Once the party was over and Danny had collected the last of the empty beer bottles, he paused as he realized that Steve was standing on the beach staring out at the waves, Charlie still in his embrace. Danny smiled sadly, and threw the bag in the trash before making his way down the beach.

"Hey," he said, announcing his arrival before coming to stand next to Steve. "I've cleared everything away and Grace is her room, no doubt racking up my Family Data allowance bill again. You gonna come in?"

Steve nodded before glancing down at Charlie, a soft smile gracing his face as the little arms around his neck twitched in his sleep. "I love him, Danny."

"I know, babe. He loves you too."

"I hope I'm not too much of a screw up for them." Steve sniffed and shook his head. "Can't even cope with hearing the word… how am I gonna be able to do my job?"

Danny placed a hand on Steve's back and begun to rub at the tense muscles. "My kids adore you, babe – Grace has called dibs on Mary's old room and I'm sure Charlie's got his eyes on yours. What you've been through? You're allowed to be screwed up, I'd be worried if you weren't and were all Super SEAL and in denial. Don't give me that look, you know you do it." He raised an eyebrow at Steve's expression until the taller man caved and nodded. "As for the job… if you think you're going back to work anytime soon you've got another thing coming. Until your therapist clears you, you're stuck here with me."

Steve finally turned to look at Danny, the hand on his back moving down until it was massaging a spot just above his ass. "I think I could live with that. Maybe use up our holiday time and take the kids somewhere - Maui?"

"That'd be awesome, babe." Danny beamed. "But maybe do something just the two of us as well, once we're… y'know, doing 'stuff'." He ignored the faint blush creeping up his neck.

"I'd really like that, Danno." Steve whispered, the feeling of now both of his lovers hands on his lower back spreading up his spine and almost anchoring him to the ground. He dipped his head and pressed his lips against Danny's, running his tongue lightly against the other man's before pulling away. "C'mon, let's go."

Danny kept one hand on Steve's back as they walked back to the house and up the stairs. Charlie woke and sleepily managed to pull his pyjamas on before crawling under the covers of Steve's old twin bed, but not before a goodnight kiss from Danny and a fistbump from Steve. Danny chanced a look at Steve and could tell that much like himself, the man was besotted with his children. When he ever got new partners he always worried about introducing them to Grace, and eventually to Charlie. In his heart, Danny wouldn't have introduced Grace to Melissa if his daughter hadn't have come home early. He still wasn't sure about their relationship, but thankfully he spent the better part of the day trapped under a building with Steve, which helped make up his mind about many things.

But with Steve it was different. Danny had no fears about him and his kids, probably enforced by the knowledge that he'd never break up with Steve, even if recent events hadn't happened. He had a sneaking suspicion that Steve would use his SEAL abilities and track him down if he even considered leaving Hawaii, and that only made Danny love him more.

Danny brought a hand up to turn Steve's face in his direction, stroking the faint crinkles by his eyes with his thumb before he balanced on his tiptoes to softly kiss each cheek. "Let's go to bed, yeah?" he whispered.

Steve blushed a fierce shade of red and let out a deep breath as he let Danny lead him away, making sure to close the door quietly on the way out.

As soon as Danny closed their bedroom door behind them Steve tugged him over until they were standing by the bed, still unmade from this morning. His nerves made him fumble with the button on Danny's pants but eventually they were off, followed by his shirt. All the while, Danny was running his hands under Steve's shirt as he sucked on the man's bottom lip.

"Danny," Steve gasped as the man brushed over a nipple before quickly stripping him of his shirt. He lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Danny with him so that he was stood between his legs. Steve nuzzled the warm, furry stomach in front of him, dropping kisses on random patches of skin while his hands toyed with the waistband of Danny's boxers.

Danny's hands went to run through his lovers hair and guide him down to where he longed to have Steve's mouth, but his brain reminded him that it may not be appropriate and he pulled his hands away just in time.

So he wasn't at all prepared for Steve to kiss a path down to his crotch, mouthing at the outline of his cock and the damp patch in his boxers.

"Fuck, Steve," Danny whispered, hands on the man's bare shoulders. He couldn't look away, and bit his lip when Steve's eyelids fluttered open to look up at him as he slowly pulled his boxers down, sighing in relief when his cock sprung free.

Steve couldn't help the slight flinch when Danny's cock accidentally knocked his face as it was released from his boxers. He swallowed and couldn't help but stare at it. As similar as the situations were, Steve knew that this was nothing like the last time someone else's cock was all up in his face. He wanted this, he even started it. But still...

"Babe, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, okay?" Danny's voice cut through his trance, and Steve blinked as he wondered just how long he'd been staring. One of Danny's hands was kneading at the tense muscles in his back, and he was grateful for the distraction. "I love you, Steve. Whatever we do."

Steve rested his forehead against Danny's hip and kissed the sensitive skin. "I want to, Danno." He said quietly, noticing that his warm breath caused Danny's cock to twitch. Licking his lips he smiled softly up at Danny, hoping to convey through his expression what he couldn't bring himself to say.

You're nothing like them.

Danny felt tears prick at his eyes when Steve slowly kissed a path down, his lips feeling like fire as they trailed along his shaft until he reached the head. Steve tentatively licked at the glans, one hand holding the base of Danny's cock. He experimented with licking and sucking until he felt brave enough to let the crown slip past his lips and into his mouth, Danny whimpering at the sight and sensations.

Steve kept his eyes open as he swirled his tongue around the portion of Danny's cock that was in his mouth, wanting to keep his eyes on his lover. He set his own pace, comforted by the feeling of being in control of how far he could go. Steve willed himself not to let his emotions get the better of him, wanting to prove to himself that he could do this, damnit!, that his attackers haven't beaten him. He had to pull away when he couldn't let any more of Danny's cock into his mouth, his gag reflex working on the memory of the last time he'd done this and instinctively warning Steve to stop.

Danny sucked in a deep breath as he took one look at his lover's face and saw a slight hint of doubt, and wasted no time in pulling him to his feet and crashing their lips together. Steve clung to Danny's biceps and let him take control of the kiss, as well as allowing Danny to gently lower him back onto the bed and guide him to relax, his head ending up near the pillows.

"So beautiful, babe," Danny whispered against Steve's lips from where he was hovering over him. His hands brushed against the front of Steve's shorts and grinned when he could feel the outline of his cock. "Can I…?"

"Yeah. Yeah, Danno." Steve nodded, and lifted his hips so Danny could unzip and slide his shorts and boxers off in one fluid movement before flinging them to one side of the room. Steve smirked at his lover's actions and reached out for him, and the next thing he knew Danny's body was fully covering his own and the man's tongue was in his mouth. He spread his legs to make room for Danny to settle between them, their legs entwined, and moaned loudly when their hard cocks were pressed together.

Danny repeated Steve's earlier actions and pressed sloppy kisses down the man's heaving chest until he reached his dick, leaning up to wink at Steve before ducking his head down and licking a long stripe up from the base to the tip. Steve cried out as Danny sucked the head of his cock into his mouth first before taking more, his hands grasping the bed sheets as he bent his legs and dug his heels into the mattress. He refrained from bucking up into Danny's mouth even though his body cried out for friction; he'd been on the receiving end too many times at the hands of Santino and his buddies, and maybe in the future he'd be stronger but right now he didn't want Danny to feel what he felt.

Steve tugged on Danny's shoulders and the blonde happily obliged and left a trail of kisses up his torso until he reached Steve's waiting mouth. Danny undulated his hips and swallowed Steve's moans when their cocks slid against each other, until he broke away from the kiss to choke back a sob in the crook of Danny's neck.

"Oh God, Danno… feels so good!" Steve bucked up against Danny, the friction of their bodies feeling delicious on his leaking cock.

"I'm glad, babe," Danny continued his teasing actions, his forearms acting as a makeshift pillow for Steve's head. "How, uh… how far do you wanna go?"

Steve pulled back to gaze into Danny's eyes, but not before nuzzling his lightly stubbled cheek and nipping at his bottom lip. "Hadn't really… hadn't really thought about it." He admitted, shifting underneath Danny and moaning when his movements caused his cock to rub even more against their sweaty abdomens.

As Danny scattered featherlight kisses over every inch of his skin within reach, Steve thought about what they'd done after stumbling into their bedroom earlier. Maybe he'd felt empowered from hearing about the trial, or maybe because it was Danny, but he still couldn't believe that he'd done those things. Steve couldn't help but think about what happened the last time they'd tried to have sex, and how Danny prepping him had triggered a flashback that killed the mood completely and left him a crying wreck. But he'd rushed into it back then without thinking, just wanting to feel 'normal' again. Now he felt more relaxed; laying underneath Danny, Steve felt like every nerve ending in his body was on fire as his lover kissed and caressed his body.

"I want… I want," Steve licked his lips and flexed his large hands on Danny's back before sliding a leg against his. "You, Danno. I want all of you." He huffed a sigh of relief when Danny smiled against his cheek before claiming his lips in a passionate kiss.

"You've always got me, baby." Danny whispered as he continued to rock and grind against Steve. "Are you alright like this? You could ride me if you want, be in control, or you could do me-"

Steve shut him up with another kiss as he spread his legs even more. He planted his feet on the bed before reaching back to grab a pillow, raising his hips high enough to shove it underneath. "Stuff is still in the draw, Danno." Steve ran his hands down Danny's sides as he smiled up at him, and Danny shuddered at the amount of trust placed in him before swooping down for another kiss.

"You're amazing," Danny said quietly after reaching across to grab the lube a condom, setting the items on the mattress beside them so his hands were free to run up and down Steve's legs as he knelt in between them. "Y'know that, babe? So fucking amazing."

Steve bit his bottom lip as he smiled shyly and nodded, his eyes fixed on Danny's as he lazily stroked himself. Danny flipped the cap off the bottle of lube and drizzled some onto Steve's cock before spreading it down to his balls and back up again, squeezing the other man's fingers whenever he brushed past them. He then squeezed a great dollop of lube onto his fingers and begun gently massaging the sensitive skin behind Steve's balls, working his way until he was circling his entrance.

Noticing the slight shiver than ran through Steve when his fingers brushed over his hole, Danny rearranged himself until he was laying on his front, and licked a long stripe up Steve's cock before taking the head into his mouth at the same time that he slowly slipped a finger inside. Steve whined and tucked his chin to his chest so he could look down at Danny, feeling warmth spread inside him at the fact that they didn't have to exchange words for Danny to know to distract him while he prepped him.

Steve couldn't believe how different this was compared to their last time, and it wasn't just because Danny was using a blowjob to distract him from the feeling of something in his ass. While before he needed the pain to go away and thought that sex with Danny would achieve that, now he really wanted to have Danny inside him. And it's not that he didn't before, because of course he did, but now he wants it - like, really fucking wants it - and he wants Danny and everything that comes with him. And Steve knows now that sex isn't a magical cure for what happened to him, and he'll still have bad days, but he won't let his experience tarnish the most important relationship of his life.

"Fuck, Danny," Steve moaned when he felt another finger slide into his ass as Danny continued to run his tongue around the head of his cock. He sucked in a deep breath as Danny nudged at his prostate and clenched his fingers in the bedsheets. Danny instantly craned his head to look up, Steve's cock falling from his lips, but smirked when he saw the blissed out look on the other man's face.

"You feel ready, babe?" Danny asked after pumping and twisting his fingers inside thoroughly, being sure to hit that sweet spot to keep Steve's pleasure up.

"Yeah, 'm ready." Steve shifted on the bed until he was comfortable and pulled Danny against him in a bruising kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Danny nuzzled his face as he ripped open the silver foil, rolled the condom on with shaking hands and coated his cock in lube before lining himself up. Steve nodded once more, and that was enough reassurance for Danny to press forward.

Steve felt like he was melting as he felt himself slowly being entered, Danny sinking in inch by inch until suddenly he felt his balls bump against the underside of his ass as he bottomed out. Both men couldn't tear their eyes away from each other as they got used to the sensation of being so connected.

"We did it," Danny mumbled against Steve lips as he settled carefully on top of him. "You did it, baby."

Steve snaked a hand down between them and let out a shaky chuckle when his fingertips skimmed over where Danny's cock was buried in his ass. "Feel so full!" At Danny's concerned look, he shook his head and added, "'t's good, Danno."

Danny framed his lover's head with his forearms and tested the waters by thrusting forward slowly. Steve's head fell back onto the pillow and bit back a cry, and even grabbed ahold of Danny to try and pull him even closer. Danny grinned against the brunette's lips and took that as a sign to continue, and quickly both men settled into a rhythm after Steve hooked his legs around his hips.

It felt like a furnace in their bedroom, their sweaty bodies sliding against each other as Danny made love to Steve. Eventually Danny felt brave enough to pull away from him until he was kneeling between his legs, his hands rubbing and caressing Steve's heaving chest, and starting thrusting into Steve more frequently and with a bit more force. His gamble paid off and Danny was rewarded by the biggest grin ever on Steve's face when one of his hands trailed down towards his cock and started stroking in time with his thrusts.

Steve's eyes rolled back into his skull when Danny circled his thumb on the head of his cock. He reached down and linked their fingers together to wrap around his shaft, and the feeling of both of them working on Steve's cock was enough for pre-cum to ooze out of the tip. "Oh, shit," Steve grasped at Danny's hand that had moved down to his hip and wrapped his fingers around his wrist. "Don't stop, Danny!"

Danny frantically shook his head, ignoring the stray bangs of hair that fell in his face as he kept up his motions. Steve screwed his eyes shut as he felt that familiar heat begin to pool low in his belly and could feel beads of sweat break out on his forehead. He sped up his strokes on his cock and Danny quickly got with the program, angling his thrusts and speeding up even more. Steve cried out when his prostate came under constant attack and dug his heels into the mattress as the heat inside him got more intense, even to the point where he could feel tears threatening to escape.

"It's alright, babe." Danny panted as he slowed down so he could catch his breath. He grunted as he lowered his upper half down so he could lazily kiss Steve, his dick still buried inside him, and despite their body heat Danny still got goosebumps when Steve wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"'m gonna come!" Steve whimpered when Danny reached between them and grabbed his leaking cock, his other hand cupping the side of his face. Their faces were barely an inch apart from each other and were practically breathing the same air, and Danny bumped his nose against Steve's as he continued to rock into him. He thumbed away the wetness at his lover's eyes which only produced more, and Danny pressed their lips together as he wiped his face again.

Steve suddenly felt his balls tighten, and then all he saw was stars and felt the blood rush in his ears as he came hard and fast, with hot white ropes shooting up both of their chests. Danny didn't realise that he was that close, all his attention on Steve's pleasure alone, but Steve clenching around him as he came pulled his orgasm out of him as he drove up deep and held his position. Danny swallowed Steve's moan and stroked him through his orgasm until Steve pulled away to gaze into his eyes, and both men couldn't help but grin at what had just happened.

"So beautiful, Steve," Danny's chest heaved as he still continued to gyrate his hips into Steve. "So sexy."

Steve chuckled, his smile so big Danny thought his face would split, and brought Danny back against him for a slow kiss. "You close, Danno?" he mumbled against his lips.

Danny shook his head. At Steve's confused look, Danny shifted on top of him. "Already came, babe. You… yeah. Sucked the life out of me."

Steve blushed, but his gaze never left him. Even as Danny gingerly pulled out and threw the condom in the trash can by the bed before sitting on the edge of the bed next to him, Steve looked at him as if he'd just given him the moon.

"You alright? Did I hurt you?" Danny cast an eye over Steve, who merely shook his head.

"Felt so much better… so right." Steve sniffed as he toyed with some of the coarse hairs on Danny's thigh. "Will feel better when I, uh… get cleaned up." he glanced down at his sticky chest. In a split second Danny shot into the bathroom before coming back a few seconds later with clean clothes and a damp washcloth and set about gently cleaning and caressing his chest, not forgetting to dip down in between his legs. Steve was happy to lay there and let Danny take care of him, and shook his head with a smile as he lifted his hips so Danny could pull a clean pair of pyjama pants up.

Once both men had settled under the covers Steve wasted no time in plastering himself to Danny's side and entangling their legs. Danny wrapped his arms around his lover and could already feel himself start to sink into sleep, but then he heard familiar cries coming from down the hall.

"Shit," Danny mumbled as he scrubbed his face, "Not the perfect ending I had in mind. Sorry, babe."

Steve shifted off of Danny so he could climb out of bed and watched as he pulled a shirt and pants on, smiling when he came to sit back on the bed. "I dunno, Danno. Pretty perfect to me." he said with that sunny smile that instantly made Danny melt. "I'll change the sheets. Bring him back in here."

"You sure?" Steve nodded, and Danny bent down and claimed his lips in a passionate kiss. He loved his children more than anything, but right now all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed with his man and enjoy the post-coital bliss. Danny smiled and shook his head; there'd be other times, and that was the best part of it all. "I'll be right back, okay? Love you so much, Steve."

"Love you too, Danno." Steve yawned and actually purred when Danny scratched the back of his head before getting up and padding out of their room. He forced himself to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the bed and couldn't help the huge grin that spread over his face.

He'd been in many intense situations during his career, and this had been the biggest battle of them all, but Steve felt like he was walking on air as he stripped their bed and applied fresh sheets before crawling under the covers. Danny soon appeared next to him and laid Charlie between them, and Steve smiled as they drifted towards each other and shared a kiss over the little boy's head.

This may have been the toughest fight he's ever had to face, but Steve had won. And won big.