Title: Messy, Beautiful
Author: thewhiterose3
Pairing: Danny/Steve, slash
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. Blah blah woof woof.
Rating: K
A/N: A long time coming flufftastic addition to the "God Forbid, Feelings" universe. Apologies for the wait.
Kono grew up on fairytales and Disney princesses, just like the rest of us. She dreamed of destiny and fate and being swept off her feet by a pair of warm eyes and a perfect smile. Then she got older and more cynical, had her heart broken, her family broken, saw good people suffer for things they didn't do. Suffered herself for something she did do, but could never be convinced was the wrong decision. The law wasn't always right and the lines between right and wrong, just and unjust, good and evil got blurred. A part of her yearned for the simplicity of those fairytales again but reality had taken its toll and Kono no longer believed in magic.
Or she hadn't until she watched the storm that had been building around her two bosses since day one finally finally break and they fell together, admitted everything, let that blessed rain wash the pain of years away and finally see the beauty right in front of them. And Kono watched. Watched their relationship move from the initial power and passion of that storm to calm and confident and just so damn devoted. They knew each other so well, knew what the other needed, worked to heal old wounds and prevent new ones from festering.
Danny touched Steve constantly, little things like a hand on the back of his neck when he got tired of screaming between their offices and wandered over to perch on Steve's desk and then a kiss on the head as he walked away. Little things that it looked like Danny didn't even notice, they were so natural to him. But Steve would stare after his retreating form, hand inching to the strip of skin that Danny's hand had so recently vacated. A goofy, smitten smile gracing his usually stoic features clearly asking the world how in the hell he had gotten so lucky.
But Steve knew Danny just as well. At the first glimpse of Danny's tone that said Rachel was on the line, purposefully hitting all his buttons just so Danny would do the same, Steve was there. Before Danny could even get his head into his hands, Steve was tugging him up, pulling him close, letting Danny hide in his chest instead of his own fingers. Reminding him with his warmth and his smell and his comforting hands that it was okay for him to hide from the world for awhile, but remember, just remember that he wasn't alone in this anymore. After so long of being the lone ranger giving everything, fighting with everything he had to be there for his daughter, he had a partner now, someone to lean on both figuratively and literally.
And once Danny had stopped clutching Steve's shirt, his breathing evening out, he would reach up and kiss Steve right there in his office, blinds up, door open, in front of the team and God and whoever happened to wander into their headquarters. And he would tell Steve with his eyes and his kiss and his words thank you, thank you, how did a schmuck like me ever get so lucky? And everyone else was embarrassed, forced to look away from such a private moment opening up, unfurling right in front of them.
It didn't mean that they stopped bickering or Danny stopped yelling or Steve stopped doing crazy feats of crime fighting acrobatics. But when they had time, when they had a plan for their crazy, you could see Danny pulling Steve away for moment. She overheard them once, Danny reminding him that he has something to come out the other side for now. Reminding him that the end goal wasn't more important than his own safety. But they didn't always have time when one of them jumped out of a moving vehicle or over rooftops or used their own fragile bodies to shield others or traded themselves for the hostages (and contrary to Danny's assertions, it was him doing the crazy a good 25% of the time). After those times, they would let the other rant and rave and let out a little of their terrified frantic bluster before ducking behind the ever-present ambulance and stopping their words with a passionate kiss, a firm clutching hug, a reminder that they were okay, they made it through, they weren't alone again. They hadn't lost nearly their entire worlds again.
And there were a million other looks and touches and gestures and communication with and without words. And Kono started to believe in magic again, to believe in love and trust and family. She remembered fairytale princesses and decided that fate and destiny and meant to be were still ridiculous, what she wanted wasn't what looked good on paper. What she wanted was this messy, beautiful, loud indescribable thing that they have.
