/ Birthday \\\
Danny woke with a start and grabbed for his phone as quickly as he could. He grimaced as soon as there was silence and listened as closely as he could. Steve was still behind him so he relaxed.
"Ah!" Danny bit off the scream startled out of him when Steve grabbed his shoulder.
"Danny?" Steve mumbled, pressing himself into Danny's back. "What?"
"I just need to go to the bathroom," Danny said, turning over and pressing a kiss to Steve's temple and slipping out of bed. "Go back to sleep."
Steve nodded and rolled over. Danny slipped out of the room as quietly as he could, taking a moment at the door to wait for the sound of Steve to start snoring again. He smiled as soon as he heard it and crept back into the room and collected both of their mobiles before he left the room and went downstairs. He walked into Grace's bedroom and pulled the box out from under Grace's bed. He unpacked the box and left it under Grace's bed before sneaking into the kitchen and plugging the waffle maker in. He grabbed what he needed and started mixing the batter, hoping Steve didn't hear anything and come down before Danny was ready for him.
Steve had mentioned loving waffles when he was a kid – his favourite breakfast, around Grace's birthday and Danny had planned to buy a waffle maker straight away but Grace pulled him aside and suggested that he should give it to Steve for his birthday.
Danny watched the microwave and opened the door before the ding and poured the liquid into the dry mixture. He mixed until it turned smooth and then poured it onto the hot waffle maker.
"What are you doing?" Steve asked.
Danny groaned and turned. "Happy birthday."
Steve grinned. "Is that a waffle maker?"
"Yes," Danny shook his head. "You were supposed to stay in bed so I could surprise you."
Steve laughed. "You wanted to surprise me?"
"Breakfast in bed, it's a thing."
Steve turned and walked out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going, Steven?"
"I'm in bed, I can't hear you."
Danny turned back to the waffles and smiled; he could work with this. He whistled as he flipped the waffle out and decided that one could be piled with fruit and the other with ice cream and maple syrup. He poured more mixture in and put the leftover mixture in the fridge for tomorrow with Grace. He placed the two plates on a tray along with cutlery and a small, wrapped box. He grabbed his phone and headed back up to their bedroom. He opened the door and found Steve buried under the blankets, eyes closed, and a half-hidden smile on his face.
"Steve," Danny said.
"Yes," Steve said, with the worst fake yawn Danny had ever seen.
"I love you, but you are a terrible actor."
"Love you too," Steve said, sitting up in bed.
"Are you naked?"
Steve nodded. "Birthday sex."
Danny laughed, he put the tray down on a chair and followed Steve under the covers. "The waffles are going to get cold."
"It's my birthday."
Danny nodded and pulled Steve into a deep kiss. "Happy birthday, Steve."
The waffles were cold, the ice cream melted, but they tasted good as they ate in bed a long while later.
"We'll have hot ones tomorrow with Grace," Steve said, putting the plates on the floor and curling himself around Danny like an octopus. "It's still early."
"Don't you want to go swimming?"
Steve shook his head and wrapped himself tighter around Danny. Danny went limp and settled in – not expecting to fall asleep but happy to be smothered by Steve.
They woke to the sound of Danny's phone. Steve reached out of it, handing it to Danny and then snatching it back.
"Hey Grace," he said after hitting the loudspeaker button.
"Happy birthday, Steve," she all but yelled.
"Volume, Grace," Danny said.
"Sorry, happy birthday, Steve, did you like the waffles?"
"I loved the waffles."
"Danno said we could have waffles tomorrow morning too."
"Of course, it will be even better than today," Steve told her, smiling softly. "Hopefully we can even finish work early."
"And go swimming?"
"Of course," Danny said. "We have to go swimming with Steve on his birthday."
"Then lasagne," Steve said, looking at Danny and lifting his eyebrows.
"Then lasagne," Danny agreed.
"And garlic bread," Grace said.
"You are going to be on garlic bread duty, monkey."
"Did you get a present from Danno this morning?"
Steve smirked at Danny.
"I have one for him but I haven't given it to him yet."
"What?" Steve asked.
Danny pulled himself out of bed and grabbed the wrapped package, he placed it on Steve's chest. "Happy birthday, Steve."
"I don't need a present."
"Of course you do, Steve," Grace said. "I have one for you later too."
Steve dropped his head. "Thanks, Gracie."
"Open your present," she demanded. "I want to know what it is."
"Yeah," Steve said, sitting up and sliding a finger under the sticky-tape and breaking it away. Danny watched as his SEAL started to methodically remove the sticky-tape and wrapping paper, as though he needed to keep it for evidence.
"Is he opening it really carefully again?" Grace asked.
"Yep."
"It's my birthday, I should be allowed to open things the way I want."
"Oh, you can, babe, we're going to wait patiently while you preserve the sticky-tape for analysis but we do get to comment – it's a sign of love."
"And we do love you, Steve."
Steve pulled the last bit of sticky-tape away and was able to unveil the gift and therefore didn't have to deal with the feeling in his chest hearing that Grace loved him.
"It's a box."
"Open the box, Steven."
"It's a coin."
"What?" Grace asked.
"It's a New Zealand dollar," Danny explained.
"And there is something underneath," Steve said, flipping the gold coin out onto his palm. "It's a slip of paper."
"Read it, Steve," Grace encouraged.
"Danny?" Steve asked, looking up at the other man.
"Steven?"
"Really?"
Danny nodded. "I know you wanted to."
"What?" Grace asked.
"Danno bought me a sky dive in New Zealand when we're there."
"That sounds so cool, Steve."
"And one for him," Steve said.
"Really?" Grace asked.
"Yes," Danny said. "I can't see much of a point in jumping out of a perfectly good plane but for Steve, I'm going to jump out of a plane with him over some of the…and I quote 'some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world' while you, monkey, are safe on the ground watching us."
"That's so cool," Grace squealed.
"It is," Steve said, yanking Danny closer and kissing the other man through his smile.
"Are you kissing Danno, Steve?"
"Yes," Steve said, pulling back.
"Okay, Mum says I need to go downstairs and have breakfast but have a great birthday, Steve, and I'll see you at 3. Love you."
"Love you too," Steve said.
"Danno loves you," Danny said. "See you at 3."
"Skydiving," Steve grinned, dropping the phone and tackling Danny back onto the mattress.
/