strands of hair to get it out of her eyes. Danny just stares at the perfect picture. He should have known it. Guys like Steve are taken, no matter the damage they carry around. Danny bites his tongue and swallows a pain so sharp as if stabbed in the gut.

The young woman must have said something because Steve's head darts around and he meets Danny's eyes. Danny hears the nurse at the reception talking on the phone. He realizes how Grace wants to be let down but he only sees Steve and the way he takes him in. The way his eyes shoot to Grace and back to him, and how he shuts down. How he pushes Danny away without saying a single word, or even twitching a finger. Steve doesn't smile, doesn't show he knows him. Danny feels deeply hurt and when he's hurt, he gets bold.

"Come on, Grace. I need to say 'hi' to a friend and I promise we're leaving after that." He puts Grace down and takes her small hand in his.

"Hi, Steve. Nice to meet you. I didn't know you're going to be a father soon. Congratulations." He says with the sweetest smile he finds in him. The hurt is like wet sand that pulls him down.

Steve clenches his jaw and stays silent. His gaze gets all soft when he looks at Grace though. "Hi, sweetheart, what's your name?"

Grace hugs Danny's leg and hides her face at his thigh. He protectively shields her by hugging her shoulder before he cups the back of her head. "That's Grace, my daughter."

Steve withdraws even more. He shuts down in a way Danny only senses and it hurts. It hurts. And he knows he has no right to feel hurt because he has no claim on this man.

"Okay, guys, I don't know what's this all about but Steve, you're rude. Just say 'hi' to your friend. God, Punk, where are your manners?" The young woman grunts and pushes herself to sit upright with her legs spread wide to make space for her round belly. Steve's immediately at her side to help her.

Danny's afraid she's going to pop any minute. "I'm Danny, hi, nice to meet you. Steve and I only met once. He might not recognize me. I wish you all the best and I hope you're doing fine. When is your due date?"

The woman's mouth falls open. She grabs Danny's hand with both hands and keeps it sandwiched in hers. "You are Danny?" She gasps. "Wow!"

A shudder of excitement ripples through Danny's chest.

Steve jerks out of his stupor. "Mary," his voice carries a warning tone, "just – please? Could you not?"

Grace whispers too loud that this woman has a baby in her belly. This makes even Steve smile.

"I'm Mary. It's so nice to meet you, Danny. Steve talked about you and I'm so happy to meet you. He promised I might one day but you know I'm impatient. And here you are. And I'm not due for two weeks. But our little sweetheart makes her own rules. It was a false alarm. I told Steve but he freaked out and wanted to go to the hospital to be sure. He's my brother, by the way, my big brother. Kawika, my husband, is on his way but he wasn't there when it happened."

Danny has a tight grip on his features. The odd mix of emotions makes him sleepy. What does all this even mean that Mary just spilled with this cute smile on her face? He can't look at Steve.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mary. I'm glad everything's fine." He wants to add more like thank you for taking good care of Steve or any similar, emotional shit he has no right to say but Mary's name gets called.

Danny turns to spot a good-looking man, dark skin, curly hair who jogs over to kneel at Mary's side. "Hi, baby, I came as fast as possible. How are you? How's our little nuglet?" The man kisses Mary's belly with so much love and devotion Danny has to look away.

"All the best to you, guys. I take Grace outside to play."

"Danny, wait!" Mary speaks up. "Kawika I want you to meet Danny. Danny, meet Kawika, my husband."

There's a glint of recognition in Kawika's eyes. His handshake is solid, strong, and full of trust. "Nice to finally meet you, Danny."

Danny's isn't far behind with being brilliant at filling in the gaps. "You're a friend of Kame."

Kawika's smile is blindingly open and kind. "Yes, and thank you."

Danny knows instantly he's referring to Steve and what has happened almost a week ago. Steve has talked about him with his loved ones. Danny's mood rises like a morning sun. He feels great. "You take care of your sweet wife."

"I will." Kawika turns and pulls Steve into a fierce embrace. They seem to be very close.

"Danny," Steve's voice makes him stop again, "I'll come with you and Grace if you don't mind?" That's the first sentence Steve says since they've met again.

"Sure, let's go."

On the way out, Graces holds on to Danny's hand and peeps up at Steve who walks beside her. Out of the corner of his eyes, Danny sees how Steve gifts her with lovely smiles until she giggles. Danny's heart just flips over in his chest.

TBC

Also on AO3

[flowerfan2]

Affinity - Ch. 10 (10.10)

McDanno, A03, 10.10

Summary: A continuous story of season 10 episode codas.  Steve may describe their relationship as a dysfunctional marriage, but at some point, will he and Danny take a closer look at what it really could be?   (The answer is yes).

Author’s note - this episode didn’t give us much (any) McDanno, so please enjoy this little domestic scene...

Chapter 10

Steve opens the door to his house and steps inside, feeling his shoulders relax.  There’s music coming from the kitchen, and he grins a little to himself as he leaves his shoes at the door and goes to find Danny.

He pauses for a moment at the doorway, watching Danny sway his hips to the beat of what sounds like a Paul Simon song from the 80’s.

“Hey, babe,” Danny says, noticing him, and dances over to drop a kiss on his cheek.  “You made good time.  Dinner’s almost ready.”  He waves towards the fridge with the spoon in his hand.  “Why don’t you get out some beers.”

It’s been a long day, and Steve is all too happy to oblige.  He opens a beer for Danny, takes a long swig of it himself first, and then sidles over next to him.  Danny’s stirring something aromatic in a pan on the stove.  Steve leans over, fingers darting out to grab a taste.  

“Stop that,” Danny says, pushing Steve’s hand out of the way.  “Animal. I said it’ll be done in a minute. Go wash up.”

Danny’s such a dad sometimes, Steve thinks.  He kind of loves it.

 By the time Steve has washed his face and hands and changed into a clean t-shirt, Danny has turned off the music and is bringing the food out to the table.  He sets the frying pan carefully on a green and blue quilted potholder – something Grace made years ago that managed to find its way to Steve’s house.  Plates and silverware are already laid out, so Steve sits down and lets Danny serve him the fragrant stir-fry and a scoop of brown rice.

 “This looks wonderful,” Steve says, his mouth already salivating.  “Thanks.”

 “Szechuan style,” Danny says.  “It’s a little spicy.  I added extra chiles.  Might have gone a bit too far.”

 Steve takes a bite of the gleaming combination of chicken, peppers and onions, and feels his sinuses tingle. “No, it’s great, I like it.”

 Steve spears a particularly nice looking piece of red pepper from Danny’s plate, for no real reason at all, and Danny mock glares at him while he chews.

 “Your table manners leave something to be desired,” Danny scolds, and Steve just smirks and knocks his elbow against Danny’s.

 “Guess I’d better get used to chicken and veggies, huh,” Steve says after a few more bites.  He knows this dinner is a result of his doctor’s instructions to change his diet.  As delicious as it is, it’s a marked change from their usual fare of grilled meats, cheese-filled Italian specialties, and take-out.

 “Not just chicken,” Danny says mildly. “Fish is healthy too.”

 Steve frowns.  “It sticks to the grill, and falls apart.”

 “That’s because you refuse to listen to me.  If you put in a grill basket, that wouldn’t happen.”  

 “If you use a basket, then it just sticks to the basket.”

 “Not if you grease the basket with a little olive oil, like I showed you.”  Danny pushes at Steve’s shoulder, and Steve goes along with it, rocking in his seat.  “Stop pouting.  You can still have steak sometimes.  Your doctor didn’t say never, right?”

 “True.”  Steve sighs.  “It’s just one more thing.”  One more sign that he’s not the same guy he used to be.

 “Yeah, I know.  Better than the alternative, though, right?”

 Danny’s in his 40’s too.  At least they’re going through this together. It’s still depressing.  “Quinn called me old today.  And wouldn’t let me have a malasada.”

 “Told you she was smart.”

 “But you just said – it doesn’t mean never-”

 Danny snorts.  “You always tease me about eating them, why so eager for donuts now?”

 “It’s principle of the thing.”

 “Yeah, well, honestly, Steve, when you called me in a panic after your appointment this morning, I really didn’t think we were going to be discussing menus.”  Danny’s tone has shifted; he’s not smiling any more.  “It’s just food.”

 Steve looks away, a tight feeling in his chest.  He may have overreacted a bit.  Given everything, needing to change his diet is relatively small potatoes, no pun intended. He glances up at Danny, who is frowning and picking at the label on his beer bottle.  “You thought something else was wrong, when I called you after my appointment,” he finally says, acknowledging the cause of Danny’s concern.

 “I did,” Danny says simply. “Next time I’m going to the doctor with you.  My nerves can’t take this.”

 Steve starts to protest, and then stops.  He wouldn’t mind, actually, having someone there with him as he waits for the doctor to tell him if the radiation poisoning has finally caught up with him. It’s possible that the stress over what he feared he might learn at his appointment may have had something to do with his overblown reaction to the whole diet thing.   “Okay, yeah. You should come next time.”

 They clear the table in silence. Steve catches Danny around the waist as he sets the dishes in the sink, and presses a kiss to the side of his neck. “I’m sorry.”

 “Nah, it’s okay,” Danny says, turning to kiss Steve properly.  It’s a good kiss, firm and with just the right tease of tongue, but Steve pulls back before it can get too involved.

 “What’s wrong?”  Danny asks.

 “I’ve got to go back to the office. Duke wants to see me.”

 Danny’s eyes widen.  “It can’t wait until tomorrow?  What’s going on?”

 Steve shrugs.  “Duke didn’t have a chance to fill me in.” He glances at his watch.  “We’re meeting at nine at the palace.”

 “That’s weird.”  Danny grabs Steve’s hand and tugs him out of the kitchen. “We can chill for a while though, right? You look like you need a break.”

 It’s true, just remembering that he has more work to do tonight has brought back that ache in his shoulders.  Solving three murders in one day really should be enough.  

 They wind up on the couch, and before he knows it, Steve is curling into Danny, tucking his face against his partner’s chest.  Danny strokes the back of Steve’s head with one hand, and wraps an arm around his shoulders.  Steve lets himself focus on Danny, fills his senses with the warmth of his skin, the scratch of his scruff, the smell of soy sauce and spice on his breath.

 “Don’t let me fall asleep,” Steve mumbles, and Danny’s chest vibrates under his cheek as he laughs softly.

 “It’s okay, I’ll set an alarm.” Steve is shifted as Danny fumbles with his phone.

 They resettle, Danny laying down on the couch, and Steve snuggling up alongside him.  “I’m sorry,” Steve says again, too tired to do anything but hold on. The idea of making out sounds pleasant enough, but distant, and his head is too heavy to move anywhere in that direction.

 “It’s really okay, babe,” Danny says. “I don’t know why you’re apologizing.” Danny lets out a long breath, stroking a hand along Steve’s side.  “I love that you can be like this with me.”

 Steve’s brain catches on this, trying to parse the meaning, and Danny must feel him tense because he quickly nuzzles a kiss against his hair.

 “No, it’s good.  Don’t think it’s a failing, for once, okay?  It’s healthy for you to be vulnerable sometimes, to take some comfort.”  Danny’s words are tentative, but no less sincere for it.  “Most people need it, you know?”

 “I’m not a kid,” Steve says reflexively.  Babies need touch, but he is a grown-ass man, and he should be able to make it to the end of the day without collapsing on top of his best friend –slash– boyfriend.

 There’s a pause, while Danny clearly thinks about what to say next.  Steve’s not quite sure if they’re arguing.  Usually their arguments involve a lot less cuddling.

 “But this helps, right?”  Danny says softly.

 “Yeah,” Steve breathes out.  “It does.”  He can’t deny it.  He won’t. He’s gone too long pretending he is happy on his own.  He wants to let himself admit it, how much he treasures Danny and the care Danny shows him. He wants to believe it’s real.

 “I’m glad it helps, babe.”  Danny keeps his stroking Steve’s side, moving his hand up and down from his shoulder to his ribs, soothing the tension under his skin.

 “Danny?”  Steve asks, wanting to get this out, before he lets Danny’s movements lull him to sleep.  It’s important that Danny knows.

 “Yeah?”

 “I’m really glad too.”

[soarincynthia]

New McDanno fanfic!

Hey y’all, here’s my new fanfic, I hope you enjoy it!Stay tuned for the sequel chapters!

It was quiet when Steve walked into the 5-0 headquarters, he had spent the morning in court, testifying for their latest case at the new prosecutors request, normally his partner would do this, but he was currently visiting his parents in New Jersey so Steve had to do it, As he quickly looked at his watch, he saw it was past 12pm, which explained the quiet, the rest of his team was certainly on their lunch break, he quickly did the maths in his head to calculate the time in Jersey, maybe he could try and call Danny,he had been gone for almost a week and he really missed his partner "STEVE, STEVEN,Come on buddy!" Danny's voice came from Tani's office at the other end of the headquarters, what was going on?

"Danny?Back already, babe?I thought you were flying back next weekend, what happened?" Steve was at the door in a few strides and quickly entered the room without knocking, scanning the room for his partner His smiling face turned into a frown when he realized the sound came from the screen on the far wall of the office, the rest of his team sitting in front of the tv with big popcorn buckets

"What's going on here, guys? What are you watching?" « Told you guys he would be back soon and he wouldn’t be happy” Lou smiled with an I told you so expression Jr looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, while Jerry looked deeply interested in his popcorn, looking everywhere but at him, only Tani had the balls to smirk, though a blush crept up her cheeks, “Well, see, boss, it all started when Jr here kept going on and on about your heroics in the field and how you were so strong and so amazing blah blah blah, “Oh really, thank you Jr” Steve smirked watching Jr, who blushed crimson instantly, man, he forgot how fun it was to make the new recruits squirm Tani continued: “So naturally I had to shut him up and I told him that while you were a great boss and commander, in many ways, Danny was the better detective and deserved more credit” Lou intervened “And of course this resulted in the kids fighting all week, so I asked Jerry to prepare us a few of your best moments, both of you and Danny, and now we’re rewiewing evidence to determine exactly which daddy is the best and the strongest, Not that I care but I just couldn’t stand listening to the kids bickering anymore” Steve shook his head,his team could be badasses when it came to being under fire and catching the worst criminals in the islands, but they also could act like stupid college students in a frat dorm “Ok, then who’s winning for now?” “We’re on a tie, after Lieutenant Williams flying into Korea to rescue you, and you flying into Colombia to rescue him, so we’re trying to break it now” Jr responded, looking at him before looking at Tani who smiled softly “Ok, then what are we waiting for, hit play and let’s find out who’s the strongest, a navy commander a Jersey cop” Steve said before taking a chair and sitting next to Jr, looking at the TV and stealing a handful of popcorn “Just one minute,boss” Tani said, fiddling with her phone for a few seconds, before putting it down and hitting play on the remote “Ok, here we go” “Steve, you son of a bitch, don’t you die on me now, you hear me?” Danny’s voice resonated in the room, and suddenly Steve found his eyes filling with tears hearing his partner’s desperate tone, Truth to be told, he had never looked into what happened that day, never requested the file or listened to the recordings, what use could it be for him, he’d been there, lost a liver, gained a new liver and nearly died, he didn’t need to know anything else, Oh but how wrong he had been, he clearly had missed out a few important details, like how this had also impacted his partner’s life Yeah, Steve had acted like a selfish prick, as Catherine had called him in one of their phone conversations during his convalescence Steve watched in horror at the screen, it was a news flash info showing the beach being cleared out, the plane coming closer and closer,before crashing on the beach, Danny’s discussion with the control tower resonated in the speakers, the guy asking Danny to land in the water, Danny refusing to do it, choosing to put the plane on the beach, to leave a chance to Steve to survive, at the risk of his own life, then Danny coming out of the plane, yelling at his team to come get Steve, that he was still alive, clutching his own ribs, walking with difficulty, but still yelling and fighting for his partner and best friend Damn, he never realized how brave Danny had been, of course he knew his partner always had his back but he knew that in that plane, while he was unconscious, Danny had been left fighting for both their lives, and yet he never hesitated, he chose the best option for Steve, never even giving a second thought for his own life, for his kids, for his family, he had been ready to put everything at risk for a little chance for Steve to be safe, damn that took some courage, the kind of bravery that even some of the best of the best seals wouldn’t have been capable of; Steve looked at his hands in shame, all the times he had made fun of Danny, ribbing him about his height, his moody grumpy attitude, damn, he’d even went as far as telling him his son would grow up to hate him like he did, just hours after Danny had saved his life twice, by landing the plane on the beach then by giving him a piece of a vital organ, his mom would have slapped him good, if he’d heard him being so ungrateful while growing up. “Here is Lara Hough, reporting live from Honolulu, Hawaii, where a reduced 5-0 team is currently in operation, Earlier in the day, Commander McGarrett, head of the 5-0 special force has been injured while undercover on a mission, which resulted in his team continuing the case without him, his second in command Lieutenant Williams, who earlier in the day landed the plane carrying the injured Commander, acting as head of the force for the rest of the case, even though he appears to be injured himself, if the way he is walking is any indication As you can hear,and see, the firefight seems to have now ended and the team is currently walking out with their prisonners, let’s see if we can talk to Lieutenant Williams or Lieutenant Kelly to get more informations” But before the reporter could even call out to the team, the camera panned to Danny, his face bloody and tired, still clutching at his ribs, talking on the phone, speaking a few words to Kono and Chin, before getting into the camaro and driving off like a racedriver “Well, it looks like the force team has received an important message and must move now, so we will try and catch up with them later, let’s wait for the head of the HPD Duke Lukela, to give us more details on this case” Steve didn’t wait for the end before he took the remote from Tani’s hands, switching off the TV “Ok, I get it, Danny wins this one, guys”Steve said, looking at the young ones, “I agree, sir, that was seriously badass” Jr added, looking like a kid meeting one of his superheros Steve nodded, his mind still couldn’t process how this small haole cop could be so jaw dropping amazing, he knew he’d made a great choice in picking Danny, the man was loyal, protective, sweet, a wonderful father, a great cop, his best friend but man, this was exceeding his craziest expectations, Danno was just awesome, as Charlie would say, and Steve could only nod, the kid was right about that, his partner was just awesome and he wondered how he could have been so lucky to draw his gun on him 9 years ago, yet so blind not to be grateful for his luck Yeah, making Danny his partner was clearly the best decision Steve had ever made, and suddenly he knew what he needed, what he’d needed all along, he had to go see him, he had to talk with Danny, and he couldn’t wait for the weekend, he had to go to him, maybe he could go home early today, pack a few things and call the base to see if he could get a flight on a navy plane, that way he wouldn’t have to wait for the next flight out of the island to the mainland, Maybe he could call the base now, see what he could do to go see Danny as soon as possible, maybe he could even see if the Governor could lend him his private plane, after all the team needed his second in command to work properly, maybe…. “Boss?” Tani’s voice interrupted his thoughts, “Your plane leaves in an hour, I’ve saved you a seat, Lou will drive you to the airport, Jr will take care of Eddie until you both come home, and you already have a bag of clothes in the camaro’s truck, so off you go, go get your boy” Steve just smiled softly at her, standing up, kissing her on the cheek quickly, murmuring his thanks, before fleeing the office with Lou behind him, muttering something about idiots in love making him run, Jerry excused himself, with a boyish grin and an admirative smile directed at Tani Jr just looked at Tani with wide eyes “When did you get him a plane ticket?” “When he came into the room and took a seat to watch with us, remember I was on my phone for a few minutes? I was on the airlines website, booked him a seat then” “How did you know he would want to go to Jersey?” “Boys are so thick, seriously babe, you want to be a cop, you have to learn to observe things more closely, Steve ran in because he heard Danny’s voice, you’ve seen how they both are with each other, how close they are, they both are head over heels over each other but they were too stupid to admit it, so it was up to us to push them in the right direction, mission accomplished, tada!” Jr just shook his head “You are good, remind me never to doubt you again” Tani smiled proudly “And don’t you forget it, now forgive me I have to go call Kono and settle a little bet, oh and would you like to have dinner with me tonight, as a date I mean?” Jr blushed, before nodding his head and smiling at her “Good, then pick me up at 7pm?See ya later,Junior”Tani winked at him before exiting the room, her phone already on her ear “Yo Kono, guess what?You owe me 200$, yup I did it….”

Now alone in the room, Jr took a few minutes to look at the file Jerry had bought in with him, going through it quickly, he had to admit that while Steve McGarrett was clearly a model for Navy seals, if he wanted to make a career into 5-0, it was Danny Williams he should look to emulate, his track record and experience were unbeaten, he now understood why Steve had asked Danny to take Jr on the field, he knew everything about being a Navy Seal, but he had to learn how to be a cop, to be any good at this job. He clearly needed to apologize to Lieutenant Williams for the way he disregarded his career and importance in the team, his place as Second in command in the force was clearly well deserved. Shaking his head in amazement, Jr put the file back in the desk drawer, before making his way out of the HQ, Since there was no pressing case, Jr decided to leave early, he had to go to Steve’s house, pick up Eddie, maybe go for a swim or a run for a while to manage his anxiety, then get ready, he had a date tonight with the perfect lady.

[samsexualdeancurious]

Overdue | Chapter Three

Pairing: McDanno

Words: 1,584

Warnings: None

Summary: One step forward, two steps back.

Written for @markinmi1

Betaed by @cowandcalf

Masterlist

A week and nothing. Steve sighs, rubbing a hand over his face and staring down at the info displayed on the computer table like something will change. Common gasoline as an accelerant, evidence the arsonist stuck around in the last house to watch and made a break for it when the family got out- several witnesses reported a figure dressed in black with an oxygen mask and tank running from the crime scene- and nothing else.

It’s almost six am now and they've been here all night, since the results of all the tests came in just before they were about to head home. Kono is out cold in Steve's office, the only one with a couch. Chin has gone off in search of food and decent coffee. Danny is staring blankly at his computer screen, looking like he's asleep with his eyes open. Today has been a long day and even Steve is feeling it.

Steve allows a moment to just look. Danny's wearing his usual button down and tie, both shades of blue that take his eyes from striking to breathtaking. Even tired and rumpled as he is, Danny's the best thing Steve has laid eyes on.

Danny's computer chimes and he startles, flailing in a way that makes Steve laugh despite the situation they're in. That earns him a middle finger.

“Anything useful?” he calls, ignoring the rude gesture.

Danny shakes his head. “Job offer from LA.”

Job offer? Steve's heart leaps into his throat and he grips the edge of the table so tight Chin would scold him. “Job offer?” he repeats, mouth suddenly dry. This is it. This is happening. Danny's going to leave him and then where will Steve be? No partner, no best friend, no-

“Don't look at me like that,” Danny scolds. “No one kicked your dog. I dunno what they're expecting or why they think I would move to LA of all places. It's almost as bad as Hawaii.”

Steve relaxes a little at that, but he still feels sick. He needs to stop this train of thought, but he can't seem to help it. Just because Danny wouldn't choose LA doesn't mean he wouldn't take some other offer and Steve's pretty sure he wouldn't be able to handle that. Something needs to change and he can't force Danny to stay, so it's Steve that has to quash his feelings and fast.

Thankfully, Chin chooses that moment to return. He passes around the food and coffee, gently waking Kono by waving a travel cup under her nose and laughing when she comes up with grabby hands, but closed eyes. Steve tries to distract himself with food and caffeine, but it doesn't work that well.

A better distraction comes in the form of a call from Duke announcing another fire.

“Kono, with me,” Steve calls, abandoning his food and downing the last of his coffee. Kono clings to her own bag and cup, following Steve out with a confused expression. “Chin, Danny, I want you at the next fire. We'll meet you at the third.”

Before anyone can respond, Steve flies down to the parking lot and commandeers Kono's keys- eating and driving to a crime scene is a no.

Three fires and ten more deaths later, they’re no closer to catching the arsonist than they were before and Steve crumples into his desk chair with a groan.

Before he can do anything, though, Danny is standing over his desk with crossed arms and a face that threatens bodily harm.

“Care to explain yourself?”

Straight to the point, then. Steve really doesn't feel like doing this right now, not after watching Max zip the bag closed over a body so small it almost disappeared between the black folds. “Not really, no.”

“Not really?” Danny's upset, too, Steve knows- cases like these tend to hit him harder than anyone else- and all those emotions are being directed at Steve. Better Steve than Chin or Kono, though. He can take it.

“I don't want to talk about it,” Steve reiterates.

“Fine. Then I'll talk. Did I do something wrong? Is that why you're avoiding me? Running off with Kono instead of, ya know, your partner? Twice. You've done that twice. What happened to me being your back up, huh? Am I suddenly not good enough?”

“Danny,” Steve sighs. “Kono is still the team member with the least experience and-”

“Oh, no. Don't go there. She would murder you for even thinking of finishing that sentence. Kono is already turning into you- a prettier, very tiny you, but you all the same, so the last thing she needs is you setting an example- and these last seven years have shaped her into an amazing cop all on her own, so don't think about using her as an excuse, especially when I know you're lying. There's something you're not telling me and I want the truth. Spill.”

Danny stops talking with a fierce glare, one that a weaker man would have caved under. But, despite his exhaustion, Steve stands his ground.

“I said I don't want to talk about it,” he grits out. “So let it go.”

“Fine,” Danny snaps, already on his way out. “Fine. Be that way. If you don't want my help, I won't offer it.”

“I don't need your help,” Steve informs him, even though both of them know the statement is yet another lie.

“Take a nap,” is Danny's only reply.

Steve slumps over his desk and hides his face in his hands, drawing deep breaths to beat back the rising wave of mixed emotions- anger, frustration, and a stabbing pain in his chest that he has to ponder over a moment before identifying it as heartbreak.

What the hell is he doing? He wants Danny to stay, so why does he feel like he has to sever that tie?

Because he's not going to stay and you know it, a voice in the back of Steve's mind pipes up.

Steve shakes his head. Danny will stay if Steve gives him a reason to, right? So he needs to give him a reason to.

“I thought you were mad at me,” Danny says when he opens his front door to find Steve standing on the mat, armed with a six pack and takeout bags from Danny's favorite Italian joint.

“Not mad,” Steve replies, sidling past Danny without being invited in- nothing strange there- and making his way to the couch. “Just dealing with something.”

“Care to share what that something is?” Danny asks, watching Steve unpack their usual orders onto his coffee table. “And why you're here.”

“I'm not ready to talk about it yet.” Steve is headed to the kitchen now, where he digs through a drawer until he finds the bottle opener. “And I felt bad about ditching you earlier and wanted to make it up to you. Don't make me regret bringing you pasta.” Steve cracks open two beers and offers one to Danny.

After a moment of hesitation, Danny takes the beer. “Apology accepted.”

Steve brightens at those words. “Good. Find the game, will ya? I still can't work your new TV.”

Danny rolls his eyes but accepts the remote. “That's because your TV is a dinosaur.”

“Why does a TV need to be so fancy anyway?” Steve retorts, practically draping his long limbs over the couch because the guy doesn't seem to know how to sit without taking up twice as much space as he actually needs. “Turn it on, play channels, play DVDs, turn it off. Why does a TV need apps?”

“So I have more options,” Danny replies, adjusting the volume and joining Steve. He can feel Steve's fingers against his shoulder where a tattooed arm has been slung across the back of the couch.

“Options?”

“Did you come here to watch the game or mock my choice in TV?”

Steve shakes his head, grinning fondly, and drinks from his beer. They settle in, enjoying the game with a side if their usual playful banter and the rest of the sixpack. By the end of the game, they're both a little tipsy and Danny shakes his head when Steve moves to call a cab.

“Just stay here,” he suggests.

“You're sure?” Steve asks, arm resting around Danny's shoulders now. He traces little shapes with his fingertips. It feels nice and Danny thinks he could probably sleep happy right here, tucked against Steve's side.

Instead, he says “of course” and gets up to get what he needs to make up the pullout for Steve. Danny has a bedroom now, so he doesn't need it.

Soon Steve is tucked in and definitely well on his way to sleep. Danny checks the locks and windows and then turns off the lights.

“Danno?” Steve murmurs.

“Yes, Steven?”

There's a moment of hesitation, and then, “Love you.”

Danny smiles fondly. “Love you, too.”

He sleeps well, mind at ease. Things are good again.

The next day, however, Danny wales to an empty apartment. When he gets to work, Steve pretty much ignores Danny all morning and then insists on going with Chin to follow up with witnesses. Kono eyes their disappearing figures and Danny's frustrated expression and retreats into her office to follow Steve's instructions to dig deeper into the victims in the hopes of finding something- anything- to clue them into how the arsonist picks houses.

“Well,” Danny grumbles, standing alone in the middle of the main room. “So much for that.”

Tell me what you thought          Support my writing

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[missslothy]

Jot it down July - H50 Fic

Title: Divine Intervention

Rating: Mature

Summary:  What if the reason Danny and Steve have never got together is not their fault?  

Notes: This is AU.  I originally started writing this last weekend, for Jot it down July – I was going to post it on Monday = Museday.  Real life decided that wasn’t going to happen.  It’s not going to happen this Monday either ☹ So I’m posting today 😊

The Gods mentioned in this story are:

Apollo – God of music, poetry, knowledge, medicine etc.

Aphrodite – Godess of love, beauty and procreation.

Ares – God of war.

 H50H50H50

Somewhere up in the heavens…

Apollo comes to a halt when he spots Aphrodite sitting in the garden in front of him.  It crosses his mind to hide behind the nearest marble column.  She looks morose, staring sightlessly into a fountain.

Sighing, he rummages around in the pocket of his white toga, pulling out a small wax tablet.  Running his eyes down the inscription he purses his lips. 

Aphrodite’s the Godess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.  If she’s happy all the Gods were happy.  And if she isn’t all hell would break loose.  So, Zeus had decreed that each of them would take it in turns to make sure she was happy.

According to the schedule on the accursed tablet in his hand it was his turn to keep her entertained.

Squaring his shoulders, Apollo approaches her bench.  Something on Aphrodite’s lap shifts, slowly morphing out of her white dress.  It’s a small, smooth-haired white cat.  It turns, staring straight at him.  With a jaw-popping yawn it regards him with distain before making itself comfortable in Aphrodite’s lap again.

“I’m vexed,” Aphrodite sighs deeply as he takes the seat beside her.  “These humans are just so…”

“Vexing?” Apollo suggests helpfully as she trails off. 

Aphrodite rests her chin on her hand.  Wrinkling up her nose she stares into the fountain again. 

Apollo waits patiently.  Anyone else would look ugly with a scrunched up face, he muses.  Aphrodite is still stunningly beautiful.  No wonder the other Gods are lining up to warm her bed.

Aphrodite waves her hand at the fountain, breaking into his thoughts.  The flow of water parts to show an image from the world below.  Two men are walking out of the sea, side by side.  One is tall, dark haired and long limbed.  The other is shorter, his golden damp hair glittering in the sun. 

Apollo whistles under his breath.  Both men are well-built, chest muscles rippling as they walked.  Their water-dappled flesh glistens like precious stones.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Aphrodite breathes, leaning forward, spray from the fountain marking the hem of her ankle-length white silk dress.

“Breath-taking,” Apollo agrees, his mission to keep Aphrodite happy forgotten in the face of such masculine beauty.  “Who are they?”

Sitting back, Aphrodite folds her hands together, resting them in her lap.  The cat grumbles  then jumps down to curl around her sandaled feet.  “Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams.”  Frowning, she struggles to recall something.  “They come from Hawaii,” she continues after a pause.  “It’s an island in the Pacific.”

“Hawaii.”  Apollo nods.  He knows the place: it’s an island of artists and music, of warriors and peace makers.  He hoped to visit it one day.  Soon, he decides, as he watches the two men jog through the sand.  Something catches his eye, a shimmer of colour around both men that blocks out the sun.  They have an aura.  It was red.  Blood red.

Shocked, he jerks back.  “They have bleeding hearts.”

Aphrodite covers her eyes with her hand.  “They are broken.”

Apollo shuffles in closer, still transfixed by the image from the world below.  These men were perfect – almost perfect. “Then you must fix them.  You must find out what ails them.”

Aphrodite’s blue’s eyes flash to black.  “Don’t you think I’ve tried?  I thought they wanted life partners,” she huffs, her opinion on that particular relationship status obvious, “but every time I gave them a girlfriend they just…gave up.”

Apollo frowns, watching the two men towelling off.  They’re standing close together.  So close together.  Steve pats Danny on the shoulder, touching just a split second too long.  As they collect their things together Danny’s fingers brush along the top of Steve’s swimming attire, stroking Steve’s hip. 

Apollo licks his suddenly dry lips.  “They love each other?”

“That’s what I thought.” Aphrodite’s suddenly animated.  “But I’ve tried everything to get them together and they still won’t do what I want.” Crossing her arms, she pouts like a spoilt child.

Apollo reminds himself of the real reason he’s here.  Swallowing the laugh that’s threatening to escape, he adopts a serious face.  “Are you sure you’ve tried everything?” he says consolingly.  “Perhaps there is something you’ve missed?”

“There isn’t.” Aphrodite hugs herself.  “I’ve tried parting them in the hope they would pine.  I’ve put them together for three days, all day and all night, but all they did was argue,” she sighs, reaching down to stroke the cat who, to Apollo’s surprise, seems to sigh too. “Not even putting them in peril made a difference.  They’re so annoying.”

They’re annoying and they’re upsetting Aphrodite, Apollo thinks.  He can already feel his own stress levels rising, a direct effect of her mood.  It’s time for more direct measures….

H50H50H50

Back on earth…

Steve tightens his grip on the tree root.  Swinging his leg up, he gets a toe hold on a rock that’s sticking out.  Levering himself up enables him to find another tree root to wrap his other hand around. It’s not enough to get him back up to the top of the cliff but at least he’s secure.  For now.

Taking a deep breath, he yells for help.  Then he yells a few more times.  When his voice threatens to give up he pauses to revaluate the situation.

He’s hanging off the side of a muddy cliff.  The top’s about ten foot away.  Below him is a life-threatening thirty-foot drop.  How he got here is not entirely clear to him.  One moment he’d been out running, listening to music on his headphones.  The next, he’d been tripped over and before he knew it, he’d slipped over the cliff.  Luckily, it doesn’t feel like he’s broken anything.  How the hell he got that lucky, he has no idea.

Now all he has to do is get out of here.

“Steve?  Steve, you out here?”

It’s takes Steve a moment or two to realise it is actually Danny who is calling his name.  In fact it’s not until Lou’s yelling voice joins Danny’s that his brain finally acknowledges what’s going on.  He starts yelling too, as loud as his voice will go.

A short-while later Danny appears, attached to a rope.  There’s more yelling, some cursing, but eventually they get to the top of the cliff.  Steve lets Lou pull him over the top then he rolls onto his back, panting hard. 

“How’d you find me?” Steve gets out between gulps of air. There hadn’t been anyone else out on the road.

Danny’s face appears, obscuring his view of the sky. 

“Someone called it in,” Danny explains as he runs his hands over Steve’s chest, gently prodding and pulling.  “Lou and I were just about to pay a visit to our suspect when the call came in that someone had gone over the cliff.  Duke knew we were in the vicinity so he asked us to check it out.”

Steve lets his eyes drift closed.  Danny’s hands are moving lower, checking the rigidity of his belly, then going lower to smooth across his hips.

“Hey.  Hey.  Don’t fall asleep on me.”

“I’m not,” Steve answers truthfully, keeping his eyes closed.  Sleep’s the last thing on his mind. 

“You wanna tell us what happened?”

Lou’s voice is gentle but insistent.  Reluctantly Steve opens his eyes.

“I don’t know.”  He looks away, avoiding Danny’s gaze.  “I was running.  Then I think…maybe I tripped.”

“Maybe?”  Danny’s hands transfer to Steve’s head, running through his hair.  “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”

“You tripped?”  Lou sounds equally unconvinced.

“Yeah.”  Steve bats away Danny’s hands.  Carefully he levers himself up onto his elbows.  “There was a cat, a white cat.  I wasn’t looking.  It came out of nowhere—”

“A white cat?”  Danny pushes himself up from his kneeling position next to Steve.  Crouching, he hovers instead.  He frowns.  “You sure about that?”

Steve runs the conversation back through his mind, looking for whatever he’s apparently missed.  His heart sinks.  “Danny…”

“Okay, you’re gonna get checked out,” Danny insists, reaching out a hand to help Steve up.

Steve hesitates, making his feelings known.  Lips pursed together, he lets Danny pull him up.

“Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Lou says to no one in particular.

“Steve has a record with white cats,” Danny explains, emphasising the last two words.  “Last week he almost crashed his truck because a white cat ran in front of him.”

Steve plants his feet in the ground.  “It did.”

Danny studies him.  His expression softens as he tucks himself under Steve’s arm.  “I’m not saying it didn’t,” he says, nudging them forward.  “What I am saying is that if you’re seeing white cats again then maybe it’s time we got the doc to check you out, okay?”

“It was just one cat,” Steve mutters but he lets himself be led.  Danny’s arm is around his waist, sitting easily just above his ass.  Warmth seeps into his skin.  Sparks of pleasure skip across his nerves endings.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickle in warning.

Instinctively, he halts.  Pulling away from Danny, he spins round.  Eyes darting left and right, he checks out the area around them.  Behind him he’s aware that Danny and Lou have stopped.

“Everything okay?” Danny asks.

Steve mentally shakes himself.  Turning back, he winces.  The sudden movements have revealed new cuts and bruises.  “Thought someone was watching us,” he confesses, his cheeks turning pink.  Sparing one last glance up at the sky, he tucks Danny back under his arm.

Lou hangs back, eyebrows meeting in the middle as he surveys their surroundings.

“Welcome to my world, Lou,” Danny calls back to him with a long-suffering sigh.  “He’s been imagining for weeks that someone’s been watching us.” He points at the sky.  “Someone up there.”

H50H50H50H50

Back up in the heavens…

Aphrodite waves her hand and the scene in the waterfall goes dark.

Apollo throws his hands up in despair.  “They didn’t kiss.”

Aphrodite shrugs.  She looks smug.  “I did warn you.”

“They didn’t kiss.” Apollo jumps to his feet and starts pacing.  This isn’t acceptable.  It’s not acceptable at all.  “They were touching.  There were sparks…they were both enjoying it.  So why didn’t they kiss?”

Apollo spins round and paces around the fountain.  As he passes Aphrodite she shrugs at him again.

He’s beginning to hate her shrugs.

Hunkering back down beside her on the marble bench, he considers their options.  “We need to make the situations more dangerous.  They will not be able to deny their feelings for each other then.”

Aphrodite tugs at her ear, her gaze distant.  “I’ve tortured Steve, several times.”

Apollo nods, filing that information away.

“He’s jumped off high bridges, been exposed to nuclear radiation.”

“Okay.” Apollo ticks those off his rapidly shortening list of perilous situations.  Humans are fragile: the list isn’t endless.

“I’ve even destroyed his liver.”

“Really?”

“Really.”  Aphrodite looks super-smug now.

Apollo nods, quietly impressed.  That was a gutsy, dangerous move.  “So what happened after that?”

She rests her chin on both fists. Her body deflates.  “Danny gave him his liver.”

“No.”  Apollo snaps his jaw shut.  “No.  They couldn’t have…no one could have resisted that.”

Aphrodite folds even further into herself.  “They did.”

Apollo covers his face with his hands.  “They are so annoying.”

They both sit silently, lost in their misery.  Time passes.  So absorbed are they in their own thoughts they don’t hear the footsteps approaching at first.

“Apollo!  You are neglecting your duties!”

Apollo scowls as he turns.  There’s no mistaking the voice.  Ares, the God of War, is used to making his voice heard.  They all get to hear it a lot.

Beside him, Aphrodite half-smiles and flutter her eyelashes as Ares approaches.  Apollo forces himself not to groan out loud at her behaviour.  She might be a married woman but they all know who she is really in love with.

Aphrodite pats the bench beside her, inviting Ares to sit down.  “Apollo’s been trying to help me with these humans,” she coos, “but he doesn’t know how to heal their broken hearts.”

Apollo bites his lip against the implied slight she’s just delivered.  Instead, he concentrates on Ares’s face.  He has to struggle not to laugh.  Ares is way out of his comfort zone.  This might actually be fun.

Settling back, he watches as Aphrodite waves her hand and the image in the waterfall rematerializes. 

Steve and Danny are in a bedroom.  Steve’s laying on the bed.  The shorts he’s wearing don’t leave much to the imagination.  Danny’s dressed in a tee-shirt and shorts and he’s leaning over Steve, wiping something on the cuts and bruises that litter his skin. Their bodies are only inches apart.

Apollo squirms uncomfortably on the bench. Self-consciously he rests his arm across his crotch.  Beside him Aphrodite is breathing heavily.  He finds that reassuring.

Ares appears to be oblivious to both of them.  He’s staring at the scene, stroking his chin.  Eventually he stirs himself to start asking questions, to find out what they’ve already done.  Once they’ve finished explaining they fall silent again and wait.

Eyes narrowing, Ares glares at the image.  “They are soldiers, are they not?”

Apollo shrugs.  It’s not strictly true but they have both seen battle.  Aphrodite nods.

Ares sits up straight, slapping his hands on his thighs.  “Soldiers do not need thoughts.  They need action.”

Before Apollo can ask what that means, Ares snaps his fingers.  Steve and Danny’s bodies jerk.  In a blink of an eye, they collide.  The sound of their heads connecting rings out.  The sheer force of their collision makes them both bounce back.  With a surprised curse, Danny lands on his ass on the floor.

Slowly, Aphrodite turns to face Ares. “What was that?”

Ares looks her in the eyes.  “Kissing.  Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Not really, Apollo thinks, rolling his eyes.  Trust a warmongering idiot like Ares to think that was enough. 

Aphrodite smiles though as Ares clicks his fingers and replays the scene.  Steve and Danny’s lips do meet – barely.  Aphrodite smiles wider.  She pulls Ares down for a kiss of his own.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you,” she purrs as Ares gets up, pulling her to her feet.  The cat stretches, then curls itself around Aphrodite’s ankles.

As they disappear out of the garden, Apollo shakes his head.  This really has been a disappointing interlude.  Looking at the image doesn’t improve his mood at all.  The two idiots on earth are still talking.  Still.  Perhaps he won’t go to Hawaii after all, if everyone is as idiotic as these two men.

Waving his hand, he blanks out the image again.  Walking away, he sighs.  Some people just don’t deserve the benefits of divine intervention.

They really don’t.

H50H50H50

Steve rolls onto his side, cupping his nose with his hand.  Experience tells him it’s not broken but it hurts like hell.  “Ow.”

A groan from the floor gets his attention.  Gingerly, he hangs over the edge of the bed to check it out.

Danny glares back.  He’s sprawled across the floor. “What the hell was that?”  He daps at his nose with his fingers, his face relaxing minutely as they come away free of blood.

“Hey, I didn’t do anything.”  Steve raises his hands defensively.  Wincing, he pushes himself upright and slides off the bed.  “You okay?  I don’t know what—”

“I’m fine.”

Danny’s expression suggests otherwise but Steve lets him have the lie.  Helping him to his feet, they stagger back to the bed, perching on the edge of it.

“I swear, I didn’t do anything,” Steve starts but Danny waves him to silence with his hand.  Twisting sideways, he looks straight into Steve’s eyes. 

“You kissed me.”

“No I didn’t.”  Steve holds his gaze, his eyebrows joining in a frown.  It might only have been for a split-second but it’s a moment he’ll never forget.   “You kissed me.”

Danny’s eyebrows drop into a matching frown. He rubs the back of his neck. Looking away, he exhales loudly.  When he looks back, doubt is written across his face.  “Okay.  This is gonna sound weird but…but for a second there…for a second it felt like someone…made me move.”

Steve feels his heart stop.  He reminds himself to breathe.  “Like someone picked you up and moved you?”

“Yeah.”  Danny grimaces, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment.  Then he looks at Steve’s face again.  Really looks.  Understanding dawns.  “You felt it too.”

Steve scratches one of the numerous tiny cuts on his arms, inflicted when he fell off the cliff.  They sting like hell.  “I’ve felt it before,” he admits.  “Just now.  Today, at the cliff.  When I nearly crashed the truck.”  The list was longer than that – much longer – but he’s already walking on dangerous ground.  It’s a touchy subject between them.

Danny rubs at his face, with both hands.  “So what we’re saying,” he says finally, jerking his chin upwards, “is that those guys up there are real and—”

“We talked about this.  I know you don’t believe in them.  I respect that but don’t reject my—”

Danny gently places a finger on Steve’s lips, bringing him to a halt.

“So what we’re saying,” Danny starts again, his tone warm and fond, “is that the Gods think we should be kissing.  Am I right?”

Steve blinks at the sudden left turn the conversation’s taken.  Lost for words he nods. Enthusiastically.

“And you really want me to kiss you?”

Steve nods more.  He wants it so much.

It seems like forever before Danny’s lips touch his. Closing his eyes, Steve leans in, claiming Danny’s hips with his hands.  Hauling Danny closer, he deepens the kiss.  Danny groans, deep and needy, his hands grabbing for purchase, sliding over Steve’s skin.

Danny’s touch sends a spark of pleasure down Steve’s spine.  Skin suddenly hyper-sensitive he twitches, a full body twitch down to his toes.  Rolling back onto the bed he takes Danny with him, groaning in return as their bodies rub together in all the right ways.

Steve protests when Danny pulls away, sliding off the bed.  But then his brain catches up again. Stretching out on the pillows, he laughs as Danny hops and curses as he struggles to strip.  Then Danny’s naked and gorgeous, crawling back up the bed towards him. Eagerly he hauls him back in, claims his lips for another much longer kiss. 

Time blurs.  His brain empties of all thoughts.  The next time he can string two words together it’s several hours later.  And Danny’s asleep in his arms.

Humming happily to himself, he buries his nose into Danny’s hair and breathes.  Danny mutters something, shuffles, then goes back to sleep.  Steve watches him for a while, wondering how he’d denied himself this for so long – why they both had.

They’d both been idiots, he thinks, as his eyelids finally slide closed.   

There’s no point arguing with the Gods.

The end

[anythingstephenking]

Tony! Toni! Toné! has done it again

Did you know that Tony! Toni! Toné! has over a million monthly listeners on Spotify? Not bad for a band that hasn’t put out an album since 1996. Can you name a Tony! Toni! Toné! song that isn’t “Feels Good”? I can’t. Can you think of another band with three exclamation points in their name? I can’t. Do you remember when Panic(!) at the Disco removed the exclamation point from their name? I do. Do you remember when Ke$ha removed the dollar sign from her name? I definitely do.

The tangent to end all tangents, but we’re back with Danny (or more matured “Dan”) Torrance and his pal Tony with Doctor Sleep! I was so excited when this novel was coming out I pre-ordered my copy when it was announced. Then never read it. Whoops.

Since I started my King journey, I haven’t let myself watch any new King adaptations of source material I haven’t read, so I got to watch the movie for the first time too! Someday I will finally get to watch The Outsider. I’m actually on a bit of a roll - 5 books in the last month or so.

I ONLY HAVE 12 BOOKS LEFT! PRAISE BE.

King said that a lot of folks would ask him at book signings “What happened to Danny Torrence”? If I was King I’d probably says “I dunno man, he’s not a real person” so I guess that’s why I have no imagination. Instead of sparking annoyance with the insatiable requests of his Constant Readers, it sparked creativity, and that’s why King is king.

Alright, lets actually talk about the book. We’re back with the Torrance family, and for an extremely traumatized family unit, they’re doing ok after Jack’s demise. I mean, the ghost lady from room 217 shows up in the bathtub every now and again, but that’s to be expected right?? The Torrances are living in Florida, stating that there’s no snow in Florida. But they know there’s like, a lot of resorts in Florida right? Presumably haunted by a lot of old biddies sending their food back to the kitchen and tipping their ghost waiters 2%.

There’s a little bit with Wendy, a young Danny and Dick, who’s still around and helping Danny manage his shine. Dick helps Danny lock away the lingering remnants of The Overlook by quite literally locking them in boxes in his mind. Ok sure, I guess?

But we’re not here to find out how Danny’s awkward middle school years were, and so we skip past the braces and straight into the alcoholism. Because of course. Like many flawed-but-heroic King characters, a grown up Dan Torrance has an alcohol problem. Given who his dad was, I can’t say I’m surprised. Dan says it’s a crutch to dim his shine. Genetics and quieting your clairvoyance - the top two causes of alcoholism in the United States.

Dan’s character isn’t any more interesting than the other alcoholics in King’s novels unfortunately. He’s fine; standard “I wanna get better” bullshit. To his credit, he does turn his life around, joining AA, getting a sponsor and settling down in one place for more than 10 minutes. He does shitty things but feels IMENSE guilt afterwards. I suppose remorse is a character strength.

Turns out Dan isn’t really the star of the show here, it’s Abra, a young gal with a very powerful shine who has never even had a sip of whiskey. We’re introduced to Abra as a baby in a terrifying passage about her abilities. As a baby, she starts crying and wakes both her parents from powerful nightmares that include the numbers 11 and 175. Her parents can’t soothe her and it gets so bad they take her to the hospital, where she wails until just shortly after 9:30am. It was September 11, 2001, and the numbers the family had nightmares about were the flight numbers of the terrorist planes. An infant, warning her parents through dreams. I mean, girl’s got it.

Abra grows up and does a bunch of other stuff that can mostly be considered fancy party tricks. She makes small connections with Dan’s mind here and there, but things heat up when we meet The True Knot.

So The True Knot are vampires that aren’t vampires. Because they don’t drink blood, they drink “steam” which is emitted from those that shine while they are tortured. Cool. It’s a new and refreshing take on typical vampire tropes, and they’re decent, other-worldly baddies.

Here’s where things go a little sideways for me. Abra manages to catch the interest of the True Knot’s leader Rose, and you can tell the remainder of the book will be a cat and mouse between the good guys and the bad. We learn that the True Knot has gathered much wealth and resources (as the undead tend to do with all the time in the universe) and they have footholds all throughout the US, including Jerusalem’s Lot and Sidewinder. Yes, the Sidewinder where the Overlook once stood. So how, in gods green earth, did these folks not latch onto a young Danny? His shine was powerful enough for a friggin’ building to attack him, but he somehow slipped past The True.  Someone asks this question in the book and I was not satisfied with the answer.

Plot holes aside, the relationship that Dan and Abra develop is quite charming, and because Dan’s a recovering alcoholic and Abra is 13, this is a romance free story. They team up, and the cat and mouse is amped up because we’re not just chasing The True through the streets but through their minds, with Abra and Rose popping in and out of each others brains like it’s nothing. It’s accelerated even further by the True catching measles from one of their victims. Now, I am looking at you, American Horror Story Season 5, for using this exact same plotline in Hotel two years later.

In the end, Dan gets his redemption arc, a new home, a career, 15 years of sobriety, a family. Abra gets… to live a normal life as a teen? I suppose this is the most important thing when you’re 13.

While a fun, page turning story (I think it took me 3 nights to plow through) there’s really not much to chew on here outside of the fast paced plot. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. It feels to me highly personal retelling of the recovering alcoholic, with Dan fully duking it out with his demons and coming through on the other side. I’d imagine that the parallels with King’s own demons is not all that dissimilar. At times it does feel like reading an advertisement for AA.

At the end of the day, The Shining was a story of alcohol and isolation; Doctor Sleep is a story of sobriety and companionship. One ends well; one does not.

6/10

First Line: On the second day of December in a year when a Georgia peanut farmer was doing business in the White House, one of Colorado’s great resort hotels burned to the ground.

Last Line: “Until you sleep”, he said.

Adaptations:

I feel more and more letdown with every modern King adaptation I’ve consumed recently.

The new Stand miniseries? Hated it.

1922? Hated it.

The new Pet Semetary? HATED IT.

Lisey’s Story? Currently watching and hating it.

Dark Tower? COME FREAKING ON.

I’m trying to remember the last King adaptation that didn’t make me go “meh”. I suppose IT: Chapter One? Gerald’s Game was good too I guess. I absolutely adore Castle Rock, but Hulu cancelled it because they’re stupid heads.

I actually miss the “so bad it’s good” movies of the early years - I’d rather watch Cat’s Eye 20 times than have to sit through 1922 again.

I was anxious for Doctor Sleep because I love love love Mike Flanagan movies and he did a decent job with Gerald’s Game. Oculus and Hush are two of my favorite modern horror movies, and if you ever want me to jabber on for hours on end, ask me about The Haunting Netflix series.

Unfortunately, I filed Doctor Sleep into the “meh” column. It’s a hard adaptation; remember that the Overlook exploded in the book, but was still standing at the end of the movie. Dick dies in the movie, but he’s still kicking it in the book. The list of inconsistencies go on and on.

It’s like how David Yates had to clean up the whole patronuses-are-actually-animals thing after Alfonso Cuaron’s creative decisions in Prisoner of Azkaban. If you get that reference, you win today’s nerd award (TM).

So Flanagan had his work cut out for him and he does well at marrying the two parallel universe storylines. The most infuriating plot-hole in the movie was the fact that they let The Overlook rot after the Torrance family left? I mean, Grady killed his wife, two girls and himself, and the owners decided to keep on keepin’ on, but sure, they decided to pack their money-filled suitcases and close up shop when Jack Torrance bites it by freezing to death in the hedge maze? Sure thing.

But it wasn’t bad. It was just fine. It’s ok.

Would I recommend this movie to someone? Sure?

[marsanj47]

Ghost Rider: Vengeance

According to Agents of Shield, it would seem that Robbie Reyes got the Ghost Rider/Spirit of Vengeance passed onto him from Johnny Blaze (it could have been Danny Ketch. Who knows. He’s also another Ghost Rider that rides a motorcycle.). Assuming that this means there could only be one Ghost Rider at a time, at least this kind of Ghost Rider, I thought I would pitch an idea. This idea could work as a movie or the general gist could work as the first season of a Ghost Rider show, which hopefully will happen (if Marvel doesn’t give him a movie). 

Pitch

Basically, here is how it would go. It would start with Robbie coming back from wherever he went to, and going to his home in Los Angeles. He has a chat with his brother Gabe, they have a touching family moment about Robbie being gone for so long. Meanwhile, Detective Michael Badilino is working a case that seems to have a very culty kind of vibe dealing with the worship of a being known as Zadkiel. He seems to be drawn to the case for a reason, which is unknown to the viewer but completely known by him. Later that night, Robbie and an off-duty Michael are drawn to same location, where the “cult” is meeting. Michael sneaks in and finds some papers about finding the “Riders,” while Robbie is trying to find a back door to the place, and overhears the people inside about “breaking into Heaven.” Both Michael and Robbie bust into the meeting place at the same time, and after fighting some of the followers of Zadkiel who attacked them, they look at each other. They feel a sense of anger and hatred towards each other, even though they do not know each other, and begin to fight as the followers scatter, eventually leading to Robbie warning Michael to run away, right before he turns into the Ghost Rider. However, Michael seems unaffected by the Ghost Rider’s appearance, and says something along the lines of “Now, I know why I wanted to kick your ass so badly.” And we see his head start to burn and turn into another Spirit of Vengeance, simply called Vengeance.

The Ghost Rider and Vengeance duke it out for a bit, and are pretty evenly matched. They stop as soon as they hear wings, and Zadkiel, the Archangel of Vengeance, appears (who for the sake of this pitch would look more like a human, however this is his true form).

He seems happy that the Ghost Rider and Vengeance have found each other, and says something along the lines of “that just makes my plan that much easier to achieve.” Ghost Rider and Vengeance begin to fight Zadkiel, and get their asses handed to them because they can’t work well as team. After a lucky shot from Robbie’s chain burns Zadkiel, he uses his powers to knock both Ghost Rider and Vengeance out to escape. Michael and Robbie wake up the following morning, and are slightly antagonistic towards each other, at first, but after some yelling (or “heated discussion”), they agree to play nice with each other. After briefly complementing each other’s rides (Robbie’s Charger and Michael’s Harley Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle), they go towards Robbie’s place, where Gabe meets Michael.

Michael tells Robbie and Gabe how he was bonded with Vengeance after putting the pieces of the “Medallion of Power” back together, which freed Vengeance and bonded him to Michael. Gabe leaves the room as Michael and Robbie discuss what happened last night, and as soon as Michael mentions the name Zadkiel, Gabe, after Googling random stuff one night, explains who he is. He tells them that Zadkiel used to be an Archangel. He initially sided with Lucifer in his rebellion to overthrow God, but eventually betrayed Lucifer, which lead to Lucifer’s eviction from Heaven. As punishment for his initial treason, God sent Zadkiel, and the angels under his command, to Earth to act as an avenging force for him. Michael asks Gabe what else he knows,  to which he says “that’s all I know.” Robbie later says something along the lines of “Bet you if we want to know more, we should go back to (insert where the meeting was held here).” Michael replies with “You think there would still be some stuff there?” Robbie would say “Worth a shot.” 

So they go back and Robbie goes inside while Michael keeps watch. As Robbie is searching for any bit of information about Zadkiel’s plan, some of Zadkiel’s followers show up and begin fighting with Michael. As they manage to gang up on him, Vengeance comes out and begins to brutally and sadistically beat and kill every single one of them. Robbie gets to where he and Michael parked just in time to see him literally “rip some dude’s head clean off” and sees all the carnage that Vengeance left (limbs torn off, faces bashed into the pavement, etc.).  As Robbie starts yelling at Michael/Vengeance for going to this extreme, Zadkiel shows up once again. The Ghost Rider quickly starts to come out, but Zadkiel uses his power to stop him, to turn Vengeance back to Michael, to bring them to their knees, and to hold them there, because he doesn’t want to talk to them (them being the Spirits of Vengeance), he wants to talk to “the poor souls you decided to hitch a ride with” (meaning Robbie and Michael). He explains to them that he doesn’t want to kill them, and he simply wants the Riders, which he “greatly regrets ever creating in the first place.” He explains that he needs the Riders, or to be more exact the power of the Riders, returned to him if he wants to return to Heaven. He promises them things that they both want, Robbie wants Gabe to be healed and Michael wants his dead sister back, if they willingly give the Riders back to him. He gives them until midnight to make a decision, and to meet him at the Santa Monica Pier by the Ferris Wheel if they decide to give them back to him. He disappears and leaves Robbie and Michael. Robbie puts the papers and books he found in his Charger, and he and Michael return to Robbie’s house. 

Robbie is heavily considering Zadkiel’s offer, while Michael is cautiously skeptical of it. Michael believes that Zadkiel isn’t telling them everything, and brings up the fact that his followers have been committing crimes “in his name.” So, they decide to look through the papers and books for any form of information. Hours go by and “nothing important has come up.” Robbie looks at the time, 11:00, and sees his opportunity to make up for what he did to Gabe and to get rid of the Rider once and for all slipping away, so he grabs his keys and slips out without Michael knowing. Meanwhile, Michael ends up reading something about Zadkiel, about how he created the Spirits of Vengeance and them essentially put them through hellish amounts of torture. He later gets a part where it talks about Zadkiel getting fed up with his position and his big plan to break into Heaven to take God’s throne for himself. He also reads that there used to be thousands of Spirits of Vengeance before, but now both they and their hosts are dead, so it’s just him and Robbie left. As he finished reading this, he sought out Robbie to tell him and then he hears Robbie’s car turn on. Michael races outside and sees Robbie drive off. He quickly goes back inside, gets his keys and his gun, and follows Robbie on his motorcycle.

They both arrive at the Santa Monica Pier, where Michael yells at Robbie for coming here. After giving Michael his reasoning, he listens to Michael explain why Zadkiel needs the Spirits of Vengeance to get back into Heaven. He also tells him that, if they want to kill Zadkiel, they must first cut off his wings, which he has kept hidden this time, except for when he shows up and flies away. They make a plan, which consists of Robbie going alone at first, and then catching Zadkiel off-guard. It doesn’t really work, and then they fight Zadkiel on the Santa Monica Pier, as people are running away in terror. The Ghost Rider and Vengeance come out, and Vengeance gets on the Ferris Wheel and begins shooting Zadkiel with hell-fire infused bullets. They cause damage to Zadkiel, who flies up to battle Vengeance at the top of the Ferris Wheel. This is when Ghost Rider uses his chain to quickly catch and tear off Zadkiel’s wings. While this doesn’t completely take away his powers, they do make him weaker and not immortal anymore. The fight continues, and eventually Vengeance grabs hold of Zadkiel and Ghost Rider uses the Penance Stare on him to “pay for his sins” (of which there are many). The movie/season more or less ends with Robbie and Michael walking out of the Santa Monica Piers, beaten and kind of covered with blood, walking to their respective vehicles, and agreeing to have each other’s backs, as long they have to go through this “hell of journey together.” The end may also tease the arrival of Blackheart.

That’s my general pitch/rundown of what could happen. Obviously, it’s titled Ghost Rider: Vengeance for a number of reasons. 1.) The character Vengeance that is introduced, 2.) Vengeance and Ghost Rider are the Spirits of Vengeance, 3.) Zadkiel is the Archangel of Vengeance, 4.) Ghost Rider and Vengeance want vengeance on Zadkiel for what he put them through, and 5.) Zadkiel wants vengeance on God for throwing him out of Heaven.

Robbie would obviously be played by Gabriel Luna, who has done an amazing job so far.

Michael could be played by a number of young Mexican-American actors, who would more likely have to be around Gabriel’s age of 34. Some that I think could work, for one reason or another, are:

Alex Meraz (Age 32)

Ryan Guzman (Age 29)

or Michael Trevino (Age 32)

Whoever could work best may also depend on the medium that this story could be told, movie or television/Netflix. For Zadkiel, I would really like to see one actor in particular. I’m a fan of his work, and I think he could do great things with that role, and that actor is Oded Fehr. Also, that Marvel’s Most Wanted Pilot did not get picked up, which he was in apparently, so he’s at least in Marvel’s radar.

What do you think? Could this work? Would you watch this, even if it had to be tweaked a little? Tell me what you thought. I would really like to know. Remember this is just a general gist. More things would probably be added to make up for the time. Who knows, maybe Chloe could show up to help. Get some Quakerider action going and Michael semi-teasing them about it. All leading up to him shouting “For God’s sake, just kiss already,” or something like that somewhere towards the end, most likely in a slightly angry tone after the big battle they just had.

[lizardbooks]

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET ;; chapters 19-26

what does jordan want suzanne and patricia to do that upsets nadine? He wants them to smuggle money into Switzerland for him, since he thinks they look so innocent/that no one would ever suspect them. He doesn’t straight out ask them though, but he does kinda lead them to it which Nadine catches onto instantly and is like HELL NO. what happened to todd when he met danny? Well, it didn’t go so well, haha. So Danny rolls up to their meet-up super stoned and he’s driving like a maniac. He is able to pass the brief case off to Todd before driving away, but not before two security guards witness this and call the police. When Todd realizes what is happening, he ran into a video store and hid his gun in one of the boxes, but that didn’t really help much b/c they caught it all on the security footage and found the gun. Anyway, Todd ended up getting arrested. what did patrick the butler do that prompted jordan to call the cops? So one time when Patrick assumed that both Nadine and Jordan would be gone for the evening, he had a gay orgy in their apartment. Nadine walked in on this and was not happy. Jordan also found out that he had stolen 50 gran from him, too, so he got Vince to beat him up and when Patrick still didn’t admit to taking it, he called the cops. He paid the cops off and they beat up Patrick some more. who is steve bernstein and what does he call jordan about? He was the videographer at his wedding. He is calling to tell him that the FBI showed up and requested a copy of Jordan’s wedding tape. jordan says that one of the appeals of duke securities will be that its small and allows for quicker promotion. is it easy to move up at your job? or do you work at a larger company where it's harder to get promoted? So my day job is a super small company. There’s only three of us, so there’s not really much room for me to get promoted there because we are so small and my boss kinda wants to keep it this size until she’s ready to retire in a few years and then close the business, so there’s no where for me to go there. If the other employee left, we’d hire someone else, I think, so yeah. My night job, however, there is a lot of room for advancement! They pay us next to nothing there, so we have a really large turnover rate, but the plus side is that you move up quickly and get a lot of experience and then are able to use that to get an actual job that pays you, haha. what's jordan's retirement schedule like? He wakes up really early to take his drugs so by the time his wife wakes up, he’s already coming down. Then he watches old TV shows and hangs out with Chandler until it’s time to go meet Danny for lunch. They hang out and drink and do drugs and then he comes home in time for dinner with his family. what did jordan do that brought the cops to his house? He and Danny took some super powerful Ludes and they just weren’t kicking in, so they took several (instead of just the 1 they were warned to take). Anyway, when he was still sober, he gets a call from his FBI friend and he says to call him from a payphone, so Jordan drives to the country club. While he’s on the phone there, the Ludes start to do their thing and he’s totally out of it. He can’t even talk; he can hardly move. But he decides to drive himself home. He gets home in one piece (somehow) and goes up to bed. He’s awakened soon afterwards by the cops who say that he’s been in sEVEN different accidents!! and that he’s being arrested for driving while under the influence + leaving the scene of an accident. He doesn’t remember any of this, but when he goes outside, he sees that his car is totally wrecked and realizes that it’s a miracle he’s even alive. what happened to elliot after he and jordan race? He looses consciousness and Jordan has to pull him out of the pool. He’s not breathing and Jordan tries CPR but it’s not working (there’s a moment when Jordan even thinks about how great it would be if Elliot did just die b/c he’d take all of their secrets to the grave with him). Anyway, eventually he’s able to get him to start breathing a little and when the ambulance arrives, they tell Jordan that he saved Elliot’s life.

[samsexualdeancurious]

Overdue | Chapter Two

Pairing: McDanno

Words: 1,212

Warnings: None

Summary: A case

Written for @markinmi1​

Betaed by @cowandcalf

Masterlist

He’s woken far too soon by his ringing phone. Steve groans and fumbles around on the nightstand until he finds it. It’s plugged in, but he doesn’t remember doing that. He must’ve done it in his sleep or something. Whatever, at least it’s charged.

“McGarrett,” he grumbles, stretching and savoring the rush of blood to his muscles.

“Steve, we’ve got a case.” Chin sounds like he’s in the car. Kono’s softer voice is audible in the background talking to someone else. “HPD thinks they’ve got a serial arsonist and they want us to take a look. Duke would’ve called himself, but he’s on his way to another fire.”

“I’ll get Danny. He and Grace stayed here last night, so we’ll have to drop her off at Rachel’s on the way,” Steve says, already wide awake. He grabs a clean shirt and jeans, beginning to dress one-handed. “Text me the address.”

“You got it, boss. We’ll see you there.”

Steve is a wise man who gets a travel cup of coffee- with Danny’s preferred amount of sugar and cream- ready before waking Danny. He actually wakes Grace up first so she can get ready. Thankfully she’s a smart girl who got everything she could ready last night, having been rushed off to school early and unprepared one too many times before. She’s dressed and ready to go in no time- Steve is genuinely impressed.

Danny grumbles about being woken, but accepts the coffee as a peace offering and settles for muttering something that sounds an awful lot like “should've just left your phone die on the kitchen table in the night, criminals don't care about Saturdays” and Steve wants to ask for details, but he's prevented by Grace waiting at the foot of the stairs with Danny's shoes in her hands and her bag slung over her shoulder.

“No makeup?” Danny asks, sitting on the couch to put on his shoes.

She looks genuinely offended. “What’s the point of wearing makeup if I’m just going to have to shower after tennis and wash it all off?”

He shrugs. “Hey. I don’t know these things.”

Grace just rolls her eyes, which prompts even more teasing from Danny. The banter continues all the way to Rachel’s house. Steve just soaks it in- who knows how much longer he’ll be able to enjoy it.

The scene is pretty calm when Steve and Danny arrive, just the fire inspector and crime scene techs milling around while officers finish up taking witness statements.

“Good morning,” the fire inspector says in greeting when they approach.

“Hey, Hikaru,” Danny says. “Got anything for us yet?”

“Well we’re going to have to wait on the tests, but I can tell you this fire was not an accident.” Hikaru beckons and they follow him into the burnt out shell of what was once a family home. He stops in the kitchen. “The gas stove was still on when the trucks got here. They had to turn it off. That in itself was pretty bad, but it wasn’t on long enough before ignition to cause this much damage. The perp used some kind of accelerant, spread on the walls and throughout the ground floor.”

“The family?” Danny asks, already dreading the answer. He saw the minivan in the driveway, front-end charred.

“Out of town, thank God. They took a last minute flight to visit a dying family member on the mainland.” Hikaru nods at the van. “Took a cab the airport so they wouldn’t have to worry about parking.”

Shit. “So the perp might not have known they weren’t in the house.”

“Looks like it.” Hikaru sighs, staring around him at the wreckage. “I think I’m done here, so forensics can do their thing. I’m going to head over to the second fire. That family wasn’t so lucky.”

Danny’s stomach twists and he hears Steve take a deep breath to steady himself.

Hikaru leaves and the crime scene techs take over. There’s not much else Steve and Danny can do, so they decide to follow Hikaru to the second fire, only a ten minute drive away. Chin and Kono are still on scene watching the firefighters finish putting out the last of the fire on the far end of the building.

“When did this one start?” Steve asks, approaching Kono where she’s chatting with Duke. Danny is close behind him and he keeps glancing over at where Chin is helping Max and an assistant unfold body bags.

“About twenty minutes after first responders arrived at the other fire,” Duke replies.

“He planned this,” Kono sighs.

The radio in Duke’s cruiser, parked a few feet away, crackles to life. He’s quick to snatch it up, listening to the dispatcher and Danny frowns when he recognizes the code. Duke rubs a hand over his face, nodding and assuring her that he’s on his way. When he turns to face them, Danny already knows what he’s going to say.

“We officially have a serial arsonist.”

Danny honestly loves seeing Steve work, despite the situation. He’s quick to set up a perimeter of the neighborhood, though neither of them actually think it'll be that easy to catch the perp. This family was thankfully able to get out of the house in time- apparently their emergency plan already included going through the first floor windows which the arsonist didn’t plan for. The five of them are being treated for smoke inhalation while neighbors and the officers already on scene work on controlling the fire until the trucks arrive.

“I don’t like how thin we’re spread,” Danny says, taking a bucket from Steve and dumping it. He knows Steve wants nothing more than to start the search for the perp, but the main goal right now is to keep the fire from spreading to other houses. At least their efforts seem to be working.

“Me neither,” Steve agrees.

Sirens announce the arrival of the trucks at last and Steve pulls the team over to the Camaro for a discussion of what they know and what evidence they're waiting on.

“This guy knows what he’s doing,” Kono points out. “He knows the response times and how long it will take to put the fire out.”

“He's done this before,” Steve agrees.

“I’ll start a search for similar cases,” Chin says, already pulling out a tablet.

“Look for cases with long gaps between them,” Danny suggests. “At least a month or two.” Steve and Kono are nodding. “Something like this takes a lot of planning.”

“Got it.” Chin’s probably just humoring Danny- he usually is- hut Danny doesn't say anything about that. Better to just let Chin do his thing.

“Kono, you and I will question the neighbors,” Steve says, moving on to divvying up assignments. “Danny, wait here for Hikaru.”

“Hold up, why am I waiting here?” Danny protests.

“Because Hikaru likes you,” Steve says, the blatant lie sliding easily off his lips. Danny wants to call him out on it, but Steve is already leading Kono away, directing her toward a small clump a milling about on a nearby lawn, so Danny just bottles up the frustration for when he can rant at Steve on the way back to HQ. At least in the car Steve can't walk away.

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