Steve drifted back to consciousness, a sleepy voice in the back of his mind telling him something was missing. He reached out to Danny lying next to him, but found only empty space.
He peeled his eyes open and stared at the clock on the bedside table, and the little green numbers told him it was almost 4am. Where the hell was his fiancé?
He lay there for a few minutes, thinking the blonde may have got up to use the bathroom or get a glass of water, but when he didn't return Steve forced himself to get out of bed and track him down.
It didn't take long, because as soon as he got out into the corridor he spotted the soft light coming from under the door to the living room and kitchen. When he nudged it open Danny was there, sitting at the table in only sweatpants and hunched over his laptop, looking like sleep hadn't hung around for him very long.
The detective was leaning on one elbow, palm supporting his chin and fingers curled over his mouth. His brow was creased in concentration, and his usually sparkling blue eyes were flat and tired. His other hand was clicking away on the mouse every few seconds. He looked dead tired.
Danny sighed as he shuffled through files he felt like he'd seen five hundred times. And possibly he had, because he kept going back, double checking witness statements and coroner's reports, telling himself he'd missed something vital... because Jesus Christ, what if he had? What if there was something he should have seen, the key to the whole thing, and he didn't spot it and another kid was taken? What if he didn't do his job right and another little girl died? What if?
Steve clearing his throat across the room made him practically leap from his chair, and he smoothed his messy hair back into place out of nervous habit.
"You're a fucking ninja, you know that?" he grumbled, though he was kind of glad to see his lover padding across the room, looking deliciously sleepy in just his boxers.
"And you're meant to be in bed..." came the amused retort.
The detective glanced at the clock and inwardly berated himself. He'd told himself at half past one when he woke that he'd only work for an hour to clear his head – allay his fears and put those intrusive, messy thoughts down for the night – and now it was four in the morning. Idiot.
He rubbed his face. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
Steve shook his head and leaned on the chair across the table from him. "Only by not being where you should be," he gave his fiancé an understanding smile, "Come back to bed..."
Danny wrestled with the idea, but he could hear his brain whirring away like white noise which he knew wouldn't allow him rest.
"I can't babe, I feel like I should be working on this. I can't get my head to stop spinning." He pushed his face into his hands and huffed out a humourless laugh. "I know I'm just making myself tired, but if I'm gonna be awake, I may as well be productive, right?"
Danny looked up at the brunette when he moved around the table and leaned against it, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You know that's not how it works, Danno," he said softly, "You're exhausting yourself."
He cast his eyes over the laptop, grainy CCTV images of an empty suburban road filling the screen, and his heart tugged. Danny was putting so much pressure on himself, and he understood why. It was about Grace, no matter how much the blonde might claim otherwise – when it was about kids, it was about Grace, and Steve knew he would be the same. He adored that little girl almost as much as her father, and would do anything to protect her. He'd never been great with kids, but he'd found it came naturally with their little Monkey.
"Come on, you've got to get away from all this. I'll help you get to sleep," he kissed his lover's bed-mussed hair and squeezed his arm.
Danny looked down at the brunette's hand on his forearm and huffed again in an attempt to release tension.
His lover was right, of course he was, but he couldn't stop his mind working unpaid overtime. The words on the screen were starting to dance and swim in front of his exhausted eyes, but he'd been forcing himself to continue and only gaining a headache as a reward.
Steve moved around to Danny's back, letting his hands smooth over the man's bare shoulders and begin to work the knots out of the muscles there. The cop closed his eyes and let out a sigh of frustration, trying to let his lover help him relax. When he opened his eyes, the case still glared back at him from the laptop, and he tensed again.
Steve noted the reaction and leaned forward over Danny with one hand to close the computer lid, firmly and silently telling him he was done for the night. If he wasn't going to come when asked, he was going to be told instead. That hand went back to the blonde's shoulder, but then slid up to his neck, wrapping strong fingers around the column of his throat and squeezing.
The detective's eyes slid shut and his mind finally blanked as his lover's grip became his sole focus once again. Steve's fingers tightened and yanked his head to one side suddenly, exposing his neck and shoulder to the taller man. Teeth nipped up from his collarbone to his ear, tracing the line of the tendon which connected the two, and then those teeth clamped down over the artery and dug in.
Steve's deep growl reverberated through his body, and his hands slipped over to Danny's chest and kneaded at his pecs, scratching nails over his nipples.
Danny gasped and jerked, and the ex-con bit down harder, almost hard enough to mark. He froze, hand gripping the sides of his chair while Steve established his dominance and forced him to stay still.
Then the brunette was releasing his bite, grasping Danny's biceps and hauling him out of his seat.
"You're coming with me," he snarled, shoving his fiancé in the direction of the doorway. He fully intended to ensure his man was thinking of nothing but Steve – he wanted it, and Danny needed it.
Danny let himself be guided through the house and brought to the bed, not resisting but simultaneously letting Steve be the one to push and shove and haul, to take charge and instigate his command. The taller man hooked his fingers into the waistband of Danny's sweatpants and pulled them down for him to step out of.
He was made to face the bed, shoved down so he was bent forward with his hands supporting himself on the mattress but so that he was still standing, and then the mechanic was tugging the drawer open, bringing the lube out. Seconds later two slicked fingers were nudging their way inside his hole.
His ankles were kicked further apart, and he moaned and pressed back, taking all of it and wanting more, desperate for what the other man could give him.
"Mm, so fucking hungry for me, baby..." Steve purred appreciatively, "I'm gonna give you a reward if you behave yourself for me, you gonna do that, huh?"
His fingers pumped into him, joined by a third to open him up.
Danny grunted and balled the sheets into his fist. "God... Yeah... I will, Steve. I need you..."
The brunette would never get tired of hearing that, knowing his lover craved him and wanted every inch of him, loved to take everything he could give. He rewarded him by twisting his fingers and massaging his prostate, and Danny cried out and bucked forward.
Steve pulled his fingers out to remove his boxers and slick up his cock, gratified to see Danny stay in position, waiting for him. He closed his fist over his lover's dick and stroked him a few times, bending down to nip a red line across his fiancé's ass cheeks before forcing his tongue into the loosed ring of muscle, pulling Danny's cheeks apart to push in deeper.
"Oh fuck, Steve..." the blonde gasped and arched his back, and the ex-con hummed happily against his hole, flexing his tongue. "Oh god, feels so good..."
The mechanic lathered him with attention, getting him slick and needy. Then he was withdrawing, shoving Danny down to lay on the bed, placing his knees either side of the cop's on the mattress and lining up quickly to drive home into him.
Danny cried out as he was filled, suddenly and forcefully, and he groaned and pushed up from the bed, the muscles in his shoulders and back tensing and seizing.
Steve barely waited for him to adjust before pulling out and pounding back into him, taking him as hard and as deep as he could, digging marks into the detective's hips with his fingers.
"Oh fuck baby, so tight, so hot for me..." He took deep breaths to centre himself, using his purchase on Danny's body to lift up and plunge back down over and over, owning his ass and taking what was his.
The blonde hissed and cursed and writhed under him, grasping at the bedding and pressing up against him, and Steve slipped one hand around to lay across under his chest while the other went to lace into Danny's hair and hold tight. He thrust into him a few more times before he used his weight to flip them, still encased inside his lover, until he was lying on his back on the bed and Danny was on top over him, back flush to his stomach and chest.
Steve moved his legs, knees coming up to part his lover's thighs and spread his own legs wide to force Danny's further apart. The ex-con bent his knees, planting his feet on the mattress, and began driving up to hammer into Danny's ass.
The detective shouted out, his eyes flying wide, and Steve took hold of both of his flailing wrists and brought them to his chest where he wrapped his arm across them to pin them there. His other hand went back to take hold of Danny's hair and wrench his head to the side again so his teeth and tongue could attack his shoulder once more.
"Fuck, Steve!" Danny gasped and arched his spine, unable to cope with the intense pleasure racing through his body.
The position meant that Steve's cock pushed hard against his prostate on every upward thrust, and he was completely at the ex-con's mercy the way he was held open, exposed and vulnerable; it was virtually impossible to fight back, even if he had wanted to. His brain short circuited under the barrage of sensation, only able to moan Steve's name, interspersed with curses and half-formed words that exited his lips as wretched, broken noises.
The mechanic pummelled up into his lover, giving his thighs and abs a full-throttle workout. The feeling of his tight channel tensing around him, his slick heat, was absolutely amazing. To have their entire upper bodies pressed together, Steve's fiancé held to his chest so tightly and making those erotic, carnal sounds, caused the coiled feeling inside his stomach to constrict, taking him closer.
The hand in Danny's hair let go, and nails left red rows down his side before Steve's fingers wrapped around his cock and massaged firmly.
"Fuck, Steve fuck, I'm gonna come. Oh god..." He gasped and panted, electricity surging through his body with every thrust from his lover, the whole thing becoming overwhelming for him. He wanted to reach out, take hold, claw at Steve and grip him tight, but he could only flex his fingers where they were held against his chest and dig his nails into his own flesh.
Every drive pushed another strangled noise from his lungs, and he writhed and strained against Steve's hold, not really wanting him to let go, just needing to have something to fight against and deplete his energy reserves until he and his body would have no choice but to give in.
The brunette squeezed Danny tighter, stroked him harder, dragging him to the edge of ecstasy before he would let his own finish take hold. He licked a long line up the cop's neck, and then darted back down to dig his teeth into his shoulder.
Danny's world went white, and he practically screamed out as he came hard, cum striping over his stomach as he lost control of his body and bucked his hips so hard Steve's dick slipped out of him.
The mechanic growled in frustration and rolled his now limp, panting lover onto his stomach again, releasing his arms so he could lean up above him and guide his cock back into his gorgeous ass, pushing in deep and hammering in violently, chasing his own orgasm until it raced through him in waves. He came deep inside Danny, filling him up with his load and gasping against his sweat-slick back before he collapsed down onto his twitching body.
It took him a few minutes to regain the energy to move, and he pulled out of the blonde and kissed him gently between his shoulder blades.
"That was fuckin' 'mazing..." Danny mumbled into the bed, and Steve chuckled and laid a line of kisses down his spine, still breathing heavily himself.
"You feeling better, baby?" He ran a firm palm up the detective's back, and Danny rolled over onto his side to face his fiancé.
"God yes... Steve, I love you so much..." He gave the brunette an affectionate smile and met his eyes, trying to communicate exactly what he meant to Danny. He was his heart and soul, and the way he seemed to know exactly what the Jersey man needed and when just took his breath away.
"I love you too," Steve whispered back, still swimming happily in the afterglow of sweet release.
Danny curled his arms under and around the man beside him, pulling him in close and tucking Steve's head under his chin.
They dozed in each other's arms until Danny's alarm went off for work at seven-thirty, but he no longer felt quite as deathly tired as he had. The endorphins in his blood stream, the distraction and physical release supplied by Steve, made him feel renewed and recharged.
He hit the button to stop the chime on his phone, got dressed, and kissed the brunette gently on the lips.
"I'll see you later tonight, babe," he whispered.
"Good luck today, Danno," the mechanic squeezed his hand, hoping at least something would go right today.
Steve pulled up at the front gates earlier than usual and stepped out of the Silverado, slipping his key into the lock that held the chains together, but paused when he found they already appeared to be open.
He lifted the padlock and stared at it for a moment, thinking carefully about yesterday afternoon. Danny had come to collect him, they walked out of the gates hand in hand to the Camaro, and yes... He'd definitely locked up.
The keyhole looked scratched, like it had been tampered with, and Steve growled to himself. He gently pushed one of the gates far enough so he could slip through the gap, but not enough to make any noise. If someone had broken into his lot, he wanted the element of surprise when he caught them.
The mechanic stalked past the row of motorbikes which were in from a local club having a service. Those would be a popular steal, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.
He reached the cars parked out the front, and could see the nearest one had the hood propped up. Someone was messing with his god damn Marquis.
Steve stepped around to the side a little, getting a glimpse of the person who had their hands inside his beloved car to make sure it wasn't just one of his crew trying to be helpful... but they all knew to stay away from the Mercury, and none of them had the keys to the front gates anyhow.
He was just a kid. Roughly thirteen or fourteen, he was tall and gangly, looked local, and clothed in filthy shorts and a ripped t-shirt, topped off with old flip flops which were clearly past their best. He had his tongue stuck out of one corner of his mouth in concentration, while he worked an engine part loose with a wrench and some elbow grease. His dark, curly hair fell forward over his eyes, and he kept pushing it back so he could see.
Steve crossed his muscled arms over his chest and cocked his hips.
"I only put that in yesterday," he growled, and the boy startled and leapt back, dropping the metal part with a loud clang.
"Shit!" the kid squeaked, looking around for an exit and realising he was effectively cornered.
He went to dash the other way around the Marquis, but Steve mirrored the move and the boy stopped short. He held his hands up defensively.
"Listen kid, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but this is my garage and that," he motioned to the Marquis, "is my car..."
"I'm sorry man, just don't hurt me, please..."
He looked terrified, and Steve creased his brow. He wasn't that scary, surely? Yeah, the boy had broken into his garage, he was probably expecting some sort of trouble might show up although it was early and he was probably betting on being gone before work hours, but Steve hadn't exactly threatened him.
The kid backed up, and as he passed the hood of the car again he snatched up the wrench, waving it at Steve.
"Don't come any closer, bruh. I know how to fight, I can take you down if I have to!"
The ex-con couldn't help but snort. The boy was tall but slight, and wouldn't stand a chance against Steve. He'd obviously grown up with the need to be tough, and the brunette could relate to that – he wasn't far off the age Steve was when he lost his parents, and it was that same defensive self-preservation kind of attitude which had kept him protected through his own confusing teenage years on the mainland. Assume everyone was out to do you harm, hold your ground, show them how big and how mean you are even if it was a bare-faced lie.
He straightened a little, stepping back and dropping his shoulders to look as non-threatening as possible. "Hey, I'm not gonna-"
The boy took that moment to hurl the wrench at the older man and run for the gates. Steve yelped and sidestepped the flying makeshift weapon, and then he was off after the kid.
His legs were longer and more powerful, and he caught up with him just as they closed on the entrance to the lot. The boy grasped the edge of the gate and tugged hard, and Steve was very glad he hadn't left it wide open as the delay gave him the chance to grab the kid's arm and body slam him into the chain link fence.
He fought back, howling and clawing, digging his nails into his assailant's skin in the hopes he would let go, but Steve's arm snaked around his neck in a headlock, snatched one wrist with practiced ease and brought it up behind the boy's back to disable him while he swung him back around and away from freedom.
The mechanic shoved his knee into the back of the kid's and brought him down to kneel on the asphalt.
"Stop struggling," he growled, and then softened his voice, "Listen, I'm not gonna hurt you, but I'm not letting you go either, so you're just wasting energy right now..."
The teen twisted again, but soon realised that he wasn't going to win that way, so he finally gave in, panting and gasping for air.
"Please, let me go," he begged, and Steve's heart twisted.
He released the boy, straightening up and taking a step back. He looked confused as he staggered to his feet, and his brown eyes flicked to the gates behind Steve.
He looked like he hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, and the fear in his eyes struck a chord deep in Steve's chest. This boy was afraid, possibly all alone, and his anger at the attempted theft just dropped away. Force wouldn't work here, it would only end badly for the kid, with Steve having to call the cops on him.
This had happened to him – almost this exact scenario reversed – when after being in LA for only three months he had run away from Aunt Deb and stolen a car from her neighbour. He was caught by the man and had lashed out in his terror and frustration, catching him around the face and giving him a nasty black eye.
When the cops had finally turned up, that incident combined with a warning for shop lifting two weeks prior had landed him in juvenile detention for four months.
It was there he'd really begun to learn what being a young con was all about. He made the wrong kind of enemies and the even worse kind of friends, and he'd learned and fought and played the game until, upon walking out of that place, he'd gone through an intensive training course on how to be a criminal.
His parents' deaths were what had sent him down the wrong path, but juvie was the thing that had really ruined his life. If he'd maybe been given a second chance after trying to steal that car, if he hadn't hurt the man or had just been given a lighter sentence, maybe his life wouldn't have run the course it did. It had been the beginning of the end for him.
Of course, he wouldn't change it for the world now, knowing that the whole experience would eventually lead to Hawaii, to Danny and the ohana, and his garage and new found purpose... but not everyone was that lucky. This kid might not be that lucky.
He had a choice right now. He could throw the boy to the police, let justice take its course and do what he should do as a member of society and a local business owner... Lord knows Danny would tell him the cops were the correct option.
But Steve knew from experience that the correct course of action and the right thing weren't always the same menu item.
The ex-con sighed. "Go if you like, kid," and he stepped to one side, waiting until the teen built up the courage and darted past him to head for the way out, "But if you stay then maybe you can have a good meal... and I won't call the cops on you."
The boy paused, halfway through the gap between the gates and stared at him with wide, hungry eyes. He was still scared, but the prospect of food was overriding his need to run.
"You won't?" he asked, voice shaking.
Steve shook his head again and spread his hands out to the side, trying to show the sympathy he was feeling without coming across as condescending. He hoped the boy could see he was trustworthy. "I promise. You'll be safe. I just... you looked half starved, is all..."
The teen's wild gaze darted from Steve to the Marquis, and then back out to the road, while he chewed on his lip. He was considering his options extremely carefully, and eventually his eyes landed on the older man to study him intensely.
"What's your name?" Steve tried, hoping for an encouraging response, "I'm Steve. McGarrett."
The teen pressed his mouth into a tight line, and finally made the decision on which direction he was going in. He stepped back inside the garage lot and stuffed his hands into his shorts pockets.
"Nahele," the boy confided, "Nahele Huikala."
"We saw the money going into the accounts belonging to Akela and Stuart, paid in in cash," Kono sat next to Danny on the couch in his office with her tablet, pointing at the figures on the screen, "So Meka contacted the bank this morning and they sent over the relevant CCTV footage, but it shows them paying the money in themselves..."
Danny sighed and rubbed at his eyes, exhaustion having leaked back into his bones pretty much from the moment he'd walked in the door to the office and remembered why they were there.
"So it's another dead end..."
The black and white stills now on her screen showed two shots of the men they had found dead, Tan Akela and Anthony Stuart, walking into two different branches of the bank of Oahu within hours of each other and paying ten grand each in cold hard cash over the counters.
"Yes and no," Danny looked up to see Meka standing in the doorway with a laptop, and he beckoned his partner further into the room.
"Whatcha got, Mek?" He was desperate for anything at this point.
The Hawaiian man tucked himself in on the other side of his boss and placed the laptop on the small table, in amongst the four empty coffee cups which sat there. Only one of them was Kono's.
"I went back further in their financials, and it looks like they've paid in similar amounts before. Once two years ago, and another roughly eighteen months before that. It looks like it's not the first time they've done this."
Danny sat back and stared at the two screens. "So this time they screwed up and paid for it. Have we gone through missing persons records to see if any children's disappearances match up with these dates?"
Meka nodded. "Already on it, boss," he gave his friend a wry smile, "I think you were right yesterday when you said it wasn't an average slavery or sex trade thing, but there is definitely something organised about this."
The blonde had a thought, bringing up a picture of Maggie on Meka's computer that her parents had supplied. She was of Chinese descent, with all the classic features.
"Where would Akela and Stuart's boat have been headed?"
Kono tapped on her pad. "North. Looks like Kauai."
"There's an airstrip there, right?" He was pulling information from his fuzzy brain, facts bogged down by lack of sleep.
Meka nodded. "Yes... Yeah, there is," he leaned forward suddenly, typing a search into the laptop, catching his partner's train of thought, "And there are small and medium jets that charter out to several countries from there..."
Kono creased her brow and looked from one cop to the other. "What are you guys thinking?"
"I don't know… maybe… I think she was kidnapped to order," Danny whispered, almost to himself, "Someone looking for a child they could easily pass off as their own. And if there were other children, there may well be a way to find out who arranges this... Do they fly to Australia?" His eyes were too blurry to look for himself, and he rubbed at them and winced.
Kono looked down list on her colleague's computer. "Yeah, why?"
"There's a small Chinese population in the country. Some move there from China to escape the government's 'single child' policy, some due to the attitudes on female children. A couple may want to have a girl, but fear their family might do something to remedy the situation if the older generations were looking for a male heir..."
"That's horrible," the sniper muttered under her breath.
Danny nodded his agreement. "If a couple wanted a child, possibly a daughter, but were maybe unable to conceive one naturally... this might be an option for them."
Meka clapped him on the back. "I've got you bud, I have a good friend in the Australian police force who owes me. I can ask him to look into any whispers they have going on over there."
Kono grinned, happy to have something to move forward with. "Okay, well I can keep an eye on the missing persons report search for you, Meka, and Chin is still out talking to potential witnesses..." then she looked at Danny with soft eyes, "Meantime I think I'm gonna turn mother hen and demand that boss man has a nap..."
The Jersey man was trying to hide his yawn behind his hand and failing, and he stifled it the moment he realised Kono had noticed. "M'fine," he grumbled.
There was no way he was walking away from this right now, regardless of the weight of his eyelids and the drowsy tug of sleep on his brain.
"See this?" The young sniper pointed to her face, which had a very unimpressed expression pasted on it. "This right here is my take-no-shit-even-from-my-boss face."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Why the hell did I ever have to go and name that one?" he moaned.
For some reason the Hawaiian woman had actually liked the fact she apparently pulled that face regularly, even more so that the Five-0 leader seemed to respect her wishes when she used it, and it had stuck with her to be brought out as a weapon against him whenever she wanted her way.
"You know what this face means, Danny," she said firmly, "You may be the boss, but I still give the orders around here."
The blonde chuckled. "Okay okay, fine. I will have a short nap, and you can come and wake me up when you see fit." He patted the couch to signal where he intended to take his rest.
Meka had gotten up to stand in the office doorway, and the two team members exchanged a wary look. They were always looking out for him, could see he was tired beyond belief, and he realised they knew there was no way he would be able to sleep in his office without soon giving in and getting hold of a computer to work again.
"Nuh uh," Kono shook her head, "I'm driving you home in your Camaro so you don't wrap yourself around a tree, and then I'm gonna get a cab back here. You," she jabbed his chest, "are gonna go home and sleep. With no laptop. I don't wanna see you until tomorrow morning."
Danny glared at her and she had the sense to look a little embarrassed at her sharp attitude. "Uh..." she gulped, "With all due respect... Boss."
"Kono," he said with a warning tone, wanting so much to argue her down. He wouldn't tear her a new one over that burst of insubordination, because she was a friend and she was only looking out for him – he wasn't that type of boss – but he did want to tell her he damn well wouldn't be sleeping while his team were working.
He opened his mouth again to say those exact words when his fiancé's words came back to him from that morning. You know that's not how it works, Danno. You're exhausting yourself.
Steve was right. Kono was right. Hell, even Meka was giving him that look that told him he agreed with their colleague, and he was right too. If Chin were in the office, he'd be backing them all up.
He growled and put his head in his hands. "Fine. Put the cab on expenses," he pointed sternly at Kono and she nodded, and he picked up his laptop bag.
"No computers!" Meka ordered, and he put it down again.
"Argh, fuck the both of you!" Danny protested pitifully. "I love you so much, but fuck you all..."
His partner and sniper laughed and shepherded him out of the room, with Kono taking his keys ready to drive him home.
Chin walked in the double doors as they were on their way out, and gave them all a puzzled look.
"Don't give him any information, Chin," Meka said, "He's going home to rest."
"Oh, good," the older cop smiled at Danny, receiving only a gruff reply.
"Oh fuck you too, I knew you'd be on their side..."
When Kono pulled the Camaro into the driveway, Steve's Silverado was already sitting there. It was early afternoon, so Danny was trying to remember if his lover had told him he was having a short work day.
The cab pulled up to the kerb just as they were climbing out of the car, as they had called ahead to book it, and his colleague passed him back his keys and gave him a hug.
"Get some rest, Danny," she pecked his cheek, "We need you in the land of the living."
He nodded. "Thanks babe, you're right. As usual..."
She grinned and he waved her off in the taxi before heading inside.
He dropped his keys in the bowl near the door and decided the best way for him to sleep was going to involve tracking down his lover and tiring out his body as well as his mind.
"Steve? You home, babe?" he called out and turned the corner into the kitchen area, "The team ganged up on me an- who the hell are you?"
The detective found himself staring at a young boy who couldn't have been more than fourteen, sitting at the kitchen table with a stack of waffles in front of him and a frightened expression on his face. Even more confusing, he was wearing what appeared to be a pair of Steve's board shorts and one of Danny's old Jersey pizzeria t-shirts which was very loose on his skinny frame.
When his question was met with stunned silence, he raised his eyebrows and gestured widely. "Anytime you wanna explain what you're doing here, that's fine..." he pressed.
The kid's eyes were drawn to his moving hands, and then they locked onto the badge and gun at his belt. He shot up from the table, dropping his fork and backing away.
"He said he wasn't going to call the police..." he whispered, clearly terrified, "He said he wouldn't!"
Danny frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Steve entered the room from the direction of the bathroom, and before he could fully take in the scene the boy was shouting at him with a trembling voice.
"You told me I'd be safe! You said you wouldn't hand me in!" He pointed at Danny, who was now crossing his arms over his chest and giving Steve that look that demanded an explanation, and fast. "You called the cops!"
Steve put his hands out. "No no, Nahele, you've got it wrong! That's Danny, he's my fiancé..."
But the teen wasn't listening, and when Danny moved forward he saw the doorway was clear for escape and bolted.
"Nahele, wait!" Steve cried out, but it was Danny's hand clamping down on the boy's arm as he ran past which stopped him in his tracks.
Nahele tried to pull away and pried at Danny's fingers, but the blonde held on to him, fed up and determined to find out what on earth was happening in his own home. He was tired and confused, and tension was bubbling up inside his chest.
"What the fuck is- ARGH!" Danny howled and let go of Nahele's wrist when the kid's teeth sank into his forearm. "You little fucker!"
He tried to run again, but Steve came up behind him and quickly wrapped a strong arm around his chest, trapping his arms, and placed a calming hand over Nahele's forehead.
"He's okay, kid, he's not gonna arrest you. Come on, calm down now," he said soothingly, and the teen finally gave in again when he realised Steve was too strong to fight successfully.
The mechanic let him go when Nahele got his breathing back under control, his own pulse jumping in his neck at the surprise freak out. He hadn't explained about Danny yet, not expecting his lover to be home until after five, so he couldn't blame the kid for his reaction.
Nahele was still twitching, wide brown eyes flicking between Danny and the door, but the cop was now over at the sink and holding his arm under the cold running tap, muttering to himself.
Danny massaged the wound where the skin had been broken and hissed. He looked up to the boy, ready to fling some very choice words his way, but took in the fear and confusion in his face. He didn't know what the hell was going on here, but he knew kids, and this one was nervous and squirrely and didn't need anything else scaring him.
Danny reeled in his temper and let out a sigh, turning the tap off now the blood had stopped.
"You have really fucking sharp teeth, you know that?" he grumbled, leaning back against the counter and dabbing the water off his skin with kitchen paper.
Nahele just stared at him, unsure, and then looked to Steve who was moving across the kitchen and digging out the first aid kit from the cupboard.
The ex-con was glad to see Danny was keeping his cool, even though he could sense the anger underneath the blonde's skin like an electric current. The Jersey man already had so much going on, and now to have this scenario thrown at him the moment he'd come in the door was unfair, but Steve felt like he'd had no other choice other from bringing Nahele home.
"He's just scared, Danno. I'm sorry. Here, give me your arm," he reached out and carefully supported his lover's forearm so that he check the injury and clean the small puncture wounds while Danny huffed at the discomfort.
"I got that... look, would anyone mind actually just telling me what the hell is going on here?" He glared at Steve while he stuck a dressing over the damaged skin, wearily acknowledging it was going to tear the hairs out when he eventually ripped it off.
"This is Nahele," the brunette gestured to the teen, who again looked like he might go for the exit, bouncing on his feet.
Danny realised he was probably about to get a story that the kid didn't want police involved in, so he reached down with his free arm and unclipped his Five-0 badge. He held it up in front of him so the boy could see, and then flung it to the side to land on the counter top. Nahele creased his brow, but stilled and visibly relaxed, taking the gesture for what it was. I may be a cop, but I'm currently off duty.
"Continue..." Danny instructed to his lover, and then waved to the teenager who was still hovering over by the door, "And you, eat. You look like you need it."
Nahele shuffled back to the table, but sat so he could keep an eye on the two men and didn't touch his food.
Steve tended to Danny's arm and threw a small smile towards the boy. He'd spent the whole morning with him, offering him food from the break room at work and getting him to trust the older man by just talking to him. He'd told him about how he used to be in prison, not really going into the grit of his crimes, and about how he now owned the garage. He'd also talked to him about his childhood, imparting the story of how he lost his parents.
He never used to be this honest with anyone, keeping his past strictly under lock and key except with a select few he trusted, namely Danny, Kono, Chin and Meka, but he had figured the more he shared, the more Nahele would open up, and it had worked.
The kid had repaid him with some of his own story; his mom was dead, his dad was in prison, and he was for all intents and purposes homeless. He had intended to steal some car parts to sell and earn cash to get out of his current situation. He was still cagey about certain details, but he'd gotten used to Steve's presence enough to accept the invitation back to the house he shared with his fiancé, especially when Steve offered up use of his shower and some more food.
It could have been a dangerous situation, but Nahele was obviously desperate, and that just made Steve want to protect him even more. Who knew what might happen to him if he was left out on his own, what unscrupulous people might take advantage of his naivety and lack of protection.
The mechanic had handed off his keys to his assistant manager at the garage so he wouldn't have to close, and left early.
He hoped Nahele would learn to trust Danny just as quickly, not that the kid even fully trusted Steve yet. He was already beginning to tuck into the food again, albeit with a wary expression on his face.
"I got to work to find him pilfering an engine part out of the Marquis," Steve explained, and chuckled at Danny's snort, "Yeah, had to go for that car, didn't you kid?"
"S'a classic," Nahele mumbled around a mouthful of waffle.
"See?" Steve grinned at his lover, who narrowed his eyes.
"You told him to say that," he said accusingly, "But this doesn't explain why he's in our kitchen eating waffles which, by the way, I would like some of."
Steve rolled his eyes and set about getting a portion of the sweet treat for his fiancé. He needed to ply Danny with sugar right now anyway, because he was about to ask a lot of him. He noticed Nahele's mouth twitch upwards at the corners, finding their interaction entertaining, and it warmed his heart a little to see the boy relax again.
"He's kinda... between accommodation right now..."
He handed the dish to Danny, who took it and stared at him, realising what he was hinting at.
The blonde looked at the boy again, assessing him. He had spotted the pile of dirty clothing on the floor in front of the washer, and judging by the state of the ripped fabric they probably weren't even worth saving. You'd have to be blind not to see he was in need, and Nahele looked about as tired as Danny felt; whether he was sleeping rough, or in a home or hostel, he obviously didn't feel safe enough to get a proper night's sleep. The cop's heart twisted, thinking about Grace and how, if she were in this kid's position, he'd want someone to look after her.
He took a bite out of his food while he thought, and had already made his decision by the time he swallowed the first mouthful, but Nahele spoke up suddenly.
"I'll go," he whispered, clearing his throat so he could speak up, "I appreciate the food and everything, Steve, and Danny, I'm really sorry that I..." he gestured to the blonde's arm and went a bit red, embarrassed at his behaviour, "But I can't ask anything else of you..."
He got up to leave, picking up his clothing from the floor.
Danny placed his plate on the counter. "Put that back down and eat your food," he said gently, already planning on trashing the garments the first chance he got. He walked past the table and nudged Nahele back towards it as he passed him.
"Danno, where you going?" Steve asked behind him.
"Where do you think I'm going, Steven? I'm gonna go make up the spare bed..."
An hour later, Danny was standing in the kitchen doorway and quietly watching Nahele get to grips with their DVD player. The kid was homeless, may never have had one of his own, and still he mastered it quicker than the detective ever had. Damn kids and their natural ability to work technology.
His own exhaustion was beginning to creep up on him again. The brief distraction of getting the boy settled and the spare room sorted was over now, and the ache in his soul was beginning to return inch by inch.
Steve came up behind him and slid his arms around the shorter man's waist.
"You're amazing, you know that, Danno?" He kissed the side of his head and hugged him to his chest.
"Couldn't agree more," Danny smiled, pushing his head against Steve's cheek and covering the brunette's hands with his own. "But then, so are you..."
"Huh?" Steve sounded surprised, and Danny could kick him for not even realising the wonderful thing he was doing.
He took hold of one of Steve's hands and pulled him around into the kitchen, speaking in a low voice for privacy.
"Babe, you've just taken a kid off the street and fed him, washed him, given him a bed for the night-"
Steve interrupted him, still thinking Danny was annoyed. "It won't be for too long, I'll try to find him a decent place to stay, maybe if you could talk to someone at HPD about decent support for him..."
The detective waved him off. "I don't care about that, Steve, he can stay as long as he needs to. What I'm saying is, you did the right thing." He smiled at his fiancé softly.
"You're not mad I didn't report him to the police?" Steve bit his lip guiltily. He had honestly believed Danny would be pissed with him over that more than anything.
"No," Danny sighed, "I know I'm a cop babe, but I'm also a human being. I agree with what you did, and I also understand why."
The ex-con gazed at him for a moment, brow creasing. "What do you mean?"
Danny shook his head and chuckled. "That kid in there?" he waved a hand at the doorway to the living room, where the sounds of some action film were drifting through to them, "He's you, Steve. I'm not an idiot, neither are you. He's you at that age, and you're doing for him what should have been done for you."
The brunette couldn't believe how well this man understood him sometimes, and a lump formed in his throat.
Danny was suddenly pulled in to a tight hug, and squeezed until all the air was forced from his lungs. He had to pat Steve on the back a couple of times to get the man to let him go so he could take a breath.
"Jeez..." he laughed.
"I love you, Danny," Steve dipped down to kiss him gently, cupping the side of his face so softly it made him sigh and his knees go a little weak.
"I love you too, Steve," he reached up to squeeze his lover's hand when the kiss broke. "Listen, I know it's only five but I'm going to bed to try and get some sleep in like I was ordered to... try not to get into any more trouble, huh?"
He said the last part loud enough for Nahele to hear as well, as he passed the doorway to the living room. The teen looked over at him and smiled, and seeing that grateful expression made the stress of the afternoon worth every second of raised blood pressure.