Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampires, Alternate Universe - Magic
Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams
Spoilers/Warnings: possessive!Steve, written as a rewrite of episode 1.12 so spoilers for that and before.
Author's note: The vampire mythology I use is influenced by The Lair, The Vampire Diaries and Moonlight but is pretty much a general mishmash of random vampire lore. Hopefully it's all understandable!
Originally published (on ao3): February 2013
Sequel to 'Seeing a Light (a face in the crowd). Best to read these ones in order.
Danny had become used to Steve's stealth tactics.
Whether it was sneaking up behind him in the kitchen while he was getting their beers, or managing to get Danny's car keys from his office without him noticing, Steve had perfected the stealth move. Danny had put the freaky abilities down to a combination of Steve's SEAL training and the fact that he was a vampire. Of course, it could also just be McGarrett being himself.
So while Danny dozed in the early morning light, he didn't pay much attention to Steve as the bed dipped and he returned after being for his morning swim. His skin was still slightly clammy as his body met Danny's but it was something Danny had become used to over the months since they'd been together.
As Steve's hand trailed over Danny's body, his sleepy state didn't even fully register where that hand had traveled to until a certain part of his anatomy began to take notice of the warm hand around it.
As he drifted easily in that stage between sleep and awake, he felt Steve push more against him, making Danny roll more onto his front and deft fingers probed between his ass cheeks, slipping inside, already lubed up though Danny hadn't noticed when that had happened.
It wasn't long before Steve whispered hot words in his ear, making him moan in anticipation until finally, pushed and pulled into position, Steve entered him. It felt as amazing to have Steve inside him as it always did, like they were a perfect fit, and as they moved together, edging towards orgasms, it was when Danny spilled over Steve's hand that the stealthy bastard bit down on his neck.
That hidden toxin in Steve's teeth served only to amplify Danny's pleasure as it raced through his blood stream and the yell that had built up in him caught in his throat as his mouth was muffled by the pillow.
Morning sex like that had been happening more frequently in the last month or so, as long as neither of their phones interrupted them. Danny believed it was Steve feeling more confident in their relationship, feeling that he could slowly push for more intimacy between them - not that there wasn't plenty of it already. Lately Steve had seemed like he wanted it more and more and Danny had no idea what to make of it.
The word 'smothered' came to mind.
Tempted as he was to lie there and sleep some more, the cooling wet patch under him signaled his time to go for a shower. Leaving a smiling Steve behind, he headed into the bathroom and closed the door.
Showering off the grime and sweat from their morning bout he carefully washed his neck and over the small puncture wounds on his upper arms and different points on his abdomen. They didn't hurt, but he was always careful of them, hoping it would help them heal faster.
Stepping out, he dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. Wiping the condensation from the mirror, he examined himself in his reflection as he braced both his hands on the sink. Steve's marks stood out against the mop of chest hair. He knew where every single one was spread over his body.
When everything had begun, he hadn't expected to look like this.
He'd entered into their relationship with his eyes wide open. He knew Steve was a vampire, he'd taken the conscious decision to let him mark him, claim him away from anyone else and signal that claim to any vampires they might meet, friendly or not. He had been aware that some people would underestimate him for being the smaller of the two and for being marked in the way that he was. And for having a rather possessive vampire with a dark predatory glare standing beside him not letting anyone even begin to think they could touch Danny and get away with it. It was frustrating to have Steve not let Danny deal with anything himself, but Steve had kept making the 'vampire' excuse and somehow Danny had let it slide.
At first, Steve had asked Danny if he could drink from him to save him heading all the way over to a blood bank to stock up so soon. If they were busy on a case, then it was easy enough to let Steve drink from him so they didn't waste any time when Steve's fridge was empty. Sometimes he'd tell him that the claim scent had faded and needed to be reiterated. In that first month or so, Steve had used Danny like that maybe once every week or ten days and he hadn't minded.
Now though, it was happening more like twice a week. He'd feel those fangs dig into somewhere on his body and Steve never explained it anymore, just stealthily used a distracting moment to sink his teeth in and taste Danny.
Luckily, Steve never took too much, always made sure that Danny wouldn't be left feeling weakened by blood loss and plied him with malasadas after to get his sugar levels back up. Danny allowed it every time, without question. He was happy to help and happy for the treats.
But now? Now, perhaps, he was regretting his decisions, if only a little.
"Danny, you okay in there?" Steve called through the door.
"Yeah," Danny shook himself out of his thoughts and stood straighter. The door slowly opened and Steve poked his head through. Wearing only a pair of low riding board shorts, Steve smiled as he leaned against the door.
"Breakfast?" He asked as he moved a little closer, placing one hand on Danny's hip, just above where the towel was wrapped, the other gripping lightly on Danny's lower arm as he sidled up behind him. "I can make you something nice. You need it. " He nosed at the new marks on Danny's neck, the new ones covering over old rather than making fresh holes in him. Steve's tongue darted out to lick against the punctured skin and instinctively Dany tilted his head to accommodate him.
"Why'd you do it?" Danny asked, voice quiet and contemplative as he stared at Steve's actions in the mirror.
"Do what?"
"Why'd you, you know…?" Danny gestured vaguely at his neck.
He felt Steve's grip tighten on his hip, his hand then spread over Danny's front, holding him tight. "You know why I do it, Danny, why are you bringing this up now?"
"Why are you getting defensive?" Danny's shoulders raised as an argument threatened to break out between them. "Look at me, Steven!"
Steve raked his eyes over Danny's reflection and then argued back, "I am! I'm looking at you and you're gorgeous, what the hell, Danno?"
"Don't you 'Danno' me! I look like a human pin cushion!" Dany rubbed a tired hand over his face.
"I'm a vampire, I need to drink blood, this isn't new information."
"I know, Steve, I know, I just…" Danny slumped back against Steve who continued to hold tight. "I don't know, it feels like things are getting more intense and you're feeding more often and I'm… I'm just thinking we need to relax this. A bit."
"Danny?" Steve asked quietly, hands moving to bracket Danny's hips, giving the smaller man the chance to turn and face him properly.
Danny hated seeing that look on Steve's face. Thing was, it was a new face that he hadn't seen before but he knew he didn't like it and worse, he hated being the one to be the cause of it but for his own sanity he had to do this.
"Steve," He began, then faltered, regrouped his thoughts and decided to just say it. "I have an apartment. A perfectly good, functioning apartment that can shelter me from weather and store my belongings, and yet I spend the majority of my time either at the office or here at your place. I think it's time I stopped wasting my money and actually used it more often."
Steve nodded, looking unhappy and Danny watched as he formulated his counter point. "Or you could stop wasting money and move in here properly."
"Have you been listening to the rest of our conversation? I'm trying to slow us down not go into this thing guns blazing! I'm going to get dressed, I'm going to get in my car and go to work, you will take your truck because us not car sharing isn't going to suddenly kill the environment. Then we are going to be professional, solve some crimes, maybe even prevent a few and then we are going to go home. To our separate living arrangements."
"I don't like it." Steve said, succinct as ever.
"Well, that is just too bad."
Danny slipped away from Steve and headed back into the bedroom, hand bunched in the towel as he opened the wardrobe. Surveying the expanse of his own clothes sharing space with Steve's he sighed. This was one of the reasons they had to slow it down. It had only been a couple of months and yet already Steve had managed to get Danny to practically move in with him in clearly yet another stealth-tastic move.
"It's stupid, Danny."
"No, you are, if you think I don't see what you're doing. When we started you didn't need to re-assert yourself so much. And I'm pretty sure that before we got together you found the time to get your blood supplies without necking on the closest available person to put it off. Oh, and let's not forget my favorite excuse you used a couple of weeks ago, when you wanted to see if you could get 'contact drunk' by drinking from me after I'd had those tequila shots."
Steve enjoyed a moment of smug satisfaction that Danny caught as he buttoned up a fresh shirt. "It worked. And it was fun."
"That is not my point, Steven, and you know it."
"Fine, look there's no reason to get so dramatic about it, I get the point, I'll dial it back."
"I'm being dramatic? Is it about my legitimate blood loss concerns? Does that make me seem dramatic to you?" Grabbing his gun and badge from the bedside table, Danny made his way to the door, intent on leaving, only to be stopped by the full force of Steve's body slamming him against the doorframe.
"Wait, wait, Danny, wait, don't storm out."
"I'm not 'storming out'. I'm… leaving in haste. Angrily. Let me go." Steve didn't move, he just took the opportunity to lean down and give Danny a quick kiss and then try to nuzzle at his neck again. "Let me go, Steve! I'll see you at work."
Whatever response Steve had hoped for, he wasn't getting. As his face fell, he moved a step back and Danny slid away from him. A few moments later he was out of the house, car keys in hand and for once, he was driving his own car. That alone felt like a small victory, even if he did have to see Steve's wounded puppy look to get it.
They'd been lucky over Christmas and it seemed the Islands' criminal types had remained below the Five-0 radar and allowed them to play catch up, so work that day was one filled with paperwork and surreptitious looks.
Kono and Chin kept darting glances at both of them, worried and curious. Steve kept up the wounded animal eyes and Danny was pretty convinced he himself was doing a good job of glaring angrily at the coffee machine. The problem was, they were all good at their jobs and didn't easily switch off from 'detect' mode. It would be obvious to any outsider that most of the day was spent not so much concentrating on making sure the charges stuck to the criminals of Hawaii by Five-0 not botching up paperwork, but instead to figuring out what was going on in each others' heads.
This was why Danny elected to remain in his office as much as possible. Avoidance of interrogation was key.
Later that day, Danny was the first to leave and said goodnight to everyone in exactly the same way, sparing no extra attention to anyone. He stopped by the Grocery Store for some items to put in his neglected fridge and then headed back to his apartment where he planned to sit in his underwear and watch TV all night. Alone.
Steve watched Danny leaving and stamped on the dark feeling in his gut. He'd been very clear that morning when he'd said he didn't like Danny's plan but he'd had very little choice in the matter, so they'd spent the day with Danny pretty much avoiding him. He ached to reach out to him, to talk in Danny's office about football, baseball, their last case or Grace's math homework. He'd happily have just sat there and talked about anything but he'd restrained himself from going over to Danny's office because the vibes Danny was giving off said not to.
His main problem was that they'd never fought like this before. He'd also never felt so distant from Danny before. Even when they'd met, Danny had, albeit reluctantly, had Steve in his space from the get go and Steve never expected Influence to work - Danny was too strong minded for it except for the occasional blip when he let Steve in.
Despite the warning his brain fed him not to, he waited no more than 20 seconds before following Danny out. He did his very best not to be seen as he heard the Camaro starting up. He ran to his truck, threw it into drive and followed. He waited outside the grocery store while Danny was in, all the while telling himself it was a bad idea to be tailing his lover, but it was only so he could make sure Danny was okay.
He then followed Danny home, and once the other man was inside his apartment, he drew the truck closer so he could see the window and door at the top of the steps.
It was to be an uncomfortable night but he would do it. For Danny. He didn't have food with him, but he didn't need it. He could eat, all vampires could, but they did it more to be social and for enjoyment rather than bodily function. As for sleep, well, he needed to do that, but vampires needed only a few hours a night and could go without for a few days easily. So keeping an eye on Danny's safety for the night wouldn't be a problem at all.
The longer he sat there, the more he realized that this was probably one of his more insane ideas.
Danny was a grown man, had survived perfectly fine before he'd met Steve and he was a trained Police Officer. The only problem Steve had was that his attraction to Danny felt bone deep in a way he'd never experienced before. As a vampire he had heightened emotions, but sometimes this thing with Danny felt bigger than that. He'd yet to understand why Danny seemed to shine like a beacon to him. No one else ever mentioned anything so whatever it was, it was only Steve who noticed. And the taste? Danny tasted divine to Steve. Everyone tasted different, in composition, texture, and it could be manipulated based on whatever diet they had or even what type of water they drank. Danny tasted of 'Danny' and it was getting difficult for Steve to not drink him more often, regardless of Danny's protests.
Was he addicted?
A vampire needed blood to survive, and Steve used the blood banks regularly and kept a supply of cold, slightly stale blood in his fridges at home and at work. Tasting Danny - vibrant, alive, warm and thrumming through his veins and into Steve's mouth had become something he craved. But was it Danny or just the fact that this was the first time in years he was drinking something so… fresh?
He couldn't push Danny, couldn't demand anything from him, but at the same time, he couldn't let him go. He had no clue what to do and no idea if there was someone he could talk to about it all.
Though perhaps talking to Danny about it would be a step in the right direction.
He sighed, and his legs fidgeted in the small space, his knees hitting against the steering wheel.
It was going to be a long night.
Good intentions or not, and regardless of the warning voice in his brain that sounded like Danny, he was going to stay here all night. He'd worry about it being wrong later.
Steve had left early the next morning, reluctantly, but he knew he had to go home and shower and change before work. He arrived at the office first as he wanted to be there when Danny arrived for the day, thereby allaying his fears of Danny's safety.
Chin and Kono arrived and as Steve made his way to the small kitchen area to make himself seem busy, Danny strolled in looking fine.
"Morning all," he said as he breezed in, wandered over and looked up at Steve as he pushed by him slightly to get to the coffee machine. "Have a good night?"
"Yeah, it was fine," Steve answered.
"Really? That Silverado must be more comfortable than I thought." Danny raised the mug to his lips and took a gulp of the coffee, grimacing at the heat.
"What are you talking about, Danny?" Steve hedged.
"You think I'm an idiot? You're treating me like an idiot now?"
"Steve thinks you're an idiot?" Kono asked as she and Chin joined them, digging through the fridge for juice.
"He hasn't admitted it, but I'm assuming so, since he must think I can't spot a tail or a big, honking blue truck outside my apartment all night. That's right, I know you followed me home last night."
"You stalked Danny?" Chin asked.
"I didn't 'stalk' Danny, I just… look it's not stalking-"
"No, you just followed me home and watched my apartment all night like a creepy whack job. People have taken out restraining orders for less, Steven."
"I was just looking out for you!"
"That's what all the crazy, whack jobs tell the judge."
"Brah, you're in trouble. Don't fight it, you can't win." Chin dropped a placating hand on Steve's shoulder before he and Kono made a hasty retreat.
"Danny, I can explain-"
"I don't care," Danny shut Steve down, "I honestly don't care. Whatever excuses and reasons you have, whatever crazy vampire shit you have going on in your head, I just don't care right now. I told you when this whole thing started that vampires and humans together are a bad mix, yet time and time again you assured me that we'd make it work. I asked for a little bit of time alone, and you couldn't give me that. Not only could you not give me that, but you lied to me and snuck around behind my back."
Danny looked defeated as he finished and Steve hated himself for not listening to his head the night before. "I didn't mean…"
"You never do."
"Danny, I love you, I wouldn't hurt you, I swear."
"Well, you just did, Steve." Danny's voice caught and he sighed harshly. "Steve, I love you too, you know that, but you've got to work with me here, okay?" He came a little closer to Steve, one hand coming to rest on his chest. "I know you have that caveman side, and I know I've indulged it from time to time, but if I ask you to back off, you've got to back off. If I ask you for something, it's not a suggestion and it's not open for interpretation."
"What if I don't agree?"
"Let me ask you this, what do I do when I don't agree with you about something?"
"You bitch at me and nag like an old hen."
"Then feel free to do the same. Just don't lie to me."
Steve nodded, suitably chastised. Danny gave a small smile as his fingers momentarily clutched into Steve's shirt before he pushed the vampire back into the bullpen. "Now get to work, what do you think the Governor is paying you for anyway. You, too, gossip girl."
Kono turned from where she was standing talking on the phone and stared at Danny. "Okay, talk to you later, Charlie." Danny continued to give her a knowing look. "What? It was about work."
"Yeah, right," Danny snorted.
Another day of mindless paperwork lay in front of them. Danny was happy for the catch-up as he hated having things pile up on his desk. The clutter just got in the way of his photos of Grace and that just wasn't on. Kono had to go testify in court early in the afternoon, Steve had told her to go enjoy the rest of her day after and she had already made plans to go surfing. Chin had clearly become bored with his reports halfway through and turned to running upgrades on their computer network instead. Steve worked for a while, he nipped out to the blood bank for a proper stock up and spent time in the office gym to alleviate some tensions from his body.
Throughout the day, he'd felt much more at ease with Danny than he had the day before. They'd smiled at each other when passing by, or through their glass walls, and so it was with some surprise that by five o'clock, he didn't expect Danny to appear in his door telling him he was off home and he'd see him tomorrow.
"You what?" Steve asked.
"I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going home, I have stuff to do."
"You can do it at the house," Steve said, realizing a little late that he'd said it using Influence.
Danny took a moment then shrugged his shoulders like he was shaking something off. "You know what? No, no I can't. And stop using your mind tricks on me, you know I don't like it."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. But I thought we were good?" Steve pouted.
"And we are, about your stalking, sure. This isn't some kind of punishment, Steven, I just need to go do some things at my own home. Maybe tomorrow we'll have dinner or something, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah okay."
"I'll see you tomorrow, babe. Go home, get some sleep."
Steve nodded. Danny might not mean to have it seem like punishment for his behavior but it sure felt like it. Danny was trusting him though, so he would do as Danny asked. That pull he felt to be with Danny felt stronger as he spent another night apart from him, but until they figured out the right balance, he'd have to serve this second night of penance away from him.
It had been an uneasy night spent apart, but somehow Steve had survived it. Frankly, it was worrying him how dependent he was becoming on Danny. He'd never been like this before. He was the vampire who broke the mold, who didn't ever let his emotions get the better of him, who held it together so well that he was able to become a SEAL and yet a night apart from the man he loved was turning him into a basket case.
He had realized, somewhere around 3am, that he had to claw back his control and so he'd decided to try some techniques he'd picked up in China many years before. When his alarm went off at 6, he was feeling more confident that he was keeping himself in check. As much as he craved Danny's blood and company, he didn't feel as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest with need. This was an improvement.
He felt calm when he got to work, and as Danny arrived he greeted him with a friendly smile and nothing too overt. He could recognize the lurch in his stomach as he saw Danny's glow but he controlled it. The minor victory gave him a smug satisfaction as he turned and headed to the computer table and Chin and Kono.
They'd received a call earlier that day about a floater washing on shore. Steve recognized the face as it appeared on the wall computer and as they pieced together the story of what he'd been doing there, Kono kept typing away on the table-top.
"Gentlemen, I think I found our primary crime scene," she said triumphantly, explaining the area and how she had worked it out. Now that the resort had sent over their camera footage, they'd have a better idea. As they watched they noticed the two men walking.
"Who's that with him?" Danny asked.
"Stop the tape, Kono," Steve reached over, his gesture subconsciously shielding Danny from the image of the other person.
"That's Victor Hesse," Danny said, as Steve moved in closer to the screen. He shook his head in anger and pulled his phone out to call the Governor. Hesse was still on the Islands.
"It's confirmed," Chin said as he approached Steve by the resort pool, "Victor Hesse was here, the lab techs matched his prints."
"Why would he stay here? I got the drop on him, I got two slugs right in his chest."
"The guy's not just a vampire, he's an old one, he probably thinks he's invincible. You may have got the shots off, but you didn't finish him. Next time, you need to take his head off, you know that's the only way."
"I know, and I would have…" Steve trailed off, leaving out the part that the only reason he hadn't followed Hesse into the water to grab him was because Danny had been there and he needed to know he was okay. Danny had taken priority over Hesse. He'd make the same decision again, but it still annoyed him that letting Hesse go had meant the guy was able to resurface. But why now?
'We've got to work out why Hesse didn't leave, why is he still here?"
"He's an arms dealer, maybe he's got a deal lined up," Chin suggested. "What's that?"
"Cell phone," Steve answered hold up the package in his hand. "The techs found it washed up, thinking it might belong to our floater. Hopefully it can get dried out and we'll be able to track his movements."
"I'll get right on it," Chin took the wrapped phone and headed out.
To say Steve was unhappy right now would be an understatement. He was off-kilter with Danny, which wasn't affecting him in his job, not really, but Hesse wasn't the job. Hesse was still a leftover that had been haunting him for almost two centuries and as such, was personal. He had two priorities: keeping Danny safe, and killing Victor Hesse. He just had to hope that he could achieve both, and preferably by the end of the day, the second one would be fulfilled.
A few hours later, and Chin had the information from the SIM card and Steve floored it down the Highway to go after a guy called Trent Auguston. Their arrival at Kahuku was very typical of their partnership - Steve had gunned it, Danny had bitched and then they'd questioned their guy in as calm a way as possible while threatening everyone.
So far, the investigation just kept leading them to another person, and then another. Now they'd reached the doctor who pulled the slugs out of Victor when he crawled out of the water months before. At his house, they found no trace of him, then they moved to the garage.
Clearing the place, Danny and Steve approached a table that looked like it had been used for a makeshift ER. Two bullets were still in a bowl.
"Those yours? Danny asked.
"9mm," Steve responded.
"Next time, behead the bloodsucker," Danny commented.
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"Boss," Kono called, revealing the corner with the wrapped body. Steve turned away and wiped his hand over his face, worried now that they'd hit a dead end.
"What are our options?" Danny asked, looking around them. "This trail is cold, literally, but we've got to have something else."
"There's only one I can think of. The only other person on the Island we know who has ties to Hesse, and we know where he is."
"You mean..?" Kono asked, trailing off. Everyone knew who she meant.
"Sang Min."
Steve and Danny stood in the visitor room at Halawa waiting for Sang Min to be brought to them. Danny was well aware that Steve was hovering and was reminded of a time before when they were chasing Hesse and Steve had been like a shadow at Danny's side while they tracked down leads. The only difference was that this time, he knew exactly why Steve was doing it.
"Babe, we're going to get him this time, I promise, and maybe once we do, you can quit the worried hovering you do around me. Don't think I don't notice."
Steve shifted against the wall, coming that little bit closer again, not seeming to care that Danny saw, looking him up and down.
"When we're done here, you should move the rest of your stuff in with me."
"I'm sorry, we appear to be having two separate conversations, where did this one come from?"
"Just looking around, I noticed this place is a lot like your apartment, you know? Bare, depressing, pathetic. Moving in with me solves everything and saves you money, it's perfect."
"You know what's perfect? Having something that's mine, providing for myself and for my daughter. If I was back in Jersey, I'd have my mom nearby and she'd cook Sunday dinners and I'd visit my brother and sisters. They all have lovely places by the way, as did I once upon a time, but I'm not in Jersey anymore. I'm here. In this expensive crater of an Island. What I can provide for my daughter is what I have and I'm proud of that, okay? It's not much, but it's ours."
"I'm just saying, Danno, you move in with me, it makes life easier. That money you save can go to her college fund instead. I'm not suggesting you move in to make you any less than you are. It's purely selfish. I want you with me. And you know Grace loves it at the house. And all Grace is going to care about is being with her dad, wherever that is. My mom left when I was young, I only had my dad, so trust me on this, okay?"
The sound of the warning bell and a door opening interrupted them as Sang Min was led out and sat in front of them, picking up his phone. Danny sat and picked up the one on their end.
Sang Min took his time before speaking. "You wanted to see me again, cop?"
"What can I say, I like your smile," Steve hit the back of his hand against Danny's shoulder, but he ignored it.
"You got something for vampires, haole? Maybe you'd prefer a younger model," Sang Min sat back and opened his legs a little, taunting.
Steve grabbed the phone from Danny's hands, "We're here for information about Victor Hesse." Danny's eyes widened a little in surprise. He was convinced Steve was about to go caveman on Sang Min, but instead he'd channeled the aggression into the job. It's exactly what Danny wanted Steve to do for once, and he was impressed. Steve still showed his true colors when he threatened Sang Min to get the information, but it was classic Steve McGarrett tactics. Danny didn't expect two miracles in 20 seconds.
Danny got the phone back and was able to calm down the conversation and get the information from Sang Min. The only problem was knowing that they had to take Sang Min with them.
"Check you out, it's like the Asian John Travolta. Just got one more piece of jewelry for you, babe."
As Danny leaned down to attach the tracker to Sang Min's ankle, the 80s reject gave a lewd look at Steve. As much as he wanted to push Sang Min and then take his head off for it, he reined himself in. As Danny straightened up, Steve put a hand on his arm and kept a firm hold.
"Now you look perfect."
"Shame you weren't down there longer. It's lonely in prison."
"Yeah?" Danny asked, "How's the blood in prison, is the blood good? Cos the impression I get is that you just get the cold stuff that's been in a fridge too long. Steve has that stuff too," he gestured over his shoulder, "and I can tell he's not a huge fan 'cause he much prefers my neck." Danny pulled back his shirt collar just enough to show Sang Min the bite marks. "Don't know why I'm showing you though, 'cause you can smell it, I know you can. And whatever taunting you're doing behind my back at Steve? He's not the one you need to worry about, okay? Try anything and I'll take your head off faster than you can say 'spam'. You got it?"
Steve smirked behind Danny's back. He may have his primal urge to protect the one he'd marked, he may be a 'trained Neanderthal' at times, but he did love it when Danny threatened someone who didn't expect him to be so competent.
"Got it," Sang Min held his hands up and took a step back. "You're a badass cop with a vampire on a leash, I get it."
"Damn right,"Danny said, shoving the criminal in his bad suit out the door.
With Sang Min's introduction, they were able to get the information they needed on Hesse - both where he lived and where he hung out. Chin was dispatched to the house and reached it before Steve and Danny could get close to the neighborhood. When Chin informed them Hesse wasn't there, they headed to the club they'd been told about.
Securing Sang Min in the car as best as they could, they headed inside.
Steve wasn't happy that Danny had insisted on coming in with him - this was a private club for vampires and the humans who came in here tended to be here for one reason.
"You know, there was a time I'd question why on Earth a human would come in here, just to get fed on," Danny commented as they walked through, Steve glaring at any vampire who dared look at Danny.
"They get drinks all night, they talk…"
"Yeah, and then a vampire latches onto their neck and we all have to hope to God that they don't get carried away and kill the poor schmucks." Steve shot Danny a look. "I'm serious, I'm just asking. I mean, I only let you near me because I trust you. These people are strangers to each other. I get it, to a degree, because I know it feels good, but it's still a hell of a risk they take. A stupid one."
"Danny, please, can we just focus?"
They pushed through the curtains into another room and from the other direction came a familiar shape and scent to Steve. They stared at each other for a long moment, Steve's arm raised again in front of Danny in protective mode. Victor's eyes darted between them but in the next moment he was running for an exit with both Steve and Danny in pursuit, Steve yelling at Danny to stay with him.
Outside, they watched as Sang Min drove up in the Camaro and Victor jumped in. Steve flagged down a taxi and commandeered it. He told Danny to stay behind while he went after Victor, not letting Danny get a word in because he didn't have time. Instead he slid into the seat the driver vacated and took off, tires leaving a trail of burning rubber behind.
Steve called Danny's cell as he drove off. "Don't start with me Danny, just tell me where he's going."
"You're lucky he's still got the anklet on, McGarrett and head to the harbor. By the way, I do not appreciate being left behind. We are 'partners' that means we work together."
"What are we doing right now? We're working together, you're directing me."
"I should be in that car with you, dammit."
"If I brought you along, Victor could use you against me. He'd know instantly what you mean to me, and if I'm too busy worrying about you I could miss an opportunity to kill him."
"Steve, I can take care of myself."
"I know that, but it doesn't stop me worrying. Just let me have this okay? I'm pulling into the harbor, where are they?"
"Okay, it's stopped moving. Looks like they're at a slip. Number 71."
"I'm on it. Stay where you are, call Kono to pick you up, and send Chin here if you're worried about back up."
"Fine, don't shoot my car again, okay? I want it back in one piece." Danny snarled into the phone and then prodded the End button in frustration. He called Chin and told him where Steve was, Chin easily picking up on Danny's anger, and attempting to reason with him. Danny admitted he knew Steve didn't mean anything by leaving him out of it. Chin argued his case quite well in the few minutes it took him to catch up to the harbor and park by the taxi. Just before he hung up he reminded Danny that Hesse was a vampire, as was Steve, as was Chin himself and thus, they were more evenly matched.
He was about to call Kono when he heard a voice from behind, "Excuse me?"
He turned to the voice, but the figure was in shadow. "Can I help you?"
"I'm not sure, are you a police officer?"
Danny moved towards the side alley where the man was leaning on the wall, still bathed in darkness, the streetlights not quite reaching him. "Detective Danny Williams. Five-0." His hand stayed near his hip as he got a bad feeling in his gut when he couldn't see the man's face.
"I thought so." A moment later the man stepped into the light and Danny instantly recognized the face. His gut was right.
"How did you…?" Was all he managed to say before his world went black.
Steve came out of the boat holding the anklet that had once been secured to Sang Min. Now both he and Hesse were nowhere to be found. He walked up to where Chin met him.
"Steve?"
"They gave us the slip," Steve answered, holding the anklet up.
"So you just pissed off Danny for nothing?"
Steve winced. He was going to have to make it up to Danny when he got back to HQ. "Come on, let's get back so I can face his wrath."
"Danny?" he called out as he got there, feeling it better to be preemptive in the situation and nip it all in the bud.
"I thought he was with you." Kono said from the bull pen.
"No, he was supposed to call you and get picked up from the club."
"He never called me," Kono shook her head.
"What do you mean, he never called?" Steve could feel Chin standing by his shoulder, both of them were tensing up.
Kono pulled out her phone and lifted it so Steve could see, "He didn't call. What happened?"
Steve brought a hand to his face and held it over his mouth.
"Maybe he just needed to cool off, got a taxi or something," Chin suggested.
"He would tell us, we're in the middle of a case, he wouldn't go off the grid." Steve watched as Kono started calling Danny and stood there not getting an answer.
"Hesse got to him."
"You don't know that for sure."
"It's the only explanation, Chin. I saw him in the club, he looked at both of us, he must have realized what Danny is to me. He's taken him, I know it. He must have doubled back."
"If he has, we'll find him, Steve."
Steve leaned on the tech table, the muscles in his arms straining as he fought the desire to punch something. In that moment, when he realized that Danny was in trouble, his mind had gone off the reservation. His control was being held by a thin thread and the silence that Chin and Kono were letting hang between them was telling - neither of them wanted to spook him.
It took long, steady minutes of deep breaths before Steve could think straight, but he knew he had to pull it together because he'd be useless to Danny if he fell apart right now.
"Steve?" Chin asked carefully.
"I'm good. We'll get him back," Steve nodded, squeezed his eyes shut then opened them as he turned to his friends.
"Let's go retrace his steps, maybe you'll pick up on something, be able to follow his trail," Chin suggested.
Steve nodded, clapped Chin on his shoulder and followed him out to the Camaro that they now had back. He wasn't keen on the trace smells of Sang Min and Hesse that he could detect, and vowed to get the car deep cleaned when this was all done. A part of him wished Hesse and Sang Min had kept the car, that way they'd be able to track the GPS, but they'd abandoned it at the harbor.
Arriving at the club again he got out and headed to the back door where he'd last seen Danny. He looked around, hands on his hips, trying to see what had happened. He replayed it in his mind, as he ran ahead of Danny, stopped the taxi and jumped in, seeing Danny jump the last of the metal stairs and it looked like he'd been shouting Steve's name at the time.
He tried to capture Danny's scent in the air but this place was crawling with vampires and humans, all of whom had left trace scents behind. He was struggling to pick them apart.
"I don't know Chin, there's so many."
"You know Danny." Chin came closer to him, his footsteps quiet. "Close your eyes, concentrate. You've trained to do this. Think of Danny, what do you get."
Steve stood, eyes closed, took a deep breath in and shut out the noises around him. He smiled faintly, just catching a glimpse of Danny and losing it, struggling to regain it, turning in its direction.
"What are you getting, Steve?"
"Light," he whispered back. "I'm trying to follow the light."
"Light?"
"Danny… he glows, he shines," Steve smiled again, regaining something of Danny around him. "He stands out."
Steve could hear the frown in Chin's voice. "Are you being literal?"
Steve opened his eyes. He knew Danny had been here, could smell him, could imagine a bright trail, but direction was vague and difficult to distinguish. At Chin's question, he wondered if he'd said too much, given away too much of himself and how important Danny was to him. But this was Chin. He trusted Chin and the other vampire knew a lot of his history. "Yes. I can't explain it and I know no one else sees it but I do."
"It could be magic."
"I thought that, but Danny's not practicing. If he was I'd know by now and besides, when we had that case with the suspected mermaid, Danny said magic was practiced by pretentious snobs and he was glad to stay away from it. Said they were right up there with werewolves with their secret society thing."
"Werewolves are extinct."
"That's what I said," Steve nodded.
"Still…" Chin moved to the car and leaned into the back seat, coming back with a scanner. "It can't hurt to try this out."
Steve watched as Chin fired up the device. Similar to an EMF reader, this one was calibrated to detect any remnants of magic use. Some people called it a spell-o-meter but the MDF scanner was based on sound scientific principles.
"Hold on, I think I've got something." Chin followed the flashing trail on the device to a side alley. Steve bent down, seeing a small amount of blood low against the wall. Touching a little of it and bringing it to the tip of his tongue, he instantly recognized it. "It's Danny's."
His eyes darted around the area and settled on the reflection off something shiny a few feet away, behind a trash dumpster. He reached over and grabbed Danny's phone, clutching it in his hand. He knew now for sure that Danny had been taken and a stone settled in the pit of his stomach. If Danny was hurt…
"Steve," Chin's voice drifted down to where Steve was crouched, "Unless there's something about Hesse you didn't know about or he's brought a practitioner to the party, then Danny's got magic, whether he knows it or not."
"Can we track it?" Steve looked up at Chin.
"We can try, it'll be slow going so we don't lose the field though."
"Right now, that's our only option."
"Wakey wakey…"
The voice drifted into Danny's ears. He didn't want to respond but there was a pain in his head that was getting more noticeable and forcing him awake. He groaned as he slowly blinked his eyes open, feeling whoever was annoying him tap against his head again impatiently. He tried to move away from it but found himself unable.
Opening his eyes, he saw Victor Hesse sitting in front of him. "Come on Daniel, we don't have long before we need to get you moved."
"What's going on? Steve?" Danny was aware of the gruffness in his voice. He tried to fight the bonds on his arms and legs holding him to the chair, but they wouldn't budge. He calculated that he couldn't have been there too long though as he hadn't lost feeling from the restriction yet.
"By now I'm sure he's realized I have you."
"And why do you have me? You know he wanted to kill you before, now he's really going to kick your ass."
"I try and unhinge him, kill his family, and he stays unflappable. Wherever it was he disappeared to at the end of the 1800s, they trained him well. But then," Hesse leaned forward, reached a hand out and ran his fingers down Danny's neck, "then he did something I've never seen before. He claimed a human pet. What is it about you, pet, that made him change his ways?"
Danny turned his head away. Clearly Hesse didn't remember about Steve's old partner, or didn't see the resemblance, and Danny wasn't going to remind him.
"I'm not a 'pet'. He's my partner."
"Humans are like cattle, Daniel. We feed on you. Occasionally, vampires take a liking to you, decide to keep you alive and take care of you, they make you their pets, that's all it is."
"That way of thinking ended centuries ago, Hesse, right around the time of the Supernatural War, funnily enough. You're a relic if you still think that way."
"You are a fiery one, aren't you?" Hesse gave a low, throaty laugh at Danny's disgusted look. Hesse reached his hand up to Danny's hair where the line of blood came from the bash on his scalp. He ran a finger over it and brought it to his lips. "Hmmm, that taste," he savored. "There's something in there, something I recognize, but can't put my finger on. It's been annoying me for the past half an hour. Thanks for the snack, by the way."
"You're disgusting."
"I did notice those marvelous marks over your body. Seems you've whored yourself out to McGarrett as a regular supplier. I just had to know what was so appealing. Know thy enemy, and all that."
"What are you doing here, Hesse? Huh? Quit the overlord chatter and get to the point will you? My arms are beginning to ache and my head is pounding."
Hesse stood and went to a table nearby, when he returned he attached a standard issue neck guard around Danny's throat and adjusted the pliable material over his collarbone. "Safe now," he laughed, before turning back to the table. Confused, Danny could do nothing more than watch as he then picked up a metal ring with attachments on it and came over to place it around Danny's neck too.
"What is that?" Danny asked, already suspecting he knew exactly what it was but really hoping for a different answer.
Fishing a remote out of his top pocket, Hesse got serious as he looked at Danny. "I've got important work to get done, and because of you and McGarrett finding me so soon I've had to entrust it to someone else. If my brother were here, that wouldn't be a problem but he's not. BECAUSE MCGARRETT KILLED HIM. So now I have to do this."
"You're going to blow me up? In retaliation?"
"No, though if you do blow up, it'll be a happy side benefit. I'm going to use you as a distraction. Now I'm going to untie you, and we're going to go outside and get in the car. Any sudden moves on your part and the bomb around your neck might detonate. You try and run, I press a button on this remote and you die. Don't be a hero, Daniel. Play along nicely and maybe McGarrett will get you out of this."
It had taken some time, but the MDF scanner had lead them to a house in a nondescript neighborhood of Honolulu. Checking the address with Kono back at HQ, they found out it was a rental and currently unoccupied. Steve and Chin had geared up in advance and as soon as the information had come in, they'd infiltrated the house. As they cleared each room, both commented on the smell. They both knew Hesse had been here and when Steve made his way through a side door into the garage, he could smell Danny. He took in the sight of the chair, ropes lying on the floor and knew they were gone already. They hadn't been quick enough and missed them. In anger, Steve lashed out, throwing the chair to the side and hearing the wooden legs break apart against the wall.
At Chin's worried call of his name Steve turned around. "We missed them, Chin, we were too late. We should have been faster."
"We can't have missed them by much, we'll pick up the trail again. In the meantime, we'll get HPD and the techs in here, see if they can find anything."
It took half an hour to get more personnel out to the house and begin the search. Steve wanted to be on hand. He'd looked around the place himself, but he couldn't see or smell anything that gave any more of a clue as to where Hesse had taken Danny now. The techs were going through a pile of electronics they'd found and their best guess so far had been the same as Steve's - that Hesse had been putting together some kind of incendiary device.
His phone buzzed, and he picked it up, "McGarrett."
"Boss, you need to get back here, now," Kono's urgent voice was unmistakeable.
"What's wrong?" Steve gestured to Chin and they both headed to the car.
"They're clearing the building, there's a bomb threat. It's Danny, Steve. Hesse brought him here. He's strapped."
"We're on our way," he hung up, glad Chin was doing the driving. "Back to the office, now, Chin."
"Danny! DANNY!" Steve yelled as he barged his way through the barrier, Chin close behind him as they ran to where Danny was kneeling on the ground, right out in the open in front of Iolani Palace.
"Steve, what are you doing?" Danny looked up and asked.
"Don't move," Steve said, his hand held just above Danny's shoulder.
"Of course I'm not going to move, I have a bomb on my neck and what the hell are you doing here without suits on?"
Steve got to his knees in front of Danny, "If you're not wearing one, neither are we."
"Well, that's just stupid," Danny wanted to shake his head at Steve but was scared to move too much.
"What happened?" Chin asked.
"I don't know, I got jumped in the alley outside the club, then taken somewhere. Steve, this is important, something is going down, I'm only like this to keep you away from it."
"Well, job done."
"Steve-"
"No, Danny, you're my priority."
Danny took a steadying breath, "As much as I really don't want to die today, you can't negotiate with him. It'll be a trap, whatever he's going to do."
Before they could argue more, the phone Danny had clutched in his hand began to ring. Startled slightly he could do no more than let his eyes drift down from Steve's face, but he didn't risk lowering his head too much. "It's him, he said he'd call."
Danny slowly lifted his hand and gave Steve the phone, their fingers brushing together for a moment too long as the phone was passed. Steve looked at the caller ID before lifting it to his ear, looking around the area, scanning to see if they were being watched.
"Victor."
"I'm holding a detonator for the bomb strapped to your pet there. It's important that you realize who holds all the cards, Steven."
"What do you want?"
"I'm going to text you a place to meet, come alone, or your pet won't be around for much longer."
"I'm going to kill you, Victor. You understand? This time you're not going to walk away."
As Victor hung up, Steve motioned for Chin to go check what was going on behind the barriers while he waited with Danny. He tried to examine Danny's neck without touching the device.
"I've seen this before, he used something like this in Belfast. 2002." Steve sat back on his haunches and Danny immediately recognized his face. It was serious. This was a Steve McGarrett switching himself into 'duty' mode. It was certainly a relative of aneurism face, but with less emotion behind it. Clearly Steve was struggling and had to put all of himself in lock down to get through this. "It's bio-metric armor with a mercury motion sensor, which means if we try to move you the bomb will detonate. Same if we try to cut it off. It's likely the detonator needs his thumb print to work. So I need to get Hesse to get you out of this."
"Okay, uh… you know whatever Hesse has planned for you, he wants you dead and he's probably going to kill me no matter what, you know that. And he's doing all of this to distract you from whatever deal he's got going down that he's sent someone else to finish. "
"Yes, yes, I know. But he wants a face to face and it's my only shot right now to get him and save you. I have no choice, okay Danny? I need to do this because I'll be damned if I don't try everything I can to save you. He's got a deal going down? Fine, let him. And I know you're going to say that we're cops and there's procedures for this but dammit Danny, I don't care right now."
"Okay, relax, Superman, stop. Dial it down a notch for me. I understand, okay? You've got to do, what you've got to do."
"Grace needs her father, Danny. And I need to know that the one good thing in my life is healthy and alive."
"Okay. And I appreciate it. Just, I need you to know that I don't want you getting dead either."
The phone buzzed with a text message alert and Steve opened it up. Danny could only assume it was the address. Steve looked at Danny and carefully reached a hand out to Danny's cheek. Tentatively he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Danny's lips.
"I'll be back soon."
"You better be," Danny answered as he watched Steve walk off to his truck.
Danny couldn't keep his eyes on Steve for very long, he had to keep his head facing forward, careful not to jolt the collar around his neck. It was in moments like these that clarity seemed to come to a person and right now, Danny felt no different.
While Steve was by his side, albeit as stupid as he was being to get so close, Danny felt safer having him there. As he walked off, the fear crept back up Danny's spine that the bomb was about to go off and leave Grace without a father and Steve without, well, without Danny to keep his 'crazy' in line. These last few days, the arguments with Steve… Danny felt like a fool for allowing them to become so important in his life. Steve may get intense at times, but he was Steve, it was how he was and it was one of the many reasons Danny loved him. Being at his own apartment had been lonely. He'd wanted the space, he'd made a big deal out of it, and when Steve asked him how he was, he never mentioned that he'd grown so accustomed to being around Steve that having space again had felt too open, too bare. Too quiet. He'd let his pride get in the way and he had to reconcile that with what was going on in his life.
He raised his head to the sky and silently asked any deity that may exist to please get them out of this so Danny could do his best not to screw up the best relationship he'd ever had.
Steve drove while Kono hid in the back of the truck. He may have been told to go alone but he needed her close by with her rifle in case he needed help subduing Hesse. He wouldn't risk letting Hesse go when he knew he needed his fingerprint to free Danny.
As Steve approached, he brought his truck as close as he could. Kono had already jumped out further back on the road, out of sight, and by now she should be somewhere hidden with a good sight-line on Hesse.
He climbed out but Hesse stopped him from getting too much further.
"Where's Sang Min?"
"Enjoying his freedom. He said to say thanks, by the way."
"I'll find him."
"You're a confident fellow, Steve. I assume you think you're going to save your pet."
"You wanted me here, I'm here. Deactivate the bomb."
"I don't think so, Steve. This is about honor, it's about unfinished business. This is about looking into your eyes while I kill your pet. A man you claimed as your own and then did a piss poor job protecting."
"You don't need to kill him, It's me you want dead."
"No, I want you suffering first. It's what I've been trying to do for all these years, ever since I sent those boys after that Deputy you always favored… wait…"
Steve saw the dawning look in Hesse's eyes, like he was putting together the pieces of a puzzle and he had to use the distraction while he could. He shouted 'now' into the microphone by his shoulder and only a moment later, a bullet ripped into Hesse's body.
He rushed at Hesse, hoping the pain would disorient the other man and they grappled on the ground, both trying to reach for the detonator that had been dropped. Doing his best to push Hesse away he reeled back and let loose a series of punches, venting his anger at the other vampire and putting all his strength into it, for Danny and for Thomas. He took a moment, when he realized Hesse was too dazed to fight back and used the opportunity to scramble away for the detonator, and then returned to Hesse's side and used the thumb print scanner to disarm the bomb.
He allowed himself a moment to sag back in relief, knowing Danny would be safe now, but it was a moment he shouldn't have allowed himself as Hesse swung back at him again. He fell forward, hands grasping at dirt before turning to find Hesse back on his feet again, watching warily.
Steve stood again and they eyed each other, circling like wolves.
"What have you been up to, Steven? Have you been playing with magic? Bringing back a lost love? Short and blond, I remember, feisty too… I also remember how glorious you were when you ripped that bank robber's throat out and hung the pieces of his body from the trees."
"It's not him."
"Could have fooled me. Almost did, actually. Vampires can't use magic, Steve," Hesse warned, "No practitioner would help you bring back someone from the dead."
"They didn't. It's not him. There's no magic."
"Ah but there is, Steven. I knew I recognized that taste. 1922, Moscow. I fed from a whole family of practitioners. I know the taste of magic and it flows through your pet."
Steve's eyes widened in shock. As much as Chin had begun to suspect, Steve was still sure he'd have known if Danny was magic. But he'd never fed from a live practitioner. He'd barely fed from live humans full stop in the time he'd been a vampire, preferring to survive on animal blood before the advent of the blood banks. To have Hesse now reveal to him that taste in Danny that he knew had been special was in fact magic?
Practitioners knew from a young age who they were. They were known to manifest naturally. Had Danny somehow hidden this side of himself or did he truly not know what he was?
The tides kept shifting between them. Steve had used Hesse's surprise against him long enough to free Danny, but now, Hesse was able to do the same. As Steve digested this new information, and belatedly felt the sting of jealousy as he realized Victor had tasted Danny's blood, a taser appeared in Hesse's hands. As Kono attempted to get another shot off, and missed, Hesse got a shot off at Steve, and he collapsed to the ground in fits as the electricity ran through him, giving Hesse enough time to get into his stolen car and drive off.
Danny was feeling the heat now, he may not be wearing the tie, but he had something much worse constricting him. When he heard a beep come from his neck he braced himself, thinking in that moment that it was about to go off, that Hesse had taunted Steve enough and had hit the button.
Then nothing happened.
He daren't open his eyes, or move, he just held his breath until Chin's gentle voice sounded in his ear. "It's over, Danny."
Chin reached around him and unclipped the bomb, handing it off to one of the bomb disposal guys before crouching down by him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Danny slid to the side and let his legs stretch out beside him before falling onto his back, his hands covering his eyes as he thanked God for more time with his Grace, and his family.
Chin remained crouched over him, a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh my god," he breathed. "Steve? Did he get him?"
"Haven't heard yet, but come on," Chin helped hoist Danny to his feet. "We need to get you something to drink."
"Beer sounds good right about now."
"I was thinking something more along the lines of a bottle of water. You're dehydrated, brah."
"Danny?" Steve called as he burst through the doors to the office.
Danny and Chin were by the tech table, Danny leaning back on it, his tie no where to be seen and his shirt wide open, but he still wore the neck guard, it's pleather material sticking to his skin.
"Steve," he said, straightening up, "Did you get him? Tell me you got him."
Steve broke into a slight jog as he got closer and grabbed Danny into a bear hug so fierce it pushed them both back against the table, the edge digging painfully into Danny's hip but he didn't let it show. Steve pulled back just enough to be able to see Danny's face and make sure he was okay, his hand cupped behind Danny's head threaded in his hair.
"He got away."
At Steve's downcast look, one that made him look guilty as if he'd failed. Danny reached up a hand to grasp at his Steve's bicep. "Hey, third time's a charm."
"I've tried to kill him a lot more than three times, Danno."
"Not with me you haven't, okay? And next time, he's going down, I promise. Right now I'm just glad we both made it out of this in one piece."
Steve leaned in and kissed Danny. It pushed his head back with the force but it wasn't so much passionate as it was reassuring and relieved. When they broke apart, Chin and Kono had miraculously slipped away, giving them this moment of privacy.
Steve frowned at Danny, "You're wearing a neck guard? Thought you hated those things?"
"I do, it kinda itches. Hesse put it on me with the bomb, I just haven't taken it off yet, because I thought you could do it for me."
"Okay," Steve dragged out, confused.
"I've been doing some thinking, and I just want to be honest with you about stuff since who knows when this crazy ride we're on is going to end, and I don't want to regret anything." Danny tilted his head so Steve could access the catch on the guard, slowly pulling it away from Danny's skin.
"So what do you want to tell me?" Steve dropped the offending item on the table behind Danny.
"I want to tell you that these last few nights where you attempted to give me some space and I told you they were great and relaxing? Well, I wasn't exactly truthful," Danny rubbed the back of his hand on his forehead before clasping both of his hands together between their bodies. "I hated it."
"You hated it?"
"Didn't like it."
"So what you're saying is, you don't want to go to your own apartment tonight," Steve reasoned.
"What I'm saying is that although I have legitimate concerns about what we're doing and how we're doing it, I don't want you thinking, ever, that I don't love you and want to be with you. And if you need my help or you need to go all Neanderthal, then I recognize that I should be somewhat… accommodating."
"You're cutting me some slack?" Steve smiled.
"I'm compromising. For a start, I had you take off that guard because what's under it is yours, babe. It's been a few days, and I know that having Hesse grabbing me, his stink is probably on me…" Danny tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck. "I know you're feeling it right now so go ahead, babe, mark me up again."
Still smiling, Steve just looked at Danny and Danny loved it, seeing Steve relaxing now the case was over, even if Hesse did get away again, seeing that the two of them would be okay. He expected Steve to bear his fangs and sink them in right there, but he didn't, he grabbed Danny's face and kissed him again, but this time, it was the kind of kiss designed to melt Danny's knees and had it not been for the table behind him, he's sure he would have sunk to the ground. He moaned against Steve's lips as their tongues met, Steve lightly biting Danny's bottom lip before kissing and nibbling a trail over to his ear and down his throat until he reached his collarbone. Danny couldn't help the small yelp as Steve's teeth dug in, the beginning always painful as the skin broke. He gripped Steve's arms and tensed up but after a few moments the pain washed away and he felt that high that always accompanied Steve's bite. He relaxed into Steve's hold, his upper body going limp, leaning against Steve as he finished off.
He smiled into Steve's shirt, enjoying the texture against his cheek and the smell of Steve's sweat after the long, hard day they'd just had.
"You taste so good, Danny. Why do you taste so good?" Steve breathed against Danny's hair.
"I dunno, good genes?" Steve stiffened slightly against him, but Danny refused to let go of the happy, slightly drugged feeling he was floating in. He felt himself being manhandled and walked away from where they were and after a few seconds he and Steve collapsed against something soft.
He let go of the haze and came back to himself, realizing that Steve had brought them into his office and they were sitting on the couch, Danny held against Steve's chest while Steve nuzzled against his temple.
"You okay?" Danny asked, leaning back slightly, steadying himself with a hand on Steve's thigh.
"I think we need to talk, Danny."
"What about?"
"When Chin and I went hunting for you, back at the club we tried to pick up your trail and followed it to a house."
Danny nodded as he listened. "Hesse had me somewhere while I was unconscious, he waited for me to wake before we came back into the HQ."
"I know, we found some of your blood at the scene, we knew you'd been there."
"I didn't realize your sense of smell was so strong, babe. Kinda feeling self-conscious about my feet now."
Steve smiled, "It's not, don't worry. I didn't have much luck with scent. I could smell you there but I couldn't hold onto it." Steve reached out and ran a hand through Danny's hair, smoothing it back behind his ear. "You know how I tell you how you're my light?"
"Yeah…" Danny had accused Steve of being overly romantic when he gushed about Danny like that. He always felt it made him feel like he'd walked out of a Harlequin romance.
"I told Chin and he took it literally. He brought out the MDF scanner from the car."
"The Magical Dispersion Field scanner, that MDF?"
"We latched onto you with that, we used it to follow the trail," Steve grimaced, clearly not sure what Danny's response would be, but Danny just felt he had to state the obvious.
"I don't practice magic."
"But you have it."
"I can't," Danny argued, "I'd know if I had magic." No one in his family had ever had magic, not as far as he was aware. The Williams family line may go back through British, Irish and Italian roots, but just because he was from 'the old world' didn't mean he carried any supernatural talents.
"Danny," Steve latched onto Danny's hands to stop him moving them about so much. "I just know what we saw on that reader. And that was after you'd left the area and hadn't actually done any spell casting. Whatever it is that tipped off the reader, it was magic and it was coming from you. I think the light I see in you must be magic, and it's strong."
Danny broke his hands free from Steve's and wiped them over his face. "Maybe it was broken, maybe Hesse had something…"
"If it was broken we'd never have got to the house. And Hesse is a vampire, we don't have magic."
Danny stood and paced to the wall and back before stopping in front of Steve. "How could I have magic and not know it? I'd feel something, right? People feel magic when they have it. My mom and dad don't have it, my grandparents didn't have it… oh god, what if I'm illegitimate, or adopted? I'm blond, right? Everyone else in my immediate family has dark hair, except my sister, but that's a bottle..."
Steve appeared in front of Danny again, cutting him off from his worried ramblings, "Hey, hey hey… we'll get to the bottom of this, I promise."
"Okay, yeah, I mean, we're detectives. We'll look at it like detectives."
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"We're taking the rest of the day off and we're going to your apartment, boxing up the rest of your things and taking them to the house."
"I'm moving in with you?" Danny asked as he was shoved out the door of the office.
"Yes," Steve answered with a smug look on his face.
"Wait, I said we'd compromise about all of this, I didn't say you'd get your way."
"No, but you said you hated being alone, so moving in with me solves the problem of you missing me when you're not with me." Steve's look remained remarkably pleased with himself.
"I hate you so much sometimes."
"You love me."
"I tolerate you."
"Pass me the keys, I'm driving."
"Can I ask you a question? Why are you always driving MY car?"
Steve paused. "I like to drive."
"No, Rainman likes to drive, you? You have control issues."