Baltimore, MD - Wednesday Evening

[hatesparadise]

Well, since Steve had planned the last history nerd outing disguised as a date, it was up to Danny to return the favor with a very nice dinner at an Italian place. But, since this was them, that part of the evening could really only be followed up by the fact that they were definitely being followed back to the rental car.

Danny was just going to blame Steve for this. It never happened before he'd met the man, you know.

Ergo: Steve's fault.

[for the guy on the date!]

Comments

[grenadesandohana]

"This is not my fault," Steve said, wrongly, as he took a sharp right down an alleyway.

[hatesparadise]

"This definitely your fault," Danny shot back, keeping pace with him and his stupidly long legs

[grenadesandohana]

"I don't even know that guy, or his friend who's now trying to cut us off from in front on the left in the hoodie," Steve said in an undertone.

[hatesparadise]

"That does not mean it's not your fault," Danny said, falling into position to keep them from getting flanked.

[grenadesandohana]

"Maybe it's your fault," Steve retorted. "Did you piss anyone off at the restaurant?"

[hatesparadise]

"Me? You're blaming this on me?" Danny hissed, glancing past him to catch the other guy in his sights.

[grenadesandohana]

"I'm not blaming anyone for anything," Steve said, pulling a knife from his cargo pants and palming it. "It is what it is."

[hatesparadise]

Danny sighed at that, but squared up for a future fight here. "Do not get blood on me."

[grenadesandohana]

"My blood or their blood?" Steve asked as the guy in front of them was joined by a friend.

[hatesparadise]

"Yours, preferably." Because he knew better.

[grenadesandohana]

"I will do my very best," Steve said, sauntering like he didn't have a care in the world as long as you didn't notice how sharp his eyes were.

[hatesparadise]

Their new friends exchanged a glance as they closed in.

"If this is a gang, so help me," Danny muttered.

[grenadesandohana]

"Think it's our old friends?" Steve asked.

[hatesparadise]

"I feel like odds are high," Danny replied as one of their new buddies oh so discretely put his hand into his jacket, reaching for a gun. So subtle. Wow.

[grenadesandohana]

"Gun," Steve said, just in case Danny had missed that super-subtle motion. "Be careful."

Then he yelled, equally subtly, at the pair now closing fast, "Hey! What's your problem?"

[hatesparadise]

"We thought our bosses made it pretty clear you weren't welcome around here," one of them said.

"Which bosses are those?" Danny was forced to ask.

[grenadesandohana]

"You know," the guy muttered as Steve shrugged. "Not really," he said. "We piss off a lot of you criminal types."

[hatesparadise]

The goons had to pause and sort of exchange a confused look at that.

"He's not lying," Danny said, now that they had them confused. "Well, it's mostly him that passes people off."

[grenadesandohana]

"It is not," Steve said with a little glare at Danny.

[hatesparadise]

Danny shrugged, glancing over at him. "Kinda is."

Guys, they were trying to threaten you here. Tone down the flirting.

[grenadesandohana]

Nah, they could do both.

Steve put up his hand in an impatient "wait a damn minute" gesture to the thugs that were very much going to attempt to kill them, so good job, Steve, and turned his attention to Danny. "Maybe you cut them off in traffic!"

You were driving, Steven.

[hatesparadise]

They went from threatening to deeply, deeply confused real quick there.

"I wasn't the one driving!"

[grenadesandohana]

Steve made a face, then turned back to the thugs. "How'd you even find us?"

[hatesparadise]

"You kind of stand out?" 0ne of them said, looking at his compatriot for confirmation.

"I told you that truck was an eyesore." Danny, not now.

[grenadesandohana]

"I thought they were talking about your hair," Steve protested and that was when one of the thugs decided he needed to take initiative and punch Steve in the face.

Well, try to, at least.