The Magic of Hearts [ONGOING]

Trashcan

Spoiler Alert(s): N/A
Content Warning(s): Slightly Cracky
Story Length: 1270 words

Danny was bored, and when faced with boredom, he turned to activities such as cleaning the Horsemen's apartment from top to bottom. Usually, these boredom days took place while everyone was either out or holed up in their rooms, so Danny had yet to face a Horseman while cleaning. Today, however, everyone but Dylan was in the apartment and they were all just milling about. Everybody was relaxing — except for Danny.

     "Merritt, move," he growled. "I'm trying to clean the living room and you're just...just...there."

     Merritt looked up from his book and looked over himself, then turned to Danny and arched an eyebrow at his younger teammate. "Mm... No."

     Danny huffed and turned to Jack, who was sitting at the kitchen counter, chatting with Lula as she prepared her famous (according to her) salsa for the four of them. "Clean up your cards!" he barked, waving his arm wildly at the playing cards that had fallen to the floor and that were scattered around the counter from Jack's flipping and shuffling.

     Jack jumped and twisted around. "Hey, Danny, relax," he muttered as he started to gather his cards.

     Lula gave Danny a warning look, her protective streak over Jack showing. "Yeah, man, chill out," she chimed in. "You're getting snippy in your old age. Soon, you'll be shaking a cane and yelling, 'Get off my lawn!' at us youth."

     Danny, instead of shooting off a clever response like he normally would, said, "You're making a mess in the kitchen, Lula. Look at it!"

     Lula gave Danny an incredulous look. Jack glanced between the kitchen and Danny. Merritt made a show of standing up and inspecting the room in which everyone else was. The mentalist slowly turned to Danny and said, "You're losing it, Danny-Boy. This kitchen is spotless except for the ingredients Lula pulled out for her salsa, and even that's organized."

     Danny let out a lengthy, exasperated breath. He couldn't deal with these people right now. He needed —

     "Yeah, Dylan?" said Lula loudly into her cell, eyeing Danny. "Your boyfriend is being an asshole." Danny snarled and reached for the phone, but she just took a step back. "Yeah? Okay. See ya soon." She raised her eyebrows at Danny but didn't say anything.

Danny crossed his arms, stiff as a statue, his fellow Horsemen watching him warily. An eternity later, the door unlocked and Dylan entered, whistling a cheery tune. "Afternoon, Horsemen," he called from the foyer. "Where is my beloved?"

"Here," grumbled the three victims of Danny's wrath.

"Ah, here you all are," hummed their leader, walking up to his boyfriend, whose back was to him. Arms wrapping around the younger man's waist and propping his chin on his shoulder, Dylan leered, "Are you a trashcan?"

"Why?" muttered Danny, "Because you want to take me out?" He rolled his eyes; as if he hadn't heard that before.

Dylan laughed boisterously, the vibrations from his diaphragm rumbling against Danny's back. "No," he chortled, "because you have the personality of one."

Danny spluttered indignantly as his teammates snickered. Jack tried to cover up his grin behind his hand and Lula tried to smother her laughter with coughs, but Merritt just outright cackled at Danny's stupefied visage.

Danny regained his seething, unmoving posture. "Have you been practising that?"

"The whole walk here," chirped Dylan without hesitation.

Danny grumbled as he turned around to shove his face into Dylan's chest and let his arms snake around Dylan's body. Dylan sighed and began to card his right hand's fingers through Danny's hair. "Seriously, babe, I got a call from Lula telling me you were being an asshole," he said softly, using his left hand to massage Danny's tense shoulder.

"I know," muttered Danny into Dylan's shirt, "I was there." Dylan ignored it.

"What's up?"

"I was bored. You know I clean when I'm bored. And these numbskulls were — "

"Resorting to seventh grade insults, are we?" teased Dylan. A pause. "I do know that, but you've never done this while the Horsemen were around. You always found something else to entertain yourself, usually those very Horsemen."

Danny shrugged half-heartedly and Dylan knew there was definitely something more to this. He nodded to his team and then steered Danny over to his room. The two more often than not slept in Dylan's room, but Danny still had his own in case he needed it. In the almost bare bedroom, Dylan gently sat on the bed so Danny was curled up in his lap, clutching the ex-agent's shirt.

"What's going on, Danny?" murmured Dylan. Danny tilted his head back and Dylan's heart jumped into his throat when he saw the tears forming in his boyfriend's eyes.

"Last night, I had a feeling I was going to be having a nightmare," he whispered, as if scared speaking any louder would broadcast his feelings to people he didn't want knowing. "So I slept in my room. For the first time, actually. It was so unfamiliar and it didn't... It didn't smell like you." Danny blushed and cleared his throat. "I guess that didn't really help with the whole nightmare situation. I dreamt of that night... The river. The safe."

Dylan flinched and Danny diverted his gaze, ashamed he was the one afraid of that night when he was also the one who had caused it. He soldiered forward.

"But it was different," he said. "I jumped in to get you, but you saw me and told me to get away. You said this was all my fault and—and it was, it is, but I had to save you. But you refused to let me touch you and you..." Danny choked on his tears as the image of Dylan choking on river water flashed before his eyes.

"Oh, Danny...," mumbled Dylan, hugging his boyfriend close.

"And when I woke up," continued Danny, shoving back the urge to cry, "you were gone. And I guess... The combination just..." He shrugged. "I'd thought you'd left me for good."

Speaking into Danny's hair, Dylan asked, "Why didn't you call me?"

"If you left me, I wasn't going to bother you more than I already have," answered Danny. "And I didn't want the Horsemen to know something was up, so I didn't sulk in my room. But I didn't feel like talking, so I ignored them. But then I was bored, so I... Well, I guess you know what happened after that."

Dylan rubbed soothing circles into Danny's back. "I'd never do that to you," he said. "I wouldn't just up and leave. I'd talk with you, I'd try to work things out. And that's if I even wanted to leave you, and I doubt I'll be feeling that way soon."

Dylan turned his head a little so he could easily lean down and press his mouth onto Danny's. After he drew a moan out of the younger man from the slow, slightly rough kiss, Dylan leaned back and smiled, eyes twinkling. "I think I'd miss that too much to leave," he said. "And I'd miss everything else about you too, of course." Dylan leaned in for another kiss, but Danny leaned back in a way of saying no.

"So... You don't really think I have the personality of a trashcan?"

It came out bitingly, but Dylan must have seen the wide eyes or the vulnerability behind either the question or those eyes, because he murmured, "Would someone ever do this to a trashcan?" before he dipped his head and gently kissed Danny.

Another eternity later, they had to break apart for breath. "I love you, Dylan," said Danny, surprisingly confident for someone who had just suffered several hours of a mind-numbing lack of self-esteem.

"And I love you, Danny," smiled Dylan. This time, Danny leaned in.

A/N: I swear, this started out as a crack one-shot. Then it... Well, it morphed into this weird mix of angst, fluff, and crack. It's a serious one-shot on drugs.
[Completed Jul. 2018]