A/N: I wanted to participate in rare pair week but life got in the way. So I ended up just doing the last one. I'm not really happy with how it came out, but at least I finished it on time. This is March 25: Blood/Bruises
For the first time in weeks, no that didn't sound right, the first time in months? Years? Tucker frowned, when was the last time? Anyway, for the first time in a long time, Tucker had actually gone to sleep at a decent hour. Danny had sent Tucker and Sam home early after an uneventful patrol. Danny had promised he'd go home and get some well need sleep as well, though Tucker knew he was going to do at least one more round.
A noise woke Tucker up from a dead sleep. Sleep still clouded his mind, but it was instinctual at this point to grab the ecto-gun he slept with. He aimed it at the figure standing in his room.
The faint buzz of the ecto-gun powering on caught the attention of the intruder, who turned to look at Tucker.
"Whoa, Tuck. It's me." A pair of familiar glowing green eyes stared back at him.
Tucker let the arm holding the ecto-gun fall heavily. "What time is it?"
"2 AM," The light from Danny's eyes lit up his face enough that Tucker could see him wince. "Did you move the first aid kit?"
Danny might as well have dumped a bucket of cold water on Tucker's head. Tucker sat up quickly, fatigue replaced by concern. "Mom was snooping again." Tucker went to retrieve it from the air vent.
Danny huffed out a tired laugh. "Why does she care about a first aid kit?"
"Dude, this is one of the ones Sam bought. I think an EMT would be jealous of it." Tucker kept talking as he pulled it out of the vent. Worry gnawed at his gut though he tried to keep his tone light. He looked Danny over but in the dark room couldn't see any obvious wounds.
"Thanks, Tucker." Danny flashed him a smile and reached to take the kit out of Tucker's hands.
Tucker pulled it out of his reach. "Nuh uh. Sit on the bed and let me see."
Danny looked unimpressed but did what he was told. Tucker didn't miss the slow and careful way Danny moved. Once sitting, Danny unzipped the top half of his jumpsuit and pulled it down so his chest was exposed. In any other circumstance, Danny sitting on his bed half naked would have been thrilling in a way Tucker didn't have the energy to think about.
The first thing is he noticed was the burn that covered Danny's side. But as he cataloged the damage, he noticed the bruises, scrapes, and cuts littering most of the exposed skin. Danny healed fast, so they had to be fresh.
"Shit." Tucker whispered. At least Danny wasn't going to bleed out on his comforter, but burns were nasty. "I thought you said you were heading home for the night?" Tucker said, tone accusatory, as he fished out the silver nitrate ointment.
"That was the plan." Danny winced as Tucker applied the cream to the burn. "But I ran into some trouble."
Tucker sighed. "You know you can always call me- or Sam- if you need help. You don't always have to do everything alone."
"Hey, I came to you, didn't I?" Danny protested weakly.
Tucker lightly traced the bruises. In Danny's ghost form they glowed a dim green under his skin, making even the small ones stand out. Most weren't too bad, but Danny had a nasty one on his back. Danny watched Tucker, but Tucker couldn't decipher the emotions behind those unnatural green eyes. Tucker let his hand drop. He licked his lips, not sure how to say it. So he said nothing and reached for the gauze.
"So, which one was it?" The moment had passed and Tucker tried to bring the conversation back to familiar territory.
"It wasn't a ghost." Danny averted his eyes, posture suddenly more closed off.
"Fuck." Ghost hunters were always trouble, especially when Danny refused to fight back. "Valerie?" When Danny paled and shook his head, Tucker felt his stomach drop. "Your parents?"
Danny shot him a sharp look that was all too familiar. As if daring Tucker to say anything bad about Jack and Maddie. He always defended them, Tucker had heard the argument so many times he didn't even need to hear Danny say they don't know it's me. And yet, he never told them. Tucker didn't push the issue either. He honestly didn't know how Jack and Maddie would react, but he saw the fear in Danny's eyes and that was enough for him.
So Tucker bit his tongue and said nothing. He wrapped clean gauze around Danny's torso, covering the burn.
"It was a lucky shot. It won't happen again." Danny almost sounded like he believed that.
Tucker closed his eyes. He was tired. Tired of constant worry and fear. They were too young for this.
"Thanks for patching me up, Tuck. Sorry for waking you up." Danny wore a tired smile. "I should go."
Tucker scowled. "No way, your parents could still be out there searching for you. Take my bed, I'll sleep in the chair."
Danny's eyes flitted down at the bed he was sitting on and back to Tucker. "Can't we share it?"
A warmth filled Tucker's chest. "Scooch over, Inviso-Bill."
Danny made a face like he'd bit into a lemon but complied.
By the time they'd both settled in, it was closer to 3, and they only had a couple hours at most to get some sleep. Tucker had tried to keep his distance, afraid of hurting Danny's injuries. But Danny had cuddled up to him. And for the moment they both felt safe.