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If there was one thing Danny had not missed about single life, it was dating. First dates were always rife with awkwardness, that getting to know you stage far from fun. Sure, there were times it could be fun, and the date went so well you didn't want it to end, or have to wait for the next, but in Danny’s experience, more often than not, he found himself in those first dates where you spend the whole date waiting for the awkward to fade and some level of comfort to kick in.
The first date he found himself on tonight definitely fell into that category. Danny had recently let his sisters talk him into using a dating app, and despite his initial misgivings, the experience wasn't too awful. He hadn't met with many of them in person, and somehow some of his potential dates turned into tentative friendships, but the few dates he had gone on went...fine.
Very few dates had made it past the first, and only a small handful past a second, but overall Danny was fine with that. This last date, though—it just might put him off the app—and dating—entirely.
Danny and his date had met at the restaurant—a fact he was immensely grateful for—and right from the start, he knew that the evening would not go well.
To start off with, the man was late. Then when he did arrive, he was dressed in ratty clothes—and not fashionably so—and rude to the staff. He ate like a pig, was full of himself, and at the end of the date Danny couldn't wait to pay and leave. There was no second date in their future, and after this disastrous date Danny had a feeling he would be deleting the app, as well.
The man trying to kiss him goodbye was just the icing on the shit cake.
By the time Danny was able to get away, all he wanted was a beer, some Eddie cuddles, and the chance to bitch with Steve. With those wants it shouldn't have been such a surprise to find himself parked in Steve’s driveway instead of his own; instead of leaving to his own house he killed the engine and made his way inside, deflating when he closed the door on a silent house, no dog or best friend there to greet him.
Sighing, Danny trudged his way up the stairs, intent on hijacking Steve’s clothes to change into if he couldn't have the actual man around. The moment Steve’s NAVY sweatshirt settles on his frame Danny buries his nose in it, basking in the comforting scene that is his best friend.
As he settled into the hammock, staring off into the ocean as he drifted off to sleep, Danny wished—and not for the first time—that it was Steve’s arms he was falling asleep in.
--
“Come on, Eddie, let’s start heading home boy.” Steve ruffled the fur atop Eddie’s head, turning around to follow the eager dog’s lead back down the trail, following dutifully behind, the leech held loosely in his hand.
It wasn't really necessary, not with how good of a dog Eddie was. Rules were rules, though, and if Steve didn't at least pretend to follow that “dogs always have to be leashed” law, Danny would jump his ass.
Not that Steve would mind that, of course…
Thinking of Danny reminded Steve of why he was on the run in the first place, bringing a frown to his face. Danny was on yet another date, and with a man this time. Ever since the Williams sisters flew out for a visit, it seemed that every time Steve turned around there Danny was out on a date with someone that wasn't him.
It was slowly driving him crazy.
When Danny texted him before tonight's date, letting him know where it was—just in case—Steve had to fight back the urge to text Danny back and tell him to cancel the date and come over to his place instead. Only the knowledge that Danny would be mad and refuse to cancel so late on a date kept him from doing so.
The run Steve took Eddie on was decided more in the effort to keep Steve’s mind off his phone and Danny's date (what they were doing, had the man been forward with him, was the date ending in someone’s bed) than it was about Eddie getting some exercise. And as a distraction, it worked—up until he had to stop, of course. Hopefully by the time they made it back to the house, the date would be over and Steve would have a text waiting for him bitching about that night's date. He could only hope.
His hopes, somehow, rang true, for when Steve and Eddie arrived home the Camaro was in the drive; when Steve set his palm on the hood and found it cool to the touch, he knew that Danny’d been there for a while.
“Looks like our favorite is here, Eddie.” A new pep in his step Steve ushered them to the door; the moment they were inside Steve unhooked Eddie’s leesh, watching him rush to the kitchen and out his doggie door. By the time Steve had locked up and made it to the kitchen to grab a water he saw through the window that Eddie had jumped into the hammock with Danny, his cheerful barks of hello followed by Danny’s husky laughter—he must have been sleeping in the hammock again.
Steve left them to it, turning away from the sweet sight of Danny with Eddie and loping up the stairs, long legs quickly getting him to his destination. He sped through a shower, snagging some sweats and a worn tee (noting while he did the clothes that were missing) before making his way downstairs, ready and eager to be with his Danno.
--
A loud bark wakes Danny from his sleep, the clicking of claws scrambling on the patio all the warning he receives before Eddie bounds onto the hammock with him, his enthusiasm almost knocking them out of the thing. Danny laughs, startled and charmed by the energy Eddie exuded. “Hey, buddy.” He cooed, huffing a laugh when Eddie responded with eager licks to the face. “Yeah, I missed you too, you giant fur ball.”
Danny shuffled on the hammock, settling them into a more steady position so he could love on the dog. “Where’s the Neanderthal, huh?” Danny asked, rubbing Eddie’s ears between his fingers and pressing a kiss to his snout. “Did you take him out for a run?”
“What, because I'm an animal?” Steve’s voice came from the patio; Danny looked up from Eddie to grin mischievously at Steve.
“Hey, you said it.” Danny teased, laughing at the eye roll his answer induced.
“Come on, Eddie, come get something to eat.” Steve called, softly snapping his fingers to get the dogs attention. Danny nudged Eddie gently, watching him trot off to the house, where no doubt Steve had left a bowl of food next to a bowl of cold water for him. Steve made sure that Eddie was settled before strutting—and yes, that was the only word Danny could choose to describe that walk —to the hammock, toeing off his slippers and crawling into the hammock with Danny.
With the faintest grumble Danny scooted over to make room, rolling onto his side and letting the swing of the hammock drop him on top of Steve, his arm coming to rest on Steve’s ridiculously toned stomach and tangling their legs together. One of Steve’s legs hooked out of the hammock, foot left on the floor to keep the rhythm of the gentle sway going. He settled into the new position with a sigh, wishing again that this meant something more than Steve just basking in his freedom to be affectionate with someone and not be rejected.
“So I’m guessing the date didn’t go so well?” Steve asked, his hand a hot brand on Danny's hip.
Danny huffed. "No, Steven, it did not. The man was an ass, and honestly I'm not sure I'll be keeping the app, or continue trying to date at all." He grumbled.
"Yeah?" Steve's voice had a tone to it Danny couldn't place; when he tried to lift his face and check the other man's expression Steve nudged his head back down into place on his shoulder. Danny retaliated by digging his chin into Steve, briefly, before relaxing once again.
"Yeah. Most of the dates have been okay, but…" Danny trailed off, biting down on his lower lip in indecision before finally going for broke. "No one will ever work, because the one I want isn't on that app."
The body beneath him tensed; Danny made an effort to release the last of his tension and let his full weight lay on Steve, keeping him trapped in place. "Oh?" And there was that tone again, something new and out of place—yet possibly one to get his hopes up for. Did he want to risk it? There would be a lot on the line, so much that could be destroyed if Danny was reading this wrong. But if this series of bad dates had shown him anything, it was that he was done with trying to find “the one” when he knew exactly where his forever love was.
"Yeah, babe. None of them are ever going to be the ridiculous, goofy, loving grenade toting Neaderthal that I fell in love with.”
Steve is silent for a long, tense second. Danny is preparing himself to stand and leave, to try and figure out how to fix one of the best relationships he’s ever had when Steve suddenly goes limp beneath him, his arm tightening around Danny the only tense thing left about the man.
“Your, uh, ‘ridiculous, goofy, loving grenade toting Neaderthal’ is in love with you, too.” Steve finally announced, lips pressing against Danny’s head. “And would really appreciate it if you’d finally go on a date with him.”
The grumble makes Danny laugh, pressing his smile—and a kiss—to Steve’s shoulder below him. “I can do that, babe.” he assured him.
“Good.” Steve shuffled them closer together, lips caressing a kiss onto Danny’s forehead. “Love you, Danny.”
“Love you too, Steve.”
And with one last shared kiss they settled back into the hammock, finally falling asleep in the arms they’d longed to be in.