McDanno - Camp 5O

Chapter 18: Better Than Perfect Thanksgiving

"This turkey really is delicious Steve," Rachel said over the laughter filling the kitchen.

"Thank you." Replied Steve with a humble smile, still really giddy over the fact that both Gracie and Danny had mentioned him in their 'thankful for speech'.

"You must give us the recipe." She said taking another bite, Stan nodded enthusiastically.

"If he did he'd have to kill you." Danny said before taking a sip of his drink.

"You think he's kidding but he's not." Mary agreed nodding her head, "Steve takes his turkey very seriously."

Steve opened his mouth to defend himself but Danny interrupted with a loud, "you do, you do!"

"It's a very serious operation." Steve explained earnestly.

"Only you would make thanksgiving some sort of training op." Mary said squinting her eyes at him.

"Oh god. Do you want to tell them how long you been planning today babe?" Danny teased, "since Halloween, or at least a few days after. Right? You were asking what everybody's favorite meal was and started making test batches till everything tasted better than perfect ," he looked over at a pouty Steve, "which it is by the way, everything's better than perfect." Danny added as he gave Steve a soft smile and his arm a gentle squeeze.

"Well thank you for inviting us Steven." Rachel said after a moment, forcing the men to break their eyes away from each other.

"Having the two of you here," Steve said looking at Rachel and Stan, "seemed like a way to make today better than perfect."

Danny glanced at Steve, they had argued a lot the first time Steve brought up the idea of inviting Stan and Rachel. " Better than perfect?" Danny had spat back at Steve, "what the hell is that, something they taught you at S.E.A.L school ? Let me tell you something, having Rachel here will not be better than perfect , it'll turn into a huge mess, I won't feel comfortable with Stan sitting in our kitchen eating our food. I don't want him around me! And I don't want spend the day fighting with Rachael either, god knows I'll have a hard enough time not fighting with you!" Steve had eventually won him over, for Gracie, he had said, and, we'll how could Danny say no to that? Neither mentioned the fact that Danny had referred to Steve's kitchen and food as theirs.

****

"So Danny, are you finally going to tell me the truth about you and Steve?" Rachel asked as she set down a plate of dessert on the patio table.

"Which is?" Danny replied wearily.

"That you're living with him, you're in a romantic relationship with him." She explained. "You can't deny it anymore Daniel, it's obvious."

Danny opened his mouth to respond but by the looks of his face Rachel decided to interject. "For our pre-meal football game you and Gracie went into your respective rooms to change, your's being Steve's. Also, I tagged along on Gracie's home tour for Stan, don't think I didn't notice your toothbrush next to his in his bathroom, or your products in his shower, or all those ties neatly rolled up on top of his dresser. Steven doesn't strike me as a tie type of guy Daniel." She ended with an upraised eyebrow.

"What?" Danny asked, offended and panicked, "those--none of that--they don't... look, over time I've just found it easier to leave some clothes here, it's convenient not having to pack as many shirts and pants -- or ties-- to bring every weekend and it gives me more variety for the next day's outfit. Steve suggested I hang them up in his closet so they aren't all wrinkled for work on Monday. The toothbrush was another kind of convenience thing, same for the hair products. And I sleep on his bed because it's better for my back, and yeah, okay, so what if we wake up cuddled together every morning Rachel? Hm? That doesn't mean anything!"