Title: Unexpected Comfort
Summary: Can Kono and Steve forgive themselves and one another when they cross the lines of friendship and betray the ones they love? Will that one mistake end their camaraderie forever?
Rating: M for mature
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, if I did the show would be moving in a slightly different direction then it currently is.
AN: This initially started off as a short snippet of a hook up between Steve and Kono, immediately following the season 4 finale (O ka Pili 'Ohana ka 'Oi), but it took on a life of its own and suddenly became a full-fledged story. I hope you like it. Please leave a review, would love to see what you think. There is cheating involved so if that offends you please don't read.
Part 1
"Hey, you mind if I hang out a bit longer?" she asked stepping out onto Steve's lanai after using the restroom. Her colleagues had departed the impromptu get together, celebrating their newest team member Grover, just a few moments ago.
Sitting on the patio chair, his legs stretched out over the edge of the table Steve turned his head, to look behind him, surprised to see her still here. "Not at all." Lowering his feet to the ground he stood and walked over to the large cooler that sat along the wall, lifting the lid, he reached inside. "You want another beer?"
"Sure." She said sitting back down on the seat she had vacated not five minutes earlier. While in the bathroom Kono debated whether to leave, following out the rest of her teammates or stay a bit longer. Normally she would have rushed home to meet Adam but last night's conversation about their future, had her stomach tied up in knots. It brought up doubts she didn't know she had. Instead of going home and spending her night trying to discover what was bothering her, she decided to stay at Steve's a bit longer, hoping to keep her mind occupied with something other then Adam and their future.
"So. Do you wanna tell me what's bothering you?" He asked looking at her after a few moments of silence. Throughout the night Steve noticed her subdued demeanor. For all intensive purposes Kono was an extroverted person, unlike himself, but she wasn't one to share her private affairs. She could talk about anything, work, sports, cars, guns, movies, books, but when it came to personal thoughts and feeling she was a closed shell, much like himself.
"What makes you think anything's bothering me?" She exclaimed with a small gasp of surprise, thinking she did a well enough job masking the internal debate that had plagued her throughout the night.
"Come on, after all these years I think I can see though you a little better then that, Kono." He said quietly giving her a pointed look.
"Fine" She said quietly breaking her eye contact and looking down to her hands, thankful for the cold beer sitting there. "A few days ago Adam started talking about marriage." She said finally blurting out exactly what was on her mind.
"And?"
"And it made me start thinking about our relationship." She said rubbing the condensation of the cold bottle with the tips of her fingers, before landing on the corner of the label that had started to unravel.
"In what sense?"
"I don't know. I love him. I know I love him, but…" She said with a shrug, unsure how to continue.
"But what?"
"I sometimes wonder if the reason we stayed together all this time was because of all this craziness that was going on around us. All these obstacles we had to overcome. All these people we had to prove ourselves to. And not because we loved each other as deeply as we thought." She said quietly pulling little scraps of wet label off her beer and letting them float down to the ground next to her seat.
"But you don't have to go through that any more. I mean things are finally settled. You guys are free to enjoy your life." Steve said leaning forward, placing his elbows on the table and entwining his fingers in front of him.
"I guess." She said lifting the cold beer to her lips. Taking a large swallow she sighed and looked into the dark night.
She hadn't expected Steve to say much. It was his nature to let one stew in their own thoughts before he interrupted with his own take on the situation. And at that moment she was thankful for that. "It almost feels like…" She said after a few moments of silence.
"What?"
"When you were in high school have you ever liked someone for the longest time, watching them, wishing they liked you back, hoping to one day be with them? Dreaming how it would be? " She said looking over at him a small smile crossing her plump lips.
"Sure, who hasn't?"
"And did you ever get your wish?" She asked lifting her eyebrows.
"Yes." He nodded leaning back in his chair unsure where this conversation was going. Knowing Kono, he would get his answer fairly soon.
"And how did you feel when it finally happened?" she deadpanned, her face suddenly sober, her look sharp and serious.
The realization of what she was saying hit him like a freight train. The lure of the chase was where the excitement usually lies. The buildup and expectation of what could be, differed wildly from the reality of what was. Sighing softly he met her troubled eyes and nodded. "I get it."
"I feel like that." She said breaking the too long eye contact and leaned back in her chair once again.
He sat in the semi-darkness looking at her not saying anything, giving her time to absorb what she had just admitted to. Eventually she sighed as if her confession suddenly lifted a ton of bricks off her back. She took another swig of her beer and shook her head slightly. "Crazy huh?"
"No, not crazy. Smart." He said picking up his beer off table.
"Why?"
"Because you're thinking with your head not just your heart. I've been there," he said with a sardonic chuckle, taking a large gulp of the cold liquid. "In fact I'm there right now."
"In what way?" she asked surprised by his admission. Steve was a very private man. He kept his personal feelings to himself and it would take a lot for someone like him to disclose to anyone, let alone her, that he was conflicted in his love life.
Sitting quietly for a moment he looked into the distance of the night before he finally spoke. "My heart is telling me to throw everything into the wind and go find Catherine, but my head is telling me to let it go. I could follow my heart and get myself or her killed, or I could listen to my head and let her do this on her own and hope that things work themselves out somehow."
Surprised at not only his words but the amount of them, Kono looked over at Steve across the table and smirked. "Aren't we pathetic?"
"We kinda are." He said laughing softly.
"Don't you sometimes wish that your brain would just stop for a minute? That the thoughts, the worries, and the doubts would just disappear and you could just enjoy yourself without over thinking every situation?"
"Every day Kono. Every day." He said smirking at her. "Only time that actually happens for me is in the water and nowhere else."
"Me too." She said with a sigh as she leaned her head back against the patio chair and closed her eyes.
"So lets go then." He said, suddenly standing from his seat, slamming the empty bottle onto the wooden table and extending his hand towards the water beyond the lanai they were currently occupying.
"What? Are you serious?"
"Why not? It not like we have anything better to do." He said with a smile. Steve was desperate to let his mind rest for a couple of hours and judging by the look on Kono's face, so was she. What better way to do that then to go for a swim.
"Okay." She said a smile finally breaking the somber look she had been wearing all night. Standing up she pulled her tank top over her head, revealing a bright yellow bikini she wore underneath. She kicked off her flip-flops and reached down to the button of her shorts.
Her sudden semi-undress threw him momentarily. It wasn't like he never saw her in swimwear before, but standing there alone with her on his lanai while she undressed made him swallow back the sudden need to place his hands on her lean, tan body and help her with the last item of her clothing. Shaking himself out of the unanticipated thought, Steve pulled his eyes from her and reached down to remove his tee shirt and shorts. Like her, he was always dressed for a swim. After all, this was Hawaii and with so many beaches one never knew when you'd need to be prepared for it.
Walking behind him in the night air, the light on the back porch paving their way towards the water, Kono couldn't help but admire the man's physique. He was a beautiful looking man, not just outside but inside too. He was caring and compassionate, rarely showing that side of himself. At that moment however Kono only noticed the rippling muscles of his back, illuminated by the porch light as they crossed the lawn onto the darkened beach.
It was passed midnight when they finally stopped swimming and bobbed in the shallows of the ocean facing his house. The night was dark, only the moonlight illuminating their two forms, bouncing off the glassy water surrounding them. The night was quiet, a few crickets chirping in the distance. "I think after that my brain couldn't think even if it wanted to." She said tiredly, her feet pushing off the sand below every few seconds, letting the buoyancy of the water cradle her body on the surface.
"I told you that if we swim all the way to the Point, you'd be tired when we returned." He said looking over at her smiling face.
When they initially entered the ocean it was going to be for a quick swim, but when he suggested they swim over to the Point, as the locals call it, where the rocky shore steeply wraps into the ocean protecting the beach from the open waters and large waves, Kono's competitive nature wouldn't allow her to pass up the challenge.
"If I'm sore tomorrow, I'm gonna be knocking on you door bright and early so you can massage my achy arms and legs." She said with a chuckle.
"I don't think so, surfer girl, that swim should have been a piece of cake to you. It's you who should be ready to offer a massage."
"Huh…I doubt that. Your SEAL training, I'm sure, would have you swim that five times a day." She said pushing off the soft sand, letting her body float up and lay out on the surface as she ran her hands back and forth over the water. Looking up into the starry night, she heard him take in a deep breath, as a few drops of water flew though the air and landed on her cheek. "Steve?" she called, too relaxed to lift her head and look to see what he was up to.
He heard her call him just as he submerged his body and pushed off the sand towards her. Diving a few feet below surface, he moved his arms slowly whilst holding his breath, trying not to alert her that he was getting closer. Looking up from beneath her he saw the outline of her body illuminated by the moonlit sky above. Reaching up he wrapped his arms around her waist and tightened his grip before he felt her sudden struggle. He could hear her surprised scream before he pulled her against his body and tugged her under the water. Letting go after a few moments, he pushed himself away from her and broke the surface a few feet away, laughing loudly. When she finally emerged from the water, sputtering softly she moved the wet tendrils off her face and looked around trying to determine where he was.
"Steve. I'm gonna kill you." She shouted into the silent night. Twisting around she spotted him in the shallow leading up the beach. Knowing if he stood the water would only reach his waist she moved slowly trying to close some distance before he ruined her plan.
"Only if you catch me." He said bobbing slowly his knees occasionally touching the sand below.
Her stubborn nature prevented her from giving up without a fight; extending her arms into the air, she launched herself toward him. Seeing her intentions Steve tired to push off once again hoping to put more distance between them, but before he had a chance he saw her dolphin like leap as she flew through the air toward him.
Landing against him Kono placed her hands on his shoulders and with all her might pushed him backwards, dunking him. The sudden rush of water into his mouth brought on a feeling of drowning. Grabbing for the only thing around him, he wrapped his strong arms around her torso and pulled her body flush against him as they both entered the water.
When they finally broke the surface gasping for air, they stood frozen, not a foot from one anther, the water just above their waistline. Their breathing was heavy, their heart beats still racing and the touch of their bodies against one another still a vivid memory.
Standing opposite her Steve extended his hand intending to apologize for his offending behavior but when he touched her shoulder, the words he was about to utter got caught in his throat. Her cool wet silky skin called to him. Running his fingertips over her upper arm he heard a small moan escaped her lips. Unable to contain himself, he stepped forward, their bodies a mere breath from one another and looked into her eyes trying to gage the expression on her beautiful moonlit face. Her open lips and her tender look was all he needed before he placed his other hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.
Surprised by the sudden sexual tension crackling between the two of them, Kono took in a deep breath and allowed herself to feel his soft touch. In the back of her mind she knew what was happening was wrong but moving her eyes over the rippling muscles of his torso, she just couldn't resist lifting her hands and touching him.
She heard him sigh deeply as her hands started to map out the contours of his body.
Placing her hands over his collarbone she moved them slowly to his muscular shoulders, down his tight pecks, to his trim waist. When she finally reached his abdomen, she felt him shudder under her gentle touch. Letting her hands flow over his sides, she reached his back and explored the back of him with the same wonder as his front.
Unable to stand still any longer Steve grabbed Kono pulling her against him and placed his lips over her quick beating pulse point on her long slender neck. Licking the area slowly he heard her let out a soft whimper as her hands wrapped around his neck. Smiling to himself, he raised his hands and ran them over her soft cheeks, down her throat, across her shoulders, his hungry mouth following the path his hands were taking. When he moved lower and finally reached her breasts, he felt her nipples harden under his touch. Her body trembled under his touch as her hands suddenly tightened, her fingers digging into the flesh of his shoulders. Licking the area between the triangular scraps of her bikini top, Steve pushed his nose toward her left, then right breast, moving the material, exposing her engorged nipples. Wrapping his arms tighter around her waist he bent her backward to have better access to her now uncovered breasts.
By the time Steve placed his mouth over her hardened nipple Kono was already panting and whimpering from the exquisite attention he was devoting to her flesh. She gasped loudly when he gently bit down on her peak and worried it between his teeth. Moving over, Steve repeated the same process as he continued his ministrations with her other breast.
Kono felt like she was going to explode when she felt his hand wrap around her supple flesh as his tongue circled her areola. Unable to stand the sudden heat overwhelming her body she tangled one hand in his hair and pulled him away from her chest.
Momentarily surprised by her actions he looked at her with questions in his eyes. "Kono…" he whispered softly, his hands stilling against her body.
Smiling softly she pulled herself up, against him and wrapped her long arms around his neck, finally placing her lips over his. As he opened his mouth, she slipped her tongue past his lips searching him out. Their tongues tangled and circled each other with such ferocity and demand she finally had to pull away desperately seeking air.
One hand holding her against him while the other moved down towards her tight behind. Wandering over the thin material of her biking bottoms, he squeezed and rubbed his hand against her buttocks.
Her hands disentangled from his neck and traveled down his body until finally reaching his throbbing erection. She placed one hand over him while the other traveled to the back and squeezed his muscular buttocks. Sighing into her mouth, she stroked him through the material of his swim trunks but before she could reach the waistband and slip her hand inside, his hands settled on her behind and lifted her slightly off the ground. Anticipating what he was going to do Kono squeezed him one last time before shifting her hands up onto his shoulders, anchoring herself against him.
Letting the buoyancy of the water carry her Kono lifted her long legs off the smooth sand below and wrapped them around Steve's waist. He groaned deeply as her breasts pressed against his chest and her strong legs tightened around his hips, slowly moving against his straining erection.
She moaned into the dark night as he rubbed the tips of his fingers over the edge of her bikini while simultaneously pulling her into him, simulating the act of penetration. Slipping his fingertip under the material and between her cheeks, she whimpered in anticipation, as he slid them lower until he reached her hot center. He moaned into her mouth when he felt the slick heat between he thighs. Unable to resist he thrust two fingers deep into her slick heat while sucking on her lower lip and pulling on it gently.
She gyrated her body against him, her engorged bundle of nerves rubbing along his length as his fingers continued to move in and out of her. "No…" she whimpered into the night feeling her orgasm coming closer. She wanted to feel him within her when she came and at this rate she was going to be done before they get started.
"No, what?" he asked placing wet open mouth kisses over her neck and collarbone.
Moving her hands to his face she pulled him up and looked into his eyes. Eyes that reflected the same yearning and need as hers. "I need you inside me" she said attacking his salty lips with her own.
Aching to bury himself within her wet heat Steve pulled away his roaming digits, just as Kono placed the heels of her feet against his buttocks and pushed his swim trunks down over his ass, to his mid thigh. Untying one side of her bikini he moved the material to the side and pulled her toward him. Her strong legs wrapped around his waist and with one fierce move he found himself buried deep within her tight, slick pulsating heat.
"Ohh…" she whimpered loudly arching her back away from him as he entered her. His large girth stretching out the walls of her insides.
Moving his hand over her back he pulled her tightly to his chest. "You feel so good." He whispered into the crook of her neck, licking and biting the sensitive skin there.
Groaning loudly against her as she whispered his name he drove into her over and over. Overwhelmed by the tightening of her powerful muscles around his erection, her heals digging into the back of his buttocks, he claimed her slack lips as she came alive again, gouging her nails into his back, urging him on.
"I don't know how much longer…" he said running his tongue over her swollen lips.
"Sokay." She mumbled indicating she was almost at the cusp of her orgasm.
Slamming himself into her with a feverish pace he moaned loudly into her mouth, grabbing the round globes of her ass and pulling her toward him with all his might. "Kono…" he mumbled, each thrust going deeper then the one before.
Her name exiting his mouth into the dark moonlight night finally pushed her over the edge. "Oh Steve…ohh…" she moaned, as the walls around him started to contract, her insides spasming with such force she thought she was going to melt into the water and disappear.
"Ugh…" he ground out, barely hearing her loud scream over the roar of his rapidly beating heart. Her muscles clamping tightly around him, his hands digging into her hips as he pushed into her one last time before spilling his seed within her womb.
Holding her tightly against him, her head fell forward against his shoulder as the remnants of their orgasm still vibrated through their bodies. Lifting her chin with one hand while the other one was still tightly wrapped around her waist, he brought his mouth over hers once more.
She sighed into his kiss with satisfaction as she ran her hands over his shoulders and into his wet hair. "That was…"
"Unbelievable." He said smiling at her.
"Yeah it was." She said placing a few more kisses on his lips before she disentangled her legs from around his waist. As he slipped out of her she whimpered slightly and lowered her shaky legs to the sand below.
He ran his hands up her forearms to her shoulders, down her breastbone, stopping at her exposed chest. Looking down one last time he shifted the material over her nipples and back into place.
"You are so beautiful." He whispered looking into her surprised eyes.
Shaking her head in embarrassment she looked down and reached for her bikini bottoms, tying the one side of the offending item around her hip. "You'd say anything now." She said softly.
"I always thought you were beautiful. From the first moment I met you." He said softly.
"Steve…"
"What?" he said chuckling, reaching down himself, he pulled up his swim trunks and secured them on his hips. Reaching over he took her hand into his much larger one and pulled slightly so she would follow him. "Come on Miss. Kalakaua, we better get out of this water before we shrivel up like prunes."
"I think we already are." She said walking across the beach toward the faintly lit porch of his house.
Stepping up onto the lanai Steve reached under the bench on the corner and removed two towels, handing one to Kono.
She wrapped the towel around her body trying to take the chill of the night away from her still wet body. Looking over at Steve doing the same she sighed as the reality of what they just did finally hit her. "Steve" she whispered looking at him from a few feet away.
Her sad voice pulled him from his own wandering thoughts. Looking over at her standing there like a scared child, wrapped in his towel, he smiled sadly, understanding the worried look appearing on her face. "We can't take it back Kono." He said finally after a few moments of silence.
"I know." She said her voice cracking slightly with emotion
Running his hands over his wet hair he walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Do you know that commercial…what happens in Vegas?"
"Yeah."
"Well maybe we can think of if like that. What just happened here, between us" he said motioning towards the water, "stays between us."
Nodding, she cleared her throat before speaking again. "I can do that."
"So can I."
When he stepped back from her Kono walked over to the chair she occupied earlier in the night and retrieved her clothes. Slipping her feet into her flip-flops she tightened the towel around her chest. "Can I give this back tomorrow?"
"Keep it." He said giving her a soft smile.
"Okay." She said. Walking over toward him, she placed her hand on his cheek and caressed it softly before placing a kiss there. "I'll see you at work on Monday."
"Yeah I'll see you at work." He said touching her shoulder with the tips of his fingers before she stepped back and made her way down the path that lead around the house toward the front, where her car was parked.
Exhaling loudly Steve walked over to the cooler and retrieved a beer, twisting it open; he took a couple of large gulps. Plopping down into the patio chair, he lifted his feet onto the edge of the table and leaned his head backwards letting out a soft curse. The implications of what they had done tonight might change the course of their relationship so completely, potentially ruining them both. He didn't regret having sex with Kono, in fact there were many times he fantasized having the Hawaiian beauty wrapped around him, but fantasizing about the act and actually doing it completely changed the game. It would change how they interact, how they see one another, relate to one another at work and outside, but the scariest part for Steve was that it would change how he felt about her. Deep down he knew his feelings for her were more then brotherly. Now the feelings he pushed down for so long, would surface with such power, he'd never be able to squash them again.
It wasn't until after she got home that night that the soul crushing guilt finally set in. The realization of what her and Steve had done settled over her like a dark cloud. The betrayal of her relationship and the fear of loss she knew would come when she finally had to face Adam for the first time. She had broken the trust she was so adamant on having, all because things weren't moving in the direction she had expected them to.
Kono lay in her bed that Saturday and Sunday in a state of depression, only getting up to use the bathroom. She was unable to eat or sleep much, as the thought of the wild night with Steve assaulted her every waking moment. Adam was not the first man she had slept with, there were a few before him, when her life was wilder and her yearning for a deep connection was non-existent. He was an amazing lover but what she experienced with Steve was indescribable. The intensity between them was nothing she ever encountered before. She felt him within her long after she had left him standing on the lanai, long after she laid down in her own bed and long after the pieces of broken dreams with Adam battered her mind as she tried to sleep.
As Monday rolled in she got out of bed, finally letting the tears she had been keeping at bay emerge under the strong jets of her shower. When her sobs and tears were finally expelled she dressed slowly and made her way out of the house, hoping and praying that seeing Steve at work wasn't going to be as awkward as she expected.
Unfortunately she was wrong, it was worse. Stepping from the elevator, with a cup of coffee in her hand, Kono looked down to the floor not paying attention when she slammed full force into a stationary body in front of her. As the person placed their hands on her shoulders steadying her, she instantly recognized the touch of his hands on her still sensitive skin. "S…sorry." she sputtered lifting her head to look up at him.
"It's okay." He said giving her a small smile.
She tried to hide her reaction to his touch but her body betrayed her, as sudden goose bumps appeared over her skin while her insides shuddered from his closeness. Stepping back, she quickly tried to compose herself, realizing her reaction toward him. "I'm late." She mumbled not knowing what to say.
"You're not." He said softly looking over at the soft blush that appeared on her beautiful face. He could tell he was making her nervous but what she didn't know was that she was doing the same thing to him. This was the moment Steve had been afraid of all weekend. The moment he worried about. There was always an easy demeanor between them but standing in the empty hall, in front of the open doors of the elevator, he couldn't help but be afraid that things had changed too much for them to ever be able to interact with ease again. Sensing her need for retreat and dreading it, Steve turned toward her again. "I feel the same."
"What?"
"Nervous, scared, excited and a little awkward." He said, preventing himself from reaching out to comfort her by shoving his hands deep into his pockets.
Chuckling softly she looked into his eyes and gave him a genuine smile. "Like I said before. We are pathetic."
"We are." He said shaking his head. "But think of it this way, this was the hardest part."
"Yeah, we'll be fine." She said unsure if she was trying to convince him or herself. Unsure if she really meant it at all. If she wanted them to be fine and things between them to go back to the way they used to be. That sudden thought surprised and shocked her. Clearing her throat she looked down to the coffee she held in her hand, needing to put space between them. "Well I'm gonna go. I'll see you in there?"
"Yeah, I'll see you in there." He said reaching for the elevator button, which shut long before the end of their awkward first meeting. Stepping inside he turned and looked down the hall catching a last glimpse of her before she pulled the large glass doors open and disappeared from his view.
The memory of their encounter was fresh in his mind. In fact he dreamt about it many times that weekend, unable to comprehend that the woman he had in his arms on Friday was the same young rookie he met on a beach four years ago. The same rookie, who looked up to him for guidance when she got out of the academy. At that time he saw her as a young lady who was barely and adult even though she was twenty three, now when he looked at her, he saw a beautiful, sexy woman, who could make his blood boil with one look or shift of her body.
AN: I don't actually believe that Kono or Steve are the cheating types, based on how the show portrays them but I guess I couldn't get this scenario out of my mind and wanted to write a 'what if' scenario. I hope you don't judge too harshly. Please leave a review, the next part is coming up soon.