MCA #0, Friday evening

[grenadesandohana]

Steve had been gritting his teeth and pushing through pain all week, nourished only by bland, terrible food, decaf coffee, and stubbornness.

(He was also fueled by his transplant anti-rejection pills, which he'd take for the rest of his life. He hated that.)

He wasn't running, but he was definitely walking up and down the steps of the island until his calves burned, and then did it for another half hour.

(His body had betrayed him after decades of work making it a finely oiled machine. He was punishing it just a little.)

And now he was back in the apartment, looking for something interesting to eat. There was nothing interesting to eat, but he was looking anyway.

[OOC: For Danno.]

Comments

[grenadesandohana]

Steve looked mutinous. "They won't go back if I don't work at it."

[hatesparadise]

"I get that you wanna get back at it, but it's gonna be slower. You're not young."

Wrong thing to say?

[grenadesandohana]

Steve looked even more mutinous. "I'm fine."

[hatesparadise]

"You're not fine, you have my liver in you!"

[grenadesandohana]

"Is that why I'm so cranky? It's leeching your personality into me?"

That wasn't necessary, Steven.

[hatesparadise]

"What the hell does that mean?" Because that was leaning a weird place.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve blew out a frustrated breath. "Let me be, Danny."

[hatesparadise]

Danny's mouth went tight. "And what? Watch you hurt yourself again?"

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm not going to hurt myself again," Steve said.

[hatesparadise]

"But you're gonna push yourself until you can't stop?"

[grenadesandohana]

"I am not built for sitting still," Steve protested.

[hatesparadise]

"I don't know what to do with you like this, Steve," Danny replied, frustration in his tone.

[grenadesandohana]

Steve didn't know what to do with himself, either, and feeling close to losing his iron-tight grip on himself was terrifying.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, not meeting Danny's eyes.

[hatesparadise]

"Don't... don't apologize," he sighed. "I'm worried, okay? I'm very worried."

[grenadesandohana]

"I know," Steve said quietly. His brain still skittered away from how close he'd come to not being here any more.

[hatesparadise]

Danny gestured to the couch to sit with him. "I hate this too. I hate having to take half showers to not get my stitches wet. I hate sleeping in a different bed."

[grenadesandohana]

"I hate that the most," Steve muttered, sitting down and leaning in against Danny.

[hatesparadise]

"I don't like this fucking with us either," he muttered. "We were strong. Right?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Right," Steve said, hand spasming out to touch Danny's but resting on his own knee instead, not sure he was welcome.

[hatesparadise]

Danny leaned into him, not even noticing the hand this time. Which said a lot about where they were.

[grenadesandohana]

None of it good.

Steve let out slow breath and leaned back, closing his eyes. He was so tired.

[hatesparadise]

"We're gonna be okay," Danny said like that would make it so.

[grenadesandohana]

"Promise?" Steve asked quietly.

[hatesparadise]

"Promise." He freaking panic married you with the weird forged paperwork you had in the safe, Steve.

[grenadesandohana]

Very normal reaction!

"Love you," he said in that same quiet voice. "I'm sorry you're hurting."