H50 drabbles: Weekend Challenge - Words beginning with 'M'
Title: Five H50 Drabbles
Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny in varying degrees for the most part
Genre: drabbles, double-drabbles
Word Count: Altogether: 821
Rating: PG to R
Warnings/Spoilers: None for the show
Disclaimer: I don't own them; I make no money
Beta: Unbeta'd
Summary: Five short ficlets using the words microscope, midas, manic, machine and messenger
Author’s Notes: Written for the weekend challenge at 1_million_words in which I gave simplyn2deep the letter 'M' and she gave me five words beginning with that letter to write drabbles for.
NB: this fic can also be read here at AO3
No Easy Result (microscope) - 200 words
"I'm sorry, Governor, but if we hadn't put his life under the microscope, we never would have caught the bastard who did this."
"I appreciate that, Commander, but his wife and children have to live with the intrusion of the media until they find some other tragedy to exploit, not to mention live with the fact that he was keeping some big secrets from them. There must have been a more discreet way this could have been handled."
"Perhaps, Sir, but by the time we found out about his other life and started digging, it was already too late. Since his killer was well aware of our search, there was no way we could've stopped him from drawing the media into it; he didn't give us any choice."
"Alright. I just wish..."
"I know, Governor, believe me. My team have done all they can to distract the media, but it was never going to be easy on the family, all the same. They would've found out in the end. My sympathies to you too; I know he was a friend."
"Thank you, Steve. You and your team worked hard on this, and I appreciate the swift conclusion."
"You're welcome, Sir."
~//~
God Complex (midas) - 100 words
"You judge everything by your own standards."
"Isn't that what everyone does?"
"No, Steven, it is not. Not everyone rushes headlong into situations, assuming they'll turn to gold because they have no regard for what happens to them in the process. If I didn't know better, I'd think you had some kind of God complex."
"God complex?" There was a snort in the words.
"Yes. Like you're indestructible, and only you are capable of making decisions about everyone else."
"When have I done that?" Steve's disbelieving glare said he honestly didn't have a clue.
Danny shook his head, giving up.
~//~
Distraction (manic) - 220 words
"Freeze!"
"No!" The hysterical man waved the gun, clutching the girl close to his chest, his eyes manic.
Danny held up a free hand, keeping his gun at the ready.
"Relax, buddy. No one's accusing you of anything. We just want to ask you a few questions. Let the girl go; she doesn't deserve this."
Danny tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but there was no way he was taking his eyes off the lunatic for long.
"I'm not telling you anything! You cops-"
The words were cut off by a loud explosion at the end of the alleyway, and the girl lunged sideways as the man holding her loosened his grip to cover his ears.
Danny was on him in seconds, pushing him down and handcuffing him. "Idiot; it would have been so much easier if you hadn't done that. You OK?" He directed the last to the girl, who nodded from where she was getting to her feet.
Steve strode into view as the smoke cleared, his serious expression morphing into a proud grin at the sight of Danny in control of things.
"Of course it was you." Danny couldn't help his own smile. "I should have known as soon as it involved explosives."
"I had a feeling you needed a distraction."
"And so I did."
~//~
Man or Machine (machine) - 101 words
"Are you a man or a machine?"
"I'd like to hope you can tell the difference." Steve looked slightly disconcerted as he lay next to Danny on the bed, propped up on an elbow, free hand idly playing with Danny's chest hairs.
"Sometimes I wonder about you, babe." Danny met his eyes with a smile to show he didn't mean anything cruel by it.
"Why? Didn't I seem to be enjoying it?"
"I definitely wouldn't say that." Danny caught Steve's hand, which had stilled. "I was talking more about your unstoppability than your humanity."
Steve finally grinned again. "Love you, too."
~//~
Here is the News (messenger) - 200 words
"Don't shoot the messenger." Steve held his hands up in surrender, his expression wary.
Danny hadn't realized how tense he'd become at hearing the news, and took a breath, easing the glare he'd directed at Steve. "I had things planned for this weekend; now I have to rearrange those plans. Rachel could have given me a little more warning."
"She said she was sorry about that; this sort of opportunity doesn't come very often though, and she had to take it. Grace has been wanting it for a long time…"
"You don't have to defend her; I get it. Grace and I have talked about it. It's just… she's only been home for a couple of weeks; I haven't seen her much since the trip to England. This weekend was supposed to help make up for that."
Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder, sliding it to press gently at the knot that he instinctively seemed to know was there. "I know, babe. But she said you can take Grace on Friday after work next weekend to give you an extra night."
Danny felt a little of the disappointment lift. "Think I might just kiss the messenger for that news."
~//~
Brother HL 2170W
Pairing/Characters: Steve/Danny in varying degrees for the most part
Genre: drabbles, double-drabbles
Word Count: Altogether: 821
Rating: PG to R
Warnings/Spoilers: None for the show
Disclaimer: I don't own them; I make no money
Beta: Unbeta'd
Summary: Five short ficlets using the words microscope, midas, manic, machine and messenger
Author’s Notes: Written for the weekend challenge at 1_million_words in which I gave simplyn2deep the letter 'M' and she gave me five words beginning with that letter to write drabbles for.
NB: this fic can also be read here at AO3
No Easy Result (microscope) - 200 words
"I'm sorry, Governor, but if we hadn't put his life under the microscope, we never would have caught the bastard who did this."
"I appreciate that, Commander, but his wife and children have to live with the intrusion of the media until they find some other tragedy to exploit, not to mention live with the fact that he was keeping some big secrets from them. There must have been a more discreet way this could have been handled."
"Perhaps, Sir, but by the time we found out about his other life and started digging, it was already too late. Since his killer was well aware of our search, there was no way we could've stopped him from drawing the media into it; he didn't give us any choice."
"Alright. I just wish..."
"I know, Governor, believe me. My team have done all they can to distract the media, but it was never going to be easy on the family, all the same. They would've found out in the end. My sympathies to you too; I know he was a friend."
"Thank you, Steve. You and your team worked hard on this, and I appreciate the swift conclusion."
"You're welcome, Sir."
~//~
God Complex (midas) - 100 words
"You judge everything by your own standards."
"Isn't that what everyone does?"
"No, Steven, it is not. Not everyone rushes headlong into situations, assuming they'll turn to gold because they have no regard for what happens to them in the process. If I didn't know better, I'd think you had some kind of God complex."
"God complex?" There was a snort in the words.
"Yes. Like you're indestructible, and only you are capable of making decisions about everyone else."
"When have I done that?" Steve's disbelieving glare said he honestly didn't have a clue.
Danny shook his head, giving up.
~//~
Distraction (manic) - 220 words
"Freeze!"
"No!" The hysterical man waved the gun, clutching the girl close to his chest, his eyes manic.
Danny held up a free hand, keeping his gun at the ready.
"Relax, buddy. No one's accusing you of anything. We just want to ask you a few questions. Let the girl go; she doesn't deserve this."
Danny tried to give the girl a reassuring smile, but there was no way he was taking his eyes off the lunatic for long.
"I'm not telling you anything! You cops-"
The words were cut off by a loud explosion at the end of the alleyway, and the girl lunged sideways as the man holding her loosened his grip to cover his ears.
Danny was on him in seconds, pushing him down and handcuffing him. "Idiot; it would have been so much easier if you hadn't done that. You OK?" He directed the last to the girl, who nodded from where she was getting to her feet.
Steve strode into view as the smoke cleared, his serious expression morphing into a proud grin at the sight of Danny in control of things.
"Of course it was you." Danny couldn't help his own smile. "I should have known as soon as it involved explosives."
"I had a feeling you needed a distraction."
"And so I did."
~//~
Man or Machine (machine) - 101 words
"Are you a man or a machine?"
"I'd like to hope you can tell the difference." Steve looked slightly disconcerted as he lay next to Danny on the bed, propped up on an elbow, free hand idly playing with Danny's chest hairs.
"Sometimes I wonder about you, babe." Danny met his eyes with a smile to show he didn't mean anything cruel by it.
"Why? Didn't I seem to be enjoying it?"
"I definitely wouldn't say that." Danny caught Steve's hand, which had stilled. "I was talking more about your unstoppability than your humanity."
Steve finally grinned again. "Love you, too."
~//~
Here is the News (messenger) - 200 words
"Don't shoot the messenger." Steve held his hands up in surrender, his expression wary.
Danny hadn't realized how tense he'd become at hearing the news, and took a breath, easing the glare he'd directed at Steve. "I had things planned for this weekend; now I have to rearrange those plans. Rachel could have given me a little more warning."
"She said she was sorry about that; this sort of opportunity doesn't come very often though, and she had to take it. Grace has been wanting it for a long time…"
"You don't have to defend her; I get it. Grace and I have talked about it. It's just… she's only been home for a couple of weeks; I haven't seen her much since the trip to England. This weekend was supposed to help make up for that."
Steve put a hand on Danny's shoulder, sliding it to press gently at the knot that he instinctively seemed to know was there. "I know, babe. But she said you can take Grace on Friday after work next weekend to give you an extra night."
Danny felt a little of the disappointment lift. "Think I might just kiss the messenger for that news."
~//~
Brother HL 2170W