Homeplot - 2

[haolehothead]

Six days had passed and every single morning, Danny woke up in a hotel bed in New Jersey. He keeps expecting his luck to change, but somehow it doesn't. Somehow, he keeps ending up exactly where he wants to be. It's weird. It's beyond weird, but he doesn't want to complain about a good thing. The one thing that shies away from good, though, is that the longer he stays (and the more family dinners he takes part in), the more he's realizing he's going to have to tell them about him and Steve.

Hell, he's also had a niggling idea in his mind, but he's tucking it away -- for now.

"Steve," he murmurs when it's Day Six and he wakes up at home, right where he belongs. "You up?" Danny's migrated to the other half of the bed to try and splay out, taking advantage of the sheer comfort that a hotel mattress provides.

Comments

[newkindofcop]

"The Navy doesn't enforce reg - " Steve starts, before he realizes Danny's pulling his leg and clams up, standing up a little straighter even while he tries to lean into the touch of fingers combing through his hair. "I'm just saying that it might be something I'd like to get taken care of before the wedding."

[haolehothead]

Danny smirks at Steve, reaching up a little higher to smooth his fingers through the strands. "Which means I won't be able to pull on it on the wedding night," he reminds Steve, as if a bit dismayed. He grabs the keys from the dresser, inclining his head to get them to get moving.

[newkindofcop]

"You can pull other things," Steve replies, lifting an eyebrow before he squeezes past Danny in order to get to the front door, slipping on a nicer pair of dress shoes to head out in. "Should we bring anything with us? Is that something we need to do?"

[haolehothead]

Danny flashes a smirk in Steve's direction. "Cute," he appraises, running a hand through his hair to make sure it's fine. "Nah, we brought dessert the other night. Besides, if I brought something and Ma didn't like it, I'd never hear the end of it."

[newkindofcop]

"Is she picky, or do you just have a habit of not buying the right wine?" Steve asks, reaching out to snake fingers through Danny's beltloop and tugging him in at the doorway, his other hand chucking up underneath his chin before he plants a kiss squarely against his lips.

[haolehothead]

Danny lets out a whined muffle, kissing Steve back and pressing his palms on either side of Steve's shoulders as he leans in and deepens the kiss slightly. "She's just picky," he says defensively, kissing Steve's cheek once more before easing away. "Come on, I'm gonna miss the first quarter."

[newkindofcop]

"What's that saying about the apple not falling too far from the tree? Maybe in this case, it's more of a coconut," Steve muses out loud, grinning broadly. "Come on," he adds, clapping Danny on the shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

[haolehothead]

"I swear to god, I did not just hear you compare me to a coconut because if you did, the consequences would be beyond dire, Steven," he warns, closing the hotel door firmly behind them, keys in his pocket as he heads downstairs. "You know, Rachel must be fuming about now."

[newkindofcop]

"You noticed that, huh?" Steve murmurs, not even trying to hide the grin that comes over his expression whenever he manages to get Danny riled, even for a couple seconds. "Which Rachel?"

[haolehothead]

"Ex-Rachel," he says, with a blown out sigh. "She and I were both miserable during this whole period. She's gonna be pissed that I'm happy and engaged and...well, that you make me this ridiculously goofy."

[newkindofcop]

"Well, unless she's planning on coming by tonight - is she planning on coming by?" Steve asks, wondering if there's something he doesn't know about this particular get-together. "Maybe we should hold off on saying anything if it's going to make her upset."

[haolehothead]

"No, no, god, no, Ma hates her right now," Danny says. "I mean, if you think I was pissed at her, then you have no idea. My mother is three times as angry," he says, opening the car and sliding into the driver's seat before Steve can do it.

[newkindofcop]

"Oh. I guess that's something of a relief, then," Steve replies, smiling slowly when Danny takes a seat behind the wheel, though he doesn't say anything whatsoever as he walks around to get into the passenger's side.

"Well, we don't want to be late," he murmurs, glancing Danny's way.

[haolehothead]

"We're hours early, Steven, unexpected. How are we gonna be late?" he asks cluelessly, shooting Steve a look of disbelief that says he'd love to know. He doesn't waste much time in getting them there, eager to sit down to a good dinner with his parents and after the greetings, he settles in the living room for some football and incredibly terse conversation with his father.

[newkindofcop]

Steve looks around, unsure of how or where he needs to be at this point, but he spots Danny's mother heading into the kitchen and follows her there, standing in the doorway with a polite smile. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Williams?" he asks.

[haolehothead]

She looks over her shoulder to look at Steve as she wanders. "Oh, don't trouble yourself, Steve," she promises. "You're early and Danny's father and I haven't even run out for the wine and dessert for tonight. Just go sit with the boys and watch the game. Unless you're avoiding one of them?" she says, giving Steve a cutting look.

[newkindofcop]

"Avoiding?" Steve asks, feeling only slightly sheepish under her withering gaze. "No, ma'am," he mumbles, and ducks back out of the kitchen and into the living room, taking the open seat on the couch next to Danny and idly crossing one leg over the other knee.

[haolehothead]

"Ma got you, did she?" Danny murmurs without even looking away from the television. His father even sends a look of sympathy Steve's way. Things are still tense between the both of them, but they're getting better. Danny has the feeling his mother and Betsy ganged up and had a talk with his Dad about loving family, and so on.

His father stretches as the game reaches half-time, patting Danny on the shoulder as he passes. "Danny, you'll watch the sauce while we run out."

"Wouldn't dream or abandoning it," he swears with an easy smile, placing his hand on Steve's knee and giving it a light squeeze, using it as leverage to stand before heading to the kitchen. "Pick up the red I like, will you?"

"We'll get whatever we like," his mother replies with a reprimanding look. "And you'll like it."

"Of course I will. Jesus, what am I, an ingrate?"

[newkindofcop]

"She did," Steve admits, still marginally sheepish, his gaze locked on the television screen for pretty much the rest of the remaining half, his arms moving to cross over his front, seemingly relaxed but also very much aware of the dynamic in the house at this point.

He rises to his feet when Danny finally does, standing just over his shoulder as they discuss the wine options for dinner, and he can't help but smile slightly.

"Everything's under control," he promises, nodding once. "Take all the time you need."

[haolehothead]

Danny watches his parents appraise Steve for longer than they need to, conversing in quiet Italian between the both of them, which only makes Danny more sure that they've picked up on the vibe between them. He waits until he hears the lock of the door before he turns back to Steve, smirking at him. "So what'd Ma do? Smack your wrist with a spoon?"

[newkindofcop]

"She might as well have," Steve mutters, dropping his gaze slightly as he scratches at the back of his neck, shoulders hunching. "What were they saying? Was that Italian?"

[haolehothead]

"I think they know," is what Danny says, getting out the spoon and stirring the sauce before knocking the heat down so it simmers for a while. "I mean, they're not idiots, we've been wearing the rings, plus sometimes, you have this way of looking at me like I'm...I dunno, a chocolate cake or something."

[newkindofcop]

"What?" Steve's head jerks up, his eyes going wide for a beat, and he rounds Danny to stand beside him, facing out towards the kitchen while he leans back against the counter. "I do not - I have actively been trying not to look at you like that around them."

[haolehothead]

"You've never controlled it, not in your life!" Danny accuses, scoffing as he stirs the sauce and seasons it with a little salt and pepper. "Jesus, Steve, half the time I think you're going to spring flowers out of nowhere with that doofy romantic look in your eyes."

[newkindofcop]

"It is not that bad," Steve retorts, his own voice a little softer as he raises an eyebrow, wracking his memory for the last time he might've looked at Danny for longer than a second. "Is it?" he asks, raising a worried eyebrow.