"You know, I never meant to be in love with you."
They were lying in bed, Bane turned on his side so that Danny could easily trace the outlines of his face, a sweet thing the werewolf did each night and every morning.
Danny's fingers stilled in their trailing of Bane's jaw, tensing as he absorbed the statement. It wasn't usual that Bane was so open about his feelings, and Danny took a moment to savor the honesty.
"I know. But im....Im really grateful that you are." The werewolf's palm pressed flat against Bane's cheek, lovingly cradling the boy's head as he tried his hardest to imagine the expression his mate wore.
He couldn't see it, but he felt Bane smile.
"I love you too, Bane. I never tried to fight it." By the time Danny even realized it was happening, he was already too far gone to stop it.
If anyone had told Bane a couple years ago that he'd end up madly in love with a werewolf he probably would have put a fist in their face, told them to shove it. Falling in love with Danny hadn't been in the books anywhere but Bane couldn't really help himself. He had been taught that werewolves were dark creatures, dangerous and never to be trusted. But then Danny had stumbled into his life and he'd made Bane question everything he thought he knew about wolves.
Bane had noticed through the years that many people were interested in Danny. Despite his being blind the boy was still eye candy, and everyone could see what he was different. Danny was pure even though the world had wronged him. He was always hopeful and doting, as if no terrible tragedy had ever befallen him. The kid was a walking ball of sunshine and dit was impossible not to love him. So Danny already had suitors.
But he'd wanted Bane.
Bane couldn't help but want him back, but still he had never intended to give Danny a chance, give him a date. He really didn't need a man in his life, and Danny was a werewolf, a creature he had been sworn to hunt. The boy just kept blurring the lines though, and Bane let him. Danny was patient and sweet throughout everything, obviously afraid to make a wrong move.
When Danny had finally got up the nerve to formally ask him out, Bane had meant to say no, but what came out was "I'm not scared of you." It was the closest thing to a yes that Danny would receive, the admission that he was wrong about wolves, his understanding that Danny wasn't a monster.
The boy just looked so - relieved. And Bane thought 'this poor dumb kid', but he didn't know if he was thinking about himself or Danny.
Bane and Danny had only been dating for four months when Dylan found out. Until then, Bane wasn't entirely sure what this thing of theirs was. He knew that Danny was sweet and devoted and patient, and he knew the boy was funny and adorable in the ways he made up for his blindness, using touch in place of sight. But he was still straddling the line of 'is this wise, do I need this in my life?' And then Danny was a broken mess because Bane was panicking and Dylan was threatening to kill him. Bane thought someone had put a knife in his chest, watching his brother wave a weapon at this sweet babbling werewolf, who cowered at the sound of a gun cocking and still made sure to put himself between Bane and the firearm.
Watching him in their wreckage, Bane realized that this wasn't something he could choose to lose anymore.
When he officially quit being a hunter, he took his things and dropped them in the center of Danny's room. Bane told him 'I love you' for the first time, and the way Danny smiled-
Bane came to understand: He didn't need a man in his life; he didn't need anything but his dreams and ambitions. But he wanted Danny in his life, because he and Danny made each other stronger and better. Danny made him realize that werewolves weren't all monsters, and Bane gave Danny a reason to get up every morning. He could live with being the sun in someone else's sky, and having a few more stars in his.
