@autumnalexistence my inbox ate your ask because it’s an asshole.
Precious wanted: McDanno and “you can’t be here now.”
Steve felt Danny’s frustration all the way from New Jersey through the phone. “What do you mean I can’t be there?”
Steve shifted in his chair, inspecting the new, white bandage on his arm. “I mean that there’s no reason for you to leave and come down here. It’s just a scratch and we caught the guy.”
“Oh well, by all means, if you caught the guy, then there’s nothing to worry about!” Danny huffed. “Except it doesn’t do anything about the three other guys still gunning for you.” Steve suppressed a smile. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine Danny was here in front of him, waving his hands about and pacing in the middle of his office.
“I’m fine.Stay with your family and don’t worry about me.”
“I’m your partner. As you’ve clearly stated before, I am your back-up. It’s literally my job to worry about your sorry ass.”
“They’re your family. And I happen to know that you like this sorry ass.”
“You’re my family. You and your beautiful ass.”
Steve’s breath caught slightly at the raw honesty bleeding through the sarcasm in Danny’s voice. He closed his eyes for a second and smiled softly. “I miss you too.”
“Nope, nuh-uh, you are not distracting me from yelling at you about this with your declarations.”
Steve raised an eyebrow, quietly amused. “Declarations?”
“You know what I mean, Steven.”
“Danny, I’ve got the team watching my back. You know I’ll be fine and all of them will call you the second something happens.” Steve could feel Danny’s sullen silence through the phone. “When you’re quiet like this, it means you know I’m right and don’t want to admit it.” He said smugly.
Danny sighed. “Fine, you moron, go get injured yet again. But when the hospital inevitably calls me to say that you’ve ended up there again through another idiotic stunt, I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ loudly while they’re stitching you back together.”
Steve grinned brightly. “I knew you’d come around.” Danny began to splutter and Steve interrupted him quickly, bounding up from his chair and strolling out to where Jerry and Tani were standing. “Oh, gotta go, talk to you tonight.”
“I think you’re forgetting something.” Danny sounded amused.
“I was getting there!” Steve defended. “Love you, Danno.”
“I love you too, asshole.” Danny grumbled as Steve pressed ‘end call’.