Coming Home Again

In the dim light of his office, Danny was sitting on his desk, his forehead rested on his hands and he was thinking about Steve. He had been gone on a classified SEAL mission for months now. With no sign of him anywhere, it seemed less likely every day that he was never coming back. Danny was never nowhere near admitting that out loud, but the thought was constantly in his mind.

And here in his office it was almost as though he could feel Steve is there with him, and the idea of going elsewhere seemed like the loneliest thing he could imagine.

Danny didn't know what caught his attention, his head jerked up and that was when he spotted him. He was standing in the doorframe to the office, still as a statue. Even with the dim light, there was not a single doubt in Danny's mind who the man in front of him was. The problem was he didn't believe it. It wasn't the first time he had imagined seeing Steve.

And now he was seeing Steve again, this time standing right in front of him. It could have been a second or hours, he didn't know, but it was the vision of Steve who broke the stillness. He took a hesitant step away from the doorframe.

"Danny?"

When Danny didn't answer, barely breathing, Steve stepped closer. Even though he moved lightly, Danny could hear his steps like they were amplified. His visions didn't usually include sound effects, but he didn't doubt that his desperation could make anything happen.

Steve didn't stop until he was standing directly in front of his lover. He was so close that the expressions and lines of concern on Danny's face were clear to him. His hand came to rest gently on Danny's where he gripped the arm of the chair for dear life. He was almost numb, and he barely felt the contact, unable to move or drag his eyes from Steve's face. Steve slowly knelt down in front of him until they were eye level.

"Danny."

Danny's quiet murmur wasn't a question this time, but more of an affirmation that Steve was real. Suddenly, Danny leaned over, threw his other arm around Steve, and buried his head in his lover's lap.

For the first time, the fact that maybe he wasn't dreaming entered Danny's mind. Afraid as he was to believe that it might be true, Danny lifted his free hand and gingerly ran his fingers through Steve's hair. Steve felt so real and his warmth was surrounding him. Danny closed his eyes against the tears he felt welling up, and breathed him in.

Steve looked up at his lover and Danny felt his lips move against Steve's. Barely able to make out a sound, Danny felt more than heard his whispered, "I'm sorry."

Danny slid forward in the chair, bringing his body against Steve's as he lowered his knees to the floor. He buried his face in Steve's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his back. His fists clenched the fabric of Steve's shirt, and every inch of him from his knees up was pressed against Steve. The SEAL wrapped his own arms around Danny, holding him so tightly that it felt like he was in a vice. If he hadn't been so desperate for the contact, Danny might have worried about bruises.

They stayed kneeling on the floor for a moment, and then Steve moved to sit. Danny stayed pressed against him, as though if an inch got between them the world would end. Steve tried to turn him so that his lover could rest in his lap, but Danny was having none of it. Instead of turning to the side, he placed one knee on either side of Steve's thighs.

Steve's arms had relinquished their death grip, but his hands never left his lover's body. They moved soothingly over Danny's back, up to his hair, and finally one landed on his leg where it was pressed against him. The other rubbed gently on the back of Danny's neck.

Danny could feel his lover surrounding him, and he pressed his lips against the skin of Steve's neck. His scent was overwhelming, and Danny was positive that he couldn't have stopped himself from tasting him if the world depended on it. He opened his lips and just grazed the SEAL's throat with the tip of his tongue. Pressed against his lover as he was, there was no missing the vibrations of a moan as Steve reacted to the contact.

Steve pulled away and just before a cold settled in at being rejected, Danny felt the SEAL's lips pressed warmly against his. He opened up, trying to taste more of Steve. The sensations around Danny were overwhelming, from the fabric of their clothes to the warm slide of Steve's lips against his.

Steve slid the tips of his fingers under the hem of Danny's shirt, stroking his warm skin. Danny moved a hand to cover Steve's on his thigh, and at the same time he pulled his lips away from Steve's. The SEAL stilled immediately. Danny didn't back away any further, he just leaned in to rest his forehead against Steve's.

"Danny, we can stop." Steve's voice was rough. "We can-"

"Wait." Danny, short of breath, covered Steve's lips with his fingers, not backing away a bit. "Just one thing."

"Anything," Steve murmured against his hand.

"Never again. I'm done."

After his words, tension shot through Steve. Danny could feel him become like a stone.

"Not with this idiot, this is so not done," he corrected the SEAL's misunderstanding with a half smile on his face. Slowly the tension ebbed, and he continued. "You're never ever doing this to me again. I can't stand being left here not knowing. Make sure to find a way to let me know."

Danny was still pressed up against Steve, too close to see his face, but he had to make sure that his lover understood. He pulled back from his forehead and his lips hovered just a breath away from Steve's.

"Got it?"

The moment dragged on, and Danny thought for a second that just this once Steve might actually tell him no.

"Yes, I got it, Daniel."

The words were punctuated by Steve's lips closing the gap between them.