Fic: You got to be kidding me!
Title: You got to be kidding me!
Author: anuminis
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0/Supernatural
Pairing or Characters: Steve/Danny with cameos from Dean, Sam and Cas
Rating: NC-17 to be on the save side
Warnings: hm ghosts? *g* violence, sexual content
Wordcount: 4,333
Summary: Danny finds out the hard way that there are really ghosts in this world.
A/N: Written for the
h50land Big Bang Challenge
“You got to be kidding me,” Danny’s mouth dropped open as he watched the house in front of them grow taller. Steve smiled at him amused.
“Eyes on the road Steven,” Danny warned. “I just got her back from the shop and I don’t want to explain to Ka’ike why her underbody was ripped open - again.” He pointedly glared at Steve who focused back on the road maneuvering expertly around potholes and other potentially harming objects.
“You’ll never let me live that one down,” Steve said, a touch of hurt in his voice.
“Never,” Danny agrees glaring at the rundown mansion that loomed ominously over the whole area.
“Tell me why are we here again?” He jumped a little as he saw… thought he saw a shadow in one of the windows. Luckily Steve hadn’t noticed eyes still focused on the road. Just a reflection, he told himself firmly.
Steve sighed dramatically, the jerk. “You know just as well as I do that a hunter saw two guys that fit the description of our suspects driving up to this property in a white Prius, the suspected getaway car. He saw them enter it, one giant with girly long hair and a dude with a handsome chiseled face and o-legs.” Steve stopped the Camaro and killed the engine. Without the rumbling of the car the surrounding silence was deafening; Danny’s feelings of unease doubled.
“You know this is right out of a horror movie. Two guys chasing down a dubious lead, into a neglected house that stood abandoned for decades somewhere far away from civilization and help, surrounded by a creepy old forest.”
Steve smirks at him again Danny can feel it as he tried to calm himself down. Damn it he was a professional and there were way more creepier mansion’s back in Jersey than here.
“Well,” Steve said bringing Danny back from his musing. “Let’s hope none of the residents are home then.” With that he stepped out of the car and squinted into the setting sun behind them.
“What do you mean,” came Danny’s slightly panicked voice from the other side of the car. “I thought it was abandoned. You said it was abandoned!” Danny accused Steve.
“It’s haunted,” Steve answered with a shrug.
Danny’s eyes bugged out. “You asshole!” He slammed the door shut fuming and stormed off towards the house leaving a perplexed Steve behind.
“What?” Steve asked as he hurried to catch up with his Tasmanian devil of a partner. “What did I say,” he asked again; he refused to believe that he sounded whiny.
Danny turned towards him eyes ablaze with the fiery light of the sinking sun. “You’re making fun of me you jerk! It’s haunted, he says.” He gesticulated wildly with his hands and Steve has the sudden urge to capture and kiss them.
Shaking himself out of his fantasy he looked back at the house. “But it is!” He sounded petulant to his own ears.
“What are you? Twelve!?” Danny opened the door. When did they reach the porch, Steve thought and looked back to the Camaro.
“This is stupid; if those blokes are really here we would have seen their car.” Danny entered, sweeping the entrance hall with a practiced glance.
“Danny.” Steve said aggravated.
“What? If they have any sense of self-preservation they would have run the moment they heard us talking.”
Steve sighs heavily and covered the other side of the entrance, while Danny moved forward to look into one of the adjoining rooms. In silent agreement their search the floor before meeting back in the large entrance hall.
“They must have had a reason for coming here,” Steve said picking the conversation up where they had left it. Danny nodded and made his way to the upper floor.
“Still I would rather have a nice cold beer and a grilled steak then be here chasing shady leads.”
Steve smiled he wouldn’t mind a beer and a nice steak himself. “The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can leave. You can come over; I have beer and 2 juicy steaks marinating in my fridge.”
Danny’s eyes crinkled as he genuinely smiles at Steve. “I’d like that,” he said and turned back to his task.
Steve’s heart rate speed up, it always did when Danny smiled so openly at him. “Okay,” he said a little hoarse. He followed Danny covering his back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a little movement in one of the rooms. From what they had seen so far everything in this house was trashed and covered in dust and junk, broken windows, broken doors. Graffiti was smeared on some of the walls no doubt from kids that came here as a dare. There was almost nothing that wasn’t in some way or another shattered. And where the rain had made it into the house mold and other unpleasant things had started to grow, in one of the rooms downstairs a little tree sapling was growing through the floorboards.
This room looked worse than the others Steve had seen so far; all the furniture was smashed, the wallpaper was peeling from the walls in some places it was ripped down; in other places the whole wall was slashed as if a wild animal had made it into the room and clawed at the walls, but surprisingly the windows where intact; he could see the Camaro through them. He looked around but nothing or nobody was inside. The movement must have been a trick of light.
“Found something?” Danny’s voice said from behind and Steve jumped right out of his skin.
“Jeez Danny! Are you trying to kill me?” When did he become so stealthy, Steve thought. He took a shaky breath trying to calm down; his heart beating a mile a minute.
“What Super SEAL can get frighten, too?” Danny grinned mischievously.
Steve glared at him. Yeah he can get frightened, all right. When Danny got poisoned with Sarin he hadn’t only be frightened he had been scared out of his fucking mind. He was usually better in hiding it than others thou. A loud bang from downstairs had them both spin around guns raised. Steve took the lead signaling Danny to follow him.
Down in the entrance hall a small cabinet was pushed over laying on its front. They spread out covering again the entire first floor, but nobody was there; also the dust and junk layer around the cabinet was undisturbed.
“Well,” Steve started but Danny knew instinctively what he wanted to say and cut him off. “Don’t! Don’t say this was the doing of a ghost!”
“Danny ghosts are real!” Steve said fervently wanting Danny to believe him. “I…”
Suddenly Steve flew in a gracious arc thru the air crashing painfully into the wall behind him. Danny’s eyes grew wider. “STEVE!” He wanted to go to his partner who lay moaning and obviously in pain on the ground, but before he could move forward a pale girl with long black hair appeared in front of him.
“What the,” was all he could get out before he himself was flung against the opposite wall like a rag doll. He hit the wall with his back, the air knocked out of him. As he slid down he barely could stay conscious; he gulped air into his lungs and tried to clear his head. The girl had attacked them without warning or reason she surely wouldn’t leave it at that. He sat up leaning against the wall and tried to make out their attacker who was nowhere to be seen. Danny’s eyes darted around and landed on Steve who lay unmoved where he had landed.
Bringing himself into a kneeling position Danny grabbed for his gun that had landed beside him. But his movement was yet again stopped by the girl that appeared out of thin air looming over him. Danny froze, this is unreal, he thought, this is not happening. The girl bowed down, her long hair falling into her face curtaining it. Her pale lean hands wrapped around Danny’s neck snapping him out of his daze.
They were cold, so cold and the pressure on his neck started to increase making it hard for Danny to breath. He tried to grab the girl’s wrists, tried to break her hold, but his hands grabbed only air. Shocked he tried to reach his gun again; his lungs started to burn and he felt his body go weak.
He was pushed back, forced to lay down on his back the girl kneeling over him. His vision started to blur and gray out at the edge. He thought of Grace and what she would do, if her Danno wasn’t coming back to her. His heart arched painfully overshadowing momentarily his screaming lungs. He looked at his assailant but couldn’t make out her face, flex of bright yellow appeared before his eyes, soon his body would give into the oxygen deprivation and he would pass out.
He conjured up an image of Grace smiling and laughing; if he was going to die he wanted to think of his sweet angel knowing that she was sound and safe, but somehow Steve made it into the picture as well, smiling and laughing. He blinked and saw Steve swinging a rod right through the head of the girl.
She disappeared and the pressure vanished. Air rushed back into his lungs and he gulped it down greedily.
“Easy, easy,” Steve said soothingly as he kneeled beside him helping him to sit up. Still weak and disoriented, Danny could do nothing more than fill his lungs with the much needed air, while Steve grubbed his back. His hand was warm and gentle; Danny shuddered as the warmth seep through his shirt into his skin, leaving a hot trail on his back.
“You think you can stand up,” Steve asked looking around the entrance hall, “we should get out of here now.” His voice was urgent. Danny nodded grabbing Steve’s offered hand to help him stand up.
But before Steve could lift Danny of the ground cold hands wrapped themselves around his neck from behind; he gasped watching Danny’s eyes widen in horror. He grabbed at the hands instinctively letting training command his moves, but like Danny he grabbed into thin air and already he started to feel the lack of oxygen taking effect. He twisted and turned but the girl was not to be dislodged and even with his larger lung capacity Steve’s vision started to gray out.
Danny’s face blurred as Steve watched the smaller man trying to get a hold of the iron rod Steve had left beside them on the ground. He wanted to say his name, wanted to tell him that he felt more about him than friendship. He wanted to tell him he was sorry, for getting Danny into this, for Grace to lose her father.
Finally, Danny managed to get a hold of the rod; he looked back at Steve and saw how the life faded slowly out of those beautiful blue eyes. “NO!” He lifted the rod, his muscles protesting the exertion.
“Steve!”
*~*
Meanwhile a couple of miles away two dark figures swept the sweat from their brows as they looked down at their handy work.
“Let’s finish this,” the smaller one said in a deep voice. The taller man nodded and poured salt out of a canister over the opened coffin then doused the corpse with gasoline. He was spotting an impressive black eye and his cheeks where bloody from deep scratches. He nodded again signaling the smaller man to go on. There was the sound of something scratch against a rough surface and then a bright white flame spurt into life with a whoosh. The man winced at the movement; he himself had dark ligature marks around the neck. He watched the match burn before throwing it into the pit they had dug.
The corps burst into flames.
What they wouldn’t do for old friends, Mamo really did owe them now, the man thought. The flapping of wings announced the arrival of a third man.
“You ready,” the gravelly voice asked, together they watched the flames licking around the corps, dancing merrily.
“Yeah,” the smaller man said and the third man nodded. He lifted both his hands and touched both men with his index and middle finger on the forehead. In the blink of an eye they were gone.
*~*
Danny was ready to strike, as the girl let go of Steve and staggered backwards. Steve fell forwards into Danny’s open arms, the rod thrown to the floor, to catch his partner. He grabbed him and hugged him protectively against his chest. With fear and a macabre curiosity Danny watched the girl flicker like a bad television reception before she screamed and burned up in flames and black smoke.
Silence surrounded them once more, but it was no longer uneasy. Danny could feel Steve breathing slowly but steady, his heart beating against his chest. He buried his face against Steve’s neck breathing him in; his mind was racing, question after question bubbled up inside him. He tried to suppress them but soon they became like a flood crashing against a dam.
“Tell me I was imagining it,” it burst out in a croak. “Tell me it wasn’t a ghost!”
Steve’s body started to shake, at first it was only small tremors and Danny panicked thinking that Steve was dying in his arms. But then he could hear little snorting sounds, Steve was laughing, the bastard! Danny slapped him lightly over the head.
“Ow,” Steve winced. “Injured man here,” he rasped and Danny felt guilty.
“Sorry, sorry,” he hugged Steve again running his hands up and down Steve’s back in a soothing motion. Finally Steve lifted his head from Danny’s chest to lock at him. Danny could see dark bruises forming around Steve’s throat and from the way Steve’s eyes darkened in anger he was fairing no better. Steve’s warm and callused hand came up to brush over a particular bad bruise and Danny shuddered, not from the pain, which was a bitch, but from the tender touch.
“I’m sorry Danny,” Steve said, his voice hoarse and no doubt painful. Danny didn’t know for what Steve was sorry, for getting them into this mess, for freaking Danny out, for seeing the love Danny had for him in his all too expressive face and not sharing it? His heartbeat speed up and he gulped wincing in pain. Steve continued. “But that was a ghost.” And now he was grinning stupidly from ear to ear.
Danny stared at him in disbelieve, how could Steve grin like that after nearly dying, Danny’s hands fisted in Steve’s shirt. But there was something hilarious and exhilarating about the whole situation and he felt an answering smile tug at his lips. He was alive and he was given the chance to tell Steve how he felt about him and the look Steve was giving him now told him that his feelings were mutual.
“Freak,” he said fondly and leaned forward, Steve meeting him halfway to bring their lips together for their first kiss. It was gentle and Danny marveled about how soft Steve’s lips were, soft but insistence.
At the first touch of Steve’s tongue Danny moaned and opened his mouth to let Steve in. It was now Steve who groaned as he tasted Danny, he was sure that he was already addicted to it. His hand came up to run it over Danny’s arm eliciting a whimper from the stout detective. It wasn’t the good kind.
“Sorry,” Steve said between light kisses.
“S’okay. I think you said something about steaks and beer?” Danny kissed him again he couldn’t help it.
“That’s good thinking Detective Williams. I think it is safe to assume that our perps are not here.” Steve stood up gingerly every bone in his body arched and his throat was killing him. There would be definitely more kissing in his future and less talking. He helped Danny up and hugged him close to his body needing the physical contact to reassure him that they both were alive and well.
“Hey,” Danny rasped against his chest. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” He rubbed Steve’s back soothingly. “We’re okay and I really need an ice pack and some painkillers.”
Steve relaxed his hold and bending down trailed light kisses along Danny’s throat, over his jaw ending with a soft but intense kiss.
“I have some in the Camaro,” he said kissing Danny’s nose grinning like he got the best present under the Christmas tree.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Danny twisted out of Steve’s embrace and grabbed his hand dragging Steve behind him back to the car away from this god-awful place.
It was dark outside, but Danny had no problem finding the car. The Camaro stood like a sentinel at the entrance of the property were they had left him glimmering like a … ghost in the night. Danny shook that image out of his head. Steve opened the rear compartment and rummaged around before emerging with a bottle of painkillers. Danny had grabbed a bottle of lukewarm water and was now making impatient hand motions towards the pills. Steve smiled and gave him two. Swallowing his own pills was painful and the warm water did nothing to sooth his throat, but hopefully the painkillers would kick in soon.
Slumping into the seats of the Camaro both men sigh in relieve. Danny didn’t know how tense he was until he relaxed into the formfitting seat of the muscle car. Steve started the motor and drove off leaving a big dust cloud behind.
“So,” Danny started after a while; Steve had been wondering how long Danny would last. He grinned stupidly happy that he hadn’t lost this; putting a hand on Danny’s thigh because he could now was exhilarating. He squeezed it running his hand up and down reassuringly. Danny shuddered at the contact and put his own hand on Steve’s stopping it and entwining their fingers. Steve’s grin grew impossible wider and Danny wanted to kiss him.
“So,” he started again, “how come that you know about…,” he still couldn’t bring himself to say ghosts. God damn it ghosts where real, what should he tell Grace the next time she asked about them? The thought of his daughter and that he would see her again, hold her again made his heart arch painfully with relieve.
“About?” Steve asked squeezing Danny’s hand and Danny realized that he had stopped talking.
“About the … thing,” he finished lamely.
Steve snorted and winced. “Why can’t you say ghost? You’re from Jersey; I thought you believed in all things supernatural. You even told me about looking for the Jersey Devil!”
Danny huffed indignant. “The Jersey Devil is a monster it has a corporal body and is thus more real and importantly killable!”
“You saw that ghosts are ‘killable’, too!”
“How is that even possible?” Danny gesticulated wildly with his hands. Now that he could Steve cached one of them to bring it to his mouth and kiss it. Danny let his other hand fall into his lap staring at the one in Steve’s hand.
“Someone must have burned the body. Don’t know how it is possible, but that usually does the trick.”
“And you know that how,” Danny asked wearily playing with Steve’s fingers.
Steve was silent for a moment driving the Camaro along deserted roads. “The first time I saw a ghost was in South East Asia. My team leader thought it was okay to make camp in an old temple ruin. It turned out to be an abandoned monastery with a cemetery nearby. The locals had told us about it that it was haunted and that nobody was crazy enough to go near it. Not in daytime and especially at night. We thought it was nothing, superstition of the peasants.
“Well guess what. It was haunted and the spirits weren’t too pleased with us being there and desecrating their land. They made it crystal clear that they wanted us gone.”
Danny squeezed Steve’s hand. “How?”
“Oh you know the usual flinging people around, chocking them, making them sick. I remember that I was sitting near the fire eating and without warning I was puking my guts out. Literally from 0 to 100 in 1 second flat. I heard and saw the others flying around screaming. A seasoned SEAL team, men that have seen grueling combat scared shitless running for they lives. It’s not something you forget easily. We’ve been lucky that no one was killed that night.
“After that I did some research and well turns out there are people out there who apparently hunt ghosts and other supernatural beings. So I know that burning the body of the ghost will kill it.”
They laps into silent Danny trying to process all this and Steve trying to push back old memories. Danny looked up surprised when Steve killed the engine and silence fell around them once more it was only interrupted by the ticking of the cooling engine.
Steve pulled at their joined hands, he must have parked the car with his left Danny mused, bringing Danny to face him. He leaned over the middle console and kissed him. Danny’s eyes fluttered shut sighing into the kiss.
“Come on,” Steve said after reluctantly breaking the kiss. Danny let go of Steve’s hand and together they left the car and entered Steve’s home.
Steve grabbed Danny’s hand again leading him to the kitchen where he pulled to chilled bottles of water out of the refrigerator. They drank it slowly grateful for the relieve it brought them. Then Steve rummaged in the freezer compartment and emerged with two ice packs triumphantly. Danny kissed him again.
“Steaks. Beer. Shower. Bed. In that order,” Danny said in between kisses.
“Excellent idea,” Steve agreed holding the ice pack against his throat feeling the swelling already go away. “Fire up the grill will you,” he said rummaging already in the fridge again to get the steaks and the salad he had made this morning.
Danny grinned and walked out on the lanai to get the grill started the cool chill from the ice pack relieving his throat tremendously.
They grilled the steaks in silence enjoying each other’s company, touching and kissing whenever they wanted. The steaks where delicious and the cool beer helped them relax further.
Sitting in the beach chairs, they watched the stars holding hands. Steve turned his head watching Danny as a warm breeze ruffled his hair. He came close to losing him today and he vowed to himself that he would do anything to protect him; him and Grace. Somehow the Williams’ had worn their way into his heart and he would be damned if he wouldn’t do everything in his power to keep them there. He felt Danny rub his thump over his hand.
“What are you thinking,” he asks.
Steve smiled pulling Danny’s hand to his mouth kissing it, then pulled Danny closer and leaned over the chair to kiss him. Danny signed into the kiss opening his mouth to let Steve’s tongue in. They kissed lazily until their bruised muscles made themselves known.
“I think I love you,” Steve said caressing Danny’s stumbled cheek.
Danny’s smile was brilliant. “Me, too. Babe,” he said kissing Steve again. “Me, too. It’s stupid how much I love you. You Neanderthal animal.”
Steve chuckled, kissing Danny while lifting him out of the chair. “You said something about a shower and bed?” He led Danny back to the house.
“Are you saying that I smell, Steve?” Danny stopped lifting an eyebrow in mock indignation.
Steve just smiled predatory as he buried his face in the crook of Danny’s neck and breathed him in.
“Steve,” Danny asked breathless as he felt Steve lick a strip up over his jaw to his ear.
“I could make a meal out of you, baby,” he whispered seductively. Danny felt a shiver run down his spine to his groin. “You smell and taste amazing, but I know I’m not going to get it up tonight and you neither. So we’re going to take a warm, relaxing shower before we go to bed. We’ll see what little Steve has to say in the morning.” He nuzzled behind Danny’s ear making him shiver even more.
“Steve,” Danny’s voice was strangled.
“I know, baby,” Steve said kissing him soothingly. He grabbed Danny’s hand and dragged him back inside and up into the master bathroom. Turning on the water he helped Danny out of his shirt kissing him between opening each button. The beer and the painkiller had finally kicked in completely making Danny docile and sleepy. He let Steve manhandle him into the shower after he slipped out of his trousers and boxer briefs. Steve starred at him torn.
“Not gonna join me?” Danny ran a hand down his chest as the water trickled down his body.
Clothing his eyes, Steve took a deep breath. “Be right back,” he breathed then ran out of the bathroom to close all doors and windows and setting the alarm. He was back in no time flying out of his cloth in record time. Stepping into the shower Danny grabbed him and pulled him down into a really dirty kiss. His cock twitched in interest but that was all he could do, the painkiller made sure of it. They stayed in the shower until all the hot water was used. Danny was practical comatose at this point and Steve rubbed them both dry with military precision before leading Danny to his bed. Slipping in behind him he covered them with a thin sheet. He curled around Danny kissing his shoulder before drifting off to sleep. All was good in his world; he had Danny in his bed and a bright morning to look forward to.
Author: anuminis
Fandom: Hawaii Five-0/Supernatural
Pairing or Characters: Steve/Danny with cameos from Dean, Sam and Cas
Rating: NC-17 to be on the save side
Warnings: hm ghosts? *g* violence, sexual content
Wordcount: 4,333
Summary: Danny finds out the hard way that there are really ghosts in this world.
A/N: Written for the
h50land Big Bang Challenge
“You got to be kidding me,” Danny’s mouth dropped open as he watched the house in front of them grow taller. Steve smiled at him amused.
“Eyes on the road Steven,” Danny warned. “I just got her back from the shop and I don’t want to explain to Ka’ike why her underbody was ripped open - again.” He pointedly glared at Steve who focused back on the road maneuvering expertly around potholes and other potentially harming objects.
“You’ll never let me live that one down,” Steve said, a touch of hurt in his voice.
“Never,” Danny agrees glaring at the rundown mansion that loomed ominously over the whole area.
“Tell me why are we here again?” He jumped a little as he saw… thought he saw a shadow in one of the windows. Luckily Steve hadn’t noticed eyes still focused on the road. Just a reflection, he told himself firmly.
Steve sighed dramatically, the jerk. “You know just as well as I do that a hunter saw two guys that fit the description of our suspects driving up to this property in a white Prius, the suspected getaway car. He saw them enter it, one giant with girly long hair and a dude with a handsome chiseled face and o-legs.” Steve stopped the Camaro and killed the engine. Without the rumbling of the car the surrounding silence was deafening; Danny’s feelings of unease doubled.
“You know this is right out of a horror movie. Two guys chasing down a dubious lead, into a neglected house that stood abandoned for decades somewhere far away from civilization and help, surrounded by a creepy old forest.”
Steve smirks at him again Danny can feel it as he tried to calm himself down. Damn it he was a professional and there were way more creepier mansion’s back in Jersey than here.
“Well,” Steve said bringing Danny back from his musing. “Let’s hope none of the residents are home then.” With that he stepped out of the car and squinted into the setting sun behind them.
“What do you mean,” came Danny’s slightly panicked voice from the other side of the car. “I thought it was abandoned. You said it was abandoned!” Danny accused Steve.
“It’s haunted,” Steve answered with a shrug.
Danny’s eyes bugged out. “You asshole!” He slammed the door shut fuming and stormed off towards the house leaving a perplexed Steve behind.
“What?” Steve asked as he hurried to catch up with his Tasmanian devil of a partner. “What did I say,” he asked again; he refused to believe that he sounded whiny.
Danny turned towards him eyes ablaze with the fiery light of the sinking sun. “You’re making fun of me you jerk! It’s haunted, he says.” He gesticulated wildly with his hands and Steve has the sudden urge to capture and kiss them.
Shaking himself out of his fantasy he looked back at the house. “But it is!” He sounded petulant to his own ears.
“What are you? Twelve!?” Danny opened the door. When did they reach the porch, Steve thought and looked back to the Camaro.
“This is stupid; if those blokes are really here we would have seen their car.” Danny entered, sweeping the entrance hall with a practiced glance.
“Danny.” Steve said aggravated.
“What? If they have any sense of self-preservation they would have run the moment they heard us talking.”
Steve sighs heavily and covered the other side of the entrance, while Danny moved forward to look into one of the adjoining rooms. In silent agreement their search the floor before meeting back in the large entrance hall.
“They must have had a reason for coming here,” Steve said picking the conversation up where they had left it. Danny nodded and made his way to the upper floor.
“Still I would rather have a nice cold beer and a grilled steak then be here chasing shady leads.”
Steve smiled he wouldn’t mind a beer and a nice steak himself. “The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can leave. You can come over; I have beer and 2 juicy steaks marinating in my fridge.”
Danny’s eyes crinkled as he genuinely smiles at Steve. “I’d like that,” he said and turned back to his task.
Steve’s heart rate speed up, it always did when Danny smiled so openly at him. “Okay,” he said a little hoarse. He followed Danny covering his back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a little movement in one of the rooms. From what they had seen so far everything in this house was trashed and covered in dust and junk, broken windows, broken doors. Graffiti was smeared on some of the walls no doubt from kids that came here as a dare. There was almost nothing that wasn’t in some way or another shattered. And where the rain had made it into the house mold and other unpleasant things had started to grow, in one of the rooms downstairs a little tree sapling was growing through the floorboards.
This room looked worse than the others Steve had seen so far; all the furniture was smashed, the wallpaper was peeling from the walls in some places it was ripped down; in other places the whole wall was slashed as if a wild animal had made it into the room and clawed at the walls, but surprisingly the windows where intact; he could see the Camaro through them. He looked around but nothing or nobody was inside. The movement must have been a trick of light.
“Found something?” Danny’s voice said from behind and Steve jumped right out of his skin.
“Jeez Danny! Are you trying to kill me?” When did he become so stealthy, Steve thought. He took a shaky breath trying to calm down; his heart beating a mile a minute.
“What Super SEAL can get frighten, too?” Danny grinned mischievously.
Steve glared at him. Yeah he can get frightened, all right. When Danny got poisoned with Sarin he hadn’t only be frightened he had been scared out of his fucking mind. He was usually better in hiding it than others thou. A loud bang from downstairs had them both spin around guns raised. Steve took the lead signaling Danny to follow him.
Down in the entrance hall a small cabinet was pushed over laying on its front. They spread out covering again the entire first floor, but nobody was there; also the dust and junk layer around the cabinet was undisturbed.
“Well,” Steve started but Danny knew instinctively what he wanted to say and cut him off. “Don’t! Don’t say this was the doing of a ghost!”
“Danny ghosts are real!” Steve said fervently wanting Danny to believe him. “I…”
Suddenly Steve flew in a gracious arc thru the air crashing painfully into the wall behind him. Danny’s eyes grew wider. “STEVE!” He wanted to go to his partner who lay moaning and obviously in pain on the ground, but before he could move forward a pale girl with long black hair appeared in front of him.
“What the,” was all he could get out before he himself was flung against the opposite wall like a rag doll. He hit the wall with his back, the air knocked out of him. As he slid down he barely could stay conscious; he gulped air into his lungs and tried to clear his head. The girl had attacked them without warning or reason she surely wouldn’t leave it at that. He sat up leaning against the wall and tried to make out their attacker who was nowhere to be seen. Danny’s eyes darted around and landed on Steve who lay unmoved where he had landed.
Bringing himself into a kneeling position Danny grabbed for his gun that had landed beside him. But his movement was yet again stopped by the girl that appeared out of thin air looming over him. Danny froze, this is unreal, he thought, this is not happening. The girl bowed down, her long hair falling into her face curtaining it. Her pale lean hands wrapped around Danny’s neck snapping him out of his daze.
They were cold, so cold and the pressure on his neck started to increase making it hard for Danny to breath. He tried to grab the girl’s wrists, tried to break her hold, but his hands grabbed only air. Shocked he tried to reach his gun again; his lungs started to burn and he felt his body go weak.
He was pushed back, forced to lay down on his back the girl kneeling over him. His vision started to blur and gray out at the edge. He thought of Grace and what she would do, if her Danno wasn’t coming back to her. His heart arched painfully overshadowing momentarily his screaming lungs. He looked at his assailant but couldn’t make out her face, flex of bright yellow appeared before his eyes, soon his body would give into the oxygen deprivation and he would pass out.
He conjured up an image of Grace smiling and laughing; if he was going to die he wanted to think of his sweet angel knowing that she was sound and safe, but somehow Steve made it into the picture as well, smiling and laughing. He blinked and saw Steve swinging a rod right through the head of the girl.
She disappeared and the pressure vanished. Air rushed back into his lungs and he gulped it down greedily.
“Easy, easy,” Steve said soothingly as he kneeled beside him helping him to sit up. Still weak and disoriented, Danny could do nothing more than fill his lungs with the much needed air, while Steve grubbed his back. His hand was warm and gentle; Danny shuddered as the warmth seep through his shirt into his skin, leaving a hot trail on his back.
“You think you can stand up,” Steve asked looking around the entrance hall, “we should get out of here now.” His voice was urgent. Danny nodded grabbing Steve’s offered hand to help him stand up.
But before Steve could lift Danny of the ground cold hands wrapped themselves around his neck from behind; he gasped watching Danny’s eyes widen in horror. He grabbed at the hands instinctively letting training command his moves, but like Danny he grabbed into thin air and already he started to feel the lack of oxygen taking effect. He twisted and turned but the girl was not to be dislodged and even with his larger lung capacity Steve’s vision started to gray out.
Danny’s face blurred as Steve watched the smaller man trying to get a hold of the iron rod Steve had left beside them on the ground. He wanted to say his name, wanted to tell him that he felt more about him than friendship. He wanted to tell him he was sorry, for getting Danny into this, for Grace to lose her father.
Finally, Danny managed to get a hold of the rod; he looked back at Steve and saw how the life faded slowly out of those beautiful blue eyes. “NO!” He lifted the rod, his muscles protesting the exertion.
“Steve!”
*~*
Meanwhile a couple of miles away two dark figures swept the sweat from their brows as they looked down at their handy work.
“Let’s finish this,” the smaller one said in a deep voice. The taller man nodded and poured salt out of a canister over the opened coffin then doused the corpse with gasoline. He was spotting an impressive black eye and his cheeks where bloody from deep scratches. He nodded again signaling the smaller man to go on. There was the sound of something scratch against a rough surface and then a bright white flame spurt into life with a whoosh. The man winced at the movement; he himself had dark ligature marks around the neck. He watched the match burn before throwing it into the pit they had dug.
The corps burst into flames.
What they wouldn’t do for old friends, Mamo really did owe them now, the man thought. The flapping of wings announced the arrival of a third man.
“You ready,” the gravelly voice asked, together they watched the flames licking around the corps, dancing merrily.
“Yeah,” the smaller man said and the third man nodded. He lifted both his hands and touched both men with his index and middle finger on the forehead. In the blink of an eye they were gone.
*~*
Danny was ready to strike, as the girl let go of Steve and staggered backwards. Steve fell forwards into Danny’s open arms, the rod thrown to the floor, to catch his partner. He grabbed him and hugged him protectively against his chest. With fear and a macabre curiosity Danny watched the girl flicker like a bad television reception before she screamed and burned up in flames and black smoke.
Silence surrounded them once more, but it was no longer uneasy. Danny could feel Steve breathing slowly but steady, his heart beating against his chest. He buried his face against Steve’s neck breathing him in; his mind was racing, question after question bubbled up inside him. He tried to suppress them but soon they became like a flood crashing against a dam.
“Tell me I was imagining it,” it burst out in a croak. “Tell me it wasn’t a ghost!”
Steve’s body started to shake, at first it was only small tremors and Danny panicked thinking that Steve was dying in his arms. But then he could hear little snorting sounds, Steve was laughing, the bastard! Danny slapped him lightly over the head.
“Ow,” Steve winced. “Injured man here,” he rasped and Danny felt guilty.
“Sorry, sorry,” he hugged Steve again running his hands up and down Steve’s back in a soothing motion. Finally Steve lifted his head from Danny’s chest to lock at him. Danny could see dark bruises forming around Steve’s throat and from the way Steve’s eyes darkened in anger he was fairing no better. Steve’s warm and callused hand came up to brush over a particular bad bruise and Danny shuddered, not from the pain, which was a bitch, but from the tender touch.
“I’m sorry Danny,” Steve said, his voice hoarse and no doubt painful. Danny didn’t know for what Steve was sorry, for getting them into this mess, for freaking Danny out, for seeing the love Danny had for him in his all too expressive face and not sharing it? His heartbeat speed up and he gulped wincing in pain. Steve continued. “But that was a ghost.” And now he was grinning stupidly from ear to ear.
Danny stared at him in disbelieve, how could Steve grin like that after nearly dying, Danny’s hands fisted in Steve’s shirt. But there was something hilarious and exhilarating about the whole situation and he felt an answering smile tug at his lips. He was alive and he was given the chance to tell Steve how he felt about him and the look Steve was giving him now told him that his feelings were mutual.
“Freak,” he said fondly and leaned forward, Steve meeting him halfway to bring their lips together for their first kiss. It was gentle and Danny marveled about how soft Steve’s lips were, soft but insistence.
At the first touch of Steve’s tongue Danny moaned and opened his mouth to let Steve in. It was now Steve who groaned as he tasted Danny, he was sure that he was already addicted to it. His hand came up to run it over Danny’s arm eliciting a whimper from the stout detective. It wasn’t the good kind.
“Sorry,” Steve said between light kisses.
“S’okay. I think you said something about steaks and beer?” Danny kissed him again he couldn’t help it.
“That’s good thinking Detective Williams. I think it is safe to assume that our perps are not here.” Steve stood up gingerly every bone in his body arched and his throat was killing him. There would be definitely more kissing in his future and less talking. He helped Danny up and hugged him close to his body needing the physical contact to reassure him that they both were alive and well.
“Hey,” Danny rasped against his chest. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” He rubbed Steve’s back soothingly. “We’re okay and I really need an ice pack and some painkillers.”
Steve relaxed his hold and bending down trailed light kisses along Danny’s throat, over his jaw ending with a soft but intense kiss.
“I have some in the Camaro,” he said kissing Danny’s nose grinning like he got the best present under the Christmas tree.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Danny twisted out of Steve’s embrace and grabbed his hand dragging Steve behind him back to the car away from this god-awful place.
It was dark outside, but Danny had no problem finding the car. The Camaro stood like a sentinel at the entrance of the property were they had left him glimmering like a … ghost in the night. Danny shook that image out of his head. Steve opened the rear compartment and rummaged around before emerging with a bottle of painkillers. Danny had grabbed a bottle of lukewarm water and was now making impatient hand motions towards the pills. Steve smiled and gave him two. Swallowing his own pills was painful and the warm water did nothing to sooth his throat, but hopefully the painkillers would kick in soon.
Slumping into the seats of the Camaro both men sigh in relieve. Danny didn’t know how tense he was until he relaxed into the formfitting seat of the muscle car. Steve started the motor and drove off leaving a big dust cloud behind.
“So,” Danny started after a while; Steve had been wondering how long Danny would last. He grinned stupidly happy that he hadn’t lost this; putting a hand on Danny’s thigh because he could now was exhilarating. He squeezed it running his hand up and down reassuringly. Danny shuddered at the contact and put his own hand on Steve’s stopping it and entwining their fingers. Steve’s grin grew impossible wider and Danny wanted to kiss him.
“So,” he started again, “how come that you know about…,” he still couldn’t bring himself to say ghosts. God damn it ghosts where real, what should he tell Grace the next time she asked about them? The thought of his daughter and that he would see her again, hold her again made his heart arch painfully with relieve.
“About?” Steve asked squeezing Danny’s hand and Danny realized that he had stopped talking.
“About the … thing,” he finished lamely.
Steve snorted and winced. “Why can’t you say ghost? You’re from Jersey; I thought you believed in all things supernatural. You even told me about looking for the Jersey Devil!”
Danny huffed indignant. “The Jersey Devil is a monster it has a corporal body and is thus more real and importantly killable!”
“You saw that ghosts are ‘killable’, too!”
“How is that even possible?” Danny gesticulated wildly with his hands. Now that he could Steve cached one of them to bring it to his mouth and kiss it. Danny let his other hand fall into his lap staring at the one in Steve’s hand.
“Someone must have burned the body. Don’t know how it is possible, but that usually does the trick.”
“And you know that how,” Danny asked wearily playing with Steve’s fingers.
Steve was silent for a moment driving the Camaro along deserted roads. “The first time I saw a ghost was in South East Asia. My team leader thought it was okay to make camp in an old temple ruin. It turned out to be an abandoned monastery with a cemetery nearby. The locals had told us about it that it was haunted and that nobody was crazy enough to go near it. Not in daytime and especially at night. We thought it was nothing, superstition of the peasants.
“Well guess what. It was haunted and the spirits weren’t too pleased with us being there and desecrating their land. They made it crystal clear that they wanted us gone.”
Danny squeezed Steve’s hand. “How?”
“Oh you know the usual flinging people around, chocking them, making them sick. I remember that I was sitting near the fire eating and without warning I was puking my guts out. Literally from 0 to 100 in 1 second flat. I heard and saw the others flying around screaming. A seasoned SEAL team, men that have seen grueling combat scared shitless running for they lives. It’s not something you forget easily. We’ve been lucky that no one was killed that night.
“After that I did some research and well turns out there are people out there who apparently hunt ghosts and other supernatural beings. So I know that burning the body of the ghost will kill it.”
They laps into silent Danny trying to process all this and Steve trying to push back old memories. Danny looked up surprised when Steve killed the engine and silence fell around them once more it was only interrupted by the ticking of the cooling engine.
Steve pulled at their joined hands, he must have parked the car with his left Danny mused, bringing Danny to face him. He leaned over the middle console and kissed him. Danny’s eyes fluttered shut sighing into the kiss.
“Come on,” Steve said after reluctantly breaking the kiss. Danny let go of Steve’s hand and together they left the car and entered Steve’s home.
Steve grabbed Danny’s hand again leading him to the kitchen where he pulled to chilled bottles of water out of the refrigerator. They drank it slowly grateful for the relieve it brought them. Then Steve rummaged in the freezer compartment and emerged with two ice packs triumphantly. Danny kissed him again.
“Steaks. Beer. Shower. Bed. In that order,” Danny said in between kisses.
“Excellent idea,” Steve agreed holding the ice pack against his throat feeling the swelling already go away. “Fire up the grill will you,” he said rummaging already in the fridge again to get the steaks and the salad he had made this morning.
Danny grinned and walked out on the lanai to get the grill started the cool chill from the ice pack relieving his throat tremendously.
They grilled the steaks in silence enjoying each other’s company, touching and kissing whenever they wanted. The steaks where delicious and the cool beer helped them relax further.
Sitting in the beach chairs, they watched the stars holding hands. Steve turned his head watching Danny as a warm breeze ruffled his hair. He came close to losing him today and he vowed to himself that he would do anything to protect him; him and Grace. Somehow the Williams’ had worn their way into his heart and he would be damned if he wouldn’t do everything in his power to keep them there. He felt Danny rub his thump over his hand.
“What are you thinking,” he asks.
Steve smiled pulling Danny’s hand to his mouth kissing it, then pulled Danny closer and leaned over the chair to kiss him. Danny signed into the kiss opening his mouth to let Steve’s tongue in. They kissed lazily until their bruised muscles made themselves known.
“I think I love you,” Steve said caressing Danny’s stumbled cheek.
Danny’s smile was brilliant. “Me, too. Babe,” he said kissing Steve again. “Me, too. It’s stupid how much I love you. You Neanderthal animal.”
Steve chuckled, kissing Danny while lifting him out of the chair. “You said something about a shower and bed?” He led Danny back to the house.
“Are you saying that I smell, Steve?” Danny stopped lifting an eyebrow in mock indignation.
Steve just smiled predatory as he buried his face in the crook of Danny’s neck and breathed him in.
“Steve,” Danny asked breathless as he felt Steve lick a strip up over his jaw to his ear.
“I could make a meal out of you, baby,” he whispered seductively. Danny felt a shiver run down his spine to his groin. “You smell and taste amazing, but I know I’m not going to get it up tonight and you neither. So we’re going to take a warm, relaxing shower before we go to bed. We’ll see what little Steve has to say in the morning.” He nuzzled behind Danny’s ear making him shiver even more.
“Steve,” Danny’s voice was strangled.
“I know, baby,” Steve said kissing him soothingly. He grabbed Danny’s hand and dragged him back inside and up into the master bathroom. Turning on the water he helped Danny out of his shirt kissing him between opening each button. The beer and the painkiller had finally kicked in completely making Danny docile and sleepy. He let Steve manhandle him into the shower after he slipped out of his trousers and boxer briefs. Steve starred at him torn.
“Not gonna join me?” Danny ran a hand down his chest as the water trickled down his body.
Clothing his eyes, Steve took a deep breath. “Be right back,” he breathed then ran out of the bathroom to close all doors and windows and setting the alarm. He was back in no time flying out of his cloth in record time. Stepping into the shower Danny grabbed him and pulled him down into a really dirty kiss. His cock twitched in interest but that was all he could do, the painkiller made sure of it. They stayed in the shower until all the hot water was used. Danny was practical comatose at this point and Steve rubbed them both dry with military precision before leading Danny to his bed. Slipping in behind him he covered them with a thin sheet. He curled around Danny kissing his shoulder before drifting off to sleep. All was good in his world; he had Danny in his bed and a bright morning to look forward to.