"You still okay to pick me up later?" Steve swiped the keys for the Marquis out of the dish and grinned at Danny like an excited child. He was taking the Marquis into work so that he could work on it in his lunch break, and he needed to order some new parts which were cheaper to buy through the garage's suppliers.
Also Danny kept insisting buying off the internet was a bad idea, and Steve wondered where the man had been burned before with online purchasing.
"Yeah babe, I'll let you know if I'm delayed but I should be able to come get you after five," the blonde stuffed more pancakes into his mouth and gave him the 'okay' sign with his fingers.
"See you later," Steve turned and headed through to the garage.
Danny's phone started vibrating across the table, and he snatched it up to see Kono's number flashing at him.
"Hey babe," he mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of blueberry batter.
"Morning boss," she replied, "Report's in."
It wasn't long before he was leaning on the tech table alongside Chin in the bull pen and looking over the coroner's report on Maggie Cho.
"Heart attack," he repeated quietly, because it still didn't make sense, "But she was ten..."
His friend nodded, pointing to the paperwork lower down. "She had an underlying condition from birth, needed medication."
Danny scrubbed at his face, remembering the information. "Yeah, her parents said during the interview they thought it was odd she was late. She was due pills, and she was so good at taking them..."
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the scene of Mr and Mrs Cho on their couch, the man holding his wife while she cried into his shoulder after Danny and Meka had delivered the news, photographs and evidence of their love for their little girl everywhere. His heart had broken for them, and he knew deep down they weren't responsible, even though they still had to keep them on the list of suspects for now.
Maggie had been described as a well-behaved girl, not the type to run away, always polite and helpful and full of life. It seemed to be the way all kids were remembered in these circumstances, but he got the impression every bit of it was true for her.
They'd had to walk away from her parents after destroying their lives with those dreaded four words. "Please take a seat..." It was how all shocking news, like death announcements, started, and everyone knew it.
Chin continued, trying to ground them in the case. "Body is judged to be in the water for about twenty-four hours before the fishing boat picked her up at 2.30am on Saturday morning. She went missing on Wednesday afternoon, which means she was held somewhere for more than a day before ending up out at sea on Thursday night... Kono's working on contacting the marinas and yacht clubs, and-"
At that moment the Hawaiian woman swung the door to her office open. "Guys, I think I've got something."
They followed her back in to her desk and she showed them her computer screen.
"I've been speaking to the Aloha Boat Club, and they said that their records show the Lady Fontaine was taken out by her owners on Thursday night, and they weren't due to dock again until Friday night, but they returned early, at around six Friday morning," she tapped the logged times on the screen, email over from the marina, "So whatever trip they were planning on making was cut short... Their route north puts them close to the fishing area. This could be a lead..."
Danny nodded, determined to grasp hold of anything they had. He could feel the tension in his chest and neck beginning to ease slightly at the possible line to the abductors, but it was fast being replaced by adrenaline.
"Tell the marina to keep an eye on that boat. We're on our way," he was already out of the office door as he spoke, raising his voice to they could still hear him as they rushed to follow him across the bullpen, "I'll call Meka. Gear up and be ready in fifteen!"
Steve put the phone down on the parts manufacturer, pleased with himself. He'd found the replacement hubcaps he needed for the Marquis, and had added them to a shipment of other spares he had coming in over the next few days. Another dealer had promised to track down some Mercury engine parts and let him know.
Knowing that car was sitting outside in the lot made him so happy, and every time he thought about the Marquis it now brought up not only the good memories of him and John working on her, but now also thoughts of his amazing fiancé and the way he'd been so thoughtful in tracking it down for him.
He smiled and put his feet up on his desk, listening to his men downstairs work on the cars they had in. He had taken on three new ex-convict employees in the last two months, and they were all proving their mettle. Machinery whirred and wrenches clanked, engines roared to life and damn it, he was actually really content with life right now.
The day his parents had died, everything had gone downhill for him. He'd let their passing change the course of his life for the worse and, however much he regretted that, it was something he couldn't change. He thought about Mary Ann and Aunt Deb, and how they wouldn't believe Steve was in the position he was in now.
Deb had been informed by his lawyer on his request when he was caught by the police and would be sent to Halawa; he'd wanted them to at least know where he was. They had found out about all the trouble he'd got into since leaving them on the mainland, and were so ashamed that they hadn't even come to his trial. He couldn't blame them for that.
But now look at him; out early on good behaviour, owner of a garage, engaged to a good man – a cop – who cared for him and accepted him fully for who he was. Well, there would be the initial shock that he was with a guy at all, as he'd never really been involved in anything but straight relationships when he was younger, certainly not that they knew about, but the main surprise would be that he was now an upstanding member of society, that he'd turned his life around.
Maybe it was time to contact them again. Maybe they could forgive.
He was pulled from his reverie by the sounds of someone coming up the stairs to his office, and he'd barely pulled his feet from the desktop before Danny burst through his door. He was utterly confused, because it was only two o'clock and the blonde wasn't due to collect him until later.
He looked his lover up and down, taking in the ruffled appearance, wild eyes and the twitching fingers, and the fact he still appeared to be wearing his tactical vest.
"Danny?"
The detective closed the door behind him and leaned against it heavily, hands scrubbing at his jaw.
"Sorry, sorry I'm early I just... Needed to come see you..." He pressed his fingers against his eyes, trying to stop his frustration bubbling over into tears.
Steve was getting up from his desk and coming around to him, the concern on his face creasing his brow. "Danny, what's happened?"
The taller man reached out but Danny stepped to the side, away from him, still feeling too tense and needing the space more than he needed the intimacy. Steve looked confused, but dropped his hands away.
"They were fucking dead," he growled, "We got a god damn lead, Kono tracked this boat that looked like it was involved, and we get there two find two dead guys on board and no fucking way of moving forward! It doesn't make any sense!"
He kicked out at the trash can next to his fiancé's desk and set it rocking.
"I'm so sorry, Danny," Steve said quietly.
"I mean, can we not just catch a break? There's some bastard out there responsible for this little girl's death and the universe is just fucking us over!"
Steve jumped backwards as Danny lashed out suddenly, slamming his fist hard into the wall. A poster fell down, some dust floated down from a ready-formed crack in the ceiling of the old building, and Danny grunted and brought his fist into his chest to cradle it.
Pain radiated down from his knuckles, through his wrist and forearm, but he wasn't even sure if he regretted the impact because while it had hurt it had at least felt good to vent his anger a little.
"Fuck!" He shouted out, gritting his teeth. "Shit, fuck!"
Steve recovered from his shock and stepped forward to grasp Danny's arms and turn him to face him.
"Hey hey, what are you doing?" he asked, pulling the shorter man into him and wrapping his long arms around his shoulders and trapping his arms between their bodies so he didn't do anything else to hurt himself. He tucked Danny's head in under his chin and squeezed.
The cop pressed his face into Steve's collarbone and released a ragged sigh. "All we can do is wait. Wait until the crime scene guys have searched the boat and the reports come back on the bodies and I am done. I am so done with waiting, Steve..."
The mechanic could feel the tension coming off his man in waves. His whole body was trembling, and it put Steve on the back foot because he had honestly never seen Danny this way.
They'd had their fair share of arguments since being together, and he'd seen him stressed and frustrated and upset... but never with this amount of anger, shimmering off him like hot metal, and topped with a tired, bitter layer of sadness intent on weighing him down. He felt heavy just looking at his fiancé, could see the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Danny breathed in Steve's scent, loved how it was mixed with the smell of motor oil and the sharp tang of metal from the garage. He screwed his eyes shut, concentrating only on the man he was being held up against; the heat of his body, the thud of his heart, the feel of his lips pressing into his hair.
He slowed his breathing and let himself get lost in Steve. His oasis in the desert.
"C'mere," the brunette whispered after a minute. His fingers slid in under Danny's chin and tilted his face up so their eyes could meet.
They gazed at one another for a long minute, Steve searching him carefully with his hazel eyes, worry tugging at his brow. Their ability to communicate, almost to a psychic level, kicked in.
Without a word spoken, the mechanic asked him if he was alright, what he could do to help, and Danny told him he wasn't, not by a long shot... but he would be. He just needed Steve close, needed that break from reality, and he would feel better.
There was something about being with his lover that helped him focus, blotting out everything else. Steve gave him the short term vacation from everything else which enabled him to return refreshed and reinvigorated. Especially now, locked away in this tiny room with the window shuttered and the door closes; the world outside held at bay.
But he couldn't let this pressure ruin everything. The last thing he wanted was for history to repeat itself.
"I love you," he murmured softly, "I love you so much, and I'm so so sorry that I just can't-"
Steve's lips cut him off with a gentle kiss, and he drew in a sharp breath through his nose as the sensation took over. The mechanic worked his hands up into Danny's hair and threaded into his messy locks, carefully holding him in place.
When they finally broke apart, neither one opened their eyes, just leaning their foreheads together.
"Don't ever apologise for your emotions, Danno," Steve comforted him, "I love every part of you."
Danny shuddered out a sigh, and then he was pushing his hands up under his fiancé's shirt, crushing their mouths back together and slipping his tongue into the brunette's mouth; telling him exactly what he needed and what he meant. The kiss deepened and their hands grew more frantic, Steve ripping at the velcro fastenings of his tactical gear while he practically tore the taller man's shirt over his head.
They separated their mouths and threw all of their energy into stripping each other, and Steve had a moment of sense where he stepped away to reach over and click the lock of his office door into place.
When he turned back, Danny was leaning back against his desk, naked and panting, watching him from under lowered, sandy lashes. He knew the blonde loved to be taken and owned, have his power stolen from him forcefully, but Steve got the impression today that he should give some of that control back in some way. He would still own his lover, but he would also let Danny own him.
He took hold of Danny's biceps and moved them both around so that his own bare ass was against the edge of the desk and Danny was between his legs.
"I want you to fuck me, Danny," he purred, licking along the line of the detective's lips and savouring the excited gasp that escaped his mouth.
His fingers curled tight into Steve's thighs and he closed his eyes, going into a rough, filthy kiss which the brunette won with ease.
Steve bit at his lips, along his jaw and up to his ear, all the while letting his hot breath skate over Danny's skin and enjoying every moan and gasp it produced in his lover. Then he got his ass up on the desk and leaned backwards so he could reach the drawers on the other side, where he knew a bottle of lube was hidden for just these kind of moments.
Danny took his opportunity to get his mouth on the tanned expanse of the mechanic's chest and stomach, and he slid the hard length of his cock along Steve's as he supported himself over him and ducked down to lick and bite and suck, stubble scraping on smooth skin.
The brunette leaned up on his elbows and hooked his heels around the backs of Danny's thighs to pull him in close, arching up into him as he blazed a trail of fire down his torso.
Then the detective was backing up enough to take his cock into his mouth, and Steve grasped his hair and pushed up into him as he swallowed him back. His slick heat felt glorious, and he moaned and lay back, using his fiancé's mouth to pleasure himself.
Danny bobbed his head, enjoying the silky feel of his man's hot skin against his tongue, and ran his strong hands over Steve's abs, gripping wantonly and drawing a growl from his chest.
"Fuck, Danny..." Steve groaned, pushing the bottle of lube into one of his lover's hands. "Come on, I want your cock and you're gonna give it to me..."
He let Danny pull up off him, already gasping from the blow job, and shifted his ass to the edge of the desk, ready.
Danny loved it when Steve was rough with him, and had learned the best ways to receive his dick into his throat without choking. His hair was twisted sharply, and he followed the hand that dragged him forward into a hard kiss which he moaned into.
He blindly dribbled lube onto his fingers and their cocks, leaned one hand on the desk and gently pushed one finger into Steve's ass while the taller man rocked his hips back to give him access.
Steve grunted against him, but when he tried to pull his hand back strong fingers wrapped around his wrist to force him back in. His mouth was ravaged by his lover while the taller man took control of his hand, moving his finger in and out of him in exactly the way he wanted.
Steve pulled back from the kiss long enough to growl the word "More," at him before forcing his tongue back between his lips.
Danny obediently pressed a second finger in with the first, still under Steve's control in every other aspect. Depth, speed, angle; that was all up to his lover, regardless of the fact it was his hand being used.
Then his hand was being pushed away, his wrist released, and Steve's deft fingers were curling around his cock and bringing him forward. He was positioned at the entrance to his lover's body, and Steve let go of him and took hold of his throat instead. Danny's head was completely immobilised, with the other man's right hand on his neck and his left still gripping his hair.
The kiss was finally broken, and he gasped in air and squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to do anything without Steve's permission. It was so unbelievably tempting to just drive forward into that tight, waiting hole he was pressed up to, but he wanted even more for Steve to be the one to say when.
The mechanic smiled wolfishly. "You want to fuck me, baby? You wanna slide your thick cock into me? Come inside me?"
Danny released a pathetic whimper and jerked forward minutely, managing to stop himself at the last second from breaching Steve's ass. He gritted his teeth against the need to just take him, feeling his control eroding away with each passing second.
"Oh god, Steve, yes… I need you..." His voice was strained and raw and needy, and he just didn't care about that right now. "Please baby, please..."
The brunette hummed and kissed Danny firmly and lovingly. As he did, he pressed his heels into his fiancé's rounded ass and pulled him forward into him. He moaned at the sensation of being filled, the delicious stretch and the slight edge of pain overridden by pleasure, squeezing the blonde's throat tighter and owning his mouth with his tongue.
Danny felt so heavy and unyielding as he slipped deeper inside his channel; while Steve usually preferred to top, and Danny liked to bottom, the occasional swap in roles was just as much fun, and never really seemed to affect their sexual dynamic. Steve still dominated, and Danny still complied with every command, and that was the way they loved to do it.
But god, this felt so amazing, so exquisite and fulfilling, and when Danny's cock nudged against his prostate as he slid in to the hilt, Steve remembered exactly why he enjoyed being the recipient from time to time.
He pulled back and they leaned their foreheads together while Danny caught his breath and Steve let the endorphins begin to flow through his blood stream.
Danny refused to let himself move, just allowing himself to soak in the sensations of being buried within his lover's tight hole, surrounded by velvet heat. He supported himself on the desk, hands planted firmly either side of Steve's hips while the brunette tightened the hand at his throat reactively, concentrating on his own breathing. The dull ache in his right hand and wrist from hitting the wall was fading, allowing him to concentrate fully on the way Steve felt around him.
"Danny," Steve whispered, and the cop opened his eyes to see deep hazel pools gazing back at him, his pupils blown wide with lust and desire.
He bit his own lip. "Steve..."
Those heavy, dark lashes fluttered as the taller man's eyes flickered down to Danny's lips, his chest, his dick where it entered the ex-con's body.
"Fuck me, Danny..."
The broken whimper that exited his lips was the definition of relief, and he placed one hand on Steve's hip as a counterpoint to pull out of him, before thrusting back in.
Both men groaned at the electricity that seemed to zip through their bodies, tension increasing and heat building as Danny rolled his hips and pumped into his lover.
Steve once again drew him into a rough kiss, his desire heightening with every drive and every stimulus of his prostate.
"Fuck... Danny... yes... come on... fuck me harder..."
Steve's words were spoken against his lips and filled with heat and promise, and goosebumps broke out down Danny's spine as he hammered harder and faster into his man.
He lost himself to the feeling, growled out as he fucked into Steve with all the force he could muster, while the brunette pulled him in hard with his heels in the small of Danny's back.
Paperwork and stationery fell off the desk as it shifted under them, and Danny could feel his orgasm building at the base of his spine.
He moved a hand to grip Steve's cock between them, caressing him with smooth strokes that matched the rhythm of his own thrusts, and he suddenly felt the need to have more, do more, take more.
He got a knee up on the desk, under Steve's thigh, not even waiting to see if the other man protested, and pushed off from the floor with the other foot. The mechanic grunted against him, but tilted his pelvis upward and let him change their position, and soon he was fully up on the wooden surface, thrusting into Steve missionary-style with abandon.
Danny was now hitting Steve's prostate with every strike, his hand massaging his lover's cock expertly, and the ex-con barely had a moment to savour the new set of sensations before he came over his own chest and Danny's hand. He pulled back from the kiss and shouted out, before sinking his teeth into Danny's collarbone and biting down hard.
The blonde's climax was torn from his belly, and he forced his cock into Steve as deeply as he could to spill his heat inside him. The feeling of taking his lover so intimately was incredible, and it mixed in with the sharp pain in his shoulder and the bubbling passion of his intense release to completely wipe him out.
He sagged against Steve's chest when his lover released his throat and removed his teeth from his flesh, and he let the lethargic ecstasy flow through his veins and pull him down into a calm serenity.
When he came back to himself, his sweat-slick chest was stuck to Steve's with cum, and the mechanic was carding his fingers gently through Danny's hair while he caught his own breath.
"Holy fuck..." he sighed, finally finding the energy to push himself up onto his hands and pull his softening dick from his lover's body, "That was fucking amazing..."
Steve chuckled and slipped both of his hands onto Danny's face, leaning up to kiss him.
"Jesus Christ, Danno. I do like it when you use your initiative!" He laughed and gave him an affectionate smile.
Danny looked around them, at their position on the desk and what used to be the contents of that desk now littering the floor. He didn't normally try to steal back control like that, usually content to do whatever Steve wanted, and whereas it wasn't something he felt like he would do regularly he realised that today it had been something he'd needed.
He gazed down at the man below him, blissed out and fucked out, and shook his head in awe. How had he known to let Danny do that? How had he sensed what his lover required and known to relinquish some of that power he usually fought so hard to keep?
"I don't deserve you," he said quietly.
Steve stared deeply into his eyes, frowned, and then reached up to tug sharply on his hair and bite at his throat.
"Don't you dare say that, Daniel Williams," he growled playfully against his stubbled skin, his voice tinged with humour to lighten his fiancé's sadness. Then he was rolling them over so Danny was underneath him and he could attack every inch of flesh over his neck and chest. "Don't you fucking dare."
Danny giggled manically as Steve's nips and licks tickled his skin, and he wriggled under the assault.
"Gerroff, you bastard!" he yelped, grasping at the ex-con and pushing at his shoulders, though he wasn't really putting his all into trying to win this one.
Steve cackled and lifted himself up, kissing Danny hard on the lips, and then lovingly on the tip of his nose and his forehead.
"Don't you dare think that, Danny. Ever. You're mine, and I'm yours, and you're just gonna have to accept that, okay? Deal?" Steve smiled gently, but his eyes told the cop in a more stern way that he wasn't allowed to doubt his worth. Not ever.
Danny pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. "Okay," he said, "Deal."
The taller man climbed off him, and Danny sat up and looked down at the mess they'd made.
He'd left the boat club, and the crime scene, fully intending to head straight back to the Palace and wallow in his office. Frustration had crackled under his skin at the knowledge that he now had to sit and wait for the crime scene techs to analyse the boat for evidence of Maggie's presence, despite his gut feeling telling him those men were one hundred per cent involved in this because there was just too much coincidence for them not to be.
The team needed to work on identifying the men using the marina's records and their photographs and fingerprints, although cause of death needed no such confirmation – the bullet wounds made it pretty obvious what had happened there. Just not why. But Meka and Chin had left ahead of him to make a start on that, while Kono stayed at the scene, and he felt like he would just get in their way if he attempted to help whilst so on edge.
But then he'd thought of Steve, and his instincts had made him change direction at the very next opportunity and aim for the garage instead.
Steve would always be his anchor, and at that moment with Danny's emotions threatening to overwhelm him and stop him from doing his job with the right kind of focus, he had recognised what he needed. Steve just seemed to know what to say and what to do, and Danny knew without a doubt that the best decision he'd ever made in his life was to propose to this perfect man.
They re-dressed, and he helped his lover put his possessions back in place on the desk and collect his scattered papers. Steve took hold of his aching wrist and kissed delicately over the knuckles which were beginning to bruise up a little, before reaching up to loop his tie into place and give it a little tug.
Danny knew his fiancé was concerned, that much was evident.
"I need to write up my report from the raid this morning," he said, "I'll have a shower at work at then I'll be back just after five for you."
Steve glared at him. "Some people are lucky enough to have showers at their workplace," he grumbled, humour bleeding through in his voice, "While others will have to be content with a spot clean in the bathroom..."
Danny gave him a guilty look. "Ew. Um, sorry babe..."
The brunette shook his head and laughed. "I think I can deal with it, Danno, I'll just hide out in my office. You get back to work, I'll see you later."
His fiancé seemed lighter now, more determined and settled, and Steve was only glad that he had a part in helping him achieve that.
"I love you, Steven," the shorter man cupped his lover's jaw and kissed him sweetly.
"I love you too, Daniel," he grinned against his lips. And Steve was already formulating a plan to keep his man occupied tonight.
"Hi again," Danny gave his fiancé a little wave as he exited the large front doors of the garage and hit the mechanical lever to bring the heavy door to the building down.
"You posing for a calendar there, Danno?" Steve teased.
The cop looked down at himself, leaned up against the Marquis in the lot where it sat with the other cars Steve's team were working on, thumbs in his belt loops and one leg bent so his foot could rest against the driver-side door. He was bathed in the afternoon sunlight, and it probably looked like he'd done it on purpose.
"If I were, I'd probably be lying on the Camaro and not this heap of junk," he chuckled, and received a mock glare from his man.
"When I'm done with that baby, she'll be so sexy you can't resist her," he locked up and headed directly for Danny, pressing his body up against the blonde's and his mouth to Danny's ear, "And the first thing I'll do is spread you out on her hood..."
The detective shivered. "Hurry up and finish her then, huh?" he grinned.
Steve pulled back to kiss him, then reached down to take his hand and tow him across the asphalt to the front gates.
"Come on, we're going home so I can have my way with you, then we're having a shower and going out for dinner."
Danny opened his car door and winced as he looked over the roof at Steve while he chained the gates. "I'm sorry baby, I'm not sure if I feel up to going out tonight..."
"Trust me, Danno," the brunette climbed into the passenger side seat, "You'll like this place..."
One hour and a shared shower later, they were in Steve's Silverado and headed to the surprise venue.
"You wanna talk about work, or avoid the subject?" Steve asked. He wanted to establish early on whether Danny needed to vent or keep things to himself.
"I dunno..." the cop sighed and leaned his head back against the seat, "Not much has changed since this afternoon, honestly."
He didn't want to throw too much information at his lover, especially as he wasn't party to much of the investigation anyway. He was also very aware of putting too much pressure on the two of them – it wasn't fair to lean on Steve... Maybe it was best to just keep it bottled up, keep things separate while he still could. Steve didn't deserve that.
The techs had confirmed the GPS locator on the boat showed it to be out in the right region of the ocean in the time frame when the victim's body would have been dumped, so the team were all pretty damn sure the dead men were involved. IDs had come through to show they were both locals with some prior records for theft and weapons-related crimes, both having done time in prison, but how that connected them to possible abduction was unclear. Five-0 just needed to work out how, and why, and who had killed them.
Their theories about Maggie's abduction were now settled around possible slavery or sex trade motives, but normally they would be seeing several children go missing at once under those circumstances. Looked at clinically, one child at a time was just not profitable. And if it were the case that her kidnappers didn't know about her heart condition and she had died because of their ineptitude, the men may have panicked and thrown her overboard, and that might well have been the reason they were killed. They had accidently let the whole thing become a murder investigation, instead of a missing persons case – the body was evidence that something more was going on, and someone else had been very unhappy about that.
Danny picked at the inseam of his jeans while he stared out of the window. "There's at least one other person involved, and maybe they clipped those guys because of what happened with the victim, maybe... I dunno, maybe they found out something they shouldn't, or were getting too high risk... It's another dead end, and I'm beginning to wonder if we're gonna solve this one."
He went quiet and bit at his lip, and Steve felt his heart tug. Danny was doubting himself, and that alone made him feel sick. He put a hand out and squeezed his fiancé's thigh.
"You'll work it out, Danny. You've got a great team, and you're a brilliant cop. You'll get justice for that little girl." He tried to express as much confidence as he could through the statement. He honestly believed there wasn't anything his Danny couldn't do... He was just worried about the effects on his lover in the interim.
The blonde just nodded and looked down at his hands in his lap.
"I hope so, Steve..."
They turned a corner into a residential area, and Danny finally looked up and took in their location.
"I thought we were going out for dinner, why are we in this neighbourhood?"
Steve flashed him a quick smile. "I figured you might need something a little more special than your average restaurant."
The Silverado was guided into the driveway of the Edwards household, and the ex-con leaned out of the window and hit the intercom.
It buzzed a greeting, and he replied. "Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams, we're expected."
Seconds later, the tall gates were opening and they were pulling up to the house.
Danny stared at his lover until he eventually looked over at him. "Explain?"
"After I saw you earlier, I figured you might need some Grace time, so I called Rachel. She and I are gonna fix dinner, you can relax with your daughter and a beer or three. How's that?"
Danny just looked at him with an open mouth, glanced at the house where he could see Rachel through the glass, coming to the front door to welcome them, and then back at Steve.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you, you giant fucking goof?" he grinned.
God, this was just what he needed. His little girl, his gorgeous fiancé, and his ex-wife – whom he was on much better terms with recently – being there for him. The beer was a plus. Rachel was more a friend than an ex these days anyway, and he was so grateful that she was allowing him more time with his daughter on a day he wasn't necessarily due it.
"You've told me many times, but I'd very much like for it to continue," Steve laughed.
They leaned in to one another to kiss, and then climbed out of the car and headed inside.
Danny was sitting with Grace on the couch, sipping a beer and helping with her homework by the time Steve and Rachel were almost ready to dish up the food. The two brunettes had worked easily together in the large kitchen, with Rachel showing Steve exactly what a proper British roast dinner was all about.
A whole chicken cooked to perfection with crispy skin, mashed potato, roasted potatoes, steamed carrots and green beans, and Yorkshire puddings – which Steve had discovered were not puddings at all in the conventional sense – to top it all off, and she was now showing him how to do what was, in her opinion, the best gravy. She poured some of the chicken stock from the roasting tin into the mix while Steve stirred.
"How is Stan's trip going?" he asked.
"Oh, it's the same old thing," she sighed, "He's away for another week, working pretty much constantly, and when he does have downtime the time difference means I'm often in bed asleep... the pains of international travel..."
The mechanic nodded. "That must be frustrating."
"I won't lie, it is. But I have Grace to keep me company... and you two, of course," she gave him a full, genuine smile, "I was really happy when you called earlier, Steve. I know how much Danny and Grace love to spend time together, and it's lovely that you're looking out for him."
Steve finished stirring and opened the oven to start bringing out all the food. "It's kind of my job," he smiled.
"But it's not, Steve. You do know that, right?" When he looked over at her, her expression was carefully neutral, but her eyes spoke volumes. "I think maybe that's where I went wrong... I don't know. Just... with cases such as this one, Daniel gets very worked up. Children, especially dead children..."
She trailed off and looked away, busying herself with the food.
"Yeah, he's been, uh... stressed..."
They both watched Danny and Grace across the open-plan living and dining room from where they stood the other side of the kitchen counter.
The cop seemed happier than ever, smiling and joking with his daughter, tickling her and laughing out loud with no sign of the pressures he'd been under. Just like when he was with Steve, Grace just melted his problems away and stole his focus completely, but Steve had already seen how his mood could dip the moment any other distractions were removed. When they left after dinner, he would be sad once more, maybe even worse than before they arrived after having to leave Grace again.
"Danny is a fantastic cop," he said, his belief in his man unwavering, "He has this amazing knowledge and instinct when it comes to police work, and an unbeatable drive to constantly do the very best job he can, all the time..."
Rachel nodded sagely, but she cocked her head to one side and gazed at him, knowing there was more to what he was saying.
Steve felt so guilty for voicing his concerns, but he knew he needed to speak to someone who would understand, and lord knew he couldn't say anything to one of the team. Chin, Kono and Meka were his friends and he could go to them with anything, he knew that... but not when it was about their boss. Not when it might have an effect on the way Five-0 functioned and make them question their leader's capabilities.
"It's just... it's a little frightening to see him as... unhinged as he has been the last couple of days..."
He frowned at himself and rubbed his eyes with the thumb and fingers of one hand, while the other arm hugged his own chest for comfort. It didn't feel right to say these things and he was almost angry at the relief he felt for finally talking about it to another person. But Rachel would understand more than most.
The British woman nodded, dishing out the mashed potatoes onto the four plates. "I saw his knuckles... I'm guessing a wall took the brunt of that?"
The way she asked implied she had witnessed something similar before.
Steve nodded. "My office wall. Why, did he..?"
"Several walls in our apartment in Jersey, lord knows however many at the precinct, and there were a few innocent inanimate objects which didn't survive the ordeal..." Rachel gave him a wry smile, "He's passionate. Which is wonderful, until it's not."
These revelations had spiked Steve's curiosity, and as they finished plating up the food he placed a hand on Rachel's arm to pause her.
"Did all this happen on one case?"
She pressed her lips together, obviously wondering if she should be sharing this. Grace's laugh rang out from the other side of the room and they both looked up to see Danny holding her upside-down by one ankle while she tried to grab at him. The scene was in such juxtaposition to their discussion, it was almost jarring.
"The vast majority, yes..." She took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm sure you've worked out through your time with Danny that the main reason he and I fell apart was due to his work," she put up defensive hands to ward off any comments, "And that's not to say it was his fault, it's just that... I couldn't take the long, unpredictable shifts and the worry about whether he was out getting hurt or worse in the line of duty. I'm sure you get that?"
Steve nodded. There was no denying he worried about his fiancé – the man had got shot in the head in front of him for god sakes! He'd been so lucky to survive that, and he still had the scar hidden in his hair line to prove it wasn't just some horrendous nightmare. So yes, Steve was fully aware of where Rachel was coming from.
"But it's what he's built for," she looked over at Danny, eyes still full of adoration for the man, "He's a father first and a cop second, and maybe I couldn't handle coming in third... but there was no way I could stop him from doing what he does." Her voice was wistful, but he could see she had decided long ago that she had made the right decision as far as ending their marriage was concerned.
The mechanic didn't completely agree with her assessment, however. Danny was a father first and foremost, but he didn't believe the Jersey man ranked his work above his love. That may have been the way his ex-wife had felt, and her feelings were valid of course. It was a different relationship and Steve couldn't comment on it – he hadn't been there – but when it came to Danny and Steve he just knew he wasn't an afterthought. He had to be seen as more important than that, right?
His own fears began to creep in to the back of his mind, and he attempted to block them and push them away, but now they had made themselves known they were impossible to ignore. Maybe they had been there all along, maybe that's what the unease was that he had been feeling.
"There was one case, a big one. This man killed four children over the space of three months before they were able to catch him. Danny was deeply involved in that investigation. He had just made Sergeant, and he takes things so personally when the victims are so young... He had nightmares, couldn't sleep, we barely saw one another, and when we did it just caused arguments," she looked up at Steve and gave him a hopeful smile, "I hope it's different for you, I really do, and you certainly seem to be handling things better than I did... but if I'm honest, it was probably that case that finally ended us. It wasn't just that, of course, there were other things we couldn't work past, but that was probably the last straw. We split up a month after it was solved."
She picked up two of the plates and motioned with a tip of her head that they should go and eat.
Steve collected the other two dishes and followed her to the table, and Grace and Danny joined them both displaying huge smiles. The detective had regained his sparkle, even if it was temporary.
The ex-con watched his lover as Danny chatted happily with Rachel and their daughter, and they all ate the delicious roast. He appreciated Rachel's honesty with him; she was obviously trying to protect Steve as much as Danny, and that was sweet and well-meant.
What she had said worried him, but he tried to focus not on the similarities between his relationship with Danny and Rachel's marriage to him, but instead on the differences. Danny had said it himself, Steve was the first and only person to dominate him sexually, to show him what it could mean to be owned and used and wanted in that way, with all the trust and love that should come with it.
Maybe, just maybe, that could be their saving grace. Danny had a release with Steve that he hadn't had before, and perhaps the verbal fights he'd had with his ex were being replaced by a more physical alternative. He had a pressure valve now to take him back down to a safe level and prevent him from blowing up.
Steve just had to hope that were true, and something told him that their seemingly perfect balance didn't just end at the bedroom door. Maybe he was everything that Danny needed, as much as his lover completed Steve in so many ways.
The blonde man looked over at him, and their eyes met across the table. His smile crinkled the corners of his blue eyes, and at least on the surface, in this moment, he was happy. Steve grinned back and winked at his lover, playfully.
Maybe they would be fine; he just had to think positive.