A/N: After the Valentine's Day detour, this is the first chapter of another fluff-filled outing for the boys. There are just two chapters to this; the first being this one, and the second I will upload on...Saturday or Sunday, depending on the number of reviews.
This is based on that Danny and Lori scene in 2x12, but although the script is mostly the same, all tones and non-verbal communication are being toyed with. Also I've changed the scheduling slightly. In this, our boys are heading for a final fit and to pick up their suits for Chin's wedding, which is later that day. I had fun with this one, so get reading :) …
Steve is more aware than ever of the company he's in, and he just hopes that Danny manages to control his speech until he's able to see for himself that he's not alone. Because otherwise, the exchange could turn very dirty, very quickly…though it wouldn't be the first time their colleagues had passed inappropriate comments off as nothing more than banter between best friends. He raises a closed fist to the door and gives a hard knock, smirking even at the thought of the unnecessary dress shirt that he just knows that Danny will answer in.
"No thank you," comes the call from inside, and Steve tries again with a growing smile, turning to Joe and rolling his eyes.
"C'mon, we're gonna be late for the tux fitting. Let's go. Chin's wedding, this afternoon, remember?" Steve moves slightly closer to the door, anticipating Danny's appearance in the doorway and listening for a reply.
"Hey we're busy. Come back later please, thanks." Steve turns back to Joe, who makes some kind of exasperated crazy face before Steve tries again. The look on his own face is only growing with amusement, because he knows from Danny's reluctance to open the door and the slightly higher than usual pitch of his voice, that the cop finds himself in an embarrassing situation. Steve has become remarkably adept at recognising the moods in Danny's voice. He has a face; Danny has a tone.
"I'm sorry, you're busy? I can't come back later, Daniel. I'm the best man, I've gotta make sure the groomsmen are in their monkey suits. Let's go, open the door, c'mon." Steve just knows that the use of Danny's full name will bring him to the door, and sure enough, a second later, the wooden panel swings open to reveal Danny…handcuffed to Lori.
"Hey," they say in unison. Steve looks down to the cuffs, then back up to Danny, and though it may sound ridiculous – because no one is more shocked than Steve at the apparent trust he puts in the Jersey detective - he knows instantly that he has nothing to worry about. The look on his lover's face tells him all he needs to know for the moment, and the amused and charming twinkle that appears only for him, assures the taller man that there is nothing untoward about this situation; at least not on Danny's part.
He makes eye contact for a second time, and the smile grows as Danny checks to make sure Joe's gaze is averted before quirking his eyebrows for a moment.
The moment passes, and Lori and Danny walk back into the familiar hotel room, Joe and Steve sharing an unsurprised glance before following them in. Joe has been with them for a couple of months now, and he's adjusted to all the crazy, accepting the presence of the sometimes amusing, sometimes frightening behaviour of his former subordinate and his new partner.
Steve glances around the hotel room inquisitively for a few moments before looking to Lori for some semblance of an explanation; of course, he's seen the hotel room before, in fact, he and Danny have spent a few nights in the place, taking full advantage of the room service and thousands of pillows.
"Not what it looks like," Lori says, and Steve can't help but think that maybe there's a shadow of hope to the woman's tone.
He smirks again, waiting patiently for Danny to finish rummaging around the pillows of the couch before regaining eye contact. "Okay." They smile at each other, and Danny just nods his agreement of the story.
"If you want we can come back later." Joe offers the privacy having assumed exactly what anyone else would when presented with this situation. Steve simply smiles and shoves his hands in his pockets, enjoying watching Danny squirm in discomfort. It's clear that despite Steve's laid-back façade, Danny suspects he's holding off until they're alone. After all, to any objective third party, it would be a given that Danny and Lori were involved. But even if Steve couldn't tell simply from the detective's body language, the unruffled appearance and immaculate hair tell it all.
"No, look, it's fine. Listen, uh Lori just came over, to use the pool. That's all, okay?" And Steve shoots a sceptical expression their way, just because he wants to make the most out of this; he may never be presented with anything that comes close for the rest of his life.
"Yeah, the uh, the spa services actually." Lori interjects, claiming their innocence with a look that suggests she would like nothing better than to claim the exact opposite. Lori's crush on Danny hasn't escaped Steve's notice, though the pint-sized cop has assured him that he's pretty sure she would take either of the partners if they were up for it. Which they aren't.
"Turns out, the room comes with complimentary spa service." Danny gestures guiltily to Lori, and Steve nods at the freaking adorable blush that now colours his cheeks ever so slightly. The ex-SEAL is having way too much fun with this.
"Mmmhmmm. You know, like a hot stone massage." Lori of all people should know that the provision of excessive detail amounts to lying.
"Yeah. I'm not a spa service kind of guy myself." Steve lets out a short laugh at Joe's nonchalance, and his attention is quickly drawn back to Danny.
"You know I'm not either, right. But I didn't wanna let it go to waste, so I called Lori, so she could use it."
"Yeah." Lori gives an exaggerated shrug, and Steve addresses the elephant in the room. Danny had told Steve that he had been planning as much just last night; they'd been lying in bed together when Danny had admitted that he felt like they should be doing more to welcome her into the task force.
"And the uh," he brushes a finger to his nose, "the handcuffs?"
Lori feigns surprise, meets his gaze. "Ohh, uh, Danny was showing me the, uh, the Jersey slip." And as if Steve hadn't already been one hundred per cent certain that Danny is innocent in all this, he is now. Because Steve knows – from experience – that Danny is brilliant at the Jersey slip. And if this really had been a suspicious scenario, then why on earth wouldn't he have just slipped out of them before opening the door. Steve makes eye contact with Danny, and they share a private glance as they simultaneously remember the last time Danny had been in cuffs. Dirty minds suppressed, Steve acts oblivious.
"The Jersey Slip?"
He raises his eyebrows as Danny rushes out his words, more for Joe's benefit than Steve's. "The hood rack cuff slip, yeah. All the kids were doing it back east, so thought I'd show her." Joe still looks disbelieving.
"Yeah, and we uh, lost the key somewhere, I think in the couch." Lori shakes her head dismissively.
"Couch?"
Danny begins to move his free hand wildly, and Steve suppresses the urge to pin it to his side and use his lips as a distraction. "Yeah, so I dunno, maybe you wanna setup a search grid, call a canine unit."
"Yeah." The four of them all turn to the nearest piece of furniture, and they shift pillows and material until Lori provides a bright idea. "Danny, did you check your pockets?"
"Course I checked my pockets, I'm not a complete idiot." He pulls out the material. "Look, nothing in here."
"Kay, well, why don't we check both?" Lori sticks her hands into Danny's pocket, and if a look of disgust didn't cloud Danny's face at having the woman's hand in his pants, Steve may even have been a little jealous of the intimate action.
He's lifting the sofa as Lori finds what she's been looking for. "Wait. What's this? Really? Really?"
"Oh, look at that." There is character in Danny's voice, and Steve's tone analysis tells him that Danny knew it was there all along; only an instant retrieval would have been suspicious.
Joe and Steve both make a face, and Steve looks back to Danny's flushed face. "In your pocket?"
"You would think that we were making this story up." Danny grins up at Steve, and he apparently he can finally see that Steve knows things aren't what they seem, because his shoulders relax, and the hand gestures return.
"Really, the whole time. In your pocket?"
Joe makes himself comfortable on the couch, because he just knows that Steve isn't going to let his partner get away that easily. Sure enough, Danny questions and protests as Lori is released of the metal, and his own cuff is bound tighter until Steve moves away, though it takes all of his self-control to prevent the initiation of further contact as his hand leaves Danny's warm wrist. He folds his arms, "C'mon, I thought you were gonna show us the, uh, the Jersey slip, from back east. Go ahead." And Steve is feeling smug, because he knows full well that if Danny were to easily slide out of the cuff now, Joe and Lori's suspicions would only be heightened. So he stands there, helpless, with little else that he can do.
"Uh, shoot 'em off, like they do in Afghanistan," is Joe's helpful idea, but apparently Danny doesn't think much of it, and he continues his protests until Steve declares admiration for the view, and forces Danny to follow him out onto the balcony.
"They um, they got an even better view in the master bedroom," Danny informs him with a grin because, of course, Steve already knows that. He asks for further description of Danny's living arrangements – playing along in good humour – before accidentally-on-purpose dropping the key to the ground below.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Love it? Hate it? I'll be back at the weekend with the next chapter.