Summary: Episode tag to episode 14. MAJOR spoilers! And lots of fluff! Kono made a mistake, Danny was a jerk, and Steve is a little confused.
Previously:
LOTH 1: afterthe events of episode 12 Kono can't seem to let it go. Guess who's there to help?
LOTH2: Steve is a little obsessed with finding the truth, and it's wearing him out. Kono is there to pick up the pieces.
Love on the horizon Part 3
Apologies and comfort
Steve took another swallow of his beer.
'What is it, that makes you turn into a softy?'
'Why is it that anytime someone's father is involved you get all goofy?'
'…You lose all objectivity…. You don't have to save everybody…'
'If that guy hadn't messed up we'd be on our way to Paris right now.'
'Are you done?'
'Are you done?'
'Are you done?'
'SHUT UP!' Steve hurled his bottle into the wall, as he followed it he saw Kono standing a meter away from where the bottle had broken against the wall. His eyes widened, not sure to believe she was actually here.
'Kono?' Kono wouldn't look him in the eye
'Yeah, I'll leave.'
As she turned he quickly got up and blocked her escape.
'No! Don't go, I'm sorry… just a little tense today. Stay, have a beer.'
Kono looked into her boss's eyes. They were red from tiredness and they looked haunted. Judging by his uncharacteristic beer throwing a minute ago, something weighed heavily on his mind, and suddenly she felt guilty. She had let him down and he was probably disappointed in her.
'No, I should go.'
'Then why are you here?'
Steve held eye contact and saw the uncertainty there. He had a suspicion as to why she was there but she wasn't quite ready to spill the beans on it quite yet.
'All right, I'll stay. Just one beer though.' Adding a suspicious glare as he herded her inside of his house.
For some reason Steve felt elated at her acceptance and her grinned as she walked in front of him towards the couch.
'Want to watch a movie?' Steve asked as he rummaged through the fridge for some new beers.
'Sure, what do you have?'
'Take a look in the closet next to the TV.'
Kono sought through the DVD's as Steve quickly cleaned up the mess of his spilled beer.
'Found something?'
'Yes I have indeed.' Her voice and maniacal laughter slightly worried him. And he turned around to see what she had picked out.
'No! Not that one, that's a chick flick!'
'You said I could pick. I pick that one.'
She threw it towards him and settled herself on the couch. Steve looked disdainfully at the DVD. 'While you were sleeping' fell under the category 'sleepless in Seattle', basically meaning horrible. 'It makes Kono smile, so it can't be all that bad.'
Shrugging he turned and plugged the DVD in.
The first fifteen minutes they were distracted by the movie, but when the hospital scene came, Kono's guilt feelings came back and she knew she had to apologize.
'Boss?'
'Yeah?'
'I wanted to apologize.'
He turned towards her.
'what on earth for?'
'I let you down, I had him, he was sitting right in front of me and I couldn't tell.'
'Kono, you couldn't have known. Suspects lie, it's what they do when they're guilty and generally they're damn good at it. It's happened to me plenty of times. We're not flawless.'
He made sure she saw the sincerity in his eyes.
She nodded and blinked away the tears of embarrassment.
'You don't need to apologize but if it makes you feel better: apology accepted and all is forgiven.'
He smiled and she returned it. They turned back to the movie and continue to watch.
Steve couldn't focus on the story, after Kono's apology he was reminded of the case they had just worked. The things Danny had said shook him to the core. ´Do I really project my own problems onto the cases?' He felt like an idiot. What if it was true? It meant that he really was no longer objective on cases, it made him dangerous. Not just for himself but for the rest of the team, for Kono.
Kono saw the horrorstricken look on Steve's face and wondered what he was thinking about. It looked as though he was ready to bolt at any time. She laid a hand on his forearm and he jerked towards her, startled by her sudden move.
'Steve, are you ok?'
He looked thoughtful for a second and then asked:
'Do I let my personal feelings affect our cases?'
Kono wanted to laugh, but seeing the serious look in his eyes she refrained herself from doing so.
'No, of course not. You're the most objective person I know. Of course you feel a certain way about a suspect or a case, but you never let it interfere your work.'
He didn't look so sure. So she continued.
'In the time that I've known you, you've had to deal with quite a lot of bad things. Your dad, Hess, your mom. And regardless you come to work every day ready to tackle whatever comes your way. And even though you have everyone pretty fooled I just know there are a lot of emotions just below the surface. Now I know you're the big bad navy seal, tough as nails, but you're allowed to feel Steve. And of course you can't shut it off at work, but that's what makes you so good at what you do. You fight with such conviction, strong belief in what you think is right. It's why we follow your lead. That's what has made you who you are, a respected colleague and a good friend.'
Steve didn't know what to say, stunned by her honesty and care. Before he realized his actions he kissed her. A brief whisper of his lips against her but it was enough to make him tingle with warmth. A kiss of friendship and admiration.
'Thank you.'
Kono flushed and looked down. But Steve wouldn't have it; he took his right hand and tilted her head so that she could meet his eyes.
'You're amazing you know that? And if I'm the one leading you all, then you're definitely the glue holding it all together.'
Kono smiled and turned back towards the TV.
'The movie's ended.'
Realizing the need to step back from the emotions both were experiencing, he played along.
'Want to watch another?'
Kono looked at him, the double entendre in the tone of his words as clear as if he said it out loud.
'Don't leave me alone.'
'Sure, why don't you pick this time.'
'How about together?'
She nodded and got off the couch.
Half an hour later both were sound asleep. Steve's head resting on the couch behind him, Kono resting her head on his chest, his arm protectively around her, her arm protectively around him. Keeping each other safe from whatever fate would throw their way tomorrow.
That morning Danny walked into the house unannounced as usual, did a double take and walked back out with a soft smile on his face.
'Well how about that?'
AN: Kono and Steve are not together! Just comfort, but the love is building!