Danny was walking back from the store when he realised he was being followed.

He'd been obeying his daughter's request to stay healthy, walking as opposed to driving whenever it was possible, so tonight a stroll hadn't seemed such a bad idea. Okay, so it may have been the liquor store he'd walked to, and it may have been beer he'd bought, but he figured the exercise would cancel out at least some of the negative effects on his health.

However now it seemed that it hadn't been such a great idea, because someone was stalking him from the shadows. He could feel their eyes on him, he'd heard the same set of regular footsteps several times in the last few minutes, and they were getting distinctly closer.

Danny was just beginning to pull his cell out of his pocket to call someone for safety and readying the paper bag containing his six-pack of Longboards to be used as a makeshift weapon when he caught a reflection in a car window that he was passing. He got a glimpse of the man approaching him from behind and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I noticed you two blocks back, Steven," he grinned, glad he was able to get one over on his partner with his observational abilities.

He heard Steve grumble, and then the brunette caught up with him when he slowed and fell into step at his side.

"Impossible, I've only been following you for a block and a half," the SEAL retorted.

Danny laughed and shook his head. "That's just how good I am," he chuckled, glancing up at his friend, "What are you doing creeping up on innocent people so late at night anyway, huh? Testing your ninja skills?"

Steve grinned broadly and shrugged. "I was just driving home and stopped at the convenience store to pick up a couple of things, saw you walking by and couldn't resist," he bumped his shoulder playfully against Danny's, "And so what if I was testing my skills?"

Danny slowed to a stop, realising that Steve must have left his truck somewhere back where they had come from, and they were only walking further away from it. He gave his partner a cursory once-over and crossed his arms, hugging the beers to his chest to cock his head in an assessing stance.

"Hm, I'd say seven outta ten."

"Excuse me?" Steve raised an eyebrow, "Why is that, exactly?"

The taller man put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, evidently not agreeing with Danny's opinion.

"Well," the blonde began, holding one finger up, "I have to admit, I actually only clocked you about a block back, not two."

Steve smiled proudly at that bit of information, but pouted when Danny continued.

"However, I did spot you," he reminded his friend firmly, "And the aim of tailing a target is to make sure they're unaware of your presence at all times, lest you be discovered."

Steve rolled his eyes and shifted his hips in annoyance, muttering something about 'lest, who even says that?' which Danny ignored.

The shorter man conceded a little. "But I'm adding points back on because I am a cop and I got street smarts, and that makes me harder to follow. So, seven outta ten."

It was Steve's turn to cross his arms, staring Danny down defiantly.

"Make it eight, and it ends here," he gave one confident nod.

Danny snorted. "You can't barter for points, Steven, that's not how it works. And whaddya mean, 'it ends here', what is that about?"

Steve reached into the Jersey man's bag and dislodged a beer, opening his jacket to slide the bottle into the inside pocket despite his friend's protests.

"What it means, Daniel, is that you give me eight out of ten and I won't have to keep doing this until I score higher."

Danny laughed incredulously. "Are you being serious? You're actually threatening to stalk me which, by the way, I seem to recall being illegal, over some made-up points that have no actual importance in life aside from being my opinion?"

"If they have no importance then why can't you give me eight instead of seven?" Steve replied, obviously not ready to drop his argument.

Danny smiled. He knew how competitive the Navy man could be, but to know that Steve valued how Danny viewed him this much was cute; even if the guy was trying to get him to change the number under duress, the fact that he seemed to want higher approval from the blonde still rang out.

He could give in, say eight, but where was the fun in that when he could get his buddy worked up over it? And okay, maybe the idea of Steve investing the time and effort to try and best Danny actually gave the detective goosebumps. Steve really seemed to want to win his favour and play this game, to follow him and watch him from the shadows and use his trained skills against him, and Danny couldn't deny that it was a little exciting to have that challenge.

He wouldn't admit it, but he admired his partner. Steve was his best friend, but more than that, Danny had a deep love for the guy which went beyond the normal boundaries of friendship. He loved Steve, was attracted to him and had been for a long time, and this new playful level to their relationship and the energy which was starting to crackle between them due to this challenge was enticing to say the least.

Danny smirked, gave Steve another assessing look, and sighed dramatically.

"Seven point five, and that's my final offer."

He hoped it wouldn't be enough, and for one disappointing moment he thought Steve would accept the new score and take what he could, find the reward not worth the effort... but then the brunette narrowed his gaze and tried to hide the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Guess I'm gonna have to keep practicing," he teased, and something flashed through his eyes that made Danny suddenly feel like he was the prey and the SEAL was on the hunt.

The blonde shivered under that heat, unconsciously licking his lips and trying to hide the fact that his adrenaline had just sky rocketed. He simply grinned and cocked his hips, acting nonchalant.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" he asked slyly, wanting to get a gauge on his opponent.

Steve grinned and began to back away from Danny, moving back in the direction of his truck. "I mean, Detective, that you might see me again tomorrow night."

The taller man turned his back on his partner and took a few more steps before turning back and wiggling his fingers like some terrible ghoul on Halloween.

"Or will you?" he laughed, letting it turn into an evil chuckle before turning on his heel and swaggering off into the night.

Danny stood there for a minute to watch his partner leave – the proverbial cat to his mouse – and then chuckled to himself and shook his head before heading on home.

So Steve was planning to try and catch him unawares again tomorrow, huh? Or would he leave it a night or two before trying again, let Danny think he was in the clear and let his guard down? Could it in fact be a ploy, a double bluff, and he would attempt again sooner rather than later?

This probably hadn't been the result Grace had envisioned for his daily dose of healthy exercise, but it was the best thing Danny could have hoped to gain out of it.

The whole scenario had Danny's blood pumping, excitement pumping through his veins, and the Jersey man began to realise that maybe he too liked the challenge that Steve could present. He felt revitalised, eager to see what happened.

He grinned. The prospect aroused him, and Steve had seemed pretty keyed up himself for something so inconsequential, but even if it was all just a bit of fun between two buddies then at least it would be entertaining. Or maybe they would discover that this new teasing element to their relationship held hidden depths.

Either way, Danny figured, the game was on.