H50 fic: Not Yet Written (2/2)
Jun. 15th, 2011 12:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thegrrrl2002Title: Not Yet Written
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
thegrrrl2002
Fandom: H50
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 18K
Spoilers: All of S1
Warnings: None
Summary: Someone from Danny's past is out to get him.
Part 1 is here.
*****
It's early in the morning when Danny staggers into the kitchen, yawning as he scratches the back of his neck. There's a full pot of coffee on the counter and Danny makes a beeline for it--maybe this protective detail business isn't so bad after all. He had slept surprisingly well, due in part to sheer exhaustion but also, the bed was amazing and unlike his apartment, there was no one wandering around on the floor above him all hours of the night.
Grabbing a mug, Danny fills it with gloriously aromatic coffee and adds a dash of milk from the fridge before settling into a kitchen chair to enjoy it. It's a quiet morning with the low sun filtering in through the windows and birds chirping merrily in the bushes. It's almost enough to make him forget that someone is out to get him.
He's halfway through his first cup and slipping into a meditative state of mind when Steve strolls in through the back door. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
And Danny's peaceful morning is shattered.
Steve is apparently went out for an early morning swim, since he is now dressed solely in a pair of wet board shorts which sag low on his hips, leaving a ridiculous amount of smooth, tanned skin exposed. He looks absolutely, unreasonably gorgeous and Danny wants him. Wants to do dirty, filthy things to every inch of him.
"How's the shoulder?" Steve asks as he rubs a towel over his wet hair. He's close enough that Danny could reach out and run a thumb--or a tongue--over the cut of his hipbones.
"Huh?" Danny asks, unable to drag his eyes away. "My what? Shoulder?"
There's line of fine dark hair leading from Steve's navel down to the waistband of his shorts and Danny really, really wants to see where that line of hair leads to.
"Maybe I should let you finish your coffee first?" Steve seems amused as he leans over and peers into Danny's cup and fuck, could he get any closer?
"By the way, I like what you've done with your hair," Steve adds. He's laughing now, the son of a bitch. "On you, it works."
"Shut up, please," Danny finally manages. He runs a hand over his head, which he knows is sticking out in all directions. "You wish you had hair as amazing as mine."
Okay, so maybe he and his hair are not at their best in the morning.
"You keep right on believing that." Steve flashes a bright smile at Danny. He seems completely delighted by Danny's crankiness.
Sometimes, Danny truly worries about Steve's sanity.
A smile still playing on his lips, Steve drops the towel on the counter and heads for the fridge, retrieving a pitcher filled with some kind of frothy green liquid. It looks dreadful.
"I'm not even going to ask what that is," Danny says, grimacing. He drains his cup in one gulp.
"It's a wheatgrass blend with bee pollen. Want some?"
"No, no I do not want some. No human being should be ingesting wheatgrass. We are not cows, Steven. Cows eat grass. Horses eat grass. Humans do not eat grass. Or pollen. Not if they can help it. " Danny shakes his head as he helps himself to another cup of coffee. "And you, you are a freak, I swear. Up at what, six in the morning to swim laps around the island? Who does that?"
"Don't knock it until you've tried it." Steve pours himself a tall glass of the wheatgrass drink. The thick liquid makes a horrid plopping sound as it fills the glass. "It's a great way to wake up. Sure you don't want to taste it?" He offers the glass to Danny.
Danny flinches. "No, please, get that away from me. Let me just say, I can think of far better ways to wake up."
Most of which involve Steve and his board shorts and Danny pulling them down with his teeth.
Steve's smile is unexpectedly sly. "Oh? You want to tell me about them?" He leans against the counter, clearly waiting for Danny to continue.
Danny blinks at Steve. "No, uh, no, I do not." He rises from his chair and heads to the fridge to get milk for his coffee. He does not need this--Steve and his flirty teasing, first thing in the morning.
"No, come on, Danny," Steve's tone turns downright cajoling. "I want to hear it."
"No, no, no, trust me, you do not. And yes, my shoulder is feeling much better," Danny says, deliberately changing the subject.
"That's good." Steve drains his glass, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
"And thank you for the coffee." Danny toasts Steve with his mug before taking a long swallow.
"You had a rough day yesterday. I figured you could use it. Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes. I slept very well, actually, despite the t-shirt." Danny peers down at his shirt. "Damn rainbows are very noisy."
Steve laughs again.
"I'm glad I'm so amusing in the morning, I truly am--"
Danny is interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing and he excitedly pulls it from his pocket. He's the one grinning now. His day is about to get a whole lot better. "Hey, monkey, how are you?" he asks as he answers the phone.
As Grace chatters away in his ear, Danny catches the indulgent smile on Steve's face. "Uncle Steve says hi," Danny tells her. "You'd be proud of him, he's drinking green stuff. It's full of vegetables."
He laughs as this sets her off in a whole other direction. He slides his feet up on a chair and leans back, basking in the sound of his little girl, happy and excited and life isn't so bad at all, not when he has this to enjoy.
*****
Danny closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, trying to ward off the headache lurking behind his eyeballs. He takes a deep breath, opens his eyes again and reaches for the control, backing up to view the footage he just missed.
"Any luck?" Kono asks as she passes by.
"Nothing yet," Danny says. The camera pans over the crowd on the beach as they pack up their gear. The next shot is a closeup of several jellyfish washed up on shore, their transparent bodies gleaming in the sun. "Yuck."
"Yeah. I got stung by one once when I was surfing," Kono tells him. "Right on my thigh. Swelled up like a balloon. Hurt like hell."
"Ouch." Danny pauses the playback. "You do realize that this is not exactly encouraging me to take another surfing lesson."
"Come on, it wasn't so bad." Kono laughs. "I've known people who have been surfing nearly every day for their entire lives and haven't gotten stung."
"That's because back in the days they first started surfing," Chin says as he leans out of his office, "jellyfish swarms were a rare thing. Now with pollution and overfishing, they're taking over the seas."
Danny frowns. "That's a depressing thought."
"You got that right. But depressing or no, we still need to eat lunch." Chin waves a menu at Danny. "I was going to order in from Sugoi. Want anything?"
"Oh yeah. I'll have the usual," Danny tells him. "Thanks, man."
"One Teri Beef, got it," Chin says. He and Kono head toward Steve's office and Danny turns back to the screen, hits the play button and watches carefully.
That's when he spots her. Kathy is walking up the beach, carrying a surfboard under her arm and talking to the woman beside her. She's wearing a sweet little red swimsuit and Danny scowls at the screen, still angry over being had.
He hits the pause button on the remote. "Hah, got you."
Kathy had just turned to face the camera as she walked. After backing up a few frames, Danny has a perfectly clear image of her.
"That her?" Chin asks as he and Steve settle in at the table.
"Yup. How do I print from here again?" Danny asks. Damn technology, always changing, just when he thinks he's got it figured out.
Chin leans over the table, taps a few buttons on the touch screen, and Danny hears the hum of their printer starting up. "Thanks," Danny tells him.
Glancing up, Danny sees that Steve has moved closer to the screen, examining the image carefully. "What is it?" Danny asks.
Steve points to her surfboard. "That logo--can you zoom in on that for me?"
Danny looks down at the table, then lifts his hands helplessly. "Uh, I might--"
"Right here." Chin points to a control panel.
"Got it." With a touch of his finger, Danny selects a section of the image, and after a few false starts, finds the zoom feature. "How's that?"
"Perfect," Steve says. "I know where she rented her board."
*****
A quick visit to Surf Bruddahs with Kathy's picture and they've got a name--Linda Reynolds. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that it's yet another alias, but the receipt has a phone number on it for a small motel right outside of town.
The motel is a low rent kind of place, tucked away down a side road, nowhere near the beach. The screen door sags as Steve pulls it open, paint flaking from the frame. The air smells of mildew. With a worn rug, threadbare bedspread and scuffed, dirty walls, it's a motel that has seen better days.
"Makes my place look downright palatial," Danny comments. He finds the trash can, but it's empty. Figures. That would be too easy.
Steve gives him a look. "No, not really."
"It's all relative, okay?" Not that Danny is fond of his tiny living quarters. But it's certainly better than this. "Place looks like it was cleaned out though."
"We'll get the techs in here, maybe they can find something." Steve picks up a pad, eyeing it carefully, holding it so the light could catch any impressions. "Or maybe not." He shakes his head and tosses it aside.
As Steve looks under the bed, Danny opens the dresser drawers, running a hand over the bottom of them, looking for anything, a scrap of paper, a receipt, something that might lead them to Kathy. Or Linda. Whatever. The nice, cute woman with the freckles and blond hair who turned out to be anything but nice.
He heaves a sigh. "All I wanted was a nice night out with a girl. Not a night in the hospital."
Steve pulls the bedspread off, then lifts the thin mattress and peers underneath. "You know how to pick them, Danny."
"Yeah." Danny crouches down and pulls the bottom drawer open. "What, you think you could do better?"
"Uh huh." Steve circles around the bed and checks the other side of the mattress.
Danny closes the drawer and opens the one next to it. Still nothing. "Really?" he scoffs.
"Clearly, it's something you need help with," Steve points out.
"Okay, okay," Danny says. He sits on the edge of the dresser, watching as Steve checks the inside of the closet. Danny folds his arms against his chest and bumps the heel of his foot aimlessly against the face of the drawers. "Pray tell, who do you think I should be dating?"
This ought to be good. As if Steve has ever dated--all he does is spend the occasional night with Catherine. Not exactly a relationship. Steve's only serious relationship is with him--hell, they spend almost all their free time together.
"Well." Steve leans a shoulder against the frame of the closet but then hesitates before continuing. He's watching Danny with an odd expression on his face, one that Danny can't quite figure out.
"Come on, come on, Mr. Know-It-All." Danny's half annoyed, half intrigued. "Enlighten me with your dating wisdom."
"Okay." Steve nods sharply. He points a finger at Danny. "I have it on good authority that you like my thighs."
Danny's foot stops swinging.
"And," Steve continues. "You think I smell nice."
"Oh god." Mortified, Danny covers his face with his hands. "I didn't say all that out loud, did I?"
"You think I'm cute, but sometimes," Steve says, his voice growing soft, with a hint of wonder in his tone. "You think I'm beautiful. And it makes you crazy."
Danny's face burns hot. "You weren't supposed to know any of that, Steve, I--oh fuck."
"Danny," Steve says gently.
Dropping his hands, Danny sees that Steve is smiling at him, a warm, open smile, and there's nothing but affection in his gaze. Danny doesn't know what to say, his heart is beating too fast and there doesn't seem to be any air at all left in the room for him to breathe.
"I know I wasn't supposed to know, Danny. And I wasn't going to say anything, but you, last night, I thought that maybe you wanted to. With me." Steve frowns and scratches the back of his neck. "I should have told you before, but now--"
A car door slams, and Danny jerks his head to the open door of the motel room. A van has pulled up--the HPD evidence technicians are there, with maybe the worst timing ever in the history of bad timing.
Steve flashes him a sheepish grin and turns away, heading toward the door to greet the technicians.
Danny tries to remember how to breathe. It all makes sense now, the way Steve had looked at him last night. He wonders what else he had said while under the influence, what kind of rude suggestions he may have made and Steve, Steve doesn't look upset at all, he seems...happy?
"Danny," Steve calls out. "Come on, let's leave the evidence to the professionals."
Danny nods, sliding off the dresser. He follows Steve out the door and to his car. As soon as he swings the door shut, it's just the two of them in the car, the silence broken only by the low rumble of the engine as Steve accelerates onto the highway. Taking a deep breath, Danny's about to speak when his phone rings.
He grabs it eagerly, glad for the distraction. "Chin," he says, "what's up?" He puts the phone on speaker so Steve can listen as he drives.
"Got more on Forino. There's been no sign of him in Jersey in ten days, since his PO meeting."
"He's sounding more and more like our top suspect," Steve says.
"We've checked all outgoing flights over that period against all his known aliases, but so far, nothing. Not surprising, I'm sure he's gotten a new one since then. NJPD are working on it at their end. By the way, Danny, Detective Lenmar says hi."
Danny snorts. "That schmuck. I'm sure he does."
"We've got a possible ID on Kathy aka Linda's surfing friend, so Kono and I are going to check her out," Chin tells them. "She works in a diner over on Kokee Street."
After updating Chin on their progress, Danny tucks the phone away. It's him and Steve again, alone in the car. Steve is being quiet, too quiet, his eyes set firmly on the road as he drives. Danny shifts in his seat, tugs on his seat belt, drums his fingers on his thigh and god, the silence is killing him but every time he opens his mouth he has no idea what the hell to say.
It's taken a long time for him to get his life back on track since the divorce. His brief affair with Rachel had turned things upside down again, but now that things are good in both his professional and personal life, he's being presented with an opportunity to screw it all up again.
"I might be older, but I'm not really any wiser," Danny says.
"Okay," Steve says. His hands tighten on the steering wheel but his face remains carefully blank as he watches the road.
Danny hates that look. "Pull over," he says. "Over there, in the overlook area."
Steve glances sharply at him. "What, are we being followed or something?"
"No. Just pull over, okay?"
Steve slows the car, then pulls off the highway into the viewing area, a wide expanse overlooking the sea and the islands beyond. It's a breathtaking view, of course, blue skies, clear blue ocean--but Danny's not interested in the view. Not that one, at any rate.
As soon as Steve shifts the car into park, Danny twists around in his seat, unlatches his seat belt, and leans over the center console. "Come here."
He reaches for Steve and Steve doesn't hesitate, he immediately leans in, meeting Danny halfway and then they're kissing. It's a slow, sweet kiss, maybe a bit cautious and yet the way Steve's lips slide over his makes Danny's toes curl. Danny rubs a thumb over Steve's jaw, marveling at the roughness of his beard, the way Steve grunts and tries to get closer. After a moment's fidgeting, Steve murmurs wait, let me just as he unbuckles his seat belt and then he's halfway into Danny's seat, pushing Danny back against the door and the kiss turns messy and little desperate and it's completely, utterly fantastic.
"Please tell me this is a good idea," Danny says, fingers twisting in the collar of Steve's shirt.
Steve nuzzles Danny's neck. "This is a good idea, Danny. A very good idea."
"Right," Danny says as he tries to catch his breath. It certainly feels like a good idea, with the way Steve is nibbling under his chin. Danny tilts his head back and threads his fingers through Steve's hair. "Oh, fuck that's good."
"Jesus, Danny, the things I want to do to you," Steve murmurs against his skin.
Danny shifts in his seat. "I want you to do those things too. I really truly, honestly, do." He kisses any part of Steve that he can reach--his chin, his ear, his forehead. "Come here, you." He lifts Steve's head and kisses his mouth.
When Steve pulls back, he slides a hand down over Danny's chest, thumb gently pressing against a nipple and Danny moans, arching into Steve's touch and it's embarrassing how turned on he is already but Steve is pretty much in the same shape, nuzzling the palm of Danny's hand, eyes half-closed and yeah, there are things Danny wants to do to Steve, too, filthy, dirty, delicious things.
His thoughts are interrupted by an odd chiming sound, and to his great disappointment Steve slips away, falling back into his seat, eyes dazed and unfocused. "My phone," Steve explains.
"Okay." Danny wipes the back of his hand over his mouth. His lips are tingling. He wants to kiss Steve again.
Steve digs a hand into his pocket, pulls his phone out and frowns at the screen. "Damn it. I have a meeting with the governor."
"Now?" Danny scowls.
"Twenty minutes." Steve leans back in his seat and sucks in a deep breath, letting it out slow. "He scheduled it last week. Something about budget allocations."
Danny stares at Steve. Then hoots with laughter. "Lucky you."
Steve's expression turns downright sulky. "I'll drop you off at HQ and head over there. Although," his face brightens, "Maybe you should come with me. Protective detail, right? I'm sure the governor will understand."
"No. No way." Danny shakes his head violently. "I am officially transferring the detail to Chin and Kono until your meeting is finished."
"I don't think you have the authority to do that, Danny."
Danny glares at Steve, glares as hard as he can but the corner of Steve's lips are twitching and Danny can't help but give in and laugh. "You are such a jerk, I swear."
He leans over and kisses Steve right on his smirky lips.
"But you like my thighs," Steve points out.
"Oh god yes," Danny breathes. He slides a hand over Steve's lap, then falls back into his seat. "That I do."
"All right." Steve fastens his seat belt, grimacing. "Budget allocations. If I'm gone for more than an hour, Danny, call me with an emergency. Anything. Just get me the hell out of there."
Danny checks his watch. "You got it."
"And after that," Steve shifts the car into gear, then turns to Danny. "We're going back to my place."
The look he gives Danny is downright incendiary, and Danny feels flushed and warm all over again. "It's a date," Danny says.
*****
Danny hums happily to himself as he settles into his office to review Sammy "The Clipper" Forino's case file and history. It had taken them nearly six months to put their case together, even with the help of their informant, one of Forino's low level guys who was desperate to get out, and was willing to take a chance. Danny can remember how he felt testifying on the stand with Forino staring at him the entire time, narrow-eyed and threatening. It was more than a little disturbing, especially to a rookie.
Now, not so much. Danny relishes the thought of putting him away again.
It takes about a half hour of searching on all known associates for him to pull up a mug shot of one Frank Demaine, a two-bit punk who did time for money laundering in the early '90's. Danny's favorite Hawaiian shirt-wearing man, staring back at him from his computer screen.
"Hah," Danny says, waving a finger at the computer screen. "You are going down, buddy." He punches the "print" command and he leaves his office, heading for the printer.
"Hey, Danny," Kono says as she leans out of her office. "We got a lead on Kathy AKA Linda AKA Susan Forte. She just used a credit card in LA."
"Now that," Danny says, pointing a finger at Kono, "is good news."
"LAPD is following up on it. When is Steve due back?"
Danny checks his watch. "He said if he wasn't back within an hour, to call and tell him it's an emergency. And that was fifteen minutes ago, so--"
Kono grins. "I got it." She pulls out her phone and dials.
Danny retrieves his printout and waves it at Chin. "Got an ID on Hawaiian shirt man," he says. "Frank Demaine, known associate of Sammy "The Clipper" Forino. We've ID'd our man."
He's feeling good--they're going to nail Forino and put him back in jail and Danny is going to get his life back, a life which includes getting naked with Steve and somehow, he's going to make it all work.
He's not a rookie anymore.
"Cool, brah," Chin says. "Now we're getting somewhere." In seconds he has the main screen up and running and searching on Demaine. "Last known address is in Hoboken. No records of any recent flights--have you got a list of aliases?"
"Huh," Kono muses. "Steve's phone went straight to voicemail."
Danny frowns, unsettled. "That's not right. Why would he turn his phone off?"
Chin shakes his head. "He wouldn't."
"Hello, yes," Kono says, phone to her ear. "This is Officer Kalakaua from Five-O. Could you tell me if McGarrett still in with the governor? He--oh, okay, when was that? Thank you." Kono thumbs her phone off, looking concerned now. "He left a half hour ago."
"Shit." Danny scrubs a hand over his face. "They couldn't. Steve? Could these bozos really get the drop on Steve?"
He's trying not to panic, he truly is but it's hard not to, because Sammy and his guys, they're stupid, and stupid criminals are the most dangerous kind. Things go wrong and the next thing you know bullets are flying and Steve is not bullet-proof, no matter what he might believe.
"Anyone can get lucky," Chin says. "Or rather, unlucky."
"Yeah," Kono agrees. "This is Steve we're talking about. They're probably already regretting it."
"Let's hope so," Danny takes a steadying breath. He pulls out his phone and dials Steve's number. No dice--his call also goes straight to voicemail. "Chin, can you access the security camera footage from the governor's mansion?"
"Already on it." Chin is typing away busily on his keyboard. "Listen, why don't we--" He stops, interrupted by the sound of Danny's phone ringing.
Danny pulls out his phone and checks the screen, hoping like hell that it's Steve. "Fuck. Caller name unavailable," he says. Heart beating rapidly, Danny answers the phone and sets it on speaker. "Detective Williams."
"Detective Williams. So good to hear your voice again."
It's Forino, all right. Danny clenches a fist. "I'm sorry," he says as pleasantly as he can manage. "May I ask who is calling?"
"Cut the bullshit, Detective."
"Wait, wait," Danny continues, "I know that voice. Let me see...Forino, right? Why the hell did they ever let a piece of shit like you out of the slammer?"
"Because I'm a model citizen, that's why." Forino laughs.
Danny wants to reach straight through the phone line and strangle him.
"You're a slippery fellow, Detective Williams. So let's get down to business," Forino says. "I got something of yours. You have information I need. There's a warehouse at 1143 Pakela Street. Meet me there in forty-five minutes and we'll make the exchange. And let's not be stupid--don't go bringing any friends, all right?"
"Okay, but you know what? Since I am not stupid, I need to hear from McGarrett before I do anything." Danny's gripping the phone tight now.
There's a rustling in the background and a faint murmur of voices. Then Steve's voice comes through, loud and clear. "Hey Danny, how's it going?"
Steve sounds fine. Better than fine, actually. Almost happy. He's up to something, Danny's sure of it. "Just hang on, Steve, we'll get this all wrapped up in no time."
"Got it, Danny."
Forino's voice returns. "Feel better now? We haven't harmed a hair on his head, even though he could use a trim, quite honestly. Forty-five minutes, Williams. The clock is ticking." Forino cuts the connection.
"God damn it." Danny drops the phone and sinks into the nearest chair. "If Steve does something stupid--what am I saying, he's Steve, of course he's going to do something stupid."
"Well, hopefully he'll wait until we get there," Chin says. He points up at the map displayed on the large screen, overlayed with satellite imagery. "Here's the location of the warehouse. It looks small, probably one one story. I'd say it's a thirty minute drive from here. Parking lot in the front, and there's a small hill around back, with trees and undergrowth on the south side--looks like we've got cover for backup."
"I'll contact the SWAT team and let them know we have a situation," Kono says, phone already in hand.
Danny nods, relieved that both Chin and Kono have already assumed they're doing this by the book. "I want you two working with the SWAT team, positioned outside the warehouse, ready to move in on my call."
Chin nods in agreement, phone in hand. "Give me a minute, let me see if I can locate the plans to the building. SWAT should have them."
It's a rush to get the plan and technologies in place before it's time to leave and Danny doesn't have a chance to think about anything other than the work ahead of him. And then he's in his car, heading down the highway, going over last minute details on the phone. He gets gets to the site with five minutes to spare. Parking a couple hundred feet back, he turns the car off and retrieves his phone from the holder. Kono and Chin are just getting into in place--a quick 'copter ride brought them two miles past the warehouse to a waiting car.
"Danny," Kono says in a soft voice.
Danny holds the phone closer to his ear. "Yeah?"
"I got eyes on Steve. He's in a chair, hands tied behind his back. He seems okay. There are three guys, Forino, Demaine, and someone else--younger guy. Dark curly hair, about six foot."
"Sounds like the guy from the bar. Okay. Hopefully those two guys are the only ones Forino brought with him. Listen, I'm pretty sure Forino isn't planning on letting me and Steve walk away from this--"
"I know. We got your back, Danny."
Her voice is soft and reassuring and Danny is impressed. She might be a rookie, but despite Steve's bad influence, she's becoming one hell of a cop. "All right. Good. The mike, it's live, right?"
"Chin says to stop worrying about the mike."
"Okay, okay. I'm heading in." Danny takes one last look in the rear view mirror and confirms that he's still unable to see the miniature microphone tucked away in the knot of his tie. Then he unstraps his weapon and locks it in the glove compartment.
He drives the last few hundred feet to the warehouse, parking in the space just beyond the door. Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he takes a steadying breath and squares his shoulders. He knows how to do this. He opens the car door and climbs out. As he slams the car door shut, the warehouse door swings open. It's Demaine, minus the hideous shirt.
"Detective Williams," he says with a nod. "Good to see you again."
"Yeah. I wish I could say the same," Danny says. "Hey, I see you managed to find yourself another weapon." He nods in the direction of the 45MM tucked into Demaine's waistband. "Maybe you'll be able to hang onto that one."
"And maybe, Detective, I'll even get to use this one," Demaine says evenly. "Come on, you know the drill."
Danny raises his arms as Demaine pats him down for weapons. "Hey, hey, watch it there. I'm not that kind of guy, you know?"
Demaine scowls at him as he straightens up. "This way."
He ushers Danny through the door and it takes a few seconds for Danny's eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight to the gloomy interior of the warehouse. He blinks, momentarily disoriented as he breathes in musty, stale air. The main floor of the warehouse stretches out before him, filled with empty metal shelves.
Demaine indicates an aisle and Danny heads down it, all the way to the end. And there they are, in an open office area--Forino, leaning against a large wooden desk, the younger guy standing a few feet to the side, alert and wary. There's a shoulder holster clearly visible under his jacket.
And then there's Steve. Steve is sitting in an office chair, hands tied behind his back, one knee bouncing as he taps his heel against the floor. He nods a greeting to Danny and Danny feels a flood of relief at the sight of him alive and well.
"Steve," Danny says as he approaches. "You okay? This goon treating you right?"
"I'm good, Danny. Real good. How are you doing?" Steve's grin makes the hair on the back of Danny's neck rise. Fuck, he's definitely planning something. Danny fervently hopes it doesn't involve explosives.
"You can shut up now," Demaine says to Steve. Steve raises his eyebrows, but doesn't say anything more.
Danny grows even more worried. He comes to a halt a few feet from Forino, close enough to smell the stink of his lousy aftershave. "All right Forino, I'm here. What do you want to know?"
Forino laughs. He's gone completely gray now, and he's lost weight, no longer the portly crime boss he was ten years ago. But his eyes still burn with the same intensity and his laugh is high-pitched wrong and yeah. Not right in the head. "I want to know all sorts of things, Detective. But you know which particular piece of information I'm after."
"Right. But being that I wasn't born yesterday, what kind of assurance do I have that you're not going to have us both killed the moment I give you the information?" Danny turns to stare pointedly at Demaine. "Because I have to tell you, I don't like this guy very much."
"You're just going to have to trust me," Forino says.
"Trust the word of a convicted felon? How stupid do I look?"
"I don't hold any grudge against you. You were only doing your job. I want to know who ratted me out. And him," Forino jerks his chin toward Demaine, "he does what I tell him to do."
From the look on Demaine's face, Danny's not so sure of that. "I'll make you a deal. You release McGarrett, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"We're not making any deals," Demaine interjects. He pulls his weapon, strides over to Steve and presses the muzzle to Steve's knee. "Start talking. Now."
Danny's blood runs cold. "Hey, hey," he barks. "You move that gun before I stuff it down your throat, asshole."
"Frankie," Forino says sharply. "There's no need for that. Put it away."
Steve is glaring at Demaine, jaw clenched, tendons in his neck bulging and if looks could kill, Demaine would be a crumbled heap on the floor right this very moment.
"Fine." Demaine steps back, raising his arms. "Fine."
Danny wonders if it's all staged for his benefit, or if Demaine is that much of a loose cannon. He rubs the back of his neck, turning to casually flick his eyes over to the windows on the west end. There's a dark shadow behind the window--Chin, moving ever so slightly. "All right, we're good now," Danny says softly, as if to himself.
"So come on. Talk to me. It was Bobby, wasn't it?" Forino pushes away from the desk and begins pacing. "Bobby, that son of a bitch--"
It takes Danny a moment to place the name--Bobby Demayo, one of Forino's rivals. Another small time hood. "What makes you think that?"
"He's wanted my territory. He's always after my shit. Ever since I married MaryAnne. He wanted her for himself."
Danny resists the urge to roll his eyes as Forino rants on about Demayo. Then he catches a movement out of the corner of his eye--Steve is shifting in his seat, getting his feet under him, muscles growing tense. He's watching Demaine, who is busy tucking his weapon back into his waistband of his pants, no more than three steps from where Steve is sitting. Steve is now flanked by both Demaine and curly-haired guy. And neither of them are looking at Steve. Always a mistake.
"He wouldn't even come to the wedding," Forino is saying. "You would think a guy like him..."
Steve catches Danny's eye and mouths now.
Before Danny can even register what is happening, Steve is out of his chair, taking curly haired guy down with a single blow to the back of his head, while flattening Demaine with a roundhouse kick to the gut.
Shocked, Danny recovers enough to go for Forino, calling for Chin and Kono to move in. He gets a glimpse of Forino's astonished face--no more astonished than his own, he's sure--as he buries his fist into Forino's solar plexus, then follows up with a knee to his balls, leaving Forino gasping and wheezing on the dirty linoleum floor.
A shot is fired and Danny spins around to see curly haired guy staggering, hand to his shoulder, dark blood oozing from between his fingers. He drops the gun and raises his arms in surrender as Steve closes in on him, armed with Demaine's gun. Chin is slapping cuffs on Demaine and Kono appears out of nowhere to pat down Forino, pulling his arms behind his back to cuff him.
And just like that, it's over.
"Aw, guys, you didn't even need us," Kono says. She sounds disappointed.
"Come on, you know that's not true." Steve grins at her as he pulls the remains of the rope from his wrists.
Danny finally finds his voice. "What the hell was that?" he asks Steve. "Tell me, please, what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Steve's expression turns confused. "Taking these guys down?"
"Taking them down? Taking them down?" Danny shouts. "You were tied to a chair. Tied, Steven. If you are tied to a chair, how am I supposed to know you're going to take them down?"
"I gave you the signal--"
"Yes, you gave me the signal. But you were tied to a chair," Danny says, and he really, really wants to strangle Steve, because that face, Steve is giving him that face that says he has no idea what the issue is here.
"No I wasn't." Steve holds up the cut ropes, cut with god knows what, some super secret knife hidden in his watch band, or maybe with the sheer force of his mind, Danny has no idea.
"But see, I didn't know that, so when you give the signal, I am like, five steps behind you, because I thought that maybe this was my operation, since I was under the assumption you were tied to a chair". Danny accentuates each of the last few words with a poke to Steve's chest.
"Danny," Steve takes Danny's hand by the wrist and pulls it down. "I'm still the team leader--"
Danny yanks his hand free. "Not when you are tied to a chair," he yells.
Steve lifts his hands, placating. Danny turns away, gritting his teeth. He sees Forino being pulled to his feet, still red-face and gasping for breath. "And you, you stupid ass, was this worth it? You finally get your sorry ass out of jail, and now you're going back in when you could have let it go and moved on with your life. For what? For revenge? It wasn't Bobby, you schmuck. You want to know who ratted you out?"
"Danny," Steve says softly. He puts hand on Danny's shoulder, but Danny shrugs him off.
"It was John Clark, the junkie who did the dirty work for you. John wore a wire, he told us everything he knew, and you never once thought some little guy like that would turn on you. And the poor jerk is dead now, died of an overdose three years ago. That's how stupid you are, you are going back to jail for nothing. You got that? Nothing."
Forino looks shocked as they drag him off. The idiot, he had no idea. Danny turns to Demaine, who is being bleeding from his nose. "And, you--I should have puked all over you when I had the chance," Danny tells him.
He thinks he might puke anyway, it's sounding like a pretty good idea right now but after a few deep breaths his stomach settles and the buzzing in his ears quiets down. He leans wearily against the desk and watches the flurry of activity around him. The ambulance has arrived, and they're loading curly haired guy onto a stretcher. He looks like he'll live. Beside him, Chin is going through the desk drawers, gathering up papers and flash drives.
"You okay, buddy?" Chin asks.
Danny nods, even though he still wants to hit someone. Like maybe Demaine. He wants to hit Demaine and break every finger in both his hands so that he never ever presses a gun up against anyone's body again.
"Yeah. I'm good." Danny reaches for the knot of his tie and removes the mike with clumsy fingers, then hands it back to Chin. "Here, I think I'm done with this."
"Bummer. We're not going to get to listen in on you and Steve in the car?" Chin smiles.
A startled laugh, and then Danny scrubs a hand over his face. "That man is going to be the death of me."
"You called it though. You knew he was going to do something," Chin points out.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Danny asks. "Because it doesn't. Not one bit."
Chin laughs and pats Danny's shoulder. "Look at it this way. Case is closed and we're all in one piece. Not a bad day's work."
"You know, I'm almost there," Danny raises a hand, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Almost."
"Danny, Chin," Steve calls out. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We can deal with the paperwork tomorrow. Kono--we're done for the day. Let these guys handle it. We can pick it all up tomorrow."
"Sounds good, boss," Kono replies. She unstraps her vest and slips it off.
Chin dumps the flash drives into an evidence bag. "Don't have to tell me twice."
They head out the door. The sun is low in the sky, casting long shadows. A fragrant breeze blows in from the ocean as Danny goes straight for his car, pausing to lean against the driver's side door as the cool evening air washes over him. Steve talks with Chin and Kono as they unload their gear into the department SUV, then gives them each a friendly squeeze to the shoulder and leaves, coming up to Danny with a wary expression.
"Okay," Steve says. "So, you want to drive?"
"Yes. I would like to drive my own car, if that's all right with you," Danny snaps.
He gets in the car, pulls the door shut and starts it up. Steve slides in next to him and in a moment Danny is backing out of the parking spot and heading down the road.
"I didn't mean to step on your operation," Steve says.
Danny manages to resist the urge to bang his head on the steering wheel. "Oh, for god's sake, that not a factor here. I just--I was surprised, and in that kind of situation, I don't like surprises. Surprises and guns, they do not go together. Surprises get people killed. I like having a plan, and sticking with the plan, and not have my crazy partner do a Houdini on me and start beating on the bad guys, okay?" He's yelling again. He doesn't want to yell but he doesn't know what else to do.
"Okay. You have a point," Steve says, his voice calm and quieting.
Danny does not want calm and quieting, either. "Of course I have a point. I am nothing but points, okay? Points."
Steve is silent for a beat. "How does that even make sense?"
"It doesn't. Much like you."
"Listen, Danny, I'm sorry," Steve says. "I saw an opportunity and took it. But you weren't five steps behind. You were right with me."
"Yeah. Like that makes me feel better. Oh goody, I'm just as insane as Steve now." Danny catches Steve's grin out of the corner of his eye as Steve turns to look out the window. "You think that's funny?"
"Actually, I do." Steve smiles at him, warm and sweet and sincere.
Danny doesn't want to be charmed by that smile, he truly doesn't. He tightens his grip on the steering wheel and focuses on the road ahead, but it's too late. The anger is slipping away, replaced by relief that Steve is all right, that the case is closed, and he no longer has to look over his shoulder as he walks down the street.
They drive on for several minutes in silence, eating up the miles at a rapid pace. "How the hell did they manage to grab you anyway?" Danny asks.
"I stopped for tea after the meeting. They came up on me on a crowded street, kids running all around--I didn't want to take the chance of anyone getting hurt," Steve explains.
Danny nods. "I get that." He turns to Steve, who is still watching him carefully. "I just--I'm glad you're in one piece."
"Does that mean we're good?" Steve asks.
He's so fucking earnest, it makes Danny crazy. "Yeah," Danny says, turning his attention back to the road. "We're good. And now we're going back to your place, where we're going to be even better."
Steve nods solemnly. "It's the right thing to do."
*****
The moment they get through the door, Steve wraps his arms around Danny, pulls him close and kisses him. Then kisses him again, and again until Danny is dizzy from it, dizzy from the heat of Steve's body, from the sly sweep of his tongue, from the firm grip he has on Danny's ass. Danny sways against him--Steve is too damn tall--he's the tallest person Danny's ever kissed and Danny has to stand on his tip toes to relieve the crick in his neck and okay, fine, it's kind of hot and that freaks him out, more than a little.
"Hey, hey," Danny says, breaking off the kiss. He runs a hand down Steve's arm. "Wait. Maybe we should talk about this?"
"You've already told me everything I needed to hear," Steve says.
"That is not fair. I don't even remember what I said." Danny groans, leaning his forehead against Steve's shoulder. "I hope it wasn't too filthy."
"Actually," Steve nuzzles the top of Danny's head, "you were very sweet."
"I was not." Danny draws back, aghast.
"You said you wanted to sit on the bench and cuddle with me all night," Steve tells him with obvious delight. "It was adorable."
Danny is mortified all over again. "Naked. I wanted to cuddle naked with you."
"Maybe," Steve says. "You did grope my thighs pretty thoroughly. Which I enjoyed, by the way."
"Oh god, let's not talk about this anymore. What happened to the kissing? We were kissing, right?" Danny slings an arm around Steve's neck and pulls him in.
"You're the one who wanted to talk." Steve laughs against Danny's cheek.
"Okay. Right. I just want do know--doesn't any of this scare you?" Danny asks. "You and me, doing this? Taking a chance on ruining a great working relationship and yes, it is exactly that, despite your tendency to give me a heart attack on a regular basis."
"No, Danny," Steve says without hesitation. He brushes his lips against Danny's. "This doesn't scare me."
"Of course not." Danny shakes his head. "Look who I'm asking. Nothing scares you, does it?"
"All right," Steve says. "Want to know does scare me? Not doing this. Missing this opportunity, and losing you when you leave the islands to go back home again, because I know this isn't--"
"No, no, no," Danny says, giving Steve a little shake. "No. There is no leaving. This place is my home now, despite the jellyfish and the coconuts and mango-lime-chili shave ice. Why do you think I'm so worried about messing things up?"
Steve is even more beautiful when he smiles. "Oh," he says after a moment.
"Come on, you goof. We're done talking." Danny tugs Steve's arm. "Upstairs. Where's there's a big comfy bed and I won't need a ladder to kiss you."
He leads Steve up the stairs and into the bedroom. They're going to do this, and they're going to do it right. When they reach the bedroom, he tries to kiss Steve, but Steve resists.
"Wait," Steve says, holding up a finger. "I've been dying to do this." He reaches for Danny's tie, carefully loosening the knot.
Danny lifts his chin. "You have a thing against ties, don't you, you weirdo."
Steve pulls the tie free and tosses it on the chair with great satisfaction. "Only when you wear them." He begins to unbutton Danny's shirt.
"You have a thing against my shirts, too?"
"Yes." Steve is intent as he works, batting Danny's hands away when he tries to help.
When the shirt is fully unbuttoned, Steve pushes it off Danny's shoulders and runs his hands over Danny's chest. Big, warm hands, and Danny leans into his touch, reaching out for Steve but then Steve catches sight of the the bruise again. It's darker now, almost purple. He leans down and presses his lips to it with tender, gentle kisses and Danny closes his eyes. He can't help wallowing in it. So much affection, directed his way. He's missed this.
"Does it still hurt?" Steve asks, breath tickling Danny's skin.
"Not any more. Come on," Danny says softly. He tugs Steve down onto the bed and Steve kneels beside him, his arm around Danny's shoulder as he kisses Danny's neck.
Danny tries to pull Steve's shirt off, hands tangling in the hem but Steve is busy mouthing his skin, teeth scraping gently as he sucks a spot right under Danny's ear. Danny groans and squirms, wondering how Steve manages to find the spot that makes him hard in one second flat.
"Could you please?" he asks, tugging on Steve's shirt.
Steve pushes Danny flat on the bed, sliding over him, his heavy, solid body pressing Danny down into the mattress. It makes Danny a little crazy, especially when Steve groans, fitting their hips together perfectly, his hard cock pressing against Danny's thigh.
"Oh my god," Danny says, clutching Steve by the hips. "Get your clothes off, please. This is seriously wrong, you, with your clothes on, now of all times, after the way you wandered around half-naked this morning, you, you shameless hussy, you--"
Steve laughs, face pressed against Danny's chest.
Danny laughs too. He getting giddy at this point, so much want frying his brain but then Steve slides his mouth over a nipple and Danny's laughter turns into a moan. "Jesus, Steve--"
Danny gets his hands on Steve's shoulders, silky skin over hard muscle and all that ink, he wants, wants so much and Steve's hand is on his cock now, pressing down along the length of it through his pants, making Danny even crazier. He pushes into Steve's hand, moaning again and fuck, he's being loud. He can't help it, he's losing control and his arm is still caught in the sleeve of his shirt and he can't reach Steve's ass and he really really needs to get his hands on it, right now.
"Wait, wait," Danny gasps. He's not used to this, to being so completely overwhelmed during sex.
Steve slides off to one side, hand still on Danny's cock. "What?" He's breathless and just as dazed and befuddled. "God, Danny, you feel so good."
Okay, so maybe Danny's not the only one overwhelmed. "We're going to get naked now," he explains to Steve.
Steve nods, laying back to unbutton his pants as Danny finally gets his arm out of his damn shirt. He throws it on the floor, then climbs off the bed to remove his pants, his shoes, his socks, everything. By the time he's finished, Steve is completely naked, stretched out on the bed looking like the best kind of porn, lean body and narrow hips and long, hard cock resting against his stomach. Danny eagerly runs his hands up Steve's legs, over those fantastic thighs, then curls his hand around Steve's cock.
Steve's cock feels good in his hand, a warm, heavy weight resting against his palm. When he squeezes and rubs his thumb over the head, Steve gasps, shifting his hips restlessly. Steve is watching him, lips parted and Danny loves that mouth, loves it so much he has to kiss it again and when he does, Steve pulls him down, laying Danny out over his body.
The skin on skin contact takes Danny's breath away.
Steve gives that breath back with a slow kiss, one leg hooked around Danny's, holding him in place as he rocks up against Danny's hips.
"You want to do it like this?" Danny asks.
Steve nods. "Please," he says, low and desperate.
Danny's good with that, he's too frantic right now to do anything more complicated so he pushes his cock against Steve's hip as he slides a hand under Steve's ass, palming his cheek and pulling their bodies snug against one another. The friction is fantastic, Steve's cock burns hot against his skin and Steve's big hands are on his ass, moving him, pushing and pulling as they kiss.
It's rough and needy and not at all elegant, there's a whole lot of grunting and Danny's sure there's going to be bruises when it's all over. But it's pretty much the best sex he's ever had, especially when Steve gasps into his mouth, shoves hard up and comes. His fingers dig painfully into Danny's skin and he makes the most amazing noises, soft, needy little whimpers as he spills between them and Danny's brain simply shorts out as he grinds against Steve, hand scrabbling for a grip on Steve's sweaty shoulder and oh, fuck--
He comes in one great big shuddering rush, face pressed against Steve's neck and Steve hangs onto him tightly, murmuring encouragement as Danny rides it out.
"Oh, oh, oh, fuck. That's good," Danny gasps as the tremors finally fade. "No, better than good. Amazing."
Steve chuckles weakly. "Yeah."
"We should have sex all the time," Danny tells him. He rolls off to one side and flops on the bed, loose and relaxed and completely wrung out.
"Okay." Steve's grin is just this side of goofy. "I'm good with that."
He's so utterly adorable that Danny has to kiss him. It's a lax, lazy kiss and Danny takes his time, fascinated all over again by Steve's mouth. And by Steve's shoulder, which is right there in front of him so he kisses that too, then moves on to tattoo trailing down Steve's biceps and then he finds it necessary to lick the sweat from Steve's chest and clearly, he has way too much to do.
"I'm going to need food," Danny announces. "Before I tackle all this." He waves a hand over Steve's body.
Steve ruffles Danny's hair. "I think there's some wheatgrass smoothie left--"
"Oh my god, no, do not go there," Danny says. "Do not make me have to explain how we are not ruminants--"
"Ruminants," Steve repeats, grinning.
"Cows are ruminants," Danny explains. "And goats. Goats are ruminants. You are not a goat."
"All right." Steve stretches and grunts. "How about some eggs, then? I can make a couple of omelets."
"Now you're talking." Danny slides out of bed. "You get to cook them. I'll be in charge of toast."
He wipes his stomach clean with the tail of his shirt, and helps himself to one of Steve's clean t-shirts--no surf logo this time. He's zipping up his pants when he realizes Steve is already heading down the stairs, clad only in his underwear. "Are you kidding me?" Danny calls out after him.
Sure enough, Steve cooks the eggs while wearing only his boxer briefs, and Danny explains how this proves Steve is a shameless hussy, all the while sliding his hands down inside Steve's underwear in order to make the point. Danny also takes the opportunity to grope Steve's thighs for old time's sake and when he burns the first batch of toast, he blames Steve, and Steve's thighs, and Steve's hipbones, too, for good measure.
But the eggs are delicious--maybe Steve actually is a little better at cooking them than Danny is--and the toast is perfect, dripping with butter, just the way Danny likes it. They eat sitting at the kitchen table, Steve's bare feet resting on top of Danny's.
Danny sighs a deep contented sigh. When they finish eating, they're going go back to bed, and he's going to explore every inch of Steve's body, and then maybe they'll shower, and then go back to bed again, and tomorrow morning when he wakes up Steve will be right there next to him.
"Just so you know," Danny says, pointing a slice of toast at Steve. "You are officially the best date ever."
Steve ducks his head and laughs and Danny falls in love all over again.
Author:
thegrrrl2002Fandom: H50
Pairing: Steve/Danny
Rating: NC-17
Word count: 18K
Spoilers: All of S1
Warnings: None
Summary: Someone from Danny's past is out to get him.
Part 1 is here.
*****
It's early in the morning when Danny staggers into the kitchen, yawning as he scratches the back of his neck. There's a full pot of coffee on the counter and Danny makes a beeline for it--maybe this protective detail business isn't so bad after all. He had slept surprisingly well, due in part to sheer exhaustion but also, the bed was amazing and unlike his apartment, there was no one wandering around on the floor above him all hours of the night.
Grabbing a mug, Danny fills it with gloriously aromatic coffee and adds a dash of milk from the fridge before settling into a kitchen chair to enjoy it. It's a quiet morning with the low sun filtering in through the windows and birds chirping merrily in the bushes. It's almost enough to make him forget that someone is out to get him.
He's halfway through his first cup and slipping into a meditative state of mind when Steve strolls in through the back door. "Good morning, sleepyhead."
And Danny's peaceful morning is shattered.
Steve is apparently went out for an early morning swim, since he is now dressed solely in a pair of wet board shorts which sag low on his hips, leaving a ridiculous amount of smooth, tanned skin exposed. He looks absolutely, unreasonably gorgeous and Danny wants him. Wants to do dirty, filthy things to every inch of him.
"How's the shoulder?" Steve asks as he rubs a towel over his wet hair. He's close enough that Danny could reach out and run a thumb--or a tongue--over the cut of his hipbones.
"Huh?" Danny asks, unable to drag his eyes away. "My what? Shoulder?"
There's line of fine dark hair leading from Steve's navel down to the waistband of his shorts and Danny really, really wants to see where that line of hair leads to.
"Maybe I should let you finish your coffee first?" Steve seems amused as he leans over and peers into Danny's cup and fuck, could he get any closer?
"By the way, I like what you've done with your hair," Steve adds. He's laughing now, the son of a bitch. "On you, it works."
"Shut up, please," Danny finally manages. He runs a hand over his head, which he knows is sticking out in all directions. "You wish you had hair as amazing as mine."
Okay, so maybe he and his hair are not at their best in the morning.
"You keep right on believing that." Steve flashes a bright smile at Danny. He seems completely delighted by Danny's crankiness.
Sometimes, Danny truly worries about Steve's sanity.
A smile still playing on his lips, Steve drops the towel on the counter and heads for the fridge, retrieving a pitcher filled with some kind of frothy green liquid. It looks dreadful.
"I'm not even going to ask what that is," Danny says, grimacing. He drains his cup in one gulp.
"It's a wheatgrass blend with bee pollen. Want some?"
"No, no I do not want some. No human being should be ingesting wheatgrass. We are not cows, Steven. Cows eat grass. Horses eat grass. Humans do not eat grass. Or pollen. Not if they can help it. " Danny shakes his head as he helps himself to another cup of coffee. "And you, you are a freak, I swear. Up at what, six in the morning to swim laps around the island? Who does that?"
"Don't knock it until you've tried it." Steve pours himself a tall glass of the wheatgrass drink. The thick liquid makes a horrid plopping sound as it fills the glass. "It's a great way to wake up. Sure you don't want to taste it?" He offers the glass to Danny.
Danny flinches. "No, please, get that away from me. Let me just say, I can think of far better ways to wake up."
Most of which involve Steve and his board shorts and Danny pulling them down with his teeth.
Steve's smile is unexpectedly sly. "Oh? You want to tell me about them?" He leans against the counter, clearly waiting for Danny to continue.
Danny blinks at Steve. "No, uh, no, I do not." He rises from his chair and heads to the fridge to get milk for his coffee. He does not need this--Steve and his flirty teasing, first thing in the morning.
"No, come on, Danny," Steve's tone turns downright cajoling. "I want to hear it."
"No, no, no, trust me, you do not. And yes, my shoulder is feeling much better," Danny says, deliberately changing the subject.
"That's good." Steve drains his glass, then wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
"And thank you for the coffee." Danny toasts Steve with his mug before taking a long swallow.
"You had a rough day yesterday. I figured you could use it. Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes. I slept very well, actually, despite the t-shirt." Danny peers down at his shirt. "Damn rainbows are very noisy."
Steve laughs again.
"I'm glad I'm so amusing in the morning, I truly am--"
Danny is interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing and he excitedly pulls it from his pocket. He's the one grinning now. His day is about to get a whole lot better. "Hey, monkey, how are you?" he asks as he answers the phone.
As Grace chatters away in his ear, Danny catches the indulgent smile on Steve's face. "Uncle Steve says hi," Danny tells her. "You'd be proud of him, he's drinking green stuff. It's full of vegetables."
He laughs as this sets her off in a whole other direction. He slides his feet up on a chair and leans back, basking in the sound of his little girl, happy and excited and life isn't so bad at all, not when he has this to enjoy.
*****
Danny closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, trying to ward off the headache lurking behind his eyeballs. He takes a deep breath, opens his eyes again and reaches for the control, backing up to view the footage he just missed.
"Any luck?" Kono asks as she passes by.
"Nothing yet," Danny says. The camera pans over the crowd on the beach as they pack up their gear. The next shot is a closeup of several jellyfish washed up on shore, their transparent bodies gleaming in the sun. "Yuck."
"Yeah. I got stung by one once when I was surfing," Kono tells him. "Right on my thigh. Swelled up like a balloon. Hurt like hell."
"Ouch." Danny pauses the playback. "You do realize that this is not exactly encouraging me to take another surfing lesson."
"Come on, it wasn't so bad." Kono laughs. "I've known people who have been surfing nearly every day for their entire lives and haven't gotten stung."
"That's because back in the days they first started surfing," Chin says as he leans out of his office, "jellyfish swarms were a rare thing. Now with pollution and overfishing, they're taking over the seas."
Danny frowns. "That's a depressing thought."
"You got that right. But depressing or no, we still need to eat lunch." Chin waves a menu at Danny. "I was going to order in from Sugoi. Want anything?"
"Oh yeah. I'll have the usual," Danny tells him. "Thanks, man."
"One Teri Beef, got it," Chin says. He and Kono head toward Steve's office and Danny turns back to the screen, hits the play button and watches carefully.
That's when he spots her. Kathy is walking up the beach, carrying a surfboard under her arm and talking to the woman beside her. She's wearing a sweet little red swimsuit and Danny scowls at the screen, still angry over being had.
He hits the pause button on the remote. "Hah, got you."
Kathy had just turned to face the camera as she walked. After backing up a few frames, Danny has a perfectly clear image of her.
"That her?" Chin asks as he and Steve settle in at the table.
"Yup. How do I print from here again?" Danny asks. Damn technology, always changing, just when he thinks he's got it figured out.
Chin leans over the table, taps a few buttons on the touch screen, and Danny hears the hum of their printer starting up. "Thanks," Danny tells him.
Glancing up, Danny sees that Steve has moved closer to the screen, examining the image carefully. "What is it?" Danny asks.
Steve points to her surfboard. "That logo--can you zoom in on that for me?"
Danny looks down at the table, then lifts his hands helplessly. "Uh, I might--"
"Right here." Chin points to a control panel.
"Got it." With a touch of his finger, Danny selects a section of the image, and after a few false starts, finds the zoom feature. "How's that?"
"Perfect," Steve says. "I know where she rented her board."
*****
A quick visit to Surf Bruddahs with Kathy's picture and they've got a name--Linda Reynolds. It doesn't take long for them to figure out that it's yet another alias, but the receipt has a phone number on it for a small motel right outside of town.
The motel is a low rent kind of place, tucked away down a side road, nowhere near the beach. The screen door sags as Steve pulls it open, paint flaking from the frame. The air smells of mildew. With a worn rug, threadbare bedspread and scuffed, dirty walls, it's a motel that has seen better days.
"Makes my place look downright palatial," Danny comments. He finds the trash can, but it's empty. Figures. That would be too easy.
Steve gives him a look. "No, not really."
"It's all relative, okay?" Not that Danny is fond of his tiny living quarters. But it's certainly better than this. "Place looks like it was cleaned out though."
"We'll get the techs in here, maybe they can find something." Steve picks up a pad, eyeing it carefully, holding it so the light could catch any impressions. "Or maybe not." He shakes his head and tosses it aside.
As Steve looks under the bed, Danny opens the dresser drawers, running a hand over the bottom of them, looking for anything, a scrap of paper, a receipt, something that might lead them to Kathy. Or Linda. Whatever. The nice, cute woman with the freckles and blond hair who turned out to be anything but nice.
He heaves a sigh. "All I wanted was a nice night out with a girl. Not a night in the hospital."
Steve pulls the bedspread off, then lifts the thin mattress and peers underneath. "You know how to pick them, Danny."
"Yeah." Danny crouches down and pulls the bottom drawer open. "What, you think you could do better?"
"Uh huh." Steve circles around the bed and checks the other side of the mattress.
Danny closes the drawer and opens the one next to it. Still nothing. "Really?" he scoffs.
"Clearly, it's something you need help with," Steve points out.
"Okay, okay," Danny says. He sits on the edge of the dresser, watching as Steve checks the inside of the closet. Danny folds his arms against his chest and bumps the heel of his foot aimlessly against the face of the drawers. "Pray tell, who do you think I should be dating?"
This ought to be good. As if Steve has ever dated--all he does is spend the occasional night with Catherine. Not exactly a relationship. Steve's only serious relationship is with him--hell, they spend almost all their free time together.
"Well." Steve leans a shoulder against the frame of the closet but then hesitates before continuing. He's watching Danny with an odd expression on his face, one that Danny can't quite figure out.
"Come on, come on, Mr. Know-It-All." Danny's half annoyed, half intrigued. "Enlighten me with your dating wisdom."
"Okay." Steve nods sharply. He points a finger at Danny. "I have it on good authority that you like my thighs."
Danny's foot stops swinging.
"And," Steve continues. "You think I smell nice."
"Oh god." Mortified, Danny covers his face with his hands. "I didn't say all that out loud, did I?"
"You think I'm cute, but sometimes," Steve says, his voice growing soft, with a hint of wonder in his tone. "You think I'm beautiful. And it makes you crazy."
Danny's face burns hot. "You weren't supposed to know any of that, Steve, I--oh fuck."
"Danny," Steve says gently.
Dropping his hands, Danny sees that Steve is smiling at him, a warm, open smile, and there's nothing but affection in his gaze. Danny doesn't know what to say, his heart is beating too fast and there doesn't seem to be any air at all left in the room for him to breathe.
"I know I wasn't supposed to know, Danny. And I wasn't going to say anything, but you, last night, I thought that maybe you wanted to. With me." Steve frowns and scratches the back of his neck. "I should have told you before, but now--"
A car door slams, and Danny jerks his head to the open door of the motel room. A van has pulled up--the HPD evidence technicians are there, with maybe the worst timing ever in the history of bad timing.
Steve flashes him a sheepish grin and turns away, heading toward the door to greet the technicians.
Danny tries to remember how to breathe. It all makes sense now, the way Steve had looked at him last night. He wonders what else he had said while under the influence, what kind of rude suggestions he may have made and Steve, Steve doesn't look upset at all, he seems...happy?
"Danny," Steve calls out. "Come on, let's leave the evidence to the professionals."
Danny nods, sliding off the dresser. He follows Steve out the door and to his car. As soon as he swings the door shut, it's just the two of them in the car, the silence broken only by the low rumble of the engine as Steve accelerates onto the highway. Taking a deep breath, Danny's about to speak when his phone rings.
He grabs it eagerly, glad for the distraction. "Chin," he says, "what's up?" He puts the phone on speaker so Steve can listen as he drives.
"Got more on Forino. There's been no sign of him in Jersey in ten days, since his PO meeting."
"He's sounding more and more like our top suspect," Steve says.
"We've checked all outgoing flights over that period against all his known aliases, but so far, nothing. Not surprising, I'm sure he's gotten a new one since then. NJPD are working on it at their end. By the way, Danny, Detective Lenmar says hi."
Danny snorts. "That schmuck. I'm sure he does."
"We've got a possible ID on Kathy aka Linda's surfing friend, so Kono and I are going to check her out," Chin tells them. "She works in a diner over on Kokee Street."
After updating Chin on their progress, Danny tucks the phone away. It's him and Steve again, alone in the car. Steve is being quiet, too quiet, his eyes set firmly on the road as he drives. Danny shifts in his seat, tugs on his seat belt, drums his fingers on his thigh and god, the silence is killing him but every time he opens his mouth he has no idea what the hell to say.
It's taken a long time for him to get his life back on track since the divorce. His brief affair with Rachel had turned things upside down again, but now that things are good in both his professional and personal life, he's being presented with an opportunity to screw it all up again.
"I might be older, but I'm not really any wiser," Danny says.
"Okay," Steve says. His hands tighten on the steering wheel but his face remains carefully blank as he watches the road.
Danny hates that look. "Pull over," he says. "Over there, in the overlook area."
Steve glances sharply at him. "What, are we being followed or something?"
"No. Just pull over, okay?"
Steve slows the car, then pulls off the highway into the viewing area, a wide expanse overlooking the sea and the islands beyond. It's a breathtaking view, of course, blue skies, clear blue ocean--but Danny's not interested in the view. Not that one, at any rate.
As soon as Steve shifts the car into park, Danny twists around in his seat, unlatches his seat belt, and leans over the center console. "Come here."
He reaches for Steve and Steve doesn't hesitate, he immediately leans in, meeting Danny halfway and then they're kissing. It's a slow, sweet kiss, maybe a bit cautious and yet the way Steve's lips slide over his makes Danny's toes curl. Danny rubs a thumb over Steve's jaw, marveling at the roughness of his beard, the way Steve grunts and tries to get closer. After a moment's fidgeting, Steve murmurs wait, let me just as he unbuckles his seat belt and then he's halfway into Danny's seat, pushing Danny back against the door and the kiss turns messy and little desperate and it's completely, utterly fantastic.
"Please tell me this is a good idea," Danny says, fingers twisting in the collar of Steve's shirt.
Steve nuzzles Danny's neck. "This is a good idea, Danny. A very good idea."
"Right," Danny says as he tries to catch his breath. It certainly feels like a good idea, with the way Steve is nibbling under his chin. Danny tilts his head back and threads his fingers through Steve's hair. "Oh, fuck that's good."
"Jesus, Danny, the things I want to do to you," Steve murmurs against his skin.
Danny shifts in his seat. "I want you to do those things too. I really truly, honestly, do." He kisses any part of Steve that he can reach--his chin, his ear, his forehead. "Come here, you." He lifts Steve's head and kisses his mouth.
When Steve pulls back, he slides a hand down over Danny's chest, thumb gently pressing against a nipple and Danny moans, arching into Steve's touch and it's embarrassing how turned on he is already but Steve is pretty much in the same shape, nuzzling the palm of Danny's hand, eyes half-closed and yeah, there are things Danny wants to do to Steve, too, filthy, dirty, delicious things.
His thoughts are interrupted by an odd chiming sound, and to his great disappointment Steve slips away, falling back into his seat, eyes dazed and unfocused. "My phone," Steve explains.
"Okay." Danny wipes the back of his hand over his mouth. His lips are tingling. He wants to kiss Steve again.
Steve digs a hand into his pocket, pulls his phone out and frowns at the screen. "Damn it. I have a meeting with the governor."
"Now?" Danny scowls.
"Twenty minutes." Steve leans back in his seat and sucks in a deep breath, letting it out slow. "He scheduled it last week. Something about budget allocations."
Danny stares at Steve. Then hoots with laughter. "Lucky you."
Steve's expression turns downright sulky. "I'll drop you off at HQ and head over there. Although," his face brightens, "Maybe you should come with me. Protective detail, right? I'm sure the governor will understand."
"No. No way." Danny shakes his head violently. "I am officially transferring the detail to Chin and Kono until your meeting is finished."
"I don't think you have the authority to do that, Danny."
Danny glares at Steve, glares as hard as he can but the corner of Steve's lips are twitching and Danny can't help but give in and laugh. "You are such a jerk, I swear."
He leans over and kisses Steve right on his smirky lips.
"But you like my thighs," Steve points out.
"Oh god yes," Danny breathes. He slides a hand over Steve's lap, then falls back into his seat. "That I do."
"All right." Steve fastens his seat belt, grimacing. "Budget allocations. If I'm gone for more than an hour, Danny, call me with an emergency. Anything. Just get me the hell out of there."
Danny checks his watch. "You got it."
"And after that," Steve shifts the car into gear, then turns to Danny. "We're going back to my place."
The look he gives Danny is downright incendiary, and Danny feels flushed and warm all over again. "It's a date," Danny says.
*****
Danny hums happily to himself as he settles into his office to review Sammy "The Clipper" Forino's case file and history. It had taken them nearly six months to put their case together, even with the help of their informant, one of Forino's low level guys who was desperate to get out, and was willing to take a chance. Danny can remember how he felt testifying on the stand with Forino staring at him the entire time, narrow-eyed and threatening. It was more than a little disturbing, especially to a rookie.
Now, not so much. Danny relishes the thought of putting him away again.
It takes about a half hour of searching on all known associates for him to pull up a mug shot of one Frank Demaine, a two-bit punk who did time for money laundering in the early '90's. Danny's favorite Hawaiian shirt-wearing man, staring back at him from his computer screen.
"Hah," Danny says, waving a finger at the computer screen. "You are going down, buddy." He punches the "print" command and he leaves his office, heading for the printer.
"Hey, Danny," Kono says as she leans out of her office. "We got a lead on Kathy AKA Linda AKA Susan Forte. She just used a credit card in LA."
"Now that," Danny says, pointing a finger at Kono, "is good news."
"LAPD is following up on it. When is Steve due back?"
Danny checks his watch. "He said if he wasn't back within an hour, to call and tell him it's an emergency. And that was fifteen minutes ago, so--"
Kono grins. "I got it." She pulls out her phone and dials.
Danny retrieves his printout and waves it at Chin. "Got an ID on Hawaiian shirt man," he says. "Frank Demaine, known associate of Sammy "The Clipper" Forino. We've ID'd our man."
He's feeling good--they're going to nail Forino and put him back in jail and Danny is going to get his life back, a life which includes getting naked with Steve and somehow, he's going to make it all work.
He's not a rookie anymore.
"Cool, brah," Chin says. "Now we're getting somewhere." In seconds he has the main screen up and running and searching on Demaine. "Last known address is in Hoboken. No records of any recent flights--have you got a list of aliases?"
"Huh," Kono muses. "Steve's phone went straight to voicemail."
Danny frowns, unsettled. "That's not right. Why would he turn his phone off?"
Chin shakes his head. "He wouldn't."
"Hello, yes," Kono says, phone to her ear. "This is Officer Kalakaua from Five-O. Could you tell me if McGarrett still in with the governor? He--oh, okay, when was that? Thank you." Kono thumbs her phone off, looking concerned now. "He left a half hour ago."
"Shit." Danny scrubs a hand over his face. "They couldn't. Steve? Could these bozos really get the drop on Steve?"
He's trying not to panic, he truly is but it's hard not to, because Sammy and his guys, they're stupid, and stupid criminals are the most dangerous kind. Things go wrong and the next thing you know bullets are flying and Steve is not bullet-proof, no matter what he might believe.
"Anyone can get lucky," Chin says. "Or rather, unlucky."
"Yeah," Kono agrees. "This is Steve we're talking about. They're probably already regretting it."
"Let's hope so," Danny takes a steadying breath. He pulls out his phone and dials Steve's number. No dice--his call also goes straight to voicemail. "Chin, can you access the security camera footage from the governor's mansion?"
"Already on it." Chin is typing away busily on his keyboard. "Listen, why don't we--" He stops, interrupted by the sound of Danny's phone ringing.
Danny pulls out his phone and checks the screen, hoping like hell that it's Steve. "Fuck. Caller name unavailable," he says. Heart beating rapidly, Danny answers the phone and sets it on speaker. "Detective Williams."
"Detective Williams. So good to hear your voice again."
It's Forino, all right. Danny clenches a fist. "I'm sorry," he says as pleasantly as he can manage. "May I ask who is calling?"
"Cut the bullshit, Detective."
"Wait, wait," Danny continues, "I know that voice. Let me see...Forino, right? Why the hell did they ever let a piece of shit like you out of the slammer?"
"Because I'm a model citizen, that's why." Forino laughs.
Danny wants to reach straight through the phone line and strangle him.
"You're a slippery fellow, Detective Williams. So let's get down to business," Forino says. "I got something of yours. You have information I need. There's a warehouse at 1143 Pakela Street. Meet me there in forty-five minutes and we'll make the exchange. And let's not be stupid--don't go bringing any friends, all right?"
"Okay, but you know what? Since I am not stupid, I need to hear from McGarrett before I do anything." Danny's gripping the phone tight now.
There's a rustling in the background and a faint murmur of voices. Then Steve's voice comes through, loud and clear. "Hey Danny, how's it going?"
Steve sounds fine. Better than fine, actually. Almost happy. He's up to something, Danny's sure of it. "Just hang on, Steve, we'll get this all wrapped up in no time."
"Got it, Danny."
Forino's voice returns. "Feel better now? We haven't harmed a hair on his head, even though he could use a trim, quite honestly. Forty-five minutes, Williams. The clock is ticking." Forino cuts the connection.
"God damn it." Danny drops the phone and sinks into the nearest chair. "If Steve does something stupid--what am I saying, he's Steve, of course he's going to do something stupid."
"Well, hopefully he'll wait until we get there," Chin says. He points up at the map displayed on the large screen, overlayed with satellite imagery. "Here's the location of the warehouse. It looks small, probably one one story. I'd say it's a thirty minute drive from here. Parking lot in the front, and there's a small hill around back, with trees and undergrowth on the south side--looks like we've got cover for backup."
"I'll contact the SWAT team and let them know we have a situation," Kono says, phone already in hand.
Danny nods, relieved that both Chin and Kono have already assumed they're doing this by the book. "I want you two working with the SWAT team, positioned outside the warehouse, ready to move in on my call."
Chin nods in agreement, phone in hand. "Give me a minute, let me see if I can locate the plans to the building. SWAT should have them."
It's a rush to get the plan and technologies in place before it's time to leave and Danny doesn't have a chance to think about anything other than the work ahead of him. And then he's in his car, heading down the highway, going over last minute details on the phone. He gets gets to the site with five minutes to spare. Parking a couple hundred feet back, he turns the car off and retrieves his phone from the holder. Kono and Chin are just getting into in place--a quick 'copter ride brought them two miles past the warehouse to a waiting car.
"Danny," Kono says in a soft voice.
Danny holds the phone closer to his ear. "Yeah?"
"I got eyes on Steve. He's in a chair, hands tied behind his back. He seems okay. There are three guys, Forino, Demaine, and someone else--younger guy. Dark curly hair, about six foot."
"Sounds like the guy from the bar. Okay. Hopefully those two guys are the only ones Forino brought with him. Listen, I'm pretty sure Forino isn't planning on letting me and Steve walk away from this--"
"I know. We got your back, Danny."
Her voice is soft and reassuring and Danny is impressed. She might be a rookie, but despite Steve's bad influence, she's becoming one hell of a cop. "All right. Good. The mike, it's live, right?"
"Chin says to stop worrying about the mike."
"Okay, okay. I'm heading in." Danny takes one last look in the rear view mirror and confirms that he's still unable to see the miniature microphone tucked away in the knot of his tie. Then he unstraps his weapon and locks it in the glove compartment.
He drives the last few hundred feet to the warehouse, parking in the space just beyond the door. Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he takes a steadying breath and squares his shoulders. He knows how to do this. He opens the car door and climbs out. As he slams the car door shut, the warehouse door swings open. It's Demaine, minus the hideous shirt.
"Detective Williams," he says with a nod. "Good to see you again."
"Yeah. I wish I could say the same," Danny says. "Hey, I see you managed to find yourself another weapon." He nods in the direction of the 45MM tucked into Demaine's waistband. "Maybe you'll be able to hang onto that one."
"And maybe, Detective, I'll even get to use this one," Demaine says evenly. "Come on, you know the drill."
Danny raises his arms as Demaine pats him down for weapons. "Hey, hey, watch it there. I'm not that kind of guy, you know?"
Demaine scowls at him as he straightens up. "This way."
He ushers Danny through the door and it takes a few seconds for Danny's eyes to adjust from the bright sunlight to the gloomy interior of the warehouse. He blinks, momentarily disoriented as he breathes in musty, stale air. The main floor of the warehouse stretches out before him, filled with empty metal shelves.
Demaine indicates an aisle and Danny heads down it, all the way to the end. And there they are, in an open office area--Forino, leaning against a large wooden desk, the younger guy standing a few feet to the side, alert and wary. There's a shoulder holster clearly visible under his jacket.
And then there's Steve. Steve is sitting in an office chair, hands tied behind his back, one knee bouncing as he taps his heel against the floor. He nods a greeting to Danny and Danny feels a flood of relief at the sight of him alive and well.
"Steve," Danny says as he approaches. "You okay? This goon treating you right?"
"I'm good, Danny. Real good. How are you doing?" Steve's grin makes the hair on the back of Danny's neck rise. Fuck, he's definitely planning something. Danny fervently hopes it doesn't involve explosives.
"You can shut up now," Demaine says to Steve. Steve raises his eyebrows, but doesn't say anything more.
Danny grows even more worried. He comes to a halt a few feet from Forino, close enough to smell the stink of his lousy aftershave. "All right Forino, I'm here. What do you want to know?"
Forino laughs. He's gone completely gray now, and he's lost weight, no longer the portly crime boss he was ten years ago. But his eyes still burn with the same intensity and his laugh is high-pitched wrong and yeah. Not right in the head. "I want to know all sorts of things, Detective. But you know which particular piece of information I'm after."
"Right. But being that I wasn't born yesterday, what kind of assurance do I have that you're not going to have us both killed the moment I give you the information?" Danny turns to stare pointedly at Demaine. "Because I have to tell you, I don't like this guy very much."
"You're just going to have to trust me," Forino says.
"Trust the word of a convicted felon? How stupid do I look?"
"I don't hold any grudge against you. You were only doing your job. I want to know who ratted me out. And him," Forino jerks his chin toward Demaine, "he does what I tell him to do."
From the look on Demaine's face, Danny's not so sure of that. "I'll make you a deal. You release McGarrett, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"We're not making any deals," Demaine interjects. He pulls his weapon, strides over to Steve and presses the muzzle to Steve's knee. "Start talking. Now."
Danny's blood runs cold. "Hey, hey," he barks. "You move that gun before I stuff it down your throat, asshole."
"Frankie," Forino says sharply. "There's no need for that. Put it away."
Steve is glaring at Demaine, jaw clenched, tendons in his neck bulging and if looks could kill, Demaine would be a crumbled heap on the floor right this very moment.
"Fine." Demaine steps back, raising his arms. "Fine."
Danny wonders if it's all staged for his benefit, or if Demaine is that much of a loose cannon. He rubs the back of his neck, turning to casually flick his eyes over to the windows on the west end. There's a dark shadow behind the window--Chin, moving ever so slightly. "All right, we're good now," Danny says softly, as if to himself.
"So come on. Talk to me. It was Bobby, wasn't it?" Forino pushes away from the desk and begins pacing. "Bobby, that son of a bitch--"
It takes Danny a moment to place the name--Bobby Demayo, one of Forino's rivals. Another small time hood. "What makes you think that?"
"He's wanted my territory. He's always after my shit. Ever since I married MaryAnne. He wanted her for himself."
Danny resists the urge to roll his eyes as Forino rants on about Demayo. Then he catches a movement out of the corner of his eye--Steve is shifting in his seat, getting his feet under him, muscles growing tense. He's watching Demaine, who is busy tucking his weapon back into his waistband of his pants, no more than three steps from where Steve is sitting. Steve is now flanked by both Demaine and curly-haired guy. And neither of them are looking at Steve. Always a mistake.
"He wouldn't even come to the wedding," Forino is saying. "You would think a guy like him..."
Steve catches Danny's eye and mouths now.
Before Danny can even register what is happening, Steve is out of his chair, taking curly haired guy down with a single blow to the back of his head, while flattening Demaine with a roundhouse kick to the gut.
Shocked, Danny recovers enough to go for Forino, calling for Chin and Kono to move in. He gets a glimpse of Forino's astonished face--no more astonished than his own, he's sure--as he buries his fist into Forino's solar plexus, then follows up with a knee to his balls, leaving Forino gasping and wheezing on the dirty linoleum floor.
A shot is fired and Danny spins around to see curly haired guy staggering, hand to his shoulder, dark blood oozing from between his fingers. He drops the gun and raises his arms in surrender as Steve closes in on him, armed with Demaine's gun. Chin is slapping cuffs on Demaine and Kono appears out of nowhere to pat down Forino, pulling his arms behind his back to cuff him.
And just like that, it's over.
"Aw, guys, you didn't even need us," Kono says. She sounds disappointed.
"Come on, you know that's not true." Steve grins at her as he pulls the remains of the rope from his wrists.
Danny finally finds his voice. "What the hell was that?" he asks Steve. "Tell me, please, what the hell did you think you were doing?"
Steve's expression turns confused. "Taking these guys down?"
"Taking them down? Taking them down?" Danny shouts. "You were tied to a chair. Tied, Steven. If you are tied to a chair, how am I supposed to know you're going to take them down?"
"I gave you the signal--"
"Yes, you gave me the signal. But you were tied to a chair," Danny says, and he really, really wants to strangle Steve, because that face, Steve is giving him that face that says he has no idea what the issue is here.
"No I wasn't." Steve holds up the cut ropes, cut with god knows what, some super secret knife hidden in his watch band, or maybe with the sheer force of his mind, Danny has no idea.
"But see, I didn't know that, so when you give the signal, I am like, five steps behind you, because I thought that maybe this was my operation, since I was under the assumption you were tied to a chair". Danny accentuates each of the last few words with a poke to Steve's chest.
"Danny," Steve takes Danny's hand by the wrist and pulls it down. "I'm still the team leader--"
Danny yanks his hand free. "Not when you are tied to a chair," he yells.
Steve lifts his hands, placating. Danny turns away, gritting his teeth. He sees Forino being pulled to his feet, still red-face and gasping for breath. "And you, you stupid ass, was this worth it? You finally get your sorry ass out of jail, and now you're going back in when you could have let it go and moved on with your life. For what? For revenge? It wasn't Bobby, you schmuck. You want to know who ratted you out?"
"Danny," Steve says softly. He puts hand on Danny's shoulder, but Danny shrugs him off.
"It was John Clark, the junkie who did the dirty work for you. John wore a wire, he told us everything he knew, and you never once thought some little guy like that would turn on you. And the poor jerk is dead now, died of an overdose three years ago. That's how stupid you are, you are going back to jail for nothing. You got that? Nothing."
Forino looks shocked as they drag him off. The idiot, he had no idea. Danny turns to Demaine, who is being bleeding from his nose. "And, you--I should have puked all over you when I had the chance," Danny tells him.
He thinks he might puke anyway, it's sounding like a pretty good idea right now but after a few deep breaths his stomach settles and the buzzing in his ears quiets down. He leans wearily against the desk and watches the flurry of activity around him. The ambulance has arrived, and they're loading curly haired guy onto a stretcher. He looks like he'll live. Beside him, Chin is going through the desk drawers, gathering up papers and flash drives.
"You okay, buddy?" Chin asks.
Danny nods, even though he still wants to hit someone. Like maybe Demaine. He wants to hit Demaine and break every finger in both his hands so that he never ever presses a gun up against anyone's body again.
"Yeah. I'm good." Danny reaches for the knot of his tie and removes the mike with clumsy fingers, then hands it back to Chin. "Here, I think I'm done with this."
"Bummer. We're not going to get to listen in on you and Steve in the car?" Chin smiles.
A startled laugh, and then Danny scrubs a hand over his face. "That man is going to be the death of me."
"You called it though. You knew he was going to do something," Chin points out.
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Danny asks. "Because it doesn't. Not one bit."
Chin laughs and pats Danny's shoulder. "Look at it this way. Case is closed and we're all in one piece. Not a bad day's work."
"You know, I'm almost there," Danny raises a hand, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. "Almost."
"Danny, Chin," Steve calls out. "Come on. Let's get out of here. We can deal with the paperwork tomorrow. Kono--we're done for the day. Let these guys handle it. We can pick it all up tomorrow."
"Sounds good, boss," Kono replies. She unstraps her vest and slips it off.
Chin dumps the flash drives into an evidence bag. "Don't have to tell me twice."
They head out the door. The sun is low in the sky, casting long shadows. A fragrant breeze blows in from the ocean as Danny goes straight for his car, pausing to lean against the driver's side door as the cool evening air washes over him. Steve talks with Chin and Kono as they unload their gear into the department SUV, then gives them each a friendly squeeze to the shoulder and leaves, coming up to Danny with a wary expression.
"Okay," Steve says. "So, you want to drive?"
"Yes. I would like to drive my own car, if that's all right with you," Danny snaps.
He gets in the car, pulls the door shut and starts it up. Steve slides in next to him and in a moment Danny is backing out of the parking spot and heading down the road.
"I didn't mean to step on your operation," Steve says.
Danny manages to resist the urge to bang his head on the steering wheel. "Oh, for god's sake, that not a factor here. I just--I was surprised, and in that kind of situation, I don't like surprises. Surprises and guns, they do not go together. Surprises get people killed. I like having a plan, and sticking with the plan, and not have my crazy partner do a Houdini on me and start beating on the bad guys, okay?" He's yelling again. He doesn't want to yell but he doesn't know what else to do.
"Okay. You have a point," Steve says, his voice calm and quieting.
Danny does not want calm and quieting, either. "Of course I have a point. I am nothing but points, okay? Points."
Steve is silent for a beat. "How does that even make sense?"
"It doesn't. Much like you."
"Listen, Danny, I'm sorry," Steve says. "I saw an opportunity and took it. But you weren't five steps behind. You were right with me."
"Yeah. Like that makes me feel better. Oh goody, I'm just as insane as Steve now." Danny catches Steve's grin out of the corner of his eye as Steve turns to look out the window. "You think that's funny?"
"Actually, I do." Steve smiles at him, warm and sweet and sincere.
Danny doesn't want to be charmed by that smile, he truly doesn't. He tightens his grip on the steering wheel and focuses on the road ahead, but it's too late. The anger is slipping away, replaced by relief that Steve is all right, that the case is closed, and he no longer has to look over his shoulder as he walks down the street.
They drive on for several minutes in silence, eating up the miles at a rapid pace. "How the hell did they manage to grab you anyway?" Danny asks.
"I stopped for tea after the meeting. They came up on me on a crowded street, kids running all around--I didn't want to take the chance of anyone getting hurt," Steve explains.
Danny nods. "I get that." He turns to Steve, who is still watching him carefully. "I just--I'm glad you're in one piece."
"Does that mean we're good?" Steve asks.
He's so fucking earnest, it makes Danny crazy. "Yeah," Danny says, turning his attention back to the road. "We're good. And now we're going back to your place, where we're going to be even better."
Steve nods solemnly. "It's the right thing to do."
*****
The moment they get through the door, Steve wraps his arms around Danny, pulls him close and kisses him. Then kisses him again, and again until Danny is dizzy from it, dizzy from the heat of Steve's body, from the sly sweep of his tongue, from the firm grip he has on Danny's ass. Danny sways against him--Steve is too damn tall--he's the tallest person Danny's ever kissed and Danny has to stand on his tip toes to relieve the crick in his neck and okay, fine, it's kind of hot and that freaks him out, more than a little.
"Hey, hey," Danny says, breaking off the kiss. He runs a hand down Steve's arm. "Wait. Maybe we should talk about this?"
"You've already told me everything I needed to hear," Steve says.
"That is not fair. I don't even remember what I said." Danny groans, leaning his forehead against Steve's shoulder. "I hope it wasn't too filthy."
"Actually," Steve nuzzles the top of Danny's head, "you were very sweet."
"I was not." Danny draws back, aghast.
"You said you wanted to sit on the bench and cuddle with me all night," Steve tells him with obvious delight. "It was adorable."
Danny is mortified all over again. "Naked. I wanted to cuddle naked with you."
"Maybe," Steve says. "You did grope my thighs pretty thoroughly. Which I enjoyed, by the way."
"Oh god, let's not talk about this anymore. What happened to the kissing? We were kissing, right?" Danny slings an arm around Steve's neck and pulls him in.
"You're the one who wanted to talk." Steve laughs against Danny's cheek.
"Okay. Right. I just want do know--doesn't any of this scare you?" Danny asks. "You and me, doing this? Taking a chance on ruining a great working relationship and yes, it is exactly that, despite your tendency to give me a heart attack on a regular basis."
"No, Danny," Steve says without hesitation. He brushes his lips against Danny's. "This doesn't scare me."
"Of course not." Danny shakes his head. "Look who I'm asking. Nothing scares you, does it?"
"All right," Steve says. "Want to know does scare me? Not doing this. Missing this opportunity, and losing you when you leave the islands to go back home again, because I know this isn't--"
"No, no, no," Danny says, giving Steve a little shake. "No. There is no leaving. This place is my home now, despite the jellyfish and the coconuts and mango-lime-chili shave ice. Why do you think I'm so worried about messing things up?"
Steve is even more beautiful when he smiles. "Oh," he says after a moment.
"Come on, you goof. We're done talking." Danny tugs Steve's arm. "Upstairs. Where's there's a big comfy bed and I won't need a ladder to kiss you."
He leads Steve up the stairs and into the bedroom. They're going to do this, and they're going to do it right. When they reach the bedroom, he tries to kiss Steve, but Steve resists.
"Wait," Steve says, holding up a finger. "I've been dying to do this." He reaches for Danny's tie, carefully loosening the knot.
Danny lifts his chin. "You have a thing against ties, don't you, you weirdo."
Steve pulls the tie free and tosses it on the chair with great satisfaction. "Only when you wear them." He begins to unbutton Danny's shirt.
"You have a thing against my shirts, too?"
"Yes." Steve is intent as he works, batting Danny's hands away when he tries to help.
When the shirt is fully unbuttoned, Steve pushes it off Danny's shoulders and runs his hands over Danny's chest. Big, warm hands, and Danny leans into his touch, reaching out for Steve but then Steve catches sight of the the bruise again. It's darker now, almost purple. He leans down and presses his lips to it with tender, gentle kisses and Danny closes his eyes. He can't help wallowing in it. So much affection, directed his way. He's missed this.
"Does it still hurt?" Steve asks, breath tickling Danny's skin.
"Not any more. Come on," Danny says softly. He tugs Steve down onto the bed and Steve kneels beside him, his arm around Danny's shoulder as he kisses Danny's neck.
Danny tries to pull Steve's shirt off, hands tangling in the hem but Steve is busy mouthing his skin, teeth scraping gently as he sucks a spot right under Danny's ear. Danny groans and squirms, wondering how Steve manages to find the spot that makes him hard in one second flat.
"Could you please?" he asks, tugging on Steve's shirt.
Steve pushes Danny flat on the bed, sliding over him, his heavy, solid body pressing Danny down into the mattress. It makes Danny a little crazy, especially when Steve groans, fitting their hips together perfectly, his hard cock pressing against Danny's thigh.
"Oh my god," Danny says, clutching Steve by the hips. "Get your clothes off, please. This is seriously wrong, you, with your clothes on, now of all times, after the way you wandered around half-naked this morning, you, you shameless hussy, you--"
Steve laughs, face pressed against Danny's chest.
Danny laughs too. He getting giddy at this point, so much want frying his brain but then Steve slides his mouth over a nipple and Danny's laughter turns into a moan. "Jesus, Steve--"
Danny gets his hands on Steve's shoulders, silky skin over hard muscle and all that ink, he wants, wants so much and Steve's hand is on his cock now, pressing down along the length of it through his pants, making Danny even crazier. He pushes into Steve's hand, moaning again and fuck, he's being loud. He can't help it, he's losing control and his arm is still caught in the sleeve of his shirt and he can't reach Steve's ass and he really really needs to get his hands on it, right now.
"Wait, wait," Danny gasps. He's not used to this, to being so completely overwhelmed during sex.
Steve slides off to one side, hand still on Danny's cock. "What?" He's breathless and just as dazed and befuddled. "God, Danny, you feel so good."
Okay, so maybe Danny's not the only one overwhelmed. "We're going to get naked now," he explains to Steve.
Steve nods, laying back to unbutton his pants as Danny finally gets his arm out of his damn shirt. He throws it on the floor, then climbs off the bed to remove his pants, his shoes, his socks, everything. By the time he's finished, Steve is completely naked, stretched out on the bed looking like the best kind of porn, lean body and narrow hips and long, hard cock resting against his stomach. Danny eagerly runs his hands up Steve's legs, over those fantastic thighs, then curls his hand around Steve's cock.
Steve's cock feels good in his hand, a warm, heavy weight resting against his palm. When he squeezes and rubs his thumb over the head, Steve gasps, shifting his hips restlessly. Steve is watching him, lips parted and Danny loves that mouth, loves it so much he has to kiss it again and when he does, Steve pulls him down, laying Danny out over his body.
The skin on skin contact takes Danny's breath away.
Steve gives that breath back with a slow kiss, one leg hooked around Danny's, holding him in place as he rocks up against Danny's hips.
"You want to do it like this?" Danny asks.
Steve nods. "Please," he says, low and desperate.
Danny's good with that, he's too frantic right now to do anything more complicated so he pushes his cock against Steve's hip as he slides a hand under Steve's ass, palming his cheek and pulling their bodies snug against one another. The friction is fantastic, Steve's cock burns hot against his skin and Steve's big hands are on his ass, moving him, pushing and pulling as they kiss.
It's rough and needy and not at all elegant, there's a whole lot of grunting and Danny's sure there's going to be bruises when it's all over. But it's pretty much the best sex he's ever had, especially when Steve gasps into his mouth, shoves hard up and comes. His fingers dig painfully into Danny's skin and he makes the most amazing noises, soft, needy little whimpers as he spills between them and Danny's brain simply shorts out as he grinds against Steve, hand scrabbling for a grip on Steve's sweaty shoulder and oh, fuck--
He comes in one great big shuddering rush, face pressed against Steve's neck and Steve hangs onto him tightly, murmuring encouragement as Danny rides it out.
"Oh, oh, oh, fuck. That's good," Danny gasps as the tremors finally fade. "No, better than good. Amazing."
Steve chuckles weakly. "Yeah."
"We should have sex all the time," Danny tells him. He rolls off to one side and flops on the bed, loose and relaxed and completely wrung out.
"Okay." Steve's grin is just this side of goofy. "I'm good with that."
He's so utterly adorable that Danny has to kiss him. It's a lax, lazy kiss and Danny takes his time, fascinated all over again by Steve's mouth. And by Steve's shoulder, which is right there in front of him so he kisses that too, then moves on to tattoo trailing down Steve's biceps and then he finds it necessary to lick the sweat from Steve's chest and clearly, he has way too much to do.
"I'm going to need food," Danny announces. "Before I tackle all this." He waves a hand over Steve's body.
Steve ruffles Danny's hair. "I think there's some wheatgrass smoothie left--"
"Oh my god, no, do not go there," Danny says. "Do not make me have to explain how we are not ruminants--"
"Ruminants," Steve repeats, grinning.
"Cows are ruminants," Danny explains. "And goats. Goats are ruminants. You are not a goat."
"All right." Steve stretches and grunts. "How about some eggs, then? I can make a couple of omelets."
"Now you're talking." Danny slides out of bed. "You get to cook them. I'll be in charge of toast."
He wipes his stomach clean with the tail of his shirt, and helps himself to one of Steve's clean t-shirts--no surf logo this time. He's zipping up his pants when he realizes Steve is already heading down the stairs, clad only in his underwear. "Are you kidding me?" Danny calls out after him.
Sure enough, Steve cooks the eggs while wearing only his boxer briefs, and Danny explains how this proves Steve is a shameless hussy, all the while sliding his hands down inside Steve's underwear in order to make the point. Danny also takes the opportunity to grope Steve's thighs for old time's sake and when he burns the first batch of toast, he blames Steve, and Steve's thighs, and Steve's hipbones, too, for good measure.
But the eggs are delicious--maybe Steve actually is a little better at cooking them than Danny is--and the toast is perfect, dripping with butter, just the way Danny likes it. They eat sitting at the kitchen table, Steve's bare feet resting on top of Danny's.
Danny sighs a deep contented sigh. When they finish eating, they're going go back to bed, and he's going to explore every inch of Steve's body, and then maybe they'll shower, and then go back to bed again, and tomorrow morning when he wakes up Steve will be right there next to him.
"Just so you know," Danny says, pointing a slice of toast at Steve. "You are officially the best date ever."
Steve ducks his head and laughs and Danny falls in love all over again.
