"Why do I have to?" Danny asked, almost appalled. To be difficult, he sank lower in the chair and crossed his arms.

John B wanted a snack from the vending machine. Danny would be inclined to do so if it wasn't two floors away and he hadn't already made three trips in the past two hours.

"You're Daddy Warbucks," John B said. A grin pulled at his lips, and Danny narrowed his eyes at it.

"Well, she's Mommy Warbucks," Danny countered and pointed across the bed to Sarah sitting in the other visitor's chair.

She scoffed. "Hardly."

"Oh, hardly?" Danny repeated. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "If I recall, you spent three grand on your birthday party last year."

John B blanched, and Danny nodded to further his point.

Sarah sat silently for a moment. When she made up her mind, she straightened and replied, "Well, you bought a brand new Maserati and paid cash. In full."

That was true. Damn it. Danny clicked his tongue at her smug face. "Well, you. . ." he trailed off.

"Well, I. . ." Sarah prodded, smug.

"I got a good deal on it," Danny mumbled in defeat. He stood and walked to the door. "The same?" he asked.

"Two?"

"Two?" Danny asked. "Daddy Warbucks is gonna go broke." He walked out the door, ignoring John B's praise of gratitude.

He took the stairs up two floors and ambled over to the vending machine. He fed the machine his dollars and requested the two KitKats. He smacked his palm on the glass when it caught on the coil.

"Fucker," he grumbled and shook the sides.

It fell.

He retrieved the snacks and made his way back.

Danny's been at the hospital since Sarah called him in the early morning. John B's set to leave sometime tomorrow. It was a miracle that he only sustained a broken wrist and a concussion. Danny's trying not to blame himself for not being at the Hawk's Nest.

John B didn't want to press charges against Topper. Danny thought that was bullshit. He could've died.

He walked back into the room and immediately brought his hands up to cover his eyes. "Good God," he said and peeked through his fingers.

Sarah sat back in her seat, and Danny pretended to forget the sight of the two of them making out.

"Here, you little gremlin," Danny said and tossed the snacks on John B's lap.

The three settled into a comfortable silence. Danny flipped through the random magazine from the waiting room while the other two watched the tv mounted on the wall. It looked like a crime show, but Danny wasn't familiar with which one.

From the corner of his eye, Danny saw John B trying to move. He leaned and stretched his arm out to the side table with a slight grimace on his face.

Danny slapped his hand away and gave him the remote.

He leaned back in his chair and flipped a page. His mom's face stared back at him.

He smiled brightly and read the article about her fashion line from last year. It was a piece of the Top Five Women in Fashion. The pictures featured her elegant dresses and the models wearing her clothes on the runway.

Danny searched for himself in the background of any of them. He thought he saw the back of his head. Maybe not, though. He could've been walking at a different show during this time.

"So," John B said.

Danny glanced over the top of the magazine. John B was looking at him pointedly.

Confused, Danny rested the magazine in his lap. The tv was muted. "What?" he asked and then frowned. "I'm not getting you another fucking KitKat. I'll bribe the doctor and make you stay here for a week."

"What was with the little domestic last night?"

Danny rolled his eyes. He lifted the magazine, sat back, and rested his feet on the edge of John B's bed. "You were the one with a domestic, not me."

"Domestic," Sarah spoke up. "Who with?"

Danny didn't answer. He didn't have a domestic.

"With JJ," John B told her. He continued, "I've never seen you yell at him like that, dude."

Danny turned a page, unseeing.

"He was really upset—"

"And I wasn't?" Danny interrupted, his voice terse. "He's the one who said I had a savior complex, which I don't. I just care for you guys. Fucking sue me. And he's the one who was being a homophobic fucking prick, okay? So, sorry if I got a little upset."

Danny huffed and looked back at the magazine. The pages were crinkled, and one had a tear halfway through the length.

"When was he homophobic?"

Danny glared at him.

John B raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not making fun, dude. I'm genuinely asking."

"Did you not fucking hear him when he said Leo would 'kiss it better'? He sounded just like—" Danny stopped abruptly and took a deep breath so he wouldn't say something he shouldn't. "Why'd you tell him about Leo?"

John B shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't."

Danny sent him a look. "Oh, you didn't? Yeah, all right, sure."

"Danny, bro, I didn't."

He sighed and tossed the magazine onto the bedside table. It slid across the surface and fell off the other side. Danny crossed his arms and leaned his head against the back of the chair. "He was never that hostile with me, John B. I'm allowed to be hostile back."

"I never said you weren't."

"Maybe he's upset that I couldn't pay the rest of the restitution?" he ruminated aloud. "Do you think that's it?"

"You paid his restitution?" John B asked incredulously.

Danny realized his mistake and ordered, "You will not tell him."

John B said after a moment, "'kay."

Danny thought for a bit and then asked quietly, "Is it because I 'mama bear' you guys? Do you not like that? Is that. . .wrong?"

"I don't mind it. I appreciate it, dude."

Danny's lips twitched in a half-hearted smile.

John B pushed himself higher on the bed. He winced and then slowly relaxed back onto the pillows. "I just. . ." he began and tilted his head side to side, weighing his words. "I think he doesn't like that he can't return the favor."

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. "What? How would he—There's no favor to return. I don't ask for anything back. Okay? Don't think you guys are in debt to me. Because you're not."

John B nodded.

His friends show their love in little ways. Pope studies with him and sends him articles on engines and other machines that he thinks Danny would like. Kie talks about boys and girls with him, even though she would rather sit out on the explicit stories. She helps him fall asleep, even if it keeps her up instead. John B always waxes Danny's surfboard. He makes Danny dinner anytime he stays over. And breakfast, too.

JJ gives him books. He always checks in when Danny's feeling down. Sometimes, even before Danny realizes he's feeling bad. And he'll watch all the John Wick movies with him, even though they've seen it over forty times. JJ spends Christmas with Danny and comes to all the snobby parties his mom drags him to. And he would always take the blame when they'd sneak away back home to drink in Danny's bed. JJ would fight to stay awake with him, even when he couldn't keep his eyes open, and would eventually fall asleep against Danny.

He doesn't need anything more.

Danny shook his head. "If anyone won the lottery and had, like, millions, wouldn't you spend it on your family? Make sure they have everything they need?"

"A lot of people wouldn't, Danny. You've just got a generous heart, dude. There's nothing wrong with that. But, I think JJ wishes he could be just as generous toward you."

Danny deflated in his chair. "So he's mad at me because I care about him? That's it?"

Danny ran his hands over his face and fought the urge to scream to release all his frustrations. Sarah was staring at him when he glanced up.

"Oh, Sarah," he said and cringed internally. "Sorry you had to hear all. . ." he trailed off and waved his hand around in the air. "Pretty much a therapy session, huh?"

She smiled. "I think it's nice."

"Okay," Danny said sarcastically, not believing her.

"I do," she insisted. "And, maybe I don't really know him, but it seems to me like he's jealous. That's why he was upset."

Danny frowned. "What?"

Sarah shrugged. She looked at John B, who shook his head adamantly yet discretely in her direction.

She shifted in her seat and glanced back and forth between the two boys. "Uh," she said and laughed forcefully. "But, hey, what do I know? Don't listen to me."

Danny nodded uncertainly. "Yeah. . ." he said. He nodded again, more sure of himself. "Yeah. What's there to be jealous of anyway?"

***

Danny stayed and kept John B company for another two hours. He'd be released tomorrow morning.

He paid off the bill and refused to tell John B the amount. He was Daddy Warbucks after all, it was the least he could do. Plus, he had better insurance. It was less than what he imagined, so it was a win in his book.

Danny was currently manning a repair on a previously submerged yacht courtesy of Hurricane Aggie.

There was a whole group of them stationed along the dock beside the repair shop. Lou had Danny running inventory of all the damage to the vessel. They'd then come up with an action plan on how to salvage it.

He finished a yacht earlier, and it has the potential to be completely repaired to run like normal. This one, however, is trashed.

Danny squatted alongside the engine and shook his head. He's been trying to work on it for hours now. He thought he found a solution, but then another problem would pop up along with five others. It was a nightmare.

Sweat dripped endlessly from his body, his shirt long discarded. The air in the underbelly of the yacht was like a thick soup boiling on the stovetop. Danny hated soup.

He heard footsteps behind him and said, "Shit's trashed, Lou. Oxidation's already happened. There's so much rust. We'll need, like, a full engine replacement."

He wiped his hands and tossed the rag onto the toolbox. "Hell, they'll probably just buy a new one, so there's no use even ordering a replacement."

He stood and placed his hands on his hips, staring down at the engine.

"I mean, we can try, but it'll take months to even get all the parts—" Danny froze when he turned around. "What are you doing here?"

JJ shrugged and leaned against the door frame. He tried to lean casually, but the shifting of his eyes gave away his anxiety. "Lou told me you'd be here."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Lou told you that?" he said doubtfully. "Why?"

"You aren't the only one he likes."

Danny huffed in amusement. That was a bit of a stretch, and they both knew it.

"I want to talk," JJ added.

Danny shook his head. He grabbed the toolbox and walked out to the deck. The air was instantly ten degrees cooler. He would've sighed in relief had JJ not been here. "That's too bad because I have nothing to say to you. You can go now; I have work to do."

He heard JJ's drawn-out sigh as the boy followed Danny. "Is that how this is going to go?"

Danny clenched his jaw and fought the urge to turn around and look at JJ. Instead, he set his tools down and climbed the ladder to reach the bridge.

He sifted through the junk to try and find his pen. The wind blew against his face through the broken windshield. It didn't help cool his flushed cheeks.

"You're mad at me," JJ said when he followed.

Danny scoffed. He picked up his pen and made notations about what he observed with the engine in his notepad.

"Why?"

He threw his pen down and whipped around. His eyes were ablaze when he shouted, "Why?! Why, asshole? I could give you a whole list, yeah?"

Danny stepped toward JJ and stopped on the opposite side of a control table. "I was worried about you, and you turned around and spat in my face." Danny shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. He laughed humorously and continued, "Whatever. That's fine. I won't hold your hand anymore. Obviously, you don't want someone watching your back."

JJ shook his head.

"I don't know what crawled up your ass the other night, but you don't get to take your anger out on me," Danny said fiercely. He huffed and took a step away.

He turned and looked out the window to the water.

Sometimes it was easier to talk to someone when you didn't have to look at them. At least, that's how he felt. Sometimes he liked looking at the other person to be able to watch their reaction. Other times it was all too overwhelming in a way.

He liked watching his friends smile when he told them stories or brought them gifts. And he liked watching Kie scrunch her nose when he teased her. He liked when Pope rolled his eyes at something absurd Danny or anyone would say.

He would even go so far as to say he liked watching anger pull at his father's features when they fought. Because then he knows that he gets under his father's skin as much as his father gets under his.

He can't watch people crying. He has to look away. Danny hated looking at his mom stress over anything. He hated watching John B stare longingly at the horizon, looking for Big John.

Danny's anger leeched all his energy as it slowly dissipated. He felt. . .tired.

He's been running on fumes, but his mind has been an incessant whirlwind, one thought tumbling into another, never allowing silence.

He was so tired.

Danny continued as he focused on the water, his back to JJ, "I can't control what you think, but I don't ever want to hear you being homophobic again. Ever. I mean that shit."

That was the thought that kept him up all night. The thought that made his heart ache and the knot in his stomach sift like poison. It was the one thing that he couldn't live with.

"Woah, woah, what?" JJ blurted. "I'm not homophobic. What are you talking about, Danny?"

An object slid across the floor as JJ stepped closer behind Danny.

Danny glanced over his shoulder. "Leo should 'kiss it better'? Give me a fucking break, JJ. You sounded like—" Danny shook his head. His fingers wrapped around the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. "You sounded just like my father. It was. . . I don't need that. Not from you. Not from you."

Danny could see him from his peripheral, but he kept his gaze locked on the water. He steeled his resolve and said what he needed to say to protect his heart, "If I ever hear you say something like that again, we're done."

"Hold on!" JJ pulled at Danny's arm. "Danny! What!"

JJ's eyes were blown wide when Danny turned his chin to look at JJ. JJ shifted his hand to the top of Danny's shoulder and leaned closer. "Listen," he said desperately, "I was not being homophobic, okay? So, I'm sorry you thought that."

Danny didn't pull away, but he tilted his head and said, "Must've made it up then, huh?"

JJ pulled away and walked the length of the bridge. He puffed air from his cheeks and ran his hands through his hair.

Danny watched wordlessly.

"I'm sorry," JJ said finally. He stood on the opposite side of the bridge. Maybe distance was his version of looking out the window. "I did take my anger out on you. I can admit that. But I wasn't being homophobic. All right? I swear."

Danny hummed in consideration. JJ didn't appear to be lying, but Danny knew disdain in a voice when he heard it. He's had a lot of practice with it. He knew he heard it in JJ's voice.

He chewed on his bottom lip and nodded his head. He and JJ may be a lot of things, but they didn't lie to each other.

Danny pulled out the captain's chair and sat in it after wiping away some debris. He continued to write in the notebook about all the possible repairs needed.

After tracing a bullet point for a minute, unable to focus his thoughts any longer, he asked, "What were you being, then?"

Silence filled the bridge, and it stayed for a while. Danny thought he said it too softly, but then JJ responded, "I. . . Not homophobic, okay?"

Danny flipped a page and shaded a portion of the paper, running the pen over and over in one area. The tapping of his foot filled the lingering silence.

"Don't ever act like that again," he said.

He meant it. He couldn't get the tone out of his head.

"Yeah."

Danny nodded in finality. He resumed his notes, adding anything that Lou may find beneficial. He heard JJ sifting through the junk behind him. They were going to have to pitch everything, so Danny didn't care what he did.

He wondered if Brennan had better luck on the rest of the vessels. He hoped so.

They existed silently in each other's company for a while. It wasn't tense, but it wasn't quite normal, either.

Danny could tell that something was still bothering JJ anytime he glanced over at the blond. It was the specific way his brows furrowed and the slight downturn of the lips that Danny knew JJ was thinking about something.

But Danny wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. So, he remained silent, trying to will his thoughts into something positive and not self-destructive.

It was when they made their way down to the deck JJ decided to speak up. "Did you really go to Leo's house?" he asked.

There was no accusation in his tone, just genuine curiosity. Danny paused his clean-up routine and faced JJ. The sun had set not long ago, and dusk had begun to set in.

Danny leaned his back against the railing. It took him a moment to remember why JJ would ask such a thing, but that was the last thing he said before he stormed off the other night.

Obviously, he hadn't. He was balls deep in a mental breakdown. But he forgets that sometimes even his friends get caught up in the web of his reputation, that it gets tricky navigating what's real and what's fabricated, and that sometimes Danny is the only one who knows the truth.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

Danny decided on an answer, "If I did?"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Maybe JJ was waiting to see if Danny would elaborate, but Danny had more patience. They both knew that.

JJ shrugged. He sniffed and wiped his nose before leaning down and lifting a crate of busted parts. "Then you did," was his response.

*****

Make up, make out— I MEAN

This is super slowburn lol mostly bc Danny's an idiot in denial but that just makes it more fun for me

Thanks for reading!! It makes my day reading your comments <33