More than Love
Summary: Tie-in and continuation oneshots to my story Love is not enough, prompted and original ones.
Pairings: Steve/Cath, minor Kono/Adam and Danny/Gabby
A/N: The first oneshot that was corrected by Miahbug. Thank you for your help. You notice it when I leave words behind after changing the sentence half a dozen times, words that have no business being in the phrase as it is, and your suggestions are a great help in fixing awkward sentences.
Five-0 Moving Inc.
"This should be the last of the boxes for the kitchen," Kono announced as she came through the door with a large cardboard box that tinkled ominously. She set it down with a loud thump, and took a couple of deep, calming breaths as she tried to shake of the fatigue. They had been at it since the early morning, helping Danny move in with Gabby. They'd decided to subdivide the stuff by the living space it was supposed to go to, and somehow Kono had wound up with the kitchen. Despite the fact that Danny had effectively been living in a hotel, a surprising number of three boxes had turned up labeled kitchen. Apparently, for the great occasion Danny had bought a couple of things that should not be missing in his home. She was suddenly glad she didn't get Gracie's room.
Looking up from where he was putting away various kitchen utensils, Adam smiled at his girlfriend as he admired the blush of exertion that was spread across her features. Kono had moved to lean against the door frame, one hand moving rebellious strands of hair out of her line of sight. Her chest was heaving a bit, a fact that did wonderful things for her cleavage as she wore a loose black top. He put down whatever it was that he had grabbed out of the box, and beckoned to her to come join him. She grinned at him, giving the hallway a sinister sidelong glance. Then she purposefully moved over to the opposite end of the box he was working on, and leaned over it till her face was inches away from his.
"You're no help, you know," she whispered at him with a teasing smile. "Strong man like you, yet you let me do all the hard work."
"File a complaint with Detective Williams; I'm surprised he trusts me enough to unpack." The mischievous grin on his face took the sting out of his words.
"I might, actually. This is no way to treat a lady."
"And what is the proper way to treat a lady?"
"Let me show you."
Without another word she leaned in to bridge the last few inches until her lips were covering his, teasingly leaning away every time he tried to deepen the kiss. After a few careful kisses, they parted, still smiling at one another. Kono's hand rose to brush through his hair, then down the side of his face to his throat. Her hand rose again to trace the outer shell of his ear, lightly tickling his skin with her nails. Adam had closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling, and only opened them again when he felt her hand fall away. When he looked at her, Kono's face was serious.
"They'll come around," she said with some confidence, though Adam still thought she might be trying to convince herself. He couldn't exactly blame Five-0 for their reluctance to accept him. Chin was her cousin, he had tried to kill McGarrett's friend Joe White, and the Yakuza didn't have the best track record with law enforcement anyway. "They have to."
He lifted a hand to Kono's cheek, and caressed her slowly with his thumb.
"Don't worry about it, Kono. We're okay, we will be okay, no matter what," he assured her.
"Even after Michael?"
He knew what she was referring to. His brother's lawyer had advised to file a complaint against Kono for police brutality, to which Michael had jumped of course, and was trying to make the arrest null and void due to her involvement with Adam. He knew that Michael had tried to flee, and he believed Kono that he had attempted to hurt her. He was grateful that it had been her to deliver the news of his brother's involvement with Wo Fat, instead of some random police officer. Now she was back in legal trouble herself. Though the attorney's motion had been denied – on both accounts – her reputation had suffered, and IA was looking at her again, although sticking to the surface for now.
"I... won't say I'm not angry or disappointed, but in Michael." He looked her directly in the eyes. "I'm glad you were the one to come tell me. I can imagine how much courage that must have taken, and I'm glad you kept me in the loop afterward."
Kono smiled at him again, leaning her face into his touch and raising a hand to lay over his.
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Danny and Chin were outside, unloading the last of the boxes – or at least Chin was. Danny was standing beside the car watching the house in front of him, and wondering what was going on inside. Due to the nature of their respective injuries, it was out of the question for Steve or Catherine to lift any heavy weights, so they were left unpacking, though Danny had the suspicion that Steve had scheduled his last appointment with his doctor regarding the fissure purposefully after Danny's move-in with Gabby. He hadn't wanted Adam running around God knew where, so he had assigned him the kitchen area, and, unsurprisingly, Kono had picked up the boxes belonging there. Gabby was currently getting them some lunch from a nearby restaurant; they would have delivered, but self-collectors got a ten percent discount. Let nobody say that he didn't read the small print. Everyone had rolled their eyes, but Gabby had kissed him on the cheek, and gone anyway.
"Danno, why are you letting Uncle Chin do all the work?" Grace's voice brought him back out of his reverie, and he looked down with an offended expression. She, in turn, pointed at Chin, and explained. "Uncle Chin told me to ask you that."
Now Danny threw Uncle Chin an offended look.
"See, brah, you were day-dreaming, and dreaming doesn't lift heavy boxes," Chin told him, not very apologetic, and dropped one of said heavy boxes into his arms. Danny gripped it with an 'oof', and started walking toward the house. Chin followed him closely while Grace sprinted ahead with her youthful enthusiasm. The fact that she wasn't carrying anything also helped in putting a spring to her step. Upon entering the house, they made their way to his daughter's room where they found Catherine currently attempting to reassemble Gracie's stair-shaped shelve. Steve was sitting at the desk, watching his girlfriend labor.
When Danny and Chin entered, both looked up. Catherine rolled her eyes, indicating the SEAL with her head in a way that had both members of the task force snorting.
"Well, at least we didn't find you smooching," Danny commented drily.
"We would never, Danny, at least not in Gracie's room. Can't make any promises about the kitchen."
"I can," Catherine added.
"Cath, you know I have to stay off my arm until the doctor has cleared me," Steve told her, attempting to sound totally innocent, and failing. Danny's suspicions confirmed, he set the box down right in front of his partner, and told him to make himself useful once the shelf was up by putting school books and DVDs back where they belong. Then he sat down to help Catherine while Chin went to retrieve the last box.
"You think Chin is comfortable?", Steve asked out of the blue.
"Are anyone of us. I don't really feel comfy while Adam Noshimori is in my home, especially with Grace."
"You two are exaggerating. From how Kono's described him, he sounds nice."
"Yeah, well, she'd be a bit biased, wouldn't she?" Steve reminded her.
"And you three aren't?", Catherine countered without missing a beat as she kept fiddling with the shelf. It was progressing faster now that she had someone else to hold the boards in place while she aligned them, and put them together.
"She thought Ben was nice, t-", Danny started, then wanted to bite his tongue off when both his friends glowered at him. Not the best topic, especially after their recent visit to Halawa. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean... I just meant to say that appearances can be deceiving."
"Not everyone is like Ben," the Navy Lieutenant said firmly. "That being said, asks yourselves this, has he given you any reason to doubt him – and I don't mean perceived ones. I mean reasons you can be sure of."
"No," Steve admitted, but that didn't mean they had to like him.
At that moment Gracie came dancing into the room, followed by a fidgeting Chin, bringing in the last box of clothes. As Grace began unpacking, unperturbed, all three adults looked up expectantly at Chin who kept throwing glances towards the kitchen. He seemed somewhat disturbed, and they figured it had something to do with Adam. He finally noticed their stares, and gestured down the hall as he sighed loudly.
"Remember what you said about them,"- here he indicated Steve and Catherine - "not kissing? Well..."
"It was sweet," Grace said with glee. "They looked just like Danno and Auntie Gabby. Auntie Kono and Uncle Adam really like each other. They look so cute together."
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(A little earlier, kitchen)
Feeling the smooth skin of her cheek pressed further into his hand, and watching her eyes close at the sensation, made his heart pick up speed. The work now totally forgotten, he slowly walked around the cardboard box between them until he came to stand directly in front of her. She must have felt the shift, because her arms came around him without opening her eyes. He smiled at her, watched and waited as she waited for him to lean in to kiss her. When the kiss didn't come, Kono opened her eyes, only to suddenly find his lips on hers, and her eyes fluttered close again. He pulled her into him, and cradled the back of her head in his hand.
"Oh, sorry!", an embarrassed voice squeaked.
The couple sprung apart, and turned to Grace.
"No, we're sorry, Gracie. We didn't mean to... startle you," Kono apologized. "Uh... I don't think you've met yet. This is Adam. Adam, this is Grace."
"Hello, Grace."
"Hello." The little girl sounded a bit unsure when an idea visibly popped into her head. "Are you Auntie Kono's boyfriend."
The two adults looked at each other. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"Do you love her?" The question was out of her mouth before Grace could stop herself, but Uncle Steve's girlfriend had just gotten hurt by another man, and because nobody would tell her the details, she knew it must have been bad. She didn't want Auntie Kono to go through the same thing, too.
"I do. Very much," Adam answered her, but was looking at Kono.
Grace's soft brown eyes lit up in childlike delight, and she sprung forward to envelop him in a hug, talking a hundred miles an hour about how she was so happy to meet him, and that they would get along great, asking whether he liked surfing and shave ice – and, oh, Kamekona made the best shave ice on the island, and she's been allowed to test new flavors while fleecing him and his cousins at candy poker.
"Kamekona has a shrimp truck, too. Every time I go surfing with Auntie Kono and Kawika, we stop by for some shrimp. It's great. You should come sometime, Uncle Adam... Oh."
It was hard to tell who was more surprised as Kono looked from her boyfriend to Grace and, if she'd had a mirror, she might have wanted to take a look at her own face, too. She could feel the tingling sparkles already; she was happy that Gracie had taken so well to Adam so soon. Of course, she didn't know about the Yakuza and Adam's past, and she was only eight, but she was a bright young girl, and her opinion meant a lot more to Kono than she had previously expected.
"Uhm...", Grace piped up again. "Is it okay if I call you Uncle Adam? You're with Auntie Kono, so it... uh...just happened, but if you don't want..."
"I'd be honored."
Uncle Adam's answer had her giggling.
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The pizzas Gabrielle brought home were met with a certain amount of trepidation by everyone, but by none more than Adam. While the women chatted away in the kitchen, getting plates and beer and purposefully playing perfect housewives to leave the men to talk amongst themselves, Five-0 and Adam were stuck together in the living room. While Adam wasn't sure whether he found this amusing or horrifying, he was certainly anxious enough for the latter. By the constant glances at the entrance to the kitchen and the nervous tapping of fingers on wood, however, the other men didn't fare any better though, and that made up for a lot of it on Adam's part. Everyone seemed ready for the evening to end. Finally, graciously the women sat down with them, Grace in tow. Kono's hand immediately laid itself over his, rubbing comforting circles over his skin. Adam clung to it like one would a lifeline.
Dinner was an awkward and mostly silent affair. There were a few attempts at small talk by Kono, Gabrielle and Catherine to which Adam was most responsive, and of course Grace asked the business man questions at a hundred miles an hour. The little girl wanted to know everything, how he and Kono had met, when they had started dating, if they were planning to stay together forever. All the questions brought at least a small smile to Steve's face as he remembered Grace asking the same of him and Catherine the first time they were all together. Conversation soon faded when Grace was sated and bored, and asked to be released from the table. While she went to explore her father's new home and play in the garden, the adults lapsed back into silence until Adam took a deep breath to speak his mind.
"I know you don't like me, don't trust me, and don't approve of Kono and I being together. I say I want to turn my family's business legit, but it's going slow, and I know that must look like stalling to you, but I really am working on it. I'm trying to turn it all around, but the families in Japan are watching, and if I make a wrong move, my brother won't be the last to try to put things back to where they were. I'm doing this for Kono, so that she can be proud of me."
The young woman in question squeezed his hand, and laid the other one on his arm.
"But I'm also doing this for myself. I don't want to look over my shoulder every day worrying that either the cops or another criminal family will come for me. I don't want to have to fake my death, and I want to be able to look at my reflection without wondering how many people have been hurt or killed or worse because of me."
He leaned back into the chair as if he needed it for the support it could provide. He turned his head to look at Kono, her expression was as open and vulnerable as his own. She squeezed his hand again, and he turned his around until he could hold her hand, placing the other atop both of theirs. Then he focused his attention once more on the people who were evaluating him, judging him. He knew that Catherine and Gabrielle were willing to go on a little faith because they trusted their friend's instincts. The men didn't have any less faith in Kono, they just felt very protective of her. She was the youngest and the newest to the job, and she was ohana, a little sister they wanted to shelter whether she needed it or not. Adam drew his gaze from one face to the other until it fell on Chin. Of all the people in the room, this man's opinion was the most important to him. He was Kono's cousin, he grew up with her and he knew her best, and so he was the first to speak.
"You're right; we do find it hard to trust you. You have proven capable of extremely bad choices," he said with a hard look at Adam, and it was obvious that he was talking about tying Kono up and trying to kidnap and torture Wo Fat. "I can't say if you're really trying to change your business, but you did save Kono's life. In HQ you seemed truly disappointed in your brother for his part in Catherine's kidnapping and the recent murder spree, and yet you stood by him and got him a lawyer."
Adam flinched. He should have known this would come up, and that Five-0 would not look upon it favorably. Michael was a criminal and he'd been wrong, but he was still Adam's little brother. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just abandon his little brother; he couldn't betray Michael like that. It would make him just as bad as the man himself. Michael's betrayal had cut Adam deeply, but Adam was sure his own betrayal would hurt even worse. He fixated his eyes on Chin trying to make him understand. Chin's gaze softened.
"He is your ohana, and I can respect a man who is loyal to his family." Chin extended a hand which Adam took with slight trepidation. They exchanged a long look, then shook hands once. Looking around the table, Adam saw McGarrett and Williams nod solemnly, Five-0 then stood up from the table, and made to leave.
"Kono," McGarrett caught his friend's attention. She looked up at him. His face was serious, but it lacked the harshness one would have expected considering the topic. "We just want you to be happy. As long as you are, we are good."
"Yeah, kid," Danny chimed in. "You know you don't need our permission, but we're here if you need us." Kono nodded, and Williams turned to Adam. "And you better treat her like a princess."
Without waiting for a response now that he had said his piece, Danny called Grace inside while Steve grabbed Catherine's purse and Chin pulled his motorcycle helmet off the dresser. Almost as if they all were old friends, the party broke up in a flurry of sudden activity with smiles and laughs aplenty. Kono got up as well, and Adam followed her movements slightly mechanically. Everything was not fine, though it was much better than before. Chin's hand had been a peace-offering, but all peace-offerings came with conditions. They would all try for Kono's sake, but certainly only as long as he proved himself worthy. If he did go back to his family's old ways, Adam was sure Five-0 would come to take him down, never mind all the pizzas and beers they may yet share.
End
A/N: I don't think they'll easily be comfortable with Adam; we saw some tension even in the season finale when kono announced that she would leave with Adam. Still, I like to think that they can learn to be civil, friendly even.
Anyone got an idea what that Lieutenant Commander Harrison (was that his name?) talking to Cath after she hung up with Steve was doing there? It didn't seem to make sense in the story to introduce a character only to make him disappear instantly. And what about Amsterdam, I wonder. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, and i hope you liked the oneshot.