#batsitting

Valentine's day was one of those days that Steve never really thought too much about. well that's a lie, he'd thought about it a lot when it came to Nancy but that had blown up in his face. he doesn't think that Valentine's day would be something that Dean would care a lot about but that doesn't stop him from conning Eddie into getting Dean out of the house for a few hours so he could make dinner and the like. by the time Dean is brought back to the house, Steve wouldn't lie that he wasn't a little stressed out about it all. the pie that he'd got is a little burnt on the top. he might have burned himself a little trying to make sure that the fries he'd made were perfect. and he was thoroughly worried that the burgers weren't cooked properly. but still there's a grin on his lips at the sight of the other when he walks through the door. "hi."

dean knew something was up the second eddie started acting weird about “urgent music opinions” and “you gotta hear this riff right now, man.” he let himself get dragged out anyway.

but now he stood in the doorway, keys still in his hand, jacket half on, and the house smelled like fries and something sweet that had maybe gone a little too far in the oven. he blinked once, took in the food, the effort, the very obvious stress humming off steve like static.

“…hi,” dean said back, softer than he meant to.

his eyes moved over the kitchen, then back to steve. the grin that was trying a little too hard. the way he was standing like he expected to be graded on this. dean’s expression shifted into something warm. “you did all this?” he asked quietly.

he stepped inside, shut the door behind him, dropped his keys on the counter without looking, and crossed the room. he didn't' stop to look at the food first. he went straight to steve. one hand came up to cradle the side of his face, thumb brushing along his cheek like he needed to make sure he was real. the other caught his wrist gently, turning it just enough to see the burn on his hand.

“you burned yourself,” dean murmured, softly concerned but he didn't want to fuss. instead, his mouth curved and his eyes crinkled at the corners. “smells incredible. even if that pie looks like it tried to square up.”

then he leaned in and kissed him. slow. steady. full. when he pulled back, his forehead rested against steve’s. “happy valentine’s day,” he said quietly.

there was a pause before he huffed softly, like he’d just remembered something. “okay, don’t get smug. i didn’t go full candlelight dinner mode or anything.” he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out two slightly crumpled tickets, smoothing them between his fingers before holding them out to steve. “but i figured you might wanna see springsteen live instead of just blasting him in the car.”

he nudged the tickets toward steve, a grin creeping in. “next month. decent seats. had to call in a favor and maybe threaten a guy who swore they were sold out.” his eyes softened again, the timber of his voice matching. “thought we could make a night of it. no monsters. no kids. just you, me, and a stupid amount of arena reverb.”

he leaned in once more, brushing his nose lightly against steve’s. “figured you deserved somethin’ too.”

💌

danny sat at the small desk in the corner of his room, the lamp casting a low, amber glow over the crinkled notebook paper. he wasn't sure why he was doing this. he probably wouldn't ever give it to steve, but his head was too loud tonight and the ink seemed like the only way to quiet the static that usually hummed behind his eyes. he gripped the pen a little too tight, feeling the familiar weight of the telekinetic hum beneath his skin before he forced himself to focus on the paper.

dear steve, i'm writing this mostly because i don't know how to say any of it to your face without sounding like a total freak. i'm pretty sure i'm not even going to give this to you. it's just for me to get the words out of my head so i can finally sleep. i spent so long as 005. sometimes i feel like that's all i'll ever be. but even as 005 i always woke up feeling like something was missing. like there was a ghost limb attached to me, something that was supposed to be there but wasn't. i never understood why i felt so empty even when the lab was full of other kids. now that i've found you, it's like i found the part of me i never knew i needed. i'm so happy you're in my life. i'm so grateful that you didn't just turn me away when i showed up with a face that looked just like yours. i know i'm always around, and i know the link between us is a lot to handle. it isn't that i'm sorry for being there, because honestly, some days hearing your voice in my head is the only thing that makes sense. it's welcoming, like i'm finally home. but i know it's hard too. i'm not used to sharing my headspace either, even if i had a head start with these powers back in the lab, sharing your thoughts isn't something anyone prepares you for. we're figuring it out though. we're getting better at knowing when to pull back and when to lean in. i also just wanted you to know that i see how hard you're working. you've been the one looking out for everyone for so long, and you deserve a break. i don't want to be another weight for you to carry. i'm sorry if i worry you or if i seem a little too clingy sometimes. i'm just so scared of that silence coming back, but i never want to be the reason you feel crowded. you deserve to just be a person without the weight of the world on your shoulders. i'm still learning who you are, but even i can see how tired you get. thanks for being my brother, stevie. even if i'm still figuring out what that means. -005 danny

he stared at the words for a long time, the ink still wet in the dim light. he felt a strange sense of relief, a small part of the tension in his chest finally uncoiling. he didn't think much about it once the words were down, so he just left the notebook sitting open on the desk. the pen stayed right there in the crease of the page. nobody ever really came into his room, so he didn't feel the need to hide it away or tuck it under the mattress. he just clicked off the lamp and let the quiet settle over him, finally feeling like he could actually get some rest.