Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If you asked, Steve McGarrett would swear under oath that he was absolutely fine sitting home alone nursing a Longboard at 11:30 the night of Christmas Eve, he wasn’t lonely and wishing he was someplace else at all.  But when a soft knock thumped unexpectedly at his front door, concern was the farthest thing from his mind as he jumped to his feet, thrilled at the prospect of some company.  

The knocking persisted as he got closer to the door, and, it was strange, Steve could've sworn the sound was emanating from somewhere around knee level.

Swinging it open, the SEAL was shocked by the sight that greeted him.  

Charlie Williams was on his doorstep.  The little boy looked ruddy and gleamed with sweat, hot tears streamed silently down his cherubic face as he stood there in nothing but candy cane pajamas and a pair of slippers.

On instinct, Steve immediately scooped the trembling four-year-old into his arms.  “Hey, buddy,” he said as normally as he could manage with worry coursing through his veins like so much ice.  Looking around, Steve didn’t see any sign of Danny or Rachel or even Grace, leaving him to wonder where they were, if they were safe.  “Are you here all by yourself?”

Tucking his face into Steve’s neck, Charlie just nodded, sniffling.

Stepping inside, the sailor’s mind was racing.  He needed to call HPD, to try and get to Danny, to find out what was going on.  

“That’s okay, Charlie,” he said instead, sounding significantly more at ease than he felt.  Sitting down on the couch, Steve repositioned the boy onto his lap, “I’m glad you’re here where it’s safe.  Can you tell me what happened, though?  Danno’s house is almost 2 miles away, buddy, did you walk all the way over here?”

Charlie turned to bury his face in Steve’s chest as he nodded again.  

Exhaling his relief that the boy had made it there unharmed, Steve kept on, gently probing, “Where’s your dad, Charlie?  Where’s Grace?  Why aren’t they with you?”

The little boy stiffened in his arms, hiding his face deeper into the adult’s chest.  Steve rubbed soothing circles along his back.

“It’s okay,” he crooned.  “I’m just going to go call my friends at HPD to check on Danno and Gracie, okay?  I’ll be right back.”

Moving to get up, Steve stopped when Charlie whimpered in his lap and threw his tiny arms around the SEAL’s neck.  

“What is it, pal?  I just want to go check that everyone’s okay.”

“I’ll get in trouble,” a little voice whispered.

“Trouble?  Why would you-” Steve started to ask, then it hit him.  “Charlie, did you sneak out of your house to come here?”

After a long pause, that same little voice muttered, “Uh-huh.”

Steve couldn’t help the relieved laugh that huffed out of him.  His mind had immediately jumped to the worst case scenarios, conjuring up pictures of Danny kidnapped, held hostage, beaten to a pulp, or worse, something as innocent as a kid running away from home hadn’t even occurred to him. 

“Alright, buddy,” Steve chuckled, “I’ll try to make sure you don’t get in too much trouble, but I still have to let Danno know that you’re here.”

Trying again to get up, the SEAL was halted by Charlie wrapping his whole body around Steve’s chest.  That’s when he realized that the boy was still crying, tiny sobs were racking through him as he clung to his uncle.

“Hey, sweetheart, what’s wrong?  What’s got you so upset?”

“I don’t -” Charlie wailed between sobs, “want you to - get another family.”

Steve’s arms tightened.  He didn’t know what the little blond was talking about, but he would do whatever he could to show Charlie that, to him, the Williams’ were family, all the family he could ever need.  No one would ever replace them.  

Slowly, the sailor started rocking from side to side in an effort to soothe the distraught boy as he surreptitiously slipped his phone out of his back pocket.  He never missed a beat as he quietly texted Danny behind Charlie’s head.

.o0o.

Danny Williams was eating every word he’d ever said about his partner’s driving as he raced like a bat out of hell across the empty suburban streets to get to Steve’s, and he didn’t care.

When he’d first gotten the text, he thought it had been a joke.

McGarrett:

Charlie just showed up at my door

He’s really upset

Danny’d been pissed, swearing he was going to rip Steven a new one next time he saw him, because it was never okay to kid about the safety of someone’s child.  And there was nothing else that that message could've been but some kind of sick prank.

But once the thought had gotten into his head, he couldn’t shake it and just had to go check on his little boy.  When he’d found the race car bed empty, Danny had almost had a heart attack then and there.  He’d barely checked to confirm that Grace was still sleeping soundly in her bed -- thank god she slept like the dead -- before bolting out the door.

Screeching to a halt outside the McGarrett house, Danny didn’t even bother to close the car door behind him in his haste to get to his son.

When he barrelled through the front door, the sight that greeted him brought him to a stop, though, his heart squeezing in his chest.

Charlie had his arms and legs wrapped around Steve’s front like a koala bear* while the big, bad SuperSEAL slowly paced around the room, rubbing the little boy’s back as he crooned soothingly into his ear.

“Hey,” Danny whispered, not wanting to break the moment.

Steve turned in his direction but didn’t stop pacing.  “Hey, I think he just nodded off to sleep.  He won’t let me put him down, every time I try he starts bawling again.”

Danny scrubbed a hand over his face.  “Did he tell you what on earth possessed him to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night and walk all the way over here?  Because I gotta tell you, babe, that’s the part that has me freaking out right now.”

“All I could get out of him was that he didn’t want me to find another family,” Steve said, looking pained by the words.  “Why does he think I’m finding another family, Danny?”

Oh, god.

Ice filled Danny’s veins.  He knew exactly what Charlie meant, he had just hoped to god that Steve never would.  But things had never worked out his way before, so why should he expect any different now...

15 Hours Earlier

“Danno, Danno!”

“What, buddy?”

“I needa send ‘nother letter to Santa Claus!”

Danny smiled as his almost 5 year old ran into the living room, slamming a piece of construction paper and a box of crayons onto the coffee table.

“Another letter to Santa, huh?  What about the letter we already sent him?  Did you forget to ask for something?  Because I don’t think the Big Guy takes last minute requests, pal.”  The last thing Danny needed on Christmas Eve was for the boy to get his hopes up for some toy that would probably be sold out all over the island.

“Oh,” Charlie’s face fell.

Danny sighed.  Maybe Rachel wasn’t entirely wrong when she teased him about being a pushover.  “Well, it never hurts to try, right?”

His son’s face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree behind him at that.

Shoving the paper and crayons towards Danny, Charlie bounced up and down.  “‘Kay, you write it down.  I wanna ask Santa for Uncle Steve!”

“Uncle Steve?” Danny chuckled, selecting a red crayon from the box.  “What are you going to do with him, ride around on his back?”

“No, Danno, I want Santa to make Uncle Steve my other dad for Christmas!”

Danny froze.  “What do you mean, Charlie?”

“Like Keanu at school!  He’s got 2 dads, he told me.  He says his dads’ are married -- that means that they’re always together and that they take care of each other and love each other the same as a mommy and a daddy.  That’s just like you and Uncle Steve!  And- and Keanu says that everybody should have two dads because two dads are the best.  So, that’s what I want for Christmas - Uncle Steve to be my other dad!”

Danny breathed in very slowly, his heart racing in his chest. 

This was the moment he had dreaded since the day Grace and Steve first met, the same day he’d officially fallen head-over-heels in love with his lunatic of a partner.  'Cause, see, Danny could take it, he could take the heartbreak every time Catherine showed up again, every time Steve dated someone new, every time another beautiful woman threw herself at him, reminding the world just what an enticingly heterosexual specimen the man was -- but his kids were a whole other story.  Danny had been denying his feelings for Steve and pushing them down for years because, whatever women came and went from his own life when another relationship inevitably failed, he would never risk his children’s relationship with their Uncle Steve.  He couldn’t do that to them.  Or Steve.  So, instead, he said nothing.

Yet here his little boy stood, asking for Uncle Steve to become his stepfather for Christmas.  The one thing that Danny could never give him, no matter how much he might want to.

“It doesn't- uh…  That’s a tall order, but it doesn’t exactly work like that, buddy,” he attempted to joke, trying for something light and failing miserably.

“Huh?” Charlie cocked his head.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Danny tried again.  “Well, Santa’s great and all, pal, but you see, he specializes in toys and games and stuff, he’s not really in the delivering-people-for-Christmas business.”

The little boy scrunched up his face like Danny had just said something totally incomprehensible, so his father kept going.  “I know it seems like Santa’s magic can do anything, Charlie, but people aren’t like a new toy car or stuffed dog, they have their own lives to live and Santa can’t really change that.”

“But Uncle Steve is always here anyway, daddy, he could just come live with us now.”

“I’m sure it would be fun for you if Uncle Steve came to live with us, honey, but he has his own house-”

“We could go live with him, then!  His house has a beach!!”

“Charlie, you have to listen to me -- it’s not going to happen,” Danny snapped, much more forceful than he’d meant to be.  His own emotions were getting the best of him; he needed to get himself under control.  “I’m sorry, buddy, but that’s just not how it works.  Uncle Steve is family and, if I have any say in it, he will always be a part of you and your sister’s lives, but he can’t be your other dad.”

Charlie looked absolutely crestfallen.

“I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but it’s not so bad.  You get to go to Uncle Steve’s house all the time and grill out and go swimming, then you get to come back here or go to your mom’s.  It’s almost like you have three homes, and that’s way cooler than Keanu’s two dads, right?  Plus, someday Uncle Steve is going to meet some special lady and he’ll start a family of his own, and then you’ll have all kinds of cousins to play with when you go over there.”

The 4-year-old’s lower lip had started to tremble treacherously as his father spoke; he looked devastated.  “He’s gonna to have a diff’rent family?”

“He will.  But you will always be part of his ohana, Charlie.  And I can promise you this -- your Uncle Steve loves you just as much as you love him, maybe even more.  Okay?”

The boy looked even closer to tears and, in response, Danny felt his throat tightening with too many feelings of his own about Steve’s hypothetical, someday family.  But this was Christmas Eve, dammit, he wasn’t going to let the two of them mope around all day because Santa couldn’t bring them what they really wanted for Christmas.  They needed a distraction.

“Hey, why don’t we go get some shave ice and then head over to Waikiki beach, huh?  Maybe we can even stop and see Kamekona for some lunch.  What do you say?”  Never mind that it wasn’t even 9:00 in the morning and he was trying to bribe his kid with sugary treats, or the fact that Waikiki would be too jam packed to even move because of the holiday, finding some Christmas spirit again was more important at the moment.

“Yeah,” Charlie smiled, though without his earlier exuberance.

“Okay, great!” Danny said with a little too much artificial cheer.  “Go get your suit on and then we’ll go!”

As Charlie darted out of the room, Danny turned.  

Grace had been sitting by the window playing on her phone the entire time, but the huff she’d just let out told the detective she wasn’t as engrossed in that instaface or whatever as he’d hoped.

“You want to say something?” he asked.

She lifted her head and met his gaze.  The moment stretched as Grace stared him down with those eyes that were just a little too wise.  “Nope.  Doesn’t seem like there’s anything to say, Danno.”

And without another word, the 14-year-old got up to go put on her suit, leaving Danny to wonder just what in the hell that was supposed to mean.

Present

How was Danny going to explain this?  He couldn’t just tell his very-much-straight partner that his son wanted them to get married for Christmas.  Besides, if he tried to tell some version of the truth, he knew Steve would see right through him, they’d been partners for too long.  He had to come up with something else.

“Um- I don’t know, babe,” he stalled.  “You know how kids are, they’re like sponges.  He must have picked up the idea somewhere.”

Steve’s brow scrunched in confused offence.  “Why are you lying to me, Danny?”

Dammit, he should have known that lame excuse would never work.

“I’m not-” Danny ran a hand over his face again, anger rising as he felt himself get more and more defensive.  “Look, it’s the middle of the night, I’m tired, my kid just ran away from home, and walked all over half of Honolulu alone. I don’t really feel like talking about this right now,” he snapped lowly.  

“What’s there to talk about?” Steve snapped back in a harsh whisper.  “Why won’t you just tell me what Charlie meant?”

“You are such a child, you can’t just let it be.  You have to know what’s going on all the time, you control freak.  Just this once, can we maybe make it about someone besides you?!  Like, maybe the 4 year old in the room!”

“You mean the same 4 year old who put himself in harm's way to come to me?!  I may not be a father, Danny, but I love your kids like they were my own.  I panicked the second I saw him standing there all alone.  I didn’t know what had happened, where you were, if Grace was safe.  Those few moments until I knew you were okay…”

Steve’s voice cracked a little on the last word and the sound took all the wind out of Danny’s sails.  His partner was right, the man deserved some idea of what possessed Charlie to do what he did.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Danny resolutely kept his eyes closed as he admitted, “It’s my fault he’s here.”

“How is this your fault?”

Eyes still closed, the detective continued.  “Because, earlier Charlie wanted to ask Santa if- if you could come live with us for Christmas, and I was trying to explain to him why that could never happen and… I said that someday soon you’ll have a family of your own to live with.”  He slowly opened his eyes.  “Obviously, I didn’t explain things correctly, and Charlie took it that you were choosing another family over us.  Ergo, my fault.  I’m sorry about all this, Steve.”

Now standing stationary, gently rocking side to side with the sleeping child in his arms, a confused half-smile spread across the SEAL’s face.  “He wanted to ask Santa for me to come live with you guys?”

Danny was probably the only person on earth who could see how those words touched the boy within the man before him, the inner child that had never truly felt wanted or chosen, and for just a moment, it was nearly enough to make the blond forget himself.  Everything inside of Danny screamed at him to walk over and wrap his arms around his partner and promise to never let go.  To tell him just how loved and appreciated he was, how much Danny wanted to choose Steve and no one else for the rest of their lives.  But he couldn’t do that.

So, instead he just smiled awkwardly.  “You know how kids are, they get a crazy idea in their heads and there’s no talking them out of it.  So, I had to try and make him understand why that could never happen.”

Strangely, Steve's smile faded a little and his expression shuttered in that way that Danny hated.  “Right, you wouldn’t want me living with you and cramping your style,” the brunet said with a wooden chuckle.

Danny’s heart ached.  Leave it to his partner to take what had been said for another rejection. 

“It isn’t like that, babe-” he started to say, but the SEAL cut him off.

“It’s all good, Danno, I get it.  You had to tell the kid something.  No big deal.”  Steve’s stiff expression didn’t match his words as he joked, “Besides, it’s not like you’re going to wake up tomorrow morning and suddenly be interested in living with another man, right?”

Bristling, Danny challenged, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.  It’s just that you’re, you know, straight, so you obviously wouldn’t be interested in shacking up with a dude.”

The blond stood there totally frozen.  What in the actual hell…  

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Danny hissed angrily.  “I told you about Billy, how could you say that to me?”

“What- your best friend who drowned?  What does he have to do with anything?”

It’s like they were having two totally different conversations and it was really pissing Danny off. “My best friend who-  Okay, maybe this is hard for some macho, hetero, military man like yourself to understand, but when I told you how special Billy was to me, I meant he was special, Steven.  So special that I’ve barely dated any other guys since I lost him.  And what - you don’t get that, so you think that somehow makes it okay to joke about me being straight?”

As Danny spoke, it looked like a table tennis match had started up inside Steve's head.  He was bouncing back and forth between Furious Face and Confused Face like he couldn’t settle on one or the other.

“You- and Billy…  But me- and Freddy-” the SEAL sputtered.

“Now you’re not even making any sense.”

A fire seemed to light in Steve’s eyes at Danny’s taunt, his features hardened as he took a very deliberate step towards the other man.  Clearly he’d settled on furious.  “You never said one word to me about Billy Selway being anything more than a friend to you, Daniel,” the SEAL spat.  “What I knew -- mainly you going back to your ex-wife over and over again, whenever you weren’t dating Gabby or Melissa or Amber or some other woman -- didn’t involve you having any interest in men whatsoever, so I thought you were straight.  And for your information, what Billy was for you… well, that's what Freddie Hart was for me.  So, be careful who you’re calling heterosexual.”

Danny stood there for a long moment, his mouth hanging open as his mind grasped to make sense of what he’d just heard.  “You and… I- I didn’t know…” he muttered.

“Yeah, well, you never asked and I never told,” Steve responded pointedly, his anger fading to something else, something the blond knew he would never understand.

But before Danny could say anything else on the matter, Charlie stirred in the SEAL’s arms.

“Danno?” the little boy croaked, barely awake.

“I’m here, buddy.  Uncle Steve called me to come get you.  Are you ready to go home?  If we hurry, you can make it back to bed before Santa comes.”

At the mention of Father Christmas, Charlie jerked his head to look at Steve, tears welling in his eyes once more.  

“Hey, don’t cry,” Steve soothed.  “How about this, what if I come over to your house first thing in the morning to see all the awesome stuff the Big Guy left for you under the tree,” he looked to Danny for surreptitious approval as he said it and the blond nodded, willing to agree to just about anything Charlie wanted at this point, “would you like that?”

“Uh-huh,” the little boy said.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Danny interjected, moving to take his son.  “And the sooner we get you to bed, the sooner you’ll see Uncle Steve again.”

Charlie didn’t seem to want to leave his partner’s arms, though.  Steve had to lean into Danny and manually pry the 4 year old off of his neck to pass him to his father. 

The little boy whimpered sleepily into Danny’s shoulder at their separation.

“It’s okay, buddy, I’ll see you in just a few hours,” Steve said, leaning in to kiss Charlie’s hair.

This close, the SEAL and Danny were practically face to face.  They’d been in each other’s personal space a thousand times before, but this time something was different between them...  

.o0o.

Steve hadn’t meant to get this close to Danny.  He hadn’t even consciously decided to do it, he’d just seen how upset Charlie was and reacted on instinct.  But now that he was this near to his partner, he couldn’t seem to back away.

Danny blinked at him, apparently just as frozen in the moment. 

“We should, uh, probably get going,” the blond said without making a move.

Glancing at the boy in his partner’s arms, Steve could see that Charlie had already dropped back off to sleep.  He ran a hand through the kid's blond tresses.

Logically, Steve knew they needed to go, he understood that Charlie needed to get to bed, that Danny needed to get back to Grace, but in the face of everything he’d just learned, every fibre of the sailor’s being was telling him not to let Danny leave.

For years, Steve had ignored his feelings for his partner because, based on the evidence available at the time, the man wasn’t interested in other men, but god help him if the brunet hadn’t been in love with Danny since he’d hauled off and punched him the day they met.  Then he’d met Grace, and later Charlie, and that love had only deepened, grown to include the man’s kids.  It had become a constant, ever-present, carefully packed away ache in his chest, always with him, the most dependable thing in his life next to Danny himself.  And to hear that his partner wasn’t as heterosexual as he’d assumed ripped at that careful packing in a dangerous way.

Just because the blond was into men didn’t mean he was into Steve.  After all, they’d known each other for years now and Danny had never once made a move or hinted that he wanted Steve to.  Of course, up until about a minute and a half ago, he’d apparently assumed that Steve was straight, but…  It didn’t matter.  The SEAL knew that he wasn’t destined for a home and a family like Danny was, that just wasn’t in the cards for guys like him.  

“Yeah,” he finally said.  “This little guy needs to get home.”

Danny stared at him for a moment longer, and in that moment Steve dared to hope that just maybe- 

But then the blond blinked heavily and sighed, “Goodnight, Steve.”

The SEAL was genuinely surprised how much those two simple words cut through his hopes just like a dagger.  At least he knew his military training would keep those feelings from telegraphing on his face. 

“G'night,” he muttered back as the blond headed for the door. 

Pausing with his hand on the knob, Danny turned to Steve and whispered, “Merry Christmas, babe.”

“Merry Christmas, Danno.”

And with that, they were gone.

Steve’s mother left when he was a kid, his dad sent him away, he lost Freddie, his father was killed, Catherine left him, his mom showed up and then left again, Aunt Deb passed away...  People leaving wasn’t exactly new to Steve, but something about Danny walking out his door just now hurt worse than all the others combined.  It didn’t matter that he would see the other man again in just a few hours, there was a finality in this moment.  Steve knew that if he didn’t make a move tonight, he never would.  Could he live with that?  Or could he risk what he and Danny had now for a chance at what they might have?

Fuck it.

He was a Navy SEAL, goddamn it.  He’d been shot, stabbed, kidnapped, tortured, he’d survived Operation: Strawberry Field.  Because the only easy day was yesterday.

Nothing worth having had ever come easy to him, he couldn’t expect something with Danny to be any different.  And he owed it to himself to at least find out if there was even a possibility, didn’t he?  

His feet were crossing the room before he’d even decided to move.

Yanking the front door open, the brunet almost ran smack into Danny and Charlie just as the older’s fist was reaching up to knock.

“Danny,” Steve breathed.

When the blond didn’t say anything, the SEAL took a step closer.  His partner didn’t back away.

In fact, the move seemed to embolden Danny, because he leaned closer, peering into Steve’s eyes.  “Look, if I’m way out of line here, then I need you to tell me, because I know that if I leave right now I’ll always wonder, and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life not knowing,” he rambled.

“Wonder about what?” the sailor whispered.

“This,” Danny said, reaching up to wrap his hand around the back of Steve’s neck, pulling the taller man towards him.  He paused for a brief second, eyes darting between Steve’s in a silent question, and when the SEAL didn’t pull away, Danny brought their lips crashing together.

It was a simple kiss -- nothing fancy, no moves or maneuvers, not even any tongue -- but it was the single greatest kiss of Steve’s life.  

As his lips moved against Danny’s, it was like the world came to a screeching halt around them.  Some part of him knew that the moon was still shining, the owls were still flying, the waves were still crashing, but all of that had ceased to mean anything to Steve.  It was like there was nothing beyond Danny’s lips on his, the scratch of his partner’s stubble against his own.

Then, far too soon, Danny was pulling back, resting his forehead against Steve’s, panting a little as he readjusted the sleeping child in his arms.  

“Wow, that was…” the SEAL breathed.

“Yeah, it was.”

Pulling back, Steve met Danny’s eye.  There was so much that he wanted to say, so much they needed to talk about, but all he wanted was to kiss Danny some more.  So, that’s what he did.

This time there was a little more heat between them.  Steve found himself getting caught up in the moment, trying to wrap his arms around Danny, pull the other man closer, until Charlie’s presence stopped him.

Chucking, he pulled back.  “Guess I better not get too carried away.”

Danny smiled in agreement, his eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that made Steve want to lean in and kiss them.

Instead he sighed, “You guys should probably get back to Grace.”

“Yeah, we should,” Danny said, but looked uncertain.  “You know, if you want, you could, um…  Well, you already promised Charlie that you'd be there in the morning and that’s really only a few hours away, so if you want, you could come with us.”

Steve didn’t even bother to answer, he just blindly reached for his keys and grabbed Danny’s hand, pulling them towards the Camaro.

“What are we going tell Grace in the morning?” he asked out of curiosity as Danny settled Charlie into his car seat.

“Somehow, I think Grace isn’t going to be too surprised no matter what we say,” the blond said sagely.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, Steve beamed as he teased, “So, does that mean I can kiss you under the mistletoe?”

“Oh, is mistletoe what it will take for you to kiss me first?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?  I just kissed you.”

“Yeah, but the first time I seem to recall you just standing there like a bump on a log while I did all the work.”

“Did all the work?!”

“That’s what I said.”

And just like that, they were back to bantering like always.  The familiar back and forth all the reassurance Steve needed that, no matter how much had changed between them tonight, some things would always stay the same.

*the koala is not a bear, it is a marsupial and deserves the respect of being called that.  but we all know that danny would still call them bears.

Chapter Text

There were a lot of things that had happened in Danny’s life that he hadn’t seen coming; things like getting divorced, leaving Jersey, moving to a pineapple-infested island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, being commandeered onto a major crimes task force, just to name a few.  But this… this definitely took the cake -- no pun intended -- as far as unexpected went.  Because never, and he meant never, had Danny Williams expected to save himself for marriage.  Of course, he’d also never expected to get married again, so the fact that he stood here next to his brand new husband (whom he had yet to have sex with) was probably the most unexpected part of it all. 

But now wasn’t really the time to be thinking about sex, Danny reminded himself, looking at the Skype feed of his entire family from back home. 

“Congratulations again, sweetheart,” his mom said, still a little teary eyed.  “We’re so happy for you both.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Williams,” Steve responded, squeezing Danny’s hand as he grinned like a loon.  God, but he was good looking.

“Steven, we’ve been over this, you’re my son-in-law now, call me Ma.  Please.”

“Ma,” Steve corrected, his ear going a little pink. 

“I gotta tell you, son,” Danny’s father interjected, leaning way too far into the webcam and nearly yelling, “I never thought I’d see the day that you tied the knot again, but I’m glad you did.  You picked a good one this time, Daniel.”

Over the laptop, the blond saw that Rachel had just heard all of his father's too-loud words, but the knowing smirk on her face told him that she hadn’t taken offence.  In fact, she hadn’t been upset, or even surprised really, by anything that had happened in the whirlwind of the last few days, something that Danny was deeply grateful for.  His ex-wife was far from perfect, but she would always be the mother of his children, so she would always be a part of his life.  Knowing that she was behind their expanding blended family in all this madness meant a lot. 

And madness was the perfect word for it all, because there was honestly no other way to describe what had happened.  Just three days ago he’d kissed Steve for the first time, and in the short while since they’d not only decided that they wanted to be together, but that they wanted to be together forever.  

Yeah, definitely crazy, but the blond had always known that his partner was nuts… 

“We can hear you just fine, dad, no need to yell,” Danny said, looking back to the close-up of his father’s right eyebrow that now filled the screen.  “And thanks,” he added, definitely not blushing, thank you very much. 

“Yo, grandpa, back it up, nobody needs to see that much of your supercilium,” Eric said, coming up behind Danny and Steve and clapping a hand overly-hard on each of their shoulders.

“Eddie, you’re too close to the thing, now all they can see is you,” Danny’s mother chastised out of frame.

“Well, how should I know that, Clara?  You know I’m no good with computers.”

“You don’t need to be good with computers, Bridget set the whole thing up, you just need to listen.”

“I’m not a child, dear.”

“I know that, darling.”

“Okay!” Danny’s younger sister’s voice cut across their parents.  “I think that’s enough from us.  Steve and Danny probably have a bunch of other people they should go talk to, right guys?” Bridget asked pointedly into the camera.  

“She's right, you know, we really do need to go,” Danny agreed, shooting his sibling a grateful look.  “We love you, and we’ll talk to you next week.”

His family all cheerfully waved and said their well wishes in return as Danny closed the laptop, ending the call.

“Are they always like that?” Steve asked lightly.

“Like what?” Eric said.

“Guess that answers my question,” the SEAL chuckled.

“What do you mean?” Danny wanted to know.

A smirk that the blond didn’t like the looks of spread across his new husband’s stupidly handsome face.  “Never mind.”

“No, no ‘never mind,’” Danny pressed.  “I want to know what you meant by that.”

“Nothing.  It’s just that they seemed very lively is all.”

“Oh, my family is ‘lively’ to you?  We are from New Jersey, Steven, that is how people communicate in the civilized world.”

“Forgive me, Daniel, I didn’t realize Jersey was so refined.  It must be gym, tan, laundry, civility.”

“Well, I can see how that must be hard for you to understand.  Especially since your family communicates in years of silence.”

“Mary is right there!”  Steve pointed to his sister standing on the lanai catching up with Kono and Adam.

“Leave me out of this, brah,” the woman smiled, holding up the hand that wasn’t supporting her daughter to her hip to show that she wanted no part of their conversation.  “I’m just here for the free champagne.”

“I rest my case,” Danny gloated.

“Come on now you two, no arguing,” Lou Grover called from across Steve’s back garden, where he and Renee stood chatting with Max and Chin.  “You just got married, don’t tell me the honeymoon’s over already.”

“Arguing?” Danny scoffed.  “Who’s arguing?’

“Yeah, Lou,” Chin chimed in, “you’ve been around long enough that you should know that is definitely not an argument.”

“For sure,” Kono smirked from across the lawn.

“Man, if that’s not an argument then what the hell is it?” the Chicago-native enquired.

The two cousins exchanged a long-suffering, knowing look.   “Foreplay,” they announced in tandem.

And of course Danny had just taken a sip of champagne and spewed it all down the front of his linen shirt at that little proclamation.

Right as Mary and Grace both squealed, “Oh god!” at the same time.

And little Charlie piped up, “What’s foreplay?”

“Er, darling, how would you like to go over to the water for a bit?” Rachel stepped in, grabbing his little hand, her English face aghast at the uncouth Americans.  

As she and Charlie stepped towards the waves, everyone else busted up laughing.  Kamekona and Flippa were laughing so hard from their place manning the grill that Danny was a little concerned for their health.  He’d never seen Kame quite that shade of red before.

Jerry was no better -- or Rev. Ortega, as he'd insisted on being called since they'd asked him to officiate and he'd gotten ordained online -- the big guy was doubled over with his hands on his knees, wheezing like an asthmatic.

“Oh, man,” Jerry gasped between guffaws, “I thought – it was just me – that noticed.”

“Naw, bruddah,” Kamekona chortled, “we all seen that.”

“Indeed,” it was Max’s turn to interject with a reserved titter.  “It has been quite obvious for some time that the incessant bickering between Detective Williams and Commander McGarrett was indicative of something deeper.”

Danny hid his beet-red face behind his palm, at least having the common decency to look mortified by all this. 

But Steve?  Steve just stood there looking smug, grinning like the cat that caught the canary.

“I hate you so much,” Danny spat through his hand.

“I love you, too, Danno,” his husband beamed back before turning to their alleged caterers.  “Hey, Flippa, hit it.”

At that, Flippa pulled his phone from his pocket and all of the sudden music filled the air.

“What the- is that…?” 

Sexy Eyes was playing all around them.

With a grin on his face, Steve bowed formally at the waist, offering Danny his hand.  “May I have this dance, Mr. Williams-McGarrett?”

And even Danny, the certified curmudgeon -- at least according to his mother, his ex-wife, his daughter, his nephew, his sisters, and his partner -- couldn’t resist the smile on his spouse’s face.

“You may, Mr. McGarrett-Williams.”

Taking Steve’s hand, the pair moved to the middle of the yard, Danny stepping closer as they slowly started swaying to the music in the bright sunshine of the Hawaiian afternoon.  Their bodies moved rhythmically -- no one leading, no one following, just the two of them pressed together.  (Closer than strictly necessary, but see previous regarding no sex.)

“Looks like Smooth Dog strikes again,” Lou stage whispered from nearby as Renee’s melodic tinkle of laughter sounded beside him.  Their friends all chuckled in agreement.

Soon enough, everyone else joined them on the makeshift dance floor.  Adam and Kono, Jerry and Mary (Joan still on her hip), Chin and Grace, Lou and Renee, Rachel and Charlie.  Their ohana surrounded them in solidarity, in celebration of the moment, and Danny knew he had the goofiest grin on his face, he just couldn’t seem to care.

This was nothing like his first wedding.  There was no pomp and circumstance, no big church, no formal attire, not even a tie around his neck, but that’s what made it perfect.  It wasn’t a show or a put-on, it was just for them.  And somehow that’s what told Danny that this time it really would be ‘til death do us part.’

.o0o.

Staring at the glittering lights on the tree, Steve couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like this; this calm, this relaxed, this contented to his very core.  

Settling further into the sofa, he tightened his arms around the warm masses pressed against him.

“When will your mom be here?” he asked quietly to the room.

Grace, still in the purple sundress she’d worn for the wedding, burrowed deeper into his right side.  “Soon.”

“You have everything you need?”

“Mm-hm,” she nodded.

Steve turned.  “What about you, Charlie-Boy?  Do you have everything ready to go?”

Their current seating arrangement had become an almost nightly ritual over the last few days.  Charlie called it a Steve Sandwich, and it was easily the best sandwich the sailor had ever had.

The little blond was plastered to Steve’s left, his tiny hand absently playing with the shiny new gold band around the man’s fourth finger as he pouted, “I don’t wanna go to mommy’s house, I wanna stay here with you and Danno.”

Steve tried to hide his smile at that. 

Since Mary and Joanie were staying at his house while they were in town, when the party had wound down, they’d left and come back to his partner’s- his husband’s place.  He and Danny were leaving later that evening for four nights away at a cabin near Pupukea -- their gift from the team -- and they wanted to spend some time alone with the kids before they left. 

“Danno and me aren’t going to be here, remember?” Steve said.  “We’re going away for a few days.  But as soon as we’re back, you and Gracie are coming to stay with us for a whole week before school starts again.” 

They hadn’t fully squared away the custody and living arrangements just yet.  Since the SEAL owned his home and his husband rented, Danny had begrudgingly conceded that moving to Steve’s made the most sense (even if he still hated the sound of the waves), they just hadn't had the time to officially combine their households.  But in light of everything with Charlie’s parentage, Rachel was being very gracious and extremely flexible with altering their custody agreement.  The lawyers were away for the holidays, but it looked like, after the first of the year, Grace and Charlie were going to get to spend a lot more time with them.  

Breathing a relaxed sigh, Steve could feel nothing but grateful for the quiet of the moment.  He would take all the moments with his step kids he could get.  And with the absolute chaos that had been the last three days, they all deserved a little quiet...  

Three Days Earlier

“I’m, uh, going to go put him to bed,” Danny said walking through his front door with Charlie in his arms.  “Will you go check on Grace and make sure she’s still asleep?”

The blond's words came out stiff and Steve could tell that his partner was trying to act normal and ignore the sudden anxious tension that had sprung up between them. 

Glad for something to do, Steve nodded, tiptoeing down the hall.  Luckily, the 14-year-old had blissfully slept through the events of the last hour.  She was still splayed out on her belly, hugging the pillow with a leg hiked at an angle that did not look comfortable, but she clearly didn’t mind.  At least if the delicate line of drool trickling from her slack mouth was anything to go by.

Smiling as he closed Grace’s door, the sailor walked back to the living room to wait for Danny.  He had to admit that he was nervous.  When his partner had asked him to come home with him, he’d agreed without really giving any thought to what that meant.  Kiss aside, he wasn’t really sure where things stood between them.

Sitting down on the couch, his leg started bouncing of its own accord, so he helped himself to one of the cookies left out for Santa to occupy the time.

A few moments later, Danny finally joined him.

“Those aren’t for you, you mooch,” the blond snarked without any real fire, sitting down next to Steve.  The SEAL didn’t miss that he left a good bit of distance between them.

“I figured the Big Guy wouldn’t mind, he could stand to lose a few pounds,” Steve tried to tease, hoping it would set them both at ease.

Danny, it seemed, wasn’t having it.  “Look, babe,” he sighed, sounding worn, “it’s late, I’m tired, and tomorrow is Christmas-” he paused to check his watch.  “Correction: today is Christmas.  I know that a lot’s happened tonight and we have a lot to talk about, but for now, I'd really just like to get some sleep, okay?”

Steve stiffened at that.  “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you.”

“Um, should I- should I crash on the couch?  Or did you want me to go back to my place?”

“No, you goof,” Danny huffed.  “Come with me.”

Grabbing Steve’s hand, the blond led him down the hall into his bedroom and closed the door behind them.  Then, rifling through the dresser, he pulled out a pair of cotton shorts and a tee and handed them to the SEAL.  “You can sleep in these.”

Looking down, Steve was surprised by what he saw.  He’d been looking for that everywhere.  “Danny, is this my Navy t-shirt?” he asked.

It was too dark to be certain, but the brunet was pretty sure his partner was blushing as he thrust a finger in the SEAL’s face.  “Not one word.”

Wordlessly changing as Danny disappeared into his bathroom muttering something about a skincare routine, Steve tried and failed to ignore the warmth growing in his chest at knowing that the blond not only liked to sleep in his clothes but had actually stolen them to do it.

He was still smiling about it as he climbed into his partner’s bed, but then the awkwardness crept back in.

When Danny finally came out of the bathroom, he had cautiously arranged himself to leave plenty of room for the other man, not sure how much contact would be expected or welcome.

The blond silently took up the other side and they both laid there staring at the ceiling as the silence built between them.

“Okay, this is ridiculous,” Danny finally exclaimed.  “You and me have been best friends for years.  We’ve traipsed through the Cambodian jungle with each other, we’ve been trapped in a collapsed building together, we are not going to let a little kissing make things weird between us.  Now, come here, you.”

Rolling over, the shorter man plastered himself against Steve and pillowed his head on the SEAL’s shoulder.

And just like that, Steve could feel a sense of normalcy settling back between them as he wrapped his arms around the other man.  Danny was right, what had happened tonight may be new, but it didn’t erase their history unless they let it.  And they wouldn’t.

“Good night, babe,” Danny muttered.

“Good night, Danny.  I… I love you.”

“…I love you, too, Steve.”

Christmas Morning

Okay, Steve the Octopus was not something Danny saw coming.  But he’d just woken up --  way too early if the pre-dawn light filtering through the curtains was anything to go by -- to the man’s arms and legs wrapped around him so tight he was kind of amazed he hadn’t roused in the middle of night thinking he was tied up in a straight jacket.

But he kind of didn’t mind.  In fact, he liked it.  Danny had always enjoyed a little cuddling, too much if Rachel’s English sensibilities were anything to go by, he just always seemed to end up with romantic partners who weren’t interested.  But Steve, it seemed, was even more into snuggling than he was.

As if to prove it, the SEAL started to stir and tightened his grip around the blond.

“Mmm…  Morning, Danno.”  Steve’s hot breath tickled along Danny’s neck, making the shorter man shiver.  And it didn’t go without his partner’s notice, because the next thing the detective knew, he started trailing kisses along the column of Danny’s neck.

And Jesus Christ, did that feel amazing.  The kisses started out innocent enough, but Steve, ever the overachiever, had noticed the blond’s reaction and changed tack, going from gentle pecks to sloppy and open-mouthed, now actively sucking his way down Danny’s throat.  

It had been way too long since he’d seen any action, so the blond’s body was fully on board with what was happening.  And his morning wood definitely wasn’t helping.

“Shit, babe,” he gasped, twisting in Steve’s hold so he could bring their mouths together.

Morning breath be damned, they kissed like a couple of kids their first time in the backseat of a car.  It was uncoordinated, all tongue and teeth, and it was absolutely spectacular.

Spectacular enough for Danny to forget himself until Charlie swung his bedroom door open with a resounding thud.

They barely had time to pull apart before the little boy dove onto the foot of the bed.  “Danno!  Uncle Steve!  It’s Christmas!!!”

“Merry Christmas, buddy!” Steve said, grabbing Charlie to tickle him.

As the two proceeded to have a little tickle battle, Danny took the distraction as an opportunity to sneak off to the bathroom and get himself back under control.  When he emerged 15 minutes later, hair perfectly quaffed, he found an empty, freshly-made bed and heard the sound of quiet voices from down the hall.

“Can I make one?” he heard his son ask, presumably to Steve.

“‘Course you can.  Come here and I’ll help you.”

Quietly coming to the kitchen door, Danny smiled, leaning against the frame.  It appeared that his partner had taken it upon himself to make pancakes for everyone.  

In the early morning sunshine, the sailor's face glowed as he stood at the stove with Charlie on his hip, helping the little boy pour batter onto the griddle with an easy smile.  The sweetness of the sight made Danny’s heart beat faster.

It also made some primal, possessive part of his mind take note that Steve was standing there in his shorts and t-shirt – okay, his own t-shirt, but whatever – in his kitchen, in his home, with his child, and Danny liked that.  He liked the thoughts of Steve being his, too.  A lot.  Maybe his partner wasn’t the only caveman between them…

“I’m making pancakes with Uncle Steve, daddy!” Charlie proudly announced, noticing Danny in the doorway.  

“I see that, buddy,” the senior Williams replied, walking over to ruffle his son’s hair as he stole a bite of pancake from the stack already made.  “My compliments to the chef,” he added to Steve.

“Thanks,” the SEAL responded, looking almost bashful about it.  Then he leaned into Danny’s space, eyes on his lips, and paused, silently asking permission.

The blond didn’t bother to respond with words, he just closed the distance between them and planted a lengthy, if chaste kiss on him as Charlie giggled in his arms and laughed, “Ewww.”

Their mouths lingered for a long moment until a loud gasp sounded from the doorway.

Whipping their heads around at the same time, both men saw that Grace was finally awake.  And if the look on her sleep-rumpled face was any indication, she was thoroughly surprised by their little display.

“Grace,” Danny nearly shouted, suddenly nervous.  “You’re up.  And you’re here, in the kitchen.  With us.  Which is, of course, where you should be.  This is your home, this is your kitchen, so where else would you be right now?” he rambled, unable to stop himself.  This was so much worse than when she walked in on Melissa nee Amber in nothing but his discarded shirt.  Steve was her beloved ‘uncle,’ they were close, he’d helped her get better at surfing, taught her to run, he was the person she called when she wanted to feel safe.  Danny didn’t even know how to begin to explain this to her.

“Good morning, Grace,” Steve said calmly, but the blond didn’t miss the tense line of his shoulders.  “Merry Christmas.”

“Yeah, Merry Christmas, Gracie!” Charlie added.  “You’re awake, now we can open presents!!”

“What do you say we eat first, pal?  We don’t want the pancakes to get cold.”

“Uncle Steve is right,” Danny said, still looking between his daughter and his partner.  “We’ve only got a couple of hours before your mom will be here to pick you up, so let’s eat breakfast and then you can open your presents.”

“Okay,” Charlie easily agreed, squirming until Steve put him down.  The little boy cheerfully headed for the kitchen table, taking his sister’s hand and pulling her with him.  Steve and Danny followed behind with the food.

Settling at the table, Charlie happily babbled away, digging into his pancakes with ghusto as the other three looked awkwardly between each other, picking at their food.

“Look,” Grace finally said after her little brother shoveled a particularly large bite into his mouth, “it’s alright.  I’m not even that surprised really.  I know you love each other — like, love love — and that’s okay with me.  Besides, all my friends already think you guys are a couple anyway, I stopped correcting them a long time ago.”

“What?” Danny squawked, nearly choking on his pancakes.

She smiled.  “Oh, come on, dad, you guys aren’t exactly subtle.  It’s no big deal.”

And something about his daughter’s blase attitude about what he’d thought might be life-changing information struck Danny as hilarious.  He couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of him.  

Looking over, he could see from his partner’s smiling face that Steve was equally relieved and before he knew it, they were all laughing.  Though it was obvious that Charlie thoroughly missed the joke, the four of them laughed and laughed until tears were collecting in Danny’s eyes.

All the earlier tension broken, they ate the rest of their breakfast in familiar ease, dressed for the day, then moved to the living room and tore into their presents with abandon.

Looking at the tree, sitting in the detritus of discarded gift bags and torn wrapping paper, Danny couldn’t help but smile.  No matter how serious things had gotten in past relationships, he’d never let anyone share Christmas with them before, but Steve being here today had been the most natural thing in the world.  Despite his size, the man fitted in perfectly.

“So, did you guys get everything you wanted this year?” the SEAL inquired of the kids.

“Well, I got the new tablet I asked for, so I’m happy,” Grace said, cheerily scrolling away on the device.

“What about you, Charlie-Boy?  Did Santa Claus bring you what you asked for?”

“Yep,” the little blond nodded.

“That’s great, buddy.  So, what’s your favourite gift?”

“You!”

“Wait, Charlie, what do you mean?” Grace asked, setting the tablet aside.

“Uncle Steve gets to be my other dad now.  He can be yours too if you want.”

Oh, shit, Danny thought.  In the chaos of the last 12 hours he hadn't exactly had the time to really talk to Steve or Charlie.  The little boy probably believed he’d gotten what he asked for and the SEAL lived with them now.  And while Steve knew part of the story, he had absolutely no idea that his son wanted them to get married.

Looking at Danny, completely stunned, a million different questions flitted across Steve’s face.  “You’re… other dad?” he croaked.

Nodding enthusiastically, Charlie said, “I sent ‘nother letter to Santa.  Daddy helped.”

And the hits keep coming…

“Charlie,” Danny squeaked, face reddening, “we talked about this, honey.  We can’t ask for people for Christmas, that’s not how it works, remember?”

“But, Danno…” the boy tried to argue, looking visibly upset.

“Yeah, Danno,” Steve interjected seriously, looking the blond square in the eye, an unreadable expression on his face.  “Would it really be so bad?”

The detective froze at those words.

Grace, bless her, knew how to read a room.  “Hey, Charlie, mom’s going to be here soon, let’s go get our stuff together,” she said, ushering her little brother down the hall to give the adults some privacy.

Danny was gobsmacked.  There was no other word for it.  He had no idea what to say or what to do.  A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions were swirling around in his head, but it wasn’t long before anger took centre stage. 

“What the hell’s the matter with you?!  You think that’s funny?  I’m trying to make him understand all this and you go and say a thing like that.  Now he’s going to be upset all over again, Steven!”

“I’m sorry, Danny.  I wasn’t trying to make things worse, it’s just-”

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Steve was about to say.  

Great, now Rachel was here, too.

Danny scrubbed a hand over his face and let her in.

“Happy Christmas, Danny,” she said with an easy smile.  “Oh, hello, Commander.  I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“Hi, Rachel,” Steve said.  “It’s nice to see you.”

“Mommy!!” Charlie cried, running back into the room with his backpack slung over his shoulder and Grace right behind him.

“Hello, darling!  It’s so good to see you.  You too, Grace.  Do you both have everything you need?  I’m afraid we’re in a bit of a rush.”

Confirming that the kids did indeed have everything they needed, they headed for the door.

“Bye, Danno.  Bye, Uncle Steve,” both kids waved, giving their father and honorary uncle each a hug.

“Sorry to have to run,” Rachel said, “but I’ve got family in town as you know, and since Stan is no longer around, I’ve had to leave them waiting.”

It was Steve who responded, looking nervously at his watch.  “No worries.  I’ve actually got to be going too,” he said, looking to Danny.  “I promised Mary that I would Skype her and Joanie this afternoon, so I’m going to head home.”

The blond felt like he had whiplash.  Three minutes ago they were arguing about matrimonial jokes and now Steve was just leaving?  Something didn’t add up, Danny just didn’t know what it was.

“Why don’t I walk you out?” Steve offered to Rachel, heading for the door.

And just like that, Danny was alone.

.o0o.

“Are you sure?  I want to be certain that this is really okay with you,” Steve said to his sister’s image.

He was sat on his couch with the Skype feed of Mary and Joan from LA on the coffee table opposite him.

“Steve, I said it was alright and I meant it,” Mary insisted, looking so grown up and put together in her festive red sweater that matched Joanie’s.  As focused as he was on other things, the sailor couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride at how much his little sister had grown and matured since becoming a parent.  She’d had a rough go of it, rougher than Steve, and she’d always struggled to find her footing in life, but it made the Commander happy to know that she seemed to be on level ground now.  “In fact, I think it’s really fucking sweet, brah.”

Well, Mary would always be Mary, not even parenthood can change that.

“Thanks,” Steve smiled, grateful that she was on board.  “Sorry to cut this short, but I’ve got to run.  It was great talking to you guys.”

“It’s fine, go.  You’ve got more important things to do right now than worry about us.  But I’m really happy for you, Steve.  I love you, you know.”

“I love you too, Mare.  Thanks.”

“Come here, Joanie, say good-bye to your Uncle Steve.”  Grabbing her little girl as she ran around the room full of Christmas-morning energy, Mary put Joan on her lap and waved her little hand at the camera.  “Say ‘bye-bye.’”

“Bye, sweetie, Uncle Steve loves you.”

Closing the laptop, the SEAL sat back, relieved at how well their talk had gone.  That was one down, two more to go.

.o0o.

Pulling up to Kukui High, Steve felt his palms begin to dampen against the steering wheel.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous.  It was ridiculous, he was a trained Navy SEAL, a combat-hardened soldier, but none of his training prepared him for anything like what he was about to do. 

“Why are we at the football stadium?” Grace asked from the passenger seat. 

“You’ll see,” Steve said, hoping to god he didn’t sound as anxious as he felt.  “I called in a favour with a buddy of mine who works security for the school and got us access to the field.  Come on.”

Climbing out of his truck, the SEAL made sure Grace was following behind. 

He knew Danny would probably be furious with him for what he was about to do, but he would deal with that later -- this had to be done. 

When Rachel had shown up to get the kids, Steve had seen his chance and taken it.  He’d offered to walk her to her car so he could request a favour, a big one.  Without going into detail, he’d asked if he could borrow Grace for a little while that afternoon.  At first Rachel had hesitated, but when he’d explained how important it was, she’d reluctantly agreed. 

Now, feeling this nervous, part of him wished she’d said no. 

Quietly walking through the chain link fence, Steve led them to a spot partway up the home-team bleachers and sat down with Grace beside him. 

“Uncle Steve, what’s going on?”

“Do- do you remember the first time we met?  We were sitting right here.  You had a big foam finger on your hand and you wanted nachos.”  The SEAL smiled at the memory of the brave little spitfire she’d been that day. 

“Yeah, I remember…  But what does that have to do with anything?”

“That was an important day for me, one of the most important days of my life.  Because it’s the day I got to meet you.”

The young lady seemed taken aback by his honesty, but Steve kept going. 

“You’ve got to understand something, Grace, your father is… well, he’s really special to me.  I know you know that, but…” scrubbing a hand over his face in frustration, trying to find the right words, Steve took a deep breath before continuing.  “I’m not good at this kind of thing, Danny is better with feelings.  Look, what I’m trying to say is that I love your dad more than anyone, I’m in love with him, and - I want your blessing to ask Danno to marry me.”

Grace gasped, her jaw going slack.

“I know it’s sudden, and it may seem crazy, but I’ve never loved anyone the way that I love him.  And I think I can make him happy, Grace.  You’re probably old enough now to understand that not everybody has treated your father the way that he deserves, but I promise you that, if you give me your blessing, I will spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to treat him right.”

Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes.  “Uncle Steve…  That’s - I don’t even know what to say…”

Her voice trailed off and it was all Steve could do not to panic that he’d made a mistake and said way too much.

“I know it’s a lot to spring on you, and I’m sorry about that, but there’s something else you need to know.  I’m not a parent, I’ve never been lucky enough to have kids of my own, but you and Charlie,” Steve’s throat started to tighten with emotion, “I love you like you were my own.  And if I get the privilege of becoming your stepdad…  I said before that meeting you was one of the most pivotal days for me, and it’s true.  The three most important days of my life were the day I met Danny, the day I met you, and the day I learned Charlie was your father’s son.  You guys are my family.  As special as Danny is to me, you and Charlie are just as special.  Even if your father turns me down, I’ll still love you guys and do everything I can to be there for you.  I love you, too, Gracie, more than you know.”

The teenager was openly weeping now, tears dripping off her chin as a moment of silence settled between them. 

Then Grace launched herself into Steve’s arms, sobbing into his shoulder. 

The SEAL gave a startled grunt of laughter as he hugged her back tightly.  “Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully.

“Yes it’s a yes!” she sniffled, pulling back to look at him with red-rimmed eyes.  “I love you, too, so much.  And you’re different from StepStan and Gabby and all the others, Uncle Steve, you care about me, not just me being Danno’s kid.”

Grace looked down at her hands, obviously struggling with whatever she wanted to say next.

“When I was younger and stuff got really bad between mom and Stan and they were arguing all the time, I used to daydream that you and Dad were married and really happy together and that I’d get to come live with you guys instead and there wouldn’t be fighting everyday.  I’ve always wished you could be my stepdad, Uncle Steve.”

Now it was the SEAL’s turn to openly weep.  Tears streamed down the man’s face in a way they hadn’t since he was a kid.

Pulling Grace back into his arms, Steve genuinely felt like his heart might burst in his chest with love for the girl. 

That was two down, one to go. 

.o0o.

As his truck pulled up to Danny’s house again, Steve checked his reflection in the rear view mirror and adjusted his tie.  He was clean shaven, had a fresh haircut (that he’d had to pay O’Dell triple for, plus tip), and had donned his dress blues, but none of that did anything to dissuade the nervousness coursing through him. 

He’d done something like this once before, made the rash decision to propose, and it hadn’t gone well.  But this was different.  This was Danny, his support, his rock, the most steadfast presence he'd ever felt.  Steve had to believe that, even if this didn’t go his way, he wasn’t going to lose Danny like he did Catherine, his partner wouldn’t do that to him. 

Taking a deep, steadying breath, the SEAL got out his truck and walked to the door. 

Knock, knock. 

“Hell- Oh, it’s you.  What do you want?”

Removing his cover and tucking it under his arm, Steve didn’t wait for an invitation to step inside. 

“You’re not answering, just walking right into my house, apparently,” Danny snarked.  “So, I guess it’s pointless to ask about the monkey suit, then, huh?  Seriously, what are you doing here, Steven?  The kids’ll be back in less than an hour, I’m busy and I don’t really have time for your crap right now.”

That explained the incredible smell of chicken, garlic, and basil wafting from the kitchen.  Steve had forgotten that Grace and Charlie were staying the night with their father, but that wouldn’t deter the SEAL from his mission.

“I need to talk to you about something important, Danny.”

“Oh, he wants to talk.  This morning he just wanted to rush out the door without a word, but now he wants to talk.  Well, that’s too bad, Steve, because now I don’t want to talk.  We had the chance to discuss all of this earlier, talk it out and see where we stand, but instead you ran for the hills first chance you got.  That’s all I needed to know, there’s nothing left to say.”

The blond turned like he was going to head for the kitchen, but Steve called, “Danny, wait.”

The shorter man spun around to wave a finger in the sailor’s face.  “No, Steve, I will not!  I waited around for Rachel to leave Stan, I waited around for Gabby to come back to the island, I waited years to act on my feelings for you… I’m done waiting.  I thought I made myself clear last night that I want to see where this thing between us goes, but you obviously don’t feel the same.  That’s fine, but I’m not going to stand by while you figure your shit out.”

“I want that too, Danny.  That’s exactly what I want, I-”

“You’ve sure got a funny way of showing it,” the blond interrupted.

On impulse, without thinking, instead of answering, Steve went down on one knee.  “How’s this for showing it?”

Danny looked like a deer in headlights.  “What the hell are you doing?"

Pulling a worn golden band out of his pocket, the SEAL presented it to his partner.  “This was my father’s wedding ring.  Even after my mother was gone, he never took it off, he wore it everyday of his life.  He said that when he took his vows, he promised to love Doris until the day he died and nothing would ever change that.  That’s what I want, Danny.  I want to love you till the day I die.  So, what do you say, Danno, will you marry me?”

A moment of charged silence built before the blond bellowed, “Are you out of your goddamn mind, you lunatic?!  We’ve barely made out once and you want to get married?!   I’m a father, I have children to consider-”

Steve cut him off.  “We both know how Charlie feels about us, and I spoke to Grace before I came over.”

“You did what?!”

“I needed to know that this would be okay with her before I asked you.  She told me that she’s always wished I could be her stepdad and gave us her blessing.”

Danny seemed flabbergasted by this information.  “But - but…  Okay, but - that’s your father’s ring, so it doesn’t just belong to you.  What would your sister say if you just gave it away, huh?”

Steve grinned, he could feel that his partner was grasping at straws.  “Already talked to her, too.  She gave me the green light.  Her exact words were ‘it’s really fucking sweet.’  She’s happy for us.”

Looking a little overwhelmed, the blond started pacing back and forth across the room.  “This is insane, Steve.  We can’t just…  I mean it’s straight out of left field.  You can’t just blindside somebody like this.”

“Blindside?  I asked you this morning if you really thought it would be so bad for us to get married.”

That brought Danny to a stop.  “I didn’t think you were serious!”

“Well, I was.  Dead serious.  I’m in love with you, we’re partners, best friends, we already know each other better than just about anyone walking down the aisle.  What more do you need?”

Insecurity flashed in the blond’s eyes.  “What if - what if it doesn’t work out?  What then?  Do we break up the team?  Break the kids’ hearts?  I can’t do that to them, Steve.”

The SEAL gently placed his hands on his partner’s biceps and held them until Danny finally met his gaze.  “There are no guarantees in life, you know that.  But I’m not a quitter, Danno.  If you agree to marry me, I promise that I will do everything within my power to show you everyday how much you mean to me, to be there for you and the kids whenever you need me, to be the best husband and stepfather that I can be.  I know it’s a gamble, but it’s one I am willing to take for you.”

Unshed tears gleamed in Danny’s eyes, but he remained silent, staring at Steve with an unreadable expression.  The SEAL could only assume the worst.

Running his hands up and down the arms he still held, Steve sighed.  “And… if the gamble’s too big for you, I’m still here.  For you and the kids.  I love you no matter what and there’s nothing you could ever do or say that would make me leave, Danny.  So, if this is all too much, just say the word and we’ll go back to how things were, no questions asked.”

Something about Steve’s words seemed to light a fire in his partner, because the next thing the SEAL knew, his back was pressed against the nearest wall as Danny all but attacked his mouth.

This was nothing like timid kisses of last night or the impulsive sparks of passion from that morning, this kiss was full of purpose and intent.  Their mouths battled for domination as their hands frantically roamed, getting lost in each other. 

Gasping for breath, the SEAL pulled back, voice sounding like gravel as he said, “I asked you a question and I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”

Danny, equally breathless, gave a huff of amusement.  “Yes, you goof.  God help me, my answer is yes.”

Steve beamed with happiness.  “Really?”

“Really.”

“When?”

“I said yes three seconds ago and he already wants to know when.  I don’t know, soon.”

“Tomorrow?”

Danny outright laughed at that.  “Too soon.”

“Day after?”

The blond tilted his head, pondering the suggestion.  “You know what - why not?”

Mind already plotting how to execute a successful wedding in under 48 hours, Steve lovingly took Danny’s left hand in his and slipped the band onto his fourth finger; it fit perfectly.  And something about that made Steve feel like it was his father’s subtle way of giving them his blessing.

The Day After Christmas

Walking into Iolani Palace with his partner’s- his fiance’s hand in his had been harder than Steve anticipated.  It wasn’t that he was anything but proud to be marrying the man, but for as long as the sailor could remember, he’d been trained that a love like theirs was only okay behind closed doors.  Being out in the open was new for him.  But it helped that the Palace was virtually abandoned the day after Christmas.

Danny, naturally, seemed to understand without Steve having to say anything.  He just squeezed the SEAL’s fingers and gave him a supportive look as they entered the empty 5-0 offices.

Even though the team was supposed to be off the week between Christmas and New Year, Steve had called them in today.  They would be arriving shortly, expecting a big case.  They were in for a shock, the Commander smiled to himself.

“You ready for this?  It's a big step for you,” Danny said.

“Of course I’m ready, I’d already be married to you if it were up to me, remember?  But it’s a big step for both of us, Danno.”

“Yeah, the marriage part is, for sure - but I hate to break it to you, babe, somehow you ended up the only one on the team who didn’t know I swing both ways.  That’s why I was so shocked the other night — the rest of them all knew, I thought you did too.  But you’re the only one about to come out here.”

“Oh.  Well, everyone’s okay with you, right?  So, they’ll be okay with me, too.”

“They will, but it’s still a big step, babe.  It’s alright for you to be nervous.”

Steve tried to scoff, but Danny saw right through him.

“Steven, the last couple of days have been insane, things have been moving a mile a minute and they ain’t going to be slowing down anytime soon since we still have a wedding to plan in one day.  But I don’t want you to downplay this; coming out is a big deal, even when you know you’ll be supported.”

“Looks like I’m about to find that out first hand, Danno — the team’s here.”

Filing in, looking distrusted at their holidays being interrupted, the taskforce plus Adam, Kamekona, and Max all came in and surrounded the computer table.

“Okay, everybody, I’ll get right to it,” Steve began.  “I know you’re probably wondering why I’ve called you all in-”

“Yeah, man, you better have a damn good reason for that because I was halfway through the best round of golf of my life,” Lou grumpily interrupted.

“Sorry to mess with your scorecard, Arnold Palmer, but I do have a good reason.  We've got an op, probably the most important op this team has ever undertaken, and we need to prep.”

Danny shot Steve a look, clearly not amused by his choice of words.

“If the team has an op then why am I here?” Adam questioned curiously.

“I must admit, Commander, I am also interested as to the necessity of my presence if a 5-0 mission is imminent,” Max added.

Kamekona just frowned and crossed his arms intimidatingly. “You want to use my chopper again, don’t you?  Well, it’s gonna cost you.” 

Danny threw up his hands in irritation.  “Oh, for god’s sake — it’s not a mission, okay?  We’re getting married!” 

“Who’s getting married?” Chin asked, confused.

The blond looked to the SEAL apologetically, realizing he’d accidentally said too much.  But Steve just smiled, proud to answer the question.  “Me and Danny.”

A pin dropping could have been heard in the silence that followed those words.

It was Kono who broke it.  “It’s about goddamn time!”

At that proclamation, everyone started talking at once.  They were all laughing and back-slapping and offering congratulations, thrilled by the news. 

Steve was pleased but a little taken aback that not one person in the room seemed even slightly surprised that, not only was he not straight, but he and his partner were together now.

Excited conversation continued to flow as Lou piped up, “Hang on, I think I got some cheap cigars in my office.  This is cause for celebration.”

When he wandered off to look for them, Chin said, “I’ve got some Longboards in my mini fridge, I’ll be right back.”

When the men returned with their offerings, Kono linked her phone to the computer table and turned on some music.  

As they stood around laughing and smoking (something Steve would make certain the governor did not find out about), it felt like an impromptu engagement party.

“So, when’s the big day?” Jerry asked jovially.

“Uh, tomorrow,” Danny admitted.

“Figures,” Chin grinned knowingly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Kono sassed, “that it took the two of you years to get your heads out of your asses and see what was staring you right in the faces, so it figures that as soon as you did, you’d tie the knot as fast as you could,” she rolled her eyes.

Danny scoffed, but Steve could tell that her easy acceptance of their impending nuptials meant a lot to him.

“As happy as I am for you guys,” Adam interjected, “I’m still not sure why I’m here.”

“Right,” Steve nodded.  “I meant what I said, this is going to be the most important op we’ve ever engaged in.  I know it’s last minute and we’re asking you to take time out of your holidays, but can we count on all of your help to make sure this goes off without a hitch?”

“Oh, there’s going to be a hitch alright - yours,” Lou joked.  “But you can count on us to make sure things go smoothly, you guys deserve it.”

Steve smiled, “Good.  Now, we’re not doing anything fancy, just a simple ceremony on the beach at my place, but here’s what we need: Chin, you’re on technology — we need you to set things up so Danny’s family can watch the ceremony from New Jersey.  Lou, my sister and my niece are flying in on the first flight tomorrow morning, we need you to play chauffeur for them.  Adam, with your affluent upbringing, we need you to be our wine and champagne guy and find us something decent on such short notice.  Kamekona, you’re on grinds, we need you and Flippa to be our caterers.  And Jerry, we want you to be our officiate, we need you to go online and get ordained.  Everyone understand your assignments?”

They all nodded in agreement to the requests.

“What about Officer Kalakaua and myself?” Max asked.  “We weren’t given assignments.”

Steve rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward.  “Actually Max, since you’re my BFF and all, I was, uh, hoping that you’d stand up with me.  I need you to be my best man.”

If Max Bergman could beam, that’s what his face was doing now.  “It would be my honour, bestie.”

Steve couldn’t help but beam back.

“Same for you, Kono,” Danny said.  “Will you be my best woman?”

The hug she gave the blond as her response looked bone crushing.  “Shoots, brah, I’ll be the best best woman ever!”

“What about the threads?” Chin asked.  “I’ve got a cousin who could probably hook you up with last minute tuxes, just don’t ask where they came from.”

Steve looked at Danny with a smug smile.  “Nah, brah, it’s a beach wedding — boardies and slippahs, strictly casual.”

“All right,” Kamekona cheered.

“How’d you manage that one?” Chin wanted to know.  “Can’t imagine Danny Williams getting married without a tie on.”

“It was a moment of weakness,” Danny grumbled.

They all laughed at the disgruntled Jersey-native’s tone.

“Alright, alright, enough joking around, I’ve got a serious question,” Lou said, a sly grin spreading across his face.  “What about the bachelor party?  We gotta take you two out for your last night as free men.”

Danny shook his head.  “No can do, Grace has insisted that it’s bad luck to see the groom before the wedding.  As of 6pm tonight, we are not even allowed to lay eyes on each other, so count me out.”

“Yeah, me too,” Steve added.  “I’m more than ready to leave my days as a single man behind, I don’t need to celebrate their end,” he stated, unable to take his eyes off his fiancé as he said it. 

“Oh, that’s just great,” Lou groused, rolling his eyes. 

“What?”

“You’re turning into some disgustingly sappy, love-struck puppy, and now we’re all stuck watching it.”

With a grin, the SEAL couldn’t even bother to deny it.

Present

“Mom’s here,” Steve’s husband announced, coming into the living room.

“Ah, man,” Charlie moaned as Grace heaved an almighty sigh, both looking displeased at having to vacate their places curled against their new stepdad.

“Oh, come on you two, none of that,” their father told them.   “You’ll have a great time while we’re gone.  Now, let’s go.”

Escorting the kids to the door with their bags, Steve and Danny hugged them each and said their goodbye’s.  Then they stood in the doorway, arm in arm, waving them off as they climbed into Rachel’s car and drove away.

Closing the front door when they’d gone out of view, Danny grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him to the couch, gently pushing the SEAL down.

“We’ve been married for over six hours now and this is the first moment we’ve had to ourselves,” he said, taking a seat and settling with his back against Steve’s chest.  “How about we just relax for a minute before we go?”

Wrapping his arms around Danny, the brunet was more than happy to oblige.

Looking over at the brightly-lit Christmas tree, basking in the easy affection of his new husband, Steve felt the true meaning of the holidays in a way he never really had before. 

Honestly, he’d always kind of thought that “Christmas spirit” was just a commercial concept made up to sell toys, but looking back over all that had happened this holiday season, now he got it.  What was the line from that book he’d read Charlie?  “Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more.”

Chapter Text

By the time Steve’s truck pulled up to their destination, Danny glanced at the clock and was surprised by how late it had gotten.  

After their long, crazy day, when the kids left and they’d snuggled up on the couch, the newlyweds had lost track of time.  

Okay, maybe they’d ended up sucked face like a couple of teenagers for a while, but sue them, they had a lot of kissing to make up for.   

Anyway, it was nearly two hours before they’d finally gathered their things and headed for the cabin — Chin’s uncle’s property — but now that they were here, the blond found himself thoroughly unenthused with the locale. 

It was too dark to tell much at all about the place, and a cabin in the woods was a cabin in the woods, right?  It wasn’t the looks of the place that put Danny off, it was just how remote it was.  He was a city boy, he hadn’t been expecting something this cut off and, if he was honest, that made him kind of anxious. 

He was about to tell his new husband as much when Steve smiled at him, “Oh, wow, this place is perfect, isn’t it?” and hopped out of the truck. 

Danny sighed inwardly.  Marriage is about compromise, he thought to himself, exiting the vehicle. 

“It’s fine,” he said, reaching for his duffel and hoping his less-than-enthusiastic tone would go unnoticed. 

No such luck.

Steve put a hand on his arm.  “Hey, ‘fine’ is not okay.  I want you to be happy with this place, too.  If you’re not, we’ll drive back and get a suite at the Royal Hawaiian or something.  This is a gift for both of us, so we both should want it, and if you don’t, I’m sure the team will understand.”

Danny couldn’t help but smile a little at his spouse.  

Without realizing it, he’d fallen back into old habits and Steve had just called him on it.  

It’s something their governor-mandated therapist had commented on in a session once — Danny had a habit of people pleasing, going along with whatever everyone else wanted, then resenting it when his needs weren’t met.  That’s how things had always been with Rachel, part of why they didn’t work out, but Danny was determined for things to be different this time.  And so far, it seemed like they were on the right track, because Steve wasn’t going to let his bullshit slide. 

“I’m not un happy,” Danny sheepishly admitted, “it’s just… this is a little more isolated than I thought it would be.  I’m not really an outdoorsy kind of guy, you know, so that makes me a little nervous.”

“Okay, I get that,” Steve nodded, looking around speculatively, SEAL-brain assessing the situation.  “The way I see it, we have everything we need — food, running water, shelter, access to a vehicle — and I feel confident that this location is secure.  But I also understand where you’re coming from — being in unfamiliar terrain makes me uneasy, too.  So, this is your call, Danno, do you want to stay or go?”

The blond took a minute to consider the offer, then sighed, “No, not tonight.  It’s been a long day and we’re both tired.  Let’s give it the night at least, maybe tomorrow we can go somewhere else if I still feel the same way in broad daylight.”

“Alright,” Steve grinned, taking Danny’s duffel for him.  “But I hope you’re not too tired,” he winked- winked over his shoulder, heading inside.

And just like that, Danny was suddenly wide awake.

Following Steve inside, he discovered that the cabin, still decorated for Christmas, was essentially one large room — an inviting, open space encased in native wood.  The panelled walls were a homey whitewash over the intricate natural grain, the ceiling raw timber and exposed trusses, and the floors a shiny, deep sandalwood.  The far side of the space, where the tree stood, featured a small kitchen with a table and chairs, the area flanked by large windows.  To the left was a set of double doors to an impressive, light-strewn lanai, and opposite those doors, in the center of the room, stood a king-sized bed with crisp white linens and a gossamer halo of mosquito netting suspended above.  All in all, it was clean and simple, festive and pleasant.  

Danny found himself feeling more at ease.

“Chin said they stocked the fridge for us,” Steve told him, staring at the bed and not quite meeting his gaze.  “And there’s a private trail down to the beach, so we can swim if we want.  There’s also some really beautiful hiking trails up this way, even though I know that’s not really your thing.  But the area still has a lot going on — Haleiwa is right down the road, Waimea Falls too, so we won’t run out of things to do.”

Now, Danny knew nervous rambling when he heard it, he’d practically inventended nervous rambling, but what he didn’t know was why his husband — the self-proclaimed calm, cool, collected one — was suddenly doing it now.

“Thanks for reciting the travel brochure for me, babe, but I wasn’t really planning on us running out of things to do, if you know what I mean,” he tried to joke.

Steve only tensed further.

“Hey, you good?  Talk to me, what’s up?” Danny wanted to know.

The SEAL let out a long sigh, finally meeting the blond’s gaze.  “I know I should have told you this before, and it’s not that I was trying to hide it, but it’s been so hectic and - well, it’s just…  I’ve never…”  

The man took a deep breath and seemed to steel himself.  

“Look,” he said, “in the Navy, the only guy I trusted was Freddie and he was just okay with hand stuff or a blow job here and there, nothing more, then he met Kelly… and I just stuck to women after that.  I’ve never actually been with a man before, Danny.”

There was a challenge in his husband’s eyes as he finished, like Steve was daring him to have something to say about what he’d just admitted.  But Danny was well aware that sexuality was complicated, especially when DADT was involved, and he would never judge the other man for his past, or lack thereof.  In fact, if he was honest with himself, there was a little part of Danny that kind of liked that he’d be Steve’s first.  Hopefully his last, too.  

Danny gave him a reassuring smile.  “We’ve been moving so fast that I guess we kind of skipped the whole sex talk, didn’t we?  But it’s okay, babe.  Honestly.  Thank you for being up front with me, but it doesn’t change anything.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course.  There’s no need to rush into anything.  We’ve got the rest of our lives to figure it out, right?”

The SEAL’s eyes gleamed at that.  

“You like the sound of that, don’t you, you possessive animal?” the blond smirked.

Steve nodded, grinning like a loon. 

“Yeah, you do,” Danny teased.  “You like the idea of you and me being together forever, finally, after dancing around each other all these years.”

“Shit, Danny, you have no idea…” the brunet breathed as he crossed the room in three strides to crashed their lips together. 

They kissed with all the pent-up passion of those years, hands roaming each other’s bodies like they were trying to make up for lost time.

Danny didn’t know how long passed with them standing in the middle of the room getting to know one another in a whole new way, but eventually he pulled back, totally breathless.

“As much as I’d like to keep this up,” he said, “I think there’s a lot more that you and I both want.”

Steve stayed quiet, obviously still battling uncertainty.

Danny ran his hands up and down his husband’s biceps.  “I usually top, but how about you do it at first, huh?  The mechanics are more or less the same that way.  Seems like the logical place to start, then we can work our way up to more.”

“You sure?  I don’t want you to…  It’s like with this place — we should both want it.  Is that what you want?”

Bringing their lips together in another, much softer kiss, Danny murmured, “Babe, I want you any way I can get you.”

Steve let out a low sound somewhere between a hum and a moan upon hearing that. 

With one more peck to his husband’s lips, Danny pulled back.  “I’m going to hop in the shower,” he said, grabbing the oversized Dopp kit from his duffel that he’d packed with the — ahem — necessities for this very occasion, “then we can pick right back up where we left off.”

Steve looked like he was about to protest the blond’s departure, but Danny shot him a meaningful look.  

His ears going red, the SEAL instead whispered, “Hurry back.”

The detective absolutely did not have to fight a shudder at the deep rasp of his husband’s voice as he headed for the bathroom.

Closing the door firmly behind him, Danny turned on the hot water and set about doing what needed done.  

He wasn’t kidding when he said he didn’t usually bottom, it had been quite a while for him, but he’d done it with other guys before and enjoyed it, and Steve was far from just some other guy.  Even though it wasn’t his usual, Danny was just happy he and his husband could finally, finally be together.  Because he was seriously beginning to wonder if death by blue balls was a thing.

A little while later, as he finished with his very thorough shower, Danny reached for a towel and realized he hadn’t brought any clothes into the bathroom with him. But he surprised himself by his total lack of concern about it.  The detective wasn’t the tallest guy and was definitely on the hairier side, he also had more than his fair share of work-related scars littering his body, so he tended to be a little timid about nudity, especially with a first-time partner, but he didn’t give any of that a single thought as he slung the damp white towel low over his hips and brazenly walked out the door.

In his absence, Steve had dimmed all the lights but the Christmas tree and sprawled out on the bed with arms pillowed behind his head.  The brunet had taken off his shirt and lay there in nothing but his board shorts and tattoos.  Danny had fantasized more than once about licking each and every one of them.  Maybe now he would.

“Danno,” Steve said, eyes raking down the blond’s form.

Stopping to grab a couple of things from the bag that his husband, ever the boyscout, had relocated to the nearby bedside table, Danny then moved to the bed and crawled over until he was hovering above Steve, bringing their lips together.

“Welcome back,” the Commander smiled into the kiss, “I missed you.”

“I’ll make it worth the wait, babe, trust me.”

Caught up in the moment, their kisses started to heat up again until Danny pulled back.  

“Not to kill the mood,” the blond muttered, “but I’ve got to ask if you know how to do this next part.”

The SEAL turned a different kind of red.  “Um, yeah, I do.  Cath- Catherine and I… we, um, you know, did it like that sometimes.”

Danny nodded.  “Okay, good.  Then you know what to do with this,” he said, thrusting a brand-new bottle of fancy lube that he’d spent way too much money on into his husband’s hand.

Steve looked down at the bottle and seemed to hesitate about something.

“Babe, I think you know by this point that I’m a talker, and that doesn’t stop just because we’re in bed.  I like it when my partner’s tell me what they want, that only makes it better for me.  So, what is it?”

Steve reddened further.

If his husband didn’t stop blushing, Danny swore he was going to bust a nut before this party even got started.  Because seeing a big, tough Navy SEAL go all pink in the cheeks was just about the sexiest thing he’d ever seen in his life.  

But Steve's face only glowed brighter as he finally said, “Can I- I always wanted to…  I’m really good with my mouth, but Catherine wasn’t into that.  Can I eat you out first?”

Yep, Danny was definitely going to bust a nut sooner rather than later.  “Shit, yeah, babe, I’d love that, you have no idea,” he said, grabbing Steve’s face and bringing their lips back together.  

Danny’s easy willingness seemed to loosen something in his husband.  As was evident when he moved to start expertly kissing his way down the blond’s neck like he’d been doing it for years.    

Danny was all too happy to lay back and let the sailor’s mouth explore.  And that’s just what he did.  

Steve worked his lips down to the blond’s torso and stayed there for a long time, cataloging every gasp, sigh, and groan he elicited along the way, before moving further south.

“Can I?” the SEAL asked, hand on the towel still over Danny’s waist.

The detective grinned playfully.  “Nuh-uh, you first.”

Steve smiled back, looking cocky as he scrambled off the bed and dropped his shorts and underwear in one smooth move.  “Happy?”

“Very,” was all Danny could say, jaw going slack.  Because — god damn.   If he thought the man looked good with clothes on…   The SEAL was a fucking work of art and Danny wanted to spend hours acquainting himself with every square inch of him.  

“You still with me?” Steve smirked, climbing back onto the bed.  

And maybe Danny had kind of spaced out there for a second, but it had just dawned on him that this man, this stunning specimen, was his husband now.  Like… for keeps.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said.  “Just thinking that I’m pretty damn lucky, you know.”

Steve pulled back just a bit.  “I’m the lucky one, Danno,” he said.  And the honesty that burned in his eyes was so raw Danny could almost feel it.  He’d never felt for anyone the way he felt for the man before him now, like a warm ember steadily burning within him.

Then that man did something that really set Danny on fire.

With some kind of crazy ninja move, Steve grabbed the blond and flipped him over in one smooth motion so his towel-covered ass was suddenly on display.  

The sheer strength of the action made Danny moan in anticipation.

The sound didn’t stop when rough, calloused hands ripped the cloth from his waist and started kneading his cheeks.  And it may have kicked up a notch when a thumb gently grazed between them.

“God, this ass…” Steve whispered, seemingly to himself.  “Been dreaming about it for so long, now I finally get to touch it.”

“You get to do more than touch it, babe.”

All the blond got in response to that was a none-too-tentative swipe of the SEAL’s tongue up the length of his crease.  Then, true to form, the sailor dove in head first.

Now, Danny’s always enjoyed getting eaten out, but something about Steve’s mouth finally being on him in such an intimate way, a way he’d barely allowed himself to even dream of, pushed the experience to whole new heights.  

“Steve, shit - so good, babe,” he groaned into the mattress.

It should’ve bugged some part of Danny just how good his husband was at this right out of the gate.  The man was already insufferably arrogant most of the time, but at this point, he didn’t even care, he just laid there for god only knew how long, running his mouth.  He was aware that all manner of embarrassingly undignified things were pouring out of him as he writhed on the bed, he just couldn’t bring himself to care.  This felt too amazing.  

Coming up for air, Steve muttered, “Fuck, I could do this for hours,” then put his mouth back where it belonged.

That’s when a slick finger slid in alongside his tongue.  Then another.  Then another.

Before long, Danny was all but begging his husband to get on with it.

“I swear to god, Steve, if you don’t-”

“I need to see you,” the brunet said, cutting him off.  “I need to - Danno, I need to see your face.”

The vulnerability in Steve’s voice, as though the SEAL were afraid if he didn’t keep a watchful eye on him, Danny was going to disappear on him like everyone else he’d ever loved, tugged at the detective’s heart.

“Of course, babe,” he easily agreed.

Rolling over, their eyes met and in an instant, all the frenetic, frantic energy of earlier faded away.

Gazing at one another, a calm stillness settled between them, a soul-deep certainty that they were exactly where they were supposed to be.  With exactly whom they were supposed to be.

Through all the ups and downs, everything life had thrown at them, they’d finally found their way to each other.

That thought in mind, Danny brought his forehead to Steve’s, gazing into his eyes, sharing his husband’s air.

“I love you,” he whispered reverently.

“God, I love you, too.  So much.”

Placing a sweet kiss to Danny’s brow, Steve pulled back to gently tuck a pillow beneath the blond’s hips before settling over the shorter man, never breaking eye contact.

Then, so tenderly it made Danny's eyes sting, the Commander leaned forward and pressed slowly into his heat.

“Shit,” Steve breathed, pausing halfway to collect himself.  “You’re so damn tight.”

Danny, for his part, couldn’t seem to form a response, all he could focus on was the spark building deep inside of him that Steve was igniting.

“Babe,” he finally managed, “babe, I need - I need you to move.”

The Navy didn’t train SEALs to ignore orders.  As soon as the words left Danny’s mouth, his husband snapped his hips forward, bringing himself flush with the blond’s backside.

Steve being the reckless maniac that he was, Danny expected him to set an ambitious, rigorous pace, but his partner surprised him when instead he started to grind his pelvis in a slow, intentional rhythm, hitting a place deep inside that Danny didn’t even know he had.

“Oh my god, Steve,” the blond panted, scrabbling for purchase on his husband’s broad shoulders as he rocked in time to each movement.  “So good- shit, so fucking good, babe.”

Danny felt Steve’s granite-hard member grow even harder at the praise, so he decided to do what he did best and kept right on talking.

“Yeah, just like that… Incredible.  Never felt like this before.  You’re so fucking amazing.”

Steve couldn’t seem to keep his hips still for that last part, juddering forward and nailing Danny’s sweet spot.

“Fuuuuuck,” the blond groaned.

Enthusiastically taking his cue from Danny’s reaction, Steve started thrusting in earnest, aiming for that same spot, hitting it over and over and over…

The detective was going to lose his mind.  It was as simple as that.  His brain was going to explode and ooze right out his dick.  He was never going to recover from this because he was absolutely ruined for anyone else forever now.

“Danny, Danny,” Steve huffed a few moments later, sweat dripping down his neck.  “I can’t - hold it.  I’m gonna…”

Seeing how undone his husband was coming almost undid Danny too.

“So close, babe.  I’m so fucking close, just need-”

Ever in tune with his partner, Danny didn’t have to finish the sentence for Steve to know what he was looking for.

When a rough grasp wrapped around him, it took barely a handful of strokes before Danny went off like a shot.

“Steve!” he cried, spilling all over both of their stomachs in hot pulses.

As Danny’s body clenched in time with his release, the SEAL was overwhelmed by the sensation, mouth falling open in a silent scream as he pumped his own release into his husband.

A few moments later, as they lay twined together in the warm glow of the festive lights, catching their breath, Steve absently ran his fingers through Danny’s hair, a pensive look on his face.

“Penny for your thoughts,” the blond prompted, burrowing deeper into his husband’s embrace.

“It’s nothing,” Steve deflected, looking a little embarrassed.

“Babe, after what we just did, you’re really going to get shy now?”

That prompted a huff of laughter.  “Alright.  I was just…  I was just thinking that this has been the best Christmas of my life.  I really did get everything I ever wanted.”

In that moment, Danny chose not to think about all the holidays the SEAL had gone through alone, all the Christmases he’d been stationed in the middle of nowhere with no one, instead he focused on the fact that, from now on, Steve was his to take care of, his family.  And Danny would make damn sure that his husband never spent another Christmas that he wasn’t surrounded by people who loved him.

“They’re only going to get better from here, babe,” he promised the brunet.

Smiling, Steve said, “Yeah, you might just be right, Danno.”

New Years Eve

“I think it’s reasonable to assume that since you drive my car, I would get to drive your truck, Steven.”

Steve smirked from the driver’s seat, one arm on the wheel, the other slung carelessly out the open window.  “Come on, Danno, can you even reach the pedals?”

His husband huffed in adorable indignation.  “That is a low boy, you sizeist jerk.  Besides, you didn’t seem to mind how short I was this morning.”

The SEAL’s smirk grew remembering how the blond had looked dropping to his knees in the shower before they left.

Despite Danny’s early hesitation, they’d both fallen in love with that cabin in the middle of nowhere and spent the last four days in blissful oblivion, sequestered on the north shore away from all distractions, just getting to know each other in the only way they hadn’t yet.  It had been the most memorable four days of Steve’s life.  He hadn’t wanted it to end.

“Just because you’re the right size for me,” he continued to tease his husband, “does not mean you’re the right size for my truck, babe.”

The blond kept muttering under his breath, but Steve could tell he was just grumbling to grumble, there was no heat behind it.

Turning into his neighbourhood, the Commander only kept one eye on the road, the other watching the man beside him.  

He’d known every detail of Danny’s face for years, but for some reason, everytime he looked at his partner now, it was like he was seeing him in a whole new light.  A light that warmed all the cold places inside of Steve.

He was so lost in his admiration that he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary as they pulled into his driveway.  It was Danny who alerted him that something was up.

“What the hell…” the blond smiled from the passenger’s seat.

Looking up, Steve saw Grace, Charlie, Mary and Joan waving from the front porch.

“Do you know why they’re…?” Danny asked, opening his door.

“No idea,” the brunet answered, climbing out of the truck behind his husband.

Coming up the steps, Danny beamed at his kids, asking, “What are you guys doing here?” 

“We got a surprise for you!” Charlie proudly announced.

Just then, Lou walked through the front door.  “Oh,” he said, surprised, then turned to bellow into the house, “they’re here!”

At his proclamation, Kono, Chin, Adam, Rachel, Max, and Eric all filed out onto the porch.

“What the hell are you all up to?” Steve demanded, unable to keep the smile off his face.

“Why don’t you go inside and see for yourself,” Mary grinned back, pointing to the door.

Baffled, Steve and Danny both walked inside and their jaws dropped at the sight that greeted them.

The house had been completely redone while they were away.

What had once been a living mausoleum to Steve’s late father had been transformed into a new blended space.  

Steve’s dad’s old leather couch had been pushed to the far side of the room and Danny’s, brought over from his house, had taken its place on the main wall.  The old TV in the corner had been swapped for the Williams’ television mounted to the wall.  The existing artwork that Steve had never given a single thought to had been removed and in its place were now photographs all around — Grace and Charlie, young Danny, adolescent Steve, their wedding.  Even the walls had received a new coat of paint, the dingy old tan now an airy pale blue.

Mary had silently followed the pair inside.  “Do you like it?” she asked, sounding uncertain.

Danny turned to her.  “You did all this for us?”

She shrugged, blushing slightly.  “It was Grace and Charlie’s idea.  We didn’t touch any of your personal things, but we moved all the big stuff over and set it up for you guys.”

Then Mary turned to her brother.  “I was really careful to be sure that Dad is still here in little touches, Mom too, but…  Steve, it’s been years and the house still felt like theirs, not yours.  I wanted…  This is your home now, you and your family, and I- we wanted it to be a place for all of you.”

Steve’s eyes burned as he walked over and enveloped his sister in his arms.  “Thank you,” he whispered, voice thick.

“You’re welcome,” Mary sniffled, squeezing back with all her might

“They’re hugging, I don’t think he’s mad,” Kono, playing look out in the doorway, stage whispered to the others on the porch.

Danny marched to the door, grinning as he stuck his head out.  “No we’re not mad!  Now, get your butts in here and show us what else you troublemakers got up to while we were away.”

Everyone coming back inside, they got a grand tour of their own home.  The upstairs — specifically the bedrooms — had gotten a thorough upgrade as well.  The spare rooms were now vivid purple and race car themed respectively.  And the master bedroom was now a harmonious amalgamation of both Steve and Danny’s styles — Rachel’s design acumen, Steve was sure.

All in all, it was amazing.  And Mary was right, the house felt more like a home than it had since their childhood.

Coming back downstairs, they were corralled onto the lanai.

“Since he couldn’t be here, Kamekona sent grinds,” Chin announced, indicating the already-set table full of shrimp.

As a team… as a family, they all sat down and dug in.

Listening to his loud, boisterous ohana, Steve thought about all the quiet, lonely years this house had seen.  His father, him… they’d turned the place into a virtual tomb, so hollow and devoid of life, but in less than a day, Danny and his kids had brought it back to life again.

Thinking forward to the new year, the SEAL wondered what other surprises his new family would bring into his life.  He couldn’t wait to find out.

Eric’s heavily-accented voice brought Steve back to the moment.  

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, little man,” he was saying to Charlie, loudly.  “Of course Santa is real!”

“That’s- that’s what I said!” Charlie enthusiastically told his cousin.  “Keanu says he isn’t, but I know he’s real ‘cause he brought me all I wanted for Christmas.”

Steve and his husband shared a knowing smile.

“The Big Guy sure did deliver this year, didn’t he,” Danny prompted his son.

“Uh-huh,” the little boy nodded animatedly.  “Santa always delivers.  And next year I’m gonna ask for a baby brother!”

Danny, who’d just taken a sip of his Longboard, spat it right back out in shock.  “Oh, god,” he said, turning to Steve with humour-filled panic in his eyes.