InsaneJournal

There were a million things running through Steve's head and it was difficult to pin down exactly what he was going to do when he finally saw Danny. They had been together for nearly eight years, as partners, closer than blood. They saw each other at their highest moments of happiness and at each other's lowest. There were very few, if any, secrets between them.

Many people within five minutes of being around them, had accused them of being more than just partners on Five-0. And there was a reason for that. According to the confession Danny had just made, he was in love with Steve. For awhile now, it seemed. And despite it all, despite the mess with Lynn and Catherine before her, feelings about that blond from New Jersey had been stirring in Steve too for many years now.

Danny was his longest relationship, outside of his family, outside of Freddie. They bickered, they fought, they made up, and they were with each other nearly every day of their lives. And that was just outside of the professional setting they were in. They chose to be around each other, to expose their families to each other, to invite each other into their lives fully and with open arms. There were many people that Steve would lay down his life for. But Danny was the one who made him want to keep fighting to live, to live for as long as possible, just so they could spend one more minute arguing, one more minute laughing together.

These were the thoughts running through his head as he found his way to Danny's room. He didn't stop to knock. Steve just turned the knob, let himself in, not even bothering to say anything before he grabbed Danny by the face and kissed him. Because when it came down to it, there were no words he could verbalize that would explain how much he wanted to do that.

At first, Danny thought he’d royally screwed up. Despite the perception that he was very open about his feelings, it was the opposite, the deeper emotions, thoughts buried under the loud and bluster. A casual misdirection befitting a Las Vegas magician. Call it armor of sorts, keeping his heart from getting crushed again and again - who was he kidding, it happened more than he cared to admit. People left him, walking away to something better with little to no glace back, to the point where Danny began to question if he was worth keeping around at all.

They were different. Steve, Kono, Chin Ho. For eight years, they not only kept him around, they made him feel wanted. Sure, they had their rough patches, but the communication was open and they smoothed out the bumps, found their way to good standing again. Never stayed angry or upset for long. They were family, ’ohana as the word was constantly used to describe them in their downtime.

Steve though, there was something about Steve that drew Danny in early on and never let go. On an island full of people who probably wished he’d go back to New Jersey, Steve choose him, not because he had something he needed, but because he believed Danny could do the job. That earned him loyalty, respect, but loving Steve McGarrett, well, Danny had tumbled into that head over heels. Underneath the exterior broken down and reworked by the Navy, that man started to emerge, the man who was good with his kids, the best friend, the brother who would do anything for those he loved. The man who put the happiness of others above his own every time, who forgave when maybe he shouldn’t have.

Danny wanted Steve to be the recipient of that kind of loyalty and love for once, his happiness being more important to him than his own. So he made right with Catherine and supported their relationship, even when he had his misgivings about engagements. He’d pushed to meet Lynn, wondering if she would be The One for Steve finally. He’d smiled, he’d encouraged, he’d agreed. All the while, he ignored the small ache pushed aside as he realized he would probably never have that.

So after he made the confession, he dropped the device on the bed, breath hitching in his chest. It was one thing to be a little more open about his sexuality, leading to the unfortunately aborted makeout session with Solo, but his heart was elsewhere, had been for a while. It was another to tell his best friend, his partner, that he was in love with him. Steve was on his way over now and god only knew what that conversation would be about, maybe a gentle let down in person. He wasn’t the kind of person to run away, ignore what happened.

He was on his feet, heading for the door to greet Steve when he arrived, when the door opened of its own accord and Danny was suddenly on his toes to accommodate the height difference between them and his lips were on Danny’s and he just…

I say it when I mean it.

“I love you.” Danny’s lips moved against Steve’s before he kissed him harder, maneuvering them just enough so that he could kick the door shut. “I love you so fucking much.” There was more than one shade of love and every time Danny said it in the past, he meant it, in every way he possibly could. This time, it was different, a confession of another kind. One hand balled Steve’s shirt up to pull himself higher, his other hand resting behind Steve’s neck, thumb caressing the skin.

There was a a kind of warmth that blossomed in Steve's chest, hearing Danny say those words against his lips. He didn't want to pull back, didn't want to stop kissing Danny for even one second, but it was important to him that Danny knew exactly how he felt about him. He pulled back far enough, still holding Danny close enough, and said it slowly and meaningfully, "I love you too, Danny Williams." Eight years of car arguments, putting their lives at risk for each other, having each other's backs, helping each other with their families, barbecues, dinners, hikes, camping, and everything else they could do together...it all was accumulating into this one single moment where they could truly be honest with each other.

To show that each "You dumb Neanderthal," "What's wrong with you? Who wears a tie in Hawaii?" "Quit driving my car!" "Watch my six!" really meant, "I love you and would raze the world to the ground for you." Which wasn't an exaggeration. They had put themselves through hell for each other and burned whole organizations to the ground because they had hurt one of them.

He’d heard Steve say those words before but like his own, they were different as well. Danny couldn’t help the grin, wide and unrestrained, wrinkles showing at the corners of his eyes. “It only took us ending up in space to finally open our mouths, huh?” Over the last eight years, they’d covered all manner of topics, agreeing, disagreeing, coming to a middle ground. On the topic of relationships, they carefully skirted around their own feelings while trying to give advice to the other. Well, no more.

Danny put both feet flat on the floor again but his hand continued to grab a handful of fabric, his free hand joining. He took a step back towards his bed, giving Steve’s shirt a light tug. “C’mere with me,” he said softly. “We can talk while I make out with you like a teenager whose parents are out of town.”

Laughing, Steve went as Danny commanded without any kind of reluctance. It was all too surreal, this happening finally. He hadn't thought it was possible to be full of happiness and love, in this impossible reality so far away from home. But Danny brought that fullness, that lightness, with just a smile and Steve forgot about everything that would have brought the mood down.

He was all too eager to push Danny down onto the bed and climbing onto his lap, making himself very comfortable as his hands found their way into the gelled up blond locks that Danny referred to as his stylish hair. "You're ridiculous and I have every intention of doing hell of a lot less talking and more of this." He mussed the hair up thoroughly before pressing forward and pressing lips to lips again. They could talk like adults later, right now he wanted to make up for all the loss time they had experienced because they had been unsure of what the other felt.

That smile, that damn smile that made his heart kick up a few notches in his chest and warmed him, like sunshine that Danny just wanted to bask in. So much shit happened to Steve in his lifetime that that smile, that full, genuine smile, drew him in and made his heart ache for him at the same time.

For once in their partnership, he easily let Steve steer him down, sprawled out onto the bed. “Yeah? Well, I can get behind less talking then.” He was sure there was a smartass rebuttal in there, given how much he could talk on any given day, but with the choice between this and a discussion? Right now, right then, he wanted a whole lot of this. The little voice of worry that questioned every goddamn thing got a one way trip into suppression as Steve’s fingers moved through his hair, Danny’s eyes fluttering shut and lips parting just slightly, moments later to be met by Steve’s.

It felt so damn good and the only thing he wanted was more, to use actions over words this time to show Steve just how much he wanted him in his life, how much he wanted him body and soul and heart and mind. A love like that could have been absolutely terrifying if he didn’t have absolute trust and faith in Steve not to crush his heart again. They’d suffered that too much, had too much love to give.

His hands slipped up under Steve’s shirt, resting on his hips while they settled comfortably, then moving up, fingertips lightly traveling along skin, tracing muscles, itching to find the scar he knew was there, one that matched his own. “Off,” he murmured against Steve’s lips, realizing he would have to pull away, even for seconds, to accomplish what he wanted. “Shirt comes off.”

He easily went with Danny’s commands for once in his life. Usually an argument followed whenever Danny tried to tell Steve to do something. But this time? There was a marked difference in Steve’s behavior. Instead of screwing up his face in a frown and an argument, he grinned and pulled his shirt off with minimal fuss. “Alright, bossy. What else do you want from me?” Today, today was a new day and today Steve would willingly take orders without arguing with anyone.

Because he loved Danny and Danny loved him back. Everything else could fall to the wayside and Steve wouldn’t even notice.

Once Steve’s shirt was off, Danny pulled away only to run his hands over skin and lean muscle again, then running one finger down the scar on his abdomen. The terror of the moment, the offer, Steve alive in front of him. His breath came out in a rush and he raised his arms to loop around Steve’s neck, pulling him closer, needing him right there, whole and sound and solid. At first, instead of an answer, he kissed him, slow and then deeper, harder. After a moment, he hesitated only to speak softly, lips brushing against Steve’s s he did.

“Just you and me.”