Title: Safe
Pairing: Steve/Danny - fluff
Characters: Steve, Danny, Rachel, Grace
Summary: It's Gracie's birthday and when Danno promises her the best ever, she demands for 'Uncle Steve' to come along.
Warning: None.
It's Grace's birthday. The little monkey demanded that the two people who drove Danny crazy the most to come along. The two people who he hardly tolerated. Rachel, he could understand but Steve? Since when did his daughter grow fond of Rambo man over there.
Besides, Danny thought, it's highly unlikely that the former Navy SEAL -also known as his partner- would be interested.
So when Grace hops on his lap pulling his tie demandingly asking him to call 'Uncle Steve', Danny tries to explain to her a hundred reason why the idea was not very much welcomed. Except, like a father, like a daughter; Grace gets what she wants and Danny is on the phone with Steve asking him something he would never, not in a million years.
"I don't mind, he says. What do you mean you don't mind?" He doesn't believe it when Steve agrees without even having to use the words he plotted to persuade him into coming.
Grace demands the phone from him. "Hello, uncle Steve?"
"Gracie! Hi."
"You're coming with us, right?"
There's a light chucking noise from the other end, when Steve hears Danny lecturing his daughter with all the mistakes she just made in one sentence. "Yes, Gracie. Anything you want, princess. Can you let me speak to Danno now?"
Grace doesn't argue, she got her straight forward answer which she wanted to hear after all.
Steve suggests the beach. Danny doesn't like the sound of that, but apparently Grace does. Rachel very much agrees with Steve. So they decide to have dinner on the beach for Gracie's birthday.
She clings to Steve when he shows up at their door in cargo shorts and a light V-neck shirt.
He brought her a gift which Danny keeps in mind to criticize later.
Danny finds it very amusing, yet disturbingly reassuring when he sees the former Navy SEAL -who sent people hanging over buildings as if it was the most normal thing- carrying his Grace on his shoulders with the goofiest smile in the world.
Maybe he was human after all.
Grace and Steve come back each carrying an ice lolly each in one hand, using the other to hold each others' hands. They build a sand castle with rigid defense around it- Steve thinks the people inside the castle need to be protected. Grace doesn't really get who would want to hurt the princess but she doesn't comment. Uncle Steve didn't like it very much when someone told him he was wrong.
So they wind up to the hotel by the beach for dinner. Grace is more than happy to be sitting there with her three most favorite people. They all were happy together and Grace liked that. Danno seemed to smile more when Uncle Steve was their. Mom likes to eat food on the beach and Uncle Steve was not lonely anymore when he was here. So to say the least, she was more than just satisfied.
On the ride home, Danny drives while the ex-member of the SEAL uncharacteristically sits in the backseat with Grace, and Rachel rides shotgun. The two of them bickered in the backseat. Steve still explaining impatiently to Grace that what they saw on the beach was not a Lobster. Danny lost track of what they were saying but eventually Grace was giggling and Steve's faced lighted up. Rachel looks over to Danny and smile over to him, he returns it genuinely.
The muffled noise of laughter turns into a light sleeping snores. When Danny last checks through the mirror he sees Grace's arm laying protectively over Steve's chest with her head buried into his chest. Steve looked all but peaceful. His own arms holding Grace securely and his even breathes tickling Grace's hair.
The sight of the most important two people in his life safe and warm sent a fuzzy feeling through his chest.