"What is the matter with you? You have been wriggling around all night!" Steve finally lost his temper and turned to the blonde sitting on his sofa who looked like he had itching powder in his pants, and had been all night since he had arrived for their weekly Friday night beers and pizza.
"What nothing is wrong with me, what are you talking about?" Danny denied, as expected.
"Danno,"
"We have kind of become twisted into each other's living haven't we?" Danny said throwing Steve, he had thought that he would have to argue this with Danny a lot more, normally he would have to drag it out of him. And now he was worried, both with what seemed to be the subject of the conversation and how fast Danny had gotten into it.
"Well, yes, we're partners and family, friends," Steve said slowly.
"It's more than that though. I have had plenty of partners and friends in my time, and they aren't like we are," Danny shook his head.
"And there is something wrong with that?" Steve felt a shiver of fear go through him.
"There could be, maybe too many of the lines have been crossed and its confusing things,"
"What is being confused?" Steve asked exasperatedly.
"A lot of things! A lot of situations!" Danny was waving his hands around, that was never a good sign.
"What situations? What is going on?" Steve asked confused.
"Nothing, nothing, I don't know," Danny scrubbed his hand through his hair.
"Danno, what has happened? What is going on?" Steve was actually scared now. Something was going on, and he had the strongest feeling of potentially losing something here. Danny was trying to pull away or was looking at pulling away, thinking about it. He could see it in his blue eyes, but he had no idea what had caused it.
"Steve don't, don't look at me like that," Danny groaned.
"Hey, look at me, I'm sorry but I don't know what I have done wrong, have I been intruding too much?" Steve grabbed Danny's arm stopping him from moving away from him.
"No, it's not you, it's me, I have made a mess of this," Danny sighed.
"Made a mess of what? What do you think you have done? Danny talk to me, please, you don't have to do things by yourself anymore remember," Steve's mind was spinning.
"It's... I have confused things for everyone, and I haven't been fair, I have been giving out the wrong signals," Danny frowned.
"From the start Danny, not half the story," Steve requested, fighting to keep from snapping. His heart was thundering in his chest harder than when he did plane jumps and other such stunts that Danny normally shouted at him for.
"I confused Grace... and myself as to our relationship," Danny sighed groping for his beer.
"Your relationship with me?" Steve asked, not wanting to confuse things.
"Yes," Danny nodded looking so miserable that Steve went to wrap his arm around his shoulders, only to be stopped with a quick shake of Danny's head.
"Danny..."
"No, no not the kicked puppy look, Steve listen to me. I got things twisted in my head in a way I didn't realise, and I didn't realise until I am too far in and..."
"Danny! What didn't you realise?!" Steve demanded really getting scared now.
"That I am in love with you!" Danny shouted, lunging to his feet and started pacing up and down while Steve sat staring at him stunned. "And it is stupid because you and Catherine are becoming more and more serious, and at least now I understand why it hurts so damned much every time I have to see the two of you together, and why I hate smelling her perfume on you, and why I hate when you trust her when you won't trust me with things. I don't want to get in the way of that, but it hurts, and you will never want me like that anyway, and I understand that, but you have been wrapping around my life as my best friend and partner while I have been falling in love with you, and I don't know what the hell to do now because I am going to be hurt and humiliated either way, and it is isn't even just me that has been twisted into this but Gracie as well, and it isn't fair on you either, because you are...you and this is me being stupid and... I need to ask to take some leave time for a little while, and I don't know maybe go and visit the family in Jersey for a little while,"
Danny stopped in the middle of the room with his back to Steve, all the fire had gone out of him now. He scrubbed his hand through his blonde hair frustrated.
"And...what if it is what I want?" Steve said softly, so softly Danny thought that he had misheard him. At least until he spun around and saw the look on Steve's face. He had never seen him look so scared and so hopeful.
"W...what?" Danny stammered. Steve got to his feet and walked over to him as though he was a perp about to run.
"Did you mean it? You love me?" Steve asked licking his lips nervously. Danny stared at him wondering what this was. But there was some hope in his eyes as well that flared something to life in the blonde's chest.
"Yes, yes I do," Danny sighed, and he sounded so sad and lost Steve could do nothing but pull him in and kiss him softly. "Steve no, Catherine! You and Catherine!" Danny yanked back and Steve's heart broke to see actual tears in those blue eyes and so much pain on his face as he tried to look away and hide it.
"Danny no, me and Cath are not like that. We... I can't phrase this without hurting you," Steve scrubbed at his face.
"Just tell me!" Danny demanded.
"We keep each other company, but it isn't anything more than that. I have maybe been clinging to her a little closer lately because I couldn't have the person I wanted, that I really loved," Steve licked his lips nervously.
"The person you..."
"...really loved, yes," Steve nodded, reaching out again to touch Danny's cheek.
"You mean me right?" Danny asked narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"Yes, I mean you, you idiot!" Steve shook his head drawing Danny in by the chin for another kiss. This time Danny sunk into him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and cupping the back of his head, pressing even closer to him and opening his mouth to the searching tongue.
It felt right, so right, it felt like home and peace. Steve dragged Danny even closer, his hand cupping Danny's bum to pull him even closer and held him tightly in a way that he had never thought he would get to do.
"What brought all this on, not that I'm not happy about it, just curious," Steve asked a few moments after they parted and just stood holding onto each other, their forehead pressed together. Danny grinned to himself, Steve and he were incredibly tactile before all this, he hoped that that would increase with this change in their relationship.
"Grace," Danny answered.
"Grace?" Steve blinked.
"Remember the daddy/daughter dance?"
"How can I forget?!" Steve held Danny even tighter on reflex remembering this time last year when they had been standing over a bomb whos trigger laser was pointed at Danny's chest.
"Well, there were some complaints last year, some of the kids have more than one dad, no dad, you know different family circumstances, so the school changed the rules of the dance," Danny explained.
"Ok, I'm confused what does that have to do with us?" Steve blinked.
"She came home and said that she wanted all her dads at the dance,"
"Ok, so you and Stan,"
"And you," Danny added.
"What?" Steve blinked pulling back.
"She thought that you and I were together already, she looks at you like a dad Steve,"
"She does?" Steve started smiling.
"Yeah, is that ok?" Danny asked nervously.
"Danny, I love her, I love her like she is my own and I would do anything! Anything at all to protect her," Steve swore.
"So, you want to come to the dance?" Danny asked. Steve rolled his eyes and tugged him in for a kiss. Even if his heart had not been thundering at the thought of Gracie really thinking of him as her father as well, the look in Danny's gorgeous blue eyes would have had him agreeing to anything.
"I could wear my uniform," He suggested when they parted.
"Really? That would impress her friends," Danny grinned.
"Would it impress you?" Steve shot Danny that smirk.
"I will neither confirm nor deny that I may have a tiny, small thing for you in your uniform," Danny shrugged nonchalantly.
"Hmm, just a little thing?" Steve smirked wider drawing Danny back against him.
"Yup, just a little," Danny gulped.
"So, no fantasies of me in my uniform ordering you around, soldier?"
"Pft," Danny tried to look unimpressed, but he couldn't keep the arousal from his features.
"Oh yeah, we're having fun with that uniform," Steve murmured before kissing Danny again.
Grace was beaming as she stepped out of the car, Danny taking her hand and helping her out. Stan stepped up next to her, looking absolutely thrilled that Grace had asked him to come as well this year. Steve stepped up behind her looking completely dashing in his uniform and with a grin that had not stopped since that night a week and a half ago.
"Miss Will...erm... Grace you were supposed to bring your dad," Her teacher said softly gazing at the three quite different men around her.
"They are Miss. This is my Danno, this is my step dad Stan, and this is my step dad Steve. They're all my daddies," Grace frowned confused.
"Oh right of course," Danny could see the teacher trying to figure it out and decided to put her out her misery.
"Steve is my partner," He explained, feeling a thrill at getting to say those words. Steve's grin managed to hit about 10,00000 watts as he reached out with the hand not on Grace's shoulder to take Danny's hand.
"Well, have a lovely evening," the teacher smiled, a little red in the face.
"He loves her," Stan smiled as he stepped back to Danny's side and handed him a glass of juice. Danny didn't take his eyes from where Steve was spinning a giggling Grace around on the dance floor.
"He does,"
"She is a really lucky girl," Stan said making Danny turn to look at him questioningly. "I know we have had our...issues in the past Danny. But I love Grace and would do anything for her, as would Rachel. You and Steve, you both would literally rip Hawaii apart for her. She has an amazing family around her. She has four parents that adore her, she has the rest of Five 0 that love her, all your friends. She is lucky,"
"She is isn't she," Danny grinned.
"Danno! Stan!" Grace called.
"Ah, we are being summoned," Stan laughed. They both placed their glasses down onto the table and hurried onto the dance floor. Laughing she pulled them in and looked so happy as they started dancing around her that Danny couldn't stop the answering smile spreading over his face.
Grace laughed even harder when Steve grabbed Danny and started waltzing him around the floor. Stan scooped her up and followed in their footsteps.
Danny grinned as Steve dropped him into a dip, holding him there as he looked down at him. There were giggles and cat calls as Steve leant down and brushed their lips together gently, very much aware of where they were. Lifting him back up he hugged him close.
"I love you," Danny grinned.
"I love you too, Danno," Steve grinned cheekily making Danny laugh and shake his head. God but he loved this idiot.