Chapter 15

Steve returned home on edge and sat down in a beach chair. He put his head in his hands and went over the events since his return from Romania: Joe had been discharged from the military for rescuing him in Korea, and since then, he had been acting strangely. He claimed to be researching Shelburne, which wasn't true; he was making trips to Japan, he refused to talk about his activities, he had—according to him—helped Hiro Noshimori fake his death, and he was getting more curious about Steve's relationship with Charlie. Whenever Steve tried to figure out what Joe was up to or what he was hiding, his former mentor would accuse him of being secretive and deflect by mentioning someone often at Steve's place.

Steve wasn't sure how to handle Joe concerning his relationship. He still believed that the less Joe knew, the better. But he had a feeling that Joe already knew something. What he couldn't understand was why, if Joe knew, he kept trying to push him towards Catherine whenever she was around. Charlie was finding it increasingly difficult to tolerate the woman's presence, and Steve couldn't fathom what the two militaries were playing at. He was doing his best to calm his lover, and the only thing that had eased the situation somewhat was the fact that Charlie had been coming to see him more often in Hawaii.

Charlie had come for Chin's wedding and was back for the weekend. When Steve saw him in his suit, he had an immediate urge to take him home and make love to him on the spot. The dragonrider was just too sexy in that outfit for Steve's mental well-being. However, he remembered that Charlie was Chin's best man and restrained himself—though he did pull Charlie into a secluded corner to kiss him passionately and make him feel the effect he had on him. The redhead had been quite excited by his actions but managed to keep things in check. Nevertheless, after the party ended and they kept their distance the whole evening, they made love passionately at Steve's place.

Two freckled hands grasped Steve's, and he looked up at his partner, who had arrived earlier in the day.

"I thought you'd come say hello when you arrived," the Englishman murmured.

"Sorry, I needed to calm down."

"What's going on?"

"Joe has started a war with the Yakuza. I had to go rescue him from there, gun in hand, and he still refuses to explain what's happening. According to him, my being tortured, Jenna being killed, aren't good enough reasons for him to tell me the truth. He says I'm disrespecting him by asking for explanations and keeps coming back to the fact that I have secrets too."

"Why don't you tell him the truth about us?"

"I don't feel right about it; it's an intuition, something's holding me back."

Charlie nodded and didn't press further, for which Steve was grateful. They stayed like that on the beach for a while and then headed back inside, not noticing a presence in the shadows. The two men decided to go hiking for the weekend. Steve informed Danny and turned off his phone before they embarked on the trails through Hawaii's highest peaks. Those two days, just the two of them in nature, did wonders for them. They could enjoy each other's company without being interrupted by a case, Steve's musings about Joe or Shelburne, or Catherine. Once again, the separation was difficult for the couple when Charlie had to leave. Steve thought about his idea of joining Charlie in Romania more and more. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to throw caution to the wind and pack his bags. However, Shelburne and Wo Fat continued to hold him back. The only thing that kept him going on Hawaii without going crazy from missing his soulmate too much was knowing he'd see him again soon—for Valentine's Day.

However, the time without Charlie was long for Steve. He managed to convince Joe to confess the truth about Adam Noshimori's father and to ease tensions with the Yakuza. Then his mentor admitted that Shelburne was a code name for a mission and that he had killed Wo Fat's father during that mission, putting everyone in Hawaii in danger as a result. He was leaving because of that. Steve tried to ask more questions, to dig deeper into these revelations, but Joe refused each time and told him that now he had to take care of himself, his future, and Catherine.

Steve had a lot of questions in his mind and spent hours on the phone with Charlie explaining Joe's actions, Catherine's behavior, and more recently, Lori's, who had arrived a few months earlier. He decided to be transparent with his lover and revealed that the new team member had been flirting with him. He had learned from the Catherine incident and preferred to be cautious about such flirtations, especially since she was the only team member who didn't know about them. They contemplated telling her, but would she keep their secret? Or was she the governor's eyes and ears, ready to spill the beans? Steve couldn't decide and therefore couldn't make a decision about this secret.

Another question started to bother Steve, one he had never considered. It had been brought up after Grace was kidnapped. He had been terrified for the little girl even though she wasn't his daughter, only his best friend's. He had been moved by Danny's determination to ensure his daughter's safety at all costs. When he shared this emotionally charged day with Charlie, the dragonrider asked if Steve had ever thought about having children or if he wanted them in the future. At the time, Steve didn't know how to answer, and since then, the question had been haunting him. It kept swirling in his head without a clear answer. Sometimes he thought he would like to adopt a child, but then he was terrified of the dangers this world would pose to a child.

When Charlie arrived a few days before Valentine's Day, the question was still on his mind. He pushed it aside to enjoy his lover's company. Charlie had decided to spend a week in Hawaii and join a team that was studying sea dragons while Steve worked. They both enjoyed several evenings with Steve's team, including Lori, in front of whom they didn't hide their affection. Steve took Lori aside to ask her to keep their secret, especially since their loved ones could still be threatened by Wo Fat. Despite her saddened expression, Lori put on a brave face and promised Steve she wouldn't say a word, not even to the governor.

Charlie's stay was going well, and the couple planned to end it with a bang by going to a remote cabin by the water, hidden in the Hawaiian forest. A weekend just for the two of them. What they didn't foresee was the governor's insistence that Five-0 attend his prestigious fundraising event for the conservation of Hawaii's marine resources. Charlie went with Steve, but when he saw Catherine there, he decided to leave.

"No, stay," Steve said.

"She's going to be all over you, and I'll be standing there unable to do anything. I'm not sure how long I can hold back before casting a spell on her."

Steve wanted to insist, but Charlie was visibly upset just from seeing Catherine from a distance. He wanted to kiss him to reassure him, but too many people were around.

"I'll find you later," Steve conceded.

"I hope so," replied the older man, his voice sad.

Then he left without looking back. Steve had to put on a brave face, talk to his friend, and managed to find some good humor with Danny and other team members who had guessed what happened. His bad mood returned when the governor called them to investigate a murder. He informed Charlie via text, but got no reply. When Steve got home to rest for a few hours, he found a note.

"Message me when the case is done. I'm going back to explore the sea with the team."

Steve felt a pang of guilt knowing his man had left because of him, because he didn't want to cut ties with Catherine, because his work always came first. He blamed himself a lot and promised to make it up to his lover as soon as the case was over. He sent a message before going to sleep.

"I understand. I'm sorry. I'll be as fast as I can. I love you."

This case turned into a disaster. Steve didn't mince words when the situation called for it. Besides ending up in the hospital with minor injuries, he almost triggered a diplomatic incident with Russia, nearly saw Chin sent to a Russian prison, and narrowly averted Five-0's dismantlement. When the case was finally closed and he had just messaged Charlie to say he was coming back, Lori handed him her resignation letter. The governor had forced her to make a choice. Steve's heart ached when she confessed her feelings for him and her decision to leave to be with her family. He understood, but he was touched. He cared deeply for the young woman.

"Okay, I'll pack. My Portkey leaves in an hour."

Charlie's response that Steve read while he was descending to retrieve his car broke his heart. Once again, his job had destroyed his time with his man. Determined to make it up to him and show his wizard he had no reason to feel neglected, he left a message for Danny asking him to look after his house for a week. He also stopped to buy a box of chocolates. Once he arrived home, he grabbed the travel bag that was still in his car's trunk and went to find his man.

He found Charlie in their room, shirtless, wet hair, packing his things. Steve leaned against the doorframe, admiring him until he was noticed.

"Hey," Steve said, smiling.

"Hi."

"Happy Valentine's Day," the military man told him, extending the box of chocolates.

"What happened to you?" Charlie suddenly worried. "Are you okay?"

Steve realized he was referring to the stitches above his eyebrow.

"Oh, this? Nothing, just another day at the office. You know how it is."

Charlie nodded, not entirely convinced.

"Okay, so what's all this?" the redhead asked.

"Chocolates, for Valentine's Day! You like chocolates, right?"

"Very funny."

"What?"

"Why do you have a bag?"

Steve closed the distance and wrapped his arms around his lover's waist.

"Well, since our weekend was ruined again by a case, I thought I could take a week off and join you at your place."

"Now that's a much better surprise than the chocolates," Charlie replied, delighted, closing the gap between their lips.

"I knew you'd like it."

The two men kissed, and finally, Steve felt his heart lighten. This was where he felt right, in his sorcerer's arms.

"You know I'll be working."

"I'll keep myself occupied."

"Fine, then we need to get going. We have an extra ticket to buy."

Elated, Steve didn't need to be told twice, and they left together.