Steve blinked awake in the sunlight filtering through the curtains of their bedroom window. Danny wasn't lying next to him, which was confusing for two reasons: firstly, it was nine in the morning on a Saturday and his fiancé didn't do mornings, especially on weekends, and secondly it was Steve's birthday and he'd at least been hoping for some 'good morning' sex.

He sat up when Danny opened the door into the room and leaned against the door jamb. It looked like the detective had already been up and dressed for a while, as Steve observed his shoes and the house keys in his hand.

"Where have you been?"

It was so rare for Danny to forgo his usual lay in, and he wondered what was going on.

"I've just been to pick up part two of your birthday present," the Jersey man smiled, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Part two?" Steve pulled himself to sit upright, "What's part one?"

Danny slung his hips a little as he closed the distance between them, leaned down over his lover and pressed their lips together. His tongue met Steve's as they both opened to one another, and the blonde dropped his keys on the bed before sliding his fingers into the ex-con's hair and tugging a little. Steve's hands disappeared under Danny's t-shirt to caress his skin, and the kiss turned even more heated, to the point where they were both panting when they pulled apart.

"Mmm... That was part one," the cop sighed, grabbing the keys up again and forcing himself to stand up straight and back away, however much he wanted to continue. He couldn't go any further, not yet, because the best bit was still to come.

Steve looked slightly annoyed. "Is that it?"

"Get dressed," Danny chuckled and headed for the door, but the taller man was out of bed in a split second, grasping his wrist and spinning him around before backing him into the wall.

"It's my birthday," he bit at his fiancé's neck and made him gasp, "I want more than a kiss..."

Danny squirmed against him, wanting so much to give in. He could feel the tattooed man's hard cock through his boxers and Danny's jeans, and it would be so easy just to drop to his knees...

"No," he said as firmly as he could, struggling with the next word like he really didn't want to say it, "Nngh... Pineapple."

The way Steve suddenly backed off at the use of their safe word warmed his heart, even if he did look confused. That was why he trusted him so much; however much the ex-con loved to dominate, he would stop at a moment's notice if asked to.

"Believe me, babe," Danny swept his hair back with one hand in a nervous gesture, feeling guilty at the rebuff even if it was only temporary, "Just get dressed and come through to the living room..."

Steve grumbled to himself as his lover sidled out from between his body and the wall, and left the room. That steamy kiss had sent electricity straight to his dick, and now he was being denied. The safe word had been used, and on his birthday too! So far his day was not shaping up well.

Usually his dominating tactics worked, so he was intrigued to know what the hell was going on to make Danny suddenly able to resist him. He threw on fresh underwear, jeans and a t-shirt, and slipped on some old sneakers before following his fiancé.

The blonde was standing in the middle of the front room, a pensive expression painting his face.

"Where's part two then?" Steve grumbled, wondering if he was going to actually get the one birthday present he really wanted: naked Danny Williams.

His still frustratingly fully-clothed lover bounced on the balls of his feet. "Part three is malasadas and coffee at the beach... part two is how we're gonna get there..."

The longer this mystery went on, the more confused the mechanic was getting. Danny looked excited, but he was fiddling nervously with his keys, energy practically shimmering off him like heat off metal.

The detective's heartbeat was in his mouth, because he was desperately hoping he'd done the right thing with the gift that he'd just brought back to the house from where it had been hidden nearby. His own birthday present from Steve a month beforehand had been fantastic and thrilling, and the way the whole thing kept replaying in his mind meant it was the gift that kept on giving.

So the last thing he wanted to do was bring up bad memories on his fiancé's birthday and ruin things, but from the discussions they'd had in recent months he was guessing Steve's reaction would be positive. If not, he'd do his best to make it up to him.

"Okay..." the brunette gave him a suspicious glare and headed for the front door, but Danny reached out and gestured towards the internal door to the garage.

"This way," he prompted, "Close your eyes."

Steve was guided through the door after Danny opened it, gentle hands on his hips nudging him forward and finally turning him on one particular spot until he was facing the right way. He heard the cop take a deep breath.

"Okay, open them."

He blinked for a second, taking in the sight presented to him.

A large, unfamiliar black car sat in their garage... at least it was unfamiliar at first glance. The straight lines and curves seemed to clarify in front of him, triggering some long-forgotten recognition. The smell of leather and turtle wax, the sounds of smooth jazz while his dad worked on his pride and joy, and Steve passing him wrenches and oil rags while he sat on the stool in the open garage doorway and kept an eye on Mary-Ann as she played across the yard.

"A Mercury Marquis..." he whispered in amazement, unable to speak any further.

He reached out and ran his fingers across the shiny chrome of the grill reverently. It wasn't in perfect condition; the car was obviously old and needed work doing, though he was a mechanic with his own garage so it was hardly a challenge. He could set his team on it and have it perfect within a day or two, but there was no way he was letting anyone else touch this beauty.

Danny knew him so well, knew he loved a project to get his teeth into. It was the most wonderful present he'd ever received, and his heart lodged in his throat.

When he eventually found his voice and managed to stifle his tears, he smiled affectionately at his lover. "My dad used to have one of these, a 1974 Marquis, same colour. He used to let me help him when he fixed her up. I guess that's why I like working on cars now, it's kinda cathartic in a way."

Danny's blue eyes met his, and the shorter man swallowed hard and looked a little hesitant. "Yeah I know, babe... This, uh... This was your dad's car..."

The blonde honestly didn't know how Steve would react. He watched carefully as the ex-con's brow creased, and he turned back to the vehicle to gaze at it more intently. He moved tentatively around the car, trailing a hand over the paintwork and trims, touching the door handles, fingers tracing every little dent and scratch in the old beast, and all the while he was deathly silent. He paused over a particularly large dent in the wheel arch, remembering the exact accident that had caused it; his skateboard colliding with the paintwork at high velocity, his dad going nuts at him over the damage.

Danny was just on the verge of a full blown panic attack and wondering how he was going to make up for his bungled gift when Steve finished his slow three-sixty degree tour of the Marquis, coming to a stop a few inches away. He hadn't said a word, hadn't lifted his focus from the car for a second.

The Jersey man swallowed hard. "Babe?" he murmured quietly, as if he might scare the other man away.

Hazel eyes flicked up to him, and they were brimming with unshed tears. Shit, he's messed up. He'd upset Steve, brought back bad memories, made him think about loss when it should have been a wonderful day. What had he been thinking? Why the fuck didn't he just get the man a puppy like a normal person?

"Babe, I'm so so-" His apology was cut off as Steve leapt on him and crashed their lips together, arms encircling him tightly and squeezing until he couldn't breathe.

He was so stunned, he barely had a second to kiss his lover back before the mechanic was pulling away and gazing at him like he'd hung the moon.

"How?" Steve breathed out.

Danny stammered for a moment, finally registering the smile that was lifting the corners of the taller man's mouth and crinkling his eyes in that gorgeous way that made the cop's stomach do somersaults, and the fact that he'd actually asked Danny a question.

"Um, I, uh... Chin. Chin told me about your dad, and how he was always working on the car and..." He was released suddenly, almost stumbling, and Steve dashed to the driver side door and tugged it open to drop himself into the front seat. Danny followed him around and stood back to watch him caress the steering wheel and dashboard with his hands, eyes excited and wide.

"Everything was sold," the ex-con said absently, "The house, the car, everything Aunt Deb couldn't get transported with us to the mainland. It was all auctioned off..."

Danny nodded. "I looked up the records for the estate sale... I tracked it down for you. Chin helped me pick it up."

His lover looked up at him, hands still gripping the wheel like the car might disappear if he didn't keep hold of it. "And the owner was selling?"

The detective blushed a little and stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Well no, not at first... but then he's never met a Jersey boy before. We know how to talk the talk." He winked, and it made Steve's grin grow wider and his own heart twist at the sight.

The brunette stood, unfolding his tall frame from the Marquis and moving in towards Danny's body.

"You are perfect," he cupped the shorter man's chin, "I love you so much..."

The blonde gave him the most beautiful smile, a mixture of relief and joy and love on his features. It was like sunshine on an overcast day every time Steve saw it.

"Happy birthday, Steven."

A sly grin spread across the brunette's face. "You know, I always intended to borrow this car off my dad some day, maybe take it out for a spin with some lucky guy or girl... take it to prom, or something?"

The predatory glint in those hazel eyes made Danny's throat go dry. "Yeah?" he rasped.

Strong hands snuck onto his hips, and he was being guided a few steps backward so the mechanic could reach behind him and nudge the driver's door shut again. "Mm hm... I always had great things planned for the back seat of this car. Wanted to lose my virginity in it... Say... didn't you lose your virginity in a car?" he asked the question with faux innocence, knowing damn well that Danny had indeed done exactly that.

He'd told Steve the story when they'd been locked up in isolation, a wall dividing them so they were unable to touch one another, but an open grill meaning they could still communicate. They had bonded that week, finally forced to talk about themselves to each other without distractions of the flesh... although Danny had still been able to put his wicked tongue to good use, with most nights culminating in dirty talk to keep them satisfied, and that had included them both telling each other about their first sexual experiences.

Steve edged his lover around further so Danny's back was to the car, never breaking his heated gaze, until he could reach the handle for the back door and yank it open none too gently.

The cop licked his lips. "Uh huh..."

"You mind retelling that little story for me, baby?" His voice was low and gruff now, and Danny felt a shiver run through him as his ass bumped against the cool metal behind him.

He finally regained the ability to speak when Steve broke the eye contact and kissed down the side of his face and over to his ear.

"I uh -oh fuck- she and I worked together at a diner on Saturdays... We were always flirting -god, Steve- she liked me a lot, she was cute... oh god..." It was rather hard to keep his concentration on the story when the tattooed man was nibbling on his ear lobe and kneading his ass the way he was, and he briefly lost his train of thought.

"So you took her to the car..." Steve prompted impatiently, though he was grinning as he hurried his lover along.

"It was my Pa's Ford, he let me borrow it... she thought it was hot that I could drive, said she wanted to go for a ride..." He gasped when sharp teeth made their way down his artery and the thick muscle that connected his neck and shoulder.

"And did you?" Steve mumbled into his skin.

"Made it half a block before she told me to pull over." The shorter man hummed happily when his fiancé sucked a mark into his collarbone, and he hooked his fingers into the mechanic's belt loops.

"And when you got her in the back seat, what did you take off her first? Her blouse? Her skirt?" Steve's hands slid under Danny's t-shirt and squeezed possessively.

"Mmm... her top and her bra..."

The cop took in a sharp breath when the ex-con's hands thrust upward, and he raised his arms so Steve could pull his t-shirt over his head and throw it over his shoulder. He bit his lip and watched under low eyelashes as his tanned god of a man stripped off his own top as well.

"Then her skirt and panties..." he purred, the heat in his lover's eyes making his skin itch as he waited for Steve to perform his own version of Danny's first time.

He loved how the mechanic seemed to want to take every inch of Danny for himself, not just physically but on a more spiritual level. He'd told the taller man about his first times, and almost immediately Steve had wanted to have Danny in the same manner as his first encounter with a guy – hard, up against a wall, rough and ready and violent. Steve had fucked him in his isolation cell that way, having been unable to stop thinking about the scenario from the point it left the Jersey man's lips.

And now Steve was thinking about the blonde's first time with a girl, and he wanted that experience for himself as well; taking those memories and giving him newer, better versions, this time full of him instead.

Danny had to grip the side of the car as his jeans and boxers were wrestled off his hips, stepping out of them along with his footwear, and gasped as his lover mouthed over his stomach when he stood again and popped the button on his own flies. Once he'd kicked the clothing away from their feet, his dark eyes were back on the shorter man, scanning down his naked body and making him feel all kinds of exposed. Danny curled his fingers tightly around the door trim as a shiver ran through his body.

"What position did you take her in, Danny?" Steve growled the words out, hands skimming feather-light over his fiancé's ribs.

"Uh... she climbed on top of me..."

The brunette already knew all the details, but he wanted to hear it all again; imagining teenage Danny in the back seat, some girl wriggling in his lap, him falling to pieces under her. He'd wanted that with the Marquis, never had the chance to fulfil that dream, and now Danny was going to give him that fantasy... and there was no one else he'd rather experience it with than his gorgeous, sexy, breathtakingly wonderful partner in crime. The man who had gone to so much trouble to bring him the perfect gift. The man who was his perfect gift. The man he was going to marry.

Steve's hot breath skated over the skin under his ear as he spoke low against Danny's cheek. "You're going to show me what she did to you..."

Then Danny was grabbed hard by the arms, practically thrown into the back seat of the car, and manhandled into the tattooed man's lap so he was straddling his thighs in the middle of the seat, all the while being attacked by Steve's tongue and teeth like the man was a desperate wild thing and he was dinner.

Danny pressed their chests together, having to keep his neck bent and his head low because of the Marquis' roof height, and he used the opportunity to begin his own trail of fire down the mechanic's throat while Steve gripped his ass cheeks roughly and ground their hard cocks together.

"Fuck, Steve..." he whispered against the other man's skin, "I got her on top of me and I fingered her until she came. She fucking loved it..."

The brunette bit down on his shoulder hard, making him shudder and groan, but suddenly realised he'd arrived unprepared and had hit a stumbling block.

"Shit... lube..." he grumbled, dropping his head back against the seat.

Steve opened his eyes again when Danny chuckled to see a sly grin form on his lover's face.

"Whether it's because I was hopeful, or you're just predictable," he laughed and leaned over to shove his hand into the pocket in the back of the driver side seat, pulling out a bottle, "I made sure we were covered..."

Steve took the lube from him as the blonde tugged the rear door shut to seal them inside their own little world, and make the car feel even more intimate and private, regardless of the fact they were alone in the house. It made their breathing sound louder, bouncing off the glass and metal and leather surrounding them.

"Have I ever told you how unbelievably perfect you are, Danno?" he asked happily.

"Not nearly enough..." the detective bit at his lower lip as he initiated the kiss again, and Steve coated his fingers in the slippery gel before pulling Danny upward slightly and sliding his hand between his legs.

He pushed his index finger up into the cop, slowly at first so he could revel in the indecent moan that escaped Danny's mouth and was swallowed by his own. Steve worked his fiancé open, advancing to two fingers as he pressed bruises into Danny's thigh and ass cheek and hip and anywhere else he could grip hard while they kissed.

Danny tugged at Steve's hair to make him growl and intensify the rough way his man was owning his mouth. Their tongues glided over one another's and his other hand drifted to the ex-con's chest to seek out a nipple. He pinched hard and Steve roared, pulling back and grasping a handful of his hair so he could assault his throat with sharp teeth.

He had three fingers inside the blonde now, and Danny's hand moved to his other nipple to scrape his thumbnail over the hard nub. He was well aware they were sensitive when Steve was turned on, and was putting that knowledge to good use.

The mechanic couldn't handle waiting any longer, and he gripped Danny's hips as he moved him into position.

He pressed upward slightly, just enough for the head of his cock to push against the detective's hole. "Do to me what she did to you..."

The blonde sank down onto his lover's dick slowly, his back arching as much as he could in the restricted space. He gave himself a second to adjust to the stretch while Steve moaned and panted underneath him, and then lifted himself up to find the perfect rhythm with which to ride the man.

He rose and fell in much the same way that the girl he'd first been with had done to him. He hadn't lasted very long; she was gorgeous and knew what she was doing, and he was a teenage virgin... but he would make this last for Steve.

Danny took it slowly, the way he knew his fiancé liked it, and groaned lasciviously when Steve's hand tracked up over his stomach and chest to slide around his throat and squeeze gently. It felt so fulfilling to be owned and held that way by the muscular brunette; to know he was his and no one else's, that Steve wanted him to the point of obsession, but that he could trust him with every inch of his being, both physically and emotionally. Heart and soul.

He rocked his hips as he moved, drawing out every drive, pressing down hard to take Steve deep within his body.

The way Danny had to hunch over him due to the roof of the car meant that Steve had glorious access to his neck and shoulder, and he delighted in running his tongue over the scar that graced the skin there. It was almost a ritual for him to touch or taste the line, because it reminded him of Danny's selfless loyalty and love for Steve – it made him feel wanted. He'd received that wound in Halawa, and it had been his act of defending his cellmate that had preceded the first time they had truly made love; the transformation in their relationship from fucking to something so much more important, even if they didn't know what it really meant at the time.

Danny felt glorious around his cock, like slick, hot silk, and the knot in Steve's belly was growing progressively tighter as he countered each of his lover's movements by driving up to meet him. The hand that wasn't on Danny's stubbled throat dug marks into his ass cheek, as they gasped and moaned and undulated against one another.

The interior of the vehicle was growing hot and steamy, their breath and body heat filling it and fogging the windows, and the filthy sounds they made reverberated off the close walls of their cocoon. It was getting harder to find purchase on one another's bodies as sweat dripped down the detective's spine and Steve gasped and writhed under him.

Both of Danny's hands slipped into his hair, strong fingers gripping and massaging his scalp as he crushed them together and ground down onto Steve's dick. His pace increased steadily, and the ex-con helped to support him as he threw all his effort into taking them both over the edge they were balanced on so precariously.

"Danny... fuck... so good..." Steve panted.

Danny moved his hand from Steve's head to stroke his own cock between them, thrusting up into his fist before rocking back to take the full length of the other man's dick, and the electricity that zipped up his spine from his prostate felt like it was frying his brain. It was so hard to hold back, but he wanted to take his fiancé to completion before allowing his own, so he screwed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead into Steve's cheek.

"I want you to come in me Steve," that Jersey accent caressed his ear, tickling the feral part of him and causing his damp skin to break out in goosebumps, "I'm yours, take what's yours..."

Steve shouted loudly when he came, spilling his heat inside the cop, and as his spine bowed his hips jerked upward and Danny's head and shoulders hit the ceiling sharply. The blonde grunted and twisted the mechanic's hair reactively, adding to the sensations rippling through his body.

Steve turned his head and dug his teeth into his lover's collarbone, and Danny flexed against him and cried out Steve's name as his orgasm hit, striping his fiancé's stomach with lines of cum.

Their harsh breathing began to slow and even out while their bodies melted against each other, and Steve encircled Danny in his arms and kissed his neck. Then he snickered.

"Your head okay, Danno?"

The shorter man snorted. "Yeah, I should've remembered that bit..." he pulled back and kissed his lover, "I almost gave that girl concussion."

Steve laughed and leaned to the side to pop the door catch, and the two men shivered as the cooler air flowed into the vehicle and chilled their damp flesh.

They managed to extricate themselves from inside the Marquis, and once they were back in their underwear Danny wiped Steve's chest down with his t-shirt while the taller man leaned him into the car and kissed him deeply.

"Shower first," he said when Steve had finished assaulting his mouth, "Then part three."

They made out lazily against the bathroom tiles, taking their time to clean up and recharge, but as they emerged back into the bedroom Danny could hear his phone ringing on the night stand and he felt his stomach drop. Dolly Parton blasting out Nine To Five told him it was work, and he gave Steve an apologetic look even before he picked it up to answer.

"Williams... Okay, where?... Pier nine? I'll be there." He hit the button to cut the line and met Steve's eyes.

"It's okay," the mechanic said before he could even speak, "Part three can be for another day. I've already had the best present ever."

Danny couldn't help but return the goofy grin on his fiancé's face. "I'm happy you liked the Marquis, babe."

He was so glad he'd decided to do it, and the relief when Steve had been so taken with his gift was uplifting.

"Oh yeah, the car was good too," the brunette chuckled.

Danny paused halfway through pulling on a pair of slacks to throw a mock glare at the birthday boy. "Are you telling me I went all the way to the North Shore and the ass end of nowhere to pick up that wreck, when all I had to do was tell you a story and let you have your way, Steven?"

Steve approached him and drew him up into a delicate kiss. "I loved it. All of it." Their eyes met and he tried to project his gratitude through his gaze. "Thank you, Danny."

The cop rubbed his thumb over the taller man's cheek, annoyed that he had to leave early and cut the celebrations short, but determined to make it up to Steve later on. "Happy birthday, babe."