Fic: A Delicious Torment, Hawaii 5-O, Danny/Steve, Part Two

[veronicaluv]

Except it wasn't.

The first time Steve got a break, he called Danny and got voice mail, but Danny called him right back. It was already after five and Steve was calling him because the meeting was going to stretch into dinner. If he felt bad for having to postpone their reunion, it quickly turned to all-out misery when he heard what sounded like a party going on in the background when he answered Danny's return call.

"Danny?" Steve stuck his finger in his free ear as he paced the hall outside the conference room. "What's going on?"

"Steve! How much longer are you going to be?"

"Where are you?"

"We're--hang on. No, it's Steve," Steve heard him say, though Danny's voice was muffled, "yeah, yeah, I'll ask. Steve, you still there? Are you done?"

"No, Danny, listen, it's turned into a dinner meeting and I--"

"A dinner meeting?" Suddenly Danny's voice was loud and clear, and Steve imagined Danny find a quiet space so he could yell at Steve without interruption. "What the hell can you guys still be discussing? Tell them yes on the stuffed mushrooms, no on the oysters, you'll have stormtroopers at every door, and get the hell out of there!"

Steve pinched the top of his nose. "I would if I could, but if we don't resolve all this tonight, the chairman is threatening to start up again tomorrow. I'm hoping we can iron out the rest of the details over dinner."

"Dinner? You're eating dinner with these losers?"

Damn it. Danny's disappointed tone was a lot harder to take than Danny's angry tone. "Look," Steve sighed, "maybe food will make everyone get along. I've already had to break up one fistfight, so if we can just plow through the rest of the agenda, I'm hoping we'll be done by eight."

"Eight. Yeah, okay. Eight's good, I have to have Grace back at Rachel's by seven-thirty, then I can swing by and pick you up."

"Grace? I didn't know you had Gracie tonight."

"I didn't, it just--this whole thing kind of turned into a party at Kamekona's--"

"You're at Kamekona's now?"

"Yeah, it's close to the beach and--hey, listen, I gotta go, Grace is chasing Dylan with a water pistol--call me back when you get another break, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay."

Steve leaned his forehead against the wall as he slipped his phone in his pocket. He wasn't sure if this day could get any worse, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be defeated by a committee who even now was arguing over what restaurant served the best takeout.

His next break came two hours later, which was actually lucky for everyone else in the conference room, since Steve was about to take hostages and demand an FBI negotiator if they didn't start to make some headway. He carried his phone and a bottle of water into the hallway and dialed Danny's number, his mood already lifting since he knew he'd soon hear Danny's cranky voice once more.

Or not.

"Hello?"

Steve quickly checked his phone, verifying that he'd called Danny. "Hello, who is this?"

"Oh, hey Steve, it's Dylan Monroe."

Steve stopped, pivoted on his heel, and started walking in the opposite direction. "Dylan? Where's Danny? Why are you answering Danny's phone?"

"Oh, Danny's around here somewhere, I think he and Kono and Justin went to get some ice. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"Why are you answering his phone? He's never without his phone." Especially when he's waiting for me to call him, damn it.

Dylan laughed, a sound that raked across Steve's already shredded nerves. "Oh, man, that was my fault. The battery on my own cell died and Danny loaned me his. Guess I forgot to give it back."

"Right. Did, uh, did you say Kono was there? Kono Kalakaua?"

"Yeah, yeah, she showed up a couple of hours ago, with her cousin. You guys are all cops together, that's so cool."

"Yeah, whatever." Steve took a sip of water, then pressed the cold bottle to his forehead. "Tell Danny I'm still running late and ask him to call me back as soon as he can. Can you do that?"

"Sure, no problem."

"And tell him--"

The call was disconnected and Steve nearly growled in frustration. Somewhere in Honolulu there was a party going on where the love of his life was getting hit on by an old flame, and Steve had to go back into a conference room and try and convince seven other people that no, they couldn't put flowers on the metal detector, no matter how badly that metal detector screwed up their color scheme.

When his phone vibrated in the middle of an argument over whether or not the security detail should be wearing color-coordinated boutonnieres, Steve didn't even bother to apologize as he left the room. He'd officially run out of patience with these people and all he could think of was Danny on the other line, telling Steve he was on the way to get him, and then the two of them could put this day behind them and get back to their honeymoon. With any luck, he'd convince Danny to stop at the store on the way to Steve's so that they could spend the next day together without ever leaving the house.

But the caller ID told him it was Kono calling, not Danny, and Steve tried to keep his disappointment out of his voice as he answered the call.

"Hey, Kono, what's up?"

"You need to get to the ER right away, Steve. Danny's been hurt."

***

"Listen to me, I'm fine, it's just a scratch, don't come to the hospital, I'll be out--"

"I'm pulling into the parking lot right now."

The sigh Steve heard over the phone was accompanied by Steve's vision of Danny rubbing his eyes, the perfect picture of annoyance. "Of course you are, because it's not like you overreact to these things or anything. Do me a favor, just park the truck and wait for me. I should be cut loose in a few minutes."

"No," Steve climbed out of the truck and slammed the door, "I'm not waiting in the parking lot for you, I'm coming to get you and then we're going home."

"You don't have to go back to the meeting? They actually okayed hand grenades as party favors? Damn, I underestimated your powers of persuasion."

Steve switched the cell to his other ear. "They're on their own. I told them if they didn't solve their issues tonight, I was going to institute full cavity searches for every guest attending and call it a day."

"Nice, Steven, very diplomatic. Hey, listen, something I need to tell you--"

"Can it wait? I'm almost to the ER, I'll see you in about ten seconds."

"Yeah, well, it's a little bit of a zoo here right now, so don't freak out when you get here, okay?"

"Danny, why would I--"

Steve stopped in his tracks as he entered the waiting room next to the ER. The place was packed but as he looked around, he seemed to recognize way too many faces. Slowly lowering his phone, he scanned the crowd until his gaze fell on Chin, who was leaning up against the far wall next to Malia. Chin immediately straightened up and came to Steve's side, Malia following him.

"Hey, boss. Glad you could join the party."

Steve was still surveying the room, a frown between his eyes. "What the hell is going on? Why are all these people here?"

"Okay," Chin sighed, "here's what happened. Danny was showing his friends around and ended up at Kamekona's, then Kono and I stopped to grab a bite to eat. The girls over there--you've met Melissa, right?--hooked up with some guys and things kind of escalated from there." Chin slid his arm around Malia's waist and grinned at Steve. "Kono and I made a couple calls and the next thing you know, we're having an impromptu luau."

"Well, I wasn't invited," Malia laughed, "I'm actually on duty, but Chin called me and told me what happened, so I came down to check on Danny." She put her hand on Steve's arm. "He really is okay, Steve."

"I know," Steve muttered. He was still looking around the room, dismissing the faces he didn't know. He saw Kono, Charlie, and Kamekona gathered in one corner, Melissa and her friends on the couch and apparently ignoring the guys they'd brought along in favor of Max, who was holding court from the center cushion. That accounted for everyone--or so Steve hoped--but there was someone missing, and given the current situation, there was only one place that son of a bitch someone could be.

Steve had already been assured--repeatedly--that Danny was okay. It'd been a couple of dumb kids who'd decided that the party was easy pickings and had tried to steal the purse of one of Melissa's friends, but Danny had been on to them almost immediately. He and Kono had given chase, easily capturing the two idiots, but one of the idiots had a knife and had taken a slice out of Danny's left arm, just above the elbow. Danny hadn't even wanted to get it looked at, but cooler heads--namely Chin and Kono--had prevailed. That hadn't stopped the party from continuing on to the hospital, although judging from the expression of the admitting nurses on the other side of the partition, they'd be glad when the crowd cleared out.

There was only one thing Steve needed right now, and that was to see Danny. All the reassurances in the world wouldn't be enough and as he gave Chin a quick nod, he started moving toward the corridor that would lead him to the exam rooms. He'd made it only a few feet when Danny walked out, Dylan by his side. Danny acknowledged the cheer that went up from the crowd with a regal wave of his right hand but hadn't seen Steve yet, so Steve had a moment to make his own assessment of his partner.

He looked fine, though Steve had to swallow the lump in his throat as he took in the rust-colored stains scattered on the front of Danny's blue shirt. The left sleeve of that shirt had been cut off at the shoulder, and around Danny's upper arm was a bright white bandage. There was a smile on his face as he greeted the people closest to him, but Steve could see that he was tired and pale. He could also see that Dylan had his hand once more on Danny's shoulder, acting for all the world like he thought he belonged there.

Steve could feel his already frayed temper begin to snap. He wasn't aware that Chin had come up beside him until he felt a nudge against his arm.

"Do you think we should call Gabby?" Chin muttered. "Danny looks like he could use a little TLC right about now."

"No!"

That single word, sounding more like a roar than Steve had intended, brought the room to a standstill and Danny's eyes straight to his. Steve held out his arms from his sides, an unconscious gesture of frustration and futility. He couldn't say out loud how much he hated that Danny had been hurt, hated that Chin had thought of Gabby to comfort Danny instead of knowing that was Steve's place and most of all, hated how Dylan fucking Monroe still had his fucking hand on Danny's shoulder.

But he also couldn't stop what he felt from showing in his eyes, and Danny, as usual, read him perfectly. With a murmured word only Dylan could hear, Danny took a step to his right and when Dylan didn't seem to get a clue, he physically removed Dylan's hand from his shoulder. He looked back at Steve and then, with an indulgent shake of his head and a glance toward heaven, addressed the crowd.

"All right, all right, thanks for coming down here, but I think this party's over." He held up his right hand to quiet the moans of disappointment before continuing. "But before we call it a night, I believe Steve has something he wants to share with all of you."

Steve knew everyone was looking at him, but he didn't care. All he saw was Danny.

Are you sure? He didn't actually say the words, but Danny heard them anyway.

"Rule number three is officially history." Danny gave Steve a two-fingered salute. "Go for it."

"Great." Steve rubbed his hands together, his heart beginning to race as everyone turned his way. This was important, for both of them, and he needed to get it right. "Well, like Danny said, it's late and we need to clear out of here, so I'll make it quick. Danny is coming home with me tonight. Oh," he looked directly at Dylan, "and every other night, for the rest of our lives."

Steve's statement was received by total silence at first, until Max spoke up from his position on the couch.

"Is this news? How is this different?" He looked over his shoulder at Kono, who was covering a grin with her palm. "What did I miss?"

"Uh," Chin pointed at Danny, then at Steve, then back at Danny, "does that actually mean what I think it means?"

"Steve proposed, I accepted, end of story." Danny turned to Dylan and held out his hand. "Enjoy the rest of your stay on the islands."

Dylan, to Steve's surprise, seemed to take his dismissal with good grace, although Steve could've done without the mischievous look he got just before giving Danny a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. There was a flurry of goodbyes as Melissa and the rest of her friends cleared out, leaving everyone else to gather around Danny and Steve, who had finally made their way to each other in the middle of the waiting room.

"Hey, hold on a minute." Steve scowled over at Kono, who was now openly laughing at something Malia was whispering in her ear, "that's not how I remember it, you know." Looking back at Danny, Steve crossed his arms, one eyebrow raised. "Me proposing to you."

Danny swirled his finger near his own temple. "Oh, see, that's because you've had too many conks on the head, you don't remember things right anymore. I, however, have perfect recall. Well, almost perfect, and I distinctly remember you were the one who--"

"Damn it, Danny--"

"There, see? You said it again! I'm telling you, a tattoo right across your knuckles would be a real time saver--"

That's when rule number two was broken. With a muttered "Oh, screw it," Steve framed Danny's face between his hands and kissed him, and not just a quick peck. No, Steve wanted to make sure that his meaning was not misunderstood, just in case anyone watching thought that Steve meant Danny would be sleeping on his couch for the next fifty years and not in his bed.

For his part, Danny not only didn't seem to mind that Steve had broken two rules in less than five minutes, he was actively taking part in this flagrant violation. Though his injured left arm remained at his side, he curled the fingers of his right hand into the fabric of Steve's shirt and held him close until the kiss broke, and even then he didn't let go as Steve pressed his forehead to Danny's, both of them shaking with breathless laughter.

The sound of applause brought them back down to earth, and Steve looked up to see Chin watching them with wide eyes as he cleared his throat.

"So, gentlemen," Chin said, "uh, I guess that clears up a lot things, so thank you for that. And, um, Kono and I will see you at the office--"

"Tuesday," Steve said. He looked at Danny and was pretty sure that his lovesick expression was back, because Danny's tired eyes had brightened up as though someone had just handed him the world. "Tuesday's good."

***

"Don't fuss."

"I'm not fussing, I'm field dressing."

"It's fine, put a Band-Aid on it and let's get back into bed." Steve felt a soft whack to the side of his head. "And we are not in the field, Steven, so unless you're expecting a military coup in our bedroom some time in the next couple of hours, this can wait until morning."

Steve sighed. "Just two more minutes, okay? Hand me the scissors."

"Here."

"Thanks. I want to meet your parents."

"Uh, right now?"

Steve didn't raise his eyes from his task, even though he knew Danny was staring at him. "No, Danny, not right this second, but soon. Maybe you and I could fly back to New Jersey, take Grace with us, have a real vacation." He glanced up at Danny through his lashes. "Unless you don't think it's a good idea?"

Danny's mouth opened and closed twice before he answered. "No, I mean, yes, I think it's a good idea. I think it's a great idea, I'm just surprised you thought of if first. That reminds me--ouch!"

"Sorry. What reminds you?"

"Grace. I want to tell her about us as soon as possible."

"Think she'll be all right with it?"

"You kidding? She'll be ecstatic, she thinks her Uncle Steve is the best thing since sliced pineapple, you know that." Steve smiled, but that smile faded when Danny put a finger beneath his chin so that he would look Danny in the eye. "What's with this sudden desire to meet the in-laws?"

Steve thought about prevaricating, pointing out that it was a logical step in their relationship, but he didn't want anything about this life he was about to build with Danny to be based on even a partial truth.

"Aside from the fact that I can't wait to hear more stories about you from your family, Melissa said your parents really liked Dylan. They probably liked Rachel, too."

"Yes, they did, but what does that have to do with you? Ah, wait, I get it. You want to subject them to the old McGarrett charm and win them over."

"Something like that."

"Forget about it, babe, you don't have to worry about a thing. They know all about you."

"They do? And you think they'll still want to meet me?"

"Yes, for two reasons. One, because they already know you're important to me and two, throwing a party to show off their new son-in-law who happens to be a big shot Navy commander will make them the talk of the neighborhood for months. Between that and your bubbly personality, you can't lose."

"No pressure there." Steve chewed his bottom lip to fight off the huge grin that wanted to break out. How could everything be so easy with Danny and so hard at the same time? Steve had no idea, but he was looking forward to spending the rest of his life trying to solve that riddle.

It only took Steve a few seconds more to finish re-wrapping Danny's stitched-up arm, but Danny's protestations aside, Steve knew it was something that needed to be done or he wouldn't be able to sleep. He'd already convinced Danny to take a couple of aspirin since he knew the cut had to be sore, so by the time he swept up the first aid kit and set it aside, he was satisfied that Danny was as comfortable as he could be, under the circumstances.

And really, it was Danny's fault that the bandage had to be replaced anyway. Steve would've been fine with leaving it alone until morning if it had stayed in place, but Danny had decided that as soon as they walked into Steve's house they were going to make up for all the time they'd lost to ex-boyfriends, party committees, and punks with knives. If Steve had any problems with this plan--he didn't, only his concern for Danny's injury giving him pause--Danny overrode his protests with kisses that had Steve seeing stars before the front door had even shut behind them.

If their first night together had been about the shaky, sometimes awkward tenderness of new love finally expressing itself physically, this night was all about the certainty that they belonged together and that nothing and no one would change that. There was no questioning the trust between them that allowed them to ask for, take, and give pleasure, and in the time it took them get upstairs and undressed, the rest of the world, including handsome out-of-towners named Dylan, had been obliterated from Steve's memory.

It wasn't until hours later that Steve had discovered that the gauze covering Danny's stitched arm had come loose in places, revealing about half an inch of red, tender flesh crossed by medical thread. His head on Danny's chest, he'd been idly stroking his fingers along Danny's arm when he came across a frayed edge of gauze, and as much as he hated to disturb a warm, snoozing Danny or get out of bed himself, Steve rolled over, stood up, and got to work.

With Danny now fixed up to Steve's satisfaction, they resettled beneath the covers with the lights off, this time with Danny curled around Steve, his head on Steve's shoulder and their legs entwined.

"That was quite a day," Danny murmured.

"Yeah." Steve closed his eyes and tightened his arm around Danny's shoulders. "Dylan seems nice."

That earned him a pinch to the rib cage. "Don't give me that, you killed him about twenty different ways in your head, admit it."

"Whatever," Steve shrugged. "Maybe I did wonder if there was something in the trunk of the Camaro that would come in handy if he got out of line, but c'mon, you have to admit, I behaved."

"Yes, yes, you did, and for that, you will be allowed to break rule number one, the no sex in the office rule, in case you've forgotten. At the appropriate moment, of course."

"Yeah, about that." Steve shifted his hips to get more comfortable. "What was up with these rules in the first place? I don't get it."

Danny was silent for a few minutes, and Steve wondered if he'd fallen asleep before he finally spoke up.

"You know what I hated most about you when we first met?"

"Wait, there was something you hated about me?"

"Think about it. What did you do, like, fifty times in the first twenty-four hours of our relationship? And what do you continue you to do, no matter how many times I ask you not to?"

Steve rubbed at his forehead with the thumb of his free hand, recalling those first, crazy hours as he and Danny raced all over the island working his father's murder and trying not to kill each other. Then came the days and weeks after as they learned to work together, Danny had been so uptight, so frustrated every time Steve bent or broke a rule--

"Yeah, okay," he conceded, "sometimes I don't follow the rules--"

"Don't follow the rules? Excuse me? Sometimes? Admit it, when it comes to rules you don't like, your number one favorite thing to do, bar none, is break them. Obliterate them. Smash them into teeny, tiny pieces."

Could it be that simple? Steve thought back to the exhilaration he'd felt when Danny had given him the go ahead to announce they were together. Doing so in front of all their friends and a group of strangers hadn't been what he'd had in mind, but his sense of satisfaction had been genuine. And, hell, breaking rule number two, the one about public affection, that one was doomed from the start, and Steve had demolished that rule without a second thought.

"So," Steve said slowly, blinking up into the darkness, "let me get this straight. You made up these rules just because you thought that I'd enjoy breaking them?"

"Very good." Danny muffled his yawn against Steve's chest, snuggling closer. "You win first prize. Oh, wait, you already did. Me."

Steve was still trying to wrap his head around what Danny had just confessed, but was swiftly realizing that he would never understand Danny's thought processes. His next thought was that he really, really liked the idea of breaking Danny's arbitrary rules and God help him, he actually hoped Danny had more of them--a lot more of them.

"Don't worry," came a sleepy voice from near his shoulder, "Got a million more rules in mind for you to blow to smithereens. Probably take a lifetime to get through them all."

A lifetime..

"I like the sound of that," Steve murmured.

"Thought you would. Now go to sleep. That is not a rule, Steven, that is an order. Note the difference for future reference."

"Smart ass."

"Neanderthal."

"Danno?"

"What now?"

"Love you."

A smug, contented sigh brushed against Steve's cheek. "Love you, too."