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shinysylverTitle: Fading into Beautiful Light (3/3)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shinysylver
Part 1
Part 2
Danny woke up disoriented with a pounding headache and cottonmouth. It took him a moment to figure out where he was. He remembered coming in here last night but waking up in Steve’s bed was still a bit strange.
He rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head trying to keep the sun from sending stabbing pains through his eyes and straight into his brain. He ran through the events of last night in his head, expecting to feel embarrassed or guilty or something but he didn’t. He had finally acknowledged his feelings for Steve and if the way Steve clung to him last night was any indication they were reciprocated and then some.
“Hey,” Steve said.
Danny peeked out from under the pillow and saw Steve grinning at him from just inside the door. Steve was only wearing a pair of pajama pants that rested very low on his hips and Danny suddenly had all sorts of ideas of what he would like to do this morning if it wasn’t for his killer hangover and the fact that Grace would be waking up any time now.
“You need better curtains.” Danny said shielding his eyes.
Steve rolled his eyes at him, ducked into the bathroom, and came back with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. “Here.”
Danny struggled up into a sitting position. “Thanks.”
“So I talked to Chin,” Steve said sitting down next to him as he fumbled with the bottle trying to get the child proof lid off. “They’ve closed the case.”
Danny paused in his attempts to open the bottle, his hands shaking. “He’s sure.”
“Yes,” Steve replied, reaching out to take the bottle and opening it for him.
Danny took the pills Steve held out and swallowed them down with the entire glass of water. “Okay. Good. I don’t want to know the details. Not right now. But if you’re both sure then that’s good enough for me.”
Steve nodded.
“I’m going to get cleaned up,” Danny said, needing to clear his head. He stumbled to his feet and headed into the bathroom.
He couldn’t believe that it was all over. In less than a week the case had been closed and he had apparently started a brand new relationship. Everything was moving so fast. He felt so much relief that Rachel’s murder was solved and that Grace wouldn’t have to wonder like Steve did.
He sighed. It was time to put Rachel aside for a while. Now that there was closure it was time to concentrate on what was going on between him and Steve.
He grabbed a towel and headed straight to the shower. He reeked. He reeked like a homeless man on a three week bender. It was disgusting and boy was it a bad sign when you were that disgusted by your own smell.
He glanced in the mirror as he passed it and couldn’t believe how awful he looked. Between that and the stench Danny had to revise his evaluation of last night, deciding that Steve must really fucking love him if he was willing to not only kiss him after he had vomited but had cuddled with him despite the funk.
Danny stopped with his hand poised over the shower’s faucet. Suddenly the last puzzle piece snapped in place. He had been too drunk last night to realize the depth of what was going on but he saw it all now. In his mind he could see Steve’s face in the hospital when he’d come in and found Rachel there. And then there was the way Steve had clung to him before Sang Min rushed in. The way he had been there for him this whole year--him and Grace. And to Danny that said it all. Steve was in love with him.
How had he missed it all this time?
Danny turned on the water as hot as he could stand and stepped in to stand motionless under the spray. He was such an idiot. He had been pushing and pushing against Steve all this time and yet Steve never left. Even when he’d fled yesterday morning before the funeral, he had gone to try to solve the crime. Steve really wasn’t going anywhere.
He’d reassured Steve last night that he wasn’t leaving but somehow he hadn’t realized that Steve wasn’t going to ever leave him until just now. If he took Grace back to New Jersey he had a feeling that Steve would follow.
Danny began to scrub roughly at his skin washing away more than just the dirt. He knew that he had feelings for Steve. After last night he was done fighting them. He had been battling them for long enough, but was he in love with Steve? Sure he wanted to be with him but was he in love with him? After all, just a week ago, he had been planning to spend the rest of his life with Rachel.
He closed his eyes and let the water stream over his face. Just last night he had been bemoaning the lack of passion with Rachel but he certainly didn’t lack passion with Steve. No one could infuriate him more than Steve, but it wasn’t just that. He knew without a doubt that no matter what happened Steve would be there for him and Grace. He would never betray them or put someone else—even himself--ahead of them. That was a certainty that he’d never had with Rachel.
He trusted Steve absolutely and really that was the important part.
Once he was clean he wrapped a towel around his waist and reentered the bedroom to find Steve sitting on the bed looking through a case file.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Feel better?” Steve asked looking up at him.
“Much,” Danny said. He gazed at Steve, letting his eyes roam over the lines of his arms and his muscled chest. Making up his mind, he walked over to the bedroom door and made sure it was locked. If Grace needed them she could knock.
He turned back around to face Steve and let the towel drop. He smiled at the look of shock on Steve’s face. “The genie is so far out of the bottle.”
Steve’s face broke into a grin. He crammed the papers back into the folder and tossed it aside before rushing forward to wrap his arms around Danny. Steve pressed him back against the door, his hands roving up and down Danny’s still damp sides.
Danny reached his hands up and pulled Steve’s head down into a kiss and this time it was better. This time it wasn’t at all awkward. Danny smirked against Steve’s mouth and nipped at his lip, tugging it gently with his teeth.
Steve groaned and slid his leg between Danny’s pressing his thigh against Danny’s hard aching cock. Pleasure ran up Danny’s spine at the touch and he rocked forward against Steve, seeking more contact.
Steve buried his head against Danny’s neck, trailing kisses as they slowly rocked against each other. Danny could feel Steve’s erection rubbing against his leg and he pushed at Steve’s pants. “You’re wearing too much.”
“I am,” Steve whispered, his breath tickling Danny’s ear. “Bed now.”
Danny nodded and let Steve turn him around and guide him to the bed while their hands still roamed over each other’s bodies, never breaking contact. Once the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed he flopped back and watched as Steve pulled his pants off, his long hard cock springing free and standing straight out.
Danny slid back onto the bed, his feet flat and legs spread wide. “Come here.”
Steve didn’t have to be told twice. He climbed over Danny and leaned down to kiss him. Danny kissed him back, running his hands over Steve’s back and pulling him down until Steve was resting between his legs.
Steve moaned as their cocks touched and he began to slide slowly forward creating a delicious friction. After a moment he stopped rocking and began to kiss his way down Danny’s body. When Steve’s teeth found his nipple and began to tug gently, he moaned and arched up, his cock pressing against Steve’s stomach. Steve blew a cool breath onto Danny’s nipple and moved on trailing his lips down Danny’s chest.
Danny grabbed the sheets as Steve moved lower until he was kissing his way down Danny’s cock and licking his way back up again before he sucked the tip gently into his mouth.
“Steve!” Danny gasped as Steve slowly swallowed him and then pulled back to lick at the head. He raised his head up to watch as Steve began to bob up and down. The sight of his cock sliding in and out of Steve’s mouth was nearly overwhelming and he couldn’t stop himself from raising his hips and thrusting forward.
Steve lifted his eyes to lock with Danny’s and stilled his movement, loosening his jaw. Danny took the invitation and continued to thrust forward. The whole situation was too much and it didn’t take long for his balls to tighten. Steve swallowed his release and gently sucked him through his orgasm before letting go of his cock and sliding up Danny’s body to kiss him.
Danny returned the kiss lazily as Steve began to rut against him, thrusting against his hip.
“That’s it, Babe,” he whispered against Steve’s lips. He cupped Steve’s ass and pulled him closer. “Come on.”
Danny felt Steve tense up and spill hot and sticky against his hip. Once he came he relaxed, and collapsed bonelessly on top of Danny, his head resting in the crook of Danny’s neck. Danny let him lay there for a moment before poking him in the ribs.
“What?” Steve mumbled sleepily.
“You are not going to fall asleep on top of me,” Danny said. “You’d crush me in your sleep.”
Steve grunted and rolled off of Danny. Once he was free, Danny reached down and wiped the come off of his hip with the edge of the sheet—they needed to be washed anyway—and rolled over to throw his arm over Steve’s hip. Steve was already breathing deeply and Danny smiled and kissed his back before following him into sleep.
**
When Danny woke up the sun was high in the sky and he was alone in the bed. He stretched out lazily and checked the clock. When he saw it was nearly noon he got up and pulled on his clothes. Grace should be up by now and he assumed that Steve was probably with her.
He hoped that she hadn’t looked for him in his room and not found him. He was going to have to have a conversation with her about his new relationship with Steve at some point but he wasn’t quite ready for that yet and it would probably be best if he stuck to his own room for a while. He was sure that Steve would understand. Besides, they still had to figure some things out themselves first.
Danny checked Grace’s room and found it empty so he made his way downstairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he heard Grace giggling in the kitchen and he quietly turned a corner to see Grace sitting at the table while Steve stood over the stove.
He paused in the doorway and leaned against the frame to watch. She was stirring a bowl of batter with a large smile on her face, laughing at something Steve said. It was nice to see her laugh again. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew it wouldn’t last, her grief was still too raw. But it was a start.
“Danno!” Grace shouted when she saw him at the door. “Steve is making pancakes! I told him it was too late for breakfast but he said that it was never too late for breakfast.”
“He has a point,” Danny said grinning at her as he walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards to get out some plates. As he walked by the stove he reached out to rest his hand on Steve’s hip for a moment before continuing on to set the table. “What kind of pancakes are we having?”
“Blueberry and chocolate chip,” Steve said.
“Together?” Danny asked making a face. “Is this your doing Monkey?”
“Maybe,” she said laughing. “Steve told me I could have whatever I wanted in them and that since it was a special occasion it didn’t matter if it wasn’t healthy. But I told him you still couldn’t have any bacon.”
“Did you?” Danny asked laughing.
Steve looked up from the griddle. “And I told her that I wasn’t going to let you have bacon anyway because your cholesterol was up at your last physical.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Between the two of you I don’t stand a chance do I?”
“Nope,” Steve smiled at him. “But if it makes you feel any better I left the chocolate chips out of yours.”
“It does,” Danny said returning Steve’s smile.
He could get used to mornings like this. He felt like he was finally home.
Epilogue
“Where’s Dad?” Grace asked as she entered the kitchen. She had long ago stopped calling her father Danno, except on special occasions.
“He went to get your present,” Steve answered as he loaded a plate full of pancakes for her. He only had tea for himself but Grace was sure he had already eaten. He had probably been up for hours already.
“And it wasn’t supposed to be a surprise?” Grace asked with a laugh as she sat down at the table.
Steve smirked. “I didn’t tell you what it was.”
Grace rolled her eyes and dug into the food Steve had made her. It was hard to believe that she was graduating high school today and leaving next week to spend the summer visiting her grandparents in England and New Jersey. It seemed like only yesterday that her parents had divorced followed by several years of major life changes. First her mom had remarried, then they had all moved to Hawaii, and then her mother and Stan were murdered.
“Why the long face?” Steve asked sitting down across from her and sipping his tea.
“I was just thinking about mom,” Grace said pushing a piece of pancake around in a puddle of syrup, avoiding Steve’s eyes. “I wish she were here today.”
“I’m sure she’d be proud of you,” Steve said quietly. “We all are.”
Grace pushed aside her sadness and looked up with a smile. She still missed her mom but after nine years the grief was no longer intense. She had had nine years of relative stability and had a family that loved her, even if it was a bit non-traditional.
There had been a few terrifying nights spent in the hospital when her dad or Steve or Kono or Uncle Chin had been shot or stabbed. Nights that brought back the fear of that day so long ago when she had lost her mom. But so far Steve had kept his promise and nothing bad had happened to her dad; at least nothing too bad. She was old enough now to realize that it was a promise that he shouldn’t have made and couldn’t possibly be expected to keep but she was glad he had. As a kid she had found the promise a major comfort.
“Even though I’m going to go off and study something useless like French literature or art history?” Grace teased, recalling all of the arguments she’d had with Steve while he tried to help her with her calculus homework. Her dad, on the other hand, didn’t care what she studied as long as she went to college in Honolulu. Proximity was all that mattered to him. Although, he did occasionally complain about her interest in French, muttering about how English ought to be good enough. She knew he didn’t really mean it.
“Even still,” Steve said smiling fondly.
“Thank you,” she said seriously, suddenly overcome with emotion. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“Always,” Steve said firmly. “You better finish eating or we’re going to be late.”
“Can I drive?” she asked hopefully after she had cleared her plate.
“No,” Steve answered as he gathered her dishes.
Grace rolled her eyes. Steve always had to drive. Frankly it was a miracle that she had her license. Her dad had flat out refused to teach her to drive, saying that his heart couldn’t take the stress. He had also forbidden Steve and Kono from teaching her claiming that she would pick up bad habits. Not that she’d wanted Steve to teach her anyway. The calculus tutoring had been bad enough. Uncle Chin had finally convinced her dad to let him teach her, after he had sworn on a Bible that he would never even let her look at his motorcycle.
“I can’t believe it’s already graduation,” she said as she stowed her cap and gown and climbed into Steve’s truck. “It feels like prom was just yesterday.”
Grace frowned at the thought of prom. She had finally managed to find a guy who wasn’t terrified of her parents. Usually when she told a guy that she had two dads, they would snicker and make assumptions. When she went on to tell them that one was a Navy SEAL and the other an HPD detective they usually stopped laughing. When she further clarified that they were in charge of the infamous Five-0 task force they found other girls to date.
But John hadn’t been put off. He’d asked her to prom and even managed to survive the pre-prom interrogation. He had held up remarkably well when her father lectured him about curfews and appropriate behavior. He’d barely broken a sweat even though Steve had been inspecting a box of grenades at the time.
Despite the promising start, the date had turned out awful. They had barely made it to the dance when John and his friends had started drinking out of flasks someone had smuggled in. By the time it was their turn for pictures, John was wasted and trying to grope her. Not too much later, he had ditched her for a more receptive girl.
Grace had been humiliated and called Steve to pick her up. She didn’t want her dad to know what happened. He would have flown off the handle and she would be thirty before he’d let her date again. Steve could be terrifying but he rarely lost his temper. He had promised not to tell her dad what happened and to her knowledge he hadn’t. Of course, later that night the after-party she was supposed to attend was raided and a bunch of students were picked up for underage drinking. She’d found out later that somehow John’s paperwork had been lost and he’d been stuck spending the entire night in jail. Steve might not lose his temper but that only made him more dangerous. Not that she’d minded in this case.
“Wait until you’re older.” Steve said, bringing her out of her thoughts. “Time flies by even faster. It seems like just yesterday you and Danny were moving in.”
“Back when dad had his own room,” Grace smirked.
Steve shot her a glare, but she saw the slight blush he was trying to hide. She loved making Steve uncomfortable because it was so hard to do.
“Back when you still slept with Dolphin Trainer Annie every night,” he retaliated.
Grace laughed. “I loved that doll.”
“I know.” Steve smiled. “You were always losing it somewhere. Trying to find it drove Danny crazy.”
“I remember one time he found her in the freezer where your stash of peppermint patties was supposed to be,” Grace said laughing.
They were still laughing over their memories of Dolphin Trainer Annie when they pulled into the high school parking lot. Grace saw her friends waiting by the front door and moved to get out of the truck when Steve stopped her.
“Wait,” he said reaching over to pull a small box out of the glove compartment. “I want you to have this.”
Grace looked at Steve with surprise. He had already given her a plane ticket to England for graduation so she hadn’t been expecting anything else. She opened the box and found a small silver pendant. It was oval shaped and covered with a delicate filigreed design.
“It’s a locket.” Steve said quietly. “It belonged to my mother.”
“I can’t take this,” she said, understanding more than most what it must mean to him and Aunt Mary. “One of Aunt Mary’s girls should have it.”
“Mary and I both want you to have it.” he insisted, picking it up out of the box and gesturing for her to turn around so he could put it on her. “It belongs with the oldest granddaughter.”
Grace couldn’t hold back the tears at the simple explanation. She turned around and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Gracie,” Steve said squeezing her briefly. “Now you better get going, your friends are waiting.”
**
Steve watched Grace run off to join the familiar crowd of girls. For just a moment he saw a little girl with the sloppy french braid he’d tried to give her after much Internet study instead of the poised young woman that she’d become.
He shook his head to clear the past and tried to find a parking spot.
“What took you so long?” Danny asked him when he’d finally made his way into the auditorium.
“You know Grace.” Steve shrugged. “She tried on at least three dresses and upwards of six pairs of shoes.”
Danny smiled and started to make his way down the aisle looking for Chin and Kono. Once they had managed to fight their way through to the saved seats Steve turned to look at Danny.
Steve had trouble believing that it had been a decade since he’d met this man. Danny had mellowed just a touch over the years and he had a few more lines around his eyes but otherwise he was the same as when they first met in the garage with guns drawn. He even had that same damn haircut.
“What?” Danny asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just thinking about that day we met,” Steve replied. “You’ve barely changed.”
“That’s because this,” Danny said gesturing at his face, “is timeless.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Your hair could use an upgrade.”
Danny skimmed his hair with his hand. “My hair is perfection. You wish your hair looked this good.”
Steve laughed. “That’s it.”
Danny grinned at him.
“So did you get her gift in place?” Steve asked.
Danny beamed. “It’s parked out front, big bow and all.”
Before Steve could respond the band began playing “Pomp and Circumstance” and the graduates began to file in. When Grace passed them Danny reached out and grabbed Steve’s hand. Steve smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “You did good.”
“No, Babe,” Danny whispered back. “We did good.”
Steve smiled and leaned in pressing his lips briefly to Danny’s.
“Okay, you two,” Kono laughed. “Save it for later.”
**
Later that afternoon after all the presents had been opened and all the guests had gone home Danny and Grace got into her new car and headed for the cemetery.
“Why didn’t Steve come?” Grace asked.
“He wanted to give us a little privacy,” Danny said. “Either that or he just couldn’t deal with you driving.”
“I’m sure that's the real reason,” Grace laughed. “Seriously Dad, I can’t believe you got me a car!”
“Well, since you insisted on staying in the dorm, you needed a car to come home and visit,” Danny explained. “Which you are going to do often. Very often. In fact feel free to come home every day.”
“Dad!” Grace exclaimed. “You’re going to have to let go sometime. Besides, I’m sure you and Steve could use some time by yourselves.”
“I do not in fact have to let go,” Danny corrected her. “Ever. And I don’t know what you think you know about me and Steve but we are just fine the way things are.”
Grace pulled into the cemetery parking lot and turned to look at her dad. “I know you are, Dad. And I love you too. But I am going to move into the dorm and I’m going to study French Literature, and I might even get a boyfriend. You are just going to have to be okay with that.”
Danny shook his head sadly. “You know I think it was just yesterday that you were a sweet little girl with pigtails who always did what her Danno said. What happened to those days?”
Grace smiled as she opened her door. “You taught me to be my own woman. Now you have to live with it.”
“I knew there was a catch somewhere.” Danny laughed as he handed her the bouquet and got out of the car to join her. “But they really should have better explained that in the parenting books.”
“Don’t even pretend like you read parenting books,” Grace said as she slid her arm through his.
When they got near Rachel’s grave they paused and Danny stepped back to let Grace have a moment at the grave by herself.
Grace knelt down in front of the tombstone, carefully brushing away the dirt before laying the flowers on top.
“I graduated today Mom. I wish you were here but I’m sure you saw it anyway. It wasn’t easy, but I made it and this fall I’m going to college to study French Literature.”
Grace laughed. “And Mom, you should have seen Steve’s face when I told him that. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. But even though he didn’t understand at all, for my birthday he got me a leather bound copy of Les Miserables. And Dad is so happy, mom. He hardly even yells anymore. Can you believe that? “
She paused and looked at her dad. “I just want you to know that I still miss you but I’m happy, we both are, and I think you would be proud of me. I really do.”
~FIN~
Author:
shinysylverPart 1
Part 2
Danny woke up disoriented with a pounding headache and cottonmouth. It took him a moment to figure out where he was. He remembered coming in here last night but waking up in Steve’s bed was still a bit strange.
He rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head trying to keep the sun from sending stabbing pains through his eyes and straight into his brain. He ran through the events of last night in his head, expecting to feel embarrassed or guilty or something but he didn’t. He had finally acknowledged his feelings for Steve and if the way Steve clung to him last night was any indication they were reciprocated and then some.
“Hey,” Steve said.
Danny peeked out from under the pillow and saw Steve grinning at him from just inside the door. Steve was only wearing a pair of pajama pants that rested very low on his hips and Danny suddenly had all sorts of ideas of what he would like to do this morning if it wasn’t for his killer hangover and the fact that Grace would be waking up any time now.
“You need better curtains.” Danny said shielding his eyes.
Steve rolled his eyes at him, ducked into the bathroom, and came back with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol. “Here.”
Danny struggled up into a sitting position. “Thanks.”
“So I talked to Chin,” Steve said sitting down next to him as he fumbled with the bottle trying to get the child proof lid off. “They’ve closed the case.”
Danny paused in his attempts to open the bottle, his hands shaking. “He’s sure.”
“Yes,” Steve replied, reaching out to take the bottle and opening it for him.
Danny took the pills Steve held out and swallowed them down with the entire glass of water. “Okay. Good. I don’t want to know the details. Not right now. But if you’re both sure then that’s good enough for me.”
Steve nodded.
“I’m going to get cleaned up,” Danny said, needing to clear his head. He stumbled to his feet and headed into the bathroom.
He couldn’t believe that it was all over. In less than a week the case had been closed and he had apparently started a brand new relationship. Everything was moving so fast. He felt so much relief that Rachel’s murder was solved and that Grace wouldn’t have to wonder like Steve did.
He sighed. It was time to put Rachel aside for a while. Now that there was closure it was time to concentrate on what was going on between him and Steve.
He grabbed a towel and headed straight to the shower. He reeked. He reeked like a homeless man on a three week bender. It was disgusting and boy was it a bad sign when you were that disgusted by your own smell.
He glanced in the mirror as he passed it and couldn’t believe how awful he looked. Between that and the stench Danny had to revise his evaluation of last night, deciding that Steve must really fucking love him if he was willing to not only kiss him after he had vomited but had cuddled with him despite the funk.
Danny stopped with his hand poised over the shower’s faucet. Suddenly the last puzzle piece snapped in place. He had been too drunk last night to realize the depth of what was going on but he saw it all now. In his mind he could see Steve’s face in the hospital when he’d come in and found Rachel there. And then there was the way Steve had clung to him before Sang Min rushed in. The way he had been there for him this whole year--him and Grace. And to Danny that said it all. Steve was in love with him.
How had he missed it all this time?
Danny turned on the water as hot as he could stand and stepped in to stand motionless under the spray. He was such an idiot. He had been pushing and pushing against Steve all this time and yet Steve never left. Even when he’d fled yesterday morning before the funeral, he had gone to try to solve the crime. Steve really wasn’t going anywhere.
He’d reassured Steve last night that he wasn’t leaving but somehow he hadn’t realized that Steve wasn’t going to ever leave him until just now. If he took Grace back to New Jersey he had a feeling that Steve would follow.
Danny began to scrub roughly at his skin washing away more than just the dirt. He knew that he had feelings for Steve. After last night he was done fighting them. He had been battling them for long enough, but was he in love with Steve? Sure he wanted to be with him but was he in love with him? After all, just a week ago, he had been planning to spend the rest of his life with Rachel.
He closed his eyes and let the water stream over his face. Just last night he had been bemoaning the lack of passion with Rachel but he certainly didn’t lack passion with Steve. No one could infuriate him more than Steve, but it wasn’t just that. He knew without a doubt that no matter what happened Steve would be there for him and Grace. He would never betray them or put someone else—even himself--ahead of them. That was a certainty that he’d never had with Rachel.
He trusted Steve absolutely and really that was the important part.
Once he was clean he wrapped a towel around his waist and reentered the bedroom to find Steve sitting on the bed looking through a case file.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Feel better?” Steve asked looking up at him.
“Much,” Danny said. He gazed at Steve, letting his eyes roam over the lines of his arms and his muscled chest. Making up his mind, he walked over to the bedroom door and made sure it was locked. If Grace needed them she could knock.
He turned back around to face Steve and let the towel drop. He smiled at the look of shock on Steve’s face. “The genie is so far out of the bottle.”
Steve’s face broke into a grin. He crammed the papers back into the folder and tossed it aside before rushing forward to wrap his arms around Danny. Steve pressed him back against the door, his hands roving up and down Danny’s still damp sides.
Danny reached his hands up and pulled Steve’s head down into a kiss and this time it was better. This time it wasn’t at all awkward. Danny smirked against Steve’s mouth and nipped at his lip, tugging it gently with his teeth.
Steve groaned and slid his leg between Danny’s pressing his thigh against Danny’s hard aching cock. Pleasure ran up Danny’s spine at the touch and he rocked forward against Steve, seeking more contact.
Steve buried his head against Danny’s neck, trailing kisses as they slowly rocked against each other. Danny could feel Steve’s erection rubbing against his leg and he pushed at Steve’s pants. “You’re wearing too much.”
“I am,” Steve whispered, his breath tickling Danny’s ear. “Bed now.”
Danny nodded and let Steve turn him around and guide him to the bed while their hands still roamed over each other’s bodies, never breaking contact. Once the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed he flopped back and watched as Steve pulled his pants off, his long hard cock springing free and standing straight out.
Danny slid back onto the bed, his feet flat and legs spread wide. “Come here.”
Steve didn’t have to be told twice. He climbed over Danny and leaned down to kiss him. Danny kissed him back, running his hands over Steve’s back and pulling him down until Steve was resting between his legs.
Steve moaned as their cocks touched and he began to slide slowly forward creating a delicious friction. After a moment he stopped rocking and began to kiss his way down Danny’s body. When Steve’s teeth found his nipple and began to tug gently, he moaned and arched up, his cock pressing against Steve’s stomach. Steve blew a cool breath onto Danny’s nipple and moved on trailing his lips down Danny’s chest.
Danny grabbed the sheets as Steve moved lower until he was kissing his way down Danny’s cock and licking his way back up again before he sucked the tip gently into his mouth.
“Steve!” Danny gasped as Steve slowly swallowed him and then pulled back to lick at the head. He raised his head up to watch as Steve began to bob up and down. The sight of his cock sliding in and out of Steve’s mouth was nearly overwhelming and he couldn’t stop himself from raising his hips and thrusting forward.
Steve lifted his eyes to lock with Danny’s and stilled his movement, loosening his jaw. Danny took the invitation and continued to thrust forward. The whole situation was too much and it didn’t take long for his balls to tighten. Steve swallowed his release and gently sucked him through his orgasm before letting go of his cock and sliding up Danny’s body to kiss him.
Danny returned the kiss lazily as Steve began to rut against him, thrusting against his hip.
“That’s it, Babe,” he whispered against Steve’s lips. He cupped Steve’s ass and pulled him closer. “Come on.”
Danny felt Steve tense up and spill hot and sticky against his hip. Once he came he relaxed, and collapsed bonelessly on top of Danny, his head resting in the crook of Danny’s neck. Danny let him lay there for a moment before poking him in the ribs.
“What?” Steve mumbled sleepily.
“You are not going to fall asleep on top of me,” Danny said. “You’d crush me in your sleep.”
Steve grunted and rolled off of Danny. Once he was free, Danny reached down and wiped the come off of his hip with the edge of the sheet—they needed to be washed anyway—and rolled over to throw his arm over Steve’s hip. Steve was already breathing deeply and Danny smiled and kissed his back before following him into sleep.
**
When Danny woke up the sun was high in the sky and he was alone in the bed. He stretched out lazily and checked the clock. When he saw it was nearly noon he got up and pulled on his clothes. Grace should be up by now and he assumed that Steve was probably with her.
He hoped that she hadn’t looked for him in his room and not found him. He was going to have to have a conversation with her about his new relationship with Steve at some point but he wasn’t quite ready for that yet and it would probably be best if he stuck to his own room for a while. He was sure that Steve would understand. Besides, they still had to figure some things out themselves first.
Danny checked Grace’s room and found it empty so he made his way downstairs. When he got to the bottom of the stairs he heard Grace giggling in the kitchen and he quietly turned a corner to see Grace sitting at the table while Steve stood over the stove.
He paused in the doorway and leaned against the frame to watch. She was stirring a bowl of batter with a large smile on her face, laughing at something Steve said. It was nice to see her laugh again. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew it wouldn’t last, her grief was still too raw. But it was a start.
“Danno!” Grace shouted when she saw him at the door. “Steve is making pancakes! I told him it was too late for breakfast but he said that it was never too late for breakfast.”
“He has a point,” Danny said grinning at her as he walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards to get out some plates. As he walked by the stove he reached out to rest his hand on Steve’s hip for a moment before continuing on to set the table. “What kind of pancakes are we having?”
“Blueberry and chocolate chip,” Steve said.
“Together?” Danny asked making a face. “Is this your doing Monkey?”
“Maybe,” she said laughing. “Steve told me I could have whatever I wanted in them and that since it was a special occasion it didn’t matter if it wasn’t healthy. But I told him you still couldn’t have any bacon.”
“Did you?” Danny asked laughing.
Steve looked up from the griddle. “And I told her that I wasn’t going to let you have bacon anyway because your cholesterol was up at your last physical.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Between the two of you I don’t stand a chance do I?”
“Nope,” Steve smiled at him. “But if it makes you feel any better I left the chocolate chips out of yours.”
“It does,” Danny said returning Steve’s smile.
He could get used to mornings like this. He felt like he was finally home.
Epilogue
“Where’s Dad?” Grace asked as she entered the kitchen. She had long ago stopped calling her father Danno, except on special occasions.
“He went to get your present,” Steve answered as he loaded a plate full of pancakes for her. He only had tea for himself but Grace was sure he had already eaten. He had probably been up for hours already.
“And it wasn’t supposed to be a surprise?” Grace asked with a laugh as she sat down at the table.
Steve smirked. “I didn’t tell you what it was.”
Grace rolled her eyes and dug into the food Steve had made her. It was hard to believe that she was graduating high school today and leaving next week to spend the summer visiting her grandparents in England and New Jersey. It seemed like only yesterday that her parents had divorced followed by several years of major life changes. First her mom had remarried, then they had all moved to Hawaii, and then her mother and Stan were murdered.
“Why the long face?” Steve asked sitting down across from her and sipping his tea.
“I was just thinking about mom,” Grace said pushing a piece of pancake around in a puddle of syrup, avoiding Steve’s eyes. “I wish she were here today.”
“I’m sure she’d be proud of you,” Steve said quietly. “We all are.”
Grace pushed aside her sadness and looked up with a smile. She still missed her mom but after nine years the grief was no longer intense. She had had nine years of relative stability and had a family that loved her, even if it was a bit non-traditional.
There had been a few terrifying nights spent in the hospital when her dad or Steve or Kono or Uncle Chin had been shot or stabbed. Nights that brought back the fear of that day so long ago when she had lost her mom. But so far Steve had kept his promise and nothing bad had happened to her dad; at least nothing too bad. She was old enough now to realize that it was a promise that he shouldn’t have made and couldn’t possibly be expected to keep but she was glad he had. As a kid she had found the promise a major comfort.
“Even though I’m going to go off and study something useless like French literature or art history?” Grace teased, recalling all of the arguments she’d had with Steve while he tried to help her with her calculus homework. Her dad, on the other hand, didn’t care what she studied as long as she went to college in Honolulu. Proximity was all that mattered to him. Although, he did occasionally complain about her interest in French, muttering about how English ought to be good enough. She knew he didn’t really mean it.
“Even still,” Steve said smiling fondly.
“Thank you,” she said seriously, suddenly overcome with emotion. “Thank you for being here for me.”
“Always,” Steve said firmly. “You better finish eating or we’re going to be late.”
“Can I drive?” she asked hopefully after she had cleared her plate.
“No,” Steve answered as he gathered her dishes.
Grace rolled her eyes. Steve always had to drive. Frankly it was a miracle that she had her license. Her dad had flat out refused to teach her to drive, saying that his heart couldn’t take the stress. He had also forbidden Steve and Kono from teaching her claiming that she would pick up bad habits. Not that she’d wanted Steve to teach her anyway. The calculus tutoring had been bad enough. Uncle Chin had finally convinced her dad to let him teach her, after he had sworn on a Bible that he would never even let her look at his motorcycle.
“I can’t believe it’s already graduation,” she said as she stowed her cap and gown and climbed into Steve’s truck. “It feels like prom was just yesterday.”
Grace frowned at the thought of prom. She had finally managed to find a guy who wasn’t terrified of her parents. Usually when she told a guy that she had two dads, they would snicker and make assumptions. When she went on to tell them that one was a Navy SEAL and the other an HPD detective they usually stopped laughing. When she further clarified that they were in charge of the infamous Five-0 task force they found other girls to date.
But John hadn’t been put off. He’d asked her to prom and even managed to survive the pre-prom interrogation. He had held up remarkably well when her father lectured him about curfews and appropriate behavior. He’d barely broken a sweat even though Steve had been inspecting a box of grenades at the time.
Despite the promising start, the date had turned out awful. They had barely made it to the dance when John and his friends had started drinking out of flasks someone had smuggled in. By the time it was their turn for pictures, John was wasted and trying to grope her. Not too much later, he had ditched her for a more receptive girl.
Grace had been humiliated and called Steve to pick her up. She didn’t want her dad to know what happened. He would have flown off the handle and she would be thirty before he’d let her date again. Steve could be terrifying but he rarely lost his temper. He had promised not to tell her dad what happened and to her knowledge he hadn’t. Of course, later that night the after-party she was supposed to attend was raided and a bunch of students were picked up for underage drinking. She’d found out later that somehow John’s paperwork had been lost and he’d been stuck spending the entire night in jail. Steve might not lose his temper but that only made him more dangerous. Not that she’d minded in this case.
“Wait until you’re older.” Steve said, bringing her out of her thoughts. “Time flies by even faster. It seems like just yesterday you and Danny were moving in.”
“Back when dad had his own room,” Grace smirked.
Steve shot her a glare, but she saw the slight blush he was trying to hide. She loved making Steve uncomfortable because it was so hard to do.
“Back when you still slept with Dolphin Trainer Annie every night,” he retaliated.
Grace laughed. “I loved that doll.”
“I know.” Steve smiled. “You were always losing it somewhere. Trying to find it drove Danny crazy.”
“I remember one time he found her in the freezer where your stash of peppermint patties was supposed to be,” Grace said laughing.
They were still laughing over their memories of Dolphin Trainer Annie when they pulled into the high school parking lot. Grace saw her friends waiting by the front door and moved to get out of the truck when Steve stopped her.
“Wait,” he said reaching over to pull a small box out of the glove compartment. “I want you to have this.”
Grace looked at Steve with surprise. He had already given her a plane ticket to England for graduation so she hadn’t been expecting anything else. She opened the box and found a small silver pendant. It was oval shaped and covered with a delicate filigreed design.
“It’s a locket.” Steve said quietly. “It belonged to my mother.”
“I can’t take this,” she said, understanding more than most what it must mean to him and Aunt Mary. “One of Aunt Mary’s girls should have it.”
“Mary and I both want you to have it.” he insisted, picking it up out of the box and gesturing for her to turn around so he could put it on her. “It belongs with the oldest granddaughter.”
Grace couldn’t hold back the tears at the simple explanation. She turned around and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Gracie,” Steve said squeezing her briefly. “Now you better get going, your friends are waiting.”
**
Steve watched Grace run off to join the familiar crowd of girls. For just a moment he saw a little girl with the sloppy french braid he’d tried to give her after much Internet study instead of the poised young woman that she’d become.
He shook his head to clear the past and tried to find a parking spot.
“What took you so long?” Danny asked him when he’d finally made his way into the auditorium.
“You know Grace.” Steve shrugged. “She tried on at least three dresses and upwards of six pairs of shoes.”
Danny smiled and started to make his way down the aisle looking for Chin and Kono. Once they had managed to fight their way through to the saved seats Steve turned to look at Danny.
Steve had trouble believing that it had been a decade since he’d met this man. Danny had mellowed just a touch over the years and he had a few more lines around his eyes but otherwise he was the same as when they first met in the garage with guns drawn. He even had that same damn haircut.
“What?” Danny asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just thinking about that day we met,” Steve replied. “You’ve barely changed.”
“That’s because this,” Danny said gesturing at his face, “is timeless.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Your hair could use an upgrade.”
Danny skimmed his hair with his hand. “My hair is perfection. You wish your hair looked this good.”
Steve laughed. “That’s it.”
Danny grinned at him.
“So did you get her gift in place?” Steve asked.
Danny beamed. “It’s parked out front, big bow and all.”
Before Steve could respond the band began playing “Pomp and Circumstance” and the graduates began to file in. When Grace passed them Danny reached out and grabbed Steve’s hand. Steve smiled and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “You did good.”
“No, Babe,” Danny whispered back. “We did good.”
Steve smiled and leaned in pressing his lips briefly to Danny’s.
“Okay, you two,” Kono laughed. “Save it for later.”
**
Later that afternoon after all the presents had been opened and all the guests had gone home Danny and Grace got into her new car and headed for the cemetery.
“Why didn’t Steve come?” Grace asked.
“He wanted to give us a little privacy,” Danny said. “Either that or he just couldn’t deal with you driving.”
“I’m sure that's the real reason,” Grace laughed. “Seriously Dad, I can’t believe you got me a car!”
“Well, since you insisted on staying in the dorm, you needed a car to come home and visit,” Danny explained. “Which you are going to do often. Very often. In fact feel free to come home every day.”
“Dad!” Grace exclaimed. “You’re going to have to let go sometime. Besides, I’m sure you and Steve could use some time by yourselves.”
“I do not in fact have to let go,” Danny corrected her. “Ever. And I don’t know what you think you know about me and Steve but we are just fine the way things are.”
Grace pulled into the cemetery parking lot and turned to look at her dad. “I know you are, Dad. And I love you too. But I am going to move into the dorm and I’m going to study French Literature, and I might even get a boyfriend. You are just going to have to be okay with that.”
Danny shook his head sadly. “You know I think it was just yesterday that you were a sweet little girl with pigtails who always did what her Danno said. What happened to those days?”
Grace smiled as she opened her door. “You taught me to be my own woman. Now you have to live with it.”
“I knew there was a catch somewhere.” Danny laughed as he handed her the bouquet and got out of the car to join her. “But they really should have better explained that in the parenting books.”
“Don’t even pretend like you read parenting books,” Grace said as she slid her arm through his.
When they got near Rachel’s grave they paused and Danny stepped back to let Grace have a moment at the grave by herself.
Grace knelt down in front of the tombstone, carefully brushing away the dirt before laying the flowers on top.
“I graduated today Mom. I wish you were here but I’m sure you saw it anyway. It wasn’t easy, but I made it and this fall I’m going to college to study French Literature.”
Grace laughed. “And Mom, you should have seen Steve’s face when I told him that. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. But even though he didn’t understand at all, for my birthday he got me a leather bound copy of Les Miserables. And Dad is so happy, mom. He hardly even yells anymore. Can you believe that? “
She paused and looked at her dad. “I just want you to know that I still miss you but I’m happy, we both are, and I think you would be proud of me. I really do.”
