The drive home was mostly quiet, with Danny concentrating on manoeuvring through the heavy late afternoon traffic and Steve enjoying the refreshing breeze as they travelled in the open convertible. When the car drew to a halt a brief time later, Steve looked up with a start, realizing they were parked in front of the beach house. Slightly chagrined at having lost track of where they were headed, Steve followed Danny out of the car and into the cool interior of the house.
Dan dropped his keys onto the table by the door. Sensing his partner' unease, he held up his hand to forestall any question or comment from Steve. “I just thought it might be nice to finish off our day at the beach,” he said by way of explanation. “A little peace and quiet after all the noise at Ahi Mauna. And a place for you to calm down after our run-in with Pekelo Keahi.” He turned and fixed his level gaze on Steve. “I know you're still stewing about him seeing us there.”
Steve took a deep breath of the fresh ocean air and exhaled slowly, not quite meeting his lover's eyes. “It was ... uncomfortable ... meeting him at the Park,” he acknowledged. “And I appreciate your covering story, Danno.”
“Your secret is safe with me, ipo. Nobody will ever know that you are a closet roller coaster junkie!” Danny couldn't completely keep his frustration from showing, even as he softened the effect of his words with a slight smile. “You are allowed to take a day off occasionally, Steve, and even go out and have some fun if you want too! People aren't going to think less of you for it. I wish you could see that.” He paused to take a deep breath, then continued. “But let's enjoy the rest of our evening here. Worrying can wait until tomorrow, okay?”
To his credit, Steve hesitated only briefly before replying. “Okay,” he agreed. Together he and Danny kept the beach house well stocked, both in food and in changes of clothing; it would only be necessary to return to their apartment to drop off the Mustang and pick up their individual Five-O vehicles before heading to the Palace. Giving himself a quick mental shake, Steve followed his partner through to the kitchen. “It's okay,” he repeated. “This was a great idea, Danno. I think...” Steve stopped abruptly, almost bumping into Danny as the younger man stood still, staring at the room in front of them. “What is it?” he questioned, peering over his lover's shoulder.
“We've had company,” Danny gestured to the table. “Take a look, Steve.”
The senior detective glanced around the kitchen, eyes widening at the sight. The table was draped in a white cloth, a small iron lantern containing a flickering candle sitting at its centre. There were two place settings carefully laid out, crystal glasses sparkling in the candlelight.
Danny crossed the room to where a note was taped to the refrigerator door. A grin lit his face as he skimmed it, then passed the small sheet of paper to his lover.
“Enjoy!” Steve repeated the single word, written on a page from the prescription pad of Dr. Max Bergman, in a bemused tone. Taken aback, he looked at a still-smiling Danny, who had opened the refrigerator and was examining its contents. “Doc sure isn't giving up on this,” he observed, the beginnings of a frown again showing on his face. “So, what did the interfering so-and-so leave for us? Something edible, I hope!”
“Actually, it's a platter of lomi-lomi salmon and summer rolls, and a big plate of fresh cut pineapple and mango,” Danny replied slowly. “Oh, and some crusty bread here on the counter.” He looked over at his partner, concerned at the irritation he was beginning to sense in him. Walking back across the kitchen and placing a hand on Steve's shoulder, he tried to soothe away his growing scowl. “Come on, Steve, he was just trying to help out. You've got to admit it's nice not to have to get anything ready ourselves.” He gently rubbed the older man's arm, watching the subtle play of emotions in his expression until, for the second time in the past few moments, he felt the tension gradually ease.
“I guess you're right,” Steve conceded, a bit reluctantly. “I think I will speak to him about breaking and entering, though...”
Danny grinned in relief at Steve's words. “I'll bring him in for questioning if you like,” he offered, and was rewarded with a flash of a smile that crinkled the corners of the dark blue eyes. Running his hand through his curly hair, he gave his partner a questioning look. “So what do you say, Steve, a quick swim to cool off before we eat sound good to you?”
Steve shook his head in mock dismay. “Haven't you gotten wet enough times already today?”
“Never! There's no such thing as too much water!” Danny stated assuredly. With the grin still firmly in place, he reached for his lover's hand. “Come on, let's go get changed.”
Steve's eyes darkened as he allowed the younger man to lead him toward the bedroom. When Danny released his hand to start to get undressed, he gently stilled the motion. “Allow me,” he murmured softly, reaching forward and unfastening first the top button of Danny's aloha shirt, then the rest in succession.
Danny's breath caught in his throat, and he closed his eyes as a shiver of anticipation made its way across the back of his neck. His lover's hands continued their work, first sliding the shirt from his shoulders, and then moving lower to begin anew on the fastener of his khaki trousers. Dan almost sighed with anticipation as a gentle nudge prompted him to step forward, leaving his clothing in an abandoned heap on the floor.
Opening his eyes again, Danny fixed his ocean blue gaze on the taller man in front of him. Face slightly reddened from the sun, the customary neat arrangement of dark hair long since banished by the breeze and water, Steve looked the absolute opposite of his usual public persona. Slightly humbled by the depth of trust in their relationship that allowed his lover to drop all his innate barriers, Danny paused; it was a rare moment, and he took some time to treasure it before moving on to the business at hand. “My turn,” he said at last, a faintly roguish grin appearing on his face as his hands began their own task of clothing removal.
Moments later the two lovers tumbled each other to the bed, arms and legs in a tangle, fingers alternately clasping and caressing, mouths fused and tongues engaged in an intricate, intimate dance.
Breathing hard, Steve broke the kiss, and gently cupped Danny's flushed, bruised face in his hands. “I enjoyed myself today,” he admitted quietly. “I didn't expect to, but I did. I hope you did too, aikane.”
“I did,” the younger man affirmed. “Especially the part where I out-drove everyone in the bumper cars, even you. Remember?” he asked, lazily reaching up a hand to further muss Steve's hair.
“I remember no such thing!” Steve eyed his partner with a hint of outrage. “You were just lucky...” he murmured, before taking the opportunity to reclaim the waiting mouth in a scorching kiss and allowing his hands to trail down to Danny's warm, smooth chest.
Twisting with pleasure under the relentless stroking of his lover, Danny moaned deep in his throat, his tongue meeting Steve's thrust for thrust. He lightly scored his fingertips down Steve's back, revelling in the feel of the older man's shudder in response to his touch. When at last he felt his lover's hands, and then mouth, move lower still, he was more than ready for what followed. The mild evening air soon filled with the muted sounds of their passion, and it was much, much later when Steve and Danny finally emerged into the darkness of the night for their swim in the ocean. Dr. Bergman's dinner, still waiting in the refrigerator, became a midnight snack that the two tired men enjoyed before they retired back to their bed for the remainder of the night.
O o O o O
Steve McGarrett strode up to the Iolani Palace, taking the steps two at a time as he made his way to the Five-O offices. Passing several senior HPD officers, he responded to their greetings with what he thought was little more than his customary terse nod; he remained oblivious, however, to the surprised expressions which followed in his wake. Finally arriving at his office door, he answered Jenny's enthusiastic hello with a cheerful smile of his own. Grasping a pile of messages and the morning's mail in his hand, the Five-O chief disappeared into his inner sanctum and closed the door.
Jenny stared after him for a moment, then exchanged a glance with a slightly bewildered Kono, who had emerged from his cubicle at the arrival of his boss. “Did you see that?” she asked delightedly. “Steve looked... I don't know, well rested! I don't think I've ever seen him look like that, not for a long time, anyway.”
Kono nodded in agreement. “Da boss looked great,” he observed, adding hopefully, “Maybe a good day off for him means a better day for us today!”
“Probably a nice quiet afternoon on his boat,” contributed Chin, standing in the doorway of his own cubicle. “Away from the crowds and noise of the city...”
“Well, whatever he did, he should do it more often,” Jenny stated firmly. “He's been working far too hard lately.”
It was into this conversation that Danny Williams made his entrance, strolling casually into the office looking relaxed and grinning slightly at the topic of discussion. “Hey, did anyone miss me? I was gone too, you know!” he quipped, waving at Chin and Kono as he made his way to his own cubicle closest to Steve's door.
Jenny stood and handed him his own stack of messages. “It's good to see you back, too, Danny,” she said warmly. “And it looks like your day off agreed with you as well. What did you do?” she enquired.
“I went...” Danny began, but his reply was interrupted by the Five-O chief's voice over the intercom, summoning them in for a briefing. Shrugging an apology at Jenny, he grabbed a stack of files off his desk and joined Kono and Chin as they entered the inner office. The secretary followed them in, carrying a cup of coffee which she placed by Steve's right hand; beaming at him with another cheerful smile, she withdrew and closed the door behind her.
The detectives found Steve seated at his desk, several files open, pad and pencil ready to take notes. “Gentlemen,” he intoned. “Let's begin with the Pezzutto file. Has the follow-up to the raid been dealt with, and is there anything I should know before we proceed...?”
O o O o O
In the office of the medical examiner at Queens Hospital, Steve McGarrett sat on a chair, motionless save for the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders with each deep, controlled breath. Eyes open, jaw clenched, he watched as Dr. Max Bergman, medical examiner and Five-O's personal physician, snipped a length of surgical silk in the nearly-healed wound in his calf, neatly pulling the final stitch out before cleaning the area and covering it with a simple bandage.
“Satisfied, Doc?” The Five-O chief pushed up and out of the chair, his gaze meeting that of the coroner in a challenging stare.
Dr. Bergman ignored him for a moment, instead waving Danny into the recently-vacated chair and gently examining the younger detective's faintly discoloured face. “Any tenderness still there, Danny?” he enquired, pressing lightly along the cheekbone.
“None,” Dan replied. “I'm hardly aware of the bruise anymore, Doc, everything's fine.”
“You let me be the judge of that, young man,” the doctor groused, but he was slowly nodding his head in agreement with Danny's words. He took a moment to scratch a few notes onto the medical charts in front of him, then looked up to face both men. “Gentlemen,” he began. “There seems to have been an improvement since you were both here last week. Your vitals and overall condition are better. Steve, the wound in your leg healed nicely; it's now just another scar to add to your collection. Danny, the bruise has faded away almost completely. That's good to see.”
Bergman paused to take a breath, before continuing, “But I'd like the two of you to be a little bit more aware of the long hours you keep, and the eventual consequences that burning the candle at both ends will have on your health. I recognize that you both have to work hard, and there will be times when it will be impossible to take a break! But you must schedule some down time for yourselves, or some day soon you might be customers of another kind in this office because your reflexes have slowed, or you miss an important detail in a crisis situation...” The coroner finally reached the end of his diatribe, pleased and a bit surprised that he hadn't been interrupted. “I trust I've made my point, gentlemen,” he added, a bit more gently.
Steve looked steadily at the doctor for a moment, then nodded tersely. “Point taken, Doc,” he said. “Although you didn't have to go to such extreme lengths to make it.”
“Didn't I?” Bergman countered. “If I had told you to take a day off, would you have done it?”
“No, he wouldn't have.” Danny held his lover's gaze in spite of the scowl being sent his way. He flashed an almost indistinguishable wink in Steve's direction, silently promising to make up for his statement later. “But don't worry, Doc, I approve of your approach, even if Steve doesn't.”
Max Bergman smiled. “Good,” he said. “Just remember, my prescription pad is always at the ready, and I have a very potent imagination... Now, speaking of your day off, how did it go? Did you enjoy yourselves at Ahi Mauna?” As Danny launched into a description of their activities at the Park, punctuated with an occasional, reluctant comment from Steve, the coroner settled back in his chair and allowed himself a moment of self-congratulation for the conclusion of an effective, and very successful, prescription.
Pau
Dan dropped his keys onto the table by the door. Sensing his partner' unease, he held up his hand to forestall any question or comment from Steve. “I just thought it might be nice to finish off our day at the beach,” he said by way of explanation. “A little peace and quiet after all the noise at Ahi Mauna. And a place for you to calm down after our run-in with Pekelo Keahi.” He turned and fixed his level gaze on Steve. “I know you're still stewing about him seeing us there.”
Steve took a deep breath of the fresh ocean air and exhaled slowly, not quite meeting his lover's eyes. “It was ... uncomfortable ... meeting him at the Park,” he acknowledged. “And I appreciate your covering story, Danno.”
“Your secret is safe with me, ipo. Nobody will ever know that you are a closet roller coaster junkie!” Danny couldn't completely keep his frustration from showing, even as he softened the effect of his words with a slight smile. “You are allowed to take a day off occasionally, Steve, and even go out and have some fun if you want too! People aren't going to think less of you for it. I wish you could see that.” He paused to take a deep breath, then continued. “But let's enjoy the rest of our evening here. Worrying can wait until tomorrow, okay?”
To his credit, Steve hesitated only briefly before replying. “Okay,” he agreed. Together he and Danny kept the beach house well stocked, both in food and in changes of clothing; it would only be necessary to return to their apartment to drop off the Mustang and pick up their individual Five-O vehicles before heading to the Palace. Giving himself a quick mental shake, Steve followed his partner through to the kitchen. “It's okay,” he repeated. “This was a great idea, Danno. I think...” Steve stopped abruptly, almost bumping into Danny as the younger man stood still, staring at the room in front of them. “What is it?” he questioned, peering over his lover's shoulder.
“We've had company,” Danny gestured to the table. “Take a look, Steve.”
The senior detective glanced around the kitchen, eyes widening at the sight. The table was draped in a white cloth, a small iron lantern containing a flickering candle sitting at its centre. There were two place settings carefully laid out, crystal glasses sparkling in the candlelight.
Danny crossed the room to where a note was taped to the refrigerator door. A grin lit his face as he skimmed it, then passed the small sheet of paper to his lover.
“Enjoy!” Steve repeated the single word, written on a page from the prescription pad of Dr. Max Bergman, in a bemused tone. Taken aback, he looked at a still-smiling Danny, who had opened the refrigerator and was examining its contents. “Doc sure isn't giving up on this,” he observed, the beginnings of a frown again showing on his face. “So, what did the interfering so-and-so leave for us? Something edible, I hope!”
“Actually, it's a platter of lomi-lomi salmon and summer rolls, and a big plate of fresh cut pineapple and mango,” Danny replied slowly. “Oh, and some crusty bread here on the counter.” He looked over at his partner, concerned at the irritation he was beginning to sense in him. Walking back across the kitchen and placing a hand on Steve's shoulder, he tried to soothe away his growing scowl. “Come on, Steve, he was just trying to help out. You've got to admit it's nice not to have to get anything ready ourselves.” He gently rubbed the older man's arm, watching the subtle play of emotions in his expression until, for the second time in the past few moments, he felt the tension gradually ease.
“I guess you're right,” Steve conceded, a bit reluctantly. “I think I will speak to him about breaking and entering, though...”
Danny grinned in relief at Steve's words. “I'll bring him in for questioning if you like,” he offered, and was rewarded with a flash of a smile that crinkled the corners of the dark blue eyes. Running his hand through his curly hair, he gave his partner a questioning look. “So what do you say, Steve, a quick swim to cool off before we eat sound good to you?”
Steve shook his head in mock dismay. “Haven't you gotten wet enough times already today?”
“Never! There's no such thing as too much water!” Danny stated assuredly. With the grin still firmly in place, he reached for his lover's hand. “Come on, let's go get changed.”
Steve's eyes darkened as he allowed the younger man to lead him toward the bedroom. When Danny released his hand to start to get undressed, he gently stilled the motion. “Allow me,” he murmured softly, reaching forward and unfastening first the top button of Danny's aloha shirt, then the rest in succession.
Danny's breath caught in his throat, and he closed his eyes as a shiver of anticipation made its way across the back of his neck. His lover's hands continued their work, first sliding the shirt from his shoulders, and then moving lower to begin anew on the fastener of his khaki trousers. Dan almost sighed with anticipation as a gentle nudge prompted him to step forward, leaving his clothing in an abandoned heap on the floor.
Opening his eyes again, Danny fixed his ocean blue gaze on the taller man in front of him. Face slightly reddened from the sun, the customary neat arrangement of dark hair long since banished by the breeze and water, Steve looked the absolute opposite of his usual public persona. Slightly humbled by the depth of trust in their relationship that allowed his lover to drop all his innate barriers, Danny paused; it was a rare moment, and he took some time to treasure it before moving on to the business at hand. “My turn,” he said at last, a faintly roguish grin appearing on his face as his hands began their own task of clothing removal.
Moments later the two lovers tumbled each other to the bed, arms and legs in a tangle, fingers alternately clasping and caressing, mouths fused and tongues engaged in an intricate, intimate dance.
Breathing hard, Steve broke the kiss, and gently cupped Danny's flushed, bruised face in his hands. “I enjoyed myself today,” he admitted quietly. “I didn't expect to, but I did. I hope you did too, aikane.”
“I did,” the younger man affirmed. “Especially the part where I out-drove everyone in the bumper cars, even you. Remember?” he asked, lazily reaching up a hand to further muss Steve's hair.
“I remember no such thing!” Steve eyed his partner with a hint of outrage. “You were just lucky...” he murmured, before taking the opportunity to reclaim the waiting mouth in a scorching kiss and allowing his hands to trail down to Danny's warm, smooth chest.
Twisting with pleasure under the relentless stroking of his lover, Danny moaned deep in his throat, his tongue meeting Steve's thrust for thrust. He lightly scored his fingertips down Steve's back, revelling in the feel of the older man's shudder in response to his touch. When at last he felt his lover's hands, and then mouth, move lower still, he was more than ready for what followed. The mild evening air soon filled with the muted sounds of their passion, and it was much, much later when Steve and Danny finally emerged into the darkness of the night for their swim in the ocean. Dr. Bergman's dinner, still waiting in the refrigerator, became a midnight snack that the two tired men enjoyed before they retired back to their bed for the remainder of the night.
O o O o O
Steve McGarrett strode up to the Iolani Palace, taking the steps two at a time as he made his way to the Five-O offices. Passing several senior HPD officers, he responded to their greetings with what he thought was little more than his customary terse nod; he remained oblivious, however, to the surprised expressions which followed in his wake. Finally arriving at his office door, he answered Jenny's enthusiastic hello with a cheerful smile of his own. Grasping a pile of messages and the morning's mail in his hand, the Five-O chief disappeared into his inner sanctum and closed the door.
Jenny stared after him for a moment, then exchanged a glance with a slightly bewildered Kono, who had emerged from his cubicle at the arrival of his boss. “Did you see that?” she asked delightedly. “Steve looked... I don't know, well rested! I don't think I've ever seen him look like that, not for a long time, anyway.”
Kono nodded in agreement. “Da boss looked great,” he observed, adding hopefully, “Maybe a good day off for him means a better day for us today!”
“Probably a nice quiet afternoon on his boat,” contributed Chin, standing in the doorway of his own cubicle. “Away from the crowds and noise of the city...”
“Well, whatever he did, he should do it more often,” Jenny stated firmly. “He's been working far too hard lately.”
It was into this conversation that Danny Williams made his entrance, strolling casually into the office looking relaxed and grinning slightly at the topic of discussion. “Hey, did anyone miss me? I was gone too, you know!” he quipped, waving at Chin and Kono as he made his way to his own cubicle closest to Steve's door.
Jenny stood and handed him his own stack of messages. “It's good to see you back, too, Danny,” she said warmly. “And it looks like your day off agreed with you as well. What did you do?” she enquired.
“I went...” Danny began, but his reply was interrupted by the Five-O chief's voice over the intercom, summoning them in for a briefing. Shrugging an apology at Jenny, he grabbed a stack of files off his desk and joined Kono and Chin as they entered the inner office. The secretary followed them in, carrying a cup of coffee which she placed by Steve's right hand; beaming at him with another cheerful smile, she withdrew and closed the door behind her.
The detectives found Steve seated at his desk, several files open, pad and pencil ready to take notes. “Gentlemen,” he intoned. “Let's begin with the Pezzutto file. Has the follow-up to the raid been dealt with, and is there anything I should know before we proceed...?”
O o O o O
In the office of the medical examiner at Queens Hospital, Steve McGarrett sat on a chair, motionless save for the gentle rise and fall of his shoulders with each deep, controlled breath. Eyes open, jaw clenched, he watched as Dr. Max Bergman, medical examiner and Five-O's personal physician, snipped a length of surgical silk in the nearly-healed wound in his calf, neatly pulling the final stitch out before cleaning the area and covering it with a simple bandage.
“Satisfied, Doc?” The Five-O chief pushed up and out of the chair, his gaze meeting that of the coroner in a challenging stare.
Dr. Bergman ignored him for a moment, instead waving Danny into the recently-vacated chair and gently examining the younger detective's faintly discoloured face. “Any tenderness still there, Danny?” he enquired, pressing lightly along the cheekbone.
“None,” Dan replied. “I'm hardly aware of the bruise anymore, Doc, everything's fine.”
“You let me be the judge of that, young man,” the doctor groused, but he was slowly nodding his head in agreement with Danny's words. He took a moment to scratch a few notes onto the medical charts in front of him, then looked up to face both men. “Gentlemen,” he began. “There seems to have been an improvement since you were both here last week. Your vitals and overall condition are better. Steve, the wound in your leg healed nicely; it's now just another scar to add to your collection. Danny, the bruise has faded away almost completely. That's good to see.”
Bergman paused to take a breath, before continuing, “But I'd like the two of you to be a little bit more aware of the long hours you keep, and the eventual consequences that burning the candle at both ends will have on your health. I recognize that you both have to work hard, and there will be times when it will be impossible to take a break! But you must schedule some down time for yourselves, or some day soon you might be customers of another kind in this office because your reflexes have slowed, or you miss an important detail in a crisis situation...” The coroner finally reached the end of his diatribe, pleased and a bit surprised that he hadn't been interrupted. “I trust I've made my point, gentlemen,” he added, a bit more gently.
Steve looked steadily at the doctor for a moment, then nodded tersely. “Point taken, Doc,” he said. “Although you didn't have to go to such extreme lengths to make it.”
“Didn't I?” Bergman countered. “If I had told you to take a day off, would you have done it?”
“No, he wouldn't have.” Danny held his lover's gaze in spite of the scowl being sent his way. He flashed an almost indistinguishable wink in Steve's direction, silently promising to make up for his statement later. “But don't worry, Doc, I approve of your approach, even if Steve doesn't.”
Max Bergman smiled. “Good,” he said. “Just remember, my prescription pad is always at the ready, and I have a very potent imagination... Now, speaking of your day off, how did it go? Did you enjoy yourselves at Ahi Mauna?” As Danny launched into a description of their activities at the Park, punctuated with an occasional, reluctant comment from Steve, the coroner settled back in his chair and allowed himself a moment of self-congratulation for the conclusion of an effective, and very successful, prescription.
Pau