FIC: Deja Vu All Over Again (3/4)

[stellarmeadow]

Steve had changed clothes three times by 6:30, finally settling on a medium blue button down and black dress pants. The shirt made his eyes look blue, and the pants were comfortably tight in a way he hoped would have Danny staring.

Might as well make sure there were no illusions about what he was expecting.

He went downstairs at 6:45, hoping his father would be napping, but no such luck. He was sitting on the couch, a notebook in hand, when Steve reached the first floor. "Going out?" John asked.

"Dinner."

"Danny?"

Steve nodded. "Don't wait up," he added, bracing himself for another round of 'do you know what you're doing?'

To his surprise, however, John just said, "Have a good night," and went back to his notebook.

Frowning, Steve muttered a thanks and turned to walk out the door. He spent the five-minute walk to Danny's wondering why his father was suddenly butting out. He'd come no closer to an answer when he knocked on Danny's door.

Any thoughts of his father flew straight out of Steve's head as Danny opened the door. He was wearing gray slacks, a white shirt, and a blue tie that perfectly matched his eyes, and Steve couldn't help staring.

"Are you going to come in?" Danny asked after a moment. "Because it would be kind of awkward for you to eat standing at the door."

"Sorry," Steve said, giving himself a little shake. "I was just...hi."

"You were high?"

Steve laughed. "No. I mean--" His brain caught up with his ears and he realized Danny was mocking him. "Funny," Steve said. "Can I come in?"

"I'd appreciate it if you did," Danny replied, stepping back and holding the door open. He'd barely managed to close it again before Steve felt himself being pressed against the wall beside it. "I think the neighbors might have gossiped if I'd done this on the porch."

Before Steve could ask what, Danny was pressing his whole body into Steve's as their mouths met. He could feel the heat of Danny's body from shoulders to knees, making him wonder just which direction the bedroom was in and how few steps they could take to get there.

"Hi," Danny said against Steve's lips after a minute.

"You greet everybody like that?"

He felt Danny grin. "Only hot Navy SEALs who look like they stepped off the cover of GQ."

"Get a lot of those on your doorstep, do you?"

"Oh, at least once a week," Danny said, his lips moving against Steve's neck now. "They're like Girl Scouts and Jehovah's Witnesses, always turning up around dinner."

Steve's hand slid up to the back of Danny's neck, but Danny pulled out of his grasp. "Speaking of dinner," Danny said, as if he wasn't flushed, lips swollen, and breathing heavy, "we should eat."

Food was the last thing on Steve's mind. "Or we could eat later."

"Absolutely not." Danny grabbed Steve's arm, pulling him through to the low-lit dining room, where the table was set for two. "The food's better fresh," he said, maneuvering Steve into a chair. "And besides," Danny added quietly, leaning down until his lips were touching Steve's ear, "you'll need your strength for later."

Danny went through the door Steve presumed led to the kitchen, leaving Steve to adjust himself under the table. Maybe food would calm him down a little and he'd make it through dinner without embarrassing himself.

By the time he was halfway through the meal, Steve realized Danny had no intention of letting him calm down. On the contrary, the entire meal seemed designed to drive Steve crazy. It was like food as foreplay.

"How's the meat?" Danny asked, just after pulling his fork out of his mouth in a way that made Steve wonder what his cock would look like with those lips wrapped around it.

"Excellent," Steve replied, trying his best to give no hint of what dinner was doing to him. He didn't think it was working, judging by Danny's smug look, but he was trying nonetheless. But two could play at that game. "Very tender. Did you spend a lot of time beating it?"

Danny's eyes lit up, which only fueled the heat that had been running through Steve's body since the moment Danny had opened the door. "Ages," Danny said, licking his fork.

Steve absolutely did not whimper a little in the back of his throat. "Time well spent," he said, and his voice was absolutely not hoarse.

"Time for dessert." Danny rose, trailing his fingers along Steve's arm casually has he walked by to get to the kitchen.

Steve was hoping for a very small dessert, but the chocolate mousse Danny put in front of him was a generous portion. He tasted it, humming with surprise at how good it was. "This is delicious."

"At the risk of damaging your opinion of me," Danny said as he sat back down, "I didn't make the dessert. Never had the patience to get the hang of mousse. But I like it, so I found a place that does it justice--which is no mean feat in Hawaii, let me tell you."

"I promise not to judge," Steve said, licking another spoonful into his mouth, "if you promise to tell me where you got it."

"Be a good boy and maybe I will," Danny said before putting a spoonful into his mouth and sliding the spoon back out slowly.

Steve's mouth went dry, and he covered by putting a larger spoonful in his own mouth. As good as the dessert was, he wanted to finish it quickly to get to the real main course--Danny.

Danny, however, was having none of it, tasting small bites and licking the spoon until Steve was so hard he was worried he might actually hit the table getting up from his chair. But at last Danny finished his dessert and took the empty dishes back into the kitchen.

Steve jumped up when Danny was gone, not caring if Danny could see how much Steve wanted him in the way his cock was pressing against his zipper. Danny came back into the dining room and didn't stop until he was pressed up against Steve's body. "Wanna play chess?" Danny asked.

"Danny," Steve said, and he couldn't even care less how broken his voice sounded, especially not when Danny's face practically sparkled with delight.

"Maybe not chess, then," Danny said, stepping back. Steve was about to pull him back in, but then Danny grabbed his hand and led him down the hall to the bedroom. They were barely through the bedroom door when Steve grabbed for Danny, pulling him into a long kiss.

"Danny-" Steve said against Danny's lips, "can I--please--"

"You can do whatever you want," Danny said distractedly, his hands mapping Steve's ass.

Steve sighed in relief, reaching for Danny's tie, his fingers slow and fumbling, finally managing to get the damn knot undone. He whipped it off Danny's neck and tossed it aside, going to work on the buttons.

Too many fucking buttons, and after the third or fourth, Steve gave up and pulled, feeling the fabric give way. He yanked the shirt off Danny's body and then finally, thank God, had his hands and mouth on Danny's skin.

His body was a thing of beauty, and Steve made it all the way to Danny's shoulder before he realized how much easier this would be if Danny were horizontal. He pushed Danny back until he landed on the bed, Steve landing beside him less than a second later, his lips immediately finding their place and working their way down Danny's torso.

Danny refused to be outdone, however, and Steve wasn't even to Danny's navel when he had to stop at the feel of Danny's finger. His hand had made it under Steve's pants and underwear and was pressed against Steve's hole, as if waiting for permission.

"Danny...God...." Steve pushed back against Danny's hand, silently begging, even as Steve slid his tongue across Danny's stomach, Steve's fingers hastening to get Danny's slacks out of the way enough that Steve could get his mouth on Danny's cock.

His first view of Danny's cock took his breath for a second, and then his mouth was on it, savoring the taste and feel. His breath hitched and he paused for a moment as Danny slid a finger inside him, but the resulting fire only made Steve suck harder, determined to make Danny come first.

That resolve was tested when Danny slipped two fingers inside--and when had he even had a chance to make them so slick? Steve wondered, but the thought slipped from his mind as quickly as it had come. He didn't care, as long as Danny kept pressing inside him from both ends, the dual stimulation of Danny's cock pressing against the back of Steve's throat and Danny's fingers pushing deeper inside him with every thrust too much for Steve to stand anymore.

He came hard, his pants still up around his hips, his mouth still wrapped around Danny's cock. He vaguely realized that Danny was still thrusting, and after a few moment's haze, managed to get his hand wrapped around Danny's cock instead, stripping the length hard as Steve's mouth nuzzled the tip.

Danny didn't last long with that, and Steve moved just in time, watching Danny fall apart while Steve's hand milked him through it. He was even more gorgeous than Steve had thought possible like that, all that cockiness and self assurance gone, nothing but raw animal beauty showing through.

Steve watched until he had to close his eyes and flop onto his back, completely and utterly spent in every way possible.

***

Danny felt as though his brain had disappeared, so he supposed he could be forgiven for not noticing for a few seconds how his harsh breathing had taken on a weird, vacuum-sealed world sound that he'd never forget.

"Fuck!" He looked at his watch to see that the second hand was completely stopped. "Fuck. Fuck." The words sounded hollow and weird, but since no one was going to hear them, there was no point in worrying about it.

"What the hell?"


Danny's head whipped around to see Steve staring at his own watch, eyes wide open. "You--you're not frozen."

"Uh, no, but my watch is." Steve looked around the room. "And so are the curtains, and the ceiling fan."

"Fuck." Danny rolled to his knees, folding his legs under himself as he looked down at Steve. "I'm sorry, this only happened twice before that I remember. I didn't even think I caused it."

Steve was staring at Danny with a look that made him want to take back the last minute to keep this from happening. Except Steve would remember, so it wouldn't do any good. "I don't think you did cause it," Steve said slowly.

"What?"

"I think it was me."

"What?" Danny said, more sharply. "How would it be you?"

Steve shook his head as he sat up, scrubbing his face with his hands before pulling his knees in tight, circling them with his arms to keep himself upright. "When I was a kid," he said carefully, resting his chin on his knees, "I used to dream time stopped--or Mom told me it was a dream anyway. And then the day my mom died, when Dad told us...it was like everything just froze. I've heard so many people say that it was like everything stopped when they heard that kind of news that I talked myself into believing it. But this is exactly what it was like."


The fan started again, the wind from the curtains and the sound of their watches loud in Danny's ears. "You were fifteen when your mom died?" Danny asked softly.

"Yeah. Just about to turn 16."

Danny thought back. "What was the date?"

"What?"

"The day your mom died."

"February 15, 1992."

Fuck. "That explains that."

"What?"

Danny bit his lower lip. He'd thought nothing could really surprise him anymore--certainly nothing in relation to his powers--but this.... What if Steve didn't buy it?


"Danny?"


"Okay, this is going to sound weird--"

"I'm pretty sure nothing could sound weird at this point."

Which was a good point. "February 15, 1992, I was making out in a car with Patty Simpson." He paused just a second to enjoy the caveman face Steve made at the mention of Danny making out with someone else. "And time just stopped."

"She was that good?" Steve asked, looking even more put out.

"No, she wasn't--actually, it took me less than a month to realize how bad she was. But that's not the point."

Steve's brain seemed to get off the idea of Danny with someone else and back on track. "That was when I found out Mom died."

"And when time stopped." Danny took a deep breath. "Or, more accurately, when you stopped time."


"But--"

When Steve didn't say anything else, Danny put a hand on his arm. "But?"

"So many times over the years when I was doing my job that could've helped, all the lives I might have saved, and...nothing. I didn't even remember it until just now."

"Maybe you couldn't," Danny offered gently.

"Why?"

Danny's hand slid down Steve's arms to pry one of Steve's hands away, lacing their fingers together. "Maybe you blocked the ability out because of the association with your mom's death."

Steve blinked at him a few times before blowing out a long breath. "Maybe." He fell back onto the bed, pulling Danny down with him.

Danny landed on his side, one hand still holding Steve's. The other he used to prop his head up. "You okay?" Danny asked after a moment.

"Yeah, I just..." Steve smiled ruefully. "Not really how I expected our first time to end, overshadowed by this."

"That was overshadowed by nothing, babe," Danny said, leaning down for a kiss. "Believe me, I'm never going to forget a second of it--and not because of what happened after."

"I don't know," Steve said, free hand moving to the back of Danny's neck, keeping him close enough to kiss again. "I'm sure I could do better."

"Better might kill me," Danny muttered against Steve's lips.

Steve managed a smile in between kisses. "I think you'll live."

"I think we should try and find out."

"Excellent idea."

***

Steve woke up feeling as if there was a heavy electric blanket covering him. He breathed deeply, inhaling a scent that was definitely not a blanket, one that made him smile and burrow down under the warmth, fighting consciousness.

That warmth was moving, however, and Steve blinked his eyes open reluctantly, any sense of displeasure at waking up ending when he realized the blanket was actually Danny, sprawled across Steve's body.

He could get used to waking up like this. He'd lived his whole life without even knowing Danny existed, but after just a few days, it was getting harder to imagine life without him. He didn't want to. Of course, now that he'd taken the job working for his father, he might not have to.


Unless his father used that job to separate them.

But if he was planning to do that, he wouldn't have offered them jobs as partners. Then again, maybe he was planning to use that against them. Maybe if they were partners, they couldn't be together. Maybe John was counting on both of them having a sense of duty that made them choose work instead of each other.

And maybe Steve had spent too long in Naval Intelligence if he was seeing manipulative motives in his father's every move.

He felt Danny shudder before he started moving again, his head lifting just enough for Danny to blink sleepily at him. "Morning," Danny said as his lips widened into a blinding smile.

"Morning," Steve replied.

Danny stretched his neck up until his lips touched Steve's. A few kisses later, Danny let his head drop to Steve's shoulder, mouthing the skin there. Steve gripped Danny's hair, keeping him there, shifting his own body so they moved against each other, sweat-slickened warmth providing just enough friction between them. His cock bumped lazily against Danny's as they moved, and Steve let his hands drift down to Danny's ass, pulling him in tighter on each thrust.

Lips tasting every inch of skin, Danny moved slowly back up Steve's neck to capture his mouth once more. It was so good like this, a slow, sweet build, that it took Steve by surprise when it suddenly spiked, pleasure thrumming through his body as he held Danny close, pushing into him through his orgasm. Danny was thrusting with small, fast movements by the time Steve could breathe, and Steve slid a finger between Danny's cheeks, circling his hole a few times before carefully dipping one finger inside.

"Fuck!" Danny thrust against Steve's body hard as he came, lips losing contact with Steve's and pressing sloppy kisses down the side of his cheek. Steve held onto him until he stilled at last.

It took him a moment to realize that everything was going on as normal. The world hadn't taken on that muffled, underwater sound, and the fan kept spinning. "I guess we don't have to worry about stopping time every time we do this?" Steve said.

"I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing," Danny said, lifting his head for a kiss.

"So," Steve murmured against Danny's lips several kisses later, "do you happen to have a shower?"

He felt more than heard Danny laugh. "I have a shower big enough for two," Danny said, his mouth somewhere near Steve's ear.

"Feel up to joining me in it, then?" Steve asked.

"That's the second best idea you've had since we woke up."

Danny climbed sleepily to his feet, pulling Steve off the bed and leading him by the hand to a door Steve hadn't even bothered to notice on the other side of the room. It opened onto a bathroom with a large shower. "Big enough for two?" Steve said. "I think you could fit five in there if you tried."

"Kinky," Danny said, using his hold on Steve's hand to tug him closer for a kiss. "But I think I'll stick to two, if that's okay with you?"

"I think that's wise," Steve said, the thought of sharing Danny with anyone already something that made him far more pissed off than it should. He'd only known the guy for a few days.

Danny turned on the water, testing the temperature for a moment before stepping under it, pulling Steve into it as well. It felt amazing, almost as amazing as Danny's skin where it brushed against Steve's, clean, wet and warm. He'd wondered what it might be like to see Danny swim, now he was dying to know. The man was gorgeous wet, water emphasizing every line of every muscle, his hair forced out of that too-perfect slicked back look into something more human and touchable.

Steve couldn't resist burying his fingers in that hair and messing it up a little more. "If you're going to do that," Danny said mildly, "you could at least use some shampoo."

"Well, if you insist." Steve grabbed the bottle of shampoo, working the lather through Danny's hair until Danny was leaning back against him, eyes closed, humming with contentment. Steve's cock twitched, but sadly he hadn't recovered quite enough to do anything about how much this was turning him on just yet.

Danny moved away and rinsed his hair before taking his turn at cleaning Steve up. They didn't seem to be able to stop touching each other. Even when they were out of the shower they dried each other off and kept stopping in the process of getting dressed and getting distracted by each other's body. Steve wanted to fall back into the bed and spend the rest of the day memorizing Danny's body, but they had too many other things they had to do.

Maybe Danny wouldn't mind if he spent the night again. And the next night. And the next, and the next, until he just never moved out.

Too soon for that kind of thinking, though, and he knew it. Didn't stop his brain from thinking it, but he knew better than to bring it up. Just like he knew better than to try to seriously discuss the whole time stopping thing. He wasn't ready to talk about it just yet, and he had a feeling Danny wouldn't have any trouble bringing it up if he was, so he guessed that went both ways.

They'd have to talk about it sometime, and soon. But not this morning.

They ate cereal side by side at Danny's kitchen island, shoulders and arms brushing, while Danny read the paper, stopping to comment on stories that managed to get the two of them into discussions--and occasionally disagreements, but never heated ones. It was cozy and comfortable and so far removed from any experience Steve had ever had that he kept thinking it should be freaking him out. Only it wasn't. He was fine with it. He could imagine long stretches of time where this was his life.

"So," Danny said, as he folded up the paper and put it aside, "does your Dad know where you are, or should I expect ninjas to rappel from the roof at any moment to rescue you?"

Steve laughed. "I told him not to wait up. Hopefully he understood what that meant."

"Why, Lieutenant," Danny said, leaning into Steve, warm and solid, "did you come over here planning to seduce me?"

"It's Commander," Steve said. "And I thought I came over here because you promised to seduce me."

"Fair enough." Danny leaned in for a kiss. "Not that I'm in a hurry to get rid of you," he said, his tone more serious, "but you probably should make sure he knows where you are."

Steve sighed. "I'm a big boy, Danny."

"I know that. And so does he." Danny leaned his chin on Steve's shoulder. "However, he took a big step in pulling you into the investigation. I'm just saying that it might be nice to make sure he doesn't completely flip out and think you've been kidnapped or murdered the next day. Wouldn't do much for his progress in trusting that nothing's going to happen to you."

Eyes closed, Steve tapped his fingers on the counter a few times. "You're right," he said at last. "I should probably go home and change anyway. Maybe go for a quick swim."

"Oh yes, God forbid a day go by without that--your gills might get rusty and the rest of the SEALs might kick you out of their club."

"You're hilarious."

"I am."

Steve couldn't help but laugh at the cocky grin on Danny's face. "Okay. I'll go home if you agree to come over for lunch."

Danny glanced at the clock. "I have to go pick up Grace in an hour."

"Okay, that lets out lunch. What about dinner? I haven't had the chance to show you my ahi grilling skills yet. And you could bring Grace." The silence stretched just a little too long, until Steve added, "Of course, if you don't want her around just yet, I under--"

"No," Danny said quickly. "That wasn't it. Sorry. I was just going over routine in my head to make sure we'd have enough time to get her settled and in bed on time, or if I was going to need to see if Rachel minded me picking her up early."

Steve's muscles unclenched a little. "Oh. And the verdict?"

"I think we'll be fine." Danny leaned in for a kiss, and Steve took several before letting him go. "Okay, you need to go now," Danny said, his grip on Steve's bicep saying otherwise, "or I won't be on time to get Grace, you won't get your swim, the SEALs will boot you and all will be lost."

"Right." Steve took another kiss. "Going." Another kiss. "Really."

"Go." Danny let go of Steve's arm and led him to the door. Several kisses beside the door later, Danny opened it and all but shoved Steve out. "I'll see you soon," Danny said, leaning out the door for one last kiss before closing it firmly between them.

Steve tamped down on the urge to go back inside and made himself turn around and head home instead.

***

When Steve walked in, the house was quiet. Maybe he wouldn't have to make any explanations--it would certainly be easier than the lecture he was sure his father would have prepared. He went slowly, quietly up the stairs, checking over his shoulder to watch for his father, all the while cursing himself for acting like a teenager sneaking home after curfew.

He made it to the top step and turned towards his room when his luck ran out.

"Late night?" his father said mildly.

Steve turned to see John standing in the doorway of his room. "Yeah," Steve said, steeling himself for whatever came next.

"Glad you're home," John said, turning to go back into his room.

Wait, what? "That's it?"

John turned back. "What else should I say?"

"Nothing," Steve said, "but given how you've taken every opportunity to try to warn me off Danny, I figured you'd have something to say."

John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I wasn't warning you off Danny."

"'He has a daughter. You have a job. You'll be leaving.'" Steve folded his arms across his chest. "That ring a bell?"

"I wasn't warning you off Danny," John said again. "I was worried that he might convince you to stay."

Which was what had happened, but only after his dad had already asked. "But you sent him to convince me."

"After I accepted the fact that you're an adult and I couldn't keep protecting you."

"Oh." Steve processed that for a moment. "Oh. So you're okay with Danny? And me?"

The faint smile on John's face held a hint of sadness. "Danny's wonderful. I hoped he'd find someone. And it was pretty clear stopping the two of you would be a losing battle the moment I saw you together."

Steve could feel himself blushing, something he thought he'd outgrown at 16. "It was?"

"Like trying to stop a volcano," John said. "So no, I don't have any problems with it."

"Oh, um...thanks." The words felt wrong and inadequate, but he didn't know what else to say. "He and Grace are coming over for dinner, if that's okay. I thought I'd grill."

"Sounds good."

"Great." Steve jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go for a swim."

"Have fun."

He thought about saying that swimming wasn't for fun, but then he realized how much he'd enjoyed it again since being back. "I will," he said instead, before heading to his room to change.

***

Danny picked Grace up from Rachel's right on time. When they were safely buckled into the car, he asked her where she wanted to go for lunch.

"Can we go to the Hilton?"

"Okay, the Hilton it is."

They were settled at a table at the Hau Tree, food in front of them, when Danny decided to prepare Grace for dinner. "Remember Uncle John's son, Steve?" he asked.

"Duh, Danno, you've only mentioned him a hundred times this week."

That had to be an exaggeration. Though, as he thought about it, probably not much of one. "He and John have asked us to come over for dinner tonight. You okay with that?"

"Sure!"

"Great! I mean, good. So we'll go home, get cleaned up, and go over there. Okay?"

"Can I eat my lunch first?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Can you eat your lunch first? Of course you can eat your lunch first. What do you think I brought you here for?" He reached out and snagged a French fry off her plate. "Of course, you'd better eat it fast, or I might eat it for you."

"Danno!" Grace pulled her plate closer. "Eat your own!"

"Okay, fine, if I must. So tell me about Laura's sleepover," he said, letting her chatter wash away any nervousness about tonight. She was going to be fine. He was going to be fine. Everything was going to be fine.

***

By the time Danny and Grace arrived, Steve was dry and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He'd been to the store to get fresh fish, and even texted Danny to find out Grace's favorite kind of ice cream. Which had led to a series of texts that had quickly degenerated into something that left him wishing they were meeting up to be alone.

Except that he really did want to meet Grace. He'd never been so nervous about meeting a kid before. She clearly meant everything to Danny, and if she didn't like him....

She would like him. He would make sure of it.

Steve answered the door at Danny's knock. He squatted down to be on eye level with Grace as Danny introduced them. "It's great to meet you, Gracie. Your dad talks about you all the time."

"He talks about you a lot, too."

Steve looked up at Danny, who was blushing. "It's a...it's a long story," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing a little.

"I look forward to hearing it." Steve looked back at Grace. "You like ahi, Grace?"

She nodded in that serious, bobble-headed way of kids that always made Steve a little dizzy. "I saw one once--they're huge!"

"You're right, they're really big. And pretty tasty."

"Yup."

"But it also doesn't grill itself, so I guess I'd better go put it on the grill, huh?"

She nodded and he pushed on his knees to stand up. "We're on the lanai," Steve said, looking at Danny, wondering at the face Danny was wearing. Half amused, half distracted, as if he wasn't even sure himself what he was feeling. Or maybe he just didn't want Steve to know.

Steve turned and headed out back, sensing Danny a few steps behind him. John was sitting at the table, but he pushed himself up to greet Danny and Grace as they came out onto the lanai. Steve watched as his dad gave Grace a hug and answered her questions about his leg carefully and with half truths, still managing to make Danny the hero, despite Danny's protests.

Smiling, Steve turned and went into the kitchen to get the fish. He'd just closed the fridge door and turned around when he found himself face-to-face with Danny. "Hi," Danny said, that same soft face he'd been wearing at the door still in place.

"Hi." Steve cleared his throat. "Grace is fantastic."

"She is," Danny agreed. "And so are you." He leaned in for a kiss, careful not to dump the plate of fish between them.

Steve resisted the urge to drop the plate and grab Danny instead. "I, uh, I need to put this on the grill."

"Yeah." Danny stepped back to let Steve pass, but Steve could feel the weight of Danny's gaze on him all the way back outside.

The ahi was delicious, and Steve had dug out a recipe for a rice dish his mother had made that had his dad looking a little nostalgic by the end of dinner. Grace ate her chocolate ice cream with loud thanks and a lot of enthusiasm as Steve, Danny and John worked on a bottle of scotch John had apparently been saving for a special occasion.

Steve wondered what was so special for a moment, before he looked around the table and realized that yeah, it didn't get much more special than this.

***

Danny sat back, sipping scotch with enjoyment. They were sitting over the remains of dinner, talking, Grace's head propped up by her hand as she tried valiantly to stay awake, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a good time just having dinner.

The company clearly had something to do with it. He loved having Grace around, especially when she was with people she felt comfortable with. She'd clearly taken to Steve, and had been telling him stories all night. He'd listened as if she was giving a State of the Union address, and if Danny had thought he was incredible before....

"Danno, can we?"

Danny blinked at her. "Can we what, Monkey?"

"Go swimming here this weekend? Pleeeeease, Danno?"

"Yeah, Danno," Steve said, and Danny would swear his eyes were laughing at Danny. "Please?"

God help him, he couldn't even be annoyed by Steve calling him that. He thought it was cute.

He was so fucked.

"Of course we can go swimming. As long as Steve here promises to keep an eye on you."

Steve looked startled for a second before nodding, looking very solemn. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her."


Danny suddenly had the feeling Steve meant less 'while she's swimming' and more 'ever, for the rest of her life.' He held Steve's gaze for a long moment until John cleared his throat.

"Grace, can you help me take the dishes in?"

"Sure."

They moved, and Steve blinked, releasing Danny. Steve pushed his chair back and stood, Danny following suit. "Thanks for dinner," Danny said quietly.

Steve glanced at him, a soft smile on his face, as he started stacking dishes. "Thanks for coming. And for bringing Grace."

"I'm glad we came." Danny grabbed Steve's arm, pulling it away from the dishes, sliding his hand down to run his fingertips over Steve's palm, making him shiver. "You could come over a little later."

Steve glanced inside, then focused back on Danny. "What about Grace?"

"She'll be asleep. I'll explain you're staying over. She'll be fine with it."

"Are you sure?"

Danny nodded. "It'll be fine." It had to be, because he didn't really want to spend the whole night wide awake wishing he was two blocks away.

Steve's eyes darted to the house again. "Ask her if it's okay, and if she's fine with it, text me and I'll come over."

Heart thudding in his chest, Danny could only lean in for a long, but not nearly long enough, kiss. "I'll text you," he murmured against Steve's lips, "but I'm sure it'll be fine." He heard John and Grace heading back from the kitchen and stepped back. "It's clear she likes you."

"So far," Steve said.

"Gracie's not fickle."

"Pulling out the SAT words, Danno?"

"Who said you could call me that, anyway?" Danny said with no heat whatsoever.

Steve cocked an eyebrow. "I need permission to use your nickname?"

"No one else calls me that but Grace...and you, apparently," Danny conceded.

It was worth it for the breathtaking smile he received in return.

John said good night from the lanai, telling Danny to come over in the morning to talk about work after Grace was off to school, and Steve walked Danny and Grace to the door. "Thanks for dinner, Steve," Grace said. "It was awesome!"

"Anytime, Gracie," Steve said, squatting down beside her.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him, and Steve looked up at Danny as if Christmas had come. "Good night, " she said as she let him go.

"Night, Grace."

Steve gave Danny a smile. "I'll text you," Danny said.

"My phone's not going anywhere," Steve said, patting it where it sat in his pocket.

"Okay." Danny stared at him for a moment, then shook himself. "Right. Home." He grabbed Grace's hand. "Let's go, Monkey."

With a wave to Steve, they stepped off the porch and turned towards home.

***

Grace chatted away about dinner as they walked, and Danny couldn't help but notice that every other word seemed to be 'Steve.'

"I get the feeling you had fun," Danny said when she paused for breath.

"Yeah! Can we go back again tomorrow?"

Danny laughed. "Maybe," he said, as he unlocked the front door. He led her inside, locking it behind him before he squatted down to look her in the eye. "Grace, how would you feel about Steve being around a lot more?"

"Are you kidding? That would be awesome!"

"Would you be okay with him staying with us sometimes?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "He can have my room if he needs it."

"That's okay. He can stay in my room."

"Oh." She frowned a little, and he braced himself for what might come next. "Are you and Steve like Ben's dads?"

"Ben?"

"Ben Kamaka at school. He has two dads. They sleep in the same room all the time."

Danny blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah, something like that," he said after a moment. "So you're okay with that?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him. "Can we make Steve pancakes?"

"Not tomorrow. You have school."

"This weekend?"

"We'll see." Danny gave her a hug. "Danno loves you, you know that right?"

"Duh. Love you, too."

He let her go and stood. "Okay, go get your bath. Bedtime in half an hour."

She ran off towards her bathroom and he watched her go, waiting until he heard the water running before he took out his phone and texted Steve.

Wanna come over in about an hour?

Within a minute, he received a reply.

See you in 59 minutes.

Pocketing his phone with a smile, Danny went upstairs to change his sheets while Grace finished her bath.

***

Grace had been asleep for about fifteen minutes when there was a soft knock at the front door. Danny turned off the TV and hopped up to open the door. Steve stepped carefully inside, as if he had to sneak up on someone. "Grace asleep?" he whispered.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're not going to wake her up if you talk low or step normally on the floor. Once she's out, she's usually out."

"Oh."

Sheepish looked good on Steve, Danny decided. "And hi," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Hi." Steve wrapped his arms around Danny, kissing him as if he was never going to stop.

He did, eventually, though, pressing his forehead to Danny's. "I've been wanting to do that all night."

"Well, come down the hall and you can do that all night," Danny said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Steve laughed. "Maybe not all night--we have some work to do tomorrow."

"Okay, then a good portion of the night."

"Deal." Steve took one more kiss. "Just that?" he asked.

Something was weird about his voice, and it took Danny a few seconds to work out his meaning. "No, not just that. I'm sure we can think of a few other things to do. Quietly."

"I can do quiet," Steve said, giving Danny a squeeze before letting go.

"Well, not too quiet," Danny said, grabbing Steve's hand to pull him towards the bedroom. "Come on."

***

Steve woke up to the feel of Danny's lips on his neck. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this good on this little sleep. He'd had adrenaline rushes when he was on an op, when sleep wasn't an option, but he'd never felt this good.

"Gotta go get Grace up for school," Danny muttered against Steve's collarbone.

"I should go," Steve said, pushing up on one arm.

Danny pushed him back down. "Stay."

"What am I, a puppy?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Danny said with a grin.

"No." Steve kissed him. "But I really should go. I should get a swim in before we start looking at the case." And if he didn't leave soon, he'd keep Danny from getting Grace to school by not being able to keep his hands to himself.

Danny sighed. "Fine."

"I'll see you in no time." He wasn't sure who he was consoling--Danny or himself.

"Right." Danny pulled him in for a kiss. "You'd better go now, though," he said, flopping onto his back and tucking his hands under his body, "before I change my mind."

Steve rolled off the bed and found his clothes, scattered on the floor where he'd dropped them between the door and the bed. When he was presentable, he turned back to the bed, sitting down beside Danny and leaning in for one last kiss. "I'll see you in a little while. Tell Grace I said hi."

"I will."

***

Danny had barely finished knocking on door when Steve pulled it open. "Hey," Steve said, hair still wet from his swim, Danny assumed, and a goofy smile on his face. "I thought I heard your car."

"Yeah, I just dropped Grace off and thought we might need a car, so I came straight here."

"Come in," Steve said, stepping back and letting Danny through the door. He closed the door, one hand already reaching out to pull Danny in for a kiss.

"Where's your dad?" Danny asked between kisses, feeling a little too old to be caught kissing by anyone's father.

Steve nipped at the bottom of Danny's lip. "He's on the lanai." Steve pulled back, and Danny let him go slowly. "Come on."

He followed Steve through the house, admiring the view. Steve had put on cargo pants and a t-shirt, likely straight out of the water, if the wet patches on the pants were any indicator. And no one should look that good in cargo pants.

Danny forced his attention off Steve's ass, looking at John as he said good morning.

"You boys ready to get to work?"

"Yes, sir," Danny said, in unison with Steve.

John pushed himself to his feet, leaning on the table a little as he went around it. "HPD delivered the evidence first thing this morning," John said, as Danny and Steve followed him into the dining room.

"I'm sure they loved that," Danny said, picking up a file.

"Oh they were very polite and cooperative," John said, his tone matching Danny's.

"I take it inter-agency cooperation is the same everywhere?" Steve asked.

Danny looked at Steve--something he really needed to avoid doing a lot if he was planning on working, since it tended to derail his thoughts. "You could say that," Danny replied. "They're not going to be thrilled with us for taking over."

"Then they should be better at their jobs."

"Don't let them hear you say that," Danny said mildly, opening his file. He read halfway through the page and stopped. "Doran."

He looked up to see both Steve and John watching him. "Fred Doran," Danny clarified. "A case I worked not long after I got here. Never solved, but he was suspected in a murder, only the gun was never found, so they had nothing to link him to it. Turns out the bullet that came out of your leg," he said, nodding at John, "was from the same gun."

"So you think Doran knew Hesse?" Steve asked.

Danny scratched the back of his neck, recalling what he knew about Doran. "Well, Doran's big thing is guns. HPD has never been able to make anything stick, but it's a sure bet he's a small arms dealer, to say the least. So if Hesse got on the island and needed a gun, there are a lot of people who would've sent him Doran's way."

"Then let's go talk to him."

Steve was already rounding the dining room table, but Danny stopped him with a hand on his chest. "We can't just go talk to him," Danny said. "We need backup."

"We don't need backup to talk," Steve said. "I just want to ask the man a few questions."

"Oh. You just want to ask the man who probably has a whole cache of weapons at his house a few questions," Danny said, shaking his head. "Is that all?"

Steve shrugged, and damn it, Danny was going to have to build up some resistance to that mischievous look on Steve's face. "Words are sharper than knives, Danno."

"And bullets are more deadly than words," Danny muttered. He looked at John--the man had to know his own son. If he said they should go, Danny wouldn't argue.

"Go talk to him," John said. "See what you can find out. But by the book."

The last words were directed at Steve, and Danny didn't miss the way Steve stiffened at the subtle order. Danny wondered what he'd gotten himself into, but one more look from Steve and he realized he hadn't really had a lot of choice, so he might as well go with it.

"Okay," Danny said, throwing his hands in the air. "Let's go."

***

One of the few things Jersey and Honolulu had in common was the sheer amount of time it could take to get short distances. Danny was unaccustomed to finding himself in the passenger seat of his own car, but when Steve had pulled him close and reached into his pocket, Danny's brain had gone offline just long enough for Steve to steal his car keys.

The fact that Danny had just let it go was a clear sign how far gone he was.

Not that there hadn't been a number of signs already. He'd practically invited Steve to move into his house, and he'd known him less than a week. He and Rachel had moved fast, but they'd been young and stupid, and Danny had thought he would know better next time.

Except he couldn't find it in himself to be worried, or see how he could've done anything differently. The thing between them was just there. Like their gifts.

Which was something else they should probably talk about.

"So," Danny said, settling himself against the door a little so he could look at Steve, "we should probably talk."

"About what?"

The words sounded casual enough, but Danny was a detective, and he saw the way Steve's hands tightened on the steering wheel, and how his jaw tensed. "Okay, this might sound odd, given everything that's happened the last few days, but I can't tell if you're more worried I'm going to want to talk about the case, us, or the fact that we're apparently superheroes."

This time there was no mistaking the fact that Steve tensed even more on the superheroes comment. "We're not superheroes," Steve said, eyes firmly on the road, as if it was bumper to bumper on the Turnpike in ice and his life depended on it, instead of the H1 headed out of town. "We may have some weird abilities that we can't explain, but we don't need to be looking for costumes and picking out names."

"Shame," Danny said with a grin. "Captain Cargo Pants has a nice ring to it."

That at least got a laugh out of Steve, and his hands loosened their death grip on the steering wheel just a little. "Seriously, Danny, what is there to talk about?" He glanced quickly in Danny's direction before looking back at the road. "Unless you know something about this I don't."

"You mean were we both born in radioactive hospitals or brought to some secret lab as babies?"

"You read entirely too many comics."

"And yet I notice you knew exactly what I was talking about."

Steve's lips twitched. "I was guessing?"

"You keep telling people that--they'll probably buy your attempt to hide your inner geek--but I know different now."

"Oh, do you?" Steve glanced at him again, eyebrow raised.

Danny nodded. "I do," he said gravely. "You may look like some Greek statue, but at heart you are glasses, calculators and pocket protectors, my friend."

Steve grinned at him. "You think I look like a Greek statue?"

"Give me a break--you own a mirror."

"Yeah, but it's just me in it," Steve said with a half-shrug. "Not really hugely special in my book."

Danny decided he'd fed Steve's ego enough for one conversation. Besides, he'd managed to get sidetracked from his real topic. "I wouldn't say that," Danny replied. "I don't know anyone else who can stop time."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that."

"No, you said we weren't. I said we needed to."

And just like that, all the tension was back. "Can we at least wait until we're done with Doran?" Steve asked. "I'd rather focus on the arms dealer, if you don't mind."

And if you need your powers while we're just 'talking' with the arms dealer? Danny wondered, but he didn't say anything out loud.

There'd be just as much time on the return drive.

***

Doran's neighborhood, and Steve was using the term lightly, was the kind of place he'd seen in some of the lesser-developed countries he'd worked in as a SEAL. It bothered him to see neighborhoods like this in the US. The poorly-built homes and people who had so little completely went against the image that everyone thought America represented. He should know--he'd dealt with enough "entitled, arrogant American" comments overseas for a lifetime, and by people who lived in better accommodations than this.

Then again, if you wanted to hide that you were making a lot of money as a gun runner, and ensure a place where people didn't ask questions, this was the place you'd live.

He pulled carefully up near Doran's place, cutting off the engine and pulling out the keys. As he reached for the door, Danny stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Are you sure this is a good idea without backup?"

"I have back up," Steve said with a grin. "You."

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head, but he got out of the car. Steve only caught 'crazy' and 'death wish' in the mumblings that followed, and was wise enough not to let Danny see his amusement.

Doran had a set of rickety, and probably very noisy steps that lead up to his front door. Fortunately, he was having a rather loud argument with his girlfriend, so Steve figured he wouldn't hear them. Still, he stepped very gingerly, just in case, letting Danny go ahead of him while he watched Danny's back.

Unfortunately, the argument ended at just the wrong moment, and the girlfriend practically hit Danny with the door as she left in a huff. Danny's quick thinking had her as silenced as he could get her a second later, but Doran had stopped yelling, and stopped stomping through the house, which was a bad sign. Even worse was when Steve realized the girlfriend had bitten Danny's hand and gotten loose. The moment she yelled, "Cops!" Steve knew what was coming.

He didn't know what happened next, though. One second everything was happening at hyper speed, the next, nothing was happening at all. The first crack of gunfire stopped abruptly, as did the music, chatter, chickens--everything stopped.

Except Danny, who was staring down at Steve in surprise.

"Fuck!" Steve said, his voice sounding oddly muffled and loud at the same time. He ran up the steps and shoved the girlfriend out of the way, barging into the house and tipping a frozen Doran onto the floor before sitting on him. He had a hard time moving him, but he managed to get his hands pulled behind him and zip tied.

"Danny!" Steve jumped up and almost ran into a bullet frozen in midair. He grabbed it and ran outside, throwing the bullet over the porch onto the ground. Danny had the girlfriend zip tied with her arms around one of the posts on the porch.

Steve grinned at him, surprised at the adrenaline rush, so different from acting when everything was chaos around you, but no less exhilarating. "Nice work," Steve said.

"Nice work?" Danny was grinning back, shaking his head. "You're the one who stopped time. Nice work."

"Speaking of which, time's about up--wanna help me with this guy?"

They went back into the house, and Steve knelt down next to Doran, placing his knee in the man's back. As quickly as everything had frozen, it started up again, Doran's hands twitching as if they were still holding the gun.

He started wriggling, turning his head to get a look at Steve. "What the fuck?" he said, and Steve couldn't help but laugh a little at the complete confusion on Doran's face.

"What?" Steve said, as innocently as he could manage. "Something wrong?"

"How the fuck did I get down here? And where's my gun?"

Steve shook his head sadly. "I think that blow to the head when you fell must've been worse than we thought." He looked up at Danny. "I should really be more careful next time."

"Yeah, definitely," Danny said. "You clearly have this under control--I'm going to go make sure the banshee out there doesn't go anywhere. And while I'm at it, I think I'll call for actual back up. Don't, uh...do anything crazy?"

"You mean like this?" Steve said, leaning on Doran's back until he yelled.

"Yeah, exactly like that. By the book, remember?"

Steve blinked at him until he turned around and left, muttering again. When he was gone, Steve turned his attention back to Doran. "How did you know Victor Hesse?"

"Who?"

"Listen, I've had a really weird week, and I'm not in the mood to play games, so you can tell me how you knew Hesse, or I can take you to a cell and show you some of the really interesting interrogation techniques I learned overseas. The Chinese, they have this new thing no one's supposed to know about, where you take the person's lip, and--"

"I didn't know him!" Doran said, and he'd stopped trying to wiggle away. "I barely dealt with the guy. I got a call from a smuggler, who told me to give the dude a gun when he came, I gave him the gun, and my associate paid me later. That's all I know!"

"Who's this associate?"

Doran started struggling again, as if maybe he thought he'd catch Steve off guard. "Sang Min," he said, after a moment--and some additional weight from Steve. "His name is Sang Min."

"Where can I find him?"

"I got no idea." When Steve's knee pressed in again, Doran yelled, "I swear, man, I don't know where you can find him. He don't exactly print business cards with his address--he ain't in that kinda business."

When nothing else was forthcoming, Steve stood up, pulling Doran none too gently with him. "Okay. I'm going to take you to a cell, and if we can't find Sang Min, I'm going to visit you and give you a firsthand demonstration of that Chinese technique I was talking about. And I hope you like eating through a straw after I'm done."

"I don't know nothin' else!"

Steve pulled him towards the door. "Sure. That's what they all say until they see their lower lip over their nose."

***
Part 4