Sorry guys! Busy weekend, but here's my update! I really love this chapter, and I have a feeling you will, too! Enjoy!
STEVE'S POV
Everybody is eating and joking when Mary stands up.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get my phone charger."
Things continue as normal until Mary comes back out with her hip cocked and arms crossed over her chest.
She stands there silently staring at me with a smirk that I know all too well.
The smirk she gives when she thinks she knows something.
Ha. Key word: thinks.
"Yes, Mary? Can I help you?" I ask laying my fork down.
"Yeah, um, why is my room empty?"
I give her a confused look.
"What? I put your bags in there," I tell her.
She shakes her head. "No, there is nothing in the closet or dresser."
I look around the table wondering if I missed something.
Based on their returned looks, I hadn't.
"Okay, Mary. Please, speak English. Why would there be clothes in the closet and dresser?"
Mary looks at me like I'm stupid.
"Kono lives her, doesn't she?" She asks.
"Yeah...?" I drag out the word in a questioning tone.
Mary raises her eyebrows. "Steve! Where are Kono's clothes and her makeup and I don't know, her jewelry?!"
"Well," I start. "First off, Kono doesn't wear makeup unless it's important. Secondly, her stuff is in my room."
Danny's fork falls to the floor as Chin freezes in place and Kono face-palms herself.
I leaned over to Kono keeping my eyes on Mary.
"What am I missing?" I whisper.
Before she can answer, Danny takes over the interrogation, standing next to Mary.
He puts his palms together pressing them to his nose.
Danny closes his eyes and speaks calmly but solidly. "Steven, why are Kono's things in your room?"
Kono goes to answer, "Danny-"
"Uh-uh," Danny says. "Don't you dare." His eyes opening with his finger pointing at me.
"I want to hear Steve's answer."
Silence filled the lanai.
"Well?" Danny finally asks. "Enlighten us!"
I glance at Kono who has her eyes trained on Danny.
"Because that's where she sleeps," I simply answer.
"Okay," Danny says pacing. "So why isn't any of your things in the guest room? I mean, Kono obviously stays in your room because you want her to get a good night's sleep as she is your guest, and you, being a gentleman, take the guest room. Correct?"
I open my mouth to reply, but Kono beats me to it.
"My stuff is in Steve's room because that is where I sleep. Steve's stuff is not in the guest room because that is not where he sleeps," Kono says in a tight voice.
Danny stops and looks at us with fire in his eyes. "Well, why would Steve sleep on the couch if he has a perfectly comfy guest bed? The bed is sleepable right, Mary?"
Mary nods her head. "Yeah, it's fine."
"Right," Danny nods his head. "But you don't sleep on the couch do you, Super SEAL?"
I can tell it isn't really a question, but I answered it anyway.
"No," I state in a monotone voice.
"I'm sorry. What was that?" Danny asks cupping his hand to his ear.
"No, Danny. I do not sleep on the couch."
"And you don't sleep in the guest bedroom. Oh, and I can almost guarantee you do not sleep on the floor somewhere."
I stand there with my arms crossed over my chest.
Danny places his hand on Mary's arm. "Please take Grace inside and watch a movie with her."
Mary nods her head. She shoots me a look of what I take as an apology as she ushers Grace into the living room closing the sliding doors behind them.
Chin is now standing still in his silent state.
His stare bores into Kono's as he starts to realize what's going on here.
"Cuz?" He finally speaks.
This one word said in the form of a question is even more chilling than all of Danny's combined.
Kono takes a deep breath.
"We sleep together."
KONO'S POV
Before I can stop it, Chin's fist has collided with Steve's jaw.
Steve barely flinches as Chin beats the shit out of him.
Danny stands off to the side watching the scene as I try to stop Chin.
"Chin!" I yell grabbing his wrist.
He shakes me off and pulls back bracing for another punch.
"Stop it!" I scream stepping in front of Steve.
"Kono, get out of my way!" Chin yells just as loud as me.
I take a step closer to him.
"You will stop. Right. Now!" I say into his face. "I don't do anything. He doesn't do anything. We-" I say gesturing between us. "We don't do anything!"
Chin's eyes shoot from Steve to me. Back and forth. Back and forth.
Finally, he gives me one last look before pushing past us and out the door.
I turn around, my eyes following his form fade away into the house.
I rub my hands over my face turning back to Steve and Danny.
Danny looks between us once and simply says, "You deserved it."
He walks away into the house to gather up Grace and take her home.
Mary sticks her head out the door. "I'm going to go stay at Danny's tonight. I'll be back tomorrow."
Steve doesn't make a move to stop her either.
I twist to get a look at him.
He has a split lip, a pretty good shiner, a slice on his forehead, and by the way he's holding himself, maybe a few cracked ribs.
His eyes are trained on me.
I give him my best smile grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house to the bathroom.
I help him to pull himself up on to the counter.
His quick intake of breath as he eases off his shirt, confirms that, yes, he has some cracked ribs.
I make my way to the kitchen grabbing a couple of ice packs.
When I get back to the bathroom, Steve's head is resting against the wall behind him; his eyes squeezed shut.
I placed an ice pack on his chest instantly regretting it after his hisses fill the silence.
The first aid kit, beneath the sink, holds all the things I will need to patch him up.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I clean the cuts, wincing every time I feel Steve tense beneath my fingers.
I have to admit, my butterflying is pretty amazing if I do say so myself.
Taking the second icepack, I place it over Steve's eye.
I don't know how long we stand/sit like that. My hand on his eye; his hand on his chest.
Finally, Steve breaks the silence.
"I'm sorry about getting Chin mad at you."
I laugh at his statement.
"I was just as much of a part of this as you were," I state.
He gives me a soft smile removing both of the ice packs.
"Well, it is my house."
I shake my head. "It's our house."
Steve leans forward, grunting, and rests his head on my shoulder.
"I like to sound of that. Our," he says into my neck as his arms wrap around my waist, and my hands snake their way into his hair.
"What do you think Danny's thinking right now?" I ask.
Steve lifts his head from my shoulder. "Too much, that's for sure."
I chuckle. "You better watch your back at work."
Steve smiles. "Yeah, it's just my luck that they would freak out so much over something so little."
"Just imagine how bad it would be if we did actually do something."
He looks at me and takes a deep breath. "I probably wouldn't be alive right now."
"Yeah you would be," I assure him. "I would have protected you."
"You would," he raises his eyebrows.
"Yes, I would," I repeat.
He pulls me closer so that my head is now on his shoulder.
"Well, I couldn't ask for better back up."
I smile into his shoulder lifting my head from its place.
"Hey, that's my line! But, I know," I say. "Now let's go watch another movie."
I help him ease off of the counter and hold on to his waist as we make our way into the living room.
Steve carefully sits on the couch as I go to choose a movie.
I can feel his eyes on the back of my head.
I turn slightly so that I can look at him.
"What?" I ask softly.
I can see his face register that I said something, but he doesn't answer.
I move to the TV putting in the movie.
I stay where I am though because Steve intakes his breath and starts to speak.
"At first, when you came, I thought it was just a thing. Something that... if we had to, we would end. I thought that it was a temporary thing, pretty much in place until you found someone to love you that you actually loved back."
I turn around and give him a confused look only to see his eyes downcast and distant.
"Steve, what-" he cuts me off.
"But, I've realized, well, I started to realize about a week ago, but now... today, after that whole incident," he says raising his eyes to meet mine.
"I can't live without you."
I can hear myself sharply intake my breath.
He slowly gets up and comes to stand in front of me.
My eyes stare straight forward at his chest.
Am I hearing this right?
The gentleness of his hands cupping my cheeks says that I am hearing every piece of this right.
"Kono," he says.
I lift my eyes to look into his.
"I love you," he says quietly.
Before I can fully register what's happening, he kisses me.
And I...
Haha! To be continued! Thanks for reading and remember to drop a review!
