An Intervention

Working on his desk, Steve suddenly realized there was a heavy gaze on his face and he looked up. Charlie stood in front of him, his hands on his hips. There was a fierce little scowl on the boy's face and his bottom lip protruded in a small pout. He actually stamped his foot.

"Charlie?" Steve asked dumbly. He smiled weakly at him. Charlie's expression did not change.

"Why haven't you come over to play? And you and Danno were supposed to take me to the movies last Saturday."

Damn. They were, weren't they? Steve counted on Danny to handle this - to explain it to Charlie. "Danny…" Steve said, "and I aren't seeing each other right now."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

What was he supposed to say? Because Danny didn't want to see him? Because maybe Danny felt like he couldn't balance both - a relationship with Steve and his responsibilities for Grace, Charlie and even Rachel.

"I don't know, kiddo."

"Uncle Steve! Charlie raised his voice. "You're my friend. And you're Danno's friend. And Gracie misses you too! Please…" The boy's eyes welled with tears, and Steve was struck by how immediately he was affected by them. "Please don't fight with Danno anymore."

"I'm sorry, Charlie."

Charlie screwed up his face and let an angry huff of air out through his nostrils. "I'm coming back tomorrow," the boy told Steve defiantly.

"Charlie…"

"I'm coming back," he said.

The next day Charlie returned, marching straight to Steve's desk, his eyes serious, his mouth set in a straight little line. He placed a white envelope on the desk, nodded once, and then walked away without a word. In his distinct handwriting, Charlie had written:

To: Steve

From: Danny

ooOoo

"C'mon!" Charlie cried, dragging Danny up the hall by his hand. He'd met him in the inside hallway of his appartment complex when he got home. Before Danny had a chance to even say 'hello', his son was tugging on him, begging him to follow him faster. "I've got something to show you!"

"Okay buddy," Danny said, trying not to be terse with his son.

Charlie threw open the front door, and threw his arms wide, shouting, "Ta-da!" This is an in-ter-vention!"

Danny stepped over the threshold, closed the door, and stopped. Steve was sitting on the couch looking as miserable and rundown as Danny felt. Miserable and run-down, but damn hot.

"Steve?" Goddamn, how he'd wanted to see him.

"Got your letter." Steve held up a sheet of notebook paper, the edges all crinkled from having been torn out of a spiral. Even from the distance, Danny could see Charlie's labored handwriting. Steve smiled at him sadly, "You said to come 'very, very, very soon'. I figured three 'very's meant it had to be important."

"Can I see my letter?" Danny asked, reaching across the coffee table. Charlie tried to grab it out of Steve's hand, but Danny caught it and swung it up in an arc away from his son.

"You don't need to read it, Danno!" Charlie begged.

Dear Steve,

Please come to my house. I am sorry for being mean to you. Charlie is sad. He wants to see you. And I want to see you. And Grace wants to see you. Because I think we should be boy friends again. Please come to my house very, very, very soon.

You friend, Danny

"You can see why I couldn't stay away," Steve said quietly.

Danny looked down at his son, Charlie hung his head, knowing he was about to get in trouble. Instead Danny just tousled his hair and took a seat in one of the chairs. "So… an intervention, huh?"

"You can't fight with Uncle Steve anymore, Danno!" Charlie cried. He came to kneel in front of Danny, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

"We're not fighting," Danny promised, looking up at Steve who smiled weakly back at him. How could he have been so stupid? "I just…"

"Don't you like Uncle Steve anymore, Danno?" God, his son had no tact. "Because Grace and I like him! He's really funny, nice and he likes us. And I think he likes you too. Don't you, Uncle Steve?"

Steve nodded slowly. "I do."

"I like you too," Danny admitted. "But-"

"If this doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But… shouldn't we at least see, y'know, if it's going to work out?" Steve said with a quiet smile.

Danny looked around, at Charlie's hopeful gaze, and at Steve who stared with nothing but warm in his eyes. As his smile crept out, Danny's heart melted. He walked slowly over to Steve and reached for his hands, taking them both in his own and squeezing them.

"So friends again?" Charlie asked excited.

"Friends again." Steve assured the boy.

Danny stroked the backs of Steve's hands and looked down at him. "I've missed you, Steve. Sorry, I was an ass."

"Danno!" Charlie chided harshly and stuck his thumb toward the swear jar on the entryway table. Unconsciously, he dug in his pocket and tossed his son a quarter.

"I was a… jerk," Danny corrected. "I should have talked to you about the whole situation."

"Are you two going to kiss again?" Charlie nearly squealed, running back over from the jar. "You can't kiss if you're not going to be boyfriend and boyfriend!"

Danny wondered where his son got these rules about love and dating. "So I guess we're doing this." Danny pulled Steve off the couch. "We can't kiss unless we're boyfriends. So…?"

"Not 'just dating'," Steve agreed. "Boyfriends."

"I approve!" Charlie cried in such an adorably adult voice that neither man could hide his grin.